Title: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Word Count: 2,417
Summary: Slightly AU, Season 3; At Stella's Princess Ball, Baltor checks up on Countess Cassandra and Chimera to make sure everything goes according to plan. He never expected to be dancing with the girl who'd collided with him on the stairs.
Pairings: Sparxshipping
Dedication: To anyone and everyone still carrying a torch for my favorite Winx villain! (who I refuse to start calling Valtor; you can't make me). Also to xBloomStarx, who helped me out with editing/overall plot.
A/N: It's been like 5 months since I updated, which is terrible. I'm planning to fix that. This may turn into a series of one-shots, depending on the overall reaction and my mood in general. If so, the summary will probably change and new chapters will be updated here, so watch out for that.
The Solarian Sun Palace had a faint scent of oranges and fabric softener that was starting to drive Baltor insane. Maybe it was from doing so much eavesdropping from behind those thick curtains in the hallway, but it seemed like it lingered in the air even after he'd entered the grand ballroom. He never thought he'd start to miss the smell of wet sandstone that dominated the caves in Andros, but things could change.
Baltor glanced around the ballroom again, taking in the new batch of young royals and socialites that filled it. How things could change, indeed.
He'd been worried about being in the open like this, but it seemed that anyone old enough to remember his face either hadn't arrived yet, or simply weren't there. It was a bit difficult to pick him out, anyway; hanging around the pillars in the back of the ballroom, a good distance from the dancefloor and where King Radius would be sitting (people were already gathering around to be one of the first to talk to him; while some things changed, others never would), but still within the general vicinity of activity. While a few people passed by, no one seemed to pay much attention to him.
The clock inched closer to the hour, when King Radius and Countess (soon to be Queen) Cassandra would enter. If everything went according to plan, the spell he gave to her daughter Chimera would be activated mere minutes after that. And once that was done, there really wouldn't be a party left to stay for. Baltor smirked to himself; no one would ever know he was there. It was foolproof.
"Countess Cassandra hasn't entered yet, if you're looking for her."
The voice was unexpected; nobody had tried to talk to him since he arrived. Though he wanted to jump, Baltor forced himself to remain calm and glanced to the left. He wasn't surprised to find the space on the other side of the pillar was now occupied, but he was surprised to find who was occupying it.
His mind flashed back to the girl who'd crashed into him on the stairs while on his way to obtaining the Sun of Solaria. The rug had slipped from under her boots and the next moment he was gripping her arms to keep her upright. Her cheeks had turned as red as her hair (which was fairly bright; he hadn't seen hair that red in a long time), and after a mumbled apology she'd taken off down the stairs. He'd watched her go; curious why someone so mundane would be in the palace and even more curious as to why his hands were tingling.
That girl looked almost nothing like the one he saw now. Her clothes had been replaced with a blue dress that made her look like royalty, and her hair was in a neat bun on the top of her head. Her makeup brought out the brightness in her eyes, but the thing Baltor couldn't help but notice was the dark red color on her lips.
She raised an eyebrow after a moment. "Were you looking for Countess Cassandra?"
He blinked. "…Yes. Though looking may not be the right word. I was merely checking up on her."
The girl smiled. "You don't strike me as the type to provide moral support."
Baltor hummed in agreement. "I'm usually not. I'm just here in case she needs my help. Nothing more, nothing less."
"I see…so she doesn't know you're here?"
"And I'd prefer to keep it that way." Baltor said coolly. He glanced back at the girl, expecting her to look frightened, but her facial expression remained the same; a small smile on her lips as she leaned against the pillar, dangerously close to brushing shoulders with him. She wasn't easy to get rid of. He knew that was a bad thing, but for the life of him Baltor couldn't remember why. After a moment he cleared his throat. "I seem to recall meeting you earlier. It's nice to see your balance has improved."
A faint blush crept over her cheeks. "Right…that was actually my motivation for coming over here."
Baltor allowed a small smirk to creep over his face. "To fall on me?"
"To apologize for falling on you."
She really was beautiful. The Trix girls he'd allied himself with had a sort of hard look that not everyone would consider beauty. But this girl…
"Apologies aren't necessary," he finally said. "You weren't the first person to trip, and you certainly won't be the last."
"I know. It's just..." She sighed, leaning her head back against the pillar. The knot of her hair distorted into an odd shape. "I'm not very good at behaving like royalty, am I?"
"You aren't a self-absorbed embezzler, so that's a start." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he let out a string of curses in his head. What is wrong with you? Why are you even talking to her? Get out now before she blows your whole cover!
She smiled faintly. "You don't seem like a person who'd get along well with Cassandra."
"You'd be surprised what two people with a common goal can accomplish." Baltor replied, his eyes falling toward the ballroom doors. He would just have to hope Cassandra didn't screw anything up now. "If you'll excuse me..."
"Wait!" she placed a hand on his shoulder, and Baltor had to fight off the shock that seemed to go through him. "I didn't mean to pry at anything. I just...well I felt embarrassed about earlier and I was hoping to make it up to you..."
She kept talking, but Baltor paid little attention as he caught sight of the Solarian Royal Court entering the ballroom. There were faces he didn't recognize, but they were scattered among the ones he did (he could even see the court head, Lucian, who Baltor vaguely remembered throwing a raging fireball at during the Battle of Sparx). Though he tried to fight it, his nerves started to jump; he would easily be spotted if he headed for the door now. And if anyone held grudges like he did, it wouldn't take long before people remembered who he was. He needed to blend in. Do something mundane that didn't involve standing suspiciously on the outskirts of a party. And he needed to do it fast.
"Dance with me."
The girl's rambling stopped. "What?"
"You really want to make it up to me? Show me you can actually go for a minute without stepping on my feet."
She stared at him for a moment. "Okay, you have to be avoiding someone other than Cassandra."
"And helping me avoid them will more than likely put you back into my good graces." He offered her a hand, trying not to look impatient. "Now do you know how to waltz or not?"
She glanced around the room, as though looking for someone. Baltor was about to snap at her again, but then she finally set her gaze back to him and, after a moment, took his hand.
It was like he'd been hooked up to an electric box. There was an energy running from her hands to his and coursing through his body. He'd never felt anything like it before, even when the Ancestral Witches had first granted him his powers. This was stronger somehow, more alive. His fingers started to heat up under his gloves.
"So why do they hate you?" The girl obviously had no reactions to physical contact like he did. Baltor raised an eyebrow, and she straightened up, apparently trying to look proper. "The Solarian court; why don't they like you? You're obviously going through a lot of trouble to hide from them."
"...Old arguments," Baltor said after a moment. "It's better they don't know I'm here."
"Did you serve on the court?"
"No. A different court. We haven't spoken in quite a while."
"Well look on the positive side; at least Cassandra likes you."
"Indeed." he replied. A few of the men's gazes turned to the dance floor, and Baltor spun the girl in his arms to avoid being seen. He could feel her wobbling and had to put a hand around her waist to keep her steady. "You really are new to royalty, aren't you?"
From their right, a thin black-haired girl and a brunette boy (both dressed in what appeared to be expensive garments) snickered. Baltor shot them a glance, debating on tripping them with a spell. When he turned back, the girl's cheeks were red. "I'm a disaster, aren't I?"
"I never said 'disaster', I said new."
She chuckled. "I've never even been inside a palace before - or at least one that was occupied with living people. Maybe that was for the best..."
"Please; being a royal isn't about palaces. It's about proving a point. You simply need to act the part."
What was he doing? There was a group of men no less than fifty feet behind him who - if given the proper time and lighting - could send him right back to Omega for another eternity of frozen hell. This was a time to panic, not make small talk. No matter how much he tried to justify it was only to blend in, he couldn't stop staring at this girl. And any story where a man was transfixed by a woman almost certainly led to trouble.
She was smirking now, red lips parted and blue eyes sparkling. "And how would you suggest I 'act the part?'"
Though he knew it was a bad idea, Baltor glanced behind him, making sure the council was distracted. "Act natural," he whispered to her.
Before she could blink (or he could stop himself), Baltor stepped to the left, keeping his arm around her waist as though he planned to twirl her again. But at the last moment he pulled her back and dipped her on the floor. She gasped softly but otherwise made no gesture to show she was surprised. When Baltor brought her back up, the black-haired girl from before was staring at them with her mouth open. A petty sense of satisfaction settled in his stomach.
When they were lost in the crowd, Baltor watched a smile go across her face. "H-How did you do that?"
"Years of practice," he responded. The entire royal court was looking away from the dancefloor towards the doors where King Radius was going to make his entrance. "I told you, it's simply a matter of acting the part. Now one will look at you twice."
"I'll consider that a compliment."
Baltor opened his mouth, then closed it, then smirked. "That wasn't what I meant."
She matched the smirk. "I know."
For a moment he could feel the energy going through him again, stronger than before. The voice telling him to get out was gone, and he didn't even care. "Now that I think about it, I don't believe I even know your name."
The smirk faded into a smile. "It's…" her voice trailed off as her eyes slid past him. After a few seconds they widened in terror, and she maneuvered herself so she was blocked from the view of the crowd. Baltor had to stop for a moment to regain his step. "What is it?" he asked her.
"It's just...a friend of mine. That's all."
Baltor glanced back. There didn't seem to be anyone new among the crowd; the same group of royalty and socialites. The only difference seemed to be an open side door, where a few last minute party goers were streaming in…
Including a group of boys wearing the Red Fountain uniform.
The energy seemed to snap off as the pieces clicked. Baltor looked back at the girl, her eyes on the floor. "Your boyfriend."
"He -"
"Obviously is." He finished for her. The arm he had around her waist drew back until only his hand was resting on her hip. "I'm no fool."
"I'm well aware." She finally looked up at him again. Her eyes were heavy. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind waiting until the end of the dance…"
"Ah, yes, I'm sure he would. But the only issue of that would be," he leaned down until his lips were level with her ear. "We've stopped dancing."
Startled, she looked around. The orchestra was silent, and people were moving about, making room for the King's royal entrance. People walked past the two, hands still locked as they stood still on the dance floor. The clock was a tick away from the hour. "O-Oh."
Baltor gave a final glance back before pulling away. Then, almost on impulse, brought the girls hand to lips and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles. "Thank you, my dear, for assisting in my little distraction. I shouldn't be a bother to you any longer."
"It was no bother…" She was blushing furiously - more so than he'd seen throughout the course of their dance. But she still managed a small curtsey, keeping her balance. "Sorry if I stepped on your feet." she added, almost as an afterthought.
"I'm quite sure you didn't," he said, even though she'd done so at least twice. "Please do enjoy your evening, and apologize to your boyfriend if he asks."
She made a move to reply but Baltor was already gone, heading towards the exit.
Any relaxed feeling he had was now gone. His nerves were still on fire, despite the pit that was now in his stomach. What had he expected? Of course she had a boyfriend; she was beautiful. And what did it even matter she had a boyfriend; it was no concern of his. He was there for one reason, and one reason only; revenge. He didn't have time to get caught up in anything else. And it was stupid to pretend he could - even for a minute.
Once he reached the empty hallways outside the ballroom he fired up a portal. There was no way he could stay here now, after what just happened. Baltor would just have to trust Cassandra knew what she was doing. It was simple anyway, he assured himself, only an idiot could mess it up (So Chimera would just have to stay away from it).
The portal jumped to life in front of him, and Baltor stepped through, the sunlit halls replaced with humid, cold caverns.
If he ever saw that girl again, it would be too soon.
Update (1.1.16): The absolutely flawless Hayden has done a pod-fic of this story. Find it on SoundCloud under her username, hayden-daviau.