Winning Love
By: Lady Faith
:: This is just a short story that came to me one day and I had to write it down and share it. Please tell me what you like of it. Thanks a bunch::
:: The following characters and places are not my orginal thoughts or ideas and are the property of Rainbow s.p.a. production. ::
It was late into the night. She had an entire semester paper to do. Her mind wouldn't focus no matter how hard she tired. All she could do was stare at the paper and think of him. His wavy blonde hair, his relaxed smile, his broad shoulders, his trim yet muscled figure, and those gorgeous blue eyes. Those eyes she thought of most. How deep, blue, and clear. Whenever she looked deep into them, searching for his heart she felt as though she could plunge right in and float to infinity.
These feeling he stirred within her were the ones keeping her from starting her homework. She couldn't push the thought of him aside no matter how hard she tired. She'd be up all night because of this. What was with her today? She never had this much trouble trying to concentrate. It could only be one thing. Heartbreak.
Over at Red Fountain, Skye was having similar problems. During the school day he hadn't been able to focus in sword techniques class. Which cost him a painful injury to the shoulder which he was sent to the nurse for. And now, he laid wide awake in his bed staring up at the ceiling. She was so beautiful. Her fire red hair, shiny blue eyes, shy, sexy smile, and smooth figure. While these beautiful thoughts would usually help him to get to sleep, tonight they were haunted by a feeling. Guilt. Deep regret and heavy guilt.
When Brandon, Skye's best friend and roommate got up suddenly and headed towards the bathroom, he paused when he noticed Skye staring at the ceiling.
"Looking for something up there?" he asked in his relaxed, cool voice.
"No." was Skye's quick response.
Brandon shrugged and headed into the bathroom. When he walked back into the room he tired again, "You know if something is bugging you, you can tell me."
Skye sat up in bed and thought a moment. Brandon sat on the edge of his own bed and waited.
"I guess it's nothing." Skye finally replied.
"To heck it is. Who do you think you're fooling? You don't have to lie to me man. I know it has something to do with Bloom, now just tell me."
"How did you know?"
"I knew something was up when yon came storming back to your hover bike. I saw Bloom. She was running up to her room." He paused for a moment. "She had her face buried in her hands."
Skye looked up to Brandon. He was on the verge of tears himself.
"So, you going to tell me?" Brandon asked.
Skye took a heavy, quivering sigh, "I didn't want to tell her. But I knew I had to. I couldn't let her go on with her hopes up. I knew it would hurt her. I hurt me to but I had to do it now. If I waited, I knew this pain would only be worse and unrecoverable. At least now, there's a chance she may recover, hopefully."
Brandon looked down at the floor, trying to take it all in when it hit him, "Did...did you break up with her?"
Skye just barely nodded.
Brandon couldn't stop the gasp that escaped him, "What? But why? You love her..."
"OF COURSE I LOVE HER, DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT!", Skye fumed.
Brandon closed his mouth and sat there quietly.
"Brandon...forgive me."
"No, no, it's alright. I understand your pain. At least I think I do."
Skye shook his head, "It's worse than you think."
Brandon waited a moment then asked, "You wanna tell me?"
For the minutes that followed, Brandon thought he that Skye wasn't going to answer him or that he was going to blow up again. But, to his surprise Skye continued.
"I thought after that battle with Lord Darkard that everything between Bloom and me would be great and wonderful. I finally confused to her my love and, she returned it. The year ended with such promise. She and I had come such a long way since we first met that night we arrested the goblin attacking her house.
But when I returned home for the summer, things didn't go as I planned. When I explained to my parents how I felt about her, they completely rejected me. They said there was no way a prince son of theirs was going to marry a common peasant. I tired again and again to tell them how much she meant to me and how much I cared about her but, they just dismissed it as puppy love or a fling.
I didn't want to use the fact that she was a princess to win their approval but, by the end of the summer I felt like I had no choice. I told them she was no peasant and that, in fact a princess, I even explained why I didn't tell them in the first place. They appeared to be somewhat interested at last and asked me from which kingdom she is a princess of. When I told them Sparta, they stared dumbfoundly at me. I couldn't understand it until they said that a marriage to a princess of Sparta has absolutely no profit to my kingdom and that I must put the interests of my people first.
So, this afternoon, when we all went over to see the girls, I knew I had to tell her then and there. For there is no way now I could possibly think of marrying her and I just, didn't want to let this go any further. I did for her, so that she may find someone else. I know it might take awhile but, I pray she recovers from it and moves on."
After a long silence, Brandon asked, "What about you?"
Skye sighed, "I don't know if I'll ever love someone like I loved Bloom. And now my parents have reestablished my arranged marriage to Princess Deaspro. Their excuse to her parents was that I was just going through a phase or something."
"So, what did you tell Bloom?"
"Everything. Everything I just told you. I felt like she had the right to know the truth. But, I told her I loved her and that I will always lover her. She replied with if I love her so much why am I going through with this? I just let anger take over me because it was the easiest way to escape my pain and told her that I had to put my future kingdom first. Then, I stormed off."
Brandon laid back down and asked one last question, "Tomorrow is the Opening Ceremony for Red Fountain. You going to be able to make it?"
"I have to." Skye replied as he to, laid back down, "My parents will be there, and my fiance."
Crowds of people ushered into the stadium. Royalty to one side, and everyone else to the other. Bloom sat amongst her friends and looked down at the arena.
"Bloom, you okey?" Stella asked.
Bloom had already explained to them what happened.
She just nodded. All the girls look at her through sympatric eyes. They all felt her pain.
Trumpets sounded. The Ceremony had begun. Down from the sky came a circle of dragons and their riders, revolving round and round. Skye was among them. When he glanced over and happened to see Bloom, his heart fell to his feet. He made a mental note to not look in that direction again. Then he glanced up and saw Princess Deaspro sitting beside his parents opposite of Bloom. His parents smiled approvingly while Deaspro fixed her make up in her hand mirror.
Bloom had seen her too. Just the sight of her made her insides burn. She couldn't believe she was going to lose her boyfriend to that selfish, preppy, witch again. She clenched her fists to contain her mounting rage.
The Ceremony continued on. The dragon riders were up first preforming stunts and showing off their ability to raggle and control numerous kinds of dragons. Next up was the unrestricted combat. When it was Skye's turn, he was battling Brandon. They both took a respectful bow to each other and begun.
Bloom couldn't take it anymore and excused herself to the restroom. Unknown to her, Deaspro had taken note of Bloom's exit and quickly made her own.
Bloom went wondering down the halls, not really looking for the rest room. She passed by all kinds of awards, paintings, commemorations, and pieces of armor mounted to the walls. She wondered into a center round room lined with more of the various items.
"Well, well, look what the cat drug in." a all too familiar voice startled Bloom.
She spun around to find Deaspro standing in the only doorway to the center room.
"What do you want?" Bloom spat more hastily than she meant to.
Deaspro ignored her question, "I still don't see what he saw in you. He's way to good for you. A prince like him deserves a beautiful, elegant princess like me. Not some 'sudden princess' peasant. You will never be half the princess I am."
Bloom could feel her rage building within her. Her fists trembled at her side.
"Look, you got want you wanted, witch. Now just leave me the heck alone!" Bloom's voice rose in anger.
"Why would I do such a thing. I'm going to make sure you don't come near my fiance ever again."
Bloom looked at her questionably, waiting for her to explain.
"By making you look like a fool again in front of the entire crowd out there. Just like last time."
Bloom stopped suddenly. It finally hit her what she was doing.
"I'm won't fight you!" she declared.
"You don't have a choice." Deaspro activated her winx and transformed into her fairy mode. She waved her hand in an arc above her head and seven rounded-rectangle red gems appeared in a vertical oval around her to be used as a shield. She then smacked Bloom to the wall with an energy ball.
Bloom groaned in pain. She stood up and was smacked again.
"Come on, transform." Deaspro beckoned.
"No, I won't" Bloom tired to control her instincts to fight back.
"Fine then!" Deaspro shouted and shot an energy ball at the ceiling.
The battle between Skye and Brandon was almost over. Brandon was starting to get the upper hand when, a few feet over in the arena, the ground suddenly broke through and crumbled down into a large hole. The two stopped fighting and stared.
Deaspro made the motion with her hand to pick Bloom up and Bloom rose in the air. She portioned Bloom below the hole then hit her with everything she had. With a blast that sounded like thunder, Bloom flew through the air and landed hard on the arena ground near the hole.
The entire crowd took one huge gasp.
"Bloom." Skye whispered and dropped his sword right there. He ran over to her side and gently turned her over on her back. She fluttered her eyes open, now hazy and distant. He wrapped his arm around her and held her as best he could.
"Bloom.." he whispered to her.
"...Skye?" she replied.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Deaspro suddenly floated through the hole.
"You!" Skye yelled, "You did this to her?"
"I said GET AWAY!" Deaspro screamed and back handed a energy ball at him which knocked him back several feet.
"Skye..." Bloom turned her head, realizing what just happened, '...SKYE!"
Her winx took over and soon she had transformed into her fairy mode. Her rage flowed through her bloodstream like liquid fire. Her winx built up fast inside her. The Dragon Fire flared out from her body until she was the center of a massive flaming dragon.
"You may steal from me, the only man I will ever love, you may insult me and my kingdom, you may attack me whenever you like, but never...EVER lay a hand on him!" With that she drew all her surrounding fire into one gigantic glowing fire ball inside her raised hands and blasted Deaspro with one earth shaking hit that sent her crashing to the ground back in normal dress. Her winx depleted.
Bloom was instantly at Skye's side. Holding him her arms and he had done her.
"You going to make it, prince?" Bloom had such a light-hearted tone that Skye couldn't help but smile.
Yet, when he saw the sadness behind her eyes, he felt his heart break ten time over in two seconds.
He sat up and Bloom helped him to stand. Then, they stood there a moment looking into each other's eyes.
"Bloom, forgive me." Skye suddenly said.
Bloom smiled meekly and shook her head, "There is nothing to forgive. You had no choice."
"No, that's not true. I did have a choice. I shouldn't have just accepted what my parents asked of me. I should have fought on, should've fought for you. But instead I chose to give up, to give in. I don't know what I was thinking. I can't stand the thought of not being with you the rest of my life. You're the person I want to be with, now and for all of time. And, I don't care who knows it or if they believe me or not."
By this time, Bloom had streams of tears rushing down her cheeks.
"Bloom, I love you. I love you with all my heart. I could never love anyone like I love you. You make my world worth living, you complete me. I wouldn't be here now if I hadn't fallen so hard for you."
Bloom couldn't hold back the small sob that shook her body.
"Bloom..." Skye suddenly kneeled down on one knee.
Bloom's sobs instantly ceased and the entire arena suddenly silenced. Everyone held their breathe.
Bloom's heart was racing faster than ever before. Her eyes were locked with Skye's. Her stomach knotted and twisted.
Skye gently kissed her hand that he held, "Bloom, princess of Sparta, Keeper of the Dragon Fire, and graceful goddess of my heart, I ask you for your hand in marriage."
Bloom gasped quick and sharp. Her heart pounded in her ears. Her winx was burning through her body with excitement. Tears poured out of her gleaming eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
She felt her body begin to shake slightly and squeaked out, "Yes!". Then, with more volume, "Yes, yes! Of course I will, I love you so."
Skye felt like he had just been accepted into heaven. He stood up and Bloom captured him in a tight hug. He held her as close as he could, telling himself that he'll never let her go again.
The crowd around them began clapping loudly. Skye glanced up to his parents who, to his surprise and delight, were teary eyed, and clapping just as loudly as anyone.
Skye gently pulled Bloom away from him and looked deep into her eyes. He then glanced down at his hand as he pulled off his royal ring, that symbolizes his royal standing as prince and the kingdom he presides in, and slipped it onto Bloom's ring finger on her left hand.
She flattered her hand to admire it, tears brimming in her eyes.
Skye then lifted her chin up and gently placed his lips on hers. This got all the boys of red fountain whistling and hooting and the girls from Alfeia "awing".
When the kiss ended, all to soon, Skye offered Bloom his arm, and they walked out of the arena. The crowd cheering all the way.