Note: This is an Alternate Universe to Season 1, in which the aftermath of the episode Royal Heartbreak played out much differently. The series canon beyond that point is being thrown into a pit of hellfire and destroyed, since none of that will enhance this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club nor did the writers sell their souls to me for a popular series (though if they had, it would be a much better series; Season 5 was a train wreck). I make no profit from posting this story.

From Charcoal to Diamond

1. The High Road

Morning dawned over the Alfea campus with all its usual glory, the twin suns bathing the sky in a watercolor wash of pinks, oranges, yellows, and purples. The instructors—awake long before the suns—were taking their morning beverages of choice and making last-moment changes to their lesson plans. Few students, if any, were awake at such an early hour.

Bloom Peters was one of those few early risers this morn, mostly due to the fact that she hadn't slept at all the previous night. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying and dark purplish half-moons were beginning to appear on the skin underneath them. Despite being emotionally and physically worn-out, the redheaded fairy never managed to calm down enough to sleep.

At first she had been riding on a wave of betrayal and anger. Who wouldn't be, after discovering that their boyfriend not only lied about his identity, but also the fact that he was engaged to be married to a freakin' fairy princess? However, once the white-hot rage subsided, a numbing sense of guilt and shame crept over her. She, in a moment of hurt and confusion, had attacked an innocent with her flames. She had accused a total stranger of being one of the Trix in disguise and outright attacked her at a festival. While she had been upset before, she had never done something like this. Maybe the Trix's little prank with that book was more right then event they knew? Maybe Bloom wasn't cut out to be a fairy after all?

One thing was certain, though: no matter what lengths she had to go through, Bloom fully intended to make a formal apology to Diaspro and dump Brandon (or Sky, or whatever the hell his name was) once and for all. Prince or not, attractive or not, he wasn't worth it. He'd lied about something very personal and she wasn't willing to forgive him for it. She might never be willing to forgive this. However, she was willing to acknowledge that she had acted wrongly and beg forgiveness from Princess Diaspro. Whether or not the blonde royal accepted her apology didn't matter as much as the fact that she'd actually made one.

With this in mind, Bloom dug through her desk drawers and pulled out her best ink pens—the ones usually reserved for outlining her artwork—and a stationary pad. It took several drafts (each of which were crumbled up and burned to ashes when it didn't pan out) before she finally wrote something that looked appropriate to send to a princess she barely knew. Smiling, she folded the letter up and went to Flora's desk to fetch an envelope.

One small step for a fairy, one giant leap for womankind…

The royal palace of Isis was one of the most opulent buildings in all the known realms. Virtually everything was made of the finest stone and wood to be found in the magical dimension and much of that was either inlaid or gilded with gold. Princess Diaspro's sleeping quarters were no exception to the rule. Creamy silk and rich burgundy velvet contrasted the gray stone walls of her room, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere. A dark wood writing desk—perfectly matching the bed and nightstand—sat in front of a small window on the east wall.

Despite a room full of creature comforts and a closet filled with the most expensive dresses and shoes money could buy, Diaspro was in a sour mood. Her future, all her hopes and dreams, had been shattered in the span of two days. Due to Prince Sky's bout of infidelity, she was no longer engaged to her childhood friend, set to become queen of both Eraklyon and Isis. No, their engagement contract was now voided, there were scorch marks in her usually impeccable hair, and every royal who bothered to attend the display at Red Fountain knew precisely why that was.

At first, she had been well and truly pissed at Bloom. Who did the commoner think she was, accusing her of being a witch? Who was she to lure Sky away from his fiancé? But the more Diaspro learned about the annoying redhead (not that there was very much to learn about an incoming freshman), the more she began to realize that the blame fell on Sky's shoulders. This girl, naïve to the ways of the magical dimension, had been targeted for her powers and deceived by a group of witches from a neighboring university. One of them had gone so far as to impersonate Princess Stella of Solaria, if the tabloids were to be believed. She could understand why the redhead would react so violently in that situation.

What she could not understand was why Sky lied about being engaged. Really, how hard was it to say that he was spoken for? He didn't have to tell her his true identity to let her know that! How difficult was it to mention his relationship status? Very difficult, obviously, or he would have done it long before the Day of the Royals.

"Milady," one of the servant girls meekly opened the door to her chambers, a white envelope in her hands, "you have a letter."

"If it's another forced apology from that troll of a prince…" A rather unladylike snarl formed on the blonde fairy's lips as she recalled the last letter she received.

"It is not written in his hand or sealed with the palace crest, Milady." The servant replied, gingerly handing the letter to her mistress. Sure enough, the handwriting on the note was distinctly feminine though wholly unfamiliar.

"Thank you, Daneel." Diaspro nodded to the young servant. "Have all the servants screen my mail; send anything written in Prince Sky of Eraklyon's hand into the fire used to cook dinner."

"As you wish, Milady." Daneel bowed, scurrying out of the room.

Frowning, the princess examined the envelope carefully. It was made of common white paper and was of the standard letter size—available at an affordable price on any developed realm. The penmanship was the looping, elegant sort of cursive that one would expect from a woman, usually one who had been forced at a young age to write in formal cursive. It also appeared to be written in quality ink, in contrast to the mediocre paper. Odd, Diaspro thought to herself as she carefully opened the envelope and emptied its contents.

The letter inside left her speechless.

To Crown Princess Diaspro of Isis,

I would prefer to say such things in person, but due to recent events I doubt you would want me within ten meters of your person. You would be well within your rights to feel that way, and as I do not wish a confrontation with you or your guards, this letter is the next best alternative.

First and foremost, I wish to apologize for my behavior towards you at the Red Fountain Day of the Royals festival a few days ago. Taking my frustrations out on you and accusing you of such terrible things was wrong, and there is regrettably no excuse I can offer for my lack of decorum. I do not expect you to forgive me yet, if at all, but I feel compelled to tell you that I am deeply sorry for my actions and mean you no ill will should we meet again in.

Secondly, I have no intention of further pursuing a relationship with Prince Sky of Eraklyon, or as I knew him, squire Brandon. There are a great many things I can tolerate, but deception of that magnitude is not one of them. He lied to me about you just as he lied about his name and social standing. I can the reason behind switching places with his squire, but there is simply no set of circumstances in which his completely omitting you in his conversations with me is okay. Had I known he had someone waiting for him at home, I never would have encouraged his attempts to win my affection.

Perhaps someday the two of us can become valued acquaintances, if friendship is now too far out of reach. You seem like a collected, driven young woman and I am sure that I could learn much from you should you decide to pursue correspondence with me of any sort. I am deeply sorry for how I acted toward you and wish you the best of luck with Prince Sky, should you decide to keep him.

Best regards,

Miss Bloom A. Peters

Diaspro re-read the letter three times over, trying to convince her mind that her eyes were not, in fact, playing tricks on her. For a petty commoner, this Bloom girl had an impressive grasp of formal letter formatting. Also, despite the formal wording of the letter, Bloom's apologetic tone came across clearly. It wasn't stiff or so deeply buried under large words that you had to squint to see it, unlike the recent correspondences from the Eraklyon royal family. Bloom felt genuinely sorry for her behavior and wanted Diaspro to know it.

A part of Diaspro really wanted to play the part of the wronged ex who despised the "other woman" on principal. It would be an easy thing to direct her feelings of anger, hurt, and betrayal at Bloom, yet that option would give her no real satisfaction. However, another more devious part of her knew that becoming acquaintances with this Earth girl would get under Sky's skin. Even if they never truly became friends, they could still thoroughly confound the numerous tabloid news reporters who were currently trying to paint them as hated enemies. And she did so love stumping the tabloids…

A smile formed on her red-lacquered lips as she pulled out her pen and a sheet of royal stationary from one of her desk drawers. This was going to be a very amusing game, she thought as she wrote out her response.

To Miss Bloom Peters,

I am sure that you believe I hate your very existence at this moment, but that is not the case. While I remain a bit miffed, I am also intelligent enough to realize that we have both been played for fools in this whole affair. As you stated previously, there is no set of circumstances in which what Prince Sky did to the both of us is acceptable behavior.

As I am unsure how public this announcement was, I shall tell it to you here rather than leave you to discover it for yourself. My engagement to Prince Sky has been officially annulled. It has been a rather crushing blow for me, as I have literally spent my whole life preparing to become the best wife and future queen the heir to Eraklyon could want. I love Sky; we have been dear friends since infancy, which is doubtless the reason behind our engagement. For some time I have known that he did not fancy me in a romantic sense, but I never once suspected he could be capable of such a great deception. He has never been a good liar in my experience, but then I have had many more years to learn his tells than you.

If you can find time in your schedule, I would like to meet with you in person as soon as possible so that we may learn more about one another. Whether or not we eventually become friends, it will certainly shock the reporters who have likely been lurking around the front gates of your school hoping to get a good photo of you. Dragon knows how they've set up camp outside the palace.

Please respond at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Princess Diaspro of Isis