Disclaimer: I don't own Winx Club.
Roxy, formerly Queen Roxanne of Tir Nan Og, the former last fairy on Earth, and honorary member of the Winx Club, was dying. She had not been struck down by some terrible foe, nor had she been cursed. She was not wounded, she had not been poisoned, and she was not the victim of some horrible disease. If you wanted to get technical about it, she was dying of heart failure, but that was what was going to kill her, not why she was dying. The real reason her life was fading was the simple fact that she was well over two and a half centuries old, two hundred and seventy three to be precise. A very long life for a human, but a rather short one for a fairy.
Fairies are extremely long lived, with the oldest being as much as a thousand years old, although most didn't make it past their fifth century, but that was for pure blooded fairies with magic flowing through their entire lineage. Roxy was different. Her father was human, with no magic to speak of, making her a half fairy and shortening her natural lifespan by several hundred years. But she'd long since come to terms with her fate. Even if it did sting a bit that her friends in the Winx Club were still young enough to remain active fairies while her life was about to end, Roxy still wouldn't have traded her life for theirs.
Half fairies may not live as long, burning out in half the time that normal fairies do, but they also burn so much brighter. They are stronger than a normal fairy, possessed of more powerful magic, and their mixed heritage gives them a unique perspective on the world. Half fairies may be rare off Earth, but when they do appear, they change the world.
Roxy was no exception. She smiled as she adjusted her position in her hospital bed. She had lived a good life, and while it was shorter than it could have been, it was far longer than she had expected. She'd accomplished so much in her life and she thought back to the day her life had begun.
Everything had changed when the Winx found her and convinced her she was a fairy. The whole world opened up for her in ways she'd never expected. Learning magic, growing wings, and battling the Wizards of the Black Circle were still some of her fondest memories. Later on she discovered she was the heir to the throne of Tir Nan Og, the princess of Earth, which changed her life again. Fortunately she hadn't been expected to rule right away, so she'd gone to Alfea. It was there that she discovered the effects of her hybrid nature, excelling in nearly every class. She'd made many friends during her time at Alfea as well.
But she'd also made enemies. Enemies who wanted her power, or her title, or the White Circle which she had been entrusted with. She'd fought them all, but alone she would have failed. Fortunately for her, her friends from both Alfea and the Winx were there for her. Against their combined might, not even the most powerful of foes could win.
Well, actually they could, Roxy thought with a chuckle. Azzavax had gotten exactly what he wanted. He was now immortal. Of course, he was also a magic-less immortal chicken now, but hey, you can't have everything, right? Roxy was particularly proud of that one. She'd come up with the curse she used against him by working with a witch named Cirely, and in the process the two had become lifelong friends. Cirely had just visited her yesterday in fact.
"Hey Rox, how you doing?" the witch asked. To a human, she looked to be somewhere in her early-to-mid forties, but she was only a year younger than the woman she'd come to visit. Her light blue hair trailed down to her waist and contrasted with the off-white shirt and pants she was wearing. Dark blue bracers on her wrists completed the picture of the witch.
"Hey Cir," Roxy said from her deathbed. "I guess I'd be lying if I said I was fine."
"Yeah, you kind of would be," Cirely replied. "But I knew that, and that wasn't what I meant. How are you doing?"
"I'm alright Cir. I've lived a long time-"
"Hardly."
"A long time for a human-"
"Which you're not."
"And I've achieved so much in my life-"
"That part's true."
"And I think I really am ready to go."
Cir knelt down next to Roxy's bed. "Rox, Roxy, Roxanne. You're my best friend in the entire Magic Dimension, you know that, right?"
"Yes Cirely. I know," Roxy said. "You're my friend too."
"Thanks. I never expected my best friend would be a fairy, you know?" Cirely said. "And I certainly never expected her to be a half fairy princess. Funny how life works sometimes."
"Yeah, it is."
"I just wanted to say, I'll miss you, and I don't want to see you go, but if you think you're ready, then go. I won't try to stop you."
"And how would you do that?"
"By turning you into a chicken of course!" The two women started laughing. "Seriously Roxy, I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Roxy said. "But it really is my time. I've done everything I want to with my life."
Roxy had graduated from Alfea with full honors, and had been named the Guardian Fairy of Earth, a title she bore with pride. Many expected her to take up that role for a while and eventually take her place as Queen of Earth. Others expected her to skip straight to her coronation, while still others expected her to spend some time as a traveling Guardian Fairy before returning home to be Queen. She'd surprised everyone when she said that she was going back to school on Earth.
If she was going to be queen, she wanted to know more about the world. Magic was fine and all, but she had long since learned it couldn't solve everything. Some things required knowledge and skills beyond those of a simple fairy. So she had returned to Earth to resume her mundane education. Here, she had no advantages, but her dedication pushed her to excel once again. She had finished her interrupted high school education before moving on to college.
In college she pursued an aggressive series of courses, studying political theory, history, mythology, and biology. She spent two decades learning and studying, meeting new people and learning new things. She made many friends during her time there, but her enemies hadn't left her in peace. Three years into her chosen course of study, her college was attacked.
"Come out, Princess Roxy!" Gortan the Necromancer shouted. Roxy had fought him on numerous occasions during her time at Alfea, but she'd never defeated him permanently. He was like kudzu, you could kill him all you wanted and he would just come back. The fact that he was already a ghost to begin with didn't help either.
"Princess...Roxy?" Samantha, Roxy's roommate asked, looking at the woman she'd been chatting with. "Is the creepy guy with the stick talking about you?"
"Yes." Roxy sighed and opened up her jewelry box, pulling out the rather ordinary looking White Circle in its ring form. "I should have known he'd show up again."
"Wait, back up, you're a princess?"
"Yes."
"And you didn't tell me this because...?"
"Because if I'd just told you I was the Princess of Earth, would you have believed me?"
"Um... Maybe?"
"Right. Let me deal with Gortan. It shouldn't take long."
"You've met this guy before? You know who he is?"
"I've been fighting him for the last eight years. He just doesn't know when to stay down." Roxy slipped the White Circle onto her finger. She could feel its power coursing through her. Good, she wanted to make this quick. She had homework to do.
"Fighting him? How?"
"Roxanne, Fairy of Animals, Fairy Princess of Earth!" Roxy shouted. A blinding flash filled the room and she transformed. When the light faded, she was standing in far more regal attire than her usual t-shirt and jeans. Her green skirt hung to her knees, glittering brilliantly. Her top was equally brilliant with sleeves that ended at her elbows, meeting the light pink translucent gloves which covered her hands. A tiara formed atop her head while her hair hung down her back in a tight braid. Large pink and green wings completed the picture of a powerful and majestic Fairy Princess.
"Whoa, what the-?" Samantha took a step back. "Roxy, you're a-"
"A fairy, yes. A Guardian Fairy graduate of Alfea, and the Fairy Princess of Earth. Which is why I even have this particular transformation. Don't worry, this won't take long." Roxy said as she teleported out to face her old enemy.
Of course, once that happened, her secret was out. It was all the other students would talk about for weeks, and various people who hadn't liked her suddenly started trying to be her friends while people she did like tried to distance themselves from her. It took a long time for things to settle down and they never really did return to normal.
But she stayed on, continuing her studies. Her friends graduated and moved on, with new friends taking their place. Other strange events occurred and from time to time she got called away to deal with problems in the Magic Dimension, but she kept her focus on college. She wanted to be the best queen she possibly could and she was willing to put in the effort to make it happen.
When she was finally satisfied with her education, having multiple degrees under her belt and expertise in numerous disciplines, she returned to Tir Nan Og to claim her crown. At the age of forty, she was crowned Queen Roxanne of Earth, taking over from Nebula, who stayed on as an adviser and Roxy's deputy on occasion.
Nebula had done a decent job as Queen, although Regent would have been a better term, but like most pure-blooded fairies, she didn't think in terms of change. She'd maintained Earth, and managed the new fairies who were cropping up, but Earth was still isolated from the rest of the Magic Dimension. Roxy's first goal was to change this. She established inter-realm travel stations across the planet, enabling the people of Earth to mingle freely with the other realms. She set about creating trade agreements with other realms, and even some student-transfer programs. Earth quickly became a huge presence in the Magic Dimension. In less than five years, Earth had been given a position on the Magix Council.
During that time, Roxy also met the man who would become the love of her life, a wizard named Evan. He was far more formal and uptight than Roxy would ever be, and it took a long time for her to get him to grow a sense of humor, but in the end it had worked out quite well and the two were married shortly after Roxy's forty eighth birthday.
Roxy smiled nervously as she walked down the aisle to the altar, her father beside her. She had suggested that someone else could walk her down the aisle and that at eighty three her father really shouldn't be exerting himself this way, but he had insisted on doing it. "You're my daughter Roxy. You may be Queen of Earth, but you're still MY girl."
Evan was standing at the alter, wearing a formal suit from his home on Domino. He glanced around. Bloom was Roxy's Matron of Honor, and having his Queen's younger sister present was not making him feel any less nervous. Still, he knew why he was here. For the woman he loved, he would do anything.
Roxy finally reached the altar as her father finally sat back down next to Morgana. They gave their vows, sealing their marriage with a kiss.
Roxy smiled as the old memories flowed over her. Evan visited her every day for hours over the last few months. Two hundred and twenty five years had done nothing to diminish their love for each other. If anything it had grown stronger over the centuries.
But that period was also marked by sadness. It was as if seeing his daughter married marked the conclusion of Klaus's life. His health rapidly declined, and he died within two years of the wedding. At eighty five, he was an old man, but by fairy standards, or even half-fairy standards, he was barely middle aged.
Morgana was devastated by his loss. It seemed that the former queen could not live without the man who held her heart. She followed her husband a year later, a smile on her lips as they were reunited in death.
For a time, Roxy was broken by the twin losses. She went through her day, did her job, but there was no spark, no passion for the future, none of the drive that had marked the first ten years of her reign. Evan did his best to console her, but there was only so much he or anyone else could do for her.
However, time heals all wounds, and although it took several years, Roxy did recover. She took away many lessons from the heavy blow that was losing her parents, the greatest of which being just how precious life really is.
A year later, she and Evan would have the joy of welcoming their first child into the world. Princess Marielle, more commonly known as Rielle was a wondrous child who brought joy to everyone who met her. The palace of Tir Nan Og was filled with the laughter of the young girl. Rielle was soon joined by her twin brothers Morgan and Klaus, and her sister Arona. The children did wonders for Roxy, bringing a smile to her face and restoring her will to rule. With the new sense of conviction, Roxy lead Earth into a new golden age of development and magical resurgence, a period which would later become known as the Magical Revolution.
Not all of the changes brought about by the Revolution were comfortable ones though. Earth's greatest assets were it's enormous population, being nearly eight times larger than Solaria, the next largest Kingdom, and its unceasing drive to improve. Numerous magical colleges sprang up on Earth, some in direct competition with Alfea. Roxy had several interesting conversations with Musa, the current head mistress of Alfea as a result of this. She'd also had some even more interesting conversations with representatives from Zenith as Earth's technology advanced beyond that offered by the digital world. Earth was now the most advanced world in the Magic Dimension, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Zenith began to fade in importance as its people struggled to find a new purpose for their world.
The breaking point had been when Tecna, facing the new realities of technological development, relocated her personal laboratory to Earth so she could continue working with the best in the Magic Dimension. Quickly losing all importance and in danger of losing its place on the Magix Council, Zenith attempted to reclaim its place through force. The Earth-Zenith War caught many off-guard and scrambling to recover. Zenith made early gains against Earth, but was stymied by the planet's sheer size and diversity. Earth was simply too big to be defeated in a short period of time, and once Earth recovered, the war rapidly turned against the robotic armies of Zenith. They were crushed and expelled from the world in short order. A punitive expedition was discussed, but Roxy had stepped on that idea quite hard. Instead, Zenith was hit with crippling economic sanctions and various travel bans. The planet's economy collapsed, unable to support itself without assistance from other worlds. Their technology fell even further behind that of Earth as development came to a halt. They were expelled from the Magix Council, never to regain their position.
To be honest, Roxy couldn't bring herself to regret any of it. All she'd done was help her world become the best it could be. Zenith's loss of superiority was a side effect, but technological progress was not the sole province of that world of computers and robots. She might have felt apologetic about the situation had they not chosen to attack her world. As it was, she had no sympathy for them. And she had even less sympathy for their king, Cryos.
Roxy sat in state on her throne, her face set in a firm expression of disapproval. She had ruled Earth for three decades and entertained the rulers of numerous other realms within these halls. This would be the first time she had ever been visited by the king of a realm she was at war with. On her right stood Nebula, ready to serve her queen. On her left stood Evan, flanked by the fifteen year old Princess Rielle.
The door opened and a man in an outfit designed to invoke mechanical and electronic achievement entered, flanked by a pair of mechanical guards and no less than six of Roxy's finest soldiers. He slowly walked down the hall towards the queen, his head hung low. He stopped ten feet short of the throne and knelt.
"Your Majesty," he said as he bowed to the Queen of Earth, as was traditional. Visiting royalty showed respect to those whose halls they entered.
Roxy stared at him impassively. Had this been a friendly visit, she would have commanded him to rise, and perhaps risen herself to meet him. Under the circumstances, she did neither. "Cryos." Her voice was clipped and cold, the omission of his title a direct insult to his royalty.
He flinched at her voice but said nothing. His armies had been crushed, and now his kingdom faced the threat of a retaliatory invasion. His pride was not worth making that threat a reality.
"You invaded Our realm, inflicting a great deal of damage and destabilizing the Magic Dimension," Roxy's voice rolled through the hall. "Such actions cannot go unpunished."
Cryos swallowed nervously. Should Queen Roxanne's anger prove great enough, he had no doubt that she could conquer his kingdom.
"Still, We are not without mercy." She rose from her throne, her wings flashing into existence behind her. "As a great man of Our realm once said, 'In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Goodwill.' We cannot forgive you for your actions, but We will be... Magnanimous. The war between Zenith and Earth is over. However, Zenith shall pay the price for its actions. As of this moment, Zenith and her citizens are officially banned from visiting Earth or conducting business with Earth's citizens for a period of not less than twenty years, or until We are satisfied that Zenith's leadership and her citizens have reformed their behavior. This ban shall also apply to those members of other realms who do business with Zenith. You may go."
Cryos walked out, escorted by his guards. It was better than he had expected, although it would still be crippling. He could only hope his kingdom would survive the next twenty years.
"I do not believe I have ever seen you that angry," Evan said. "And I'm certain I've never heard you use the royal We before."
"I was angry," Roxy said. "He invaded my kingdom over something as trivial as pride. I wanted to remind him exactly who he was dealing with, and the magnitude of his mistake." She turned to Nebula. "Be sure that the ban is announced as soon as possible. I want them to know that Earth is merciful, but firm."
"Yes, your Majesty," Nebula said. "That was well handled."
"Thank you." Roxy sighed and sat back down on her throne. "That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do as Queen."
"I think you did a great job, mom," Princess Rielle said. "I always thought he was jerk anyways."
"Oh really?" Roxy said, smiling faintly. "And where did you get that idea?"
"That party you threw two years ago for the twins' tenth birthday. He was mean to Pelli."
"And being mean to a tiger makes him a jerk," Roxy said. "And a stupid one at that. Thank you Ri, I'm better now."
"Hey, what are daughters for?"
"Getting into trouble and not doing their chores," Roxy said.
"But we're royalty!" Rielle said. "Why do I have to do chores?"
"It builds character," Evan replied.
"I still don't believe that," Rielle said.
"Trust me Ri, you'll understand when you go to Alfea next year," Roxy said. "You'll meet some people who have never had to work a day in their life. I don't like what it does to people, and I'm glad you haven't turned out like that."
"Aww, thanks mom."
Roxy had made the decision to send her children to Magix for their magical education. She could have kept them on Earth and sent them to any of the dozen or so magical academies that had cropped up, but she wanted her children exposed to other cultures and customs. Sending first her eldest daughter to Alfea, then her sons to Red Fountain and finally Arona, her youngest, to Cloud Tower had proven harder than she expected, but she knew Musa, Riven, and Lucy would take good care of them.
It was when they returned that the real shock set in. Rielle went into Alfea a typical sixteen year old girl. When she returned, she was a Guardian fairy with a fierce determination to help others. Even Bloom at her most determined would have been but a candle before the flame of Princess Rielle's conviction. Roxy was proud of her daughter, even if the change was somewhat startling.
By contrast, her sons had chosen to travel as a pair of roving heroes, taking odd jobs and various missions. They seemed to value their new freedom above all else, and they were determined to enjoy it.
Arona had returned just in time to go through her rebellious period. This lead to some spectacular fights between her and her parents, but she eventually settled down, finding her place in the army of Earth.
Roxy smiled. She was proud of all four of her children, even if they hadn't always gone in ways she expected. Or approved of for that matter, but that was parenthood. It was never simple.
It was the day after Roxy's one hundred and twenty sixth birthday. She slowly woke to the light streaming through her bedroom window. It was lonely these last few months with Evan off negotiating a particularly difficult trade agreement with Isis. Unfortunately Isis was notorious for being difficult to work with so she'd had no choice in who to send to represent her. Isis respected only two things, wealth and power, and while Earth was indeed prosperous, it was not known for the decadence and extravagant displays that Isis favored. That left power as Roxy's primary negotiation tool, and short of going herself, the Prince Consort held more power and authority than anyone else. At least, in theory. In practice Nebula was much more involved in running the Realm, but the Isisinians didn't need to know that.
Resigning herself to at least a few more weeks of lonely nights and mornings, Roxy rose to start the day. Dressing for the day, she left her room, only to discover her younger daughter waiting outside her door, uncharacteristically nervous.
"Arona? What are you doing up?" Roxy asked, confused. Arona was a night owl by nature, staying up all night before sleeping away the morning.
"Hey, mom, I just... I..." Arona started, but stuttered to halt.
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Yeah, something," Arona said, looking away.
"Arona, this isn't like you," Roxy said gently. "What's wrong?" Her daughter might be in her mid sixties by this point, but she was still her daughter, and a young woman by witch standards. A very young woman indeed.
"Mom, I... I'm pregnant."
"Oh." Roxy blinked several times in surprise. "Warren?" she asked, naming Arona's boyfriend.
"Yeah," Arona said.
"Have you told him yet?"
"Yes, I...told him."
"And?" Something about Arona's voice had set Roxy on edge.
"He walked out."
"I see." Icy would have envied the arctic chill Roxy's words held.
"Mom, don't. I can handle Warren."
"I did warn you about him," Roxy said.
"I know you did. I didn't listen." Arona gave her mother a weak smile. "I never did, did I?"
"...No, you didn't," Roxy said. "But you don't need me telling you I told you so right now, do you?" She wrapped her daughter up in a tight hug. "We'll figure something out Arona."
Arona's son was Roxy's first grandchild. She certainly could have wished for happier circumstances for him, but Quilden thrived in spite of it. Five years later he was joined by his half-sister Elena, and his half-brother Stuart three years after that. Fortunately Quilden had latched onto his step-father Terrence like a drowning man latches onto a piece of driftwood, and Terrence had returned the affection in full. They never made a secret of Quilden's real father, but in the boy's mind Terrence was far more real than the father who he'd never met and who had no interest in meeting him.
Klaus never found anyone to share his life with, although he didn't seem to mind. He was happy as an inter-realm Knight errant, constantly seeking new quests. His name was well set to go down in legend as one of the Magic Dimension's greatest heroes. Morgan on the other hand simply showed up at Tir Nan Og one day with his new wife Castellia on his arm. They had no children yet, but there was still time, at least for them.
Rielle, despite being less of a wild hellion than Arona, took much longer to settle down than either her or Morgan. The life of a crusading Guardian fairy does not lend itself to romantic attachments, but she finally found her match in a shape shifter from a realm called Invexus. There was a small scandal in the royal court when it was discovered that the charming man often seen with the Crown Princess was also the equally charming woman that she had taken a liking to, but there are advantages to being the Crown Princess and Rielle traded ruthlessly on those advantages to overcome the opposition her choice of lover had generated. She and Dendris, when he was male, or Azalea when she was female, fast became a frequent sight around Tir Nan Og.
Rielle certainly didn't object to her lover's split nature and they were married soon after Dendris/Azalea was outed as a single person, although she did insist on finding her spouse a name that could be used with both forms, eventually settling on Leandris. Several years after that they had their first child. Jordan inherited his/her father's/second mother's nature, confusing the staff to no end. Fortunately for the mental stability of said staff, Casy, later extended to Cassidy, Steph, later extended to Stephanie, and Max, later extended to Maxine, were all firmly female with none of the shape changing abilities of their older sibling. Of course, that sanity swiftly crumbled in the face of the twins, Les and Sam, who also inherited their shapeshifting from Leandris and their senses of humor from Loki, the god of mischief.
Roxy smiled in memory of the chaos those two had caused. Sometimes it seemed like not a day passed without some poor, put upon staff member coming in to complain about something they'd done. All of her grandchildren had been an adventure for Roxy, but she loved each and every one of them to pieces, no matter how much trouble they caused.
Unfortunately not all of Roxy's problems had come from within her own family.
In the one hundred and fifty seventh year of her reign as Queen of Earth a new and powerful evil emerged. Led by a man named Phyyrax and his consort Dexillia, the enemy's forces laid siege to the Magic Dimension. An emergency session of the Magix council was called, and the Winx were fully reunited for the first time in over thirty years.
Roxy arrived at the Winx meeting accompanied by Tecna. These days Tecna was a full citizen of Earth. Her Zenith citizenship had been revoked during the war on account of her siding with Earth, and when Cryos offered to return her citizenship after Zenith's disastrous defeat, her response had been profound, provocative, and, unusually for the fairy of technology, profane. She was a citizen of Earth now, and her old world could go chew their own circuits for all she cared.
Roxy had welcomed her old friend into her realm with open arms and frequently consulted the older fairy on matters of technology.
"Tecna!" Stella said, turning from her conversation with Musa to greet the new arrivals. "How are you?"
"I'm well, Stella," Tecna said.
"And who- Roxy!" Stella couldn't keep the surprise off her face. "You look- well. You're certainly looking well."
Roxy greeted her old friend warmly, but she knew what Stella had originally planned to say. She didn't look well, she looked old. Stella was five years older than her, but if you asked a human observer what he thought their ages were, he'd have said the difference was six times that, and in the opposite direction. Stella and the other Winx looked to be in their mid thirties, but Roxy looked like she was in her mid sixties. A well preserved, robust, and active mid sixties, but still old.
Some small part of her resented that. She was younger than they were, why did she have to look and feel so much older? She firmly crushed those feelings as unworthy. This wasn't her friends' fault, it was just who she was and who they were. They would outlive her by several centuries and there was nothing she could do to change that. She had the life she was allotted, and that was enough. She was the queen of the second most important realm in the entire Magic Dimension and had been for over a century and a half. Jealousy was beneath her.
Roxy's age finally caught up with her during the war. She was still as powerful as ever, perhaps even more so, as being the Queen of Earth wasn't just a title, but... It was the little things that caught her. Her body wasn't what it used to be. Flight was becoming more and more difficult. Her reflexes deteriorated. She began to lose track of some of her more complex spells which frustrated her to no end. And, most dangerously, she was far more fragile than she had once been. She was an old woman, and her body simply could not handle the strain she was placing on it.
No one commented on it, but it was clear that everyone could see it. Roxy was not the fairy she once was. They all knew it, and Roxy did too, but she could not accept it.
Until she was forced to do so.
Towards the end of the war, the Winx clashed directly with Phyyrax and his dark lady. The nine magic users each wielded titanic power, and in the end it was the land itself that suffered. Their battle took place on an uninhabited world. Before their arrival, the world had been borderline habitable. With perhaps a little magical coaxing and the introduction of some carefully selected species of both plants and animals it could have become quite pleasant. They left it a scorched and ruined world, nearly destroyed by the vast power they expended. Even Flora with all of her power could not restore that planet.
That battle proved to be a turning point in the war as Dexillia never left the razed world. She was destroyed during the battle, and with her destruction the enemy lost much of their power. However, she was not the only casualty. Roxy's wounds were not fatal, but they were more than severe enough to prevent her from rejoining the fight. Even with the aid of magical healing, she would never make a full recovery.
It was this moment that forced Roxy to face reality. She had grown old. It was no longer her time. She abdicated her throne in favor of Marielle and Leandris, retiring to a quiet life on Tir Nan Og.
Of course, quiet is a relative term, and even retirement proved far more exciting than Roxy would have imagined. She was renowned as the woman who had turned Earth into the greatest of the realms, second only to Domino, and many a monarch visited her, seeking advice. She was equally renowned as an authority on magic, and sought out by many fairies, witches, and other magic wielders.
And, as if foreign visitors weren't enough, the first of her great-grandchildren was born soon after her retirement.
"Hello Jordan," Roxy said. "And who is this?" She reached out and gently ruffled the hair of her new great-grand...son? Great-granddaughter? Both? Shapeshifting made pronouns very confusing.
"This is Mike, grandma," Jordan said. "Michael when he's like this, and Michelle when she decides she feels like it." Jordan unconsciously shifted from male to female as they spoke.
"He's just like you then, granddaughter," Roxy said with a cheeky smile.
Jordan blinked several times before realizing what she'd done. "Sorry grandma, not being able to shift for nine months left me a bit confused."
"I'm sure it did. My first great-grandchild," Roxy said with a gentle smile. "You've made me an old woman Jordan. Shame on you."
"I had nothing to do with that, grandma," Jordan said. "You did that to yourself."
"I suppose I did at that," Roxy sighed. "He's wonderful Jordan." Mike decided he was done being Michael for now and shifted to Michelle. "She's wonderful too," Roxy said with a laugh. "Like mother like daughter."
"In that case, I dread what will happen when Les and Sam have children," Jordan said.
Mike was only the first of Roxy's great-grandchildren. By her two hundred and fortieth birthday she was great-grandmother twelve times over. As much as she joked about it though, and as happy as she was to have her great-grandchildren in her life, she knew she was nearing her end. She could feel it every day as she struggled with things that had once come easily to her. Her life was coming to an end.
But not yet. Not quite yet. She still had some time left to her, and she was determined to live it to its fullest.
She dove into new pursuits, studying art, music, and literature. During the final decade of her life she turned to poetry, eventually publishing several of her own creation.
Now, in the final days of her nearly three century long life, Roxy carefully turned to pick up a a pad of paper and a pen from her bedside table.
If she had one achievement in her life that she was proud of, it was what she had done for her realm. She had built the world she wanted for her children, and her children's children. If she had one regret in her life, it was that she would never see her great-great-granddaughter Allison's wings.
She put her pen to the paper. One last poem. One final swansong.
I have flown long and far, and have all that I might wish for,
And now my wings, old and weary, they shall rest forevermore.
A/N: This is the second, and longer, of the two stories I wrote for the Winter Edition of the Seasonal Competition for the Winx Club Fanfiction Challenges forum. The prompt was created by PiercetheVeils, the victor of the Fall Competition which I hosted. She did an excellent job with the prompt, that prompt being to write a story about a major character's birth or death. I have now done both. It is fitting that my first story, one of birth, was the first story submitted, and now, as the competition heads towards its conclusion, comes the story of death.
I have no more words for this story. Please, check out the forum and all of the other stories written for the competition, and be sure to thank Pierce for her hard work creating the prompt.