A/N: Hi my little friends. I know I should be uploading sleeping with the enemy, a deadly choice, stockholm syndrome, and so on and I promise that I'm writting them but I got this great idea for a story and decided to write it. I promise that I will upload the other stories soon. I hope you like it and I would be forever grateful if you reviewed.

Enjoy

Long live the queen

by waterbendergirl

edited by authoress

Abhorrence, detestation, revulsion, loathing… Those were just a few words that came to mind as Bloom awoke early in the morning. She sighed in annoyance as she noticed that she was once again at the edge of the bed, the object of her hatred lying next to her, pressed up against her. Even though they had a king sized bed, he still managed to come closer during the night. As if he knew she was thinking about him, he tightened his grip around her waist, pressing her warm body further against his.

An involuntary shiver ran down her spine and Bloom immediately stiffened, hoping the slight movement hadn't woken him up. When she felt his steady breathing against the nape of her neck, indicating that he was still fast asleep, she willed herself to breathe again. Slowly, she took in small breaths of air, trying to keep her body as still as possible in the process.

Finally, daring to open her eyes, she noticed that the sunlight was already slipping through the closed curtains. Stealing a quick peek at the alarm clock, she saw that it read 7:55 AM. In five minutes their alarm would go off, but Bloom knew that he didn't like to wake up to the beeping of an alarm; it resulted in him turning into a grumpy man who liked to destroy a few nations for the fun of it. No, he liked her to wake him up instead. Deciding that today she really wasn't up for bickering all day, Bloom turned around, pushing his arm away in the process, and shook his shoulder gently.

"It's time to wake up, sweetheart," she whispered, hoping her little word of endearment would put him in a good mood. Bloom threw the covers off dramatically, hoping the movement would wake him, but when she looked backwards she saw that his eyes were still firmly shut. As she started to get up, his arm shot out quickly and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back on the bed. Bloom stared into his now-open shimmering golden eyes as he loomed over her, his signature smirk plastered on his face.

"Where's my good morning kiss?" he asked innocently. Bloom could feel his sweet breath on her lips as he came closer, and willed the nausea to go away. His lips had barely touched hers before the alarm went off. Letting out a grunt, he smashed the device off the nightstand and into the wall.

"I hate alarm clocks," he sighed, before refocusing his attention on her. Deciding that one kiss was enough for this morning, she pushed against his chest and quickly got out of bed.

"It's time to get up, Baltor," she said, leaving off the 'sweetheart' part. She walked to the windows, grasping the curtains between her hands as to open them, when she felt his presence behind her. Before she could react, he had her turned around in his arms again.

"I rather enjoy this lovely morning with my beautiful wife," he whispered seductively in her ear, pulling down the strap of her nightgown.

Bloom went rigid at his words, but Baltor didn't seem to notice as he moved closer. Closing her eyes, she readied for impact, but a knocking on the door suddenly disturbed them. His sigh of disappointment was audible.

"What?" he called, rather angrily. Bloom took the opportunity to yank herself free from his grasp, quickly pulling up the strap and brushing off imaginary dust from her nightgown.

The door opened to reveal a butler and a maid standing in the doorway. "Excuse us, your majesties," the man spoke while bowing, "but your highness had an appointment at 8:30 with…"

"With the head guard of the Omega Dimension," he finished. "I will see to it." He walked over to his wife and grabbed her arm to bring her closer. "We'll finish this tonight, when I get home." Baltor gave her a quick peck on the cheek before letting her go and following his butler out.

"Your grace," the maid said, curtsying.

"Pleased, don't do that." I feel as much of a prisoner in this household as you do, she thought silently.

The maid looked shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Would your grace like to have breakfast or freshen up first?" Bloom could feel her stomach rumbling, but Baltor's scent was still heavily on her skin, so she decided a bath was the thing she needed first; breakfast could wait.

While her maid was filling the bathtub with soap and other kind of perfumed products, Bloom wandered over to the window, enjoying the sight of a green landscape. Sparx's icy coating had been peeled off to reveal beautiful fields of flowers and plants. When Baltor's reign had began, he had chosen Sparx as his permanent residence, heating up the planet by transferring her Dragon Fire to the core of the planet.

Only a small fragment of her powers were left for her to use. Even though she was now his wife, he wasn't foolish enough to trust her. He thought the first chance she got, she would use her powers against him. And he was right for thinking so; Bloom had debated many times whether or not to kill him. For insurance of her own safety, she had planted a knife under her pillow, but to this day she had never found the courage to use it. Her friends' safety was of far more importance than her own happiness.

She was pulled from her thoughts as her maid appeared in her bed chamber again. "Her grace's bath is ready." Bloom nodded politely as she walked into the bathroom.

"Which dress should I lay out for when you finish your bath?"

"You pick one," Bloom said before she quickly closed the door, not catching the look of bewilderment on the maid's face.

Bloom sighed in pleasure as she slipped into the tub filled with hot water. This was exactly the thing she needed to calm herself. Involuntarily, her thoughts wandered back to her friends. Even though Baltor had assured her of their safety, she still didn't know where they were. Every day, she wondered where they were – were they happy, or were they prisoners?

The only reason she had agreed to marry him was to ensure her friends' safety. She could clearly remember the deal, as if it had been made yesterday. When Baltor came to power, he knew that by just conquering planets and terrorizing people he wouldn't gain the support of his subjects. He needed someone who the people would trust, someone they would give their loyalty to. And who would be better than Bloom, the long-lost princess of Sparx, heir to the Dragon Fire?

So Baltor made her a deal: if she would become his wife, give herself to him and bear him an heir, he would leave her friends alone – or, at least, what was left of her friends. Every specialist except Helia had been killed. Stella had committed suicide after she had found out about Brandon's death, and Musa had joined the rebel forces to avenge Riven, but that had only led to her own death. Now only Layla, Tecna, Flora and Helia were left. Bloom would have done everything to protect them; that was why she had agreed to his deal.

She had married him and she had given herself to him. The only part of the contract that had yet to be fulfilled was her having his heir. They had been married for four months but still hadn't been able to conceive. Some sick, twisted part of her mind enjoyed this – it made her feel as if she had at least some power over him.

Bloom scrubbed at her skin until she could no longer smell Baltor on her. She got out of the bathtub and covered her body with a big fluffy towel. Coming out of the bathroom she spotted the dress the maid had laid for her on the bed.

"Would you like me to help you put it on?" a voice asked from behind her. Bloom was startled, and she looked behind her to see that the maid was still in her chamber. She nodded once, indicating that she would appreciate the help.

The maid got to work quickly, first helping her in her undergarments and chemise. Bloom grabbed the bedpost for support while the air was forced out of her lungs from the corset that her maid was tightening. After her waist had shrunk a few inches and looked completely unnatural, the maid slipped the heavy dress over her head.

Bloom looked at herself in the mirror as her maid finished tying the strings on the back of her dress together. The blue dress was just enormous, but it was Baltor's wish for her to dress this way, so what could she do but oblige? After her maid had finished dressing her, Bloom sighed in relief; finally she would get the opportunity to put some food in her rumbling stomach.

The sun was setting before Bloom finally got a moment to herself. All day, she had been off at tea parties with 'important' members of society – or at least, that's what Baltor called them.

She sighed contently as she lowered herself into one of the armchairs near the fireplace. The library had always been her favorite spot in the whole castle; she called it her sanctuary. Bloom picked up her copy of Romeo and Juliet and started reading from where she had left off the previous night. But her moment of peace wouldn't last long.

"What's wrong?" she asked, standing up as she saw the guards storm through the door.

"His highness has asked for you. He wants us to take you to your room."

"What? Why?" Bloom asked, puzzled. She took a few steps back.

"That is of no importance," the guard said again, grabbing her arm and dragging her through the door, down the hall. When they finally reached their room, they just pushed her inside without saying a word.

"Wait here."

Bloom waited and waited, but no one came. Deciding that Baltor wasn't as fast as his guards had made him out to be, she walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

It wasn't until the clock read 10:30 PM that she heard movement out in the hallway. Before she could open the door to check, the door flung open and Baltor rushed in, quickly locking the door and grabbing Bloom's wrist, dragging her over to the bed. He peeled off his jacket and shirt and Bloom noticed the reason for his hurriedness. She could do nothing but gawk at the large gaping wound on his abdomen.

Baltor pulled her down next to him and placed her hand on his wound. "Heal," he commanded.

She inspected the wound closely. The burn marks reminded her of an attack Flora used to use – Enchantix Ivy Fire Wrap. Bloom concentrated deeply, willing the last remnants of her healing power to the surface. She could feel it flow from her heart through her fingertips and into his wound.

It wasn't the first time she had had to heal Baltor, and she knew it wouldn't be the last. She was surprised that some of the rebels were actually able to get around the guards and attack him. Usually the offender would be dead before he could even use any magic on Baltor, but there were rare times when they managed to hurt him.

Her healing powers – that was the last reason why Baltor had wanted her by his side. All her powers had been taken from her except those. Baltor did have the same powers as her – both generated from the once-Great Dragon – but unlike her, he could not give or save life with his fire. No, you had to have a pure heart for it to work, and as far as she knew, Baltor's was pitch black.

When the wound finally closed, Bloom pulled her hand away. "How did it happen?" she asked, not speaking out of concern, but pure curiosity. Something about the wound seemed very familiar…

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" he countered, seeing the look of recognition in her eyes.

"Cut the crap, Baltor. Who gave you that wound?"

"Your little friend, the one who acts like the sugar plum fairy." He smirked.

"Flora…" Bloom whispered, tears threatening to fall.

"I was supposed to meet the head guard of the Omega Dimension this morning. Unfortunately the guards had been captured by the princess of Tides. They caught me off-guard with their attacks. I fought against them through the whole Omega Dimension. It took till nightfall to kill the last one. At least she managed to hit me once before I killed her."

"No." Bloom sank to the floor, squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. "You promised you wouldn't do anything to hurt them."

"It was self-defense."

"You bastard – you killed them!"

"Don't overreact." Baltor spoke calmly, walking towards her and resting both hands on her shoulders.

"I gave you everything," she spat, pushing him away. "You wanted me to smooth over contacts with fellow rulers; I married you. You wanted an heir; I gave myself to you. You wanted to revive Sparx; I gave my powers to you. I have no more obligations to you now that you've broken your promise. What's stopping me from killing you?" she cried, heading for the door.

Baltor caught up to her with just a few quick strides, pushing her against the wall. "You don't have the guts," he whispered, challenging her.

If Bloom hadn't been overcome by grief and anger, she indeed wouldn't have tried to harm him, but rage was burning through her. Without thinking it true, she brought her leg up and kneed him in the place it would hurt the most. Baltor doubled over, making it very easy for Bloom to push him away. She rushed over to their bed and yanked the knife from under her pillow, taking advantage of his weakened position and placing the knife against his neck, quickly gaining control.

"You still think that?" she said, pushing the knife deeper into his skin, drawing blood. For just a moment, she saw a look of surprise flash before his eyes, but it was just as quickly replaced with amusement.

Bloom's tears spilled down her cheeks. He was right; she couldn't kill him. Even now that her friends were dead, now that the contract was broken, she still couldn't find the courage to murder him.

Baltor seized control of the situation easily. Within seconds he had her laying on the bed, him hovering over her, the knife knocked out of her hand.

"I love you," he whispered. Bloom looked up into his golden eyes and was stunned at the sincerity she saw within them. She kissed him back when he kissed her deeply, tired of resisting for one night. This time, she didn't stop him when he reached to pull her nightgown down. Bloom pressed her eyes tightly together, but the tears still managed to fall.

One day she would find the courage to use that knife, one day.

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