Oh my god I can't believe I'm here! I always swore that 'the other side and back again' was as far as I would go, I gave it my best shot but here I am again. Ah well, it's still gonna be a fun ride. Anyway greetings, just a quick reminder that if you haven't read 'The other side' or 'The other side and back again' This story will be a bit confusing so I advise you to go and read them. I'd like to point out that I did actually study for this; I went and found out actual names of places and people, so now the story is much more detailed. Now as I promised in 'Fairytale's' I give you the first few chapters of my new story, now if you get the impression that it's boring then I just have to tell you that I was attempting to write about the girls lives in peace time, so there's little drama going on, it's not until about chapter three that things start happening. I also tried to give you the idea of what life is like now that the girls have gotten what they've always wanted, I have to say I had fun with it. There's something very reassuring to me when I'm writing about them being happy, I can't help thinking "Yes they made it, I got them there at last!" ANYWAY sorry I'm rambling, it's one in the morning as I write this and I'm very tired, so ENJOY!
Chapter One: Nightmares
I'm dreaming...
Bloom floated aimlessly, cold wind gently brushing against her and her long red hair that billowed out around her head and shoulders. Even with her eyes closed Bloom knew she was surrounded by bright white light that sent little bolts of energy through her; the harsh light she felt provided no warmth. In fact it was very cold in this place with no ground, no walls and no presence. She imagined it to be an endless abyss that stretched on for ages and ages, the cold wind sending goose bumps over her pale naked body that simply floated in nothingness.
I'm dreaming...it's peaceful. Just like it always is...
Bloom had had this dream before, she remembered the white light that she couldn't see and the peaceful illusion that washed over her but she always seemed to forget the cold feeling that came with it. It wasn't painful or overly noticeable; it just surprised her every time she felt it, nagging at the back of her mind. It was easy to ignore so she sighed and focused on the peace that ran through her body, if she listened closely she could hear the faint tweeting of birds or feel slightly wet grass under her body as if she rested in a sunny meadow instead of in her own bed back in Eraklyon. If it wasn't for the cold feeling against her skin Bloom always thought she would have smiled.
That is until the dream changed dramatically, just like it always did when Bloom thought about smiling. The feeling was sudden and surprising, hitting her like a wrecking ball and sending her body spiralling down into the abyss where there was no light, only darkness. The feeling was fire; hot fire that burned her skin and seared away the lingering cold. Being the keeper of the Dragon Fire Bloom always thought that she was immune to fire but here, in the depths of her unconsciousness, she was vulnerable. The fire ran along her skin and over every inch of her body until it reached the centre of her chest where it exploded into her bloodline and ran red hot damnation through ever vein in her body. Pain didn't matter here, only the feeling of fire turning her skin and bones into ash. As this went on Bloom didn't move, scream or thrash about in her torture. She simply opened her eyes wide and watched as fire melted the eyes that lay in her skull, all senses being washed away until she could only hear. Hear the fire crackle and rush, hear the billowing silence of the dark abyss and finally just as it always did. She heard the deafening roar of a dragon, its fury shooting through her like a bullet, forcing her body to give one shocked and choking jerk.
Bloom gasped and felt her body tense, one hand gasping the pillow that her head rested on while the other hand quickly snaked to the wooden frame of the bed under her to gently touch the concealed knife that had been strapped there. Bloom's eye swept the huge room with sharp accuracy that missed no detail, eyes searching for an attacker that may have hidden in the day and waited to strike in the night. Of course there was never anyone there, no dark sinister assassin lingering in silence. Sighing Bloom felt her body relax slightly now that she knew her life wasn't in immediate danger and that she was, in fact, alone in her huge chamber on Eraklyon. Sitting up and hugging her knees to her chest Bloom closed her eyes to try and vanish the fiery thoughts from her head, the feeling of fire melting her skin and the blistering heat that still seemed to linger on her skin. It was for that precise reason that Bloom always slept with the windows and doors leading to the balcony open, the night air sailed in softly to cool her hot skin.
Now that her eyes had grown used to the dark she could properly take in the room, the floors were dark smooth wood that she could literally see her own reflection in; the walls were a beautiful golden colour that matched the curtains that were a few shades darker. The bed was huge with tall wooden columns that soared almost to the roof, the pillows and sheets were creamy white with a golden comforter that had little green vines and pink flowers embroidered into the fabric. Directly across from the bed on the other side of the huge room were tall windows and doors that led onto the balcony that stretch outward to a single point, one of the highest rooms in the whole castle. The room was furnished with lots of expensive rugs, lamps, couches, two fireplaces, a table that held an impossible amount of flowers and a giant chandelier that hung from the roof that was painted sky blue with white clouds that was filled with little harps and angels. Bloom's eyes moved over to the four doors, two on either side of the room. The first one on her right led to the hallway while it's other one led to Bloom's equally beautiful office. The doors on her left were smaller, one leading to the bathroom while the last one was completely hidden, embedded into the wood of the bookcase and only to be used in an emergency. Bloom had never been through that door for the six months that she'd lived here but she'd been told by one of her maids that it led to an elevator and would take her hundreds of metres underground where twenty four hour guards waited with a ship to take her to safety. The whole room was breathtaking, and under any other circumstances Bloom would have stopped to admire its beauty but tonight, like many other nights after nightmares, she could not bring herself to do it.
The nightmares had been irregular and had only started about nine months ago but Bloom never got used to them. Brushing slightly damp hair out of her eyes Bloom swept back the golden blankets and stood up, she walked slowly with her arms folded around herself over to one of the lit fireplaces, the only real light in the room, casting an eerie glow over the wooden floor. Watching the flames Bloom felt her world slowly come back to her, little details about her life fit into place where she'd left them. Sometimes she'd wake up and think she was back on Earth with her adoptive parents sleeping in the next room but she'd quickly realise that none of what had happened to her since she was sixteen had been a dream.
Even though she wished some of it was.
It had been a year; one solid year after the war that had united all of Magix in a war against...sometimes she couldn't really be sure but...against herself. It still did Bloom's head in that the terrifying war that had shook all the people of Magix had been started by Bloom and her friends. Even to this day people still pointed and stared at Bloom as she walked down the street, she'd sometimes see them glare and whisper "Evil girl" and "All her fault" But Bloom tried not to pay attention. She supposed it was fair, after all the demon that embodied all of the evil that the girls had saved up over the years. The anger and guilt built into one woman that had struck back at Magix because it was the only thing she knew how to do, the new evil. They'd never actually found a name to call her so everyone had proclaimed her the "Child of Chaos"
Bloom and her friends hadn't liked the name, it referred to them being the creators of that girl and therefore responsible for all the bad things she'd done, Bloom always thought it was a miracle that nobody had actually tried to kill them for it. So after the war the girls had helped clean up the mess, rebuild and restock, then after a long discussion with their parents the girls had gone on international television and explained in a six hour interview what happened and how sorry they were. It had worked...not fully but it worked well enough. They were forgiven and instead of jail time they were ordered to commit their lives to the service of Magix. Hey it could have been worse.
Bloom knew she was lucky to be alive, lucky to be here living in Eraklyon and lucky to have not been executed for mass destruction and treason. After all that had happened Bloom tried her best to forget and move on with her life but it always came back to haunt her, to remind her that once upon a time she had been evil, awful and heartless. She'd never be the same and the nightmares were just one of these reminders. Placing a hand to her forehead Bloom could still feel the fiery heat of the flames on her skin, the roar of a vengeful dragon snarling in her ears. It was the same dream every time and Bloom couldn't figure out why she kept having it, it couldn't have anything to do with her powers because they were as strong as ever but if the past was any indication dreams were always a message in some way. Dreams had led her to her parents, to her sister and her destiny but what was this one trying to tell her? Bloom knew for sure they were trying to tell her something, these dreams weren't just random nightmares, they were messages. But message or not it didn't stop them from scaring her to death. This dream...it won't leave me. What are the flames trying to tell me?
In moments like this Bloom would usually turn to Sky but tonight he wasn't here, he hadn't been here for a week whenever she woke up. Turning and glancing over to the bed where she slept alone she felt a small dull ache in her chest, she missed him. Even if he was gone for the shortest amount of time she missed him immensely, it had been one of the greater reasons she'd agreed to live with him six months ago. Bloom had graduated from Alfea and after the death of her parents she'd had nowhere to go, so Sky had invited her to come and live with him on Eraklyon. Hesitantly she'd agreed, there had been many reasons that she thought she shouldn't live with Sky. The main one being that not six months earlier he'd been engaged to another woman, Bloom herself had interrupted their wedding and right after led everyone off to war. Not to mention that Sky's parents blamed the whole thing on her and even after the time she'd spent trying to get on their good side they still hadn't forgiven her. But she'd agreed that she'd move in only after she'd spent some time on Earth, probably being the last time she'd ever get to go to Earth in her life, and say a proper goodbye to her parents. It was only two weeks but Bloom spent that time doing absolutely nothing but what she wanted to do, she got back to her old self and let herself heal. It was nice for the first time in a long time to not have to wake up and worry about how she was going to save the world and figure out if Sky loved her or not. When she left she felt better about herself and ready to accept happiness into her heart. So with no other place to go Bloom had moved in with Sky here in the castle. That's when the nightmares had started. At first she kept it a secret not wanting to worry Sky but eventually at the insistence of her closest friend Stella, she'd told him. He'd been supportive and loving; telling her that if she ever needed him he'd be there, all she had to do was call.
Smiling slightly Bloom turned from the fireplace, she walked over to one of the plush couches and sat down gently, the nightmare truly leaving her now as she thought back to those early days when she'd started living here in the castle. From the moment she'd stepped foot on Eraklyon soil she'd been immensely happy, happy to have some resemblance of a home, the people in the city that surrounded the castle had welcomed her with warm smiles. Somehow they'd gotten it into their heads that Bloom and her friends had saved them all from death, at the time Bloom had just nodded and smiled. Looking back on the war Bloom didn't think if it as saving but atoning for her sins, if the good people of Eraklyon wanted to think of her as a hero then she'd let them, even though she didn't see it that way. After she'd settled in Bloom and Sky had begun to get to know each other all over again, they laughed and spent so much time together and Bloom remembered thinking at the time.
How can it possibly last? Any moment now my world will come crashing down around me and I'll be plunged back into darkness, the place I deserve to be. Any moment now...
But it had never happened. No bad happenings or world ending catastrophes, nothing to upset Bloom, except the reoccurring nightmares. Tucking her feet under her body Bloom rested her head back against the couch and looked out to the night sky through the open balcony doors, the glistening stars shinning back at her. As she watched her fingers idly fiddled with the two rings on her left hand, the rings had been there for four months now and it still surprised her whenever she happened to glance down at them. One engagement ring, one wedding ring. Eight months after the war on Magix Sky had asked Bloom to marry him and without even a moment to think about it Bloom and screamed yes back at him and thrown herself into his arms, happiness radiating out of her.
A small sound of the hallway door opening drew Bloom's attention, looking over at the door as golden light exploded into the room she saw Sky quietly enter the room. Bloom smiled as she watched Sky shut the door and walk slowly in, he looked tired as he always did this past week but when he noticed the white bed was empty and his eyes quickly found her on the couch he smiled back at her.
"Bloom?" He asked as he paused just inside the room.
Bloom lifted and hand and waved slightly "Hi"
Sky raised one eyebrow an eyebrow and walked over to her, hands in his pockets "What are you doing sitting here in the dark?"
He sat down next to her and Bloom easily let herself be wrapped in his arms "Nothing, I was just thinking about the past"
Sky looked down at her, his smile slipping a little "Good or bad parts?"
Bloom thought for a moment "Both, always both. They kind of go hand in hand" She rested her head on his chest "I'm still coming to terms with being Mrs Sky of Eraklyon, it's a lot to take in, you know? Being somebody's wife"
She could feel Sky smile as he gently swept his fingers through her hair "You're not just somebody's wife, you're a kings wife"
Bloom felt the sudden tensing in her legs as she heard the words "King" and "Wife" used in the same sentence. It always made her tense up whenever they spoke about it, made fear and nervousness run through her abruptly. One month after Sky had proposed they had been married here in Eraklyon, Bloom remembered it being the happiest day of her life and it would have remained that way if Sky's parents hadn't broken some very big news to her afterwards. It turns out that when the heir of Eraklyon gets married that automatically gives him the right to take over as king, now that they had been married Bloom had sudden not only become Sky's wife, she would soon become Eraklyon's Queen. The fact that nobody told her had made her freak out...a lot. On questioning Sky about it he had assumed she'd known, so had her friends and everyone at the wedding.
The only person who hadn't known was evil Bloom and she thought it was hilarious. So with no other way Bloom had forced herself to accept it and really it wasn't that bad, she guessed it's what she'd always wanted but a little warning that she'd be getting everything she'd ever wanted would have been nice.
"You still angry at me for not telling you? Bloom I swear, I honestly thought you knew" Sky added quickly when he felt her tense, he rubbed small circled into the back of her neck to ease the tension.
Bloom breathed a sigh "I was never angry at you...just really really throw off, it's a hell of a thing to get married and find out you're going to have to be queen in the one day"
"And as I knew you would be, you're a wonderful queen" Bloom relaxed at the statement, smiling slightly "The people love you, my parents are actually starting to warm up to you and-"
"It's the longest I've gone without starting a war" Bloom interrupted him, smiling at the thought. She was strangely proud of herself for staying out of trouble; no bad guys had popped up to start any trouble so she was happy.
Sky chuckled "Yeah, that too" He pressed a kiss to her hair "So wife, how are your lessons going?"
"Oh...good" Bloom replied grudgingly, thinking of the daily lessons that she took with Sky's mother, Queen Samara and a handful of other ladies that taught her the duties and rules of being a queen, the kind of things Bloom would have learned if she had grown up as a real princess "Your mothers a real battleaxe, you know that right? I used the wrong fork at lunch yesterday and she almost ripped my arm off, are you sure she's warming up to me?"
"Yeah" Sky didn't sound convincing "Well, in spirit maybe"
Bloom rolled her eyes "Ah huh and how are your lessons going, Husband?" Bloom arched her heard to see the look on his face; he looked down at her tiredly with soft eyes. Sky had been going through a similar training except he was learning to rule a planet and his only teacher was his father, King Erendor.
"They're actually going great, exhausting though. I never thought it would take me until..." Sky glanced over at the illuminated clock up the bedside table "One thirty in the morning to memorize all the states and towns in Eraklyon, plus all of their resident leaders by name"
"Aw" Bloom reached up blindly to pat Sky on the side of the head "Poor baby"
Sky caught her hand and pressed a kiss to it "It's harder than it sounds" He released her hand and sighed, Bloom felt his body fully relax into the couch "You seem to sit here in the dark alone so much lately"
Bloom smiled "I'm never alone"
"Neve—What?" Sky tensed and suddenly sat up "Oh no it's her, isn't it? She's here watching us? Where is she?" Sky whirled his head to look quickly around the room.
Still relaxing Bloom laughed and held onto him "Sky calm down!"
Sky looked down at her with a wary expression "Where's EB?"
Bloom smiled wider. Ever since before the war Bloom had been gifted with the fact that her evil self, the part of her that had lived when she'd been in the service of Valtor, had started to haunt her. The girl looked exactly like Bloom and had the same personality except for the part where she was evil, at first Bloom had hated the part of her that always annoyed her and told her how much of a screw up she was. But over time when the war against the Child of Chaos had started Bloom had begun to warm to her other self, as had the evil girl to her. In the final battle she had been a soul character in the defeat of the new evil but somehow to everyone's horror the girl had earned herself a physical body that only Bloom could see. The girl could walk through walls like a ghost and travel across the dimension in an instant but she always came home to Bloom. They were friends now and Bloom had even set up a private room in the castle where the girl could hang out without causing people to panic, the staff avoided the room in fear. When people found out about the girl they didn't really believe that she existed until the girl gave them a wedgy or tripped a pot full of mud on them while they were sleeping, the staff were asked to ignore the fact that sometimes Bloom would talk to a person that they couldn't see.
Sky had been gracious about the whole thing, evil Bloom liked Sky for taking care of Bloom so he was never the object of her pranks but it was because of this that Sky lived in fear that one day she would change her mind. He had also begun calling her "EB", meaning "Evil Bloom" just so he had a name to call out when one of the servants was attacked randomly by some unseen force.
Bloom laughed again "No, not her. She's away at Stella's for the night, spying like always"
Sky seemed to relax "Oh good" He leaned back into the couch and kept a wary eye on the room "But you said you weren't alone?"
Bloom gasped and stood up abruptly, she turned on Sky with a smile "Sky! Have you forgotten about your dog?" Bloom pointed to the bathroom door where inside she knew the hound that Sky kept as a pet slept soundly "Who do you thinks been chewing up all your shoes?"
Sky looked childish for once, he always got that look when they discussed his pet "You leave Lady out of this"
Bloom laughed again and relaxed back into her old self, it always made her immensely happy to be able to joke with Sky. She walked back over to their bed and sat down "Okay King Sky, I'm going back to sleep and so should you, aren't you busy tomorrow?"
Sky stood up from the couch and stepped out of his boots while undoing his shirt "I'm busy everyday"
Bloom settled back into bed and closed her eyes, suddenly too tired to talk. After a minute she felt Sky crawl in next to her and wrap an arm around her, she opened her eyes to see he had a wary look on his face when he looked at her "What is it?" She asked tiredly.
Sky watched her for a moment "You had a nightmare, didn't you?"
Bloom sighed, closed her eyes and nodded slightly. Sky took her hand under the covers and squeezed "Same one?"
"It always is" Bloom replied without opening her eyes "How could you tell?"
"You're always burning to the touch after you have that dream; I noticed when I sat down. Are you alright?"
Bloom opened her eyes and she knew he could see the fear and hurt in their depths, the joking feeling had suddenly been ripped from her and Bloom felt the familiar depression that came after every dream "No, I never am afterwards. I can't explain it...they have to mean something. All my dreams are a message and they're meant to help me find something but fire and a dragon roaring into my ears making me want to explode isn't telling me anything"
"A dragon?" This was the first time Bloom had ever told him about the contents of the dreams that haunted her, Sky's brow furrowed and a truly concerned look came over his face "Like the dragon fire?"
Bloom shook her head "No, I don't know. That's what's frustrating; I don't know anything about it. There's no Daphne to guide me and help me so what if this is a totally different dream, what if it's trying to warn me about something?"
Sky looked her in the eye with a firm expression, his grip on her hand tightening "If it is a warning then we'll figure it out, whatever happens we can deal with it together, I won't let anything happen to you"
And just like that, Bloom could feel the panic and depression leave her but that didn't get rid of the fear and dread, she reached up with her free hand and gently stroked the side of his face sadly "Oh Sky...I wish I could say everything was alright but..can I tell you something?"
"Anything Bloom"
"The truth is that I have good days...days where the sun is bright and everything is colourful and I feel like I might just burst with happiness" She looked up at him with a small smile "I live for those days" Sky smiled and wrapped an arm around her even tighter.
"But?"
Bloom hesitated "But...I also have horrible days. I guess everyone has them but these days for me are like I've stepped back into the past, the days when I lost all hope, where my will to fight is just at its lowest" She turned to look up at the sky ceiling above her so she wouldn't have to look him in the eye, she knew that she needed to tell him this, even though everything inside her feared his reaction to her gloomy and depressed state "You say you won't let anything happen to me but what you have to know is that I'm already hurt, already damaged" She took her hand from his face and placed it over her still heart that refused to beat under her skin "This. This is proof of the damage" She looked back over at him to see that he was watching her with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen "Sky I'm sorry, we can pretend that this is life that beats beneath my chest but it's something else...it's a desperate clinging to life that is forever holding on but never being able to fully start to live again and what's worse is that there's always the possibility of death too" She stared at him in the eye for a long time and she could see just how much her words cut him to the bone but she needed him to know "I've died so many times, been through so much pain and my body been broken too many times that I know I'll never be whole again. I'm fraying at the edges, Sky. And only you can hold me together"
Sky placed a hand gently on the side of her face and whispered "I will. I'll always be there to save you, no matter what"
Bloom smiled and placed a small tender kiss on his lips "I know. Thank you"
Sky still looked haunted "I've never heard you talk like that, not since..."
Bloom's mind reeled back to when she was about to die after killing Valtor for the second time, her body about to breaking into pieces and float away with the wind. She'd tried to say goodbye to Sky and in the moment that death had started to wrap its cold fingers around her she'd clung desperately to Sky, telling him that it was all over.
Sky brushed a thumb over her cheek "It doesn't matter, I'm here, you're here and I'm never letting you go"
Bloom smiled and snuggled closer to her husband, smiling slightly as the darkness of the dream was chased away by the warmth that she felt in his arms "Goodnight Sky"
"Goodnight Bloom"
Before slipping back into a dreamless sleep she heard a distant roar of a dragon echo in her ears.
...
"Bloom? Bloom!"
A voice snapped Bloom out of her daydream, she jumped slightly and her eyes came to rest on Sky's mother who looked down on her disapprovingly, hands on hips and eyes piercing. Three older women stood behind her, all looking grim. Bloom gulped and sat up straighter "Umm, pardon?"
"I asked you how many major cities there were on Eraklyon?" Queen Samara repeated in a tired voice, the woman had brown hair that was braided high on her head that held a silver crown with green jewels; the dress she wore was also green and gold.
"Oh" Bloom thought furiously for a moment "Twenty?"
"Twelve" The queen turned back to the blackboard and began writing names as she spoke "You're going to have to memorize these names and say them aloud to me by the end of the day in order of population and then in order of when they were established"
Bloom felt like groaning wishing she had a phone so she could secretly text Sky to save her from his mother "You're majesty?"
"What is it?" the woman asked with her back still turned, writing furiously.
Bloom hesitated "I've been meaning to ask...after the wedding Sky was crowned as the king of Eraklyon and made rightful ruler, with the temporary help of his father, but I was wondering...when am I going to be crowned queen?" Bloom couldn't help but feel a little brushed aside.
The queen paused in her writing, she turned back to Bloom with a blank expression "When you're ready you'll be crowned and not a moment before"
"When am I going to be ready?"
"When I say you are" Samara looked her right in the eye and Bloom could see that same spark of coldness that had been there since Bloom had interrupted Sky and Diaspro's wedding, she was suddenly angry "You know Sky didn't love Diaspro, right? He wouldn't have been happy with her but he would have married her to make you happy, shouldn't you give him the same courtesy and accept me, because that would make him happy"
The queen looked Bloom dead in the eye and Bloom noticed that she was unconsciously cracking her knuckles "I have accepted you"
"Then how come you won't let me call you Samara? You won't let my teachers or my maids call me your majesty, you make them call me 'my lady' and whenever we have dinner together you don't talk to me, you never talk to me outside of this room" This wasn't the first time Bloom had pointed this out, she didn't think she was being rude, she was just calling someone else on being rude to her "I love your son and I make him happy, why isn't that enough for you?"
The queen's face went a startling shade of red, throwing off the nice colour of her green dress "I think we're done for the day" With that she marched out of the room with the three maids at her heels. Bloom crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes she chided herself for bringing up the subject of Diaspro in front of the queen, she knew that the mention of her almost daughter in law set her off.
"Wow, even after six months she still can't stand you, tough break"
Bloom's eyes flew open and landed on her other half who sat with a wide smile on the desk that Bloom was seated at, Bloom looked up at her other half and felt the familiar mixture of annoyance and happiness "You're back huh?"
Evil Bloom smiled and waved "I'm back! So..." She swivelled until she was seated directly in front of Bloom "What happened while I was gone, I can see you made no progress with the battleaxe since I was gone, anything else? Is the father still avoiding you? Are the servants still gossiping about how you almost ended the world and how you seduced Sky out of his previous marriage?" She leaned forward with a serious expression "Are you playing nice with the other kids?"
Bloom stared at her other self for a long time "Can I just say what a pleasure it is to have you back in my life" Bloom stood up abruptly and gathered up her jacket and bag, she wore faded red jeans with a navy blue top that was made of chiffon material that reached mid thigh, her red hair tied back into a bun. She'd noticed that her other self always seemed to wear what she wore, magically changing clothes every time Bloom changed. She walked from the room without another glance at the girl, striding through the door she almost ran head first into Sky.
"Sky?" Bloom asked abruptly, thrown off by his sudden appearance "I thought you were with your father in the city, looking over some kind of damage that hadn't been fixed since the war?"
Sky smiled easily and shrugged "Lunch break. I just saw my mom walk out of here, is everything alright? She looked a little put out"
"Yeah!" Bloom heard her other self say from behind her, Bloom fought to urge to turn and look at her "I think we're all looking forward to the day when she finally snaps and her and Bloom have a massive cat fight, it's the reason I always carry around this camera, can't miss this opportunity"
Bloom sighed heavily while Sky waited for her to reply "Umm, just the usual disagreement about...stuff"
Lady, Sky's dog suddenly came barrelling into the hallway, barking loudly. Sky and Bloom watched as it ran straight past them "Lady!" Evil Bloom exclaimed loudly, smiling widely she knelt and embraced the dog with affection while Bloom suppressed a shudder. For some reason Lady was one of the only things who could see evil Bloom and even more mysterious was that evil Bloom loved Lady since she first laid eyes on her "Oh you missed me didn't you? You can come with me next time, I'll carry you all the way to Saloria and back, yes I will!"
Bloom groaned at the thought of the dog floating in the air without anyone holding it while Sky suddenly tensed beside her. He whispered in dread as he held Bloom's hand tightly "It's her"
"Just go on pretending she's not there, that's what I do" Bloom said as she turned away from the disgusting sight of evil Bloom tossing the dog up into the air and laughing.
Sky nodded and placed an arm around her as they walked along the hallway, the tall windows spilling in light from the sun, the view looked down on the city that surrounded the castle reminding Bloom just how high the building reached "I didn't see you at breakfast, did something come up?" Bloom asked warmly.
"Oh there was this strange message for me, it was from Alfea"
Bloom jumped and paused "Alfea? What did they want?" Bloom remembered her old school that had been converted into a place for both fairies and Specialists to train and learn, Bloom felt a longing in her heart.
"They want me to go on a mission" Sky replied, bafflement in his voice.
"Really? But you're a king now, you have responsibilities and stuff" Bloom said in equal bafflement.
"I know but they said in the message that they wouldn't have asked me to go if they weren't desperate, I think they're busy with all the new recruits and don't have the people to spare to go on missions, it happens. Anyway they want me to go with the guys to Linphea to collect this special plant"
"Linphea? That's Flora's home planet, why don't they just get the people there to send it to Alfea?" Bloom asked as they reached the main sitting area in the castle, this is where the family hangs out after dinners and entertains people privately.
"Because it's guarded by a giant killing monster that sucks the life out of anyone who comes near it" Sky answered casually.
"Oh" Bloom said at the same time that evil Bloom exclaimed behind them "Cool! I want to go!"
Sky and Bloom were greeted by a small girl that was busy setting out tea and food on a small table between two couches, the room overlooked a massive view of Eraklyon and mountains in the background, there was a giant balcony that let you sit out in the sun.
"I leave in the morning and I'll be gone most of the day" Sky stood while Bloom seated herself on the couch with the tea in front of her "And right now I have to go and see my father about it so you'll have to fare without me for tea"
Bloom was confused, she glanced down at the three tea cups that were set out, she knew that one was for her and the other for evil Bloom who sometimes liked to drink tea and eat food even though she didn't get hungry or thirsty "Okay, have fun"
"Actually you'll be having fun too; you'll be coming with me on the mission"
Bloom gasped and shot up from her seat, a smile dawning on her face "Oh really? I get to come and fight monsters with you?"
Sky smiled and took her by the shoulders to slow her bouncing "No but you get the next best thing, you get to spend all day in Linphea, touring the sites with your friends, no lessons by my mother"
"My friends?!" Bloom squealed, getting more excited by the second.
"That's right!" A high voice sounded from behind them. Bloom smelled the expensive perfume and heard the clicking of heels before she even turned around. Princess Stella of Saloria stepped into the room and threw up her hands with a smile "We're coming with you!"
Bloom squealed and ran to embrace her friend, the girl was tall with long golden hair that was curled to her waist, she wore a baby pink dress with golden straps around the top and a white jacket over everything "Darling!" She exclaimed loudly as the two girls hugged "We have so much to catch up on but first tell me what married life is like!"
"And that's me gone" Sky said quickly as he exited the room.
Bloom and Stella decided to take their tea and food out onto the balcony; they sat in long chairs that let you put your feet up, both girls basking in the sun while evil Bloom was inside playing with Lady. Bloom munched on a sandwich while Stella spoke "And then I had to pay the cashier double because I spilled coffee all over the dress I was going to wear to my mother's garden party! How rude was that right! I wasn't even going to buy the dress in the first place!"
Bloom smiled and took a sip of tea "How is your mother?"
Stella moaned and gave Bloom a tired look "You think you're the only one with mother lessons, I've got it so much worse! My father has been a little sick since last month and he hasn't gotten better so my mom's been having this little freak out, saying 'But oh no what if he should pass on, who will run the kingdom? Stella you're so unprepared!' blah blah blah!"
"But you are prepared, you're the most skilled princess I know and you already know how to rule a kingdom and everything, how can you not be ready?"
"I am but my mom is just being hysterical, so she's ordering me to redo all of my old lessons, now I know what you and Sky are going through, it's awful! And you know what? It's taking time out of my fashion show that is set to be released in just two weeks! I don't have time for this!" Stella looked stressed for once.
Bloom and her friends had all been surprised when Stella had graduated Alfea and got right into fashion, they all knew it was Stella's dream to become a fashion designer but they never thought they'd ever live long enough to see it. Stella, of course, had been a huge hit. People had been admiring her work for years and everyone wanted a piece of her, Stella looked like she would become famous even before she took the thrown of Saloria. She told her friends that when her father died she'd have to take over, married or not, but they knew that when that happened she'd have to give up her career in fashion. It was hard enough she was juggling princess duties, fashion duties, queen duties and on top of everything girlfriend duties. Brandon now lived on Saloria, in the castle to be exact. Since graduating he'd been quick to be wherever Stella would be so he applied for a position at the castle, Sky had put in a good word for him and Brandon had gotten a good job as, ahem, Princess Stella's royal bodyguard.
Stella's parents already knew about their relationship, at first they were a little...well lividly pissed off at the outcome but after a long discussion Stella smoothed things over. Now Stella could go anywhere she wanted with her trusty bodyguard ready to protect her, Bloom had been worried that they'd get sick of each other but as it turns out, Stella and Brandon really love each other.
"Hey where's Brandon?" Bloom looked around and couldn't spot him.
Stella took a big gulp of tea "He's visiting his family in town; we come here so often that it's easy for him to spend time with his family because now that he's my bodyguard he doesn't get to see them as much. Truth be told...I kinda miss him"
Bloom leaned back and pulled down her sunglasses "Miss him? You're together all the time?"
"But that's just it!" Stella threw up her hands "We aren't! Remember two months ago when Alfea sent him a message requesting him for the student-teacher program? He has to spend three days a week at that thing and between that and all my stuff we barely get to see each other"
Bloom thought for a moment, she had been told about the student-teacher program by Sky. It was where students from Red Fountain are called back each week in order to train the new recruits and teach them the skills a bit more personally than they were learn in a class of twenty. She had heard that Brandon, Helia, Timmy and Riven had signed up; Sky and Nabu hadn't gotten too because of official royal duties. She thought it was a harmless thing until Stella had called her in the middle of the night, screaming about someone named Mandy. Apparently girls could become Specialists now, very very tough girls, and that Brandon had gotten assigned to one of them, her name was Mandy and according to Helia who told Flora who told Bloom, Mandy was a very beautiful girl and therefore Stella hated her.
"It's that Mandy!" Stella grumbled in an angry voice "She's keeping him away from me, she's evil Bloom!"
Bloom tilted her head to the side, surprised "Really?"
"Okay not completely, but you'll see it when you meet her, she's actually very nice and bubbly and she's going to be a school leader and she's like the queen bee of Alfea now!" Stella looked so angry she was a little red in the face, gripping her teacup until her fingers were white "Because Brandon's teaching her he feels the need to go on and on about how well she's doing, how high she can jump, how many people she knocked out in training and how well they're getting along. I've met her and if I'm being honest, she's an absolute delight" Stella leaned back in her chair looking sullen.
Bloom placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly "It's just teachers pride that's making him say so many good things about her, his student is doing well. I don't think you need to be too worried"
Stella looked over at Bloom with a sad but annoyed face "Bloom, they spend three full days together, more time than he spends with me, they go on little missions together, he's teaching her to fight. Think of it, their sweaty adrenaline filled bodies wrestling around on the floor, their breathing laboured as they stare into each other's eyes" Stella scoffed looking disgusted "It's like the start of some sordid porn video"
Bloom had to laugh at the seriousness in her friends voice "Oh my god, Stella you have got to stop thinking that. Focus on other things, like our group mission tomorrow. We haven't all been together since my wedding, remember the old times. The Specialists and the Winx Club fighting evil!"
Stella smiled hesitantly, a sparkle in her eyes "It will be nice to be together again and it'll give me time to remind Brandon of how much he's missing when he's spending time with that bitch Mandy"
Bloom knew she shouldn't encourage her friend but hating possible rivals was what friends did "Yeah! Now come on, we need to go shopping for our outfits tomorrow." The two girls stood up and gathered their coats and bags "Trust me it's going to be great!"