AN: Thanks everyone who reviewed and who left suggestions :)

The next chapter will be the official start of the games! And will include a change of rating from T to M, please take note that you will need to change your filter systems to 'M' or 'K-M' to make sure the story shows up :) or alert the fic if you haven't already done so.

Please take note of all chapter warnings; they are there for a reason.

Warning: This chapter contains some violence, blood and adult themes. You have been warned.

Chapter 9

Training for Torture

'Make an alliance', it was the only phrase rushing through Flora's head as she stood in line waiting to be served her breakfast. The other tributes were already sitting in their places and the groups had started forming. Just as Faragonda had predicted the tributes from districts one, two and three all sat together in a pack while most others sat separately or in their pairs. All except for Icy who seemed to distance herself from Benjamin at every chance she got. He had just started his impression of someone and she got to her feet and ignored the story and walked until she was next to Flora in line.

The Avox serving them placed Flora's fruit salad on the bench and she reached to grab it when Icy's hand extended and took it for herself. "Hey, that's mine," Flora warned, the room becoming quieter all of a sudden as the other tributes looked to them. Helia stood from his seat at their table, ready to defend if necessary.

"Yeah, I know," Icy replied with a smile before rubbing her index finger and thumb together until they created a thin ice toothpick which she ploughed into a piece of apple and then into her mouth. The pick disappeared as she smiled with a satisfied 'crunch' of fruit between her teeth. "You have excellent taste."

The ice queen pivoted on her heel and sauntered back to her place as Flora turned to see a newly prepared bowl waiting for her. "Thank you," she smiled to the Avox who nodded her head slightly and offered a small smile.

"What was that about?" Helia asked, sitting back down as Flora did the same with breakfast in tow.

"I have no idea," she admitted, her eyes looking over her shoulder as Icy gave her a wink and smirking.

"I do," spoke a voice from Flora's left. She turned to see the young man from district four standing with a tray of breakfast commodities between his hands and taking a seat. "She likes you."

"What?" Flora asked.

"She likes you," he smiled, taking a good bite from a juicy red apple and munching. "I mean," he continued, mouth full. "Not in a lovey-dovey kind of way, that's what lover boy here is for, right?"

"Right," Helia replied, unamused.

"But in a 'we're both favourites to win' kind of way - might want an alliance, unless you plan on going it solo."

"And what makes you the expert?" Helia asked. "You were reaped from your district Anagan; you're not a previous victor."

"Fancy one knows my name, I'm impressed," he laughed a little, finally swallowing and eating some more. After another mouthful he spoke again. "I guess you're right to question my motives, who I am, whether I will stab you in the back. That's why alliances are difficult right? Especially with people you don't know…" he stole a look at Icy who had an ice shard dancing between her fingers on the table, "and with other favourites…or even those that you know really well. It can all change," he clicked his fingers once, "just like that." Helia looked a little sceptical and searched Flora's eyes for guidance but she seemed to be just as confused or suspicious of him as he was.

"Should we team up with any of the reaped tributes?" Helia asked Faragonda when they arrived back from their first day of training. Most of it was survival and they had kept a close eye on a few others, hoping to do that they had last time and begin identifying those who could be the most useful.

"I wouldn't," Faragonda replied, sipping on a glass of wine that Bloom had passed to her. "Though you can if you feel they will help aid you. The key to winning these games revolves around experience and, those who have been reaped, have less experience than the victors."

"So we shouldn't," Helia accepted, looking to Flora who didn't seem as convinced. "What are you thinking?"

"I think we should use him. Remember Riven, he had some secret ability that he didn't know about and it only showed itself at the end of the games. What if Anagan has something similar, what if he knows something important?"

"Then you need to find out what it is," Faragonda replied, leaning forwards from the lounge as Flora and Helia did the opposite and leant back. The files for Anagan and Icy open on the coffee table in the centre and their mentor perused the two. "Icy is of more value, especially with that trick that she showed you at breakfast. She might have been showing you her powers for a reason, to get you on side."

"Or to threaten her," Helia spoke up. "Because we are both favourites to win maybe she was just testing the waters – trying to get a reaction."

"And she did." They both looked confused. "You're considering her as an alliance member, aren't you? If she's gotten your attention then she'll do it again at some later point. Demonstrate to others that you're interested without words but with actions."

"How do we do that?" Helia asked.

"By playing the game."

"Good morning again everyone and welcome to day two of your training," Griselda's harsh and gritty voice spoke as the trainers from the day before stood at their stations. "Just a quick reminder of the stations, in case any of you have forgotten what they were from yesterday." She noticed and didn't appreciate the eye rolls. "Camouflage, Spear Throwing, Knot tying and survival tactics, Edible Plants, Hand to Hand combat, Weightlifting, Rock Climbing, Archery and Knife Training, Sword Training, Boxing and Winx Training. Pick your stations and train hard."

The group dispersed to their various stations. Considering their previous training and the fact that this time no one was hiding their true skills, Flora and Helia chose different stations to those they had experienced before. They both knew how to find shelter, to camouflage, use a bow and arrow effectively and select appropriate plants so these training sessions required something a little more physical.

Flora lined up at the Hand to Hand combat station, just behind Icy while Helia moved to the knife throwing station. She watched as Radius from district two nearly pummelled the training guard to death with some kind of grip and he was sent away to the back of the line. Another stepped into the young man's shoes as Icy stepped up to the plate. Flora didn't really take too much notice of it until another young man cut in front of her. "Mind if I go first?" He asked, without waiting for a reply.

"Actually I do," Flora replied making him turn and smirk.

"It's nice to see a younger one with a bit of bite." It was Leon, a tall, medium built young man with black hair and red eyes from Melody. He stared into her eyes to try and intimidate her but Flora was already far too over the entire experience to be knocked down by someone with such a big ego. He seemed over confident and was the complete opposite to Jared from the year before. Jared had been sweet, kind and protective. Leon was only interested in watching his own back, that much was obvious.

"Flora, I presume."

"You presume right," she replied, inching closer so that she was at the same height as he was. This time she noticed him shrink back a little. "And I am next in line."

"That's funny," he smiled, looking to the floor. "I don't see your name anywhere." Flora made the grave mistake of looking where he pointed and she heard Helia yell her name from the other side of the complex. When she looked up she saw him with fist already in motion, aiming squarely to her face. But before she could react another blur of black hit the young man sending him flying to the floor.

"Hey, you ok?" Helia asked, placing an arm around her shoulders as the two battled it out on the mats and proceeded to tumble and punch. It was only when the two were separated that they saw who had saved Flora from a rather dangerous knock to the head. Valtor. They had seen him before, lingering in the training centre and not really doing much to show his skills but he, a known stranger, had just helped her and she didn't understand why.

"Get off me!" Leon yelled as Valtor stood to his feet and the two were separated by the guards. "He attacked me! He should be reprimanded!" The guards rolled their eyes and ignored him before shaking the unknown victor's hand. "Hey! What the hell!"

"Hahahaha!" someone heartedly chuckled. Helia turned to see Gantlos next to Icy. He was struggling to contain his laughter as Leon was removed from the training centre for bad behaviour. "That's hilarious!"

Helia's concerned eyes met with his fiancés. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Flora smiled.

"Everyone back to training!"

"Interesting indeed," Faragonda pondered, her hand to her chin in concentration as she paced in front of the two sitting comfortably on the couches. "He intervened to help you…why would he do that?"

"I don't know," Flora sighed. "That's the problem. We haven't said a word to him during training, no one even knows who he is."

"And the most peculiar thing is that he shook hands with the guards and wasn't reprimanded for fighting with another tribute," Helia added.

"That could confirm our theory of him working for or with the ancestral witches," Faragonda noted, stopping her pacing and taking a seat. "I'm not entirely sure why Leon decided to attack you…or why Valtor stepped in, but it's a good thing that you told me about this."

"What do we do about it?"

"Nothing, Helia. I'm afraid that we won't be able to know a lot until you are in the arena and then it's already too late," she paused. "Just keep to your training schedules, work hard and try to focus and don't let anyone walk over you."

Helia lifted a bar of weights and began working on his arm muscles as Flora transformed out of her enchantix form from training and walked to a water cooler for a drink. She took a cup and filled it with the cool liquid before seeing his arm muscles flex and shine. She wanted to be picked up bridal style in those arms and walked down the aisle, to feel them wrapped around her body for protection, warmth and comfort.

"Quite a looker isn't he?" Asked Icy suddenly, startling Flora from her daydream.

"Yeah, I'd be happy with that," Stormy joked to her right. "But I'm afraid he's taken." Flora stamped her authority and ownership. "Yes he is."

"Not that it will be for long," Icy smirked before walking away.

"Don't worry about her she's just trying to wind you up."

"Yeah I noticed," Flora replied, finishing her cup as Stormy got her own. She was careful not to get any water on her hands. "She's getting pretty good at it."

"That's Icy for you, fantastic in the arena, but can be a bit of a pain. Suppose we all can. Are you okay after what happened with Leon yesterday?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just took me off guard was all."

"Good thing Valtor interrupted…what do you know about him?" Here it was. Her opportunity to learn more about the man who took a punch for her had arrived.

"Not a lot," Flora lied, leaving out all her suspicions. "You?"

"Nothing either, though Anagan suspects that he works for the witches, mostly because of that kind little guard handshake yesterday and his differential treatment."

"Sounds like he may be right," Flora smiled as Stormy threw her cup into a nearby bin. "Anyway, I'll catch you later."

The week had gone by so incredibly fast and they had neared their final task, impressing the ancestral witches for their final training scores. Flora sat nervously next to Helia as Sibylla and Gantlos were called in, leaving them alone to contemplate. "It will be okay," Helia reasoned.

"I don't think it will," Flora replied, catching him off guard. She eased her harsh gaze. "I just mean…Faragonda's right; we've already been painted with a target on our backs. How much of what we do in there now is going to stop that?"

"Nothing," he admitted, placing an arm around her shoulders, inviting her to lean into his body which she did. "But at least we're together in this, that's what matters most, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Helia of District 12," Griselda called from the far door and he kissed Flora on her head before standing and walking. About twenty minutes later Griselda stood at the door again. "Flora, you're turn." The nature fairy stood to her feet and walked into the room. She saw the three witches sitting at a table at the far end of the room, where they were the year before, only this time they were paying attention. She hated those witches with every fibre of her being and to see them again brought a whole new emotion through her veins. Before she was upset and angry at them for sitting there while she was sent into the arena to die but now she hated them more for the deaths of others. Mirta, Musa, Galatea, Derrick, Riven and countless others, friends and foes, they all died while the ancestral witches taunted them with feasts, disappearing locations and more than one rule change. And now this…they had the nerve to take the perfect life that she and Helia had been hoping for throughout the games away from them. Enough was enough. She may have had a target painted on her back for her actions in the arena the year before but they had blood painted on their consciences and it was time for them to see it.

She walked hurriedly to the fire station and took eight logs of wood and sticks of different length and size and laid them out on the floor. Once prepared, she walked to the camouflage station and took a whole tin of red paint and walked back to start her plan. She closed her eyes and focused on the wood and changed it. Pieces connected and grew roots, changed in appearance and carved themselves into various forms, lines and shapes, and, when it was done; she was looking at a wooden replica of Mirta. She was just as beautiful as her original form though a lot stiffer and, obviously, missing life. Something Flora was going to change.

She opened a part of her chest cavity and poured the red paint from the tin inside until it was full. Then she focused again and a slip of wood closed it, keeping the colour from escaping.

The witches had no idea what the girl was planning but didn't dare look away. When Flora was done she helped her creation to its feet and stepped backwards before looking at the witches and making the wooden statue face them. She noticed their looks of confusion and the shield that they now had before them, obviously to stop anyone doing what she did last time, to come so close to killing all three of them with perfectly placed arrows to the skull.

"Show time," she muttered before concentrating and making the statue take a step forwards. It took another, and another, and another until it was nearly at the shield directly in front of their table. Its right hand lifted as Flora lifted her own, like a master puppet following its puppeteer. The ancestresses flinched as its wooden hand came into contact with the shield, the smell of burning wood slowly escaping into the air. The shield weakened and flickered telling the nature fairy that now was time. She closed her extended hand and the replica Mirta's body exploded, sending showers of red over the witches and the remnants of the shield before it collapsed into a heap of simple wooden logs once more.

The three looked to Flora with rage in their eyes as they tried to wipe the red from their faces and Flora pivoted on her heel and walked towards the exit door where a dumbfounded Griselda stood waiting. When she ran inside to help her three mistresses Bloom stepped up to her and noticed the red paint on her hands. "Are you okay?" She asked and Flora nodded.

"Yeah, Bloom, I'm okay."

Faragonda lifted her head as Flora walked into the room and went to wash the paint from her hands. She looked to Bloom and she just shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she wasn't sure how the young fairy was doing. But they all found out soon enough when, just after eating dinner, Faragonda turned on the television and they all took a seat on the couches. "Good evening everyone and happy District Games!" Avalon's characteristic voice spoke, his smile beaming across the airwaves. Helia reached for Flora's hand and he was glad to find it firmly gripping his own.

"This afternoon our twenty-four tributes from across the Districts used all of their training skills gained over the last week to show the Ancestral Witches what they were made of. They were then given a score from 1 to 12, one being the worst and twelve being the best. So here are this year's exciting results!"

Tributes images appeared under each districts number and Flora watched intently as the list grew, wondering what her new enemies had earned.

District 1 – Erakleon – Coda Torta (8) and Samara (6)

District 2 – Solaria – Radius (7) and Luna (7)

District 3 – Andros – Teredor (7) and Niobe (6)

District 4 – Quantum – Anagan (6) and Stormy (8)

District 5 – Downland – Abrupto (4) and Nebula (8)

District 6 – Gaien – Benjamin (6) and Icy (10)

District 7 – Melody – Leon (9) and Chimera (7)

District 8 – Whisperia – Valtor (11) and Griffin (10)

District 9 – Zenith – Glenn (7) and Ophelia (7)

District 10 – Earth – Jason (5) and Morgana (6)

District 11 – Rhythm – Gantlos (9) and Sibylla (6)

District 12 – Linphea – Helia (11) and Flora (12)

"Good luck to all and may the odds be ever in your favour." The screen went black as the two looked to Faragonda. "Well it's not like we weren't expecting this…in normal circumstances I'd say that these results were great but we know the truth."

"Any last minute advice?"

"I'll give that to you tomorrow," she offered a small smile. "But I'd suggest you both get a good night's sleep, you never know how many hours in the arena you'll have without it." They both nodded as Faragonda, Bloom and Daphne left them alone.

"Helia," Flora sighed, making him look her in the eye. "Stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"Sure," he agreed before helping her to her feet and walking into the room. Once in he removed his shirt as Flora got changed and lay down on the bed. He snuggled behind her and circled his arms around her torso, making her feel safe and warm, as if they were back at home in her room, enjoying each other's company. "I love you, no matter what happens, I want you to know that." She whispered and he kissed the crook of her neck. "I know, because I love you too."

The following morning Helia and Flora ate heartedly in their room with Bloom and Daphne serving them everything they needed. They ate as much as their stomachs could without feeling bloated and drank as much water as they could to hydrate. Helia was downing another glass of water when Faragonda walked in and took a seat at the table. "Well today is the day. The only pieces of advice that I can give you are get water, food, and weapons, work together and have each other's backs and be careful of any alliances that you decide to use in the arena. Sometimes they can only last for so long. Make sure that you always have the upper hand during combat, keep your Winx for as long as possible, avoid using it too often or for unnecessary things and stay low," she paused.

"Being victor's they won't target you for the first few days in order to pick off the weaker ones, but you need to be careful of the actual arena. The last one was pretty harmless except at the end when they wanted to wrap things up, this time it may be more dangerous, especially with a new game maker playing the cards. I'm afraid I can't tell you much more, other than to work together and try to survive and get away from the Tree of Life as quickly as you can."

"Thanks Faragonda," Helia spoke, standing to his feet and shaking her hand. "For everything."

"You're welcome Helia," she smiled as Flora wrapped her arms around the older woman for a moment and leant away. "I'll be watching over you on this end," she checked her watch. "And speaking of which I better go, they want me in the control room before the games start this year. Bloom and Daphne will escort you downstairs." One final smile and she walked out the main door and closed it behind him.

"We need to thank you too," Flora smiled, taking Bloom's hands in her own and smiling into her blue eyes. "You've been such a great friend, both of you and we wish you all the best, no matter what happens."

"As do we," Bloom replied, leaning forwards and taking her friend into her arms when the door suddenly burst open and guards filed inside. Flora felt Bloom being pulled from her grasp by two men who hit her in the head with their batons. "BLOOM!" Daphne screamed when another two took a hold of her and did the same.

"No!" Flora yelled running to try and help Bloom, whose nose and head had started to bleed as shoes entered her ribcage. She grabbed a hold of one man with her arms and tried to pull him away only to be taken by another two that flew into the door. Helia was forced to his knees next to Flora and both were powerless to help them.

Another hit of the baton hit Bloom's head as they heard cracks and Flora wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to look away but just couldn't. One leant back, breathing heavily before smiling and turning to the two struggling tributes. "Avoxes don't talk," he breathed as Daphne was lifted from the floor by her arms and a baton struck her in the chest, causing another loud cracking sound to fill the room. Helia and Flora could see the tears freely flowing from their friend's eyes a she gasped for air and was dragged outside. Her unconscious sister soon followed - pools and droplets of blood following the pair. "Get them up! We need them in the arena!"

Flora desperately tried to stop the guards from pulling her to her feet and forcing her down the hall to their awaiting ships but it was useless, she had lost all of her fight and strength. She wanted to break down and cry, just let out all the shock that she felt constrict her breathing and made her wheeze but she couldn't appear weak. Helia looked just as bad but he managed to keep his cool until they were both shoved into their ship and forced to take off.

"D-did we…cause that?"

"No," Helia shook his head, blinking back his tears. "The witches did."

"But…I…I helped t-them t-t-to t-talk," she sobbed before leaning into Helia's chest and absorbing his warmth and strength, hating herself for giving in so easily. "It's a-all my f-fault."

"We have to think straight…we have to be confident."

"H-how?" She asked, waiting for a strong reply, some poetic response that Helia always had, the magical ability that he had to make her feel comfortable, in control and okay. But even his eyes betrayed him this time. "I don't know…but we have to."

"I don't know if I can."

"You can… it's like Bloom said, we can't just give up." The ship shuttered as it landed before the doors hissed opened. The sunlight filled the cabin along with the sound of the crowd cheering for each pair as they exited the ships. The stepped out onto the platform and walked up the stairs, the crowds cheering in the background nothing but a dull roar in comparison to their hearts overwhelming beat. "Check the details and sign here." Helia perused the document and signed it, happy that his heart rate had started to decrease and that he had managed to push his emotions to the side for a moment, just long enough for the cameras until the games began. He waited for Flora to do the same before they walked through the barrier again.

The familiar tingling of the healing magic shield danced through Flora's body and Helia checked that she was okay. A nod was his only reply. The two walked to their designated platforms as Avalon's voice boomed through the speakers and the crowd outside went wild. "Let the games begin!"