A/N: Love your reviews, thankyou!

Chapter 14: Confessions

"I was a liar
I gave into the fire
I know I should've fought it
At least I'm being honest"

It was well past noon and Stella searched through her closet for something casual. As she stared at the fuchsia colored jacket on the hanger, she began having second thoughts over having dinner with Bishop.

Flashback

"So hun, what's it going to be?"

"I guess we could have dinner, but only if we stay in Alfea´s cafeteria", she told him. If she was going to be eating with him, she may as well take precautions. She didn't want to be seen all around Magix with him either, good friend or not.

Bishop chuckled,

"I actually had someplace else in mind, something more worthy of you princess but its fine by me. We can stay at Alfea", he said calmly. She arched her brows, seriously?! She had been absolutely sure he would say no.

"Oh! Well…alright then, see you tonight here at Alfea" she said still sceptical.

"See you tonight, I´ll be very punctual. Wouldn't want you to starve", Stella laughed whole heartedly.

"Bye", she said shutting her phone. It´s not a date, it's not a date! She said to herself. Than why did it feel so much like one? Just eating with a friend, but unconsciously she was already thinking of what to wear.

End of flashback

She set the jacket on her bed and grabbed her phone, something's were more important.

"Hello?"

"Sky! Hey its Stella, I know I´ve called you about a thousand times but I´m worried. Did you find her?" she heard a sigh on the other end.

"It's alright Stel, you can call me as often as you need to. And no, we haven't", she fell back on her bed, frustrated.

"How about you guys? I heard Tecna and Timmy were working on a way to track her down?"

"They´re still working on it. We leave tomorrow morning to the Golden Kingdom to retrieve the water stars. We were going to leave without Musa but she really wants to go, she's just as worried as we all are", Stella commented,

"Well, I wish you guys luck and thank you, I just hope we find Bloom as soon as possible", he said. Stella could hear the distress in his voice. It was pretty hard to miss, but, what could she say to him that somebody else hadn't already? Besides…they were all riding the same boat. They all missed they´re redheaded friend just as much as he did. Except that in Sky´s case, it was hard to watch…

"Talk to you later, Sky",

"Take care", he said hanging up. He felt as though he carried a huge weight over his shoulders now as King of Eraklyon, especially with all the safety measures that he´d had to apply over the past few weeks. But the greatest weight of all was a certain fairy with long tresses of Scarlet-red hair that drove him crazy.

"Where are you Bloom? Where could he have taken you?" He thought frustrated.

What purpose did it serve to be king, if not to protect the people who looked up to him and depended on his decisions? But what good was it to have the power to help all his people when the one who counted on him the most, needed his help. And he couldn't do anything to save her.

He stared at the blueprints of Andros and Magix that lied on his desk. He had analyzed them time and time again being the strategist he was. But it was evident that Valtor wasn't in any of those places. He picked up the map that showed all the realms of the magical dimension.

"If I were Valtor, wouldn't I want to be someplace where I wouldn't be bothered? Where no one would recognize me or even see me to begin with…?" He thought, rubbing his forehead. He looked all over the map until something caught his attention…The realm of Espero… it was a calm and peaceful realm, close to Domino, with a very small population. Why would anyone choose such a small…?

He stopped his thoughts abruptly and picked up the telephone on his desk, quickly dialing a number.

"Lyphea College for Paladin Specialist, how may I help you?"

"Good evening ma´am, this is King Sky of Eraklyon. I´d like to leave a message for one of your students, please. His name is Thoren..."

"Yes your majesty, please state your request?"

This was his only shot at finding Bloom and he wasn't going to blow it….

Valtor walked Bloom into a dim lite room, it looked like it used to be a library of some sort, and an awfully small one. On the shelves there were books, strange looking artefacts and even scrolls that looked as if they hadn't been opened in ages.

"Are all of these yours?" she asked picking up a dusty old brown covered book.

"They are, and in them are…each and every one of the spells I own", Bloom´s eyes widened in horror.

"Are you serious?! There must be at least two hundred books in here! You mean you know all of these spells?!" How was it possible for one person to know so much? She wasn't sure even Ms. Faragonda knew this many spells.

"Believe it or not, I do. All of these books and scrolls you see in here were left for me by the three ancestresses", Bloom could only imagine how the trix would react if they knew these scrolls existed. They would go…mad…yup that's the word.

"But still", she shook her head in disbelief,

"How did you manage to learn all of these?" Valtor remained silent.

"You don't honestly expect me to reveal my secrets, do you?" he asked, laughing casually.

"If you want to earn my trust, you will", she answered firmly. He sighed, what did he have to lose? There wasn't anything that could take his ability away from him no matter who knew about it,

"I have an ability in particular, amongst many others. You see, I can absorb magical powers and spells from any book, scroll, or magical artifact", he confessed. Bloom stared at him in awe.

"Absorb?" Valtor nodded and chuckled, walking over to a shelf and picking up a scroll.

"These scrolls….they all contain dark magic. Some spells were created by my ancestresses, and others were acquired. They´re much too dangerous for someone with your light", she rolled her eyes, as if she´d want to use them!

"Are these spells what you wanted to show me?" he sighed.

"It certainly would've been preferable, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, no..."

"Then, what is it?" she furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Bloom you must remember that I was created by very dark beings, like I explained to you at the beginning, I possess the dark counterpart of the dragon flame", he paused,

"When you attack, when you put your dragon flame to full use, you´ve seen how the great dragon stands by your side as you fight, as if it were your very essence", Bloom nodded.

"Bloom, my essence, the form that the three ancient witches gave me…it represents all of the darkness within me and within each of these scrolls. Granted, I have the ability to absorb any kind of magic but with each absorption of a dark magical spell, my true nature is fed. It only becomes stronger", he explained.

"Then…what is your true form?" her voice nearly cracked as she asked. Internally, she knew she wasn't ready to know, let alone see it. His essence contained all the darkness existent within this room as he had put it, she knew it couldn't possibly be something easy to witness. This was beginning to be too much. The more she knew the more she yearned to leave, but she promised…

"Darkness can give even the purest of beings a perturbing appearance, take the shadow phoenix, for instance. Like me, he too represents all the darkness in our magical universe", Bloom remained silent. Lord Darkar was one of the most petrifying creatures she had ever encountered, she wasn't ready to see what this all powerful wizard could become,

"Maybe at another time", he said, sensing her fear. Bloom simply nodded and swallowed hard.

What kind of creature are you…?

"Valtor, I already made a promise. Would you please let me walk outside the cabin? I-I think I could use some fresh air"

"Very well then", he nodded. He could see she was an honest person. Despite her apparent hatred towards him, he knew she would keep her word. No matter how much she missed those foolish fairies and that…King of hers.

"I think I´ll be out as well, I won't be long", he said walking out of the room without a single glance in her direction. She stood in the middle of the library, feeling alone. A single tear slid down her cheek.

"Mom, dad…" and for the first time in years she cried wishing that Mike and Vanessa would comfort her as they did when she was a child.

"I'm sorry…"

Diaspro lied on her stomach on the huge bed her new parents had given her. And to think that the numerous treasures in this palace were all meant for Bloom…Well, she was Bloom now, wasn't she? She let out a small laugh. How easy was this…?

Suddenly the doors to her balcony swung open, startling her,

"Surprised to see me?" the wizard asked, with a smirk.

"Valtor?! You scared me! Don't you realize that Marion or Daphne could have been here?! Or even one of the maids!" she nearly screamed.

"I knew very well that your family wasn't in here with you before I entered", he said, a drop of sarcasm in his voice. He leaned against her desk, crossing his arms across his chest.

"So, how's life going as Bloom?" he asked amused. Diaspro smiled widely. Despite the slight attitude problem, the girl had a striking smile, he thought.

"Couldn't be better. Well…except for a small, insignificant detail" she said flustered.

"Which would be..?"

"My mother…Luciana…knows where I´ve been staying all this time and she threatened me"

"She what? Diaspro your dear mother better not say a word…" Diaspro stood from the bed and walked over to her bureau, gazing intently at her reflection,

"Relax, Valtor. I have it all under control. For now, I´m preparing for my next goal, Sky…" she said twirling a blond lock of hair around her finger. Valtor grinned,

"With the way everyone´s searching for Bloom, do you really think he´ll have time for you?" Diaspro turned away from the mirror and walked over to the wizard decisively, standing right in front of him, leaving no space between their bodies.

"He´ll give up soon, and when he does, I´ll be there to comfort him. You´ll see", she said running her hand down his shoulder. He raised his eyebrows,

"I like your perseverance", she grinned.

"It's a gift" she said, flashing him a smile. He chuckled,

"Much like Icy´s"

"Icy?"

"She also tried threatening me. Women…" he sneered, Diaspro rolled her eyes,

"Well, why would she possibly threaten you?"

"Tritannus got his wish, he´s ruling the infinite ocean as I promised. But as soon as he made his sirenix wish he transformed into some sort of monster, ignoring the trix completely. Stormy was granted powers of her own by her ancestresses, and she couldn't be happier. Icy and Darcy on the other hand…" Diaspro laughed,

"Got the shorter end of the stick, I´m guessing?"

"Exactly, Icy demands I grant her powers but knowing her, she´ll only cause trouble and ruin my plans. She´ll come in between Bloom and I, I can't be bothered with her", he said annoyed.

"You and Bloom, hm?" she mused, pleased by his statement. Valtor remained silent.

"That's too bad for the witches, Valtor. Tritannus, you and I each got what we wanted, and that's all that matters",

"Careful with your mother, she could become a real pebble in your shoe" he told her before carefully stepping away from her and out onto her balcony.

"Thanks for the advice", she said, almost in a flirty tone.

Without looking back, Valtor flew off. Diaspro stepped out onto her balcony smiling, Sky was bound to be hers. The day she handed her mother the money she demanded, the queen let her know that Bloom was being searched for in various realms, Andros, Eraklyon, Magix, any place that seemed like a possible hideout for Valtor. And although she hated to admit it, she knew Sky must have been devastated. But as her mother had advised, she would be there to support Sky all throughout his search for Bloom, and she would remain by his side to replace her when he finally gave up. It wasn't like Valtor was going to set Bloom free, and as far as she knew, Bloom wouldn't be leaving his side either. Not if it meant putting her family in danger.

Now´s a good a time as ever, she thought, as she was about to reach for her cellphone to call Sky, suddenly she spotted someone out in the courtyard. He seemed to be hiding amongst the Jacaranda trees, observing the palace. The man was tall, and had a long white beard. He seemed to be old but yet full of strength. It was odd, he seemed to be waiting for something to happen, or someone…Why was he inside? The sole fact that the man had somehow gotten past the guards unannounced was already reason enough to panic. This wasn't good,

Immediately she left her room, running down the grand staircase nearly out of breathe and through the palace doors,

"Princess Bloom, may I-"Demetrius began asking as she ran past him.

"No!"

She ran as fast as she could out onto the courtyard and in the man´s direction. He was startled to see he had been discovered but it was too late to run, as she transformed and stood in his path as he tried to escape,

"Who are you?! How did you get past the guards?!"

"I think I should be asking you that question, princess Diaspro", he responded sternly,

"Why don't you tell me rather, what are you doing here? How did you get past the guards and the royal family of this realm?" he continued. Diaspro felt weak and her breathing was hollow. She couldn't even speak.

"Well princess, I see the tables have turned. The only intruder here, is you", he told her.

"You´re out of you mind! I don't know who you are or how you got here, but I´m ordering the guards to take you out now!"

"I think your mistaken princess, the only one who must leave is you! I don't know what you´ve done to my dear friend Oritel but this game will not go on any longer!" Diaspro realized this man knew about her lies, he knew everything. What was she supposed to do? She refused to be a loser like Icy, she wasn't about to lose everything she had worked so hard for! And she definitely wasn't giving up Sky!

"Says who? You?" she asked cynically, the man shook his head in disbelief.

"I´m not leaving my place in this palace to some nobody, Bloom doesn't deserve it! I do!" and she attacked with all her force.

"Bloom is a better person than you will ever be!" he says dodging her attack with his sword. She began launching countless attacks, causing him to move backwards every time he dodged, towards the back of the palace.

"Why princess? Why lie to an innocent family?!" he yelled, jumping in the air and reflecting her attacks back onto herself with his sword.

"Aghhh!" She stood up,

"That's none of your business old man!"

"Old man, you say? Ha!" he began attacking with all the tactics he knew. Diaspro attacked and attacked feeling she was becoming weaker and weaker.

"This old man, as you call me, is truthful! Something you have never been! Where are your values?! Do you not know that my friends, Marion and Oritel, have suffered greatly for their children?! And you laugh in their faces like this?" he roared.

"I don't….care!" she yelled attacking once more with all her force, but the man dodged it just as skilfully as her other attacked.

"This isn't your place! The princess of this realm is none other than Bloom, and only she can claim it!" Diaspro couldn't take it anymore….Bloom, Bloom, Bloom! Bloom the princess of Domino, Bloom, the earthly peasant took Sky away from her, it was her fault! She would've been the Queen of Eraklyon had it not been for her, so now she would take Domino in return!

"Aghhh!" she screamed desperately and launched herself at the man, grabbing his jacket angrily with both hands, taking him by surprise.

"What are you-!?" he tried taking a hold of her wrists, but she pushed him as hard as she possibly could. And before her very eyes, the elderly man hit the ground, knocking his head on a rock.

For a moment she remained still, in disbelief. The man stopped moving, he stopped fighting, just like that.

"What…what…have I…" she uttered, out of breathe. She stared down at her hands. The sweat drops on her forehead rolled down her face.

The man lied motionless on the ground, was it over? Was her secret safe once again? Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she took the man´s hand and flew far beyond the back of the palace, dragging him with her. Behind some trees with a shrivelled aspect, as though they hadn't been properly cared for in decades, she set him down. The ground was covered in dry leaves. A little further downhill was the coastline, but it didn't look like anyone ever arrived here, it was far too polluted. No one would ever find him here, no one would know. And her secret was safe. She was the princess of Domino. She was the princess of Domino….

She flew back towards the royal palace and ran up to her room, shutting the door behind her. Her breathing still hadn't settled completely. She sat on her bed wrapping her arms around herself, the tears falling from her eyes….

"Diaspro, sweetheart, dinner is served. Your sister ordered a special meal, just for you. Doesn't that sound good?" Marion called, knocking on her door. But Diaspro didn't answer, as the tears kept falling.

"Who was he? Why´d he have to get in my way?"

"Diaspro honey…? Is everything alright?" she asked again. Not receiving an answer she turned the knob and entered her daughter's bedroom.

"Diaspro, look at you! Honey are you sick?" she simply nodded, not unwrapping her arms from around herself. Marion hugged her as tightly as she could.

"Your skin is pale, and you're shivering…! Don't worry sweetheart, you get into bed. I´ll order Geraldine to make you a soup", Diaspro hugged her for the very first time, taking in her soft lavender fragrance.

"Thank you", Marion nodded and kissed her forehead, standing up and leaving her room. Diaspro immediately walked into her bathroom and opened her shower´s hot water faucet. She needed to forget this day, pretend it never happened. Desperately.

Stella sat in one of the many tables of the cafeteria, waiting for Bishop. She stared at her watch. Well, she had been a few minutes early, so technically he wasn't late. That was a record.

Suddenly a rose appeared in front of her. She sat up straight, startled. But took the beautiful rose between her fingers nonetheless. Bishop walked around her and sat in the chair opposite of her.

"It doesn't do you justice", he smiled. Stella looked down feeling strange.

"Thank you Bishop, you really shouldn't have…"

"Come on Stel, cant a friend but a little friendly?" she laughed.

"That made no sense, at all!" she said,

"Well, shall we?" he asked motioning to the food line. She nodded and stood up, but before she could walk towards the line Bishop took hold of her arm. Stella looked at him, not understanding,

"Stella, I…I´m sorry if I make you uncomfortable. It wasn't my intention", he said, truly looking sorry. Stella seemed like the kind of girl to fall for pitiful looks, this wouldn't be hard…

"Aww Bishop don't worry about it, it's just…I´m not used to having such…friendly friends", she said chuckling.

"You don't understand",

"I beg your pardon…?"

"Stella I haven't been completely honest with you. I…I don't want to be just another friend" he said, standing even closer, nearly closing the space between them. She tried stepping back but realized the table was behind her, making it impossible to move away.

"I don't know what you're talking about", she said nervously looking in every other direction.

"Oh, I think you do", he said, closing the space between them completely and kissing her full on the lips, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Stella?"

What have I done…?