A/N: Wow! Thank you everybody! I´m loss for words-literally! Lol this chapter was too long so I had to break it into two parts. Hope I´m not the only one who´s excited, btw read this with background music, I did! Happy Saturday people!

Chapter 20

Part 1

The big day had finally arrived. Since early in the morning, all the servants could be seen rushing from one end of the palace to another, preparing everything for the event only a few hours away. The Royal Ceremony Hall was beautifully decorated, the floor polished, Domino´s flag was placed behind the golden thrones, tall and waving. Regina watched with pride as the windows were opened, allowing the sun´s full potential to brighten the room completely.

Rahim, the palace´s designated chef had prepared over ten of the finest types of dishes, not to mention a few other dishes from several different realm´s that he´d visited. Rahim was taught to believe that serving foreign food would help some guests feel identified and more at ease.

All seven members of the Royal court reviewed the guest list once again and went over several other details. The press was also there at an early hour to cover the event from a good spot, despite the court´s wish to keep things more ´exclusive´. Daphne and Emmett practiced the traditional ballroom dance and teased each other all morning long to ease the tension caused by their nerves. But they had yet to see Diaspro.

Diaspro had her hair dresser and make-up artist brought over from Isis. She sat still in her night robe while they prepped her up for the event. Her hair was arranged into an elegant bun, with a few loose strands falling at each side of her face.

At Alfea, Musa turned the music up as Stella worked on the girl´s make-up one by one. They shared stories and laughed while each of them awaited their turn. Tecna was on her laptop, smiling away and chatting with Timmy, who had finally taken the guys´ advice to make a daring move on the girl he loved. Even Layla seemed to be excited for the event, not because she was fond of Diaspro but because being the tom-boy she was, for once she actually wanted to look and feel beautiful. Nabu would be there…

Layla was more reluctant than anyone to accept the concepts of love and romance in her life, especially when she witnessed the things her friends went through. She wasn't sure she would ever be ready to go through the troubles a relationship seemed to come with. But she had met him just the day before, they spoke over lunch. He walked her back to the ship as nothing more than a causality. And he hadn't left her mind since. She wasn't in love, definitely not. One couldn't just fall in love after a day, but he certainly caught her attention like no other boy had until now. His soft voice and kind words. The things Layla said with sarcasm he actually found amusing. Nabu was a noble, but he claimed to like the fact that a princess could be good at a sport when Musa mentioned their pending volleyball game.

Maybe today they would get to talk a little more. And maybe today she would realize that not all men were as troublesome as she feared. Just maybe.

Mike set the newspaper down and took his daughter´s medallion out from the drawer. Bloom´s theory had been absolutely correct, as crazy as it sounded. But then again, what part of their lives wasn´t? In the short time that Bloom was at Alfea, he´d discovered than anything was possible. This necklace, for instance, seemed to have a life of its own, especially today.

Mike held it in the palm of his hand, simply gazing at it. This gift from her mother had something truly magical to it, which brought another thought to his mind. Bloom was magical…she wasn't even from this world. So why did her mother bring her all the way here to begin with? Was it so that nobody would ever know what she did? Was her husband aware of what she´d done with their baby? Even on Earth, Mike had heard of plenty of woman abandoning their children for various reasons: poverty, a difficult relationship, or even because they simply weren't ready to be a parent. But if Bloom´s mother left her this necklace, than she must´ve loved her, even in the slightest. If her reason for giving her child up was indeed poverty, than Mike felt terribly sorry for her. He couldn't imagine how that must´ve been for the woman, but giving Bloom up to a family who could raise and provide for her only proved that she was definitely loved. Bloom easily could´ve ended up in an orphanage, or anywhere else.

She was loved…he thought, yet again.

"What have you got there?" Morgana asked him.

"Oh, it´s Bloom´s necklace, I´ve been meaning to give it back to her before I lose it",

"Well why didn't you give it to Vanessa? She went to see Bloom yesterday to that…school of magic…or however it's called", Morgana told him offhandedly. Mike looked up, surprised.

"She went to Alfea? Why didn't she tell me?"

"You were at work", she said simply.

"Believe it or not, I don't think it would´ve made much of a difference, Vanessa doesn't want her to have this",

"Well if you ask me, it's only a pendant, and it´s not going to change the way she feels about either of you",

"I know!" he said, throwing his hands up, "that´s exactly what I´ve told her, but do you think she listens?" Morgana giggled.

"She´s just worried, you know how we women are. We only try to do what´s best" she said. Just then, the phone rang and she stood up to answer. Mike sighed.

"I also want to do what´s best", he groaned. Then it hit him.

She´s just worried, you know how we women are. We only try to do what´s best.

Giving Bloom up to a family who could raise and provide for her only proved that she was definitely loved.

"Morgana, I´ll be back later!" he called, rushing towards the door and heading to his wife´s flower shop. He might have been wrong, but then again, maybe he wasn't.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Vanessa stood up on the ladder, placing a bouquet of daffodils on a top shelf when she heard the door open.

"Hey sweetheart", she said smiling, she bent down and gave him a quick peck on the lips before he spoke,

"Busy morning?"

"Actually, business has been moving slowly today so I´m re-organizing a little. Why, what´s up?" Vanessa stepped down and wiped her dirty hands on her jeans.

"Morgan said you went to Alfea yesterday…I´ve been meaning to give this back to Bloom. Do you know when she´s free?" he asked.

Vanessa sighed uncomfortably at the sight of the medallion, yet again.

"Sundays, and Saturday evenings. Mike I really don't think that´s a good idea", she said, remembering Valtor´s words.

"Look honey, it's just a necklace. And it belongs to her anyway, we´ve already been over this", he said, exasperated, "You´re making a storm out of nothing at all"

"Hold on a second, I´m making a storm? Mike, look at it! You don't even know what this is!" she said, holding it up and pointing towards the strange symbols on it that now glowed a bright blue.

"And you do?" he asked, a bit angrier now. She looked away uncomfortably.

"Vanessa, in our years of marriage I´ve known you to be the sweetest, most kind hearted and comprehensible human being. So why this attitude now? We agreed years ago to tell Bloom the truth as soon as we thought she was ready, so what is this really about?" he said, incredulously. She remained silent.

"It´s only a reminder of her mother", he said, more gently now.

"A mother who left her!"

"For a reason that we don't know! Look, I´ve never given it much thought myself, but we have a lot to thank that woman for, whoever she may be", he said. Vanessa felt a single tear roll down her cheek. She knew he was right, but there´s no way that she could put Bloom´s life in danger. Valtor would have her killed…

"You don't get it. Her mother could be closer to her than we think…"

"…what are you talking about?" he asked confused. Vanessa took a deep breath but her oncoming sobs were making it difficult. She couldn't keep this from him any longer. Mike needed to know the seriousness of the situation.

"There´s something I have to tell you"

Stella toyed with the ring on her finger. Bloom´s dad seemed pretty worried over the phone, but for some reason he didn't want Bloom to know about the phone call, or about his coming to Alfea. Whatever was going on, it had to be pretty important if he was asking to speak to the headmistress.

"Thank you for bringing me on such short notice, Stel, I didn't interrupt anything did I?" Mike asked her. As they walked to the office, he took her in appearance. She looked a little too elegant for a regular day spent in-doors. But whatever the case was, Stella shook her head and smiled. Soon they arrived at a set of doors and she knocked on them, timidly. This was the only opportunity Mike had, if Bloom´s headmistress couldn't help them than he was almost sure that nobody could. What would he do then? Tell the police that a wizard from another dimension was menacing his family? It sounded implausible even to him.

"Come in" the Headmistress called.

"Ms. F…there´s someone who wants to speak to you", Stella said, pushing the door open and signaling him to enter.

"Thank you Stella", he said. She nodded and left them alone to talk. She wanted to tell Bloom, but judging by the look on her dad´s face, maybe this wasn't any of her business.

"Good morning ma´am, I´m Mike, Bloom´s father", he introduced himself to the kind-looking woman, shaking her hand.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Mike, please have a seat. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Headmistress, I…I don't know where to begin. You see, ever since Bloom started attending this school…some very, very strange things have happened to my wife and me, And I wasn't sure who to turn to" he said, distraught. Faragonda expression quickly turned into one of concern.

"What do you mean?"

"Ma´am, there´s something that Vanessa and I haven't been honest about with Bloom, or anyone really. We´ve never told anyone…until now", Mike hesitated, fidgeting with an object in his hands, "Bloom…isn't our biological daughter", he confessed, Faragonda sat back in her seat in shock, letting his revelation sink in.

"You see Vanessa couldn't have children, so we were looking into the option of adopting a child at the time" he allowed a small smile at the memory. And his sorrow was easy to see then.

He and Vanessa had spent endless hours wondering what traits their child would have. The orphanage was filled with children searching for a home and all they wanted was to provide at least one unfortunate child with theirs.

"Then one day, I discovered a woman trying to leave her baby in the middle of a fire…I tried convincing her to take the child back", he spoke softly, reliving the night in his mind, "But she kept telling me that she didn't want her. So she placed Bloom in my arms…and disappeared", Faragonda gazed sympathetically as Mike told the story,

"And Bloom doesn't know?" she asked quietly, and he shook his head.

"No. We thought about telling her as soon as she was old enough to understand, but then Bloom discovered her powers, she decided to come here and…" his voice trailed off,

"And then the few times that she has been home, we´ve just continued to put it off", Faragonda nodded in understanding.

"Did any of you know Bloom had powers before she did?"

"No Ms. Faragonda, not a clue. But Vanessa and I assume that her parents were from the magical dimension" he explained, "But that´s not why I´m here", Mike continued. Faragonda still couldn't believe what she was hearing, it was a truly unfortunate story no doubt. But there was still more…?

"I found out today that a wizard has been threatening my wife. I´ve never seen him before but Vanessa says that he knows everything about Bloom, and that he doesn't want us telling her-"

Faragonda´s eyes widened suddenly,

"Wait a minute- a wizard? Did he give her a name?"

"I believe it was Valtor ma´am" he told her.

"This can´t be…" she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"He threatened Vanessa after I gave this to Bloom" he said, holding up a golden-blue medallion. Faragonda stared blankly at it. There just wasn't another possible reaction, nothing could´ve prepared her…nothing at all…

"…Where did you find this…?" she asked, taking it from his hand. It was the symbol of Domino. She would recognize it anywhere.

"It was the only thing that Bloom´s mother gave her before handing her over to me"

"No", she responded indignant, shaking her head and standing up from her desk.

"If Bloom had this medallion on…than…this can´t be", she continued repeating, tears threatening to fall.

"What is it Ms. Faragonda? Please! What does it mean?"

"Mike, this symbol here belongs to a nation called Domino. The King and Queen of Domino are my dear friends, Marion and Oritel" she said, her voice thick with emotion, "and they lost their daughter sixteen years ago",

"Around the same time that I found Bloom", he realized.

"Exactly"

"But that can´t be right, ma´am. I´ve already met Queen Marion, and the woman who gave Bloom to me looked nothing like her. Isn't it possible that this necklace fell into the wrong hands?"

"It´s highly improbable. You see, the last person to have it on was their eldest daughter, Daphne. Apparently she gave it to the baby before they were tragically split up", she recalled what Daphne described seeing in her visions.

"But if all of this is true than who was the woman who had Bloom?" he asked, this was slowly turning into something darker and more complicated than he´d ever expected.

"Bloom might have been kidnapped…it's the only explanation I can think of", she said, her face sombre.

"And she was left on Earth, far out of their reach" Mike said, finally understanding, "No wonder she didn't want her, Bloom wasn't even hers", realization was hitting him harder than he´d ever thought possible.

"But of course! It all makes perfect sense now! Bloom was never able to control her powers, Avalon said she possessed too much of it. And that´s because she possesses...the Dragon flame", Faragonda said pacing behind her desk, a sudden smile of relief appeared on her face.

"I´m sorry I didn´t understand that last part" he said.

"It´s hard to explain. But if it's alright with you Mike, I must make an important call, there´s someone else who I have to inform this all to. Someone who can help", she told him, but Mike was hesitant and Faragonda already suspected why.

"Mike, you did the right thing coming here today. It takes a lot of courage to do what you´re doing. But if Bloom truly is the daughter of Marion and Oritel, than you must understand that her parents love her very much…so much that they´ve spent the last sixteen years mourning her loss. Marion is a good mother, she never would´ve abandoned her daughter like that, I assure you", he nodded in understanding. How could he not? All this time, their beautiful child´s parents were going through the hell of not knowing if she was dead or alive, well or hurt, he couldn't imagine going through such an agony, night after night, and every single day, for sixteen years. And no matter how much he didn't want to lose Bloom, no matter how he loved her, he needed to do what was right.

"Thank you ma´am, but…I just don't want Bloom to find out this way, I don't want her to get hurt", Faragonda smiled at his petition. She was touched to know that Bloom had ended up in the hands of two very loving people, all things considered.

"If it would make you feel better, you and Vanessa can be the ones to tell her, and it´ll be done however you consider best",

"I´d appreciate that very much", he said sullenly. Faragonda nodded and picked up the receiver, awaiting an answer on the other end. The Ceremony was probably about to start and reaching anyone on Domino was practically impossible now, but there was still someone who could help.

"Hello?"

"Max I need to see you as soon as possible", she spoke quickly, "Yes of course, here at Alfea", she awaited again for his response,

"There´s no time, Maximillian, it's about Oritel´s daughter and the ceremony is this afternoon". Faragonda looked exasperated, and as soon as she hung up Mike gave her a questioning look,

"Oritel and Marion are hosting a celebration today where they´ll be presenting their daughter to society, but if Bloom is their child, they´ll be crowning the wrong girl", she said hastily. Mike arched his brows and ran a hand through his hair.

"Now that could be a problem",

The specialists arrived on their ship and escorted the girls to the ball. Once they arrived on Domino, they were star struck.

Bloom looked around, absolutely amazed. And then caught Sky staring at her, again.

"What is it?" he smirked at her sudden self-consciousness.

"You look absolutely gorgeous. In fact, I dare say that it's highly unfair", he said, completely serious. Bloom giggled.

"Unfair?"

"Mhm, you´ll steal all the attention away from the honoree" he whispered in her ear. Bloom smiled and looked up at him,

"Liar",

Sky laughed and took her hand, lifting it so they could enter the palace as was customary. The other specialists entered right after them in the same manner. The names of each of the guests were being announced as they arrived and a beautiful melody was being played by an orchestra as they entered and took their respective places in the Ceremony Hall. Amongst them were the Royals of Eraklyon, Andros, Solaria, Zenith, as well as Queen Amentia of Downland, the royals of Linphea, Tir Nan Og, Melody, Callisto, the governors of Magix, and the list went on.

All members of the Company of Light were already present and seated, all except for one.

"Where is Faragonda? I wouldn't have expected her to miss out on a day like this" Griffin mused. Saladin looked down at his watch.

"Neither would I, perhaps she´s running late",

"Running late? Faragonda? Ha! There´s a higher chance of a second war happening than there is of Faragonda being late!" she spat. The Hall filled up almost completely, and Faragonda´s empty seat attracted the attention of more than one.

Finally when the time came to sing Domino´s anthem, King Oritel descended the stairs with Queen Marion´s arm looped through his. The people cheered fervently at the sight of them, Marion had left her thick curls completely loose with nothing but her crown to adorn her head. She wore a golden colored dress, one of Domino´s main colors. And many thought that she had never looked more beautiful than in that moment. After they were seated, the crowd awaited for the entry of crowned princess Daphne, the Noble Emmett, and princess Diaspro, keeper of the legendary Dragon flame.

The Royal family as well as every guest stood up as the Orchestra played Domino´s anthem like they hadn't in years. The sound of the instruments and thousands of voices was so marvelous, any stranger would have believed it was rehearsed. Regina put on the calm, composed façade she was known for. But unbeknownst to anyone, the tension grew within her as the moment neared. Diaspro had to be out of her mind if she was willing to go this far…unless…

"It is a great honor and pleasure for the Queen and I to have you all in our home this evening", Oritel began.

The camera flashes were continuous. The King´s concise but meaningful speech was followed by the first dance, featuring the King and Queen of Domino themselves. The guests stared in amazement and pure joy at how flawlessly they moved throughout the dance floor. Oritel lead Marion´s every move, every spin, not once taking their eyes away from each other´s, a masterpiece in progression, and so full of passion. And the cresset of precious gemstones in the center…

Gianna and Arthur were also present (much to his dismay), watching from the crowd.

Diaspro stepped down from the throne, realizing that her time would be up as soon as the song was over. And it was then she caught sight of Bloom and Sky, standing amongst the many people, and there was that look in their eyes. The same look that Marion and Oritel reserved only for each other. The same look that she´d spent years yearning to find in her fiancée, not that she knew it at the time. But now…

"And now, we are proud to present without further a due…"

This was it…she walked toward the cresset, she reached it. Diaspro turned to look at Daphne, who smiled at her supportively, just as her parents did. She turned her head in the other direction, looking over all the smiling guests, and finally, there was Bloom.

If you only knew…

What was that in her eyes….was it resentment? Longing? Was she aware of how this day, this moment, had truly belonged to her?

Diaspro held her hands up and then out, breathing in deep just as she´d been instructed.

Here goes…

A red orb began forming between her hands, and it started turning a dark purple color just as quickly…was this normal? All she had to do was place it over the cresset, right in the center…right in…

"Wait, don't do it Diaspro!" the door was all but thrown open and suddenly someone yelled, causing a round of gasps amongst the crowd.

Diaspro looked toward the owner of the voice, startled. The orb slowly dissipated.

It wasn't someone that she recognized. Saladin, however, stood up abruptly in thorough surprise.

"Dad?" Helia asked, dumbfounded. Flora who was by his side, placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey Bloom, isn't that your dad who´s with him?" Tecna whispered. Stella felt the blood drain from her face.

"It is…but what is he doing here?" she asked, staggered.

"If you don't wish to get hurt, if you have the slightest respect…then please, don't" Max said, slowly stepping closer. Diaspro was speechless.

Oritel and Marion looked at each other worriedly. Regina suppressed a relieved and victorious grin.

"Max, what´s going on?" Oritel asked cautiously.

"Oritel, my friend, forgive me", he said nearly out of breath, "this Ceremony…it can´t continue",