Chapter Twenty Five: Cutting You Deep

Hi! Just a quick note, I have a certain order I have to do the perspectives in and to do this it means I'll have to jump back and forth between each story, and it'll be confusing. But try to bear with it and just know that it's all relatively happening on the same day, just overlapping slightly. Looking at my notes I think this will be a chapter where we actually check in with every character, so it'll be pretty full on. But try to enjoy it! And I'll also do my best not to cram too much information down your throat. ;)

Flora felt like she was going to crack at any moment, with frustration and worry. She felt like she desperately had to snap a pencil just to release some of the stress building up inside her body over the present situation. They had Timmy. They were keeping him prisoner. They wouldn't let him go no matter how hard Flora pleaded and persuaded them. What was worse they had told them that they were wearing out their welcome in the tribe's camp and wouldn't be tolerated much longer. And worst of all throughout all of this, Evil Bloom had been of no help whatsoever, since she was in the middle of the worst hangover of her life. Flora stopped her pacing outside a small hut when a pained groan sounded from within; she crossed her arms and waited for the girl in question to emerge from its depths. Evil Bloom gripped onto the edges of the door frame and hung her head "Jesus these people know how to party"

Flora stood still where she was with a cross look on her face, the girl still didn't look up from where she was leaning in the doorway "Seriously, I did not become a real person and leave being a ghost behind for this sort of crap"

Flora spoke tensely "Maybe this is your punishment for all that you've done, heavens knows you deserve far worse"

EB looked up surprised "Jeez, what's with you? Did someone step on a beetle?"

"Don't mock me, it's your own fault your feeling this way" Flora yelled abruptly, making the red headed girl wake up a bit more "You were up all night partying with the tribes people when you were supposed to be helping me free Timmy from confinement! Now he's their prisoner and we have no way to save him!"

EB straightened up and arched her back; there was a small cracking of bones "Oh Flora, you've got to get out more"

Flora was so irritated, beyond what she usually was that she abruptly twisted around, grabbed a nearby bucket and hurled the icy water inside it onto her companion before she could move away. EB let out a little squeal and bounced on the spot, trying to brush away the water from her body and clothes as if it would just flick away, she brushed wet red hair out of her face and faced Flora "Okay! Fine! I'll help you rescue Millhouse over there!"

Flora sucked in a slow breath and let the stress leave her body "Thank you" she breathed softly, putting the bucket down and then turning to walk away.

EB shook her hands to rid them of the droplets and trudged after her, she thought back to home on Eraklyon and what she'd usually be doing right about now, probably catching up with Bloom and giving her all the gossip. Aw hell! She thought suddenly I'm beginning to miss the goody two shoes! Looking around and taking into account her massive headache and annoying friend she guessed that she was about to have a rough day. The morning air was freezing against her newly human skin but she walked with her head held high across the camp, the sounds of animals and chatter being heard around them. She could also smell meat and other food cooking somewhere nearby and wondered if she'd be allowed to snag a meal before they were booted out of the camp, with or without Timmy. Flora led the way over to an area closed off from the main camp, larger huts were set up around this area with the impossible to miss man sized cage off to the far right up against a tree. Inside Timmy looked terrible, his glasses broken, dirt all over him and a terrible looking bump on the head that had bled and dried in the last day or so.

Rubbing at her eyes and clearing her throat after a long night's sleep Evil Bloom bent over and peered inside "Hi Timmy" She sang as she looked him over "How're you doing buddy?"

Flora looked shockingly down at her "What do you mean? Look at him! He looks miserable, we have to help him and get him back to the castle where he can be looked after!"

"A-actually..." Timmy replied, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he scooted forward to the edge of the cage "I'm not hurt that bad, really. I-I think I just need to clean up and sleep in a real bed for a while" He chuckles nervously with a tilt of his head "I've been trained for stuff like this"

Flora nodded sympathetically while Evil Bloom crossed her arms and shook her head, she mumbled to Flora "Poor guy, he's so damaged that he's speaking utter nonsense" She turned to Flora with a flick of her red hair "We should really get him back to the castle!"

Flora ground her teeth and suppressed her anger "I...agree"

"Well I don't" Replied Florance as she strolled into the area with a shawl wrapped around her, she looked lovely in the morning (In a primitive and savage sort of way) She smirked at the party of three and lightly sat down on a nearby makeshift bench "He's my prisoner"

"He's our friend" Flora reasoned back as she turned to face her elder.

"He broke my laws" The woman said with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"He didn't know!" Flora yelled back, her fists tightening. The frustration and anger building to a boiling point.

"He should have" Florance said calmly and pointedly, eyeing Flora dead in the eye and waiting for the rage.

"You're just being difficult!" Flora exploded; the guards near the cage tensed while Flora took a step toward the tribe leader and stared down at her, seething.

"Whoa!" Evil Bloom jumped forward and grabbed into Flora's arm, she could feel the tension and started to regret teasing her before "Let's just take a step back you two"

Flora broke, she started to yell and ramble "You just want him because you want revenge on what I did to your nose, I humiliated you and now you're getting back at me!" She shook her head furiously "You're supposed to be this great leader but here you are, being arrogant and selfish. It doesn't matter that the world is nearly on the brink of war, just as long as you get even with us! Thousands will die and you'll just sit here in your safe and quiet little camp, watching as the world burns. You're evil!"

"The world is not my problem" Replied Florance sharply, sit sitting on the bench.

Flora raked her fingers through her hair "My gods, what is with you people?! I feel like Saloria is the only ancestor who actually wants to save the world, the rest of you just think that it won't affect you. I don't understand what is wrong with you?!"

"Flora! Jeez! Take it down a peg, will ya?!" EB tried to reason with her, she cast a glance at Flora to see her jaw tighten and her eyes go hard. EB suddenly really wanted to leave this place, and quickly. But unfortunately Flora was still yelling.

"I've heard stories of you since I could remember, they said you were wonderful and fair, the greatest leader our people have ever seen. But I now see what you truly are! I came here expecting you to be reasonable but all I got was a brutal immature self centered bitch!"

"Flora!" EB stepped back when Florance shot up from her seat, the shawl falling from her shoulders to the dirt. Evil Bloom's hand instinctively went to her throat and she shrunk back, she was seriously in no position to be starting a fight with a savage. But looking at Flora, the soft sweet girl was just begging for a fight. This was not the girl she knew, not even when she was evil, something had changed when she met her ancestor.

The woman herself was staring hard at Flora, with vicious eyes and sharpened teeth, ready to tear some throats out. Flora sucked in a deep breath but held her ground, ready to strike out.

Flora stalked forward slowly, her eyes never leaving Flora's. She walked right up close until they were mere inches apart, her voice hard as rock "Get. Out"

EB jumped at the chance to run, she clasped Flora by the shoulders and tugged the girl away "Let's go Flora, they're not gonna help us. We'll just go home" Flora refused to budge; she still stared at her ancestor, wishing she had her weapon but she'd left it at the hut. EB braced herself into the ground and pulled with all her might "Flora, I do not want to die here!"

Flora suddenly moved away, walking quickly out of the area with a stiff back, anger still radiating off of her. Evil Bloom cast an anxious glance down at Timmy "Timmy...I-I can't-"

"It's okay!" Timmy replied quickly, shooting the still menacing Florance looks "We'll figure something out; you're not safe here anymore. Just go!"

When EB was walking away she felt shock go through her, she actually did something semi decent, she actually went out of her way to make sure that someone she liked didn't doom herself. Huh, maybe I'm going soft after all.

...

Flora sat on a log covered in green mush, she hands clasped together and her tan skin pale. She looked straight ahead as if frozen in a permanent state of shock. The two of them had gotten their things and high tailed out of the camp in record time, hard eyes following them as if every person in the tribe knew that they'd insulted their leader. Now they were far out into the forest, well away from the camp, Evil Bloom stood over Flora. Her arms were crossed and she clasped Flora's weapon in her hand, not trusting the girl to have it on her "Okay" She said after a very long time of silence "What happened back there?"

Flora's lips parted and she shook her head slowly "I...I don't know"

EB narrowed her eyes "Flora...you-we had a chance to get Timmy back, maybe, if we remained calm and talked it through with Florance. But you...just went off the handle. One minute you were fine, albeit a bit ticked off but that was my fault, and then you went ape shit crazy at your ancestor"

Flora's eyes went wildly around at their surroundings "I-I know! I don't know what made me do that, I'm never that angry. She's my ancestor, she deserves my respect and obedience but...I just felt so angry, so not me, so..."

"Savage" EB finished for her.

Flora pitched forward and gripped her temples "Oh nooo, we left Timmy there. We were supposed to make peace with them but I just totally wrecked it, didn't I?"

"You certainly did!" EB replied loudly, not in anger but in disbelief, she sighed heavily "What are we gonna tell the others when we get back?" She suddenly stamped her foot angrily "Shit, Bloom's gonna be pissed!"

Flora looked up at her through her thick caramel hair "I thought you didn't care what Bloom thought?"

EB crossed her arms again and kicked Flora in the ankle lightly, not answering the question. A suddenly chill erupted in the air; the two girls could see their own breath come out in a cloud of smoke, Goosebumps rising on their skin "What the hell?"

Flora stood up quickly, snatching her weapon back of off EB, her eyes darting through the thick tress "Do you hear that?"

A swirling wind came out of nowhere and started to whisk around them, dirt whipped past them in the wind, making them shield their eyes. Looking up the sun had conveniently decided to roll behind some particularly dark clouds, the sky turning dark grey. The two girls stood back to back, looking up at the swirling abyss, Flora gasped and pointed into the distance in the sky "Oh my-Look!"

EB turned and felt her jaw drop, she couldn't believe it. In the distance stormed a dark and terrifying tornado, an actual tornado like you see on the news and in movies. She stood gaping as several funny quips ran through her head, some involving Aunty Em and Uncle Henry and green witches on Broom sticks. But before she could open her mouth and mumble one Flora had seized her wrist and dragged her in the opposite direction, running at top speed. The twister was a long way off but she could only imagine just how fast they could move. As she descended into the darkness of the trees she thought anxiously This must be the witches work.

...

Bloom pointed her finger in the air and said harshly "Go fix it"

Stella bit her lip and put on her most whinny face "But Blooooom!"

"Now!" Bloom insisted, putting some real emotion behind the order, she knew back home that if she did that a lot of Saloria's people would be insulted at having their royalty ordered around.

Stella looked into the distance to where Brandon and Mandy were still running laps, pursing her lips she thought it over. Brandon was still super pissed at her but he did have the right to know Timmy had been taken prisoner by the natives and Florance, she really hoped Flora would find a way to fix it. She also hoped that EB wouldn't go insulting Florance and get them both booted out of the tribe's camp without Timmy "But what if Brandon tells me to just...go away?"

Stella felt a soft hand on her arm and turned to see Saloria still sitting in her seat in the sunshine, a sweet smile on her pretty face "You should make peace with him, trust me, you'll regret it if something happens to him"

This sobered Stella right up, she looked warily at the couple in the distance, she felt Bloom grab her by the shoulders the steer her toward the stairs that led to the field. She suddenly panicked and dug her feet into the stone ground "No! He won't talk to me!"

"Yes he will!" Bloom answered as she pushed.

Stella grabbed onto the stone railing of the stairs and held herself there; looking most unlady like with her feet spread out wide in front of her to stop her movement "I can't!"

"Stella!" Bloom grunted, she leaned over and whispered into the girl's ear "I swear to all the gods if you don't go now I'll march over to Brandon and tell him exactly just how similar you and Mandy really are!"

Stella gasped and spun around, her mouth gaping "You wouldn't!"

"Oh trust me...I would"

Saloria leaned over in her chair curiously "How are they similar?"

"Don't!" Stella yelled desperately but Bloom was quicker.

"Did you know that when Stella was a child she decided that she wanted to be the ultimate princess, so she dyed her hair permanently blond. Mandy is what Stella would have looked like if she'd kept her original hair colour"

Saloria gasped and smiled widely "Y-you used to be a brunette?!"

Stella ground her teeth and glared viciously at the red headed girl, she leaned in closely "Queen Bloom of Eraklyon I hope trolls invade your land and leeches infest your home!" She spun and marched angrily down the stairs, leaving the two queens to laugh hysterically.

As Stella walked across the field toward her boyfriend and his trainee she felt a flush come over her pale skin and butterflies whiz around her stomach. For the first time in a long time she was nervous about talking to Brandon, he had always been so funny and carefree but now when he was with her he was tense and cold. It didn't sit well with her and she dreaded sorting it out, romantic confrontation of this magnitude wasn't her thing. She just hoped he'd take the news well and not overreact.

...

"You're overreacting!" Stella yelled desperately when Brandon burst through the side door of the castle, sword and bag in hand, intent on saving his friend. He marched quickly ahead of her, a hard look on his face as Stella stumbled after him in her heels and dress.

Brandon stalked across the long path that led to the stables "I'm going after him! I haven't seen Timmy since the ambush, what if he got injured? What if he's trapped in a cage bleeding out right this second?"

Stella had to run to keep up "Oh please, they wouldn't keep him in a cage!"

"Go back to the castle, you can't stop me" He replied as they reached the back of the stables, rounding the building "Timmy is my friend and I won't leave him there at the hands of savages"

"They're natives!" Stella reminded him as she trudged through the mud "And Flora and EB will handle it!"

Brandon turned quickly to look down on her "How?" Stella was slightly distracted by his handsome face to answer right away, she shook her head quickly "Err they'll figure something out, they're strong"

Brandon arched an eyebrow "Without their powers?" He turned and continued on the path.

Stella rolled her eyes and felt slightly insulted, she was sick of running after him. Ever since she'd gone up to him in the field and told him about Timmy he'd taken off, all the way through the castle, to his room, back through the castle and out the door. Stella's toes were screaming at her to stop abusing them but she ignored them. She ran ahead of him and blocked the gate to the stables, pressing her back against the handle. She looked up at him stubbornly and a little pissed off "Might I remind you that we were without powers for two and a half years!"

Brandon dropped his arms to his sides and leaned forward stubbornly "Two years and a month" He waited for her to move away from the door but she stayed glued to it "Move" She shook her head stiffly and pressed herself tighter against it, praying he wouldn't choose to just go around the building to the other door.

"Stella!" He went to grab the other latch at the side of the door but Stella whipped her hand out to cover it "Doesn't matter, the point is we were capable!"

Brandon stepped back and gave her a look of disbelief "Capable? You were evil and impulsive and went up against mob bosses and criminals. This is savages we're talking about! Ones that skin people and dance around their bodies as they cook them!"

"Natives!" Stella yelled into his face "And don't bring up the evil thing, you know it hurts to think about it" She said with a hurt edge to her voice, she soon rid herself of it "And what are you gonna do against a whole tribe of natives, anyway?"

"What am I going to do?" He asked lightly, his face showing only stubbornness and determination that quickly turned to softness. She couldn't help but notice that when she waited for him to reply he had edged forward and slowly slid his arm around her waist as the other softly gripped her hand covering the latch. She gulped as she looked up at him, totally not denying that she found the whole thing really hot. They stayed like that for a fraction of a second with their eyes locked before he abruptly lifted her up and swung her until she was on his other side away from the door "It's called subtlety, I'll sneak in and rescue him" He opened the door to the stable and went inside.

Stella stood outside the stable, waving a hand to cool her face down, trying to ignore that there was a shake to her voice "And you think they won't know who took him? You think they won't want him back?"

She walked inside when she was sure she was the proper amount of pissed again, she found him lifting a saddle onto a tall massive chestnut horse "You can't do this"

"Well I have to try, don't I?" Brandon replied, a hard edge to his voice. Stella could see the battle raging within him, the desire to rescue his friend but the knowing that he couldn't do it alone or the knowing that he probably wouldn't succeed. It frustrated him and made him angry to be so useless, he strapped the horse into the saddle with quickly rough movements "I can't do it, I can't sit in that castle and wait for news to come back when we could be doing something" He looked up at her where she stood still in the doorway "Stella..." She jumped slightly when he said he name, it was the first time in days that he'd said it "We're about to face a war here, and...I can't fight it without my friends. We don't have time"

Stella felt an icy chill go up her spine, her mind finally working again. For the first time since coming to the past she let the word 'war' sink into her mind, and she was frightened. She remembered what war was like, as if it was yesterday, remembered the terrible rush of blood, sweat and screams of death. She felt her breath quicken and had to reach out to grip a beam to steady herself, finally grasping what might be in her future. It hadn't occurred to her that she'd actually be fighting a war again, where she might die, where...he might die. Stella looked up at Brandon and felt a cold fear go through her, the same one that touched her soul the night she begged Brandon not to go on this mission.

She'd faced death but facing a world without Brandon, it was unbearable.

Brandon had finished saddling his horse and was pulling open the sliding door of the stable, wind rushing to meet the pair. When they'd stepped inside the stable it had been sunny but in those mere minutes it had disappeared and gone cloudy, wind barreling into the land and buildings as if it might blow them away. Stella couldn't help but think it fitting, she'd stepped into the stable still thinking she'd make it through the next few weeks, now she realised her life had become a storm and not even noticed. She looked over at Brandon and thought of how she'd wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man and he was right. There was no time. One or both of them could be dead soon, this might possibly be the last time they'd be together.

Stella ran forward as he led the horse outside, she caught up to him and gripped onto his arm desperately, all anger disappearing. It was replaced by fear and desperation "No! You can't!"

Brandon's hair blew in the strong wind and he had to yell over to noise a little "Stella I told you-"

"Please Brandon" Stella pleaded, digging her nails into his forearm, small little tears filling her eyes at the prospect of her dark path ahead "I don't want you to go"

Brandon looked down at her sad face, his own softening. In truth he didn't want to leave her, he'd known her for years and she was precious to him but...his friend needed him. They were both standing in the courtyard now, grey skies overhead with wind that blew harshly against them. Brandon felt all his previous anger at her melt away from him, all grudges and all offenses. Right in that moment she was the girl he loved so very much and he was leaving her. Her closed his eyes hard and leaned forward to press a quick kiss to her forehead "Goodbye Stella"

Stella gasped in horror and stepped back as he mounted the horse, arranging the bag and sword, purposefully not looking back at her. Stella felt her hands shake in fear and gulped in a breath, praying that someday he would forgive her for what she was about to do "Stop!"

Her scream brought him to a halt just when the horse had started to trot forward a few feet, he didn't look back. Stella felt the first few rain drops pierce her cheek when she yelled out to him "Brandon...get off your horse! You're not going! I order you not to go!"

His head whipped around in shock to stare back at her, his eyes turning harder than she'd ever seen them. He stared at her for a long time, the rain starting to pick up until it was pelting down on them. He spoke through clenched teeth "You...are asking me to choose...between saving my friend and keeping you happy" It wasn't a question but she answered anyway.

"Yes" Stella breathed into the wind, she knew he heard her.

Brandon turned back to the front, his hands so tight on the reins they were pure white, his back tense as he tried to think. When he kicked his horse with his foot the animal trotted forward down the path away from the stables and away from Stella. She felt unnecessary anger build up within her, she walked forward and yelled with all her might "I will never forgive you if you go!"

Brandon halted again, this time much more roughly, rage and betrayal crashing through him. All his life he'd wanted to be better than a servant, better than a squire. And right then she'd destroyed all the faith and hard work in a few single words, it cut deep. Deeper than he ever thought she could cut him. Stella waited with tears in her eyes; feeling numb as she watched him still on his horse, the storm around them getting much worse in record time. She prayed in her head until with relief he turned the horse around and jumped off it, slapping it on its back so it ran back into the stables with a whine. She felt a small smile of relief on her lips until she got a look at his face, it matched the storm in every sense, she began to realize just how much damage she'd done. She didn't even have time to say anything before he walked forward quickly, Stella found herself backing into the cover of the stables in...fear? Fear of what he'd say to her?

Stella felt her back hit a tall beam as he stalked toward her, true hurt radiating out of his eyes, she held her breath as he came right up close to her. They were pressed together tight with him looking down on her with a hurt expression that he was trying to hide. She opened her mouth to try and say something to make it better but she couldn't think of anything. He placed his forearm slowly above her head so he could lean down and look her dead in the eye, as hard as his expression was; his voice was a mixture of soft and steel cold hardness.

"As you command...your highness" He left her then without a word or backward glance.

Stella stared straight ahead at the storm, wind and rain blowing in to meet her already drenched form. Her mind went wild as she tried to understand what had just happened, what she'd done. Did I do that? She slid down the beam until she was sitting on the dirty floor of the stables, looking at her cold hands. She didn't cry but she did cover her mouth to quench a building sob in her chest, eyes burning with unshed tears. She remembered his expression and regret filled her. In that moment she truly did feel like the spoiled self centered princess everyone thought she was, in that moment...she hated herself.

As she bowed her head in silence she knew that what had been done here today could never be undone, never be unsaid. She said she wouldn't forgive him for leaving but would he ever forgive her for making him stay?

Whew! I started writing the Stella/Brandon one with the idea that it would be funny...Jesus what a turn that took! I was sitting there writing it and thinking to myself "My god this is dramatic...how did we get here?!" I honestly don't know what happened but by the time I wrote the last words I knew I couldn't change it. And I was so glad I waited until I was inspired to actually write the chapter, aren't you glad I was.

Hello again! I also wanted to tell you that when I read the reviews of Chapter twenty four and saw about a million things about people wanting more Stella and Brandon, I metaphorically slammed my head onto my desk and started sobbing uncontrollably. Aw you guys!

But anyway, you have GOT TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT? EVERYONE WAS TELLING ME MORE STELLA AND BRANDON AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE, THEN THIS WAS WRITTEN AND I PRAY THAT YOU LIKED IT. DID YOU?!

REVIEW! XOXOXOX (P.S sorry for any mistakes, I was excited to write it)