A/N: Thank you so much for all your kind reviews! And you´re right, the story reached a bit more than 100 reviews, all thanks to you! I was actually thinking about ending it soon, but I won't :P There´s still more to come, lol. R&R!

Chapter 25: A New Beginning

Bloom gazed out the enormous window of what used to be her room, eighteen years ago. Musa had been right. Everything remained completely untouched. Even after the restoration of Domino. Even with Diaspro in the palace pretending to be her. They hadn't used this room for anything else. They hadn't even allowed Diaspro to have her way with it. She opened up drawers of baby clothes. They had such a familiar scent. Maybe people were right about how the brain was able to supress memories from long ago, about how those memories are just buried a little too deep inside. Just like her mother´s lullabies which were always present in her dreams.

After the previous night´s commotion, Marion and Oritel insisted that Bloom and Sky spend the night at the palace. Sky wasn't sure about it at first, but King Oritel called Red Fountain and spoke with Headmaster Saladin, who was more than shocked to hear his voice. Oritel explained the situation and Saladin of course, had no objection. So as awkward as it was, they spent the night on Domino.

"Bloom", her mother called, knocking on her door.

"Yes?" Oh that too. She still wasn't sure what to call her. Marion was her mother but saying the word was actually harder than acknowledging the truth.

"Breakfast is served, sweetheart. King Sky is already downstairs waiting for you", she said smiling. Bloom blushed. It was only her first day here, and Sky was already about to have an interview with both her parents.

"Oh, thank you. I-I´ll be…right down", she said, strangely. Marion gazed at her intently. She was so different from Diaspro. This Bloom was rather shy, quiet, and polite. But brave enough that she was able to come this far to confront Valtor´s lies.

"Honey I understand how you must feel", she said, walking over and taking Bloom´s hands.

"But…it's alright now. You´re home, where you belong. With us", she said, teary eyed. Bloom smiled. She knew Marion had a kind heart. But she had two homes now, she wouldn't forget about Earth, or her adoptive parents, ever.

"It's hard knowing that Diaspro tried to take so much from me" she said, sighing deeply.

"It was cruel to say the least. But that's over now", she said. Bloom nodded in agreement.

"Shall we?" Marion asked, signaling to the door.

"Of course", Bloom answered.

"Hey there, little sister!" Daphne greeted, throwing her arms around her once again as they reached the door.

"How are you feeling?" she asked worriedly. Of all the people she´d met so far at the palace, Daphne was her absolute favorite. She was so kind and sweet, just like she had been when Bloom first got to Magix. Daphne had been more than a sister, she was Bloom´s guardian angel, her guide. And now having her so close, so present…it was indescribable.

"Better, I guess" she answered.

"Good, because we definitely have a lot of catching up to do", Daphne said, enthusiastically. Marion laughed,

"You have all the time in the world, now, girls".

As they walked down the grand staircase, Bloom heard voices. More specifically a conversation that she absolutely dreaded, and hoped would be put off.

"Tell me Sky, do you go to school?" the King asked.

"I do sir, Red Fountain School for Specialists sir", Bloom laughed internally as Sky put special emphasis on the word ´sir´.

"And where are your parents now?"

"On Eraklyon sir, my parents are King Erandor and Queen Samara",

"I see…Erandor was a very good friend of mine years ago, before our realm suffered its destruction", Oritel said, to which Sky looked surprised. His father rarely spoke of Domino, and he certainly never mentioned his friendship with the King. The only thing he told Sky back when he was a little boy was the story of how the realms came to be, and how the great dragon had chosen Domino to rest. But eventually, evil forces destroyed the realm of Domino and the dragon´s flame had been extinct. For years, he grew up not knowing if the dragon´s flame was only a legend or it really existed. Until the day he met Bloom.

"Good morning, daddy" Daphne greeted, taking a seat at the table.

"Good morning, sunshine", he said, kissing her forehead.

"Bloom, how was your rest?" he asked, trying to hold back his happiness.

"It was great, the bed was very comfortable. Thank you" she answered. She gazed at everything on the table. So this was how royalty had breakfast. There was bread, and sweets, and many other things she could probably eat during the entire week.

"So Sky, do you have a job?"

"Dad!" Bloom and Daphne said at once, causing Marion to burst out laughing. Bloom immediately blushed realizing what she had just said. Oritel smiled and took her hand.

"I´ll go easy on him sweetie, I promise",

"ughh, just as I suspected" Diaspro said, hitting the atm machine. Her mother stood closer to her,

"Diaspro what is it?"

"Oritel´s cancelled the credit card he gave me. It was only last night that he found out I´m not his daughter and already he´s had the bank cancel my account", she said irritably.

"I fail to understand what the problem is! Your father and I have more than enough to give to you. Our situation has improved",

"Of course its improved mother, but it's not the same as being the Princess of Domino"

"A very rich realm indeed…" Luciana mused.

"I had everything…now even my opportunity with Sky is lost…That's it, I have to speak to Oritel. He´ll forgive me. I know he will! Or Marion, at least she´ll-"

"At least she´ll what? You foolish girl! Do you really believe that the royal family of Domino will even bother to give you the time of day after what happened?"

"I was there daughter for nearly a year! They´ll have to"

"And how do you plan to go near that palace without being arrested by the guards?" her mother chuckled.

"I have to find a way mother! Did you really think I´d let that loser keep everything I worked so hard for?! Definitely not!"

"You´re ambitious, Diaspro. Even more than I remember. Can it be that Marion and Oritel put you in a position far too high? They placed a crown over your head and placed you above everything and everyone, thinking you were they´re daughter? And you miss that. You miss having such power, you miss the possibility of becoming the Queen of your own kingdom and not just with wife of a King" her mother whispered to her.

"That life was meant for me…"

"Then if you´re truly willing to claim it back, I´ll help", Diaspro turned to look at her mother, surprised.

"How?"

"By searching for the single person that can grant you your life back, the sorcerer. I have a plan" her mother said, enthusiastically.

Flora walked out of the library with all the books she could possibly find on powerful nature spells. Bloom may have found her family, but Valtor was still on the loose, and if they wanted to defeat him they would have to prepare as much as they possibly could.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a certain lilac haired fairy walking by.

"Hey! Krystal!" she called. Krystal turned to look at her, and smiled. Up until the other day, Flora had seen this girl as her potential enemy. But not anymore, now more than ever she trusted Helia and she wanted to show her repentance for not having done so before.

"Hey Flora", she said, sweetly.

"I wanted to know if you're okay now. You didn't look so well the other day", Flora told her. Krystal smiled, seemingly surprised.

"You´re very kind, Flora I´m fine now, I just wasn't having such a good day. I´m sorry if I was rude to you" she apologized quickly. Flora looked at the ground, sheepishly.

"Actually princess, I´m the one who should apologize",

"But…why?" Krystal asked confused.

"Well, I´ll admit I was a little jealous of you at first, especially with all the nice things Helia said about you", she said, with a small smile. Krystal put a hand on Flora´s shoulder,

"And I´ll admit that I really like Helia, he´s a great guy. But he and I are just friends, Flora. To be honest, I think you guys make a great couple", Flora smiled.

"Helia told me you´re the princess of Linphea, I´m from Linphea as well",

"You are? Then you must have powers of nature such as I do", she said enthusiastically.

"I do, and right now I´m researching spells to prepare for the battle against Valtor. Maybe you could show me a few spells? If you don't mind of course", Flora asked her,

"Of course! Maybe we could train together, we must be ready to defend our realm Flora"

"Great! Come with me Krystal, it's time to introduce you to the Winx!"

"You know the Winx girls?!"

"Actually, I´m one of them" Flora replied, with a wink.

King Oritel held the album in his hands turning each page with a smile. Ever since the real Bloom came into the palace, he began reminiscing past events. The company of light, fighting by Marion´s side, his friends…

Suddenly the King tightened his fist, feeling a cold and unfriendly, yet familiar presence in the room.

"I knew it was only a matter of time…" he said, turning around.

"You know me well" Valtor replied. Oritel stared at his enemy intently, the man who nearly took his daughter away for the second time…

"I have to say, I haven't given you enough credit. You're more astute than I remember. A mastermind", Oritel mused, setting the album down on his desk.

"I´m surprised it took you this long to realize what I´m capable of accomplishing…" he said, smiling slightly.

""I´ll go straight to the point. I know what you´ve come for. And you must know that your journey here is in vain. Bloom isn't going anywhere. I´m not letting my daughter out of my sight this time", he said sternly. Valtor chuckled, carelessly.

"Face it Oritel, you know as well as I do that any effort to keep Bloom away will be useless"

"You never said a word, Valtor. But I always saw the way you looked at Marion. Despite your silence, I knew how you felt about her. I´ll admit it enraged me, I was afraid to leave her alone for even a moment. But that´ll be nothing in comparison to what I'd do if you ever dare go near my daughter again", he said, walking around his desk, and continued,

"If you truly care about Bloom, even in the slightest, you will stay away from her. You will allow her to be happy with the King of Eraklyon. He´s a fine young man, he truly cares for Bloom",

"You´re throwing Bloom´s power to waste! This was never meant to be the fate of the dragon flame´s keeper!"

"What do you know about what´s best for Bloom?! You kidnapped her!"

"How ironic! You claim to know what's best for your daughter, when in reality you don't know the first thing about her! She and I share a connection stronger than you or anyone can imagine" he said, smiling darkly,

"And I owe to you all those years away from Bloom! But what I do know is that she belongs here, with us and her fiancée!" Oritel nearly yelled, slamming his fist on his desk.

"You speak as if you´ve planned this all on your own…let us bet on how Bloom feels about all of this. What makes you think I´m the only one who feels attracted? Why don't you ask Bloom about her time with me, you´ll be surprised" Oritel scoffed.

"Are you implying that my daughter would openly choose to stand by you instead of her people? That's absurd!"

"What I want is simple Oritel, give Bloom back to me, and I´ll leave your people alone. You know very well what I´m capable of"

"I won't say this again Valtor, Bloom´s place is here. And I will arrange for her to be married to the King of Eraklyon. She may not have been raised by Marion or me, but I can see she has our heart! As well as Marion´s calm demeanor. Perhaps it's one of the reasons why you refuse to stay away. You should know that despite being on Domino for merely days, she already cares deeply for its people! She will be the one to carry on with our legacy! So I repeat, Valtor…if she matters to you at all…you know what you must do…"

"You know you can't keep Bloom away from me, so your desperate solution is to have her married. It's pathetic!"

"I recognize that there is in fact a link between the two of you, but my reason for watching over my daughter's future has absolutely nothing to do with it! The bond that you and Bloom share is nothing in comparison to the one she now has with her family and with Domino. I´m only doing what I consider best for her and the Kingdom. So whether you like it or not, it's already been decided", he said firmly. Valtor stood motionless for a moment.

"You have no idea what you´re doing to Bloom…!"

"I´ve said what I had to. And none of it will change",

Valtor smirked, although his eyes reflected nothing other than anger.

"Like I said, you´d be surprised, King Oritel. Eventually Bloom herself will come to me, and then we´ll see how your plans work out", he said, before disappearing into thin air.

He reappeared just outside Oritel´s office,

"Dad, I…Valtor?" Bloom murmured, awestruck.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding more surprised than upset.

"I had an issue to clear up with your father", he said simply.

"Define issue?"

"I see you´ve won the competition" he said, Bloom looked at him in confusion,

"What competition? What on Earth are you talking about?"

"You´ve defeated Diaspro, Bloom. You have your Sky...And you´re making a mistake" he said, sternly. Bloom scoffed.

"You think Sky is a mistake?" she asked, offended.

Valtor took a few steps closer and stood in front of her, placing his arms firmly around her waist and pulling her toward him, harshly. Bloom´s breathing quickened. She felt shivers go down her spine as he leaned in, stopping only centimeters away from her lips,

"Need I say more?" he whispered. Bloom looked up at him, ardently,

"What have you done to me?"

Without warning he pressed his lips on hers, kissing her passionately. And for the first time, Bloom didn't have the strength or the will to fight back. She kissed him wholeheartedly.

Bloom pulled away slightly, breathing heavily,

"This is too dangerous…someone could see us…"

"Is he really worth all the fighting?" he asked, pressing his forehead against hers.

"He´s my fiancée…"

"I cant be away from you for too long", he whispered, before pulling away from her unwillingly.

"This is far from over, Bloom. I wont give you up that easily",

In that moment, Bloom realized that Valtor wasn't the obstacle between herself and Sky, neither was Diaspro. It was herself. Her doubts, her confusion…

Valtor disappeared again.

"Bloom…?" Sky asked, as he found her standing alone outside King Oritel´s office.

"Love, are you alright?" Sky asked worriedly, taking her hands in his. Bloom nodded fiercely, fighting back the tears. She hugged Sky tightly, burying her face into his chest.

"Honey, your trembling! Lets get you some water", Sky said, wrapping his arms around her securely.

"So, what happened?" Diaspro, who had been waiting for him just outside the palace, asked him. Valtor walked past her, ignoring her question.

"Valtor, did you speak to Oritel or not?!" she asked irritably. Valtor smirked,

"I´m afraid you´ve lost your King, princess. I indeed spoke to Oritel and guess what? Your precious Sky and Bloom are to be married. You wasted your time with nonsense, and you´ll just have to live with it" he said angrily.

"Married? No! I´m not going to let that happen, and if I know you the way I think I do-"she said, standing in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"You haven't given up on Bloom either" Valtor remained silent.

"From now on, that's none of your concern. You had your chance and you lost it" he said firmly, trying to walk past her again. But she grabbed his arm tightly.

"I´ve lost a battle, not the war. Not all is lost, I´ll do whatever I have to", she said, decisively. Valtor only gazed at her, perceiving the determination she felt within as she spoke.

"You´ve said it yourself. The war isn't over yet, this is merely the beginning", he said, chuckling.

"Think about it, what does Bloom care for the most? Besides Sky and her parents, who are the most important people in her circle?" Diaspro questioned.

"The Winx", Valtor responded without giving it a thought.

"Exactly, she wouldn't stand to see her friends get hurt" she said, Valtor nodded.

"If you succeed this time, Diaspro, you may just have a chance with me. But this is your second and last opportunity", Valtor said sternly before walking away.