CHAPTER HAS BEEN REWRITTEN
(thanks to Oracle Sybil)
I'm sorry for the wait everyone. I just had to take a big break. Every time I wrote a new chapter, I was more confused. It's weird, I don't know why, but I think it's because I've been writing this story for so long.
Anyway, new chapter. I hope to post more often, but I've learnt not to make that mistake.
Akari : Thank you, I'm really happy that you're enjoying the story this far ! A lot more is coming !
Oracle Sybil : Finally an update then haha ! And who doesn't love him ? I know so many people shipped Sparxshipping before they even knew about shipping lmao
Last chapter's recap :
- Musa, Stella and Layla had a performance at Red Fountain
- Stormy decided to attack Musa's father as a diversion
- Musa had to give her life to take out the Witch without risking any harm on anyone else, and Stormy is captured
- Bloom has asked and gotten solutions for the curse bestowed on her by Darkar thanks to Valtor
- Flora is trying to survive and find some clue as to where she is
- Icy and Darcy have gotten the Codex from Red Fountain during the party, while everyone was busy with Stormy
The room was white, from the floor to the ceiling, including the bed, its sheets, and the table next to it. One white metal chair was pulled next to the bed, on which a girl with pink hair sat. The curls had turned into knots, the healthy skin tone had turned to grey, with dark circles under her eyes. Her eyelids repeatedly closed before opening back up again less than a millisecond later. Her chin however, decorated by traces of lightning, kept dropping lower. The owner seemed unaware.
She jumped when the door opened suddenly, welcoming three new people. The first, with red hair, hastily made his way to the bed. He wasted no time in acknowledging the pink haired girl's presence, rather choosing to focus on the person laying in the bed.
This behaviour did not seem to faze the girl in any way. Instead, she turned her head towards the two men : the doctor was explaining the situation, as clearly as he could, while the other person shot back with questions and hypothesis. All the white bloused man could do was shrug in honest confusion, then promise they would do all they could.
"Fuck !"
The girl and the man at the entrance turned their head towards their third companion, eyebrows raised at the sudden outburst. The latter had both his hands clutching at the sheets, his eyes settled on the peaceful face of a brunette. His eyes were full of anger, as well as anguish. His shoulders slowly sagged, before the pink haired girl decided to speak up.
"She'll wake up in ten minutes or so, don't worry. She's authorized to go home."
"Is there any other damage ?" He shot back.
"No, none they could see."
He took a deep inspiration, before a shuddering sigh escaped him.
"You girls have this weird friend, can't he look at it ?"
"Don't talk about him here," she whispered with a sneer sneaking up on her face. "And no, we've already asked."
"He pretends to know everything, and he can't get her voice back ? That's bull-"
The brunette cleared her throat.
The words immediately died in his throat.
"How are you feeling ?" He asked while his hands found her arms, touching her as delicately as if she were a flower. "Do you need anything ?"
She brought a hand to her mouth, putting one finger in front of her lips as a way to convey her need for silence. Riven tensed, unsure as to how to proceed, before Musa was hit by a coughing fit. He wasted no time in bringing her a glass of water, as well as patting his her back softly.
He brought it up slowly to her lips, careful of any sign of discomfort from her. She gladly accepted it, a sigh of content leaving her lips. The two froze for a second, looking at each other straight in the eyes, before her eyes moved back to glass with her eyebrows raised.
Immediately, he put water back into it to serve it to her once again.
"You know she can do it by herself, right ?"
The brunette gestured dismissively with her hand at her friend, while the man threw her a dark glare.
"Alright lovebirds, let's get going guys," interrupted the other guy. "The papers are filled out, we're good."
"Easy…"
The girl stood up from her chair, her arms crossed on her chest as she watched Riven help his girlfriend out of bed, slowly taking her in his arms like a princess. The Melodian put her head against his chest, letting her eyes flutter shut while they all stepped out.
"She's only mute, you know that too ?"
"Shut up."
Tecna laughed before stepping down to walk next to Timmy.
"So, what are the others up to ?"
"They're going to land in about an hour," he told her.
She bit her lip.
"Are they going to stay for long ?"
"Hard to say," he shrugged. "Either the presence of the Prince stirs up trouble and they stay for a few days or weeks… or nothing."
She nodded.
"Alright, let's get ready then. We have to make it work before they come back !"
He gave her the cheesiest of smiles.
"It's good to be back," sighed Sky, stretching his arms.
"You've been gone for less than a month", snickered Brandon, hitting his shoulder. The two stared back at each other, no expression on their faces yet the tension between them kept rising. Sky was the first to attack, but Brandon was ready to block the blow. "That's the best you can do, Your Highness ?"
"I could take you on any day."
"Oh yeah ?"
A sigh escaped the other man in the group ; Helia seemed awfully bored by the whole situation. His eyes lazily followed each hit one of the boy tried to land, then the counter.
"Eraklyon is so different," noted Bloom, eyeing the castle in front of them. "I was expecting something like Solaria but… it looks like what we have on Earth."
"Really ?" Said Layla. "The architecture ?"
"Yes, it looks really familiar."
"Maybe once Sky and Brandon have stopped brawling you could ask them," said Stella with a raised eyebrow at the boys. The three of them slowly came to a stop, watching the two fight like children. Layla was the first to shrug it off, making her way slowly towards the gates. Bloom sighed then followed, prompting Stella to move too.
"I'll go with the girls, join us when you're finished," announced Helia, leaving the Specialists' side.
While he went around his friends, the latter stopped to look around them.
"My parents aren't going to be happy," remarked Sky as he eyed his clothes.
"They're used to it," laughed the other boy before swinging one of his arm around the neck of his friend. "And they'll be happy to see you again. Especially with what's happening right now."
The blonde nodded soundlessly, yet there was a big smile on his face. Although it seemed a bit sad.
They all entered the castle without trouble, but they all noticed the eight guards accompanying them to the throne room. The group turned to the Prince in confusion, but even he seemed unsure of what to do. Eventually, he settled on a secret shake of his head, which only confused everyone more.
They didn't dare to talk because of that. It seemed to be a bad idea, especially with the way the guards sometime threw them a worried glance. Bloom felt her body slowly tense up, and her magic started to build up in her veins despite her wishes. With everything that had been happening recently, she felt a bit paranoiac, but rightfully so. She knew there shouldn't be anything to be scared of, this was Sky's Kingdom, but she felt something was up.
They were on Eraklyon. Officially, it was because he had "Prince Duties". It meant nothing to the ginger, nor to Stella or Layla, except that it was the reason given to the media every time Royal parents wanted their child to come back home as soon as they could. Sky had then explained there were attacks on his planets, against his family.
Bloom had been eager to discover another planet, thus why Sky had offered to take her to Eraklyon months ago. However, he had made a quick detour to Alfea to warn her of the trouble. He had planned on inviting her again later, but the red head had offered to come and help him, pretexting the Winx and Specialists could help him. The blonde hadn't been very excited at first, but his friends had agreed for him.
In truth, Bloom didn't want her friend to be hurt, without being able to do something. She hadn't said a word about it to the others, but was pretty sure it was the reason they all pushed the idea on him until he accepted.
They had to leave Musa and Tecna behind, as the Music Fairy had some tests to do. Tecna, Timmy and Riven also stayed to stand guard, should the Trix try anything. They were all a lot more hesitant to stay alone, after what happened to Flora.
Now however, Bloom realized she might've been better off staying hidden in her bedroom.
"We'll announce your presence," nodded one of the guards before pushing the door opened. Sky had a clear frown on his face by now. The man reappeared a few seconds later as the doors opened, bowing to the Prince before moving to the side. "Their Majesties will receive you."
Sky took the lead of the group, because everyone tried to hide behind him. Layla, Bloom and Helia especially, had started walking closer to each other. Brandon seemed at ease, or as much as Sky was. Stella was walking with her head held high, as usual.
"Sky !" Smiled the Queen. Somehow, it made them all tense. There was a lot of relief in her voice, as if she'd been expecting the worse. Sky gave a slight bow to his parents, followed immediately by his friends. "And Brandon of course, it's so good to see you !"
"Hello mother, father," he greeted, with a nod of his head towards both.
"I see you have brought quite a few new faces," commented the King, his eyes landing on Bloom for a second too long. "I do not have the pleasure of knowing all of you. I do believe, however, that I do recognize the Princesses of Solaria and Andros."
Both girls gave a quick bow again.
"This is Helia, the son Headmaster Saladin, and Bloom, the Princess of Domino."
The King's eyes narrowed on the ginger, his lips slightly curling in distaste. She tried to bite her tongue to avoid any comment from escaping her. If Sky noticed anything, he didn't comment on it, but Stella clearly got angry.
"Sky, we need to talk to you in private," interrupted his mother.
Without further talking, the four friends were pushed out of the room, the only person allowed to remain being Brandon. The guards immediately escorted them to common quarters, usually given to members of the highest importance.
"I have a bad feeling about this," admitted Helia as soon as the door closed. "I hope everything is fine."
"I don't think so," interrupted Layla, her eyes on her phone's screen. "Maybe we should've checked the news."
Without further ado, she turned on the hologram so that everyone could see the article. Bloom gasped.
"Those terrorists are so close to the castle ? Why bring Sky back ?"
"Maybe his parents wanted to have him near them ? Just to reassure themselves," supposed Helia.
"Stupid, but my dad would do that," nodded Stella.
"Eraklyon has the most powerful army in the Magical Dimension. May I also remind you his parents were part of the Company of Light, whom got rid of the Ancestral Witches and brought back peace to the Universe ? It would be very much appreciated if you stopped criticizing the Royal Family of the planet you're on."
Bloom had to fully turn around to face a blonde girl : she was extremely beautiful, and seemed to be about their age. Her eyes were amber, she had red lips, and wore an infuriating expression of condescendence as she stared down at all of them. The red head had to narrow her eyes at her, trying to remind herself from where she'd seen her.
"This was years ago," shot back Layla. "No Kingdom is ready for war immediately."
"That's what I would expect to hear from the Princess of Andros," answered the blonde with a raised eyebrow. "But just because your Kingdom is unable to fight back one Warlock, doesn't mean everyone is at a complete loss when it comes to battle."
"And who may you be ?" Cut short Helia.
"I am Diaspro, Princess of Isis," proudly said the girl. "Fiancé of the Prince Sky."
Bloom immediately turned around to throw a look at Stella, whose eyebrows were raised.
"Eraklyon still practices forced marriages ?" Asked the Solarian heir.
"It was just an arrangement when we were born, but Sky and I love each other very much."
"Weird, I've never heard him talk about you."
The Isis Princess turned red.
"Why would you ?"
The doors suddenly opened, showing Sky, Brandon, the King and Queen standing in the corridor. The two boys seemed extremely uncomfortable, while the rulers seemed to be in a worst temper than before.
"Diaspro," slowly said the King, as if he didn't expect her here. "It's very nice to see you."
The girl bowed, then ran to Sky. They spoke in hushed tones, while Brandon made his way back to Stella. The rulers exchanged a smile at the sight of their child being embraced by his fiancé, before making their way out. However, Bloom noticed the way the King's eyes stayed on her, for longer than necessary. She could only read disdain in his eyes.
A second later, he was gone.
"If looks could kill, I think you both would be out of this world right now," laughed Brandon.
"It's not funny," complained the red head. "I don't know why she hates me so much ! I did nothing to her ?"
"Sometimes people are like that," shrugged Layla. "Let's just ignore her."
"Let's not !" Interrupted Stella. "Why have I never heard about this girl, my dear Prince Sky ?"
The blonde acted nervous, one hand going to the back of his neck when all eyes fell onto him.
"Strange, isn't it ?"
"Sky doesn't like to talk about his fiancé very much," admitted Brandon, before his best friend tried to hit him. He successfully dodged. "She's very clingy, he may not want her to know he talks about her every waking hour, for fear of what could happen if she learned it."
"Still, we had no idea you would soon get married ! It's big… isn't it ?" Asked Bloom, suddenly wondering if marriage was as important here as it was on Earth.
"I said nothing because the occasion never arised. I do have a beautiful fiancé, who I love very much, and that's it."
"That's it ?" Parroted Stella. "What do you mean, that's it ? Don't you have anything else to tell her about her ? How she is ? What she likes ? What you like about her ? I mean come on, you must have some funny stories ?"
The Prince stayed still for a second.
"I mean, she's a Princess. She's perfect. And I love her."
Bloom couldn't help but frown as the words left the mouth of her friend, before exchanging a glance with everyone else. Clearly, she wasn't the only one confused by their friend's reaction. Layla had an eyebrow raised, the only sign of her internal struggle, the complete opposite of Stella with her narrowed eyes and open mouth.
"Do you really love her ? You sound like one of Timmy's inventions," commented Helia.
"I mean… She will make a great Queen. She has drive and motivation. She loves her Kingdom. Her people adore her. Diaspro is one of the most powerful fairies in the Magical Dimension. She earned her General status two years ago when she was only twenty. I was never able to defeat her in a one on one battle…"
"I don't want to push it," interrupted Layla. "But this seems a bit emotionless. You're talking about the person you will share your live with. The woman your people will expect you to have kids with. It's not someone you'll only see in the Courtroom. She will be with you every day, from when you wake up to when you fall asleep."
Sky then looked down, fidgeting with his hands.
"Alright, that's enough," said Bloom as she stood up. "How about a tour of this castle ? I want to see everything !"
The Prince gave a little laugh, his shoulders sagging a bit.
"I don't know how much we can see in one day, but I'll make sure to show you all as much as I can."
"I'm really sad for Sky," said Stella as she opened the door to her bedroom.
The Royal family had given them all a personal room, with a bathroom of their own. Bloom had felt her mouth fall open, while Stella simply entered her new quarters. Layla had thanked the Prince, an example the red head soon followed. Then the three girls bid their boy friends good night.
They had left each other to refresh themselves, but Stella seemed eager to talk a bit more. When Layla passed the door, Bloom had to swallow her laugh at her poker face. The girl had probably hoped to go to bed directly.
"Yeah, he seemed so… unsure," the red head decided to settle on that.
"I'm glad my parents never did that to me," said Layla. "Being forced to marry someone is… it's barbaric."
"Yeah," nodded Stella. "My dad sure wasn't pleased when he learned I wasn't actually dating the Prince Sky… but now he knows why, and he wants me to be happy. If it's by staying with Brandon, then so be it. Although, he wouldn't have been able to change my mind."
"It feels like a trap," gently said Bloom. "Like, he has no escape. He has to be a Prince because there's no other heir, but he also has to marry someone… he didn't even seem to know her on a personal level. How is it possible ?"
"Well, he's not of age yet. Maybe that's why," thoughtfully added Layla.
"Of age ? He's turning 19 this year, isn't he ?"
"Yes, but on Eraklyon it's 21. He technically will have to be responsible for himself in two years. That's when he'll be considered ready to take the crown," explained Stella. "Well, I think. I wasn't the hardest working person in my diplomacy lesson."
"No you're right," confirmed Layla. "Eraklyon has one of the oldest ages of majority."
"What is it on Magix ?"
"It's 18," nodded Stella. "19 on Solaria, and 16 on Andros ?"
"17," corrected Layla. "We've changed it four years ago for paper problems. What is it on Earth ?"
"I'd say… 18, in most countries. 21 in others. It depends on the country."
"The country ? There are different countries on your planet ?" Layla had her eyes wide opened.
"Yes," she nodded. "About 200 ? A bit more ? I think."
The two princesses glanced at each other, before Bloom laughed.
"Anyway, back on track. Do you think that… maybe… we should talk to Sky ? About… this Diaspro ?"
"Is someone jealous ?" Asked Stella, eyes glinting.
"No, I don't want my friend to marry someone… he barely knows."
"Well," said Layla. "There can be wonderful surprises. Maybe they're meant for each other ?"
"You don't even believe yourself," said Stella with a raised eyebrow. "I don't think it's our place to tell him, but maybe you can. You're closer to him than us. Or I can try to make Brandon do it, but I don't want to create any feud between them."
"No I'll do it," nodded the red head. "If needs be, then I'll do it. Otherwise… maybe our conversation got him thinking. We'll see."
Layla yawned when Bloom ended her sentence.
"Alright, I've kept you up long enough," Stella laughed. "See you tomorrow ? I really want to see their dragons !"
The two others girls nodded energetically. Bloom watched them both leave the room, a smile on her face. Once the lights went off, she immediately fell asleep.
Only to wake up with a painful spot in her neck.
"What the-" She started.
"Oh so now you wake up."
Bloom turned her head to the right, but was unable to see the person who had just uttered those words. Although she had a pretty good idea. She blinked, looking around the cave she found herself in. There was nothing interesting, except what looked like a giant computer. There was also a dog, deeply asleep. Other than that, it was just mud and dirt, alongside with darkness.
At least the computer provided light.
She tried to get up but her hands were tied behind her, preventing any kind of movement.
"Diaspro ?" She said with a weak voice.
"It's Princess Diaspro," corrected the other girl. "What are you doing here anyway ?"
Bloom felt anger coursing through her veins the moment those words left her mouth, but decided to stay calm. For now.
"Do you think I want to be here ?"
"Huh."
Silence overtook the place. Bloom took that time to wake up fully, yawning a few times, before trying to stretch. She couldn't go far though : her hands were tied to a rope behind her, so she was forced to stay seated. There was also the fact that every time she moved her hands, Diaspro made sure to yank the rope back.
She thought about burning the ropes, but she wouldn't be quick enough to stop the fire before it reached the Princess. Something she wouldn't do, even though every second passing made the idea sweeter.
So she sighed and waited. She heard the other girl mumble a few times, as well as complain. There was no sign of captor. She had no idea of what hour of the day it was. She just hoped her friends had noticed she was missing. How long would it take them to retrieve the both of them, however, was a mystery. She herself had no idea where she was. It was possible their captors took them to another planet.
"So… how long have you been Sky's fiancé ?"
There was no answer.
"Do you know who took us ?"
Same treatment.
"What they want to do to us ?"
Maybe Diaspro was breathing, but she also could've been dead. Bloom had no idea at this point.
"Why do you hate me ?"
"Will you shut up ? I'm trying to come up with a plan."
"And how far along are you ?"
It seemed the Princess like to give the silence treatment. Sadly, Bloom was a bit more tenacious.
"Listen, we should cooperate. If we work together, we'll be free in a matter of-"
"And how could you help me ? Who even are you ?"
"My name's Bloom."
"And I've never heard of you. How do you know my fiancé ? Are you planning on being in a relationship with him ?"
The red head scoffed.
"No ! I'm just a friend ! There's nothing romantic between us."
"Then is there something between him and the Andros Princess ?"
"What the- No ! As far as I knew, he was alone… before we talked to you."
"Is he close to you ?"
"I think ? We text and call each other a lot. He's fun."
"He's never said anything about me ?"
Bloom bit her lip.
"I… I mean he doesn't really talk about himself. And when he does it's not… in details."
"So he never said anything about having a fiancé," scoffed the blonde.
The red head coughed.
"Well, we've never talked about our relationships with other people so… that's probably why."
"Your attempt at reassuring me is futile, but appreciated."
Bloom gave a silent sigh.
"We've been fiancés ever since he was three years old, and I was six."
"Had you met ?"
"Of course not," scoffed the blonde. "I met him when I was fifteen."
"Did you like him ?"
"No," brutally said the other girl, then she laughed. "No, he was twelve and stupid. He was polite at best, but nothing special. Just a twelve year old."
"And now ?"
"It is my responsibility to marry him. Our Kingdoms will be united, and stronger than ever. My people will be happy, as well as his subjects."
"But it's your-"
"You're cute, with your dreams and hopes, but unless I want to disappoint my family, I will marry the Prince Sky."
Bloom was about to say something, when the both of them froze as they heard voices. The red head tried as hard as she could to turn around, but nothing would make it. Instead, she listened as a girl complained about wanting to take a shower, while the dog that had been sleeping next to the two girls woke up to run towards its owner.
A man appeared in her peripherical vision, a big smile on his face.
"Have no fear, the justice has vanquished the evil Prince Sky !"
"I'm not afraid of your justice, I'm rich !" Shot back Diaspro.
The man looked at Bloom, who must have looked equally confused, before he turned back around to look where his partners must have been standing.
"She's confusing me," he explained.
"I'll get her to calm down," said someone else, the voice belonging to what she thought was a young boy, before that person laughed maniacally.
Bloom frowned, then thrashed against the ropes as Diaspro whimpered.
"Calm down girls I'm not going to hurt. Too much," he added last minute with a smile on his face.
The red head finally saw him approaching, then bending down on the computer. She frowned in pure confusion as she saw a barely teenaged boy, dressed in blue and red spandex.
"You're kind of mean for a hero," commented the blonde once again.
"I know," replied the boy while doing something with his computer. "I had a troubled childhood. Been in therapy since I was four."
He then took off something, that resembled one of Tecna's inventions, and one of Bloom's worst nightmares. It was a casque, with electrodes on it, no doubt connected to the computer. It took no genius to know this was a torture device.
"Alright that's enough !" She screamed, her heart thrashing against her ribcage.
A second later, she was transformed, and wasted no time in firing as best as she could towards the computer. At first the boy laughed, until her shots got more precise. Diaspro started screaming like a banshee, until Bloom finally hit one side of the computer. It exploded, and the lights went out.
"What have you done ?" Yelled the boy.
Judging by the sound of his footsteps, Bloom had every reason to believe he went back to his computer to assess the damage. How he would do so in the darkness was no problem of hers.
"You're a Fairy ?" Asked the blonde.
"We have to get out ! I could burn the ropes but it would hurt you," shot back the red head.
"Burn them when I tell you !" Insisted Diaspro.
"You are not getting out of here !" Said the boy, a bit too calmly to Bloom's taste.
There was a flash of light as Bloom prepared her spell, while the boy tried to make the lights come back on.
"Now !" Screamed the Isis Princess.
Without hesitation, the red head burnt the ropes.
A hand grabbed her arm a second later.
"It's me !" Said Diaspro.
"Alright, hold on !" Bloom instructed.
With all the strength she could muster, she sent a wave of fire above her to destroy anything that would stand in her way, before grabbing Diaspro's arms and taking off. They had been quite far under the Earth, but her adrenaline made her more powerful than normal.
"I can fly on my own !" Complained the Princess.
It was then that Bloom turned her attention to her companion. As the both of them flew up the new tunnel, she saw that Diaspro had little wings behind her back, while some parts of her outfit had changed.
"You're a Fairy too ?"
"Of course. What did you think I was ? A Witch ?"
A 'yes' burnt her tongue, but the red head thought better of it.
"Alright, we need to hide," she settled on. "I have no ideas where we are."
"We're still on Eraklyon, the cave's rocks are a particularity of this planet."
Bloom frowned, still looking up as they got out, before the sentence registered in her head.
"Wh- how would you even notice something like that ?"
"I am the Fairy of Gems," she said, as if that made sense.
She decided not to push it.
Instead she focused on coming out unscratched. Bloom watched the boy below jumping angrily, while what must have been his partners gathered around him, obviously angry at him. The red head bit her lip, a little worried as to what would happen to them next.
"Do you know any localisation spell ?" Asked the Princess.
"There's only one, and it's not really accurate."
"It'll do. I don't think I'm strong enough to perform too much right now. I'll trust you."
They both watched each other, a second passing where they seemed to come at an understanding.
"Alright give me a second," nodded Bloom.
It was complicated to perform a spell while flying, something Alfea had never bothered to teach them before. The red head mentally insulted her school. Nonetheless, after a full minute of concentration, three orbs of darkness materialized.
"It looks like dark magic."
"It is. We had a… special teacher," awkwardly answered Bloom, the memory of the fake Avalon embed in her brain.
Diaspro seemed to accept that explanation. Her eyes followed the orbs as they started moving in the direction of the castle. The both of them soon started following them, next to each other. It was a bit strange, as schools taught everyone to fly in a formation, but neither of them said anything. It was Bloom's spell, so she wished to be near it, but Diaspro, as a Princess, might have wished she was the one to lead.
As they flew above the forest in silence, the castle shining bright in the horizon, the blonde suddenly stopped to turn around.
"Is something the matter ? We have to hurry we-"
"Sky's here ! Along with your friends !"
She was pointing at a clearing. Bloom narrowed her eyes, unable to see anything, until something exploded. She clearly saw Stella flying above the space empty of trees, her sceptre in hand. It shone an impressive amount of light when she screamed something.
"Let's go !"
"Wait !" Said Bloom, but she followed nonetheless.
The Princess of Isis was stopped by a Pixie mid-flight.
"What is that ?" Frowned Diaspro.
"Princess Diaspro ? We were trying to rescue you !" Answered the Pixie, a parchment in hand.
"Zing ?" Asked Bloom, eyeing the bee-like Pixie with confusion.
"Bloom ! You're here too ! It's- Wait, I have to give that to the others !"
The three of them flew as fast as they could towards the battlefield. Bloom felt her mouth hang open as she saw the limp bodies of Stella and Helia. Sky was obviously hurt, but held himself up. Layla had her back to him, ready to fire. Two of Bloom and Diaspro's captors, which they thought were still in the cave, were stuck in the Andros Princess' glue.
Brandon was running to his girlfriend's side.
"Here !" Screamed Zing.
The little Pixie threw the parchment at Sky, but it was intercepted by one of the captors.
"No !" Hurled Diaspro, ready to fire.
"Wait !" Interrupted Sky, the palm of his hand towards Diaspro.
Everyone stopped to look at him. He, however, only had eyes for his enemy. The same one that had talked about justice back in the cave, if Bloom had seen correctly.
"Read it," Sky said breathlessly. "It's the ransom note. You'll recognize Yoshinoya's seal."
"You guys are kidnappers," added Layla, as she crossed her arms.
Bloom and Diaspro carefully landed as far as they could from the man, but it seemed useless. He quickly screamed, enraged, before looking at his partners.
"They're right ! The Patchamen have been fooled !"
The five of those "Patchamen" regrouped, eyeing the parchment with burning passion, reading it one after the other.
"Right ?" Said Brandon. "We're on the same side guys ?"
The man in the middle nodded fiercely.
"The side of justice ! Here to save the Princess Diaspro from the evil clutches of Lord Yoshinoya !"
Bloom exchanged an exasperated look with Diaspro, before the both of them laughed.
"Alright, let's get back to the castle," proposed Stella, a bit groggy, only standing because one of her arm was around Brandon's shoulders. As for Helia, he had the support of Layla.
"Yes, my parents must be worried sick," commented Sky.
"Do not worry !" Interrupted one of the Patchamen. "Justice will protect you. Even if you can't see us, we'll be he here."
They Winx and Specialists nodded, watching them as they disappeared inside the forest.
"Well, what are we waiting for ?" Said Diaspro, as she started walking.
Bloom smiled.
"It's that way ?" She said as pointed in the opposite direction as where the blonde was heading.
"I knew that."
"You showed a lot bravery back there. My son made the right choice by choosing to be accompanied by his friends. I am sure he is in good hands back on Magix, thanks to all of you," said the King, a proud smile on his face as he looked at his son.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," replied everyone.
"Princess Diaspro, Princess Bloom, I am very sorry that you had to go through all of that. You are both welcome back here whenever you may wish," nodded the Queen, a bit more reserved, yet a lot warmer than when Bloom had first seen her.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," the both of them repeated.
"But, we also have to talk about these Patchamen. We cannot have them stay here," interrupted the King, a serious expression coming back on his face.
"If I may, Your Majesty ?" Said Bloom as she stepped forward. "I believe we could entrust them the security of Princess Diaspro."
Said girl nodded.
"Yes. If you do agree not to charge them, I would very gladly take them with me," explained the blonde.
"Are you certain you trust them ?" Asked the Queen, her brows furrowed. "You've seen what they've done, first handedly. It might not be a bright idea to have those same people around, as your main source of protection ?
"I am certain, Your Majesty," answered Diaspro. "I believe they were tricked because they did not know what the exact situation was. I plan on educating them a bit. They are very well trained, and I would hate to waste such an opportunity."
The King eyed the Queen, a silent discussion obviously happening between the two, before they turned back to their audience.
"Very well. If anything happens, Eraklyon will take responsibility," he assured.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," smiled Diaspro.
After that little exchange, which Bloom found quite stressful, they were all able to walk out, unscathed. They all regrouped in the garden, where the Patchamen stood, patiently waiting the return of their new boss.
"Well, I'd better be on my way," explained Diaspro as she eyed the hour on her phone. "I was supposed to meet my parents yesterday evening."
"Are you sure you'll be alright ?" Asked Sky, taking her hands in his.
The blonde girl had a little smile on her lips.
"Yes. I've got the Patchamen with me now, remember ? And I know how to defend myself."
"I know it's just…"
"I know."
The both of them stayed silent for a minute, watching each other. Bloom frowned, feeling as if the exchange looked more like they would never see each other again. Before she could question it more, Diaspro turned towards the rest of them.
"I will not forget what you did here today, all of you. If there's ever something I can ever help you with, just ask me."
"Well, there is something," immediately said Layla. "You see, we have this friend… she disappeared. We don't know where she is, but we believe she is still alive. Research is being done on Linphea."
"Ah, the Fairy that went through a vortex ? I believe I've heard of it. The Princess of Linphea is on the case, right ?"
They all nodded, which made the Gems Fairy hum thoughtfully.
"I will see what my Kingdom can offer. We are very good at crafting beautiful jewellry, but Isis is not reputed for its research department. Unless you're talking about new kinds of Water Stars…"
"What are those ?" Frowned Stella. "I've never heard of such gemstone."
Diaspro tilted her head, pure surprise written on her features.
"They're a legend. The opposite power of the Dragon Flame, something that could not coexist in our dimension, so they were sealed by an ancient group of Wizards, to another dimension."
"That seems… far-fetched," proposed Helia, as diplomatically as he could.
"It does. But every legend has a bit of truth in it. You should look into it, it may help."
"Thank you," they all said.
Diaspro simply bowed, before her new team appeared around her.
"Justice will see to it that this lady comes back to her Kingdom unscathed !"
The Princess turned around and started walking towards her spaceship.
"You will have to stop with this 'Justice' kind of thing. And what even is that name ? Patchamen ?"
"We only serve Justice !"
"You serve me now."
"Maybe we made a mistake…" whispered the woman.
Their voices died down as they left the castle. The Winx and Specialists watched in silence as they all embarked safely, before taking off Eraklyon. It always amazed Bloom, to see such a thing. Four years ago, she would've dreamt of seeing something like this, but now she actually had experienced it. More than once. Even so it still felt surreal.
"Well," sighed Helia. "At least they aren't a threat anymore. But this Yoshinoya sounds like it's still a bother."
"Always been, always will be, I fear," said Brandon. "He's been after Sky for all his life. I don't think it will ever change."
"Maybe there's something we could do about it ?" Suggested the red head.
"No. Let's focus on Darkar for right now," interrupted Sky. "We can't have our set of priorities set astray."
"Alright, but as soon as that is over, we're coming back here," said Stella confidently.
Sky looked at her, while Brandon smiled fondly at his girlfriend.
"That I can agree with."
There were few things Flora could believe in. One of those was the sight in front of her : light in this wretched place. It was coming off of a sword. She looked at the statues with extreme curiosity, her brain trying to work out why they seemed so familiar.
The power radiating from them called to her, but she knew better. This was most probably a trap.
Instead, she walked back the way she came. She felt tired already.
What happened :
- Musa was at the hospital to look for a way to heal her vocal cords.
- Sky was called to Eraklyon because of Yoshinoya's attacks
- It led to Bloom and Diaspro being kidnapped, but they became friends and fought their way out
- Diaspro took the Patchamen with her
- Flora discovered something