Chapter 2
Kiko was dancing around in front of her as she walked, waiting for Bloom to throw the ball for him and impatiently yipping. She was preoccupied by the prospect of having to give a speech. She had been so confused by the concept of needing a secretary that she hadn't been able to consider that she'd actually have to stand up and talk. In front of people. Who would be staring at her.
Mavis and Effie had cornered her after dinner to discuss what her speech should be on and Bloom had managed to set large portions of the carpet on fire in a panic. Neither of the sisters had been fazed by this, though Mavis had made a note to buy a fire extinguisher for the dinner.
Kiko barked at her and she threw the ball for him.
She could do this, right? It was just a few minutes of talking about herself and saying how much she had learnt about the society. It was just a glorified school report. Bloom still wanted to hide under her bed though. She really needed to talk to Ofelia about something she could do about her anxiety.
Bloom retrieved the ball from Kiko and threw it for him again. As she watched it fly through the air she made eye contact with a boy sitting on a bench not too far away. He did a double take when he saw her, but he smiled and approached her jovially.
"Morning," the boy said. The way he carried himself was confident and his demeanour was polite.
"M-morning." What did he want?
"You're Princess Bloom, right?" His gaze was intense.
"Yeah…" She was trying very hard to not panic; the last thing she wanted was to set him on fire.
"Sorry," he said apologetically. "I didn't mean to just jump at you from nowhere. My family's from Domino so I've heard a lot about you."
"Oh, it's fine." Bloom hadn't expected that she'd be recognised in the streets. "I'm just getting used to… all this." She waved her hand around in the air as Kiko pointedly dropped his ball at her feet.
"Yeah, I guess it's all very new to you. I'm Owen, by the way." Owen extended his hand tentatively and Bloom shook it.
"It's nice to meet you, Owen." She was going to have to get used to saying that to people.
"I know this is super weird, but my kid sister absolutely loves you," he said, looking away from her face in embarrassment. "Do you think you could sign something for her? It's okay if you don't want to…"
"No, I'll do it." Refusing to do something that required so little effort for a child would have been heartless.
Owen reached into his bag to pull out a pen and rummaged through it to find something for her to write on. Eventually he settled on one of the blank pages at the front of his calendar. He handed that and the pen over to her, grinning at her in anticipation.
"What should I write?" Bloom asked as she stared at the empty page. "I've never done this before."
"She's called Sandy, maybe you could say that you wish her luck? She wants to be a fairy. Can I pet your dog?"
Bloom gave him permission as she carefully wrote out a message for Sandy. Kiko flopped onto his back so that his belly was presented to Owen, wagging his tail furiously at the attention he was given.
"How's that?" She asked as she handed his things back to him. Owen briefly looked at what she had written and smiled warmly at it. Kiko nudged the boy's hand with his nose, indignant that the petting had stopped.
"That's great, she'll love it." He stood back up, much to Kiko's disappointment. "Hey, I know that I've only just introduced myself, but I am writing a paper on the combat application of fairy magic, and I would really love to use you as a source."
"Oh, I see." Bloom didn't know what to make of that. A lot of people were suddenly very interested in her and she was being asked to do a lot of things.
"You don't have to!" He held up his hands. "I don't want to pressure you into it or anything, I'd just need you to talk to me for a bit. I could buy us coffee and I'd owe you a massive favour."
She paused. She didn't want to be rude to him, and the prospect of having some coffee and talking about her fight, presumably with Icy, was actually a tempting idea. Maybe he could help her with her speech in return?
"I could go for some coffee, but we have to go somewhere Kiko is welcome."
"Of course!" Owen looked relieved.
He took her to a cafe not far from the park where the waitress cooed over Kiko and gave him a biscuit with his bowl of water. Owen did as he promised and bought them both a cup of coffee to drink while he asked questions about the fight she'd had with Icy, diligently transcribing her answers into his phone.
It was strangely relieving to talk about what had happened. Bloom had spent a long time not thinking about the fight; not wanting to acknowledge the rush it had given her. She was supposed to help people, not hurt them. But as she went through the spells she'd used and the kind of magic she'd had to counter, it didn't feel like self-indulgent revenge anymore.
"Were you scared?" He asked. That made her pause. She had spent so long being afraid of everything while she'd been powerless that when she'd finally been able to face Icy she had almost felt relief. At last she'd found an outlet for all the nervous energy inside her and she had made every last drop of that energy into fire.
"Not really," she said finally. "I didn't have the time to think about it."
He asked a few more questions before he was satisfied, running through his notes for a few minutes before he put his phone down. Owen looked pleased with himself and Bloom found herself smiling too.
"Thanks for doing this for me, you're great," he said and Bloom went red at the praise. "I need to get going now, so, um, I know this is a bit forward, but could I get your number?"
"Oh." Bloom couldn't think of what to say other than that.
"You don't have to if you don't want! I just think you're cool…" Owen smiled nervously.
"I could give you my number," she said slowly. "But I'm only looking for friends; I'm in a relationship."
"I'd like to be your friend."
Bloom walked Kiko back to Brighid's house with a spring in her step. She didn't know for sure that Owen had been hitting on her, but even if he hadn't he'd been very sweet to her and she wanted to know more people who were linked to Domino.
Her good mood did not last much past the front door, since Vanessa and Mavis were waiting for her with notes for her speech. Her mum had taken it upon herself to learn as much as she could about Domino so that she could help, but having a second person watch her write and practice her speech was not lessening the pressure on Bloom any.
"I'm pleased to be here tonight at the society," she began and then faltered at Vanessa's expression. "What?"
"You're mumbling a bit sweetheart."
Bloom dropped her note-holding hand to her side in exasperation. She was sure that she had been speaking clearly. As she brought her script back up the coffee table burst into flames for an instant before extinguishing itself. Vanessa looked shocked but Mavis was entirely unbothered.
"Oh, which reminds me," Mavis said. "The fire extinguisher should be delivered tomorrow."
"Can we leave this for now?" Bloom pleaded. She'd been doing so well not setting anything ablaze during the dinner with Killian and in the park with Owen and now that streak was ruined. "I want to talk to Brighid about my powers."
"Gigi is probably in her room right now," Mavis said. "I'll go tell her you want to see her."
Bloom watched her leave and Vanessa got up to hug her.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to stress you out," her mum said into her hair. "I thought I was being helpful."
"I know… I'm just worried that my worry will set things on fire and that's making me set things on fire…" Bloom couldn't wait to see Ofelia and get something to mellow her out.
"We can work on your speech whenever you feel like it, okay?"
"Sure, mum." She wasn't sure that she'd ever feel like she wanted to go back to working on this speech but she was going to have to.
Mavis came back a few moments later to tell Bloom that Brighid wasn't feeling like getting out of bed yet so if Bloom wanted to talk to her, she needed to go to the master bedroom.
It felt weird as she knocked on the door and was called in to see the old lady propped up against a mountain of pillows. Brighid looked tired and her hair was down for the first time in front of Bloom, she smiled as Bloom closed the door behind her though. Brighid patted the space next to her.
"Are you okay?" The old lady looked so frail and tiny, swamped in cushions and blankets and her own long hair. Brighid laughed.
"Yes, I'm just old. And stupid. Dispatching the Army of Decay should be done with the magic of at least two people and I decided to do it on my own," she shook her head. "The power you gave me is the only reason I'm alive, and I still managed to ruin my body with that spell."
"But you stopped using your wheelchair…" Bloom had rather naively thought that meant Brighid would be back to normal again.
"I've been using my magic to walk. I could run a marathon if I used my magic right," she sighed. "But sometimes I just get too tired and it's better not to use it at all."
"What does that mean?" For months before Mike's mother had passed she had been in steady decline, to the point where Bloom had done most of her grieving while her grandmother was still alive. Brighid shifted against her pillows.
"It means that today I'm going to eat toast in bed and regret it later tonight when I'm rolling in crumbs. Would you please pass me my hair brush?" She gestured to the dresser and Bloom fetched the brush for her. "Thank you, now, you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yeah," Bloom started as Brighid began brushing her hair. "You said that if my anxiety is 'why' I'm setting fire to things randomly, you might know 'how' I'm doing it."
"Oh, yes," she said. "I'll need a book for that, on the dresser too."
Bloom went to fetch that for her too, handing her the red silk-bound book covered with glyphs. As Brighid took it from her, Bloom realised the writing matched what she had seen on the walls in Domino's palace.
"Hey, I recognise the characters, but I can't read them. Shouldn't the polyglot spell mean that I can?" Bloom was hurt that the utility spell didn't cover it.
"That spell is limited to the languages of the person casting it and the person they're casting it on understand, I doubt you've come into contact with someone who speaks it who also requires you to cast it," Brighid shrugged. "I know someone who could teach it to you if you want, but right now I need to be able to reach certain points of your body."
Referencing a diagram in the book, Brighid poked a warm finger to Bloom's jugular notch, solar plexus, forehead, over her heart, the top of her head, close to her navel, and finally her lower back. After each poke the old lady consulted the book and hummed before moving onto the next one.
"Okay," Brighid said after a few more moments of looking at the book. "So my first assumption turned out to be right."
"Yeah?"
"You are aware that you were given the dragon flame when you were young, but I'm certain that you don't know anything about the ritual surrounding it." Brighid closed the book.
"I know nothing about it."
"Well, the dragon flame is an immense power and for the ritual to work the new vessel has to be young. The problem with giving a toddler extreme magic should be obvious to you," she laughed. "Especially since it's fire. No one wants their four year old committing arson because they wouldn't buy her ice cream."
"So how is that dealt with?" Bloom knew that, other than the circumstances of Mike finding her, her parents hadn't witnessed her do anything unusual until she was sixteen.
"The majority of your power is locked away behind multiple seals, preventing you from accessing all of it at once and cooking the entire planet."
"So…" Bloom started and then paused. "So what the Trix took was only a portion of my power?"
"Yes, although it was more than enough for them. As for the reason objects spontaneously combust around you; when you went to visit Daphne, not only did she restore your spirit, but she undid the first seal on your power."
Bloom stared at her. There were a lot of emotions in her and she was struggling to process any of them.
"My powers are way stronger than I thought they were."
"Yes, and I believe that is the point of this part of the ritual."
"Can you seal it again?" That seemed like the obvious course of action to Bloom.
"No," Brighid said. "It is about time that you get used to the power you have inside you and besides, I don't know how to do it. The seals were designed to be opened, not closed again and I don't have the expertise to just figure it out without hurting you."
"How do I get better at controlling myself?" She was starting to panic. She couldn't just go to Alfea as if nothing had happened, she shouldn't even be allowed to go outside. What if she combusted people in the street?
The pillow next to Brighid ignited only for the old lady to wave it away until it went out.
"The same way anyone learns to control their magic," she said. "I advise you to get used to introspection. You should learn how your powers work, how they affect your body, how they affect your mind. I know this will sound like hokum to you, but meditation will help. As will whatever you decide with Ofelia."
Brighid deflated a little as she finished speaking. Somehow looking even smaller and frailer than before against her own bed as she put all her bodyweight against the pillows.
"I wish I could be more helpful," she told Bloom. "In the old days I could have whipped you up a potion for your anxiety in a couple of hours and made you use your power against me until you were spent and practiced enough that you weren't going to set anything on fire…"
"You've already helped a lot," Bloom pointed out.
"Maybe," Brighid conceded. "But it is so frustrating to no longer be able to do the things that used to be so easy."
Effie knocked on the door and poked her head around it, interrupting their conversation. Brighid's granddaughter looked irked as she beckoned Bloom over.
"Killian has arrived," she explained. "And has brought company and a lot of bags. They're taking up the hallway."
Bloom followed Effie down to the ground floor where Killian, dressed in another gaudy robe, and a young man around Bloom's age were waiting for them. Upon making eye contact, Killian bowed deeply and his companion followed suit, although less enthusiastic.
"Your Highness," he swooned. "I wish you the best of days today!"
"Good morning to you too," Bloom said.
"Please, allow me to introduce my son, Tristan." Killian seized the arm of his companion and brought him forward to show him off.
"Hi," Tristan said, and then corrected himself after seeing the look on his father's face. "Good morning, princess."
Killian started a speech on the merits and achievements of his son - Tristan was studying to be a wizard, had excellent grades, was chairman of the society's junior group and much more. Bloom got the impression that Killian was trying to sell him to her, and that Tristan was embarrassed by this.
"What's the difference between wizards, witches and fairies?" Bloom cut in when Killian stopped to draw a breath.
"We have a completely different code to both witches and fairies," Tristan explained, looking relieved that his father wasn't talking anymore. "Although I suppose you could say that we're a mix of both. We use our powers to enhance our bodies and use focuses like witch teachings but we're much less insular and more open to teamwork like fairies."
"Where do you go to school?" She asked, she hadn't heard of a school for wizards on Magix.
"My college is on Andros, it took a long time for me to be allowed back on the planet."
"Yes, the rules they put in place were rather extreme." Killian was getting back into his stride. "Wouldn't allow a citizen to come home until enough people had returned to their homes. I'm so glad that you were able to stay at the consulate on Andros…"
"Yes, dad, before we get onto that again why don't we show the princess what we brought with her." Tristan shot Bloom an apologetic look, but she was just pleased that he knew how to head his father off. Killian clapped his hands as he remembered the bags.
"I'll take you to the living room," Effie said reluctantly, and the two visitors grabbed what they had brought to take up the stairs.
Vanessa looked on, amused as Killian made Bloom stand in the middle of the room while he produced several bolts of brightly coloured cloth and held them up to her. She looked to Tristan, who shook his head in embarrassment.
"I started out as a purveyor of silks," he explained as he showed her two different blues. "I have, of course, branched out, but I do have a love for the feel. With the anniversary dinner coming up, I felt it only right that I make sure that you have options for what to wear for the occasion."
"Oh, it is particularly fancy?" Vanessa asked and Killian scoffed.
"My dear! It is the event of the year! We mustn't have Her Highness look anything less than radiant." Killian settled on a blue that wasn't dissimilar to the colour of Bloom's fairy form and started to show her styles of dresses.
Vanessa came over to have a look too, and Bloom found herself watching as the two of them discussed the merits of each cut. Killian offered to make her one too, trying to cover up that Mike and Vanessa were something of an afterthought to him.
The two of them settled on a trumpet cut gown that got Bloom's approval when prompted, and Killian made a note of the style and the cloth before putting everything away and saying something about coming back with a seamstress. Bloom looked to Tristan, patiently waiting in the corner, and smiled when he rolled his eyes at his father.
"Might I persuade you to come downstairs in search of some tea?" Killian asked Vanessa. Bloom gave a nod to her mother to let her know that it was fine, and the two adults went back downstairs. Tristan sighed heavily as he sat down on the sofa.
"I'm sure it's reasonably obvious that my father…"
"-Is trying to set us up?" Bloom finished for him and he nodded.
"Yeah. He gave me very specific instructions to ask you to see a movie with me." Tristan gave her a knowing look. "But since I'm aware you have a boyfriend and I have a girlfriend, I thought maybe we could just do it anyway but entirely platonically."
"We could do that." A movie didn't seem like a bad idea, and the malicious compliance of it all appealed to her. "You could always bring your girlfriend if you wanted."
"I think she'd like that… Anne's really nice. And my dad does like her, he just has convenient lapses of memory when it suits him. Would you want to bring someone too?" He added. "I wouldn't want to make you feel like a third wheel."
"Yeah let's make it a group outing," Bloom nodded. "I think I have someone that I could invite too."