Hi loyal readers! I has been almost 2 weeks since the previous update and I hope the wait was not too long for everyone.

Thank you for all the support on the previous chapter. This cliff hangar has been one of the key things that inspired this story and I have been very keen to get to this point. I hope some people are excited to see if their theories are correct ;) It was so hard not to agree or deny them in your reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm sorry if it is a bit small compared to before but writing fight scenes are not my forte.

A big shout out to the following people who reviewed the previous chapter:

Love Horimiya Series, AngelCutie ChildAtHeart, Lin, Saraaaaaaaa, EmotionalBerry, Luiz4200, PigtailswithBangs, You Don't Know Me150, Whelefhie, and Guest reviewers.

Thanks for everyone's continued support! This is one of my favourite stories and I love how you all enjoy it too. I promise that there are plenty more chapters to come. This story is far from over.

Disclaimer: I do not own Winx or any of its characters, except for my OCs.


Musa could not believe her eyes. After months of hearing about them, the rebellion leader finally stood up on Melody. Not only that but he had slain her executioner, saving her life. Musa would not have believed it if she had not seen it with her own eyes. Darcy and King Kataar yelled out in anger as some of the Melodians in the crowd started backing away from the stage, knowing what could soon follow.

"I am King Kataar! King of Valkaris and Melody! I demand to know who you are and why you dare interfere with these proceedings."

The rebel leader was silent as they stared from underneath their hooded cloak at the king. Musa thought the leader was going to ignore the king's demands, as his right hand man did on the roof next door, until she saw the free hand of the leader come up and remove the hood. Everyone in the crowd gasped at who they saw underneath. Musa wanted to scream and vomit at the same time.

"I am Prince Riven of Valkaris! I am the leader of the Melodian Rebellion and you, Father, cannot harm the princess."

"What?!" Darcy hissed as the king stood still in shock next to her. "You traitor!"

Musa's eyes bugged out of her skull not believing what she was seeing. At the top of the rooftop, using the same bow that had stopped her executioner was Prince Riven. The same prince who fought in the Valkarian army, the same man who stormed out leaving Musa to defend herself against his knights, and the same man whom she had kissed. Upon revealing the identity of the rebellion leader, Musa thought she would be relieved and grateful, but all she felt was shock and anger. The Valkarian prince was the leader of the rebellion? No, it was a trap! It had to be.

"Let the musicians sing!" Riven yelled again, his eyes never leaving his father's.

The right-hand man next to Riven removed his cloak, letting it fall from the roof to the dirt ground below. Musa gasped again. She was going to be lightheaded if she kept it up. Sir Hammon stood in the place of the rebel leader's right-hand man. It was them the entire time. Musa felt the blood immediately drain from her face; her head started to spin as she recalled the right-hand man's first conversation with her.

"What is your name?" Musa asked as she watched the man stand from his kneeling position.

"I apologise, My Queen, but I am unable to reveal that," the rebel said once he stood upright.

"Why?"

"Our leader has forbidden it," the rebel answered.

"I understand that you do not want a lot of rebels knowing each other's identities for fear of one being compromised and, if you will, blowing everyone's cover. But I am not just anyone. I am your queen, and if I am to trust you then I need to know who I am dealing with."

"You are correct, My Queen, but I am afraid I must deny your request. Although I swore an oath to you, I follow the orders of our leader."

"And who is your leader?"

The rebel smirked. "Nice try, My Queen. I cannot divulge that."

"So, you do know who it is," Musa smirked back.

"I do," the rebel replied easily back. "I am his right-hand man. I am ordered to assist Miss Tecna with your plans now that our goals are aligned."

"You do not know our whole plan though," Musa said. "You will forgive me if I do not share that freely. I trust very little people these days and you can understand why. My loyalty has and always will be to the people of Melody and to my planet. If your loyalty is the same, then we shall not have any problems. If you lie to me, then I will know your true colours."

"Even if some secrets are for the sake of another? For one's safety, My Queen?"

"Yes," Musa immediately answered. "If you keep things from me, or my handmaiden, then how can I trust that what you say next is the truth or a well-kept secret?"

"You trust the ones that admit that are lying to you or admit to keeping secrets from you."

Musa was stunned as she remained kneeling at the front of the stage, having moved barely an inch since she was secured to the post. The clues were there, they had given them to her, and she never knew. Even if some secrets are for the sake of another? For one's safety? That statement by the now realised Sir Hammon echoed on repeat in her mind. How did the prince take control of the rebellion? How did he keep her own people on his side? Did they even know that he was the leader or were the lied to, just like she was?

"Let the musicians sing!" Sir Hammon yelled then pulling out his sword, breaking Musa's inner turmoil.

Suddenly, Musa heard choruses from the crowd as people called out the same rebellion chant as they revealed the same branded cloth of the Melodian royal crest – the symbol of the rebellion. Throughout the crowd, purple started appearing throughout the crowd.

"Let the musicians sing!" a few voices called from closer to Musa.

Musa tilted her head and noticed several of the Valkarian knights appearing with the same branded cloth and pulling out their swords. Movement in front of Musa caught her eye and she saw Sir Darien, Sir Caelum, and Sir Lance. They each pulled off their helmets, revealing three good looking men: one brunette with dark brown eyes, another with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes, and finally an orange-haired man with green eyes and glasses.

"Let the musicians sing!" The trio yelled as they revealed their cloths on their forearm.

"Treason!" King Kataar yelled, his face turning red as tomatoes. "Betrayed by my own son! How dare you!"

Musa's head was spinning. It was so much to take it. The rebel leader was on Melody all along and he had rebels in the palace with her, hiding in plain sight. So many lies and so many secrets, how Musa was still conscious was anyone's guess.

"Secure the princess!" the prince yelled before he and Hammon jumped from the roof.

From there, all hell broke loose. The planted rebels in the crowd moved as one unit. They quickly shoved civilians to safety as they ran towards the king's men and started fighting. The brunette and orange-haired men in front of Musa quickly ran off while the blonde quickly pulled out a light blue sword and swung hard. Musa shrieked and saw the chain easily sliced into two pieces. Musa was shocked for a moment before a Valkarian knight literally charged his body into the blonde's side, taking the pair down, fighting for control on the ground. A guard appeared behind Musa, and she rolled her body along the stage just as his sword sliced down into the wood. The force behind the swing caught the sword, lodging it deep into the stage, causing the knight to grunt as he struggled to free his weapon.

The sound of running and footsteps pounding on the wood caught Musa's attention before another Valkarian knight body slammed the man to the ground and swung his dagger into his neck, ending him quickly and humanely. Musa shrieked and scooted back along the stage as she looked at the Valkarian knight. Did he just kill one of his own men for the sake of a fight? Were the Valkarians that accustomed to war that they not only enjoyed it but turned on each other when they wanted to. When the knight pulled away from his deceased opponent, he briefly turned to Musa, showing a purple band around his forearm. The rebellion band. Musa's eyes widened as she saw it. The Valkarian knight, although looked like he was not a true Valkarian, possibly an immigrant before the invasion, was a rebel for her. The knight nodded before he picked up the fallen man's sword and started attacking another opponent down on the side of the stage. How many people were planted in the palace, among the prince's men, that she had no idea about? Was anyone in that damn palace telling her the truth?

The same brunette suddenly appeared in front of the stage again and struck the blonde's Valkarian opponent with a clean deadly blow. The blonde muttered something as the brunette rolled the body away and lifted the other up from the ground. A part of Musa's brain screamed for her to move, to run to her father and escape while she had the chance, but her Flight or Fight mentality kicked in and the struggle between the two emotions froze her.

"You heard the boss!" The brunette yelled as his sword clashed with another opponent's sword. "Get the princess!"

Musa did not like those words. Get the princess? Sure, they wore the same purple as the rebels, but they were planted by the prince. He could be lying about his role as leader, and this was a secret ploy to dethrone King Kataar and have Riven rule Melody instead. Before Musa's fight instinct could kick in, the orange haired man appeared again in front of her. Musa tried to shuffle back but the man grabbed the chain holding the manacles on her wrists together and pulled her towards him. Musa screamed and tried to pull away.

"It is ok, Princess," the man, formally known as Sir Lance said.

He gave her a cheeky smile before pulling out a small tool and started working on freeing her wrists. Musa watched him work quickly while the brunette, formally known as Sir Darien, protected their backs and kept the king's men at bay. Screams of both men and women sounded and Musa forced herself not to look at the carnage. The prince and Sir Hammon were lost in the crowd after they had jumped from the rooves. They could be anywhere. Her father could be held captive in his prisoner transport still. She had to get to him.

Other rebels in the crowd managed to keep other guards away. Darcy had pushed the King off the stage, using her magic to physically push the sea of people either side of them. A few brave rebels had followed them, but Musa had no idea what happened to them. Musa knew that both rebels and Valkarians alike were falling. All this for her? She was nothing in the grand scheme. Musa, for an unknown reason, scanned the crowd for Hammon and Riven but lost them in the sea of fighting.

"Get my father!" Musa ordered the orange-haired man.

"I am sorry, Princess," he immediately replied as he continued his work. "Our orders are simple."

"Hurry it up, Timmy!" The brunette yelled as he delivered another deadly blow to a king's guard. "Quick and efficient. Those were the orders."

"Timmy, not Sir Lance?" Musa said with confusion.

"Sorry to disappoint," Timmy replied. "We are not real Valkarian knights."

"I do not care. If you are working with the rebels, please get my father!"

"Do not worry, Princess," the brunette yelled over the chaos. "Our orders were to rescue you."

"Then my orders are to rescue him!"

"Someone else is saving your father," Timmy said before cheering when the manacles separated.

Musa suddenly felt ten pounds lighter and rubbed her wrists to soothe the pain of the heavy metal.

"Who? I demand you take me to my father!"

"Princess, we cannot," Timmy said as he pulled out a gun-like contraption from his hip and pulled the princess behind his back once he stood. "Our orders were to secure you and get you to safety."

"I am nothing!" Musa yelled. "You cannot waste your efforts on me. Save my father and my people."

The brunette jumped onto the stage and swung his sword ending another opponent's life. The blonde quickly followed suit and they stood to the left and right of Musa, ready for action.

"How can you say that?" The blonde asked confused, his eyes scanning for threats that could come their way. "You are the heir to the Melodian throne. Without you, your realm will fall."

"Then this is some trick! The prince set you up to this. How can I trust you?"

"Well, firstly we freed you from the chains," the brunette grunted out as he kicked an opponent from charging at him.

"Believe what you will, Princess," Timmy said as he fired his gun into the line of knights in front of the stage. "But the rebel leader took a great risk to reveal himself. The rebellion is on your side."

"Then save my father!" Musa yelled trying to pull her wrist out of Timmy's grip.

Timmy held on tightly to the princess but not tight enough to injure her. For a nerdy looking man, he was strong. All three of the men before her were tall, at least six feet each, with bulging muscles and strong jaws. On their own they did not look like men to be messed with however, they were still not as tall or muscular as the prince. Wait! No, she should not be thinking that particularly as they stood in the middle of a battle.

"As we told you before," the blonde said in annoyance. "Someone else is saving your father."

A roar echoed loud from the crowd and several people, rebel and Valkarian soldiers alike, flew up into the air and landed hard onto the ground. The three men circled closer to Musa as they stared at the scene intently. There, in the now clear middle of the crowd stood King Kataar. His clothes were stained with red, of which Musa did not want to think too hardly about, dirt and sweat. His face was red with anger and his eyes looked like they had darkened to an almost black colour. He was in his war zone, and he was deadly to anyone that stupidly challenged him. However, there was someone in the battle that was stupid to challenge him. Pushing people away from him, stood the now revealed prince. He stood tall and stared at his father intently, holding his large purple sword in front of him. A shield was secured to his back along with his bow and quiver from before.

"You are not my son!" The king roared at Riven, the latter barely acknowledging the hurtful comment. "How could you do this? You traitor!"

The king pulled out his large broad sword that easily could have weighed the same amount as a teenager and swung it at Riven. The man easily dodged the swing and spun quickly and connected his sword with his father's. The impact sent a shockwave, pushing people around them further out so they had more room to battle.

"We had everything! All you had to do was wait till I retired, and all of this would have been yours. Tell me, if this is a coo against me, then I shall enjoy the glory of this battle."

"It is a coo indeed, Father," the prince eventually replied. "But a coo to get the Melodians back on the throne, not I."

The king growled and went to strike the prince but hit his sword again. The prince's words halted Musa and she quickly went lax in Timmy's grip. Another figure came running behind Riven and the shine of another sword glinted in the sunlight.

"Hammon!" The king yelled. "I will enjoy tearing you apart for your treason!"

"I serve the monarchy, Sire," Hammon replied seriously. "I serve Prince Riven."

"You serve Valkaris!"

"I am serving the prince's people! I am serving Valkaris and Melody!"

"Mother would not want this!" Riven yelled. "She would want her people free!"

The king stopped short for a moment. Riven looked at his father with pity for a moment in return before the king's gaze flew back to anger.

"You were ordered to keep him secured!" Kataar yelled.

The response caused Sir Hammon and Prince Riven to smirk and chuckle, causing the king to roar again.

"I did exactly as ordered, Sire!" Sir Hammon yelled in response. "The princesses did not cause trouble today."

A bright green flash of light shone brightly at the other end of the grounds, right by the prisoner transport. Musa screamed and tried to push past the three men, but they held her to them tightly. The light dissipated and an elderly woman flew up into the air, her arms glowing as she delicately raised her hands, sending groups of knights flying away from the transport.

Sir Hammon smirked back to the king. "I did not say that other fairies will not. My orders were to also monitor the prince's chambers and himself."

"And clearly, Father," Riven smirked, "he is monitoring me right by my side."

"I will end you both!"

"Father of the year," Riven rolled his eyes before the trio clashed swords.

Musa's attention was pulled away from the fighting Valkarians by Timmy and the other boys as they managed to create an opening in the fighting to leave the stage.

"We must hurry!" The blonde said as he led the group through the small openings.

A few Valkarians tried to stop the group but were quickly taken down by the three men. Musa noticed that they were not wearing the purple band, so she felt less sympathy for them. She just wanted to get to her father.

A lightening strike slammed to the ground in front of the group, causing them to skid to a halt. A deep laugh echoed through the skies as Darcy slowly drifted until she hovered a few feet above them, her hands glowing.

"Going somewhere?" Darcy laughed, her eyes darkening as she stared directly at Musa.

The group pushed Musa till she was directly behind them and they stood in front, armed to fight.

"You have been a thorn in my side, Siren, for far too long! I will gladly watch the life leave your eyes by my hands!"

"Sorry, Witch," the blonde yelled angrily. "But that is not going to happen. If you want the Princess, then you are going to have to go through us!"

Darcy laughed darkly. "Ah, Prince Sky of Erakleon! Or should I call you Sir Caelum? I will gladly end your lives first."

Dark purple and black energy balls grew from Darcy's hands before she hurled them to the group. The blonde, now Prince Sky, Musa would dwell on that later, grabbed Musa's hand and pulled her to the right-hand side, skidding along the ground, as Timmy and the brunette dodged to the left. Musa hissed in pain as her skin scrapped along the ground. It was already difficult to run in her torn dress but to fight and dodge a crazy witch? That was another level.

Sky gave Musa no time to catch her breath before he pulled her to her feet, almost pulling her arm out of its socket, and ran to the rubble of a destroyed house. He pushed Musa to kneel behind a pile of large boulders and crouched in front of her.

"Princess Musa, you must stay here and keep out of sight," Sky said as he panted, quickly looking over the rocks to see Timmy and the brunette keeping the witch busy for a moment.

"No!" Musa yelled. "My father is out there!"

"That green light that you saw," Sky said with a smile. "That is who is assigned to save your father. He will be safe, I promise. My goal is to keep you safe."

"Why are you doing this? You are apparently the Prince of Erakleon! That is how we got Erakleon to join? Because of you?"

Sky smiled sadly at Musa and gently patted her hand in small comfort. "All will be revealed soon, Princess, but I need to keep you safe and get you to the rendezvous point as soon as possible." Sky was about to stand and leave but quickly turned back to her. "And to answer your question, I am doing this to save the magical dimension. It is my job as a Red Fountain graduate. Your friend Princess Bloom is also quite persuasive."

Before Musa could retort, he turned and dashed out of the hiding place to join his friends in battle. They were Red Fountain graduates? The same school at Prince Riven attended. What was going on? And the comment about Bloom made Musa's mind wander. She and the girls did assign Bloom to cosy up with Sir Caelum. Oh my god! Musa's heart raced. She asked Bloom to cosy up with Prince Sky! Oh, she was going to be killed by Bloom if she got out of the battle alive.

The sounds of men groaning and screaming sounded and Musa forced herself to remain behind the rocks so she could not check on them. If they were risking their lives, and the lineage of their families, for her and her people then she would try to make it harder for the enemy to find her. Musa looked down at herself and looked in horror at the scrapes, bruises, and dried blood that covered her skin and dress. She looked like a mess but what was distressing to her was the fact that she looked every bit the part of a damsel in distress. She had fought for this rebellion for so long and this was how she wanted to go down? No! She wanted to go down fighting. Everyone was distracted, she was finally free. She could do whatever she wanted.

Musa clenched her fists tightly together and started humming her mother's song to herself. It would be harder for her to get magic without her crystal, but Musa had to make do. She now knew that her magic was powered by music and although it would not be as powerful to go against Darcy without the crystal, it would be enough to help those who are risking their lives for her. She would not be the damsel any longer. Musa closed her eyes, blocking all the surrounds out, as she continued to hum. She started to feel less light-headed, and her skin started to prick a little, like goosebumps. A heat was felt from the palm of her hands causing Musa to look down. She gasped in delight at seeing a pinkish light glow from her palms. Musa continued humming until the light got so bright that she could not stare directly at her hands. She hummed louder and louder before she could not hold it in any longer, then she started singing the notes. Musa had no idea how long she was singing for but suddenly the rocks in front of her exploded, sending her skidding along the ground. Musa did not need a mirror to know that the back of her dress was now completely ripped apart and flesh wounds dotted along her back.

Musa dared to look up from the ground and saw Darcy floating above her, arms crossed over her chest, and her body encased in dark purple light. She laughed at Musa, looking at how pathetic she looked with her destroyed dress and bloodstained face. Her eyes quickly turned to shock when she saw the magic coming from the Siren's hands.

"What the hell?" Darcy hissed. "How did you get magic?"

Musa opened her mouth to retort but suddenly had an overwhelming urge to release something from inside her. Like she wanted to scream out and allow whatever was in her chest to burst through. There was no rhyme or reason, she just followed instinct.

"Magic Winx!" Musa yelled and suddenly her body was encased in a pink and purple light.

The brightness of the light surrounded Musa's entire body, shining so bright that Darcy had to cover her eyes.

"No! This cannot be!" Darcy yelled.

Musa felt so free like a weight had been lifted from her chest and suddenly felt the fabric of her dress melt away. Her long hair was pulled away from her face and straightened above her head. She smiled at knowing she could finally see better without hair covering her face. Once the light dissipated, Darcy removed her hands and growled in shock and annoyance for there floating in the air was Musa, dressed in a red skirt and one-shoulder top combo with tall red boots. Her hair was pulled into two long pony-tails and wings sprung out from her back. Musa opened her eyes and screamed in fear and seeing herself flying in the air. She looked over herself and noticed the costume change and gasped. What happened?

"You got your wings!?" Darcy yelled in shock. "How? How did you do it? You were powerless for years."

Musa's shock quickly disappeared at the comment, and she stared at Darcy with determination. "I am no longer powerless, Darcy!"

Heat powered through Musa's palms again in response to her comment. The song and melody of her mother's song continued to echo through her mind, almost fuelling her magic.

"Sonic Blast!" Musa cried as she threw her arms out either side of her.

Darcy growled as she saw pink magic swirling on either side of her until it formed two large speakers. Musa smirked at Darcy before she clicked her fingers and a loud bass echoed from the speakers. Darcy cried out and covered her ears in pain. Musa's hands continued to glow, and the bass echoed louder, causing some fighters in the battle below to stop and stare. Musa merely stared with no emotion as Darcy continued to cover her ears and cry out in pain.

"Princess!" a voice echoed from below, but Musa ignored it.

Musa continued to stare and maintain the volume of her spell when suddenly a spot of red poked through Darcy's fingers on one her hands. Musa was about to comment when suddenly electric tethers or ropes shot up into the air and wrapped themselves around Darcy's waist. Musa was about to yell in annoyance at the intrusion before the ropes pulled her down and slammed her against the ground below. Musa looked down in shock, dismissing her spell. Below her were Timmy, Sky, and the brunette, along with a black long-haired man. The newcomer wore a white glove where the ropes protruded out from the knuckles. The man had pulled Darcy from the sky and slammed her to the ground unconscious. She was shocked and was about to mutter her thanks in disarming Darcy when she felt all the energy leave her body, growing weaker by the second as she hovered in the air. Her wing beats started slowing down.

"Princess!" another voice called up to her, but it sounded muffled to her.

Musa knew she should float back down to the ground, but she was too tired to even do that. The sounds of swords clashing and people yelling in the distance grew further away, like she was standing at the other end of a long tunnel and her head pounded with the onset of a possible migraine. She needed to get down. With a laboured breath, she forced her wings to take her down. She got a few feet above where the group was before her transformation disappeared, taking her wings along with her. Musa fell and she gasped in shock, feeling the cool wind hit her face. Before she slammed to the ground, a pair of arms caught her and gently placed her on her feet. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she wavered, her body swaying from side to side. Sky and Timmy rushed to her sides and pulled either arm over their shoulders.

"Brandon, Helia, clear us a path," Sky ordered, their voices drifting away from Musa's mind.

"She could fall into unconsciousness at any moment," a slightly higher pitched male voice said on her right.

Musa could barely keep her head up as she felt two large bodies practically drag her away.

"But….but…" Musa tried to say but it got caught in her throat. Why was talking suddenly so much effort?

"You are safe, Princess," Sky said as he watched his team protect them.

"D….Darcy….."

"Is not a concern right now," Sky answered. "You and Helia took care of her for now. This is our only chance to get you out of here."

Musa wanted to argue. She wanted to say that this was their chance to rid the magical dimension of Darcy while she was unconscious but her started to get tunnel vision, and small spots drifted over her sight.

"All units this is Alpha Team. Phoenix is secured, I repeat Phoenix is secured," the brunette, Brandon Musa thought she heard, in front of them said to a device in his hand.

Someone yelled next to her and felt the pace of their travel pick up. Why was there a rush? Musa thought that they had time with Darcy being out cold. Where was her father? After a few minutes of running by the boys and practically dragging the semi-conscious princess with them, the group made it to an open grassed field at the eastern side of the main square, a field historically used for festivals and weddings by the Melodians. Now, it was used for the training of Valkarian knights and very little grass remained on the once green field. Loud noises of machinery sounded and people yelling around her made her head split. She wanted to scream at them to shut up, but she had very little energy.

Musa forced her eyes open and saw large blurs of red and black planted on the grass, the air thick with the smell of fuel. Propellers from another blur slightly to the right caught Musa's attention, causing the wind to blow violently against her face.

Another blur appeared, taller than the men that currently surrounded her. Brandon and Helia immediately left Musa's vision as the blur walked up to her. Musa forced her eyes to blink away the darkness and spots that clouded her vision and she saw magenta hair.

"What happened?" the blur demanded to Sky and Timmy on her sides.

"Darcy found her," Sky immediately replied. "The Princess somehow managed to summon her winx."

"It drained her energy," Timmy added.

Sky and Timmy gently removed themselves from Musa and she practically fell into solid frame of the blur in front of her. The smell of spice and something else filled Musa's lungs and she immediately relaxed and rested her forehead of a firm and solid surface. Warmth immediately wrapped around her body, something light and soft touched her skin and caused her breath to hitch at the sting on her wounds.

"Musa," the voice said softly, trying to steady her body against the solid frame.

Musa took a few laboured breaths before she slowly lifted her gaze and was met with vibrant amethyst. Why was amethyst important again? Why did she suddenly feel safe when she saw it?

"You are safe now," the blur with amethyst eyes said.

Musa, against her own better judgement, knew to trust those words. She weakly gave a smile before she finally allowed her body to stop fighting. Her mind went blank, and her body collapsed right where she stood. Something strong and warm continued to wrap themselves around her and the smell of spice remained in her senses.

"Phoenix and Eagle are secured," the blur said above Musa as she drifted into unconsciousness.

Before the darkness consumed her, Musa heard what sounded like static from a device next to her before she heard "All units Operation Fallen Eagle is accomplished. Return to base."


And that is the end of chapter 21! Was anyone shocked? Surprised? Happy? Would love to hear all your thoughts! Thanks for reading :)

Till next time!

~AngelAlexandra~