Hi loyal readers,

Sorry for the delay! Thank you for your patience and amazing support from the previous chapter. I am so honoured at how much support this story is getting and thank you for all the reviews!

Special shout out to the following reviewers from the previous chapter:

SunshinewithHurricane, MusaEverdeen, Silver, Luiz4200, You Don't Know Me150, MarinaTheSea, Whelefhie, AngelCutie ChildAtHeart, EmotionalBerry and all the guest reviewers!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

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


It had been several hours since the Winx and her father took Musa back to her quarters. She had not said a word since they left Riven and the boys in the meeting room. Musa sat staring into nothingness as Flora and another Linphean healer examined her on the edge of her bed. The king stood off to the side, his arms crossed, as he watched the examination. He was committed to keeping his promise to Musa – he would never leave her again. After prescribing herbal teas to numb the pain and plant-based gels for her bruises, the Linphean healer left with a bow. The exam took longer than they had planned as Flora wanted to make sure that the fight did not cause a reoccurrence of her previous injuries. So far, her worry had been abated. The girls tried coaxing Musa into conversation however it fell on deaf ears. She did not respond to their questions or jokes, and Musa never wavered her eyes. It was like she was lost in her own head.

"The healer and I have examined her, and she has no new physical injuries, Your Highness," Flora whispered to the king as the group huddled in the far corner of the room once the healer left.

They wanted to whisper so they did not worry Musa or set her off again, but they should have just gone outside. Musa heard everything they said. No physical injuries? What about emotional injuries? Musa felt like someone had shoved a fist inside her chest and was clenching her heart. She should not be surprised that Riven lied to her. He was Valkarian. All the things he said and did was a lie – a ploy to get close to her so that her rebellion could be used to dethrone Kataar. How could her friends and father be manipulated so easily? Had they learnt nothing after all these years? Had Musa gone soft once she learnt that he was half Melodian? Possibly. She fell for the prince and, just like him, fell for a lie. She wanted to scratch her skin away, remove any trace of his touch on her skin. Her insides were crawling, and she wanted to vomit. She did the one thing she swore to when all of this started – to not let anyone manipulate her, and she could not even do that.

"Musa," Flora's soft voice broke Musa's train of thought, but she refused to look at her. "Are you hungry? It has been a while since you last ate."

Musa ignored her friend causing the girls to look at each other in worry. Tecna slowly walked over to the bed and sat down next to Musa. Musa still did not react.

"Musa," Tecna started gently. "We know that this is a lot to take in. We were all very sceptical at first."

"Then why are you allowing yourselves to be fooled?" Musa said in a monotone, her eyes still staring into nothing.

A few of the girls raised their eyebrows at Musa's response but Tecna was the first to respond.

"We are not being fooled, Musa. All of the evidence that we found proved that what we were seeing and hearing was the truth."

"Musa," Hoe-Bo said as he stepped forward and crouched in front of his daughter, taking her hands in his. "Prince Riven has been playing his father for years. Ever since he left for school, he started this new rebellion. I only found out a few days before the rebel battle that saved your life. Believe me, I was sceptical, but I promise you that the people that walk amongst us in these halls are all fighting for the same thing – to stop Kataar and Darcy and save Melody."

"Melody was lost the moment that you all fell for the prince's lies," Musa seethed, her gaze finally meeting her father's.

Musa pulled her hands away from her father and stood up, causing the king to stumble back on his feet.

"The prince is a Valkarian. He has hurt innocent people, ordered his men to do crimes against my people, your own people. Whatever he has said and done is all a ruse to dethrone his father. Valkarians only care about power and this rebellion ensures they get it."

"Musa, are you sure that you are not hurt by what the prince has done?" Layla asked.

The other Winx girls turned their attention to Layla in shock. Sure, they all thought the same thing, but they all agreed not to blurt it out. Sometimes Layla's brutal honesty was just that – brutal. Musa's steely gaze shot to Layla.

"The prince has done nothing to me," Musa seethed. "Whatever he said is a lie. Anything that comes out of his mouth is a lie."

"What did you do, Musa?" Hoe-Bo asked gently. "What did Timmy mean by not mixing business with pleasure."

"It does not matter, Father," Musa replied. "All the work we did was meaningless."

"No, it was not," Stella interjected. "Your mission succeeded for you found your magic and we now know how to bring magic back to Melody. We found the rebellion and got you out safely."

Musa scoffed. "And yet we have Valkarians running amongst us. How can we trust them?"

"You can trust them, Musa," Bloom defended. "We promise that you can. I know that it is hard, but we swear to you that you are safe here."

"Tell that to the innocent lives we lost at the hands of the Valkarian army, under your beloved Prince Riven's command."

Before anyone else had a chance to comment, Musa pushed open her door and stormed down the hallway. The girls were about to run after her, but the king held out his arm to stop them.

"Let her be, girls."

"But Sire, you saw how angry she got after seeing Riven. What is she going to do to the next Valkarian she sees?" Bloom asked.

"Musa's energy has been depleted," Hoe-Bo answered gently. "If we keep pushing her, we will end up pushing her in the opposite direction of where we want her to be. I will have someone special keep an eye on Musa, but first, what did you girls plan?"


Musa could not shake the goosebumps that appeared all over her skin as she continued to storm down multiple hallways. Each time she saw a Valkarian, she hugged the walls, earning confused looks from the soldiers. Each time she saw someone else, she just continued walking. They all nodded their heads in Musa's direction as they passed her, signalling their acknowledgement of her status, however it was pointless. She needed to get away, needed a place to escape. It was too claustrophobic. After several long hallways and a gruelling 20 minutes of constantly watching her back, Musa came to an empty hallway with what appeared to be sunlight shining down a few of the steps. That had to be sunlight.

Musa started running down the hallway and skipped every second step until she popped into a large glass room – the sunroom. Musa cried out in annoyance and shoved a pot plant to the ground. Some poor Linphean was going to be mad with her later, but Musa could not care less. Sure, she found the only room in this god forsaken bunker that showed the outside world, but she was still closed in. People on the outside world could not see in with the double glazing so it helped the Solarians get their sunlight, and the Linpheans tend to some plants. Musa fell to her knees and could not stop the tears from falling down her face. She was finally alone without anyone, including guards watching her. She could finally stop pretending to be strong, stop pretending that she was Lady Musa, and stop pretending that nothing was getting to her. She let it all out – the pain, the fear, the grief, the loneliness, and sudden relief that her father was back. The tears continued flowing from her eyes and her sobs echoed in the room. A part of Musa wondered if people could hear her cries from down the stairs and hallway however it was dull in comparison to everything she felt. Musa had no idea how long she cried but soon she felt a warmth envelop her shoulders and the smell of jasmine enter her senses. It reminded her of her mother causing Musa to look up and to her right.

There, kneeling next to Musa was an elderly woman with grey hair, glasses, and an elegant skirt and blouse ensemble. The green eyes of the woman looked down at her with kindness, no pity was visible. For some reason, the presence of the woman made Musa feel safe and secure, so she continued crying as the elderly woman continued to hold her without saying a word.


"You are lucky, Riven," Helia said after he and Timmy finished checking the prince over for injuries after his fight with Musa. "Only a couple of bruises and a swollen nose. No broken bones, particularly since you broke the princess' fall."

"Do not forget the bruised ego," Brandon joked, earning a chuckle from the other boys.

Riven rolled his eyes in response. "My ego is not bruised, gentlemen. I was rather impressed actually."

"Was that before or after you wanted to kill her?" Sky asked with a smirk.

"Ok, sure it hurt like hell, but I was genuinely impressed. She wanted to learn how to fight, so I taught her."

"She wanted to fight to protect herself from you," Timmy noted as he wrote his findings in his electronic pad.

"I did not know that at the time," Riven said in a monotone.

"No, she said she wanted to defend herself against the rebellion, against us," Brandon rolled his eyes.

Riven sighed as he finished putting his shirt back on and stood up from the chair in the sick bay. After the incident with Musa, the boys remained in the training room to clean up the mess, which took a lot longer than any of them guessed, before heading to the sick bay.

"I did it because I knew the real reason why she wanted to learn," Riven commented. The silence that followed pushed him to continue. "She was assaulted by Jet and was powerless. Anyone in her position would want to learn self defence after that. She said she never wanted to feel defenceless again. She added the rebellion part to keep up appearances I know realise that, but she was telling the truth."

"She used you, Riven. She wanted to get close to you," Nabu reminded. "Fighting with you was her ticket."

Riven did not reply at first, merely stared at his friend. "Yes, she did, however her motivation was partly genuine."

The boys were about to comment when the door to sick bay burst open and the angry expression of the Melodian king stood in the doorway. Riven was the only one in the room who did not jump. He had been expecting the visit for the last few hours, in fact, the king was later than Riven expected. Everyone in the room bowed upon the king's entrance but held his stare at Riven.

"We will, ah, be in the dining hall, Riven," Sky said uncomfortably as the group quietly made their leave, leaving Riven alone with the king.

The pair stood in tense silence for a minute as they stared at each other. The king looked like he was seconds away from ripping Riven's head off, while the other waited for the onslaught, both unwilling to be the first to speak.

"It is taking every ounce of control I have, Riven, to not beat your head in," Hoe-Bo eventually seethed out.

It took a moment for Riven to respond. "At least you are honest, Your Highness."

"Do not dare joke right now," the king said, stepping closer towards Riven.

"I can assure you, Sire, that I am not joking," Riven replied, standing tall with his hands behind his back. His normal stance to show he was not a threat. "I am stating a fact."

"It took a long time to get used to the fact that the Valkarian prince was actually the rebellion leader and even longer to know that you were doing it for unselfish reasons."

"As I have told you, Sire, and many others here, I am not doing this to dethrone my father. I have no interest in the Melodian crown. I am also happy repeating it until everyone here is comfortable."

"So, tell me then how long it will take for me to get used to the fact that you used my daughter? Took advantage of her."

The look in Riven's eyes darkened and he subtly looked down at the king. Riven brought his hands to his sides and slowly walked up to the king until he was within arm's reach.

"I will say this once, Sire, and once only. I did not take advantage of the princess."

"Oh really?" The king scoffed.

"Yes," Riven said firmly. "I admit that I lied to her about my true allegiance, and I admit that my goal upon leaving Red Fountain and returning to Melody was to extradite the princess, remain close to keep her safe. However, I never took advantage of her."

"Then before I knock you down, tell me your version. I am dying to hear it."

"I am dying to hear the Winx's version, or even the princess'."

"The only reason why I am letting you explain before I knock you down is because you saved my daughter. If you really were as evil as your father, you would have used her and left her for dead and allowed yourself to dethrone your father."

The air was thick with tension, and it took all of Riven's will power not to punch the king of Melody for his words. He would never leave Musa for dead and anyone who said such vile things deserved a punch or more, however, Riven knew that the king was not accusing him of that, merely pointing out that his father would do something like that.

"After I set the wheels in motion at Red Fountain to bring back the rebellion stronger than ever, the next step was to free yourself and the princess. The only way myself and the other rebels thought it would be done was by me. I was the only one who knew the palace, who knew all the guard details, and had my father's trust. So, once I came back, I slowly replaced knights with rebels so they could keep any eye on the princess and ensure she was safe. The attack by Jet was not planned and my father placing me as her personal guard was fortuitous. I kept a close eye on her without anyone being the wiser. The plan was to bring in more rebels into the palace to the point where there were more of them than the Valkarian knights, and then we strike from the inside and free you. I did not know that the princess was planning something herself. She was found out, caught the rebellion including myself off guard, so we expedited the extraction."

"You have one minute to explain to me about my daughter."

"I did not take advantage of your daughter. My only intention was to keep her safe and remove her from my father's clutches. However, the more that we hung out, I….we…."

"You fell for my daughter."

Riven was silent for a moment. Hoe-Bo merely stared at the prince not expecting an answer.

"I thought that she was genuine, Sire."

"Are you blaming my daughter?"

"No!" Riven spat out and quickly composed himself. "No, Sire. What I am trying to say is….um…."

"Valkarians cannot express feelings well, do they?"

"Not under my father, they cannot."

"Your mother was able to. She fell for your father hard, and he the same. He may have been a warrior when they met, strong willed and always had to show his strength, but he always articulated his feelings about your mother. At the time, loving her was not a weakness. Melodians are always able to tell what they are feeling, either verbally or musically. You are part Melodian, Prince Riven."

"A fact I discovered while at Red Fountain."

"Still, the ability is still within you."

Riven was again silent for a moment before responding. "I never took advantage of your daughter, not once. If I had known that she….that she did it to get close to me, I would never have acted upon my feelings. Yes, Your Highness, I fell for your daughter. It was unintentional but she is strong willed, smart, courageous, and beautiful. I could not help but fall for her. Her actions towards me, I assumed that she wanted me to kiss her, that she felt the same way. But it was all a lie. I see that clearly now."

"So, your relationship with her…."

"I kissed her for I thought she felt the same for me as I did for her. I never took advantage of our proximity to each other. I tried to stay away but she kept coming back."

"And you think that was all part of her lie?"

"She got close to me because clearly she wanted to use me against my father."

"She wanted information for the rebellion."

"I never knew that she was part of the rebellion, that she was even aware that we were active. Sir Hammon did not know until it was too late. He assumed it was only Tecna who was involved. I did not kiss her to be close to her. I may be guilty of many things, Your Highness, but using her to get close to you and the rebellion is not one of them. The only thing I am guilty of regarding her is that I lied to her."

"You think you lying about being the rebel leader is why she called you a monster?"

Riven smiled sadly. "No, I know why she called me a monster. My father destroyed her family. I am a walking reminder of that."

Without another word, Riven bowed slightly to the king, seeing that he was not going to fight Riven too, and started heading to the door.

"That is not the reason."

Riven stopped and turned back to the king.

"Well, it is partly, I guess. She believes you are using the rebellion to dethrone your father and take Melody for yourself. She feels betrayed as she gave herself to you only to reveal that everything she thought about you was a lie and that your relationship, or whatever it was, was just a ploy to use her to get to the rebellion and the crown. She is angry, Riven. She is angry at herself for she fell for not just a Valkarian, but the Valkarian prince. The same prince she believes took her heart, broke it in two, and used her for selfish needs. She is angry at herself for she feels like loving you is betraying her people, betraying her mother."

"She does not love me."

"Sure, of course, because no woman who loved a man and was hurt so deeply by them would kick their ass like she did to you today. If she did not care for you, she would not have responded the way she did. As you told her, everything she was thinking was far from the truth, but to her it is not. I believe you when you say you did not take advantage of her. I also think you two were victims of circumstance. No one could have predicted that you two were setting rebellion plans in motion at the same time and accidentally collided."

"If I was not the rebellion leader, she still was using me to get information or to use me against my father."

"Yes, it was wrong, I will admit that. However, I do think she fell for you. She is just too hurt and too mistrustful to admit that, even to herself."

"Then you are not going to kick my ass?"

Hoe-Bo chuckled and slapped Riven's back with a grin. "Not today. My daughter did a good job of it herself. The only thing I will leave you with is this: what will you do now?"

"Sire, she is the princess of Melody, right now I am her rebellion leader. Outside of that, she wants nothing to do with me. Actually, even with that, she wants nothing to do with me."

"How do you know that?"

"Were you not there when she called me a monster?"

"As I said, she is hurting and feels betrayed. If the feelings you two share are genuine then she will come back to you. You just need to prove to her your motivations as well as you did with me."

"Are you supporting my feelings for your daughter? I am the son of your enemy. I am a Valkarian."

"Only judge someone by their actions. That is what I have learned from my time in the dungeon. Words can be broken as you have experienced. You, Riven, may be the Valkarian prince but you have shown courage and loyalty to good, you do not let grief consume you, and you lead by example. You got all of that despite your father's influence. Just because you are Valkarian does not make you a bad person, nor does you being Melodian instantly make you a good person. I want my daughter safe, to see Melody prosper once again, and for my daughter to find happiness. Where she finds that is up to her, and to you. From what I have seen by your actions, Riven, you are not a bad person and I would welcome an opportunity to get to know you more if Musa allows it. I want my daughter to be someone's first choice, not second or, God forbid, only choice. She is to be fought for and I see no greater fight than the fight for her and her realm's freedom."

Hoe-Bo gave another pat on Riven's back before he left the stunned man alone in the sick bay. For hours Riven had been preparing for a fight with the Melodian king so the turn of events confused him. Was the king really believing his word or was he still too weak to fight him and will jump him when Riven least expect it?


Musa had finally stopped crying and was down to sniffing and wiping the remaining tears from her face. The woman behind her conjured a face cloth and passed it to Musa. She muttered a thank you before wiping all remnants of her tears with the cloth before passing back to the woman and dematerialising it with her magic.

"I am sorry you had to see that," Musa muttered with embarrassment.

"No sorry is needed, Your Highness," the woman replied with a smile. "Do you feel better?"

Musa merely shrugged in response. She was not sure how she felt. She then took a closer look at the woman and her eyes widened.

"You are the woman from the battle, correct? You are the one who saved my father."

The woman smiled and nodded her head. "I am. I am Miss Faragonda, the headmistress of Alfea School for Fairies. I am also a member of the Company of Light. Come," Faragonda said before Musa could respond. She gently helping Musa stand and moved her to one of the garden benches in the room. "Tell me, why you are so upset."

"It is nothing I cannot handle."

"I do not think you cannot handle it, Your Highness, but if it has made you distraught then it is not nothing."

"I…..the Valkarians….they cannot be trusted."

"I see."

"I feel like everyone here has been fooled by their lies. They will use the rebellion to dethrone Kataar and then my people will never be free."

"Is that what you truly believe, Your Highness?"

"Yes."

The woman hummed to herself as she thought for a moment.

"And the Valkarian Prince's actions, him being the rebel leader, you do not believe that also?"

"He is clearly the leader, but he is using us all."

"Using us all?"

"Yes. He is a monster. He has hurt innocent people and ordered his armies to hurt the innocent too."

"He has blood on his hands."

"Yes, he does."

"Then tell me, Your Highness, what has he done to you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your aura, the essence that surrounds you, shows that something other than what has been done to your people distresses you."

"I do not want to talk about it, Faragonda."

"I understand. Let me take you somewhere that I think will help ease some of your distress then."

Faragonda stood up from the bench, gently took Musa's hand, and led her down the stairs and through various corridors. For some reason, Musa felt less tense as she walked with Faragonda down the hallways and passed the Valkarian soldiers. Musa thought it was the fact she saw the awesome power that the elderly woman possessed during the battle. The woman had a calming affect on people around her as everyone, even the Valkarians, stopped for a moment to speak to her and greet her. A headmistress for a school for fairies was here in the rebellion and had charmed even the toughest of fighters and could beat them at their own game too. Huh, Musa thought, who would have thought. As the pair continued their journey, a thought came to Musa.

"The Company of Light," Musa muttered to Faragonda.

"Yes, dear," Faragonda replied with a smile. "A group of the magical dimension's fiercest warriors, wizards, fairies, and witches that aim to protect the dimension from pure evil."

"So, how did the rebellion bring you in?"

"One of our members is the headmaster of Red Fountain."

Musa stopped in her tracks causing Faragonda to turn to her in concern.

"…..Prince Riven went to Red Fountain….."

"Yes, he did," Faragonda replied gently before tugging on Musa's hand and they continued walking arm in arm.

"If you are the headmistress of, what was it, Alfea, and we have the headmaster of Red Fountain here too, then why is the rebellion underground? Could we not use Alfea or Red Fountain as a base?"

"Use a high school as a war stronghold? That would put hundreds of teenagers in danger. Who would do such a thing? No, the underground system keeps innocent people away from danger. Those who are here do so of their own free will."

Musa was quiet after the comment. She was still hesitant at Faragonda's comment. Some people could be here on their own selfish free will, not free will alone. After a few more minutes of going through various hallways, the pair ended up in front of a large set of doors. The sounds of metal clashing together and groans echoed from the other side of the door. Musa looked at Faragonda with confusion and the elderly woman simply smiled before pulling away from Musa and opening the doors.

Inside were at least 30 men sparring with each other with wooden spears and swords. Some were running through obstacle courses while others were lifting weights. What struck Musa the most was the fact she could tell instantly that they were all Melodians. Some looked to be in their late forties while others could barely have reached mid-thirties. Their various hues of purple, blue and pink eyes shone back at Musa, and she felt a few pounds lighter just at their sight.

Faragonda gently pushed Musa's lower back, urging her into the room. The sounds of her boots hitting the wooden floor echoed in the room, causing a few men to stop and turn their way.

"Company, present arms!" A tall muscular man at the front of the room shouted.

Musa jumped a little at the sudden voice but widened her eyes when every single man in the room immediately stopped, held their weapons diagonally across their chest and knelt on one knee in front of Musa. Each one of the men wore the rebellion band around their forearm despite whether they wore a shirt or not, but Musa started to feel tears spring to her eyes when she finally took notice of the man who called their attention.

"….G…General T-Taylor….." Musa stuttered out as her eyes met the man in front.

Faragonda stepped next to Musa and took her hand in hers. General Taylor was one of the best fighters in the Melodian army and was handpicked by her mother to lead their fighters. With his swordsmanship and tactical knowledge, he helped train many skilled fighters and saved hundreds of lives during natural disasters and aid in ally wars. Upon the invasion, General Taylor and many of his army were sentenced to death under Kataar's rule. Melody at the time simply did not have enough manpower to prevent the invasion. Since she was a child Musa had thought they were all dead.

"You are alive…." Musa whispered in shock.

The general gave a sad smile to the princess and slowly stood up from his kneel. The rest of the men remained in their position.

"We are all alive, Your Highness," the general replied. "If I may, you look just like your mother. It gives us all utter joy to see you safe."

"We?"

"Prince Riven may have become the rebellion leader at Red Fountain, however he and his supporters have been helping Melodians for much longer, Your Highness."

Musa slowly casted her eyes over every person in the room. She tried to imagine what each person looked like 10 years ago and the tears started falling freely from her eyes. Every person in the room was once sentenced to death by King Kataar. Prince Riven had saved her people from execution and had them hiding in the rebellion for years.

"Prince Riven is our ally," Faragonda whispered gently.

"Some Valkarians are not our enemy, Your Highness," General Taylor added.

"…My people…my people were saved?" Musa stuttered again.

"Saved and freed," General Taylor added. "Long live the princess!"

Every man immediately stood up and chanted "Long live the princess!"

For the first time since she awoke, Musa felt like she finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps Prince Riven was not as much of a monster as she thought.


Sorry again for the delay! I hope it was worth it :)

Let me know what you think.

Till next time!

~AngelAlexandra~