WARNING: Non-Con/Rape, Obsession, Stockholm Syndrome, Trauma, Like actual why-did-I-write-this Trauma, ControlFreak!Valtor, Arrogant!Valtor, Mark-Like-A-Sire-Bond, Manipulative!Valtor, Hurt/Comfort, Dark!Bloom, Dark Bloom, Absolute Filth, Author has gone insane thank you and have a nice day. This is not an example of a healthy relationship!
Bloom had been strange lately. Distant, lost in thought more common than not. No one but her knew that the day the Winx defeated Valtor did not pan out exactly as records would suggest.
"But remember Bloom, this is not going to bring your parents back."
"Shut up Valtor, you don't know anything about them."
"Oh yes I do. I know I lied to you in the past and so I understand if you don't believe me now. But, the fact of the matter is; it's the three ancient witches who are to blame for Oritel and Marion's demise."
"..."
"You should turn your rage on them. Join me. I'll regain control of my body, and together we will destroy the ancient witches."
"Why would you think I'd believe that you'd help me for no gain? After everything you've done!"
"Who said I wouldn't gain anything?" Valtor took a step to the right, circling her as if she were prey. "I stand to gain all their power and magical knowledge."
"That's more of a reason for me to refuse." Bloom fumed.
Valtor got closer to her, his piercing eyes staring into her soul.
"You must know by now. I am a creature of greed. Hunger. I was made to want more. Even if you manage to stop me today, I'll be back again. I will never stop searching for more power. In one form or another." He said, his eyes quickly darting to her lips and back, unnoticed by Bloom. "Unless you kill me."
A chill ran through Bloom's body. It was just hitting her, the seriousness of the situation she was in. Either she had to kill a man or risk the magical universe. Should be easy right? Wrong. She'd been living in a fairy tale so far. Black and white and no grey. But if she thought about it he had no choice in what he had become. How could she kill him if he hadn't even chosen to be the person he was? She had enough guilt from killing Darkar now this?
"No."
"No?"
"Listen here, I may not kill you today but if you dare to betray me or if any of this turns out to be fake I will burn you with no hesitation."
"Looks like we've got an understanding. But just for appearance's sake..."
Valtor suddenly transformed and lunged at Bloom with his claws out. Caught off-guard Bloom sloppily brought out her fairy dust and cast it on him watching as he melted away. Why did he...?
"Bloom! You saved us!"
It had been a few weeks since then and she had since confirmed that she had, in fact, not killed Valtor. Her pride was a bit wounded but overall she was okay with it. She was trying to keep him on a tight leash but with school and a social life it was hard to watch a universally wanted criminal all the time.
One slip up was all he needed to gain the upper hand...
And unfortunately for her, one tiresome day, exhausted as she was, she forgot to protect her mind against charms.
And he took the chance. Valtor cast a charm on her weakened mind, she didn't even realise she was under a spell. He stepped up to her and held her cheeks, his eyes tracing her face down from her flaming hair to her pouty pink lips, her blue eyes misted like a cloudy sky. He tilted her head to the left and traced a symbol onto the side of her neck with his nail. A mark faintly glowing black where his finger had traced. Normally he'd leave it at that... but just for her he bit a finger to draw blood and let it drip onto the mark. On anyone else this would have not been necessary, turning them into his minions without needing his blood. However, on the only other being remotely similar to him, sharing the same source of power, he needed more. And he was not sure if even that would be enough or how it would affect her, but it was reversible and so he was willing to experiment.
The mark glowed crimson and faded into the side of her neck. Bloom woke from her daze with a scream, she felt sizzling hot pain on the side of her neck and it shot down to the pit of her belly, growing into a knot there.
Valtor held her up by her shoulders as she slumped against him, curling in to wrap her hands around her stomach.
What is this? She cried internally. She could barely speak through her pain. She stayed like that for a few minutes and then suddenly the pain stopped and she fell unconscious.
She awoke to the eerily familiar feeling of being held in place on a table, the room spinning as her head throbbed. The light in the room was dim and all she could make out was the figure of a man to her right.
Slowly, her memories returned. How she was caught off guard and who was responsible for her predicament.
"Valtor, what are you doing!" She exclaimed, trying to struggle free.
The figure spun around and walked closer to the surface she was strapped to.
"You've woken much earlier than expected... I guess your powers have grown."
"What the hell Valtor! Stop with weirdness and let me go!" Panic crept into her voice, her fear of what was going to happen leaking in. She didn't want to lose control again, she didn't want to hurt anyone again! Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she psyched herself into hysterics at the thought of once again losing control of herself, of taking a backseat in her own body. "I- I don't want to be her again!"
"My, I haven't even told you my plan and you're already a mess. Care to elaborate on why?"
"Please just stop..." Bloom sobbed.
"I guess not. Well, I will know soon enough." He walked around till he was positioned above her head and placed his hands on her temples.
Having flashbacks to the moments before she was transformed she started to struggle with more fruitless vigour, calling upon her magic to roar flames at him but not receiving a response.
"No no no no no no no please no not again! I can't handle it again!"
A heat spread from his hands to her temples, her forehead and her neck, traveling down her body agonizingly slow.
Valtor found it hard to concentrate with all her struggling but eventually his mind fell into calm and he could see her memories flash by as his spell started to take affect. One memory in particular stood out quite strongly, possibly because she was currently thinking about it.
He lived the memory in her perspective, feeling the helplessness of being bound, similar to now. He noticed Darkar and the Trix along with another man he did not know gathered around and felt the cold heat of the Phoenix burn through her as she was altered fundamentally. Made into a puppet of Darkar's bidding.
The wizard was slightly surprised and mostly infuriated at himself for having come up with the same plan as his once-master. One of the few beings he loathed above all else. He was disgusted that the Phoenix had left such a mark on him. Visible even after his demise in the way Valtor interacted with the world around him. His figurative dark talons yet to be dug out of his shoulders, his mind poisoned by inferior thoughts and ideas.
His spell broke not even halfway through, having been too distracted to continue. He would have her but for now he would hold off on the transformation. He would savour being in control of Bloom as herself, Fairy of the Dragon Fire in almost all her glory. He would not imitate the scourge that was the Phoenix.
Bloom felt it the moment the spell dissipated. For a second she was scared, worried that it was complete and she was just shy of transforming. But then she noticed time pass by with no change and concluded he had stopped for some reason.
She looked up to find him staring down at her face but looking past her eyes instead of at them. Not wanting to break his reverie, hoping for a chance to escape while he was occupied, she quieted down and observed her situation more closely.
Her hands and feet were tied spread-eagle on a flat surface with metal cuffs. There were no restraints on her midriff or neck but that wasn't much help. Her magic was tingling at her fingertips. It was there but felt different. Restrained. Not in power, she could feel all her power still there, just... somehow it felt different. She didn't ponder over why it didn't work before and instead focused on trying to escape.
She tried to slowly move her fingers to the chain that held the shackle attached to what she assumed to be the table she was on and tried to melt the metal away. Her dragon fire roared to life in her chest and made short work of the chains.
She stayed still and stretched to try the same for her feet when Valtor moved away and the shackles opened, falling away from her limbs. He walked towards a side table and started to untie his cravat, placing his vest beside it as well. This was quite a wrench in his plans. Nonetheless, he shall observe the effects of his mark for now.
Confused but alert, Bloom sat up quickly and jumped off the table, landing on her feet but her knees gave out and she fell in a heap, her arms holding her up.
"Calm down Little Fairy, you will be weak for a while."
"Why? What did you do to me!"
"Nothing it seems." He turned towards her once again, scrutinising her from head to toe. Her short skirt had fanned around her on the fall yet did not cover much more than her upper thighs, her shirt was sticking to her skin in certain places, damp with sweat and her wild hair was falling over her shoulders, bright hair contrasting her pale skin, made even paler with the energy drained from her. Aside from her disheveled state and lack of energy she seemed to be unaffected. No minion-like behaviour at all.
Bloom was tired and scared and most of all, angry. Not one for being idle in such situations, she transformed and took to the sky, as much as the room would allow. Her wings beat hard to keep her up and her body still felt weak but she gathered all her effort into an attack against Valtor, her hands up in attack position.
Valtor saw this happen but did nothing to stop it, she was no match for him in her current state. Or in general really. He waited for her attack but nothing came, not so much as a puff of smoke. He noticed the confused expression on her as she brought her hands to her face, seemingly to try and understand why her attack hadn't worked.
Her magic hadn't run out, in fact it was quite strong, so why? Bloom tried once again with a different, less magic-intensive attack but felt no response from her power at all. Caught up in her thoughts she fell to the ground as her wings gave out, tired from unexplained physical exhaustion. Why was she so weak?
Valtor seemed to put the pieces together slowly, seems his mark did have an affect after all.
He moved towards her until he was practically over her and then knelt beside her, a smirk marring his elegant features.
"What's wrong Little Fairy? Why aren't you attacking? You must have grown fond of me." He taunted, knowing full well that was not the case. But she didn't know that.
Bloom stumbled back a bit, he had gotten right in her face, his intense gaze making her feel like she was suffocating. She needed space.
"Shut up Valtor! What did you do to me?" She yelled.
"You haven't been paying attention, I did nothing." He had the gall to look genuinely offended.
"Well you clearly did something! What were you doing with me on the table earlier?" She asked, not noticing how strange her wording was.
Masking a laugh as a cough, Valtor replied "Do not worry about that, I didn't complete the spell. There will be no effects from it."
"You're lying! Why can't I hurt you then?" She burst, giving away her cards with no thought.
"I'm not sure." He replied and turned away, then as if he was speaking to himself he muttered "But it seems like I can't hurt you either..." making sure it was clear enough for her to hear but soft enough for her to think it was an unintentional slip.
He turned back, his expression showing tenderness for a moment and then regulating itself to the mask of gloating he normally wore. Bloom caught the supposed slip and her confusion only snowballed as more and more questions came to light.
No wait, this man had charmed her and kidnapped her! Not even including all the horrible things he'd done before that. He could not be trusted.
"Hmm, why now Little Fairy?" He started, mock confusion spreading across his face. "I have treated you well in the past, offered an alliance, been kind and yet why is it only now that you seem to struggle with the thought of harming me? Tell me what made you change your mind."
"Nothing! I still think you're a menace Valtor. You did something to me, I know you did!"
"Even if I wanted to it didn't work Fairy. Your Dragon Fire is proving to be quite the nuisance. And though I would love to claim the credit for this, I simply can not."
"However, I do have a theory..." He moved closer and lifted his hand, bringing it to her face. "I think... your trauma has left a scar on you. Maybe one that you didn't expect. You liked being under control didn't you? Not having to be blamed for your actions? And when you thought I was going to give you that freedom again, you felt guilty about your excitement."
He cupped her cheek as her eyes widened. What was he talking about! That's not even remotely how she felt... She was scared! Nothing else!
"And now, you can't hurt me because you still have hope. That I'll set you free again." He grinned a sly grin as his fingers trailed from her cheek up to her hairline, brushing a strand away from her face.
"N-No! What the hell are you talking about? I can't hurt you because you did something to me!" She yelled, bringing her hand up to swat his away.
The wizard grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked back, revealing the pale skin of her throat. Bloom let out a yelp and her hands flew up to her hair to try to get his hands off her.
"My, you're not even denying it. It seems I've struck a chord."
Her wings fluttered behind her as she attempted to fly out of his grasp, but her body hadn't replenished enough strength yet to get out of his hold.
"I am denying it! Stop twisting my words Valtor!"
"Loosen your collar Little Fairy, there's no one here for you to pretend for. You don't have to mask your intentions. However I never expected you to find pleasure in aggression. It seems we're truly a match."
"W-what are you talking about!" Bloom yelled in outrage, hair still in his grasp. Neck still presented like an offering.
"Let me show you." Valtor traced a line up her leg to the hem of her skirt.
She brought her hands down to push his away, only to feel something pull them behind her back and secure them there. Her arms were held horizontally parallel to each other, wrists paired with elbows of the other arm, right under her wings. The position was uncomfortable and borderline painful, and it only got worse every time she tried to pull free. It also caused her chest to be pushed out just enough to almost look like an invitation.
"Valtor!" An angry, frustrated growl left her lips.
He kissed a spot right under her jaw, "Bloom" he taunted.
A heavy shiver ran through her body. The way her name rolled of his tongue was rugged yet somehow enchanting. He never said her name. Usually working with just "Fairy" or, more recently, "Little Fairy". The action felt strangely significant yet she didn't dwell on it.
"Let me go!" She pulled harshly on her bindings.
"But you don't want me to." He moved his hand up her skirt and tugging her underwear down. Her position on the floor made it hard to take it off so Valtor picked her up by the waist and slung her over his shoulder.
"What the f-" A cool wind against her bare bottom surprised Bloom and notified her that the wizard had pulled off her panties.
"I truly appreciate modern fashion. So much more... accessible than the polite eras." He used one hand to hold her in place and trailed up her thigh with the other.
"Stop that! Put me down!" She wiggled because her hands were still tied.
"How could you ask that of me when seducing me so?" His hand cupped her left butt cheek and squeezed lightly. "But I shall accede this once."
He placed her down on the edge of the table she had previously been lying on, settling himself between her legs.
"Bloom... my Little Flame. Why don't you just let go for a while hmm?" His words slipped out like silk, gliding across her skin enticingly. His voice sounded soft, almost loving.
The fire in her core that was slowly gathering heat had suddenly picked up its pace at the endearment. So condescending... but also it made her feel small and pretty and safe.
She knew she wasn't safe with him, never doubted that for a second. But she was starting to catch fire inside and this man who smelt of pine and musk and something intangibly, deliciously him was the cause.
Bloom would never admit it, even to herself, but he was right about everything. Darkar's control had left some lasting effects and that had scared her, guilted her.
Magic can never make something of nothing, that includes manifesting behaviour that didn't previously exist.
Her temper, jealousy, ambition and lust as her darker self were not groundless. And given that this darkness did not appear from nothing, it did not dissolve into nothing when she was freed from Darkar's control.
Her time in a place without light had changed her forever in ways that she did not want to explore.
In fact, unnoticed by the Winx, she had gotten more aggressive to the Trix. Or any who had opposed them. She worked harder than ever to gain more power through different transformations. She had initiated a (surprisingly unfulfilling) intimate aspect to her relationship with Sky. When she had learned that he was engaged to Diaspro once again at the command of his parents, she had almost stormed the Princess's castle. Instead she dumped Sky because if he couldn't stand up for himself why should she.
So far she had been channelling all the side effects from the darkness in her flame to something positive. Or that was true until she made the unwise decision of sparing Valtor.
As if reading her mind, he spoke. "We both know it was more than just curiosity behind why you didn't kill me. Why you continued to hide me."
His hands moved up her thighs, snapping her out of her thoughts, bringing her skirt with them. He started tracing circles on her inner thigh with his right and his left continued up her side to her waist where he squeezed.
"Is it not tiring? Maintaining a facade all the time?" His left hand gripped her nether curls, twirling the fiery strands in his fingers and pulling light, but sharp, at random intervals.
"Ah!" Bloom gasped, the first time he tugged, her hips bucking.
"Trying to act as if everything is fine. As if you are still the same fairy you were before." He emphasized the last word, edging along the seam of her bra under her dress "As if your intentions haven't been tarnished by darkness."
His hand wandered to the back, where he hooked a finger under her strap and unclasped the bra with a flick.
The dress now bunched at her waist, her bra hanging feebly from her shoulders, Bloom's cheeks were burning up just like every part of her that Valtor touched. Embarrassment, guilt and arousal made for quite a strong cocktail.
"W-" She squeaked, coughing to correct her voice and then carrying on "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?" He put some distance between his face and hers to look her in the eyes.
"H-Harassing me." Bloom spoke.
"What would you prefer I do?" He watched her intently, his gaze roaming her face appreciatively.
"Let me go!" A quiver on her lip, a stubborn set to her jaw.
"Now that's not very fun is it?" He tugged at her dress, and suddenly it did not exist anymore. As if he ripped it into a different plane of existence.
"Ah!" Bloom yelled in surprise. The room was warm but suddenly being exposed to the air as she was startled her. She shrunk her shoulders in to hide herself.
"It's endearing how you try so hard to deny yourself, but I'm growing weary." His left hand gripped her shoulder hard "Let me show you who you truly are."
Bringing his hand to the apex of her thighs, he swept a finger across her lips, sending a jolt through her. "Look at you, so wet from being harassed."
She wiggled in place, "No! That's not it!"
"I wonder..." He slipped a finger into her sex with ease, no resistance at all.
"Aah!" Bloom panted, the sensation and the situation bringing forth memories she would rather leave buried.
"Oh my, it's strange how ready you are for something you say you don't want. How well you wrap yourself -your legs- around me." His finger started pumping her slow, his other hand grasping her thigh on his waist.
Bloom tried to resist but he hit a spot inside her that made her spasm, her leg lifting onto the table in response.
"What a lovely suggestion." Valtor brought her other leg up to mirror the one on the table and waved his hand. Shackles came flying in from the periphery and latched onto her ankles and thighs.
"Stop!" Bloom panicked, thrashing about. More nostalgic sensations and flashes of red as dark as dried blood. An image of a cavernous ceiling with chains hanging from it.
The shackles on her ankles were linked to those on her thighs by a rod. A couple other rods were used to link the thigh shackles and ankle shackles respectively, preventing her from being able to move her legs, let alone close them.
Now spread wide for him, Valtor admired his handiwork.
"You know something!" Bloom cried, tears brimming in her eyes.
A glint in his eyes gave him away. "Perhaps... rest assured Little Flame, I'll treat you well."
"But before that. I think you need some time to recover." He stepped away, looking her over.
"What do you mean?" Her tears had now overflowed, running down her cheeks. Her eyes following him intently.
"You shall see." He walked up to her and lifted her bra off her breasts and laid it across her neck, the straps still trapped on her arms.
"There we go. I shall be back in a while Little Flame." He ran a hand through her hair and down her neck, over his mark. It glowed faintly and he pulled away, turning his back and walking out a door she hadn't noticed before.
"Wait! Valtor no don't leave me like this! Let me go please! Stop!" She cried after him, and yet he was gone.