Chapter Twenty-Five: "The Golden Kingdom"
Bloom opened the door to be instantly greeted by a chirpy Stella who instantly crashed into her arms—giving her best-friend one of the tightest of hugs.
"It's so good to see you again, Bloom!" The Solarian Princess had pulled away from Bloom, gazing into her eyes that were now filled with utter relief. "You know we really hadn't a proper reunion!"
"Stella!" Aisha cried out behind her. "Would you mind moving aside? You're not the only one who wants to see Bloom you know."
Stella's face had flushed brightly, as she had moved aside for Aisha to greet Bloom. She watched as the Andorsian Princess had given Bloom a tight embrace as well.
"Are you alright Bloom?" Worry had shined in Aisha's teal-blue eyes.
Bloom knew that lying to her friends wasn't the best option. Bloom simply wished that she was indeed better, but she wasn't feeling the best at the moment. It was too much for her mind to bear.
Bloom had offered the girls a flicker of a smile as if trying to lighten up the mood, but she knew that it wasn't working upon seeing the expressions crossing Aisha's and Stella's faces.
Stella and Aisha had both exchanged glances upon seeing the sad smile on their friend's face—knowing that nothing was alright with Bloom.
"Oh Bloom."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Stella had asked gently, as she didn't want to sound too pushy or wanting to make Bloom feel uncomfortable about it.
Bloom had shook her head to the side. Well, at least not today, not until she personally felt a bit better herself. She had welcomed the girls inside the warm, toasty manor.
Niobe and Luna had met up with Marion, leaving the three girls alone in order for them to catch up on each other and giving them a little privacy.
"By the way, Domino's freezing cold," Aisha commented, shivering, despite being dressed in thick layers of warm winter clothes.
Unlike the rest of the Winx, Aisha personally had never visited Domino in person when the planet was cursed into eternal winter or had witnessed the realms being in complete ruins.
Aisha was in awe at the sight of thick white snow—how it covered the beautiful landscapes of Domino in its brilliant white blanket. The sun was barely out, giving a faint light from the thick grey clouds.
It was nothing like Andros's weather.
They didn't have any severe icy weather—unless if she and her family had moved inwards where the temperature dropped significantly colder. But what they did have was lots of rainy days and strong gusts of winds during winter.
"From what I know, Domino's winter are pretty harsh and during summer the heat waves are super intense," Bloom simplified.
"Yeah. It's freezing out there and I thought it'd be less brutal. You already know that Solaria doesn't even have winter. And I had to explain to the fashion designers what winter coats were again," Stella wailed rather dramatically.
"You already got a fashion designer at your disposal? Seriously?"
Aisha lifted an eyebrow surprised, trying so hard to stifle her giggles. With Stella being obsessed in fashion, it was hard to travel to different places without her being in the best outfits possible, as if helped thrived.
"Of course! You'd think I walk around in horrendous outfits? And I was the one to insist on these kinds of patterns. I need to be at my very best you know," Stella winked playfully with a smile on her face.
Stella had twirled around, wanting their attention on her fabulous winter clothes which consisted of coat that reached her thigh with a thick dress, tights, boots, a thick scarf, and a wool hat.
Bloom couldn't help but chuckle at Stella's reaction—she was the same old Stella, always putting fashion first, above all.
Bloom's lips had twisted into a smirk—teasing her best-friend.
"So, where's Brandon, Stel?"
The Solarian Princess' hazel eyes had turned into slits. "Dragons Bloom! I'm going to kill you for this! Because of you, my dad won't leave me and Brandon alone. We can't even talk in private without being constantly watched."
"And how is that my fault? I hadn't done anything. I didn't even spill the beans to your dad who by the way was pressing me on the matter. It's a little awkward for me, don't you think?"
Bloom had raised her arms in the air, dramatically, giggling under her breath. That made Stella fall silent, cheeks turning bright pink.
"I didn't think you would take a liking to wearing long-sleeved gowns, Bloom?" Aisha noted Bloom's full sophisticated outfit.
Aisha knowing Bloom wasn't the type of girl who would wear fancy gowns daily, besides wearing them at formal events, like royal balls, had surprised her greatly.
"I suppose I grew accustomed to wearing gowns daily. It's not all that bad," the redhead princess had explained with an expressive smile that stretched across her face, but there was also another reason behind it, but Bloom hadn't wanted to discuss the reason behind it.
The Solarian Princess had glanced at the photo frames that were hung on the walls in the big, high-ceilinged living room.
Stella's hazel had darted to each of the different photos. They were all adorable that had consisted of Marion and Alec when they had been young children, hugging each other, running across the vast open vividly colorful meadows along their parents.
The stunning wedding photos of Bloom's grandparents aligned all across the wooden shelves with much love and romance sparking between the man and woman.
"Well, I'd say you got a lucky opportunity to know your extended family members Bloom. Not everyone can be given such a chance, you know."
A warm smile had tugged at Bloom's lips—in a way she was utterly grateful for such a rare opportunity to know her relatives in person.
"Yeah. I got to know my dad's side of the family, but they're pretty small. The only extended relatives would be from my paternal grandmother's side, she has like three cousins, but no siblings."
It had threw Bloom off guard once she had realized that her paternal grandparents were first cousins. She couldn't help but make a face for realizing that even space-royals hadn't avoided keeping it within the family kind of deal.
Bloom had suspected that just like Earth's royals, she might be related to other royal families across the Magical Dimension. Shivers had ran down her spine. It somehow made her stomach churn in disgust.
Although from what Oritel had told her, his parents hadn't been aware of the fact that they were first cousins, not until after they had tied the knot and when Queen Leilani had become pregnant with her son Oritel.
(Bloom wasn't too sure if she believed Oritel's words, but he had promised her it was a story he would share with her later, as it was rather a complicated one).
Bloom knew that there hadn't been many female members being born into the royal bloodline for several centuries—it had been dominated by the princes. In the past four generations, single princes had been born.
From what Bloom knew in her own timeline that was told by Farahgonda, is that her father, Oritel, he had been extremely blessed with having two beautiful daughters rather than having a son.
Allegedly, Oritel had also dreamt about having a son with Marion with the boy inheriting his wife's emerald eyes and his brown hair. But nonetheless, Faragonda had told her how overjoyed Oritel was over the fact that he was a father to two beautiful daughters.
"Yeah. Plus, my dad said it's a good idea for me to get to know my mother's side of the family once I've dealt with the Golden Kingdom issue first. He wants me to take a break from the world an—"
"And as you should!" Stella had insisted—some kind of light of fury had ignited in her hazel eyes. "You totally deserve it Bloom! Especially after all you've been through Bloom."
Bloom had smiled in a way, despite all the mess that she's in, Bloom was super grateful to have a chance to develop her relationship with her family.
"So, about the Golden Kingdom, this isn't going to be like last time where we needed the Water Stars. Why do I get the feeling that this visit isn't going to be very pleasant." Aisha said, reeling back to the time when they all had visited the Elder Council—minus Bloom who couldn't miniaturize—due to her incomplete Enchantix.
She and Flora hadn't been with Stella, Tecna, and Musa as if somehow, they had gotten separated from the group. It hadn't been the warmest or one of the greatest feelings. It was as if she and Flora had received a cold, unwelcoming greeting that had sent shivers down their backs.
Bloom couldn't help but appear annoyed by Aisha's statement about the Council of Elders. "This time, I'm going to fight for what I want no matter the costs."
Stella's eyebrows had furrowed, uncertainty reflected in her eyes. "Are you sure Bloom? They're not so easily convinced, and they do have tricks up their sleeves."
Bloom's sapphire blue eyes had lit in flames, reassuring her best friend in a confidence voice. "Don't worry about that, Stel. I know what I'm doing."
"If you say so," Stella hadn't appeared to be convinced by Bloom's words.
Stella could see the fury drip from Bloom's eyes with barely restraint. It was as if at any moment, Bloom was going to spiral out of control and set the universe ablaze. Bloom wasn't going to settle for any comforting words of the council members.
No. Bloom personally had quite enough of sitting on the edge without knowing what to do or how to proceed and most importantly how to change her future for the better.
"Bloom!" Sky said chirped, delight to see her again.
Bloom was outside of the manor, meeting up with the rest of the specialists who were tagging alongside the fairies—Brandon and Nabu—as the others were busy dealing with their own realms. Oritel hadn't joined them as he had many royal duties to attend to and he couldn't get out it as much as he had wanted to accompany Bloom.
Of course, her father had managed to send out his squire, Lewis on the mission with the girls. Bloom had a feeling it was more due to fact that someone would keep their eyes on her (a whole safety precaution thing that Oritel had considered beforehand).
The blond-haired Eracklyon Prince had rushed over to his girlfriend, his strong arms wide out and opened, as Bloom crashed into Sky's embrace.
Sky had tightened his grip on his girlfriend, his face being buried in Bloom's slender neck, smelling the sweet scent of her hair. Oh. How much he had missed touching Bloom again. Having Bloom back in his arms again—being her safe little heaven.
Tears had filled the corner of his eyes as he glanced down at her—his heart ever so relieved to see her awake again. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Bloom!"
The redhead princess had offered him a warm smile. "Sky! It's really good to see you again! I'm sorry about last time or the times that my dad and uncle. . .had made you feel—"
Sky had cut Bloom with a lopsided smile. "Don't worry about that Bloom. You know they were only looking out after you because they love you, right."
"I know. But I have to say, you're expression is priceless," Bloom's smile hadn't reached her eyes as Bloom was trying to put up an all-good expression on her face. Bloom hadn't wanted Sky to get all worked up again.
Bloom had plenty of people breathing down her neck in making sure that she wasn't withering away in her own misery or allowing the depression to overtake her life or severely isolating herself from the world.
Bloom had lifted a curious eyebrow at Sky who seemed to be on the very edge—twitching, his ocean blue eyes darting from place to place, as if he were worried that someone might jump from behind him unexpectedly.
Sky's smoky figure had rose in mid-air—the redhead girl couldn't help but chuckle at his ridiculous reaction. It seemed to her that her dad and uncle had done numerous things on Sky to get him this nervous.
Sky had mentioned to her that they had manage to frighten the daylights out of him, but of course Bloom had suspected that it was most likely Sky had gotten intimidated by them.
And well, Oritel's threats was not an easy pill to swallow especially with the dark glare that would send cold chills down one's spine to reconsider their options or else.
If Oritel had his way without anyone getting in his way (or stopping him from what he was about to do) Oritel would've dissected Sky to a million of pieces for breaking Bloom's heart.
From what her uncle had informed Bloom, Oritel was still pissed off at Sky for lying to her and deceiving her with another girl, Diaspro.
Sky had lost all coloring on his face—paling rather drastically.
"Sky?" Bloom knitted her brows together, tugging at his arm. "Are you alright?"
"It's quite nice to see you Sky."
Bloom had flinched at her uncle's cold voice that was dripping with sarcasm. The girl could take it that neither her uncle nor her father had a fondness towards Sky.
Unfortunately, Sky had manage to somehow managed to get under Alec's skin as much as Oritel's—offending the hell out of them for some odd reason.
Bloom had turned on her heels to see that her uncle throwing an unpleasant glare right at Sky—his green eyes narrowing at him—in fury.
Lassandra—unknowing of the tension going on about Sky's history with Bloom— had looked at her son with a puzzled look. She didn't like how Alec would put on a snobby attitude and demean others over trivial nonsense.
"How many times do I have to tell you, not to insult any guests?" the woman had reprimanded her for son for his inappropriate tone.
"You don't know what Sky did to Bloom, mum. If Oritel's not letting this slide by, why should I?" Alec had shot the blonde prince another sharp glare.
Bloom had let out a dramatic sigh, annoyed, as it wasn't the time to be pointing fingers. They had more important things to worry about. This was last on the list on her concerns. Men and their damned egos. Bloom could never understand them, and the world would be a much better place if not for their stupid egos ruling the damned universe.
The redhead princess had looked at her maternal grandmother—her blue eyes pleading to Lassandra. She had curled her lips together as her face had soften on Alec in hopes of getting him to drop the matter for the time being.
Lassandra had tightened her grip on his arm, in a motherly way, which had affected Alec—her bright blue eyes shining at him—because if anything, he had a soft spot for his beloved mother. Bloom was utterly grateful for Lassandra's intervenience which had some reduced Alec's snarky attitude.
"We're still going to discuss the matter on another day, Sky." Alec said monotonously. "I promise you; we won't forget."
Thick sweats had trickled down Sky's neck as his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. "Of course, sir."
Bloom muttered a thank you to Lassandra, but she felt so bad for Sky, who was a on a nervous breakdown for being under the glare of her uncle.
Brandon had nudged Sky on the arm—chuckling.
It was hard for the squire of Eracklyon to stifle in his laughter. He'd never once seen Sky stiffen in his place, as if he had somehow become a marbled stone like today, as Sky was being interrogated by his girlfriend's family.
Bloom had always gotten the short end of the stick—always being mocked by Erendor and sometimes Samara who endlessly criticized her for not being a proper Princess or how unladylike Bloom could be at times for her rude outburst and not following
"It seems you're already off on the wrong foot with Bloom's family and I thought you would have it easy."
Sky had threw Brandon a death glare. A smirk had tugged at his lips—as his deep blue eyes had glittered cruelly. "Say, Brandon, I've heard that you aren't on great terms with Radius?"
"Sky don't start with that," Brandon's voice dropped low, groaning, as he didn't want Stella to be prying onto the conversation. "Radius won't even let me be near his daughter and he thinks that she's too young for a boyfriend. Radius thinks I'm not good enough for Stella."
Sky couldn't help but give his best-friend a sadistic smile.
During Stella's Princess Ball—it had been Brandon's first-time meeting Stella's father, and Radius hadn't been too thrilled of the idea that Stella had been dating the squire of Eracklyon. The Solarian King had been utterly pissed over the fact that Brandon had lied his way into impressing Stella.
"But still, you still have it easier than me, Brandon. It's better than being despised on by your girlfriend's father and her uncle. They want to murder me to pieces for deceiving Bloom like that. They're still not over the whole Diaspro thing."
Brandon had grimaced—feeling sorry for his best-friend who had fallen into a quite a mess. It would be quite difficult for Sky to gain Oritel's and Alec's trust again. "It's just them that they don't like you, right?"
"Yeah." Sky gave out a pathetic sigh.
"Well, have you at least talked to Bloom's mum? Surely, she can be of help to diffuse the tension in the family. Maybe make things easier for you." Brandon offered his own input to the situation—helping Sky as best as possible in a way he could.
Sky frowned.
He hadn't had the chance to meet Bloom's mum personally yet, well, he nearly tired, but Oritel had kept blocking him after knowing that he had broken Bloom's heart twice.
Sky could easily tell that Oritel was an overprotective man—especially upon the tendency Oritel had displayed over Bloom's mum. Perhaps he had the chance to clear things up with her?
"No. I haven't yet."
"Well. . . what are you waiting for? I'm sure she will hear your side of the story, because the more you keep waiting and pushing it, the harder it's going to be for you." Brandon rationalized—encouraging Sky to discuss the matter with her.
"I know Brandon. Maybe she'll listen to what I have to say and have a different opinion about me," Sky muttered, his eyes had drifted onto Nabu who seemed to be pretty chill with Aisha and her family—a slight swell of envy bubbled in his chest.
Sky's ocean blue eyes had trailed off to see Bloom talking to a man who wasn't a family member of hers. His deep blue eyes had widened—upon seeing Bloom being friendly with the unknown man, laughing causally.
It had made his blood rise—gritting his teeth, as he fumed under his breath for seeing her with another man. It was nearly the same kind of feeling when Bloom had gotten a bit too close to the fake Professor Avalon back in her sophomore year.
Sky couldn't help but scowl at the prospect that Bloom may have developed some kind of feelings towards the man while she had been stuck in her parents' timeline. Bloom could've easily moved on from him.
Sky hadn't wanted to believe it, but it was quite difficult not upon such a sight.
Disbelief had rose to his face.
Brandon had placed his hand on his shoulder, easing Sky from his spiraling emotions—stopping him before he would do anything he would regret later.
"Sky. I wouldn't if I were you."
"But—"
"Don't. I'm sure Bloom has a reasonable explanation for this. Don't you trust her?" Brandon furrowed his dark eyebrows.
"Of course, I do!" Sky stammered out the words. "It's just—"
"You got to have a bit more faith in her, Sky." Brandon gave him an all-knowing glare, urging him to think it through before making a fool of himself in front of everyone.
Sky's eyes firmly planted on the unidentified man who had seemed to be rather friendly with his own girlfriend, Bloom.
Seeing the large smile stretch across Bloom's face, who was eager to introduce the so-called man to Sky. It had caused the blond-haired prince to roll his eyes to back of his head, ticked off.
"Sky! There's someone I want you to meet!" Bloom said excitedly.
Sky had blinked his blue eyes. He was only putting up with such a façade for Bloom's sake. He mustered on a so-called polite smile to the best of his abilities without seemingly irritated about it. Sky had desperately wanted to make a snippy comment—but he had managed to swallow it hole.
The man was well-dressed in his uniform that indicated the colors and symbol of his realm, upon spotting the dragon insignia on the crest. He had a clean-shaven jawline. His dirty blond-hair feel to his shoulders—it seemed to Sky that he had it recently cut. His bright grey eyes had flashed in curiosity towards him. A sword was strapped to the side of his waist.
"You've haven't been properly introduced to Lewis, Sky. He is my father's squire." Bloom elaborated, her gaze flickering back and forth between the two men—hopefulness sparking in her sapphire eyes.
Sky had outstretched his hand towards Lewis—giving him a tight handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lewis."
"It's nice to finally meet you Sky," a courtesy of a smile tugged at Lewis's lips—bring his hand back to his side—still eyeing Sky cautiously.
Lewis had turned his attention back onto Bloom. "Princess, we should be leaving to the Golden Kingdom soon, as your father doesn't want you to return home late."
Bloom had gotten accustomed to the idea that Lewis would always be at her side when encountering dangerous missions, no matter how much she had rebelled against her own father. It was either Lewis accompanied her, or Bloom wouldn't go at all.
The redhead princess knew better than to challenge her father when he was in a crabby mood. The outcome of it wouldn't be in her favor.
Sky had lifted an eyebrow but seeing the look on Bloom's face had made him silent—not bothering to comment on the matter further.
"You could drop the formalities, Lewis. Bloom is fine by me. I'm not sure why my dad is so insistent on that," Bloom said. "Well, we better get going."
Bloom knew that Oritel could sometimes be royally entitled to have his way of things. And this was definitely one of the times. The redhead princess had suspected that her father had done this on purpose in order to remind Sky who he's dealing with—another aspect that gotten on her nerves.
The group were already en route to the Golden Kingdom. The ship was in hyperspace, and it would at least take a few more hours to arrive to their designated location.
Brandon had jabbed Sky in the arm—reminding his prince. "This is your chance to talk to Bloom's mum. Why aren't you taking this opportunity?"
Sky's eyes had fallen on Bloom who was talking with Marion—the two girls were engaging in a deep conversation that had them both in fits of laughter over what Alec had chipped into the gossip.
He could feel something bubbling rising to the top of his throat.
Sky couldn't ever recall being that nervous or being a trembling klutz when meeting Mike and Vanessa for the first time.
Mike did have that dark look in his eyes that if Sky would ever mistreat Bloom, he would be deal with Sky personally.
Bloom's birthparents were a different story.
Oritel had definitely scared the shit out of him. Alec's silence was another matter entirely. . . and Sky wasn't sure of Bloom's mum's opinion of him just yet. He couldn't even recall the woman's name much to his own embarrassment.
Sky had reminded himself that he had faced worse things in his life, like Lord Darkar, the Trix's reign of terror, and of course the dark wizard, Valtor who had made his life like hell. Sky had held him responsible for all the misfortunes that had befallen him.
This should be easy—a piece of cake, Sky swallowed all his anxiety down.
Bloom had stopped talking to her mother upon noticing Sky approaching her and Marion.
The girl's soft gaze had fallen on Sky—knitting her red brows together.
Bloom had manage to suppress her giggles in—never had she once seen Sky shaking like a leaf from before. He was always calm, collected, and quite determined to get what he wanted.
"Hi! You must be Bloom's mother, right?" Sky said shaking off his anxiety away, greeting Marion with a polite handshake.
"That I am," Marion had smiled proudly, and out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Bloom rolling her eyes.
Alec arched a blond eyebrow directly at Sky, snorting. "You don't know my sister's name? What kind of man dates my niece, but doesn't know her mother's name?"
Lassandra had given her son a pointed glare for his snidey comment. She clicked her tongue, warning him to stop pestering the young man. "Alec."
"What?" Alec shrugged causally. "I'm saying the truth am I not? I mean, he's dating Bloom. The very least he should know are her parents' names is all I'm saying."
Marion had tossed a glare at her brother for being so downright rude. "I apologize for my jerk of a brother, but I'm Marion."
"It's fine, really. I can see where Bloom inherits her exquisite features from," Sky commented cheekily, trying to make a small conversation. It had caused Marion to blush, while winking at his Bloom, who looked positively pink in the face as well.
"Careful Sky," Alec's green eyes flashed warningly.
Lassandra had given her son another glare. "Alec. I want to hear what this young man has to say."
Alec crossed his arms, sulking. The man knew better than to disagree with his mother. He never did like Sky very well given from Bloom's descriptions of him.
Sky was a prick just like Erendor in other ways.
Alec wasn't even sure what Bloom had saw in that man or how she had possibly fallen head over heels over Sky in the first place.
Sky had stood there feeling utterly flustered in the face.
Normally, he wouldn't have any problems with talking to women, but this was different. Sky had to make a great impression to Bloom's mother as she was the one who could possibly influence Oritel to change his perspective about him.
Marion knew that the boy was all jittery, mumbling a few words under his breath, his eyes flickering to Bloom for support, the way he curled his hands. She had tactfully given the young man a reassuring smile. Her lips curling together.
"I've heard a great deal about you from Bloom. I know you've been kind to her and all," Marion said softly, encouraging Sky to speak his mind.
Marion's emerald eyes had fallen on him—studying every inch of him and what his feelings were towards her daughter. Her warm smile vanished, slightly frowning. "But. . ."
Sky could feel the words creep up on Marion's tongue—wincing.
"But you did manage to break my daughter's heart not once but twice." Marion had emphasized clear as day.
Lassandra was genuinely surprised (once more), having her eyes on Sky for a reasonable answer. Alec only smirked.
"Well, I can explain that," Sky said nervously; he had a feeling that Oritel would spill the beans to his fiancé.
"Please do care to explain Sky because I'm not entirely sure if your relationship with my daughter is entirely a genuine one." Marion had pressed on. "I'm just worried that you're playing with Bloom's feelings and it's something that I despise."
Sky gave a slight nod—understanding Marion entirely. She was only a mother who was looking out for her daughter. "I know what I've done wasn't entirely right in the past. I shouldn't have led Bloom on like that and I never meant to deceive her with another girl—"
"What?" Lassandra let out a sharp gasp, stunned. The woman was unaware of Bloom's relationship with Sky. "You cheated on granddaughter with another girl?"
Even though Lassandra was intently harsh with her words, she was shocked. First, Remeus who fashioned himself into an innocent wizard, lying to Bloom across her face, and turned out to be none other than Valtor himself. And Valtor had nearly tried to rape Bloom in the process. . . and now there was Sky who had done something similar to Bloom but being in a relationship with another girl.
For some reason her granddaughter had rotten luck with men, unlike her mother, Marion (aside from the Issac issue). Lassandra had despised men like Issac, Sky, and Valtor.
Sky's face had reddened but he was quick to defend himself. "Not technically. I mean, Diaspro was a girl that my parents had chosen for me, but I never really loved her."
Lassandra was genuinely curious at Sky's explain, but still hadn't excused his behavior. "If you never really loved the girl in the first place, then why hadn't you stepped up to your parents about the matter? It's a serious discussion that should be talked about with them?"
Sky was rather silent, dwelling on the woman's words. He had never thought about in that kind of perspective.
Technically Sky did, but it had always rubbed him the wrong way, especially whenever he tried to mention his girlfriend. An immediate frown formed on his mother's rosy, red lips. His father grunted—giving a disapproved expression. Cold shivers had ran down his back. Goosebumps formed on his skin.
A frown tugged at Sky's lips. "I'm sure you're aware of the fact that my parents don't like Bloom very much."
Marion knew that and it wasn't a surprise.
Erendor had this dislike of Bloom, not necessarily hating her daughter or wishing the worse on her, but. . . Marion could see that Erendor couldn't fathom the idea that his son was in a relationship with her daughter.
Alec was annoyed from Erendor's pricky attitude towards Bloom (well, he was thankful for the time that he managed to save Bloom from Issac's grasps).
Erendor had displayed some goodness to Bloom, but Alec had supposed that he would want a girl from Eracklyon to marry his son Sky, thus becoming Sky's Queen Consort as she would be accustomed to Eracklyon's classicist society that Bloom was unfamiliar with.
It would be difficult for Bloom to transition into that type of society. Perhaps Erendor had good intentions of not wanting to pressure Bloom since she was unfamiliar with royal society?
But. . .
"Well, have you even brought up the subject with your parents about Bloom? Like why don't they like her? What don't they like about her? Or perhaps you could tell them all about Bloom's fine qualities in details. Maybe they'll see to that?
Have you even discussed what Bloom's future would be like if she married you? She'll have to take on the title as Consort Princess of Eracklyon and relinquish Domino's Crown to freely marry you, right?
Bloom is also a Fairy of the Dragon Flame, which means, it might draw enemies to Eracklyon as well." Lassandra had listed off, looking at Sky with a serious expression.
Bloom for the first time had nearly dropped her jaw, astonished. The girl had never once pictured the entire package deal of what it is to be in a relationship.
It had made her realize that as much as Sky brushed his soft lips against her forehead, kissed her on the lips, hugged her, twirled with her strands of red hair, and telling her how much he loved her; it could merely mean anything in the end.
"Wait? Why am I hearing of this just now?" Bloom gazed at Aisha and Stella for an explanation since they were also princesses of their realms, as Sky wasn't the only one who was royal. They would know all about kind of stuff much better than her. Bloom was still learning all the royal etiquette that Headmistress Faragonda insisted on her taking.
The redhead princess hadn't assumed that she would have to relinquish her crown, but rather take on both roles was the plan, right?
Sky had averted his gaze. It had made Bloom's stomach drop knowing that Sky was aware, but he hadn't even mentioned it or anything—but he made sure to brush it under the carpet.
Bloom nearly felt offended by Sky's gesture. "Aisha? Stella?"
Stella had offered Bloom a faint smile. "I mean it's pretty obvious Bloom. Honestly, I thought you and Sky discussed that last year?"
"In yours and Sky's case, it would be difficult to rule two planets at once and the chances of you and Sky, one day living together, now that would be considered to be impossible." Aisha had explained rather delicately.
Bloom blinked her sapphire eyes—she could easily see that everyone was giving her a nod. Silence had befallen her as she allowed the words to sink into her brain.
The redhead princess was aware that it could be difficult but hadn't considered the possibility of it being impossible. Bloom could see where the problem laid.
"These are the important questions that you should be talking to your parents about and to Bloom as well. Telling Bloom that you love her is simple and easy. Hugging her is easy. Reassuring her is easy. These are comforting words, Sky."
Bloom was rather surprised by her grandmother's words—eyebrows being raised at the thought of it.
"Do you really love Bloom? Or the idea of her being a way out for you to rebel against your parents' wishes?" Lassandra had asked the boy sharply.
"Mum!" Marion's green eyes had flashed accusingly, as the girl hadn't liked the sound of her mother's harsh tone.
"Darling, you need to ask these types of questions. It's necessary to know where Sky stands with your daughter Marion."
Sky had flashed both Bloom and Marion a smile, but his attention had turned back to Lassandra, his cheeks slightly turning a tinge red.
It was something that Sky had often thought about, but rather he had pushed it aside, until the time would come, then he would discuss the matter for Bloom.
Supposedly, he wanted to enjoy his freedom before upholding any royal responsibilities on Eracklyon.
Lassandra had a valid point in all this—sometimes all what Sky had wanted to do was avoid it entirely as it was easier for him. It was preferable.
"My feelings for Bloom are genuine. I love her with all of my heart." Sky had reaffirmed his feelings for his girlfriend with sparks burning in his eyes. In all of his life, Sky had never sent into cold sweats. Sweats that were trickling down the crane of his neck.
"I really hope what you're saying is true, because Sky if you dare try to attempt to break my daughter's heart for the third time, believe it or not, I will not forgive you and that would be end of the line for you." Marion's words were uncharacteristically harsh, but they spoke the truth. Her emerald eyes had ignited in a threatening way to make sure that Sky had understood and wouldn't dare break his intentions towards Bloom.
Nabu and Brandon had found it amusing—seeing Sky stiffen up and trying so hard to impress Bloom's family. They had stifled in their laughter, though Nabu was the one to record the whole thing on his phone for a safe keeping memory.
Sky had tossed Brandon a dirty glare for his mere suggestion.
The brown-haired specialist had raised his arms up in defense. "It was only a suggestion! You didn't have to take it, literally."
"You wanted this to happen, didn't you," Sky had muttered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Sky," Brandon casually shrugged, teasing Sky to no end.
Brandon was trying to contain his laughter within himself. It was priceless. If anything, it was about time that a certain prince charming would have a taste of his own medicine.
Oh, how sweet revenge could be. Brandon smirked.
Of course, Brandon had never forgotten the incident at Stella's Princess Ball—the way that Crown Prince Sky had the audacity to approach King Radius and had purposely blithered on over how Stella had a boyfriend.
Stella's father, King Radius hadn't taken him so lightly on that day, as he kept giving him harsh, dirty glares throughout the entire event. He personally had guards surrounding Stella which had made it utterly troublesome for Brandon to linger around the Solarian Princess much to Stella's distaste.
The hypership had entered the hemisphere of Planet Magix—giving a little off a bumpy ride as the atmospheric pressure had changed—everyone had been seated and buckled. Bloom had rolled her eyes at Stella's usual dramatic complaint whenever they would enter the planet's domain.
The ship was flowing a lot smoother in the air due to less turbulence.
"We have about twenty minutes before we approach the Golden Kingdom. I'm not sure if you girls want to transform into your Enchantix," Nabu had informed the girls—as he gazed through the window. They were approaching the location, as Nabu remembered some of the familiar landmarks in the forest.
Bloom, unlike the rest of the girls, was feeling quite nervous about meeting the council members for the first time. When her friends had left the Golden Kingdom—they had told her about their experience. Needless to say, it hadn't been so pleasant.
Bloom kept smoothing down her skirt, despite the fact that there was no obvious wrinkles on the velvety fabric. She hated the idea of being stressed out.
There was some kind of off-feeling about the entire thing. Something that Bloom couldn't quite place her finger on. It was gnawing at the back of her mind. A creepy sensation had washed over her.
"Bloom?"
Stella had gently touched Bloom's should as the girl snapped her head upwards to see her best friend gazing down at her with pity.
"It's going to be okay, B." Stella had tried to her best of efforts to comfort a distressed Bloom.
"I don't know Stel. I have a bad feeling about this," Bloom bit her lips.
"You have to remember we have your back, Bloom." Aisha chimed in, her teal-blue eyes shining with warmth. "You're not doing this alone. After all, we're the Winx."
If Bloom had wanted to laugh, she would've laughed her heart out for Aisha reminding her that they were the Winx. Her blue eyes would've sparked with much life, the delighted smile stretching across her face. But this feeling, this unknown shiftiness. . . it wasn't making her mood any better.
"I know."
"Anyways, we've got this! All you've got to do is stay back and relax."
Bloom had lifted an eyebrow.
Stella and Aisha hadn't known that she had completed her Enchantix yet. At least, this was something she could be delighted about. They hadn't even had the proper time to catch up.
"And who said, I can't miniaturize?" Bloom cracked a grin.
Stella's hazel eyes had gone wide, realizing Bloom's implications of words. "No way! That's actually a smart move, Bloom."
"Congrats Bloom! Now we don't have to worry about your spells backfiring on you, because let me say, that was really dangerous of you to attempt something like that," Aisha said.
"Are you ready, Bloom?" Stella asked, not tearing her gaze off Bloom.
Determination had sparked in her sapphire eyes—giving her a slight nod.
"I am."
"Well, then what are we waiting for!" Stella beamed brightly as the Solarian Sun. "It's showtime, ladies!"
The entire ship had dazzled in bright, warm, golden fairy magic that had wrapped all around the girls, as they had transformed into their full-fledge fairy forms—Enchantix.
Lassandra had winced painfully. It had been many years since she had last transformed into her full-fledge fairy form.
The woman had felt the ripple of her colorful wings that consisted of pastel purple with elements of pink and yellow through her body, tearing right through her shoulder blades. The brightly yellowed jewels hanging of her wings.
She could easily tell that she was going to end up being sore by tomorrow with some tinge of redness. It was common in first time fairies ever transforming into their basic form, or if a fairy hadn't transformed in several years.
The heat had rushed to Lassandra's cheeks—flushing brightly.
It had been far too long since she had worn anything revealing—always dressing in modest gowns. Her outfit had consisted of a strapless pink top with a pastel yellow ribbon that hangs off to her right side—with pearls attached—giving it an off-shoulder looking. Her skirt was multilayered in the shades of purple, pink, and yellow—also pearls were hung across her skirt dazzling—giving it radiance.
She was wearing translucent pink gloves that shimmered with matching coils that had wrapped all the way to her knees. Her long blond-hair was up in an elegant ponytail, with her side bangs having soft curls. Pearls were embedded into her hair and a small sliver tiara placed on her head.
Her fairy bust bottle was attached to her necklace in the shape of a heart—similar to Bloom's but it was more detailed with the beadings.
It had been so long since he'd seen his mother in her fairy form—well, he couldn't remember the vague details—since she had often used to be with little Marion, teaching her how to fly and how to use her fairy powers.
Alec had always known that his mother was beautiful, but seeing in her Enchantix as a young adult, Lassandra was radiant. Dazzling brightly like a diamond star in the darkened night.
Alec approached his mother and placed his arm around her shoulder, acting all protective of his mother. Lassandra rolled her eyes at her son's overprotective tendencies.
"You look really beautiful, Mum," he planted a kiss on her head.
The blond-haired woman could feel the heat rush to her cheeks. "Thank you, darling. You look just as handsome as your father."
Sky had appeared right at Bloom's side. "Ready?"
Bloom gave a nod.
She had glanced all around to see that everyone was all prepared.
Luna was a real definition of a moon goddess with her short rich blue silky Enchantix dress. Silver gemstones were scattered all over her dress sparkling due to catching the sun's golden rays. It appeared to Bloom that Brandon had manage to impress Luna who was giggling at whatever comment he'd uttered.
Stella's face had gone bright red.
Aisha, Nabu, and Niobe were sharing a friendly conversation with one another and that ended up with Aisha rolling her eyes a few times, while her mother struggled with fits of laughter in a polite manner.
Niobe's Enchantix' color scheme had complimented her skin and hair—with the richness of purple, blue, yellow, and a tinge of orange. Her wings were a deliciated seashell-shaped, sparkling.
The ship had finally made its landing which was nearby the location of the Golden Kingdom.
Marion and Lewis were at Bloom's other side. The redhead princess could feel her mother gripping her hand, trying to put her at ease.
It was a calm and bright day.
No tuff of clouds were in sight.
Memories had flooded Bloom's mind—recalling when she and the Winx along with the Specialists who first visited the place. It had made her smile.
They had walked up the stairs, up to the highest area of the large tree, only to Luna's, Marion's, and Niobe's shock of the tiny entrance and the strange language that was written across the double-doors.
"Only Magical Creatures of Noble Heart and Pure Soul May Enter!"
"What an odd language?" Niobe noted.
"So, I'm guessing this where we miniaturize, right?" Marion asked.
"Yup!" Stella smiled.
"Bloom, you can't remember?" Sky had tried to stop his girlfriend, recalling how last time when Bloom had used her fairy dust, it had no effect on her.
Bloom looked at Sky in eyes. A small smile blossoming on her lips. "Sky, I've completed my Enchantix, so that means I can miniaturize. Just trust me, alright?" she had given him a quick kiss on the cheek—winking at him.
"You're not going to keep us company Bloom?" Nabu quirked an eyebrow. "So, none of you ladies are willing to stay? We could sure use a company?"
"Not this time, Nabu," Bloom flashed back a smile, who seemed to have dramatically placed his hand to his heart as if he were offended.
It had made the girls giggle.
"That boy does have a great sense of humor. I could see why your father would take a liking to him," Niobe clicked her tongue, causing Aisha to only groan in response.
"I mean, I would stay if Radius were here. . .but he's not. I'm sorry guys! Plus, I'm curious about this place," Luna said.
"No worries!" Brandon waved back.
Bloom had uncapped her fairy dust-bottled and gently poured it over herself just like all of the girls. Her blue eyes had widen as she had felt the world all around get bigger—no correction, she was the one who's shrinking.
Her had had spun—it was almost like a dizzying-effect.
It had amazed Bloom as to how a tiny fairy would view the world and it was vastly big in her eyes.
The men that had surrounded them had looked like giant monsters who could easily squish them if they were to accidently step on them.
Alec was stunned by how tiny a fairy could get with her miniaturizing spell upon seeing his mother, sister, and young niece being smaller than a cat.
Bloom winced at the piercing voice.
"Yeah. It hurts when they talk because their voices are so loud, and the thing is they won't be able to hear us as much," Stella informed Bloom.
"Duly noted."
"Let's not waste any time, girls. I'm sure they would be expecting our visit." Lassandra enlightened. "They're not particularly fond of anyone being a minute late."
"Don't need to remind me," Stella said, cold shivers running down her back.
The seven Enchantix fairies had fluttered their way inside the small door—the entrance to the Golden Kingdom. The door had magically vanished when they were all inside, causing Niobe, Marion, Luna, and Bloom to turn back.
Bloom was admiring the vast place—almost like they were in space with a nice view of the sky fading from the brightest shade of violet, and there were thousands upon thousands of silver stars roaming around.
An enormous wave of positive energy had erupted.
"Whoa. Do you feel that? It's kind of like a celestial facial except it's though you're entire being," Luna said delightedly, enjoying this warm presence of magic.
Marion had her eyes closed, giggling. Marion was overjoyed by such sensation that she had never felt in her entire life. "Oh, it makes me feel like I'm floating on air!"
"Well, technically you are darling. In fact, we all are," Lassandra's once warm smile had slipped into a frown, upon witnessing her granddaughter flying through the soft clouds.
"I could live here forever!" Bloom chirped happily as if she had forgotten all of her problems of the universe, happily flying through the tuff of soft clouds.
"You could say that again! Really? Why go back to Solaria or any realm, really? This is the best place!" Luna exclaimed dazedly.
Stella and Aisha exchanged glances and turned to Lassandra for an explanation as to why Bloom, Marion, Niobe, and Luna were acting strange. The four girls were simply flying through the clouds and tossing cloud balls at one another?
It had left Aisha and Stella baffled.
It was as if Niobe, Marion, Luna, and Bloom had fallen for the beauty of the kingdom.
"It's because this is their first time being here and I believe they're being overwhelmed with the positive energy. I'm certain we all had the same experience when we arrived here, right?"
Aisha and Stella gave a simple nod.
"But we must snap them out of it, otherwise this would spell trouble." Lassandra had cautiously warned; her blue eyes weren't tearing off of Marion and Bloom.
Author's Note
Well. . . I'm back again! But honestly, this chapter was so fun for me to write especially Sky is being interrogated by Bloom's grandmother! I couldn't stop laughing when I was writing out that scene! Oh, one important thing you should note: the Elder of Council aren't necessarily wicked beings or evil, but rather they would do everything for the sake of good no matter the costs.
Anyhow, this chapter was going to be a lot longer, but I feel it would be necessarily in the finale chapter because I don't want to spill any major key points in this chapter (or the revelation). I might update the finale chapter either by the end of November or most likely by early December!
Omg! I'm gonna cry by the time I publish the last chapter! This is my first fic that I actually manage to complete! A sequel is in the works! Or at least the premise LOL
bex55: Yeah Fate was getting good by the end! Maybe Netflix would reconsider their decision, but if not, I guess I'm gonna be okay LOL. Oritel x Marion are so fun to write! :D
Bellchocolate: Don't worry about it! I also had a lot of things going for the past few weeks in university as well. You don't need to rush anything! This will always be here for you! :D Oritel's so thoughtful and considerate of his daughter! He loves her dearly and wants to give her the very best life! Marion (and maybe Oritel) working with Stella and Aisha omg, love the idea! It will be so fun to see that in the sequel! Radius teasing Erendor and Oritel about Sky and Bloom having babiesssss (omgggggg I'm so weak) I might just do that. *evil grins*.
I hope you had enjoyed this chapter!
Like always please leave your reviews and comments down below! I really do appreciate it and love to hear your thoughts about it!
Until Next Time!
