Posted November 21, 2021.


CHAPTER 9: THE STONE OF DESTINY

On the Matter of the City of Falias

The city of Falias is a location of one of the four Treasures of the Tuatha dé Danann. It is located on the north coast of the Emerald Isle.

Its treasure, the Stone of Destiny, is the most valued of all. It can heal any natural environment and bring beauty to the world. Only a true leader can hold this Stone.

– From the Book of Fay


Giant's Causeway, United Kingdom

Stella frowned as Tecna steered the helicopter through the skies. They were in Northern Ireland now, which was a part of the United Kingdom. She let out a sigh, gazing over the land below.

The Giant's Causeway was a hill made out of several basalt columns. It towered over the cliffs of the sea, in a rugged yet beautiful formation. The Winx let out gasps as they saw the unique rock-formations.

"Wow!"

"Incredible!"

Stella gazed at the rocks in awe. She had never seen such beautiful rocks before, certainly not on Solaria. She smiled, enjoying the natural beauty of the Giant's Causeway.

"This must be where the Stone of Destiny must be located," Flora said. "Only question is – how are we going to find it?"

Stella frowned, gazing at the rocks ahead. According to legend, the Giant's Causeway was built when two giants battled each other. Before the great battle, one of them built the Causeway as a bridge to the land he would head to for battle. Tecna read aloud information about the Causeway on her phone.

"About fifty million years ago, a volcanic eruption occurred in this area," she said. "Molten basalt flowed through chalk beds, creating a volcanic plateau. As it cooled, it formed these columns."

"That's amazing," Stella said, staring at the rocks ahead of her. She frowned, staring across.

She thought she could see a strange light coming from under one of the rocks. Could that be… She leapt onto a flying-saucer, heading out of the helicopter and towards the rock. Amore followed.

Soon, they reached the rock that was glowing. She let out a gasp of amazement as she turned over the rock, noticing a tunnel leading downwards. She turned towards her friends.

"I have to go there," she said. Opening the tunnel, she headed into the hole.


Roxy watched as Stella and Amore headed into the tunnel. "I'm not going anywhere," she declared. "Not underground, thank you. I'm just gonna sit here." She sat by the tunnel, her arms crossed. Artu lay down on her lap, woofing at the Winx."

"We're not leaving you alone, so you can forget about it," Bloom said. "Come on. We're going down the tunnel."

"I told you I'm not going," Roxy snapped. "You'll have to drag me by force."

"Well, we're not going to do that," Flora answered awkwardly. "Please just come with us, Roxy. It'll make life easier."

Roxy snorted. "For you, probably." She glared at the sea, which crashed on against the rocks.

She wished she could just go back to school. If they let me go home, I promise I won't beat anyone up anymore. A twinge of anger filled her heart as she remembered those times.

She remembered her first expulsion from school. It had been from a Catholic girls' school, and she'd been forced to withdraw. All because of one stupid girl, whom she'd been foolish enough to trust…

"I have a question for you," her friend said as they reordered the books in the shelf.

They had just finished lessons for the day, and were now cleaning the shelves for their English teacher. Although Roxy's spoken English was decent, she struggled to read the language, especially when its words were written so differently from the way they were pronounced. She gazed over at her friend, who was effortlessly alphabetizing the books.

Gilda was the kind of girl who looked utterly sweet. She had soft brown hair that fell down her shoulder in waves, and a heart-shaped face that just looked so honest and kind. She spoke both Italian and English with ease, and always teased Roxy due to her lack of proficiency in the latter language. Roxy gazed at her, admiring her silently as she looked at the books.

She wouldn't admit it, but she thought Gilda was pretty. Prettier than most other girls, in fact. There was something about her that was just so charming, something that made her heart clench and her lips stutter. An odd feeling rose in her throat just at the sight of her, how beautiful she was…

"What is it?" Roxy asked, trying to send the nervousness down her throat.

"Well, I was just wondering something," Gilda said. She was sitting on the floor, and patted the ground next to her. "Come sit."

Roxy sat down, gazing at her friend. She had a sly look in her eyes as she grinned at Roxy. Roxy knew that sly look, and it warmed her heart – even while sly, Gilda still found a way to look cute.

"I was just wondering," Gilda said – and then she leaned closer, almost whispering the words – "have you ever kissed a girl?"

As soon as she said that, Roxy's heart thudded. She stared blankly at Gilda, asking, "What do you mean?"

"I'm just wondering," Gilda said, with an exaggerated air, "what it would feel like."

Roxy frowned. In her eleven years on the earth, she had never imagined that a girl could kiss a girl. It simply hadn't been something that she'd thought to be possible. On TV, girls and boys were in relationships together, but they never mingled with the same sex. But now, what this girl was suggesting seemed completely impossible.

"I" – Roxy began to sweat. She looked around, without meaning to, staring to see if anyone was around.

"Come on," Gilda grinned. "I dare you to kiss me. I want to know how it'd feel."

Roxy gazed at Gilda, at the cute dimple on her cheek, at her curly, lustrous brown hair. A rush of heat ran through her, and she found herself involuntarily leaning forward. Nervously, she placed her lips on Gilda's, not sure what to do after that.

Gilda's lips were rough and cold. She gasped in amazement as they sucked hers, pulling them towards hers. She wanted to pull away, but didn't want to hurt Gilda's feelings. She sat there, indecisive, wondering what to do.

A door opened. She immediately shot back, staring upwards, but it was too late. Her English teacher was glaring down at them, a livid expression on her face. Gilda immediately scrambled up, pointing at Roxy.

"Signora," she shouted, "this girl forced herself upon me! It's her fault!"

"What?" gasped Roxy, glaring at Gilda. "You're the one who" –

"She attacked me!" Gilda yelped. "We need to take care of her right now!"

"Signorina O'Sullivan, what I've seen here is very disturbing," the teacher said very severely. "Acting in – gay – conduct," she said this with a grimace on her face – "is absolutely unacceptable. You will come with me to the headmistress's office, who will deal with you promptly!"

Fury, the same one she'd felt when Artu had been attacked, overtook her. She thought back to all the times the boys during class had called her "gay", and now finally understood what it meant. I'm not gay. Without meaning to, she found herself knocking Gilda to the ground.

Gilda yelped as Roxy kicked, punched, and scratched her, angrily clawing at her face. I'm going to ruin that beautiful face… she'll never be pretty again! She continued to beat her up, ignoring her yells and screams…

"Roxy!" Musa was standing in her face. "Look, Stella and Amore have already gone under. We need to" –

Suddenly, a shout sounded behind them. "There she is!"

Roxy whirled around instantly. "Are you freaking kidding me?" she shouted. Ogron and his Wizards were flying towards them, smirks on their faces.

"Is that any way to greet us?" Ogron asked smoothly. "It's quite simple, honestly." He smirked at Roxy. "Hand yourself over, and we'll let your friends go."

"They are not my friends!" Roxy snarled. "And neither are you!" Terror rose through her throat as Ogron smirked.

"So then," he said, lifting his hands. "Prepare to face my wrath."


"This place is creepy," Amore shuddered as they headed through the tunnel.

Stella had to agree. Underground did not suit her – or her complexion. She gazed down at the city ahead of her, and let out a gasp.

The city of Falias was shrouded in darkness. She could make out pumice formations and stone columns there, too. She stared at the center of the town-square, taking it all in.

The people of the city were milling around. She frowned as she saw a man in dark robes walk up to her. "Hello, traveler," he greeted her. "I can tell you are a very powerful being." Stella smiled.

"I'm the princess of Solaria," she said, "another planet far off from Earth." She grinned. "And a pretty fashionable one at that, too" –

"I have heard about you and your friends," he said. "Three out of the four of you have claimed treasures. This test, however, will not be so easy."

"What do you mean?" Stella groaned.

"You will have to act like a true leader," he said. "That is all I can tell you."

Suddenly, the earth began to shake. Stella let out a gasp, nearly falling down. The people of Falias let out cries of shock.

"An earthquake!"
"What are we going to do?"

Stella wished, more than anything, that she could fly. She would be able to zip out of this place in no time. She stared upwards, and let out a gasp of horror.

The earth was falling from the ceiling.

Stella knew they only had a few more minutes before the whole city collapsed. She turned towards the people in the town square, who had gathered and were gazing at her with terrified eyes. "What do we do?" they cried.

Why are you looking at me? Stella wanted to say. True, she was a princess, but she'd never led an expedition like this. She swallowed, turning towards the people.

And suddenly, it clicked. I have to be strong and lead these people out. She nodded to them.

"All right," she said. "Is everyone out of their houses?" Most people nodded.

"Then let's go," she decided. "Children, expecting mothers, and elders first – march!"

The first group of people ran out towards the tunnel, fear in their eyes. Stella turned towards the man, who nodded encouragingly. "You're doing great." She turned towards the rest of the people, shouting, "Now it's your turn!" She led the group of people towards the exit.

Soon they were all at the tunnel. To Stella's surprise, the group that had gone first was crowded around the tunnel, grinning at her. The walls, ceiling, and ground suddenly stopped shaking. She stared at them, asking, "What happened?"

"You passed the test," the man from before told her, walking up to her. "All of the people who've come here before, seeking the Stone of Destiny, have run for their own lives, leaving the people behind. You are a true leader." He held out an item in his hands. "You've earned this."

Stella stared at a large yellow crystal that he held in his hands. "Thank you," she breathed, taking it in her hands. The man smiled.

"I wish you nothing but success," he said. Biding farewell to her, she headed up the tunnel, waving as she exited up to the light.


"You won't win!" Bloom and Layla both drew their weapons, challenging the Wizards to a fight. Musa grabbed her bow and arrow, frowning at Roxy.

"Get behind me," she hissed. To her amazement, the fairy actually complied. Musa faced Gantlos, her eyes filled with anger.

"Don't you dare attack her," she snarled. Behind her, Flora held the Cauldron of Dagda, frantically brewing healing potions inside. Gantlos smirked.

"You fool," he laughed. And then he shot a dart of white energy at Musa.

Musa screamed as she was blasted back, straight against the helicopter. She looked up, staring at the rest of her friends.

They'd all been tossed backwards, too. Defeat was in their eyes as the Wizards stood over them, laughing. Ogron turned towards Roxy.

"That was quick," he smirked. He was about to link hands with his Wizards, when suddenly, a brilliant yellow light shined. Musa turned around, and had a shock.

Stella was walking towards them, the Stone of Destiny in her hands. She pointed it straight at the Wizards, who yelled in shock as she turned it on them. A brilliant yellow light shot them back. Layla let out a cheer.

"Hooray for Stella!" she shouted. The Winx let out a cheer.

"Come on," Musa said, grabbing Roxy's arm. "Let's go before the Wizards recover!"

They all ran into the helicopter. Musa stared at the Wizards, who were still blinded. She smirked, leading Roxy inside. Tecna stared the engine, and then, they were off.


Next chapter:

Tecna finds the Stone of the Sword.

The Winx go to Trevena Village.