Posted February 20, 2022.
CHAPTER 22: THE PEACOCK OF SITA
On the Matter of the Realm of India
India is home to one of the largest populations of the fay. A land of many different cultures and religions, its fairies are as variable and numerous as its people. Magical creatures freely roam this fantastic land, and gods watch over as heroes and sages change the world as they know it. Its rich mythology and philosophy adds to the enchantment of this world.
According to the ancient stories, Mayura peacocks originated in India. These magical creatures have a thousand eyes, one per feather and two on their face. They have the power to control wind currents and purify the air. They are sylphs, creatures of the sky. They are extremely rare, however – rarer than all other types of fay.
Now that India has been invaded, the fay have declined.
– from the Book of Fay
Ayodhya, India
"Last week, four of the six captors were sighted again. This time it was in Mexico – near the ruins of Chichén Itzá, no less. This time, we have video evidence that they were with magical powers." The reporter turned to his assistant. "Roll the tape, please."
The video showed Layla, Tecna, and Bloom flying away from the van, Layla holding Musa's hand. Roxy's jaw dropped as she turned towards her friends, who were staring at the tape with open mouths.
The camera hadn't been able to capture the brightness of the fairies all that well; even with the flash on, they looked more like white shadows than real, actual fairies. Still, their wings could easily be made out, and they were clearly flying in the air. There could be no doubt to anyone who they were.
"I guess this conclusively proves who we are," Musa murmured. "Now humans have to know for sure that fairies exist on Earth."
"The fairies were flying away from the Mexican police," the reporter continued. "Rumor has it they were trying to release a couple of endangered birds from animal-smugglers. They caused plenty of damage to the smugglers, though." A photo showed the broken rooftop of the van, which Musa had punctured with Excalibur.
"Looks like humans are even more scared of us now," Roxy snorted. "Nice going, guys." Layla glared at her, but didn't comment.
"What is more," the reporter continued gravely, "the Mexican government has officially declared the existence of these fairies."
"Woo-hoo!" Chatta cheered, pumping her fist in the air. But Flora looked grim.
"Wait," she commanded.
"Therefore, the international public is advised to keep safe," the reporter continued. "Keep your children indoors and your doors locked. These women are certainly very, very dangerous, and have no qualms about ripping people apart."
"Great," Stella muttered. "Just what we needed."
Roxy couldn't help but agree. That week had been exhausting – they'd travelled all the way around the globe again to reach India, the second-to-last Realm. They'd gone everywhere, from the famous Taj Mahal to the Red Fort of Delhi. Nowhere could they find clues about the fay. Now they were near the city of Ayodhya, looking for clues.
"This city is famous," Layla turned the pages of the Book of Fay. "According to the Book of Fay, it's where the ancient king Rama and his wife, Sita, dwelled."
"Um… and who is Rama, exactly?" Stella asked.
"Rama is the main hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana," Layla explained. "He was said to be an incarnation of Vishnu, the protector god in Hindu mythology. His wife, Sita, is an Avatar of Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort."
"So what happened?" Bloom asked.
"According to the story, Rama was exiled from his birthplace Ayodhya due to his father's wife's cruelty," Layla answered. "He, his brother Lakshmana, and his wife Sita, left the kingdom for fourteen years' exile. Along the way, Sita was captured by the evil ten-headed king Ravana, who dwelled in the island of Sri Lanka. Rama assembled an entire army to march to Sri Lanka and rescue her. He won the war, killing Ravana by striking him in the navel."
Wow, thought Roxy. "So in other words, we'd be remiss to not search Ayodhya."
"That sounds about right," Tecna agreed. "I think we'd be wrong to not visit Sri Lanka, too."
"So how about this?" Bloom asked. "Roxy, Artu, Musa, and Layla – you stop here at Ayodhya. The rest of us will go to Sri Lanka, and see if we can find clues there."
"Sounds good," Musa agreed.
Twenty minutes later, the four of them were on the hot-air balloon, which was repaired thanks to Flora's hard work. Since the balloon was only travelling a short distance, they didn't need the help of a fire-fairy to keep the flame running. They landed on the outskirts of Ayodhya, gazing around.
The city, Roxy could tell, was enormous. Many people walked by the street, talking and chatting. The women wore beautiful sarees, silk cloth draped around their bodies, and salwar kameez, trousers with colored tunics. She could make out shops in the street, selling traditional Indian snacks and clothing. Still, she couldn't help but feel like this was the wrong environment for a fairy – after all, fairies would probably dwell in somewhere with a more natural habitat.
She pulled out the Black Circle, gazing through it. Through the Circle's eyes, she could see that the city was far more consolidated, with fewer people. "Wow," she breathed, gazing in awe.
In the eyes of the Circle, the city – or kingdom, as it had once been – was pristine and beautiful. Trees grew everywhere, and she could make out hills, rolling gently. "This is beautiful," she gasped.
"Let me see." Musa took the Circle. "Check out those hills!"
Roxy frowned, gazing with her normal vision. The hills and mountains still existed – they were the one green thing in the entire city. "That's where we have to go."
"Alright," Musa agreed. "Let's get going, then."
The helicopter landed in Kanyakumari, a city on the southernmost tip of India. The Pixies and the four women climbed out of the helicopter, gazing around at the sight before them.
A temple was erected, in honor of the goddess Kanyakumari, for whom the city was named after. The temple was a bright rose-pink – an unusual color for a temple, Cherie supposed, but one that filled the air with incredible vibrance.
"Legend has it the goddess Kanyakumari, an incarnation of Parvati, was to be married to Lord Shiva." Flora read from the sign on the door. "But he stood her up on her wedding day. In rage and sadness, she decided to forever remain unmarried. The wedding preparations were thrown into the water, which created the three sands of the shores of Kanyakumari."
Cherie turned around to gazed at the beach. Three different colored sands indeed washed up to shore – red from the Indian Ocean, blue from the Bay of Bengal, and black from the Arabian Sea.
She smiled, enjoying the beauty of the ocean. The Pixies let out gasps of amazement as well, staring at all of the beautiful colors and sights of the water.
"I've gotta say," Stella grinned, "this place rocks."
"Hey – what's that?" Bloom pointed in front.
Cherie stared ahead. A line of corals stretched ahead, bypassing many islands. In the distance, she could make out the island nation of Sri Lanka. Taking the Stone in her hands, she looked straight through it at the corals.
Instantly, everything ahead of her transformed. The corals became a land-bridge, one that extended all the way to Sri Lanka. She passed the Stone to Tune, who let out a gasp.
"There used to be land here!" she cried. "It connected to Sri Lanka!"
"Let me see." Bloom took the Stone. "Wow!" She stared ahead. "How was that land-bridge built?"
"Let's see." Tecna pulled out her phone. "According to mythology, the bridge was built by Rama's army. They needed to get to Sri Lanka so they could defeat Ravana. Humans and fay alike were part of Rama's army; all of them worked together to defeat the evil king of Sri Lanka."
That's amazing, thought Cherie. Bloom smiled.
"Alright everyone," she said. "Let's get back into the helicopter." She paused, before adding, "I think our mission just became a whole lot easier."
The green hills were absolutely stunning. Musa watched as they rolled on, creating beautiful mountains and peaks. The valley they stood in was lush, filled with trees. She stared at them, taking them all in with amazement.
She stared through the Black Circle. None of the grandiose beauty of the hills changed; if anything, they looked even more vibrant than before. Behind her, Roxy and Layla let out gasps of amazement.
"We're getting closer," she said, reading a sign nearby. "Apparently, this is where Rama and Sita came during their exile. Sita was thirsty, so Rama shot an arrow into the earth and water gushed out. She was able to quench her thirst thanks to her husband's bravery."
"Hmm." Layla felt the ground. "I can definitely sense some water underneath."
Musa frowned, gazing around. But somehow I don't think this is it. Sure, they were near Rama's birthplace, but that wasn't enough. I think it's Sita we need to track down. Turning to her friends, she asked, "Does anyone know anything about Sita?"
"Huh?" Layla looked at her with confusion. "Why would we need to know about her?"
"She's supposed to be a form of Lakshmi, right?" Musa said. "She might be related to the fairies somehow."
"But Rama is believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu," Roxy answered. "Surely he should have something to do with them?"
Musa frowned as she pored over the book, trying to figure out a place for them to go. I need to find a place relevant to Sita… Finally she found it. Pointing to the book, she read aloud.
"The temple of Valmiki, the writer of the Ramayana, was where Sita resided after her exile. It was there that she gave birth to Rama's two sons, twin boys. There, she raised them until they grew old enough to join their father by the throne. Narrating the story of her exile, she told Valmiki all about her journey, which he wrote down."
"I don't understand." Layla frowned. "Why didn't Sita stay here, in Ayodhya? Why did she have to leave?"
"Guess we'll find out." Holding Roxy's hand, Musa lifted up the Black Circle. "Take us to the temple of Valmiki!"
She gasped as they were ejected into the air, Layla flying close behind them. Together, they flew up to the air and out-of-sight.
The helicopter thundered over the Indian Ocean, flying quickly towards Sri Lanka. Cherie gazed out through the window, letting out a sigh.
She wished she could talk, the same way her Pixie companions could. Unfortunately, she had been mute since the moment she was born. She sighed, remembering the difficulties she'd gone through back at her home, the Sarasvata Village…
It was a still, peaceful day. The village was calm – all the pixies were playing happily in the sun, dancing together. She sighed, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the sun, feeling it warm her completely.
"Hey, Cherie!" A voice called. A black-haired pixie flew towards her, grinning. "Want to play ball?"
Cherie eagerly nodded, flying towards them. She caught the ball in her tiny hands, throwing them back. The pixies let out gasps of laughter, catching and throwing the ball at each other.
Cherie had never felt so content. Playing with her sisters, having fun with the ball together – it was a magical time. Nothing could ruin this day…
Just then, a rumbling sound sounded below them. The pixies stopped playing, staring around in surprise. The sound grew louder, and the ground began to shake.
"What's happening?" one of the pixies squealed.
Cherie didn't know. She stared as black shadowy creatures appeared out of the ground. They flew towards the pixies, their eyes grim.
"What's going on?" a pixie elder flew out of the cave. "What's going o" – she let out a gap as soon as she saw what was going on.
A shadowy creature immediately grabbed her, and she let out a screech. In horror, Cherie saw that several shadowy creatures had overtaken her sisters and mothers, capturing them. One of the creatures' eyes glinted.
"We're here under orders from Lord Darkar," he said, his eyes flashing. "We're here to take you all!"
Cherie gasped, terrified. Without thinking, she picked up her wings, flying straight out of the village and far, far away.
She'd ended up in Pixie Village a few hours later, out-of-breath and terrified. Ninfea had taken one look at her and immediately adopted her into the tribe. But still Cherie felt terrified, knowing what she'd done.
She'd abandoned her people when they'd needed her the most. Only a horrible person would do that. After all, the news came shortly back, announcing that all of the pixies there had died. All of them – gone in the blink of an eye… She leaned back, restraining herself from sobbing.
"Cherie?" a voice called. Amore was staring at her in concern. "Is everything okay?"
She nodded weakly, closing her eyes. I deserve to be punished for what I did… She knew that, no matter what she did, she'd ever be able to redeem herself.
"We're here," Bloom called. The fire-fairy opened the latch, nodding to everyone. "Let's go."
Cherie followed her sisters, straight out into the island. Suddenly, Bloom stopped in horror. "Oh no," she breathed.
Ogron was standing right in-front of them, a smirk on his face. He shot a white beam at them. Before they could move, he'd bound their arms; iron cuffs appeared on their arms.
"No!" gasped Stella, reverting back to her civilian form.
Cherie screamed as a net fell over her, trapping her and her sisters. "Let us out!" Chatta cried. Ogron smiled, shaking his head.
"I think it's time for a little field-trip."
Roxy stared down at the land below them. The Himalayan Mountains were green and white; while some parts were covered with rich vegetation, others were cold, covered in snow. The abode of the Hindu gods. According to mythology, the Hindu gods resided in the mountains, watching over the humans and fairies below.
The Black Circle flew them straight above Nepal. From what she'd read, Nepal was a predominantly Hindu kingdom, situated near India. It seemed that they'd have to go into Nepal to find the temple of Valmiki. The Black Circle descended them downwards, straight towards the temple.
Roxy gasped as they landed nearly on the ground. Feeling bedraggled, she stared at Musa and Layla, who were both looking exhausted. Layla landed on the ground, reverting back to her civilian form.
"That was a lot of flying," she announced. "I feel exhausted." Glancing up, Roxy gazed at the temple.
It was simply-built, a white building with two red roofs stacked on top of each other. The temple entrance was quaint and still. Leading her friends into the building, she pulled out the Black Circle.
She gasped. The temple was transformed into a refuge, a small hut with a few beds. It was simple, but beautiful at the same time. But that wasn't what astonished Roxy. Ahead of them was a glowing blue bird. She stared as she saw it, her jaw dropping to the floor.
The bird had a blue neck and body, and its feathers were blue, green, and red. Its eyes stared straight into Roxy's ahead. Then it spread out its feathers. The sight of rainbow feathers, with an eye on every single feather, was so gorgeous it made Musa and Layla cry out in shock.
"A peacock," Roxy breathed aloud. She walked up to the animal, touching it gently on its back.
The peacock gazed at her, his front eyes steady and wise. The other nine-hundred and ninety-eight eyes on his feathers all stared at her as well. A breeze blew around Roxy and the beast, binding them together in a moment of tranquility. She stared at the peacock, bowing low.
"Thank you for meeting us here," she whispered. "Who are you?"
"I am the Mayura," a soft, male voice appeared in her head. Though the peacock's lips didn't move, his voice clearly resonated in Roxy's head. "I am a sylph, a creature of the wind. My family lived around the time of Rama's attack on Sri Lanka, when he defeated Ravana and brought his wife back home. They watched over the battle, granting good luck to Rama as he fought the war."
"I've read about the Ramayana in the Book of Fay," Roxy answered. "According to the story, a god came to Earth disguised as a peacock, so he could defeat Ravana. Though he failed, it paved the way for Rama to defeat Ravana himself."
"Correct," he answered. "Though the gods do not have any role in the doings of humans and fairies, it is popular in mythology for them to appear themselves. I myself lived around that time as well, watching over Rama and Sita during their time on earth."
"So you are like a god yourself," Roxy murmured.
"Um, what's going on?" Musa stared forward.
"The Mayura – peacock – is speaking to me," Roxy answered. "He is saying he's a creature of the wind." She frowned. "How have you survived this long?"
"I hid here in the Himalayas for all this time, disguised as a vulture. I stayed out of the fight between the fairies and Wizards. However, my clan's presence has been well-documented. All of this is thanks to one very persistent researcher who spent a lot of time talking to me."
"A researcher?" Roxy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"There was this woman who found me during her travels. She made a connection with me as you made with me just now. She was someone who researched the fay her entire life."
Roxy gasped. "The Book of Fay?" she wondered aloud. Musa and Layla were staring at her as if she had two heads.
"What are you talking about?" Layla demanded.
"I think this peacock came across the woman who wrote the Book of Fay," Roxy answered. She snatched the book from Layla's hands. "Is this it?"
"Indeed; it looks familiar." The Mayura gazed at Roxy. "Why are you here?"
"We need the Indian eye," Roxy answered. "The last jewel of the Black Circle." She stared. "Do you have it?"
The Mayura didn't answer. His wings fluttered as he stared into Roxy's eyes, his intelligent gaze seeing everything. At last he spoke.
"I once came across a woman, exactly like you. She was hurt by the pain of abandonment. She had been kidnapped by the evil king Ravana of Sri Lanka, a cruel man who tried to hurt her. Her husband, Prince Rama of Ayodhya, rescued her; however, he believed that she had betrayed him and joined to Ravana's side. Sita hadn't done any such thing, and was desperate to prove him wrong.
"She walked into the forest alone. There she found me, drinking from a spring. She begged me to purify her and absolve her of all wrongdoing. Normally, I would refuse such a request, but I could tell that she was an innocent person, without any trace of evil in her heart."
Roxy nodded. "Then what happened?"
"I stared at her with my thousand eyes. And she stood in front of me, not in the least scared. I bowed down to her and told her that I would grant her any knowledge she wished for.
"She asked me how to prove herself in front of her husband. In response, I told her to erect a fire and walk through it, right in front of all the men. She was baffled by this, but did as I told her. I watched Rama's face change from disdain to shock as the coals turned to lotuses at her feet."
"That's amazing," Roxy whispered. "That must've been so beautiful."
"Sadly, that was not the end of her tale. I later found out that later, despite her purity, she was exiled by Rama from her kingdom anyways. Upon her death, she sunk into the earth. She was a great fairy, one who loved all her people."
Wait, what? "Sita was a fairy?"
"Yes," the Mayura answered. "She was, in fact, one of the first fairies to marry a human man. But that is not all. She was also the Faerie Queen of India."
Roxy gasped, amazed at that reveal. But she was still angry at how Sita was treated. "That's not right! Men can't justify treating women like that!"
"That is how it is," the Mayura answered sadly. "It is wrong that men such as Rama and Ravana abused their power."
"And people like them still abuse their power," Roxy fumed.
"That's right," a sneering voice sounded behind them.
Roxy turned around and let out a gasp. Ogron was standing before her, holding the gagged Bloom, Stella, Tecna, and Flora. The Pixies were bound as well. Ogron laughed, lifting a sphere in his hands.
"This ends now!" he declared. "It is time for you fairies to be annihilated!"
Cherie lay still in her binds, weakened and horrified. Outside, she could hear the sound of battle; Roxy, Musa, and Layla had unleashed their weapons and magic. She tried to break free of the net, but to no avail.
Help me! she wanted to cry. Get me out of here!
She tried pushing against the net, but it was no use. The other Pixies cried out in terror as they heard their bonded fairies fighting, but to no avail.
"What are you doing?" Roxy faced Ogron, rage in her eyes. The Wizard smirked.
"I am Ravana," he announced, "king of Sri Lanka. And soon to be the vanquisher of all fairies!"
"You're Ravana?" Musa gasped in rage. "But you're supposed to be dead!"
"Rama thought he'd killed me," Ravana answered, "but I was only weakened. Anyhow, his silly woman abandoned her people. Once she disappeared into the earth, I was able to take over her fairy people and lock them in Paradise!"
"We won't let you get away with this!" Roxy shot a spell at Ogron, narrowly missing his head.
Cherie stared around at the net. She knew she had to be brave and save her sisters and her bonded fairy. She gazed down at herself, closing her eyes.
All her life, she'd let others do the hard work for her. She'd allowed others to sacrifice themselves for her, and had been cowardly herself. But now she knew she could not do it. She closed her eyes, feeling her magic light up within.
I choose to be brave. She burst through the net, the other Pixies staring at her as she flew upwards, a new energy lighting within her. She faced Ogron, sending out a spell at him.
"What?" he gasped, rage in his eyes. "You dare defy me, pixie?" He shot a white spell at her.
Suddenly, her entire body was electrified. Agony coursed through her limbs, and she let out a piercing cry, pain bursting through every nerve. The roaring sound of static filled her ears.
She was screaming in pain. This was death, she knew it – she was dying from agony. This was it for her, the very end –
Then numbness set in. The pain exploded, disappearing into oblivion. She closed her eyes, allowing the darkness to take over her sight.
"No!" Roxy glared at Ogron, distraught. "You didn't!"
"I think I just did," Ogron smiled, revealing sharp teeth. Cherie lay motionless on the ground.
Musa glared at him, wanting nothing more than to rip Ogron from limb-to-limb. She lifted Excalibur, facing him head-on.
"You'll pay for this," she snarled. She ran straight at Ogron.
But the Wizard simply smirked, disappearing into a white shadow. She stared in disbelief as the Wizard bore down on her, light spells filling his eyes.
"You're all weak," he laughed. "Now it's time to destroy this place, and take you down for once and for all!"
Suddenly, the peacock burst forward. With astonishing speed, he flew directly towards Ogron, ready to fight. He was going to kill him, Musa knew, and then it would all be over.
It happened so quickly Musa couldn't even blink. Ogron stepped neatly aside, and slashed the peacock's body with a white spell. The peacock fell to the ground, blue blood spurting from his body. He lay deathly still.
"No!" Musa and Layla shouted at the same time. Ogron laughed.
"That was easy," he smirked. "Now it's time to take care of you!" He shot a spell towards Roxy, ready to destroy her for once and for all –
"No!" Musa leapt in front of Roxy, taking the blow that was meant for her. She gasped, collapsing on the ground.
The white electricity zapped through her, exposing every part of her skeleton. Distantly, she heard the peacock's cry. Pain, worse than she'd ever experienced in her life, shot straight through her body and skull –
And then, quite suddenly, it disappeared. Blinking, she stared around as she came into the light.
She was in a pink cocoon. Pink sparkles covered her naked body, giving way to a red-and-yellow saree. A yellow topaz adorned her breast and forehead. Silver wings grew out of her shoulder-blades, with swirls and patterns on them. My Etherix! She let out a gasp as the cocoon disappeared, and stared at Ogron.
The Wizard's face was filled with hatred. He ran at Musa, shouting, "You imbecile" –
He never finished his sentence. The other Winx had cut themselves out of their binds, and freed the Pixies as well. Now all of the Winx crowded around Musa, Roxy, Cherie, and the peacock, glaring at Ogron.
"Leave right now," Bloom commanded, "unless you want to face our wrath."
Ogron glared at them, but clearly, he knew he was outmatched. "Bye," he snarled. Disappearing into a white shadow, he left them behind.
"Cherie!" Roxy wailed. "No!"
The Pixie lay motionless on the ground. Flora ran up to her, gently placing her hand on her forehead.
"She's alive," she whispered. "But only just."
"I can't lose you," Roxy sobbed, holding Cherie tight to her chest.
Suddenly, she heard a voice come to her head. "Roxy… please come here"…
Roxy turned and stared at the Mayura. He lifted his head up, gazing sorrowfully at Roxy. Flora ran to heal him, but the Mayura grunted.
"It won't work," he whispered. "I am going to die."
"Why?" Roxy cried. "Why is this happening?"
"Because this is the natural order of things," the Mayura answered. "Listen, my brave young maiden. You are powerful, more powerful than you realize. You are going to lead all of fairykind into a great era of glory. I know you will survive." He lifted his wings.
A purple amethyst rose from a feather, flying into the Black Circle. Musa held the Circle, staring as the eye flew into the final slot. The Circle gleamed purple once, then turned black again.
"We did it," Musa whispered bleakly. "We found the six eyes."
The peacock let out a shuddering breath. "Goodbye." He let out an exhale, and then his body lay still, rivers of blue blood soaking the ground.
Next chapter:
– Krithi goes through the Test of Earth.
– Riven is released from rehab.
