Posted March 27, 2022.


CHAPTER 27: ELDORA'S SECRET

On the Matter of the Faerie Queens

The Faerie Queens each have sovereignty over one of the Seven Realms. They have total jurisdiction over the fay who live there, and work together with human leaders to ensure human progress doesn't get out-of-control. There are lesser Faerie Queens and Ladies, though they rule smaller courts and jurisdictions. The Faerie Queens directly report to the High Faerie Queen, who ensures that balance is maintained between the queendoms.

– From the Book of Fay


Gardenia, Italy

"Well, isn't this a nice little flight?" Eldora asked cheerily as they flew over the ocean.

Roxy gazed over at Layla and Tecna, who were sitting next to Eldora in the wagon. The elderly woman had been thrilled when the Winx had offered to take her with them to Gardenia. She'd immediately accepted the offer, flying in with them over the world.

Roxy turned her head over to Krithi, who was riding her horse, Chai. The white horse helped Aonbharr pull the wagon. It had been decided that Krithi would be allowed to ride alongside them to Gardenia; then, they'd figure out what to do with her.

Bloom had quite a few words of caution for the fairy researcher.

"The world is gonna look totally different than it did when you left it," she explained to Eldora. "There's so much of industrial development, and there are these things called cars and computers, which are used by modern-day humans. Everything is also much faster-paced than it was when you were alive" –

"I'm sure it'll be no problem," Eldora said breezily. "Nothing to worry about."

Roxy sighed, shaking her head. She's gonna go crazy once seeing the real world… They flew past the clouds, until they came in-sight of Gardenia.

As predicted, Eldora's eyes bugged out as soon as she saw the city. "What are – those?" she cried, pointing to the large buildings.

"Skyscrapers," Bloom explained. "Think of the castles you saw during medieval times. Now, imagine them a thousand times bigger."

"My word – and what are those long gray lines that run along the earth?" Eldora cried.

"They're roads," Layla said. "Built for cars – think of those as metal horses, except they don't really look like horses, I guess. It's so they can travel smoothly."

"And that?" Eldora pointed to the planes flying in the air.

"They're – well, think of them as birds," Tecna said awkwardly. "Except they're bigger than birds, and they carry humans. Humans are able to get from place-to-place with those things."

"My word," Eldora repeated. Then she let out a grand chuckle. "Magnificent!"

Roxy sighed, lowering her head. The events on Paradise had left her completely drained, and she couldn't help but feel weakened from her long, exhausting struggle to free the fay. The cruel, vicious fay, who would soon lay waste to the world. And one of them happened to be her – mother.

It's not true, she told herself defiantly. It's just a sick joke. I don't have a mother.

Still, she couldn't deny that there was a sort of likeness between her and Morgana. The High Faerie Queen had understood when Roxy was feeling low. She'd appeared to her in dreams, convincing her that everything was going to be all right, and showing her the way through the world. And now, she had betrayed her; instead of spreading love and compassion, she'd spread violence and hate.

Then again, it wasn't as if Roxy was in much of a position to talk. Her own violence, she knew, had hurt many people. Even though many of those people had deserved it, she couldn't help but feel ashamed. She'd displayed so many violent traits throughout her childhood that she had been sent to therapy, forced into anger-management classes, punished by her father, and expelled from schools. The last five years of her life had been nothing short of a nightmare.

And now her mother was exhibiting the same traits. Like mother, like daughter, people would say. It would soon become apparent that Roxy was not only a fairy – she was also the High Faerie Queen's daughter. And they'll hate us all for it. She let out an exhausted sigh.

Soon they landed in front of the Winx and Mirta's apartment. It was a good deal larger than the Specialists' apartment, which only housed four people: Sky, Brandon, Timmy, and Nabu. Their apartment had three bedrooms – Bloom and Flora, Musa and Tecna, and Stella and Layla. Mirta slept on the living-room couch. The Pixies roomed alongside their bonded-fairies, Cherie sleeping in Musa and Tecna's room. They landed there, pushing open the door.

"Welcome back!" a cheer sounded. Staring inside, Roxy let a gasp as soon as she saw what was ahead of them.

The Specialists and Pixies had hung rainbow streamers in the common-room of the apartment. Artu was happily playing with a balloon, woofing as he knocked it over. Klaus, Roxy's father, had put together a bunch of smoothies and drinks for the Winx, as well as a huge rainbow cake that read "FREEDOM FOR THE FAY!" in big capital letters. Klaus immediately ran up to his daughter, grabbing her in another hug.

"Um, Daidí?" Roxy couldn't keep the tremor out of her voice. Eldora cheerfully walked up to the table, pointing to the cake. "What's that?"

"Do you think cake existed in the Middle Ages?" Stella whispered to Musa, who merely shrugged.

"What's the matter?" Klaus released his daughter from the hug, staring at her in concern. The Specialists stopped laughing, expressions of confusion on their faces. Sky pointed to Eldora.

"Who are you?" he asked. Eldora smiled.

"I am the author of the book she holds in her hands," she said, gesturing to Bloom, who was holding the Book of Fay. "My name is Eldora."

"And I am Krithi Venkatesan," Krithi added. "I was once with the Wizards of the White Circle, but have now defected and joined your side."

"And how do we know that?" Nabu's eyes were narrowed. "How do we know you're not spying for them?"

"We saw her stab a Wizard with a knife." Now it was Musa who spoke. "I think she's on our side."

"So what happened?" Brandon asked.

"The Earth fairies have been freed," Roxy burst out. "And they're – they're planning to attack."

"Attack who?" Klaus asked blankly.

"Humans," Roxy responded. "For not believing in them for so many years. They want to punish humanity for disrespecting them, with all the industrialization and everything that's gone on since the medieval times."

"But that means" – Tune looked horrified.

"We should never have freed them." Now Roxy felt pain fill her stomach. "All they want is their stupid vengeance. It's my fault this is gonna happen."

Musa placed her hand on Roxy's shoulder.

"It's not your fault," she said. "None of this is. You didn't know this was going to happen – none of us did."

"But I was the Last Fairy on Earth," Roxy pointed out. "I'm the one who freed them."

"Still not your fault," Stella declared. "We're just gonna have to find a way to stop them from tearing the world apart."

"That won't happen," Eldora said, still in the same infuriatingly cheerful voice. "The fay are too powerful, and their wrath is too great." She let out a delighted laugh. "Oh, I can't wait to see it!"

That was it. Roxy glared at Eldora; her fists clenching, she stormed up to her.

"So you think it's okay that a group of sicko monsters are ready to tear us apart?" she yelled. "All of humanity could be devastated? And you're just standing there laughing?"

"Well, I do like to see Warrior Fairies in action," Eldora answered cheerfully. "So much more documentation to make, so much more to learn about the fairies! Just look at all the information I could collect" –

"Enough!" Klaus said sharply. "Roxy, step away from her."

Horror rose through Roxy's throat. I'm becoming like Morgana. In fear of her own self, she stepped away. Flora stepped forward, gazing at the Specialists and Pixies.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but it doesn't seem like our mission is anywhere near over yet. We've still gotta stop the fairies from tearing Earth apart" –

"And you've done a wonderful job so far," Mirta interrupted, putting her arm around Flora. "Now come on. Eat."

With a sigh, the Winx and Roxy sat down around the table, Klaus cutting generous slices of the cake. Eldora giggled as she hungrily tore the cake apart with her fingers, not touching the fork Klaus gave her. "This is delicious!" she grinned, her mouth full of cake.

Roxy glanced over at Layla, who looked repulsed. Of course Eldora didn't eat with a fork – they hadn't existed in medieval times, after all. Let's hope she doesn't do the whole showering-once-a-year thing, too. The group sat together, each Winx in her own thoughts.


To everyone's surprise, Eldora adapted quite quickly to the new, more industrial world. The Winx took her in to their apartment, showing her around and teaching her how to follow more modern customs. First they started slow, with simply walking around the neighborhood – then they started taking her with them to stores and restaurants. Then, Musa was brave enough to show her the Internet. The elderly woman's eyes grew wide as she stared at the computer-screen, her mouth gaping.

"This is incredible," she cried. "All this information stored in this shining box! So much to read, to study!" But then she grew sad as she gazed at all the information about fairies.

"There is nothing," she said sadly. "People have forgotten about the fay's existence."

Musa glanced at the computer-screen. The most recent information was about the Winx fairies and their press-conference. That was all there was for information about fairies. She let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"We're gonna get them to believe in us," she promised. That is, if the Earth fairies don't ruin it for us.

She gazed at the sword Excalibur, which lay on her bedside. She picked it up, polishing it once before placing it back into its case.

She couldn't help but feel as if Roxy had been rather selfish. The previous day, she'd slapped her own mother across the face, yelling at her for abandoning her, when it hadn't even been Morgana's fault. Musa could see the pain in Morgana's face as her own daughter had publicly disowned her, storming away. An ache had formed in Musa's own thoughts, as she remembered her own mother from years before.

It was true that hers and Roxy's situations were not the same. However, she also wished that Roxy would soon come to appreciate that she still had a mother in this world. That she had a mother who would always help her, and clearly, be in her corner. One who would cherish the bond they had together.

"Hi, Musa and Eldora!" she heard behind her. The rest of the Winx had just entered in through the door, coming home from their jobs. It had been decided that they would take up the jobs that had been offered to them before they had become fugitives, travelling around the world. That way, they'd be able to pay the rent and have enough food to sustain themselves, without worrying about anything. Unfortunately, since the public knew about their magical powers and everything, they were often mobbed by press and civilians on their way to and from work. Bloom, Stella, Flora, Tecna, Layla, and Roxy sat around the table.

"The Specialists are here," a voice called. Sky, Brandon, Mirta, Timmy, and Nabu entered in through the front door, walking up to the women. Immediately, each Winx put her arms around her partner, while Roxy made sarcastic, yet amused, retching noises. All the Pixies except Tune laughed at Roxy's mock-disgusted expression.

Watching the other Winx reunited with their partners created an ache in Musa's heart. She still couldn't help but remember what Riven had done, and how he'd left her. She stared down at her feet, her eyes half-closed.

"Smooching's over," Roxy said. "Whaddya here for?"

"We're here to ask Eldora about the fay," Flora said, finally disentangling her arms from around Mirta. "What we can do to stop them from taking over the world. What do we need to do?"

"It's quite simple, dearie," Eldora answered. "Learn more about the people you're fighting."

"Well, how do we do that?" Stella asked.

In response, Eldora opened the Book of Fay. Her eyes brightened as she gazed at the thick, yellowed pages, and a smile appeared on her face. She glanced up at the young women and men.

"When I was a girl, growing up in what you now call Ireland," she explained, "there was a plague. The Black Death took the lives of my family, and my entire village, too. I was the sole survivor."

"Wow," Musa stared at Eldora, taken aback with amazement and sadness. "That must've been horrible!"

"Well, it was certainly a struggle," Eldora responded, still in the same bright tone. "But do you know what, dearies? I've learned to find the good in the bad. A court of fairies took me in – why, none other than Faerie Queen Áine's, the Faerie Queen of Ireland – and taught me the ways of the fay. It soon fascinated me, much to the point where I decided to travel the world, finding clues about different Faerie Queendoms.

"Throughout my journey, I learned that, in the rest of the world, the fay had disappeared. For a period of about a millennium, war was raged against the fay; queendom by queendom, they were rounded up and marched to Paradise, where they remained in stasis. I soon discovered that the fay had been locked away by five human men – Apep, Shi Yong, Zahhāk, Ravana, and Merlin" –

"The Wizards of the White Circle!" Roxy burst out.

"My word, you are clever!" Eldora sounded delighted. "You do know about them!"

"Trust me, we know all about them," Layla said dryly, not sounding at all flattered. "But I never understood: how did they become so powerful, if they're merely humans?"

"Fairies are not the only beings who have magical powers," Eldora answered. "Fairy power is passed down through genetics, which is much more powerful. Humans, though, can channel lesser power through intense study – and emotion. Their powers are strongly built on emotion – in the Wizards' case, the emotion of hatred and anger."

"Okay," Flora said. "So, what happened when you came across the Wizards?"

"The Wizard of Light attacked," Eldora answered. "Having defeated his nemesis, Morgana le Fay, he locked me in Paradise, in stasis, along with the rest of the fay. I spent a thousand years next to some of the most powerful beings on Earth!" She sounded delighted.

"Um – okay," Brandon sounded awkward. "So, you're saying that the Irish civilization of fairies was the last to be locked away?"

"Correct," Eldora answered brightly.

"Okay," Bloom said. "How did the Wizards even manage to lock you away in the first-place?"

"Well, the queendom of Paradise is very fragmented," Eldora answered. "For one, its name varies amongst the people. The Irish call it Tír na nÓg. The Greeks call it Atlantis, Egyptians call it the Benben Lands, Chinese call it Xuanpu, Iranians call it Peristan, Mayans call it World's End, and Indians call it Mount Meru" –

"We get the point, thanks," Layla interrupted. "So, do you think you could help us with something?" Pulling out a loose-leaf page from the Book of Fay, she handed it to the fairy-researcher.

"This is a prophecy, from the Gallizenae," Bloom explained. "There are some parts we just don't understand. Would you be able to help us?"

"Surely!" Beaming, Eldora read the prophecy to herself. When she finished, she handed the paper back to Layla.

"The meaning is quite simple," she said. "When the sins of humanity reach an all-time low, seven heroines will rise to save the world. The world will fall unless there is a sacrifice, and balance is restored."

Roxy frowned. This doesn't sound very good… "What do you mean, sacrifice?"

"I don't know," Eldora answered simply. Roxy growled.

"You know, it'd be more helpful if your intuition could be a bit more spot-on," she muttered.

"What about the oak and holly?" Layla asked, ignoring Roxy's jab.

Eldora smiled. "You don't know about the story of the oak and holly kings?" she asked. "On the Midwinter and Midsummer's Eves, the oak and holly king fight for dominance. The oak king wins on the winter solstice, reigning over longer days and warmer weather; the holly king wins on the summer solstice, reigning over shorter days and colder weather."

"Hang on a minute," Tecna said slowly. "We already faced the end of the world on the winter solstice. The summer solstice, which is coming up" –

"Is when we'll have to face something!" Bloom finished for her. "The world will fall, unless we do something about it!"

"You mean unless someone makes a sacrifice," Layla added grimly.

"Does that mean that one of us is going to – die?" Musa couldn't help but feel a little scared.

"Oh, it could very well mean that," Eldora answered, not at all fazed. "But I wouldn't worry about it just yet. We have plenty of work on our hands before then." She smiled. "For example, that little press-conference you have settled this afternoon."

Musa recalled that the Winx had been called for a press-conference in Rome. They would be flying over there in their helicopter, which was now very well-renown. Timmy stepped forward. "So, how do we stop Morgana from her revenge?"

"I've taken a look at Eldora's notes on the six Faerie Queens," Flora answered. "From what it seems, the Faerie Queens are allegiant to the High Faerie Queen. However, they do have sole jurisdiction over their own realms."

"So – if we slowly win them over to our side, we'll be able to put a stop to Morgana's revenge," Bloom realized.

"But how are we going to get them on our side?" Mirta couldn't help but sound a bit defeated.

"It would seem that this mission is impossible," Eldora answered, still in that same infuriatingly cheerful tone. "However, there is a way. On the Day of Wheels, which occurs between May Day and Midsummer's Eve, any fairy can enter the Trial of Queens – a battle against each of the seven Faerie Queens. If you manage to defeat them all, you can demand one request of the High Faerie Queen."

"But those fairies are way more powerful than us," Flora pointed out. "They've had hundreds of years' worth of experience. We can't defeat them."

"You have the power of Etherix," Eldora answered, "which equals you in power and strength. They may have more skills than you, but remember, they are rusty, after a thousand years in stasis. In addition, you have special abilities: the special spells of Etherix."

"The what now?" Roxy muttered.

"The special spells," Eldora explained, "are within your hearts. Only you can access them. They grant you tremendous power, power that will help you defeat the fairies of vengeance. Once you unlock your special spell, your powers will increase tremendously.

"However, the fairies of vengeance will most certainly attack. That is why you must travel to each of their lairs, convincing them to stop."

"It looks like our times of travel aren't over," Bloom sighed. Turning towards the other Winx, she added, "I think we're gonna have our work cut out for us."

"But you won't be alone this time." Sky placed his hand on Bloom's shoulder. "We're here to help."

"And so are we!" Lockette squealed. "We'll find them!"

"Thank you," Musa smiled, gazing at the other Winx, the Pixies, and the Specialists. I'm glad we're doing this together.


The moment Roxy reached the school-building, she knew something was different. For one thing, there were no students on the grounds. She stared across the street, noticing only one other figure – Krithi.

"Think they cancelled school?" Krithi whispered as they walked towards the front door.

Roxy snorted. "That's too much to hope for." She opened the door, and let out a cry.

Balloons and streamers hung everywhere. A banner hung on the opposite wall, the words 'WELCOME HOME ROXY AND KRITHI!' written onto the fabric. Roxy sat, stunned, as Headmistress Edelstein stepped forward, smiling at Roxy.

Roxy wanted nothing more than to shove the woman down. She still couldn't forget how she'd treated her on her first day of school, especially after all of the Artu stuff and everything. But she wasn't going to lose control like she had in front of Morgana and the Earth fairies. She stepped forward, a false smile on her face.

"Hi everyone," she said, her hands loosely by her side. Immediately, she was slammed with a bunch of questions:

"How was it, travelling around the world?"

"Did you see any magic on the way?"

"Did you travel with – fairies?"

For the rest of the day, Roxy and Krithi were the celebrities of Gardenia. The students in her class kept mobbing them, asking them more and more questions. Teachers stopped their lessons to ask how they were doing, and entire day went without any schoolwork. Everyone was too interested in Roxy, the rebel-turned-hometown heroine, and Krithi, the mute-turned adventurer, to teach any lessons.

As soon as the last bell of the day rang, Roxy sprang out of her seat. The students all milled around, grabbing their bags to head home. Roxy's stomach grumbled; she hadn't eaten any breakfast, so she was ready for lunch.

"Come on, boy," she said to Artu. Ever since she had returned to Gardenia, her teachers had no problem with Artu coming to class with her, as long as he remained silent. It wasn't hard; now that she had magic, she could communicate with him to stay calm. Artu stood up, following his mistress. She was about to head out the door when she heard Krithi's voice: "Hey, Roxy?"

Roxy spun around. Krithi was standing behind her, looking rather awkward. "Um – want to come home and eat lunch with my mother and me?"

Roxy thought about it for a moment. Her father would be at the Frutti Music Bar when she got home, like always, which would leave her just to make a sandwich. She had to admit that the idea of hot food sounded appealing. "Sure," she decided, falling in-step with Krithi. The two of them, plus Artu, headed out the door and towards the school's exit.

At first, their walk was in silence, neither of them knowing what to say to each other. Then out of nowhere, Krithi blurted out, "You like Indian food?"

"Sure." Roxy shrugged. "What kind?"

"Well, we're South Indian," Krithi explained, "so there's usually lot of rice in our dishes. My mother said she was going to make mango rice tonight. We make dosa, which is like a crepe made out of rice and lentils. And then there's idly, which is a soft, cake-shaped savory dish" –

"Look, it's okay," Roxy said, a slight smile coming on her face. "Whatever it is your mom is making, I'm sure I'll like it."

Krithi looked relieved. "Good," she said. She sounded awkward. "I've never really had a friend before, so I don't know how to act" –

"That makes two of us," Roxy agreed. "I never had a friend before, one I could hang out with like this – except for Artu and Musa. This is nice." A slight blush appeared on her face.

Ever since Krithi had saved her and Musa from Merlin, she couldn't help but think that there was something pleasant about her. Like a cool summer breeze, she pleasantly wandered into Roxy's thoughts, instead of being the infuriating, awkward oddball Roxy had seen her as before. She was someone nice to hang out with, friendly and kind. It made Roxy wonder why she had ever thought negatively about Krithi to begin with.

They soon reached Krithi's apartment. There were three floors to the apartment – Krithi's level was on the second one. The Frutti Music Bar was just across the street from them, which was perfect, considering Roxy had a shift coming up soon. Climbing up the stairs, they made it to Krithi's apartment. Krithi opened the door, revealing her mother inside.

"You're home!" she exclaimed, a heavy Indian accent complimenting her perfect English. Her hair was done in a braid, and she looked extremely exhausted; still, she smiled at the two of them. "Krithi, you didn't tell me you were bringing a friend!" She stared at Artu. "That is a beautiful dog!"

"I know," Krithi said. For some reason, her tone became colder – something Roxy couldn't quite discern. "Do you have the idly ready?" Not waiting for an answer, she pushed past her mother.

Okay, that was awkward. Roxy followed Krithi inside, sparing an awkward glance at her mother. Nandini Venkatesan looked as if she'd been slapped. She forced a smile onto her face.

"What is your name?" she asked Roxy kindly.

"Roxy O'Sullivan," she answered. Nandini's eyes widened; her expression changed from kind to fearful. They stared at each other, and a flash of anger seemed to appear in Nandini's eyes.

Does she know about Krithi's deal with the Wizards? Roxy thought. It seemed unlikely; after all, Klaus had been completely clueless about Roxy's dealings with the Winx, until the battle of Gardenia. Nandini's face changed; aside from the fear, Roxy could see the tiredness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said awkwardly. "I suppose I'll leave you girls alone." She headed into the adjacent room; Roxy stared at Krithi.

"Are you mad at your mother?" she asked. Krithi frowned.

"It's nothing," she said, a finality to her tone.

Roxy was about to pry further, but then decided against it; she wouldn't have liked it, after all, if someone was asking about Morgana. It seemed that both of them had problems with their mothers. She sighed, reaching for a fork to cut into her idly, but Krithi stopped her.

"You have to use your fingers," she said, her eyes sparkling. "That's where the fun of it starts."

"Okay," Roxy said, pulling out her left hand – her dominant hand. She watched as Krithi tore apart a bite-sized piece of her idly with her right hand alone, dipping it into saambar, which was like a tomato soup with Indian spices and vegetables in it. She nodded to Roxy. "Your turn."

Using her thumb to propel the tearing, Roxy tore apart a piece of the white, fluffy cake-like food. She found that if she held firmly onto the idly with her other fingers, she'd be able to tear it apart with her thumb alone. Dipping it into coconut chutney, she tasted it, letting out a gasp.

The idly was incredibly soft. Though it didn't have much taste, it was more than made up for by the flavorful burst of the chutney. She could taste the savory coconut with the soft idly, bursting in her tongue. She grinned at Krithi, saying, "Your mom makes really good food."

"Thanks," Krithi said awkwardly. The two of them glanced at each other. Slowly, but surely, a smile appeared on Krithi's face.

It was the first time Roxy had ever seen the other girl smile. Though she could still see the sadness in Krithi's eyes, she also saw something like… contentment. She smiled back, her own smile going all the way to her eyes.

I really enjoy her company. And there was something more. Something she couldn't explain. She gazed at Krithi, taking in her dark brown skin and deep brown eyes.

There was something very beautiful about Krithi – so innocent and pure. Even though she'd served the Wizards, Roxy could tell that Krithi had only had good intentions for the world.

Suddenly, her phone beeped. Her alarm went off, reminding her to head to the Frutti Music Bar for her shift. "Gotta go," she said, standing up.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Krithi answered. "Thanks for coming."

"Sure," Roxy answered, a warm blush appearing on her face. She and Artu headed out the door, straight down the steps and towards the Frutti Music Bar.


Musa sat in the Frutti Music Bar, gazing around at the beautiful winery. Roxy's father was whipping up drinks in the back, putting together smoothies and other fruity drinks. He looked up at Musa as she entered through the door, saying, "Like a smoothie?" He poked Brandon in the shoulder.

"Sure," Musa answered. "One strawberry smoothie for me, please."

Brandon mock-bowed. "As you wish, milady," he said, before turning around.

Musa watched in amusement as the Specialists wandered around the bar, awkwardly carrying the drinks to patrons. Aperitivo was coming up; similar to British tea-time, it was a time for people to gather together and buy drinks and snacks. It was usually a few hours before dinner, a time for people to relax and hang out. Since that was the busiest time of the day, all the Specialists worked at that time, every single day. They still didn't seem particularly good at it, though; Musa saw Sky almost slip as he placed a plate of drinks on a table.

"Hey," a voice called behind her. Roxy had made her way into the shop, wearing a blue tie and a white shirt. Her barista uniform. She headed up to her father, who smiled at her kindly.

"First day back at school, and now work," he said. "How was it?"

"Meh," Roxy shrugged. "Boring." She gazed around, then her eyes fell on Musa. "What're you doing here?"

"Just chillin' out, I guess," Musa answered, sipping the smoothie Brandon had brought to her. "Pretty good, isn't it?"

Again, Roxy shrugged. "The kiwi smoothie is much better." She shrugged, glaring at the ground.

Musa knew Roxy wasn't in the best mood to talk. But she felt that now was as good as a time to bring up the big elephant in the room – if she didn't, they may never talk about it. "I think you should forgive your mother."

"What?" Roxy whipped around.

"She didn't want to abandon you," Musa whispered. "I know that for a fact. She feels really guilty about it. She cares for you, as the High Queen of Fairies" –

"Who turns out to be a psycho thirsty for revenge," Roxy snorted. "No thanks. I'm gonna pass."

"What's this?" Klaus had arrived at the front, frowning. "What are you talking about? 'Roxy's mother'? 'High Queen of Fairies?"

Musa looked at Roxy incredulously. "You mean you haven't told him?"

"Told me what?" Klaus's eyes were narrowed.

Roxy let out a sigh. Glaring at Musa, she muttered, "I found my mother."

Klaus let out a gasp. "But I don't remember who she was."

"Merlin must've put a spell on you," Musa answered. "He must've made you forget about your past." She shook her head. "There's more. Roxy's mother happens to the High Queen of the Earth fairies."

Klaus glared at Roxy. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't want to hear from her, okay?" Roxy snapped. "She's no mother of mine."

"You should be happy you have a mother." Now Musa didn't even bother to keep the irritation out of her voice. "Some of us don't have one. We don't get to experience the joys of" –

"Well, neither did I, okay?" Roxy snapped. "My mother never was there for me. She never helped me through" –

"I can't talk to you about this." Musa shook her head. "Goodbye." She headed out the door.

She couldn't believe Roxy wouldn't even try to rekindle her relationship with her mother. After all, Musa herself didn't even have a mother. She sighed, grief coming over her as she thought of her.

But I can't think of that now. She had to stay focused on the present. Sighing, Musa looked up.

She stopped as she saw the Winx, looking excited. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We came to deliver you great news!" Flora smiled. "We've been invited to help a developer build a park in the U.S.! It's gonna be magnificent!"

"A park?" Musa asked in confusion.

"Yes," Bloom said, handing her a flyer. "It'll be called 'It Feels Like Magic', and will be developed by a multi-billionaire corporation, called Kings' Corp. They already own another park adjacent to where the new one will be built."

"Sounds exciting." Musa smiled. "When do we go?"

"Next week," Stella answered.

"All right!" Layla cheered. "Let's go!"

"Yeah," Musa agreed. For a second, she thought about Roxy, and a twinge hit her heart. But she ignored it, smiling up at her friends.

She was happy that they were going. Though the fairies of vengeance were strong, she knew nothing would get in-between them. After all, they deserved a little bit of fun.


Roxy stood in the square, Cherie atop her shoulder. She gazed around, taking in the surroundings.

There was the local news and Naples news-station, of course, which was filled with representatives. Dominating the scene were several Italian representatives, who were standing as aggressively towards the podium as possible. Behind the press was a huge group of people, who were craning their necks for a glimpse. Her father waved once at her, Artu barking excitedly as he sensed her, and Krithi standing by herself in the crowd, staring at the ground. A nervous twinge rose in her as she stared down.

"Where are they?" someone shouted from the crowd. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"

Just that moment, six fairies flew down from the clouds, straight towards the podium. She heard cheers as the people of Gardenia called out to them, shouting out to their hometown heroines.

"It's the fairies!" the Gardenian people yelled. "They're here!"

A resounding cheer sounded as the six fairies flew onto the podium. Then, more cheers sounded as the Pixies flew onto each of their bonded fairy's shoulder. Those who could see the tiny humanoids gasped in surprise. The Specialists vaulted onto the podium as well.

"Thank you, thank you for coming," Bloom said, waving a hand. The crowd fell silent as she began to speak, her voice light and cheery.

"We are the Winx!" she announced. Another cheer filled the air as the Winx all smiled in unison. Bloom pointed down the line. "We consist of" – here she pointed to each fairy – "Stella, Flora, Musa, Layla, and Tecna! These are our bonded Pixies – Amore, Chatta, Tune, Piff, Digit, and Lockette. And these are our Specialists – Brandon, Mirta, Nabu, Timmy, and Sky." She nodded to a reporter, who raised his hand.

"Winx," he called, "is it true that you are the same women who kidnapped the young girl in this square?" He pointed to Roxy.

Immediately, all the newscasters turned their attention to Roxy. Roxy gasped as microphones were shoved in her face, and pulled away. "Leave me alone!" she cried out in fear. Klaus marched forward.

"Enough!" he boomed. "My daughter needs her space." Roxy glared at her father, her arms crossed.

"I can shut them up myself," she snapped.

"Unfortunately," Bloom continued as the reporters backed away, "we're gonna have to hold the questions for a while. First we've got unpleasant, disturbing news."

The crowd immediately fell silent. Every camera was pointed at the Winx; no one wanted to miss their live declaration. Layla stepped forward.

"The Earth fairies have been awoken," she said. "While we come from different worlds, they are endemic to Earth itself. And they are not happy. They are angry with humans for forgetting about their existence for centuries, and for polluting the environment. Their power runs on nature, and they are about to use it to start a rage against humanity.

"But we aren't going to let them hurt you," Bloom said fiercely as the crowd gasped in horror. "We're gonna do everything in our power to stop them from coming after humanity. Winx honor." She didn't sound too confident, though. "They're not gonna hurt you for" –

"Well, how do you plan on stopping them?" a reporter cried.

"How are we going to endure their wrath?"

"How could you let this happen?"

On and on the questions went. With each question, Roxy felt her stomach drop. Soon the questions became more and more accusatory. Bloom raised her hand.

"We're really sorry to let this happen to you," she said, "but we want you to remember that we care. We don't want you to lose distinction between us, the Winx, and the Earth fairies. I promise you, we will do everything in our power to" –

Suddenly, a mocking laugh sounded in the sky. Roxy froze as she saw a group of fairies flying towards them, female and male both. "Warrior Fairies," she breathed, her voice grim. Immediately, the Winx flew into the air, hexes in their hands and threatening looks in their eyes.

"What's the rush?" a voice laughed. Nebula flew towards them, a smirk on her face. She lifted her hands.

Immediately, black dust flew around the square. Roxy watched in horror as all of the humans, including her father and Krithi, dropped to the ground. "What did you do?" she cried, running up to her father.

"Him?" Nebula sounded bored. "He's just asleep. They all are." She strode up to Roxy. "This is a matter for fairies alone."

Roxy backed up, fear building in her heart. What does she want? The Major Fairy laughed, her voice like poison.

"Faerie Princess Roxanne," she jeered, "I hope you are doing well." Roxy stared at Nebula, her eyes narrowing in anger.

"What do you want, you ugly berk?" she snarled. The Winx gasped in terror.

"It's quite simple, Roxy," Nebula laughed. "I just need your word that you will join me and my sisters. Morgana's orders."

"I will never join you," Roxy snarled, hatred filling her heart. Behind her, she could hear Artu barking in anger. "Not even if my life depended on it. I won't join your vengeance!"

"You will soon, or the world will face our wrath." Nebula smirked at the newscasters, who backed away in fear. "Right now, as we speak, my sisters and brothers are laying freedom upon the different parts of the world. All of the fay have climbed out of their hiding-holes and are ready to face down the humans who betrayed them. All except for Gardenia, that is." Her eyes flashed. "I will spare the town if you join us."

"And if not?" Roxy answered defiantly.

"Then Gardenia will be destroyed alongside the rest of Earth."'

Roxy couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So you're blackmailing me into joining your crew of lunatics?"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Nebula sighed airily. "I told you, we could do this the simple way. Join us, and your precious hometown will be spared."

"No!" Roxy's eyes glowed. "I will never give in to your vengeance!"

"So be it," Nebula snarled. "I will give you two weeks to change your mind." She flew off into the sky, the Winx staring at her as she disappeared into the night.


"I'm exhausted," Flora declared as the Winx headed towards their apartment.

Musa had never felt so tired in her life. Who knew that talking to humans would take a lot of energy? After reviving the humans with fairy-dust and explaining everything to them, she was ready to crash. She searched her pocket for her keys, finally shoving one in.

"Hello, girls," a voice sounded behind her. Dropping the key, Musa turned around slowly, letting out a gasp as she stared at who was staring at her.

He was tall and muscular, wearing a white muscle-shirt. His eyes were confident, his pink hair spiky as ever. Musa stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

"Riven?"


Next chapter:

The Winx fly to the U.S.

They see the resort and theme park in Orlando, Florida.