Posted May 8, 2022.
CHAPTER 33: DUEL AT THE NORTH POLE
On the Matter of the Fourth Chakra
The air chakra is located in the heart. It represents love and is blocked by grief. Its representative gemstone is the emerald.
In order to open this chakra, a fairy must accept the grief in her or his heart, and feel gratitude towards loved ones.
– From the Book of Fay
Aurora's Ark, Arctic Circle
Stella stared around at the rest of the Winx, trying to figure out how they were doing. Bloom, Flora, Musa, and Tecna seemed to be managing fine against the cold, though Layla was shivering to her boots. She stared at Krithi, who was lying next to Flora.
The human girl struggled, freezing to the point where her lips had turned blue. Her normally-dark skin was lightening in the cold. Flora shook her head, staring upwards.
"I can't heal Krithi," she said. "There's no nature around here for me to draw my powers from!"
"I guess you have no choice but to go along with my revenge," Aurora said coolly. Stella glared at her, fury in her eyes.
"You picked on the weakest one of us!" she snarled. "You're not a great warrior, like you think you are – you're just a coward!" Aurora's eyes grew dark and dangerous.
"Was that a challenge?" she demanded.
"Yes," Stella answered fiercely, an idea coming to her head. She turned towards Aurora, her eyes flashing.
"I challenge you to a duel," she said. "If I lose, we leave and allow you to continue your vengeance. If I win, you stop freezing over the planet for good!"
"You're on," Aurora said coldly. Bloom grabbed Stella's hand.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she whispered. "We're all weakened from the cold!"
"I've got this," Stella answered. She faced Aurora.
"Bring it on, hot-shot," she snarled. The two fairies encircled each other, ready to fight.
Musa watched fearfully as Stella and Aurora faced off. Please, please let this work… She gazed at the other Winx, who were all staring with similar expressions on their faces.
"I hope Stella knows what she's doing," Layla whispered.
"Doing what?" a voice called out to them. Musa stared as Krithi lifted herself up off the ground. "What's going on?"
"Good to see you among the living," Musa said to Krithi. "Stella just challenged Aurora to a fight."
Krithi's eyes widened. "She what?" She stared around the cage, and then asked, "Where's Roxy?"
Musa gasped. "She left to fight Nebula!" she cried out. "What happened to her?"
"I don't know," Krithi scratched her head. "The last I saw of her, Morgana had appeared. Roxy told me to join you guys, that she'd deal with Morgana herself."
"We have to help her!" Musa cried.
"We can't leave the cage," Layla answered. "We have to just trust that Roxy's okay."
Musa swallowed. I don't like the sound of this… She stared forward, nothing but worry in her heart.
Stella drew power from the sun, raising flames in her hands. Aurora smiled at her.
"Try all the fire you want," she said, "but nothing will stop me." She lifted her hands. "Icicle attack!"
Stella darted out of the way as icicles nearly speared her. She lifted a flaming wall, shooting it straight at Aurora –
But Aurora simply absorbed the fire with her attack. Smiling, she shot a frigid ray at Stella.
Stella yelled as she was blasted to the ground, pain overcoming her body. She stared up weakly as Aurora stood over her, smiling.
"Very well," she said. She lifted a hand, ready to strike Stella down.
The Stone! Stella realized. Pulling it out, she pointed the yellow jewel in Aurora's face. The fairy's eyes widened, and she stared at Stella in horror. "Is that the" –
In response, Stella focused on the Stone. A yellow beam of light shot straight towards Aurora, knocking her down. She flew towards Aurora, ready to strike the defeating blow –
But Aurora stood up. An ice shield formed around her, so strong that Stella was forced to retreat several paces. She smiled, her eyes glimmering.
"This is it, fairy of sunlight," she sneered. She shot an ice-ball straight at Stella.
Stella cried as she was forced to the ground. Ice shot up to her ankles, and she lay, frozen, inside of the sphere. Aurora flew up to her.
"And so falls the great fairy of the sun," she laughed. "Even your precious Stone of Destiny cannot help you." She raised her hand, ready to deal the killing blast.
Come on, focus… Stella concentrated on the power of the sun, bringing the flames to her. With a roar, she shot them straight at Aurora. The ice at her feet melted, and she flew into the air.
"It's not over yet!" she snarled. Lifting the Stone, she shot straight at Aurora, ready to fight.
"Why did you do it?" Roxy demanded. "Why?"
She stared at Queen Morgana – her mother. For the first time, Roxy noticed how similar the two of them looked. Both of them had a similar brown complexion and the same cerulean eyes. She stared angrily at her mother.
"I never wanted to leave you," Morgana said softly. "Please understand that, Roxy. I care about you."
"Yeah right you do," Roxy spat back. Tears formed at her eyes; she angrily tried to brush them away, but they were coming too fast.
And before she knew it, she was sobbing. Sobbing over the loss of a relationship with her mother, the horrors the Wizards had put her through, and, most of all, the loss of a good relationship with her father. Tears fell down her face as she cried.
"Roxanne." Morgana opened her arms. "Come here."
Roxy didn't want to embrace her mother. But Morgana moved forward anyways, holding her in a tight hug. To her surprise, Roxy found herself returning the hug, holding tight.
She hadn't expected the hug to feel so… warm. It filled her with a strange kind of joy, something she hadn't expected. After what seemed like an eternity, Morgana stepped back.
"Please believe me," she whispered. "I never wanted to leave you. Not a day went by, in the last sixteen years, that I didn't think of you and your father. I love you, Roxy. Please, remember that."
Roxy lowered her head, thinking of all the love she'd faced in her life. Images came to mind, of playing with Artu, spending time with Daidí, and the love she felt for Aonbharr, her trusted steed. She knew, immediately, that she was loved very much, even if Morgana had been absent.
I love them, too. Tears poured down her cheeks, but this time, they were tears of happiness. She looked up at her mother, nodding tersely.
Suddenly, a green light shined on her chest. Roxy gasped as a rush of energy opened in her body, shooting from the soles of her feet to her heart. She stared up at her mother, who gazed at her in astonishment.
"You opened your fourth chakra," she whispered. Roxy frowned.
"I can't forgive you," she whispered, "especially since I see what you're doing to mankind. You can't destroy all of humanity just because of the ill actions of a few." Morgana shook her head.
"Why is it you won't join me?" she asked. "I've offered you so many chances to join me in my campaign for vengeance, yet you still refuse. You are my daughter. It is your responsibility to join me."
"I will never join your campaign for revenge," Roxy answered. The old defiance came back, and she glared at the Queen with strength in her voice. "I'm begging you – stop this right now!"
"You know I can't." Morgana frowned. "For too long, humanity has mocked and hurt us. I cannot let it go."
"What about my father?" Roxy yelled. "He's part of humanity, too! If you hurt humanity, you'll have to go after him! How can you be so cruel and heartless? Don't you… love him?"
Morgana looked as if she'd been slapped. To Roxy's amazement, tears appeared in her eyes. But then they vanished as she stared down at her daughter.
"I will continue with my revenge," she said. "I'm happy you've forgiven me for leaving you, but we cannot pretend to be allies in this fight. Farewell, Roxanne." She flew up into the air, Roxy staring after her as she vanished into the clouds.
Stella watched nervously as Aurora walked forward, facing her down. They flew into the air, facing each other, with austere expressions on their faces. Aurora lifted her hands.
"Ice storm!" she yelled. Stella cried out as the spell hit her directly in the heart, knocking her down.
"No!" Bloom cried.
"You will be defeated," Aurora said coldly. "Now hold up your end of the bargain!" She lifted her hands, ready to strike –
But Stella rose. "It's gonna take more than that to bring me down." She flew towards Aurora, dodging strike after strike. She slammed Aurora with a hex, knocking her down.
"I've faced the Trix before," Stella snarled, pointing her flame at Aurora, "and let me tell you, your power is nothing compared to Icy's!"
Aurora didn't know who Icy was, clearly, but her jibe clearly didn't improve things. Her eyes glowed ice-blue.
"You will not mock me," she snarled, in the same cold tone. Stella took a step back, startled. "You will bow down to me, fairy of fire!"
"Not until you let these humans go!" Stella's entire aura glowed red. She lifted her Stone in the air, shouting out.
"I command you, by special spell of Etherix, to let go of your revenge!" she snarled. Fire danced around her, and Aurora gasped in horror. "Drop of light!" Her heart glowed red. A fire-phoenix shot out, hitting Aurora directly in the chest.
Aurora collapsed to the ground. Her ice-crystal, the Blizzard, fell out of her hands and rolled over, just to the edge of the tower.
Stella stared at it, for a moment pondering. Should I destroy the ice-crystal? By destroying it, she would ensure that Aurora never hurt anyone again. Aurora lifted herself to her hands.
"You defeated me," she snarled, "so what are you waiting for? Destroy the Blizzard. End my power-source, and end me." She collapsed again.
Stella flew up to the Blizzard. She stared at its immense depths, how beautiful and pristine it was. In that moment, she knew what she had to do. Picking it up in her hands, she passed it over to Aurora. Aurora's eyes widened as Stella handed it over to her.
"This is yours," she said solemnly. "I will not destroy it. To destroy your power-source would be to destroy you. I can't take away who you are." Her eyes flashed. "But in return for my trust, you must keep your end of the bargain."
Aurora stared at Stella. Stella held her breath fearfully as Aurora faced her, her expression unreadable.
Then she got on her knees and bowed.
"You have vanquished me, and yet, you choose not to deal a killing blow," she said. "You are a greater woman than I. I bow to you, fairy of the sun." She nodded.
"I will let go of my thirst for vengeance," she said. "I will speak to Queen Morgana as well, trying to convince her to let go of hers. You are a great fairy – I know you will go far."
"Woo-hoo!" Bloom cheered. "Stella, you did it!"
Stella grinned, embracing her friends. I did it… Lifting her hands, Aurora dissolved the ice-cage.
"I will try and convince my Queen that vengeance is not necessary," she said. "Very well-done."
Stella smiled, holding her friends tight. Now I know we're safe… They flew upward, heading into the sky.
Next chapter:
– The Winx are visited by five surprising guests.
– Tecna uses her special Etherix spell.
– Roxy opens her fifth chakra.
