Posted June 26, 2022.
CHAPTER 40: A MOTHER'S LOVE
On the Matter of the Benben Lands
There are six ancient fairy cities in each of the Seven Realms. The citadel of Paradise is the Queen's Castle, located beyond the Enchanted Mirror. Atlantis belongs to Greece, the Benben Lands belong to Egypt, Xuanpu belongs to China, Peristan belongs to Iran, the World Tree belongs to Maya, and Mount Meru belongs to India.
The Benben Lands of Egypt are filled with fairy creatures. It is an oasis, filled with lush greenery in the middle of the desert. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful places in all of Egypt. It is the seat of the Faerie Queen of Egypt.
– from the Book of Fay
Benben Lands, Egypt
Tecna gazed around the new land she had found. She took a deep breath, stepping forward.
"Wow," Digit whispered. "It's absolutely beautiful!"
And she was right. The Benben Lands – a mystical part of Egypt which was directly linked to Paradise – was absolutely stunning. It was an oasis, completely engulfed in greenery and palm trees. Unfortunately, that also meant that it was filled with their current enemies – the Warrior Fairies.
It had been a week since Nebula had usurped Morgana from the throne and taken over her position as High Queen of the Fay. Since then, chaos had reigned. The Warrior Fairies, in their bid to destroy all of their enemies, had tried to kill the Winx and Merlin, whom they'd rescued and brought with them as a prisoner of war, but they'd fled to Gardenia – with the combined efforts of the Winx, Pixies, Mirta, and Nabu, they'd built a Protection Barrier. Now Gardenia was the only safe refuge for humans in all of Earth. As far as they knew, Nebula hadn't done anything against the humans yet – but it was only a matter of time.
And, if that weren't bad enough, Roxy was lying unconscious in a hospital bed in Gardenia. The poison had taken a severe toll on her body, and she was very weak from the effort of the battle. Her heart ached for Roxy, and she hoped the fairy would get better soon.
She swallowed, thinking back to the time a few days ago, when Morgana had called a meeting for everyone in the Gardenia Park. There were, of course, the Winx and the Pixies and the Specialists. There were also each of the other Faerie Queens, including Queen Áine, and the Major Fairy of Nature, Lady Diana. Lady Aurora was reporting back to them from her Ark. All of the Amazon and Rustic Fairies, and some of the Arctic Fairies, were camping in Gardenia as well. The human world leaders were also there, though they remained silent. Morgana spoke, her voice grave.
"We have a serious problem," she said solemnly. "Merlin has nearly destroyed us, and killed the Major Fairy of Justice, Lady Sibylla. And now Nebula has taken over. We are trapped here in Gardenia, whilst Nebula and her fairies freely roam the Earth, planning their next move. They have the advantage when it comes to just about everything."
"And they have the Black Circle," Layla said. "How are we going to oust her from the throne?"
"Just because Nebula has the Black Circle, that does not make her Queen," Morgana answered fiercely. "That right belongs to my line, and my line alone." She frowned. "I have tried convincing my daughter that nothing is wrong, but it won't take her long to realize how difficult the situation truly is out there. You need to take action."
"How do we do that?" Sky asked.
"Several ways," Morgana answered. "First: I need my Queens and the Specialists to help me reassure the humans of Gardenia. Have them know that not all fairies are working on the side of evil, and that we will do our best to stop Nebula and her court from hurting anyone. That is your job."
"How do we know not all fairies are working on the side of evil?" one of the humans suddenly spoke up. The Indian prime minister glared at Morgana, his eyes narrowed. "How do we believe you?"
"We saved you from Paradise," Morgana answered simply, "and we will save you again. We need your support in this."
"Well, you don't have it!" the U.S. president shouted. "We don't trust you!"
The human leaders all began to shout. Tecna groaned, dropping her head to her hands. Then Morgana raised her voice, filling the air. "Listen!"
The leaders fell silent. Morgana nodded, her voice grave.
"You may not like me," she said, "and I understand that. But right now, we are all united in a mission. We all need to hold firm against the fairies of vengeance. That is our only way of keeping safe. You don't have to trust me, but I need you to trust yourselves."
One by one, the human leaders calmed down. Tecna relaxed again, watching as Morgana nodded slowly. She turned to the Winx and Pixies.
"As for you," she said, "I need you for some very dangerous stealth-missions. We need backup. Head to all the Six Ancient Realms and get help from the fay that have helped us before. And some of the humans, too, if you can. That is the only way we can do this."
"We'll do it," Bloom declared.
"Hang on," Mirta frowned. "I'm not sure if I like the sound of this. They could get severely hurt on these missions!"
"It's the only chance we've got," Morgana answered. "There's no other way." She nodded. "Get packed. I need you ready soon."
And now Tecna was creeping around the Benben Lands, hiding behind foliage. She was in her spy outfit rather than her Etherix, so as not to attract attention. Digit sat on her shoulder, looking nervous. They headed to the center of the oasis, and Tecna let out a gasp.
The center of the oasis was a clearing, surrounded by trees and filled with vegetation. A pool of water was at the very center of the glade. It's beautiful… Suddenly, her feed beeped.
TWO WARRIOR FAIRIES AHEAD. ARMED AND DANGEROUS.
"Quick, hide!" she hissed, pushing Digit into the bush and crawling under one herself. The Warrior Fairies appeared, gazing suspiciously around.
"I thought I heard someone," one of them said. The other shook her head.
"I don't think so," she said. "No one could've possibly come here. We must stay stationed here, and keep an eye on those humans."
"I don't know why we can't kill them outright," the first one complained.
"Our commander told us to be patient," the other one answered. "We have to manage by patrolling. The humans are scared of us, anyways – they won't cause trouble."
So Nebula is biding her time, Tecna realized. But the question is – why?
"Let's go," the first one said. The two of them disappeared into thick vegetation.
Cautiously, Tecna wandered around the vegetation, Digit by her side. "Can you turn on your radar next time, so we can detect them before nearly getting caught?" she hissed. Not waiting for an answer, she gazed around.
She couldn't make out where anyone was. It was like everyone had disappeared. Everyone probably has disappeared… She frowned, walking forward into the foliage of the oasis.
Suddenly, her sensors beeped again. SPHINX-LIKE CREATURE WALKING, 10.8 METERS AWAY. She immediately grabbed Digit, heading down the path.
"Sphinx!" she cried out. Immediately, the sand-colored cat turned around, staring at Tecna as she headed straight towards her.
"Tecna?" she breathed in confusion. Her normally-sharp eyes were now dull, and instead of appearing confident and proud, her shoulders had drooped. Tecna had a good idea of why.
"You were defeated by Nebula, weren't you?" she said softly.
The Sphinx sighed. "My cats and I put up a good fight. Unfortunately, we were defeated and forced to retreat. Several of my cats are nursing their wounds."
"This isn't a safe place to do it," Tecna pointed out.
The Sphinx let out a sarcastic laugh. "You tell me, then, what a safe place is."
"That's easy," Digit answered. "Gardenia."
The cat stared at them. "You expect me to trot all the way across the globe to a wayward town, which is under siege by the fairies of vengeance?" she asked.
"Yes," Tecna answered. "That is the headquarters of our rebellion against Nebula. We need you there to help us. With your help, we can defeat the Warrior Fairies and bring balance back to Earth."
The Sphinx sighed. "You won me over, fairy of technology. All right. I will come with you." She smiled. "And I didn't even have to tell you a riddle this time."
Tecna laughed. "Come on, let's go," she said. Heading into the oasis, she watched as the Sphinx followed close behind.
The cold, high-pitched laughter filled through the air, a burst of pain and fear that would forever haunt Roxy's heart. Endlessly it flowed, sending extreme agony down her arms and legs. Her entire body felt as if it was bursting apart at the seams, the molten iron crippling her to her very core. She was completely helpless. Nothing she did or said would ever make that change –
Then the scene changed. She was standing on the same beach, the one that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. The water was still and calm – almost too calm, particularly for a place known for its tidal waves. A pleasant breeze lifted her pink hair, and she stared at the sparkling blue sea, wishing she could be still and calm herself.
Just like that, the waves started moving frantically. A wave suddenly burst out of thin air, dragging her into the sea. She let out a shriek as salt-water filled her lungs, trying desperately to pull herself out of the waters. But they were too strong. Lifting her head out of the waters, she stared up.
A rainbow haze had covered the entire horizon. It came closer and closer; no longer was it just on the horizon – rather, it extended everywhere in the world. She let out a scream as its brilliance engulfed her, and she was no more –
"Roxy!"
Roxy opened her eyes. She stared around once in disbelief, slowly taking in her new surroundings. She stared at the cold, white and sterile room, and at the people who stood in front of her.
Her father and Queen Morgana were seated before her. It seemed like forever since Roxy had seen her father; she certainly hadn't seen him the way he was dressed now, not for a long time. He was wearing pajamas, which were clearly rumpled and unwashed. His ashen face only showed life when he saw Roxy sit up, staring at him. "My little girl," he whispered. Morgana rushed forward.
"Don't sit up," she commanded. "Lie down. The healer says that you need rest in order to fully recover."
Roxy winced, staring down at herself. Her normally-tan skin was now a concerning shade of white, and she could see that the rest of her body was hooked up to machines. Klaus looked apologetic.
"We got you into Gardenia Hospital," he said. "A team of humans and fairies are working together to help you heal. Right now, they're monitoring your blood-pressure, oxygen-levels, and temperature, but also your magical-levels and how badly the poison has affected it." His face looked grim. "Right now, your magical-levels are very low."
"Your reservoir of magic is still there," Morgana added, "but it's been blocked off. The magic isn't flowing from your heart to the rest of your body."
"So that means" – Roxy breathed.
"Please, would you not stress out the patient any more than she already is?"
Roxy stared up. A fairy-woman walked into the room, her lavender wings luminous against her body. She looked funny, wearing a white lab-coat over her transformation-attire, with slits for the wings to fit through. She sat down on the bed next to Roxy.
"Healer Airmed," Morgana was the first to speak.
"Thank you," Airmed answered calmly. "Now, I'm sure you all have several questions about her condition." She gestured to Roxy, who was still staring. "Now let me assure you that none of this is permanent. However, the poison did severe damage to her system. I was able to get most of it out, but she still has some of it inside of her. It is going to take some time for her to recover."
"How much time?" Klaus asked.
"I'd say about several weeks."
Weeks? Roxy couldn't believe it. She stared at Airmed, gasping, "I can't wait that long!"
"Roxy," Morgana began, but Roxy had already sat up.
"There's something wrong!" she burst out. "I can feel it. What's going on with the world?"
"There's absolutely nothing wrong," Klaus said in what he'd probably hoped was a soothing tone, but it sounded like it was strangling. Roxy glared up at him.
"I can tell you're lying," she snapped.
"Roxanne." Now it was Airmed who spoke. "You need to relax and get some sleep. You will be okay once you" –
"Something is wrong!" Roxy cried out. "Something is very, very wrong – and I'm going to find out what it is! You have to let me go!"
"Now let me be clear," Airmed said sternly. "You leave this hospital when I decide you do, not when you do. It's your job to heal and be safe." She stood up.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Roxanne," she said, still in that same dry, cold voice. "I will speak to you soon." She exited out the door, Roxy staring as she disappeared into the hall.
"We have defeated the Wizards of the White Circle!" Nebula shouted from the throne.
Cheers shouted from all across the crowd of Warrior Fairies. Musa stood there alongside them, clapping and cheering alongside Nebula.
We defeated the Wizards. Or rather, she had defeated them. She gazed up at the night sky.
They were at the South Pole. As the winter solstice had just passed in the South, night lasted all throughout the day, as it would until the equinox. Nebula shot Musa a look of triumph, extending her hand.
"To Musa Lei Xi, who killed the Wizards!" she cried. Everyone let out another resounding cheer, turning towards Musa. Musa took Nebula's hand, climbing up the steps, making her way next to the throne. She stared down the steps at all the other Warrior Fairies, who were standing at the bottom of the steps, their heads bowed. Nebula smiled at Musa.
"You and I shall have a great empire together," she said. "Soon, the rest of the human world will know our wrath. They shall fear us, and they shall bow down to us. Once humanity is put in its proper place, we shall rule the planet, creating the greatest empire the world has ever seen!"
More cheers. Musa smiled down at the crowd, nothing but fierceness and pride in her heart. I struck the blow that killed the Wizards… An odd ache appeared in her belly, but she ignored it. Smiling at Nebula, she turned towards the Warrior Fairies.
"Yes," she said. Her voice was strong and determined, filling the throne hall with passion. "Humanity shall rue the day it chose to step out of line!" She lifted Nebula's hand in the air, and the fairies applauded.
There it was again, that same ache in her stomach. The ache that reminded her of her old friends. An ache that reminded her of Tune and Roxy and Morgana. For a moment, she allowed it to come over her, reminding her of the people she'd turned her backs on.
No, it was them. It was they who had turned their backs on her. They had stood in the way of her revenge, her path to closure. She would not let them get in her way again. She stared forward, nothing but determination in her heart.
Roxy lay slumped in her bed, feeling nothing but pain overcome her body. She stared down at herself, feeling weaker and weaker.
Never had she felt like this. She'd always been young and fit, filled with energy and strength. Only now did she realize how weak she was. Barely could she even move. Tears came to her eyes, but she brushed them away.
"This is all my fault," she whispered.
"Oh, Roxy," a voice called to her. Morgana was walking in, her expression despondent. "It's my fault. If I hadn't have been captured by Nebula, I would've been able to save you from what the Wizards were doing to you. Not a second goes by when I don't wish I'd been poisoned in your place." She sat down next to Roxy.
"I want you to know," she whispered, "that for the last sixteen years, I spent every waking moment thinking about you. I really, really love you, Roxy. Someday, I hope you'll come to realize that."
Roxy stared up at her, trying to see the trick. She could see none. Her mother's eyes were brimming with tears. She swallowed.
She didn't know what to make of this. All her life, she'd been telling herself that her mother was a cruel, heartless woman who'd ditched her because she hadn't loved her enough. But now that she knew this wasn't the case, she had no idea what to do or say to make things better. There seemed no way out of this, no way to make herself feel better. For the first time in her life, she felt absolutely hopeless.
I'm never going to make it. She would always be like this – deadened, weak, and broken. Completely broken she was, unable to do anything for herself. She rested her head against the pillow, shaking her head.
"Goodnight," she whispered. She soon fell asleep, nothing but sadness and misery clouding her wake.
Krithi sat at her desk, looking nervously at her papers. Papers detailing the rebellion. She took a look at Morgana's battle strategy, frowning.
So far, they had absolutely nothing. Without enough forces to back their rebellion, they were dead. It was only a matter of time before Nebula broke through their barrier and destroyed them all.
And Roxy was ill. Krithi's heart ached for her, and she wished she could do more than just visit her and reassure her that everything was going to be all right. Because everything wasn't going to be all right. Now that the princess of Paradise had fallen, there was no hope.
A knock sounded on the door, and she looked up. "Come in," she said. Her mother entered, carrying something in her hands.
"You got a letter," she said. She placed it on Krithi's desk, turning around. "I'll be heading out."
Krithi stared at the envelope. Except for her address, it was blank. Nonetheless, she opened it, staring at the script.
Immediately, she crumpled it, until the words Merlin, Wizard of Light were no longer visible to her. She tossed it in the can, shaking her head in disgust. Her father had tried to contact her, as usual, from his prison in Gardenia.
And she wanted nothing to do with him. She didn't want to hear how prison life was for him, how unfair it was that the Winx had captured him, that she needed to free him so he could wreak havoc on the fairies of vengeance. Just because Layla had rescued him from falling in the ravine didn't mean he deserved any mindspace. He was going to pay for all he'd done.
Sighing, she headed into her bed, pulling the covers over her eyes.
Musa frowned as she sat on her new bed, a rock-hard bed with banisters of ice. Much like the rest of the South Pole, in fact. She sighed, gazing at her dresser.
A photo frame was on it. She walked up to the photo frame, staring at the picture inside. A picture of her and Riven. Her eyes brimming with tears, she stared sadly at the photo.
The photo was of the two of them holding hands at the Alfea prom, two years earlier. It had been just after they'd defeated Darkar, and they were dancing together, having fun and talking excitedly. Layla had taken the photo, and they looked perfect – Musa in her crisp red dress, and Riven in business casual. They looked happy together, that happiness to never be broken.
The tears fell down her cheeks. Sobbing, she held the photo to her chest; kneeling on the floor, she rocked her knees back and forth. The pain from the last year would never subside, nor would the trauma ever go away; she knew she was forever entombed with this sadness and fury in her heart.
But not if I get revenge. If she could just kill Merlin, she would be happy again. She looked upwards, her teary face turning to rage.
She would not let the lies of the Winx bring her down. She was going to get her revenge. Rage fueling her, she tossed the photo frame against the ground.
The frame and the glass shattered, but she couldn't bring herself to be upset. He's gone now. He's gone, and I have to do my part. Turning off the light, she headed into the dark.
Next chapter:
– Layla searches for Xuanpu to get the Chinese fay's help.
– Musa and Nebula fly to the magnetic South Pole.
– Roxy is discharged from the hospital.
