Posted July 3, 2022.
CHAPTER 41: TRAUMA
On the Matter of Xuanpu
Xuanpu is located at the summit of Tian Shan Mountain, which is a part of the Kunlun rage in China. There is beautiful greenery everywhere, an abundance of fairies, and a spectacular view from its place on the peak. It is the seat of the throne of the Faerie Queen of China.
– from the Book of Fay
Xuanpu, China
The climb was steep as Layla headed up the mountain, her heart aching from the difficult climb. She had been climbing for a few days now, using the helicopter only to land at the foot of the mountain. After all, Warrior Fairies were in abundance on Tian Shan; the last thing she needed was to get caught.
"Do-ta-do-ta!" Piff squealed from her back. "This is hard!"
"Easy for you to say," Layla muttered. Piff had been in her backpack all week, eating snacks and helping her only by taking out the ropes necessary for climbing. Which had been pretty helpful, to be fair. She let out a sigh, staring up at the summit of the mountain as she approached.
The summit of the island was filled with beauty, which was rather unexpected for what should've been a barren, dead mountain. Green foliage dotted it everywhere, and mountain flowers were in abundance. Sprites flew around the flowers, and fox-spirits wandered the summit. There was peace everywhere.
"Why can't the Warrior Fairies just be happy with this?" Layla whispered. "Why do they need to plunder and pillage to get what they want?"
"Good question, my fairy."
Layla nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning around, she saw, with dread, that two Warrior Fairies had arrived, their eyes narrowed. They both held their javelins, pointing them straight at Layla's heart.
"Hi, Warrior Fairies," Layla muttered sarcastically, transforming into her Etherix. She encircled them, and they glared at her, fury in their eyes.
"How dare you?" one of them snarled. "You Winx just want all of us fairies to disappear!"
"Isn't not that!" Layla wanted to throw her hands in the air. "We want everyone, fairies and humans, to coexist peacefully!"
"There can be no life with those humans!" the second fairy snarled. "They shall perish, as well as all of those who dare support them!" She lifted her hands. "Prepare to die, Winx!"
Layla gasped as a black bubble encircled her, sending lightning at her. Piff squealed in horror. She tried desperately to get out of the bubble, but it was too strong. The fairy cackled, ready to finish her off –
Suddenly, rain began to fall. Water fell onto the bubble, popping it and sending the force of the spell back onto the Warrior Fairies. Layla looked up, staring in shock.
A green dragon flew above the air, his benevolent eyes gazing down at them. Rainclouds appeared in the air, and the fairies squealed in fright. Flying away, they headed down the path until they disappeared out of sight. Layla smiled, flying up to join him.
"Thank you," she said, bowing to the dragon. "That was great work."
"Do-ta-do-ta!" Piff squealed. "We're saved!"
The dragon smiled. "You mean you don't recognize me?"
Layla stared at him, trying to remember where she'd seen the dragon before. Suddenly, it hit her.
"You were at the Dragon's Gate before!" she cried out.
"Correct," the dragon answered. "I now watch over Xuanpu, the land of the fay. The mystical land of the fairies is strong and powerful, and the summit is kept green by my rain. Unfortunately, the Warrior Fairies think its power is to be used to destroy all humans."
"We have to stop them!" Layla answered, her eyes flashing. "And I know just how." She faced him. "Will you join my rebellion against the Warrior Fairies?"
The dragon smiled. "I'd be happy to, my phoenix. Thank you for all of your hard work." He nodded. "Now, climb atop my back. It shall be faster than climbing all the way down the mountain."
"Thank you," Layla breathed. Sitting astride the dragon, she and Piff squealed as they flew all the way down.
"All set," the nurse smiled, steering Roxy out of the room.
Roxy sat back in the wheelchair, a dull expression on her face. Though she was finally being discharged by Airmed, she still couldn't find any excitement from it. After all, she could barely walk and was still having flashbacks to that day, that cruel day, when Merlin had poisoned her. She gritted her teeth, forcing a smile onto her face.
The nurse wheeled her out of the hospital, and Roxy stared forward. The Winx, Pixies, and Specialists were waiting for her, as were her father, Morgana, Krithi, and Nandini. All of them had smiles on their faces as she was wheeled out to the road.
"Happy discharge!" Daidí was the first one to say. Roxy forced her smile to go further up, though she couldn't find any happiness in her heart.
Musa flew down towards the South Pole, surveying the Warrior Fairies. After her defeat of the Wizards of the White Circle, Nebula had ordained her as her second-in-command. She was now to lord over the other fairies, making sure that their work was being done. The fairies looked up and saluted as she flew down to them.
"Any rebels or humans in the area?" she demanded. They shook their heads.
"Good," she answered. "Secure the base. Make sure the humans who live in Antarctica aren't coming for us." Not waiting for an answer, she strode off.
She was going to make sure that they won the war. They were going to defeat Merlin and all the humans who had let this happen, or die trying. And if the Winx got in the way – well, that was just too bad. She swallowed, thinking about how they had been close friends before, how she had abandoned their friendship in pursuit of justice.
They don't understand the rage that burns inside of my heart. None of them did. But that didn't matter anymore, for, as she'd said before, they had nothing to say to each other. She frowned, gazing forward, directly south.
She knew the magnetic South Pole was directly in front of her. Somehow, it radiated with some kind of power, something that brought fear to her heart. Nebula flew down to her, standing directly atop the Pole.
"I am sure you have wondered why I brought us to the South Pole, of all places," she said. "I needed to come to one of the Poles to study its magic. I could not go to the North, for that was Aurora's queendom. Instead, I brought us here. Legend has it that the Poles are filled with an incredible power, one that only a true Queen can access. And so I wished to come here, so we could study it."
Musa frowned. The Pole gave her an uneasy feeling, and she wanted nothing more than to leave. But Nebula seemed enchanted by it. She touched the surface of the ice, smiling.
"We will figure out a way to harvest it," she said. "And then, we shall be more powerful than anyone else in the world. I am sure of it." She turned to Musa. "That is all."
Musa followed her, frowning as she felt pain in the pit of her stomach. It didn't make any sense. Nebula knew what she was doing; Musa knew she should trust her.
So why was her gut telling her that this was wrong?
Never in her life had Roxy felt like this. She'd been through several tough times, surely. Bullies such as Giovanni and Ana had made her life miserable, and she and her father had been through plenty of trying times. And then there had been the Winx, who'd kidnapped her and taken her across the globe. Her life, after all, had been filled with nothing but difficulty.
But she'd always had the will to push through. She'd always done her best to struggle through the situation, and find the best meaning in it. No one, after all, could say she wasn't determined. No matter what, she'd been able to find some hope.
This was different. All hope was gone, now that the iron had so deeply penetrated through her body. Though the machines had been removed and she could now freely walk across the room, she still felt the pain. It was even a struggle to get up and walk to the bathroom. Her vitals were normal, according to the human nurses, but the fairy and human doctors both agreed that it was going to take her some time to heal.
What is wrong with me? She couldn't feel like this. After all, she was the Last Fairy on Earth, the Princess of Paradise. How could this have happened to her, especially when so many people were counting on her?
Finally, Morgana and Daidí had told her what was going on. How Nebula had taken over Paradise, how Morgana and the Winx had been forced to retreat and bring Roxy back home. How Riven had died. How Musa had betrayed them and chosen to fight alongside Nebula, to find closure for her friend's death. How the Winx were now on several missions, trying to scout and see if they could win any of the queendoms back. Meanwhile, she was stuck at home, unable to do anything.
She couldn't be weak. She had to find a way to regain her strength. Swallowing, she looked up as Artu entered the room.
"It's so good to see you," she whispered, stroking her dog's fur. His coat was badly pruned; she could tell that, whoever had sheared it for the summer had not done such a good job. I wish I'd been the one to do it… Then Eldora walked in.
"Hello," she said, still in that infuriatingly bright, cheerful voice. "Always a pleasure to see you, Roxy!"
Roxy gritted her teeth. She still couldn't stand being around Eldora, especially when she was so obnoxious. Her parents had agreed that Eldora would be a good person to help her heal – after all, she knew plenty about magic and healing. The elderly woman sat down next to Roxy, a smile never leaving her face.
"Today, we are going to do meditation," she said. "This will help you guide the healing process, as well as get some of the poison out. Come on, sit in a relaxing position."
Is she freaking kidding me? Roxy wanted to shout. She hated meditation. Meditation wasn't going to do anything about the fact that she couldn't incant a single spell anymore! She glared at Eldora, but the fairy researcher didn't seem affected at all.
"Sit in a cross-legged position," she said. "When you are comfortable, take in breaths through your nose, and out through your mouth. Close your eyes. Feel the energy of the universe soothing you."
Roxy couldn't feel any energy of any universe. After all, her final chakra was still blocked; she was unable to access any of the divine energy she was supposed to feel. Grumbling, she followed Eldora's directions as well as she could.
"You are here because you have suffered a great trauma," Eldora continued. "Trauma has deeply ingrained itself in your mind. It has reached the point where you believe it has become a part of you."
That's ridiculous. She wasn't going through trauma. Trauma was for sissies; it didn't affect people like her. Eldora continued speaking, her supposedly calm voice filling her with anger.
"Now imagine that trauma growing smaller and smaller. Put all of your feelings into a small box, locking it away. Let the pain flow like water, running its course through your body."
Let the pain flow like water. Roxy winced as she remembered Giovanni taunting her, Artu's near-death at his hands. Then Merlin came into her mind. She could see him pouring liquid iron onto her skin, filling her with extreme pain. The pain overcame everything, and she could feel nothing else –
"No!" she shouted, opening her eyes. Her breath came in gasps as she remembered everything, all of the memories coming to her mind. Eldora stopped smiling for once and looked startled.
"It's all right," she said. "Just allow the pain to run its course" –
"Why would I expect you to understand?" Roxy exploded. "A crazy man poisoned me, and now I can't transform, I can't cast spells, I can't do anything! Nebula has taken over because of me! And you're just sitting there, telling me to access some cosmic energy, when there's something going on with the world! Something is wrong, and no one will listen to me!"
"Roxy," Eldora began, but Roxy couldn't take it anymore.
"I never wanted to be a fairy, okay?" she burst out. "All I've ever wanted was to live a normal life as a normal girl, with both of my parents supporting me! I never asked for any of this!"
Finally, it all came out. Tears poured down Roxy's cheeks as she sobbed, finally letting out all the pain she felt. She cried for the death of Riven, the destruction on Midsummer's Eve, the carnage the Wizards had wrought. She cried for the fear of the unknown, the uncertainty she felt about the world. But most of all, she cried for herself – for the bullying, growing up without Morgana, her newfound role as a fairy, and all of the pain she'd gone through now. Artu woofed gently at her, and Eldora laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, my poor dear," she said. "You've been through so much suffering – far too much of it, really. I know you feel terribly alone now. But you're not the first fairy – or person, for that matter – to go through this. I remember how I felt when my family died from the Black Death."
Roxy stared up at Eldora, drying her tears. "That must've been awful," she whispered.
"Yes," Eldora answered calmly. "But I found meaning in my suffering. Not because there was meaning in what had happened – there is no meaning to a senseless tragedy like that – but there was a meaning to my reaction. I could choose how to respond to it, how to write my own future. And now it is time for you to learn the same, too." She stood up.
"Eldora," Roxy whispered, "if I get through this, what will happen? How will the world change because of me? How – how will I change?"
"I don't know," Eldora answered, a smile coming to her face – this time a pleasant, soothing smile. "But wouldn't it be exciting to find out?"
Roxy took her hand, her mind whirling with new information. She stared at Eldora, who nodded at her. There is meaning to my reaction… The two of them sat silently, each woman in her own thoughts.
Nebula knelt over the South Pole, placing her ear against the ice. She could hear the sounds underneath growing stronger. Sighing, she lifted herself up, staring down into the pole.
She could make out some kind of light underneath the ice. It was shining and beautiful, like a thousand rainbows piled together at once. She frowned, trying to determine the source.
Maybe if I do some kind of spell, it'll work better. Using her hands, she created a spell, one that connected her to the pole. She gasped as she felt the power within, the overwhelming amount of energy knocking her to the ground.
She could sense everything clearly now. The power wasn't coming from the poles – it was from the core. And there were two portals connected to the power – one into the South Pole, the other into the North. Portals so strong that it would require a Faerie Queen or Princess to open them. More specifically, the High Faerie Queen or Princess. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of Roxy.
We have to get her here. They had to find her, so she could open the magic inside. This is huge. She let out a gasp.
This could change everything…
Roxy crept out of bed, staring quickly around. She opened the window next to her bed, lifting the mesh as well.
After speaking to Eldora that morning, she'd come to a decision. She was going to leave this blasted town and get out into the world, seeing what had happened as a result of her disappearance. She was going to make a difference. She swallowed, determination growing inside of her.
It is time for you to learn the same, too. It was time for her to get out into the world and find out what was going on, who she really was. She took in a deep breath, staring out the window.
Suddenly, a neigh sounded outside. She stared as she saw a black horse flying in the night sky, looking around anxiously. Aonbharr! She called out to him, whispering, "Come here, boy!"
The horse somehow seemed to hear her whispers. He flew towards the window, staring at Roxy.
Roxy let out a sudden, joyous laugh. Aonbharr… he can sense my feelings… She knew Aonbharr had sensed her desire to leave, and had come to rescue her. He was her faithful steed, after all. She climbed onto his back, whispering, "Up, boy!"
The horse neighed and flew into the sky. Roxy smiled, leaning over Aonbharr's mane as they flew into the night.
Next chapter:
– Flora goes to the World Tree to get the Mayan fay's help.
– Musa starts to have second thoughts.
– Roxy flees Gardenia, and on her journey, comes across an old group of friends.
