Posted August 14, 2022.
CHAPTER 47: A FATHER'S LOVE
On the Matter of the Great War
This war between fairies and humans started during this wretched plague. Many fairies were trapped in stasis before that, but the worst battle yet is taking place now. I think this plague has catalyzed the fighting, in fact. My people believe this plague is the work of the Devil, and that fairies are his servants.
My entire village has been killed by the plague. I now reside in Queen Morgana's court, watching as the Wizard of Light emerges triumphant from Camelot. Most of his elite team is from Camelot, and he operates his troops from there. King Arthur was at first the protégé of the Wizard of Light, but he refused to join him in the fight against the fay; the Wizard killed him on the spot. He is now the ruler of Camelot, and soon-to-be, the rest of the world. Unless Queen Morgana manages to defeat him.
The War has dragged on for seven long years. The final battle must be coming soon. I know, no matter who wins, goodness will prevail in this world. And thus, I continue to have hope.
– from the Book of Fay
Meru's Summit, Nepal
Roxy stared at Nebula, a million worries in her mind. Nebula smiled, gazing down at them.
"It is time for you all to be destroyed," she declared. "I shall get you out of the way. And then, my revenge shall commence!"
"No!" Roxy glared at Nebula. "We won't let you!"
"Silence!" Nebula roared. "Warrior Fairies, seize them!"
The Warrior Fairies surrounded Roxy and the Winx; Roxy stared helplessly as they lifted their weapons, binding them with electricity. She screamed as she was zapped, falling to the ground.
She could hear Nebula's cackling. The black-haired fairy flew down to her, her expression gleeful. "You're done for." She lifted out her hand. "Now, give me the White Circle."
"Never!" Roxy glared at Nebula. "I will never give it to you!"
"I'll have to take it by force," Nebula snarled. She flew towards Roxy, ready to grab it off her head –
Suddenly, a boom sounded in the air. Bright light shined above them, and Roxy shielded her eyes. She stared up, and let out a gasp.
A bright, shining fairy was flying towards them, her red saree shining in the white light. Her jeweled wings shined in the light, and she had a fierce, formidable expression on her face. She flew towards them, her eyes blazing.
Nebula looked up and let out a gasp. "What is going on?"
Krithi walked cautiously into the enclave, with her mother and Queen Morgana following behind. Amma looked hesitant. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"This is a good idea," Morgana answered fiercely. "It's time I saw Merlin face-to-face."
"I'm just worried our emotions will take control." Amma frowned. "We all have strong emotions when it comes to Merlin. We can't let our guard down at any point."
Krithi nodded. I'll make sure we stay safe. They walked into the prison, and Krithi gazed at Merlin.
"So you came back." He placed his feet up on the table. "What do you want" – His eyes widened as he saw Morgana. Then his eyes narrowed into hatred.
"You," he snarled. Before he could attempt to hit her, Krithi drew forward.
"I want us to talk this out," she said. "I know there have been many deaths on both sides. I know this war has destroyed so many souls, that forgiveness may seem impossible. But I've spoken to you both, and I see that, no matter how cruel and corrupted we are, everyone has a heart." She gazed at the two of them, then turned to Morgana. "You go first."
The Queen spoke, her eyes filled with anger.
"You nearly killed my daughter," she said. "You trapped my people in Paradise, taking away our freedom. You nearly destroyed everyone at the Day of Justice!" Her voice rose in anger. "And you showed no remorse for it!"
"What about your actions?" Merlin screamed back. "You let your fairies destroy humanity – you let them kill nearly everyone! For centuries you terrorized humans, forcing us into subservience and fear. I had to rise up! It was the only way to win!"
"You hurt Arthur!" Morgana shouted back. "You corrupted him into hating all fairies, and left him to die in Camelot! You – you hurt me!"
On and on they shouted. Amma placed a hand to her heart, looking distressed, but also angry. "He's hurt me too," she whispered. Krithi gazed at her.
"What if I've made things worse?" she whispered. "Now they're just fighting. What if – what if I can't fix this?"
"It's not your job to fix this, Krithi." Amma placed a hand on her shoulder. "This conflict goes far beyond you. It is as old as time itself."
But I want to fix it. She wanted to help make amends and move to the future. Without moving on, they wouldn't be able to resolve any conflicts with themselves, much less Nebula. She raised her hand. "Stop!"
Surprisingly, both leaders stopped. Krithi walked up to both of them, her eyes filled with fire.
"We can't move on unless we resolve this," she said. "I know it's foolish to think everything will be resolved today – after all, this has been centuries of conflict. At the same time, if we are ever to defeat Nebula, we need to understand each other. And I know we all want to defeat Nebula." She gazed at the two of them.
"For right now, our interests align," she said. "We both want to stop Nebula from destroying humanity, from killing any more people. And so we shall work together for that."
"She wants to stop Nebula from destroying humanity?" Merlin laughed. "She doesn't care for us humans. She'd rather we rot!"
"Actually, that's not true." Now it was Amma who spoke. "She gave up her vengeance, on the Day of Wheels. She was the one who allowed for a fair and impartial trial of the Wizards. You were the one who messed that up."
Merlin glared at her, but even he couldn't refute that point. Krithi stepped forward.
"I want things to be resolved," she said, her voice filled with pain. "I want humanity to be happy, fairykind to be happy, for all of us to live in peace. I want both innovation and nature to thrive. I want this power battle to stop, for Queen Morgana to take back her rightful place on the throne, for my father to receive therapy and become a member of society again. I want – I want for us to be a family." She gazed at her Amma and Appa together. "And, no matter how you feel towards each other, I love both of you."
"Love is for fools," Merlin snarled. Krithi shook her head.
"You're wrong," she said. "Love is what keeps us all together. Love is what keeps humanity turning, fairykind turning, the earth moving, and our bonds so strong. Love is what you feel, deep down, for your people. Love is what stopped you from killing me. You may not feel it – maybe your heart has been too damaged at this point. But I know you will come to understand."
Merlin stared at her. Respect glimmered in his eyes, and he took a step forward. "My Krithi." He squashed her and Amma in a hug.
Krithi held her father tightly, tears pouring down her cheeks. They stood silently together, embracing each other with the first stirrings of affection and care that they'd shown each other for a long time. Then finally, Merlin spoke.
"I will go to therapy," he said. "I will work out my problems – for you. That I promise." He gazed at Morgana. "I will help you take Nebula down."
She stuck out her hand. The two of them shook, and then Morgana turned to Krithi and Amma. "Let's go." They both headed out of the prison.
Amma stared at Krithi, still crying. "That was beautiful," she whispered. Morgana nodded.
"You would make Sibylla proud," she said.
Krithi's heart ached as she thought of the former Fairy of Justice, who had died because of her father. But unlike before, there was no anger towards him – only pity. I will move forward today. They walked out the door, heading into the light.
The red-clad fairy shot jets of pink light at Nebula and the Warrior Fairies. Using the distraction to her advantage, Layla grabbed the White Circle from Roxy's hands, using it to defeat the Warrior Fairies. The red-clad fairy came closer, and Roxy let out a gasp.
It was Musa.
"Everyone, protect Roxy!" Bloom ordered. "We need to make sure she's safe at all costs!"
"You don't need to protect me!" Roxy cried, but no one was listening. Layla and Stella grabbed her arms, pulling her out of the way of the fighting. Roxy glared at them, shaking her head.
"I've done so much," she snapped, "and you need to protect me? I've done so much to defeat the Wizards and all of the people who've tried to hurt us!"
"We know," Layla said gently, "but you're not fully recovered yet, Roxy. You need protection."
Everyone's lost faith in me, haven't they? Roxy groaned, staring up at the fighting. Nebula glared at them, her expression murderous.
"I'll be back," she snarled. She disappeared, her Warrior Fairies following suit.
"Musa!" Layla burst out, grabbing her friend's arms. The Winx grabbed her in a hug.
"I'm so happy you're back," Stella whispered. Musa stared at them.
"You're not mad at me?" she asked.
"Of course not," Roxy smiled. "You saved Krithi and me. How could I not forgive you?"
"I was just so upset over Riven's death," Musa whispered. "I never really got a chance to confront it. I was so, so angry, everyone. But now I realize that revenge is not the way to solve the problems. I love you all, Winx."
"We love you too," Layla smiled. "Now let's get you home. Tune and Piff have been dying to see you!"
Roxy frowned. She was happy for Musa, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel annoyed that the Melodian fairy had broken in and defeated Nebula for her. But there will be other times. She sighed, feeling more and more useless by the second.
"Come on," Bloom said. They headed towards the helicopter and out into the skies.
The rest of the Winx were chattering, excited to see Musa back; no one looked twice at Roxy. She sighed, frowning as her phone rang. Krithi? She picked it up.
"You won't believe it," Krithi breathed. "Merlin – my mother, your mother, and I went to see him. He agreed to help us take Nebula down!"
"What?" Roxy breathed. "What did you say?"
"We've decided to accept him, for the time being," Krithi answered. "But don't worry – we're gonna keep a tight eye on him, making sure he doesn't do anything. He's still not out of the woods yet. We're also sending him to therapy, so he can work through his problems" –
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Roxy stared into the phone at Krithi's eyes. "It sounds like he'll betray us at any moment! I'm not sure we should do this!"
"Roxy, you don't know him like I do," Krithi pleaded. "He's my father. I really love him and" –
"Really?" Roxy nearly exploded. "Don't you remember how he nearly killed me?"
There was a silence, then Krithi spoke. "Roxy, I think you need to think about this. You – well, you need to start accepting what happened to you, with him. It'll make you feel much better. Hear me out," she said as Roxy began to protest. "I don't mean justifying what he did, by any means. But I've accepted how Merlin betrayed me, and it's your turn. Accepting that it happened will make you much stronger."
I could do with stronger. Roxy had to admit that she was feeling very weak at this point. "How do I do this?"
"That's something for you to figure out," Krithi whispered. "But I have faith you can do it, Roxy."
"Thank you," Roxy whispered, gazing at Krithi. "I'll do my very best."
The phone call ended, and Roxy stared out into the sunset. Accept what happened… That sounded like something Eldora would say. But how do I do that?
Suddenly, it hit her. She stared at the sunset to the west, knowing that was the direction she would soon need to go. To get the help I need. She swallowed.
I now know what I need to do…
Musa stared around as they touched down into Gardenia. The protective forcefield, which had not been there before, was shielding the city completely and utterly from everything. She stared at the city, then let out a gasp.
A huge natural park was in the center of the city, one that hadn't been there before. Within there, fairies and fairy-folk existed peacefully – she caught sight of the fay they'd seen in the Seven Ancient Realms, laying peacefully on the ground.
Around the park were the original buildings of Gardenia, but they were much changed. They were powered by renewable energy and solar panels, and run by fairies and humans both. The fairies were flying around, playing with human children, who were looking very excited. This is like a fairy and human paradise… She stared down.
She wondered if it was possible to make that same kind of paradise over the rest of Earth. A world where fairies and humans existed together peacefully, without any kind of problems. I would love to be a part of that world… She blinked as the helicopter landed.
Immediately, the Pixies flew up to the helicopter. "How are" – Their eyes widened as they saw Musa.
"Musa!" Tune squealed, flying straight at her.
"Careful," Musa gasped, her stomach hurting as Tune dove straight into it. "I've missed you, too." She held Tune tightly. Tune grinned at her, then lay down in her arms.
Musa gazed at her contentedly. She knew, from this moment on, that she would no longer be separated from Tune. My revenge is over now… They stood there, the warmth of the day raising over their arms.
Next chapter:
– Roxy goes to Camelot to accept what has happened to her.
– Musa and Krithi go to the South Pole to find the Chamber of Visions.
