Posted August 21, 2022.


CHAPTER 48: ACCEPT

On the Matter of Queen Morgana and King Arthur

High Faerie Queen Morgana and Camelot's King Arthur were the best of friends growing up. As half-siblings, they spent an equal amount of time with each other, on Camelot and Paradise both. Their shared mother, the former High Faerie Queen Igraine le Fay, had two husbands: Uther Pendragon, the father of Arthur Pendragon, and Gorlois of Cornwall, the father of Morgana le Fay. In reality, Arthur was a half-faerie, despite being one of the greatest human kings known to mankind.

Although Merlin bewitched Arthur to initially turn against his sister, ultimately, he broke free of the curse. The latest news I've heard is he was killed by the Wizard of Light, because he refused to fight against the fay. However, due to our Queen's courageous battle, his death was not in vain. We shall soon defeat this wretched Wizard, and be victorious once more.

– from the Book of Fay


Camelot, United Kingdom

Roxy and Aonbharr flew over what was once Tintagel Castle, and Roxy stared at the ruins. The sight of it was enough to give her a heart-attack, and she took in a few strangled breaths, staring wildly down. Accepting what had happened to her was scarier than facing a thousand Warrior Fairies on her own. I don't know if I'll be able to do this…

Aonbharr landed on the ground, right on the cliffside where Roxy had nearly fallen. She stared down at the outcrop, at the ravine far, far below.

The darkness of the fall was enough to make her shudder. It was so far down that she couldn't even see the end of the ravine. I nearly fell down here last time. She dismounted Aonbharr, sitting cross-legged on the ground. She lightly touched his nose.

"Wait for me at the castle," she said. In response, Aonbharr nickered, then flew away to the ruins of the former castle. Roxy stared down at the ravine, fear rising in her throat.

She could remember, clearly as day, how Merlin had nearly killed her. How he'd thrown her against rock after rock, how the poison had filled her with agony from the inside out. How Krithi's father was now practically getting away scot-free after everything he'd done. She swallowed, remembering her conversation with Krithi the previous afternoon…

"Roxy, can I come with you to Camelot?" Krithi had asked as Roxy pulled her boots on.

"No," Roxy answered brusquely. "I need you to stay back here."

"But why?" Krithi stared at her. "I could help you learn to accept what has happened to you! I can" –

"I need to do this on my own," Roxy insisted.

There was a silence, then Krithi asked, "You're not mad at me about the whole Merlin thing, are you?"

"I kinda am," Roxy admitted. "You didn't tell me that you were going to visit him, and – he's hurt me so bad, I'm kinda angry that you went to him when you know how much he's hurt me. I don't think I can ever trust him."

"I'm not asking you to trust him," Krithi responded, "but can you please trust me, Roxy? I know what I'm doing."

"Of course I trust you, Krithi," Roxy answered. "I – I really care about you, and I don't want to see you hurt."

"All right," sighed Krithi. "Good luck, then."

And now Roxy reflected on what she'd said to Krithi. Unlike other times, when she'd been angry with people, she hadn't burst into flame. She had been much more understanding and patient than she had before. She frowned, remembering her exact words.

I really care about you. She thought about Krithi every night and day. But why was that? Why did she care about her so much?

It's time to focus. She had to think about her job ahead – the most difficult job in the world. She sat cross-legged on the outcrop, closing her eyes.

Take in a few deep breaths. She connected with her body, the same way Flora and Eldora had taught her. But her mind was missing. She knew that, even though her body had recovered, she had no connection with her mind nor spirit. She knew she had to connect to everything again, or else all would be lost.

Gradually, images came to her mind. She became completely detached, temporarily, from her body, feeling her head take over. As the darkness took over, she saw a small tunnel of light in her mind, one that grew larger and larger.

She stood forward, staring at the light as it grew larger and larger. Gradually, it consumed her, creating a vision that was about to unfold.


The helicopter flew towards the Antarctic Circle, and Krithi and Musa turned on the invisibility booster. "Be careful," Musa warned Krithi. Behind them, Chai neighed, his white coat gleaming against the dark night. She frowned, gazing downwards at the controls.

So far, things were going better. Although neither Merlin nor Morgana had truly let go of their hatred – there were just too many old wounds for that – they were now working together, in a truce. Though Merlin's wrists were still bound with magic-reducing shackles wherever he went, he was now allowed out of the prison. Even more so, he was working with Morgana and the other human leaders and Faerie Queens to figure out a plan to defeat Nebula.

It wasn't completely smooth, of course. Neither the human leaders nor the Faerie Queens were so quick to forgive Merlin for what he'd done. At the same time, they were all coming to a greater understanding. I hope it'll work out… They flew through the South Pole, watching carefully for the Warrior Fairies.

Unfortunately, they surrounded just about everything and everywhere. Though they couldn't be seen by the fairies, they knew that they could still be heard. Krithi steered the helicopter, feeling nervous. "What should we do?"

"Go straight onto the South Pole." Musa nodded. "Fly with all deliberate speed. By the time the Warrior Fairies realize something is up, we'll be in the South Pole."

Krithi nodded, flying as high as she possibly could. The sound of the whirring filled the fairies' eyes with surprise; Krithi had to hope that, since they couldn't see the helicopter, they would just assume that it was nothing. She frowned, leaning back.

"It feels strange, going to the Chamber of Visions without Roxy," she said. "What if we need her?"

"It's better for her that she doesn't come," Musa answered. "She'll be safe." She smiled at Krithi.

"You know, the two of you would make a great couple," she said. "You both clearly care for each other, and you compliment each other in just about every way. I really like it."

Krithi felt her cheeks flame. But we were enemies once… How would Roxy ever like her? Struggling to find her voice, she said, "I don't know."

"Well, one thing I have to say to you is that you shouldn't lose your opportunity." Musa frowned seriously at her. "I lost mine with Riven, but you shouldn't lose an opportunity with Roxy. If you both love each other, don't let anything hold you back."

"I – won't," Krithi stammered. Her heart was reeling. I could have a future with Roxy? For the first time, it was starting to seem possible.

She shoved her knife into her left boot. She didn't want it falling off her belt; there would be no good in losing it now. True, the boot wasn't an easy place to pull a weapon from, but it would have to do.

They soon reached the South Pole. The bright beam of light shined from the center of the South Pole; she could make out the antarctic lights in the sky, shining directly from the South Pole portal. They landed the helicopter on the ground. Musa patted Chai's head as Krithi vaulted directly onto his back. Musa transformed into her Etherix.

"Ready?" Musa asked; Krithi nodded. Leaping out of the helicopter, they flew into the portal.

An uncomfortable squeezing sensation filled Krithi as they disintegrated into the light. She felt the wormhole moving her, shooting her down the chasm of light that bore into the Earth's core.


For a moment, whiteness reigned, the power of light ruling through her mind. Roxy saw nothing but swirling white, complete lightness. She stared around, connecting with this light source in her mind.

And then the scene changed. She saw herself fighting with Merlin, the battle never ceasing. She saw herself getting beaten around like a punching bag. For a moment, pain swelled inside of her; she felt everything she'd felt before.

I've got to fight it! She pushed against it, trying to fight that pain. But it was a losing battle; she couldn't stop the pain from hurting her. She leaned back, exhausted.

I'm never going to be able to push through this. She tried to open her eyes, but found that they were stuck. This had all been a mistake. She cried out, the pain filling her with bursts of darkness.

Anger surged through her, and she thought of how Merlin had hurt her, how much he needed to be punished. He needs to go. Krithi couldn't have anything to do with him, not when he'd hurt Roxy. She needed to kill him herself, so he had no power over her anymore.

But if I kill him, I'm just as bad as Nebula. Realization dawned upon her; she couldn't hurt Krithi's father, especially when it would devastate her friend. And besides, killing him wouldn't change the fact that she'd gone through such trauma.

But what will? What would make it so that the pain didn't consume her all day? What would make it such that the pain had never happened?

Maybe, a voice said in her head, it's not about resisting the pain. It's about accepting what's happened and loving myself despite it. It's about not feeling like I failed. It's about understanding that I am a fairy, the Faerie Princess of Paradise, and that these things are going to happen. It's about overcoming them that counts. Determination shot through her. I'm going to get through this, and make myself stronger than ever before! I accept what happened to me, Merlin! I was hurt, but that fight is over now! You have no power over me anymore!

A brilliant rainbow light shot through her visions, filling her with power. She felt herself energized, her mind becoming hers again. She opened her eyes, staring around.

She was in a blue cocoon, transforming into her green-and-yellow fairy outfit. A silver, circular brooch appeared on the center of her chest. On her hips were two yellow paw-print bags. She stared down at herself in wonder, taking it all in at once. Then the cocoon disappeared, and she stared around.

A blue circle of magic rippled from her body. She saw Tintagel Castle repairing itself, becoming no longer a hill of crumbled rock, but a sparkling castle, just as new as ever. Birds sang and animals pranced around in joy. She could now think clearly, clearer than she had before.

She danced around, reveling in the joy that radical acceptance brought to her. She loved it, more than anything. Though she wasn't fully connected to every part of herself, it was a start, at the very least. She smiled as Aonbharr flew up to her, patting him on the head.

"Thank you," she whispered. Horse and girl stood together, reveling in this moment of freedom and joy.


Musa followed Krithi and Chai into the chamber, staring around. The portal let them into the core of the earth, though they were far from the center. She stared around, letting out a gasp.

The place was filled with jewels and magic. They sparkled and tingled, shining like diamonds. Wait a second, they are diamonds! After all, that was where diamonds were created – in the core.

"Interesting," Krithi mused. "In science class, we always learned that the core of the Earth was a hot, molten center."

"Guess not," Musa answered wryly. She gazed around.

She could tell that the gravity pointed to the very center; therefore, in order to reach the center, they would have to fly down. "Follow me." They leapt off the edge of an earthen platform, landing on the next.

As they flew, Musa thought about how much she missed Riven. Nothing would ever bring him back, that was for sure. But he wouldn't want his death to be avenged in this way. That was for sure. She pushed the thoughts of Riven out of her mind, staring down.

They were almost at the Chamber of Visions. She could make it out ahead of her, a bright chamber filled with light. Almost there, almost there… Suddenly, a sneering voice sounded behind them. "This is the end of the line, folks."

Musa screamed as she was caught in binds, Krithi and Chai as well. They were both dragged out of the chamber they were currently in. She could hear Nebula laughing as everything went dark.


Roxy's phone beeped. Opening it, she stared in surprise as she saw a call from Flora. She opened it, hearing Flora's frantic voice.

"Roxy, we haven't heard a thing from Musa and Krithi," she said. "They haven't reached the rendezvous point yet. We've tried reaching them, but nothing is working!"

"Maybe because there's no cell coverage in the core of the Earth?" Roxy answered dryly.

"Roxy, this is serious!" Flora cried. "I have a bad feeling about this!"

"All right." Roxy sat astride Aonbharr. "I'm going to find them."

"Roxy, don't" –

Roxy cut off the connection, flying in the air. I'm going to find them. She flew forward, her eyes determined.

Especially now that I've gained my full power back.


Next chapter:

Roxy meets the first High Faerie Queen in the Chamber of Visions.

High Faerie Queen Uki tells Roxy her story.