Chapter Seven: Hard Choices
As the Magixians and the Zenithian soldiers continued to cheer, Elyssa turned to her sister.
"That's a huge promise," she said, "Are you sure you'll be able to keep it?"
"I have no choice," Tecna told her, "I am these peoples' last hope of returning to their kingdoms and restoring order… everywhere." Then, Bloom, Stella, Musa and the still unnamed fairy came up to the two sisters.
"So," Bloom began, "What have we found?"
"Well, from what you have told me, I must seal a breached portal that is located in one of the northern realms of the Magical Dimension," Tecna said.
"You have traveled a long way already," the nameless fairy chimed in, "Now that you have proven your word, we welcome you to stay and gather what you need for your mission. Enjoy a nourishing meal and get some rest."
"Any chance you have the parts for our ship?" Elyssa asked, "Timmy is a wonderful mechanic, all we need are working components."
"I don't know how helpful the old ships from a long time ago will be," Musa said.
"No, I'm afraid those are generations too old," Tecna admitted, "But thank you very much for your hospitality."
"I haven't gotten a chance to introduce myself," the other fairy said, "I'm Flora, claimed to be the Guardian Fairy of Lynphea. I've heard wonderful things about my home realm and I'd love to see it for myself one day."
"Flora," Tecna began, "I will do everything in my power so that you and the rest of the people trapped here can return to your rightful place." Then, the girls followed the rest of the Magixians to a campfire for a nutritious meal.
While Tecna talked with the rest of the fairies and Elyssa had begun a conversation with Nabu, Timmy just so happened to be standing next to Helia. The raven-haired young man began to ponder, "Wow, we'll all be free from this forest."
"Oh," Timmy started, not noticing that he was standing next to anyone.
"Sorry," Helia continued, "Some of us were born here. We only know of our true realms because of the knowledge of generations passed. But what the Queen of Zenith is telling us is that we can go and see where we actually came from."
"That must be… a bit baffling," Timmy thought aloud.
"Yeah," Helia answered quietly, "My name is Helia, by the way."
"Timmy,' he greeted Helia as he extended a hand. Helia shock it generously and they began to walk off. Helia began talking about his relationship with Flora. How he would paint her portraits and she would reciprocate by picking bouquets of flowers for him. It wasn't really in Timmy's nature to be this romantic, he showed his affections for Tecna in a different way. His way was something Tecna admired most about him and he knew he didn't need to change a thing. However, this newfound information about the portal and the prophecy of Magix' Enchanted Forest continued to haunt him. He had grown to adore Tecna with every beat his heart made. He respected the knowledge that she still needed to accept herself. To be honest, Timmy was scared that Tecna would sacrifice herself because she believed she wasn't good enough, that she wasn't able to live up to the expectations of ruling Zenith. Timmy knew that Tecna always believed that she was alone, even when she was surrounded by loved ones. It was from years of being isolated because of her magic, her brilliant, beautiful magic. At that moment, Timmy was deathly afraid that Tecna needed to know she wasn't alone now more than ever before.
"Helia," Timmy started, "I…, I don't think I can do it. Tecna and I have been together for a couple years now. I'm totally in love with her, and… I know more about her now than anyone ever does. Well, except for Elyssa that is. What I'm trying to say is, I know things about her that make her choice to seal that portal a lot more personal than it appears. I told her I'd support her on this mission but my heart… I can't handle even considering the possibility that Tecna would take her own life… I need to tell her that I love her too much for that to happen… I was even planning to propose to her before all this."
"Emotions are a mysterious thing," Helia said with a sigh, "You're clearly overwhelmed and these feelings are new to you."
"Yes," Timmy confessed in a deep, shuddering breath, "If I don't tell Tecna how I feel now… I might lose her. She won't know how much it will hurt me for her not to come out of this alive."
"I nearly lost Flora once," Helia said softly, "She was saving her sister Miele from a raging river. Minutes passed and I was tempted to jump in to save her from drowning. But then she emerged from the river in a marvelous new form, the form she has now. If Tecna has powers and her mother is part Magixian, there's a chance she could be a fairy too."
"So you're saying I should let Tecna do this?" Timmy asked with complete horror, "I can't, Helia! I just can't!"
"It's a fairy's responsibility to uphold the balance of good and evil in the Magical Dimension." Helia pressed, "Tecna is the only one who can restore that balance from generations ago. Tell her how you feel, make sure she knows that she is loved, but be brave. Don't get in the way of her destiny. And just believe that she will come out of this the same way my Flora came out of her sacrifice. A full fledged fairy, beautiful and powerful. Isn't that what you think of when you see Tecna?"
"Yes," Timmy admitted with another shuddering breath. He remembered what he said to the merchant when he purchased his engagement ring. He wanted the ring to encapsulate the beauty and power of the one who wore it. For Tecna to discover that she was a fairy would be the finest display of that power and beauty. And most importantly, she would discover it on her own. Timmy stopped and took the ring case out of his pocket, then he took another deep breath.
"Loving a fairy is hard," Helia cut in, "but it's the greatest test of our courage. Our girls are courageous, and so in order to show our love, we have to match it." Timmy gulped. He knew Helia was right, he was speaking from firsthand experience.
On the other side of the open space, Elyssa and Nabu stood by one of the trees. Nabu was taking sips of a hot thermos of tea, while Elyssa took spoonfuls of a lentil soup that Flora had made.
"So," Elyssa began, "how do you feel about returning to Zenith?"
"Actually," Nabu admitted, "I would love to go to Andros. My grandfather came from that realm to Zenith. He fell in love, settled down and formed good relations with the royal family. That's how he became lieutenant of your army. He passed down stories to us of his youth back on Andros. I'd love to see its vast oceans for myself."
"It seems all the worlds of the Magical Dimension have been affected one way or another. How many are there without rule?" Elyssa asked.
"As far as I know, Andros' Royal Family still stands. They sent representatives just in case something went wrong. It was a wise choice," Nabu informed her, "And you know that the Crowned Princesses of Domino and Solaria are here. Their realms have been in ruin since the spell was cast. The people of those realms must've been in disarray, not knowing how to organize their kingdoms without their leaders. Many other realm leaders attended the event, and those realms have also been in absolute chaos ever since. The realms of Melody and Lynphea are governed differently, and the effects have not impacted their people as harshly."
"All the more reason for us to set the people of this forest free," Elyssa pressed, "Flora was right, the balance of nature is upset."
"Not just the balance of nature," Nabu added, "but the balance of forces in the Magic Dimension as a whole. All of it reminds me of something my grandfather taught us. Cherish the good in life, but be prepared. Life will always find a way to throw you off, but all you have to do is-"
"Do what is needed in the moment?" Elyssa concluded.
"Exactly, he says those were wise words from the Council of Elders," Nabu told her.
"They told us that too," she said, "The Elder Council have helped us a great deal. I think it's them who will determine when Tecna is worthy enough to know the location of the portal."
"No, even their wisdom has its limits," Nabu advised the Zenithian princess, "They speak of time as if it's an entity all its own."
"Stella does that with the stars," Elyssa pondered, "Do you think they are one and the same?"
"That is one of the Magical Dimension's greatest and longest kept mysteries," Nabu said. They looked on to see Flora, Tecna, Musa, Bloom and Stella sitting in the middle of the open space, nearest the campfire.
"So, my powers are connected to plant life," Flora was saying.
"Mine come from the Sun, Moon and Stars," Stella chimed in.
"I have powers over sound and music," Musa added.
"And I possess the Great Dragon's Flame," Bloom concluded.
"But as I have said to you in one of my messages, there is a sixth power source. The fifth belongs to Aisha, Princess of Andros," Musa told Tecna.
"Electricity?" Tecna guessed, "My powers."
"Indeed," Bloom said, "We all believe that sealing the portal can start to bridge the gap between our worlds. You have already discovered your Magixian roots."
"My mother, Magnethia, once told me about a mysterious portal. It was said to hold the truths of the Magical Dimension, if one dares venture within the vortex," Tecna informed the fairies.
"The Omega Portal." They all answered in complete unison.
"It's no wonder the balance of forces is severely upset," Flora piped in, "If that is the portal that has been breached, the most dangerous criminals in the Dimension have been unleashed all this time."
"And what about Andros?" Tecna questioned, "I thought their realm was spared."
"No," Stella finally spoke, "If it's true that the Omega Portal is the one you must close, Andros is also in great ruin."
"Then I must go, immediately," Tecna insisted, "I have to find a way to get to Andros." Then she got up from sitting around the campfire as the rest of the fairies followed.
"Tecna, what's the matter?" Elyssa asked as she saw her sister running towards her.
"Elyssa, I think I know where the portal is," Tecna said hastily, "We need to get to Andros."
"But the Owl is toast," Elyssa said, "How are we going to get there."
"Now that I think of it," Musa interjected, "There was a Zenithian aircraft that landed a few years ago."
"Why would it come here?" Tecna asked.
"I don't know, but maybe you can scavenge it for parts," Musa suggested, "We'll show you where we found it."