A/N: Warnings for some pretty dark shit this chapter. Right now the Bloom part may seem like filler - and it kind of is - because a lot more is happening with the Alfea girls. I promise, things are heating up super soon, and the two groups shall meet again...with devastating consequences. Hope you loves enjoy! XOXOX
Chapter 21
Bloom's hand wavered outside the door, building up the courage to knock. However, the decision was taken away from her when a voice sounded from the other side of the door.
"Come in daughter dearest," Abaddon crooned, her voice surprisingly sweet. It was more alarming than hearing her angry.
Bloom puffed out her chest, put on a strong front for whatever this little lecture was about to entail, and entered her mother's chambers.
The room was large and spacious, the floors and high ceilings crafted from the same black rock as the rest of the city, carved with murals depicting various scenes from Eros history. Pillars stood to brace the ceiling, also intricately carved and laden with gold detail. A fire place large enough to walk in roared in the corner, unprotected by a mantle so that the flames jumped and licked at whoever passed. The bed at on a dias at the center, large enough for ten men with four posts connected to the ceiling draped in lavish red velvet. And upon the bed sat Abaddon.
As soon as the succubus saw Bloom, she was moving.
"You wanted to see me?" Bloom asked, still unsure of what this was all about.
"Yes, yes do come closer!" Abaddon insisted, gesturing to one of the large winged arm chairs that faced the fire. She was still flitting about her room, seemingly on the hunt for something.
Bloom complied and sat in one of the very stiff chairs, watching as Abaddon rummaged through drawers and shelves until she finally found whatever it was that had caused such commotion. Then, the succubus turned her attention to Bloom. She strode over with purpose, placing the object of her attention - a wooden box - on a side table before leaning uncomfortably into Bloom's personal space.
"Wrathis told me the good news," Abaddon said through her wide grin, reaching her claws out to rake through Bloom's hair, finding the tiny stumps of Bloom's horns. "Ah! There they are! Finally. You are well on your way. It won't be long now."
"Wrathis told me it would take nearly a decade for them to grow," Bloom replied, confused.
"The horns, yes, but I was talking about your nature. It will not be long now until you finally and wholly come into your own."
Abaddon pulled away and sat in the chair opposite Bloom, crossing one leg regally over the other. The look on the succubus' face was the closest thing Bloom had seen to pride in such a long time. It was hard for Bloom not to smile in reply.
"I have a gift for you," Abaddon said in interlude, presenting the box to Bloom. It was carved with intricate symbols and was fairly large in size, needing both of Bloom's hands to hold the weight as she settled it into her lap. The top opened with a creak as she lifted it up, revealing a rather opulent creation wrought from gleaming silver metal and blood red gems.
"What is it?" Bloom asked like a fool, too afraid to even touch it.
Abaddon huffed a laugh, reaching in to pull the thing out. The gems, Bloom realized, were not just embedded in the metal, but dripped from it on delicate chains as well. "This was my first diadem - a gift from my own sire upon the first appearance of my horns. Now, it is yours."
Now that Bloom knew what it was, it was easy to see as a headpiece - where it was supposed to rest at the crown of her head, where it tucked behind her ears, where the slots were crafted to accommodate horns. Bloom looked up to where her mother's own diadem rested, the ruby-encrusted obsidian structure far larger than the one Bloom was given, yet eerily similar.
"This is...very generous. Thank you."
"No thanks needed. You are my heir, and should look the part," Abaddon insisted rather firmly. She cocked her head to the side and held the diadem to Bloom's face, studious. "I think it will compliment your hair and skin tone nicely."
Bloom only nodded in response, letting her mother preen over her for a few minutes before placing the diadem back in its box and closing the lid.
"It is my wish for you to wear it a fortnight from now, at your presentation ceremony."
"My what ceremony?"
"It is tradition, upon the development of a succubus or incubus' horns, that they be presented to the court as full-fledged members of society."
"So...this is like a succubus version of a Sweet Sixteen?"
"What is that?"
"Never mind," Bloom said with a sigh, keeping that analogy to herself. It was the only thing that made this make sense. "Have I not been a member of society this whole time?"
"Of course you have, but they have only seen you as a fledgeling. At a presenting ceremony, you are announcing to the whole of Eros that you are an adult. That you are ready to transition from training to leading," Abaddon explained, as if that made things clearer. Training to leading? Leading what? "Once you present, your opinion will hold more weight. You can make decisions, have a voice at court, start helping me lead the people."
That was terrifying. Bloom was not fit to lead anyone, not yet at least. She could barely make it through a day of training without getting an injury or making a fool of herself.
"The ceremony also acts as a way of showcasing your sexual maturity. Many eligible suitors from strong bloodlines will be present. If you so choose, you may take a mate," Abaddon added as a side note, though something in her tone said that she would disapprove if Bloom made that particular choice. The queen had nothing to worry about though. Bloom was not in the market for a mate, nor any other committed relationship that would tie her down or make her vulnerable to yet another heartbreak.
"I don't think I'm ready to be anyone's mate."
"A wise decision," Abaddon praised. "As the future leader of Eros, you must always put the people first. Learn to lead them, lead them well, and then look to the future."
By 'look to the future' Bloom could only assume Abaddon meant 'sire an heir'.
"What is it, daughter mine? Are you not pleased with your gift?"
"No, the gift is beautiful. It's just...a shock. All this talk of ceremonies and ruling and mates makes everything seem so...permanent."
Bloom hated how whiny she sounded, how petulant. But the homesickness she felt for Earth - hell, even for Magix - was so strong that it was impossible to ignore no matter how hard she tried to tamp it down. There she was, finally falling into her mother's good graces, and she had the nerve to put her foot in her mouth for wishing for something she knew was long gone.
"You cannot tell me that you still harbor hopes of returning to that dismal Earth planet," Abaddon sighed, disappointed. She took Bloom's hand in one of her large claws, careful not to impale Bloom's skin with her nails as she stroked over the knuckles. "My darling, they do not understand you there. The only place where you are accepted and cherished is here. Among your own people."
"I know," Bloom sighed, unable to meet Abaddon's eye.
She knew that. In her mind, she knew that Eros was her home now. But that did not stop her treacherous heart from longing for what it had considered normal for so very long. Living in an underground cave system, no matter how luxurious and elaborate, still did not feel like home. It felt temporary. And maybe that was why Bloom never felt like she really fit in. She was still seeing this as another stepping stone, as another stop on her journey back home when in reality, this was the end destination. She just didn't know how to stop seeing it that way.
Perhaps now that she had horns, things would be different. Perhaps once this ceremony was complete, it would be easier for Bloom to feel like she belonged.
Perhaps the more Bloom told herself that, the more she would believe it.
The doors to the throne room were thrown open, and Icy was ready to slaughter whoever dared to interrupt her so rudely.
Until she saw who it was. Then all her anger quickly morphed into extreme joy. A happiness and satisfaction so deep that she could feel the Dragon Flame buzzing under her skin.
Because there they were: the pixie traitors, all pouring in single-file, chained and bound by hunter trolls and decay creatures.
Icy unleashed her widest, cruelest smile as she called, "Well, well, well. Look who it is."
Stormy was the first to stir, waking from her transient doze to lay eyes upon their newest victims. Her eyes lit up with manic glee, her fingertips already sparking with lighting strikes.
"It's the Alfea brats!" she squealed, bolting upright in her throne to Icy's left, her fingernails digging into the armrests.
"Oh, this is too good," Darcy droned, a satisfied smirk on her purple lips. She was seated in her throne to the right of Icy - though in Riven's lap would be a more apt description. She had spent the better part of the last two hours making out with the nuisance. Icy was two seconds away from striking them both, but at least the sound of them sucking face was better than the sound of Riven's irritating voice.
Of course, now, Icy's day had brightened considerably. The day she gained the Dragon Flame aside, this was the best day of her life.
"We found them near Lake Roccoluce, Your Wickednesses," said their ogre, Knut. The simpleton looked so proud of himself, like he had managed to single-handedly ensnare these annoying pests. Pathetic.
"Good work Knut," Icy praised, not even bothering with being annoyed at the creature as she usually was. She was in far too good a mood for anything to sour it. "Bring them closer."
The parade of pixies was led to the foot of the thrones, each of them being shoved to their knees in respect against their will. The fairy traitor landed hard on her knees, the last in the line to fall. The girl kept her gaze on the floor, not making a scene like her friends. The rest of them stared daggers at the Trix, cursing them and wishing them dead in their insipid little brains. They had even brought their Headmistress along with them as well, the old bitch just as stubborn as her students. Their defiance was almost cute. Almost.
"Don't look so smug," one of the fairies spoke up, the one with dark pig tails and a nasty bruise on her upper lip. Riven's former fuck toy, if Icy recalled correctly. "You haven't won, not yet. We're gonna get out of here."
"Oh are you?" Icy entertained, amused by this little fantasy.
"Yes. And when we do, we're gonna come for you. We're gonna destroy you, your Army, and you whole reign of terror!"
The dark-haired fairy spoke so passionately, spitting fire and venom as if they were equal to physical blows. All her friends agreed, nodding and chiming in their own little battle cries. Icy almost pitied them for such delusions of grandeur.
"You are never going to give up, are you?" Darcy huffed, feigning exhaustion. She was just as amused as Icy.
"I think we need to send them a message," Stormy suggested viciously, her eyes gleaming with blood-lust. "Something that'll put these pixies down for good."
"I like the way you think, Stormy."
Icy circled the pixies like a vulture. Who to pick, who to pick? The possibilities were endless. So many options to break them...
But then the perfect opportunity presented itself in the next speaker.
"You may have destroyed our home, you may have decimated our ranks, and you may have us at your mercy now, but we will never stop fighting for what is right," the Headmistress spoke passionately, her back straight and tall in spite of being on her knees. "There is nothing you can do that will change that."
"Nothing we can do, hmm?" Icy mimicked, a perfectly wicked idea coming to mind. "Let's see how well they do without their leader."
She turned on her heel to give Darcy a knowing look, and her sister's mouth twisted into a grisly slash of a smile.
The witch whispered words in Riven's ear, her powers of hypnosis too strong to resist. His eyes glazed purple before he sat up and walked from the throne to in front of Miss Faragonda.
Then he activated his holo-blade, the red edge gleaming with wicked intent.
The pixies immediately started pleading and fighting to get free, trying with all their might to protect their Headmistress.
Miss Faragonda sucked in a breath and stared the pixies right in the eye. "Ladies, it's been an honor."
How touching, Icy mocked.
Then Darcy snapped her fingers. Riven swung his blade and it connected with Faragonda's neck, decapitating the woman in an instant.
The body slumped to the ground, landing with a wet thump in a pool of blood. The head rolled from the old woman's shoulders to lie at Icy's feet. Icy kicked it, not only because she hated the old bitch, but because she could.
While everyone else was screaming, Icy waved her hands and the hunter trolls stepped away from Aisha. Another snap of Icy's fingers and the binds disappeared. Aisha rose to her feet and massaged her wrists, sore from the iron shackles. Then the girl stepped forward and out of the way, silently displaying her support for the side of the witches.
"I have to thank you. None of this would have been possible without your help," Icy said, her blue eyes fixed on Aisha, wondering if the fairy was going to break from the shame of what she did. But Aisha never did, maintaining eye contact until Icy chose to break it. Aisha never looked at her so-called friends nor the body on the ground either, her gaze fixed solely on the wall in front of her.
"How could you?!" Musa screeched, thrashing against the thick arms of the hunter troll, desperately trying to escape. Her expression looked heartbroken and betrayed and slightly terrified, her cheeks stained red with tears as they poured from her eyes. "Aisha!"
There were more cries like that from the rest of the insufferable brats. Oh, how Icy savored them.
"Take them to the dungeon!" Icy commanded, waving the trolls and decay creatures away. There would be plenty of time to draw out more delicious sounds later. They had all the time in the world now that those Alfea brats were dealt with once and for all.
The screams continued long after the fairies had been escorted away. It was music to Icy's ears. She reclined in her grand chair and kicked her feet up on the edge of her throne. Oh, how good it felt to win.
"I kept up my end of the bargain, now you keep yours," Aisha demanded, a sword made of pink morphix raised in warning to the witches lest they try anything. She looked completely unaffected by what she had done to her supposed friends. Her ruthlessness was to be admired.
Icy merely chuckled, mirthless and dark. "We sent the succubus to Eros, thought it would be kind to reunite her with her own species."
"If you're playing me..."
"After all you've done for us? I'm rewarding you," Icy replied and tossed something Aisha's way. It was solid, smooth, the size of a coin, and vivid blue. "That is a stasis portal. Use it whenever you want, but it only works once."
"A one-way trip to Hell, I'm afraid," Stormy commented, not in the slightest bit guilty. Not that neither Icy nor Darcy felt badly about sending the girl on a suicide mission; it was what she wanted, after all.
Aisha disintegrated her sword and tucked the portal in her front pocket, careful not to disturb it.
"You don't want to use it now?" Icy asked, slightly curious.
"I have to pick up some things first," Aisha replied shortly. "I'm going to need a ship."
"But of course," Darcy accommodated, waving her hands over a crystal ball that sat on a pedestal to the side of her throne. It peered right into the hangar at Red Fountain. "There are a few ships that we left undamaged. I presume you know how to fly?"
Aisha did not even dignify that question with a response, instead arching an eyebrow and rolling her eyes in time to the turn of her step. There was no need to stay here any longer, not now that she had what she wanted. Icy could appreciate that: effective and brutally blunt. Perhaps this one could be useful in the future...
"Until next time, fairy traitor!" Stormy crooned to Aisha's backside.
The sound of their cackling drowned the slam of the double doors.