Chapter 10
"Let me start at the beginning"
On Friday nights, eighteen-year-old girls usually go hang out with their friends at the movies or go out on dates. But not our Winx club. No. They end up on kitchen duty peeling potatoes.
"I don't understand!" Bloom complained to her friends after peeling her 42nd potato. "Why can't we use magic to cook dinner, it would be so much simpler!"
But she was quickly answered by the grumpy head chef that had the unfortunate responsibility of supervising them that night.
"Because handmade is healthier and tastier." He half said half grunted.
Than he started going around criticizing and yelling at the poorly peeled potatoes and badly tossed omelets. Especially at Bloom whose omelet had ended up hanging on the ceiling's fan. While the chef was yelling, the girls were panicking and Flora was desperately looking for the switch, no one noticed the history teacher discreetly entering the room. However, they finally noticed his presence when he was covered head to toe in egg. Flora and Bloom ran to him shock written all over their faces.
"Professor! We're so sorry!" Bloom profusely apologized. While Flora was handing the professor napkins.
"No hard feelings girls. It'll teach me not to eat between meals." He politely answered and tried to wipe off all of the sticky substance from his face and shirt but he was failing miserably. The girls went back to cooking and tidying up while getting yelled at by the cook. Except Flora who took pity on the struggling professor.
"Here let me help you." She offered without thinking and approached him with a napkin and started wiping off a few smudges on his left cheek that he had missed. She was so focused on her task, it took her a long time before noticing the lack of space between them. Her front was brushing his, she really hoped that her blush was not too obvious. When their eyes met, she smiled shyly at him and she could have sworn she saw the corners of his lips twitch on the border of a real smile.
On the other hand, Dimitri did not know what to think except maybe that a very beautiful girl was standing very close to him, he could smell her hair, mint, and strawberries. He was surprised that he liked it, of course he would never admit that out loud. But he quickly came back to earth when she stepped back, apologized one last time, and rejoined her friends. He grabbed the small packets of instant coffee he had come here for in the first place and left the kitchen in direction of his apartments.
A week passed since the little kitchen fiasco. The Winx had been quite busy since. Stella going on a date then being kidnapped and replaced by an imposter and finally the Trix stealing the blond princess's ring.
And now the girls wanted to know why those witches wanted so much the magic object. Bloom had decided that they should do some research on the ring's history and who better to ask about history than their history teacher. So during one of their free period all five of them marched to his classroom.
"Good morning girls, what bring you here in my office this early?" He greeted them forcing on a charming smile. Can't I have a few minutes of peace in this school without pesky brainless girls coming to pester me for stupid reasons? Let's just say that behind that handsome smile hid a very irritated man and he wasn't a morning person.
"We had a few questions we wanted to ask you." Bloom was the one to answer. The girls sat on the front row desks facing the teacher.
"Ask away."
"Do you know anything about the ring of the princess of Solaria?" Tecna continued in Bloom's place.
"You mean the Sword of Power?"
"Yes!" the girls answered at the same time.
"Okay let's see, its part of a rite of passage for the princess of the sun and moon of Solaria."
"That means it belongs to you." Bloom exclaimed while pointing a finger to Stella.
"Of course it does! I could have told you all of that myself." Stella arrogantly replied. Except Flora no one noticed the flash of irritation at Stella's comment appear on the teacher's face.
"As I was saying, the ring is a very valuable and important object. I wouldn't say it's the most powerful thing out there, I know of much worst but it is still impressive. According to legend the Sword of Solaris was created a long time ago. It was sculpted out of a stone immersed in a spring of light. And is one of the many last gifts offered by the Great Sacred Fire."
But, of course, the serious atmosphere of his speech was completely shattered by the blond princess.
"Wow! And I thought Solaria's history was ultra-boring!"
Making her friends laugh.
"Professor?" Flora asked.
"Yes Flora?"
"What is the sacred great fire?"
"Well our universe, as we know it, was created eons ago by the Mythical Dragon who sparked the Sacred Fire."
"I think the dragon isn't real, it's just a symbol or an embodiment of good against evil, right Professor." Tecna stated matter of factly.
"Miss Tecna I don't think you should consider the Great Dragon so lightly. The Dragon isn't just a simple legend that you tell your kids before putting them to bed. Do I have enough time to tell you the whole story? Yes it seems so. Okay let me start at the beginning.
At first there was nothing, then out of the deep darkness a dazzling light appeared. It was the Great Dragon. And with his fiery breath he created a multitude of different worlds and spread light life and heat across the universe. Eventually the dragon became exhausted and chose to lie down and rest in a place called Domino. "
"But isn't Domino a cold dark and unfriendly place?" All the girls nodded in confirmation at Stella's words except Bloom who looked confused.
"Now it is." Answered nonchalantly Darkell. "But it used to be a happy and prosperous place before dark forces attacked Domino and put out the Dragon's flame once and for all. The magical dimension hasn't been the same since." All the girls notice the gleam of excitement that appeared in their professor's eyes at the mention of Domino's downfall against the dark forces. But quickly forgot about it when the bell announcing the of classes rang through the school.
They all thanked him and left to prepare for their next move: infiltrate Cloudtower.
