Lau: Thank you! It seems like such an obvious way to create drama without having a love triangle, yet for some reason no one at Rai thought about it...
Enjoy :)
Chapter 3: Wait, you two know each other?
The nurse, Ofelia, had gotten one of the staff healers to look her over. Aisha wasn't sure what they'd done, but she felt much better when she'd left the infirmary. Clothes – not hers, but clothes nonetheless – had been given to her with instructions to put them on and come see one of the nurses after. The pants – jeans, she'd never worn jeans before – fit fine but the shirt was a bit too loose. Still, it was a significant improvement from the hospital gown. She'd gotten to shower and eat too; that had been very welcomed.
One of the nurses that wasn't Ofelia led her to the headmistress' office. Aisha felt like an animal in a zoo walking through the halls. It would seem that word of her dramatic arrival on campus had spread and everyone wanted to gawk at the new arrival. She tried to avoid the curious gazes of the girls, but her father's voice in her head forced her to keep her head up.
Headmistress Faragonda seemed nice, like a grandmother. Miss Griselda… not so much. The terrifying woman regarded her with a judgmental and skeptical face as Aisha told the headmistress about how she had ended up in Shadowhaunt, which had somehow resulted in her ending up in Magix.
"I see…" the headmistress responded thoughtfully once Aisha had finished her story. "And this man-bird creature –"
"I don't know anything about him except that he kidnapped the pixies, and we need to save them. I need to save them." Aisha was aware that she had started to tear up, though the headmistress seemed unfazed by her crying. It wasn't the most dignified look and her parents would likely scold her for such a brazen display of emotion.
"No, you do not. You must recuperate. I will speak to the Magix council and headmaster Saladin over at Red Fountain about rescuing the pixies."
"But –"
"The girls that found you when you stumbled onto our campus have agreed to take you under their wings, metaphorically of course. Griselda will escort you to their suite."
"You don't understand. I ha-"
"I understand very well. The pixies that were abducted are your friends and you feel the need to keep them safe. It is very valiant of you, but you are a 17-year-old girl, and I will not have the death of more teenagers on my conscience. Now, please follow Griselda to the suite you'll be staying in until you feel well enough to travel home."
Aisha sat back in the chair, glaring up at the older woman through her eyelashes. She didn't think Faragonda really did understand all that well; much like the headmistress didn't want the death of another teenager on her conscience, Aisha didn't want the death of more pixies on hers. It seemed useless to fight, though. Faragonda was one of the most powerful fairies in the dimension – Aisha had heard of her when she'd studied the war of Domino years ago – and Aisha got the sense that arguing would just lead to the older fairy locking her away until her parents could get her home.
Stella was not happy about having to share her room. There were not many single rooms at Alfea and she had had her parents to great lengths – through a generous donation to the school – to ensure that she had one of the single rooms. Now to have to share it with a near stranger, well, she just wasn't enthused about it. Asking Bloom or Musa to give Princess Aisha their bed so she could bunk with them instead had crossed her mind, but in a moment of forethought that surprised even her, Stella realised it was not the best idea. She couldn't go offending the future leader of any realm, let alone one that Solaria didn't have the best relationship with.
The girl looked much better than Stella had expected her to after having slept for four days. Her clothes weren't the most flattering, but she probably hadn't had that many options. Still, even in the unflattering outfit, there was no denying she was pretty. She had vibrant aqua eyes that popped magnificently against her dark skin and soft full lips. Her posture, however, was anything but that of a room-commanding royal, though in all honesty, Aisha had never struck her as the type to command attention anyways. She seemed uncomfortable, awkward, like a baby deer learning to walk.
"I'm so happy you're awake again." Flora offered Aisha a gentle, reassuring smile. "You had us really worried there."
"Y-you… I remember you."
"Flora. This is Tecna, Bloom, Musa a-"
"And I'm Princess Stella of Solaria" Stella said, jumping up to offer her fellow royal a handshake. "It's so nice to have someone else who understands the pressures of royalty around."
"What are we?" Musa scoffed, motioning to herself and Bloom. Stella ignored her. It wasn't that they weren't royalty, they just weren't the same level of royalty. Musa was fifth in line for a throne she had no intention of ever taking – and would likely never even see – and Bloom was the princess of a dead realm that had no known survivors.
They got Aisha settled on the couch in a pair of Stella's very few sweatpants and one of Musa's very many oversized t-shirts. She said very little as the girls around her yammered on about this and that. Flora made multiple attempts to include the new girl into the conversation, but she just wasn't participating. So much for having another princess around for her to bond with.
By the end of the night, Aisha hadn't said much else. They'd tried to get her to talk multiple times, asking her about her hobbies, her family, her home, her friends, but she hadn't said much. Her parents were nice but strict, her favourite thing about Andros was the beaches, and she liked to dance. Despite liking to dance, she hadn't joined Stella and Musa in their dancing (badly) on the couch. She hadn't shown any interest in the game that Tecna and Bloom were playing either, though Stella couldn't fault her for that one. Flora, ever the sweetheart, had stayed by the princess and tried to help her feel more comfortable, but Stella didn't think it was working all that well because Aisha barely acknowledged the nature fairy. It was only when Tecna, despite being told beforehand by Flora that it was probably best to let Aisha breathe and not ask about her possibly traumatic incident, asked how she'd ended up at Alfea that Aisha said more than five words in a row.
"...I guess that river brought me here" Aisha shrugged. Her story was much longer than the girls had anticipated, and it was now the wee hours of the morning. The room lay quiet, the only sound the ticking of the clock above the main door, as they tried to process everything Aisha had told them. For a girl that could barely tell them about herself, the story of how she'd come to Alfea spilled out like a waterfall. Stella couldn't even begin to process the information.
"Those poor pixies must be so scared" Flora commented sadly.
"Yeah, there's gotta be something we can do." Bloom's optimism and determination to help was so precious it almost made Stella forget about the horrifying man-thing Aisha had described.
Aisha brushed a curl out of her eye and shook her head. "Faragonda doesn't seem to think it's my place. She just doesn't get it; nobody does. Those pixies are my friends and they're in danger. How am I supposed to just sit by and wait?!"
"I get it" Stella whispered. She would have searched the universe over to help Bloom; gone much farther than Gardenia if necessary. Gone much farther than Domino if necessary. Snuck into Cloud Tower when it was taken over by the enemy six million times if necessary. She might even consider murdering Darcy for having caused Musa so much pain – Riven got a pass given the whole mind control thing, but a very marginal pass. Or that asshole that had hurt Flora; he might be a contender to reopen Solaria's dungeons.
"Faragonda doesn't" Aisha scoffed bitterly. She sniffled as she brushed her hand across her cheek. "She doesn't get that we don't have time for diplomats to get off their asses and do something! The pixies need to be saved now. Some of them have already died and they're getting weaker as we speak."
"Hey, it's okay. They'll be okay." Bloom scooted across the couch to Aisha's side and wrapped her arms around the princess, gently rubbing her shoulder.
"I just... I need to save them."
Bloom pulled her arms away and gave Aisha a soft look. Flora had already gotten up to make tea – she really was convinced it fixed everything – while Musa and Tecna sat awkwardly across the room, unsure of how to react. "You can't do it alone. You've already tried and well..."
"Will you help?!" Aisha practically begged, reaching out to grasp Bloom's hands. The cup of tea that Flora was in the process of putting in the distraught princess' hands was knocked to the ground by the sudden movement. Aisha stared at the redhead with eyes so full of hope that Stella could see Bloom awkwardly faltering when it came to denying her assistance.
"I..."
"Please! I need your help."
"I... yeah, yeah, I'll help you get them back." Tendrils of water snaked out of Aisha's palms, wrapping themselves around Bloom's arms. A cold gust of wind blew around the room, shaking the lights above them and knocking over several plants. The lights went out sending the room into pitch black. Only a gently pulsing blue glow around Bloom and Aisha's hands could be seen. In the soft light, Stella could see that both girls appeared to be trying to pull away, but it was hard to tell in the dark.
"What the fuck was that?" Musa asked once the lights came back on.
"I believe that was a locked vow spell."
"What?" Bloom and Stella asked simultaneously.
"Oh, I think I've read about those" Musa commented while Flora said: "I thought spells like that were outlawed?"
"They are but that does not mean they do not happen."
"Well, what happens if I don't do it?"
"I'm so sorry. I don't... I don't kn-know how I did that." Aisha cried harder. She covered her face with her hands, shoulders shaking as she sobbed openly.
"You die presumably, though I am not entirely certain." Stella shared a grimace with the wide-eyed redhead. If there had been any moment for Tecna's abnormally full brain to have the answers, this would be it. If Tecna's assumption was correct, that meant Bloom was on her way to Shadowhaunt. And so was she; there was no way she was letting Bloom go alone.
"Should we be getting Faragonda?" Flora asked from the floor where she was picking up shards of broken teacup.
"I would think so, yes."
"How exactly are you getting there?" Tecna asked, taking a seat on the bench beside her. Faragonda had gathered them – or, more specifically, Bloom, Stella and Aisha – on the quad to prepare them for their mission. She hadn't been happy with the turn of events last night, it didn't take a genius to see that. Still, given the circumstances, she had quickly planned for Bloom and Aisha to be sent to Shadowhaunt – Stella was added to the trip after spending hours arguing with the headmistress that she refused to let Bloom go alone. Tecna had been tasked with figuring out how to track them in case someone needed to go in and rescue them; she'd settled on the same chip as she and Timmy had used last year when the girls had gone to Domino with some extra features. Musa and Flora had followed them down solely to see them off.
"Where exactly is there anyways?" Bloom questioned, wincing as Stella tried to fix her ponytail.
"You will be dropped off at the entrance of a series of caves in a secluded part of Magix."
"Oh, wonderful. I love caves" Stella deadpanned. Faragonda ignored her, explaining that she had asked Saladin to assign a team of specialists to join them. As if on cue, Saladin, somehow managing to look imposing despite being shorter than her, joined them to announce that, given how well they'd done on their mission last year, he had selected Brandon and Sky to join them. Musa couldn't help but feel bad for Aisha. Fifth wheeling was bad enough, but it would be worse with those four. Musa'd been stuck at the table alone with those four for a few minutes during the dance and it had been annoying. Being stuck with them on a whole mission, well, she wished Aisha luck.
"What good are a bunch of boys going to do?"
"Yes, wouldn't we be much more useful?" Tecna agreed far too quickly for Musa's liking. What happened to the Tecna of last year who groaned when they jumped into stupid situations? When had she become the Tecna that Iwanted/i to go on dangerous missions? Beside her, Flora shuffled awkwardly.
"When Aisha was speaking to me, she mentioned that her powers were drained very quickly, so I am not convinced that that is true. Besides, the boys have been trained on how to navigate unknown territory and actual battle should you come across any danger or enemies."
A ship roared overhead, landing gently a few feet from where they sat. The hatch door opened, and Brandon and Sky strolled out, followed closely by Timmy and Riven. Musa sat up, fixing her posture and trying to force her eyes onto literally anything else. That damn uniform did him so many favours and she hated it.
"Princess Aisha?"
"Prince Skylark?"
Skylark? What the fuck...
"You two know each other?" Stella questioned. "I thought only Eraklyon's allies knew you."
"Andros is allied with Eraklyon. We've known each other since we were kids... I didn't realise they'd let you go to Red Fountain?"
"It took some convincing. How did you end up in Magix?"
"Long story" Aisha dismissed.
"So you two know each other..."
"Bet you wish she'd been around last year" Riven chuckled. Musa – along with likely every other person in the group – shot him a dirty look. She was inclined to agree though; it would've saved them a lot of pain and trouble, maybe even prevented the war, if someone had been there to say uh... that's not Prince Sky.
"Shut up Riven" Brandon shot back.
"Riven and Timmy will be escorting you to the caves, as well as picking you up when they're called" Saladin informed them. "Tecna, you have, I believe, installed tracking devices into the girls' uniforms?"
"That is correct. I will be able to monitor them from my phone or computer."
"Excellent. Please share this information with Timmy. Boys, you are to listen to Aisha for any vital information. She is the only one of yous who has been in this environment before and is, by default, the most knowledgeable. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir" Brandon and Sky replied in unison.
"Griselda has packed your kits. You are equipped for four days, though we hope you will not be there that long." Faragonda motioned to the three packs that laid at the edge of the bench. "We wish you the best of luck."
It took a moment for anyone to move once the teachers had gone. Moving would mean accepting that they were going on a mission to Shadowhaunt. Musa'd heard stories of it, but she'd always thought they were tales that parents used to scare their children into being good. Knowing it was real made it all the more terrifying.
Flora was the first to pull Bloom and Stella into a hug. Musa joined them, grabbing Tecna and pulling her into the hug. Tecna resisted for a second before accepting it. This felt way too much like saying goodbye when Stella and Bloom had gone to Cloud Tower for Musa's comfort. She gave Brandon and Sky a quick hug before they re-boarded the ship. A twisted part of her wished Riven were going just so she could have a reason to hug him, but she much preferred knowing he was safe in Magix.
They watched the ship fly away and stood outside for what felt like a small eternity afterwards. Not one of them said a thing, not that any of them knew what to say. Flora wanted to say something to the tune of they'll be alright but it seemed out of place, and far too early in the mission to even consider anything else. Instead, she suggested they get something to eat. She'd seen some delicious looking cookies in the cafeteria that morning, maybe one of those and a nice cup of tea would help.
The cookies helped but only to give her something to focus on other than her friends being sent to the literal underworld. Musa and Tecna were lucky that they still had each other, whereas she would be stuck looking at Bloom's empty bed for the next hopefully-not-too-long. She also had to remember to feed Kiko, who was currently somewhere in their room. Bloom had said goodbye to the bunny earlier; poor thing had no idea that Bloom wasn't coming back in a few hours.
"Aisha seems nice" Flora commented, trying to think of something to say that didn't necessarily pertain to their friends being sent on a death mission.
"She's quiet."
"I am quiet."
"Yeah, but you're you" Musa shrugged, shoving a piece of cookie into her mouth.
"What does that mean?"
"She was probably just nervous" Flora argued in Aisha's defense. She knew that if she were the one in Aisha's place, she would have been incredibly awkward, especially being forced into a room with personalities as big as Stella's and Musa's, who had, Flora would point out, not been on their best behavior and started arguing in front of the poor girl. "And worried. She did say the trapped pixies are her friends."
"And now she's got our friends going to save her friends. Isn't that great."
"I don't think she intended for that to happen..."
"It is still not a great situation. The only good to come of this is that I get to test my updates to the tracker."
"I thought you already had?" Musa looked up at the technological fairy from where she sat by the coffee table on the common room floor. Tecna explained that she had tested the modifications with Timmy, but the distance they were being used at now was much larger than just across the city.
"So, you haven't tested it" Musa reiterated, her voice raising a few decibels.
"Not to the point I would have liked, but I am quite confident that it will work. It is state of the art technology..." Flora's attention, though she wouldn't admit it, trailed off. Tecna might as well have been speaking in code for all Flora understood. A series of numbers and letters were rattled off, as well as multiple forms of techno-babble that meant absolutely nothing to her, and she was pretty sure to Musa either. Beside her, Tecna pulled up her laptop and began explaining to Musa how exactly the tracker would work.
"What if it bugs out? Aisha said something about her magic being weakened in the caves. What if it fucks with your signal?"
"They have been instructed to place a spare at the entrance where they are being dropped off and picked up. If I lose signal of them in the cave, I will still have the one by the entrance for them to call us back."
"Prince Skylark?" Timmy chuckled, not looking back at the group. The inside of the new ship was different than the old one. At least Bloom was pretty sure it was. She'd only been in the old one twice: once when she was exhausted and in pain, and another when she was distraught and exhausted. It looked more modern, or at least like it had more colourful buttons than she remembered. The seats were plusher too; that was nice. "Like the bird?
"Yes."
"That's manly."
"Shut up Riven" Sky grumbled. Bloom rolled her eyes at the magenta-haired specialist. As happy as she was that he was back on their side – and she was – why was he being such a dick today? Riven brushed off Sky's reprimanding for which Bloom was thankful. She did have to admit that Skylark was a strange name. She'd met plenty of people with nature-based names – hell, she might even be considered one of them – but Skylark... "There's a meaning behind my name. See, Eraklyon has a huge population of skylark's -"
"Like, to the point that it's almost invasive" Brandon chimed in.
"I'll be sure to kill off some of my namesakes once I'm king -" Sky rolled his eyes before continuing. "The Skylarks sing in the morning and, because there's so many of them, it's very loud so it wakes people up."
"Like a rooster" Bloom commented. She supposed the Skylarks would sound much nicer though. She'd only been woken by a rooster once when they'd taken a family trip to the Midwest and her dad had thought it'd be fun to have the 'authentic farm experience' and had rented them a cabin on a working farm. Bloom had not liked the rooster.
"Exactly, but there are no roosters in Eraklyon. It's the skylarks that call in the new day. My parents hope that I bring a new day, a new age to Eraklyon."
"That's kinda sweet."
"Yeah, it is. No pressure at all." Sky muttered the last part under his breath, but Bloom, being right beside him, heard it anyways. Poor Sky must have so much weight on his shoulders, she thought. It couldn't possibly be easy to be the person expected to take over a throne in a realm where the general population doesn't like the crown. She'd never asked but she wondered what the climate was like in Solaria. When she was there, it had seemed like people quite liked their royals, but it was hard to tell given that she'd seen everything from the point of view of the royals themselves.
"Okay, we're almost there."
Bloom peered out the window. If it weren't for the knowledge that they'd be going into the caves where some dark force awaited them as they tried to rescue helpless pixies from its clutches, the scene before her might have been much more enjoyable. Beyond the cave entrance was a blanket of trees as far as the eye could see. A bright sun shone over the trees and surrounding mountains. Bloom had never realised Magix stretched that far. She'd never been much into hiking, but it might be worth it for a view like this.
The ship lowered as close to the ledge as it could; they would have to climb down the rest of the way. Once they were down, Timmy and Riven wished then luck and flew off. The cave looked about as welcoming as she expected it would, that was, not at all, but it gave her a much creepier feeling than she'd anticipated. Sky placed the spare tracker in some weeds just outside the cave entrance like Tecna had instructed and took a deep sigh. "Well I guess we better head in."