Hello, people. As promised, here we have the next chapter and one of my personal favorites. Sorry it's a bit late, I'll try to post the next one by Monday.
As I read your reviews, I noticed there were some confusions and I'll try my best to explain things. It's been really hard to tie up all the loose strings in this story.
First, Windrea was confused on why Flora was apparently able to use her own magic to go into the book. First of all, there is still magic in Paris, but Catherine has stolen it and only she (and Nostradamus) should be able to use it. Second, consider that the situation regarding Flora and her magic is like in S1 when the Trix stole Bloom's dragon flame. Her power is still there, though since Flora grew up without knowing it existed, it was never used.
I remember someone in Winx said that magic is linked to emotions, so consider that Flora was filled with negative emotions in the end of chapter 16 and also that she was holding "Tales of the Winx", which is a magical and powerful book. Her magic was unlocked due to her being very emotional and the book's magic was linked to her magic. Imagine just what a powerful force that would be. So, not even Catherine would be able to stop it from acting. Hope that made sense.
Another thing I'm sure you've noticed and might not have understood is the passage of time. Time goes by differently in the book and in the "real world", which is why the 5 years that passed for the Winx never occurred in the other reality. So, when they came back, it had only been an hour since Flora disappeared.
Okay, now with the shoutouts.
zezily: Yeah, I know. It wasn't that important anyways.
winxkate: I'm glad you liked the connection. It will be rather important in the last few chapters. That's good, I'm thinking that you'll like them. Ah, that's a great question and I had completely forgotten about that. The reason for that is that Flora watched both her parents lose children (Rose and Claude) and she saw how much pain it caused them, so she's afraid she will have to suffer too. And also, she's afraid of not being a good mother because she didn't have the best relationship with her own, Henry was the one she grew closer to. Hope that's cleared up.
Rockmantic: I'm glad you liked last chapter. You'll see it in this one.
Windrea: I already answered your questions and I hope that you were able to understand it. Any questions, feel free to ask. Did you ever watch Once Upon a Time? The plot there is similar, most of the characters of the show are actually from a book. That's actually where I got the idea from.
AlexisPeaney: What times are you referring to? Only chapter 18? I understand why it might have been confusing there. First, we have a flashback to 1543, a few minutes after Flora entered the book. (see chapter 16) Then we go back to the present day (2016) in Alfea, a few minutes after the Winx left with Catherine (see chapter 10). Then we have a scene with Selina and the Trix in the same time. Afterwards, Selina has flashbacks, therefore the past, to the day she met Catherine. There the time is around 6X01. And then we go back to the present at Alfea with the parents meeting and all. I hope that's cleared up!
Third, there are some characters that will be present here that you might not remember. So, just to remind you:
Mary: Will's ex-wife, queen of Scotland, Flora's sister in law and close friend.
Greer: Mary's lady, Flora's friend and married to Leith.
Lola: Mary's lady, Flora's friend and married to Collin. She's also about 5 months pregnant with their first child.
Kenna: Mary's lady, Flora's friend and going out with Lord Sebastian.
I apologize in advance, cause this is so freaking long. Seriously, good luck reading it.
Catherine, Flora and Tecna left the carriage with the two fairies hiding behind the capes. They passed through the guards rather easily due to Catherine's influence, though there were some weird and confused looks from the guards. The blonde woman walked fast as Flora attempted to keep up with her and Tecna was dragged with them. The knife didn't leave Tecna's throat and the nature fairy found no way to free her friend without possibly causing her death.
Once they entered the palace, Catherine asked two guards to come to them, much to Flora's confusion. She whispered something in their ears and it was unlucky of them that Musa wasn't there to tell them what she had said. After that, the guards unceremoniously grabbed Tecna and started taking her away.
"No! Let her go!" Flora screamed and tried to reach for her, but Catherine stopped her.
"Will you please be quiet? They're taking her to a secret place where she will remain until you've fulfilled your part in the agreement." Her mother whispered the last part and Flora felt afraid of her for the first time in her life. She got out of her mother's grip with difficulty before looking back at Tecna. She knew that she wouldn't be able to save her now, but she sure wished she could. She cast Tecna an apologizing look as the technology fairy was taken to the secret location.
"What agreement are you talking about?" Flora asked once they were gone as she looked back at her mother.
"It's simple, dear. You're going to fulfill your duty by marrying James and I will let your good for nothing friends live." Shock filled her at such an unfair request and she immediately shook her head.
"No way. I'm not marrying James. Why are you suddenly obsessed with that?" She asked as she recalled how it was her father who had pushed her to do this, while her mother just silently agreed.
"I'm not obsessed with it, Flora. I simply want what's best for you and our family, as I've said before. Now, come to the library. We need to tell your father that you're here." Catherine took her arm and dragged her towards the library. Upon getting there, Flora noticed that her wedding dress was in one of the chairs.
"Why is it here?" She questioned, confused.
"We have to make sure that there are no loose strings in this story. So, now you can put it on." Flora gave her an incredulous look, but once she remembered that Tecna's life was hanging in the balance, she let out a sigh before picking up the dress. Within minutes, she was wearing it and there was a knock on the door. Catherine answered it and King Henry entered, looking worried.
"Flora!" He screamed upon spotting her and he ran to her so that he could hug her. She was too shocked by seeing her father again after so long that she didn't react to the hug at all. He noticed her stillness and pulled apart to look at her sternly. "Don't ever scare me like that again, okay? I can't bear the thought that something might happen to you." After a warning look from Catherine, Flora sighed before she played her part.
"I'm sorry, father. I came back here to have some alone time before the wedding and I picked up a book to put it back in the shelves. But you know how I am with books, I found myself reading it and completely forgot about the wedding. Will you please forgive me?" She guessed by the look on his face that he had bought her story and she internally smiled.
"Ah, I do know how you are. Well, there's no harm done. We'll just continue the wedding as if nothing happened." Catherine shook her head at this comment, much to Flora's surprise.
"Henry, we can't just continue the wedding like this. Didn't you notice how her hair is undone and the dress isn't so right? She needs to get fixed before the wedding." Henry looked between the two woman in confusion before his eyes widened.
"But that's true. James won't want to marry you like this, no you need to be perfect. Why don't you take her back to her bridesmaids and tell them to fix her up quickly?" He turned to Catherine, who nodded before she and Flora left the room and went towards where Mary, Greer, Kenna and Lola were waiting for her.
Back with the Winx...
The group of 12 reached the palace within an hour and they prayed that they would still have time to find Tecna. As they looked at the many guards around the palace, they started panicking.
"How are we going to get in?" Musa asked them and once again Daphne found a solution.
"Over there." She pointed to a great oak tree not far from where they were.
"That's perfect, Daphne. And look, it's close to a window." Bloom said while looking proudly at her older sister. For the next few minutes, everyone reached the tree, thankfully without catching the guard's attention. They were also lucky that said window was open, so they easily entered the palace.
"Okay, now what?" Riven asked impatiently. Musa put a hand over his mouth and he looked at her, shocked.
"Shhh. I can hear Flora's voice. She's not far from here." The fairy of music said while she concentrated.
"So can you lead us to her?" Bloom asked and Musa nodded. For the next few minutes, everyone followed her through many halls and they received many weird looks from richly dressed people that they ignored. Thankfully, no guard came after them. Soon they reached a wooden door and now everyone could hear Flora's voice and also other people they did not recognize. They shared a determined look before Musa opened the room.
Inside the dressing room...
Mary was doing Flora's hair once again as the other ladies stared at them. The 4 girls had made an agreement not to say anything about Flora's disappearance, but some of them were finding it way too hard. Greer and Lola sat in their chairs in silence while Kenna paced back and forth. After a few minutes, she was no longer able to contain herself.
"You ran away, didn't you?" She startled Flora and Mary, causing Mary to drop Flora's hair and almost undo the braid that she had been trying to do.
"Kenna!" Greer screamed from her chair as she held her hand to her heart, shock clear on her face.
"You can't just scream like that." A stressed Lola added as she held her stomach as she moaned in pain.
"Oh, god, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Are you okay, Lola?" Kenna apologized quickly after watching her friend. Lola closed her eyes for a few seconds and sighed.
"I'm fine, the baby just kicked hard. You startled her, but we're okay." Kenna sighed in relief after hearing this before her attention went back to Flora.
"So, now that you're not so mad at me, can you tell me? I'm dying to know what happened." She pleaded and Flora laughed at the look on her face.
"Okay, okay. What do you want to know?" She asked the brunette, who repeated the same question from before.
"Oh,yes. I did." Flora lowered her head as she awaited for them to tell her that it had been a stupid idea, that she was letting her family and her country down and that she shouldn't have done it.
"I'm sorry it didn't work out." Greer surprised her and Flora was glad to spot an understanding look on her face.
"Where did you go?" Mary asked curiously as she walked back to stare at the braid she had done. Flora shook her head.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." They gave her questioning looks, but before anyone could speak, the door opened.
"What the hell?" Musa asked once all of the Winx and Specialists had filled the room. Mary and her ladies stared at the guests in confusion and disbelief, but their attention was focused on Flora.
"Why the hell are you in a wedding dress?" Stella asked with widened eyes. Flora sighed deeply, but Kenna responded for her.
"Maybe because she's getting married." The brunette said sarcastically and everyone turned back to look at her. "Not that anyone's happy about that."
"Kenna, don't you recognize them? It's the Winx!" Greer told her excitedly and shockingly.
"But how did they get here?" Lola asked her friends and the Winx just stood there as they tried to understand how these complete strangers knew who they were.
"Now that's a very long story." Flora muttered and as she wished that she could just disappear.
"Girl, you have some explaining to do." Greer told her, hands on her waist as she cast Flora a suspicious look.
"She sure does." Bloom added and the Winx nodded. Flora opened her mouth, but she said nothing. She had no idea how to start explaining to them, but then a word reminded her of why she was here.
"Tecna." She muttered and this caused Timmy to leave his shocked position and walk in front of the Winx as he looked at her angrily and desperately.
"Where is she? Is she safe?" He asked her and upon seeing the look on Flora's face, he dropped to his knees. "No, it can't be." He muttered and Flora was quick to interrupt his sorrow.
"She's not dead, but I have no idea where she is. She's in danger." The nature fairy told them anxiously.
"Then we have to get to her." Bloom said firmly as she looked at her friends. "But first you have to explain to us what is going on here." Flora shook her head.
"No, there's no time for that now. Tecna is more important." They looked at her in confusion and Greer spoke once again.
"So let me get this straight, you have somehow become friends with the Winx? How in the world did that happen?"
"And how did they even get here if they're not real?" Kenna added.
"Hello, we're very real and we're standing right here." Stella said as she pointed at herself. The rest of the Winx had offended looks on their faces.
"People, can you please stop talking for one second. I can't think." Flora sternly told them as she noticed that Musa was about to send in another comment. They looked at her once again and were surprised to find their usually calm friend was looking anxious and desperate.
"Flora, please." Helia pleaded and she looked at him, her heart breaking at the look on his face and the thought that she would have to break his heart.
"No. Don't look at me like that, please. You're making this even harder than it has to be." She told him brokenly.
"So this is hard for you? You're not the one that just found out that the one you love has lied to you about pretty much everything!" Helia lost control for once and she remained silent and let him get it out of his system.
"Wait on a second, is this what I think it is?" Lola asked as she looked between the two of them. She had noticed the interaction between them, had seen the way Helia looked at her and she knew what this was.
"God, Flora, you're even more messed up than I thought." Kenna said and Mary and Greer sent her warning looks. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not the only one who thinks that." They sighed in defeat and Flora would have apologized, begged for their forgiveness if she hadn't been so focused on the one she loved.
"Helia, I have lied to you and I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you, all I wanted was a fresh start without the past to haunt me. That didn't work out so well." She sighed and ignored the looks that were sent her way. He was more important now, he needed to know the truth. "Do you remember the day when we got back together after the misunderstanding with Krystal?" A small smile came to his face as he recalled that day and she smiled too. The others watched the couple in silence, understanding that they needed this moment alone, even though they weren't.
"It's impossible to forget that day, it was the day I knew that I wanted to marry you, that I settled it." Greer, Mary and Lola gasped and they looked at the couple in confusion.
"I told you that day that I love you and I always will. That is the truth and it has always been. Do you believe me?" She let him look at her and she kept her determined face. He analyzed her and soon his smile enlarged.
"You're telling the truth and I know it. But that leaves the question, why are you apparently getting married today, and to someone that clearly isn't me?" The intensity in his look was overwhelming, it was one of those times when he took her breath away with just one look from these midnight blue eyes. She sighed before answering.
"Because if I don't go through with this wedding, Tecna will be killed and I'll never be able to forgive myself." All hell broke loose after these words.
"Wait, what! Who's gonna kill Tecna?" Lola asked in confusion and Bloom quickly spoke.
"It's your mother, isn't it?" The red haired fairy looked alarmed and ready to attack. Sky gently held her arms as he sensed her agitated state.
"Wouldn't put it past her, she did threaten Tecna before." Musa added with a frown. Before anyone else could speculate, Flora answered them.
"Yes, apparently my mother has either gone mad or made a pact with the devil because she made it clear that if I don't do this Tecna won't live to see another day. I don't know why she's suddenly so obsessed with this marriage." Flora told them, anger and fear clear in her tone.
"So we have to find her now, so you won't have to get married and no one will get hurt." Timmy said from his spot near Musa and Riven. Flora shook her head desperately.
"We'll never find her in time, she's kept in a secret location and the wedding will be at any minute now." She gave a defeated sigh. Silence filled the room as each of them were lost in their own thoughts. Soon, a cry startled them and some even jumped.
"What is that?"Greer asked fearfully.
"I'm sorry, guys, I guess Lana wants to join the conversation too." Mary and her ladies shared confused glances as they wondered who Aisha had talked about, but it was clear as they noticed the squirming baby in Nabu's arms.
"What a cute baby!" Lola excitedly said as she stared at the little girl, who stopped crying after a few seconds and stared at her curiously.
"Thank you. She's only about a month old." Aisha replied before she took one good look at Lola. "If you don't mind me asking, how far along are you?" She carefully asked and Lola laughed before putting a hand in her stomach.
"About 4 months, I think. Collin and I are sure that she'll be a little girl too. I hope she's as cute as this one." Lola gestured to little Lana with a huge smile. Before the Winx and specialists could question who Colin was, the door to the room opened and in came two young man Flora easily recognized.
"Leith!" She said excitedly and he smiled at her.
"Now here's our missing bride. I'm glad to see you're okay." Leith was confused at why the man with blue hair was glaring at him, but he chose to ignore it.
"Hey, honey. What are you two boys doing here?" Greer asked as she stared at him.
"The wedding will be starting in a few minutes, so we came to get you. Again." Collin answered this one as he went to Lola's side and the two shared a hug. Upon noticing Flora's sad expression, Leith attempted to cheer her up.
"Hey, don't worry, Flo. If that guy's as bad as Kenna's saying, Collin and I are ready to kick his ass." She couldn't help but laugh at his words.
"Thanks, Leith." She told him and Greer rolled her eyes.
"Honey, you're getting ahead of yourself now. If you ever were to kick James' ass, you'd be sentenced to death and I would be very mad at you." She told her husband seriously and Leith laughed at her expression.
"I love you too, Greer." He told her sarcastically and she playfully hit him in the arm.
"Okay, guys, not to bring you anymore down, but Stella's fallen unconscious. She needs medical help immediately." Brandon told them and everyone turned back to look at him as he carried Stella.
"Oh, right, I had almost forgotten about that. Mary, do you think that you could take them to the doctor?" The young queen was surprised, but she nodded.
"Sure. I guess we better leave the explanations for later, right?" Flora nodded and Mary walked towards Brandon, who looked at her suspiciously.
"Don't worry, Brandon, Mary can be trusted." The brunette specialists argued.
"Right now I'm not sure you can't be trusted, so sorry if I'm not willing to take your word." Everyone looked back at Flora as they awaited for her response.
"I think that you're not understanding that whether you want it or not, you're gonna have to trust me. If you don't, you'll never survive in here. And besides, I'm sure that my mother doesn't plan on letting you live, so I am your only chance." Her harsh words surprised the Winx and Specialists.
"I guess we don't really have a choice. Tecna's life is at stake here, so we'll trust you." Bloom interfered before a great argument could begin and the Winx showed their agreement.
"Bloom's right. We've got no time to waste. So, Flora, what do we do now?" Aisha turned to her best friend with unexpected warmth and trust. After all, they were the closest amongst the six friends and Aisha could see, better than anyone but Helia, that Flora didn't wish for any harm to come to them and that she was sorry. So the fairy of waved decided it would be better if she helped instead of arguing.
"First thing is you need to look like you belong here, so do you think that you can take them to my chateau so that the girls can borrow some of my gowns?" Flora looked back at Mary, who nodded.
"Of course. And since your mother and Leonardo will be at the ceremony, it will be empty." Flora then turned to Leith.
"Think you can lend them some suits, just for today?" Leith smiled at her.
"I can try, but I don't think I have enough of them." He warned as he looked back at the 7 specialists.
"I can take them to Will's chambers, there will be enough suits there." Mary spoke and no one missed how her voice shook at his name.
"So you know Will too?" Aisha couldn't stop herself from asking and she blushed when all eyes went back to her.
"Of course I do, he is, well was my husband." Mary gave out a broken sob and Flora was quick to reach her and they embraced.
"I know, I know." The nature fairy repeated as she rocked the young queen and it was such a heartbreaking scene that most of the anger the Winx and Specialists felt towards Flora disappeared. The two friends stayed like that for a few minutes as the others remained silent until the door opened once again. This time it was a man in his late 30s and he wore a green suit and a huge crown on his head. He looked at the unexpected guests curiously until he saw Flora.
"Are you ready, princess?" He asked her and Flora nodded sadly.
"Yes, father." He cast her a gentle smile before extending his arms. Flora gave Mary a squeeze in the shoulder and a smile before she walked towards her father and linked arms with him.
"Wait! Your forgot the bouquet." Greer said before they could leave and she quickly handed Flora the bouquet of white roses. After that, Greer, Lola, Kenna, Leith and Colin left the room after Flora and her father as they went to the wedding. Mary gestured for the Winx and Specialists to follow her and so they left.
At the wedding...
The door to the grand room opened and Greer, Lola and Kenna walked in with their partners, Lord Sebastian having chosen to accompany the fiery brunette. The 6 of them walked towards the altar with grace as the ladies spread flowers all across the room.
Soon it was Flora's turn and all eyes were on her as she crossed the room with Henry. Many took note of her sad expression, knowing that an arranged marriage doesn't mean a happy one. James waited for her at the altar and she had to admit that he looked very handsome with his suit, though she knew that she could never love him, not the day she did with Helia. As she approached James, Henry gave him a firm look before the young man took Flora's hand and held it as they turned to look at the priest.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here to join these two people together in holy matrimony and therefore form an alliance between France and Ireland." The priest opened the ceremony and everyone sat down and listened. There were a few prayers, a big lecture and soon it was time for the I do's. The Winx and Specialists had come in quietly in the middle and they were sitting in the back of the room, trying not to call attention to themselves.
"Do you, prince James, take Flora Blanchet to be your wife for as long as you may live?" James cast her a smile that she didn't return as he said the words everyone expected him to say.
"I do." Then it was her turn. As the priest asked her, Flora took a look around the room and soon her eyes met Helia's. He was standing at the back of the room wearing a suit she recognized as Will's favorite. Her heart broke even more as he looked at her, so sad and desperate and she knew that he wanted nothing more than to rescue her from this marriage. As she stared into these midnight blue eyes, there was nothing more that she wanted to do than to ran to him and hug him.
She was so close to doing it, but then her eyes met her mother's. Catherine stood by Henry's side, a nervous look on her face. When she caught Flora staring at her, she gave her daughter a sad smile before she gestured to the knife safely hidden in her dress as Flora was aware and the nature fairy remembered that her best friend's life was depending on her saying I do. So, that's what she did.
"I do." She was sure that she sounded nervous and unsure, but the priest didn't seem to mind for he continued the ceremony.
"Then, by the power invested in me by God, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." The guests of the party stood up and clapped as they awaited for the couple to kiss. Flora made no movement to do so and James gave her a look.
"Come on, Flora. We have to do this, for our countries." She glared at him, but she didn't have much time to think about her next move as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer, not so gently. She gasped in surprise and before she knew it, he was kissing her. She wanted to push him away, wanted to stop this, but the memory of Tecna lingered in her mind. Soon James pulled apart from her and both turned to face the crowd with happy, fake smiles.
"This is truly a special occasion and so I have an announcement to make." Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the king of France. "As I am sure many of you are aware, my only son and the heir to the throne passed away a few days ago. As heartbreaking as that was, I knew that I needed to act fast to ensure the future of our great nation. That is why, against many of your wishes, I will be crowning my daughter, miss. Flora Blanchet, the princess of France and the next in line for the throne." There were whispers and disagreements from the guests, some even screamed at King Henry, but he remained calm and awaited for it to end. Once the room was silent, he continued. "This is what's best for France and as its king, I must always choose what's best for our great nation." He finished his speech and many people noticed the way Catherine rolled her eyes at his words.
After the speech, Flora was crowned princess and she received the crown that had belonged to her late grandmother, Queen Claude. It felt heavy on her head, as if it represented the weight of France. She ignored the congratulations, the cheers and the insults that were thrown at her and she left the room after telling her father to begin the afterparty and that she would be going to the bathroom. The excuse worked and soon Henry was calling everyone to begin the party.
The nature fairy mentioned for the Winx to follow her as she walked to the gardens. Mary and her ladies did too as they were just as impatient to hear her story. Only Kenna followed a different direction and they didn't wonder much on that as they assumed she had gone to meet Sebastian. Flora reached the great oak tree where she had spent countless moments with Will, where he had taught her how to fight and where he had told her that he was falling for Mary just weeks after her arrival at Paris. She had to hold back tears as she thought of her brother, but she knew that there were more important things now.
"So, now that the wedding's done, can we get started on the explanations?" Stella said impatiently as they sat down around Flora. The fairy of the sun had had a hard time due to the doctor's attempt to stop her bleeding. She had been given badly done stitches on the wound on her head while she had been conscious and, as she kept saying, that hurt like hell.
"That would be nice." Aisha said as she sat on Nabu's lap with Lana safely in her arms. The little girl played with her mother's dress as she let out a few cries. Nabu had wrapped his arms around Aisha and she rested comfortably on his chest. Most of the other couples did the same, with the exception of Musa and Riven. Timmy and Helia sat down alone, though the blue haired specialist was by Flora's side. Everyone could feel the tension and awkwardness between them.
"So, Flo, you can start?" Flora was about to when another thing came to her mind.
"Tecna's not safe yet." She replied and Timmy sighed.
"So how do we get her? Didn't you say that she was in a secret location?" He asked her and Flora nodded.
"She is and I'm not sure that I'll have much time to look for her. My parents or my... husband will probably come looking for me soon." She stated frustratingly and Helia sighed.
"Then you should get back to them. Or else they'll get suspicious and I'm sure your mother wouldn't be thrilled to find us here." They shared a look in which she tried to apologize and he tried to tell her that it was okay. He knew her well and he could easily see how much she was hurting. Helia wasn't a jealous guy or an angry one, so he wasn't mad at her.
No, his love for her spoke higher than anger and he was too concerned about her situation to be jealous of James. Besides, it was clear that she had no feelings for the other man, though there was a small voice in his head that kept saying 'this is now, but what about before she went to Alfea?'. But he chose to ignore it.
"You're right, as usual. But I really don't wish to leave you here." At this Greer, who had been quietly watching them, decided to speak up.
"Hey, don't worry about them, they have us." She pointed to herself, Lola and Mary. "Mary is a queen, so if anyone should try anything, they'd be in big trouble. So go find your mother and bring Tecna here, safe and sound, so that I can learn all the details about your love affair." She smirked at the now blushing nature fairy.
"Okay, then. I'll be right back, hopefully with Tecna." She told her friends before leaving them once again. It was getting annoying how she always had to leave. She went back to the party and she met her mother first.
"There you are, I've been looking for you." Catherine said while eyeing her suspiciously.
"As I was looking for you. We need to talk." Flora surprised her by her firm tone, but it was un understandment considering the situation they were in. Catherine took a look at Henry, who was too busy talking to his son-in-law before she nodded. The two women went to the back of the room, where there were very few people and so they could talk more freely.
"Well, I wasn't expecting you to actually go through with this, I saw how much you like the other boy." Catherine scoffed and Flora got angry.
"His name is Helia and he's the one I love. I was supposed to marry him, but you messed that up." Catherine sighed deeply.
"Flora, dear, I'm afraid that what you feel for him doesn't matter, as I said before, you have a duty to perform." Flora ignored these words, but she couldn't do with the next ones. "And besides, what were you thinking, getting involved with him? Have you forgotten about Nostradamus' vision?"
"You can't be serious." Catherine gave her an intense look.
"That man might be the cause of your death. Doesn't that worry you?" Flora shook her head vigorously.
"No, it doesn't, cause that vision isn't the truth. Nostradamus is crazy and so are you." She regretted it the moment she said it. This wasn't the way to get Tecna back, she shouldn't be angering her mother. Catherine simply smiled at her.
"I'll let you believe what you want, but I'm still keeping an eye on him." Flora ignored her and focused on the matter she had come to solve.
"Where's Tecna?" Catherine looked surprised.
"She's safe, I'll bring her here after the ceremony." Flora shook her head.
"No, I want to see her now. I have fulfilled my duty and my part on the agreement, so all I ask is that you please let my friend go. She doesn't deserve to pay for my mistakes." Her mother's expression softened at the last part and she nodded.
"Okay." She started walking away, but Flora wasn't done.
"And I want you to send the others back home. They don't deserve to be trapped here." Catherine's eyes widened.
"Flora, I can't do that, there isn't magic here, remember?" Flora cast her a suspicious look.
"But you went to the Magic Dimension, so perhaps that isn't true at all." A panicked look crossed Catherine's face, but it was quickly replaced by a sad smile.
"I used a magical book to get there, the Legendarium. But it's with Selina now, so there's no way of going back." The memory of Selina made the nature fairy flinch as she recalled how the other girl had poisoned her and fooled them all.
"So they will be trapped here?" Catherine nodded and Flora sighed. This wasn't going the way she planned. "Well, can you at least promise me that you won't hurt them. I'll become queen of France like you always wanted and I won't run away. All I ask is that you let my friends live so that there can be some happiness in my life." That one hurt the blonde woman as she had never intended for it to come to this. So she gave a nod before they left to go look for Tecna.
With Tecna...
The pink haired fairy was trapped in a rather cold room without any windows, so she didn't know how long it had been since she had been taken or whether it was day or night. She was starting to get hungry and with each noise she heard, her fear grew. But she didn't act on it, she was a Winx and she would find a way out of this situation. She attempted to untie herself, but it proved to be extremely difficult as Catherine had done a great job tying her up.
Flashbacks of happier times went through her mind, the day she met the Winx, when she and Timmy became friends, when they became something more, when they got engaged. She recalled fun moments she had spent with Musa, her closest friend, and with her parents. And the more she remembered, the more she feared that these memories would be gone soon, just as she would.
There were bad memories too, most of them about the Omega Dimension. She recalled her fear when she found herself alone in that cold and dark place. She also remembered the aftermath, when she had had a conversation with Timmy about it and they had agreed not to mention it again after he told her how hard it was for him, how much he had suffered.
"Oh, Timmy." A tear escaped as she thought of her amazing fiancée who had made her so happy for the past few years and how much she would miss him. "He'll be broken if I die, I can't do that to him." Those words fueled her determination and she worked harder to get rid of the ropes. After a few minutes, she had just managed to get rid of the cloth when she heard footsteps. She quickly put it back on, in case Catherine was coming to check in on her, and stepped away until her back hit the wall. She could hear voices talking and she listened carefully.
"Are you sure this is it?" A woman's voice asked, though it was definitely not Catherine, she sounded way younger.
"Yes, remember, I overheard her." A man answered and Tecna wondered who he was.
"I know, but what if she knew that you were listening and she said the wrong location." The man didn't answer for they arrived at the dungeons. "I don't see anyone here." The woman told the man suspiciously and Tecna realized that this might be her chance to get out of here."
"I'm here. Help me, please." The two strangers were startled after hearing her voice, but they acted quickly.
"There you are, Tecna." The technology fairy gave her a confused look, but both agreed this wasn't the time. Sebastian pulled out a pocket knife and Tecna stepped back, horrified teal eyes staring at it.
"Hey, don't worry, I won't hurt you. I'll just use this to cut the ropes." He reassured her and she looked at him suspiciously before nodding. He came closer to her and held onto the ropes. He was about to cut them when there was the sound of footsteps approaching. The couple shared worried looks and Tecna understood that they might be in trouble if anyone found out that they had gone there to free her.
"Go! I'll be fine." The brunette gave her an unsure look, but she was pulled away by her partner and they ran and hid behind the door just as it was thrown open. In entered Catherine and Flora as the nature fairy searched the room for her friend.
"Tecna?" She called worriedly and Tecna quickly answered her.
"I'm here." She was relieved to see a friendly face, but Catherine's presence wasn't comforting.
"Oh, Tecna, I'm so glad that you're alright!" The nature fairy ran to her and hugged her tightly.
"I better undo these ropes." Catherine said from behind her as she gestured towards the ropes bending Tecna's arms.
"No! You don't come anywhere closer to me." Tecna cursed herself for sounding so terrified, but the woman had threatened to kill her and then locked her away in a cell.
"Give me the knife, mother, so that I can set her free." Catherine obeyed the nature fairy's request, much to Tecna's surprise. Soon she was free and she was quick to wrap Flora in a hug. Upon realizing that the technology fairy was shaking, from fear and cold, Flora comforted her.
"Shh. It's okay, you're safe now and I'll never let her hurt you again. I am so sorry." Both friends cried as they remained in the hug for a few minutes. Once they broke apart, a smile came to Tecna's face.
"Thanks, Flo. I really needed your comfort after what I went through today." Flora gave her a reassuring smile.
"I know and I promise you that won't happen again. Right, mother?" She glared at Catherine, who nodded.
"You and your friends aren't going to be harmed by me. I apologize for my actions earlier and I don't ask for your forgiveness because I know some things are unforgivable." Those words surprised the nature fairy and she noticed the glimpse of sadness that crossed her mother's face. It was something she only saw when Catherine talked about their family and their death. Flora wondered if that was the unforgivable thing that she had referred to. "I must be going now. Flora, do you want me to tell your father that you'll need some alone time and that he should keep James occupied" Flora nodded, too stunned to say anything and Catherine left.
"Is she gone?" There was a whisper and Flora jumped as she looked around scared.
"Who's there?" She asked and the couple came out from behind the door.
"Kenna? What are you doing here?" Flora questioned the brunette, who smiled.
"We came here to rescue Tecna." This made Flora look at Sebastian. She didn't know him well, but from what she did know, he was kind and polite and definitely handsome. Still, it was suspicious that he apparently knew where Tecna had been taken.
"How did you know that she was here?" Kenna's smiled enlarged as she look at him.
"It was all Bash, truly. After we became acquaintanced, he told me that he's sort of a detective, so I asked him to do a little investigating on your mother. Sorry about that, there's just something off with her. Anyways, today he overheard her telling the guards to send the prisoner to the dungeons and since your friends had just been talking about Tecna, I guessed it was her." Flora was immensely surprised.
"That is, well, thank you. Even if you were a little late, thanks for trying to save Tecna." She told both of them and Kenna smiled while Bash looked rather upset.
"I wish we had gotten here sooner, thank goodness she's alright." He told them and Kenna gave took his hand in hers.
"Hey, you did good. You're a hero and I'm so happy that we met." Bash smiled at her and they shared a kiss while Flora and Tecna held similar smirks.
"I wanted to thank you for attempting to save me, too." Tecna said after the couple broke apart and both nodded.
"Okay, now we better hurry until we reach the others, they must be anxious and worried about you, Tec." Flora told her and the four of them walked back to the gardens and towards the rest of their friends.
"Tecna!" Timmy screamed once they arrived and the two lovers quickly engaged in a tight hug. The others watched them with smiles.
"I see everything went well." Bloom commented and Flora smiled.
"Yes, I made an agreement with my mother, she won't bother you anymore." The nature fairy told them and Stella and Musa looked suspicious.
"And you're going to take her word?" Musa asked and Flora nodded.
"Yes. She's not a bad person, she's just lost and now that she got what she wanted, she has no reasons to cause you anymore harm." The two fairies raised their eyebrows, but chose not to say anything.
"Okay, then. Now that everything's settled, it's truth time." Bloom said and Tecna and Timmy sat down in the grass, arms wrapped around each other and looked back at Flora just as the others did. The nature fairy blushed before she started telling them the story that would change their lives.
Once she was done, everyone was staring at her confusingly and shocked. "Wow! That's some crazy story."Stella said and Aisha and Musa showed their agreement.
"So we're really trapped here?" Daphne asked and Flora nodded sadly.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that we should give up. We should keep tracking a way to get out of here." She told them firmly and Helia spoke for the first time since she began telling the story.
"Then that's what we will do. And I sure hope that we can get out of here, because I can't stand the thought of being in a world where we can't be together." She smiled at his sweet comment, but it was a sad one.
"Neither do I. I didn't want to go through with this wedding before, but now I just wish that I could never see James again." Lola had a worried look on her face.
"If he ever finds out about you and Helia, he's gonna kill him." Stella and Bloom cast her looks.
"I think that you're exaggerating there." Bloom said and Lola shook her head.
"She's really not, you don't know this world, but that's how things work. The king can have as many lovers as he wants, but the queen cannot. After all, if she were to get pregnant, it would be a catastrophe!" Mary answered for Lola and it was her turn to receive looks from the Winx.
"Then he won't find out. But I'm not going to give up on my relationship with Helia, that is, if he still wants it." The nature fairy turned to her fiancée and he gave her a smile she wasn't expecting.
"So you want us to keep seeing each others in secret?" He questioned and Flora said nothing as she realized how crazy that sounds. "That actually sounds interesting. And dangerous. But I'm not willing to give up on you either." The couple shared a passionate kiss after that and were oblivious to the conversation that played out.
"So we'll help those two lovebirds. And we'll find a way for you to get back home." Greer told the Winx and Specialists with a confident smile that was returned. It was incredible how a bond was already forming between them, but sometimes the worst circumstances brought people together. The rest of the evening was passed with lighter talking as everyone attempted to get to know each other.
Okay, this didn't turn out as good as I hoped, but it's okay. So, what are your thoughts?
Did you like the Flora X Helia scenes? What about Tecna? And the group scenes? Now the truth is out and the Winx will take some time to understand it before they can forgive Flora. They will have a while, since they're trapped in the "real world." Will they ever manage to get back?
Next chapter we'll have more FloraXHelia and the other couples and also Badass Flora. Who's ready to see our favorite nature fairy kicking some ass?