Hello, people. So, this chapter is a bit late and I don't like it that much. Hope you'll be able to enjoy it anyways. The one chapter that will make you cry worse than while watching Titanic or Marley & Me will be coming soon too. Seriously, this is so tragic.
So, let's get to the shoutouts:
zezily: Well, suppose that they were panicking during the conversation. But you know the Winx, they are the most confident and hopeful people there is. Besides, they'll look at this like that time in S2 when they were in a realm where magic was scarce or in the beginning of S6 when they had to fight the Trix and Selina without magic.
winxkate: It's Helia, he's the kind of guy (in my opinion) who would be more concerned about Flora's well being and happiness than mad that she lied to him. He's also not an angry guy and he loves her. It was about time they found out, wasn't it? Yeah, this isn't a happy chapter for Flora X Helia at all.
Rockmantix: I'm so glad to hear it! This one isn't one of my favs.
LostMirage: Everything regarding Will is heartbreaking. That boy was like the light in Flora's life. I'm glad you did so, this isn't a happy chapter for Flora X Helia at all.
AlexisPeaney: That's good. Well, here she is.
Windrea: She's a villain, but she's got her reasons and good ones. You'll see in a few chapters.
Happy reading! Well, not so happy. Good luck!
Two weeks later...
Behind a great oak tree in the palace gardens, a young couple was so lost in each other that it was as if the outside world no longer existed. They wouldn't have been able to notice if anyone passed by them and their secret was revealed to the world. A secret that could get them both killed, but at that moment they didn't care.
"Hmm. Were you that good of a kisser before?" The girl asked once they pulled apart, both breathless. Her light brown hair was now a mess and her green dress that matched her eyes was now kneaded. A crown rested by their feet.
"Sure I was, I guess we didn't have as much passion before." The man with midnight blue hair and eyes responded with a smile. It wasn't a full one, though.
"I guess knowing the consequences makes us more bolder and passionate. I kinda like it." She told him while wrapping her arms around his neck. He didn't give her a smile.
"I don't. I'd rather go back to what we used to be before, Flora. Where I could be with you in front of others, not hiding behind a tree." Her face fell at that statement and she pulled her arms off his neck.
"I know, Helia, and I'm so sorry. But this is the only way that we can be together now." He sighed in distress as he sat down with his back against the tree. She joined him soon and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I guess it's better than us being apart. Life without you would be so dull and empty." He told her and she nodded.
"I really wish that we weren't stuck in this situation. It's not fair to us or James." At that name, she felt him stiff and she regretted mentioning him. "Helia, you know that I don't have feelings for him." She reassured her lover for the millionth time and he gave her a tight smile.
"I know, but that doesn't stop me from hating on him. He got to marry you, if this was a competition, he would be the winner surely." This time she smiled at him as she knew exactly what to say to calm him down.
"He wouldn't be the winner over my heart. It is yours, forever." He smiled back and both moved in for another passionate kiss. There was a cough and both froze in fear. They reluctantly pulled apart and met the eyes of the one who had found them. Relief filled the young couple as they realized there was no danger.
"Hey there, lovebirds." A smirking Greer said as she stared at them.
"Greer! You could have said something instead of just coughing. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Flora asked her sternly and she just laughed.
"I'm sorry, you two are just so jumpy." Flora shook her head at her.
"What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be having dinner with Leith?" Helia asked he as he recalled how his newfound friend had mentioned that he would be having an important dinner with Greer and that he had a surprise for her.
"Yep, I am on my way. But first I came here to warn you two, James is back and he demanded that Flora go meet him in their chambers." Greer replied, a somber and serious look on her face as she said James' name. Helia sighed deeply as him and Flora shared reluctant looks.
"Okay, then I better get going. I'll see you tomorrow, my love." Flora told him before she gave him a last kiss. She picked her crown and settled it on her head. After making sure that she looked good enough, she left for her chambers, having no idea what awaited her there.
"I better get going too. See you later, Helia." Greer said and she cast him a pitiful look before leaving as well. Sighing once again, Helia stood up and he walked towards Flora's old chateau, where he had been staying with Leonardo, Musa and Riven. It was empty at this time, since Musa was performing in the palace and Riven was still on his shift. The music fairy had started working as a singer, along with Nicolas Gombert, who was a rather famous musician in France. He had offered her the job after some convincing from Flora and Musa had been so happy to be able to keep playing music and singing that she wasn't as eager to get back home as the others.
As for Riven, well he had joined the guard force, as their friends had predicted. Some of the other specialists, like Brandon, Thoren and Nabu had as well. The wizard had been rather skeptic about it, but had decided to do it in the end. The four friends were having a good time, as they were granted access to the weaponry and their jobs included protecting their partners, since Flora had convinced her father that it would be the perfect job for them. Since Daphne, Bloom, Stella and Aisha had become Flora's ladies and therefore important figures, the nature fairy had argued that they would need protection. That position also granted the four Winx comfortable chambers in the palace, where they lived with their partners.
Tecna and Timmy were the only ones who didn't live in the palace of near the rest of them, as the technological couple had become helpers for famous inventor Galileo Galilei and they had also gotten a small cottage in the city with some money that Flora had given them as the Winx had no money from their new reality.
Helia met Leonardo at the living room as the older man was concentrated on yet another painting.
"Good night, Leo." Helia greeted him with friendly smile and Leonardo immediately turned to him with a small smile.
"Helia, my boy. I'm glad you're back here cause we need to talk." The young man was confused for he was used to Leonardo not being a man of many words. He looked at his friend in confusion as the famous painter pointed at the red couch in the living room. Both sat quietly while Helia wondered what this could possibly be about.
Back with Flora...
Flora reached the palace a few minutes later and she met her parents in the entrance as they were headed for a walk. Both gave her cautious smiles, as usual, and she gave back a fake one. Her anger at them had diminished over the past few weeks, but she was no close to forgiving either of them.
"Good evening, dear." Catherine greeted and Henry simply nodded.
"Good evening, mother." Flora said formally and a bit cooly.
"How are you doing, Flora? It's been a while." Henry asked her concernedly and a small part of her wanted to cry in pain as he didn't call her 'princess', which was the nickname he had used during her whole life, even when they fought. Her attention was more focused on remembering the reason why they hadn't seen each other in a few days. Henry had gone back to Scotland to discuss the matter of Mary Stuart and the alliance with France. With Will dead, Mary couldn't keep the french throne, but her mother was requiring that France gave them some sort of restitution. So Henry had gone there to discuss said restitution.
"I'm great. How was your trip?" Henry sighed.
"It wasn't very good, Marie de Guise is furious at me because of Will's death, though it wasn't my fault. But I was able to calm her down after I promised that the alliance will remain and Mary will be welcome here in France for as long as she wished to stay." That was certainly good news, so Flora attempted a genuine smile.
"I'm glad to hear it, father." He returned her smile and for a second there, she thought that he would hug her. But he didn't.
"We should get going." Catherine said quickly as she gave Henry a look.
"Are you going for a walk?" Flora questioned and her father shook her head.
"No, we're going to check a village nearby where there has been the protestant attacks, we're going to try to find these cruel monsters. We'll be taking most of the guard force with us, so you and your friends be careful,okay?" Flora nodded before she said her goodbyes and went back to walking to her room. She could still hear them and their words made her feel uneasy.
"Henry, I'm sure that Elizabeth is behind this. We have to stop her before she decides to turn Flora into her new target, now that Mary isn't much of a threat." Catherine was telling her lover in a low voice, but that didn't stop the nature fairy from hearing her. She recalled that Elizabeth was Mary's cousin and the current queen of England as her father had recently died. There were many people who claimed that she wasn't the true heir to the throne as rumors said that she was the king's bastard daughter and only a legitimate child should become queen of England.
However, with no other children from the late king, she had taken the throne. Elizabeth was also a protestant and she desired, even more than her father had, to take Ireland and Scotland and turn them into protestant nations. Needless to say, the situation with England and France had not improved in the two months since she had become queen.
Flora was unable to hear her father's reply, for they were too far away and she wasn't sure she even wanted to. So she kept walking as she wondered why James had called her there. They hadn't had much contact ever since the wedding, she had claimed that she had no interest in going on a honeymoon with him and she had convinced her father to let her stay in France. In the palace, she avoided seeing James and spent most of her time with her friends and Helia. When her husband went back to Ireland 6 days previous, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. But now he was back.
As Flora reached James' chambers, the first thing she noticed were the many candles spread across the room. Her confused green eyes searched for her husband and she found him standing near the bed. He wore the same suit from when they had first met, on the night of Mary and Will's wedding. He smiled once he noticed that she was there and walked towards here.
"Flora. I'm glad to see that you're okay, I've heard of the attacks recently and prayed that you weren't involved." He told her gently and guilt filled her. She knew that she was hurting him, even if unwillingly and indirectly, by staying with Helia.
"I'm fine, the attacks have been going on in the villages, they haven't reached the palace." She told him with a small smile.
"That's good. I was supposed to stay for a few more days, but after hearing about it, I decided to come back early." He told her and she gave him a fake smile.
"Oh, I'm glad you did." Lying had never been her favorite thing, though she did it a lot, so she frowned. He noticed it and sighed.
"Look, I know that you're unhappy about this marriage and, to tell the truth, I'm not too happy either. But the fate of our countries is depending on this being successful, so if you care about your home, you should at least try to make this work." He told her firmly and she sighed.
"It's not as if I don't care, but I can't do this." She told him while shaking her head and he took another step, so that he was right in front of her. He took her hand in his and kissed it.
"Of course you can. You are strong, one of the strongest women I've ever met and I can promise you that if you give it a try, you might end up falling in love with me." She wanted to laugh as she doubted that would ever happen. He realized that his strategy wasn't working, so he decided to try something else. "Do you know why I went back home?" He questioned and Flora was curious.
"Not really." She answered and he sighed once again before he sat down on the bed and gestured for her to do the same.
"I went there because there have been attacks caused by England too. And 6 days ago, one of them killed my younger brother because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I had to go back for his funeral and because my father wanted to discuss things with me." She gasped while hearing it as she thought how much he must be suffering. She knew that pain, she had lost more than one younger sibling.
"I'm so sorry." She told him and she squeezed his hand as an attempt to comfort him. He gave her a sad smile.
"Thank you, Flora. Now do you understand why I so desperately want this to work?" He asked and she nodded.
"I do,but still, I don't love you." She was sure that these words might have broken his already shattered heart, but they needed to be said.
"I know. I've been in love before and I know that you're in love with someone else. But I do hope that you know that you can't be with him, whoever he is, because if you give birth to an illegitimate child, you could be killed, there are laws." She knew those laws, so that's why she had been careful enough to hide her relationship with Helia.
"So what do you propose?" She asked, curiously.
"Your survival depends on you giving an heir, a legitimate one, so we need to fulfill our jobs as future king and queen of France. Just imagine what would happen if we somehow died, France would be vulnerable and so would be Scotland and Ireland. We need to provide a heir and soon." This was exactly what she thought it would be. He was trying to seduce her, convince her to sleep with him. And even though he was right, she would have none of it.
"No. I'm not going to sleep with you." She told him firmly and determinately, though she knew that she really didn't have a choice.
"Look, I'm not thrilled about it either, but we have to do it." He stood up and she was confused until she saw that he was coming back with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "I think this will make it easier." He told her before he filled the two bottles. He handed one to her and she was going to protest, but the memory of the conversation she had with her mother on the day of the wedding came back to haunt her, as it did every time she was with Helia. 'Make sure that this marriage is successful and no one will need to get hurt.'.
"Damn." She muttered under her breath. She really didn't have much of a choice, she might be a princess now, but her father still was the king and her mother was very influential as well. So she accepted the glass of wine and she drank it quickly. Soon the bottle was gone and she felt different, lighter and so she did what no one would have expected her to do, she kissed James. A passionate, desperate kiss that he eagerly replied and that was the moment everything changed.
Back with Helia...
"So, what's this about, Leo?" Helia asked curiously.
"I know about you and Miss. Flora." Leonardo went straight to the point and Helia's blood ran cold.
"What? I don't know what you're talking about." He tried to deny it, but Leonardo cast him a look.
"Don't try to deny it, I know what I saw. You two should really be more careful." He advised Helia, who looked down in shame.
"I thought that we were being careful enough." Leonardo shook his head vigorously.
"My boy, I hate having to be this hard on you, but what the hell do you think you're doing?" Helia was surprised.
"We're in love, Leo. And two weeks ago we were getting married. You know that, you've seen the paintings I've made of her and the poems I've written. I am desperately, hopelessly in love with her and she feels the same way." Leonardo sighed deeply, because he knew that. He knew, but he also knew the dangers behind the two lover's actions.
"I know that and it's a very unfortunate situation you two are in, but if this is found out, you could be killed. Both of you. Just imagine how horrible it would be for her parents, who have lost all of their children, and to France, that has no heir to the throne. King Henry might love Flora, but he would be forced to sentence her to death if it were discovered that she was having an affair." Guilt filled Helia as those words were said and it was like someone was punching him. He had known of the dangers, but with Leonardo's words, it got so much worse.
"But what can I do? I love her, I can't live without her." He told his friend desperately and Leo put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I know what it's like to be young and in love, I've been there myself, but you need to think about the most important thing. And that's not your happiness or hers, unfortunately. We live in a world where the future of an entire nation relies on the young princes and princesses. So Flora needs to do what's best for France and you need to help her do that." Helia looked at his older friend, sadness and confusion passing through his face.
"I'm not following you." Leonardo gave him a sad look.
"You have to end your affair with her." Helia stared at him in disbelief, but there was only determination in the old man's eyes. There was only silence as the young man was lost in thought as he wondered if this was truly the right thing to do.
Many hours later...
Flora woke up with a groan as her head was spinning. She looked around the still lit room and she spotted a sleeping James by her side. She sighed as she recalled what had happened and how she had betrayed Helia. "He'll never forgive me for this and I don't really blame him." She muttered to herself as she stood up and put on her dress from before. She started walking towards the door, wanting to be as far away as possible from this room, when she heard screams and the sound of glass shattering. She was confused and wondered if she was still drunk and this was an hallucination. Deciding to find out what this was, she walked out of the room and followed the noise.
Her ears led her to the library, a place she loved and she could hear many people screaming there. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that she knew those voices, she had known them for 5 years. It was the Winx. And not only them, Mary and Lola were there too.
"What the hell?" She muttered to herself and her heart froze when she noticed that there was an armed guard in front of the library. This wasn't uncommon, however, she could clearly see that in the guard's shield there was a flag, one that belonged to England. "Oh my god." She covered her mouth as she realized that this was probably an attack sent out by Elizabeth. "But who's their target? Is it Mary or me?" She asked herself. Whatever the answer was, she needed to act and fast. There were no guards in the castle to protect the Winx, so she would have to take care of them herself.
The thought of taking out armed guards made her nervous and unsure for she had never done it before, but she knew that the Winx wouldn't be able to take them out, they weren't used to fighting them without magic. So she ran through the corridors as she attempted to reach her room. She was able to get close, but once she saw all of the guards that were posted near her room, she knew that her chances of getting there were slim.
"Great! What now?" She muttered to herself. Never in her life had she felt so alone as she did now. 'I believe that we are never alone. But when you feel like you are, all you have to do is look at this picture and you'll remember that we're always with you.' She recalled the words that had been spoken to her by Will on the day he gave her a picture of himself for her to put inside her heart-shaped necklace, only a few months previous. A smile came to her face as she thought of her brother.
"Oh, Will. How can you not be here anymore?" She asked herself and she felt tears welling up as they always did whenever she thought of him. "I have to be strong right now, my friends need me." She looked back at all the guards and tried to come up with a new plan. "Okay, so I can't go back to my room. There must be somewhere else where I can find weapons. The weaponry." She mentally face palmed for being so stupid and not thinking about it before. Then she realized that the soldiers would have most likely taken all of the weapons.
"So what do I do?" She hid behind a statue as two guards passed by her. Then it clicked. "Will's room. They probably haven't gone there." Excitement filled her as she recalled what she had hidden in Will's room and so that's where she went. She was lucky that there were no guards in that area and so she quickly grabbed what she needed and headed back to the library.
With the Winx...
Bloom, Stella, Aisha and Tecna were hanging around the library that day, as they usually did. They were trying to find out a way out of here, having had no luck for the past two weeks. Musa would usually be joining them, but she was currently in the middle of practice for the next recital. For once, Tecna was there with them as she usually would be in the city, working with Galileo or researching in the public library.
"Okay, this is getting boring. Can we take a break?" As usual, Stella suggested.
"That's actually not a bad idea. We've been researching for hours, we should get something to eat so we can regain our energy." Tecna commented and the others nodded before putting away their books. The library door opened and in came Mary and Lola. The 4 friends waved at the two.
"Hey Mary, Lola." Bloom greeted warmly and she was surprised when Mary simply sighed.
"What's wrong?" Stella curiously inquired. Mary remained silent, so Lola answered for her.
"She's been having a really bad feeling today and so have I." The Winx eyed them with confusion.
"So you think something bad will happen?" Aisha asked while she attempted to calm down the almost asleep baby girl in her arms.
"I'm sure of it." Bloom attempted to comfort her as she cast the young queen a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry too much, Mary. I'm sure that you're just shaken because of the attacks on the villages." It didn't work and Mary looked even more worried after these words.
"I hadn't even thought about them. What if they reach the palace?" She started panicking and the Winx felt a bit panicky too. They had been living for a short period in this new reality, but they had quickly learned that this was a much more dangerous world than their own. There were attacks every day and the rage of unspoken war between England and France left the six fairies very worried. What worried them even more was that they no longer had their powers and if an emergency came, they weren't sure if they would be able to defend themselves. The specialists' presence made them feel safer for they knew how to fight without magic, but today they weren't there.
"Okay, guys, now I'm getting worried too." Stella commented and Tecna nodded.
"If the attacks do reach the palace, we will have to fight without our powers and I don't think that we'd be ready for that." The technology fairy said and the other girls sighed. There was a sudden noise as the door was violently opened and they all gasped.
"Musa!" Tecna screamed once she noticed that the music fairy was being held by a guard that looked at them with smirks.
"Tecna!" Musa screamed back and she fought to get out of his grasp, but the guard held her tighter and they entered the room. More guards followed him and the Winx stared at them fearfully.
"This is not good." Stella said while she backed away. Aisha and Bloom stood up and lined up defensively.
"Who are you?" It was Mary who asked and the guard that held Musa smirked at her.
"Can't you guess that, your majesty?" He told her and the young queen gasped.
"You're working for Elizabeth!" She exclaimed and another guard nodded.
"Look what a clever girl we've got here. Too bad we can't keep her." He said while eying her with a smirk. Bloom and Aisha stood in front of Mary protectively.
"You're gonna have to go through us before you can get to Mary." The fairy of waves told the guards determinately and they laughed, as expected. Lola, who was behind them all, attempted to find somewhere she could escape with little Lana as she knew that she was in no condition to fight. Her eyes searched the back of the library, but she found nothing.
"Look at them, so sure of themselves. They're just women, taking them down will be a piece of cake." Another cocky guard said while smirking.
"That's right. But first, we need to find out where the other one is. Princess Flora. You're her friends, aren't you?" The guard holding Musa asked the Winx, who shared equal fearful looks.
"This is definitely not good." Stella repeated, but Bloom shook her head.
"It's time we come up with a plan." She told her three friends, her eyes stopping on Tecna.
"We can't take them down." The technology fairy said and Stella glared at her.
"Great! So what do you suggest we do? Cry for help?" She asked rather sarcastically and Bloom's face lightened up.
"That's it." The redhead said while smiling. The guards, who had been watching their interaction with amused expressions on their faces, frowned. "Make as much noise as you can." Bloom muttered and Stella and Tecna nodded. Mary gave them a confused look that turned to shock when Stella screamed so loud that many of the people had to cover their ears.
"What the hell?" One of the guards yelled. Soon Aisha and Bloom joined in the screaming and the guards were enraged.
"Okay, that's enough! Guards, restrain them." The leader said while he covered Musa's mouth as she had started screaming as well. The others followed his orders and ran towards the 6 girls. One of them reached Mary and easily restrained her as she didn't fight back, being paralyzed by fear. Bloom and Aisha were a different story. They kicked the guards and punched them, but those men were stronger and way bigger, so they were restrained too. Stella ran along the library and the guards had to chase her down. And Lola, well, by then she had already found a place to hide. Baby Lana squirmed in her arms, but made no noise as if she knew the danger they would be in if they were discovered.
"Now, here is how we're gonna do this." The leader said once the Winx and Mary were successfully trapped. "You're going to tell me where the princes is or else, this one will be the first to die." He smirked at their horrified expressions while he pressed his sword to Musa's throat. It was a too familiar scene and the girls knew that whatever they did, one of them would probably die. So they remained silent, which only enraged the guard.
"So you want to play the silence game, huh? I guess she'll be the winner." He said and the blade was lifted while they watched in terror, unable to help their friend. Musa thought that this was going to be the end and she closed her eyes and awaited for death. But death never came, the impact of the blade never came. She felt the pressure being lifted from her arms and she opened her eyes to find herself free. She stared at her friends in confusion, but their attention was focused on a figure in the furthest shelf from where she was.
"What the hell?" One of the guards screamed and soon an arrow came his way and he was knocked to the ground. Musa noticed that the one who had been holding her had an arrow stuck on his shoulder as well.
"I heard you've been looking for me, so I thought I'd grace you with my presence." The figure said as she stepped onto the light. It was Flora, though she didn't look like the sweet and pacific fairy they knew. No, there was a fire in her eyes that they had never seen and she was carrying a bow.
"Princess Flora! What a great idea you had to join us." The guard who had been holding Musa said with a smirk as he took out the arrow from his shoulder. Flora returned the smirk.
"I know that. Now you can leave my friends alone and flee the palace or else I'll be forced to take you down. It's your choice, gentlemen." She said boldly, surprising everyone in the room, including the other two figures that were hiding in the shadows. The guards stared at her for a second before laughing.
"Look at how many brave ladies we have here. This is turning out to be very interesting." The leader shot back and Flora was unimpressed. Before he could say another word, two more arrows had been sent towards the guards, successfully hitting their shoulders. The two screamed and looked at her angrily.
"Now that's it. I don't care what it takes, but capture her. And remember, queen Elizabeth wants her alive. You may kill off Mary, but she must remain alive." The leader ordered and many guards ran Flora's way. She sent out many arrows, but she knew that wasn't enough. When the first one reached her, she kicked him hard and he fell to the ground in pain. Soon she found herself surrounded and it became hard to fight. She was sure that she would have lost if Nabu and Sky hadn't helped her. The three of them were able to successfully send the guards back.
"Sky?" Bloom asked confusingly once she saw her boyfriend. Aisha had the same confused expression.
"Nabu?" The wizard smiled at her before he kicked the guard that was holding her, setting her free. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Before she could ask what he was doing there, he spoke.
"We better leave the explanations for later, now let's kick some ass." Nabu playfully said and she rolled her eyes. Together, they were able to free Tecna and Stella while Sky freed Bloom. By then, most of the guards had been taken care of and were unconscious.
The door opened for the third time and in entered King Henry, Catherine, Riven, Brandon and a few other guards. The guards that had been attacking the Winx stopped to look at them in horror.
"Guards, arrest them!" Henry ordered without delay and the english guards were successfully stopped.
"Oh my god, Flora, are you okay?" Catherine turned to her daughter, who nodded.
"I'll be fine." She let down the bow she was holding and hugged her friends, glad that they were okay.
"Thank you." Musa told her and she smiled brightly.
"No problem. I guess I got here just in time." She replied and this caused the rest of the Winx to look at them.
"How did you even know we were here?" Tecna asked and Flora smiled sheepishly.
"I overheard you screaming and so I came here only to find the guards in front of the library. So I went to Will's room to get my bow and other weapons and I met Sky and Nabu along the way. We entered through a secret passage, since I know this library like the back of my hand." The fairies and specialists were impressed.
"So you can use a bow too?" Riven asked and Flora smiled at him.
"Yeah, Will taught me. And I'd rather use a bow than a sword, it's easier and more effective." The specialist looked like he wanted to argue, but Musa came to him and his attention was shifted to her.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Musa! I was worried when we were told that there was an attack by the protestants, I thought they might hurt you." He told her with a serious expression and Musa gave him a small smile.
"I'm okay now, but I was really scared before. They came out of nowhere and I couldn't fight them." A somber look came to her face as she thought about how close she had come to death and she shivered.
"Are you okay? Are you cold?" Riven asked her worriedly and she shook her head.
"I think that you two should talk." Bloom said and she gestured for the others to follow her so that the couple could be alone. The rest of the Winx went to their boyfriends while Flora went to her parents.
"Flora, sweetheart, you were so brave. We're proud of you." Henry told her with a smile while Catherine nodded.
"They were sent after me. Why?" She asked her parents, who shared worried looks.
"Well, England wasn't too pleased about your marriage to James. Elizabeth's actually furious about that and the agreement with Mary. Neither of you will be safe for a while." Henry told her somberly and she looked at him determinately.
"So what you're saying is that I'm no longer safe in my own home." She said and he nodded. "Then I guess we know what needs to be done, right mother?" She questioned, hoping that Catherine would pick up on what she was suggesting. If she did, Flora would never know.
"We need to reinforce your security. Bring in more guards and keep you inside the palace." Flora stared at her in disbelief and she barely heard her father's next words.
"That's a good idea. This wasn't just a random attack, they have just declared war. And we'll respond to that." He said firmly before he looked at Flora. "I won't let them get near you again, I'll make sure to keep you safe. And James will be there to help us, I'll ask him to stay with you at all times." She shook her head vigorously.
"No. You forced me into this marriage, but please, do not force me to be with him at all times. My friends are skilled fighters, they can keep an eye on me." She told them and Catherine didn't look too happy.
"Absolutely not! If someone should be looking after you, it should be your husband." She argued and Henry sighed.
"I have to agree with your mother. I'd feel much better if you were with James. But that doesn't mean that you can't be with your friends, James will accompany you on your meetings with them." Flora gave him a look that he ignored as he went to talk to the guards. Not wanting to be left alone with her mother, Flora went back to where her friends were.
"So, how did that go?" Bloom asked her and Flora had a huge, fake smile.
"Just great. Now I'm going to need a babysitting. Can you guess who they chose as my new babysitter?" They already knew by the look on her face.
"James." Stella said and Flora nodded.
"Yep. Isn't my life just wonderful?" She sarcastically asked. "At least James will be happy about this." She added and this caught their interest.
"Oh, right, he just got back, didn't he?" Bloom asked and Flora nodded.
"Greer mentioned that he wanted to see you before. What did he want?" A worried Stella asked and Flora sighed.
"I think you can guess that one." Disgusted looks came to the Winx's faces.
"Men! What's wrong with them?" Musa loudly asked and the specialists shared confused look, having not caught up on what they were saying.
"I don't get it, what did James want?" Riven asked and Flora took sarcasm to another level.
"You know, just what every husband wants." The specialists kept staring at her in confusion and she sighed. "He wanted to sleep with me. And he certainly know how to make that happen." The Winx stared at her with wide eyes.
"Flora! Please tell me that you didn't just sleep with James?" Bloom attempted to keep her voice down as not to draw any of the guards' attention. Flora looked down in shame.
"Oh My God!" Aisha and Musa screamed and Nabu gave her a sad look.
"What about Helia?" The nature fairy sighed.
"I love him. But our relationship can't go anywhere as long as I'm married to James, so I think I'm gonna have to end it." They gave her sorrowful looks.
"It's a tricky situation you've got there. But maybe that's for the best, it's not fair to Helia." Mary said as she approached the group.
"I'm still shocked and disgusted that you have slept James." Stella said and Mary's eyes widened.
"Wait! You slept with James? When did that happen?" She asked the nature fairy, who blushed.
"A few hours ago. He was very convincing and so was the wine." Everyone stared at her with widened eyes after hearing this new piece of information.
"So not only did you sleep with him, but you got drunk?" Bloom asked in disbelief and Flora avoided eye contact.
"Who are you and what have you done to Flora?" Stella asked jokingly and Flora sighed.
"I guess this is what happens when your life is a complete mess." Bloom put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Everything will be okay, Flo. We'll find a way out of here soon and you won't have to think about this anymore." She told her friend reassuringly and Flora smiled.
"Thanks, Bloom. I just hope that I'll still be me when that happens. Because I'm changing here and I don't like it." Not wanting to face them anymore, she walked away, going unnoticed by her parents who were too busy dealing with the guards. She had no destination in mind, but her feet lead her to her chateau. She sighed once she saw the lights in the living room. With her heart shattering into a million pieces, she sighed before opening the door. She knew Helia was there and it was time that they had a talk.
Yeah, I know. This was horrible. I so didn't mean to ruin my babies in this chapter, but my mind is so cruel. I know Flora was very OOC, but considering her situation, it wasn't nonsense. And this is not even the worse thing that will happen to them.
Okay, so what are your thoughts? Will Flora and Mary survive the attacks Elizabeth's sending? Will France win this newly started war? And will Flora and Helia's relationship survive now that she's slept with James and will have spend more time with him?
Next chapter we'll have another big time jump and more surprises are coming. Flora X Helia fans, hang in there. Those two will be together by the end of this fic. I promise.