Chapter Seven: The Prince Regent

September 2, 2013

Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Winx Club properties by writing this story. This story is written for pleasure's sake. All rights reserved.

Notes: Hey, everybody, I know it's been a long break since the last update. I just want to thank everyone for sticking around through the POV-switching heavy parts of last chapter. Thanks to Zadien, Laria, Sigourney, Freak666chaos and flying scourge for leaving reviews.

Also, beware of punctuation and formatting. My word processor has been acting up and replacing certain quotation marks with wingdings and Chinese characters.

Lastly, before you read, I want to point out that my interpretation of Dafne will differ from her canon personality.

*SPOILER ALERT* (This is written Nov 7 2013.)

I am aware of season six's Dafne and how she came back Alfea as teacher and how her Sirenix form is different from what I described in the previous chapters. In addition, her actions and personality are going to be without a doubt different due to the nature of this story. Please refrain from telling me that. I know that they are different.

*END SPOILER ALERT*


It was nearly morning and the sun was peaking over the horizon when the city began to organise and recover from the mass chaos that had engulfed it. Rumour spread like fire about the damage the city had sustained and the efforts of the Kings of Andros to protect the capital. Already, people were whispering about political conspiracies and coups d'état.

Just over a month ago, the entire royal capital city of Laudine had been submerged by Tritannus for a full twelve hours. In those twelve hours, enough damage had been done to cripple the kingdom for a year. This new disaster threatened to destroy the common people's trust in their royal family.

The harbour had been closed off by the Androsian Army. Crowds of people, noble born or not, sat huddled on the piers while names were taken down. The people were incensed for being rounded up like cattle.

Bloom could not help but hear the rumours. She and the others, including Roxy, were being escorted by guards to a recently erected tent where officials, officers and the kings of Andros convened to assess the new damage done to the city. The girls had long forgone their transformation and still wore their party clothes from earlier that night. Aisha was not with them because she had to perform her duties as a princess of Andros. As they walked down the pier, the girls heard the rumours fly.

"I don't think that King Neptune really banished Tritannus to Oblivion. There is no way that the king would do that to his own kid, even if the kid did try to kill him. I saw Tritannus in the water. He had servants doing his bidding. It had to be him."

"Are you sure that wasn't Nereus?"

"Certain. None of us saw Tritannus go into Oblivion except for Neptune, Nereus and Ligea. Maybe he was just locked up in the cells in Roughtides. A bunch of blaring idiots for locking him up in there again."

Bloom looked about abashedly. Some of the people—some of them sailors and dockworkers, some of them people who had gone out to celebrate—spat jealous poisonous looks at the Winx Club and their royal escorts. Soon enough, Aisha came up to the girls.

"My father wants to talk to us," the water princess said.

The girls were hurried into a tent while the guards stayed outside. Inside, a dozen tables were arranged in haphazard formations surrounded by officers and officials. It was dark and noisy. King Teredor stood at a table in the far corner looking at a map of the city and the surrounding islands with areas marked off. He looked up grimly and saw the Winx Club. The dark-skinned man had not slept, judging by the half-lidded weariness in his eyes.

"Ladies," he greeted out of courtesy. He was not in the mood for niceties. "Aisha, the Andromachus?" he asked first.

The dark princess shook her head. "It's completely destroyed. We can only salvage it for scraps."

"And the crew?"

"Lieutenant Roy du Pont Mercier and his team are working to rescue the crew as well as retrieve anyone who didn't make it..." Aisha's gaze fell. She could not bear to look at her father as she spoke.

"And where is Admiral Hautemare of the Andromachus?"

Aisha shook her head again. "Roy is still looking." The dark princess looked miserable and disappointed in her failure.

Teredor took a deep breath to steady himself and turned to the rest of the girls, face turning grim. "What happened out there, Winx?"

Bloom tried to speak first but she had no idea where to start. "Politea," she mumbled, hoping that that one word would explain everything.

"Politea?" Teredor repeated. "So what does Diaspro have to do with this then?"

Bloom's head shot up. How did the king know about Diaspro being there? In the corner of her eye, Bloom saw Aisha stare at battered corner of the table guiltily.

The king continued. "I'm told that Diaspro was out there defending my city. She helped you to fight Politea off. I'm told that she was dressed in gold, just like the Nymphs of Ethemera and wore their sash of cerulean and their masks. She called herself a nymph. What happened out there?"

Bloom kept silent for a long moment. When she first saw Diaspro, she had mistaken her for Dafne because she wore a mask and the cerulean scarf of Ethemera. Bloom had almost forgotten Diaspro was a fairy like her.

Diaspro had traded herself for the fire princess. Why? Bloom wondered. Why would she come out to defend the city at all? King Erendor had stripped Diaspro of her position as the king's liaison weeks ago. Why had Diaspro stayed around? She could not see how Diaspro fit into this. Diaspro, she was the biggest conundrum in her life ever since she had come to Magix. All she knew was that Politea had come back with a vengeance.

"Bloom, what was Diaspro doing out there?" Teredor asked more forcefully.

"I don't know!" Bloom answered, returning his pointed tone back, frustrated with his constant pecking of questions.

The king gritted his teeth, irritated. "I can't do much with an 'I don't know', Bloom," Teredor responded impatiently. "That monster shot straight through my patrols. I have people who need answers about what happened tonight. People think that Tritannus or the Trix came back. I have to make sure that it isn't either of them. Last month, my entire capital had been sunk to bottom of the ocean and I lost more than six thousand lives in one day. Now, I have another fatality count that is almost two hundred. My people can't suffer any more losts. They've already lost their homes and their families. All they have is their king! So pardon me if my questions are tedious, but you are not providing me enough information to make a sufficient report to the people. Do you understand that? One day, you're going to be in my position, Princess Bloom."

Bloom straightened and looked down before he could see her reddening face and her embarrassment. "I'm sorry―"

"I don't want to hear your apologies!" the man cut sharply, roaring.

Aisha jumped in her skin and tried to back away from her father's side timidly. Lately, Aisha had not been her usual self and it showed most when she was in the presence of her father.

Teredor's eyes were red and had deep bags beneath them.

Bloom kept her head low and waited for Teredor to ask his next question. Bloom understood partly why this old man was in such a sour mood. He was not strict or despotic. He was a desperate man trying to take care of his people in the aftermath of a mercifully short war and was trying to stay atop the most recent disaster.

Bloom could not pretend that she fully understood the responsibilities of being a king. She had never envisioned herself to be a princess. She had her doubts about her ability to one day rule a nation and was frightened by how the weight of responsibility seemed heavy and ever-growing on Teredor's shoulders. She knew he wanted answers but she did not have any.

"Diaspro aside, why was Politea attacking my city? What does she want with my kingdom?" The man crossed and uncrossed his arms.

Bloom swallowed. She thought back on Politea's behaviour. If she said that Politea had attacked just to smoke out Dafne from his city, she was not sure if the tired king would ever consider an alliance or any form of interplanetary cooperation with Domino again. She had to be smart with her words.

Just then, someone burst through the flaps of the tent, letting in blinding sunlight. Then two Androsian guards came following in bulky armour with shields and spears. They made a commotion following the stranger.

Unimpressed and short on patience, Teredor barked orders for the noisy guards to keep quiet as his eyes fell on the intruder.

"Princess Dafne," Teredor gritted.

Dafne noted the dangerous way he said her name. She moved to curtsey. "Your Maj―"

"Spare me your formalities."

Dafne straightened and let her hands fall to her side. She sensed his ire and looked him head on, undeterred.

"I came for my sister, Princess Bloom," she stated.

"She's alive and fine."

"I see…." Dafne sensed the tense air that lingered around the king. "We are to depart this afternoon for Domino and send you aide from our capital. She needs to prepare for the journey."

"I will relinquish her and the rest of the girls when all my questions have been answered. I believe that you may be of help though. How much to do you remember of the war?"

Bloom looked to Dafne pleadingly, warning her with her eyes to be careful. Teredor was not in a jolly mood.

Dafne narrowed her eyes. "I try not to remember much. It wasn't a happy time for me."

"Forgive me in advance if I ask too delicate a question then. How many people survived the sacking of Ethemera?"

Dafne paled at the question. Her brown eyes went wide and glassy, but there was no rattle in her voice. She replied as coolly possible although Bloom could emotions boil in Dafne's eyes. "Why in the world do you want me to remember that?"

Everyone looked at Dafne and her indifferent tone incredulously.

"Daf―" Bloom started.

Dafne did not hear her sister. "Why of all times are you asking me this question? What have you been asking Bloom?" she said furiously. "Not a single acolyte or nymph survived the sacking. Everyone knows this."

Teredor crossed his arms and waited for the older sister to finish her tirade. "Yes, and the only reason that you are alive is because you were never at the temple to begin with. If you are the last nymph of Ethemera, as everyone likes to call you, why then is Diaspro of Eraklyon calling herself a nymph and masquerading as one? Why is Politea back and attacking my city?"

There. It was out in the open. Everyone knew.

"Wh-who told you this?" Dafne stuttered, aghast at Teredor's pointed question.

"Who told you this?!" This time, Dafne's voice was hard and shrill. She was offended and acting defensive. Everyone saw this. Two of the guards, or maybe high ranking officers, moved to stand by the king.

Teredor looked to Bloom. "Your sister told me this. She told me that Diaspro had helped her fight Politea. From what I can gather, Politea was the one who had attacked the Andromachus and sunk it to the seabed."

Dafne whipped her head to her sister. "Bloom, have you been answering this man's questions?"

"Yes," Bloom said meekly, afraid of what would happen next.

The tension was thick in the tent. The two officers came to stand by the king. Evidently, they did not like Dafne's comportment and impolite tone to the king. "This man is the King of Andros. You will treat him with the proper respect, Princess Dafne."

Bloom saw something akin to fire igniting in Dafne's eyes. It was violent and threatening to burn everything. Dafne looked on haughtily to the guards with mean eyes. Her voice cut like a sword.

"This man is not my king," Dafne replied firmly. "My king is His Majesty, King Oritel XII of House Draco. Princess Bloom and I have no reason to answer to a man who is not our king. Bloom, let's go!"

Dafne grabbed Bloom by the wrist and led her towards the exit.

Roy, entering, saw Dafne's grim face and stepped aside, surprised and slightly fearful of the princesses. He gave Bloom an embarrassed look.

Bloom followed, unsure if she should fight her sister's painful grip or not. The sisters disappeared behind the tent flaps.

With that dramatic exit, Teredor let all of the other Winx Club members go. He heard as much as he wanted to hear. Naturally, Aisha stayed.

Roy, hesitant to interrupt the scene, approached the king and princess slowly.

"Have you found Admiral Hautemare?" Teredor spoke up.

Roy shook his head and looked to the map on the table. "No. According to the crew...he died defending the ship and was eaten by the monster."

Aisha winced at the news.

"We've lost our Lord Protector." Teredor pulled out a chair from the corner and sat, his bones aching.

Roy excused himself hurriedly to let the father and daughter talk privately.

"Father, I'm here to help. Just give me something to do and I'll do it." Aisha bent down and knelt in front of the old man. She grabbed his large callused hands to comfort him.

"First, the city, Aisha." The old king grasped his daughter's hands tightly. He looked grimly to his daughter.

Aisha did not like his expression.


"Dafne! You're hurting me!" Bloom spat out.

Without warning, Dafne stopped and let go of Bloom's wrist. "Sorry," the older sister mumbled and continued to walk.

Bloom rubbed her wrist and followed Dafne down the harbour past the royal guards.

"What happened? Did I do something wrong?" Bloom asked. She was incredulous, scared, confused. Did she do a misstep by freely talking to King Teredor about last night? "Dafne?"

"No. It's my fault. I lost my head when that guard spoke up. It wasn't very ladylike of me." Dafne continued walking down the harbour. The harbour was littered with military personnel and it smelled of rotting fish.

Bloom curled her hands at her sides before running after her sister. "I'm sorry. I should have gone to you first as soon as everything was over and Politea was gone. I should have called for you in the first place. We barely got out of that fight alive."

In the morning, the capital city of Laudine looked completely different from how looked like yesterday. Out in the cove where last night's fireworks display had taken place, the crystalline wall shone like a curtain of diamond that cut off the cove from the sea. The wall was blinding in the sunlight. Up towards the city, the streets were empty of people and dirty from the filth that had risen up with the rough waves.

Dafne kept walking straight like an arrow through the crowds. The blonde's brown eyes were wide and dark with emotion.

Worried, Bloom strode after her sister again and grabbed her arm. "Dafne, slow down. Did I do something wrong? Please, tell me."

Suddenly, Dafne stopped and turned. Bloom saw the same haunting pain and sadness as the night before.

"Is it true? Is Politea back?" Dafne asked.

Bloom nodded, remembering Politea's acid words. Bloom could not reconcile Dafne's generous and kind Politea with the violent Politea she had met last night. "Yes, she's back."

"And she was looking for me, wasn't she?"

"Yeah. When Politea captured me, she told me that you had given all of your powers to me and she told me that you had chosen be Oritel's weapon or something like that. Then Diaspro came out of nowhere and fought Politea while I called for help from the Winx Club. I thought that Diaspro was you because she looked so much like you and dressed like a nymph. She wore a mask and had a scarf like yours."

"She wore a scarf like this one?" Dafne unravelled the cloth from around her neck.

Bloom nodded.

The scarf unfolded into a long strip, longer and wider than Bloom had expected it to be. It slipped through Dafne's fingers like water. Bloom felt the scarf. It was made of the softest silk and she could see in its patterns the letters of ancient language. It had an iridescence that caught the sunlight.

"Diaspro is the other girl that Sky didn't tell you he was engaged to, isn't she?" Dafne asked.

Again, the question of Diaspro came up again in Bloom's mind. Why had Diaspro been there in the fight against Politea in the first place?

Bloom shook her head, thinking back on everything she knew about Diaspro—which was not much to begin with. "Yeah…her. I didn't even think that she was here on Andros. She had been stripped of her position as King Erendor's liaison back on Domino. All she's been doing this year is trying to get between me and Sky."

"And where is Diaspro now?"

Bloom's lips quivered. "She's stuck in the Infinite Ocean."

Surprised, Dafne lips opened but it took several moments for her to think of a reply. "In the Infinite Ocean?"

Bloom nodded.

"How is that possible? She's not a Sirenix fairy, is she? I thought only you and your friends did the Sirenix quest."

"After Diaspro traded herself for me," Bloom continued, "Politea opened a Sirenix Gate. Omnia came out of that portal with another one of Politea's dragons fighting it. Omnia pushed Politea and Diaspro into the gate and closed it before we could do anything. Then Sky came with his dragoons and before I knew it, he was running to save Diaspro before the portal closed. He didn't get to her in time. Then I tried to open a Sirenix Gate—but I couldn't! Me and the others have been trying all morning to open a Sirenix Gate, but we can't. I don't know what's wrong with our magic, but we can't open the portal to the Infinite Ocean anymore."

That admission made Bloom feel useless. She always knew what to do. She always knew who stood in her way. Now, after what she had learnt about her sister and how she betrayed Politea, she was not so sure. Adding Diaspro to the mix made the situation volatile and Bloom had no idea what to do.

The full weight of that night's trials began to manifest itself in Bloom's face. Her brows were furled and the eyelids felt heavy. "Dafne, what do I do? I feel so confused. I didn't do anything. I didn't run to save her. I just stared and watched until Sky went to rescue her and now, she's in the Infinite Ocean with Politea. I don't know if that's good or bad."

Solemnly, Dafne regarded her sister.

"I know everyone wants me to do the right thing because I'm the Fairy of the Dragon Flame, but I don't know what to do, Dafne," Bloom wavered.

Dafne folded her arms around the Bloom. She could hear the myriad of emotions in Bloom's cracking voice.

Dafne was not sure how she could comfort her sister. She remembered very well when she had been in Bloom's place as the Keeper of the Dragon Flame a long time ago. Everyone always expected great things of her all the time. They expected her to be prefect and to always make the right decision when there was not always one. Now, she had shoved that responsibility unto her sister and she could not bear to see Bloom suffer like so. Bloom would never have been in this position if Dafne had chosen differently. Bloom would not have been alive either.

Dafne squeezed Bloom's arms comfortingly. "Then the first thing to do is get answers about last night. Sky was there. I didn't see Teredor interrogating him."

"No, right after everything, Sky left." Bloom wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"Bloom, no tears," Dafne chided gently.

"Dafne, it's Diaspro. Whenever she's involved, it's never good."

"We don't know that."

"You weren't there during the alliance talks on Domino. She hates me. She said it in front of everyone." Bloom could hear Diaspro's poignant voice in her head. Diaspro's voice, just like her personality, was not soft but harsh and refined tinged with soul-crushing hate.

Dafne saw defeat in her sister and she did not like it. She shook Bloom out of her stupor. "Diaspro did something last night and we don't know what exactly. We have to find out before Diaspro dies in the Infinite Ocean."

"Dies?" Bloom's eyes grew wide. She had never envisioned the situation to be that dire. No matter how much she disliked Diaspro, she did not want her dead.

"If Diaspro is indeed in the Infinite Ocean and she doesn't have Sirenix, she is going to die. The Infinite Ocean isn't a place for a fairy. That realm will destroy her, and I don't mean Politea and her beasts. There are ancient powers in there that will destroy anything that doesn't belong."

"Then what do we do?"

"Find Sky. He must have some answers."


Sky had not slept. He had tried but could not after the night's events. Diaspro was gone into who knows where and his father was badly injured. Sky sat on his bed and palmed the shard of white crystal in his hand. He had memorised every facet of the stone: the way it shone, its purity of colour, the jagged edges. It was not an element naturally found on Andros, a planet that was 90% water. There was no way that he would have gotten his hands on it easily, especially when the Androsians valued mined materials so highly, not unless that was a gaping wall of it just standing outside the city.

The material was Eraklyonite diamond. As its namesake suggested, it was an element that could only found on Eraklyon. It was one of the best materials for constructing magitechnology and it was a great conductor for magic in its raw form. The piece that Sky held in his hand was a piece of the wall that now blocked the cove and a third of harbours around Laudine. He tightened his grip around it and enjoyed the sharp pain that the pointed edges caused in his hand.

The wall of diamond was the work of only one person: Diaspro. Sky knew that only Diaspro could do something so astounding with such a valuable material. Now, she was gone into the Infinite Ocean, trapped in there with Politea.

He was haunted by sight of her disappearing in the Sirenix Gate before his eyes. She had been right in front of him, just out of his reach, and he had failed. He could not put the memory out of his mind. He knew that there was still good in Diaspro, despite her bitter words. She had healed his father after his fall. If not for her, his father would have probably been dead and he would have been on the throne. Thankfully, that was not the case.

His father had been hospitalised right after they had gotten to shore and Samara had arranged the security detail around the hospital.

Sky straightened when he heard the door to his room open. He stood up, tensed, and saw his mother enter.

Queen Samara was a beautiful woman. She was tall and lithe and she walked with the grace of a flower in the wind. Her shoulder length copper hair, a fairly exotic colour for an Eraklyonite, was brushed back behind her crown. She had an angular jaw line that Sky had inherited and eyes brighter than any emerald. She wore a floor-length dress of green and gold silk with a cape of ermine.

Now, time was catching up with the ever youthful Samara and overnight, she had become an old woman.

Sky could not bear to look at her. He knew what she was here for. He hoped that this moment would never come, not at least for another ten years.

"Sky," Samara said as gently as she could. "We don't have a choice. Your father will be in bed for at least four weeks or so before he can recover. That fall was hard on him."

"I know," Sky said.

He did not want to hear what she had to say but he could not run from the room either. He was frightened, but he could not show it. He was a man and he had to act like it.

"We don't know if he'll ever recover," Samara continued.

"I know."

Sky turned to her. He did not like the way she spoke to him about his father. Despite her maternal warmth, her words were cold and calculated chosen with precision, just like a government inquiry report. He was not prepared for what she was about to tell him. He had spent so many years away from home and coming back now just to have this crisis dropped on him, he was not sure he could handle it.

"Sky, I cannot sit on the throne. The throne of Erendor is a patrilineal line."

"I know!" Sky cried out. He did not need a reminder of his duties. The young man seethed black rage. He clenched his hands painfully and turned away from his mother, ashamed that he had raised his voice on her.

"Sky," Samara started again, gently.

"I know what I have to do, Mother!"

Samara's lips became a thin thoughtful line. This time, there was no gentleness in her voice. She looked at him hard with the determined gaze of a tigress. "Sky, your father is dying."

"I know, Mother!" Sky shouted in a burst of anger.

Sky paced the room, muttering half-spoken curses in as many languages as he could. Samara watched her son circle the main area. His shoulders were tense and his gaze was dark and glossy. His breathing was short and rapid. He was not prepared for this. He was not prepared to lose his father again. He had already lost his father once in Havram. He could not stand to lose him again. He was not ready, not for the throne, not for anything, not after spending so much time away from his family.

Sky came to stand by a high-back chaise and gripped the cushioned back of it tightly with his gloved hands. He occupied himself with the physical pain.

Samara approached the boy and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She felt him shake under her touch. "Sky."

Sky shook his head. He did not want comfort. He wanted his father to be alright. He wanted his father to be healthy and strong. His father had once been a great warrior, a demon in battle and a prince at court. He had unified the kingdom against the threat of Yoshinoya and strengthened the empire's borders. He had waged war but he had also built cities. Erendor was a good and fair man with Eraklyon at his heart, but Sky was afraid that his father's days were over and Sky would have to put on his father's crown.

Simply, he was a boy not prepared to lose his father. However, the prince in him knew he did not have time to waste wallowing in emotion.

"I know what to do," Sky said.

"Are you sure?" Samara asked. Her voice made it seem as if he had a choice. In reality, there was no choice. Sky had only one path that he could take. No matter how many detours he took, he was going to end up in the same place.

"Yes, Mother, I'm sure."

Samara looked to her son. She pitied him for the burden he was about to bear. "Take a shower and put your uniform on. I will gather the staff to bear witness in the courtyard. We will perform the ceremony at noon. You will need the Pendant of Eraklyon."

"Yes, ma'am. I will fetch it from Bloom."

"You don't need to," Samara said as she turned to leave. "Bloom is already here. Brandon will get it."

When his mother left, Sky collapsed back on the edge of his bed and buried his face in his hands.


Darkness. She saw nothing, she heard nothing, and she felt nothing.

Diaspro felt weightless, light as a feather. Then she took a breath and gasped as she felt water greedily rush into her lips. Air bubbles danced around her as she tried to breathe and expel the water in her lungs. She clutched at her neck and instinctively tried to scream. She was in water!

She reached for something, for anything, but there was nothing to grab in the watery darkness. The darkness was colder than ice and its cold grip was inviting her to find repose in eternal sleep.

Diaspro fought harder and tried to swim towards the light above her. She thought that maybe it was the sun or the moon. Her dress hindered her. It was heavy and dragged her down.

She gathered her magic and tried to give her drenched wings a boost. She stiffened. Her magic never gathered. Why weren't her powers working?

Something other than water and blood was flowing through her as she tried to swim up. It was a sensation that she had seldom felt before; something other than the grip of death. It was something beyond ordinary comprehension. She tried to flutter her wings but they were useless. An unknown power pulled at her in every direction, beckoning her further into the darkness. The great powers of this dimension rejected her existence and conspired to destroy every molecule of her because she did not belong. It clawed at the seat of her soul and aimed to uproot her from her body.

She struggled to keep herself together and swim for the surface. Light-headed, she knew that there was no way that she would make it. She was no mermaid nor did she have any powers that could help her. She tried not to cry. She never imagined that she would die in such a way.

In the darkness, a sleek form flitted through the water and saw the girl in the long dress struggle.

Taking pity on her, Politea gathered her magic and blew a bubble that trapped the drowning girl in a sphere of breathable air.

Unceremoniously, Diaspro fell onto the hard floor of the bubble and rolled to her side. She expelled the water in her lungs, coughing and gasping. She pushed heavy tendrils of blond hair out of her face. She tried to push herself up, but could not. Her strength was diminished and still the hidden powers of the realm conspired to destroy her. Again, she tried to pull herself to her knees and look to whomever or whatever had saved her.

Diaspro looked like a tarnished goddess. Her dress was a tangle around her legs; her thick mane, messy and knotted; her wings, dim and shrivelled. The blue scarf around her neck was wound tight. She looked nothing like Dafne. Her wings were different. Her hair was the colour of flax, not bright like a candle flame. Her gasping and breathing was uneven and strained. She was freezing and her skin was riddled with goose bumps.

Despite her dishevelled appearance, she was exquisitely beautiful. Politea hated her all the more.

Stupid girl. Politea wanted to kill her for getting in her way, but killing her would not solve the problem. Politea wanted answers and approached her, intent on getting them.

Breathing heavily, the drowned girl looked up and laid eyes on Politea. A cornered animal, she stiffened and prepared to attack.

"Don't waste your energy. I am a Serenian. I can't drown. You, however, can," Politea warned. She flared her power around Diaspro to show that she controlled the bubble around them. The watery walls glistened with colour, a purely aesthetic effect of the magic.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the Infinite Ocean; in the Abysses to be exact."

"Th-that's not possible. I shouldn't be here. Send me back!" Diaspro struggled to say. Her voice was rough as broken glass.

Approaching the golden fairy, Politea continued. "I don't take commands, little fairy. The powers of this realm are trying to destroy you because you don't belong in the Infinite Ocean. Right now, all the portals are sealed because Omnia thought smartly to drain herself of all her energy to try and trap me here."

"You mean you can't send me back? I'm going to die here?" Diaspro paled noticeably, her brown eyes widening.

"Exactly." It would be a lie to say that Politea did not enjoy Diaspro's face of horror. "Who are you? You called yourself a nymph and wear their blue scarves like one but I know that all the nymphs of Ethemera are dead. I watched the monks of Roccaluce carry their remains out of the temple.

"No one but Dafne survived that massacre and that was because Dafne was delayed at Alfea when the Malvagi attacked the triumvirate schools to keep them from rescuing the nymphs," Politea recounted. The dark nymph ignored her feelings of despair and concentrated on the problematic girl in front of her. "She was supposed to have been consecrated as the Supreme Nymph that day―"

"But she wasn't."

Politea stopped abruptly. Her eyes narrowed on the girl who had interrupted her.

"Instead, you found all the books and all the nymphs burnt to ashes in Valtor's dark fire," the drenched fairy said looking on in fear, "Valtor didn't get his mark on Dafne and that was what was important."

The dark Sirenix fairy quirked an eyebrow. The blonde knew more than she should have.

"No, he didn't get Dafne that day," Politea said. "Which raises the question: who are you?"

"I am Diaspro, guardian of Eraklyon, the fairy of all earthly wealth. I am the daughter of Queen Diasprion and of―"

Politea rolled her eyes as Diaspro listed her titles. Not only was she beautiful, but she was a boastful brat. "A name, no matter how famous or how blue its blood, doesn't make you a nymph, Diaspro. I don't care who your parents are or whether or not they were kings and queens or beggars and tramps."

The Sirenix fairy stepped closer and fell to one knee before Diaspro. Politea looked into her amber eyes and saw them widen in apprehension. She saw fear and desperation at her approach.

Diaspro swallowed. "You're right. A name doesn't make a nymph. On the other hand, a nymph does not destroy an entire city looking for blood and harm innocent people―!"

Without warning, Diaspro raised a hand of dark energy and reached for Politea's neck.

"How stupid are you!"

Politea caught Diaspro's attack without flinching. She held Diaspro's enflamed hand away from her face at arms length to keep the dark energy away from her face. The girl had no strength to fight Politea at all, let alone stand. Politea saw the black magic in the girl's hand and appreciated its intense burn before it died.

"Do you really think you could even hurt me in your state?" Politea warned. "I am the Guardian of the Infinite Ocean and you are in my realm!"

Diaspro bared her teeth angrily. The blonde fairy would not be cowed by the Sirenix guardian fairy.

Politea let her go and stood up. She looked at the pitiful sight on the floor. The girl was like a statue. She was tough as stone yet fragile enough to be broken.

"I called you 'Dafne' multiples times and you never corrected me in the fight on Andros, not once!" Politea yelled, "You know the full weight of what you did. I was not playing with you. I aimed to kill and instead, I get you. Why did you do it? Where was Dafne the entire time? Was she too much of a coward that she had to send a fake like you to replace her and rescue her sister?"

"What do I care about Dafne and her sister Bloom?" Diaspro returned. "If I had the choice, I would have let your dragon eat her!"

Politea stilled. She was repulsed by this fairy's admission. This is not what made a fairy or a nymph. "Then why did you trade yourself for her in the first place? Why did you even fight me or raise that wall?"

Diaspro gave her a patronising look, knowing that no one would understand her. "I raised that wall because my king was dying," she hissed. "The rogue waves that your pet monster caused made my king take a deadly fall and were endangering everyone in the waters. Creating that wall stopped the waves and kept your silly pet out of the city. I traded myself for Bloom because she is someone important to my prince." The girl seemed angry about her confession. She was pale and losing her strength.

"You did this out of love?" Politea asked pointedly.

Diaspro made a retching sound. "No, because you were trying to kill the Keeper of the Dragon Flame! I'm not that stupid to have delusions of romance. A nymph's duty is to keep the Keeper alive and protect her. No matter how much I hate that girl, I know better. The world is depending on her to do a lot of things. You have no right to judge me when you cannot even abide to the precepts of the nymphs yourself. You're not so mighty yourself!"

The Sirenix fairy's face turned into an expression of revulsion. Diaspro's words felt like heavy stones in her stomach. Politea hated this girl for deceiving her. No matter how much she disliked her for her answers, she was right about the precepts of nymphs. What she had done was neither saintly nor virtuous at all. She had been blinded by rage and fuelled by impulse. Blindly attacking a city looking for one woman was not how she should have gone about it.

Humiliated, Politea clenched her hands and turned her eyes away from Diaspro.

"You're right," Politea admitted uneasily. "A nymph doesn't attack innocent people. A nymph protects."

Diaspro's eyes were starting to feel heavy. Politea saw the fear of death in her. Her skin was pale. The golden fairy's wings had long disappeared. All that remained was tangled hair and a ruined dress with a fraying scarf. She could sense Diaspro's fading energy. The Infinite Ocean was slowing tearing Diaspro apart from the inside.

Politea could not bear to look at the girl any longer, not when she knew that she was dying. With her wet blue scarf and her tangled gold hair, she reminded her too much of Dafne when she had first met her twenty years ago. Diaspro had proven that she was more virtuous than either she or Dafne had ever been. She hated her and she was envious of her for that.

The Sirenix fairy knelt to Diaspro and reached for her cold hands, unfurling them. Around one of her hands was a chain with a black stone. The blonde did not recoil or even react. She was too weak to do anything.

Politea gather her energies. Her wings glowed as a pale aura began to surround her. Magic thickened in the air as Diaspro felt swept away by the gentle caressing waves of Politea's great power. She felt Diaspro's dying spirit. The fire of her soul was weak and faint. Politea reached with her mind for Diaspro's. She saw an imbalance of darkness and light.

A warm liquid energy gathered in their hands. It was Politea's energy and the energy of the Infinite Ocean. The energies coiled into a star-shaped box of baroque pearls in the blonde's hands.

"I don't understand. What is this?" the dying fairy said. Diaspro felt the star-shaped box come to life in her cold hands. It was warm and teeming with energy.

"I, Politea, Protector of the World Pillars, Guardian of the Infinite Ocean, have heard your words, seen your deeds and looked into your heart. I have found you worthy and you have earned my gift."

Then, a blinding pure power enveloped Diaspro. She had never felt anything as wondrous and light as the power that was suddenly filling her body. There was an explosion of colour, not before her eyes, but around the seat of her soul where she saw it with her mind's eye. It embraced her soul and the mystical power within her warmly, spreading throughout her body. Glittering wings pique at her back and spread as her power grew and transformed. Diaspro cried as she felt the grip of death leave her. Instead, she felt the power of harmonix.


Everyone jostled for a place to get a good look. The courtyard was surrounded by guards that kept a wary eye on the sombre ceremony. It was silent and the humidity was unbearable. The small garden was mostly filled with civil servants, domestic workers and whatever members of the entourage that had followed King Erendor and Queen Samara to Andros. Thankfully, Brandon had warned Bloom and Dafne to clean up and change into something more formal before asking Bloom to hand over the Pendant of Eraklyon. The sisters had used magic to fix their hair and change into gowns. Bloom and Dafne stood beside a hedge of translucent roses that shone like crystal in the sunlight with a handful of other nobles.

Sky was making an irrevocable decision weighted down by heavy consequences.

In the far end of the yard, Queen Samara sat on one of two thrones on a dais. Her seat was rather plain one, but nonetheless imposing and regal with its high back meant to resemble pointed fairy wings. In her hands was a sceptre made of bronze with a dark garnet on the stop. The sceptre seemed heavy in her dainty hands.

Still as a statue, Brandon stood just to the queen's left wearing full ceremonial dress. His hair had been gelled back under his beret and he wore a blue and white parti-coloured tunic with a red sash across his chest. At his hip was a sword, not like the phantoblade ones, but a real sword made of real steel with a bejewelled hilt. The cloak clasped on his left was lined with nemean golden fur.

The throne on Samara's right was uncomfortably empty. Its back was made of dark wood and carved with intricate interlacing patterns. On the upholstered seat was King Erendor's thick gold crown with its large blood red ruby set with jaspers shining brilliantly in the sun.

Dafne could feel Samara's imperious stare from across the courtyard. The queen looked the same as she did twenty years ago in Dafne's mind.

Sky was knelt before the dais on a carpet that had been rolled out just for the ceremony. He wore his pristine white jacket and polished leather boots. His hair had been trimmed and brushed out of his eyes. His blue cloak was spread across the carpet and the gold thread glowed yellow. With gloved hands, he presented his sheathed sword up to the queen as an offering. His head was down in supplication. He was making his petition to the queen.

"I, Crown Prince Erendor, son of King Erendor, do solemnly declare that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Erendor and to the blood of Eraklyon. I swear that my body and mind are to be solely used in the interests of the realm. I will hold no other king and no other god before me. I will perform His Majesty's duties in his absence. I give you my sword used to defend Eraklyon as proof of my loyalty. Should you not find me worthy, my blood is yours to spill with my sword," Sky said loudly. His voice boomed over the silence.

Everyone looked on apprehensively.

Queen Samara regarded her son and rose from her royal seat. She stepped forward Brandon shadowing her.

"You swear in the forgotten names of the gods to be the true and faithful servant of Eraklyon, of His Majesty King Erendor and of the blood of Eraklyon as the Prince Regent until King Erendor regains his health or until another king ascends the Throne of Eraklyon?" Samara asked.

"I swear it," Sky said, never looking up.

Samara placed a hand on the hilt of the sword. "Then lower your sword and look up."

Sky did so. He looked up to the queen piously awaiting her judgement.

"I am the Fount of Honour of Eraklyon," Samara declared. "I am the authority of Justice, Mercy and Honour. I am the Godly Queen of Eraklyon. With this Emblem of Erendor, I name you the Prince Regent of Eraklyon and bid you to lead your people fairly and virtuously"

Brandon handed a familiar gold pin to Samara. It was a pin that Bloom knew very well. Diaspro had worn one once. Only the most loyal of servants were granted the Emblems of Erendor.

Samara placed the medal on Sky's chest and lowered the Sceptre of Erendor on Sky's right shoulder and then his left.

Sky rose to his feet and ascended the dais. He headed for King Erendor's chair and kneeled before the empty seat and crown for a long moment reciting a prayer. Then, Sky rose again and turned, coming to stand just to the throne's right. He was not the king yet but he was coming closer and closer to the seat of power.

He was now the Prince Regent. No one in the courtyard rejoiced.

His stomach did a flip as he came to see bright blue eyes winged by furled red brows look at him. Her eyes were wide and tearful. He was not ready to face her.

As soon as the ceremony was over, Sky retreated with his retinue.

Bloom tried to not let her emotions get the better of her. She attributed her weepiness to her lack of sleep. "What is going on? What happened to King Erendor?"

She and Dafne had arrived just in the nick of time to witness this ceremony. King Erendor was nowhere to be seen and it seemed that Sky had taken on his duties.

Heavy gloved hands fell on the shoulders of the princesses, startling both girls. Edgy, Dafne turned on her heel shrugging off the hand on her shoulder ready to pounce on whoever was behind them.

"Hagen!" Bloom cried out in surprise.

"Princess Dafne, Princess Bloom," the older man clipped. He was one of the many knights that had accompanied King Oritel to Andros for the celebration. He wore his full armour with his magical sword at his side. His large muscular arms were crossed over his long grey beard. He seemed extremely disappointed in the girls.

"Dafne, your father let you go out to fetch your Bloom hours ago. He told you to come home straight after you picked up your sister. He is sick with worry. What are you doing at the Eraklyon embassy?"

Again, Bloom saw a flash of fire ignite in Dafne that dissipated in a second. This time, the blonde princess paled as if she had seen a ghost. "Sir Hagen, I didn't recognise you. It has been…years."

"Indeed, it has, Little Dafne." The old smith looked down wearily to the young woman and straightened his beard.

Dafne averted the man's eyes. "We're sorry. We didn't mean to make our father worry. We came looking for answers."

The master smith of magical swords shook his head in disbelief. "Right now, your answers will have to wait. Your father needs you," he said. "King Teredor and King Neptune have called a sovereigns council meeting in the Assembly of Andros tomorrow morning and you need to prepare. I shall escort you back. Let's go."

"What happened?"

"People think that the Trix came back. Citizens are rioting in the streets for the abdication of King Teredor. They want explanations about last night and so do the rest of the realms."


Note:

I am totally convinced that anything I write in the latter notes of this chapter will be either spoilerific or self-evident. I don't want to get people excited. Next chapter, more fantastic stuff happens based on what happened in this chapter!

Next chapter, Diaspro learns about the Sirenix quest. She has one lunar cycle to complete the quest before she loses her powers for good, but more importantly, with the Sirenix Gates sealed, will she be forever trapped in the Infinite Ocean? In the meanwhile, Teredor and Neptune call for a sovereigns council in the Assembly of Andros to discuss the supposed Trix attack.

Thanks for reading, and if you like what you're reading, leave a review below!

Next chapter: Wanderer of the Abyss


More notes:

First of all, yes! I know that the Winx Club needed to find the Sirenix Book to start the quest and get harmonix. Diaspro does not have the book and I personally hated that mechanic of waiting for a book to start talking and it would not work in an underwater world. Diaspro has Politea instead. (Honestly, how would that book work underwater? Let's not even consider the fact that any form of information transference through a written medium such as a book in an underwater world is nigh impossible.)

Bloom has a flat personality. Duh, I know. Nickbow made her into an empty template unfortunately. You can all thank Zadien for coining the term Nickbow. All that aside, I know that my portrayal of Bloom is flat because she is only a witness and not an active participant of the events unfolding. I am attempting to give her a personality and bear with me if she is a little dull. I know it sucks to hear her whine about Sky and Diaspro.

Note that I called Sky "Crown Prince Erendor, son of King Erendor" in the ceremony. That is not an error. I really mean that Sky's real name is Erendor while "Sky" is either his middle name or childhood nickname. It makes sense in my mind that the name Erendor would be passed down from father to son.

Lastly, what is Laudine? Laudine is the name of the Androsian city where Aisha grew up and where most of the season five Andros events happened. I have been looking for a name for this city since Chapter Three of this story.