Chapter 20

(Part of Marion's memories)

'….And please stay away from the witches of Cloudtower.' A younger Faragonda ended her speech.

A new school year just started in Alfea. The school was full of new fairies and all of them were chatting and laughing. All expect for one.

'Keep your distance and don't draw too much attention to you.' A young Marion could hear her mother's voice in her head. 'Don't let them find out. Try to fit in.'

Try to fit in. That's exactly what Marion wanted to achieve.

Her mother was a witch and as her daughter Marion was supposed to follow her footsteps and attend Cloudtower. But that's not what Marion wanted. To her mother's surprise the young red headed girl wanted to be a fairy which resulted in her being an outsider. As a child born on Whisperia, homeplanet to most of the witches, Marion was the only child that followed the path of light magic. And because most of the kids made fun of Marion… that's how witches are…her mother decided it was time to leave the planet. They settled down in Magix, where Marion could be whatever she wants to be. But there was a catch. If Marion wanted to attend Alfea, it would be better for her if no one knew she was born as a witch.

'Kids at that age can be cruel, don't give them something they can use against you.' Her mother's voice rang in her head again.

Taking a deep breath Marion slowly started to explore the school grounds. It was frightening and exciting at the same time. A few of the older students were offering a small tour through Alfea for the new students and Marion quickly started to follow a small group, trying to remember as much as possible.

It didn't take long for Marion to get to know her roommates. She thought they were pretty nice. They even invited her to come with them to Magix. But Marion declined.

'Keep your distance and don't draw too much attention to you. Don't let them find out.' Her mother's voice again.

Taking a deep breath Marion went to bed. Tomorrow classes would start.

'Marion, are you coming? Marion?'

'Just leave her. You know how she is.'

'Did you say something?' Marion looked up from her book. Two of her roommates were standing in front of her.

'You need to put those books away and have some fun. The school year just started, no one expects us to know everything.'

'I'm having a lot of fun.' Marion replied and smirked slightly. She appreciated it that her roommates asked her to come with her, even though most of the time Marion decided to stay in.

'Please, just this once.' Tara, one of her roommates pouted. 'The boys from the red fountain are coming and we need to find you a boyfriend.'

'They're arrogant and bigheaded. I want a boyfriend who is sweet and goofy.' Marion said. ' Name me one student of the red fountain that fits that description and I'll come.'

'There will be chocolate cake.' Tara tried again which made Marion laugh. She knew very well they couldn't give her a name and now they tried to convince her with cake. Which may have even worked if they hadn't had dinner a few minutes ago.

'Just go and have some fun.' Marion said. 'Maybe I'll join you later.' She opened up the book again

'No, you won't.' Tara sighed.

'No, I won't.' Marion replied without looking up.

'Tara, you have to see it from the bright side.' Christie, another roommate, said. 'At least she won't be the victim of whatever those witches from Cloudtower have planned.'

'What do you mean?' Marion asked. 'I thought they weren't invited.'

'Exactly.' Christie smirked. 'Every year Alfea and Red Fountain celebrate the start of a new school year together. Witches are not welcomed. And because they're so bitter and resentful they decide to sabotage the party every year.'

'Why not just invite them?' Marion asked and instantly wished she hadn't. Both Tara and Christie looked at her like she had grown another head.

'Are you out of your mind.' Tara said. ' They're witches. They're bad and they have absolutely no taste. The better question would be why should we invite them.'

'You're right.' Marion murmured and looked back down into her book.

'Come on Tara, let's go.' Christie said and walked out of the room.

'You sure you don't want to come?' Tara asked once more.

'Yes.' Marion nodded and watched Tara walk out of the room. When the door closed she breathed out. She started to understand why her mother didn't want her to tell people she could potentially have been a student of Cloudtower.

No one liked witches here.

'I can't believe I let them convince me.' Marion thought. 'I knew this was a bad idea.'

Like every Saturday most of the students from Alfea decided to take the bus to Magix. And every time Marion was asked to join them the red haired girl would decline. But not this Saturday. This time Marion was adamant to go with them. Big mistake. Through the crowd Marion lost her friends and found herself walking through Magix alone.

Soon she found herself in a small and empty alleyway.

'Look at that. A lonely little fairy.' A voice said. 'Did you get lost? Maybe we can help.'

'Yeah, let us help you.' A second voice chuckled.

Marion wasn't stupid. As she saw two girls walking towards her she immediately knew they meant trouble. Without missing a beat Marion turned around and started to walk away from the girls.

'Hey, we are talking to you.' One of the girls said. 'Cora, can you believe it. She's ignoring me.'

'Maybe she needs to be taught a lesson.' The second girl, Cora replied. 'Do you want the honor, Tracy.'

'You don't have to ask me twice.'

Marion could hear the girl muttering a spell. She immediately turned around and tried to come up with a counter spell. Unfortunately she wasn't quick enough and was thrown off her feet as the spell hit her.

Marion rolled over and started coughing. She stood up again. Taking a deep ragged breath she turned towards the two girls standing in front of her. Without a doubt students of Cloudtower.

'Do that again. I dare you.' Marion tried to sound intimidating and let a little flame dance on the palm of her hand. She didn't know why she thought that was a good idea. These two witches were obviously looking for a fight and Marion was challenging them.

'You want more?' One of the witches cackled. 'These freshman fairies are getting cheekier and cheekier.'

Without a warning a second spell was thrown at her. Fortunately Marion was quick enough to put a small protection shield around her. It wasn't a strong shield but the spell didn't hit her as hard as it would have without it. Still the impact slightly shoved her backwards. Knocking her off her feet again.

Marion immediately tried to fire back a spell which was embarrassingly quickly deflected by one of the witches. They definitely weren't amateurs. Marion suspected they were at least in their second or third year.

Her suspicion was confirmed when the two witches cast a convergence spell that looked so advanced that Marion was certain she would end up as ash.

That's not something you learn in your first year.

Marion put her arms around her head in a form of defense. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the spell to hit her.

'Cora. Tracy. I'm going to say this once.' A third voice said. ' Back off.'

Confused Marion opened one eye and saw the two witches looking at the floor guiltily. Curiously the red headed fairy turned around to look at the third person. The girl had long blonde hair that almost looked white.

A witch as well, no doubt. But something was different about her.

'Of course, your Highness.' One of the witches said before both of them quickly disappeared. These two witches were obviously intimidated by the third girl. Marion wasn't sure if that was a good sign for her. She decided to stay quiet.

'Don't worry. Unlike my fellow students I don't think beating up freshman fairies can be considered fun.' The girl walked up to Marion.

'So you only start beating up fairies that are in second year ?' Marion scoffed.

'It's a lot more entertaining when they're able to fight back.' The girl offered Marion her hand to help her stand up.

Marion slapped the hand away and stood up on her own. That behavior made the girl chuckle.

'I hope you don't expect a thank you.' Marion crossed her arms. 'Or that I address you as 'Your Highness' as well.'

'I'm the crown princess of Whisperia. Addressing me as 'your Highness' would be appropriate behavior.' The girl said smirking 'Especially from someone born on Whisperia.'

'I..I…I'm not…' Marion stuttered wide eyed. '…whisperian.'

'Of course you are.' The girl chuckled. 'Marion.'

'How do you know my name.' Marion frowned. She has never met this girl before and she was certain she hasn't said her name.

'We don't know each other well enough for me to tell you my secrets.'

Before Marion could reply she heard her name being called.

'Marion, there you are.' Tara said as she walked up to her. 'You suddenly disappeared. Is everything alright.'

'Yes, I…' Marion turned around to look back at the witch, just to notice that she wasn't there anymore. Confused Marion looked back at Tara. 'Did you see that girl?'

'What girl?' Tara asked and looked around the empty alleyway. No one but the two of them were there at the moment.

'Doesn't matter.' Marion said confused. 'I think I've had enough of Magix for today. Let's go back to Alfea.'

Marion wanted to forget about the incident today, she didn't even tell her roommates about the encounter she had with the witches. But she couldn't stop thinking about the girl that helped her. Or more precisely she couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she knew her name and that she was born on Whisperia.

Crown Princess of Whisperia. The witch said she was the crown princess of Whisperia.

Back in Alfea Marion went straight to the library. She started looking for a book about the royal family of Whisperia. One book. That's all she found. And it was old. So old that it looked like it would fall apart any second. There was no way she would find anything about the current royal family in this.

Deciding it was no use, she put the book away again.

Marion was about to give up, she couldn't ask any of the students if they knew her. That would just draw unnecessary attention to her and people would start to ask questions. Neither could she ask the teachers, for the same reason.

So, Marion decided to ask the only person she could think of. Her mother.

'Why would you ask me that?' Her mother asked after receiving a phone call from her daughter.

'She knew me.' Marion replied 'She knew my name and she knew I'm from Whisperia. That's weird, right? I just want to find out how she knew that and why she helped me.'

'Marion, darling.' Her mother started. Marion knew that tone, her mother was about to tell her to just forget about. 'I'm sure you were under a lot of adrenaline and maybe... just maybe you did say your name. There probably is a simple explanation. Just forget about it.'

'I know exactly what I said and what I didn't say.' Marion said. 'And I can't just forget about it. Just tell me what you know about the royal family of Whisperia.'

As response Marion only heard her mother sigh.

'I went to the library, but all I found was an old book.' Marion continued. 'Why are you being so secretive about this. Just tell me, I know you know something.'

'Stop this nonsense.' Her mother hissed which made Marion flinch. 'We have one rule. Don't draw attention to yourself and try to fit in. Please don't make me regret sending you to Alfea. Find something else that keeps you occupied.'

'I will, I promise. After I….' Marion said before she was interupted by her mother.

'No, right now!'

Marion instantly fell silent and waited for her mother to continue. She couldn't remember the last time her mother had been this angry with her.

' We left Whisperia when you were still a child because you so desperately wanted to be a fairy. I have given up everything for you and I have been nothing but supportive.' Her mother said 'Stop snooping around in the library and don't ask me questions about Leonora again.'

'Leonora? Is that her name?' Marion asked

'Marion, please stay away from her.' Her mother said.

The whole conversation left Marion with more questions then she had before. Questions she wanted answers to and if her mother refused to give her some she had to look elsewhere.

Her mother would be angry if she found out she didn't listen. So Marion made a mental note to never tell her about what she was about to do. Sneak into Cloudtower.

It took an awful long time until Marion was certain that her roommates were asleep. She quickly gathered her things and prayed no one would notice her absence.

She knew that there were underground tunnels connecting the three schools. Marion had read about them and it didn't take her long to find the entrance.

Conjuring up a small flame to illuminate the tunnel, Marion made her way through the dark.

She didn't know how long it would take to reach Cloudtower but after walking for an hour she noticed something changed. The energy around her started to feel…negative. Marion suspected she was close to Cloudtower and automatically started to walk a little faster when the single path she followed suddenly merged into four paths.

Marion came to an abrupt halt. She had no idea which path she should follow now.

'What have I gotten myself into.' Marion hissed at herself. 'What am I actually trying to achieve here? Even if I make my way to Cloudtower, what am I supposed do then? Knock on every door hoping someone will answer my questions.'

'It's the second one to the left.'

Marion immediately spun around as she heard a voice talk to her. But she couldn't see anyone. No one but her was in the tunnel.

'I think I'm going crazy.' Marion muttered to herself. She took a deep breath before she making her way towards one of the four paths.

'I said second one to the left. That's the second one to the right.'

Marion instantly flinched. She was certain the voice was close to her.

'Wh…Where are..' Marion stuttered and looked around her again. She was still alone. 'What's going on?'

'You're trying to get into Cloudtower and I'm trying to help you.'

'It's you, isn't it. The witch that knew my name. Leonora'

'Someone did their research.'The witch chuckled.

'It would be a lot more comfortable for me if I could see you.' Marion felt stupid talking in an empty tunnel. It felt like she was talking to herself.

Marion was still looking around her. Nobody but her was there.

'I'll have to disappoint you, I'm not in the tunnel. I'm in your head.'

'Oh my…' Marion's eyes widened. ' Are you dead? Are you a ghost?'

'What? No! I'm talking to you telepathically. What are they teaching you in that fairy school.' Marion didn't have to see her to know the witch was rolling her eyes.

Marion felt really stupid right now. Of course she wasn't a ghost. She had seen her not even 24 hours ago.

'Just follow my directions.'

'Second one to the left?' Marion asked and stepped towards the path.

'Second one to the left.'

Marion sighed and continued walking.

The tunnel turned into labyrinth and Marion was certain she wouldn't find her way back now. She had to trust the witch to guide her out of there. And for some reason Marion did.

It took about twenty minutes until Marion reached a door. She carefully opened it and peeked into the room behind. It was a stairwell with what looked like hundreds of staircases that lead into the most random directions.

'Welcome to Cloudtower' The witch chuckled in her head.

'This is a joke, right?' Marion whispered and gaped at the stairs.

'Don't worry. It's not as bad as it looks like.'

That was a lie. It was even worse than it looked like. After climbing stairs for a while she was completely out of breath. Maybe this was just a trick. She didn't know that witch, what if she was walking right into a trap.

Marion was about to take a break when she heard voices. This time they weren't in her head.

Marion heard a group of witches cackling and she could hear their footsteps. They weren't close to her but without a place to hide Marion knew it was just a matter of time until they saw her. And the least thing she wanted right now was for them to alert the school that a fairy had snuck into Cloudtower.

She slowly started to walk against the wall and pressed herself against it. Marion had no idea what she should do now. She only had two options. Stay where she was or continue walking.

Before she could make a decision, Marion suddenly felt something against her back. She carefully reached for it with her hand. It felt like a doorknob. The red headed fairy slowly turned around and looked quite surprised when she saw a door appear in front of her.

'Stop wasting time and come inside.' The witch told her telepathically.

'How do I know this is not a trap?' Marion whispered.

'Seriously? Now you worry about that?'

Marion couldn't argue with that. She has been blindly following the witche's directions for the past hour. And right now was definitely the wrong time to to question her motives. So Marion decided to listen to her gut and trust the witch to not lure her into a trap. She opened the door, stepped inside and immediately closed the door again.

'Took you long enough.'

She spun around saw the witch sitting at a table. Marion just stared at her warily before she let her eyes wander around the room.

It looked like she stepped right into a dorm room, but it looked different in comparison to the rooms in Alfea. The room was a lot darker and Marion was certain no sunlight has ever been seen inside of here. Definitely something only a witch would like.

'Where are your roommates?' Marion asked and looked around.

'I don't have any. The perk of being Whisperia's crown princess.' The blonde witch replied.

'A lot of princesses attend Alfea. They don't get to stay in a single dorm room.' Marion pointed out. She knew there were princesses in Alfea that had single bedrooms but not one of them had a whole dorm room to themselves.

'That's because there are dozens of fairy princesses. You would have to built a bigger school for all of them to stay in a single dorm room.' The witch said. 'How many princesses do you know that are witches?'

Marion could only think of one and that witch was standing in front of her.

'So tell me, Marion. Why are you here? Don't tell me you've decided to stay the witch you were born as' Leonora smirked.

'How do you know me.' Marion blurted out. 'I've never met you before, but you seem to know me. How?'

Leonora didn't answer she just wordlessly handed her a cup. Marion eyed it suspiciously it looked like tea and it smelled like tea.

'My mother told me to stay away from you.' Marion said without taking a sip. Instead she put the cup down on the table.

'It's not entirely about me. It's about what the people will say when they find out.' Leonora replied which just earned her a confused look from Marion. 'Do you want the long version or the short one?'

'The one that answers my questions.' Marion retorted.

'You're my sister.' Leonora said. 'Well, half-sister, if you want to get technical.'

'What?!' Marion shook her head. 'No…no, I'm an only child.'

'Your mother is from Astoria, Whisperia's capital city, and she worked in the palast. She had an affair with my father. It was only brief but she got pregnant with you.' Leonora explained. 'She wasn't supposed to….'

'Keep me?' Marion finished the sentence.

'Yes.' Leonora said quietly. 'But she did.'

'That's ridiculous.' Marion scoffed. 'You're lying.'

'Your mother is a fullblood witch and she allowed her only daughter to become a fairy? You seriously want to tell me you think she allowed that because you desperately wanted to grow a pair of wings.' Leonora raised an eyebrow. 'She was trying to hide you. And the best way was to leave Whisperia.'

'Hide me?' Marion asked 'Why would she….'

'My parents are Queen and King of Whisperia. Do you know what an uproar there would be if it was found out that my father had an illegitimate child while being married to my mother' Leonora interupted Marion. 'Whisperia is not known for soft punishment. Your mother would've been executed, my father would have been executed and you would've been executed. Just for existing.'

'Why are you telling me this?' Marion said with clenched fists. 'Are you going to hand me over? Is that what this is about?'

'What?! No, of course not.' Leonora took a step towards Marion which prompted the fairy to take one back. 'Marion, I'm not trying to get you in trouble. I just wanted to get to know you.'

'How do you even know about me?' Marion said quietly.

'I'm a seer.' She replied 'I've seen you. But I haven't told anyone. And I'm certainly not trying to poisen you.' Leonora pointed at the cup of tea, Marion had set down untouched.

'Never touch something a witch has given you unless you know her motives.' Marion mumbled under her breath.

'I'm sorry' Leonora continued when Marion didn't answer 'Maybe I shouldn't have told you.'

Marion stood there motionless.

'I can teleport you back to Alfea, if you want me to.' Leonora tried to get a reaction out of the fairy.

'Why did you tell me?' Marion whispered.

'Like I said. I just wanted to get to know you.' Leonora said and sat back down.

Marion took a deep breath before sitting down at the table as well. She carefully reached for the cup and drew it closer to her before taking a sip from the tea.

'The tea is…good' Marion said uncertainly. It wasn't lie, but the whole situation was a bit awkward and that was the only thing Marion could think of to say.

'Wait until the poison kicks in.' Leonora replied without thinking and immediately regretted it when she saw Marion's shocked expression. 'Sorry, sorry. That was a joke. I've got a horrible sense of humor.'

The silence that followed was extremely awkward.

'Soooo….you're a seer?' Marion asked after some time. 'That must be pretty cool.'

'Not, really.' Leonora said. 'It's quite a burden.'

'How does it work?' Marion asked curiously. 'Do you know..like…everything?'

'No.' Leonora chuckled. 'Sometimes all I see are snippets of the future. Sometimes I don't even know the person. It took quite some time to find you. I have started to take notes about what I see.'

'Can I see them ? The notes I mean?' Marion asked.

'Sometimes it's better not to know the future.' Leonora replied.

'How about I pick you up this Friday. Let's say around eight o'clock.'

Marion rolled her eyes. She just wanted to get two drinks and this boy wouldn't stop bothering her.

'Sorry, I'm busy this Friday.' She replied and thanked the bartender for the drinks.

'How about Saturday? Same time?'

'Nope.' Marion walked away. The boy followed her.

'Why not?' He wasn't angry, just deeply curious. Marion had the feeling he wasn't used to be rejected.

'I'm just not interested.' Marion said. 'But look, there is a brunette over there that won't stop staring at you. I'm sure she would be available on any day.'

The boy slightly turned around to look at the girl she had pointed at. Marion took the chance to slip away unnoticed through the crowd to the other side of the club she was in.

'Sorry, some guy bothered me.' Marion said and handed Leonora one of the drinks.

'Thanks.' The witch replied and took a sip.

It's been a few weeks now that Marion snuck into Cloudtower and that she found out that Leonora was her sister. In the meantime the girls had spent a lot of time together and become friends.

Today they decided to go out. Somehow they managed to get into Magix biggest club. Marion was a bit uncertain if that was a good idea. She liked spending time with Leonora but they had to keep their friendship a secret. People would start to ask questions when they saw a witch and a fairy together. And walking into the club meant they were going to be seen.

Leonora had put a spell around them, making it impossible for people to remember they had seen the two girls, which eased Marion's mind.

'I think you should go for it.' Leonora said out of the blue.

'What?' Marion asked confused.

'The boy, he looked absolutely devestated when you turned him down.' The witch explained and saw Marion's cheeks turn red.

'He's not my type.' Marion said and avoided looking at her sister.

'Liar, he's your type.' Leonora smirked.

'It wouldn't work out anyway. And your spell will make it impossible for him to remember me' Marion crossed her arms and waited for a response.

Leonora only hummed and took another sip of her drink, which earned her a glare from the fairy. 'What do you know? Have you seen something?'

'Maybe.' Leonora shrugged innocently. 'His name is Oritel, by the way. He's the crown prince of Domino.'

'Oh, so you know him?' Marion asked curiously.

'Because I'm a crown princess?' Leonora saw Marion nod. 'Sorry to disappoint you. None of these fairy planets care about Whisperia. Cloudtower is the only place I will be recognized at. I just happen to know his name.'

'I will never understand why witches and fairies can't just get along.' Marion sighed.

'That's just how it is.' Leonora shrugged. 'Come on. I want to dance.'

Marion rolled her eyes as Leonora dragged her on the dance floor.

Leonora caught Marion look over at Oritel more than once. At some point the witch couldn't help herself and whispered to Marion. 'You're going to have his baby.'

Marion turned bright red. Leonora just laughed.

'Marion! Turn your phone off!'

'Wh.. What's going on?' Marion said groggily as she sat up in her bed. She slightly jumped when she saw Tara standing in front of her.

'Your phone is ringing nonstop.' Tara said sleepily 'Please, turn it off. I have an exam tomorrow.'

'Sorry.' Marion said and looked at her phone. The caller ID said Leonora.

'Who is it? The cute boy you've been going out with?' Tara asked as she went back into her bed.

'Yes.' Marion lied and quietly walked out of the room before accepting the call. 'Hey, what's wrong. It's two in the morning.' Marion yawned tiredly.

'Sorry.' Leonora said quietly. 'I had to talk to you.'

Marion was certain she could hear her sniffling.

'Are you crying? What happened?' Marion was wide awake immediately.

'I..I just…' Leonora stuttered.

'You had a vision.' Marion whispered knowingly.

She could hear her sister crying.

'Can we meet.' Leonora's voice broke.

'Of course. Where?' Marion went to put on her shoes.

About twenty minutes later Marion managed to get out of Alfea unnoticed. She walked a short distance through the forest before arriving at the lake roccaluce.

Leonora was already there. When she spotted Marion she immediately went to her and threw her arms around the fairy. Marion was a bit overwhelmed and didn't exactly know what to do so she just put her arms around her sister. They stood like that for a couple of minutes without talking. Marion just let Leonora cry silently.

'What happened?' Marion said quietly when Leonora calmed down a bit. Both girls sat down in the sand.

'I don't get to meet her.' The witch whispered. 'My daughter. I don't get to meet her.'

'Hey, look at me.' Marion waited until she had Leonora's attention. 'What are you talking about?' She asked calmly.

'I'm going to die.' Leonora said with tears in her eyes. 'I'm going to die before I get to see her. That's not fair. I should get to meet her, right?'

'Of course and you will.' Marion said. She was still a bit confused. In all those months of knowing Leonora the witch never had a vision that left her that distraught.

'No, I won't.' Leonora shook her head. 'I have seen it.'

'You don't know if what you've seen will come true.' Marion tried to calm her down.

'You don't understand.'Leonora shook her head. 'I've never had a vision that didn't come true. No matter how hard I've tried.'

Marion felt a tear side down her cheek as she pulled Leonora close again.

'How?' Marion asked after sometime. 'How is it going to happen? Maybe we can stop it?'

'I don't know how.' Leonora whispered. 'Could be complications during birth. But the vision wasn't very precise.'

'Congrats.' Marion said as she stepped into Leonora's dorm room.

'Thanks.' The witch replied and smiled at the fairy.

Leonora just had her final exams. She was finished with school. In about a week she would be going back to Whisperia. Which meant she had to start packing her things. Marion offered to help.

'It's going to be strange without you being in Magix.' Marion said. She still had a year left before she could graduate from Alfea.

'I'm only one call away.' Leonora smiled sadly.

'You're going to be busy.' Marion pointed out. And it was true. Now that Leonora was finished with school she would be concentrating on becoming queen someday. Which meant she would have almost no free time.

They wouldn't see each other as often as they did now.

'You want me to tell you something that will lighten up your mood?' Leonora smiled.

'You can try' Marion shrugged.

'You will have another daughter.' The witch said which did make Marion smile. 'She will have bright red hair and she will keep you up all night long. But she will be your little bundle of joy.'

'I can't wait to meet them.' Marion said quietly. 'Both of my daughters.'

She and Oritel had been going out for over a year now and they really fell in love with eachother. She couldn't wait for them to start their little family.

'Sorry.' Marion said as she looked at Leonora's sad expression. Sometimes she forgot about the night Leonora called her and they met at lake roccaluce. The night her sister told her she would die.

Marion felt horrible talking about meeting her daughters.

'No, don't be.' Leonora took her hands. 'Don't be sorry for something so beautiful, alright?'

'Alright.' Marion whispered and felt Leonora wipe away a tear from her cheek. 'Have you had a vision about her? About Isabella?'

'No.' Leonora said sadly 'I've tried to trigger a vision but it's like there is a dark fog looming over her. Something is keeping me from seeing her.'

After seeing her own death, Leonora hadn't had another vision about what's happening on Whisperia. Something or someone didn't want her to see what's happening there in the future. It made her crazy with worry.

'I'll keep an eye on her.' Marion promised.

'Of course you will.' Leonora pulled her in a hug.

'I mean it. I will find a way to keep her safe should anything happen to you. I promise' Marion mumbled.

Leonora admired Marion's confidence. But there was a problem. Leonora had also seen Dominos downfall, Marion wouldn't be able to keep her promise.

'What did you tell him this time?' Leonora chuckled.

'That I would take Daphne to the gardens.' Marion smiled.' Which I did. And then I teleported us here.'

Quite some time has passed. Leonora had been Queen of Whisperia now for almost three years. Marion and Oritel had just taken over the throne on Domino and right after their wedding Marion got pregnant just like Leonora predicted.

No one knew about Leonora and Marion being sisters. They had been very careful not to tell anyone. And it worked out. Marion's mother had died a few years ago as did Leonora's parents. Which meant no one but them knew about their relation.

'She's so cute.' Leonora rocked baby Daphne back and forth. 'And she's grown so much.'

'Yeah, everything is happening way too fast.' Marion smiled. 'I swear every morning I wake her up I think she's grown another centimeter.'

Leonora slightly laughed at that.

'How's your husband.' Marion asked

'Inaros went to Brovon this morning. One of the smaller cities in the northern part of Whisperia. He said he had to pick up something urgent.' Leonora smirked.

'Your birthday gift. How predictable' Marion rolled her eyes. She has never met her sisters husband, but she knew he was good to Leonora and that was all that matters to her. 'You already know what it is?'

' A necklace. ' Leonora said

'Can't do anything wrong with jewelry.' Marion laughed. It was almost impossible to keep secrets from Leonora.

'You have to go back, don't you?' Leonora asked when she saw Marion look at the clock for the third time

'Yeah, sorry.' Marion looked at her sister guiltily.

'It's ok.' Leonora handed Daphne back to Marion.

Marion really enjoyed walking through the gardens around the castle. It was quiet and peaceful. Sometimes her husband would accompany her, sometimes Daphne would insist on going with her, but most of the time Marion went alone.

It gave her time to think.

Time went by so fast. Daphne was already eight years old and Marion could see she was going to grow up to be a beautiful young woman. The little girl smiled a lot and she never caused trouble. And both of her parents loved her very much.

Marion took a short break and sat down on one of the benches. She loved to look at all the beautiful flowers around here. And today the weather was extraordinary beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky and the sun felt warm on her skin.

Marion felt like it was going to be a beautiful day.

And for a few minutes she closed her eyes.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew was that someone sat down next to her. Marion smiled when she saw that it was Leonora. Her sister smiled back.

'I will never understand how you can cope with the warmth like that.' Leonora said and squinted her eyes at the sun 'I feel like I'm about to melt.'

'What are you doing here.' Marion laughed and hugged her sister.

'Oh great, more warmth.' Leonora mumbled as she put her arms around her sister as well.

'It's been weeks since we've last seen eachother.' Marion said smiling.

'Sorry, I haven't been feeling well.' Leonora replied, playing with the small stone on her necklace.

''What's wrong?' Marion asked concerned.

'I'm pregnant.'

Leonora could see how Marion turned pale. She looked absolutely petrified as she stared at the witch. Leonora just smiled at her sadly.

'How far are you?' Marion asked as she laid her head on Leonora's shoulder.

'Second trimester.' The witch replied and put her arm around the younger fairy.

'Oh…' Marion didn't know what to say. 'How…is it…being pregnant?'

'Terrifying .' Leonora said honestly. 'But it feels nice to have her close to me.'

'Any…complications so far?' Marion carefully asked

'No.' Leonora shook her head. 'We're both completely healthy.'

Marion nodded.

Maybe that was a good sign.

'I don't want to hear it.' Marion said in denial. She was pacing through the room.

'Marion, please.' A heavily pregnant Leonora tried to get her attention.

'No, this is not fair.' Marion replied. 'Why are you doing this to me.'

'I'm past my due date. Isabella could come any time now.' Leonora said 'We need to talk about this.'

'I don't want them.' Marion crossed her arms. 'You always made a fuss when I asked if I could take a look into them. Why am I suddenly supposed to keep them.'

'They are of no use to me anymore. But they can help you.'

For the past hour Leonora had been trying to convince her to take her journals with the explanation that she wouldn't need them anymore.

'Don't be stubborn now. We have known for years how my pregnancy was going to end. I'm just trying to set up precautions.' Leonora said calmly

'Set up precautions?!' Marion hissed. 'You're here to say goodbye. You are healthy. Isabella is healthy. There is no need for you to do this.'

'Marion, please let me do this' The witch sighed.

Only then did Marion notice how exhausted her sister sounded. She quickly wiped away a few tears before turning towards Leonora. The witch took a few steps towards Marion and put her hands on her shoulders.

' I need you to take the journals. Keep them safe. There are a few visions I haven't told you about. You're going to hate me for not telling you.' Leonora smiled sadly ' When you read through them please remember I just wanted to protect you. Sometimes it's better not to know everything.'

Marion nodded.

'I've seen her. Isabella I mean.' Leonora continued. 'She was all grown up. And she's going to need your help when you're back.'

'When I'm back?' Marion frowned.

'You're going to understand once you've read the journals.'

Marion nodded once more.

'I have never had a vision that didn't come true.' Leonora said. 'Everything written in here…' She pointed at the books.

'…is going to happen.' Marion finished the sentence.

Leonora nodded and hugged Marion.

'I love you' The witch whispered to her sister. Leonora could feel Marion tighten her grip around her.

'I love you, too.' Marion mumbled. 'How long can you stay?'

'I've got a few more minutes until my absence is noticed.' Leonora pulled back and sat down.

'You know, I've always imagined our children growing up together.' Marion thought out loud and sat down as well. 'You think they will get to know each other?'

'Oh, they definitely will get to know each other.' Leonora chuckled.

'Have you seen it? Will they be friends?' Marion asked curiously.

As response Leonora started to laugh.

'What's so funny?' Marion frowned. 'No wait, don't tell me. I like the thought of them becoming friends and you're not going to ruin that for me.' Marion said smiling before she got serious again 'They will be friends, right?'

'Of course. They will be best friends.' Leonora sarcastically.

'Now I know you're making fun of me.' Marion rolled her eyes and smiled. 'You know what, as long as they don't try to kill each other, I'm happy.'

'Maybe, just maybe there are a few of my journals you shouldn't read.' Leonora chuckled.

'That bad?' Marion asked.

'She's a witch.' Leonora pointed at her belly. 'And she's going to keep your daughter on her toes.'

'Great.' Marion sighed.

They spent the next few minutes talking and laughing before Leonora said it was time for her to return to Whisperia.

'It's going to be alright.' Leonora whispered before giving Marion a kiss on her head. 'You're going to be alright.'

Marion nodded and felt tears rolling down her cheeks.

'Call me first thing in the morning.' Marion said and hugged her.

That was the last memory Marion had of her sister. She didn't know what happened after that.

(Not part of Marion's memories)

Restless was probably the best word to describe the night she had. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't fall asleep.

Knowing it was of no use to keep trying, Leonora sat up.

'What's wrong? Is it the baby?' Her husband stirred next to her.

'No. Go back to sleep.' She whispered.

'You sure?' Inaros asked sleepily.

'Yes.' Leonora replied. 'I'll just go take a walk.'

'Don't strain yourself too much. You need all the rest you can get.' He mumbled before falling asleep again. At least one of them got some rest. Leonora smiled when she heard him slightly snore again.

Walking out of the bedroom she took a walk through the palace. She enjoyed the quiet it provided in the night and sometimes she was certain she could hear the palace's heartbeat.

Unfortunately tonight was a bit different.

She noticed right away that something was wrong.

Leonora was certain something was bothering the palace .

'I find it insulting that someone thinks they can break into my palace just like that.' Leonora said loudly as she walked through an empty hallway. 'Show yourself.'

Immediately one of the doors creaked open. It was one of the guest bedchambers. Without any hesitation Leonora walked towards it and entered the room.

She didn't know what to expect, but she was prepared to fight whoever dared to enter her castle unannounced in the middle of the night. Leonora could already feel her magic tingling in her fingers, ready to throw any hexes at the intruder. Pregnant or not, she was not defenseless.

Leonora took in a sharp breath when she saw who stood in the room.

'What are you doing here?' The witch asked and looked around the room as if she expected someone else to be there as well.

'I came alone.' The woman replied and gestured at a table 'Why don't you take a seat.'

Leonora frowned and put a hand on her belly.

'Griffin, why are you here?' Leonora asked not moving closer to the table.

Quite some time has passed since Leonora has last seen the other witch. Griffin had been…busy. It surprised her to see her.

'Can't an old friend visit you. Is that a problem?' Griffin replied and sat down. With a swish of her hands two cups of tea appeared in front of her.

'You could have given me a heads up, that's all.' Leonora visibly hesitated before sitting down as well.

'I didn't know you were pregnant.' Griffin said after a minute of silence before taking a sip of her tea.

'You mean they didn't tell you?' Leonora raised an eyebrow. 'I somehow doubt it slipped their knowledge.' She scoffed and gently blew on the tea, cooling it down before taking a sip.

'No.' Griffin replied quietly 'I haven't been informed about that.'

'So tell me. What kind of absurd task have they sent you on now?' Leonora huffed. 'It better not cause any harm to Whisperia.'

'They are not pleased….' Griffin breathed out.

'They never are.' Leonora said without missing a beat. 'You should know that by now. After all, you've been under their command for a while.'

'They are not pleased with you.' Griffin corrected herself and avoided looking at Leonora. 'You failed.'

'I haven't been given enough time.'

'You've had years.' Griffin hissed. 'Plenty of time to find the dragonflame. And you failed, Leonora.'

Leonora didn't reply.

Her parents had been so proud of her for being tasked by the ancestral witches to find the dragonflame. They were certain their daughter wouldn't fail them. It was an honor that Leonora had been chosen. The ancestral witches promised them wealth and power, and as crown princess of Whisperia Leonora knew it was the right thing to do to accept that task.

That's how she first met Griffin. The purple haired witch had already been working for the ancestral witches for some time. Leonora considered her a friend.

But she didn't trust any of those witches enough to tell them that she was a seer.

Nevertheless she did as she was told and tried to find out where the dragonflame was hidden during her first year at Cloudtower, without any luck.

And then she found out that she had a sister and while she spent time with Marion, Leonora somehow neglected her original task.

By the time Leonora wanted to continue her search, she had already found out that Marion was going to give birth to a girl that would inherit the dragonflame. And under no circumstances was she going to rat her out.

So she kept quiet. And left the ancestral witches in the dark.

Of course they were angry at her.

'Griffin, why are you here?' Leonora asked again. 'I know this is not a social visit.'

'Boy or girl?' Griffin ignored her question and glanced at Leonora's belly.

'Girl.' Leonora answered hesitantly. 'We're going to name her Isabella.'

'I swear I didn't know you are pregnant.' Griffin whispered and Leonora was certain she could see tears in her eyes. 'I'm so sorry.'

'What did you do?' Leonora frowned

'I didn't have a choice.' Griffin said. 'You know how they are.'

'Griffin, I swear if you don't tell me right no…' Leonora couldn't finish the sentence. Her throat suddenly felt dry and she had to caugh.

To calm the scratchy feeling in her throat, she wanted to take another sip of the tea, when realization hit her.

Never touch something a witch has given you unless you know her motives. Marion had said that once before.

'What did you do?' Leonora whispered and looked up at Griffin who now had tears streaming down her face, looking away guiltily.

'Deadly Nightshade, also called Atropa Belladonna .' Griffin reluctantly said. 'I put some of it in your tea.'

'You poisoned me?' Leonora's eyes widened.

'I'm sorry.' Griffin apologized and Leonora actually believed her. But that didn't help her right now.

'How could you.' Leonora wanted to scream but another coughing fit overcame her hindering her.

'I'm so sorry. They made me do it' Griffin said again and took a few steps back before disappearing, leaving Leonora alone.

Leonora's first thought was to scream for help, but her throat had tightened up making it difficult for her to breath.

Standing up was not working either, making Leonora slide to the floor.

Help. She needed help. So she put the palm of her hand on the floor, hoping the castle would feel her distress and sent for help.

Suddenly she felt a vision coming and everything around her blurred out. It was one of the most intense and precise vision's she's ever had. And her first thought was to write it down.

But the poison completely drained her energy. She didn't have much time left, she knew that. The poison could make her blackout any minute now.

Leonora's eyes fell on a mirror in the back of the room and she got an idea. She took hold of the necklace around her neck and began to mumble a spell.

Someone needed to know what she had seen.

Before she knew if it worked, someone entered the guest bedchamber, shouting for help. Leonora was certain it was one of the guards, the palace must've send out an alarm.

'Help! I need help.' The guard shouted.

Everything that happened after that was extremely blurry and Leonora could feel herself slip into unconsciousness.

Whisperia lost the queen that night, but gained a princess.