I've been stewing on this piece for OVER A YEAR! Actually, I wouldn't say I like how it ended up but it needed to be published to give me my peace of mind. This story is essentially a reimagining of Riven's departure from the group in Season 6, particularly focusing on Helia's and Riven's relationship. I don't think I expressed everything I wanted to express in the way I wanted to express it but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I really did try.
Leaving wasn't as hard as Riven thought it would be. After years of living on the streets, he thought it'd be harder to leave the one place he had come to call home—Red Fountain. He thought it'd be especially hard to leave his family—the love of his life, Musa, and The Specialists, his brothers.
But no, it was actually quite easy. Within a few hours, he informed Saladin and Cordatorta of his resignation, broke up with Musa, told The Winx Club, Specialists, and Paladins that he was leaving, then marched off to his dorm room and packed up all of his belongings in a duffle bag. Not so much as one complaint from anyone involved. They all respected his intentions and let him go. The cleanest possible break one could hope for.
The funny thing was that, somehow, the path of least resistance hurt the most. Riven thought that after six years together, fighting enemies, saving lives, seeing death, and all of the stupid, drunk shenanigans in between someone would try and make him stay, but they didn't. They all but shooed him from the gates of Alfea. After all of that time, did no one really want him to stay? Not Musa, not Sky, or Brandon, or Timmy, or Helia, or even fucking Flora? Was it because they knew he already made up his mind to leave and figured it was a good opportunity to let him go, or was it because they wanted him to leave?
Which would be better? He didn't know.
But, nevertheless, he made his decision, and they accepted it. So he figured he should too.
It was well past dark when he left, and he cursed himself for choosing to leave after the last bus to Magix, but there was no way he could sleep another night in Red Fountain after the dramatic show he made at Alfea. But at least he'd be able to give a proper goodbye to his memories before he went.
Ew, since when was he so sentimental?
The imposing tower of Red Fountain looked small when Riven looked back at it for the last time, smirking at the countless memories that came to his mind. He'd miss this place. He passed The Black Mud Swamp, and frowned as he recalled his first mission, and the first time he really interacted with Musa. The whole thing was a damn disaster. He really was a little shit then, wasn't he? Crude, weak, and always pushing everyone away. Looking back at young Riven makes him cringe. Thankfully, he's not like that anymore…
…right?
He passed Lake Roccaluce, and he smiled as he recalled the many, many times Musa dragged him here in the middle of the night to have a picnic, which always turned into a swim, which always turned into her pretending to be a siren and capturing him, which turned into many…many wonderful things after that. When did they stop doing that? When did they stop…being in love?
Riven walked through many landmarks in the forest, kicking the tree he fell off of and nearly broke his neck before Flora spelled it to catch him, walking past the field where The Specialists trained The Winx to ride their leva-bikes before crashing Stella's dad's wedding, the many times that had to save this very forest from Valtor's weird obsession with destroying it for some reason, all of those memories came flooding back to him as he walked further and further away from them.
Before long, Riven reached the exact center of the forest, the midway point between the three colleges and Magix. Halfway between his past, and his future.
And for some reason, he paused.
Then, instead of crossing the line, he walked alongside it, towards Alfea. He didn't really know what he was doing, but then again, that could be said for most of his life, so he walked the line.
Before long, Riven came across another landmark: The Sequoia Stones(1), or what he assumed them to be. Riven had never seen them, but he knew they existed somewhere because Helia always claimed to come here to meditate on the giant stones. So this had to be it, because well for one, the stones were ginormous, and two, the son of a bitch was sitting there, meditating.
"Riven," Riven nearly jumped out of his skin from Helia's sudden command, the man didn't even have his eyes open, "Come. Sit with me."
The ex-specialist obediently approached Helia and the stones, and, unsure of how to respectfully climb on top of the stones (something he'd knew Helia and/or Flora would scold him on, especially on such a sacred landmark), he sat heavily on the grass before Helia.
Helia, despite his request for Riven to join him, made no further acknowledgment of his friend's presence. He sat on the stone, as still as ever, eyes closed and hands folded in front of him, in meditation. Riven knew that, in theory, it was rude to interrupt a meditation, (although now he wasn't so sure of that given that Helia interrupted his own meditation to call him over) but as every minute passed Riven grew more and more impatient, before he stood up angrily, muttering about Helia wasting his time and leaving. But once again, Helia stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Why?"
Why the fuck was Helia always so ambiguous?
"Why what?" Riven answered his question with a question.
"Why are you leaving?"
"Because we aren't fucking doing anything! You called me over and made me sit for no fucking reason!" Riven couldn't help exploding. His head hurt over the amount of crap that happened within the past couple of weeks, particularly this past 36 hours, and he was not in the mood to deal with Helia's vague hippie bullshit at the moment.
Helia, opened his eyes, his intense midnight eyes bearing into Riven's soul, which perturbed the specialist enough to calm him down a bit. In a swift motion, Helia slid down the stone and stood before Riven. Up close, Riven could see that Helia must have been exhausted. His eyes were slightly red and swollen, hair disheveled, wrinkled clothes.
"Riven," Helia inhaled deeply through his nose, "why are you leaving us, your friends?"
"What's it to you?"
"Wh—What's it to—?!" Riven swears he's never seen Helia's eyes bug so far out of his head—for a moment it makes him wonder if he really said something ridiculous.
Helia inhales deeply through his nose again, taking (several) moments to recollect himself. "Riven, I think the better question is 'What's it to you?'
"...What!?" Riven felt irritation rising up his back. Too many questions were being asked and none of them answered.
"Dude, a day ago you had a great life. You had a beautiful girlfriend, great friends, your own apartment…so why are you running away from all that? What has got you so scared?"
"I'm not scared!" Riven exploded. Who the fuck did Helia think he was? "I leaving because I want to, I need to!"
Helia practically leapt forward to stand face-to-face with Riven, but Riven stood firm. "What do you need to do that cuts off all of your family and friends?!" "I need to get better!"
"Better?! In what!?"
"In everything! I suck at everything and I have to get better! I have to get stronger, faster, and be better so that I don't hate myself! So that everyone doesn't feel that they can't depend on me!
"...Oh," Helia eyes soften. He whispers, "Riv—"
"No! Don't 'Riven' me!" Riven pushed Helia away. "You know it's true. When Musa lost her voice I couldn't be there for her. She couldn't depend on me…No one can. I'm not the strongest like Brandon or Sky, or smart like Timster (2) and you. There is nothing impressive about me. I…suck. I am such a fucking loser and I hate feeling like that. So fuck you for making me feel that way, and fuck you for making me say that to fulfill some 'fix-Riven' wet dream. Congratulations, you made me admit that I'm a fuck up."
Riven spun around on his heel so fast the air felt like a whip. He stomped away from Helia. Away from the Red Fountain, from the line, from his past. Marching towards his future, a future where he'd be the best. No one could doubt him, no one could feel failed by him. A future where everyone would be—
"Riven! Riv, wait!" Helia's voice boomed as he jogged behind him.
"WHAT!?" Riven turned to face his best friend, "WHAT else could you want from me?!" He roared.
"I," Helia opened and closed his mouth several times. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. And you're not a fuck-up."
"Ooohhhhh," Riven spat sarcastically, "Well now that you said that I have to stay. Fuck off."
"And I'm proud of you!"
Riven clearly didn't expect Helia to say that. "What?
"I'm proud of you," Helia repeated, his eyes practically glowing with honesty, "And I'm sorry I've never told you. In the years I've known you you've grown so much. And I'm proud that you recognize you need some time to yourself to better yourself. I think you're awesome already, but I understand that's what you need to do. So go…go better yourself, but for yourself, and if or when you're ready to come back, I'll be here with open arms."
With every word Riven felt his anger deflate inch by inch, and before he knew it, he stood there feeling like an asshole. Helia...was proud of him. No one was ever really poured of... "
Hey man…" Riven sighed, discretely wiping a tear from his eye (Damn it Helia!), "I'm sorry for what I said. You didn't make me feel like a fuck up. I just am." And he really felt that. It was never Helia's fault. Helia actually was the one who helped him change for the better. Riven was the fuck up, then, and even now. That's why he had to leave, so he could stop ruining things between his friends and family. He had to leave to change.
"Dude," Helia sighed heavily, "You are not a fuck up. But you need to see that for yourself. Go on your adventure. I'll miss you, we'll all miss you, but it's for the best."
"Yeah," Riven agreed, "Thanks, man. I hope to be better by the end of it."
"You will," Helia hummed, "Where are you going if I can ask?"
"I dunno, wherever I go, I guess." Riven had to admit he actually had no plans…welp, this self-discovery trip is starting off so well…
"Can I help?" "Sure!" Helia waved his hand towards the left, and before his palm a portal to Magix Central Station opened. Lucky bastard, with his magic hands.
"Here you go," he gestured towards the portal, "Your adventure begins."
"Thanks," and before Riven could talk himself out of it, ran up and hugged Helia. Helia took a step back in surprise, but he wrapped his arms around his comrade, probably for the last time in a long time, "Tell everyone that I said bye."
"Good luck!" Riven nodded, took a deep breath, and lept into the portal.
"And Riven!" Helia shouted just before the portal closed, lucky that Riven was able to hear him over the magic, "You don't have to be better than everyone! You just have to be the best you!" Those words echoed in Riven's mind as he stepped out of the portal into his new future.
A better future. As not only a better man, but the best Riven.
(1) The Sequoia Stones are what I personally call the stones Helia sits on in Season 2 when he and Flora meet. I'm not sure if there's an actual cannon name...
(2) Timster is referring to Timmy.
Please let me know what you think of this work! I really wanted to think about how a realistic conversation between Riven and Helia would go at his sudden departure in Season 6. The general vibes I wanted to express from (for?) Helia was that he was hurt, and even blames himself a bit but accepting overall. Bittersweet vibes.
I really cannot write Riven. I tried so hard but it's hard for me to write him.
Please forgive me if this fic isn't that good. I'm trying to come back to writing and clearly, I haven't exercised my writing muscles in a while! Sometimes I write to just put ideas out, you know?
Anyway, thank you for reading! It's much appreciated.
Love, always.