Valtor tapped his foot anxiously against the tiles in a chamber Sibylla had given him. He hadn't heard from anyone since she managed to heal Bloom's wings. After which Sibylla insisted she required rest and that he could under no circumstances bother either of them. So he paced the halls of her cave, watching the small fairies do their daily jobs, some practising various types of spells, while the others ran from room to room, transporting supplies. He guessed some of them were currently attending to Bloom and he wished he could move them out of his way and get to her himself. But, he didn't think it wise to test the boundaries of Sibylla's hospitality. Not after all the statements she had made about keeping Bloom away from him.

He scoffed at himself quite loudly when the thought crossed his mind.

A couple of months ago he would have found the mere thought absurd. But look where he was now, practically desperate to be in her close proximity at all times. It was agitating, yet no matter how many times he tried to divert his mind to anything else, everything would eventually lead him back to her. He wanted to see her and make sure that whatever they were doing was enough. That she will be safe.

One of the fairies stopped in her tracks, looking him up and down with suspicion dwelling in her eyes. He maintained eye contact until the small creature rushed back to her activities. Valtor walked down the hall, following the fairy. She disappeared behind a set of moss-covered doors. In the moment that they were still slightly ajar, he caught a glimpse of Bloom's firey hair.

Sheer willpower kept him from breaking his vow and checking if something was wrong. He wasn't sure why there was such concern regarding the fairy. She is Marion and Oritel's daughter, he kept repeating in his head.

You don't want her, you want her power.

It was pointless.

He was bound to accept it at some point or another. Somehow, some part of him had grown uncomfortably attached to the Guardian of the Dragon Flame. It was the reality, his reality and he cursed himself for ever letting himself get to that. He should be celebrating the old crone's death, but here he was, feeling worried for the girl he was supposed to hate.

The fucking irony.

He had spent years planning how the world would look like when Faragonda was finally taken down. He should be thinking of how easy of an access he now had to Alfea, and how vulnerable the entire Magix will be. But the thoughts barely crossed his mind. Every single train of thought seemed to gravitate in the same direction. And he hated it and craved it all the same.

There had to be a spell or a potion to fix it, he couldn't let himself be distracted in the way that he had been lately. There were still things to be done. Alfea had to fall. And the rest of the magical dimension along with it. There were so many kingdoms he was yet to conquer, so many spells he intended to master.

"You look troubled," a voice said, but when Valtor turned there was no one else in the hallway. He wanted to summon a fireball, but the cave's magic overpowered his and in return nothing happened. He sighed: "Fine, no magic."

As soon as he said it, a figure of a fairy appeared in front of him. If there was a single word to describe her, Valtor would have to pick eternal. Her long hair waved around her as if it were a shield. She extended a hand and Valtor leaned in and kissed it. It was freezing to his lips even for that brief second. If he hadn't felt it, he could have mistaken her for a ghost due to the paleness of her face. Upon a longer look, he noticed the branches weaved through her clothes and hair, and the hooves just like the rest of the Rustic fairies had. "Who are you?"

"It's not important," she spoke and studied him as if they were duelling. Valtor's expression was puzzled, he wasn't sure how to approach her. On one hand, he had no interest in some random fairy, but on the other, he desired to know what she wanted.

"You don't have wings like the rest of them," he pointed out, only then noticing the absence. The fairy's face fell for a moment before she regained her composure. "They were torn a while ago. And then they cut them off." Any sort of feeling in her tone was absent and Valtor wondered if she wanted to kill him for drawing attention to her situation.

"Who did?" he asked instead.

"Fairy hunters." In the way she said it, Valtor knew that the subject was closed and he wouldn't gain new information from her.

"What do you want?" he asked, growing bored of her presence.

"I'm Her Highness potion master, I couldn't help but hear your thoughts earlier."

A mind fairy, Valtor figured, amused. They were rarer and rarer these days, and he wasn't surprised Sibylla would take someone like that under her wing. Some people like him could break into the other person's thoughts, but mind fairies were born with it, and could do it undetected.

"You were wondering if there was a way to rid yourself of unwanted feelings," she continued, trying to get his attention. Valtor's brows creased. He didn't like the thought of someone being inside of his head. He guessed that she was also listening to him right now.

The fairy nodded at that and held his gaze. "And what if I was?" He rolled his eyes.

"I could help you," she continued and took a step forward. A bottle appeared in her hands, silver liquid dancing inside of it. She cocked her head to the bottle and shook it for effect. "And why would you give it to me?"

She smirked in response. "I admire great wizards like you, people who hold power." She stepped closer, bringing the bottle into the space that separated them. Its odour drifted up to Valtor's nose and he realized it smelled like rosemary.

"I hate seeing the things that make them weak," she locked eyes with him as she finished the sentence.

He wanted to incinerate her where she stood for even suggesting that he was weak. Valtor laughed instead. "You would know a thing or two about being weak. Wouldn't you?" She glared at him and the potion disappeared.

"Am I interrupting something?" Sibylla's voice echoed in the hallway. Valtor straightened and turned to meet his hostess. "Not at all," the fairy said and bowed slightly. "Just intrigued by our guest is all."

Sibylla nodded before motioning for Valtor to follow her. He watched as the fairy disappeared into thin air and he no longer knew if she was in the room. "She would have poisoned you if you had taken the potion," Sibylla said and watched for Valtor's reaction.

He shrugged. "Wouldn't have taken it regardless. If you want a potion, you make it yourself." They were silent as they walked to the doors where Valtor last saw signs of Bloom.

"You know, you are not bound to stay here while she recovers," Sibylla said, eyeing the doors. But before he could protest, she added: "She is barely hanging on. It might take months for her to be able to function."

A shiver went down his spine, but he brushed the feeling away and stared at Sibylla. He wanted to say that she just might not be doing enough and that her fairies were incapable healers and so many other insults that were running through his head.

Instead, he asked: "Is she awake?"

Sibylla shook her head. "It's like she goes in and out of a coma. When she's unconscious, it's as if she's dead. Each time we don't know if she will wake up."

The rage in Valtor's head was increasing, but he tried his best to remain as calm as possible. "Can I talk to her?"

She seemed to consider the idea for a while, before opening the door and letting him come inside.

His blood went cold at the sight. She looked like skin and bone, so frail and barely recognizable. A skeleton had more of a human appearance than she had in her current state. But it was still Bloom. He took a few steps closer and placed his fingertips on the edge of the examination table.

Sibylla gave a single nod and all of the small fairies scattered away. She placed a hand on Valtor's shoulder and he fought hard not to burn it off. "I don't want to put thoughts into your head, but these may be her last days. Make the most of it." He wanted to curse her for suggesting it, but how could he when he saw Bloom's state with his own eyes?

He didn't say anything to that.

Bloom wasn't going to die.

Not now that he had her back.

There was a chair next to the table and he sat atop it, watching her chest rise and fall. He brushed some hair out of her face, just like he had done so long ago on Andros.

"Princess," he murmured as he tried to reach into her mental shields.

But they laid wide open. What were once strong walls were now shattered bricks. A hollow image of Bloom was within them, hands covering her ears as she twitched. Memories were circling her at a rapid speed. He sat down and watched them all. Each strike of the whip and burn of the brander.

Her screams filled his eardrums, her sobs digging into his soul. He couldn't bear to watch what they had been doing to her. Valtor came closer and tried to reach the broken girl on the ground. But she wasn't seeing him, wasn't aware that he was there, so lost in her pain that it was the only reality she knew.

There was nothing he could do to stop what she was going through. But he wouldn't leave her like this either. Then something else caught his eye. In Bloom's lap laid a small cube of bricks, bathed in Dragon Fire. He could feel the force with which she kept it intact, protecting it when all else was taken from her.

He reached out toward it. Bloom seemed to feel it because in the next second her hands fell from her ears and gripped the cube. Instead of forcing it, he gently laid his hand over hers and let his thoughts carry over his intent. Not to hurt, but to ease. Not to destroy, but to mend. Slowly, he felt the line between their minds ignite. Still reluctantly, her hands parted and the bricks moved apart, letting him see inside the small cube.

Valtor watched the hidden gem that Bloom had buried inside her mind. One single thing that had remained hers, the thing she clung to. The memory that kept her from falling entirely apart.

His own face greeted him within the memory. A tiara that he placed on her head glistened brightly. The spark that shone in her eyes, the smile which had escaped her.

Valtor pulled the memory out carefully. With ease, he added it to the cycle spinning around Bloom. For a few more seconds, he stood in the corner of her mind and watched her. The first time the memory appeared, the form of Bloom on the ground seemed to smile.

He withdrew from her head a moment later.

Her actual eyes were still closed.

"You are more than strong enough," he told her, reaching for her hand. "Don't let them see otherwise." His power seeped from him, attempting to warm her body up. But the second he let go, she was cold as ice all over again. There were so many other things which hunted him, so many words that he could tell her, but none of them came out.

Sibyilla entered the chamber and walked over to them, watching between Bloom and Valtor. He wondered what she saw, what she thought of the sight. "She lost too much blood. Now her body is trying to adjust to everything it has lost," she was saying, but all that Valtor could hear was: She was dying.

Noticing the way his expression changed, she added: "You made the best decision by bringing her to me. If she has a chance of survival, I will be able to save her." A small amount of hope sparked in his eyes.

"But," Sibylla continued: "I can't do it with you hovering over our every move. I understand that you worry, but healing is an art of patience. If anything major changes, I will personally reach out to you, but until then I ask you to stay away."

Valtor was lost in his thoughts. He knew she was right and that he should leave. But he didn't know what to do when he left. Spend his days watching the fairies weep over Faragonda? It served him no pleasure if he bested them when they were at their weakest.

He guessed he could work on his potions or try to study some healing spells. He was ashamed of his own thoughts by that point. He should go and conquer a kingdom, just because he could. Raise terror among the dimension and live up to his title. Or just have shots of whiskey until he passes out.

Valtor took one last look at Bloom before nodding to Sibylla and following her out of the room and to the entrance of the cave. "I want your word," he demanded. Sibylla rolled her eyes, her hand on her hip. "You don't trust me."

"I trust no one," he didn't hesitate to answer. The Major Fairy of Justice wove a magical circle into existence around her hands. "I will be keeping you updated on Bloom's progress. I swear on it." The circle glowed red, tightening around her wrist before fading.

"Happy, now?"

"Pleased," he said and teleported away.

"You weren't at lunch today," Flora commented as Stella sat down on the sofa in the common room. "Wasn't hungry," the blonde replied. She stopped feeling much of anything since Bloom and Valtor disappeared. It's been a month and there have been no indications that they were in Magix. Nor in any other kingdom.

She didn't know what things she was feeling, but hunger wasn't one of them. It was unhealthy, and she knew it. So she made sure to keep her mind occupied with other things. Her studies, training, and Princess duties on Solaria. But even after all of that, it was hard not to go over all the possible things that might have happened.

She believed that they were both alive, otherwise their capture or deaths would have been made public. However, she doubted that the Council had the time to rebuild its defences after Bloom tore them down. And the fact that Faragonda was dead didn't help the situation either. Alfea was a mess.

Palladium stepped in as headmaster, but he had no idea what he was doing. Avalon was trying his best to help him out, but he wasn't specialized in running a school. Griselda was colder than ever, rarely speaking to the staff and being strict with the students for the smallest reasons. Griffin had been confined to the hospital wing and hadn't been seen since the funeral. And the Winx-

The Winx club no longer existed.

Stella wished she could feel bad about it, but her recent emotions and events overshadowed all the good memories about the group. Everyone changed in their own way, and they no longer functioned as one. They still shared the suite because no one wanted to stress themselves with moving, but they never hung out and infrequently spoke. Only Musa and Layla still seemed like they were friends.

So now that Flora expressed concern for her, Stella couldn't help but feel it wasn't genuine. "You haven't been okay and it's visible," the nature fairy tried again. She sounded serious, nothing like the soft-spoken Flora she had met during the repeat of her first year. "Tell me, Flora, honestly," Stella said and looked at her former friend.

"Have any of us been okay since Shadow Haunt?"

Flora's face paled and discomfort crept all over her body. She was closing in on herself. Stella had her answer. "So don't pretend like this," she motioned to herself, "-is something unusual."

Stella stood up and walked to the doors to her room. As she was turning the handle Flora spoke again: "I am not your enemy Stella. I know you think we're against you but-"

"Do you think Bloom is guilty?" Stella cut in, remaining with her back turned to the brunette. "I-" Flora hesitated and it was enough.

"If you're an enemy to Bloom, you're an enemy to me. There is no other way about it," Stella answered coldly and shut the door behind her.

The light in her room cleared her head just a little. She watched the sunlight seep through the blinds and spread herself onto the bed. But there was no warmth to it. Nor in her wardrobe, nor her decorations. She rolled to her side and stared at the picture on her nightstand. Her arm around Bloom's shoulders as they posed at the first year-ending party. Stella would smile if tears hadn't pricked her ears.

She was about to close her eyes for a couple of minutes when a beeping sound interrupted her. Stella jumped to her feet and ran for her desk. The small device lay there, a detector that she had placed in Cloud Tower if someone had entered it.

For weeks it remained silent. Until this moment.

One red dot moved throughout the castle.

Small hope ignited in Stella's chest. She was out of the room before anyone could stop her.

Valtor hadn't remembered that he left the castle in such a state. Everything was turned over, glass littered the floor and papers were collecting mould everywhere he turned. It was disgusting, to put it bluntly.

He wasn't sure why he had returned there, it wasn't like there was anything for him to take. All of his spells had been safely packed and hidden. Yet, he lingered in the halls, pausing in Griffin's office. He wondered if Alfea still kept her at their grounds or if they had thrown her out after Faragonda was killed. Likely the first one.

But he needed to find a distraction, otherwise, he would just go back and put Sibylla's good graces to the test. Visiting Paxesion was also a good possibility to pass the time, Lyrion was always a cordial hostess. He pondered on it as he exited the office and walked along the hallway. This was when he felt traces of magic somewhere nearby.

Over the years he became exceptional at sensing such things and not many others had bothered to learn the art. It was also fresh which only meant that the person was still close. Valtor summoned his dragon with ease and the creature stood behind him like a shadow.

"Show yourself," he spoke into the darkened area around him, paying attention to any sort of movement. There was someone at the end of the hall, now taking careful strides closer. Her hands were raised like she was surrendering.

The Princess of Solaria stepped into the light.

Valtor's eyes instantly darkened. She was the reason that Griffin got free.

"You have some nerve, coming here," he said, nodding to the dragon who rushed at Stella. The fairy didn't defend herself as the creature circled her, wrapping her in bonds of fire. She couldn't move an inch without hissing in pain.

"I didn't come to fight," she said. Valtor noticed the lack of snarkiness that the fairies usually spoke with. As if they were on some higher ground compared to him. She wasn't transformed either which was another factor that took him by surprise. But he let her trick him once and it was a mistake he wasn't going to make again.

"You don't trust me, and you shouldn't," she continued, not once breaking eye contact. There was a fierceness to her, mixed with so much hopelessness that Valtor found it amusing. Her Headmistress was gone, maybe it was finally the last straw for the infamous Winx.

"I am not in the mood to play games with you," he responded, putting pressure on the bonds around her.

Stella winced but held her ground firmly. "Is she alive?" the words came out next and Valtor felt their impact as they landed on his own fears. He hoped so, otherwise, his relationship with Sibylla was going to take a drastic turn for the worse. Valtor released her without a word and turned his back to her.

If he kills her or even as much as hurts her he was sure Bloom would only use it as a factor to go back to hating him again. And despite his vicious nature, he couldn't have her look at him with that rage in her eyes. Not after what happened the last time they fought. And all of the aftermath that he couldn't prevent.

He thought that the fairy would take a hint and flee from the castle as soon as he let her go, but alas, he was wrong again.

"I'm glad Faragonda is dead," she said simply and Valtor hesitated in his tracks. He turned back to face her. She hadn't moved an inch.

"She ruined Bloom's life," the Princess continued, hoping to get his full attention.

Valtor said nothing, considering how ridiculous this situation was. He, a proclaimed dark wizard, and a Princess whose kingdom he attacked and robbed of its power. And she was bargaining with him for no apparent reason.

"I need to see her," Stella said, her voice unwavering.

"Just once."

And that is when the answer writes itself for him, clear as day.

He smiled at the fairy, ready to wrap her into the net she herself had woven. "Fine," he said and watched as her face went from relief to confusion in a split second.

"Once she has recovered you will be allowed to see her."

A wave of thoughts went through Stella's head.

First, Bloom was indeed alive and being medically treated.

Second, Valtor had clearly taken her there himself and was the only person to know her location, so she definitely couldn't risk ruining this. And the third, the most dangerous realization of all, was that monsters like him never gave anything without taking something back.

It was the only way. She had exhausted all other resources and if seeing Bloom again meant dealing with Valtor on more than one occasion, she was ready for it. So, Stella straightened her head and locked eyes with Valtor.

She didn't hesitate before saying: "Name your price."

Valtor smiled at the words he was hoping to hear: "You, my dear fairy, will owe me a favour."