Valtor had to give it to the fairy, she was fast when well-motivated. He had been keeping up with her for the last few blocks and she hadn't slowed down once. But, the more he walked, the more his curiosity grew. Why was a princess sneaking around in these quarters of Magix? Where you only went if you didn't want to be seen, or if like Valtor, you needed a good drink. He supposed the fairy wasn't after the latter, not with a scent of magic so insanely present all around her.
There was something else he hadn't initially felt when he bumped into her, probably due to how weak it was. The Dragon Fire. Bloom's.
So he safely assumed that the blonde was making her invisible with magic and that is where the scent was coming from. What he couldn't figure out yet was, where was she going with her.
At least it answered one of his concerns, that Bloom didn't get herself into any new troubles while he wasn't paying attention. Not that he would care anyway, it just wouldn't be convenient for his intentions.
The fairy stopped in front of an old-looking apartment building and ran her Solarian credit card over the entrance. Valtor had never been to a hotel, but he guessed this is how the discrete ones functioned. Just pop in enough money and you are bound to stay in the low.
He wavered far enough from the doors but close enough to be shielded by the other people that were passing by. So it didn't go unnoticed when two more figurines appeared at the doorstep. One was for sure another member of their hideous group. He didn't know her name but she was never much of a threat. The other person, however, Valtor knew extremely well.
Even after 18 years, he recognized the old crone, none other than Faragonda. She looked so much older than during their last battle. But, he guessed everyone aged while he was in that ice, everyone except himself. Which, granted was a very nice gift set upon him by the Ancestral Witches. Being eternally young and good looking had its graceful perks.
Princess of Solaria stepped outside and closed the door behind the two newcomers. Valtor didn't dare come any closer in case Bloom woke up and somehow had enough strength to sense his presence, so he cast a simple eavesdropping spell, hoping to hear what will they say.
Stella led the headmistress and Tecna along a narrow and suspiciously dark hallway, all the way left until they reached a wooden door. She trailed her finger across the corners, and then from the top left to the bottom right side, before opening them. "Protection charms, just in case," she said as she moved inside to let them in.
"Miss. Stella, what exactly is this about? You better start explaining. Now," Faragonda demanded, crossing her arms. And just hearing the strict tone of her voice, made the hairs on Stella's neck stand up.
"I need you to promise me first. That whatever you see tonight does not leave this room, unless it's absolutely necessary."
The old lady didn't look even one bit amused. Her eyebrows grew closer together as she weighed the possibilities in her head. "Fine," she answered with a nod.
Stella and Tecna exchanged looks, and after taking a long breath in, then out, Stella moved aside from the small sofa in the corner Her hand flew across the empty space, and after a flick of her wrist, there was Bloom, laying on it.
She could hear Faragonda gasp and as she watched her, the headmistress' face hardened strongly. "What is the meaning of this?"
It was as if every new breath created a new wrinkle somewhere on her forehead.
"We found her today, at the Roccaluce lake-"
"She is supposed to be in Omega dimension right now. The Council will take you both down with her this time-"
"Professor just take a damn look at her!" Stella snapped, her eyes filling with rage shaped tears. She pointed at her friend's miserable shape.
Faragonda took in the sleeping fairy again. The amount of weight she had lost, the way her skin was as pale as the walls and looked like it was just rested on top of her, her hair that had thinned and lost any type of volume it once possessed, and the most obvious thing to notice were the scars. Hundreds of cuts, scratches and bruises on about every visible part of her skin. Ranging from shallow ones to the more deeper ones, probably caused by the ice she was stuck in.
"Does she really look like a great danger to you right now?"
The older fairy's mouth were slightly agape as she whispered: "I-"
"When we came to your school, you promised us protection and help when we seek it. Bloom needs that now. She has to get medical help and you are the only one who can find it for her," Stella pleaded, and in doing so sat down next to Bloom, taking her hand and raising it for Faragona to see. It simply fell back down without any resistance.
"-We beg you. Please, help Bloom now."
She didn't look at Faragonda as she too knelt beside the sofa and touched the tips of her fingers to Bloom's forehead. "She is piercing cold."
It took a few minutes for her to speak again.
"We put a disguise spell on her and bring her to Alfea's private hospital wing. No one will know where she is, especially not Valtor and the Council. The staff there is very highly trained, they treated some of the most severe attacks after the battle against the Army of Decay. They will be able to help her," Faragonda replied and looked at her student.
Stella's eyes were now practically glowing with utter happiness. "Thank you."
"Meanwhile I will try and talk to the Magix Council once again. If they decide to lessen her punishment, we can have your friend back," she stood up and brushed the dust off her evening skirts.
"Consider this a warning miss. Stella, miss. Tecna, her absence won't go unnoticed. There won't be much I will be able to do in that case."
Stella took a quick look at Tecna then back at Bloom before she said: "I'm not leaving her side. So if they take her, they take me too." Faragonda gave her an understanding nod and the next time they blinked she was out the door.
Valtor smirked to himself as he listened in on the conversation. So the little fairy will be under Alfea's strict protection. He guessed there will be some good in that too, at least she will get a full recovery and then he will be able to make his move.
What surprised him the most out of everything is how soft Faragonda has gotten. Breaking laws, hiding criminals and who knew what else just to keep the Winx safe. The fairy he fought all those years ago would have never gone behind the Council's back, to heal someone that they deemed unworthy.
Except, of course, that one time. When Griffin decided to betray him by joining the Company of Light. It still left a sour taste in his mouth whenever he fought of those times. Back when he allowed himself to have an ally. It was her treachery that made Valtor so determined never to trust anyone again. Relying on himself is what kept him alive for so long after that.
Faragonda was the one that managed to convince everyone to let Griffin become one of them. Which, later helped her with becoming the headmistress of Cloud Tower too.
So, because it could only make the night better, he followed after Faragonda as she made her way back to the gates of Alfea. Once in the darkness and shelter of the woods, Valtor dropped his disguise, leaned casually against a nearby tree and said: "Well, well, well, if it isn't my old friend."
Faragonda's feet came to a stop as she summoned her power and spun around to face him. But he had already teleported to a spot behind her back. "Valtor," the fairy hissed, aiming at the point he was at, but he dodged the attack with ease.
"You are not what you used to be," Valtor provoked, shooting a fireball at her feet. Faragonda jumped to the side just in time to avoid it. "Careless of you to show your face so close to my school," she said while moving away from yet another blast from his hand.
"On the contrary, I think it shows just how little of a threat it is to me. I mean look at you, can't even lay a hit on me," as he spoke a fire arrow had collided with Faragonda's stomach, sending her flying onto the ground.
Valtor hovered over her as he continued: "You are also a fool if you think that your pathetic school can hide anyone from me."
At that Faragonda visibly tensed. "What are you talking about?" She was panting now, sweat covering most of her facial features, but she continued to fight back.
"You won't lay a hand on her Valtor."
Valtor only smiled as he watched her release blow after blow, while he simply stepped to the side every time. That is when he decided to finally drop the act. His hand extended towards the old fairy, fingers closing into a fist.
Faragonda's body twitched under his command, she was against a tree trunk, slightly above the ground, completely unable to move. Valtor watched the scene, pleased as he came closer to her and continued to twist his hand around, making her yelp in pain.
"Blood spells," she muttered, clearly trying to keep herself from screaming.
"I want you to witness, first hand, just how powerful I had become."
He moved even closer, just a few inches away from her face, his rough hand gripped her chin, tilting her head up so that they looked into each other's eyes.
"Nothing can stand between me and what I want Faragonda, especially not the Company of Light," his hand didn't move but there was a growing pressure at her neck and she began to gulp for air.
"I can assure you that it's only a matter of time before I get your precious Bloom and rip her powers out with my bare hands." Shivers ran down her spine as she tried unsuccessfully to claw herself free of his grasp.
Another second later Valtor moved away, drawing his power back and letting her fall on her back, breathing in as much air as her old lungs could take in.
"Let this be a warning to Alfea. Because the next time I see it, it will burn down to nothing but ashes."
Bloom awoke with a pulsing headache that seemed to be present at every inch of her scalp. She rubbed at her aching temple, before remembering the last thing she saw. But due to her constant and growing insanity, she was sure that seeing Stella and Tecna was just a hallucination. There was no way she was free, let alone back amongst her friends.
But when she looked around, this dimly lighted room was definitely not Omega. To her disappointment, it wasn't the bright walls of her suite room with Flora's bed opposite of hers, either. There wasn't much else to the place, aside from the sofa she was laying at, and a kitchen cabinet with a mini-fridge next to it.
Bloom tried getting up, but her legs gave out almost immediately so she sat right back down. She guessed it would take more than few hours of sleep to regain back her strength.
The lock on the front door suddenly began to turn and there were muffled sounds on the other side of them. Relief settled over her once Stella's blonde hair appeared, carrying with herself a set of grocery bags.
"I would help with that, but I am not sure I know how to walk anymore," Bloom commented sarcastically. Stella almost dropped the bags right there on the spot.
"You scared the life out of me... I thought you were sleeping." She sat them down on the floor and walked over to the sofa. "How do you feel?"
Bloom thought of it for a second. She was no longer in eternal ice, all of her body parts seemed to be still intact and she was next to her best friend. "Not dead yet, so good... I think. Probably a lot better than I look."
Stella managed a smile and crossed her legs on the carpeted floor. Bloom didn't notice how much of her usual shine was missing until then. She was still Stella, but something was missing.
"Where are we?"
"Just a current hideout until we move you to Alfea for recovering. I spoke to Faragonda, she left a few minutes ago," Stela explained but the sad look didn't leave her face.
"Are you okay?" Bloom asked, reaching out and placing her hand lightly over her shoulder.
"I just- it feels so unreal to have you back. With Valtor stealing my ring, I thought we would never get you back."
One word stuck out above all else in her last sentence. Valtor.
Bloom's eyes turned golden yellow, like cat's for a second. Stella sucked in a breath, her own eyes widening. But a blink later the soft blue returned and the yellow was gone.
When she saw her friend's expression Bloom asked: "Stella what is it?"
"Your eyes... they looked..." she didn't know how to finish. But Bloom understood. They looked like they did during Darkar's control over her.
She shook her head and bowed it, staring at her knees instead of at Stella.
"It's okay, none of it is your fault anyway," her friend reassured her.
"Valtor stole your ring?" the fire fairy asked at last.
"Yeah. We still don't know how or why but- we were convinced he would use it to get to you."
The words hung in the air between them. Bloom left out the small detail, that indeed, the Solarian ring was with her in Omega and then vanished just as mysteriously as it had appeared.
But now that she knew that the deed was Valtor's, Bloom made sure to drag the answer out of him the next time she faced him.
/Notes: There was a bit more action in this fanfic, finally. Also, in case some of you get confused. I am not sure if it was ever addressed in the show, but it was always my head cannon that since Valtor wasn't born but made, he doesn't age. So the age he was created at by the witches, is the same age he is at when he defeats Bloom's parents and the same age he is at when he meets Bloom. Since I did research and we never really knew how old he is supposed to be, so I imagined him being 25 or older. Please leave your thoughts down in the comments!/