Content warnings: Stella's parents are divorcing and she's not ok with it and is trying to get back together. Stella is not always the brightest bulb. And Icy is fresh from her season 8 backstory so she's very traumatized and trying to block it out. This is a Winx Club story so these topics are treated like they would be in Winx Club, without much angst and not terribly realistically.
Timing note: This is Stella's first year at Alfea and Sky and Brandon's first year at Red Fountain. Canon about the Trix is more confused; in season 1 they were described as "seniors" so they'd be in the last year of however-many years Cloud Tower does, but for this story Darcy and Stormy are in year 2 of 3 and Icy is a first year student so she's the same age as Stella. Winx doesn't exactly have a solid canon timeline so I just decide it's what I need it to be.
1 Stella
On orientation day Stella's mother walked her into the school with a servant following them to carry Stella's bags.
"Your father will chaperon the mixer dance, and I'll attend the Alfea talent show. Then we'll have to talk about who comes to which events. We'll both attend your graduation of course.
Stella had been looking down at the ground as she walked. Now she looked up at her mother. "It's only the first day! I won't be an Enchantix fairy for years!"
Queen Luna bent to squeeze her daughter's shoulders. Their hair swung together, silver and gold. "I'm just so excited for you! Alfea! You're going to learn so much and make so many friends! It'll be a whole new start for you."
A whole new start was what Stella was counting on. A new start, with her new look and her new passion for fashion and away from everyone back home who'd read the Royal Tattler.
Still ruling the realm but no longer married, both monarchs embrace eligible bachelor status. King Radius told the Tattler that he is not currently seeking a new consort but Queen Luna has been seen on the arm of several handsome knights years her junior…
It was so embarrassing.
While Stella held onto the fact that the others students in the courtyard probably hadn't read the Solarian edition of the Tattler Queen Luna was reminiscing about her days at Alfea. "...and watch out for Professor Wizgiz' tests, he's sneaky!"
"I will, Mom. Hey, I need to find my room ok? I'll see you at opening ceremonies."
Queen Luna wavered, then spotted a few other parents who had been ditched by their daughters. "All right, but one thing first. I talked it over with your father and we decided it was time for you to have this." The queen held out a dark blue velvet box with the crest of Solaria embossed on it.
Stella gasped. "The Ring of Solaria? Are you sure?"
"You're a fairy now, and we trust you to use it responsibly."
"I will! I promise!" Stella took out the ring that shimmered from gold to pale blue as the metal caught the light. It was a simple band and the head of the ring was the wheel symbol of Solaria, a stylized sun with rays. And it wasn't just a ring, it was really the magical scepter of the royal family, that changed into a ring to be easier to carry around. Stella had always known she'd inherit the ring sometime, but she thought it would be at graduation not on her first day! With its magic she could try all sorts of new spells! "I'll take good care of it, Mom, thank you!" She hugged her mother, not caring if anybody saw. "Um, but I still need to put my stuff away."
Queen Luna rolled her eyes affectionately and said, "Go on then. She gave Stella's shoulder a squeeze, and went to talk to the other stray grownups.
Stella beckoned their servant to follow her up the front steps and into the dormitory wing. She'd done her research on the realmwide web so she knew where to go, and recognized the pink marble halls. Stella's heart thumped with just a little excitement. She'd heard so many Alfea stories from her mother and now she was here! Along with a few hundred other teenage fairies from across the magic dimension. Stella wasn't the only one with a servant to carry her bags either. It would be strange to be around other princesses for a change!
"This way, Bakers. I know my suite number."
"Yes, Miss." bakers said and used his magic to float Stella's bags up the stairs after them. Stella could have done it herself but her mother had insisted. Bakers was Queen Luna's assistant, a slim young wizard with dark hair and glasses. He was very nice, but now Stella had to wonder if her mother would start dating him.
Stella found the suite with her name beside the door. Stella of Solaria, Wendoline of Oppositus, Amily of Melody, Solvieg of Frostfar.
"Wendoline… Princess Wendoline?"
"I believe so, Miss. Perhaps Miss should open the door and find out?"
Stella gave her mother's assistant a look. Bakers could talk like a normal person; he was doing the obsequious butler voice because he thought it was fun.
Stella opened the door.
Two girls were in the suite's common room, a brown-haired girl was magicking strings of beads up to decorate the walls. A very pale, stocky girl added icicles to them. Both looked over and waved and the brown-haired girl said, "You must be Stella. I'm Amily and this is Solvieg."
"Are you a real princess?" Solvieg asked in a thick, musical accent.
"Yes! I'm the princess of Solaria and a first-year student!"
"Stella!" another girl rushed out of one of the bedrooms. A girl dressed in bright clashing purple and orange, with a flowerpot on her head. A paper mache flowerpot, but with a real flower in it. "You lost your glasses! You look better, but can you see me better?"
"Princess wendoline." Stella said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Nice to see you again. I got my eyes spelled so I can see you just fine."
Wendoline leaned in too close to look at Stella's eyes. "are they a new color? No? Oh well." And she lost interest and went back to her room.
Wendoline was the princess of Oppositus so she was the opposite of what a normal princess was like. She was perfectly nice, but a little hard to get along with.
Solvieg and Amily had gone back to their decorating. Leaving Stella just kind of standing there. Bakers came out of the last bedroom and said, "I have deposited your belongings, Miss. Will there be anything further?"
"No thank you, Bakers. I'll just get settled in. Tell my mom I'll see her at the opening ceremony. But, well, tell her in a way that says it'd be embarrassing if she wants me to sit with her."
"I shall endeavor to communicate that." Bakers said, not-smiling in a way that meant he was actually smiling. "Have a good year, Miss. I will see you at Midwinter."
Alone in her room Stella put her suitcases on her bed and canceled the magic making them lighter. The bed frame groaned. Stella winced and opened the lids one, two, three. Te riot of color inside immediately lifted her spirits. Two suitcases were full of her clothes and stuff. The third held a stack of crinkly paper patterns and as many bits of fabric and trim as she could cram in.
A lot more than she could fit anywhere in the dorm room.
...the walls! She could hang them on the walls then everything would be right there. And every day she'd wake up in a tent of glittery colors. Most of Stella's fabric was shimmery or velvety or sewn with metallic threads. She found a magical tack in the desk drawer, meant to tack a calendar to the wall. It took a few tries before the duplication spell worked but once it did Stella started happily attaching fabric to her walls.
This would be a good year, Stella told herself. Her first year at Alfea! Even if the rest of the suite wasn't super friendly, somebody would be. She'd ditched her nerdy glasses, gotten her fairy wings, and learned to mix her own moisturizing face masks and design a shirt. She was ready!
But there on top of the clothes were two framed pictures. Her mom and dad in two separate frames now. Maybe she could do something about that too.