Chapter 18 is finally here. Truly sorry for the long delay, but Writer's Block can be a BITCH. It wasn't so much not knowing what to write, it just felt off. I hope it doesn't happen again, but I won't promise anything.
Hope you enjoy it, for those that're still waiting.
Planet Solaria, Royal Palace.
A musky smell pervaded the room; the telltale scent of many people in a shared space, mixed with an erotic fragrance. The bed's sheets were mussed, its pillows and cover askew: normally signs of a rushed and haphazard morning routine or a fuzzy sleeper. In this case it was due to more than one person sleeping in it.
The darkened windows became clear again as their internal timer activated, letting sunlight enter the room once more.
A cute yawn escaped Bloom's full lips as her cyan eyes slowly fluttered open, letting her see Harry's sleeping visage before her. He looked so peaceful and relaxed, a small smile on his face as he murmured in his sleep. She felt a strong arm wrapped around her back, holding her close to him. Both her legs were entangled with one of his widely spread ones. A mischievous grin made its way onto her face as a naughty idea took hold in her mind.
Sadly, her plan got derailed slightly by the figure of Chimera, hidden under the sheets covering Harry up to his waist. The silhouette of her head evidently bobbing up and down, making the fabric rise and fall. With a shrug the Queen of Domino disentangled herself from him and simply swung one of her legs over Harry, done much like one might mount a horse. Now straddling his stomach, her fingers sensually trailed upwards over his abs, pectorals and scars. Leaning forward and pressing herself onto him, Bloom began to pepper him with kisses.
Shortly after he began to stir with a moan, emerald eyes snapping open. "Morning, Bloom." he greeted her groaning, his hands wandering along her soft thighs up to her hips. Evidently noticing Chimera's actions, judging by the shudders wracking his body. "I guess you couldn't wait for me to wake up?"
Bloom smiled teasingly. "It's not my sheath you're occupying right now." to prove the point she slid her silky-smooth pussy up and down his abs, moaning as her fleshy pearl rubbed against them. With a teasing grin she leaned forward and captured his lips in a heated kiss that made her toes curl just right. His rough and calloused hands groping her pert arse only served to get her hornier.
She didn't know how long their embrace lasted, and didn't care to find out. Anything less than eternity was too disappointing an answer anyway. Bloom mewled cutely as Harry broke the kiss with a grunt, moaning as he evidently orgasmed into Chimera's waiting mouth.
The redhead promptly dismounted from Harry's stomach, wanting to seize her chance by ripping the sheet away from his crotch. Only for it to reveal a familiar blonde fairy instead of the expected Chimera.
"Diaspro!" Bloom cried out in perplexed shock, though her confusion soon gave way to fury. "What the hell are you doing here?!" the Queen of Domino demanded harshly.
The blonde interloper smirked up at her, slowly stroking Harry's length that was squished between her bountiful tits. "I thought that was obvious." she gave the cock's head a loving kiss before sliding up towards Harry. However, just as she wanted to kiss him on the lips he turned his head to the side with a frown, redirecting her to his cheek. From that act alone Diaspro could tell something was missing, him holding her at a distance. As if his heart had disappeared in the blink of an eye, vanishing into the gaping abyss now yawning wide between them.
"What did you do to Chimera?" he asked flatly, an astonishing feat, considering what he just experienced. Shortly he was sitting up against the bed's headboard to escape from the blonde. His emerald eyes held none of the kindness from yesterday, only coldness directed at the noblewoman from Eraklyon.
Diaspro fidgeted, pressing her index-fingers together in an unsure way. "I didn't hurt her." she said pleadingly, desperate to not lose him.
Harry simply looked directly in her amber eyes that were threatening to spill tears. Sadly, he was pretty peeved and this was not a time to relent. "That wasn't my question."
"I only knocked her unconscious, took some hair for the Shape-change potion and delivered her safely to Countess Cassandra." the aristocratic fairy explained hurriedly, winding both of her arms and legs around his right side, clinging to him with surprising strength like a stranglethorn. "I didn't do it to hurt anyone. I just wanted someone to care for once!" she blurted out, trying to bury her face into his shoulder.
Bloom saw Harry's face soften and took initiative with a huff, knowing his threshold for betrayal was way higher than most. "Sure, that's why you basically raped Harry!" the royal told Diaspro sarcastically, glaring at her rival and wanting to slap her silly. The bitch was lucky Harry was in the way for now.
"I didn't force him to do anything!" Diaspro insisted with a pleading look before she turned to glare at Bloom, but not letting go of Harry.
With a sigh the raven-haired wizard countered. "Indeed, but to achieve that you deceived me by altering your appearance to perfectly mimic Chimera's." he easily removed her limbs from him with a shrug, utilizing his superior masculine strength. "I know it is not that cut and dry, what with your current condition factoring into it." an unhappy frown appeared on his face. "On the other hand I know that you're mentally strong enough to resist these things." in the end he shook his head, musing. "I can only hope Chimera isn't on her way here right now." It wouldn't look good with what he had promised her. The girl was like a magnet, always seeking him out.
Diaspro stiffened briefly beside him, beginning to squirm guiltily. "Um, she knows already, I think." the blonde gestured to the mirror lying on the bedside table. "It vibrating woke me up, and thinking it my phone I picked up. I thought to have seen Chimera, but the screen went blank too fast for me to be sure." she admitted.
"Of course, that's why you picked up!" Bloom drawled sarcastically. Not believing a word the other fairy said.
"As if I could've known who it was!" came the slightly incensed reply from the blonde intruder.
Harry groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Great! Just great!" the irony of the thing he wanted to use to keep in touch with Chimera being responsible for this wasn't lost on him. He turned to Diaspro, commanding her. "You will apologize to her, and explain this mess properly! Is that clear?!"
The noblewoman flinched at his tone, but didn't say anything back. Only able to nod meekly in acceptance at the iron in his voice that brokered no argument.
"Good, then let's not waste anymore time!"
With that said he jumped out of bed to prepare for the day, hoping to salvage this debacle before it got too bad.
'Mother was right. How could I have been so stupid!' Chimera lamented miserably inside her mind. Barely able to stop herself from ruining the small amount of makeup on her face by keeping the flood of tears from escaping. Instead she tried to rouse her anger, but that was a futile effort. Easily drowned out by the fresh and bitter waves of grief she was currently experiencing. Involuntarily her right hand went towards her throat, nervously fiddling with the Charmix sitting there. The memory of how she got it was carved inside her mind, but instead of invoking joy it was now tainted and spoiled.
"I can't believe he made me believe something so good could truly last. Stupid me!" Chimera chastised herself under her breath, having half a mind to try and rip the offending magical jewellery off. It couldn't hurt much more than what she already went through.
A part of her wanted to seek Harry out, shout at him and demand an explanation. Even when knowing he'd just lie again and the act itself would heap more embarrassment onto herself. However, another part of her didn't want to believe what she had seen, hoping that this was some twisted misunderstanding or nightmare.
She shook her head, making her long hair cascade. "Concentrate!" she admonished herself, feeling for what her mother had given her for today, stored inside her purse. The wriggling thing felt disgusting between her fingers, but it gave her a small amount of courage and distracted her. The repulsion wasn't unusual to experience, considering that the object was a ghastly patchwork made out of skin taken from different aberrations.
Chimera didn't know where her mother got the Shroud of Lysslis from, but her bet was placed firmly on Mazakis. The man had enough shady connections that it only made sense to assume such. According to her mother it was an artefact that had belonged to one of the Ancestral Witches, hence the name. It had been created by them to punish others for mocking them for their hag-like appearance.
"Soon you'll be Princess of Solaria." the distraught fairy repeated the promise of her mother like a mantra. All she had to do was get the mask on that spoiled brat Stella. That was easy enough to accomplish according to her mother; only needing to whisper the victims name and throwing the mask at said person. The artefact would ensure they'd be getting rid of Stella. Solaria's people and very own society would make sure of that.
Any semblance of calm she had achieved evaporated immediately upon spotting Harry enter the room with Bloom and Diaspro in tow. The three split up quickly, obviously looking for something or someone. She watched as his gorgeous emerald eyes surveyed the room critically and methodically. Thankfully there were so many people here that it was easy to disappear into the masses and use them as a shield. Yet, her heart yearned to be with him, called out to him, twisting painfully in her chest. Chimera's mind on the other hand was of the exact opposite opinion; a fact that nearly caused the fairy to come apart at the seams. She just barely clung to her objective, trying to focus entirely on the task of finding Stella in this throng of people.
'I need to do this!' she frantically thought, convinced her mother would throw her out after what happened the day before. At the time it wouldn't have mattered to her, convinced Harry would welcome her with open arms, but now she knew that wasn't the case and had nowhere else to go.
As she looked for her target, Chimera noticed that the second day of celebration had a more sombre tone to it than the first. At least for the royal family and Stella's friends, known to all who cared to look. Which meant not that many people noticed, too preoccupied with advancing their own social or political positions.
After nearly an hour an opportunity finally presented itself, with Stella directly in her line of sight. Gripping the disgusting mask in her right hand, the noblewoman prepared the artefact, whispering to it. "Stella Celestus, Crown Princess of Solaria." A moment later she began the motion to throw it.
Only to be interrupted by Diaspro, clad in her clothes of yesterday. "There you are!" the blonde exclaimed, huffing and puffing from having searched the cavernous room a few times.
To Chimera the voice sounded worse than nails on chalkboard. Automatically her fingers curled into fists, clenching so tight any ordinary mask would be damaged by now. Her arms and shoulders were shaking from the rage that filled her entire being. 'How dare she!' the Solarian noble thought furiously, giving the throw up as a bad job for now.
"Shut up!" the incensed fairy all but snarled. Barely able to keep her voice from cracking and keeping the volume to an appropriate level. "You ruined everything!" Unconsciously she infused the mask with all her spite and rage, making the artefact glow a vivid crimson, dripping with liquid shadows.
Diaspro looked around briefly, hoping nobody heard or saw the outburst. She grimaced at the truth and raw hurt in Chimera's words. "Calm down."
As any man could've told Diaspro, that was exactly the wrong thing to say in such a situation. "I will not!" the blue-haired fairy threw her arms up in her fury, causing the hideous mask to slip away from her grasp. Instead of coming down it sought out its target with eerie accuracy, flying away unseen by the two quarrelling noblewomen. "I hope I left some of the bitterness I feel right now on his lips for you to taste!" she hated that Harry was still in her heart, but not her bed. Though, what could she expect to feel after not even a day?
"Mine were sweet enough for the both of us." the noblewoman of Eraklyon countered with a huff. Never having possessed much patience herself, which now worked to her detriment. Someone farther away screamed shrilly while people gasped and murmured, but both were too focussed on each other to notice.
"You're trying to steal him from me!" Chimera accused, harshly slapping the blonde's face with all her might, creating an echo through the room.
Diaspro took a deep breath, trying to unsuccessfully calm herself. Instead her pride demanded recompense, making this worse than it already was by slapping Chimera back with equal force. It left the Solarian Fairy stunned, the crowd silent around them.
However, Diaspro's next words were knocked out of her together with her breath as a guard tackled the young woman to the ground. Followed shortly by Chimera sharing the same fate before she could react. Arms twisted behind their lower backs and a knee on the upper part saw them shackled in special fetters, designed to prevent use of magic.
Both could only look up confused, just so able to see a horde of people surrounding them. All literally looking down on them in various ways, some faces twisted in disgust and others showed fury. The palace guards only so keeping the mob at bay.
Chimera's sinking feeling punched through her stomach as she caught a glimpse of a hideously deformed Stella trying futilely to hide her new appearance.
A few minutes earlier.
Harry looked and wandered around the massive room in search for Chimera, trying to spot her so they could resolve this issue before any more issues cropped up. 'I should've known something like this would occur.' like usual his bipolar luck kicked in at the worst time, but somehow it always surprised him. Not that he wanted to live in paranoia or constant fear at what negative thing would happen next. So he simply always tried to make the best of it.
The wizard sighed and cleared his thoughts before resuming his search for the petite fairy. Instead of finding her he met Bloom after squeezing between two groups. "Did you find her?"
The redhead shook her head regretfully. "No." while she didn't see Chimera as a friend, what happened to her wasn't something she had wished onto the other fairy. It was then that they could see a crowd forming a bit further in. Pushing through the people both saw a kind of fleshy blob fly through the air like some heat-seeking missile, blood and shadow dripping from it.
Both could only watch as it all happened simultaneously, just so arriving as it was already too late.
First, the mask clasped tightly onto Stella's face, enveloping her head entirely in its grasp. Despite her most earnest efforts its fleshy tendrils moved not only over, but also underneath her skin. A brief soul-chilling scream could be heard from the Solarian princess, barely muffled by the grotesque patchwork-mask, as some horrible process started. The fairy doubled over, groaning in pain and clutching her face and stomach. Sweat shone on her skin as she toppled to her knees, crying out in agony as worms seemingly writhed inside her now roiling flesh.
Amid the panicked and concerned shouts of her parents Stella's screams morphed into horrific howls, a mingling of beast and human, as her body began to reshape. Veins blackened and bulged, made more pronounced by her skin whitening to the colour of chalk, becoming almost translucent and covered in a thick coat of slime secreted by herself, soaking the shining bodice she wore quickly. The horrified onlookers could hear her spine creak as it curved and elongated unnaturally, letting Stella fall forward. Yet she couldn't catch herself as her arms retracted into her torso, leaving only stumps and making her fall onto her face. All the while her legs morphed into thick and bulbous tentacles with suckers at their undersides and barbs at the end, the two of which were soon joined by two more that burst forth from her lower torso.
Her gown was torn apart and the jewellery flew off her body like shooting stars as she expanded and changed. Though, most bizarre was her face contorting into something inhuman. Instead of two golden eyes there were now six milky white orbs asymmetrically sitting on her face, moving and blinking independently as well. No discernable nose or ears were present. Her pearly white teeth fell out and onto the floor as her lips elongated grotesquely to form a small kind of trunk. The twisted, malformed creature writhed pathetically on the floor in humiliation; her unfamiliar appendages and new centre of gravity not lending themselves well to locomotion. In clear panic Stella let looses a pitiful sound more akin to a cow than any real word.
Some of the guests retched, many ladies fainted by the macabre display. Most muttered in discontent while others voiced their disgust readily. "What a vile Eye-Blight!" one particularly loud noble could be heard exclaiming, which gave way to many more following.
While that happened vigilant guards had seen from where the mask had come and quickly made their way to the potential culprits for the horrendous assault of Stella. The distracted Chimera and Diaspro were quickly subdued and expertly bound.
Things occurred quickly after that. First Stella was taken away by Queen Luna and the Winx. Horrible sounds came from the now grotesque fairy that sounded vaguely like sobbing. Then both potential perpetrators were being presented to the king. "What's the meaning of this?!" he demanded with a roar, impossible outrage clear to see on his normally friendly and magnanimous features.
Before any of the two accused could say anything Cassandra stepped forward. "I believe it's a simple matter to work out, Your Grace." she told him calmly, her amber eyes falling on both the bound fairies. Chimera's eyes held hope, while Diaspro's were full of the opposite. "It's a well-known fact that the Lady Diaspro had been betrothed and obsessed with Prince Sky since girlhood." she said. "It's not inconceivable to think she may want to sabotage the betrothal for her own gain."
Radius immediately remembered what happened yesterday and how Diaspro's parents tried to get him to annul Stella's betrothal. Their daughter's own betrothal and the loss of it was also glaring him in the face. Before he could call on them, Diaspro's parents hastily appeared and began readily prostrating themselves.
"We knew nothing of our daughter's ploy, Your Grace!" the father swore, surprising Harry with how fast he was willing to throw his daughter under the proverbial bullet train. The man's wife was nodding empathically in agreement. Though, judging by the thunderous look Erendor sent them, it wasn't just Radius' displeasure they feared.
Diaspro's voice then rang out, shrill and high. "Excuse me!" she all but shrieked. "You were the ones that fed me a fucking Love Potion for a decade!" the fairy's damning holler echoed throughout the cavernous room with such volume only a deaf person could not hear it.
"Lies!" her mother denied strongly.
"Truth!" Harry countered, his voice strong and clear, overshadowing all the others. "I even have evidence that Lady Diaspro is innocent of the charges levied against her." he winced internally as Chimera wilted at his words.
Radius' eyes held confusion in them as they beheld Harry, followed by his gaze flickering between all the parties speaking. "Put those two in the dungeons!" he ordered to the guards restraining Diaspro and Chimera. "We won't find out anything by squabbling here. An investigation is to be launched immediately." with that he dismissed the guests and made his way to where Stella had been lead to.
Most of the party guests fled then, gossiping between themselves at the happenings of today, leaving just the servants to pick up the pieces. It would take hours to clean the mess and restore these chambers to some semblance of normality, and the servants seemed to be taking it slow at the moment.
All Harry could do was watch them drag the two fairies away with a sigh. Sure he could probably force his way out of this situation and escape with the two. However, as a result he'd make untold enemies. Not to mention possible casualties.
"I don't know why he won't let me or you take a look at Stella." Harry fumed, pacing in the corridor outside of where Stella was hidden for all intents and purposes. The wizard was sure he'd be able to break the curse, or overpower it anyway. Bloom's Dragon's Flame could potentially also dispel it. At least like this Radius would be more inclined to be merciful to Chimera and Diaspro, depending on what actually happened.
Bloom, who didn't fare much better, took his arm to stop him from moving. "I don't think he does it out of malice." she told him, also looking forlornly at the door and the faint but horrific sobs one could hear emanating from beyond it. "Radius just wants to protect Stella and doesn't know yet what really happened. After all, even Queen Luna's Fairy Dust hasn't helped to dispel whatever magic affects her." the unholy mix of screams belonging to Stella as she had briefly began to turn back, only for her flesh to roil and twist once more would haunt a few of Bloom's dream. She was sure of that much. "He's simply being cautious if even Enchantix is useless."
The other Winx had also been evicted by Radius and Luna. Each summoned away by other duties shortly after. Only Brandon, Timmy and Helia were present at the moment.
"I agree." came the defeated voice of Brandon. "For all his faults, Radius does love Stella." however his posture was straight, holding himself with an admirable resolve. "But it is more than that. It's the Solarian society as a whole."
A little bit confused, Bloom asked. "What's got Solaria itself to do with it." even Harry paid attention to the young man.
"I suppose you two wouldn't know much about that." Brandon acknowledged, sending Timmy and even Helia a grateful glance at their support. "On Solaria beauty means everything!" he emphasized the last word severely. "I don't mean that its a neat thing to have to make your life easier. It all but determines your social status. As a noble you practically need it. An ugly queen would be rejected by everyone, making her rule impossible and rebellion inevitable."
He nearly forgot the others present as he remembered. "Stella told me that she nearly lost her title of princess in the past due to that." Brandon confided softly. "It began after the Fall of Domino. Out of concern Radius kept Stella hidden for her safety, distrustful of the newly established peace. Of course, people soon began to gossip that Stella must be a truly hideous creature to be kept out of the spotlight so much." he chuckled weakly. "Once she appeared publicly the situation grew worse. Not because she was ugly, but simply wearing glasses and dressing unfashionably was enough to ensure thinly veiled ridicule."
"So that's why she is obsessed with fashion, beauty contests and such?" Bloom had always assumed her best friend was simply a bit eccentric by valuing these things so highly and to such an extreme. Now that she thought about it there were no truly ugly nobles on Solaria. Though, ironically, there weren't any outstanding people in terms of beauty either. They were more or less looking the same; most likely achieved through some magical means. Not counting Stella, obviously.
Brandon nodded choppily. "She enjoys it all now, but that pretty much was the catalyst. Once puberty hit Stella filled out more, got her eyesight corrected and dressed better. All those things also increased her confidence and the situation changed for her since then. But it wasn't that long ago where it wasn't so." he smiled ruefully. "I've tried my best to reassure her that she doesn't need to look her best all the time, with mixed results." any trace of a smile vanished from his face. "Not that it'll be my responsibility in the future."
"You love her." Bloom said, not a question but a statement of fact. Other than Sky, Brandon had done his best to make amends after the fiasco of mistaken identity. He could've argued that he had only followed the orders of his prince – which was an inconvenient truth – but he didn't. Instead he took responsibility for his actions and worked his hardest to win Stella back. Not that it took much convincing on his part once Stella saw his honesty.
"That obvious?"
Everyone could only nod sombrely at that and a few minutes of silence ensued. Harry could see Bloom switch between staring at Brandon and then at the door.
"We'll be right back." Bloom told the rest as she dragged Harry away, making him look at her questioningly.
Once they were a good bit away he asked. "What do you have in mind?"
The gorgeous redhead didn't divert from her path, looking straight ahead. "I plan to dissolve Stella's betrothal." the fairy revealed, her cyan eyes hard as flint. "She deserves better than Sky."
"And what is my role in all of this?" he asked, still letting her lead him away along the opulent corridor.
"I want you to testify in favour of Diaspro, telling the important people what happened yesterday evening." Bloom told him with a grin bordering on feral. A gleam was in her eyes that somehow mixed mischief with cruelty.
Harry snorted at that, amused. "So you want me to tell them of her being under a Love Potion and that I fucked her brains out, giving some weight to her claims? Though, I guess I shall leave out the Polyjuice and your involvement." the Queen of Domino nodded gratefully at that addition. "Why, though?" he wasn't disinclined to help the noblewoman, even if he was pissed off at her at the moment. Nonetheless he wanted to know Bloom's reasoning.
Bloom sighed, pondering if she should tell him with visible indecision on her face. "I hate to admit it, but she was right in her claims of being the primary victim in the debacle with Sky." she admitted, but a grin was still gracing her features. "Besides, can you imagine her reaction to being indebted to me? Just imagining it fills me with warmth!"
Harry could hear the relish in her voice. "You're evil, you know that?" he teased good-naturedly.
"And who do you think corrupted me?" came the smug and husky reply as she stopped at a junction. "I'll look for Erendor then." Bloom said, kissing him goodbye for a good minute. "Good luck."
"Likewise." came the soft reply before they hesitantly separated for the moment.
With that Bloom strode off, her goal firmly in mind.
It wasn't hard to find herself back at the suite of Eraklyon's royalty. The guards didn't even bother to ask for her reason to enter. Instead they simply opened the door upon spotting her approach; all too aware of what should happen upon Bloom being denied entrance.
"What are you doing here, and who let you in?" Erendor demanded upon seeing Bloom's figure stroll in and gracefully take a seat at the table with him, his wife and Sky. His face once more growing an alarming shade of red.
The fairy looked at the King of Eraklyon in slight interest. "Good day to you too, King Erendor. Queen Samara." she greeted him and the queen sardonically, a miniscule smirk adorning her beautiful face. "I'm here with a proposal." Bloom noticed Erendor glancing at Sky, a calculating look upon his face.
"And what would that be, Queen Bloom?" Sky's mother inquired. There were some wrinkles and crow's feet around her pale green eyes. The queen wasn't ugly and had some average beauty to her, but nothing truly eye-catching. She couldn't be described as slender, leaning more on the thin side that gave her a spidery look. Erendor's wife also had not many curves to speak of; even her rounded shoulders seemed angular. Only her ruddy hair was vibrant, a much darker shade than Bloom's fiery locks of autumn. Though, what little beauty she had vanished as Samara looked as if she had smelled something distasteful. Bloom meant to remember that was her default expression. "I hope it is not to try and convince us to break Sky's betrothal in your favour!" the condescension was clear to hear in the queen's voice.
Bloom only chuckled derisively at that. "No." came the borderline deadpan reply, the smirk gracing her features grew as if the very thought amused her. "While my proposal has to do with Sky's marital situations; you don't have to worry about any such moves on my part." she looked from Erendor to Sky as she said it. "The time or desire for that is gone."
"Still, I want you to dissolve the betrothal between Princess Stella and your son." Bloom told them bluntly, reclining against the couch, her cyan eyes observing the people opposite of her. This time she enjoyed the open loathing she saw in Erendor's brown eyes, knowing he was unable to object to her demand in the end. "Before you refuse you should think about it seriously." Bloom crossed her arms, a smile now playing on her luscious lips. "Sky's marriage wouldn't achieve what you hope it will."
"And why would that be?!" Erendor sneered, mirrored by his wife.
Bloom chuckled at that. "Stella's reign would be extremely fragile on Solaria, due to her own history and Solaria's... customs, shall we say. As such you will neither gain influence, prestige or even an heir to cement the union, should things stay as they are." She sighed in mock-sympathy. "The situation on Eraklyon must be truly dire, if you're willing to let your son move to another planet and let a branch house rule your realm in the future."
Samara scoffed arrogantly, waving those points away. "I'm certain Queen Luna is about to restore her daughter as we speak."
The joviality of Bloom didn't lessen in the slightest. "She did try using her Enchantix form and Fairy Dust," Bloom conceded, building their hope up before crushing it. "and failed." upon their stares, the Fairy of the Dragon's Flame openly pondered. "What would your enemies think upon hearing of this debacle, I wonder? How many allies will be left to you should other... more unpleasant things come to light? After all, memories are such powerful things!" her smile had a bloodthirsty edge to it now. At seeing Erendor tense up Bloom knew he was aware what she was insinuating. Should his betrayal be leaked, his remaining allies would be forced to re-examine their relationship with Eraklyon. While others that just needed an excuse to switch sides upon seeing weakness, real or imagined, could act. The brewing civil war on Eraklyon would be accelerated swiftly.
"I agree!" Sky said before his parents could. He didn't want to cause any more trouble for his friends than there was already.
"Son, this isn't something to be decided to rashly!" Erendor interjected as pompously as the current situation allowed.
"Then let me make it exceedingly easy for you! If the betrothal isn't annulled by tomorrow, you'll have bigger things to worry about than a wedding." any trace of humour vanished from Bloom's face as she threatened Erendor. "I don't care how you frame it or what excuses you'll have to make to achieve it." she snorted derisively. "You can say you didn't want to come between Stella and her true love for all I care." Here the fairy shrugged. "Neither does it mean you'll have to completely sever ties with Solaria. Maybe use this to still demand military aid as compensation for the broken engagement? Though, that's for you and Radius to negotiate."
Bloom leaned forward, causing the king and queen to lean back on instinct. Both taking in the cyan eyes aglow with power as small flames danced over Bloom's ivory skin. "Just be glad you don't have me as an enemy right this moment, despite all the cause you've given me to be one. So you better heed my advice now. If not you better hold your breath before I'll take it away!" with that last threat conveyed she stood up and left.
"Well, I never..." came the scandalized exclamation of Samara, the words fading as Bloom put distance between them and opened the entrance door.
"Bloom! Bloom, wait!" Sky called out after her, one of his hands outstretched as if reaching for her. "You have to believe me, I didn't want any of this." he pleaded, tears pooling in his blue eyes as he looked at her pursed lips and angry eyes.
The redhead turned her head to look back, but didn't make a move to approach him. "Neither did I, yet here we are." Bloom suppressed the more vindictive part of her being that demanded more. To tell him that she was planning to be fucked into ecstasy every single day by the Shadow Phoenix. That everything she thought they had, that everything about him she thought she loved was only in her head. That she had just made that shit up, constructing castles out of air.
While now she was down on earth, having crashed down from her fantasy.
In the end she simply closed the door softly behind herself, closing that chapter of her life.
Planet Solaria, Palace Dungeons.
The floor gave way to a gentle slope of long stairs leading down into the depths of the dungeons. The steps were scarred with marks of use, any imperfections in the stone beneath their feet long ago worn smooth. The air grew slightly colder in the descent, and the surroundings much darker. In the dungeons cold, wet stone made up the floor, walls, and ceiling.
The torch in the dwarfish guard's hand did little to chase away the encroaching darkness, obscuring anything more than a few feet in front of Harry. With his feet bound in magical manacles of Orichalcum, Harry had little choice but to follow. The wizard wasn't a prisoner, but the warden didn't like to take chances in the current climate and so Harry ended up in enchanted chains that prevented any escape from the premises or removal by magic. Though, he could still cast spells unlike those equipped with manacles on their hands, which Harry suspected did something similar to what the Paladins had used on Icy during her altercation with Mazakis.
The pot-bellied jailer kept one eye on the row of cells lining the hall in front of them. He occasionally whirled his billy club by the leather thong threaded through its handle, praying by the looks of it for some kind of trouble to break up the monotony of his thankless job.
Hard bars of cold iron, rusted by years of damp air, lined the entrances to cells that ran down the long passage, housing only chains and those that the world had decided it would be better off without. Thankfully they soon arrived at their first destination; the cell Diaspro was held in. Here graffiti etched into the walls held the names and thoughts of many prisoners over the years. Rust-coated manacles and a neck restraint were connected to the far wall, dangling and clinking in the shadows with the movement of the prisoner.
Diaspro was partly shrouded in shadows. No longer did she wear her beautiful gown from the ball, replaced by crusty, sullied and smelly rags. Though, otherwise the stay of four days didn't seem to have affected the noble too much.
The guard removed the jingling bunch of keys from his belt and opened the door. "Diaspro of Eraklyon, you're hereby released." his voice was gruff, but completely disinterested and possessing a tone used by people who had done the same thing a thousand times. The dwarf shortly after entered the cell and removed all of her manacles but the ones around her ankles. "Once we're out of the prison the rest will be removed and your possessions returned to you."
Diaspro – perhaps predictably – went to slink her arms around Harry to thank him, exclaiming. "You saved..." her words were cut off by the guard smacking her viciously in the face with his club.
"Please refrain from any sudden moves!" the warden growled gleefully, evidently relishing in the power he had over people under his control. His black eyes glittered malevolently as a smile bloomed behind his bushy beard. "Otherwise I'll have to classify you to be hostile and belligerent. Clear?!"
The noble fairy glared at him from behind the curtain of blonde locks, refusing to give him the satisfaction of her defeat as she pursed her lip severely. A red spot was already blooming on her cheek. She only nodded her understanding to prevent any further incident.
"What happened?" Diaspro asked Harry once she was out of the cell. Her amber eyes a little duller than previously and blinking rapidly, adjusting to the light of the torch as they walked along. No one had come to inform her of any verdicts or changes, be it a guard or her parents.
Harry grimaced at that, but told her regardless. "Well, I and Bloom had to lend credence to your claims by providing some evidence." the wizard saw Diaspro's eyes widen at that. "So we told them the truth of what happened yesterday after the ball, and the reasons for your decision. However, the resident healer also contributed to your release, explaining your current situation."
"I presume my parents did not take it well?" only a slight quiver in her voice betrayed the fairy's true feelings. It didn't even touch upon being in debt to Bloom of all people.
Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no." despite his resolve to not send mixed signals, he took her hand and squeezed it in support. However, this was extenuating circumstances as far as Harry was concerned. "For whatever reason they disowned you."
"Oh." Diaspro blinked a few times, not looking very shocked or surprised.
"You don't seem too surprised by it." Harry commented curiously as they strolled along the prison, hoping she didn't explode in the near future.
They were led through another door, beyond of which were no further cells to be seen. Their guide went to a crudely-made desk manned by a colleague. After rummaging around in the desk, he pulled out a square liquor bottle and some cheap highball glasses, poured himself a stiff drink and downed it with relish.
On first glance the new place was only a normal corridor, but the smell of unwashed bodies reached their noses swiftly. Flies buzzed about in this wretched chamber with impunity, congregating at the metal grates set into the floor.
"Uh!" The blonde pinched her nose in disgust at the horrid odour. "I suspected they'd chose one of the ways of least resistance, I just did not know which one. They probably thought it the easiest way to not be blamed, while not considering the implications of the other affected parties." otherwise they wouldn't have tried what they did before, despite all evidence pointing towards a specific outcome. 'Well, that's what narcissists do, expecting everyone to agree with their version of reality.'
"That pretty much was my impression, yeah." Harry confirmed wearily, looking towards the guard and waiting for him to resume his duties.
The jailer waved him off like an annoying fly, shouting. "The prisoner your seek is in Hole 69!" he threw Diaspro a hook which she barely caught, and shooed them off to enjoy his alcohol in peace.
"Useless ingrate!" the noblewoman swore as they walked further inward, one hand going to her burning cheek while the other held with the metal hook.
Harry nodded at that. "I think he just enjoys to torment those under his care." and pointed out. "And you have don't have much status to protect yourself from such treatment right now."
Diaspro grimaced at the reminder before employing her stoic mask once again. In the silence only the stench of sweat, piss and rat droppings permeated the space as prisoners muttered amongst themselves. The relative quiet broken only by the occasional cough or grunt coming from the holes in the ground.
"I did not mean it as an insult." he told her apologetically as he checked for the plate depicting the correct number, each belonging to a grate laid in the floor. "What I meant to say is that you'll have a place with me as long as you need it." he felt responsible enough for that stuff as is. "It's the least I can do, considering the circumstances."
"Thank you!" was the only thing she replied, but no other words were needed to convey her gratitude; her amber eyes held enough of it in them to not need words. After all, she was mostly responsible for the mess she was in now. And Harry was under no obligation to offer such a thing as his support to her after that debacle.
Without further ado both walked along the corridor in silence.
There were some fates worse than a bloody death beneath an executioner's blade or the claws of a monster, Harry decided as he inspected the prison. The oubliette was one such fate. The inhumanely small, narrow dungeon shaft descended into an abyssal darkness where prisoners were often forgotten and left to die. Damp walls would press in around the occupants; their only company the constant, maddening drip of water and the scurrying of rats beneath their feet. It reminded the wizard unpleasantly of his cupboard, causing a threatening growl to erupt from deep in his throat.
'At least there are no Dementors.' he thought derisively.
Soon both came to a bend, hearing voices coming just beyond it. Recognizing them, Harry stopped to listen, hugging the wall and peeking around the corner together with Diaspro. As expected he saw Cassandra Celsius, talking to someone inside an oubliette, presumably Chimera.
"...even that!" the mother of Chimera ranted. "How incompetent do you have to be?!"
"Mother, please! I did what you told me to." came the pleading voice of Chimera, gaining an echo from the oubliette. A sob or two interrupted her before she could calm down. "What's to... happen... now?"
"What's going to happen is quite simple." Cassandra told her daughter matter-of-factly. "I have worked too hard than to risk getting dragged down with you into obscurity, so I'll have to disown you." there were no tears on her cheeks or remorse in her voice. However, Chimera's painful, choking sobs were enough for two people. "Of course, that's not going to suffice to restore my public image or remove suspicion from me. As such I will personally oversee your punishment."
With these caustic words of parting she left, giving Harry and Diaspro their cue to wait before rounding the corner. Cassandra didn't even glance his way or recognize Diaspro in her new garb and matted hair. Simply sniffing rudely and marching on.
Harry sighed at the mess this was, took the hook from Diaspro and began opening the grate. Instead of saying anything he simply dropped down into the blackness below, ignoring the wooden ladder nearby.
Startled, Chimera demanded. "Who's there?" the darkness didn't lend itself well to identifying things beyond a rough shape. "Don't hurt me!" a desperation was in her voice as she scrambled back against the wall. Much like Diaspro her hair was a mess, but Chimera's was ankle-length and as such caked with rat droppings and other filth by dragging on the floor. Her delicate hands were shackled and bound to a wall with a long chain, giving her some room for movement. Runes glowed on these, just begging the prisoner to cast magic and see what happens.
"It's me." was all Harry said as calm as he could. He heard the ladder being used by Diaspro, who climbed down behind him shortly after.
No answer came from Chimera, but she stopped frantically trying to escape, at least.
"What do you know, they forgot to lock your cell. They really need to be more careful." he proceeded towards her as she watched wide-eyed in disbelief.
At first she closed her eyes, ignoring his presence. Though, something shifted "I'm fine without you! You can leave with your slut!" she told him viciously, sweeping her arm outwards as if to banish him from her presence. All the while internally lamenting that she was no longer his slut.
Harry sighed and gave Diaspro one look that told her all she needed to know.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." With that said she prepared to cast a simple spell, which she was still capable of with just the escape-preventing magical restraints of her ankles. A "Finite" from the blonde fairy saw the suppressed memory of yesterday resurface, making Chimera's eyes briefly go wide as the knowledge surged to the front of her mind. After a minute her steel-blue eyes flickered from Harry to Diaspro.
"You colossal bitch!" she snarled, trying to lunge for the blonde with arms outstretched as if to strangle her. "You ruined everything!" Only to be harshly yanked back as her restraints grew taut. Harry caught her in his embrace at her second try, holding her tightly. Chimera then slightly shifted, trying to pry his arms off her and weakly struggling to break free, her now wet and angry eyes shooting looks of pure loathing at Diaspro.
"I'm not the one who engaged in treason." Diaspro shot back sharply, but an equally sharp look from Harry prevented anything more from escaping.
While Chimera got it out of her system Harry never once let go. Knowing from personal experience that she was anything but fine right now. His thoughts proved true shortly after, when her shoulders began to shake a little at first and then much more until tears flowed freely from those blue orbs of hers.
Harry rubbed her back, trying to soothe the fairy. "It must've hurt." Memories of his own childhood flashing before his mind's eye. His blood family's constant betrayals and what happened with Sirius through his own incompetence.
A frown was now on her face, lips still quivering as she tried to suppress the various emotions of today battering her from all sides. "I said I'm fine!" she repeated once more, defiant in the face of her overwhelming despair mixed with relief. It was peculiar cocktail, causing her heart to beat faster, her stomach to sink to her knees and fly upward the next like it was on a roller-coaster. Despite her words Chimera's grip tightened on him instinctively, desperately.
"I know," his voice was soft and understanding. "but you're not."
"Why?!" Chimera did not know herself if she asked why she did commit treason, why her mother asked it of her, or why this all happened in the first place. "You must hate me!"
The wizard stopped stroking her back to look her in the eyes, telling her. "I don't hate you."
"But you don't love me and don't need me either." she rebuked miserably. A brief but brittle smile shattered on her face immediately, a clear warble was in her voice now. "R..Ri..Right?"
It seems it was time for honesty. So Harry gave it to her.
"I had few expectations of us." he admitted with a sigh. "At best you would've been a pleasant distraction; a bandage to ease a wound." the thumb of his right hand tapped onto his heart. "Yet, our relationship rapidly outgrew that and soon it was outside of my control." He chuckled in a self-depreciating way. "I hoped to mitigate that by limiting myself to our physical encounters. It was a futile and most of all foolish thing to do." he was never very adept at hiding his emotions or suppressing them.
His right hand stroked her cheek, removing some tears and making the fairy unconsciously lean into his touch. "I can't say anything but that I'm sorry for neglecting your emotional needs. This mess is partly my fault as well, because if I hadn't done so you wouldn't have felt me capable of enacting such a betrayal as you thought you witnessed." his emerald eyes connected with her blue ones. "I do care for you." he told her honestly as she slung her arms behind his neck. "But you're right I don't need you." immediately he felt her stiffen, causing him to hold her tighter. "Because needing you would leave me no choice but to stay with you. But while I may not need you, I definitely want you!" He hugged her possessively then, closely. Not knowing or caring how bad she smelled or long this moment lasted. After a while he asked. "Can you forgive me?"
"Of course," she all but swore to him. "if you can forgive me, too?!" Tears were still streaming freely down her face now as she tried to bury herself deep into him; as if trying to hide or become one in a different manner than usual.
"Thank you, and yes." his own voice was thick with relief. "But I have to ask, why did you do it? Besides the obvious."
Chimera didn't answer for so long Harry thought she might not tell him. Though, in the end she reluctantly did. "I thought you'd leave me – looking for your cure – letting Bloom and Diaspro join you, and leaving me behind." she sniffled and mumbled into his shoulder, trailing off at the end. "I thought you told lies we both believed."
Harry just so prevented himself from cringing at that, hating himself for hurting her so. "You silly girl. Why didn't you say something instead of doing something so reckless?" he lamented with a sad smile, removing her tears with a handkerchief.
"I'm sorry!" was all she could say once more, relishing his attention. "What's going to happen now?" Chimera had asked the same question from her mother before, but this time there was a little hope lifting her heart and mind up. "Can't I just show people my memories of who really is behind it?"
"The only thing able to lessen your sentence is restoring Stella to how she was before. Can you do that?" he asked, knowing that the chances were slim of that being the case. Only proven true by Chimera shaking her head shortly after.
Harry helped her stand up as he finished cleaning her face up. "Then your guilt is already determined and a judgment meted out." he sighed regretfully. "Besides, memories can be tampered with magically" only compounded by what just happened with Diaspro removing a memory block. "and truth serum only makes one say what one thinks is the truth. None of the magical methods to determine truth from falsehood are admissible in court by default. Your mother also covered her tracks quite well, and is an influential figure to boot."
"What's to be my punishment?" she hadn't had the time to ask her mother that, except knowing that she'd carry it out personally.
Harry said it like he was ripping a band-aid off a wound. "Disfigurement before lifelong banishment from Solaria."
"Disfigurement!" she blurted out. Banishment she could tolerate. Disfigurement on the other hand was one of the harshest punishments on Solaria for nobles in this day and age. It was an ancient one reserved for the most vile and outcasts of the nobility. Made so to make the outside reflect their inside, as well as marking them as a criminal. Chimera blanched at that, shivering at the prospect of being disfigured and imagining her face being carved up. "Please tell me it's not the branding iron!"
The Shadow Phoenix shook his head. "No, I heard it'll be the lash." he rummaged around in his pocket, pulling a vial from it. A translucent turquoise liquid was contained within the glass. "I had planned to use this for one of our more... debauched nights here, but now is a better time."
"What is it?" Diaspro asked, finding herself curious at what she presumed to be alcohol. She ignored the look of pure venom sent her way by Chimera.
Harry swirled the liquid around before opening it. "It's called Jassal." As soon as he popped the cork off the strong smell of ripe cherries wafted from it, enveloping them. "It's swiftly absorbed by the skin and imparts the smell of cherries onto the wearer, as I'm sure you've deduced by its scent." then he grinned mischievously at Chimera. "However, when the affected body parts are slapped or whipped an intense mix of pain and pleasure described only as fiery ecstasy occurs. It also heals scratches, weals, bruises and other slight wounds over the course of two hours." seeing her intrigued expression he asked. "Want to mar your mother's victory a bit?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed with a disturbing grin, made only more so by the poor lighting of the oubliette. A part of her wanted to do it for Harry – to apologize – while another desired vengeance against her mother. "But first I'll have to test it." with that she took the vial and held it out to Diaspro expectantly.
With a reluctance she felt deep in her bones, Diaspro agreed.
Planet Solaria. Courtyard of Punishment, Royal Palace.
Bloom rested her hands against the palace's sun-soaked balustrade, gazing down at the expansive city – square, sandstone buildings supported by columns, their tiled roofs the burnt orange of marigolds. All of it wound itself around the massive mesa the royal residence stood on. Like a sculptor's block awaiting a chisel, the enormous mesa squatted amid the surrounding landscape, dominating the horizon for miles around. The citizens far below went about their business, weaving along roads lined with tall cypress trees.
Far beyond that, on the horizon, Bloom saw what she had expected of Solaria as a planet instead of the lush greenery she saw until now. It was as if the mesa she stood on was a sanctuary, forming the shore of an endless ocean of sand. Among the dunes that rose and fell in great waves, some seemingly as tall as the tallest hills, strange towers of wind-shaped stone made eerie islands in the arid landscape.
The wind then picked up strength, and brought heat with it, demonstrating its power to shape the desert to its whims. The air itself seemed to snatch warmth from the sands and fling it at her. Even the shade of trees or nearby buildings provided no relief. If she wasn't the Fairy of the Dragon's Flame Bloom reckoned she'd give anything for a cool breeze, or just a stillness, anything but this relentless forge-blast of heat.
She heard the clearing of a throat and turned, expecting Harry to join her. Upon turning around she was greeted by Harry with a subdued Diaspro at his side. He joined Bloom, while Diaspro stayed a few feet away in front of the redhead.
"What the hell happened to your face?" Bloom asked her rival with a smirk, spotting the shiner blooming on Diaspro's right cheek. Others, more faded were all over. Though, weirdly enough the latter ones were already fading and healing nicely.
Said fairy crossed her arms with a huff. "An overeager warden."
"Good!" was all Bloom said in satisfaction, knowing it was petty but thinking she deserved it.
The blonde scowled at that, but upon a slight nudge from Harry she swallowed her pride. Barely bringing forth the words to say. "I heard that I partly owe you my freedom."
The beautiful redhead's mischievous smirk had a sharp edge to it now. "You could say that." she raised an eyebrow expectantly, waiting for something more.
"Thank you!" Diaspro barely brought out between gritted teeth.
Bloom simply nodded at that, wanting to crow a little in triumph but successfully restraining herself. "See it as recompense for the altercation at Red Fountain in my first year." not desiring to dwell on that subject any longer, Bloom inquired from Harry. "Did you hear when the... spectacle will begin?"
"In about a few minutes." was the short and worried reply, his hands gripping the balustrade tightly in his worry.
"Everything will work out." Bloom tried to console, putting a hand on his shoulder in support. More worried for him than for Chimera in truth.
Harry relaxed slightly, saying. "I hope so. Chimera can count herself lucky she got such a lenient punishment."
"How so? Banishment and disfigurement doesn't sound very lenient to me." the redhead commented somewhat acidly. While one part of her agreed that it was a fitting punishment for the one who disfigured her best friend, another argued that it shouldn't have happened at all. As such she wasn't quite sure what to think of Solaria's justice system; swift as it may be. Then again, it was a monarchy they were talking about.
The wizard closed his eyes as if in pain before opening them again to speak. "She is lucky to not be executed for treason by attacking the Crown Princess herself." he then told her honestly. "Though, banishment is a death sentence in a way. Or at least it was in the past." upon their interested expressions he continued. "Back then banishment meant being exiled from your community, being forced to survive outside of it in the desert. Disfigurement was used to denote dangerous criminals unworthy of help, so that other groups were warned to not accept them. Most even went so far as to punish people who tried to help these individuals. The large majority ended up and died at a place called Bleached Bones."
His research into various laws to help the Trix had obviously also led him to their history and the justice system of various planets as a whole.
"Oh." was all Bloom could say upon hearing that. It made sense that before interplanetary travel there were no refuges for exiles.
Any further conversation was interrupted by the spectacle beginning with a dishevelled Chimera being brought out in chains by guards. Once long and beautifully cared for hair was shorn short haphazardly. Her Charmix the only shining thing left on her body amongst filth. The King and Queen came out together with Chimera's mother, all stern-faced. There was a solemn fanfare about the affair, if such a thing existed.
The Countess Cassandra first announced the charges levelled against her daughter. "You have been found guilty of treason, Chimera!" the words were harsh and unforgiving, but neither voice nor hair of the woman proclaiming them were out of place. As if her daughter no longer existed. "In the name of Radius Celestus the Bright, the Blinding One, the Golden King of Solaria, the One for Who the Sun is Silent and Lord of the Twin Suns, you are to receive his justice. First you're hereby denounced and attainted, stripped of all ranks, titles, lands and holdings!"
Chimera braved the onslaught reasonably well, but there was some wetness left in her blue eyes. Not just for the loss of status, prestige and material wealth.
The older noblewoman took a whip from a nearby guard. The flexible length of harsh leather extended from a exquisitely formed handle. Vicious strands strayed from the end, fashioned to tear deeply into anything they could sink their teeth into. Heavily enchanted with a honeycomb of blessings and endowments of arcane magic, each sweep of its length left a faint blue mirage lingering in the air. "Your sentence as such is Disfigurement followed by perpetual Banishment from glorious Solaria and all its colonies."
There was a braying uproar and applause from the sycophants. Only a few watched on grimly, while others showed nothing less than gleeful anticipation.
Once the furore had died down a little, Cassandra asked. "Any words before we begin?"
"Yes!" she began brightly, smiling at the royals with all her teeth revealed. "Many thanks, your most benevolent and radiant majesties. This most auspicious occasion would indeed be incomplete without your presence. As always, mother, your flailing attempts at civility and charm are... a spectacle." That got some suppressed snorts from the audience.
"Watch your tongue, girl!" Cassandra warned coldly. "Or do you want more lashes?"
Over the course of this farce Chimera's face slowly had lost the sadness and false cheer; all of it funnelled into a sneer of pure loathing. "Make them count then, because I vow they will be repaid a thousandfold." she spat, her words as venomous as her namesake.
No more words were exchanged as the blonde countess beckoned the guards to prepare Chimera. Without further ado they chained her hands to a post, making it so that it seemed like Chimera was hugging it. Followed by ripping the rags off the young fairy and exposing her back and leaving only the wooden post to hide her nudity.
Cassandra wasted no time and began scourging her own daughter with a surprisingly deft hand, nimble wrist and expert precision. Though, the result wasn't what most expected.
"Yes!" Chimera screamed in delight as the blow made contact, shouting across the place and startling the crowd. After a few seconds of pause, the young fairy asked in a mockingly sad voice. "Finished already? And I so looked forward to more."
Cassandra snarled at that, and struck out again and again. Her hand a blur as she whipped herself into a frenzy.
The only sounds she got out of her daughter were moans and cries of pleasure such as. "Right there!" and "Don't stop! or encouragements like "Harder!" All while creating a painting made of crimson on her daughter's shivering back. Not satisfied with that Cassandra flicked her wrist, causing the whip to curl and hit Chimera square in the face and nearly splitting her nose open.
This time the scream was one of true pain and not enjoyment.
Finally exhausted, she shoved the whip back into the guards hands and strove off without another word.
The only one who immediately moved after it ended was Harry, springing into action without delay. Already prepared with gauze, potion and more; all taken from the resident healer. The wizard could clearly see that Chimera was in incredible pain despite the Jassal, having intimate knowledge on what to look for with her by now. After all, there was a threshold where pain ended and agony began. Also, much like with magic the intent behind it mattered most. Another thing he learned through domination play was that aftercare was equally important, if not more so.
"Did I do well?" Chimera mumbled, half delirious from the magically inflicted pain. Unable to play a part anymore.
"Yes, perfect." he said, causing Chimera to grace him with a bloody smile from her crumbling face.
'That whip must've had some powerful enchantments or curses on it.' he observed as he cleaned her wounds manually, due to using spells to heal having no effect at all. First tending to the gash on her face.
He grew frustrated at the people watching and not helping, nearly growling as he went to apply a healing salve. Only for a pair of petite hands to offer help by stabilising Chimera, helping the exhausted fairy sit up.
"Here, let me help." Bloom not so much offered assistance, as opposed to simply doing it. In the moment it didn't matter that she basically committed social suicide on Solaria by aiding an exile.
Another pair of hands in the form of Diaspro followed shortly after.
He looked at them gratefully with a small smile, nodded and went back to work. Soon Chimera was treated as good as possible, wounds wrapped firmly but not tightly and finally asleep from a potion.
This day couldn't be over fast enough.
I used an artefact to transform Stella because it makes more sense. Also expands the lore a little bit.
If it was just a dark curse like in the show, it should've been easily broken by an Enchantix Fairy and her Fairy Dust. While we only ever see the Winx transform into the various forms higher than the default, its hard to believe there aren't others who can do the same. Stella's mother would've been a good example to showcase the Enchantix transformation's capabilities in the show before any of the Winx got theirs.
As is clear by now Chimera is a fairy in my fic, while it is ambiguous in the show if she is a Fairy or a Witch. So it is debatable if she could cast such a curse in this story anyway.
Could Harry or Bloom have removed the curse on Stella? Maybe, but that's kept purposely ambiguous. For most curses, being powerful to break them is enough. For others not so much and this wasn't a normal situation either. It'll even help Stella getting what she wants later on.
Also hope the lore of Solaria wasn't too "out there". After all Winx was mainly inspired by fashion. I found it fitting to add something like that. The other planets will also have their own quirks.
Next chapter will include the Trix and their trial, to speed things up a little. I had originally planned to add something with them at the end of this chapter, but decided against another cliffhanger.
Sorry again for the long delay.