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His happily ever after
The stillness of the late pre-dawn hours, disturbed only by the gentle breeze drifting peacefully across the prestigious realm of Eraclyon. The bright moon glowed brightly in the cloudless, deep midnight blue sky. Despite the vivid greenery, the crisp pre-autumn air was brisk with the promise of yet another harsh winter on the wind.
Most were tucked away comfortably in their beds, save the people obliged the night shift in various professions; or the unfortunate soul unable to sleep as the witching hour drew ever closer, as was the case for the realm’s sovereign king.
Moonlight gleaned through the partially-drawn curtains over the large bed in an equally large and lavish room. Deep blue eyes opened for what seemed to be the thousandth time in the span of a heartbeat. With a sigh as he brushed the blonde fringe out of his face, Sky accepted that he probably wouldn’t be sleeping that night. Rolling over to his side, he gazed lovingly at the love of his life - his wife - curled up sleeping beside him - her back to him and, much to his amusement, she had managed to wrap a good portion of the covers around herself like a cocoon.
Smiling, he reached over and affectionately run his fingers over her blanket-covered side before lingering on her hip, softly rubbing in a circular motion. He loved the sight of her pale creamy skin illuminated by the moonlight - well what he usually saw of it when it wasn’t chilly and the woman in question wasn’t a fairy-burrito with the blankets.
In response, the curly haired ginger sighed contently in her sleep and instinctively snuggled closer to her much-warmer husband. Having grown up in the much milder climate of Gardenia, where the beaches were open all year long, despite having lived in Eraclyon for several years now, she still wasn’t used to the much harsher climate and though she kept her complaints about winter to herself, she certainly was
not
fond of being cold.
Whenever he caught her with her arms crossed and teeth chattering, she’d flash him the teasing grin he’d fallen in love with nearly two decades ago and tell him that since he had to drag her off to one of the coldest places in all of Magix (not counting when Domino was a frigid wasteland) he could make it up to her by being her personal heater. He was always happy to oblige.
Eraclyon was easily a beautiful realm with its snow-covered mountains, lush forests, colorful canyons, and serene rivers; however, it was much farther north than the other realms of the magical dimension, making it one of the coldest. That wasn’t including the various creatures and plants inhabiting the planet - despite the beautiful grandeur, if one wasn’t careful; they would find themselves dead with even one mishap.
Sky instinctively wrapped his arms around Bloom, drawing her closer to him, resting his chin atop her head. His smile softened even more as he felt her relax into his tender embrace and he buried his nose in her hair, lightly kissing her head and breathing in the sweet fruity scent of her shampoo.
Sky considered himself a lucky man - Eraclyon was flourishing splendidly under his reign, Bloom’s lower-class upbringing had proved to be highly insightful in final decisions regarding new laws, healthcare, and other various choices that had to be made on behalf of the people that keep the royal family having very high public approval ratings. He often joked that his queen was the real star of the palace and that the people loved her more than they did him. She’d tell him he was being ridiculous.
He held his soulmate in his arms, the woman he never wanted to let go until death do they part, his queen, the mother to his children. If someone had told his eighteen year old self that he’d find a way out of his prior engagement to Diaspro and actually marry for love, he’d honestly have laughed in their face. He’d long give up on hope for his happily ever after at that time.With a short sigh, he closed his eyes and reflected upon his life up to that point; still cradling his sleeping fairy in his arms.
First impressions
When they first met, it wasn’t ideal circumstances - Sky, who was pretending to be Brandon at the time, and his team were enroute to Earth; a far-off and practically forgotten planet that had long since lost its status as a magical realm on request of Princess Stella of Solaria, whom had claimed to have found another fairy.
And so, the plan was to go and talk with the fairy and convince her to go to the Magical Dimension with them.
Not
to enter a small-scale battlefield and save both girls from a Hunter Troll.
He wasn’t complaining though, when he got his first look at the girl with Stella, Sky felt all the air rush from his lungs. He’d never really understood why romance novels described the first meetings as being hit by a train until that moment.
But, he didn’t have time to think about that as he sprang into action.
Prioritize the mission first. Scan the area; don’t miss a single detail. Focus. Remain calm. Take out the troll. Secure the area. Stay away of my surroundings at all times.
The girls were cornered; with no magic on Earth, Stella was trying to keep a low profile which limited her movements, spells, and all around fighting style; not to mention on top of protecting the other fairy and her family.Brandon had already jumped from the portal and into the fray, lassoing whirling, ready to capture the beast. Partially because of years of training that came with his profession, but also his feelings for the princess.
“Hey, Princess Stella,”
Sky found himself sing-songing out, smiling when he seen the princess visibly relieved to hear a familiar voice. Brandon caught the troll around it’s big blue neck. With the troll temporarily subdued, Sky continued, drawing his own weapon, ready to assist,
“I hope your friend’s the pretty one with the red hair -“
Brandon caught his eye and seemed to swallow a snicker, finishing his train of thought,
“Yeah, and not the ugly guy at the end of the leash.”
Had the situation not been serious, Sky would have laughed at the way Stella practically starting swooning. But, he didn’t have time to think about that. There were mini-ghouls advancing on the girls.
Sky remembered Brandon mentioning Stella saying she’d gotten injured and the lack of magic particles in the air on Earth made her powers regenerate more slowly. His friend had been extremely worried and had insisted they leave right away.
It was a good thing too, Sky knew from having spent his whole life with Brandon that his instincts were seldom wrong. Brandon had a strong poker face, but when he was protecting someone, he was willing to give his own life if needed.
Stella was visibly sweating in an effort to keep herself transformed; which meant she was at her limits and her magic had yet to regenerate to a level safe to use.
But Sky focused on the ghouls. A swing of his sword took most of them out, but a few managed to slip past his strike and one made a leap for his face…
…only to dissipate into ashes before him as a fireball made contact with it. Sky was impressed - it was a really good shot and packed more power than an untrained fairy would have under normal circumstances.
“I told you you had magic,” he heard Stella tell the redhead.
“It just happened,” she responded, staring at her hands in amazement, smoke swirling from her palms around her fingertips.
“So, believe me now?” Stella had asked her. Sky knew she had responded to Stella; however, he had a job to do and as much as he’d have loved to stand around and visit with her, the rescue came first.
With the ghouls gone, Sky turned his attention to help the other guys with the troll; whom they finally successfully captured.
After introductions were made, the boys knew they couldn’t stay long with their capture, lest it get loose and become a menace to society.
“Bye, Bloom! I hope to see you at Alfea!”
Sky felt the words tumble out of his mouth before he could stop them. But they were true. He did want to see her again.
He went to bed that night thinking of long wild fiery red curls and light cyan blue eyes.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Invisible Ties
She’s so cute
, he thinks to himself, what has to be the thousandth time that day. Since she hadn’t grown up in the Magical Dimension, he had offered to take her to a few of the museums in downtown Magix.
While Bloom practically vibrated with excitement over
everything,
Sky himself was as giddy as a kid in a candy store, just watching how her face lit up as she read over the historical facts of the artifacts and asked twenty questions a second.
It was truly amazing she didn’t pass out from a lack of oxygen.
He was more than happy to explain what he could to her - silently thankful for having
the finest tutors that money could buy
.
The more he was around her, the more drawn to her he was. From her wild curly hair, to the face full of freckles - he wanted to kiss every single one - to her cyan eyes, her energy was contagious, and she was quirky, animated and just the right amount of dorky that made her so
adorable
; he wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend, but he couldn’t, he had issues going on at home and it wasn’t fair to Bloom considering she
didn’t know who he was
.
After spending… he casually glanced at the time…
How, by the great dragon’s scales, has it been four hours!??? I just picked her up twenty minutes ago!
Unacceptable.
Never in his life had he been with someone who made the hours seem like seconds and there just wasn’t enough time in a day to properly express how, simply put, wonderful to be around they could be.
Back home in Eraclyon, when he wasn’t goofing off with Brandon in whatever little precious free time he had… which in and of itself was a gift that could only be defined as handcrafted divine intervention fueled by the pity of a bored deity having His Royal Majesty, King Erendor as a father.
And yet, before he could even fathom what he was doing
“Hey, since we’re already out, want to grab lunch?”
Getting to know you better
They continued to hang out; whenever they could: exams, “Brandon’s” drills and conflicting schedules aside.
One brisk early-autumn Saturday morning, Sky found himself in the company of Bloom while he was on dragon stall duty. Oh the joys of mucking the stables. How regal could “totally not” the Crowned Prince of Eraklyon look while surrounded by dragon feces?
Not. At. All.
Honestly, Bloom has to be the biggest MVP I’ve ever met,
Sky thought to himself as he worked himself into a sweat with his assigned chore of the day. Bloom sat out of the way over on a large crate of feed for the dragons, bundled up in the hoodie she wore over… but also,
Sky felt a small wave of smugness. He’d taken off the cape to his uniform prior to going in the stall to work and Bloom had bundled herself up in it like she was a little firey-fairy-burrito.
Too cute.
She had to have been there less for him, more for the dragon, he concluded. Nevertheless though, as he worked, he smiled and laughed along as she told him all about her and the other girls’ latest adventure at Alfea.
“So anyway, Flora’s flowers have been growing all over the place, and one of them held Tecna hostage in her closed” Bloom explained, “and Stella had a whole meltdown over the ones in her room getting into her clothes and make up.”
Sky found himself laughing, “I can’t imagine her highness taking the slight lightly. So what happened after Stella’s inevitable meltdown?”
He really loved listening to her talk, even if the topic was overgrown plants and fighting parasitic trees in Black Mud Swamp.
But, the sight of her baby-talking a giant lizard that had its massive head resting in her lap would be burned in his memory forever.
My Wish, For You
It was a warmer evening for this time of year - The Day of the Rose only a few weeks past. Bloom had a free evening and Sky took advantage of it by asking her if she’d like to have a picnic by Lake Roccaluce with him - she’d readily accepted.
And that was how and why they were here, on the sandy shore, laying on a blanket and stargazing - long full from the quick sandwiches they’d picked up in Magix City before coming out to the lake.
“And that one is called Sizu,” Sky pointed to another cluster of stars, “it starts with Raya - that’s the Eastern star of Magix. As it’s nose…”
He continued his explaination. “Magix has four stars representing the four cardinal directions… Eraklyon has different constellations than Magix does so I’m not as familiar with these like I am home’s, you know?”
Bloom listened intently to him as he described what he could remember of the myths. After a brief lull in the conversation, his company spoke up.
“That’s similar to the North Star on Earth,” Bloom said suddenly. “It’s the brightest star in the sky and it always shows us where north is. But I’m not astronomical-y savvy to tell you much more than that…” she trailed off sheepishly.
“Oh yeah? Do you have different constellations on Earth too?” Sky asked, genuinely curious.
It was amazing how different their realms were and yet there were similarities.
They continued talking for another half-hour at least, Bloom leaning her head on his shoulder, dozing cutely.
Sky gazed at her, sighing, mumbling something he wouldn’t translate for her until after they were married.
His phone beeped, the alarm he set so he could get her back to Alfea before curfew, unfortunately breaking the spell.
“Mmm… what was that?” Bloom rubbed her eyes. She’d clearly heard him mumbling but since she couldn’t speak Eraclyonese, she had no way of knowing what he’d said.
Sky grinned, deciding to tease her a bit. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.” His sing-song tone.
“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?” Bloom concluded, crossing her arms with an exaggerated pout.
He chuckled in response, “Oh totally,” he drawled dramatically. “All about your hair standing up and how you were snoring.”
“I don’t snore.” Bloom scoffed and lightly smacked his arm. It didn’t hurt at all, and he started laughing - he could only imagine her face turning as red as her hair.
“Louder than my levibike!” Sky cheesed, playfully poking at her side, tickling her, causing her to laugh.
Thankfully - he got her back to Alfea before curfew and for weeks, she continued to ask him what he had said...
He admittedly, took delight in teasing her every time though.
No no, he had only translated it shortly before they got married, once Bloom was proficient in speaking Eraclyonese-
“I think
you’re my soulmate”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Hear my cry
I’m the worst person in all of the realms.
Sky. Felt. Like. Shit. Actually no, scratch that. The previous sentence is a total understatement as to how bad he actually felt. His stomach was in knots, and the guilt of lying about who he is was eating him alive.
He
wanted
to tell her. He wanted her to know.
Switching identities with Brandon hadn’t even been
his
idea! It was Erendor’s. All because Ye Mighty Eraklyon -
I’m the crowned prince, I don’t get to think like that
- would fall if something were to happen to him.
His kingdom may have the most wealth, power and prestige, but under the surface, there were many, many cracks that it was only a matter of time before they collapsed.
Erendor may be a good king - in the sense he makes smart political decisions - but he was
not
a good father, nor was he gifted with the most likeable personality. His abrasive nature had not endeared him to the public, to say the least.
Sky’s natural charisma of course, was the opposite of his father and Sky had never been deaf to the whispers that the only reason there hasn’t been a revolt against Erandor is because Prince Sky is the people’s Prince. Loved by most.
He understood
why
his father engaged him to Diaspro - it was the smoothest way to prevent war with her kingdom. The Ninjas of Isis were no joke and the smart move was to give them an incentive to work together.
His life had
never
been his own, even from the day he was born. But he had never planned to meet someone who just
understood
him.
“Hey, Brandon,” Sky spoke suddenly, his voice barely above a whisper, after ignoring the third call from Bloom.
“Might want to be careful saying that,” His bodyguard advised dryly. “Never know who might be listening.
“I think we should tell Bloom and Stella the truth,” He spoke earnestly.
Brandon may not have said anything, but Sky knew his brother - maybe not biologically, but that was his brother - well. Too well.
Brandon stiffened uncomfortably when he was addressed by his borrowed name. Just because Brandon had
always been there
when Sky himself was having his Royal training and knew exactly what he needed to do to keep up the charade didn’t mean he enjoyed it.
And of course, the free choice in the matter has only been an illusion. If Brandon had said anything other than “nothing would please me more than to serve His Highness,” he would have gotten into trouble with the king.
“Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page on that,” Brandon replied after a long silence. “But I’m worried how Stella will react to
that.
”
Sky sighed, “I feel like they’d both be able to keep it a secret though.”
Brandon nodded but continued staring at the ceiling, “no, you’re right about that. Stella might act like she’s an airhead but she wouldn’t say anything that would jeopardize our safety. She’s royalty herself, so it’s not like she
isn’t
going to understand. She just…”
He really, actually, genuinely likes her
, Sky realized with a start.
Brandon is serious.
“If she’s as great as you, of all people, think she is, then. I know she’s someone special,” Sky replied encouragingly.
Brandon actually smiled - it was small, but it was something. “It’s funny considering the only…” he paused, switching to a code that only the two of them understood, “the only avocado I actually like is the fresh one. At least until I found another one.”
The only Royal I actually like is you; but Stella’s proving otherwise; she’s not like the others.
And Brandon, bless him, had every reason to hate him, Sky knew. Brandon had endured so many hardships just because of the position he held and that was
before
Erendor walked in with, well his attitude, his everything.
Sky’s parents were extremely classist, and while Brandon was technically nobility - lesser nobility is still nobility - he parents were not of the elite.
Yet he was the best person for the job. Sky truly considered Brandon to be a member of the family. His confidant, brother in arms, partner in crime.
It didn’t stop his father from treating Brandon like yesterday’s trash. It didn’t stop Diaspro from treating him like she thought he was her personal lackey.
He had gotten into a particular nasty fight with Diaspro over that. But in the end, the compromise made was, Diaspro would leave Brandon alone while Sky himself tended to Diaspro’s… high maintenance needs.
Brandon smirked, his voice breaking Sky from his thoughts, “anyway. My loyalty is to the person. Not the crown.”
“Too true. And I appreciate that more than anything.” Sky replied.
There was a beat of silence.
“So…
she’s
coming tomorrow,” Sky sighed, “will you be okay with her hanging on you?”
Brandon rolled his eyes, “I can fake it long enough for the event.”
“What do you say we call Bloom and Stella and ask them to go out with us after the event so we don’t have to keep them in the dark?”
“Man, I’m texting Stella two seconds ago.”
They both laughed. Things might actually go their way for a change and it was going to be okay!
-
Man makes plans and God laughs indeed.
Sky had never seen Brandon look so dejected and broken in his life. Ever. Brandon looked exactly how Sky felt - and he may very well have looked the same for all he knew.
It didn’t matter. The truth was out. His dirty laundry had been aired to the public.
Bloom and Stella were understandably and rightly angry and hurt.
They weren’t supposed to find out like that.
Erendor had not been kind to Brandon. The tongue lashing that had
started
publicity only grew more intense privately.
When he intervened and pointed out to his father that
he was not in any danger
and Brandon was
a selected participant
to the exhibition so realistically, he couldn’t just shield Diaspro from an incident on the spectator side, Erendor’s wrath had turned on him.
Not that Sky cared or had anything to lose at that point. He and Erendor had a screaming match that had lasted twenty minutes that ended with his father dragging him back home to formally apologize for
his misdemeanor
and
poor conduct towards his fiancé.
After all, he was the bad guy who just wanted a quick fling before getting married, or so the stories about him were spun.
As if he and Diaspro even got along when they were in the same room.
He didn’t hate Diaspro, truly he didn’t. She hadn’t had any more say in their engagement than he had. But to say they like one another? That was a stretch.
He was sure she would make a lovely partner to someone - not him. But she just wasn’t, never had been, never would be the person for him.
And maybe she would mature in time. Maybe. But she was also three years older than him and essentially a toddler - and not in the high maintenance - Stella flavor of it.
So when his father berated him the entire trip back home and Sky told his father off? Honestly, he felt more relieved and proud of himself afterwards than regretful. Which is probably what prompted him to completely break the entire Eraklyonese networks -
“So, Your Highness,” the news anchor had ask him, “what are your plans going forward?”
It was as if the fates were giving him a second chance to follow his heart and make amends. So, he found himself speaking his mind, directly from his heart before he really
thought
his actions through, “Well. Princess Diaspro and I had a long discussion,” he began.
Not a lie.
“and we looked at a lot of factors in the situation, and decided it was best for us to take a break.”
Also not a lie.
“However, in lieu of an engagement between us, I will of course accompany her to galas, events, what have you, as necessary. I will also continue to honor the peace agreements between Eraklyon and Isis.
However, our engagement, as of last night, is no more. It was a mutual decision on both of our parts.”
A slight exaggeration of the truth.
They
had
talked and Sky
had told her
exactly where he stood. Diaspro hadn’t liked it one bit - but had agreed, at the very least that they
weren’t right
for one another.
He could only hope going forward that Diaspro stayed in her rational mood and not her petty mood.
His father had been irate. So much so, in fact, that Sky was certain he wouldn’t get to go back to Red Fountain.
If anyone were to ask him,
no,
he
wasn’t
sorry, thank you very much.
Of Sacred Blood
And the saga with the media in Eraklyon was why he was shocked into stupid silence to learn from Timmy, who heard from Tecna that Bloom had returned to Earth where she got ambushed by the three witches and they
stole
her powers.
The mighty dragon’s flame.
Oh, right. And the witches were at Red Fountain’s doorstep, and then they completely destroyed Red Fountain with
Bloom’s power.
So when the survivors of the Battle of Red Fountain made it to Alfea, Sky was admittedly antsy to see Bloom… only to learn,
No,
she and her friends weren’t there. They had gone to Domino to search for anything that could help Bloom get her powers back.
She was the lost Princess of Domino.
Bloom. Was. The. Lost. Princess.
It had only been a
week
and the world fell apart.
-
“So while sending them there wasn’t an issue, we will have to get them back… which will prove easier said than done-“
“I’ll lead a team to retrieve them,” Sky immediately volunteered before Headmistress Faragonda could even finish explaining the situation.
“I’ll join it,” Brandon agreed immediately at the same time Timmy spoke up, “I’ll drive the craft.”
After finally standing up to Erendor, he was honestly ready to take on the world. Definitely ready to take on the witches.
As it turned out, there was no need for him, Brandon and Timmy to put together an impromptu presentation to sway the headmistress into agreeing to let them go.
She had
literally
been about to ask them if they’d take on the mission.
Well, that worked out quite well then, did it not?
-
Which of course the feeling of victory for the moment, however brief, didn’t save him from the horror that clenched his stomach and nearly stopped his heart when Bloom - no powers, nothing but a stick to protect herself with - was surrounded by little ice critters that were anything but friendly.
Sky leaped into action to help Bloom. Consequences be damned.
She could yell at him, she could cuss at him. He was willing to let her punch him in the face if she wanted to. He deserved it, and far worse. If she never wanted to see or speak to him again, he would respect her wishes.
But, the most important thing right then, was her safety. It didn’t matter what the state of their current relationship was… or lack there of - was.
She was a friend he cared for first and foremost and in that moment, she needed him and he’d be damned if he failed her twice.
He pretended the look of relief on her face when she saw she wasn’t alone anymore didn’t send butterflies into a frenzy in his stomach.
He made quick work dispatching the critters, before he turned and offered her a hand. “Let’s get you out of this pit?”
With a huff, she stubbornly crossed her arms and tried - key word being
tried
. To climb out of the pit herself, despite not having any climbing gear and the wall in question lacking footholds and notches for her to actually get a good grip to get herself out.
It’d have been a perfectly hilarious sight in
any
other situation where she wasn’t at risk of freezing to death.
“So… I have the hoverboard…” he offered.
“No.” She snapped.
Sky held his hands up in surrender and backed off. But made no move to leave her. She’d come around after she realized her way was
definitely not
going to work
at all.
Bloom’s stubborn escapade went on for another ten minutes where, to his credit, Sky didn’t let Bloom see his shoulders shake from silent laughter - not at her. Of course not.
But, after the two-hundredth time she landed gracelessly on her butt in the snow and let out a loud roar of frustration, he tentatively spoke again, “So… are you going to let me help you now or would you rather us freeze to death in this pit?”
With a huff she crossed her arms and shot him an icy glare that rivaled even the frigid temperature of Domino, “Fine,” she relented - her tone suggested she was
anything
but happy about it, “
but
, I’m still mad at you.”
And all Sky could do was nod in understanding as he hopped on his hoverboard and offered her his hand, “fair enough. You’re allowed to be as mad as you want. You can yell at me about all you want to later, once we’re safe. But in the meantime, let me help you.”
She scoffed, but took his hand. For all of the bravado and bravery she was putting on, Sky felt her hand shaking. It wasn’t entirely from the cold.
She was scared. Maybe even more so than anyone else in Magix.
Sky knew her well enough to know that calling her on it at that moment wasn’t the right thing to do and would only create more problems.
He’d listened to her rant and talk about her insecurities enough to know that just listening and being there was what she needed.
So instead, he simply squeezed her a bit tighter and said, “don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.”
And I won’t leave you to face this alone.
The rest of the week happened in the most exhausting blurred haze Sky had ever experienced in his life.
With the witches' defeat and being sent to Light Rock Haven and surveying the deceased, despite barely being more than the walking dead himself.
The school leaders had declared that those who survived passed the school year and there was a lovely service to honor the fallen. Sky vaguely remembered it. He had been so exhausted he was nearly asleep on his feet.
Finally, a week after the battle, Alfea hosted a party - to boost morale.
“So… you’re really okay with starting over?” Sky asked, his breath catching in his throat. He and Bloom had gone off to talk -
actually
talk. About everything - the mess. Them.”
He, as promised, let her unload all of her pent up anger on him… which was honestly, not as fiery as he had expected. She had cussed him and cried and under no uncertain terms, told him exactly how she felt about what happened and what a jackass he had been.
Fair. I agree with that.
He hugged her, and apologized and then asked if she’d hear him out. She had listened to what he had to say. She responded in turn.
He answered her questions as best he could.
And then he asked her what she wanted to do going forward and that he would respect her wishes.
The best he dared hope for was that she was willing to still consider him a friend. But she liked him for him, not his title…
And, she asked him to take it slow with her… but she wasn’t opposed to actually dating for real. Not him dancing around the fact he liked her.
He actually got a second chance and he had no intentions of blowing it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There were a lot of moments in his life that Sky wasn’t proud of. Some he wished he could change, do over, anything. Bloom cuddled closer to him as she shifted around in her sleep to face him. Sky smiled as he pulled her closer to him, completely enveloping her in his arms as he placed a light kiss on her forehead.“Mmm…” Bloom grumbled in her sleep as she wrapped her arms and one leg around him. Sleeping next to Bloom was like cuddling with a baby octopus and Sky couldn’t help the huff of a laugh that escaped from his nose. Okay Babe, whatever makes you comfortable. She simply let out a soft snore in his ear as if she were offended he would dare chuckle and make a mental comment about the way she slept. Which only amused him further.“Love you too, Bloom,” He whispered, unable to prevent the lopsided grin he wore when she snuggled closer to him,He had stupidly - and arrogantly - thought that Bloom’s forgiveness and willingness to start over would be the start of smooth waters after the sudden storm that was the three witches taking the schools hostage and inciting a war.Obviously, with age and hindsight came lessons learned, and at that point in time, he had yet to learn that ‘man makes plans, then god laughs’ because his trials had only just begun.Saying that the end of the school year was a shitshow was an understatement. After all, what student walks into a school and expects the middle of the second semester to be canceled because three power-hungry psychopaths stole the power of the creator and casually declared war on Magix?Certainly not Sky. Certainly not the Winx Club. “Surprise War” had not been on his ‘Time Away from Home’ Bingo Card. If he had been on Eraklyon at the time? Sure. There were plenty of rebel groups that incited violence at every possible opportunity.
Reunited and it feels so good
Summer vacation, though it had started nearly a month early, still felt too short. But, Sky didn’t mind. Every day that passed was one day closer to seeing Bloom in person again, and he had been counting down the days.Royal meetings were dull and Brandon often subtly nudged him to stay awake, or pretend to at least look alert. Each one he knocked out was one less he had to sit through once school started again.Interdimensional timezones and all. Bloom would spam his phone with messages throughout her day - messages, memes, selfies, pictures of her arrangements. He loved them - they were always wonderful to wake up to. Sky would spend the first thirty minutes that he was awake replying to everything Bloom sent, then he would go about his day - even knowing she was sleeping when he got up. He did the same for her throughout his day, when he could.He had a brief window of opportunity before dinner where he could call and wish her good morning. They never got to speak longer than twenty minutes, but he loved hearing her voice - even if she was sleepy and out of it.No, summer took far too long. Seeing her after being separated for months was a delight, a treat, everything once again felt right with the world.
Great Dragon, He was down so bad and needed to get a grip.
“So, what was that article that dropped two weeks ago about canoeing with Diaspro’s family?” Bloom asked curiously as she returned his hug.He was on cloud nine, seeing her in person, holding her for real. Nothing could have knocked him off his cloud - oh. He must have made a face that clearly expressed his disdain for the situation because she stifled a giggle.“Apparently I shouldn’t have asked?” Bloom replied.“It’s your right to ask,” Sky shrugged. She did have every right to ask.Bloom nodded with a small smile, “your expression said you’d rather forget it.”“I would rather forget it,” Sky admitted under his breath. “It was mostly for PR since my whole calling off the engagement on interdimensional television after all. More or less, Father decided that having our families ‘vacation’ together would be good for diplomacy.”“Buuut…?” She prompted.“I’m unofficially the expert in Diaspro’s discourse of her two red purses that are completely identical, but apparently different shades of red,” Sky replied. “This wasn’t even color theory. She bought two of the exact same purse and was arguing with me that they were different shades of red.”“That sounds eventful,” Bloom supplied, trying not to laugh.“That was two hours of me doing all the rowing in a canoe while she was ranting about how her identical purses were not identical.”In fact, even in the present day, it gave him a headache to think about. And that was even with the alliance Eracklyon had with Isis. In fact, Bloom and Diaspro had a very cordial friendship these days. They wouldn’t call one another every other day like Queen Stella - but he wasn’t sure if he liked or hated the way the two women ganged up on him.
One Obstacle After Another
Surely, after the war that broke out in Magix only months ago, they’d be blessed with a dull school year, right? Right?Wrong.Apparently, there was some dark ember of the Dragon’s Flame that’s been around since the beginning of time. Oh, and this force woke up now of all times? Great. Because this particular group of students didn’t already carry enough trauma and PTSD already. Right. Of course.First, they were sent to Shadowhaunt to rescue the new girl’s pixie pals. Brandon was almost forced to marry the crazy Trog Queen. They rescued the pixies, and then… Bloom had that weird obsession? Crush? On “Professor Avalon”
Which one of us was actually the insecure one?
He could have put his energy to better use. He could have. But why would teenage hot-headed Sky do that when he can be an egotistical jealous lizard brain? Hindsight was 20/20. As he looked back on the situation from an adult perspective, the red flags were glaringly obvious that something was off.Bloom blowing him off to go ‘study’ with ‘Professor Avalon’ wasn’t even the most ridiculous part of the fiasco. No, he dragged Brandon out on a wild Honkdra chase to help him spy on his girlfriend who has never given him any reason not to trust her.That period when they spent more time fighting than not was not a good look for either of them. They were jealous, immature, and stupid. Sky wasn’t sure how or why they somehow didn’t break up during all of that.He was glad they didn’t, of course. But, he and Bloom mutually agreed that it was not a good look for either of them. They had not brought out the best in each other. But, they survived that and much more. Surely they could survive anything.
Amazing
It was no secret to anyone that Bloom was not a fan of Diaspro. It also didn’t take a genius to figure out that his ex-fiance was a great source of insecurity for his current girlfriend.
If I had been more mature and understanding, I could have done more to alleviate her concerns.
Bloom already had every reason in all of the realms to want to leave. To go back to Magix and wash her hands clean of him. His parents were beyond rude to her for no reason. His parents openly voiced their displeasure of him dating a ‘commoner’ even though said ‘commoner’ was the lost Princess of Domino. Evidently, her status as royalty was lost on them.But no, his parents were so stuck in their ways and elitist, that they refused to even give her a fair chance. Openly scheming to pair him back with Disaspro.Bloom could have said “No. Leave me out of this.” She could have had him take her back to Alfea. But no, she didn’t. Ever steadfast Bloom, with her strong sense of justice wouldn’t sit back. She demanded to be part of the rescue team. She fearless swapped places with Diaspro to free her.She didn’t even do it to ‘earn’ approval from his parents. She did it because it was the right thing to do. Heck, even he had his quiet reservations. But he agreed - it was the right thing to do. He was relieved she understood. Even better that it was something they could do together - messed up as it was.In the end, Diaspro was returned home safely and his parents were more civil towards Bloom. It wasn’t approved, but she had impressed them. His mother moreso than his father. Sky had tentatively high hopes that if his mother could be won over, they could collectively work on bringing his stubborn old man around. He just hadn’t expected to happen quite the way it did.As they were boarding the craft to make the long trip back to Magix, Sky nearly had a heart attack as his mother walked out, calling out to him. It wasn’t like her to see him off. In fact, her soft ‘safe travels’ when she dismissed him, Brandon, Bloom and Flora was about what he expected.“Mother?” Sky asked with a polite bow. “What brings you here?”“To see you off,” Samara replied before she nodded to Bloom, “Dear, feel free to visit again. You are a delight.”As Bloom turned as red as her hair, fumbling for a reply, Sky nearly swallowed his tongue in surprise while Brandon was side-eyeing him, helpfully nudging him in the back to respond. But he still caught his bodyguard’s eye in the quiet, DID YOU HEAR HER? that they shared in disbelief.“M-mother?” Sky finally found his voice. Maybe Domino dethawed that day or maybe it was a trick of the light. No one could say for sure, but Sky thought he may have seen his mother smile.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was true. Sky had many regrets in his life… marrying his wife was not one of them.
Dark Phoenix and Wizards
Everything went so fast. Sky and Bloom continued to on and off fighting over stupid things, even still, while Bloom was angry with him and refusing to talk to him, he worried.
He heard secondhand from Timmy when Bloom’s magic became corrupted. He worried. Those extra hours with that Professor Avalon guy seemed to be severely affecting her negatively.
Trying to be supportive, and offer her a metaphorical olive branch, he tried to ask her on a date night, but she refused… for, of course,
Professor Avalon’s class.
It was like the man had half the student body charmed, but Bloom especially.
They hadn’t had much time to so much as talk after that until their visit to the Resort Realm. He and Bloom were finally able to sit down and have a conversation, and maybe that trip was what they had needed to reconnect. He certainly felt closer to his girlfriend than he had in
months.
But, as always, the fates had other plans and the gods laughed at the fool of a prince’s hope for just another moment of peace.
Sky had truly thought he knew horror when The Army of Decay of legend was released on the streets of Magix. He thought he knew horror the day he almost died. He had
died
- very briefly; but Bloom managed to save him, tether him back to his body. Her dragon’s flame acted as a guide to bring him back.
He thought he could be prepared for anything. Especially since he could not make good on his silent vow to himself after he was gifted a second chance to not continue to screw up his relationship with Bloom.
He was wrong. Nothing could have prepared him for a
real
Professor Avalon appearing and revealing the person who had been employed at Alfea all year was a replacement from Darkar.
Honestly, what happened to the employee vetting process?
He was not prepared to handle seeing the dark, perverted, twisted version of a brainwashed Bloom side with Darkar, actively trying to help him gain more power.
Nothing prepared him for walking into Realix with the knowledge he
might not be able to save her.
The hard reality was, their group - their friendship - all of their might, all of their best efforts might not be enough to save her from Darkar, save her from herself.
“Bloom…” Sky called out to her. “Its me. Sky. Your Sky, Your boyfriend.”
He was exhausted. His body was so heavy. Moving was hard, everything hurt. But it wasn’t important. He had to save her. He had to save her like she had saved him.
He had to tell her.
He couldn’t afford to make another stupid mistake.
She… paused? Maybe he had a chance - tentative hope blossomed in his belly as he truged onwards until he stood before her. He couldn’t lift his sword, he couldn’t defend himself. If this failed and he couldn’t reach her, it only seemed right that he die by the same hand that gave him a second chance at life.
“Listen to me, I know you’re in there!” He called out desperately, ignoring Darkar’s jab about asking her to prom - that decrepit cockroach needed to be stepped on.
“Huh…?” she responded, slitted pupil stare vacant. Reptilian amber eyes looked wrong on her sweet face.
“I know your heart. You are warm, you are kind. You are so full of light, you are so pure and good, you saved me. I made a promise that day that I’d do the same for you.” With great effort, he managed to caress her face.
“I know you, Bloom. You didn’t let me go and I’m not going to let you go. I want to spend more time with you, I care about you more than anyone else in the world…” he pleaded with her, stroking her cheek with his thumb, desperately searching for any signs he was getting through to her.
“This isn’t who you are. You have to fight him, Bloom. You have to break free. You have to come back… Bloom please…” his voice cracked, “please… I love you…”
Romance was so confusing. Was it too soon to say it to her? He didn’t know. He didn’t care. This could be his last chance to tell her what exactly he had been thinking since he had gotten to know her. He couldn’t afford to leave it unsaid. He would never take it back.
“Sky…?” Bloom blinked several times. Her voice was distorted in this other form, yet - as she blinked, her eyes flashed blue?
THAT WAS BLUE! She’s still in there!
“Its me, I promise, just focus on me,” Sky forced himself to sound as calm as he could, even as her shaky hands moved to his face. Whether she caressed his face or blew his head off with her fire powers, he had said his peace and could say he had done everything he possibly could.
Thankfully, she had come back to him. To her friends. To her right state of mind.
And still, there was no rest for the weary - Stella’s princess ball, preparations for Eraklyon’s millennium party… and then… well. Yet another wave of trials and tribulations.
Den of betrayal
Sky wasn’t sure what happened. One minute he was getting ready to go introduce Bloom to the people of Eracklyon, the next minute, he could only describe it as a nightmare. One that he still had, decades later. Fresh as if it had happened that day.
He never should have taken a drink of the wine from Diaspro. He should have been smarter. He should have known Diaspro was planning something.
So much for being praised as one of the top specialists in the class when it comes to observation.
He let his guard down.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
All of the safety training he grew up with! For dragon sakes! He was
royalty.
There was an entire protocol in place
just
for any assassination attempt on him! It wasn’t new!
He really dropped the ball that night. He knew better. A party was no reason to relax -
stage sips.
He should have taken stage sips!
I should have known she had a motive. I should have known Diaspro wouldn’t leave well enough alone. Why did I blindly trust her like that? I knew better.
As he parted ways with Diaspro, Sky felt the world swirl around him. He was dizzy and nauseous - it was as if his blood sugar suddenly bottomed out on him. Spots danced before his vision - he felt as if he would faint.
There was nothing around for him to grab to steady himself as he stopped walking.
Was I poisoned?
Something was wrong. Something was very
very
wrong.
Once he had regained his senses, he had never been more glad that Brandon punched him in the face. He deserved the broken nose he was given. Why hadn’t
anyone
questioned the fact Brandon had been ordered to be thrown in the dungeon?
That was something he and Bloom had in common - the recurring nightmares. Bloom relived the horrors of having her powers stolen, taken over by Darkar, and fighting Valor; he could usually tell which one it was by whatever she was mumbling in her sleep. Most of the time he was able to wake her before it got too bad. But some nights.
Some nights.
He couldn’t wake her and could only watch helplessly while she whimpered and thrashed about in her sleep until she woke up on her own.
His own involved hearing his own voice speaking with no control of it. He heard it so many nights it made sleeping a chore at times.
“Guards, Arrest those witches!”
What was wrong with him? That was his voice but he wasn’t saying that! It's not him-
It's not me, its not me, its not me its not me….
Bloom, I’m so sorry… it's not me…
Dawn Breaks
The first time he saw her after she earned her enchantix, he forgot how to breathe for he had never laid eyes on someone so beautiful.
Then, he was hit by the crushing guilt of the weight of what had happened while Diaspro had had him in her clutches, and once again, the reoccurring thought of
I don’t deserve her
struck him like lightning.
Sheepishly, he smiled at her, hoping to break the ice, “you look…” he positively melted, “wow.”
She returned the smile as they stepped into the aircraft together.
Bloom had shown no external signs of anger towards him after their reunion. And their ride to the Omega portal was mostly silent aside from idle chit-chat or her occasional humming as she sketched something in her notepad. He drove and she was trying not to distract him too much. Though, the silence was not uncomfortable.
Finally, Sky bit the proverbial bullet and asked her the question he’d started to before but backed out of, “Bloom… I don’t even know how to begin to apologize to you for-“
She looked up from her sketch, no signs of anger on her face, “Sky, remember what you told me after everything that happened in Realix?”
He paused with a sharp inhale, “I said,
“I know you, I know that wasn’t you. It was your body, but it wasn’t you. I know if you had been in your right state of mind, you wouldn’t have even considered it.”
You were hijacked because of dark magic.”
She nodded at him in response, “I was upset and devastated at first and all I wanted to do was cry, but after taking some time off to think and having a long talk with my mom, the more I thought about what happened, the less sense it made. By the time we broke into the palace, I knew something was up. No matter how mad I’ve made you in the past, you’ve never raised a hand to me, and all of a sudden you were coming after me with the intention to kill me. Diaspro looked a bit too smug after you two had that toast, and once I remembered I
had seen that
I knew she had a hand in it.”
She set her sketchbook down and walked over to wrap her arms around him, “that was when we found Valtor’s mark on you. Stella zapped you with as much fairy dust as she could manage because she wasn’t sure if she could break the spell on you or not, and we had no choice but to leave because the guards were coming.”
Sky put one of his hands on her arm. “I still feel-“
She kissed his cheek, “who was to blame for me being spelled?”
He sighed in response, knowing exactly where she was going with the train of thought, “Darkar.”
She hummed in response, “Diaspro was working with Valtor to put you under the spell. It was similar to the one that was on me - a total submission mind-control spell. If it had been a love spell, it only would have worked if you’d actually felt anything for her. I can’t blame you for being a prisoner in your own body, now can I?”
He smiled, despite still feeling terrible about the whole ordeal, he knew she was right. Plus, having his own words thrown back at him wasn’t exactly a point he could argue with.
“I think I’m the luckiest idiot alive,” he told her earnestly, pulling her into his lap.
They both laughed their way to their destination after she responded with “idiot or not, you’re still my idiot.”
He should not have grinned the way he did upon hearing that. She should not have ever had to tolerate any of which he’s put her through - stubborn willingness or not.
If he thought fighting Darkar was the worst challenge he had faced to date, watching Bloom leave her own body to fight Valtor while all he could do was watch was far worse.
He was so lost in his own thoughts, he hadn’t heard the rustle of the blankets and was startled to find his wife had woke up and began caressing his face, her ghosting over his cheek as she raised up to gently press her lips to his before she pulled back and smiled sweetly at him.
“I can hear you thinking,” Bloom’s voice was raspy from sleep. Her long curly hair was a mess as ringlets covered her face.
Sky simply held her closer. “I was just thinking of how lucky I am.”
Bloom wrapped her arms around him, “how so?”
Settling down to get himself comfortable, Sky lovingly brushed her hair out of her face with his hand, “Because I have you.”