Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Roslind was in charge, everyone knew that. Andreas was alive, Headmaster Silva was arrested for attempting to murder him. Headmistress Dowling was missing, no one knew anything about what happened to her. The official line was that she was on sabbatical, she had taken a trip to the mountains. But that didn't sound like Ms Dowling, she would never just leave them, not with Rosalind, she knew what Roslind was capable of.
Rosalind had to tried to purge everything that represented Farah from the school, just as Farah had done after she took over from Rosalind. Fairies did not learn magic for the purpose of control, Rosalind wanted results, no matter the cost. Specialist trainings became even more intense, not that there was a difference between fairy and specialist anymore, one headmistress over the two sides of the school and everyone was her soldier. No kindness, no smiles. Yet, no matter how hard Rosalind tried, Dowling's presence remained, she was everywhere.
Her classroom stood empty, most did, as classes mostly were on the training fields and down at the stone circle, but students often found themselves in her classroom. Something there projected calm, a feeling much needed after long days of Rosalind's training.
Her office door remained open, Rosalind didn't use Dowling's office, even taking everything that belonged to her out, Farah's presence remained. Some of the older students could be found there at specific times of the day, the schedule unknown to Rosalind and she couldn't figure out the pattern. In their former, no actual, headmistress's office they patched up any injuries that their peers had obtained from trainings.
In larger dormitories, fairies gathered to practice spell work. They practiced the spells Rosalind was teaching them, the way Ms Dowling would have taught them, fear and anger get results but could not be controlled. There would be no broken or erratic magic at Alfea.
But Farah Dowling was most present in the whispers throughout the school. It was general feeling that Ms Dowling would never just leave. Some say Rosalind has her trapped under the school just like she was.
Others say Rosalind messed with her head like they all believed she had done to those soldiers who were now a constant in the school, they believed that Rosalind was forcing Ms Dowling to stay away. The soldiers who inspired this particular rumour done absolutely everything Rosalind said, they were desperate for her approval, her attention.
One rumour that was not given weight was that Dowling could be dead. That simply wasn't to be considered. She was the embodiment of their hope, if she was dead then hope was lost.
Three particular students refused to allow anyone to suggest that their Auntie Farah was dead. To Sky, Sam and Terra, Farah was the only mother figure they ever knew, she couldn't be dead, but they also knew she wouldn't just leave. There had to be something else, there just had to be. They couldn't make sense of a lot of things, the second most pressing issue being Andreas, Auntie Farah being the first. Sky's father had always been a story they were told, a good man, a fierce warrior and a true friend. But only one of those things had turned out to be true when they finally met him.
To Ben Harvey, he worried about his children and Sky. They weren't quiet about their concerns, it was common knowledge that they had no love or trust for Rosalind and Andreas and they had no idea just how dangerous the latter were. He also worried about his dearest friends, Saul and Farah. Saul's future was uncertain and Farah was entirely unknown.
For Saul, his thoughts were only to Sky, the boy he raised as his own, even as his own future seemed uncertain in his jail cell. Last he had spoke with Sky, he told him he had murdered the boy's father. He had watched as Sky spent the entire night on the lawn, never approaching, just keeping a close eye. He told Sky to stand down as the Solarian guards arrived to arrest him.
And Rosalind presided over them all. She often wondered from her office in newly reopened east wing, how to get rid of their hope, rid of Farah's memory without admitting she killed her, because that would cause up rising.

Chapter Text

Beatrix was on Bloom's mind. Beatrix and Aster Dell. Rosalind had told Bloom that the people of Aster Dell were blood witches. But Beatrix said she was from Aster Dell and she was no blood witch. She was definitely a fairy, a very powerful fairy. Beatrix had Riven and Dane following her everywhere. Riven did seem so sure but Dane was entirely under some lusty spell, a spell that magic had nothing to do with. Beatrix had private lessons with Rosalind and Andreas and the rest of her time she was with the boys. The idea that Bloom could catch her on her own for a moment to ask her more about Aster Dell was a hopeless long shot. But Bloom figured that that was by design. Beatrix was Rosalind's ever faithful puppet and a powerful fairy that would benefit any army. Bloom putting doubts in her mind would not do for Rosalind.
Speaking of private lessons with Rosalind, Bloom had her own. So did Stella. Bloom hadn't had to transform again, which was good because it took huge amounts of energy and Rosalind did not accept weakness; transformation caused complete weakness.

Stella's lessons were not going so well. She was being pushes further and further. The only thing keeping her from breaking all over again was nightly practices. Bloom and Stella both practiced every night, using only positive emotions rather than the negative one Rosalind forced to get results. These practices always went well, and Musa was monitoring them throughout. They focused on the positive memories of their weekend in Bloom's house, the friendships they had formed in the suite and the hope that Ms Dowling was alive and that she was going to help them.

Another thing on Bloom's mind was the last time she spoke to Ms Dowling. Ms Dowling forgave her, immediately and without question. That hug. There was only one other hug in the world like it, her mom's. She couldn't explain it. And she couldn't really ask anyone to help her, it was just too weird. Besides Terra and Sky grew up with Dowling as their only mother figure, Stella's mum didn't seem like the hugging type and Musa's mum had died, asking was in sensitive. Musa had told them all while they were at Bloom's house that her mum died last year and her father had disappeared towards the end of the last war against the burned ones. That left Aisha. At bed time she would ask.

Right now she was headed to see Sky. They had been officially dating since the morning after the burned ones attacked the school. Sky had said to meet her at front entrance. As she arrived she was him with an old fashioned picnic basket and a flask.
"Where did you get all of this?" Bloom asked smiling and kissing him on the cheek.
"Its Auntie Farah's, she would always leave it in cottage, I figured she wouldn't mind us borrowing it," he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, Bloom smiled sadly up at him, kissed him once again and they walked outside and down the gardens. The cottage Sky was referring to was Silva's. It was where Sky grew up and where he lived during summers.

They spent a quiet two hours laugh, talking and kissing in a garden that was a bit away from the school while still inside the barrier. It was lovely. Until Professor Harvey found kissing them on his way to collect certain plants that only grew along the barrier.
"Uncle Be- I mean professor," Sky was stumbling over his words while Bloom hid her head in Sky's chest trying not to laugh.
"Just this once I'm going to go with Uncle Ben didn't see anything and Professor Harvey was never here," Ben laughed kindly at the boy, "Just stay out of trouble!" With that he walked on and Bloom could no longer contain her laughter. She laughed at the blush that had risen up Sky's neck and coloured his cheeks. Soon after that they gathered up their things and headed back to the school. Like a gentleman, Sky walked her back to the Winx Suite. Kissing her goodnight, he left to clean and return the picnic basket to his father figure's cottage.

Bloom and Stella practiced positive spell work and control under Musa's supervision until 10, at which point they all decided to call it a night. This was Bloom's chance to talk to Aisha.
"Aisha, what's your mom like?"
"My mum? Why? That bit of weird question. Wait you don't think she could be your birth mom? I'm sorry Bloom but there's a bit of an obvious flaw to that theory," she was joking of course and both girls laughed.
"Your hilarious, " the typical light hearted sarcastic teenaged reply, "I might love you as a sister but I'm afraid I understand that it's not possible." She pulls a pretend sad face and they laugh again. "But seriously, what's she like?"
"I don't know what to tell you, she's my mum. She drives me crazy and I love her. She sings when she doing things around the house and its really off key. She a nurse, she works at a local old fairies home."
"Have you ever met anyone else like her?"
"My mum, no never...... Bloom where's this coming from?"
"I don't really know how to explain it. It. Its, its just weird. My mom, her hugs they feel safe and warm and loving and like they're exclusive to just my mom and me. But then, the day we left to go to my house, that morning when I talked to Dowling, I hugged her, after she told me I was forgiven when I started apologising for my behaviour. And they felt,... not the same but so similar. I just don't understand."
"I don't either, Bloom. Maybe its something you can ask her when we see her again."
"If we see her again, its been two months Aisha, I don't know how much longer I can hold on to the belief that she is still alive. And we've already wandered around in the underground tunnels of the school debunking the theory that she locked away down there."
"She is still live, just keep believing that, Bloom. Trust that belief, because even if she turns out to be buried in the old grave yard with the burned ones, that belief means Rosalind can't break you."

Meanwhile somewhere in a high security prison cell in Solaria, Saul Silva's prison cell unlocked and the guard fell to to the guard with a thud, but there seemed to be no there to cause this. Saul wasted no time, he lifted keys and weapons off of his guard and quickly and quietly left.

Chapter Text

More of Rosalind's mindless soldiers arrived in the early hours of the morning. All these soldiers, they had dropped every the instant Rosalind ordered them too her. And they were all desperate to please her.

Bloom decided by the end of the day she was going to have answers to one of the things on her mind. She was going to talk to Beatrix, even if that meant knowing upsetting Rosalind. She went to breakfast with Terra and as they sat down, one of the soldiers who had just arrived walked up to Terra and informed her that she had a private lesson with Rosalind instead of first period.

Suddenly Terra didn't feel like eating her breakfast, and Bloom spent the remaining forty minutes to first period telling her it was going to be okay, that no matter what Rosalind does or makes her do, she would be ok, the Winx and her brother and her dad and Sky would make sure of that.

Terra's lesson was in a private hall adjacent to Rosalind's office. Rosalind was waiting for her when she arrived exactly on time.
"Hello, Terra." There was no warmth to her voice, so unlike her aunt, it was strange to think that originally Rosalind had taught Farah to be a teacher, a fairy. They approached issues and people in different ways entirely.
"I was informed, that you are particularly skilled in combat, but I never seen it. Maybe you thought keeping your head down in lessons would make me not notice you, but you forgot to carry that forward in your beliefs about your precious 'Auntie Farah'. Oh, but she's gone, isn't she? She abandoned you, she never loved you."
Rosalind called in one of her mindless soldiers. "This is Steven, you and he are going to become better acquainted. Don't hold back because he won't. "
This was the beginning of a gruelling two hour long session of combat training, all the while Rosalind telling Terra the same awful things, that Farah was gone, she wasn't coming back and didn't say goodbye because Terra meant nothing to her.

When the session finally ended, Terra couldn't hold back the tears, she was exhausted, bloodied and bruised. But nothing hurt more than what Rosalind had said. When dismissed, Terra immediately left the hall, and headed for the suite. She didn't call or text her friends she just curled up into her bed.

Worried when Terra never showed up for class, Musa asked Professor Harvey if she could be excused from lesson. She mouthed the words 'Terra and Rosalind' and Ben let her leave instantly. He said aloud, "Yes, Musa you are excused from lessons, I understand that when mind fairies get headaches they can experience a far worse sensation that the rest of us, I recommend to go to your room, for the rest of the day. " Ben had come to the conclusion that that would be where his daughter would go if her session with Rosalind had been awful. The guards at his classroom door- they now observed everyclass, however would not question a mind fairy having a headache, in fact one sniggered and the other muttered pathetic, believing Musa was weak.

Musa was not prepared for the sheer volume of the negative emotions that surrounded Terra, she could feel them from just inside the Suite doors. She texted their friends that she was with Terra, stop worrying. Going into their room, she saw Terra. She looked awful. Musa didn't say anything she just sat down on Terra's bed beside her and held her as she cried, using her power to take some of her pain. Eventually, Terra told Musa everything that happened.
"Hey, hey, look at me. You know your Aunt loved you. What would Rosalind know, she was kept under the school most of your life. She knows nothing. You hear me. The fact that she saying this means that your session was punishment was all the hope you give people when you tell them that she will be back to help us and when you insist that she is still alive. Okay?" Musa's voice is soft and kind the whole time. "Now, let's get you cleaned up. You go straight to the shower, I'll grab your towels and a fresh outfit and leave them in the bathroom for you."
"Musa?"
"Yes, Terra?"
"Thank you," and with that Terra left to go to the shower. Musa gave a sad smile to the empty room.

After Terra got out of the shower and she and Musa had patched her up as much as they could, they sat in their room in silence. Then Terra spotted a photograph of Musa's parents, one of dew pictures Musa had of her father from just before he disappeared.
"That's Stephen!"
"Yea, that's my dad, he's been missing for years, he's probably long dead. I've told you this before."
"No, Musa. That's Stephen, Rosalind's soldier that I fought."
"What? Terra, that doesn't make any sense. My dad is gone."
"I'm telling you, sure he was a bit older but it was definitely him."
Silence fell over them again.

Meanwhile Bloom was preparing for her private session with Rosalind. It was to be outside, where she had transformed before. And that's what Rosalind wanted her to do again. Except this time she wasn't going to let burned ones into the school.
"There's a legend about you Bloom, its a over a thousand years old. You will be the end of burned ones, you are that powerful but you are holding yourself back. You don't need control, I've told you this already. Just enjoy the feeling of all that power." Rosalind sounded fanatic, dangerous even. Bloom transformed and Rosalind threw target after target at her. She kept going until Bloom's burnt out. The girl could not go on further. "You have to let go Bloom, you don't need control, it limits you." Bloom lay on the ground and Rosalind walked away.
Rosalind long gone, Bloom lay still for so long she did know how much time had passed. She didn't move until a projection of love and warmth and safety washed over her. It gave her the strength to pick herself up and walk to the entrance hall where Sky quite literally bumped into her and then practically carried her to her room.

Terra and Musa immediately came to help Sky with Bloom when they reached the room. They asked what happened and Bloom just said she had transformed again and fell asleep as soon as she was in bed. When all of the winx suite had finished their lessons they gathered in their common room, apart from Bloom who was still asleep. They talked about Terra's training session and her discovery about Musa's dad. And finally they discussed that Rosalind made Bloom transform again, she was done going easy on Bloom.

Blood woke that night, still exhausted but wide awake. Aisha was just going to bed and filled her in on their discussions and told her that Terra was gone to spend the night at home, in her dad's cottage, and Sam was there too. Aisha told her that Professor Harvey was very worried about his daughter and insisted that Terra go home just for one night, home was still inside the grounds of the school, so no one could have any objections.

Bloom couldn't get back to sleep, so instead of keeping Aisha awake, Bloom decided to wander the corridors. She then remembered that she swore to speak to Beatrix today and set off toward her room. Beatrix was not in a suite, just a single room. She knocked at the door and no answer. She went inside anyways, determined to talk to Beatrix. But she was not prepared for what she saw. Beatrix, Riven and Dane having a threesome. Sure the whole school knew they did that regularly but Bloom did not need to see it.
"Come to join the party, Bloom?" Riven asked in typical Riven fashion.
"No, I need to talk to Beatrix."
"She's busy," Dane replied.
"Its really important. "
"Okay, outside the door and I'll be out in a moment, " Beatrix answered for herself.
Not needing to be told twice, Bloom left the trio. A minute later Beatrix appeared out of her bedroom door.
"How did you sound proof your room?"
"That's not really what you wanted to to know, is it? Don't make small talk to make what you just saw less embarrassing for yourself, I'm not ashamed of being in a relationship with two men."
"Okay, good for you," Bloom was genuinely happy for her, she couldn't figure why, but she was. "I wanted to talk to you about Aster Dell. Has Rosalind told you anything more about it or your parents?"
"No, why would be bore with me the details, they were from Aster Dell and Dowling, Silva and Harvey killed them."
"No, Beatrix, your working from old information. Rosalind told me herself the night I freed her, she lied to them, she told them she had evacuated the town. She killed all those people because they were Blood Witches. Beatrix you're no Blood Witch, you're one of the most powerful fairies our age. You can't be from Aster Dell. "
For the first time in all the time Bloom had known Beatrix, Beatrix was stunned into silence.
After a few moments she simply said, "I don't understand," she sound so helpless and lost that Bloom pulled her into a hug and Beatrix didn't mind, she actually reciprocated it.
Naturally Riven took that moment to stick his head out the door.
"Oi, are you two doing sexy shit out here without an audience?"
"Ew, shut up Riven!" Bloom snapped and Beatrix told him to take his mind out of the gutter.

Just then, there was a feminine scream of pain down the corridor. The three ran down the hall to find the source. A forth year fairy, grasped at her midsection. Stood in the corridor, Riven recognised her. "Bailey, what's going on? What happened? Are you okay?"
"My baby is coming!" She sounded stressed but clearly did not look pregnant.
"Baby, what baby?" Riven squeaked. Bailey chose that moment to lift the spell concealing her pregnancy.
"We have to get her to Professor Harvey, he's a medic, he is probably the only person here qualified to help her right now."
"Bloom is right. Bailey, Riven is going to carry you, it will get you there quicker." Beatrix ordered.
Riven lifted Bailey, "Right, greenhouse, yea?"
"No he's gone to the cottage now," Bloom replied.

Within minutes they got to the cottage. Bloom briefly explained what she knew about the situation to Ben as he and Sam gathered and sterilsed his medical equipment while Riven and Terra set up Bailey in the spare bedroom. Beatrix stood in her Professor's living room, in shock about all Bloom had told her. Just before sun rise, Bailey's daughter was born, she named her Dawn.

Chapter Text

Despite, none of the five students saying anything about it, the whole school knew about Bailey and Dawn by lunch time. Rumours spread like wildfire through the school, all speculating who the father was. None of the school knew
where Bailey and Dawn currently were nor did they know Beatrix, Riven and Bloom had been there to help her.

But little Dawn's father was not the focus of the winx suite, Musa's was. They spent most of the morning trying to figure how and why, but of course no answer. It was entirely illogical, any story Musa had ever heard about her father was that he loved her and her mother and he was planning on leaving the army with in the year, to be with them. Musa had made peace with the idea that he was dead, that she would never know him. So the idea that he could be alive hurt her.
Terra had an idea. "What if I approached him? I trained with him yesterday and he-like all of the rest of Rosalind's pet soldiers, would like the idea of impressing her. What if I asked him train with me so I could improve to impress her?"
"Terra absolutely not, it's as obvious you're still in huge amounts of pain as it is that Bloom is still exhausted, " Stella said immediately.
"Hey! I'm not obviously exhausted, beside I don't think Terra's plan is to actually fight him." Bloom countered.
"Exactly! I'd ask him to meet up somewhere, and Musa would be there. You could get answers, Musa."
"Its not a bad idea, but Musa, if it's not something you want to do, we will support you with as much enthusiasm as we would if you go through with it. " Aisha said diplomatically, ever the voice of reason.
"I think its a great idea, but Terra, you have to recover first," Musa answered after a moment's silence.
"No! We can't wait. What if he's deployed somewhere and we don't see him again? Besides I'm not actually going to fight him and looking still injured and willing to train will push the desperate to please Rosalind idea."
They all discussed this for a few more minutes. Terra managed to convince everyone bar Stella that it was a good idea. Stella thought it was a risky idea, because Terra was still injured.

Rosalind called an assembly in the afternoon to address the rumour mill. And to make a point. Rosalind thought back to the conversation she had with Bailey Perkins.
"Well I suppose I should offer my congratulations," there was no sincerity in her voice.
"Thank you, headmistress," Bailey was uneasy with Rosalind's presence.
"Although, I had no idea you were expecting. You should have told me, things could have been put in place to deal with your situation. Rather leaving it to sheer luck that the three students who found you and used their initiative and got you help." There was no kindness on this statement, but poorly concealed anger and disgust.
"I'm sorry, Rosalind. I thought Ms Dowling would have told you before she left for her sabbatical." That sounded like a challenge, a dare to reveal the truth.
"No, in her rush to leave, Farah forgot to mention you and your important situation." It was a low blow, an attempt to ruin Farah and this inspired her to attempt to use this situation to make them all doubt Farah. Farah's rush to leave endangered the life of her student's unborn child, make her a monster. It was to be the theme of the assembly.

"You all are aware by now of the fact in the early hours of this morning, Ms Bailey Perkins had a daughter, which she named Dawn. It is a relief to all that both mother and child are healthy." Though Rosalind spoke kind words, their delivery was cold and insincere.
"And yet, had it not been for the quick thinking of Riven, Bloom and Beatrix, this may not have been the case." All eyes in the hall turned to them, prior to assembly no one knew about their involvement in the events of the night before.
"This is because in her rush to be free of the stresses of being Headmistress which she could no longer cope with, Farah neglected to share vital information about her students wellbeing. Farah didn't care about anything but herself when she left here two months ago and clearly she hasn't thought of anyone or anything else since because she has not even attempted to check in you, her students she pretended to care about so much." There was a mocking sweetness to Rosalind's tone now. But it changed again to sing her own praises.
"But I care for you. You are Alfea's next generation of soldiers and as your Headmistress it is my duty to care for you. Had I known of Ms Perkins' pregnancy, I could have offered her more protections than a simple glamour. If there is any issue regarding your health you must ensure I know about it."

Rosalind spoke for a few more minutes but Aisha wasn't listening, she had an idea. There was a book in the library, Magically Caused Maladies. It was an old book used in the dark times when Fairies used their magic on humans. Problem was it wasn't exactly the kind of book Aisha could borrow without being noticed. She would need someone who was known to have talents for healing, but was enough of a trouble maker to help her with this. Her solution was Riven. It was common knowledge he was a nerd last year with an interest in healing magics. And he was enough trouble to go out with Beatrix. He would definitely help her.

After classes finished for the day, Aisha went to speak with Riven and Bloom went to find Stephen, Stella following behind closely but discreetly. Musa waited on the training grounds according to plan.

That left Bloom. She decided to check on Beatrix but Bloom realised that meeting her publicly could rise Rosalind's suspicions as the two weren't known for liking each other. Bloom scribbled a note asking Beatrix to meet her for tea in Dowling's classroom at 9. She walked past Beatrix and Dane on the corridors and pushed the note into her hand. Until then Bloom would spend time with Sky who was still very worried about her after yesterday. He insisted the hung out in her suite so she could rest.

Riven agreed to Aisha's cunning plan to cause trouble quickly. He went to borrow the book and Aisha prepared to hand copy every non lethal spell from the book. They knew a book as old as Magically caused Maladies could not be physically borrowed but a magical copy could be lent to Riven by the Librarian but it would fade with in ten days and he could only have another copy if he submitted a formal request to the headmistress. That's where Aisha came in, she could have it copied to a spare notebook within hours, she didn't get the job as Dowling's assistant just because she volunteered. Super secretary Riven called her when she admitted she speed note taking was the only reason Dowling accepted a first year as her secretary. Once Aisha had the spells, they could quietly pass around spells for making each other sick to the student body. Rosalind did say she wanted to know of there were any issues regarding health, they were just creating some for her to deal with. The next morning half the school would send Rosalind apologies for being genuinely ill and unable to attend lessons.

Terra found Stephen with no problem and he believed her story about wanting to please Rosalind just as expected. She led him to the training grounds where Musa was waiting for the.
"Who is this?" Stephen asked upon seeing Musa. He though there was something vaguely familiar about her but he wouldn't place it.
"This is Musa, she my friend." Terra told him.
"Musa?" He was confused but he didn't know what about.
"Hi," was all she said to him. She could help but feel love toward him, even though for whatever reason he had a abandon her. He was definitely her father, she could feel it in her magic. She hugged him. Her empathetic gift let her now that immediately his confusion slipped away and was replaced by love.
"Musa, my Musa? But you're all grown up. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He said as he returned the hug.
"Why did you leave?" Musa began to cry.
"Rosalind. She has a spell. She's a powerful mind fairy. She can make you forget everything you love, but those emotions have to go somewhere. She transferred them to her. It's why all of the soldiers follow her every word without question, love they have felt for a partner, a child, a friend, a relative, its all for Rosalind now. But it's also tied to love, you still loved me, as your father, even though you had no idea who I was. It broke the spell. The spell was effective but what we went through were just experiments. Whatever the end intentions of this spell, it wasn't create the mindless drones who wander the school, she wanted to make someone forget something important, but for then to continue on as is if they had lost nothing."
Silence hung over them after that. Musa then introduced her friends, Stella and Terra and Stephen apologised for having to fight Terra yesterday. They spoke for a period of time and then Stephen told them he had to go. He warned them to pretend they had not learned the truth and that he must pretend to still be Rosalind's pet soldier. The girls returned to the winx suite and told Bloom and Aisha everything. They were stunned.

Then Stella and Terra came to a startling realisation.
"Terra, you know earlier when Rosalind mentioned that she could have offered Baliey further protections, more than just a glamour? What theoretically could those have been?" Stella asked suddenly very worried.
"Anything from simple protection spells to powerful spells that conceal a pregnancy completely, nothing could harm or even touch the baby. And the fairy would feel nothing of the pregnancy, she could...." Terra trailed off realising what Stella was getting at.
"She would what Terra?" Musa asked, who could sense the worry and tinge of fear that rolled off of both of them.
"In theory, if someone else knew about the pregnancy, before the mother, they could conceal the entire pregnancy form her until the birth of her child, " Stella explained quietly instead of Terra who had temporarily lost her voice. There was a chilling silence.
"Then that's what the memory spell experiment was for, the one used on Musa's dad and the other soldiers. It was to make my mom forget me, considerably easier to make her forget me being born if it's only forgetting one day, not nine months." Bloom said bitterly and they all agreed she was right.
Terra was the first to speak after that. "But that means that it was someone in the army at that time, it's a long shot but maybe my dad knows something?"
"Terra, if he knows, he couldn't say. Rosalind can use you and Sam against him. She's already hurt you, as your own punishment. If she really did kidnap Bloom and make her mother forget Bloom ever existed, then she won't be above hurting you to hurt your dad. He was a soldier, physical pain wouldn't be effective torture for him." Stella spoke the cold truth. Aisha went to make tea for everyone. Bloom declined and left to meet Beatrix.

They sat down one of the work benches. Beatrix had brought a hot water flask, two minutes and a packet of biscuits. She refused to allow Bloom to say a word until she cast a noise barrier spell around them, so no matter who was invisible and wandering around, no one would hear what they had to say.
"How are you?"
"How do you think? I wait my whole for Rosalind and she hasn't given me any answers but had me raised on lies about my past."
"I know it sucks finding out you're not quite who you were raise to believe you were. But you're still you Beatrix, no matter what the truth is."
Beatrix poured tea and and Bloom opened the biscuits. Beatrix stated that no one in the school fell for Rosalind's poor attempt to slander Ms Dowling. Bloom told her about everything she had guessed about herself today based off of what Musa's dad had told them.
"Why two of us?"
"I don't know."
"What if, oh never mind, it's stupid."
"No, what is it?"
"Well its just, I don't think it's a coincidence that both children that Rosalind found alternative guardians for are powerful red heads, born around similar times."
"Are saying we could be sisters?"
"Bloom, I'm saying you don't know your actual birthday, I'm saying we could be twins."

Chapter Text

Two weeks went by very quickly. Most of the school wasn't attending lessons due to a mysterious illness. Musa and her dad passed messages on the corridors, in effort to get to know each other. These messages also contained plans help other soldiers regain their memories. Musa organised the mind fairies to invade their minds and
Stephen arranged for the fairies to be able to find them on their own. Stephen's efforts became easier with the arrival of the news that Saul Silva had escaped prison. The soldiers patrolling the barrier were easily accessed. There seemed to be a powerful force helping the young mind fairies, guiding them, adding their magic to their efforts. But they never revealed themselves, whi ever they were. Many soldiers who had their memories restored left to find Silva, to join him, help him regain the school. Rosalind was furious about the disappearance of some of her soldiers and it showed in her private lessons.

Beatrix and Bloom had tea every evening in Dowling's classroom, when Bloom didn't have a private lesson with Rosalind. And every evening she did Beatrix would lurk in the shadows not too far away from Bloom and pick her up when Rosalind had left her lying on the ground. They would make their way to the entrance hall where Sky would be waiting, he would pick her up and carry her to her room, Beatrix would follow closely behind. When they told the suit and the boys about their theory of being sisters, they caused shock but all agreed that it seemed likely. This particular evening Bloom was worse than she ever had been. She had passed out before Rosalind even left.
"Why is the effect getting worse, isn't doing something over and over again supposed to make it easier?" Aisha was worried about her best friend.
"That's the case if your doing it at the same level as before. But Rosalind is forcing her to push further and further. Believe me that night when you saw her take down the burned ones is nothing compared to what she had to do tonight. Not to mention Rosalind keeps trying to scare her, describing horrific images of what could happen to you guys, to her parents if she fails."
"Well clearly she can't go to lessons tomorrow. She is far too exhausted. Not to mention the frequency of her transformations are giving her enough time to recover." Terra was in full healer mode. "Musa can you get that strengthening solution I made last night."
"Poor Aisha, that stuff smells rank," Musa said leaving the room.
Sky then turned to Beatrix. "How does this never happen to you? You have more private lessons than anyone." His eyes held a hurtful accusation.
"Rosalind doesn't attend most of my sessions herself. I've already been though what she's doing to Bloom. Its just fine tuning now."
There was a sad realisation that Beatrix had had an even worse childhood than Stella. Terra, ever the comforter, hugged Beatrix and she didn't protest. She thought to herself that it was strange that she didn't complain because she definitely would have not three weeks ago.
Changing the topic of conversation when Terra let go of her, "What are you doing for her birthday, it's next week."
"Well that depends on which day she wants to celebrate. The day that the Peters think is her birthday or her actual birthday." Stella said.
"We can't know for sure what her actual birthday is until we know who her parents are. So her first world birthday." Beatrix said.
"Guys she's waking up, " Aisha said excitedly and rather loudly. Bloom groaned at the sudden noise. "Sorry," Aisha said more quietly.
Sky, who sat on the bed beside Bloom asked if she was okay. Bloom said she was okay but wanted to talk to Beatrix for a moment by herself.

"Bea? You what were saying yesterday about the different lands?"
"I told you about Solaria and Draconis and Erakylon and-"
"Draconis. Tell me about it again, please?"
"Okay, well it's the land of the Dragon. They once controlled the Dragon's Flame-"
"Yeah, what is that?"
"Why Bloom?'
"Because that's what Rosalind said I had, it's why I can transform."
"It was a magical core, gifted to the fire fairies by the last of the Dragons that could communicate with us. You must be from Draconis, then."
"We must be."
Beatrix hugged Bloom, "get some sleep Bloom."
"Night, Bea."
"Night, Bloom."
And Beatrix left to let Bloom sleep.

Rosalind had left Bloom on the ground, unconscious. She knew there was someone watching their lessons, who, she wasn't quite sure, probably her little mind fairy friend, due to the mind barrier blocking Rosalind from identifying who was there. She headed down to the old graveyard. For two months she couldn't bring herself to go down there. For the last two weeks after every session that she had made Bloom transform. Five times she had been there in two weeks, never even making it as far as the bench they had sat on with Farah. But tonight she knelt before the mound of clay covering Farah.
"Hello Farah." For the first time since her release Rosalind felt unsure, and she was only speaking to a lifeless body.
"Sorry I haven't been to visit before, dear. You know what it's like, being Headmistress, always too busy. I mean you only found time to visit me once in the whole sixteen years."
She knew that wasn't necessarily true. "No, that's not entirely correct. You visited once a month to ensure I was still trapped. You only spoke to me once, you screamed at me demanding answers about Bloom, when you found her. I refused to answer. I couldn't tell you, even if I wanted to, it would have ruined everything.
"She's spectacular, Farah. You would be so proud if you could see how far she's come from the night you saw her transform.
"You would also be proud of those children who call you 'Auntie Farrah'.
"Terra the power of that girl. When I get time, I'll take her under my wing, maybe I'll make her my new Protegé, I know how much that would have annoyed you.
"Sky isn't sure what to make of Andreas, I suppose you never spoke ill of him, you always were too kind. He's confused but he'll understand eventually. Strange that you and Saul and Ben raised the boy. His mother probably thought he would better away from all that fuss. You know, I don't believe Andreas even told his wife he's alive. Arranged marriages, no love. Sky will have told her of course. Andrea's only married her to be King, why ever he wanted such a pompous title I'd never know.
"The other one, Stan? Sam? Oh, whatever he's called. I wonder why you did just make him a specialist borring isn't the most useful fairy talent, and he wastes it by simply travelling places quickly and visiting that mind fairy that Bloom is friends with.
"They all insist you're still alive, that I've done something to keep you away. They are mostly correct. I did do something to keep you away. But you are dead. Oh, I wished I didn't have to do it. But Bloom would would never trust me if you were still around."
Rosalind was crying now, her tears were genuine. Then her tone turned rueful.
"You should have chose me all those years ago. We could have been happy. But you had to choose your pathetic little Dragon soldier. And where is he now? He thinks you left him and he didn't even fight your decision, well, my decision but he doesn't know that.
"Oh, that argument, it was all I could think about sixteen, almost seventeen years. If you had just chosen me, you wouldn't had to forget. We have could have even...." Rosalind trailed off.
"I couldn't make you into one of my mindless minions who would do anything for me. I couldn't lose that willful streak in you, compliance wasn't like you. Ben and Saul would have noticed if I had and they would have lost it. And damn you for being so powerful. I had to get help from that fairy who lusted after your Dragon Soldier. I wonder did she ever convince him to love her. I doubt it. You're not really someone that you can just move on from.
"If you had chosen differently, we could have raised Bloom and Beatrix together. Not Andreas and not the Peters. But I knew after that day, the argument, the day I had to make you forget, I knew that wasn't possible. Even though you couldn't remember, you didn't know, that mistrust was there. It was never the same afterwards. That night when we were here, when I- well, when you grabbed my cot and told me that you were the headmistress, you were so close to me, I was glad you got up because I nearly kissed you. If I had kissed you I would have lost my nerve, and never let you go." Until now there just tears, but now Rosalind sobbed.
"I'm sorry for a lot of things, Farah. I'm sorry I killed you. I'm sorry I never did tell you how I felt until you moved on. And I'm sorry I made you forget. For what it's worth, Farah, I think you would have been an amazing mother." With that she rose from the ground, dusted off her knees and sat on the bench until she recovered from her brief display of grief.

Hours later, in the office of the Draconian Army General, a machine called a psyche projector, activated for the first time in nearly eighteen years. The red headed General looked up, shocked to see who had separated their soul from their body to visit him at this late hour.
"Farah?"

Chapter Text

Alasdair was never surprised easily. He was the General of the Draconian Army, he was known for being harsh, severe and cold. All in the name of his brother, the King. More used to shocking than being shocked, especially in the years since his wife left. But now here she was soul projecting onto his psyche projector.

"Farah?"
"Hello, Alasdair."
"I must dreaming, you would never come here. Archibald was right I have to turn off that bloody machine."
"No, I'm here. I'm here. "
"Even if this is real. You are not here." There was silence for a moment. "So what, you go on sabbatical two months ago, and now you finally have time to come and see me?" His temper was rising. Farah just looked amused.
"Sabbatical? That's what she's telling everyone," then she turned serious. "Rosalind tried to kill me nearly three months ago and she believes that she did."
"What. So, you're not projecting, your visiting." Alasdair had a horrible vision of the day he put in the projector twenty years ago.

*flashback*

He was guiding three soldiers to putting the psyche projector into his private study at the palace when his brother walked in.
"So, why exactly do you want this, Ally?"
"Do yourself a favour and don't call your army general Ally infront of his soldiers, Archie. And it's to see Farah."
"That's a bit morbid, preparing for your girlfriend's death."
"No, oh, great and powerful King. She's a mind fairy, a powerful one, she can make the projection without dying or needing help."
"Where the hell did find her and why isn't she in my army?"
"A battle against burned ones three months ago. And you can't have her, she's Rosalind's Protegé."
"One of Rosalind's, you're crazy! You're going to end up with your feelings hurt," his older brother lightly teased. "What's she like then?"
"Amazingly powerful. She's naturally a mind fairy, and possibly an air fairy as well, but mind magic is more dominant. But she has control over other elements too, I've even seen her combust a burned one from its insides out."
"Fire magic? And she's not a fire fairy? If you don't marry her I will."
"I don't think your position of power would attract Farah, much too caring. She got herself hurt but still helped anyone she could after the battle. Her friend Ben, he had a field med-kit but he got himself a mild concussion. She took the kit and patched up many of my soldiers, including myself, until Rosalind told her it was time to go. Nurse Gladys was complimenting the tidy stitches for weeks."
"Alasdair, she sounds wonderful but just be careful. Fairies like that have a tendency to get themselves killed. Some day she might not be projecting, but visiting."

*end flashback*

"No. No. No, I'm not dead. Just nearly. She tried to kill me but I soul projected at the last moment. I have been healing my body and projecting calm and comfort to my students, to help them and prevent broken, erratic magic. And I rescued Saul from a Solarian Prison. So much has happened, Alasdair."
"Tell me from the beginning, the Farah. And then maybe you could tell me why you left me."
"I didn't leave you. I didn't remember marrying you."
Alasdair's temper disappeared immediately, he felt as someone had just ran a knife through his stomach.
"You said you were worried Rosalind was making people forget their loved ones, not long before you left. She did that to you."
"Yes, but it's so much worse."
"But how, how could you forget. You're more powerful than she is! You're one of the most powerful fairies alive, how could she have done that to you?"
"You over estimate my abilities Al, and she had help."
"Who?"
"Bronwyn. She thought by getting rid of me, she'd finally have you all to herself."
"I was never interested in Bronwyn."
"I know."
Fiddling with some of the switches, he gave her a solid corporeal form but she still couldn't move from the machine. "So, how do you know now?"
"Before I tell you that, I have a little more to explain." Not waiting for answer she continued. "You remember I told you those other soldiers who forgot, lost who they were?"
"Yes and I remember you expressed your concerns with Andreas."
"Oh, he probably knew. He's actually alive by the way." If Alasdair was surprised he didn't show it.

"Well that's not what Rosalind wanted from me. She had thought if I could forget enough of what we had, I would go back to her. Be her lover again. But she was wrong. I only remembered the I night I ran, the night you asked me to marry you. I didn't remember you following me and easing my fears or marrying you the next morning. She was clever about it. She knew my pride would stop me from going back to you because I left you and I believed that you didn't follow. But you did. Of course you did, I should have questioned that you didn't. She tied my memories to love, certain kinds of love, like she has with all the other soldiers. Rather cleverly my students have figured that out and have been helping them regain their memories. I helped too, but they didn't know I was there."

Farah trailed off, she wasn't sure she how to continue. Alasdair brushed his knuckles against her cheek.

"Farah, how did you remember?"
"Our daughter. She hugged me, and a maternal love awoke. I wasn't quite sure what to do. I didn't tell her. No one knows."
"We have a daughter?" Alasdair couldn't believe it, she had to be seventeen years old. He had missed so much.
"We have twins, Al. They will be seventeen next week."
"Farah explain please." He put his head to her chest and she held him. He was devastated.

"She made me forget about the pregnancy when I forgot you. She concealed them from me, with a spell that was common in those days, we had even used it to protect Rose's pregnancies. The day they were born, I had been in battle against burned ones .Pure exhaustion meant I was weak enough for Rosalind to make me forget it ever happened, by tying the memory to the original spell she could do it by herself, no help. It was just days before Aster Dell. She sent Bloom to the first world as a Changling and Andreas raised Beatrix.
"Quite a lot happened at the school before I found out. Bloom and Beatrix when on a joyride to Aster Dell, Rosalind intended for them to think that that's where they were from. And she had them believe that atrocity was my fault.-"
Alasdair cut her off.

"What happened at Aster Dell?"
"It was the last day of the last war. Rosalind taught Ben and I to combine our magics. The three of us destroyed what was a burnt one strong hold. Rosalind said she had evacuated the people, but she hadn't. We only knew after it was over. We imprisoned Rosalind because of this cruelty. She has since tried to justify it by claiming the people of Aster Dell are blood witches."
"Oh, Farah. So the girls released Rosalind because of this."
"Well that's why Beatrix was trying to and it's why she convinced Bloom to help. Bloom wanted the answers she knew Rosalind had about her past. But Alasdair, the legend. The Dragon Flame. Bloom has the Dragon Flame. Bloom is the fire and Beatrix is the air to spark it."
"Oh my god. A member of the royal family. No one ever expected it not to be the king's child, but the runes all said the child was already born. They thought it was my nephew, Arthur, he's sixteen. But I knew it couldn't be because he has no siblings, Isabella is too old now to have children. Arthur's birth was a miracle on its own."

Naturally, it would be the moment Archibald chose to visit his pay his brother a visit. He was disgusted to see Farah's soul projection.

"Look who finally returns."
"Your majesty, " Farah referred to him royally knowing he would balk at informality.
"Oh, your majesty she says, " apparently not even formality would let him give her a chance.
"Archie, please don't. "
"No brother, don't Archie me, she abandoned you almost eighteen years ago. And yet, here you are with your head in her chest. Your pathetic when comes to her, always were."
"Loving Farah isn't pathetic."
The pair were about to start a ridiculous screaming match when Farah spoke, raising her voice enough to be heard over them without shouting.
"Enough. Al, I better go," Archibald scoughed at this, as if to say again. "You're not going to be able to explain to Archibald if I'm here, and he needs to know. I love you and I will be back to see you, although when I do, hopefully I will be properly alive and in my own body." She kisses the top of his head.
And he replies, "No, I'm coming to Alfea, Rosalind will pay for her crimes and I will meet your daughters."
"Let me tell them first."
"Okay, but I'll be in Alfea by the 7th."
"Their birthday."
Alasdair smiled, kissed Farah and then she disappeared.

"Archie sit down, please. Your going to need a whiskey." And they talked until dawn, Archibald's anger only rising toward Rosalind.

Chapter Text

She was going to do it. She had to know. Bloom had no problem declaring Beatrix her sister, it was enough for Bloom. But Beatrix had to know and short of her mother falling out of the sky, the only way she was going to know was asking Rosalind. And she would ask, the first opportunity she got. Unfortunately for her, that was easier said than done. Thinking back, she hadn't actually interacted with Rosalind in weeks, she had seen her when she observed Blooms lessons and when there were lots of other people around. But she hadn't spoken to her, Andreas or another soldier had taken her private session. Perhaps Rosalind knew this was coming and was putting it off as long as possible.

Ben Harvey had been in contact with Saul Silva since the news of his escape reached Alfea. He had stolen a phone off a soldier and left it in the wood with the message "Don't smile at him," knowing only Saul was understand the reference. They had both constantly said it to each other over the years as their boys got into trouble for doing something wrong for the right reasons, like scaring a first year shitless because they had taken to bullying an eleven year old Terra or that time a suite of 4th year girls had their shampoo switched with green hair dye after they had starter rumours insulting Auntie Farah.

Today Ben was worried. More than usual. Calling Saul to express his concerns, he said, "The tension brewing here is immense. At any moment either Rosalind is going to snap or the kids are."
"Okay, so we need to make our move soon. I'll get the everyone out here organised and we'll wait for your signal. Any time Ben, we'll be ready went you are."
"Okay."
Fears slightly eased Ben went to teach his lessons.

After lessons, the inhabitants of the winx suite congregated in their common room. Bloom, whom Terra had banned from attending lessons just for today, was feeling much better. The girls relaxed and caught Bloom up on what she missed. Then one of Terra's plants fell.
"What, how did that happen, there's no one over there." Aisha was the first to speak.
"Not Stella this time anyways she completely visible," Musa joked.
"Very funny, Musa, " Stella dead panned.
Terra getting up to tidy the mess, groaned.
"Oh, no my Auntie Farah got me this for my birthday."
"Hey it's ok, you can repot it, it will be fine."
"I suppose."
Another plant fell. It had also been a gift from Farah.
"Okay, whoever's is doing this stop. Both of those were gifts my aunt and she missing." Terra was starting to get upset. A third plant began to move. But this plant didn't hit the ground. It floated on air, someone had to be controlling it. Terra reached out to take hold of the potted plant. She was hit a with wave of memories with her aunt. Being chased around the grounds, making daisy chains and being comforted when she fell. All memories with her aunt.
"Auntie Farah? Is it you?" Terra's voice was meek, unsure if she wasn't just going crazy. A warm feeling washed over her, like a hug. "It is you!"
"Terra what are you talking about?" Stella asked.
Musa reached out with her gifts. "She's right, Ms Dowling is here but at the same time she's not, its weird she's like static and all disconnected."
Farah projected an image of the graveyard onto Terra's mind. "The graveyard. Why are you showing me the graveyard.... Wait why are the eleven graves, there were only ten burned ones... Rosalind did try to kill you. And buried your body there?" Farah projects pride to her niece.
"Okay then, Rosalind tried to kill Ms Dowling, burries her in the graveyard. Terra grab your healing stuff," Bloom ordered.
"Why?"
"We're going to fix your aunt's body so she can reinhabit it instead of being a poltergeist."

Farah left the girls to it, knowing it would take them at least half an hour to get organised, get down to the grave and dig up the body. And was before Terra got to fixing it. She decided to find Beatrix.

This was easily enough done. She decided to do something very dangerous. She was going to risk the last of her energies and speak to Beatrix, from inside her mind. When inside her head she realised Beatrix already wanted to speak with Rosalind. It had to be done in a public place though. She gently nudged Beatrix to the corridor where she would corner Rosalind.

*Rosalind is just down there, stop her, get the information you need. *

Getting in Rosalind's way, Beatrix stood in the middle of the corridor blocking Rosalind's escape as the other direction was currently impassable due to a book case that had conveniently fall not two minutes ago.

*ask her what you want to know*

"Rosalind, why did you tell me I'm from Aster Dell. I can't be, because I'm a fairy, not a Blood Witch."
"Not now, Beatrix I'm busy.
"Answer me!" The air around the young air fairy crackled and lightning sparked. "Who am I? Where is my family, is Bloom my sister?"
Rosalind felt a compulsion to tell the truth and tried to fight it but it was too strong.
"No you're not technically from Aster Dell, you were just born near there. Your mother is dead. Your father doesn't know exist and yes Bloom is your sister." Each word felt like lava spewing from Rosalind's mouth. "What mind fairy have you put up to this."
"Up to what?"
"You know what, you insolent brat."
"No I don't" Beatrix wasn't afraid, not at this moment because there was someone backing her up. It had to be, it must be.

*Confirm your suspicions, ask who was she*

"Was Farah Dowling my mother?"

Rosalind made a gurgling noise as she tried to fight answering. She raised her hand to begin magically choking Beatrix but it was like a magical force field was blocking her. No, it was like someone else had stepped on the way. Rosalind was thrown backwards into the bookshelve.

"Impossible, I killed the only person capable of doing that. Farah is dead." Rosalind shouted. There was silence, everyone on the corridors heard her say it. Everyone frozen, then suddenly someone shouted, " For Ms Dowling!" And someone else shouted "attack!" The school turned to chaos. Students attacked the soldiers still under Rosalind's command, most of those left were actually loyal to her, no memory spell. Ben called Saul to tell him "it's now or never," and Headmaster Silva returned to his school with an army.

Beatrix turned to Rosalind who still lay against the bookcase. "Is Farah Dowling my mother." Beatrix's power sparked around her. She had given up on control. Rosalind was very suddenly terrified of the young air fairy. It was all she could do to answer breathlessly.
"Yes."

Beatrix launched lightning bolts at the woman she had been raised to admire, knocking her unconscious.

Then she left the scene of absolute madness. Seeing Silva fight Andreas, students battle and take down soldiers and children become adults. She couldn't take it. Her world crashed around her, not only was her mother dead but she had died thinking the worst of her. She crossed the barrier and sat under a tree, burying her head in her knees.

*oh sweetheart, chin up. Rosalind only has half the story.*
"Mum? Where are you?"
*For now, I'm only in your head. But if you could help Bloom, I'll be okay.*
"Bloom, help Bloom. Where is she?"

Farah no longer had the strength to actually speak to Beatrix, she had been away from her body too long. She projected the image of the graveyard that she had showed Terra. The connection was weaker but Beatrix got the idea. Farah kept projecting comfort and love to Beatrix as her daughter ran to help save her. She arrived as Terra was finishing healing the body.

"Bea? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Bloom immediately jumped up to hug her.
"I'm fine. I talked to Rosalind, we are sisters Bloom."
"What! That's amazing, who are our parents?"
"That's why I was crying, Rosalind said she killed our mum, but she didn't because you're currently trying to fix her body."
"Dowling is our mom?"
"Yea."
Bloom started crying happy tears. And so did Beatrix. Soft giggles escaped them as they still held each other looking down at their mother. The other girls looked on with smiles. Except Terra, who said worriedly, "Guys she isn't waking." At that moment the feelings Farah was projecting stopped.

At that her daughters fell to their knees, happy tears turned sad.
"No. No. No. No. No. No! You're not supposed to die, not now. We just found you. " Beatrix sobbed.
Terra cried too and silent tears ran down Musa, Stella and Aisha's faces.
"Bea, shock her." Bloom said
"What?" Beatrix was confused.
"In the first world we called it a defibrillator, just shock her chest. Now, Bea!"
Beatrix obliged and sure enough Farah's eyes opened and she gasped for air.

Chapter Text

"Mum/mom," Beatrix and Bloom said simultaneously.
Farah smiled at them and raised her hands to touch their faces. "Oh, my girls,"

Allowing the happy moment last a little longer Terra, stepped back from her aunt, letting her daughters have her attention.

"Terra, where are you going?"
Turning back to her aunt.
"No where, I'm right here."
"Thank you, Terra. Oh your mother would be so proud of you, if she could see you know."
"Maybe, or maybe she would be shocked I hadn't already started to make sure you're alright."
"I'm fine. A bit weak." Starting to move she continued, "Help me up, will you girls. "
"You might say you're fine, but when we get back to the school you're going to to the greenhouse to get Dad to take a look at you."
"She can't. The school is in chaos. They think she's dead and have revolted against Rosalind. Silva and the soldiers Musa helped came to join the fight because Harvey called them for backup."
"Yes, you're right. We'll sort it when we get to the school, let's just hope no one gets badly hurt before we get there."
"Hang on, let's go back by the stone circle. We can stop and you can recharge your magic." Stella said.
"Agreed," Beatrix said before her mother could object.
"Ms, don't fight them, the only reason you're still standing is because Bloom and Beatrix are supporting you." Musa said.
"Fine, but only for two minutes."

They walked to the stone circle, stopping for exactly two minutes.
"See, you look more like yourself already, miss," Aisha said.
Farah laughed. "Thanks Aisha."

They reached the school and entered the main building. Farah had the girls let go of her, making appear stronger than she currently was. Much of the fighting took place in the courtyard. So, naturally Farah stood right in the centre. It all came to a halt upon seeing her. The fight had only broken out because she was meant to be dead.

"That's quiet enough," she proclaimed.
Andreas, who had been knocked to the ground and lay at Silva's feet, said, "Farah? How is that possible? She killed you, Rosalind killed you."
"She thought she did, she very nearly did. But I'm alive. And so are you, but yet you never even once considered Sky in almost seventeen years."
Turning away from Andreas she spoke to her students. "I thought I taught you better than this. And yet I'm gone for less than three months and take you on an army, to over throw Rosalind, nearly getting yourselves killed in the process."
She wasn't angry, in fact she almost sounded proud of them.
"Anyone who is injured is to go to the greenhouse, Professor Harvey will fix any damage. Anyone who was involved in the healing club that went on in my office right under Rosalind's nose is to help him. Everyone else is to head to their dormitories.
"All soldiers are to exit to the front gates, regardless of which side you fought for, Rosalind or Silva. Do not attempt to continue battling one another." That was a warning. No one needed to be told twice, all following her orders.
"Sky, Riven, go up stairs, fetch Rosalind, put her in the holding cell. Ben give them the bottle of Zanbaq oil that you keep in your pocket, it will work to keep her knocked out longer enough to lock her away." They left to do as told after Ben gave them the
"The bracelets, the one to block power. Where are like, we'll need them against Rosalind," Beatrix asked.
"In my pocket, " Farah said removing them.
"I'll go after them," she said taking them, shuddering involuntarily as she remembered what they felt like. A wave of guilt washed over Farah. "Stop being guilty, you did what you had to. I was a menace." Beatrix told her. Her mother gave her a sad smile and then Beatrix left.
"Dane, Musa and Aisha escort Andreas to the holding cell."
"Do really think you can lock me up, you b-" Andreas was cut off by Saul who knocked him out.
"Sorry, he wasn't going to go easily. I can carry him down there." Saul said to the three teenagers.
"No I'm sure they can manage, three strong young people that they are."
"Yes miss," they said in unison.
"Saul you're on rounds, check on the students, make sure anyone who needs to go to the greenhouse and get help does. Ben you can head on down to the greenhouse," Farah said.
"I will expect you down there shortly, Farah." Ben told her.
"No, I will to deal with these soldiers and then I am going to my office. There are enough medical supplies up there, Terra can help me." Ben nodded and they all left, leaving Farah with just Bloom, Terra and Stella.
"Bloom, Stella, would you mind heading to my rooms and get me some clothes that haven't been buried for the better part of three months."
Stella nodded and Bloom said "Of Course! We can do that."
"Good, Terra and I will meet you in my office." And they left to do as told.
"Right, now we can deal with the soldiers."

They headed out the front doors where the soldiers waited. Terra supported her aunt as they walked, only letting go when they came to a halt. Farah began to address the soldiers.
"This is a school, not a battlefield. And yet you used it as such, all of you."
The shame of the soldiers hung in the air as were all treated as all her students and not grown men and women, some older than her.
"And to attack children, is disgusting. Rosalind is sick and has stooped to some of the lowest levels possible but I had always hope that those she led were better than she was, just frightened of what she could do.
"All weapons are to be disposited in these crates,"she says as she summons six large wooden crates from storage areas of the east wing. The float graceful down in front of her.
"Medics will be out shortly to assess any damage done to you by my students and a team of mind fairies will assess you to see if your mind has been addled with by Rosalind."
The pure strength of the woman who has clearly unwell, dressed as though she had been dragged through mud and was on the verge of collapsing caused complete compliance. "Yes, ma'am," every soldier in the yard said in unison, quickly forming proper army structure and saluting.
"At ease. You may set up camp on the grounds, the eastern gardens should be sufficient."
"Yes, ma'am."
They did as told and deposited their weapons in the crates and marched to the eastern gardens to set up tents and wait for assessment.

"Okay, now office, Auntie Farah. Before you collapse."
"Yes, Healer Harvey." She smiled at the amazing young woman her niece had become.

Chapter Text

When they got to the office, Bloom and Stella were waiting for them. Terra had supported her aunt for the entire walk to the office. Farah thanked the girls for getting her clothes and headed into the bathroom adjacent to her office and to begin the slow, exhausting process of changing. For the first time she could see just how much of a mess she was. She was pale and frail and looked like one sharp breeze could knock her out. Her hair was disheveled and full of dirt. Her clothes were just as bad. Just how had she managed to convince all those people to do as she said, she mused to herself. First she took her hair down and got as much of the dirt out as she could. She washed her face and changed. Honestly the whole ordeal felt like it had been too much effort by the time she was done.

Exiting the bathroom she found her office so busy no one noticed her. Boxes had been carried in and all of her things were being put back where they belonged and the few items that had gathered in her office that weren't hers or were medical supplies were moved to the door. Aisha was organising her desk. Stella was setting out her couch cushions. Musa and Bloom were organising one bookshelf whiles Sky held a heavy box for them. Beatrix and Dane organised another with Riven doing the same as Sky. In efforts to impress them all and announce herself Farah used her telekinetic abilities to put what was left back into its rightful place.
"Hey, just back from the dead remember, you shouldn't be wasting your energy showing off." Terra scolded.
Farah laughed. "You're going to be an even better healer than your dad, simply because you will be strict. Ben just rolls his eyes and shakes his head."
"Sit down and let me take a look at your neck," Terra smiled as she bossed her aunt. Farah smiled back, sitting down and raising her hands in mock surrender. After examining her neck, Terra declared she would be fine if she got some rest.
"There's no rest for the wicked," Farah joked. Moving to her sofa, she continued. "Thanks to all for you putting my office back together again. Whose idea was it?"
"It was Beatrix's, she saw the boxes, Rosalind had abandoned them all just outside the cells in the east wing. Students brought them inside to keep them safe ages ago. We just brought them back up here after being down there." Sky replied.
Bloom and Beatrix sat down on the couch beside their mother, hugging into her sides. Farah placed a kiss on the top of their foreheads starting with Beatrix.
"Alright you lot, out. Obviously Ms Dowling, Bloom and Beatrix have lots to talk about." Musa started directing everyone out. The boys looked very confused, no one had explained the days events to them. Just as Terra, left Farah called to her niece asking her to inform her father of her plans for the soldiers.

A comfortable silence fell over the mother and daughters, Farah's arms still wrapped around her girls, their heads on her shoulders. Her own head rested onto top of Beatrix's and she stroked Blooms hair.
"I know you both deserve answers and I promise you will get them, but right now I don't have the energy. Or a whiskey." The girls laughed when Farah added the last part. Suddenly remembering Alasdair, "what date is today?"
"The second, why?"
"Your father wants to meet you, so I have five days all to myself with you first."
"What's he like?" Bloom asked, sounding very childlike.
"I'll let you make up your own minds about him. But he's loving and kind, an army general and you definitely inherited your red hair from him."
The girls smiled.
It was Beatrix's turn to ask a question. "Mum?" Farah hummed in reply. "Whose older?" Beatrix asked innocently.
Farah chuckled. "Not telling." And pulled them closer into a hug. They would be okay, Farah thought to herself.

Chapter Text

"I believe I promised you some answers."
Bloom and Beatrix had joined Farah for breakfast in her rooms, Bloom and Beatrix sitting one side of the table, Farah the other. Farah had announced the day a school holiday. Just for the day, a well deserved break after Rosalind's administration. She continued speaking before they felt they had to answer.

"You both know Rosalind was obsessive. She liked to have complete control. That meant over everything. In my youth, I ignored the problematic side of that and passed her off as a perfectionist. She was my headmistress whom I admired greatly and then later was the woman I loved."

Bloom and Beatrix were shocked by the revelation that Farah had actually been in a relationship with Rosalind. Seeing this, Farah continued.

"It wasn't something that started when I was a student, but after. I think she felt that without the obligations of studying I would leave her battalion,so she started the relationship as a way to keep me. But she hadn't intended to become..."

Farah struggled for the right word.
"She hadn't intended to catch feelings?" Bloom suggested. Beatrix rolled her eyes at the turn of phrase.
"Maybe attached is a better word, Bloom."
Farrah chuckled softly at her daughters.

"Yes, I suppose you could put it like that. She hadn't intended to fall for me. She didn't like displaying emotions and so eventually, I moved on. I met your father, it was an instant connection, he was wounded on the battlefield and Ben had a concussion and couldn't help anyone so I did, I took his med-kit and stitched up soldiers. We kept in contact. After three months, he got a psyche projector put into his office, it made
communication easier."

"Wait, hang on a moment, so soul projection was just something you had done before for fun and not only out of necessity when Rosalind tried to kill you," Beatrix interjected.
"What's psyche- soul projection?" Bloom asked.
"Yes, Beatrix, I had soul projected before, but I hadn't done so in many years before spending just shy of three months doing it. Soul projecting is a way of separating your mind, your soul from your body, Bloom, strong mind fairies can do it."
"She means extremely powerful like her," Beatrix added.
"A psyche projector is a machine that can act as a temporary body. Souls of the dead can also visit loved one via a machine like that, but that doesn't happen often because reaching out to a dead person is really difficult. Also very few people have a projector."
"But our Dad does."
"Well, being the king's brother has its benefits."
The girls were stunned into silence, Farah just smiled.

"We continued our relationship for the next two years, seeing each other as often as we could. I knew Rosalind was jealous but I couldn't bring myself to care. Then I went on leave, I was to be off for a whole month. I went to Draconis, where your father is from. Upon my arrival I was met by Bronwyn, a lady of court, someone who your father had been involved with in the past, but had never loved. She still desperately loved him, even after the two years he had been dating me. About a week into my stay your father asked me to marry him. Suddenly, I did worry about what Rosalind would do, I did worry about being married to a king's brother and I did worry about being a soldier married to a soldier. I had seen Ben and Rose try that life. Rose followed days behind the front line with Sam in tow and Terra on the way, she felt she needed to be the first one to know if something happened to him; she didn't want to be one of those wives who suddenly became widows when soldiers showed up at their door with their partner in a box. That whole life scared me. And I ran. I barely got out of the city when your father caught up to me. He reassured me and promised anything, or anyone that arrived, we would face together." She she reached across the table took their hands as she said anyone.

"Then what happened?"
"We married the next morning. Nothing fancy just a simple white dress, it was his mother's, he wore his ceremonial uniform.
"Then my month was up. I went back to Rosalind, happily married, and I didn't know yet but I was expecting, I only found out when I arrived back at base camp. Rosalind was the first person I told. We had a huge argument. She insisted that I should leave him, that my ploy to make her jealous had gone on for long enough. I was deeply offended by the idea that getting married, that you were all just about getting her back. The boys weren't back yet and they didn't know I got married.
"After a while, she pretended to calm down. She offered to perform the projection spell we had done for Rose. This spell would keep you both safe until you were born. There would be no sign that I even was pregnant. I would feel nothing while the charm was in place and it wouldn't show. It would be like you never existed until the day you were born. After she performed the spell, we went our separate ways for the afternoon. In the evening, Bronwyn arrived and Rosalind had appeared to be expecting her. Rosalind simply told me I should have chosen her and they combined their magics to make me forget everything that happened from I ran. I only remembered leaving Alasdair that night he proposed. I didn't remember him following me or marrying him, and I didn't remember you."

There were tears in her eyes and the girls got up and went around the far side of the table to hug her. They stayed quiet for a while, not moving. Eventual they moved to her sitting room. They sat on the couch with Farah in the middle and her daughters either side.

"The day you were born-"
"No mom, you don't have to continue if you don't want to," Bloom cut across her.
"If I stop I don't know if I can ever continue."
Beatrix just hugged closer to her mum.
"The day you were born, we had been in battle, it had been awful. Then, we received word that Rose had been injured. We were about to head her way when I doubled over. Rosalind sent Saul and Andreas on to help Rose. And Ben stayed with me and Rosalind. You were early, and not according to Rosalind's plan. I was so scared, I didn't even know I was pregnant and that didn't change fact that you were on your way, but Ben pulled me back to the present. You were both so tiny when I held you first. And I knew there was no one I loved more in the world than the two of you, not even your father.
"Rosalind allowed me to keep you with me until dawn. In that time Ben and I imagined what it would be like if you and Sam and Terra and Sky all grew up at Alfea together. For humans recovering from child birth takes days but for us fairies it's a simple spell. Then she took you from me. There was someone waiting outside for you. And then she took my memories, tying them to the original spell which made me forget your father. It only worked because despite magic healing my injuries and speeding my recovery, I was still exhausted. She altered Ben's memory, he did remember helping me and he did remember guiding a woman through child birth but to him they weren't the same memory. We got to Rose almost a day after Saul and Andreas. She had been infected by a burned one. We became desperate to destroy the burned ones in time to save her. We even ignored the possibility that Aster Dell wasn't actually evacuated. We were too late. Rose died when we were put destroying Aster Dell."

The tears flowed freely. Farah placed a kiss on each of her daughters hairlines and hugged the tightly.

"So how do you remember now?" Bloom asked quietly.
"You, Bloom. You hugged me in my office the day you went to tell the Peters. Hugging Steven worked for Musa and hugging me worked for you, you just didn't realise it. I didn't tell you then because you needed to speak to your parents and it was a lot to process. Even I needed to process. I realised that I had failed you both."
"No!" And "Never!" Her daughters tried to say.
"That's very sweet girls, but Beatrix, you were raised by Andreas, indoctrinated as Rosalind's puppet and Bloom, your lack of knowledge about who you are led to you almost burning down your home which led you to sleeping in an abandoned warehouse until I found you. Then when you arrived I let you find out your parents weren't your parents from someone else and couldn't help you with at all with your search. Oh and let's not forget Beatrix being locked up with those bracelets. I knew your screaming was faked but part of me feared it was real, I still...."
"Mom, take a deep breath you forget you found me, you brought me to Alfea where I was safe, and you didn't know how to help me find you because you didn't know. And as for Bea-"
"I was awful. I endangered Bloom, I killed Callum and I pretended to scream. And through all of it I pretended not to care. You had no choice, I forced your hand. But do feel awful for all of it, Callum did have to die, I should never have brought Bloom to Aster Dell, then Rosalind would never have escaped and I'm sorry I screamed like you were hurting me. You weren't and you knew that but I had a job to do, convince everyone that you were a monster. You didn't fail me just because you couldn't stop Rosalind, only hours after I was born."
"What did I do to deserve two beautiful, forgiving girls like you."

Chapter Text

In the afternoon, Farah went to explain to her dearest friends who were undoubtedly very confused by the situation. They met in the greenhouse, a common occurrence, the students always knew they could be found there.

This was going to be a tough conversation, Ben had always blamed himself for Rose's death. He thought he had insisted on helping some random woman. He blamed his wife's death on the idea he had to 'play the hero' to someone else rather than going to help her, believing she died because they didn't kill the burned one on time.

"Ben, do you remember the woman you helped the day Rose got infected."
"Farah, what has she got to do with what's happened here, now, not seventeen years ago?" Ben didn't want to think about Rose's death.
"Everything. What do you remember?"
"Nothing in particular, she had two healthy baby girls and her lover was with her."
"Farah who was she?" Saul asked.
"Just a minute Saul. What do you remember about her lover, Ben. Really focus on that connection. What-" he cut across her then.
"No, hang on. They weren't together. She feared the other woman."
"What, why?" Saul was very confused.
"Talk me through it, Ben." Farah's voice was calm.
"She was terrified. It was like she wasn't prepared for it, much worse than most new mothers." Then the missing dots connected, he remembered what she looked like and who the other woman was. "Oh, Farah." He pulled his friend into a hug.
Saul was more confused than ever.
"You weren't just playing the hero that day, Ben. You were my hero. You were the only person I could have trusted. "
Realisation dawned on Saul, Farah was that woman.
"But how?"
"There's so much I have to tell you."

She told them about marrying Alasdair, about returning to camp and finding out she was pregnant. How she told Rosalind and how she reacted, and finally taking her memories. Ben helped her briefly describe the day her daughters were born and then they sat in silence.

Ben got up to make tea and Saul broke the silence.
"So where are they now?"
"Well, I'd imagine they've gone to catch up with their friends in the canteen. Bloom is probably leaning against Sky, and Beatrix is probably sat between Riven and Dane refusing to show public displays of affection."
"Hang, Bloom and Beatrix are your daughters? I mean there both powerful and this shouldn't be a surprise but wow!"
Farah laughed at her friends surprise and thought about her daughters.

Meanwhile, Beatrix was not where her mother imagined she'd be. Beatrix had been raised by someone who had been one of Farah's closest friends, a long time ago. She needed to know if he knew who she was. She quietly snuck into the warehouse warehouse where the cages were. Rosalind appeared to be still out cold, but Andreas was pacing, ge sported a nasty bruise from when he had been knocked out by his old friend. Then he seen Beatrix.

"Daughter, finally come to see your dad?" There was no warmth in his words, it was more like a taunt.
"Dad? More like conspirator to my kidnapping," Beatrix snapped back.
"Kidnapping, now that's not very nice, not when I raised you as my own."
"I never asked for that. Besides you have a child, a son, you abandoned."
"Please, I doubt Sky is actually even mine. His mother was having an affair. So, its unlikely that I abandoned my child. "
"Why don't you tell him that, then?"
"Will you?" He challenged her.
"He deserves to know his father isn't a life like you." She answered honestly.
"Ouch. You know I thought would have better insults after everything you've been through."
"Why would I waste them on you?"
"What do you want, Beatrix?" Andreas had quickly grown tired of their game of back and forth.
"Did you know who my mother was?"
"Why? Its not like you'll find her."
"Did. You. Know?"
"No, Rosalind never said, so I never asked. You saw what happened when you pressed her for answers, the whole school broke into chaos."
"And now your both in a cell. But you never even wondered or even suspected who I was?"
"No. So I guess you'll never know. Because she won't tell you."
"She did tell me."
"Who are your long lost mummy and daddy then? Will there be a precious reunion?" Andreas mocked her.
"I've already met my mother, I'll meet my father this week. You know my mum actually, her name is Farah, Farah Dowling."
"Hate to break it to you, but Farah never had kids, I would have known if she had a kid your age, I was still her friend back then."
"Not if Rosalind didn't want you to know."

For the first time in her life, Andreas was stunned into silence. He believed her. And he knew just how much trouble he was in for, Farah would never let him away with this.

Chapter Text

Beatrix caught up with Sky after dinner. She sat him down and gently told him what Andreas had told her, she explained to him he hadn't said who he thought Sky's father actually was and likely he wouldn't. Sky was confused and angry and ecstatic all at the same time. He went to the first person likely to give him answers, his Auntie Farah. Her door swung as he raised his hand to knock at her office door.

"Sky, what can I do for you?"
"Beatrix talked to my father. Except he told he wasn't my father."
"She what? Why would she go down there, no, I know why she would go down, I just wish she would have told me first."
"You wouldn't have let her. But did he tell her the truth? Who is my father?"
"Sky, even if I knew the answer to your question, it wouldn't be my place to tell you."
"Please, Auntie."
"I'm sorry, Sky."
He started to get angry. "Fine, I'll go ask Silva." And with that he stormed out of her office.

Farah then got on with the work that had sent to her office for the evening, she had much to do, all diplomatic. She couldn't think about poor Sky. First, she called her brother in law. Archibald was much more interested in speaking Farah than before and even apologised for his behaviour. Farah told him that it was okay and Archibald then moved straight on to business.
"I want to arrest Rosalind and Andreas for their crimes against you and my brother. I understand I need your permission for that," Archibald wasn't really asking.
He knew he needed Farah's permission to make an arrest on Alfrean grounds. It was part of the laws which the school had been set up under, to make it fair for students from all the Realms to attend Alfea and still return home to serve their own land and kingdom. The headmaster or headmistress had to give their blessing for any Sovereign to do anything whiles at or involving Alfea, whether that was presenting a medal or ordering an arrest. This was because Alfea was landlocked into Solaria.
"Yes, that's right. I can allow it but please allow me to speak with the Queen of Erakylon first, so we can avoid any diplomatic issues. Also Queen Luna of Solaria may need to be told too as you have to enter Solaria to get to Alfea."
"Naturally. But just out of curiosity, how did Rosalind not figure out that you were still alive when she attempted to get those deep magical wards back on her side?" Archibald asked.
"Because she didn't. The wards had rejected Rosalind long before Aster Dell, they would never have accepted her if she tried."
"How long ago did they leave her?"
"Oh, I was still in school. She was furious when it happened and it showed in our training session with her that afternoon, I still have the scars." Farah explained lightly.
"But the school would have chosen someone else then, if they rejected Rosalind that long ago."
"They did."
"Who?"
"Me, and so I bore most of her wrath that day."
"The wards chose you when you were still only a student?"
"Yes, I was only eighteen at the time."
"You never stop being impressive, do you?"
Farah laughed at this. They continued to make small talk for a short while before Archibald hung up to deal with other business.

Then, she had to call Edythe, Queen of Erakylon. Farah had to explain to Edythe why her husband, Andreas, King of Erakylon was about to be arrested by Archibald of Dragonis and that currently he was locked up in her storage out house.
"Conspiring with Rosalind in the kidnapping of the King's nieces," she explained the charge. "Rosalind will be given another charge of tampering with the King's sister in law's memories."
"Very, well thank you for warning me. I consent to the arrest, not that the headmistress of Alfea needs my permission for the arrest of someone from inside her grounds."
"Yes, well it certainly helps to have your consent for what happens after."
"True. So, how is Sky?"
"He was struggling with the idea that his father wasn't the good man we raised him to believe he was."
"He could believe that with you though. If he grew up here, he would have had to face every day that Andreas was a selfish, dishonourable man."
"He was a good man once. Before Rosalind twisted his heart. But, Edythe, Sky knows now that Andreas is not his father."
"How?"
"Andreas told my daughter, the one he raised. She told Sky. He's distraught, I didn't him anything, though. You should have just been honest with him years ago, maybe his whole life."
"Perhaps. But you better get on. You have to deal with Luna."
"Oh, if I must."
The pair laughed faintly.
"Goodbye, Farah."
"Goodbye, Edie."
"Give my love to Saul."
"Of course."

Then finally she contacted Queen Luna. Which isn't a simple phone call, first you have to call her assistant who puts you on hold while he talks to Luna and then he gets back to you on whether or not Luna will speak to you. If she does speak to you, depending on who you are and if she feels the need to impress or ascert dominance, she will image project to speak to you. Image projection was a bit like soul projection by cheating and using a machine the similar to a psyche projector, but it instead of housing a consciousness, sends it elsewhere, almost like a holographic phone call. Luna often used it to speak with Farah. This evening was no different. To say that Queen Luna was surprised to be hearing from Farah Dowling was an understatement, the queen was one of the few who knew that Rosalind had killed her, or at least tried to anyways.
"Farah, you look dreadful. Where's Rosalind?"
"Thank you, Luna. And Rosalind is locked up. She is to be charged with crimes against Dragonis."
"Dragonis? My, my, you do have high opinions of yourself. Why would they help you?"
"I married the King's brother, General Alasdair of Dragonis. I'm simply calling to inform you they shall be passing through to take Rosalind and Andreas into their custody."
"Andreas is a King, they can't."
"They can with his wife's blessing, which she gave. Also, the events of Aster Dell are going to come out. You might want to go along with our story of how you helped us cover it up because you thought it was the right thing to do, after all it wouldn't look good for you to be involved in a scandal, people may think you were more involved in her crimes otherwise."
Luna started stuttering.
"If there's nothing else, I believe we are done here."
Farah's eyes glowed white and she forced Luna's image to disperse. Then she treated herself to a well earned cup of tea. Before organising herself to head to her rooms for the night.

Bloom was in the Winx suite with all her friends. The rest of them were laughing and joking about something that had happened earlier, but Bloom was distracted. She kept thinking back to the night she set Rosalind free. She couldn't quite figure what it was that was bothering her. Then, it clicked. She got up all of a sudden and started to leave the suite quickly. Terra asked what was wrong, but Bloom just told her she needed to speak to her mom. Musa told Terra to let her go. And Bloom left. She was going towards the office when she walked straight into Beatrix.
"Bea! Would mom still be in her office or in her rooms now?"
"Its getting late, so mum's probably gone to her rooms."
"Okay, thanks." And she started rushing off in that direction. Beatrix started calling after her but Bloom wasn't listening so she just followed.

They met Farah at her door, just as she was arriving there herself.
"Hello girls, miss me already?" She smiled at her daughters. "Beatrix you better have a good explanation for going down to Andreas." Then she seen the look on Bloom's face. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
Bloom just flung herself into her mother's embrace and started to cry. Not letting go of Bloom she directed her daughters inside. And sat them down in her sitting room. Bloom sat beside her mother and Beatrix sat in the arm chair across from them.
"What happened?"
"I figured it out."
"Figured what out, Bloom?"
"What Rosalind said that night I set her free. She as good as told me that you're my mom." Bloom explained through tears.
That didn't make sense to Farah, it didn't suit Rosalind's plans to tell Bloom.
"What do you mean, Bloom?"
"I confronted her about hiding me from you, for not telling any about my existence. She told me the guidance I needed was love. And that you couldn't give me that, but Vanessa and Michael could. She as good as told me she took me from you to leave with the Peters."
"Oh, Bloom," she hugged her back into a hug. "Rosalind never intended for you to figure that out from that statement. You couldn't have. There was no evidence to suggest it. My guess is that the only purpose of that statement was to hurt you like it has now when you think back to it knowing the truth."
It was little comfort to the sixteen year old. She just sat in her mother's embrace for a while, crying. Internally, Farah was cursing Rosalind's existence.

After a few minutes, Beatrix tried to distract Bloom. She asked her mother,
"Mum, so what is our actual birthday."
Farah smiled softly, knowing what she was doing.
"The seventh, the day your father plans to come see you. Do either of you have plans for your birthday?"
Bloom, not knowing about what Beatrix and her friends had already planned for the twelfth said, "Hard to plan for a day that you didn't know." She laughed softly and her mother and sister joined her.

Down in Saul Silva's little cottage, on the edge of the training grounds, Sky was sitting down to a mug of tea with the man who raised him.
"Who is my father?"
"Come on, Sky. I've told you since you were little about your dad."
"Funny how Andreas is now saying he's not my father."
"He's what?"
"You don't know?"
"I knew there were some doubts, when your mother first announced that she was expecting. If Andreas is truly not your father then at the time they must have agreed to say he was, so they had an heir, so they could no longer had to spend significant amounts of time in each others company. From what I knew, she was planning on divorcing him before he faked his death. I'd wager she's pursuing that now. "
"Do you know who they thought my father might be?"
"Your mother was having an affair, many thought you might have been his."
"Who was he?"
There was silence for a moment as Saul decided how to proceed, finally opting for brutal honesty.

"Me."

Chapter Text

Late that night Farah was still awake despite being exhausted. She had to find something, well two somethings. It probably could wait until morning but she wasn't going to sleep if she didn't. Currently, she was cursing the amount of boxes in her wardrobe and cupboards. Big boxes, small boxes, small boxes in big boxes. But she needed to find them. She remembered the day she got them. Many years ago, when Sky, Sam and Terra when little, they all used to go on a holiday in the first world during summers. Farah had to play grown up because these trips brought out the childishness in her two oldest friends.

*flashback*

They had chosen Spain this time. A touristy area, so Ben and Saul could manage; Farah could speak Spanish, she could speak several first world languages and most other realm languages, Ben and Saul, however, only spoke English.

Today, they travelled further a field, away from over crowded streets and beaches to a quieter town that still attracted masses but not English speakers. They explored the street market for hours. Now the children were getting tired and Terra had fallen and scraped her knee. Saul sat her down on a bench and was kneeling in front of the four year old.
"How about icecream?" Saul asked his crying little niece. She nodded meekly in reply. "What do you think boys, icecream?"
The boys were more enthusiastic and replied yes excitedly. Icecream was their favourite part of the first world, Auntie Farah didn't let them have icecream at home, she said there was too much sugar in it. Instead she had homemade ice pops and frozen yogurt pops but they weren't quite the same.
"Well then, Terra, we better ask Auntie Farah nicely because your Uncle Saul and your dad can't speak a word of Spanish, but Auntie Farah can."
The boys started jumping around Farah saying please, please, please.
Terra looked up at her aunt.
"Please, Auntie Farah."
"Of course, sweetheart."
Terra jumped up wrapped herself around her aunt's leg as a hug and Farah bent down to pick her up, holding her for a moment then kissing her on the head and putting her back down again.
"Okay, you three sit right here on the bench, and look after Uncle Ben and Uncle Saul."
"Yes auntie Farah," the three children said in unison getting up onto the bench.
"When I come back we can head down the beach for a little while before we have to go."
"Yeah!" Cheered three little voices.
"I can come with you Farah, to help." Ben offered.
"I think I can manage three icecreams by myself, Ben."
"Only three?" Saul asked.
"Are you having a beer later?"
"Of course."
"Then only three. Only one treat for everyone."
Ben laughed at this and Farah headed off. Saul fake pouted, making the children laugh.

The icecream shop was back over two streets and there was so many market stalls between the bench and there. It wouldn't hurt for Farah to take a look. Then she saw two lovely silver necklaces, with turquoise tears drop shaped stones hanging from them. Farah didn't know what made her stop and look at them, but they were beautiful.
The woman at the stall saw Farah was interested in them, she saw the pain her her eyes that Farah herself didn't even realise was there. The woman could speak English fluently.
"I see you like the birthstone chains."
"I- um, yes they're very beautiful," Farah's voice caught in her throat.
"These were meant for two very special girls. Do you have children?"
"I, um. Well.." Farah was stumbling over her words.
The woman lifted the two necklaces wrapped them up daintily and placed them in an ornate little wooden box.
"Here, look after them, and one day your daughters will return to you."
"But, I don't have-"
"No."
"How much are they?"
"For you, no charge."
"But I couldn't possibly-"
But the woman moved on to her next customer, leaving a stunned Farah.

Farah walked on and got the icecreams and returned to the children. She remained very quiet for the rest of the day. They returned home as scheduled the next day and the chains and the woman who gave them to her still were confusing Farah. She got home and put them into the cupboard. And finally she let them slip her mind.

*flashback end*

There the two necklaces remained forgotten until tonight. There was a knock at her door, she abandoned her search to answer it. It was Saul.
"Farah, I hope I didn't wake you. I know your still recovering but I needed to talk to someone and Ben has to teach tomorrow but is already planning on banning you from teaching tomorrow because you're not fully recovered."
"I know. Come in." Once he was inside she continued. "I take it this is about Sky?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
"He showed up in my office. Looking for answers to what Andreas said. I didn't tell him anything."
"I did."
"How did that go?"
"He just hugged me, grinned like an idiot and said goodnight dad and left to go to bed."
"He already loved you like a father and Andreas was such a disappointment."
"I'm going to have to tell Edythe that Sky knows."
"I have already been talking to her."
"Thanks, Farah." That was a conversation he was glad to avoid, they weren't on speaking terms after an argument fours years ago. There was silence for a moment.
"What are you doing still up, aren't you under strict orders from Ben and Terra to rest?"
"I couldn't, I have to find them."
"Find them?"
She told him about the necklaces and the strange woman that gave them to her.
"The stones are turquoise, the birthstone for December. My girls were born in December, they're going to be seventeen in a few days."
"And you want to give them the chains for their birthday."
"They were meant for them."
"I'll help you look."
"Thank you, Saul."
They looked for half and hour. Farah finally found them in bottom corner of her wardrobe. She went out to the sitting room when Saul was looking and showed him. Then she used her magic to tidy everything away again. She got dizzy and Saul held her arm to steady her.
"Don't tell Ben." She warned when she was okay again.
"Tell you what, you go to bed now and don't argue when Ben comes to tell you that you're not teaching in the morning and I won't tell him about this."
"Fine."
"Goodnight, Farah."
"Goodnight, Saul. Oh and Edie sent her love by the way. You really should talk to her."
"I will."

Chapter Text

True to her word, Farah did not argue when Ben arrived at her door to inform her that she would not be teaching today. However, she did not mention that she had absolutely no intention of staying in bed, tomorrow was the weekend she could rest then, she reasoned, but Ben didn't need to know what she was up to. If asked her friend would simply say she's still recovering as is supposed to be in bed. And she saved herself from Saul because she didn't argue about not teaching.

Farah was rather more like her daughters than anyone would assume, considering all the time they had been apart. When Farah Dowling got an idea in her head she always followed through, much to the pain of her two dearest friends. She was about to do something stupid, very reckless indeed. But she had to speak to Rosalind before she went to trial.

She dressed for the day and headed down the east wing unnoticed. Sliding open the door she prepared herself for what lay inside. She wasn't surprised to see Rosalind still lying exactly where she had been left, nor was she surprised that Andreas was pacing, he always paced when he was nervous but she knew Rosalind was not still out cold just pretending so she didn't have to deal with his nerves. Rosalind knew she was there, she reached out with her magic to connect with Farah. Then Andreas spotted her.

"Farah, you can't lock me up, I am the King of Erakylon," there was no power behind those words, he sounded desperate, pathetic.
"Oh do shut up, she won't listen," Rosalind spoke for the first time since she admitted to Beatrix that Farah was her mother.
"You're awake!" This annoyed Andreas.
"Of course she was, she just was never good at being there for someone who needed her." Farah replied.
"Really, straight to being difficult?"
"We only had her knocked out enough to keep her asleep until night fall, the first night."
Andreas slumped to the floor, silently stewing.
"What do you want Farah?"
"To talk to you, you see I won't get to do so shortly, after the Dragonians take you into their custody. And before you say it, Edythe gave her blessing for Andreas's arrest and well, you have no such immunity, Rosalind."
"So what, this is when I'm supposed to beg, offer you what I know and that will buy me my freedom?" Rosalind taunted.
"No, I don't think my husband will ever let you walk free."
"Husband? You're married, since when?" Andreas found his voice again.
"Almost eighteen years, I think you might have met him a couple of times, Alasdair of Dragonis."
"Shit."
Farah just smirked, he finally understood that he was done for, he had been party to the kidnapping of the King of Dragonis's nieces, there was no escape and his wife had stripped him of diplomatic immunity.

Rosalind broke the silence that fell.
"You still haven't said what you wanted from me?"
"I need to know what exactly you had hoped all of this would achieve. I want to know why you took my children from me."
"I knew the legend."
"You sacrificed my freedom for a legend." Andreas was furious.
"Nevermind your freedom." Farah snapped at him. Turning to Rosalind she continued. "You took my children from me because a legend said that they might be powerful?" She was horrified.
"In my defence, I hadn't planned for you to lock me away for sixteen nearly seventeen years."
"So what exactly had you hoped for?"
"I had hoped you would come to your senses, preferably before they were born."
"You're insane! How could I possibly love you when you hid my pregnancy from me, my marriage?"
"Because you do love me, you told me loved me many times before!"
"I did, I loved you. Past tense. You never returned those feelings so I moved on."
"I did love you, I never had the courage to say it until-"
"Until I stopped begging for it."
Rosalind let silent tears fall down her face, she didn't have anything to say to that because it was true. She never had to face what she felt for Farah until Farah stopped loving her.
After what seemed like an eternity, Farah spoke again.
"If you loved me, why, the night she freed you, did you tell Bloom that you gave her to the Peters because they could love her and I couldn't? Why hurt her like that, knowing that one day she would know and she would think back to that conversation and be hurt because you hinted at that truth in a way she could never understand? Why hurt my daughter?"
"Because I never intended for her to find out. The plan was already set by the time Bloom freed me, I was going to kill you and I would never tell her."
"So to ease your conscience, you would give her a partial truth."
"Yes."
"You're disgusting....Interesting choice, planting a fake memory in Beatrix's mind, make my child hate me, funny how that has backfired and now it's you two she hates."
"Beatrix was irrelevant after I was freed."
"Don't you dare say my daughter is irrelevant!" Farah's eyes glowed their pale magical blue. Rosalind began to choke. But before she left any lasting physical damages beyond bruising Farah let go.
"Goodbye, Roz," she spat.

Hearing Farah call her 'Roz' with such venom hurt worse than her throat, Farah used to call her Roz as an endearment, but those days were long gone.

Farah left to spend the rest of her day sorting through paperwork and then creating a dinner for an evening with her girls.

Chapter Text

Within the Dragon's bloodline 
His flame shall reignite, 

Fire and air intertwine 
With the mind.

The Dragon flame shall rise 
Once again;

Under mother's watchful eyes,
Her children shall lead

The seven saving us all
From the darkest night.

However, should they fall
Death will follow....

The words of the prophecy weighed on Farah's mind as she sat down to dinner with her daughters. The prophecy spoke of seven, fairies probably, fairies lead, specialists followed. That meant Bloom and Beatrix plus five others, under her watchful eye. Five? Terra, Stella, Aisha and Musa, but who else? It would have to be someone close to the group, a connection to them. It couldn't be herself because she was to watch over them. Sam. Terra's brother, Musa's boyfriend, and had her daughters grown up at Alfea as she wished they could have he would have been like a brother to them, or at least considered family. Seven. And if anything happened to anyone of then she would never forgive herself. She supposed that was why they were to be under 'Mother's watchful eyes'. 

"Mum?"
"Alfea to mom? Hello?"
She blinked back to reality. "Sorry, I was away with the sprites."
"We kinda noticed that," Beatrix smirked half heartedly. 
"Away with the sprites? Never heard that one before. I guess it's the other world version of away with the fairies." Bloom laughed.
"Well to be away with fairies is normal in the other world."
"True."
"Seems I'm not the only one distracted. Beatrix, something on your mind?"
"Were you inside my head?"
"No dear, its written all over your face."
"I just, Riven and I broke up."

*flashback to this afternoon*

"Beatrix?" He called down the corridor after her when classes ended.
"Yes?"
"Can we talk?"
"Sounds serious," she teased.
"It is."
"Okay, then let's go to my room and we can talk."

Once in Beatrix room he guided her to sit down at her desk.
"Beatrix, I'm sorry I can't keep doing this."
"You what?"
"Being the third person. I mean we have great sex but I need something more."
"Is there someone else?"
"No, honestly there isn't even someone else that I fancy, I just can't keep being third wheel to you and Dane and he really has it bad for you."
"Okay. But can we still be friends?"
"Yea, of course."
"No, I mean it Riven, I don't want to lose you just because were not dating anymore."
"And I promise you won't."
He hugged her and left the room. 

*flashback ends*

"Omg, Bea, are okay?"
Bloom immediately wraps her arm around Beatrix.
"I'm fine, it wasn't nasty or cruel in anyway. But he felt like a third wheel. He had to move on."
"Are how do you feel about it?" Farah approached the topic gently. Riven had already hurt Terra when they fell out the previous year, he was not going to be let away with hurting her daughter as well.
"I'm okay, I mean, I made him promise I wouldn't lose him as a friend and he wasn't leaving me for someone else, I checked his mind, he wasn't lying at all."
"If you're sure you're okay."
"I am mum."
"Wait, you checked his mind. How exactly did you do that? We don't experiment with other elements until second year."
"Some fairies are born with secondary elements, air is Beatrix's dominant element but mind magic is there too, I was the other way round."
"But how did you know if you had a secondary element?" 
"Honestly is wasn't pretty, can we not discuss it at dinner." Beatrix didn't want to remember that. Ever.
Farah sent her a sad look as guilt washed over her but she projected warmth and love to Beatrix. Beatrix gave her a soft smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

They continued their meal in silence. When they finished they walked the dishes and were heading to the sitting room Saul burst into Farah's rooms.

"Farah! The burned ones they're gathering at the barrier there has to be at least thirty of them. And they're running from something, its huge but its staying in the shadows. I can't make out what it is."

Bloom went to the window, a burst of flame rose from the trees. Then she saw it.
"Its a Dragon!"

Chapter Text

Bloom didn't like how the mention of a Dragon made her mother blanch, she didn't like the fear in her sister's eyes and she didn't like how it made Silva shift uneasily on his feet.
"A dragon?" Farah said finding her voice. She didn't doubt Bloom but she had hoped there was more time to prepare for war than what she had. Dragons in the past were kind creatures, intelligent and wise. But now they were dangerous and an even bigger worry than the thirty plus burned ones at the barrier. If it tried, it could simply burn down the barrier the way Bloom could destroy Rosalind's prison. But there was no time to panic.
"Saul gather the soldiers and prepare the students, we are at war now. The prophecy is coming to pass now whether we want it to or not."
"The prophecy, but Farah, they're only kids."
"I know." She had never felt more helpless in her life and it showed in her voice.
"Mom, what prophecy?"
"Rosalind called it a legend, that's a poor description because legends are things that have happened, albeit slightly exaggerated versions. Prophecies will happen, we just don't know in what form or when, there is no stopping them. Short version, The Dragon flame will rise again and there will be a battle, you two and five others will lead us and if you fall some one will die."
"Fall as in fail?" Bloom asked
"I don't know."
"Also she skipped the part where she had to stand and watch you put your lives at risk."
The girls wrapped their arms around their mother for a hug. Kissing her daughters on the head, she worried that this may be the last time she held them both in her arms. "I love you both, so much," she whispered to them with tears in her eyes.
"Saul, the soldiers and students. Gather everyone at the pond on the specialist training grounds, the water will be useful for putting out the fires. Beatrix go tell Professor Harvey to ready the infirmary and help him but join us in twenty minutes. Bloom gather your suite mates and Sam, I believe they are the other five in the legend. I have to speak with Rosalind."
"She won't tell you anything, Farah."
"Oh, she will. If she won't say it, I'll get inside her head."

They all headed to do their tasks. As Farah crossed the court yard the Dragon let out an almighty roar. It wouldn't stay outside the barrier for long. She entered the east wing with urgency in her pace.
"What did you do?!" She half shouted at Rosalind.
"I've done nothing, how could I? You've kept me locked up in here for three days."
"Then explain why a Dragon shows up now that you have trained my daughter in using her flame."
"Oh so that's what all the noise is," Rosalind feigned surprise and innocence.
"I don't have time for your games, Rosalind. I'm giving you one more chance to speak before I invade your mind, and I promise you I won't be gentle."
"Oh fine, it wants Bloom. Without knowing it, she's been calling it, on my command."
"You kept making her transform, and that powerful magic called it?"
"Yes," Rosalind was pleased with herself.
"And this is why the wards left you when I was eighteen. Twice since you have been released you have put the school into jeopardy."
Rosalind said nothing.
"Farah, let me out, I can help. I will fight for you and when this is down I will go back to this cell and pay for what I have done. Please, you need all the help you can get." Andreas begged. He was a good man once, he would fight honourably for Farah, as an attempt to make things right.
"Fine. You can come, but Rosalind you're staying put, I'm not giving you your magic back and without it you will only be a liability out there."
"I don't care, I'm far safer in here."
"You won't be if they fall, you will be the death that follows." Farah warned and she meant it. She would sacrifice a woman who will be sentenced to death in Dragonis, if it could save her students or her daughters.

Bloom found the five people she was looking for in her suite.
"We have to go, there's a Dragon out there as well as so many burned ones. This is it. I told you Rosalind kept mentioning a legend. Mom says it not a legend, its actually a prophecy. One that says that the six of us and Bea have to save everyone."
"Shit." Sam said.
"Bit of an understatement, there Sam." Stella replied.
"Stop it you two," Terra snapped.
"What's the plan?" Aisha asked.
"No idea, mom has the whole school gathering at the specialist training grounds."
"Then let's go, " Musa said rising to her feet and leading the way out the door, they all followed.

Beatrix headed to the green house.
"Professor Harvey?"
"Beatrix, I presume your mum sent you."
"Yeah, she wanted me to help you start getting the infirmary organised and then join her in twenty minutes."
"Where are they going to begin the fight?"
"At the pond, the water is already there, it can help put out fires."
They set to work and within twenty minutes they had much sorted.
"Go, your mother will need you. Good luck."
"Thanks, Uncle Ben." She called him that because that's what he should have been if it weren't for Rosalind and Andreas. He gave her a sad smile and she left. He hoped that she would be still alive by the end of the night and that his own children would be too.

Saul had quickly gathered most of the school's inhabitants, the soldiers and specialists had already been ready, waiting orders. Farah, Andreas and six of the seven arrived at the pond at the same time. Andrea's immediately walked over to Saul to get his orders.
"What's the plan, Miss Dowling?" Musa asked immediately.
"The five of you are going to try and do something very dangerous. I wouldn't ask unless it was necessary but you're all linked together by friendship and family and what should have been. Beatrix and Bloom should have grown up at Alfea with Terra and Sam. They should have interacted with Stella from a young age due to Solaria's connections to Dragonis and you are all good friends who are always there for each other. There is no other way."
"What do we have to do?" Aisha asked.
"You will have to combine your magics to boost Beatrix's and Bloom's as they transform, taming the Dragon and guiding it to destroy the burned ones."
"And how the hell are Bea and I suppose to do that?"
"Trust Beatrix to open the mind link between you and the Dragon. The rest will be instinct."
"And what if we fall?"
"I will catch you." Bloom wrapped her arms her mom, needing the comfort.
The Dragon was getting more and more hostile.
"Get into position." She told them. "Good luck."
They all began to walk off accept Sam and Terra.
"Auntie? Can we just say, we're sorry?" Sam started.
"What are you sorry for?"
"For deciding to be so formal when we became students here," Terra burst out.
"If we get through this, no more formalities." Sam declared.
Farah pulled them both into a hug. When she released them, they joined the others.
Then Beatrix arrived. Farah told her what she had to do. She embraced her daughter and as she did the Dragon burned through the barrier, she knew this even with her eyes closed because she could feel it in the wards. Beatrix ran to join the others. Fighting broke out as the burned ones flooded into the grounds. Many students were injured immediately. Beatrix took Bloom's hand and they both began to transform. The rose to gain wings but did not come came to the ground to take the mighty beast. Farah had never seen anything like it. The other five stood in a semi circle behind them, arms stretched, sharing their power.

Beatrix immediately set to forming the mind bond between Bloom and the Dragon. When fixed in place she too was sending power to Bloom. Bloom suddenly knew Farah was right, she would know by instinct what it wanted, what it needed. The Dragon flame. It wasn't hers to keep. Through the connection she pushed the flame back to the Dragon. It took over the rest and extinguished the embers inside each of the burned ones, the seven still adding their power to this. The burned ones returned to medieval soldiers, dead on the ground. Those who had been injured stopped writhing in agony because the infection that tore through them was ended. But many were still badly injured, possibly even critically.

Farah watched careful as Bloom and Beatrix were still in the air, in line with the Dragon's head. They were so high up. And then all seven over exerted themselves. And then, Bloom and Beatrix fell.

"No!" Farah cry could be heard all across campus as she ran extending a barrier of sorts to catch them.

Chapter Text

She felt like the world had stopped. She had been afraid before, many times. The day her daughters were born, she was terrified beyond anything she thought possible but today they were proving her wrong. The idea that their deaths could follow was infinitely scarier. Her barrier stopped them hitting the ground violently, she gently set them down but could not approach yet because the Dragon was flapping it's wings, asserting its dominance. The seven fairies were out cold, she needed to get to them. She decided to make a run for it, Dragon be damned. She stopped at Aisha first, as she was closest, assessing the the girls was alive but unconscious.

The Dragon chose then to speak in her mind.
*They are alive, child.*
*Yes, but they still need medical attention.*
*So concerned by the young, the mother doesn't even notice that a creature who has not spoken in centuries chooses to converse with her, it is the way of nature.*
Farah pauses from checking the teenagers are alright to let realisation dawn on her.
*Yes, well you're perfectly well, I could never forgive myself if anything happens to anyone of them, as it is, death will follow.*
*Naturally, the mother worries. I cannot promise their lives but if young Bloom wakes she will still have the gift of my flame.*
*And what of the burned ones?*
*All gone, truly.*
*Small mercies*
The creature nodded to her. The Dragon then leaped into the air and soared above the clouds. Farah turned to those who had just been in battle.
"The burned ones are all gone! Well done everyone. But we have much to do before we can celebrate or even just sleep."
Then, she started giving orders.
"Sarah," she said pointing at a young fairy. "Head to the infirmary, tell Professor Harvey we have a large number of casualties. I need people to gently take these seven to the infirmary as well as anyone too injured to walk themselves their. I need people head to the infirmary to assist Professor Harvey."
Several fairies, specialists and soldiers sprung to action.
"I need people to assist in disposing of the dead, they were human before being burned ones and deserve a proper burial."

When she'd finished giving orders, everyone who wasn't injured had a task. Saul approached her.
"What happened with that Dragon? It look like the two of you were talking?" She only nodded. "But that's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible, just unlikely. I hadn't even realised it until he pointed out that we were communicating I was too busy with the children to realise."
"You locked eyes with it."
"Yes that was then. Saul I have to go, I have to make sure everyone is all right. Then I have to phone parents."

She didn't even wait for a reply as she ran off to the infirmary making it to the doors before her students.
"Ben, I hope your ready for this."
"Farah, Sam and Terra? Are they-"
"They're alive beyond that I don't know. I'm going to direct the seven upstairs as well as more serious injuries. Minor injuries downstairs."
"Usual plan, then."
"Ben we don't have time right now to worry, our students and children need us. And Ben? The burned ones are all gone this time, truly."
He nodded and the injured began coming through the door. Ben directed minor injuries to the beds on the ground floor. Farah used the headmistress's wards to send the more critical upstairs upon crossing the door way. Ben gave that look that said 'don't over do it, don't magically exhausted yourself. '

Ben set the students with limited healing abilities to helping those downstairs, he brought the more experienced up stairs to help him. She followed upstairs. Beyond the seven, those in critical conditions were Dane, Andreas, a third year fairy called James and a fourth year specialist called Lyra. There were others severely injured but they could easily made a full recovery, adding another thirteen patients to Ben'sBen's workload. That totalled to nineteen phone calls. She wouldn't call the Peter's, they couldn't come to Alfea anyway and she wasn't ready to have the conversation about Bloom being her daughter when she might not even survive.

She stuck head into the ward where the seven lay. Sky, sat at Blooms bed and Riven at Beatrix's. Steven was with Musa. She went over to Sam and Terra. She placed a kiss on each of their heads. Then she went to her daughters, Riven and Sky stepping back when she approached them. She kissed both of her daughters' foreheads staying with each for a moment. Then she returned to helping with the injured. Farah spent twenty minutes assisting where she could and then Ben sent her to make phone calls, just in case. Some was going to die, they just didn't know who.

Rosalind, she remembered. If someone had to die it should be Rosalind. Farah was decided, there was no stopping her. She didn't use the wards to get there quickly knowing it would burn through her strength. Saul spotted her crossing the grounds.
"Don't try to stop me," she told him as he approached her.
"What am I not allowed to stop you from doing?"
"Killing Rosalind, if someone has to die tonight it should be her not one of the students, not my daughters."
"Ok, but I'm coming with you."
"Fine," she wasn't surprised that Saul didn't stop her, but he knew it was pointless trying, he would do anything for Sky and she would do anything for her daughters.

They entered the east wing together.
"Is this my execution? You can't be sure they will all live if you kill me."
Rosalind didn't sound scared but she did stiffen her posture, understanding begging for her life was a waste of time, she was going to die.
"Perhaps, but maybe it will and that is a gamble I can take. And if it doesn't work at least your dead."
"The fair and just Farah Dowling. How ever will you sleep at night with my death on your conscience?" She taunted, one last attempt to extend her life. Farah paused for a moment, questioning if she could life with the guilt of killing Rosalind.
The Saul spoke up, "because it won't be on hers, it will be on mine." He drew his sword and ran her through.
Rosalind fell to the ground, Saul's sword still through her chest, lying in a pool of her own blood that was forming. She would be dead in seconds. She was trying to speak, her lips moving and her breath rasping as she tried to force the words out.
"I .. still...love you..Far..ah."
Her final breath escaped her.

Farah let the tears fall and Saul put it his arm around.
"Its over, Farah. She can't hurt anyone any more."
"I know. I know. But I did love her once, before I realised just how awful she was."
"I know."
"I have to go. I have.. I have to phone parents."
"Go. I'll get this cleaned up."
"Goodbye Roz," Farah whispered, looking back over her shoulder before she left.

She arrived at her office. Took pit a bottle of whiskey and downed a shot. It burned in the back of her throat, she wanted another and another and another, but she didn't have more than the one. Beatrix and Bloom needed her. She had to make phone calls and then she could get back to them. She pulled out student files and got the contact number for Aisha's mum.
"Mrs Como, its Headmistress Dowling from Alfea, I needed to speak to you about Aisha."
"She hasn't got herself in trouble, has she?"
"No, she's a good girl. But she, there's been a burned one incident at the school. She was part of the team that destroyed them, entirely. There are no more burned ones. But she is severely magically drained. I we are uncertain about her health. I am calling in for more assistance but you should come to be with your daughter, to be there when she wakes up."
There was silence on the other end of the phone. When Farah said when, there was a certain part of her that said if.
"I'll be there in three hours tops."
"Of course, I shall see you then Mrs Como."

She hung up to call Queen Luna. Naturally she didn't get speaking to Luna and informed her assistant who assured Farah he could handle the rest.

Next she called Dane's parents whose phone call went similarly to Aisha's mother. Next she called the parents of James and then Lyra, urging them all to come to their children.

Then she began contacting the parents or guardians of the thirteen who were badly injured but would easily make a full recovery. She invited them to come see their children but told them that they needn't rush, their children were fine.

Finally she called Edythe, to inform her of her husband's condition, even if Edythe loved her best friend more, she had to know. As an old friend and one of the people she had entrusted the care of her child to, Farah had a direct number for Edythe.
"Edie?"
"Farah you better have a good reason for waking me."
"I do. There has been a major burned one assault. We believe this time we have finally killed them all."
"What how?"
"The child with the Dragon flame working with an actual Dragon."
"Goodness, gracious! Is everyone alright?"
"No. There are many injured, mostly minor injuries but some more significant and some grave."
"Sky? What about-"
"Sky is fine and so is Saul. Andreas however, he offered to fight and he's in a bad way. Edythe, he will likely die."
Edythe didn't know what to say to that. She hated him, but he was still her husband.
"I'm coming. I'll bring palace healers."
"Thank you Edie."
Edythe hummed and hung up.

Farah was leaving her office, phone calls had taken her nearly two hours. Official duties over, she had to get back to her daughters. Then her phone rang, not her office phone her personal phone. It was Alasdair. What was she going to tell him. She hadn't even spoken to him since she projected into his office. Answering her phone, she decided to let him lead the early part of the conversation.
"Hello, my love. I haven't heard from you in days and now there are dead medieval soldiers lying all over the place. What have you been up to? You know you should be recovering."
It was all too much, she broke down crying.
"Hey, hey. What's wrong? What happened?"
"The prophecy came to pass and I don't even know if all my students will see sunrise, let alone our children."
"The prophecy? Farah I'm on my way, I'll be there before morning."
"Okay."
"Farah, I love you, remember that, please. I'm coming alright."
"I love you too."

Chapter Text

Those who Farah had assigned to burying the dead burned ones were heading to bed, after all it was midnight and they had all been in battle less than three hours ago. A few said goodnight to her. She just nodded as she quickly made her way to the hospital. She could focus on her children now. Riven and Sky were still there, as was Steven but Ben was still very busy, there was nothing they could do in here but wait. None of the beds had the curtains drawn, walking into the room she could see all seven fairies.
"Anything?" She asked generally to the men in the room.
"No, nothing yet Farah," Steven answered.
"Have faith, Auntie." Sky said.

She gave him a sad smile and went to check on Stella and then Aisha, who was beside her. As Farah came to Aisha's bed, the girl begun to come round, groaning as she woke. Farah sat down beside her, taking her hand.
"Aisha, can you hear me?" She asked gently.
"Y-yes, m-miss," her voice was scratchy but she was okay. "W-where am I?"
"You're in the infirmary. You were severely drained from your run in with the Dragon. I'm just going to monitor your magical strength now, okay?"
"Is e-everyone else okay?"
"I don't know, you're the first to wake. But you've given me hope, you're doing so much better than earlier."
Aisha smiled faintly.
"Your mum is on her way, she'll be glad to know you're okay."
Aisha hummed fighting to keep her eyes open.
"It's okay, dear. Go back to sleep."
Aisha hummed again and nodded off to sleep.
"Boys will one of you tell Professor Harvey that Aisha was awake and she is going to be okay."

Sky got up to do it. Farah stroke Aisha's hand and got up to check on Terra and Sam. Neither woke. She sat down on a stool the boys had placed for her in between Bloom and Beatrix's beds. Then Queen Luna marched in with three palace healers.
"Queen Luna, she's not stable enough to move." Farah immediately presumed that Luna was here to doubt her care.
"I know. They are here to help, I have others helping throughout the infirmary." Luna's voice was softer than Farah had ever heard the woman speak. She drew the curtain around her daughter's bed and sat down beside the teenager.

Sky returned with grave news. Andreas had died. His injuries were too substantial and show have been attended to sooner but he insisted that Ben and the other healing fairies attended to students first. Farah felt silent tears roll down her face. She mourned for the boy she knew when she was in school, the young man who had once been her friend and the man whose death meant sacrificing Rosalind had not satisfied the prophecy and others may die. Sky wrapped his arms around his aunt seeking comfort for after all, he grew up believing the idea of his father, the good man and in his final hours he had shown that he still could be under it all. He had fought honourably and died because he refused to be seen to before the children were taken care of. He still was a good man, even if only yesterday he had denied Sky being his child at all.

Next Sam and Musa came around at the same time. Farah and Sky rushed over to him and Riven ran to get Ben.
"Hey, trouble one." Farah called him by her childhood nickname for them all. They were all her little troubles, Sam was one, Sky was two and Terra was three.
"Auntie," he mumbled. He started to sit up and Farah softly pushed him back down.
"No you need to rest." Her eyes glowed blue to monitor him. Ben burst into the room and came straight up to his son's bed, and gently wrapped his arms around the boy for a hug.
"Dad."
"Sammy."
That was all they said but it was all that was needed.

Aisha's mum came through the door at that moment. Farah walked over to her.
"She's okay, she's been awake."
Aida Como pulled Farah into a hug. Farah briefly returned it, allowing herself to feel Aida's emotions, hoping soon to experience the same feeling herself. She guided Aida over to the Aisha's bed and she copied Luna's actions and drew the curtains around her child.

Suddenly, Bloom started seizing, and any hopeful thought Farah was having vanished. Ben and one of Luna's healers stepped in to stop the seizing and settle her again. After a few moments she was stable again. This was enough to make Farah decide she wasn't going to leave her daughters sides again until they were awake. She held each of their hands whiles sitting in a rather uncomfortable position. This is where she sat for the next two hours.

Sky was floating over and back between his girlfriend and the closest people he had to siblings. Riven drifted in and out dividing his time between Beatrix and Dane, because even if he wasn't dating them still, he still cared and which ever of them woke first would want to know about the other. Danes parents had arrived and they too had been asking about Beatrix's health. As the clock struck three, Riven walked into the room looking very devastated, tears flowing freely. "He's dead." He told the headmistress, who shed tears of her own for her student. The air in the room became very solemn.

Half an hour later Terra woke. Ben had been in the room this time as the Solarian healers as well as the newly arrived Erakylon healers had things under control without him. Farah briefly came over kissed her niece's head and returned to her daughters. Like the others she was only awake for a few moments.

Bloom seized twice more before Beatrix woke at seven that morning.
"Mummy?"
"I'm right here sweetheart, I'm here." Held her daughter close. Tears of relief flooded her face.
"What about Bloom?"
"She's not doing so good." Farah whispered, sadness taking over from relief. Beatrix's own eyes watered.
"And Dane?"
"I'm so sorry sweetheart." Was all Farah could bare to say. But Beatrix figured out what that meant and begun crying and swooned cried herself back to sleep. Riven watched the scene with teary eyes. After holding her daughter for another twenty minutes she looked up to the two boys.
"Riven, Sky, you have to go to bed. You've been up for twenty four hours."
"And what about you, miss?" Riven asked kindly.
"I didn't have lessons yesterday, and I am well used to staying awake for long periods of time. An old soldiers habit I could never shake."
Sky tried to fight it, but his argument was made irrelevant by yawning.

Alasdair watched from the door as she sent the two boys off to their beds.
"You know you should probably sleep too." He said approaching her.
"Alasdair."
She rose to greet him. He kiss her softly and pulled her into a tight hug. Not the most romantic reunion after almost eighteen years, but it wasn't the time or place. Farah became aware of the fact that she probably looked awful at the moment. While she been minimally involved in the fight she was still wind swept from the battlefield. She had cried many times that night and not once bothered to tidy her makeup. She had also used a significant amount of magic catching the girls and using the wards to redirect everyone to the correct part of the infirmary to avoid the stairs. And she was still only recovering from being essentially dead.

As the day wore on everyone else woke up and fell back to sleep over and over again, except Bloom. The other badly injured students were believed to be the path to a slow but full recovery. Clearly only Rosalind, Dane and Andreas would be the death that followed, but Bloom's fate was still uncertain. She did not have any more seizures but still hadn't woken a full twenty four hours later. Sky and Riven had come to visit several times and were becoming insistent that Farah rested. Ben was on their side. Alasdair had insisted she at least showemrwd and changed out of clothes that had been blood stained from helping with injuries and from Rosalind's death, they were also muddied from went she bent down on the battlefield before the Dragon to check if her students and children were still alive, soon he too would start insistingshe got some sleep. Lucky for Farah, Saul, knew her well enough to know she wasn't going to leave her daughters and brought a comfortable chair down from her office. She slept for short periods of time, always waking at the slightest stir from Beatrix.

Terra and Sam were well enough to be moved and Ben insisted they go down to the cottage, their home. Beatrix hadn't really been awake enough to meet her father yet, but she knew he was there. Alasdair had brought even more healers with him and between all the healers and Saul, they coordinated the ins and outs of Stella, Aisha and the fifteen other injured students returning to their homes with their parents and a healer. Musa was being moved to Steven's rooms, something Saul had also set up.

Farah was grateful the Saul had stepped up so much to his role as Headmaster even though it had never meant this kind of organisation before to him. Saul waved away her gratitude saying she had stepped up many times in Sky's childhood so he could care for the boy when he was sick. Farah pointed out that Sky had never been so ill that Saul would be out of action for an unknown amount of time. He simply told her not to worry about it.

The next morning, almost seventy two hours after the battle, Bloom finally opened her eyes. She was going to be okay.

Chapter Text

Knowing now that Bloom would be okay, everyone pushed Farah into taking care of herself. She knew she had to get proper sleep if she was going to be able to care for her daughters in the next few days. So she yielded and went to her rooms to sleep for a few hours, as long as Alasdair promised not to leave the girls. She slept until eight thirty the next morning and then got up, she showered and dressed for the day and headed to her two spare bedrooms setting them up for Bloom and Beatrix. Next she headed to her office to make the necessary arrangements to have all students sent home tomorrow. There were celebrations were happening across the realms for the true end of the burned ones, her students had fought for that and deserved to be able to celebrate not and be stuck in Alfea where celebrating would be inappropriate because one of their peers had died. Then she planned for a student assembly that evening as a memorial for Dane. She thought about if Rosalind and Andreas's deaths should be mentioned this evening and decided against it. They had caused the students such hardship for the better part of three months, it would be unfair to ask them to mourn the pair.

It was coming up to four o'clock and Farah was looking forward to getting back to her daughters, hoping they were doing better. Turning a corner, she noticed Sky and Sam cornering Riven. They hadn't noticed her, so she decided to step and wait to find out what the purpose of this display of masculinity was before she admonished Sam for being out of bed and the other two for letting him.
"We need to talk." Sky started.
"About what?"
"Beatrix." Sam replied. Now they really had Farah's attention.
"What? Why?"
"Well you see, if things had of been the way they should have, she would of grown up here, and would have been like a little sister to us."
"So you're what? Giving me the big brotherly talk? Sorry you're too late for that, I did already break up with her. Also that logic gets a bit weird when you consider Bloom."
"Leave Bloom out of it, Riv. We're just trying to not let her get hurt. She just lost Dane and you have been insensitive, a lot, this year."
"We're just saying, if you're going to get back with her, be there for her. But don't get back with her for the sex."
"What do you take me for? I know I'm a dick head but I wouldn't-"
"We know that Riv. We know, we also know she's hurting and she will want someone to be there for her. We're asking you not let her get hurt by convincing you a toxic relationship, built on her grief, is a good idea."
"So, what do you want me to do then? Stay away from her?"
"No, be there for her. As a good friend not as a friend with benefits."
"I don't know what she would think of you too sticking your nose into her business, but I do know she missed out on two great older brothers because of Rosalind."
Sky hugged Riven and Sam said, "thanks mate."
"Also you should know her mum heard every word of this conversation, and you're about to be scolded for being out of bed."
"What? But-"
Farah chose that moment to come back around the corner and make her presence known.
"Quite. Why are you out of bed? And why have the two of you let him?" She had to hide the fact that their whole conversation had made her heart melt.
"Well you see, Auntie, when you're busy being the badass Headmistress Dowling, you missed out on Dad clearing myself, Terra and Aisha for getting out of bed."
"For a short period of time." Sky clarified.
"True."
"So you both decided to lecture Riven."
"Yes, they did, headmistress."
"Yes, well I think you all behaved very maturely in your conversation however I agree with Riven and suggest Beatrix never knows, or at least not for a long while."
"Yes, miss." The three boys say with cheeky grins.
"By the way, she slept most of today. So she's probably waking up now."
"Thank you, Riven. I'm heading that direction now anyways. I shall see you two at assembly at seven this evening and Sam, you're coming with me and you're going back to bed."
She was met with another chorus of "yes miss," to which she rolled her eyes and smiled.

Arriving at the infirmary, she met a disgruntled Saul.
"What happened?"
"Terra."
"What? Is she okay?"
"No, no, no. She's fine. Just she has discovered the secret to bossing her poor uncle around."
"Oh, do tell."
"Well I went to the green house looking for Ben. I needed some help. I, um, well. I got myself injured the other night. I didn't think too much of it, the wound reopened and I needed some help."
"You stupid idiot!" She hit hit across the back of the hit. "Come on, let's get you sorted. Sam go on upstairs, I'll be up in a few minutes." Sam just sniggered.
"No, Terra sorted it. She bullied me."
"A first year fairy bullied the Specialist Headmaster?"
"No, Farah Dowling's niece threatened to tell her aunt if I didn't let her help me."
Farah burst out laughing.
"You know you telling me defeats the whole purpose."
"No, it doesn't because I have avoided you stabling me with a needle and muttering about me being stupid and reckless in many different languages while you hurt me."
"You might not want to let the specialists know you can be bullied by a sixteen year old." Farah kept laughing as she headed up the stairs.

Approaching the room where she had spent most of the last few days. Then realisation dawned. It was the eighth of December, the day after their birthday. Their first birthday back with her and they missed it entirely. True it couldn't be helped and she hadn't told them it was their birthday but still. A little subdued she reached the door. She stopped when she could hear laughter. They were both awake. And laughing with Alasdair. She watched them from the door, observing that the conversation was not just with their daughters but with all of Bloom's friends also, including Terra who returned came up to visit after bullying her Uncle Saul. The rest of the Stella and Aisha would be leaving Alfea with their mothers tonight along with a healer as planned, but they had all improved tremendously.

Bloom was the first to notice Farah. Doing her best impression of her mother she called out to her.
"Don't loiter," she said in a bad English accent.
This caused everyone to look in Farah's direction and laugh, Farah also laughed at her daughter's antics.
"You're feeling much better then."
"Yeah, but Uncle Ben won't let me out of bed."
"Yes and rightly so for someone who was scaring me half to death by having seizures from severe magical exhaustion."
"I'm sorry mom."
"Oh, sweetheart, it wasn't your fault." Farah said walking over to her. She wrapped her arms around her and said, "If its anyone's fault its mine. I'm so sorry. You all could have died and it would have been my fault."
"No, Rosalind used me to summon the Dragon. Not you mom."
She kissed her daughter's hairline and detached herself from Bloom. She turned to Beatrix whose eyes were swimming at the thought of the death that occurred because of that night. Farah pulled her into a hug. She repositioned herself on the bed, intenting to keep Beatrix in her embrace for a while.
"So, you two have gotten acquainted with your father then? And introduced him properly to the mischievous Winx suite?"
"Yeah. We've learned all sorts of things about you." Bloom answered.
"Oh dread to think."
"Oh yes, miss. We learned that you can knock out soldiers three times your size for being sexist and stitch them back up again afterwards." Musa grinned.
"Every time you tell that story, Cormac gets bigger." Farah chuckled.
"Well it was twenty years ago. Memory is a little hazy now." Alasdair smiled.
"Well that would be because mum kept throwing you when you trained together." Beatrix piped up from where she was in Farah's arms.
"Well, you can certainly remember every detail about the day you met Miss Dowling." Stella mentioned
Farah smiled softly remembering that day. "What did he say about that day? He probably exaggerated it."
"No, miss, we've seen you destroy a burned one, I'd wager you could easily take down five burned ones by yourself and help take down others." Aisha
Farah blushed because that was what happened that day.
"Yes, well," she cleared her throat. "I think when it is just us, perhaps you should called me Farah, not around other students though."
Musa, Aisha and Stella all replied with a variation of yes.

They spent they next spent the next two and half hours laughing and joking. At some point, Ben, Steven and Aida came in with dinner. All thirteen ate together happily, Beatrix still leaning against her mother for comfort. At half six, Saul came up to get Ben and Farah for the memorial at seven. Beatrix wanted to go but she simply wasn't strong enough yet to get out of bed. Farah promised her she would be back soon. Ben then suggested a wheelchair, which Beatrix was happy to use.

It was a simple memorial that honoured Dane. His parents had taken his body back home to be buried two days earlier. His classmates one of his classmates could play cello and had composed a song for Dane in the days of confusion when the students had nothing to do but wait for news of their classmates recovery and Riven spoke about the boy he knew and cared for. There were many tears shed, not just by those who knew him well but many others as well.

Afterwards, back in full headmistress mode, Ms Dowling addressed the student body, wishing them all a happy and safe Christmas and saying she hoped to see everyone in the new year. Dismissing assembly, she wheeled Beatrix back to the infirmary but they would not be staying there.
"We just have to get Bloom and then we shall be going to my rooms, I have set up the spare bedrooms for you both."
Upon arrival, they saw that Stella and Aisha getting ready to be brought home and were saying their goodbyes and that Musa was also about to be moved out if the infirmary.

When the girls left and Ben chased Terra and Sam back to his cottage, Farah and Alasdair got Bloom and Beatrix organised to head for her rooms. Being wheeled through the infirmary door, the girls suddenly found themselves on the other side of the school.
"What? How did we get here?" Bloom asked.
"Privileges of being headmistress. You can use the wards to skip a bit of travelling." Farah explained vaguely.
"I read about that in the library, I had wondered if it was actually true." Beatrix said.
"It is, but she shouldn't do it too often, it is very draining." Alasdair cut in.
"Oh hush you."
The girls just smiled at their parents.

They ended up in the sitting room, Farah having made tea for everyone. Bloom and Beatrix had seated themselves either side of Farah on the sofa, leaving Alasdair on the armchair.
"So girls, I have something for you. Yesterday was your birthday and you both slept through it."
"What? Why didn't you tell us before?" Bloom exclaimed.
"Well I hadn't planned on you both nearly dying before it."
"That is so true." Beatrix agreed.
Farah laughed softly at the pair of them.
"Yes, well. Al, if you could pass me those two boxes on the table to your left."

He passed them to Farah who gave one to each of her daughters. She told them same story she had told Saul a few days ago. They thanked her and put them on. Then Alasdair's phone rang. He had to go back to Dragonis. Something about the whole royal family having to be present for celebrations. He apologised to his wife and daughters and promised to be back in time for Christmas.

That night, Farah helped both her daughters settle into their separate rooms. But Bloom couldn't sleep having gotten used to someone else being in the room. Beatrix couldn't sleep because she kept think about Dane. Both made their way to their mother's room. Farah was not asleep either, but sitting up reading by lamp light. She chastised the pair for being up when they were both still so weak but nevertheless allowed them to climb into her bed. They lay beside her as she continued to read, and soon both fell asleep. Farah shook her head wondering what it would have been like if they had grown up doing that.

Chapter Text

Then the girls woke the next morning their mother was once again reading.
"Did you put that away at all?"
"Yes, to sleep. I have only recently picked it back up again." She paused for a moment, marked her page and closed the book. Look down to her daughters she continued. "Good morning girls. Your breakfast should be ready shortly."
"No. Can't we just stay here with you. No breakfast."
"Absolutely not, you're still recovering, you must eat."
They started to move to get out of bed.
"Where are you going?"
"To go get dressed to go to breakfast?"
"Why in the realms would you do that? Get back into bed the pair of you." Farah got up and came back in with breakfast for three. Pancakes and waffles with all sorts of toppings floating in small dishes behind her.
"Oh mom that looks amazing."
"Thanks mum!"

The three on Farah's bed eating their breakfast and the topic of conversation turned to Disney movies. Farah had stayed quiet on this topic.
"Mum have you seen it?"
"Bea, mom hates technology, so unlikely. I doubt she even knows any Disney movies."
Farah smirked. She decided to show off, beauty and the beast style. The door swung open and a bookcase housing DVDs marched in followed by a tv stand balancing a flat screen. The girls stared that the display, eyes wide.
"Well I only know a few."
"That's a few?"
"Pick one and we can watch it."

The girls jumped out of the bed to chose.
"Careful, you two, you have to take it easy."
"Sorry," they said in unison. Farah just hummed in reply not believing them.
"Why do you have so many?"
"Because Sam and Sky and Terra used to come up to spend their Saturday mornings with me, watching movies in my bed."
Beatrix just smiled and Bloom tried to but felt incredibly jealous that one of her best friends and her boyfriend were lucky enough to have those kinds of memories with her mom and then became guilty for thinking that because she did grow up with a mom and they just had an Aunt. Without saying aanything, Farah just projected warm loving feelings to them both. Beatrix was pleasantly surprised by them and Bloom appreciated that her mom was trying to comfort her.

They settled on Bedknobs and broomsticks because "Ms Price scaring away the Nazis all by herself is something you would do, mum."
That made Farah laugh. They settled down to watch the movie. They watched most of the movie without disturbance. Then just as Ms Price was falling off her broom toward the end of the film, there was a knock at the door. Sky, Sam and Terra had come up to say hello. This ended up in the five teenager watching another movie with Farah in her bed. Terra and Bloom sat either side of Farah. Beatrix sat in front if her mum, lying against her knees which were bent up for that purpose. Sam sat at the end of the bed and Sky lay with his head on Bloom's lap as she played with his hair.

At lunch time Farah's phone rang. As she was stuck in the middle of the bed she asked Sam to pass it to her.
"Farah, have you seen Sam and Terra?"
"Yes. Terra is sitting beside me and Sam is sitting at the end of my bed."
"Your bed? Why is he sitting at the bottom of your bed?"
"Because we're watching a film."
"Ah, like old times. They haven't done that since they were small. Well, I hate to be the bad guy but-"
"Then don't be. They aren't exerting themselves and you have to come up to bring Bloom and Beatrix's medicine anyways so bring theirs up too."
"And yours."
"Fine and mine."
"I can actually hear how much you hate the tonic in your voice."
Whatever Farah said next was drowned out by the laughter of the five teenagers around her.

Ben and Saul arrived up ten minutes later with medicine and Farah's picnic basket packed full of sweet treats. Everyone found it hilarious as Farah scrunched up her nose in disgust when she had to take her cordial. Ben and Saul had over seen the departure of the students that morning and were now free for the afternoon. The result was them sitting on Farah's bedroom floor watching Disney movies with said mind fairy and five teenagers.

Late in the evening after everyone else left and Beatrix had went to the bath, Farah and Bloom sat in the kitchen with two cups of tea.
"Today was great, mom."
"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" There was a moment's peacefully silence.
"It makes me think about however wonderful it would have been if you had grown up here, with me."
"Same," Bloom admitted but felt immensely guilty about it.
"You don't have to feel guilty, or jealous for that matter."
"Mom, please stay put of my head."
"Can't help, still only recovering, that amount of control over my natural element is still taxing. Besides it's like someone screaming, you can't help but hear them."
"My thoughts are that loud, huh?"
"Thoughts, no. Your feelings, particularly your negative ones, definitely."
They sat in silence again and despite the change in the time of their conversation it was still peaceful.
"Your parents. What would you like to tell them? If anything at all." Farah asked quietly.
"That you're my mom," Bloom needed Farah to know that she wasn't going to hide that fact, she was glad Farah was her mom. She was glad because her mom wanted her and that her fear that had been eating at the back of her mind was wrong because her mother took one look at her and thought that she was one of the two most beautiful things in her world. She was glad her mom loved her.
"That won't be easy," but Farah couldn't help smiling.
"Like I told you three months ago, they deserve to know the truth."
Farah wrapped her arms around Bloom and told her she loved her before sending her off to get washed up because Beatrix had left the bathroom.

Farah then went to Bloom's room and set it up for two people. After Bloom got out if the shower, Farah explained that while she loved having them both they couldn't sleep in her bed forever. But they could sleep in the same room. Both girls loved the idea and pulled Farah into a group hug.

Just as Farah was settling into bed to read once again, her phone rang. It was Alasdair. He called to simply check in but they spent hours on the phone, Farah eventually falling asleep without hanging up.

Chapter Text

For the week that followed, Beatrix spent a lot of time in the greenhouse. Her uncle had lost someone dear to him and while she wasn't comparing her teenaged romance to his marriage, he did seem to be the only adult who had lost a loved one to death. Ben didn't mind being there for the girl but he did recommend to Farah that she tell Beatrix about Alexander.

Bloom spent quite a bit of time alone. She struggled with how to tell her parents the truth about her. Farah had offered to take the lead but initially Bloom declined, however, after a week of arguing with herself that there had to be a more tactful approach than blurting out that Farah was her real mom but not actually finding that way, she was beginning to reconsider. Perhaps letting a grownup guide the conversation was the best way forward. Today she was calling her parents to arrange going to see them.
"Hey, sweetie! We thought maybe your phone was broken you haven't called or texted in so long."
"No, just dead. Things have been so hectic here."
"Bloom, if things really aren't safe under Rosalind, do you need us to pull you out?"
"No, no. Rosalind is gone. And Ms Dowling is back. But I am calling to arrange coming home for a quick visit."
"Oh Bloom, that's amazing!"
"But isn't Christmas holidays only a week away?" Her dad spoke for the first time.
"Yeah, but I just have some stuff I need to discuss with you guys without the whole family being there. I mean they don't exactly know that I've been in another world and not Switzerland for the last four almost five months. "
"Is everything okay, sweetie?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah, everything is great, really great actually. This is just important."
"Okay, when do you want to do this?"
"Does tomorrow work?"
"Of course, sweetie."
"Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye sweetie."
"Bye."
And she hung up.

She went to Farah who immediately agreed to go to the first world the next day and also agreed to take the lead in explaining when Bloom asked her to.

After dinner the girls sat down on the sofa together, reading the same book; which Farah thought was adorable. The mind fairy was sitting in armchair, but finding it very difficult to concentrate on her own book. She was taking Ben's advice very seriously. While Alexander had died a long time ago, his death still hurt because in the years since she had realised she was the reason for his death. A tragic accident that was too perfect that when properly thought through was obviously a murder staged to look like an accident.

"Girls, there's something I would like to tell you about."
"Okay, is something wrong?"
"Just listen. You see, technically I've been headmistress for a very long time. Much longer than most believe because I became headmistress when I was only eighteen."
"How is that possible?" Bloom asked.
"The wards?" Beatrix realised.
"Yes, the wards. The school, its magic was built on wards that were designed to be almost sentient. Their power was designed in such a way that the monarchies would not and could not interfere with Alfea. The wards can choose a Headmaster, reject a Headmaster and abandon a Headmaster. When I was in my third year at Alfea, a student died and the wards abandoned Rosalind and chose me. Her anger that day left scars on many, both physical and emotional. "
"Wait, are you trying to that you're not Headmistress anymore?" Bloom asked.
"No, I'm still headmistress."
"But, D-"
"I know. But Dane died fighting, a Nobel warrior and we tried to save him. When Alexander died it looked like a tragic accident. "
"I don't understand."
"Alexander was... someone very dear to me. He was my specialist before Saul and he and I were seeing each other. Rosalind had tried to end the emotional side before and only two weeks prior to Alexander's death, she made Saul my specialist. She felt Alex was only a distraction to me. Then, Alex got into what looked like a training exercise that had ended badly. He died and the wards abandoned Rosalind. Years later when another student was killed in a genuine tragedy, I reviewed Alex's death. And I realised that Rosalind was responsible and that was why the wards left her, she purposely killed a student so that she could control me and my growing power. So that she could use my grief to fight her wars. This discovery was the reason I finally left her, but I never explained that part to her, only that was tired of waiting for to admit she loved me."
The girls were stunned into silence. Bloom was left pondering the monster that Rosalind was however Beatrix was realising that her mother understood her grief on a much more similar level than Uncle Ben because Ben had found the love of his life, Farah and Beatrix had lost a young love.
"So, you were able to move on then?" Beatrix asked quietly.
"Eventually, I moved on from Alexander. He had died trying to protect me from Rosalind. When I realised it had seemed like an insult to his memory that I was with her but knowing he wouldn't have wanted me to be alone all my life was the reason I let myself fall in love with your father."
"Do you think some day I will?"
"If you want to. I have discovered in many years at Alfea that teenagers are far more resilient than anyone gives them credit for. But don't rush through your grief just because you don't want to feel it anymore, let yourself heal before you move on."

They spent most of the evening in the sitting room, talking about less emotionally exhausting things. At nine o'clock Farah bid her daughters goodnight. When they laughed at how early she was going to bed, she explained that she was going be soul projecting to see their father and if they needed her to shake her hand or arm and she would return to them.

Alasdair was already waiting for Farah when she arrived. With the flick of a button he gave her solid form and then greeted her with a kiss.
"I've missed you." He told her.
She just laughed and replied, "you've missed me for nearly eighteen years."
"True but much more so in the last week. I keep thinking about how I could've saved us both so much heartache had I just came after you again, ignoring that bloody letter."
"Letter?"
"Yes, it was from Rosalind, not long after you left, explaining that you felt that you had made a mistake in marrying me and I should just leave you be. I probably should have told you about that sooner."
"It wouldn't have changed much except for the level of my anger towards Rosalind. Anyway let's not talk about her. She's a bit of a mood killer."
"True. How are the girls?"
"Not great to be honest, physically they're healthy and perfectly safe. But Beatrix grieves for Dane and Bloom stresses about her parents."
"Its one big complicated mess."
"Yes, it is. And I told them about Alexander."
"Wow, are you okay?"
"I fine, but I think telling them has served its purpose and been of use to Beatrix."
"I see. So what are our plans for tomorrow."
"I'm afraid you will arrive back to us just in time to see Bloom and I off. We're heading to the first world to talk to her parents."
"That's a big step."
"Yes, and she is terrified of what happens next. From talking to Terra and Musa, I don't believe her father was overly receptive to the idea that she wasn't biologically their daughter but that he didn't say anything."
"Could be trouble, do you need me to go with you?"
"I think I can handle a disgruntled human and besides need you to be with Beatrix much more. She spends most of her time in the greenhouse but Ben, Terra and Sam are going to visit Rose's family for their annual pre-Christmas get together tomorrow. I don't want her to be alone."
"Don't worry, I'll look after her."
"Thank you. So, how did your mother take the idea that you would spend the festive season at Alfea instead of Dragonis."
"Not happy. She wants to talk to you, to make you reconsider."
"So I'd imagine she's waiting in the next room waiting for you to tell her to come in."
"Naturally."
"Then go get her."
He grinned, ready to watch his wife put the Queen Mother in her place. They usually got along quite well in the past but seventeen years and two stubborn personalities were about to come between that.
When Alasdair re-entered with his mother, there was no polite greetings just straight to business.
"Farah, you can't keep my son away from his family for Christmas, don't be unreasonable."
"Now Charlotte, its hardly unreasonable to wish that my daughters spend their first Christmas back with us, actually with us, is it?"
"And why couldn't that be done, here in Dragonis?"
"Where they would be on display before court?"
Queen Charlotte was silent, an irregular occurrence.
"Mother, I think Farah merely wants to have our children be with just us for their first Christmas home, it's not an insult to you."
"Yes, and also I intend to invite Bloom's adoptive parents to join us for Christmas, after all, they still are her parents."
"Well what about the new year festival, surely, you could compromise and join us for new year's?"
"That would be wonderful."
"Well then its settled you will arrive in Dragonis the day before new year's eve."
Just then Farah felt one of her daughters trying to get her attention.
"I have to go, the girls need me. See you tomorrow, Al."
"Bye, Farah."

She opened her eyes to find Beatrix standing over her. The girls looked terrified.
"What happened, what's wrong?"
"Bloom passed out."
"Shit. Get my phone, it's on the locker. Call Ben."
And Farah raced to check on Bloom.

Chapter Text

It had been a long night of testing and questions and finally swallowing nasty concoctions for Bloom, but finally, at two thirty am, she was allowed to sleep. Her Uncle Ben determined that the stress of revealing the full truth combined with her slow recovery had caused her to collapse. Farah suggested that the postpone their trip to the first world, that her parents would understand. But Bloom wanted to tell them while she still had the courage to, it was one thing to tell them the partial truths she had learned it was an entirely different venture to tell them the whole truth- now that she knew it. Ben believed that she should be okay provided that she listened to Farah and allowed her to take the lead and reduce the amount of stress. Ben then told Bloom that spending Christmas in the First World was definitely no longer an option, but Farah informed that she had already planned to invite her parents to Alfea. Satisfied with this outcome, Bloom went to sleep, and Ben told her mother that she would be fine. This didn’t stop Farah from worrying.

Farah woke early the next morning and made breakfast after checking on Bloom. Beatrix ate with her while Bloom was still asleep. They left Bloom’s breakfast on the stove at a low heat and left a note on the kitchen island telling her it was there. Farah and Beatrix took a walk of the grounds.

“Mum?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“How exactly do you plan to bring Mr. and Mrs. Peters to Alfea? I mean, humans can’t pass through the barrier.”

“Let me worry about that. I’m Headmistress. I’ll manage.”

“But how?”

“Who controls the wards?”

“Y-you, but-”

“Well then.”

“It still shouldn’t be possible.”

“It is. Stop worrying, you’re supposed to be recovering. Bloom stressed herself out too much and she collapsed, so please take Christmas to recover and leave the worrying to me.”

“Okay.”

“Good girl. Oh, and before I forget. Your Grandmother wants to meet you, so we have to go to Dragonis for the New Year’s Festival. I must remember to tell Bloom later.”

“I'll remind you. So, when is dad coming?”

“Thanks, he will be here around eleven. And shortly after that your sister and I head to the first world.”

“Always running around after us, you hardly have anytime for each other.”

“We have survived almost eighteen years without each other, completely, now we see and talk to each other often, and he had to run off to Dragonis. You two are our priority, anything else can happen when you two are doing better. It will be a long time before either of you are okay, but we are okay, so we have to work together.”

“Still, hello and goodbye.” After a moment’s comfortable silence as the pair continue walking Beatrix continued. “Thanks, Mum.”

Farah didn’t say anything, instead she wraps her arm around her shoulders and presses a kiss to her daughter’s temple.

When they returned to Farah’s rooms Bloom was awake and eating oatmeal at the kitchen island.

“I see you didn’t get further than the island. Nor did you take your medicine.”

“Nope,” the red head said to her mother with a mouth full of oatmeal.

“Oh, don’t talk with your mouth full. Finish your breakfast, then get cleaned up to see your parents. Your dad will be here in an hour and a half, and in your current state the story of last night will be so much scarier.”

“What story?” asked a masculine voice from behind them.

“Alasdair!”

“DAD!”

“DAD!”

“You’re not due for at least another hour, how exactly did you convince Charlotte to let you leave early?”

“Archie, of course.” Alasdair laughed and kissed his wife before pulling his girls into a hug. “So, what happened last night that requires Bloom not looking like death warmed up.”

Two hours and long explanations later and after long overdue family time, Farah was bundling Bloom up in a huge scarf, pressing a kiss to Beatrix’s hairline and saying goodbye to her and Alasdair. The pair headed out into the cold to go into the portal entrance in the graveyard. The journey was short but the closer they got to Bloom’s parents’ house the more Farah feel Bloom’s anxieties reverberate through her every synapse.

“Bloom, calm down. Everything will be alright. One way or another,” Farah sent calming emotions to Bloom, but magic can only do so much went you are walking straight into the one of the most stressful situations a teenager could ever face. Farah was worried Bloom was going to cause herself another seizure if she didn’t calm down. Gradually, she started breathing slowly and deeply. Farah let out a deep breath of her own when she could stop panicking about Bloom’s physical health and focus on her mental health and getting her through the next few hours. They got to the door.

Bloom knocked on the door and her mother answered and without saying a thing she threw her arms around her daughter, without hesitation, even knowing that Bloom was probably about to tell her something awful. Because she was her daughter, honestly that made Farah a little jealous because the seventeen years making that bond didn’t belong to her. Bloom glanced at Farah, as if to say, are you okay? Farah smiled and sent reassuring emotions as she followed the mother and daughter into the house.

The house was cosy, homely but showed how obviously recently decorated it was. Farah knew it had to have been as Bloom lost control less than a year ago, but still, this did not look like anyone’s childhood home other than a few pictures here and there. They sat on the sofa, Vanessa sat beside Mike and Bloom and Farah sat on the opposite couch.

“So, Bloom, honey, what’s going on? You were so vague on the phone.”

“Yeah, I know, it wasn’t really over the phone type news.”

“What is it?” Mike was blunt and straight to the point.

“I, I …. I f-f-f-f....” Panic was starting to rise as she couldn’t stumble across the words, panic that would soon turn into hyperventilation that would not end well, she could feel it her daughter’s magic. Farah took Blooms two hands in her own and make eye contact.

“It's, okay Bloom, I told you I can tell them for you, I promised you I would do that, deep breath.”

“What is she getting so worked up over. And if you’re willing to telling us this life destroying news, then why did you leave it to Bloom to tell us the first news? Huh?” Mike was getting aggressive, almost shouting. And Bloom was getting more worked up.

Farah realised the only solution was to charge ahead so Mike would stop talking and Bloom would calm down.

“I didn’t come last time because the safety of my students was at risk, as it was when Bloom came back, I was clinging to life buried in the old graveyard half a mile from my school. She is getting worked up because no matter how scary it was to tell you that there were nameless faceless birth parents somewhere out there it is far worse to tell you who they are. To tell you that she found her birth mother and that her family history is far more complicated than anyone could have ever predicted.”

There was quiet and Mike was stunned into silence. Vanessa then found her voice; she was softer and terrified that this meant losing her little girl.

“Who is she, the birth mother? Who is she?”

“Mom, Ms Dowling is my birth mother.”

“Oh, that’s just great, I’ll bet-”

“Mr. Peters, before you go accusing me of purposely hurting Bloom, suggest you get the full story.”

“Mike, just hear her out.”

“Thank you, Mrs Peters.”

“Vanessa, call me Vanessa.”

Farah nodded politely and began.

“I’m not sure what Bloom had told you about a woman called Rosalind-”

“Only that she knew something about Bloom’s past,” Vanessa interjected.

“Rosalind knew more than just something; she was the one who put Bloom in your care. She took Bloom and my daughter Beatrix from me and stole my memories of them. I understand how unbelievable that sounds, trust me, I do. But it is the truth. It is a highly complex spell that requires huge amounts of magic, in fact Rosalind convinced my husband’s crazy ex-girlfriend to help her with the original spell. The original spell forced me to forget a certain amount of time in which I married my husband and convinced our two children. In fact, until three months ago, I fully believed I had left things irreparably bad with him almost eighteen years ago, she tied the memory of my daughters to the original spell. Also, I forgot to mention Rosalind was my crazy ex-girlfriend.”

“Wait slow down, how could she make you forget that much time? A full nine month.”

“I didn’t lose nine months of memories, I lost six week and then the day my girls were born. It was a different time, war time in our world. I was a soldier, on the frontlines. However, a pregnancy is easily protected, there are powerful spells to protect a child. Some so powerful, that once cast no one would ever know about the child, not even the mother, until she goes into labour and the spell breaks.”

“But why?”

“In some strange way, it was because she still loved me. Ironically, love broke her memory spell. Love or the memory of the love I felt the day Bloom and Beatrix were born, when I first held them in my arms, it sparked when Bloom hugged me before she left to tell you she was actually your biological child. I didn’t tell her then of course; the memories came flooding back to me and I just could cope with telling her. Not to mention at that moment in time, Beatrix hated me and was stuck under Rosalind’s thumb.”

“So, Rosalind is still a danger to Bloom?”

“No, I killed Rosalind, in hope to satisfy a prophesy and save my children and my students. It, it didn’t work, one of my students did die, Beatrix’s boyfriend. And an old friend, who had recently proved he was more complicated than just an evil, sadistic soldier. I killed Rosalind because before she died no one had but things were not looking good for Bloom. It looked like she would die. She had several seizures and she’s not entirely out of the woods yet considering the stress of telling you all of this sent her into a seizure last night.”

Vanessa leaned across the coffee table to take Bloom’s hand. “You had a seizure last night because of this, because of us?” Tears ran down both of their faces. “So, what does this mean? How can you treat her?”

“This was the first seizure she’s had since the event, so keeping her stress levels down until her magic fully recovers is key. We don’t believe that she has had any lasting damaging from last night’s seizure or that it has even set back her recovery, but if I hadn’t got to her on time, it would have been a very different story, possibly fatal. Which is why it isn’t a good idea for Bloom to come here for the holidays. However, I would like to invite you both to join us Christmas Eve and stay for three days with at Alfea.2

“Of course! Anything to keep Bloom safe.”

Mike had been very silent since he tried to accuse Farh of constructing the scenario that brought her ack to the magical world, to Farah. But his next question was something he needed to know.

“How exactly did she do it? Trick us into believing that Bloom was our daughter?” His cold empty tone made Bloom to want nothing more than to bury her head in Farah’s shoulder, to hide from it.

“It’s ancient spell from the dark times when we existed here in the first world, a spell to swap a non- magical baby for a magical one. It only requires two things the location of both children and their names.”

“Their names, so you mean Rosalind gave me a name to swap me with their child. I mean you said when I was little you were going to name me Bethany but changed your minds when I was two days old when Bethany disappeared and I was put in her place.”

The Peters can nothing to say to comfort her, luckily Farah did.

“No, Bloom. I named you Bloom after Rose and her family tradition of naming their daughters after flowers and plants and things to do thing being an earth fairy. I named Beatrix after my three favourite aunts, Beatrice, Bellatrix and her wife, Bea.”

Then Bloom finally gave in and sought the comfort she desperately wanted from Farah. Farah placed a kiss in her hair and rubbed circles in her back as she sobbed in her mother’s arms. The Peters quietly slipped out of the room to give them a moment. Vanessa returned twenty minutes later with tea. Farah asked the pair to have tea with them, Vanessa accepted but Mike declined, heading for a walk to clear his head.

A few hours later Bloom and Farah went heading back to Alfea. Farah could sense other at the barrier’s edge, coming in by the road. A significant group of people. Continuing back to the school she called Saul, asking him, Alasdair and Steven to join her at the front of the school, in specialist gear if possible to do so quickly. Upon reaching the entrance she found the men were already waiting for her with the addition of Sky. Farah sent him to take Bloom inside.

The group of people approaching became visible. Their appearance shocked the four gathered in front of the school because it was impossible for them to be there. It was King Radius and his army who had been missing for seventeen years. They had disappeared just before Aster Dell and were presumed dead.

Chapter Text

To say the four soldiers were shocked to see King Radius and his men was an understatement. Radius’s army had went missing only days before Aster Dell. Yet here they were with Radius leading them to Alfea’s front gate. There he came to a halt. As a king, he could not enter Alfea without Farah’s permission. She left the three men standing with their mouth’s hanging open. Standing before Radius, she raised her hand to be shook.

“Your majesty?” she asked, the shock having not quite worn off.
He shook her hand with both of his and smiled in relief and said, “Farah, it’s good to see you.”
“Come in, your men can rest and you can tell me what happened seventeen years ago.”
“Seventeen years ago, but that means Stella-”
“Is a fine young fairy who attends Alfea,” she assured him.

It stung that he had missed so much time, his daughter’s entire childhood but he followed Farah anyway, leading his men into her school. Farah led the men into the assembly hall, ignoring Bloom, Beatrix, Sky and Musa who sat on the stairs. Saul took charge of the men ranging food, medicine and towels and clean clothes for when they wished to take a shower, for which Stephen suggested they could do in the specialist change rooms. Alasdair and the four teenagers set about helping Saul. Farah and Radius headed to her office.

Once in Farah’s office, Radius began to explain the last seventeen years to the Headmistress.

“We were on our way to join you and the rest of Rosalind’s battalion on the frontlines. But then we reached the Caliginous Wood. From the outside the woods appeared normal, just as strange, dark and magical as always. But then when we crossed the tree line we were trapped in there. We couldn’t leave. A barrier had been put in place and there were so many burned ones. Killing the burned ones only powered the barrier, their magical energy dissipating adding to the barrier’s strength. We theorised that in order to bring down the barrier we would have to stop killing burned ones, there were too many of the burned ones to stop killing them. Their numbers only increasing every time someone got infected.”

He paused to think about how many men he had had to put down to stop them from turning. It was dreadful. Seventeen years ago, he had set out with three hundred men but only fifty sat within Alfea’s walls today, scarred forever.

“But then one night not so long ago, the burned ones; their embers, they all burnt out at once. The burst of energy took down the barrier. The burned ones were gone and in their place were the bodies of poor souls who had turned. They still wore their old clothes, we could even identify a few.”

There were a few moments pause. Farah didn’t say anything, she could tell he wasn’t finished.

“We buried the bodies. They were people once after all, our people. Some were even our brothers in arms. Then we came here. That trap was set for us. Returning straight home was suicide. It had to have been Luna. And the fact that we made it here safely means she doesn’t know yet.”
“She will soon, she knows all the burned ones are dead. She was here in the aftermath. Luna is no fool, she will check the barrier soon and then she will know.”

“I’ll bet you’re wondering I didn’t just claim sanctuary as soon as we came here then. As headmistress, you wouldn’t have been able to turn us away if I had.”
“It had briefly crossed my mind, I’ll admit. However, I understand that if you had claimed sanctuary, you would forfeit the throne, you couldn’t do that to your people. You knew Luna had taken after her power crazed mother even back then. I’m afraid to tell you she’s only gotten worse.”
“How bad is it?”
“She broke Stella’s magic. Stella ended up blinding her best friend before I had even realised. I’ve had to full repair her magic and now she knows how to channel and manage the method Luna forces her to use, but as safe magic.”

“What’s she like, my daughter? Please tell me about her.”
“Stella is wonderful. She will be very powerful one day. I held her back a year after the incident with Rikki- her best friend. And that has done her the world of good. She has become true friends with all of her suite mates, something that had Luna had her way probably would never had happened. Luna wished to twist the girl up like her. But I do believe she is rather more like you, selfless, good, a true leader. She was part of the group who defeated the burned ones. She’s friends with my daughter-"
“You have a daughter?”
“Two,  Bloom and Beatrix, but that’s a long story for another day. Stella is amazing, you should be so proud of her.”
“I already am.”

Chapter Text

Farah had delt with a lot of surprising things in this school term, and it was only December; a lesser fairy may have even feared what could possibly be thrown at her next. But Farah had been trained and conditioned not to fear the unknown. She relied on certainties. And this is what she knew for certain:
• She had to brilliant daughters.
• Alasdair loved her, always had and always will.
• Rosalind was dead.
• New years in Dragonis will be torture.
• Luna is going to go crazy when she finds out that not only is Radius free but under her protection at Alfea without calling sanctuary.
Farah mulled this over with a glass of whiskey in her office, staring out the window to the grounds, ignoring the paperwork calling to her from her desk. She watched as some of the soldiers showed Sky, Beatrix, Bloom, and Musa their skills. It seemed to Farah she had only just shipped soldiers out of Alfea back to wherever they had come from and now she has a brand-new set.
Ben would call soon, he always did call around eight when he went to Rose’s family. Farah hoped today’s events wouldn’t have him come running straight back to Alfea, Sam and Terra deserved to see their extended family. At eight o’clock sharp he rang. ‘This wasn’t going to be awkward at all,’ she thought sarcastically to herself.
“Hey, Farah. Is the school still standing?” Ben joked.
“Just about,” Farah tried to laugh back, but sounded insincere.
“What happened?” Ben turned very serious very suddenly.
“Are you alone?”
“YES, I am. Farah, you’re scaring me. Is everyone okay? How did it go with Bloom’s parents? Did she have another seizure?”
The seizure, visiting Bloom’s parents, it all seemed like ages ago now.
“No, everyone is fine. No seizures. Stressful visit, but she’s relatively okay. No the problem is Radius is alive and at Alfea.”
“What?”
“Luna imprisoned him. And his men. You remember they were on their way to help us. They weren’t killed en route by burned ones, just trapped in the Caliginous Wood with them.”
“Fuck! What are you going to do, no let me guess he claimed sanctuary so there’s nothing anyone can do.”
“No, he didn’t. If he claimed sanctuary, he couldn’t return to being King of Solaria. Al has reached out to Archie; we’re doing this the official way.”
“Official as in Dragon guards come to Alfea and bring Radius back to Solaria and Luna loses her shit.”
“Benjamin Harvey, all this swearing?!” Farah laughed.
“Benjamin is it now? Alright Faragonda.”
“Ben don’t you dare!”
“Okay. Okay. Okay. Truce, truce!”
“Truce.”
There was a comfortable silence.
“So how did it go with Bloom’s parents?”
“She panicked, I explained everything to them. Her mother was understanding, her father freaked and that will be interesting to see how this progresses.”
“Beatrix said that you’re bringing them to Alfea for Christmas.”
“She worries too much.”
“Takes after her mother. You must realise I’m not going to let you object to a check up.”
“I know but don’t let Bloom worry.”
“She should know.”
“Please.”

Chapter Text

Given that it was already the 16th of December, it would be difficult to safely return Radius and his soldiers to the Solarian palace on time for Christmas and the New Year. However it was vital to the King that he did. He and Luna had been crowned King and Queen on New Year's day, and it was their silver jubilee and on this anniversary, if Luna is recrowned in this ceremony by herself, she will be the sole monarch, magical law decrees this. They needed a plan- quickly.

The easiest way to begin was to start a rumour, very easy when you know two of the other world's most powerful monarchs personally. Forcing Luna to immediately check the trap. She would go personally, this was too important to trust anyone else. She would do this under the guise of retracing her presumed dead husband's last known movements before the jubilee. Luna for all her cunning, was very predictable. During this time Radius could easily return to his palace making sure to be seen by as much of this people as possible before arriving at the Palace. Also, he would be escorted by Draconian and Erakylonian soldiers. The wards would not accept a fake, a pretender to sit on his throne, so his return would be accepted once he sat on his throne. It would be so easy. And all it took was two phone calls, one to Edythe and one to Archie.

And now instead of Luna taking the throne without Radius, he would take it without her, while she rotten in the dungeons for entirety. However, Farah warned Radius not to be too harsh in punishing Luna not only so his people don't end up fearing and overthrowing him but so that his daughter does not hate him. Luna for all her faults, was still Stella's mother, after all. Radius agreed with this sage advice, also understanding that Farah knew his daughter far better than he did.
Following this very simple plan, Radius was home and getting to know his daughter by the winter solstice.

Beatrix and Bloom were enjoying their parents company and got to know them so well that at times it seemed like this family had always been as it should have been. But the morning of the 23rd of December, Bloom's apprehensive manner came as a stark reminder that it hadn't always been this way.

She hadn't suffered anymore seizures or passed out again, thankfully, but had this terrible headache that just wouldn't go away. Beatrix, ever the wonderful sister she had turned out to be, kept and I on the time for her continually and told her when she could take her pain killers as soon as it was safe, alternating between paracetamol and ibuprofen, and handing her a cold face cloth for her forehead and to cover her eyes with when she was in pain but couldn't take anything.

Farah and Alasdair grew concerned for Bloom's wellbeing and constantly had Ben check her over but he always said the same, she was completely fine, almost to the point that if it weren't for these headaches with no apparent cause Bloom could have actually spent time in the first world over the holidays. Which only upset Bloom further.

Her aforementioned apprehension was cause by her parents impending arrival, it was tonight. Bea, had mentioned in passing that bringing humans through the barrier was almost impossible so it had to mean that their mother was incredibly powerful to be able to pull over such a feat and maintain for several days. Of course, they already knew that their mother of an immensely power fairy.

Farah arrived at the Peters' home at 7pm sharp. Vanessa had been sitting not far from the door nervously bobbing her knee for the better part of the last hour. Farah had arrived in a car for the purposes of fooling nosey neighbors who believed that the Peters' were headed for Switzerland for Christmas. Vanessa was ready to go the second Farah arrived, Mike, on the other hand, still had to pack which took over twenty minutes, too long for the small bag he brought. Farah drove them to the warehouse where it all began almost a year ago. When Farah thought about it, it had been her wedding anniversary, almost like it had been fate.

Once in the other world, they quickly walked to the barrier. It took Farah a moment before telling the two humans to walk through. Mike began to protest that she wasn't going first, thinking about how she could try to kill them easily and blame it on the barrier without any suspicions. Not that he got the chance to voice any of this before Vanessa marched straight through the magical wall, proving him wrong, also knowing that he would try to say this as he had mentioned a couple of hundred times since proper plans were put in place for their trip to Alfea, the other world for Christmas.

Bloom waited for her adoptive parents and biological mother in the entrance hall. Beatrix waited with her. When they arrived in the entrance hall Bloom was so nervous and Beatrix was so focused in her that they did not notice their mother's pale complexion. Nor did they notice when she took up the rear of the group as they ascended the stairs and how her knuckles turned white as she gripped the banister to stave of the dizziness.

Chapter Text

Chapter 26
The evening was quiet and uneventful, even if Mike did not quite get into the Christmas spirit. They all gathered in Farah’s sitting room and watched Christmas movies whiles eating the cookies that Sky and Terra had made earlier that day, quality time that they hadn’t had in years, Sam had helped them decorate. Farah watched most of the festivities watched over, joining in minimally but not making it overly obvious she was sitting for more reasons than just watching her daughters have her two daughters experience their first Christmas together with the family they should have grown up with, with the added bonus of Vanessa, Musa, and Stephen.
As the movie came to a finish, Farah excused herself, feigning mere tiredness. Alasdair and Ben saw straight through her though. Beatrix also took note of the fact this was the earliest she had ever seen or heard of her mother going to bed, even when she needed it most. Ben took that opportunity to feign tiredness too, but he was going to check up on Farah.
“Farah? Are you alright?” he asked her quietly once they were in the hall.
“Just a headache, I’ll be fine,” she murmured in reply.
“Judging by how quiet you’ve been all evening I’d say it’s more than just a headache. Do you need anything?”
“No. I’ll be fine,” he gave her a look that said he didn’t believe her in the slightest. “Really, I will be. I have a mild pain killer that will ease it and I intend to go straight to sleep, no reading half the night for me.”
“Alasdair will be shocked. What about something stronger like a mild sedative?”
“No, it’s harder to keep control of my magic if I’m that deeply asleep and y-”
She was cut off by Beatrix’s sudden quiet appearance in the hall, “I was right, it can’t be done. Humans inside the barrier for long periods of time, you’re hurting yourself to do it. Mum, I know you want to do this for Bloom, but she wouldn’t thank you for harming yourself, especially considering you were on the brink of death a month ago.”
“You’re right my love. But I would do anything for you both, including suffering a few days of minor discomfort just to make things easier for either of you. Please don’t tell Bloom, not now anyway. I promise we will tell her after Christmas when her parents have gone home. She has enough on her plate right now.”
“Fine, but I’m telling her the second you leave to bring the Peters home. And your discomfort doesn’t really seem all that minor to me. You are to take it easy and let Uncle Ben and I do magic in your stead.”
Farah simply pulled her into a side hug and kissed her head. Of course, Ben took this moment to smile and smugly say, “That’s my girl. Maybe I should start training you up on healing, you can certainly give “doctor’s orders”.”
“Oh goodness, not yet, I haven’t gotten used to Terra being able to do it yet. I don’t think I could handle both of you being healers already. Maybe over the summer holidays?”
“What your mother means dear is that she would prefer you didn’t fully understand how little she takes care of herself in comparison to her poor health. She can hide it from Terra because Terra doesn’t see her for most of the day. But she won’t be able to hide it from you and so would like to be further along in the healing process when you even start learning.”
“So, can we begin in the New Year, Uncle Ben?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Seeing she would be entirely defeated in this case and know Al would encourage them because the education would be good for their daughter, she gave in and bid them both good night. Ben headed back for his cottage and Beatrix having only pretended to need the loo when she left the sitting room returned to the party. True to her word, Farah was long since sound asleep by the time Alasdair came to bed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 27
The next day, Farah arose early to cook breakfast. Alasdair got up with her mostly just so he could spend some of their waking hours alone together, but also had the fact that keeping two humans inside the wards was immensely dangerous for Farah, so keeping an eye on her. As everyone arose and came to Farah’s kitchen for breakfast, she fused over her schedule for the day which was mostly preparations for dinner on Christmas day as well as their actual celebrations of Christmas. Bloom mentioned a slight headache but insisted that her uncle did not need to do a check-up.

After breakfast, everyone bundled up into heavy hats, coats, scarves, and gloves and headed out into the falling snow. Farah had prepared a picnic full of warm foods and hot chocolate, all maintained under a basic stasis charm, that Beatrix insisted on performing- which Bloom found a bit strange but didn’t really give it much heed. They were headed in search of the perfect tree, a search which Ben led. A search which for the first time in all their Christmases as teachers in Alfea did not involve a quick search of the grounds but instead went straight out of the barrier. Farah would be lying if she said that everyone being outside of the wasn’t an immediate relief. Beatrix studied her mother’s face very carefully at that moment, in hopes to gain further insight into the immense pressure that the amazing feat of magic was causing her. Alasdair, seeing his daughter’s worry wrapped his arm around her should her and pulled her into conversation.

Several snowball fights and stops to build three snowmen and many now angels later, they found a healthy tree that looked like with very little size modification it would fit quite well in Farah’s sitting room. Before chopping the tree down, they had their little picnic as they had ventured a fair distance into the forest and had trek it back lugging a tree. After a pleasant snowy picnic, Ben moved to level the tree with his magic, however, Terra stopped him. She wished to see if she could get the tree to move coming with them closer to the barrier before it was chopped down. She was succeeding too- it looked rather like the way the trees moved from the Narnia movies that Sam had loved when he was little, until Sky open his mouth about chopping the tree down and the tree stopped dead in its tracks and no amount of focusing or trying could get the tree to move. Terra was cursing Sky under her breath as much as she dared in front of her aunt during the holidays.

The whole trek back Saul and Ben exchanged worried looks with Alasdair who only replied with a resigned sigh. Saul was also very worried about Farah and knew all too well that she always pushed herself too far, especially for her loved ones, after all, he had been her Co-Headmaster for seventeen years.
“She’s going to hurt herself, you both know that right?” Saul mentioned quietly as they walked at the back of the group.
“Of course, we do. Ben’s been keeping a close eye. Beatrix has noticed too; she thinks we should tell Bloom.”
“Rather you than me, mate. She’d bloody kill us. But her husband… you might just get away with.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 28

“Rather you than me, mate. She’d bloody kill us. But her husband… you might just get away with.”

None of the men noticed Mike lagging just a few steps in front. And they definitely didn’t know that he’d heard the whole thing. So, after returning through the Barrier and the warmth of the school’s walls Mike decided to take a wander through the halls, to sort through his own thoughts. Farah only asked that he did not wander out beyond the Barrier because while the burned ones were gone, there were other creatures lurking in the forest that may attack a non-magic walking alone. He walked until the echoing sounds of the girl he thought was his daughter, her friends and her sister vanished. He stopped in an empty classroom and sat behind a desk. Bloom may have sat here, he thought to himself. Sat here when she believed I was her father, and I didn’t even consider the possibility that she wasn’t. When I thought Alfea was in Switzerland.

He thought of the girl’s mother. Farah, what an unusual name. Well at least by Californian standards. An unusual woman too. Vanessa trusted her instantly, I just can’t seem to do the same myself. He thought back to the conversation he had heard not that long ago. Whatever my personal feelings are, she is trying to do right by Bloom. The black-haired guy- Sal? Said she was hurting herself, and her husband and the bald guy were also worried. It has to be to do with us being inside the Barrier. Because the men weren’t concerned about Alice- Ally, Oh, Bloom’s father. If it was just the emotional side the other men would have been concerned for him too. This made him gather a newfound respect for the woman whose existence tore apart his heart and his life.

Speaking of those events, Mike’s thoughts wandered to Britany, his actual biological daughter. What happened to her? If we got Bloom and Farah and her husband never raised a child what happened to my little girl? I know, she was poorly. That’s probably why we believed the trick so easily, we had been praying for a miracle and it came. Bloom came. But where did Britany go? And I know it’s not Bloom’s fault, but I can’t help but mourn my child. And seeing Bloom have another set of parents who so very clearly love and want her, it’s hard to watch. He wallowed in his sorrows for but a short while longer. Then, he re-joined the festivities.

Chapter Text

Chapter 29
The sight that Mike returned to was of an enormous Christmas tree being trimmed by people full of happiness and love. Old carols played on an enchanted record player. The teenagers were giggling as Farah- in full Headmistress mode, chastised them for nibbling on the popcorn they were supposed to be stringing and the candy canes that were meant to be hung on the tree. Meanwhile, Saul and Alasdair hide candy canes behind their backs as Ben laughed at the pair’s antics. Stephen held the ladder steady as Vanessa climbed to add decorations to higher parts of the tree. Mike smiled at the sight of his wife enjoying the festive season. She noticed him as she descended the ladder and he crossed the room to greet her, snagging mistletoe from the coffee table as he passed and kissing her under it. Bloom giggled with the typical teenaged reaction.
“MOM! DAD! That’s disgusting.”
“Garden,” Ben loudly coughed, to which both Bloom and Sky turned bright red. The other adults looked at him questioningly, but the teenagers just burst out laughing because they already knew what Ben meant. Not that he let his fellow grown-ups in on the joke. Farah took this moment to be relieved Bloom had not pulled away from her adoptive parents and Mike hadn’t so much as pulled a face that semi-objecting to her calling him ‘dad.’
Not long after they were settling down to a nice meal together. Not quite a Christmas day turkey and ham dinner, but lovely all the same. Bloom had failed to mention the headache that had been building since that morning had gotten progressively worse. And Farah was getting weaker- which was probably why with those who would have been keeping a close eye on Bloom distracted by Farah, only Terra, Musa and Sky noticed Bloom wince from time to time. However, no one outwardly spoke about either’s ailments.
Farah, as hostess, continued to look after all of her guests as if nothing was wrong, which meant floating plates of dessert into the dining room from the kitchen. Which was fine until suddenly they all came crashing down. There was a dash to the kitchen, by all bar Bloom and Mike. They found Farah leaning against the kitchen counter, nose bleeding as she steadied herself from dizziness. Everyone’s thoughts were in disarray and emotions ran high. Which didn’t help Farah and was even causing Musa to struggle. Meanwhile, still in the dining room, Bloom was turning pale as Mike helped her to her feet to join the others in the kitchen. She could hear things, things that sounded like her thought but she could sense weren’t, they were just a jumble of passing thoughts, in the voices of her loved ones. “I knew she’d go too far, this isn’t safe.” “Farah, love just breath.” “I’m sending her to bed now.” “What’s going on?” “Auntie?” “Bloom deserves to know.” “I just need to hang on until the day after tomorrow.” And so much more.
“Would everyone please Shut up!” Bloom shouted.
Saul turned to his niece, “Only Ben is talking love.” He was right, her sudden shout had startled everyone and now there was complete silence.
“Bloom?” her mothers both asked carefully.
“What isn’t safe, what do you need to tell me?”
“What are you talking about Bloom?”
“You were just all talking about it!” her panic was rising as Mike held her steady.
“No, we weren’t love, but I’d wager we were all thinking it.”
“What?” she replied to Saul weakly.
“Mum can’t physically maintain two non-magicals inside the Barrier.”
“Beatrix!” Farah weakly protested.
“Mum, is this true?”
“Yes,” Farah sighed defeatedly. Bloom tried to make her way over to her mother but stumbled and was caught by Alasdair, who then guided her over to her mother.
Vanessa was horrified that this had come to pass. That this brilliant woman was harming herself on her and Mike’s behalf. She was also worried for her daughter. She and Mike shared a silent look that said they were heading home tonight.

Chapter Text

Ben was worried about his friend and his niece and thought about possible solutions. He figured the Peters were headed home tonight knowing they were causing Farah’s poor health because they were good people. Then she’d recover after a few days of mandatory, family-enforced rest. Bloom on the other hand the only answer was proper training, but you didn’t just suddenly gain a fully-fledged secondary element, nor had she been trying to, so the question was; where had they come from?
Farah, however, had already figured that out. Rosalind’s final secret, she must have gifted her powers to Bloom. It was an old fairy tradition, used by powerful bloodlines. But you could only pass power onto your children or grandchildren, not even your niece or nephew or cousin. So how exactly she was still figuring out. Then, she got it. Rosalind claimed that she would have raised her girls with her had Farah chosen her, which would have made her their mother. She had protected them in her own insane way before they were born and magic had accepted that she would be a second mother to them back then, which isn’t something that can be undone easily. Rosalind believed Bloom to be a very powerful fairy and wished to grow that power. By the gods, that woman was insane.
They put Bloom to bed and gave her a dreamless sleep cordial, allowing her to heal and not hear anyone’s thoughts for a few hours. Terra and Sky admitted to noticing Bloom’s headache getting progressively worse while Musa hid in the corner wearing headphones to block the emotions out, emotions that were still running high all around her so while her skills of blocking everyone else out had improved it was difficult. Sam and Stephen sat with her.
Farah insisted she had to be the one to bring Bloom’s parents home and gave the impression that there would be no room for arguing with her decision. So, Ben concocted a tonic for her while she brought the Peters home, driving from the place she first found Bloom to their home. Vanessa was tense the whole trip home and Mike absentmindedly stroked her leg as a comfort to them both. He was the first to speak.
“Thank you, Farah. You have caused great harm to yourself in trying to give us Christmas with our daughter.”
Vanessa was speechless, she hadn’t expected such a statement from Mike ever, not with his recent behaviour. Farah too was shocked and took a few moments to find her tongue.
“Bloom deserves a Christmas with her whole family, I’m sorry I couldn’t give it to her.”
“Couldn’t! You have done what your Beatrix described as the impossible, so we could be together tomorrow, but we got so much time that you could easily have not allowed us. Thank you for giving us time with her.”
“I couldn’t keep her from you, you are her parents. We love her and Beatrix more than life and this is going to be complicated and messy but starting off with the thought that we are both her parents makes things easier.”
“You are amazing, do you know that? I don’t know if I could have been that good in your position.”
“You are in my position; you find yourself facing the reality that your child has another mother. You are better than me for the simple reason that I find myself thanking the Goddess in the difficult moments that I am Beatrix’s only mother. We are all doing our best to find the right path. Honestly, your ability to accept this entire situation is what I am taking my lead from.”
She blushed but didn’t say anything. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Farah spoke again. “We’re going to have to find a more suitable solution to spending time together, of course. Your home, while lovely, having multiple creatures from another world visit often would draw unnecessary attention. I doubt I will be let attempt to bring you to Alfea again.”
“We have time to figure it out, after all you are visiting your husband’s family for the New Year’s celebrations and then it is back to term time when Bloom must be in Alfea for her education. I’m sure four sensible adults can figure out a practical solution before June.”
“Yes, actually, your husband Alasdair might have be the most capable out of all of us in finding a solution, didn’t you say his brother is a King? Surely he will have access to a property that does have the same restrictions as your school that could work?”
“Perhaps you are right, Mike. I shall speak to my brother-in-law to see if he can offer any assistance.”
The rest of the journey continued in comfortable silences and idle chatter. When they arrived at the humans’ residence, Mike and Vanessa bid Farrah farewell and promised to speak soon and explain Bloom’s new power when they had a definite explanation. Farah made short work of disposing of the car and returned to Alfea, where she was greeted by a bombardment of insistence she rest.