｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

｡･:*:･ﾟ★ "I keep them safe. Not Lýkos. Not the Queen or the ministers, me." *:･ﾟ☆

Stella

"Do you want to come to today's meeting?" I ask Musa as we get our breakfast. "Octavia mentioned you found it useful and asked me to extend an invitation for you to join."

Musa hums as she thanks Dinner Lady Doris for the plate of food.

"I think so," She states as we walk through the halls, "My magic is pretty much always on so to have a way to control it even if I'm not at the stage of blocking it yet is a massive improvement."

"Always on?" I ask, arching a brow at her as we search through the tables for our friends.

"It makes crowded spaces a nightmare," she moans before glancing at Doris with glowing eyes, "Doris is in physical pain. That kid? Scared and stressed, like a bunny when hawks circle, worried and tentative." We walk towards professor Harvey who's leaving one of the meeting rooms. He was giving an analysis of the burned one residue to the various ministers in attendance before today's discussions, "but that might just be heartburn, it's hard to tell a lot of them apart."

Musa suddenly goes still, like she's not there with me. I watch in shock as her shoulders begin to loosen and her gaze seems to be fixated on a figure in the crowd.

"What just happened?" I question, amusement and apprehension warring within me at her reaction.

"Not- entirely sure," She stutters slightly and shakes her head.

I moved through the crowds after spotting Bloom, Aisha and Terra sat at one of the tables. Musa follows slowly behind me, her attention still focused on whoever she saw. I sit down in time to see Aisha get into her 'I've got a plan' stance.

"So, here's what we should do." Aisha looks to the over girls for support, "Maybe we could make a list of emotional triggers-

"Aisha, um, I appreciate what you're doing but I can work it out on my own." Bloom interrupts, looking tired and hesitant.

"I'm sure, I just think you might be getting caught up in this changeling drama." Aisha makes a face of worry, "And overthinking the Burned One situation."

Bloom pauses, expression falling, "So everyone knows."

"Oh is that why you were freaking out in class on Friday? That makes so much more sense, you had made progress but then it was like all of a sudden you were back to square one-"

I watch in amusement as Musa quickly indicates for her to shut up, singling to cut her off and Terra quickly quiets down, "And I'm making it so much worse, sorry."

"Just keep your head down," I say to Bloom, catching sight of Sky making his way over to us, "The ministers heard rumours of you too and questions are already being asked about if you have some kind of involvement with the Burned Ones."

"Involvement with the Burned Ones?" Aisha scowls, "That's ridiculous."

"I know," I placate her trying to get them to understand that I am on their side, "Octavia managed to convince them-"

"She turned them against me didn't she?" Bloom interrupts, eyes bright with tears.

"No- No, she-"

"So we have a plan now," Sky interrupts, smiling hesitantly at Bloom as he places a map down in front of us.

"What's this?" Musa questions irritably.

"A plan to get Stella's ring back." Bloom states as she stands up to move next to Sky and help him pin down the map.

"But- but Octavia said-"

"I lost the ring, so I'm getting back," Bloom interrupts Terra harshly, before sinking into herself, "Besides, I'm already on Octavia's bad side, I don't need to make it worse."

"Octavia doesn't think badly of you." I try to interrupt, forcing a smile to make her feel better.

"Doesn't she?" Bloom asks me suddenly, looking at me with such an intensity that I freeze, "The two of you have been going on and on about these meetings for days. Octavia is obsessed with getting her plan through to the ministers, everyone has heard of her outburst on Thursday. The videos are everywhere of it, not to mention she was challenging the general."

I look away in guilt before straightening up.

"She needs the burned one alive Stella," Bloom interrupts me as if sensing my impending disagreement, "can't you see? She has power as long as she is needed. She was put in charge of defence, she needs an enemy to fight to prove herself."

Bloom looks at me pleadingly, before looking at the others who have gone silent in thought. Terra looks hurt and on the verge of tears while Musa looks like there is a war going on inside her head. Sky, I pause and sigh at him, Sky looks so dead inside yet his eyes are filled with blistering rage. He finds it so easy to hate Tavi because of the things I've done to him. It's my fault their friendship keeps crumbling apart.

"And what better enemy than an ancient threat that many of the ministers remember, and a changeling, a powerful creature not seen in centuries." Aisha comments in shock as she looks around the table, "She would be the hero, saving us all from the fairytale villain and winning the war."

"Octavia needs the Burned One for her meeting," I state in realisation, "She doesn't care about the ring, she just needs to convince the ministers of how dangerous and real they are."

Bloom nods, relief filling her face at our understanding.

"No-, no." I state, shaking my head stubbornly, "She wouldn't create an enemy, Bloom. She wouldn't risk so many lives for a petty goal."

"Wouldn't she?" Bloom rasps, "She's manipulative, we've all seen it. The way there's something wrong with her powers and you can't tell me she doesn't try to critique and control you, Stel."

I freeze, pleading with Bloom not to say what I think she is.

"She's just like your mother, Stella." Bloom whispers, leaning forward on the table to wrap her hands around mine, "That's what this is all about, it's a bid for the crown."

Shuddering breaths escape as I realise the full magnitude of Bloom's words. I would be in her way, Octavia would have to get rid of me if she wanted the crown. The others all look down in shame, no doubt coming to the same conclusion as I have. Sky looks like he's about to kill someone.

This can't be true, the octavia I know would never- I pause. But I don't know her, do I? I've known her for two years. Barely a year if we're considering all the time as was at school and she was adjusting to life in the palace.

She's a good actress and very dedicated to maintain public images, she could have been lying this entire time. Using me.

I don't know Octavia at all.

"So why do we need to get the ring?" Musa asks, breaking the silence.

"It's a gateway ring," Aisha murmurs, "There are seven realms in the Otherworld not to mention the Gateway rings can open to anywhere within the realm. If Octavia wanted to open the gates to different realms and locations she could trick the burned ones into moving far and wide. Create a world wide threat."

A world wide-

Helios. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.

I can barely breathe. This can't be happening.

Musa rubs my back and I feel her slowly tug on my emotions, not changing them or effective them but drawing my attention to the feeling of calm. Mercifully the others don't say anything as I calm down.

"Here, have a glass of water." Aisha states and I accept the glass gratefully.

Bloom sits back down, while Sky remains standing beside us.

"What is this then?" I stutter out, shaking my head in question even as I recognise the map I sent to my twin yesterday

"It's a map of Alfea," Terra whispers but perks up quickly as she traces lines over the map, "The little dotted line is the barrier and that's crag creek. Wind meadow." Terra breaks into giggles and for the first time I'm grateful for the distraction. "When I was a kid I would spend every afternoon there-"

"Great story, Ter." Bloom interrupts, rubbing at her forehead in irritation.

"No, no. It's a really good story, listen. So I used to go and practise my magic-"

I watch with curiosity as Sky glances hesitantly at Terra before sitting on the bench beside Bloom. I fall silent, watching the way Bloom blushes slightly and calms down at his presence. She's sweet on him.

It reminds me of myself. She behaves just how I did when I first had a crush on Sky. Sadness flickers through me at the thought, we're similar in the way Octavia treats us. Octavia wouldn't snap at me like she does Bloom, but she does love to reprimand.

"I think you're freaking out and pretending you're not." Sky murmurs with a shrug, looking down at Bloom with concern.

"Is it that obvious," She worries.

"No," Sky jokes, a bit of light coming back to his eyes, "I'm just that good."

Bloom giggles and I watch how Sky's eyes light up. It's good to see him so happy again. Warmth blossoms in my chest at the thought, he deserves to have one of those epic loves like in the stories and legends. He deserved far better than what I could give him.

"I see you've moved on." Musa whispers to me quietly with violet eyes, I can't bring myself to be mad at the intrusion of privacy with all that's going off.

"Yeah," I answer, watching the pair smile awkwardly at each other, " I have."

"Sky?" Bloom suddenly asks, interrupting Terra's story as she stands to move around the map, "Where do you think they're keeping it again?"

"There's only so many buildings outside the barrier that they can secure it in." he begins, sounding so much like Silva that I grin, "There's the barn and the mill"

"Oh the barn would be my bet." Terra cuts in, "Dad fortified the beams because he was chaining up this wounded horse there when I was little."

"So we just have to sneak in there and get my ring," I state, looking around for their agreement.

"Strange how you're tossing around the word 'we' a lot when it's your ring and your sister who is causing all these problems." Aisha snarks.

"Yeah, stel." Musa leans in to murmur at me, "It does kind of seem like a 'you problem'. I don't really fancy dying by Octavia or the Burned Ones' hand."

Are they serious? They just dump all this shit about my sister on me and then decide it's my problem to deal with?

"Except I didn't lose it," I snapped, that familiar cold princess mask threatening to creep in.

"When should we go?" Bloom asks me and I see the other look around at each other in confusion and worry. Even Sky looks apprehensive.

"Okay, gonna be blunt. Sorry." Aisha states while scrunching up her face in annoyance. "Bloom, you have zero control over your powers, the ministers are apparently suspicious of your involvement with burned ones already-"

"I lost the ring, I'm going to get it back." Bloom states, suddenly deciding to take responsibility for her actions. "And Octavia is the one putting a target on my back with the ministers so I need to do everything I can to stop her."

"Guys, maybe we should take a minute." Sky interrupts, pleading with fairies before him.

"I think everyone is making a way bigger deal of this than it needs to be." I interrupt, meaning both the plan and the accusations at my sister. "You said the Burned One is locked up right?"

"Yeah," terra answers hesitantly, "I'm pretty sure my dad is distilling this oil, Zanbaq, to subdue it."

I see Sky's eyes flash with recognition, he knows what terra is talking about.

"I could make some more of it if you like." terra adds, smiling hesitantly between Bloom and I.

"Thank you, Terra for offering to help." I state, feeling that old rage crawl up my spine as the weight of their words begins to sink in. I quickly begin rolling up the map, "And thank you Bloom for accusing my sister of trying to take my right to the throne and thank you, everyone else." I spare a glance to a guilty looking Sky whose expression is quickly dying down to that cold mask again. "For doing but hurling insults, accusations and flat out lies about my sister. The one who has kept you all alive from three burned one attacks on the school."

"Just let me know when you want to do it." Bloom says to me before walking off.

I snatch the map up and quickly storm away as well. Tavi won't be happy that I mentioned what her shadows had been doing behind the scenes to draw away the burned one but by Helios above I wanted to put them in their place.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Octavia

"Octavia!" A voice calls from behind me as I walk through the corridors.

I turn in surprise to see Sky striding towards me, tugging his jack on in his haste.

"Hey?" I question softly in confusion.

"What the fuck is going with you!" he demands, shaking with rage.

What the fuck- what the fuck is going on with him! What's happening right now!

"What are you talking about?" I breathe in shock, taking in his shaking form.

"Bloom! The Burned Ones, the fucking bullshit plan to use the Burned One the teachers captured to convince the ministers to put you in charge!" He roars, "The whole using the changeling as a fairytale-fucking-villain!"

"What fucking plan Sky!" I seethe, storming past him through the corridors.

"Don't play dumb, It doesn't suit you, Octavia." He snarls, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the stone halls as he follows me.

"I don't know what plan you are talking about." I yell in frustration as we enter the foyer of the east wing, I'm supposed to meet Riven soon before the meeting.

"And why is this about Bloom!" I wince as my voice reverberates through the large, empty space. No one's around to hear us, and thank Helios for that, because I can't keep my volume down. Fury is bubbling in my veins, urged on by other emotions I don't even fully understand. "I haven't got a vendetta against that stupid bitch of fire fairy, I don't have the fucking time to."

"Oh because you're too busy plotting against all the ministers." Sky snarks.

"Yes!" I scream, "Because that's my fucking job! That's my job Sky, that's what I do. I utilise every skill that I fucking have to keep my people safe. To keep them from starving on the streets, from being illiterate, from being forced into a second war. I keep them safe. Not Lýkos. Not the Queen or the ministers, me."

"The responsibility falls to me." I seethe quietly, glaring into him.

"Bull-shit." His voice is hard, but his gaze is harder. "I don't believe that for one second. You are just like Stella, except she's trying to be a better person. You don't give two fucks about anyone except yourself. That's what this is about, power, survival."

"Oh, I'm sure you'd like to believe that you are helping people and you probably are- but as a byproduct." He's breathing harder, his nostrils flaring. He looks dangerous and wild. "You just want power so that you never feel weak again. Because that's what you are, Octavia. You are alone in this fucking world and that terrifies you. So you clung to Stella and then me and then Riven, and when Bloom threatened that you snapped."

"I told you, I told you," He rages, stepping closer to me, "That you were losing it, I told you days ago before all of the minister's mess. You are losing control, you have no power, no survival skills, you keep putting Riven and yourself in danger and then you flounce around with a few speeches like that makes you all fucking powerful."

"You're wrong, Sky." My breath is coming in heady pants now as I step closer to him, rage boiling over at his accusation. At his insults that cause me so much pain. "You are so fucking wrong it's laughable. I was the one who protected Bloom at the meeting! I was the one who turned the minister's attention away from her and onto evolution regarding the Burned Ones, even when it was fucking obvious they were hunting for something specific, something new. Like a changeling, perhaps. But nooo, I turned them away from that idea... for you. Because I am trying Sky, I am trying so fucking hard to be everything that everyone wants and you of all people should understand what that is like-"

I never get to finish that sentence, because in two strides, Sky closes the distance between us and kisses me. Hard.

A/N: What do you think of Bloom and Sky here?