･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

･:*:･ﾟ★, "You are cunning yet you rely on something as trivial as your looks."･:*:･ﾟ☆

Octavia

Introducing Irene and Beatrix was the worst decision of my life. The two have spent the last hour quietly bickering over anything and everything. Yet I can't help but smile at the way my sister's eyes light up at Irene's advice, this is what she missed without having a mother. We are currently testing and sampling the burned one residue, drying out first and then grinding it down before suspending some of it in different soluble substances to see the reactions.

Slow progress is what I'm trying to say.

Professor Harvey joined our little group some time ago, giving a confused look at Beatrix who has taken over two of his work benches and is currently ordering us around with the efficiency of a general. Irene keeps giving her vaguely bemused looks but I see a hint of approval in her eyes. I think Bea sees it too because she keeps turning to Irene after she makes a discovery, as if seeking that approval.

She is hoping that Andreas is mated to Irene and Silva, Darkling whispers and I freeze in shock. It's unlikely since Dowling is obviously so close to Silva and not everyone in a 'throuple' is mated to each other, so Irene's opinions wouldn't matter.

You, Sky and Riven are exceptions, and I'm not even sure if Sky and Riven are mated or just attracted to each other either way. Little shadow chimes in, appearing from a nearby shadow.

I take it Irene's shifter scent meant you couldn't tell she had more than one mate? I murmur in annoyance, now Beatrix has gone and got her hopes up that Andreas might actually be able to provide her with a mother figure, when I could have saved her the inevitable heartache if I had found out sooner. Bea love hard and bold, she would never shy away from her claim on family. I know it kills her to not see Andreas more, to purposely pretend he's not her father.

Family is everything to her. Especially after Ricki and Ellie.

He hums, Well, mate numbers tend to run in families and if Sky has two, and he was raised by Silva - it's a mindset you see. Part of the reason why you get your mates later than most instead of at birth, with the whole ' who provides the strongest offspring' of the Zoúnkla allásson.

Because your mate bonds are decided once you develop as a person, Little shadow takes over. This means that some people are more compatible with more than one mate than others. So in this regard, Sky would take after Silva - not Andreas.

Poor Andreas, it seems that his bond with Sky as a dad is going to be really hard to develop if Sky's personality is so intertwined with that of Silva's. Sky might not forgive him for playing dead, nevermind that Rosalind trapped him in the safe house with a magical barrier. Nothing to say of the mind-fuckery that she did on both him and Beatrix over the years.

And myself if I'm being honest.

It's hard to know when someone has been in your head if they are of a certain skill level.

Wait. What do you mean take after Silva?

Silva has two mates. Darkling states as if it were obvious. And I'm assuming from the way Dowling keeps trying to interrupt their bubble that she's the other mate.

Well fuck.

That really is a shit storm.

"Hey dad, do you need help with anything?" Terra asks and I look up to see her moving away from Sam by one of the tables.

Helios, did I seriously miss the entirety of the Harvey clan creeping in.

Harvey quickly hides the Burned One samples, we've been keeping a low profile but I can see the way Terra is eyeing Beatrix that she's going to start asking questions.

"No, not at all love." Harvey forces a smile. "Just a personal project."

Terra frowns, especially when Harvey offers for her to help Riven strip the roots of some plant. I turn back to the reports on the residue that Beatrix keeps handing me, ignoring the undertone of betrayal in Terra's voice when she claims she has homework she should start instead.

So she was just being nosy then. She hadn't actually finished her work and was looking for something to do. She wanted to know what we were doing. Mercifully, Bea and Irene were smart enough to keep their quiet chatter to a minimum. Both talking with softness that meant I could barely hear them, and I was sat a few feet away from them.

"Its strange." Beatrix murmur to me as she moves the samples around, "The last time I did this with company I had Ricki by my side."

My throat tightens. "She never did understand all your technical jargon."

"True." She smiles. "But she let me ramble about it anyways."

We work in silence for another few minutes as I read through the reports. A total of 18 different Burned One samples within the Alfea borders alone. Shit. a further 23 in the Eraklyon mountains that we know of.

"It's bad." Irene states with a tired sigh, the look of someone who has seen the extent of war before. "There's no avoiding it now. We'll have to start facing up to facts."

"With or without the Solarian Government's help." Beatrix adds on as the three of us stare down at the reports in front of us.

"Riven." Irene calls and I look over to see him ending a conversation with the Harvey children.

Terra stares after him suspiciously and I can't help but fear those stupid winx girls are up to something again. Can't they leave things well enough alone?

"What's wrong?" Riv murmur as he reaches my side.

"War, dipshit."

"Beatrix." Irene warns and I see my sister blush with embarrassment.

"The Burned Ones are closer to us than we thought." Beatrix amends with a forced smile at Riven. "We need to do something, and fast."

"What about the bait plan?" he asks.

"With the amount of Burned Ones outside the barrier they would have already been drawn to the one we have captured." Irene answers as she moves through the reports to find the one on the trapped Burned One. "However, this one is showing different minerals to the others. A scout from the Eraklyon caves rather than the Alfean mountains. They might not be loyal in that way to each other."

"Either way, we need to move the Burned One." I state, "It's a miracle none of the students have snuck out to see it yet. We can't risk their safety any longer."

"Move it to the Solarian prison?" Bea questions, "I thought we agreed that they would have no-"

"They need a distraction." Irene cuts her off. "We need to keep them busy while still trying to get them on our side. Push them too far and they push back, too little and they won't be prepared for war."

"So we use the Burned One as a way to give them proof." Bea answers, smiling when Irene gives her a nod.

"When will you transport it?" Riven looks between us all.

"Tomorrow." I answer, "We'll contact the guards now and move it during classes when the students are busy."

"Can you and Silva handle it?" I ask Irene, pausing when she hesitates with a hand on her stomach.

"Dowling will want a say."

It makes her physically sick to think of Dowling. I states, No wonder Silva hasn't developed a bond any further with the headmistress.

A broken mate bond can kill people. Little shadow whispers hesitantly. If Dowling is too stong and Silva goes to her instead of Irene.

That won't happen. I snap.

Then why is she sick?

"Do you want our help?" Riv asks, indicating to himself and I.

"No, no." Irene forces a smile and hides her unease. "I have it handled."

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Beatrix

I ignore the disappointment sinking in my stomach as I follow Irene out of the room, smiling at Tavi and Riven who are talking quietly to one another with their pinkies linked as they tidy away the reports and equipment. They are quite the pair.

If only Irene and Silva were like that.

Andreas would have been a better option for her but I saw the way Irene, Riven and Tavi reacted to Dowling's name. It's clear she is actually the one in the running.

What a waste.

Irene walks slowly through the training ground, walking around the track and I realise she is watching Silva and Dowling converse on one of the picnic benches. I wonder if they've been out here long?

Quickly catching up to her we walk in comfortable silence for long minutes.

"You know, don't you." Irene states sadly.

I hum. "There's only one reason a female as strong as yourself gets sick."

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"It got me into Alfea." I answer sweetly, annoyance flaring at her dismissal.

"And it won't get you any further. You are cunning yet you rely on something as trivial as your looks." She spares me a glance, "Use your brain."

"I do." I snap, suddenly desperate to prove she's wrong. "Who do you think handles the report networks for Octavia?"

"Her shadows. You are filling a role there never was." She smirks slightly. "What will you do if you and Octavia fall out and she no longer wishes to give you a pity job."

We continue on in silence as I mull over her words. What will I do? I'm not stupid, I know I was only filling a role meant to give me purpose after I lost Ricki and Ellie. But I'm doing better now, so maybe it's time to move on.

But what should I do then?

"You are thinking too hard, you are still in school Beatrix." Irene murmurs to me. "You still have time to find your own path in life."

"That might be derailed by this war." I mutter darkly.

She hums. "True. Or it might provide you with an opportunity to forge your own path."

"Is that what you did?" I ask, unable to keep the curiosity from my voice.

"First female commander in the Solarian army." She states with pride.

"I thought that was Rosalind?"

Irene's head snaps towards me in surprise. "Rosalind was second but she was given that title because she was the most... publicly acceptable type of fairy. It was a media campaign to gain support during the war. Nothing more than propaganda."

I didn't know that. Rosalind told me she was the first and only female to gain that title. That she fought tooth and nail for representation and to not be a poster girl.

"How do you know that name?" Her voice is dark and edge with violence.

"I really enjoy history." I answer brightly. "It's one of the reasons why I wanted to come to-"

"Cut the bullshit Mikrí Kataigída," She drawls, "I couldn't care less about your pre-scripted answer."

I swallow heavily and we drift into silence.

"She has spoken to you, hasn't she." Irene states and I look at her in fearful shock but she merely hums. "Rosalind has no doubt stopped talking to you since you're so close to Octavia but I saw your power in the dining hall. When you followed Octavia's orders, I know who trains soldiers in that way."

I don't know what to say.

Irene sighs. "What was it then?"

I frown and look at her in question.

"What did she offer you?"

"Retribution." My voice is small and quiet, "Answers for my family's death. Power."

"Rosalind does strike a hard bargain. Let me guess, in return you free her from the stasis chamber."

My silence is answered enough and Irene sighs sadly and I can't help but feel guilty. My chest tightens at the thought of disappointing her, this woman who I so desperately want to be.

"She offered me protection for my children," She adds on quickly, "biological or not."

I look at Irene in shock.

"For Sky and Belle." She goes on, "Belle didn't make it and I had to leave Sky behind for years until it was safe enough to return, when I did return I found him alone with Saul."

"Rosalind-"

"Cause it all, yes." She answers.

"You are aware of how vulnerable fairies are during pregnancy." I nod, "The babe literally absorbs all of our magic and most of our physical strength. Rosalind wasn't happy that I was out of commission in the middle of a war, especially when a fairy babe is practically a beacon of power. Blood withes, shifter and Burned Ones, were all drawn to me in search of that power."

"Why?" I ask in confusion, it was a baby, it couldn't do anything.

"Because during the war there was an emergence of power stealing tactics, using demons and creatures to steal another's magic, trapping it in stones and spells. I was the perfect, defenceless target."

Rage spikes within me as if they had attacked my own. To do that to a child, an unborn babe. I can't help but stare at Irene with a new appreciation, to have overcome that, to still be as strong as she is today.

"How did you survive." My voice is hoarse and I don't bother to hide the tears welling in my eyes.

"I didn't." Her voice is low and flat and for a second I feel guilty for asking her, but maybe, maybe she needs to talk about it as well. To help with this Silva and Dowling drama. "I went insane for a very long time, Beatrix. I lost my babe, part of my power, Andreas, Rosalind and the war was at it's peak."

"You sound guilty." I observe.

She gives me a pleased grin.

"Because of my actions." A dark, savage delight creeps into her eyes. "There was an... incident, at Eastcliff."

"An incident?" I question, feeling a grin creep onto my face. I woman after my own heart it seems if this is going where I think it's going.

She rolls her eyes playfully. "I may have," She sighs, "Shifted into a large dragon and burned a couple hundred Burned Ones and threw the rest off the cliff."

I gape at her. Admiration and awe warring though me.

"Teach me to be like you."

She chuckles.

"I'm being serious." I snap, but there's no heat in my words. "You know I have trained with Rosalind so there's nothing more Dowling can do for me. But in a practical, war sense, I could be your protegee."

"Beatrix-"

"You need me." I interrupt, and I know I sound desperate. "You are only going to get worse, especially if Silva and Dowling continue on as they are."

We stop, nearly back at the main building and I plead with her to train me. To let me be by her side and learn. I'm good, I know I'm good. I can carry out missions and plan battles, she can make me better and I can help her through the-

"Okay." She stares into my eyes and I feel as though she can see past every lie and defence I have.

"I want your stuff moved into the private wing of Alfea, where the mates reside. You will have a room on the same hallway as Silva and I, and Octavia and her mates will be moving in on the same corridor."

"Yes." I jump up in happiness and lunge forward to hug her. "You won't regret this, I promise."

"I know." She murmurs gently into my hair as she pulls back slowly. "I want you to come with me tomorrow, to transport the Burned One. Until further notice you are withdrawn from all practical magic classes, you and I will handle that ourselves."

"What about the rest of my classes?" I straighten up and quickly start making plans in my head about packing.

"Until I get access to the books I want you to study, it's best you continue with them. Besides, they're mixed classes and I want you to spend actual time with the other students and your friends."

I roll my eyes but nod anyway.

"And about my... situation-"

"I won't tell anyone," I rush out, "and I'll start discreetly looking for all the information on it. I know that after Rosalind you were forced to go through-"

"It won't happen again." Irene smoothly interrupts but I see the fear in her eyes. "That is you and I's deal, isn't it? You keep me alive through this, and I help you achieve all the things that Rosalidn promised you."

A/N: What do you think of Irene and Beatrix's relationship here