Twins of Love*

14. Together again

The woman similarly feels her heart stop as soon as that mysterious boy calls her "mom."

"Riven??? Riven is that you?"

"Yes..." he says crying "you're... you're alive then!"

"Yes, my baby!" Nymeria cries with joy, she had finally found her child, now a man. Musa, returned, witnesses the scene and she feels her heart stop too. She was happy that at least her love had found his mother, his real mother. She's the only who could understand it... She's the only who knew what it meant to live without her own mother. She runs to them.

"Riven!" Musa throws herself into his arms. Nymeria looks at her curiously.

"Oh... oh Riven, dear, who is this young lady?"

"This is Musa, the love of my life," he says proudly, shaking her hands.

"Nice to meet you, Princess Nymeria..." says Musa, blushing shyly.

"My pleasure, Musa. Don't be so formal, you're my son's girlfriend! Besides, you look so much like.... A beautiful woman I knew a long time ago...". She doesn't have time to finish her speech that she faints. Riven, promptly takes her to the ship, followed by the others, ready to return home. After half an hour, Nymeria opened her eyes again: on her left there was Musa who was dabbing her forehead with a damp cloth while on her right there was Riven who was holding her hand. She tries to get back up.

"Nymeria, please... You're still weak..." said Musa sitting her down on the bed that they always kept in the shuttle for emergency .

"Don't...don't worry, Musa dear...you and Riven need to know the truth."

"But Helaine has already told us everything!"

"My mother, tsk! Things turned out differently... actually, I wasn't Magix on a mission..." she began to narrate, despite still being very weak. Her thirst for revenge and her desire to tell the truth to her only son was stronger than her weakness. "I had escaped from Obscurion, with the help of the old advisor Laetius, because I did not want to marry Argok. I wanted to take refuge in Cloud Tower, but my parents would have found out. The only safe place for me was Alfea. Even though I was too old to be with the young fairies, Faragonda took me in and kept me hidden."

"You know Faragonda then!" Musa exclaims.

"Yes... when I lived in Alfea, however, I was not allowed to go out after curfew but one night I escaped and went to the city for a concert, at that same concert I met James..." she says with loving but also sad eyes. "I was only 20 years old, I wanted to live my life like so many other people and most importantly, I didn't want to be a witch! I was enchanted not only by my beloved but also by the beautiful goddess singing on stage. Her song had made our hearts beat and made us fall in love." Musa smiles; she knew well the evocative power of music.

"From that night, James and I loved each other and from our love, Riven was born. He always treated me like a queen and took care of me. But my father found out everything, when Riven was just under a year old..." she suddenly seethes.

"He himself killed James, and I was forced to leave Riven at the door of James' brother, William, to save him. My father took me with him, forcing me to marry Argok, but I objected and was held captive. For twenty years..."

Musa and Riven huddle together, feeling the pain in Nymeria's words. Riven, in particular, understands that his parents had sacrificed themselves for him, that they had not abandoned him but had fought for him.

"William knew very well who I was and...and he despised me. Despite that, he took care of my son..."

"I can't say I was treated like a prince..." blurts Riven. Nymeria sighs heartbroken, she must have known this would happen. She then wipes away her tears and then looks at Musa.

"So you are a fairy guardian?"

"Yes, of Melody, my land," she smiles.

"That beautiful singer was also from Melody. Her name was Matlin... you know, we became friends, she often saw me at her concerts. She was an affable, sweet woman."

Musa petrified...it was her mother!

"But... Matlin was... she was my mother!"

"Was?" Nymeria asks.

"Oh... she died when I was very little..." she says in a voice broken by tears.

Nymeria feels a great pain in her heart. Matlin was her only friend, although she rarely saw her when this one was traveling around the worlds of the magical dimension with her husband Ho-Boé to give concerts.

"I'm sorry, honey...I didn't mean to remind you of this pain, but I didn't know. If only you...oh.... So," she lifts Muse's face wiping away her tears. She then takes her and Riven's hands and brings them together "you and my Riven were meant to be together. Matlin knew him, you know. And so did your father. My little boy was enchanted to hear you mother sing" she giggles.

"I do that too...singing calms him down" she smiles looking at her love. Riven blushes but then bursts out laughing.

"Your mother had to deal with a big head like me too! So your father knew me! Is it possible he doesn't remember me!"

"My father has the memory of a goldfish, whatever..."

Musa, Nymeria, and Riven himself laugh. The witch princess then looks at her son.

"Riven, always take care of her. It's no coincidence that you and my dear friend Matlin's daughter are bonded in love," she says then touching Musa's belly.

"Twins eh..."

"Yes, Jayden and Harmony..."

"Please protect them. Magical half-bloods are very rare and are often hunted by power-hungry people..."

"Magical half-bloods?" asks Riven.

"When a fairy joins a sorcerer or a witch joins a wizard, they give birth to magical half-bloods. The blood of these children is half dark and half fairy. This makes them very strong creatures who can harness both powers."

Riven and Musa looked at each other, nodding. They would protect their children, even risking their own lives.

Arriving in Magix, Nymeria separates from the group. Riven takes her by the hand.

"Mom, come live with me and Musa."

Nymeria shakes her head. "Wherever I am, we will be together forever, my son..."

Riven feels his heart tighten. He hugs his mother before letting her go... she had been a prisoner for too long and she surely wants to be free to start living again, to travel around the magic dimension, to hug her friends. Musa also hugs her mother-in-law, feeling the same warmth she felt in Riven.

"I'll come visit when these two little earthquakes are born," she smiles. She greets the Winx, the specialists, and then Faragonda. The elderly fairy smiles at the witch.

"I'm glad to know you're alive... but I never thought you'd be the mother of this handsome young man."

"Oh well...I never had a chance to see or talk to you again. Please, thank Griffin for me: she was the one who brought my son to me and saved him."

Faragonda nods and says goodbye to her old friend who, with the help of her dark magic, leaves Magix.

"Goodbye, mother..." whispers Riven.