Fairies of The Black Circle

6

"Everything okay, princess?" Brandon asked, his brow furrowed with concern. 

Stella tentatively stepped out of the bedroom in which they had just held the conference with Faragonda, defeat painted across her face. 

Had she noticed him sooner, she would have pasted on a smile and delivered an Oscar-worthy performance of  how "practically perfect" everything was. She was the golden girl after all; rich, pretty, royal- she had it all. 

Unfortunately for her, he had clearly noticed her sunken mood.

"Yeah I'm fine." She said hurriedly. He was unconvinced.

"You know what you need?" He asked, stopping her in her tracks. 

A small smile formed on his lips as he lay the old rugs he had been clearing on the ground, took a step towards her, scooping her hands up in his, and looked down into her amber eyes. 

"You need a break. This whole evil wizard thing is too much- even for me! And I'm a specialist." He lifted his arms up, flexing his muscles and Stella couldn't help but snort at his stupidity.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as his smile widened. 

There were few things that brought him more joy than seeing his girl happy.

"So what do you suggest, Mr Specialist?" She teased, grinning as she played with the zip on his jacket.

"Oh you know..." he sniffed, putting on his best posh voice, "fine dining while bathed in the glowing light of a dying star. How does that sound, darling?"

"Absolutely exquisite, sire. Allow me a moment to change out of this sorrowful excuse for an outfit, if you will." She matched his tone, motioning to her paint covered t-shirt and joggers.

"My love, you look fabulous either way!" He protested, really getting into character now, "but if you absolutely must, how can I refuse?"

Stella giggled and kissed him quickly before running into the furthest bedroom to rummage through her suitcase.

The room she shared with Bloom was as equally desolate as Flora and Musa's, however she had a window on the west wall which caught the rays of the setting sun, tinting their room orange at the right time of day. 

As she threw on her summer dress, Bloom skulked in, immediately flopping onto the bed and sighing exasperatedly. 

"Why is she so hard on herself?" Her muffled voice said through her pillow.

"You're one to talk." Stella replied, applying her rose lipstick in the mirror. 

Bloom sat up and looked at her incredulously and Stella smirked at the reflection. 

"Oh sorry, maybe I'm misremembering but I thought the last time there was a minor inconvenience, you left Alfea without saying a word of goodbye to your best friend."

Bloom scoffed. 

"That was different." 

"Sure, babe." Stella chuckled, replacing the lid on her lipstick tube with a satisfying click. 

Bloom rolled her eyes but couldn't quite force down her smile. 

Her frustration having cleared, she finally noticed Stella's outfit.

"Woah, where are you going?" She asked suggestively, checking her out. Stella twirled in response, showing off her dress.

"Brandon and I are going out for picnic." She answered, blushing. 

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Helia cautiously poked his head round.

"Pardon the interruption, ladies." He began with the same posh voice that Brandon had used, stepping fully into their room and extending one arm in invitation.