SECRETS | Fate: The Winx Saga ~ Alternate Season 2

Prologue

18 years earlier, in the forest:

Farah tried to focus on the Burned One she was facing. Defeating it was the only thing she had to do, it was her mission. For five years now, she and her friends had been fighting a daily battle against this menace, under Rosalind's leadership.

She took a quick look around: she could no longer see Saul and Andreas, who were fighting further away. Ben, Rose and Rosalind had gone to another area to hunt for more Burned Ones. She was alone, surrounded by three enemies who were trying to lacerate her skin, and she had only herself to rely on. Even though she was one of the most powerful fairies in the Otherworld, she felt like she was trapped. Three to one wasn't fair, and the shield she'd managed to create wavered, before breaking.

"Saul! There are too many of them!" she shouted, hoping he would hear her and come to her aid.

She managed to lure one of them into creating an illusion of herself, but another took advantage of her moment of inattention to pierce her shoulder and wound her badly.
The fairy screamed in pain and fell to the ground in panic. Unable to get up, she crawled away from the Burned Ones, who caught her.

"Leave her alone!" cried Saul, lunging at them with his sword, beside himself.

Andreas was following close behind, and, surprised by their arrival, the monsters decided to run away.

On the ground, Farah was groaning, holding her bloody shoulder, writhing in pain.

"Farah!" exclaimed her Specialist as he crouched beside her, stroking her cheek, before turning to Andreas. "She's hurt!"

Andreas walked over to them and saw the wound, with blood pouring out of it. It was so deep that the bone was visible.

"Saul, I'm feeling so weak," she muttered in a plaintive voice.

He fought back the tears that were beginning to fill his eyes in fear. The woman he loved was badly injured, and her hours were numbered. He knew that without outside help, she had no chance of recovery, for the infection would take hold and grow until it killed her.

"You'll be fine, sweetheart, we'll fix you up," he reassured her in a gentle voice.

He took her by the waist and helped her to her feet with Andreas.

"I could take her back to the bivouac while you go get Ben," suggested the latter.

Farah's companion seemed to think for a moment before giving his verdict.

"It's okay, I'm leaving her to you," he agreed. "I trust you."

His friend nodded and took the fairy away once she had exchanged a kiss with Saul, who walked away in the opposite direction.

***

When Andreas laid Farah in the tent on her cot, she was paralysed with pain. Her shoulder had swollen badly and she was unable to move it.
The Specialist broke out the first aid kit, which contained everything needed for an opiate injection.

"Don't move, I'm going to inject the morphine into your thigh," he warned her in a warm voice.

Slowly he unbuttoned her trousers and pulled them down to her knees.
She remained motionless, tense. The only people who had been allowed to do this since she entered Alfea were Saul and Rosalind.

Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her thigh: Andreas had just injected the medicine.
The morphine gradually took effect, relieving all pain, but rendering her almost unconscious.
Farah started to feel woozy, she was cold, especially because her friend had not pulled up her trousers after the injection.