SECRETS | Fate: The Winx Saga ~ Alternate Season 2

Chapter 19

Sitting on the bed in his very grim cell, Saul was mulling over the past events. He had been there for a few days, wandering aimlessly, wondering what he had done to get there.
Only his work in the laundry managed to distract him for a few hours out of the day. Sky and Ben had not yet been allowed to visit him, and he still had no news of Farah, whom he missed terribly. Outside his cell he fought back tears, but sometimes he cried like a baby after dark. He knew that Rosalind had harmed her and probably killed her. And if his wife was still alive, with Rosalind around, he didn't give much of her.
He was so angry at himself for not having been able to protect her from that bitch and from Andreas, but now he had only his eyes to cry over. He had no one left to rely on, because Ben wouldn't risk putting his children in danger, and Sky wasn't trained enough yet.
After a while, the Specialist heard footsteps approaching in the corridor, and a guard let in a person wearing a black hooded cloak. He was startled at the sight of that female figure. And he was even more surprised when she took off the hood.

"Y-your Majesty?" he mumbled, shocked.

She acquiesced without a smile and approached him.

"Saul Silva, I have some information to give you about your wife, but you must swear to secrecy," she announced coldly.

At that moment, the mind fairy's husband turned pale. What was she going to tell him that was bad news? That his wife had been found dead in the forest? That she was badly injured?

"Y-yes," he stammered, nodding his head. "Is it serious?"

She sat down beside him and let out a long sigh before answering.

"Yes and no, I can confirm that Farah is alive but..."

He lifted his head to look her in the eye. Hearing those words gave him unimaginable relief, and yet there was something else.

"But what?" he questioned, concerned.

"A spell has turned your wife into flowers in the graveyard, and Rosalind is probably the culprit," she admitted with a sorry look.

Saul sat up all in a sudden, completely alarmed.

"You have a way to counter the spell, don't you?!"

Seeing that he was getting carried away, she motioned for him to calm down so that they could continue to talk in peace.

"Not yet, we should be able to figure out how to reverse the process," she explained, reassuring. "I want you to know that Ben and I are working on it, but we really need to be wary of Rosalind to avoid putting the children in danger."

The Specialist winced, surprised at this closeness between the Queen and his best friend, but she stood up before he could make a comment.

"As for Andreas, Ben told me what he did to your wife. I'm informing the police, who will investigate. Ideally, she will testify and press charges once she has regained her human form."

Without adding a word, the fairy turned her back on him, put her hood back on, and slipped away in her usual coldness, leaving him to return to his thoughts.

***

In Bloom's room, the latter was having a rather heated discussion with Sky. She had made a point of apologising to him for the umpteenth time, an apology he could not take anymore.

"Look, Sky, I'm really sorry I acted so stupidly, but we can't undo the past," she said in a rather dry tone, struggling not to get angry. "We'll figure it out together."

The young guy burst out laughing, a laugh that sounded fake.

"Of course, it's not like Rosalind is one of the most powerful fairies in the Otherworld, one of the most accomplished, it's not like she can anticipate our actions," he scoffed. "Damn it, Bloom, what world do you live in?!"

The fire fairy stammered a few unintelligible words, trembling.

"Without the help of the Queen and my mom, we have no chance against her. And I'll have you know that the Queen is on her side, that she put my dad in jail, and that my mom has probably been murdered by that bitch Rosalind!"

The young lady got closer to him to hug him, for he was now in tears, devastated by the loss of his mom.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." she murmured.

Suddenly he pushed her away violently, beside himself.

"Is that all you have to say to me, 'I'm sorry'?! After all the pain you've caused me?!" he roared, heading for the door. "I don't have any more time to waste with you, I'm out of here!"

He didn't give her time to say a word and stormed out, slamming the door. Sky couldn't take it anymore, he had to get away from her, she had hurt him too much. He wanted to see his mom, he wanted to see Saul. But he knew they weren't there, and that his mom might never come back and embrace him one last time.
He ran down the stairs, his cheeks streaming with tears, hoping not to run into anyone. All he wanted was to find comfort in the one person who could still give him comfort: Ben, his parents' best friend.
He walked through the greenhouse, which was empty, and decided to knock on the botany teacher's door.
When he saw him in tears, the latter did not ask any questions and took him in his arms with tenderness.

"Come here..." he whispered, his student continuing to sob.

"I wish they were both here, but Bloom freed that bitch and she killed Mom! I want to hit them both!"

Ben, very moved, stroked his head, hoping he would relax a little.

"No one's going to hit anyone, it's time I revealed something important to you," he replied gently.

Sky lifted his head and stared at him, puzzled, anxious about what he was about to learn.