SECRETS | Fate: The Winx Saga ~ Alternate Season 2

Chapter 21

The next morning, once the students were in class, Ben took advantage of his free morning to go to the royal library, where Luna was waiting for him. He secretly hoped that she had already selected a few books to speed up their research, and his expectations were not disappointed. She greeted him with a smile, her arms laden with a pile of fairly old books.

"Come, follow me, I know a quiet room where we won't be disturbed!" she exclaimed, happy to see him.

It was not every day that she could enjoy the presence of someone as kind and cultured as him. Naturally, as a good gentleman, he offered to carry the books.

"If I may, my dear..."

He took the books and she felt like she was blushing, unaccustomed to this kind of attention from people other than her employees.
The botany professor followed her into a very old and rustic room. It was a room with stone columns and vaults, with a relatively low ceiling and a former fireplace. The floor had been covered with parquet, and a large window allowed the soft morning light to illuminate the usually dark room.
The fairy invited her friend to put the books on the desk and sit down. Ben quickly glanced out the window: the sun was rising over the forest, its rays orange. He then began to furtively examine each book. They were mostly books on spells, earth and mind magic.

"I think I'll go through the books on anything related to earth and mind magic, I'll leave the spells to you," he said as he handed her the books, smiling.

She took them in her hands before her face took on a mischievous yet seductive expression.

"I put a spell on you..." she crooned in a sweet voice with bright eyes.

All in a sudden, she laughed at the look of dismay on her friend's face, who had not expected this at all. Professor Harvey was rather surprised to see her, the serious Queen of Solaria, let go like that.

"I didn't know that you had a certain talent for singing," he complimented her, won over.

She blushed again, embarrassed, even slightly ashamed of having let herself go a little, and buried her head into one of the books, uncomfortably, thus escaping his gaze.

"Well, shall we get to work?" she suggested, enthusiastically.

Ben followed her lead and grabbed a book, which he began to leaf through carefully.

"Great idea, let's not waste time."

They had better hurry, because they only had the morning ahead of them, and if Ben came back to Alfea too late, there was a good chance of being spotted by Rosalind or Andreas, and the consequences would be dire.
The two friends focused on their mission, perusing each of the books with interest, until they found a potentially useful piece of information to bring Farah back.

"Ben, listen to this," the Queen whispered, gesturing for him to look up at her.

Suddenly, the botany professor's eyes lit up, imagining himself already chatting with his friend over a cup of tea.
Luna began her explanation, with the help of the book she was holding in her hands.

"It is possible to reverse a shapeshifting spell, no matter what the transformed object is, by visualising its original form, however, the spell will have to be performed by the same fairy..."

She exchanged a brief glance with her friend, very annoyed. How were they going to get Rosalind to undo the spell without her knowledge?

"Does it necessarily have to be the same person?" he asked, scratching his head, trying to think of a solution.

The light fairy quickly continued reading, before raising her index finger.

"No, but in this case, we'll need a personal effect of Rosalind's and a mirror as a receptacle, it will mimic her aura," she replied, relieved. "Can you find something of hers? I'll take care of the mirror."

He nodded, proud of her and her discovery. Luna was proving to be a more than valuable ally.

"Yes, Alfea is full of ancient artefacts, I'll find something."

He moved his hand to his friend's to squeeze it tenderly.

"Thanks Luna, I wasn't expecting so much from you," he admitted with a smile.

She did not withdraw her hand, and relaxed. She was fine, sitting at that desk, in front of him, her hand in his. The impatient, strong-willed queen seemed to go soft at the touch of the wise Professor Harvey.

"You're welcome, it's normal."

At that moment, Sam and Terra's dad felt a certain anxiety come over him. What if the spell couldn't be reversed? What if Rosalind found Farah and murdered her?

"Don't worry about Farah, I have a locket that can reduce a fairy's aura and make her almost imperceptible, I'll give it to her so she can protect herself," she reassured him in a soft voice. "And I'll keep her safe in one of my outbuildings."

He widened his eyes, completely amazed that she had read his mind, and gave her a loving gaze, which she returned. Time suddenly seemed to stand still in this room from another time, and a vibrant energy emanated from the two fairies.

"What if we fail?" he questioned, concerned. "After all, these instructions are only about objects, not people."

She placed her second hand on his and stroked it gently, comforting.

"That's the risk we have to take, Ben, but we have no other way to return her to human form, and at any moment Rosalind may decide to kill her. We won't fail."

Just by the look on his face, he made it clear he was taking the risk. They couldn't afford to lose her forever, Saul and Sky would never get over this, and, together, they felt so much stronger than the world.