LOVE IS A GIFTED FLOWER | Ben X Luna ~ Fate: The Winx Saga

Chapter 25 - The Blue Peony

That Sunday, Stella, Terra and Sam had joined Luna and Ben at the castle, accompanied by Farah and Saul. It had been several days since the light fairy had returned from hospital and, despite her tiredness, she had wanted to welcome them to her home, who had come to support the couple in this other ordeal.
When the afternoon was over, they headed for Saul's car to come back to Alfea.
This time Ben would not go back with them to spend the whole week there, as his partner had asked him to move to the castle. So he would commute to teach, nothing was more important to him than to be there for her as much as possible.
Before getting into the car, Stella, who was very supportive of her mom, approached her with a smile, her eyes sparkling.

"Thank you both for the flower, it's beautiful," she told her, touched. "It's because of it that you fell in love, and that makes me even happier."

Her mother hugged her and held her close, striked.

"Oh Stella, you really are a golden daughter..."

She was right, if she hadn't asked Ben for this favour, they might never have been allowed to make contact and she might have missed out on the encounter that had changed her life forever. For she was certain that she wanted to end her life with the botany professor.
Her daughter got into the car, which started driving away. When she turned to take her man's hand, she saw that he had disappeared. Where was he? He couldn't have just vanished into thin air! Concerned, she returned to the castle and inspected the rooms on the ground floor: nothing, and nothing in the garden either. She went up the stairs and, as she got closer to the room, heard someone sniffing. She gently pushed open the door, which creaked, and found him sitting on the bed, sobbing silently.
She sat down beside him, her arm tenderly wrapping his waist, and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"What's wrong, honey?" she questioned sweetly, affected to see him in this state.

"I'm sick of seeing you suffer, Lu," he admitted sadly, turning his head towards her. "There was your husband's murder, the fire, Andreas, and then, the baby we lost...I know you wanted that baby."

She smiled reassuringly at him, hoping he would dry his tears. The last thing she wanted was for him to be sad, because he made her really happy, and she wanted him to know that.

"Yes, Ben, but life goes on, and I know Andreas will be severely convicted, I have no doubt about that."

She placed her index finger on the tip of her companion's nose playfully.

"And then we can move on and start our life together," she added confidently.

He wiped away his tears before staring at her intently. He was so proud of her, the brave and resilient woman she was. She was a life lesson in herself.
The Queen of Solaria had become more than a queen, a kind of icon after all. Few would have been able to stand up after what she had endured.

"I know, my blossom, but face it, it probably won't cure you of all that pain," he responded in a soft voice.

The light fairy's hand went up to her partner's cheek, who she was looking at with pride.

"No, but you do, you heal me of everything," she whispered as she pressed herself against him, burying her head in his neck. "I need your presence to get better."

He put his arm around her shoulders, wrapping her warmly, before lying back in the bed, inviting her to do the same.

"You know, when I lost Rose in the accident, I thought my life was over, definitely ruined, that I could never love a woman again as I loved my wife," he confided, stroking her hair. "I even think that if it wasn't for my children, I wouldn't be alive anymore."

Caring, he placed a kiss on her forehead, full of softness, before continuing to speak.

"And then you came along, like a ray of sunshine, or the moon in the middle of the night, and you turned my life upside down. It's been many years since I was widowed and yet I didn't need to think, you are my evidence, with all the trials we have overcome together and this bond that binds us."

Moved, his partner leaned her head against his chest, against his heart, which wasn't stopping beating for her and claiming her. She had lost her husband, and then the baby, but at this moment, away from the critical and vicious eyes of the Solarian people, in the arms of her beloved, she was home.

"And I am the happiest of women, even though I knew it would be complicated for me to love again," she replied with a smile. "Not many women can boast of loving a man who fights for them, who kisses their burnt body with infinite tenderness until he's breathless, and who improvises romantic weekends in the tropics. I know Andreas would never have offered me any of that, and I'll fight for him to be given the maximum penalty, for everything he's done to us, what he's done to you."

He gently ran his fingers over her cheek, inviting her to lift her head and gaze at him.

"Whatever he did to me, the ordeal he put you through is far worse. He manipulated you, humiliated you, insulted you, drugged you, before raping you, and that I can't stand. He'll have to pay for the rest of his life, and he won't be allowed to approach us when he's completed his sentence," he said, bringing his face close to hers.

She caught his lips with hers, kissing them fiercely, preventing him from saying anything more. She didn't want him to worry about her when they could finally love each other without any obstacles.

"It's certainly not Andreas who's going to break us up, honey, I'm happy with you, I hope you are too," she murmured, one hand resting on his stomach, which was moving with his breathing.

He continued to stare into her beautiful blue eyes with all the love he had for her. His fairy was not Rose, she had other qualities. She was a fighter, brave, strong, optimistic, romantic, sunny. She was his beloved Luna.
He gave her a frank smile:

"Absolutely."

While outside, night was beginning to fall, in the royal chamber of a castle, two people in love were glowing with happiness, dancing with the stars.

All thanks to a peony.

THE END.