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Alethea's POV:
Solaria.
Solaria is the realm of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars as well as possibly the brightest planets in the entire Magic Dimension. Solaria is predominantly seen as an extremely sunny place where it never rains.
It's home.
I pulled my suitcase as I walked through the courtyard of the palace of Solaria, taking in the beautiful environment around me, drowning out Stella's rambling about what we could possibly do now that we were on break. I looked down at the white pigeons with a smile on my face, making small steps to avoid kicking them on accident.
"It's good to be home." Stella breathed out, the both of us halting before the doors of the palace, where we lived with King Radius, someone who was as close as a father to me. I glanced at Stella, doubting if she really wanted to step foot here or rather have stayed at Alfea. After the divorce of King Radius and the former Queen Luna, Stella has been wearing a fake smile, acting like everything was okay when I knew deep down, it wasn't.
It was hard for her and I couldn't blame her.
The doors of the palace opened, and my lips curled up in an excited smile when behind those doors revealed King Radius before he could fully process what was happening, both Stella and I let go of our suitcases and ran to Radius, pulling him in a big hug.
"How I have missed you both." King Radius chuckled softly and returned the hug before pulling away. "The palace was quiet without you two." Me and Stella exchanged glances and giggled, knowing we always caused a ruckus here in the palace, more Stella than me. I just follow Stella around because she somehow manages to convince me to.
"It's good to be back." I smiled softly. "I have missed you."
Before King Radius could say anything back, Stella grabbed my hand and dragged me inside, catching me off guard. "Let's go to our room!"
"But Stella!" I protested immediately. "Our Suitcases!"
"The servants will take care of that!" Stella retorted and continued dragging me until we arrived. We entered our rooms and I couldn't help but smile, I could feel a sense of home and despite how much I liked it here at Alfea, it was good to be home again, safe and sound without the evil of the Witches.
Without having to worry about my Dragon or Aalto.
Without having to worry about school.
Just me and Stella.
"Thea!" Stella called out, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Look what I found!"
I made my way to her with curious eyes, only for my eyes to widen. This is.. A box filled with pictures, no, a box filled with memories. Stella flashed me a sad smile. "I remember that." And so did I. How could I forget? It was such an important memory, I couldn't forget that day because that was the day a bond was formed, one that could never be broken.
If my mother wouldn't have kept this secret, I would have not felt the need to escape, for that is a sense of being in a cage. Looking back, perhaps if I was older than I was, I'd have kept everything together and would've run back to my mother but alas, I was a nine-year-old child who couldn't find solace within the walls of her home that seemed like a prison to her.
So I ran.
Running away was the scariest thing I did, if it was a mistake or a smart thing to do, I didn't know, but everyone should feel safe in their own home so why didn't I? Was there something wrong with me? Am I the reason why my own mother kept my magic away from me? I didn't know..
Only the Sun and the Moon know.
I flinched when I heard something other than my own footsteps and that immediately brought me to a stop. Everything around me felt spooky.. no.. spooky doesn't cover and eerie was an understatement but maybe that was because I was already anxious, and it seems that I was right because sooner than later, Stella, the girl I met the other day revealed herself from behind the trees.
"..Stella?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, I immediately relaxed my posture. "What are you doing here?"
"No, what are you doing here?" Stella retorted with crossed arms, she eyed me and soon a frown replaced her expression. "..Did you run all the way to the palace by yourself?"
"Palace?" I repeated in confusion, and that was enough for me to turn my head to see the thick walls of the Palace of Solaria. Stella's expression softened and for a second I thought I could see worry in her eyes, it was directed at me and that's why I doubted if that really was the case.
"..Yes." Stella nodded, although slowly, not sure how to react, after all, we were both only kids, and there were so many things we didn't understand. "I don't understand, were you running away from something? Are you in danger?"
"I'm not." I shook my head to not make her worry. "I just ran away from home."
Stella's eyes widened in surprise until they softened into sad understanding. "Why is that?"
"You're asking a lot of questions!" I joked to try and lighten the mood but seeing Stella's glare, I all but knew that didn't work. My smile soon fell and I looked up at the almost dark sky, I stood so still, remembering the times I would watch children my age, with looks of love and awe alongside their parents and I wondered why I was so different.
Why was my life so different?
Why couldn't I be free? Like the white pigeons I would always see in the sky, I wanted to spread my wings like that and fly as far away as possible but I knew that was too good to be true. Definitely when my mother absolutely despises magic, stopping my life from being magical all-together.
And before I knew it, tears came as if my pain had at last condensed into a deluge of rain.
Was I always meant to be broken? It's so easy to break a person, it's so easy to break me, but I became better over the course of years. Looking back, maybe I was grateful for my mother, maybe she wasn't trying to keep me from it but was trying to protect me from it instead, because if I knew that the Dragon of the Waters was living inside of me, I would've despised my Dragon way more than I did, my own mother.
Two pairs of arms suddenly wrapped around me and brought me out of my hysterical state, I tilted my head, only to be surprised to have noticed Stella hugging me tightly, as if I would soon but surely disappear.
"Don't worry." She would say,
"..Keep the best memories, the ones that bring you joy and let the others fade." Stella finished and I couldn't help but smile softly at her, returning her hug. Before I could thank her, she pulled away and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the room and my eyes widened in surprise, but I soon smiled and let the happiness soak right into my bones, never releasing my own grip because my mind relaxed.
And finally, I was planning to let the bad memories fade.
"There are so many options!" Stella grinned excitedly. "Shopping, manicures.."
Let the break begin.
***
"And that's what happened." After Bloom explained to us what happened during the spring break, when she went back to Earth to see her parents, about how she found out that she was adopted and that her parents weren't her real parents, that she had been lied to her whole life. We all stayed silent, processing everything she said as the room was bathed in a muted glow, the soft light struggling to penetrate the heavy atmosphere that hung like a dense fog. The silence between all of us echoed because of our friend's melancholy.
"Your parents have a terrific relationship, Bloom." I spoke up, breaking the silence and flashing her a soft smile. "It doesn't change the fact that they're still your parents, they took you in and cared for you."
"You talk about real things with them." Tecna added, nodding in agreement with what I said.
Musa's lips curled up, showing a grin. "Girl, your Earth parents sound like really cool people."
"That's just it, my Earth parents, you see?" Bloom frowned, her eyebrows furrowing in frustration and I nodded in understanding.
"This whole revelation has made you curious about your birth parents hasn't it?" Stella asked, flashing her a knowing look.
"Yeah of course it does." Bloom nodded immediately without having second thoughts, confirming what we were all thinking. "I'm probably not even from Earth."
"So then what were you doing in a fire, in Gardenia?" Tecna questioned out loud and I frowned, this doesn't add up whatsoever. Why Earth specifically? Why send someone with magic to a planet filled with nothing, not even an ounce of magic?
"Yeah, that's why I want to know." Bloom sighed as she laid her head on my shoulder, and I gently stroked her hair to give some kind of comfort. "Was my dad meant to find me there? And what was that voice?"
"You may never find the answers you know that Bloom?" Flora frowned and I glanced at her, knowing that she was right and this might be what Bloom needed to hear.
"Would that stop you from looking?" Bloom retorted rather harshly but I know she didn't mean it, she is in a vulnerable spot right now and we all get it.
Flora shook her head, with a guilty look on her face. "Probably not."
"No matter what I want to find out about myself.." Bloom trailed off, lost in thought until she continued. "Where do I come from? What part of the universe? I have to find out about my origins, so... will you help me?"
Stella smiled, one filled with promise. "I know that I'll help you, Bloom."
I jokingly nudged her side as she playfully glared at me. "Sticking her nose in other people's business is her favourite past time."
"Hey!"
"You can count me in." Musa agreed, interrupting our playful banter. "Alethea?"
"I promise to help you find the answers, Bloom." I determined as Bloom flashed me a grateful smile, I then turned to Flora. "Flora?"
Flora faltered for a second before answering, her lips curling up in a small smile and I wondered what was up with her, she seemed so out of it after Bloom snapped at her. "Of course."
Tecna laid a hand on Bloom's shoulder, flashing her a small smile. "Sign me up."
"I love you all!" Bloom beamed as she pulled me in a side hug that I returned, a smile of my own appearing,
"Winx forever!"