"Everything okay, princess?" Brandon asked, his brow furrowed with concern. 

Stella tentatively stepped out of the bedroom in which they had just held the conference with Faragonda, defeat painted across her face. 

Had she noticed him sooner, she would have pasted on a smile and delivered an Oscar-worthy performance of  how "practically perfect" everything was. She was the golden girl after all; rich, pretty, royal- she had it all. 

Unfortunately for her, he had clearly noticed her sunken mood.

"Yeah I'm fine." She said hurriedly. He was unconvinced.

"You know what you need?" He asked, stopping her in her tracks. 

A small smile formed on his lips as he lay the old rugs he had been clearing on the ground, took a step towards her, scooping her hands up in his, and looked down into her amber eyes. 

"You need a break. This whole evil wizard thing is too much- even for me! And I'm a specialist." He lifted his arms up, flexing his muscles and Stella couldn't help but snort at his stupidity.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as his smile widened. 

There were few things that brought him more joy than seeing his girl happy.

"So what do you suggest, Mr Specialist?" She teased, grinning as she played with the zip on his jacket.

"Oh you know..." he sniffed, putting on his best posh voice, "fine dining while bathed in the glowing light of a dying star. How does that sound, darling?"

"Absolutely exquisite, sire. Allow me a moment to change out of this sorrowful excuse for an outfit, if you will." She matched his tone, motioning to her paint covered t-shirt and joggers.

"My love, you look fabulous either way!" He protested, really getting into character now, "but if you absolutely must, how can I refuse?"

Stella giggled and kissed him quickly before running into the furthest bedroom to rummage through her suitcase.

The room she shared with Bloom was as equally desolate as Flora and Musa's, however she had a window on the west wall which caught the rays of the setting sun, tinting their room orange at the right time of day. 

As she threw on her summer dress, Bloom skulked in, immediately flopping onto the bed and sighing exasperatedly. 

"Why is she so hard on herself?" Her muffled voice said through her pillow.

"You're one to talk." Stella replied, applying her rose lipstick in the mirror. 

Bloom sat up and looked at her incredulously and Stella smirked at the reflection. 

"Oh sorry, maybe I'm misremembering but I thought the last time there was a minor inconvenience, you left Alfea without saying a word of goodbye to your best friend."

Bloom scoffed. 

"That was different." 

"Sure, babe." Stella chuckled, replacing the lid on her lipstick tube with a satisfying click. 

Bloom rolled her eyes but couldn't quite force down her smile. 

Her frustration having cleared, she finally noticed Stella's outfit.

"Woah, where are you going?" She asked suggestively, checking her out. Stella twirled in response, showing off her dress.

"Brandon and I are going out for picnic." She answered, blushing. 

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Helia cautiously poked his head round.

"Pardon the interruption, ladies." He began with the same posh voice that Brandon had used, stepping fully into their room and extending one arm in invitation. 

Stella rolled her eyes and giggled. 

"Miss Stella, your gentleman awaits."

~

Though the food was simplistic, mainly consisting of: ham sandwiches, cheese, fruit and a bottle of red wine, Stella enjoyed every mouthful. 

This was far better than a luxurious five course meal full of Solarian delicacies, which she would eat alone, at the long table in the banquet hall of the palace surrounded by the faces of her servants rather than her family.

They talked for hours about everything and nothing while the sun set around them in Gardenia park. It was a perfect evening. 

Yet alas, nothing lasts forever.

"Oh shit." Brandon muttered, looking down at his phone which was flooded with missed calls and messages from Helia. 

"What's wrong?"

"Riven's gone AWOL." He sighed, pressing the palm of his hand to his forehead.

"Is Musa alright?" Stella sat upright, her head spinning slightly from the alcohol and leant over his shoulder to peek at the messages.

"All Helia's told me is that Riven stormed out of the apartment without explanation. He hasn't picked up his phone and no one knows where he is." Brandon sighed again, getting up. "I'm sorry, princess, I have to help Helia find him."

"No!" Stella whined, "can't Sky go?" 

Brandon couldn't meet her pleading eyes. 

And, just like that, Stella felt the warmth and happiness of the evening drain out of her. 

Brandon offered her a hand up, which she accepted reluctantly and he wrapped his arms around her, his hug a silent apology. 

"Go. I'll clear up here and join you later." She sulked, defeatedly packing away the empty strawberry cartons.

"Stel are you sure? I don't want to leave you here alone, especially after drink-"

"Go." She reiterated, a touch too harsh. 

Brandon's face fell and small needles of guilt pricked at her heart- he didn't deserve her coldness. He was just being a good friend. 

"Okay... I'll see you in a bit?" He said quietly and Stella nodded, too ashamed to speak. 

He left without saying another word. 

Stella finally let out the breath she had been holding in.

"Fuck." She said aloud, raking her fingers through her hair, her face flushed. 

How could she talk to him like that after all he had done to make this evening so wonderful? 

She tilted her head back, breathing in the cool night air, the stars spinning around her head so that they looked like white scribbles in the sky. 

She exhaled slowly, letting the inevitable tears roll down her face and finally felt a welcoming sense of tranquillity. 

Crying has always been a sign of weakness to Stella and so she wouldn't be caught dead crying in front of another living soul. However here in the desolate park, with no more company but the birds that chirped quietly in the branches of the sycamore trees, Stella allowed herself the release.

Part of her dreaded going back and facing Brandon again. And who knew what state he'd be in after dealing with Riven. But she had to make up for leaving things that way, had to let him know she was sorry for snapping at him.

After folding away the picnic rug into the wicker basket and swigging the remaining half of the wine out of the bottle (in her head she had justified it as the confidence boost she needed to face going home), she stood upright, stumbling backwards slightly. 

On second thought, maybe she shouldn't have drank that. 

She looked around for a point to focus on so she could regain her balance when a small blackbird perched on the rusted gate caught her eye. 

It was looking at her almost curiously with its gleaming yellow eyes. 

She tilted her head inquisitively back at it- it looked familiar in a way.

"Hello little birdie." She whispered to it, a weary smile lighting up her face, before carrying on her journey home.

Gardenia was still a new city to Stella; had she been sober she may have found her way back to the apartment. 

But the reality was she was not sober. 

She had no concept of time nor danger and was completely lost, merely following the nearest street lamp to the next until eventually the lights faded and she found herself in a dimly lit neighbourhood in the suburbs, all alone. 

By now it was pitch black and although Stella couldn't feel the cold, she still shivered nervously as she turned into a dark, dingy alleyway, littered with broken cardboard boxes.

"Oh shit, this can't be right." She whispered loudly, her words lazy and slurred. 

She clumsily pulled out her phone only to find the dead battery sign flashing up at her. "Shit."

A shadow crossed over her and she instinctively looked up, squinting through the darkness, just barely making out the small bird landing on the adjacent rooftop. 

She stayed completely still in the alleyway for a moment, caught in thought.

"What do you want," she finally called out into the still night, a smile forming on her lips, "Duman?"

~

As the only member of the group who hadn't been hit by the full force of Musa's explosion, Duman had been tasked to scout out the fairies' whereabouts. 

Ogron took care to always remain a few steps ahead of the enemy.

Silently gliding over Gardenia in the form of a small, unsuspecting blackbird, he spotted the blond fairy in the deserted park- the same one they had last fought at.

He felt his stomach twist at the memory of his searing flesh and had to force down the urge to confront her right there and then. 

However as he perched on the rusted park gate, watching her pack away the remnants of what looked to be a picnic, he noticed the shimmer of tears that swelled in her eyes. 

How come she was all alone? Where were her pixie friends?

He watched her stagger backwards as she struggled to stand, her pupils dilated and unfocused. 

Was she drunk? 

More and more questions filled his head as he found an innate curiosity for her but his train of thought was severed when her innocent eyes finally found his.

"Hello little birdie." 

Her eyes shone as she smiled at him and Duman felt his heart skip a beat. He knew fairies where creatures of divine beauty, but Stella... he had never seen anyone like her. 

Immediately, a wave of disgust flushed through him as he processed that thought. 

Ew, Duman, pull it together.

He silently spread his velvet, black wings and leapt off the gate, soaring above the tall buildings of the city, his vision locked onto the fairy as she made her way through the quiet streets. 

He was amused by how blissfully unaware she was as she swung from lamppost to lamppost, humming quietly to herself. 

It was approximately after 25 minutes of following her aimless wandering that Duman realised she had no idea where she was going. 

He perched on a nearby rooftop as he watched her turn into alleyway with no exit and looked down on her in disbelief. 

What a waste of time. 

He almost considered giving up and teleporting back to the cave when suddenly a voice called out.

"What do you want, Duman?" 

He shimmered, taking his human form and jumped down into the alley, an evil grin playing on his lips. 

Finally some action. 

Stella stumbled backwards as he landed in front of her, dropping the picnic basket in surprise. 

The empty wine bottle rolled out, as if trying to incriminate her, and Duman stopped it with the heel of his boot. He looked up at her in mocking disappointment.

"Tut tut, princess." He teased. "A whole bottle to yourself seems a bit selfish."

"Shut up." She overenunciated each word, as if trying to prove she wasn't drunk, which, unfortunately, only further evidenced the fact that she was. 

"And don't call me that."

"Call you what? Princess?"

"I said shut up!" She yelled, flinging an orb of light at him carelessly. Only Brandon called her that, no one else.

He didn't need to dodge- the magic missed him by miles. 

Stella cringed at herself as she watched the spell crash into some cardboard boxes, leaving a scorched black circle imprinted on them.

"Nice shot." Duman took a step towards her and she took a step backwards, her uncertainty making him smile.

"Isn't it dangerous for you to be out here alone, princess?" His voice dropped to a whisper as he took another step forward and she took another step back. 

She gritted her teeth but kept her mouth shut, refusing to embarrass herself any further. 

"Don't you know that there are fairy killers on the hunt?" He took one more step towards her, smirking wickedly as Stella felt the vast, cold stone wall press into her back. 

Duman heard her breath catch as he pinned her there, taking care to use his unsinged hand, and revelled in her fear.

"Don't you know that I'm one of them?" He asked threateningly, bringing his face dangerously close to hers. 

He could smell the alcohol on her breath and hear her heart pounding in her chest. 

Stella looked up at him, the fear in her eyes slowly shifting to something else... something like excitement.

"Do it then." She breathed- her eyes wide, a smile spreading across her face. "Kill me."

Duman faltered slightly, confusion showing fleetingly on his face. What was she playing at?

"Kill me." Stella urged, chuckling. He tightened his grip around her arm pressed to the wall, as if it would snap her out of this trance-like confidence.

She caught his free hand in hers, feeling him flinch at her touch, and slowly brought it up to her chest, pressing it against her just below her collarbone. He winced as the pain from his burns pulsed through his hand.

"Let go." He warned, his voice low. 

He wanted to pull his hand away, but there was too much power at play. He was going to have to make choice: kill or be killed. 

The dark magic within him surged and seethed protectively, waiting to be let out. 

"Kill me, Duman. I know you want to." She laughed maniacally, not breaking eye contact, pressing his hand tighter against her body. 

The pain spread up his forearm and he clenched his jaw, forcing his raging magic back down. His mind raced frantically yet he couldn't focus on a single thought. His heart was pounding as fast as hers, the rhythm resonating deafeningly in his ears. 

What was she doing?!

"DO IT!"

"Fuck you!" He yelled, snatching both arms from her and stalking away. 

Stella slid to the ground, still giggling madly to herself in between laboured breaths. Her head lolled back against the wall as she tried to remember how to breathe and Duman waited for her to calm down but maintained his distance, struggling to rebuild his cool, collected façade. 

"Interesting..." She finally spoke, her chest still rising and falling heavily and erratically. "Why couldn't you do it?"

"Killing you now would have been the coward's way to do it." Duman lied through his teeth, refusing to look at her. "You couldn't hit me with a spell even if you wanted to."

"Uh huh." She yawned as her breathing calmed to a steady rhythm. 

No wonder she was drained after that performance, he thought sarcastically.

"Besides, it's not that I couldn't, I mean, I could've easily killed you had I wanted to." He rambled, as if trying to prove to her that he had been in control of the situation the whole time. 

He waited for a response but none ever came. 

Finally mustering the courage to look at her again, he found the fairy teetering dangerously close to sleep, her eyelids fluttering shut.

"No, no, no absolutely not." 

He marched towards her determinedly and knelt down beside her, gently shaking her shoulder to keep her awake.

"Go away, I'm tired." She yawned again, lazily attempting to push him away with one hand.

"You have to go home. You can't stay here, idiot." He hissed at her, shaking her more roughly now.

"No, I'm comfy."

"Fuck me." He whispered to himself in disbelief, looking up at the stars. "Shit, can you at least give me an address?" 

What was he doing? What did he care? Well, apparently he did care.

With the last of her remaining consciousness, Stella uttered the address of their apartment, before giving way to sleep, her whole body going slack.

He sighed before lifting her off the ground with laughable ease and focused his mind on his destination. 

"Really are getting the princess treatment, aren't we princess." He muttered, rolling his eyes through closed eyelids before vanishing into thin air.

He arrived in what he thought to be a pitiful excuse for an apartment- barely furnished with bland, peeling wall paper. From a nearby room he heard hurried voices exchanging worriedly amongst themselves.

"She should be back by now."

"She's not picking up."

"Should I go out to look for her?"

He smiled at their stupidity before placing the sleeping fairy on their only sofa. 

Looking her up and down, he smirked at how vulnerable she was and rolled his eyes at himself again. 

He was far too kind for his own good.

Suddenly he heard the door creak open and immediately, he vanished once again.

~ 

"Did you find them, Duman?" Ogron interrogated him upon his return.

"I'm sorry, Ogron," Duman hung his head, not looking Ogron in the eyes, "I failed."

"Ugh what are you good for?" Ogron muttered angrily and slumped into the arm chair, without spotting the faint smile on the shapeshifters face.

~Come to the living room, we need to discuss strategy~

Duman heard Ogron say to the others. Gantlos appeared in a cloud of black dust next to him, followed by Anagan.

"Duman failed to locate the fairies." He announced not bothering to conceal his annoyance.

Anagan made a face at Duman, feigning disappointment but Duman merely rolled his eyes at him, his mind still concentrated on his encounter with Stella. 

"However, I say if we can't get to the fairies, let's bring the fairies to us." Ogron finished. 

The others nodded, Anagan was eager to see the shy nature fairy again, although he would never admit that. 

Gantlos stood broodingly against the wall- Duman was hiding something, he was sure of it. He would never pass up an opportunity to mess around with Anagan.

Ogron dismissed them and left with Anagan following suit. 

Gantlos however remained in the living room. He needed to satiate his curiosity.

"Duman?" He called over to the wizard as he was about to make his way to his room. 

Duman stopped in his tracks and looked at him. 

"Did you really not find them?" He questioned, his glacial stare piercing Duman's.

Duman looked down at the ground. "Yeah, they are better hidden than I anticipated."

Gantlos vanished from the wall and appeared right in front of Duman within a split second.

"Liar."

"What?"

"You know you can't lie to me, Duman. I can feel the seismic vibrations as your heart skips a beat." Gantlos reminded him. 

After gaining complete mastery of his seismic waves, he had begun to notice when people approached him from a distance; felt their movement in the earth. 

And more recently, even the smallest vibrations in peoples' hearts, allowing to detect deceit and trickery in a heartbeat.

"Shut up, Gantlos." Duman pushed passed him.

"If you don't tell me where they are, I won't be the only wizard who knows you're keeping it secret."

"You're bluffing. I know you, Gantlos. You're no rat." Duman said confidently, continuing to walk down the corridor.

"Do you really want to test that theory?" 

Duman paused. 

Gantlos smiled.