Disclaimer: I don't own Winx Club.

A.N. Takes place shortly before Erendor and the representatives of Eraklyon leave Domino. The other Princesses and liaisons have a conversation about boys and politics and the Diaspro gives some advice.

What price loyalty?

By: Zadien

Rolling a smooth blue quartz in her palm, imbuing it with the warmth of her skin, Diaspro paced the antechamber off the throne room of Domino. She was trying to think calm thoughts but they were hard to come by. Her world was in danger, her planet was destroying itself, and the man-child she had once called fiancé was acting like a prissy little brat. As broad as his shoulders might be, they were as weak as his mind.

'Ugh, I can't get reception.'

Blowing out a breath, Diaspro turned to greet her intruder, slipping her gemstone into her pocket. 'Princess Krystal. Is there a problem?'

'I'm trying to get in contact with Helia –' The young princess broke off with a sheepish smile. 'He's…a friend.'

Yes, like Sky was a friend. Like Bloom was his friend. Oh yes, Diaspro knew all about those kinds of 'friends'. 'Isn't Helia a teammate of Sky's?'

'Yes, I do believe he knows Prince Sky. They may even be friends; yes, I think I've heard him mention that.'

And if he was that Helia… 'Doesn't he have a girlfriend?'

Krystal tensed, her expression clouding over as a petulant moue shaped her lips. 'He said they were friends.'

'Like he is your friend?'

'No… I don't…' She slumped. Princesses should not slump. Diaspro sucked in a breath and tightened her posture hoping to silently prompt Krystal. She was so young and Diaspro had watched the girl grow up through various functions that the Princess of Linphea had attended with her mother. She knew that Krystal was a kind being – hard to be a healer and have a hatred for people, but she was also a teenage princess who would expect certain things; things that Diaspro had once expected for herself.

'Allow me to impart some wisdom, Princess Krystal.'

'Please do,' came the earnest response.

Diaspro gestured for her to take a seat in one of the velvet high backed chairs. Being in Domino was a trial but Diaspro was not going to be chased away; even if she felt like a slug every time the King and Queen of Domino glanced in her direction. She had a job, a duty to her monarch and to her kingdom.

As Krystal sat down, Diaspro took a seat opposite her and primly brushed down her pants. She took a moment to compose herself, drawing energy from the large jasper crystals she wore above her temples. 'When I was younger, I thought that Sky was the best of men and that I loved him very much.'

'And then he went to Red Fountain and met Princess Bloom.'

Diaspro stilled and drew more strength from the crystals. Yes, that was the story. He got his way, got to go to his 'special' school and while there started dating a freshman fairy who had no idea about Eraklyon, or the Magix dimension. Even when Sky had broken their engagement and could he have done it in a more private manner – Diaspro hadn't worried too much. The girl was a mere fairy after all and Sky was an under-the-thumb prince of one of the greatest planets in the Magix Dimension.

But then the fairy had to find out she was the lost princess of Domino and, not happy with declaring herself a princess, she had then claimed the Dragon Fire and rescued her parents, and thus, she was now engaged to Sky. Princess Bloody Bloom and Prince Stupid Sky were the IT couple and she, Diaspro, was the girl who people gossiped about and shared sympathetic looks over. Puh-lease. She needed no one's pity.

'Diaspro?'

'I spent a lot of time being angry about Sky choosing Bloom but I had a good reason. I was engaged to him, promised since childhood to him and I was groomed to be his wife. He did not have the decency to tell me he wanted to be with someone else. He did not bother to tell me that I was not what he wanted. He did not give me the chance to form a cover story, to explain to people that I did not want him.'

Leaning forward, eyes bright, Krystal asked: 'But would you have?'

Uh. No. 'That is not the point. I am approaching this wrong, obviously. Helia and you were childhood friends and when he came back from school, did he talk to you about Flora?'

'Well yes; they are friends.'

'Did he mention you to her?'

Krystal shrugged, rubbed her wrist – a nervous gesture that a member of royalty should not exhibit. 'I don't know. How would I know that?'

Diaspro sighed. 'I do not have a great deal of warm feelings towards the Winx club. I find Princess Stella to be obnoxious and childish, and I find Princess Bloom to be as interesting as a wet napkin. However, Flora has been kind to me in the past.'

'She's a nice person.'

Diaspro frowned. Well if Krystal thought that Flora was nice, why was she trying to sabotage her happiness? 'If you believe that, then why are you chasing Helia?'

Krystal blinked wide green eyes. 'They're not a couple and I saw him first.'

'He loves Flora and Flora loves him. I have seen the Winx in action for many years and I know that he would do anything for her, and she would walk away if she thought he would be happier with you, but would you be happy breaking them up?'

'Oh, this is rich.'

Startled, Diaspro swung round to find Nova of Solaria leaning back against the burgundy and gold wall, arms folded as she toed her dark green heels on and off. A lady never took her shoes off but Nova wasn't a lady.

'What are you doing here, Nova? You're not a member of a royal family.'

Nova flipped her long, strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder as she lifted her shoes and padded around their seats – in her bare feet! – to join them. Sitting down, she crossed her legs and laced her fingers over her knee. 'Neither are you.'

'I am the liaison – '

'Yeah, so am I.' Diaspro reminded herself that ladies did not roll their eyes but the comment annoyed her. Nova was a jumped up member of minor nobility who used her 'friendship' with the Princess of Solaria to further her position in society. Typical Stella, the girl was always taking in strays.

'Princess Stella's doing really tough work,' Nova was saying, 'you know, saving the world and well, whenever she's not there, someone just has to help out and here I am. I kind of keep Stella abreast of what's going on.'

Krystal quickly cast them a glance before focusing on Nova. 'Why is Queen Luna not here?'

Nova mimed zipping her lips but Diaspro had no such boundaries when it came to talking about the Royalty of Solaria. They weren't her monarchy after all. 'Queen Luna and King Radius are divorced. Two or three years now, so she is not Queen anymore. Honestly, she only serves to rile the King and he is already childish. She would have no purpose here'

Nova snorted – quite unladylike. 'He's no more childish than King Erendor. What is his problem?'

'He is worried about his Kingdom, as well he should. We are, after all, attempting to put down a civil war.'

'Why did they divorce? King Radius and Queen Luna, I mean,' Krystal quickly jumped in. It was almost, Diaspro mused, as if the Princess of Linphea believed that Nova and she would fight. It was laughable. She had never involved herself in such peasant-like activities – well except for that time when that little witch Bloom attacked her.

Diaspro inhaled in and out slowly.

Nova twirled a lock of hair, considering her answer. 'This is not to go beyond these doors, okay?'

Krystal nodded quickly. 'Of course not.'

'Well, King Radius and Queen Luna had an arranged marriage and much like herself over there – ' Diaspro levelled her with a dark look. 'Queen Luna was very keen for the marriage to take place and King Radius wasn't as keen. I guess he wanted to spread – live a little,' the girl quickly amended.

Diaspro approved. Telling someone that your King wanted to bed a few women before marriage was not honourable.

'It was a politically advantageous marriage and I guess King Radius grew to resent her. No one can really know what goes on behind closed doors in people's relationships but they stayed together until Stella was old enough, and then they filed for divorce. It just doesn't seem to work when one person in the marriage isn't happy.'

Diaspro sighed and stood up to walk to the window. 'That's an idealistic look at the world.'

She heard the rustle of clothing as Nova probably shrugged. 'I thought we were talking about one-sided relationships? I mean that's why we're all in here, while the adults are off in their little rooms discussing things, and the other princesses are off saving the world.'

Krystal shifted in her spot. 'I don't think my relationship with Helia is one-sided. I just wanted some advice from Diaspro on how to make him see me.'

Diaspro sighed. 'He is not going to. His relationship with Flora is different to my relationship with Sky. Sky's head was turned because he did not want to be with me; Helia loves Flora and I cannot condone you stealing another girl's boyfriend because you saw him first. That is not what a princess does. Not to mention the fact that he is not of your social standing and you cannot be another Stella of Solaria – no offence Nova.'

'None taken. My Princess may be a little childish and self absorbed at times, but when she is Queen I will happily serve her because when it comes to the big things, she can take charge. Can your Prince – Never mind, that was low blow.'

Krystal stood sharply. 'But if you really believe that one-sided relationships don't work, why are you chasing Sky?'

'Oh… I came in at the wrong moment,' Galatea muttered as she closed the door quietly behind her. 'I was just coming to see where everyone was.'

'Oh, you're just in time for the fun,' Nova chuckled, stretching out in her seat with a posture would make Diaspro's tutor roll over in her grave – were she dead.

'I can see that.' The Princess of Melody waved weakly, before scurrying to Nova's side. Since both girls attended Alfea together and both knew members of the Winx, it was unsurprising that they were friends.

Diaspro clasped her hands and studied the irked younger princess. She was only sixteen, probably suffering the first flush of love. Perhaps she had built dreams around Helia much as she herself had built dreams about Sky. It had taken her a long time to realise that the Sky that she imagined was more than the man he actually was.

'Well?' Krystal demanded.

'Because it is different.'

Krystal's face crumpled. 'It's not that different. Helia and I have known each other all our lives just like you and Sky. Why shouldn't I fight for him?'

'Because he loves Flora and he and Flora have been together for a while?' Galatea ventured to ask, looking to Nova as if seeking reassurance that this conversation really was happening.

Nova jerked a shoulder and gestured with a dismissive hand. 'I don't know.'

'He said they were friends, no mention of love.'

Krystal did not just stomp her foot! Furious with the stupidity of the conversation, at the fact that she was being questioned, Diaspro drew herself to her full height. 'It is different because if Sky were to marry Bloom, then our kingdom would become an extension of Domino because, let us face it, Bloom has to have everything. She could not be just a normal fairy, no she had to get her Enchantix and be a guardian and then she got the believix and now she's got Sirenix, which I did not even know existed.' She ground the words through her teeth, jaw clenching painfully as her cheeks flushed with temper. 'Her entire family is destroyed but she is saved like some kind of messiah, sent to earth to where she still manages to meet a fairy, ends up in Alfea of all places and sets up a special little clique who traverse the galaxy acting like superhero celebrities –'

'Breathe, Diaspro,' Nova ordered, shifting in her seat and pulling her legs up under her. Her green gown would wrinkle but she probably knew a spell to fix it, everyone in Solaria was much more fashion conscious.

'Yes. My apologies. Ignoring the fact that Bloom's life is unmistakably blessed by a goddess, and ignoring my dislike for her as a person and for what she has done, my issue with Bloom goes deeper. Should she and Sky marry, she will not give up her claim to the Domino crown and thus Eraklyon will lose its prestige to become a satellite planet of Domino because –'

'You don't know that. Bloom will marry Sky and be Queen of Eraklyon –' Nova argued.

'Except,' Galatea mused, 'with the history of Domino, I can't imagine them letting it pass to someone outside of their family. Oritel and Marion died for it, Bloom could not just give it up.'

Diaspro nodded, a quick bob of her head. 'And Dafne is dead.'

'Rumour is she's not dead,' Nova quickly voiced while Krystal watched the conversation with rapt attention; to give the Princess her dues, she was a great listener when it came to interplanetary politics.

'That is true, I have done my own investigation and Dafne is not dead, she's a bodiless spirit and, my apologies, but bodiless spirits do not wear crowns.'

Krystal giggled. 'It would fall through her to her feet!'

'Yes.' Diaspro blinked. 'Indeed. So unless they can find a way to bring her back, Bloom will not be relinquishing her crown to anyone else. Which brings me to my second point -'

'Oh brother.'

'Nova, I have not strapped you to that chair, you may feel free to leave.'

'I thought we were going to discuss the issues of Tritannus attacking the Dimension.'

'He's trying to take over the ocean, Galatea, hardly something to be concerned about.'

Krystal rolled her phone between her palms. 'I just wanted to phone Helia. We're good friends you know and Diaspro was giving me some advice on why I shouldn't, which I still don't understand.'

Galatea frowned at Krystal. 'I think we went over this and because Flora is a nature fairy and she can kill you. She's really powerful.'

'I'm her princess.'

'Only a figurehead. Linphea doesn't actually have a monarchy,' Nova pointed out, wagging a finger – again a highly undignified thing to do as well as incredibly rude. Did they not do elocution and lessons in manners at Alfea?

Diaspro growled, fisting her hands at her side. 'Listen! My other reason for pursuing this marriage is because Sky is weak and he will do whatever Bloom asks of him, even to the detriment of Eraklyon. She will be the ruler, not him.'

'But if you marry him, you'll be the ruler not him.'

'Difference being, Nova, that I will put Eraklyon first. I have always put Eraklyon first. I have learnt the politics and governance of that Kingdom. I have trained hard to learn the history and the commerce and I know it better than Bloom ever could, because I devoted my life to serving the people of Eraklyon. In fact I should have my Enchantix because I sacrificed myself for that planet.'

'I don't think it works like that,' Galatea stated. 'I would know, Musa got hers saving my life.'

'How does this get Helia to like me better than Flora?'

'It doesn't!' Diaspro snapped. 'He will never like you better. He might come to tolerate you if you insist on forcing yourself on him, but if you do break them up to get him, you need to have something else to devote yourself to because he will only resent you. Maybe later in life he'll come to appreciate you, he might even be decent and civil to you but you will not be first in his heart, and when you finally meet someone who would put you first, you will not have him.'

Krystal blinked and looked to the other girls, pushing her lilac hair from her shoulders as if the weight was too much to bear. 'You believe he will come to hate me?'

'Yes. So choose wisely. I choose to 'chase' Sky because it is for the betterment of Eraklyon. I know he will never love me but I also know Bloom is not, will never be, the Queen that we need. She cannot even understand why Erendor cannot join with the others or why Sky cannot be at her side.'

'I still don't understand that,' Galatea muttered. 'Also you would gain more sympathy if you'd stop baiting her.'

'Yes,' Diaspro drawled as amusement lit her ochre eyes and she smirked, 'but she does rise rather beautifully, doesn't she?'

Nova ran a hand over her hair. 'Stop being a bitch, Diaspro.'

Diaspro considered a rather inelegant gesture to use on Nova, but quickly decided against it. She rested her hands on her stomach and drew her shoulders back. 'The very fact that Bloom rises to my baiting, as you call it, shows that she is far from being a leader. She holds all the cards, she is engaged to Prince Sky, and yet she still gets disturbed if he's not by her side constantly telling her how pretty she is and how much he loves her. Even her parents were not impressed with her sneaking off with him during that meeting. I diverted a political catastrophe when I interrupted them and brought them back.'

Nova raised her hands to the sky as she flopped back. 'Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it.'

'Were they doing anything?' Krystal demanded. 'When you interrupted I mean.'

'No!' Now that was something Diaspro did not need in her head. 'Princess Bloom was whining and Prince Sky was attempting to comfort her. It was a highly inappropriate moment to be doing so.'

Galatea ran her fingers along her knee as if playing an invisible instrument. 'You were engaged to Sky and look what happened. He's a known wanderer; I can't fault Bloom for keeping him on a tight leash.'

Honestly, were it anyone but her crown Prince, Diaspro would have agreed with Galatea's assessment, but as it was her crown Prince, she could not agree. 'They lack trust. How can they hope to run two kingdoms? Will he have to be by her side the whole time? Who will rule Eraklyon then?'

Although, if Sky were to do that then maybe she could convince Erendor to let her rule Eraklyon as a figurehead. It wasn't such a bad idea. She'd add it to her list, as a plan B. People would accept her more as the King's bride, but a Prime Minister would also do the job if the people saw her involved in Eraklyon politics.

Princess Krystal tugged her yellow skirt down and bit her lip. 'Well what do you suggest I do? Should I ignore Helia?'

'Diaspro just told you!' Nova snapped. "You're not chasing Helia. Be friends with him, but don't attempt to ruin his relationship with Flora just because you have a crush. You do consider Flora your friend, do you not?'

Krystal pouted. 'But I knew him first.'

'You keep saying that and it still doesn't mean anything,' Nova said.

'And if he had wanted you like that, he would have asked you out.' Galatea stood and straightened her jacket. 'Find someone else, Princess Krystal. Someone worthy of you.'

Thinking about it, the Lilac haired Princess of Linphea stared out the window overlooking a lake. Diaspro followed her gaze but she couldn't identify any of the landscape. She didn't plan to stay on Domino much longer. Already King Erendor was making plans to leave.

'What about that blonde guy out there?'

'NOT HIM!' Galatea and Nova shouted.

Diaspro began to rub her temples, as the other two girls explained that he was out of bounds and didn't Krystal see the looks he and the Princess of Tides had been sharing?

'What about the guy with the fish tail?'

'Prince Nereus,' Diaspro said. 'And right now he's fighting his twin brother, so I don't think he's going to be interested in a flirtation with you, or for that matter courting you and worrying about the politics of that.'

'Oh.'

Sensing her disappointment, Diaspro offered a: 'Maybe after.'

Though how Krystal thought she would get very far with a man whose lower half was a tail, Diaspro didn't want to know. Maybe she thought it would have a slit or… no. Just no.

She cleared her mind and focused on Galatea who was fretting her lower lip. 'What?'

'Erendor won't join with the rest, will he?'

'No, we have our own issues.' The planet was so close to civil war, mostly because of problems with Sky who was King but had given his father regency until his training was done, and of course there was the situation where Sky lost his memories. The people were restless, they didn't understand why their King would not take up his position, and they feared his marriage to Bloom and the consequences that union would have for their world.

'But if Tritannus takes over…' Galatea trailed off.

'He will take over the oceans and we will deal with it when it happens, or let the Winx take care of it. They always do.' It wasn't that Diaspro wasn't nervous about Tritannus but he was one person, and an army of its own citizens could destroy Eraklyon. Priority wise, she knew that Erendor was right. The other rulers needed to understand that and granted, Erendor hadn't explained himself very well, but it was insane to think that just because their daughters were friends, they should all be allies too. Which was why when the royals convened again, Erendor would explain that he and his party were leaving and poor Princess Bloom would just have to cope without Prince Sky until things were done. Hopefully she wouldn't see him until after Diaspro had taken up her position of power, but that would remain to be seen. As it was Diaspro would play whatever card and trick she had to succeed and save her planet.

A.N. This was long but I really would like some feedback on it or even if you just want to say hi and let me know you exist, I love hearing from people and knowing that people are enjoying what I'm reading. It really inspires me to write more and I know people lurk but I'm not that scary. This is the first time I've written any of these girls, let me know if I've done a good job on them or is there another girl you'd like me to write about.