Two months into a summer spent on Domino, Bloom becomes quite depressed with the lifestyle she has to undertake to appease her parents and royal society. While trying to get to the bottom of Bloom's misery, Miriam and Oritel realize just how little they know about their youngest child. To make up for lost time and to better get to know Bloom, Oritel suggests that he, Miriam, and Bloom take a sabbatical from their royal lives and spend some time together with Bloom's adoptive parents on Earth. The story is a humorous and heartwarming look into the summer Oritel and Miriam spent...

Getting to Know Bloom

By: Kyree Winx

Chapter 1 - Indications

"…and so the meeting with Radius went very well. I have the utmost confidence that the trade agreement we finally settled on will benefit both Solaria and Domino very well!" Oritel boasted at the dinner table. He looked to his right at Miriam for approval, and she gave a slight nod to indicate she'd been listening. "So my day has been very successful as far as royal affairs are concerned."

"That's wonderful, Oritel." Miriam smiled. She calmly took a bite of her meal before she began speaking again. "My day has been relatively quiet. I began my day with choosing colors for the redecorating of the west tower parlor. Then I attended a lovely charity event over on Popularis with the ever-popular Baroness Sophie Beaumot. This afternoon, I sat and had tea with Queen Niobe of Tides and the Duchess Jewlia of Crystallis, where we discussed upcoming balls and events we ought to attend together. Oh and dear," Miriam laid a hand on Oritel's arm, her bright green eyes catching his, "…I did take a look at a few of those finance papers for you. They're currently sitting on your desk in your private office."

"Good. Thank-you Miriam!" Oritel smiled and then looked to his left where is youngest daughter had sat quietly eating throughout the meal. "How was your day, Bloom? It wasn't too harrowing I hope?"

Bloom met Oritel's gaze, her blue eyes reflecting an emotion Oritel couldn't quite recognize. "It was fine…" she answered slowly. She reached over to the crystal glass before her and took a sip of her drink before she continued. "Like every other day I've lived at Domino, the handmaids woke me up early. After some intense dressing, I arrived at breakfast precisely on time. Then I was at the mercy of the etiquette teacher you hired to keep me on task with my lessons, who somehow managed to keep me busy with my apparently horrid enunciation until lunch. I attended lunch with a couple of other princesses whose names and realms I can't remember for the life of me. They talked about very interesting subjects like getting married, who's bearing whose heir, and the latest in gown fashions. From there I was whisked away by the handmaids for an afternoon of dress fittings for my early winter wardrobe, despite it being only June. Finally, they stuffed me back into this tight dress and sent me off to dinner." Bloom picked up her fork and continued working on her food. "So it was a fine day."

"Excellent!" Oritel beamed, oblivious to some of the derogative terms Bloom had used to describe her day. He just felt an overwhelming pride to see his long-lost daughter adjusting well to the life she would've been raised in if the Ancestrals hadn't destroyed Domino. "I'm glad you had a good day…" As he spoke, there was a sharp pain in his right leg and he grunted. He glanced at Miriam, who gave him a look then continued eating her own food. He shook his head and looked at Bloom again, preparing to bring up his fork for a bite. "I hope tomorrow will go just as well for you…" Miriam's foot jabbed Oritel's calf again and he dropped the fork and glared at her.

"I'm sure it will be great." Bloom murmured softly. She carefully set her fork down and looked at Oritel. "May I be excused? I'm a bit tired this evening, Father."

Oritel nodded. "Yes, you may be excused, Bloom. Good night." He watched as Bloom backed out her chair and sauntered away from the dining table, leaving him and Miriam alone. As soon as he was certain Bloom was out of hearing, he turned to Miriam with a cold look. "Do you have restless leg syndrome or something? Or was your insistent kicking a message in Morse Code you wish to complete?"

Miriam narrowed her eyes at him and set down her fork. "Men can be so obtuse… you never used to be this dense! And I don't believe eighteen years as igneous rock could affect your ability to pick up on indicators…"

"What are you going on about?" Oritel asked, exasperatedly. He loved Miriam more than anything in the universe, but sometimes she had issues getting her point across. The woman took far too many detours while explaining things and expressed numerous tangent thoughts during conversations. "Well?"

"She used the universal indicator for unhappiness Oritel!" Miriam stated. "In fact she used it twice, emphasized it even! You missed it both times?"

"Indicator? She didn't say anything about being unhappy." Oritel waved off Miriam's questions and calmly sipped wine from his own glass. "Her day sounded full and fruitful, if you ask me…"

"I'm not asking you how her day sounded, Oritel. I'm asking you what you think she felt about her day." Miriam sighed. "She used the word 'fine' Oritel. And she used disparaging terms to describe everything!" She took Oritel's hand into her own and looked at him, her green eyes now shining with worry. "I'm afraid Bloom's very unhappy here."

Oritel set his glass down with a thud. Miriam's statement had just shattered his earlier feeling pride. Bloom was not happy with her palace life? As he thought back to the conversation, he realized Miriam was right. The mysterious look he'd noted in Bloom's eyes was an expression of misery. Her very words expressed the lack of satisfaction she felt with the harrowing routine she'd done her best to follow the past couple of months. Bloom was indeed dispirited here at Palace Domino.

With a sigh, Oritel pulled from Miriam's grasp and rubbed at his temples in hopes to relieve the sudden headache that had come on with the shift in mood. "You're right… I was so pleased with how things were going with our family being back together I guess I didn't really notice her misery." He dropped his hands and stared hard at the plate before him, his appetite gone. He'd wanted Bloom settle into life with them with ease. Apparently he'd been too hopeful. "What can we do? She needs to live here. She's our only heir and the vigorous schedule she has was set up to prepare her for her future as the Queen of Domino."

"I know." Miriam answered quietly. "Perhaps she only needs a break? A day or so to give her mind a rest from the stresses of palace life. She could go meet with her friends or Sky. Or maybe she'll want to be alone, I don't know! All I know is we need to let her breathe. She's only a teenager after all."

Oritel nodded again. "Yes, I know. But other princesses have had their whole lives to be trained and prepared for their emergence in royal society. Bloom hasn't had that luxury. She was raised as a normal child."

"She's just not used to the royal life." Miriam had her hands clasped in her lap and looked contrite. "She had a simple, normal life that we know absolutely nothing of. And we took away all that normalcy…"

Oritel frowned and looked at Miriam. He was about to say something, when Miriam stood suddenly and rushed from the room. Before she had turned from him, Oritel had noticed the glint of tears running down her cheeks and he felt a deep pity for Miriam grow within him. With one last sigh, Oritel pushed back from the table, got to his feet, and left the dining room to follow Miriam to bed.

With a start, Oritel awoke from his nightmare, his brow covered in sweat, bare chest heaving as he breathed. He buried his face in his hands, his mind fighting off the visions of horrors he'd faced in Obsidian. He could still remember the tortures; the Ancestrals had inflicted countless taunts and pains upon him in hopes to break his will and remove his sword. It had all ended months ago, but the nightmares still haunted him. And he knew they always would.

He looked over to Miriam's side of the be in hopes to find some comfort from her presence. When he saw she was gone, he panicked. "Miriam?"

No answer. Oritel climbed out of the bed and snatched the robe draped over a chair at the foot of the bed. "Miriam?" The bathroom door was shut and he reached for the knob. Slowly he opened it and glanced in. Miriam was not there. "Where…" Oritel shook his head and headed for the door to the hallway.

Once he stepped out of the room into the hallway, he felt the cool marble beneath his feet and realized he'd forgotten his slippers. "As the kids say these days, 'Whatever'." Oritel mumbled. He paused as a thought occurred to him. Then he quickly made his way to the stairs.

Bloom had her pick of all the bedrooms in Palace Domino. There were approximately fifty spacious rooms with beautiful views and excellent amenities fit for a princess' bedroom. But Bloom had settled for a room in one of the towers, the very room Daphne had occupied when she'd lived at Palace Domino some eighteen years earlier. Miriam was going to protest, but Oritel convinced her it was fitting that Bloom stay in that room. If anything it would make Bloom feel more connected to the older sister who'd sacrificed herself to save her.

A couple of months and a few sets of staircases later had convinced Oritel otherwise. He finally concluded the tower room must've been chosen for its distance from his and Miriam's room. If at all possible, the walk had to be longest trek through the palace. And it proved to be most certainly tedious for him. He did take into consideration that he was tired and a bit shaken from his nightmare, but he still chastised himself on being so winded once he reached the top. Oritel made a silent vow then and there to either work out or have his and Miriam's bedroom moved to a closer room.

The guard that was usually on duty was no longer at attention next to the door. Either he'd abandoned his duty or Miriam had sent him away. Oritel hoped for the man's sake that the latter was the case as he tried his best to open the double doors as quietly as possible. He glanced inside and his heart stopped as he took in one of the most beautiful scenes he'd ever looked upon in his life.

Miriam stood leaning against one of the posts of Bloom's canopied bed. She looked ethereal in the scant moonlight that filtered through the windows. Her red hair seemed to glow as it fell in loose tresses down her back; her pale skin made her seem almost like a marble statue. She was gazing at the sleeping form of Bloom, who was like a mirror image to her mother. Her hair glowed just as bright against the pillow, and her peaceful features held just as much beauty. She had curled up into what he figured would be an uncomfortable position and was softly snoring, the blankets ruffed up about her body. The scene was so ideal in Oritel's eyes that he stored it away as one of his most treasured memories. Then he approached Miriam from behind, gently sliding his arms about her to hold her.

She gave a sigh that managed to sound both contented and discontented at once. After several more moments of quiet, she finally voiced what was on her mind. "Oh, Oritel… There was just so much we missed. Too much for us to call ourselves her parents." her voice shook slightly, "We had her for so little time… I want it back, Oritel." She turned to look up at Oritel then, her eyes glistening with fresh tears. "I want it back."

Oritel pulled her close and pressed his lips to the top of her head as she quietly sobbed. He glanced at Bloom, who'd shifted her arm so it was fisted next to her head and his heart almost broke. Seeing her like that reminded him of a similar position she'd been sleeping in as an infant when he first looked upon her. "I know, Miriam. But it wouldn't have been fair to Mike and Vanessa." he reasoned, trying to convince both himself and Miriam. "They got the chance to raise this amazing little girl. And they did a good job…"

"Probably better than you and I could've…" Miriam sniffled. She gave a small laugh, "She would've been a pompous, spoiled, little princess had I raised her."

"No. She would've turned out just the same. I know it." Oritel pulled back from Miriam and gave her a smile. "And Daphne didn't turn out too bad! Sure she tended to be a bit blonde at times, but she was young. I'm sure her hair would've darkened with age." Miriam gave him a half-hearted smile and looked back on Bloom. "Look. Bloom doesn't blame you or me or anybody for the past eighteen years. Well, maybe the Ancestrals, but nonetheless… she's not worrying about the could-haves and should-haves. We have her now, in this moment and we should treasure every one of those moments that follow." Like the one he'd stored earlier.

Miriam nodded. "You're right. I know it." She fingered her pale nightgown. "But I can't help feeling so out of the loop. Mike and Vanessa know her so much better that us, and I struggle with these horrible questions I'm afraid to ask. Like 'Does she miss her normal life?' or 'Does she prefer life with her adoptive parents?' or 'Are we cool parents?' Oritel smirked and Miriam's smile perked up again. "I know they're silly… And I'm afraid to ask because she may just tell us the truth…"

Grinning, Oritel cupped Miriam's chin and made her look up at him. "Of course she'd tell us the truth, Miriam. She knows she can be honest with us about anything."

"But she's managed to bottle up her feelings about living here! She's been forced to adjust every aspect of her life for us! What have we adjusted for her?" Miriam said rather loudly. Oritel made a glance to where his daughter was sprawled out on the bed, still deep in her slumber. "Sorry." Miriam whispered.

"She sure can sleep can't she? Just like you…" Oritel commented softly. Bloom gave a soft moan and rolled over onto her face, her feet dangling off the bed.

"I beg your pardon, but I'm afraid she gets her sleeping habits from you." Miriam stated defensively. "Remember that morning I found you sleeping on the floor?"

"That's because you kicked me off the bed…" Oritel pointed out. He pondered what Miriam had said for a minute. Then an idea occurred to him and he grabbed Miriam by the shoulders. "I believe I know what can help."

"Help your sleeping on the floor? Sleeping on the bed, obviously." Miriam said.

"No. With our needing to know Bloom." Oritel looked Miriam in the eyes, his own brown eyes bright with anticipation. "I think you, Bloom and I need to leave this stuffy palace setting and stay on Earth with her adoptive parents."

"What?" Miriam looked at him with an odd expression.

"We'll take time off for couple of weeks and get to know Bloom in her most comfortable, natural setting. Bloom can find out who we really are beyond the royal façade we've put up for royal society. Mike and Vanessa will give her that sense of security she hasn't quite found in us yet. And they can give us tips on how to handle situations with her. It's a perfect plan!"

Miriam glanced again at Bloom. Bloom was now lying almost horizontal on the bed, her head threatening to fall off the edge and dangle. She let out a slightly louder snore. "I'm thinking she's pretty natural and comfortable now."

"Seriously, Miriam." Oritel brought his hand up to cup her cheek and he gently caressed her cheekbone with his thumb. "If we're ever going to salvage the bond we have with her and build up our relationship, this could be our only chance."

"And what about Domino?" Miriam asked, trying to find a flaw in his plan. And Oritel was prepared for that question.

"The advisors can handle it, Miriam. We need this. Bloom needs this. I'm sure royal society will understand considering all we've been through." Oritel answered.

"Fine." Miriam whispered. "Fine."

"Judging by your use of the indicator word twice…" Oritel teased.

"Oh shut up, Oritel!"