#and she doesn't know layla is her childhood friend bc layla was using a different name back then pre transition

[butterfly-winx]

Hi moya I would like to know what happened to Varanda in your Au

*cracks knuckles* Anon, I have been thinking about her lately and come up with a few thoughts:

Varanda gets introduced as Stella's penpal, whose resignation letter she was supposed to deliver to Alfea, and she is done away with making room for Bloom. Kind of like a throwaway thought, a throwaway character.

Varanda however desesrves to become a person of her own might and her textual story reflects this metatextual thought.

Varanda Fiona de Numor is the elder princess of Callisto, the south neighbour of Eraklyon on Manubra 47. Callisto, in contrast to Eraklyon is ruled by magic using royalty, and theirs is a country of bountiful beaches, grottos and parades; military might hidden under colourful uniforms and feathered hats. They are no less strict and traditional than their northern neighbour: despite being the older sibling, Varanda is not set on inheriting the throne, instead her younger brother is.

Until Mika was born however, Varanda was the only heir and she spent her early childhood off planet for her protection (the war on Manubra 47 and the danger of heir assassinations explained in another post on Eraklyon, pls check masterpost.)

Her paternal aunt took Varanda to another planet, very similar to their own: full of beaches, rocky coastlines and tiny islands. Hopping from boat to boat enjoying the colourful garments of the people in this new place, Varanda almost felt at home. Her aunt took her to a palace here too, but not to live locked up like she would have on Callisto, but to dance. Varanda made friends with the only student of her aunt's who was similar to her in age, but was forbidden from sharing any information about herself. When Varanda turned 7, she received the news of her brother's birth with much heartbreak. She had to say goodbye to the islands, goodbye to sunsets at the beach and to the girl with dark skin and mischievous smile.

From then on, she was barely permitted to leave the palace grounds anymore. Only long pleading and begging could get her free passes to the boat parades and annual masquerade balls (which she attended disguised of course). She took great pleasure in pretty things and fashion and spent her time on the UWW (universe wide web) so much that her parents started to worry for her.

When her powers as a fairy manifested, marking her as Fairy of Glass (which she then expanded to Spun Sands), they set her up with a pen pal partner: another princess from a faraway planet. Why she couldn't talk to any of the other Princes and Princesses of Manubra 47 was beyond her, but she acquiesced. Despite also being 12, the other princess hasn't shown any powers yet and her mother had asked them a favour, if maybe talking to a peer would help her daughter's magical development.

So Varanda and Stella, the princess of Solaria, began their slow exchange of letters. Rarely at first, only making a show for the sake of their parents, like "look I tried". Stella discovered her magic powers over the entire night sky feels like and Varanda had to deal with jealousy and feelings of inadequacy for the first time on her life. Being the Fairy of Glass, a trade associated aspect, wasn't what her parents have hoped for. It was still a good aspect. Varanda took pleasure in creating beautiful glass structures, and they also projected her to be able to use her power offencively should the need arise.

Varanda didn't want the need to arise. She had grown accustomed to the protected gardens of her home, every shaded corner a familiar fold on a cherished map she knew like her own palm. She no longer wanted to scale the walls. The more Stella told her about her wild life, roaming free in the world, the less Varanda felt like she wanted to do the same. She felt like she couldn't, like if she had to talk to a stranger she might fail and faint. How could Stella come up with all those quirky responses in her (sometimes unbeknownst to her, embellished) stories? Varanda felt a stone form in her throat if she even thought about it!

Eventually she confided this fear to Stella and her penpal wrote her an essay length letter, with pages upon pages trying to entice her to leave the country. Slowly, Varanda let herself be convinced, that this is a good idea. Stella revealed that even the Prince of Eraklyon would be attending a school on Magics, so it couldn't be that dangerous, could it?

And maybe exactly because of that information, or completely independent from it, her parents spoke their final word. There were plenty good teachers and schools in Callisto anyway. She could get to Enchantix here if she wanted to.

So much was true, but still, Varanda had just missed her chance to go to school with Stella, a friend as support. Stella kept updating her about her adventures dutifully, about meeting prince Sky and other fancy members of high society. Then, towards the middle of her second semester, Stella's letters have stopped. King Radius and Queen Luna announced their divorce. Varanda could put two and two together.

The next letter arrived from Queen Luna instead: Stella would be attending Alfea next year again (heed no mind to the rumour of her expulsion). There was no request, or implication. Just a simple statement.

This time Varanda tried, she really tried. She had her application accepted by the time she told her parents about her plans. She talked to Stella at length, read up about Magics. But then the Duke of Callisto, her cousin had been the target of an attempted assassination while on holiday off planet and Nishi increased their border patrols. Her parents had to respond in retaliation. Sending her away now would only invite trouble and harm to her.

Varanda understood. Heavy-hearted, she composed a letter of resignation she entrusted Stella with, since she couldn't leave the planet to deliver it herself. Despite it all, the control, the isolation, the social anxiety, Varanda was a pragmatic girl. She understood when sacrifices were necessary, and kept herself dutifully blank, but ready for when her time would come.

The world would change, and how it did. Mostly thanks to Stella and her school friends. For the longest time all Varanda had heard was that Stella had used Varanda's name to smuggle a girl to Alfea from Earth of all places who was badly in need of magic education but had zero means to get it where she was from. From Earth? Go figure. All of this, she received notice of in post. The more Stella spent in her second year with a better set of friends, the less she wrote to Varanda, and Varanda herself also felt less and less inclined to pick up the pen.

She studied magic in Callisto and trained as a home defense guard behind her parents back.

Magic returned to Earth.

Mika started his magic training and Varanda tutored him after his official classes. If they were confined together, they might make the best of it.

Calamities came and went, then one day everyone woke up with a fragment of their memories fundamentally altered. Or restored? Old books became legible again the knowledge that nymphs existed in near past and the possibility of an ascension into nymphhood shook the world.

Varanda was finally allowed outside into this renewed changing world, to celebrate the restoration of Domino, a kingdom everyone thought just as gone as the nymphs. She met Stella in person and the Princess of Domino, one of Stella's many school friends who remarked there to be no similarity between them at all. How could there? The princess of Domino, while also red haired, was pale as powder! Varanda was mixed but she inherited a good heap of melanin from her father thank you very much!

Then the Trix happened to... pretty much every country and planet of the inner universe and people were forced to introspect about their treatment of witchcraft users. Varanda had an encounter with the rescued ex-exiled Lady of Isis of Eraklyon, who was in many aspect more her equal than Stella had been. Diasprom in the shadow of her two brothers, disgraced as the fiance of Prince Sky, had not many avenues left in life, especially not now, confined to only being able to use witchcraft for a good while. Yet she clung to her homeland, to making an honest life there.

"At least we don't shackle our magic users over here."- Varanda had said, carelessly cold thinking about the magicless hegemony of Erakyon.

"I'll take the shackle and honest work over a gilded cage any day."- was her response and the fire in Diaspro's eyes sparked a longer and truer friendship than Varanda ever had in her entire life.

----

As some general notes, Varanda is shy and naive when brought outside of her comfort zone, but her nature is naturally reserved and level headed. Even while in contact with Stella and absorbed in fashion, Varanda was never as surfacially frivolous as her friend. Deep down she does love all sort of gaudy knicknack tho is the thing. She just doesn't say it out loud. Her love language is definitely receiving gifts.