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Therapy: Three Witches and a Shrink	By : Shaellin Category: +S through Z > Winx Club Views: 7187 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
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The next afternoon Icy noticed that something was up when the guards once again led her down an unfamiliar hallway. She looked at Guard Number One.
"Hey, what gives? This isn't the way to Shreever's office. Don't tell me he's given up on us already?"
Guard Number One glanced at her briefly.
"Dr. Shreever has requested that you join him in the gymnasium for today's session."
Icy raised an eyebrow curiously.
"The gymnasium? I wasn't even aware this place had one. I wonder what he's up to this time?"
Guard Number B grinned at her.
"Sounds to me like he's planning on giving you a real workout."
Guard Number One cleared his throat and shot B a disapproving glance. B ducked his head with a chastened look. Icy smirked at the exchange. Evidently her little prank yesterday had gotten B in hot water with the higher-ups.
When they arrived at the gymnasium it was to find Dr. Shreever clad not in his accustomed midnight blue robes but rather in a suit of the light padded armor worn by fencing duelists. Icy placed one hand on her hip and raised one eyebrow skeptically.
"What's all this?"
Dr. Shreever grinned at her roguishly.
"You seemed rather eager to take me on last night so I thought I would oblige you. Do you know how to fence?"
Icy smirked back at him.
"Hmph. Of course I do. My dad taught me how to fence when I was 12, and I taught my siblings."
A look of surprise and delight lit up Shreever's face.
"Well well. I see you weren't just shooting off your mouth last night. My, you are certainly full of surprises Icy."
He turned to a table set up off to one side and picked up a second set of fencing garb which he handed over to Icy.
"The ladies' changing room is through there. I'll be waiting for you when you get back."
Icy accepted the bundle from Dr. Shreever and headed in the direction he indicated. After a few steps she stopped and grinned back over her shoulder at Shreever and the two guards.
"You boys talk amongst yourselves while I go get changed. I won't be long. And no peeking now!"
Guard Number One turned to address Dr. Shreever as she walked out of earshot.
"Sir are you sure this is wise? You do realize you're about to hand that girl a weapon."
Dr. Shreever turned an unconcerned look on the guard.
"A blunted weapon with very limited usefulness. And don't forget, I have full use of my magic. She does not. If she gets out of hand I'll subdue her, but that won't be necessary. Icy is too smart to think she can escape from here with nothing more than a blunted rapier."
Guard Number One glanced in the direction of the ladies' changing room with a troubled frown.
"It's how smart she is that concerns me. That one is always looking for the angles she can turn to her advantage."
Dr. Shreever patted the guard's arm with a supercilious grin.
"I am well aware of her tendencies. I assure you, she won't be finding any angles to exploit here. She'll have to turn in the rapier before she goes back and there's really nothing else here she can use. Don't worry so much."
The guard frowned but said nothing. A couple minutes later Icy came back dressed in the set of fencing garb she had been given. She struck a proud pose with one hand planted on her outthrust hip and smirked at Dr. Shreever and the guards.
"Well? How do I look?"
Dr. Shreever swept his gaze up her body from feet to head, taking in the practical low-heeled boots, the curve-hugging black unitard, the padded white body armor and the black leather gloves with an approving glance.
"Like you're ready for battle. All you lack is the cowl and face mask to complete the ensemble."
He held out his hand to the guards expectantly. Guard Number B picked up a cowl and face mask off the table and handed them to Dr. Shreever. He then picked up another pair and brought them over to Icy. Icy picked up the cowl from B's hands and looked it over, noting as she did that there was no hole in the top for her ponytail to fit through. She dropped the cowl back in B's hands and took the face mask instead.
"I don't need a cowl. My hairstyle keeps my hair pulled back out of my face well enough without it. This is all I need."
She raised the mask up over the peek of her ponytail then down on top of her head. She pulled her ponytail free of the strap and turned to face Dr. Shreever directly. Dr. Shreever already had his cowl in place and his mask settled on top of his head. He grinned at her.
"I see. Did you originally adopt this hairstyle for that specific purpose?"
Icy crossed her arms and stared back at him coolly.
"Hmph. Always psychoanalyzing and reading into things, eh Doc? Well I happen to like this hairstyle and it makes a statement. I don't have to justify it on practical grounds."
Dr. Shreever chuckled back at her.
"By which you of course mean that practicality was one of your reasons for choosing that hairstyle but not your primary one. Fair enough. I should remind you however that a fencing cowl is meant to protect your head and neck rather than simply keeping your hair out of your face. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"
Icy thrust her hip out to the side and frowned a little more.
"Stop stalling and get on with it already."
Dr. Shreever dipped his head graciously in acknowledgment.
"As you wish."
He gestured toward Guard Number One, who turned and picked up a long, narrow box off the table. He opened it and presented it to them. Inside rested a pair of standard dueling rapiers. Dr. Shreever bowed to Icy and gestured toward the box.
"Lady's choice."
Icy strode over and picked up one of the blades at random. She gave it a few experimental strokes to get a feel for the balance of the blade.
"Hmm. The safety cap on the end makes it a little clumsier than I'm used to, but I guess it'll do."
Dr. Shreever gave her a curious glance as he selected the other blade.
"You dueled with pointed rapiers?"
Icy gave him a contemptuous scowl.
"Of course. Dad always said pain is the best teacher."
Dr. Shreever raised his eyebrows in an 'Ah, I see!' expression.
"Well then, I shall have to be especially on my guard while I duel you."
He led Icy over to a circle in the middle of the floor and took up position on one side of it. Once Icy took her place opposite him he glanced up at the ceiling.
"Engage environmental simulator."
Instantly the room disappeared. They now found themselves standing in the middle of what appeared to be a Greek temple. Sunlight slanted in through the open walls, diffusing off the tiled floor to softly illuminate the entire area. Massive stone pillars spaced every ten yards supported the weight of the ponderous marble ceiling overhead. Icy glanced about uncertainly.
"What's the deal Shreever? Is this a duel or a date?"
Dr. Shreever smirked back at her.
"Oh, it's a duel alright. I just thought you might enjoy the venue."
He lowered his mask into place and raised his sword in salute.
"En guarde?"
Icy lowered her own mask and matched his stance.
"En guarde!"
Both duelists dropped into a ready stance and began to circle each other warily, each searching for an opening. Shreever took a couple of tentative pokes at Icy's defenses, which Icy swatted aside effortlessly. Dr. Shreever's mask hid his expression as he spoke.
"I find it interesting that you have finally chosen to speak of your family Icy. You've been pretty tight-lipped on that subject up until now."
Seeing Shreever's sword waver to one side in a careless gesture Icy lunged in for a quick thrust, but Dr. Shreever parried the thrust with ease, demonstrating that he had been anticipating the attack. Icy growled as she reoriented on Shreever, realizing that she'd been baited.
"Yeah? So what? My family is my business, not yours."
Dr. Shreever circled his sword in a tight figure 8 pattern aimed at Icy's chest and pressed forward step by step.
"Ah, but you see you are my business, and so by extension so is everyone who influences your life, especially your family."
Icy dropped back a couple of steps, then aimed a vicious slash at his sword arm, forcing him to quickly dance back out of range.
"Then dig into my records! My family is pretty well-known. I'm sure you can find all sorts of juicy gossip about the Darkholmes on the maginet."
Dr. Shreever began circling around Icy again, seeking another opening.
"If I wanted gossip I could pick up any tabloid and get my fill. What I am seeking is a true understanding of how your family life helped shape you into the witch you are today."
Icy circled with Dr. Shreever, keeping half an eye on the surrounding columns.
"Yeah. Good luck with that."
Without warning Icy came at Shreever with a series of short vicious slashes. Dr. Shreever parried each stroke skillfully but was forced to give ground in order to maintain his guard. On his third step back his foot struck the column behind him and he realized the trap Icy had maneuvered him into. Icy yelled as she lunged in for the kill, but Dr. Shreever was already in motion, whirling to the right and out of danger. Icy recovered from her failed attack in time to bring up her sword to block the downward slash Dr. Shreever came back with, but now she was the one on the defensive, giving ground step by step as Shreever pressed her with an unpredictable series of slashes and thrusts. Having reestablished his footing in the duel, Dr. Shreever resumed his questioning.
"You do seem to know how to handle a blade Icy. Do Darcy and Stormy know how to fence as well?"
As she retreated Icy risked a quick glance to the left and right to make sure she wasn't backing toward a pillar, then executed a one-handed backward somersault to put some distance between them. She landed in a crouch with her sword arm flung out to the right and her left leg stretched out to the other side.
"Those two? Ha! Don't make me laugh."
She rose gracefully to her feet and squared off against Dr. Shreever again.
"Darcy's all about seduction and disorienting her enemies. I can't even picture her holding a weapon. And Stormy, she'd just charge right in to attack without thinking and leave herself wide open to her opponent's counter-attacks."
Dr. Shreever shook his head as he started circling with her again.
"Tch. I think you give your sisters too little credit. Given the right incentive I'm sure they'd learn."
Once more he went in for the attack, but this time he went with the flashier types of attacks which, while perhaps more impressive to the casual observer, clearly telegraphed his intentions to his opponent, making it easier for Icy to counter without giving ground.
"I suspect Darcy would become a subtle and devious opponent once trained, while Stormy would clearly favor power attacks, which isn't a bad thing if one learns to keep one's guard up."
Spying an opening, Icy ducked under Shreever's latest slash and thrust the tip of her blade into his chest armor.
"Speaking of keeping your guard up ..."
Dr. Shreever looked down at where the blunted tip of Icy's rapier pressed against his chest.
"Indeed. Touché Icy. First blood is yours."
Icy withdrew her sword and stepped back.
"You need to stop taking me so lightly Thaddeus. I may not be professional level, but I'm good."
Dr. Shreever bowed in concession and resumed his guard stance.
"A mistake I shall try not to repeat. You are indeed a worthy opponent."
He came at her with a high arcing slash which she easily blocked, then whipped his blade around for a quick shot at her legs, but Icy anticipated the maneuver and was quick enough to block. He came at her with a mid-level thrust, which she parried and then followed through with a back-handed slash, forcing Dr. Shreever to dance back out of reach. She commenced a vicious series of slashes and thrusts, forcing Shreever to give ground.
"Ha! Where's all your psychobabble now? Not so talkative when you're on the defensive are you?"
Dr. Shreever caught Icy's next slash between his sword's blade and guard and stepped in close, trapping their blades between them.
"Forgive me if I allowed the conversation to lag but I was a little preoccupied studying your technique."
He shoved against her sword with his, forcing her to fall back several steps. Icy growled behind her mask and came at him with a downward slash. Dr. Shreever parried the blow and the two of them commenced a back and forth exchange of thrusts and slashes. Dr. Shreever's voice glowed with approval as their battle drifted across the floor.
"I must admit, you are quite skilled at this young lady. I would not have expected it of a witch. It leads me to wonder if your siblings are equally skilled?"
Icy ducked a horizontal slash and attempted a counterthrust which got beaten down.
"I hate to admit it but Nathan's actually better than me. Dad hired him a private tutor after I left for Cloud Tower. Last time I was home for the summer he was the one who wound up giving me lessons. Hrr! Hah! Claudia on the other hand is completely useless. Never did catch on to proper swordplay. Hnng! She'd rather spend all day playing around at creating new scents of perfume, if you can believe it! Grrahh!"
Dr. Shreever leaned back to evade Icy's latest strike, then came back with a flurry of rapid strokes designed to test the limits of Icy's defenses.
"So then that would make Claudia the proverbial black sheep of the family... at least until you ended up here at Light Haven."
With a rising growl, Icy batted aside Shreever's sword and came at him with a savage series of slashes, abandoning subtlety for raw power in her anger. Dr. Shreever was momentarily taken aback by this sudden shift in tactics. He had been expecting Icy to exhibit better self-control than this. He was forced to retreat several steps before he was able to adjust to her new approach. Then he ducked her next strike to drop into a left-side one-handed crouch and sweep out with his right leg, knocking Icy's feet out from under her. Icy went down hard. She lay there dazed for several seconds. When she opened her eyes and looked up she saw Dr. Shreever standing over her, the tip of his sword pressed against her chest.
"That was careless of you Icy. Allowing your emotions to overwhelm you in a fight is a good way to lose."
Icy growled softly as she sat up and extended her hand to let Shreever help her to her feet.
"Touché Doc. You succeeded in getting me mad. You're trickier than I gave you credit for. Looks like it's all tied up now. Shall we say next touch wins?"
Dr. Shreever's stance spoke of concern.
"Are you certain you're alright to continue?"
Icy spoke not a word but merely resumed her guard stance. Dr. Shreever did likewise, crossing steel with her.
"Agreed then. Next touch wins."
Icy came at him with an inarticulate cry and a fierce sideways slash. Dr. Shreever danced back out of the way and came back with a quick thrust, thinking to score on her before she could recover her defenses, but Icy parried the thrust aside contemptuously and came back at him with a diagonal upward slash. Unable to block, Shreever was forced to stagger back out of range. Icy reversed the direction of her slash as she came at him again, forcing him to back off another step before he was finally able to block her third strike.
Dr. Shreever was perplexed as he fought to stave off Icy's assault. It was as though he was facing a completely different opponent than he had faced before. The power in her strokes spoke of rage burning inside her, as did her battle cries, yet her actions were deceptively precise and any opening he tried to exploit was closed before he could land the blow, almost as if she was expecting it.
After a couple more foiled attacks he came to realize that she actually was expecting it. She was anticipating his moves and using them against him. She had only been playing with him before, enjoying the duel for its own sake. Then he'd made her angry and she had lashed out in that anger without thinking. She was still angry, but she wasn't letting it control her anymore. Now she was rage harnessed by intellect, using her rage to fuel her actions while her mind stayed focused and analytical, thinking several moves ahead as in a chess match.
Cold fury. That was the best way he could think to describe it. She was absolutely determined to win this time and was using everything she had to make it happen. He realized he could not afford to allow her to win this way. Her victory now would become symbolic of her perceived superiority over him. That had been the hidden intent behind her deceptively calm words. He had wounded her pride and now she intended to make him pay by defeating him, thus proving her dominance over him. If she did that then any chance he had of reaching her would be gone. She would never listen to someone she had already proven was beneath her. Somehow the entire course of her treatment had come to rest upon the outcome of this one duel. He dared not lose now!
Icy noticed the difference in Shreever's approach almost immediately. Until then he had been trying for the cheap shots while scrambling to fend her off between openings. Now suddenly his defenses were much tighter and he wasn't falling for her fake openings anymore. Instead his focus seemed to have shifted to battering down her defenses, seeking to make his own openings. They were back on a more equal footing once again, and that only served to stoke the fires of her fury even higher, the more so when he began to speak again.
"I must admit, you've managed to surprise me Icy. You've been holding back. I dare say you were merely toying with me before. Of course I wasn't really giving it my all before either. I was enjoying our friendly little match, but alas it seems that phase is over. Now we fight in earnest."
What particularly irked Icy was that Shreever's tactics had become as coldly calculating as her own, but while hers were fueled by controlled rage his were driven by implacable resolve and backed up with brute force. Each slash she blocked took a toll on her stamina. Each thrust she parried sapped her endurance. He was slowly wearing away at her, waiting for her defenses to weaken. Even more irksome though was the fact that she was no longer winning. Her earlier advantage had evaporated, leaving her the one struggling to stay in the match. She was reminded bitterly of all the times she had lost to her father over the years, and of how her brother Nathan had surpassed her and she had never been able to catch up to him again. What irked her the most however was that Shreever just wouldn't stop talking.
"I find it fascinating to compare our two fighting styles and note how each is influenced by our differing body types. I am larger and more muscular so naturally I favor a more straight-forward and aggressive style, while your lighter build makes you better suited for quick strikes and rapid evasions. We each try to play up to our own strengths, like that little cartwheel maneuver you used to open up space between us when I had you on the defensive. Such use of acrobatics is an unorthodox but inventive way of fighting. Did your brother teach you that trick?"
Icy's anger flared up to a new level of intensity. It seized control, and now it was her rage using her intellect as she laid into Dr. Shreever with a flurry of lightning swift slashes and thrusts.
"Shut up! My brother never taught me anything! He just got better than me and kept gloating about it every time he beat me! I had to learn new techniques on my own, and still I could never catch up to him because Dad was paying for his stupid private tutor! It's not fair! I'm the oldest! I should have been the favorite, but Dad passed me over for Nathan because he was a boy! I hate guys! I hate you all! Hrrraahhh!"
Dr. Shreever found himself giving ground once more as he fought both to stave off defeat and to fully grasp what was going on inside Icy's head. Her rage had once more reached its zenith and yet this time she did not lose control. Though gripped by her rage she still maintained her ability to think ahead and predict his moves. In fact it seemed like she was pouring absolutely everything she had into winning this duel, holding back nothing whatsoever, no matter how much it might cost her. She was driving herself mercilessly, unconcerned with how badly she was abusing her muscles as long as she could just win this fight. What was it that possessed her to go to such extremes for this single victory? Why was this one duel so important to her?
Suddenly Dr. Shreever realized that it wasn't just him that she was fighting. She was battling against her father and her brother and every other male who had ever hurt her or put her down. In her mind she was battling half the human race! In that moment he felt very bad for her and almost wished that she would win, but he knew that the true path to healing did not lie down that road. She would never allow him to help her so long as she believed she needed no one else's help to succeed in life. In order to help her he first had to prove her wrong by defeating her.
He dropped down into a sideways crouch and swept out with his leg to knock her feet out from under her like before. This time however she was ready for him and leapt nimbly over his leg.
"Ha! You won't catch me with that trick again!"
She stabbed downward at him, forcing him to roll aside out of the way. He came up in a crouch and was able to knock aside her next thrust just in time. He fought his was back to his feet and initiated a sideways movement, obligating Icy to move with him to keep him in front of her. Icy was so focused on keeping her feet from stumbling while trying to get past his defenses that she barely noticed the pillar Shreever was maneuvering them toward in time to avoid running into it. When they reached the pillar they each whirled around to put the pillar at their backs, placing them on opposite sides.
This gave Icy pause to think. Her intention in stopping there had been to let Dr. Shreever keep going on past and strike out at him from cover when he moved on to engage an opponent that was not there. Apparently he had had much the same notion. Now that they were stopped they could come out on either side and the advantage would go to the one who outguessed their opponent.
They had been moving leftward as they traveled. Icy realized that continuing on in that direction would put her at a disadvantage because the pillar would then be on her right, her sword arm side, giving her less room to maneuver. That was no doubt how Dr. Shreever would proceed, thinking to take advantage of the situation and score his victory. To double back the other way would be to simply hand her the advantage. In order to counter his advantage she would have to take several steps out away from the pillar before he struck, giving him the advantage of chasing after her. Icy had no intention of giving him any advantage!
When she heard him make his move she whirled around the pillar, turning her motion into a cross-body slash from the left side. She was startled when her strike encountered nothing but the pillar, sending a jarring shockwave up her arm. Where had he gone? The stinging blow of Shreever's blade across her ass answered that question.
"Tsk tsk Icy. So predictable. I knew that you would expect me to seek the easy advantage and continue on around the pillar and that your pride would drive you to come meet me anyway. So I doubled back instead. You should have waited long enough to see what I was actually doing before committing to a course of action."
Icy whirled to face him in outrage.
"Hhrrr! That doesn't count! Slapping your opponent in the ass is an illegal maneuver!"
Dr. Shreever spread his hands graciously.
"As you say, it doesn't count. Shall we continue?"
Icy lunged at him without warning, taking advantage of the opening. Dr. Shreever had to scramble to bring his sword up in time to parry the blow that would otherwise have ended the duel. As it was he found himself once more on the defensive, giving ground to gain space. Icy's unleashed fury was frightening to behold. She drove herself relentlessly to win, not caring what price she would pay later in sore and aching muscles. Dr. Shreever was starting to think perhaps his best move would be to simply wait it out, let Icy tire herself out and then move in for the kill, but the way Icy was harrying him he didn't dare take the chance. She might get lucky and slip through his defenses before exhaustion set in. He had to take her out quickly!
On her next strike he managed to catch her sword with his and shove it aside, forcing an opening. Before he could take advantage of it though, Icy whirled around in a maneuver clearly meant to bring her sword back into play from the opposite side. Catching the motion coming toward him, Shreever managed to bring his sword up in time to block. Much to his dismay however, he found that all he was blocking was hair. Icy had used her ponytail as a distraction, forcing Shreever to dance back out of the way of her real slash while his blade was tangled up in her hair. He shook off the entangling hair and backed off several paces. That had been entirely too close for comfort.
"That was quite the clever little ploy, using your hair to distract me and incapacitate my blade. I wouldn't suggest trying that again however, or I may be tempted to seize hold of your pony tail and drag you off balance."
Icy let out a loud cry as she charged at him with a downward slash. This was just the opening Dr. Shreever had been waiting for. He leaned to the side, letting Icy's momentum carry her sword arm past him, and pinned her arm to his side with his own. Icy was taken off guard and wasn't able to figure out what Shreever was up to before he seized hold of her and judo-flipped her onto her back. As she lay there groaning, trying to figure out what had just happened, she felt the blunted cap of Shreever's sword being pressed against her exposed throat.
"Touché Icy. You are beaten."
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Therapy: Three Witches and a Shrink