Realm of the Dark Elves

The Realm of the Dark Elves is a kingdom of perpetual night inhabited by the Dark Elves. It makes its debut in Issue 125: The Kingdom of the Dark Elves.

Overview
The Realm of the Dark Elves is a land of perpetual night with the only source of light being the moon. All the trees are bare, the terrain consists mainly of mountains, cliffs and barren dry land, and the kingdom's structures are all made of pointed rock. The Realm's only inhabitants are the Dark Elves, the crueler and colder counterparts to Magix's Elves led by their monarchs, King Whisper and Queen Morwen.

According to legends passed down by Elves that reside in Magix, the Dark Elves would come up to the surface every night to kidnap any vulnerable Elves and carry them back to their homeland.

#125: The Kingdom of the Dark Elves
After learning about what happened to Palladium's long lost lover, Athris, Musa get the idea for her and the Winx to travel into the Legendarium World to bring her back. Overcome with joy, Palladium hands the girls half of a pendant and claims that once Athris sees them with it, she will know to trust them. Bloom takes the pendant before she and the Winx brandish their Mythix Wands and transform into their Mythix forms as they enter the fictional world within the Legendarium. Now in the Dark Elves' Domain, the Winx find themselves creeped out by their new surroundings. Bloom tries to get Stella to illuminate the area with a ball of light but Tecna stops her and advises for her to make a smaller ball of light so that they will not be discovered too quickly. Stella complies only to start complaining about how dreary the Realm is. Musa tries to quiet her down by claiming that they will be discovered if she keeps this up and, unfortunately, Musa is proven right as the six fairies soon find themselves surrounded by an army of Dark Elves! With no other options, the Winx combat the Dark Elves, who prove to be fearsome opponents, until they are interrupted by a booming voice declaring that enough is enough. Looking up in the direction of the voice, the Winx catch a glimpse of a woman just above them but, before they can react, this woman strikes them down with a powerful blast of dark magic and traps them within a magical cage.

With the Winx trapped, the Dark Elves approach this woman who turns out to be their queen, Morwen, and tell her that the Winx deserve to be executed for trespassing according to their kingdom's laws. Queen Morwen finds herself surprised by the fairies' sudden arrival and warns her subjects that they must not be underestimate them as they must be powerful if they are capable of entering their realm. She then turns elsewhere and proclaims that King Whisper will be the one to decide the Winx's fate. The rest of the Dark Elves bow down as King Whisper makes his entrance while proclaiming that all outsiders pose as a major threat to him and his people and, to avoid the danger they can bring to his kingdom, the Winx must be eliminated. Hearing this, the Dark Elves brandish their weapons but are interrupted by the Winx's pleas, mainly Stella and Aisha insisting that they did not come with bad intentions and only came in search of an elven woman named Athris. Bloom shows the Dark Elves the half of the pendant she had gotten from Palladium as proof of their words but Morwen insists that there is no one by the name of Athris in their realm since the name sounds foreign to her. However, Morwen finds herself drawn to the pendant and as she approaches the magic cage to get a better look, Bloom finds herself being reminded of Athris through the Dark Elf Queen's facial features. That is until Whisper demands that they waste no more time on the Winx's execution. With no other options left, Bloom unleashes her Mythical Fire to break down Morwen's magic cage, freeing herself and the Winx.

The Dark Elves, led by their king, immediately attack the Winx right after Bloom frees them. Morwen uses the fight as her opportunity to snatch the half of the pendant from Bloom and demands to know where and who she got it from. When Bloom explains that she got it from Palladium, an elf that resides within the Magic Dimension, Morwen finds that his name is strangely familiar and is even more confused by how the half he gave Bloom matches the pendant she currently wears. Seeing Morwen with the other half of the pendant around her neck, Stella immediately fears the possibility of her having ambushed Athris, stealing her half in the process, however, she, Bloom and Musa are all struck down by a sneak attack from King Whisper before they can properly deduce why Morwen would even wear the pendant if that were the case. With half the Winx down, Whisper demands to know what Morwen is doing standing around in a daze. Piecing together the two halves, Morwen finds that they are a perfect fit as many images begin to recollect within her mind. Whisper demands that she use her power to finish off the Winx again but, this time, Morwen refuses. Whisper shouts at her to finish them off one more time but, before she ultimately gives in to his demands, Bloom calls out to her—to Athris—which causes her to realize who she truly is. She then turns her attack onto Whisper and blasts him to the ground. Now injured, Whisper swears to have Athris punished for treason until Bloom retaliates by striking him with her Enveloping Flame.

With King Whisper defeated and the Dark Elves having fled, Bloom thanks Athris for saving them at the last moment. Clasping her fully-formed pendant, Athris tells Bloom that she finally realizes that she was never a Dark Elf and confesses that she was always fascinated by the legends about them—particularly The Legend of Queen Morwen, which was her favorite amongst them. Insecure at the time, Athris also confesses that she saw everything she wished to become in the Dark Elf Queen, to the point where she often questioned whether or not she was good enough for Palladium. When asked if the Dark Elves kidnapped her like many of the elves back in her homeland believe, Athris quickly denies it and admits to having ventured into the world of legends of her own volition. Unfortunately, upon entering the Dark Elves' Domain, Athris was quickly corrupted by its wickedness which trapped her into the role of Queen Morwen, causing her to gradually lose her memories and sense of self the longer she was forced to play the role. After hearing all of this, Bloom urges for Athris not to give up hope and reveals that she can break the spell the Realm has over her if she breaks her sceptre. Without hesitation, Athris snaps her sceptre in half which, as Bloom said, breaks the spell and allows her to become her old self again. Bloom then promises to bring Athris out of the Legendarium World with her Mythix powers and, as they make their way back to the real world, Athris excitedly anticipates a reunion with her beloved Palladium.