“Directing everyone like a maestro as usual, I see,” Maleficent snapped.
“Stop this, Maleficent,” Nanny cried. “Have you not heard anything I’ve said to you? I loved you! I loved you more than anyone I have ever known. I loved you as my own child. I still do. Please stop this condemnation!”
Tulip and Popinjay felt like they were eavesdropping on a personal conversation. They crept out of the room as quietly as they could without disrupting mother and daughter, because that was what Nanny and Maleficent were. Mother and daughter.
Or at least they had been at one time.
Tulip closed the door softly behind them as they slipped into the corridor. Hudson was standing nearby, as usual, waiting to assist Nanny or Tulip.
“Hudson, please go downstairs and rest,” Tulip said. “There is no need for you to stand here. If Nanny needs you, she will ring. You have been on your feet for days. You’re going to make yourself ill. Please, do as I say, and take care.”
Hudson put on a brave face, but he was relieved by the permission to take his repose. “If there is nothing else I can do for you, Princess, then I think I will go do just that.”
“Thank you, Hudson,” Tulip replied. “When you get downstairs, please tell Violet tea is expected in the garden for five. I will be entertaining guests from the Fairylands.”
“Yes, Princess,” Hudson replied, and he set off into the great bowels of the castle, where the servants lived and worked. It occurred to Tulip that every castle was like a great ship, and this one had Hudson at the helm. She hoped everyone in every house throughout the many lands had a Hudson to take charge during harrowing times.
“Will you be okay, Tulip?” Popinjay had his hand on Tulip’s arm and was smiling at her. He was feeling proud that she loved him.
“I will be fine, my love. I promise we can handle this.” She looked at Popinjay for a long moment, taking in his beautiful gray eyes, and sighed. “You know I love you, Popinjay,” she said, and Popinjay blushed. Tulip wished their courtship hadn’t been born in this wild maelstrom, but there was nothing to be done about it. She was just happy that Popinjay seemed more than willing to take this wild ride with her, without complaint and without fretting over her. She was happy to have him by her side, and Popinjay seemed happy to be there.
Circe’s mind was reeling after hearing Maleficent’s story and what the Dark Fairy had said about her sisters really being her mothers. How is that possible? She needed to get fresh air—to get out of her sisters’ house. She needed time to think and to breathe.
Circe stepped outside and saw a woman headed in her direction. She wore a lightweight black taffeta dress, which moved delicately with the woman’s small gestures. The dress was bejeweled with ruby-red apples and featured an embroidered tree accented with fine golden-threaded little birds. “Queen Snow White?” Circe cried. She had nearly forgotten that the queen was on her way.
“Hello! Yes,” the woman called out. She made her way to Circe with a broad smile on her face.
“Hello, Your Majesty!” Circe said. “I was so happy when you wrote to say you would come. I wasn’t sure if you would.”
Snow White smiled at Circe. “Please, call me Snow. Of course I wanted to come. I wanted to bring you the book right away.” Snow smiled, and the lines around her eyes deepened, making her even more beautiful to Circe. “I could tell from your kind letter you’re very different from your sisters.”
Snow White stopped walking and looked at Circe with a puzzled expression on her face. She was trying to connect Circe to the odd sisters from her childhood memories. Snow couldn’t imagine this woman being related to those horrible women. Then, suddenly, something fell into place for Snow. “Wait, Circe. You’re the enchantress who cursed the Beast Prince?”
“Yes, I am.” Circe cast down her eyes in shame. She hated to be making that impression on her newfound cousin.
“Well, aren’t you brilliant? I think I’ve already decided I like you very much, Circe,” Snow said as she looped her arm through Circe’s. “From what I understand, he was a beastly person and deserved every bit of that curse!”
The ladies laughed and Circe felt more at ease in the company of her cousin. “Please come inside. I will make you a cup of tea,” she said.
“Since you’re familiar with the Beast Prince’s story,” Circe said, “this is where Ursula found Princess Tulip, right there beneath the surface of the water, after Tulip jumped from these cliffs. It hurts my heart to think Tulip was so heartbroken over that wretched man. But the entire experience really did help her become the amazing young woman she is now, so I shouldn’t lament the path that brought her here.”
As Snow listened, her large dark eyes seemed to sparkle with some thought she wasn’t sharing. It occurred to Circe that Snow White was a quiet woman. She knew she already loved Snow White, even though she had met her only a few moments before. There was an undeniable kindness within her that endeared her to Circe.
“You don’t talk very much, do you, Snow?”
Snow shook her head. “I suppose not. I talk with my mother, my daughters, and with my husband, the king, of course. They are my best friends.”
Circe could hear what Snow White wasn’t saying. My mother is protective. She doesn’t like me traveling to other kingdoms. She doesn’t like me to keep company with people she doesn’t know or trust. “Well, I assure you, Snow, you are safe with me. You can trust me.”
Snow smiled at Circe. “I believe I can.”
The ladies smiled at each other, feeling lucky to be in each other’s company. And because she felt comfortable with Snow, Circe shared Maleficent’s news with her.
“So…” Snow began, giving Circe a concerned look. “Do you think Maleficent was telling the truth about your sisters? You seem unsure.”
Circe paused at the foot of the little stairway that led to the front door of the odd sisters’ house. She thought about the question. “I don’t know,” she replied finally, taking a small pouch from her pocket.
Circe sprinkled a brilliant sapphire-colored powder out of the pouch into Snow’s hand. It sparkled in the sunlight, as though it were made of real sapphires. “Now blow, in that direction,” Circe said, pointing.
Snow did as Circe instructed. Suddenly, a house appeared before her eyes. She felt foolish for gasping, but she couldn’t help it. The spell had astounded her.
Snow marveled at the odd sisters’ house. She had never seen one quite like it before. She had never thought much about where the odd sisters lived. She’d always thought they just popped out of a deep black vortex when they decided it was time to torment their victims, and then disappeared back into the void in a puff of smoke when they were done. That is, until they were ready for more skullduggery with another victim. But their house really was charming. The roof even resembled a witch’s cap.
When she walked through the door into a bright, airy kitchen that featured a large round window, she couldn’t help noticing the apple tree right outside. “Is that…”
Circe pursed her lips, feeling foolish for not obscuring the tree. “I’m afraid so. My sisters have artifacts from all their, um…adventures.”
Snow frowned. “I’d hardly call tormenting my family an adventure.” But Snow understood it was likely a word Circe used as a form of denial. Snow had often employed similar terms herself when referring to her mother as different women, even though the woman she loved and knew now was the same one who had tried to kill her, no matter how much she tried to separate them in her mind.
Hearing Snow’s thoughts, Circe sighed. “Exactly. I’m so happy we understand each other. Probably even more than we could possibly know now. I have a feeling we are going to be great friends. I already love you very much.”
Snow White smiled. “I feel the same way. After everything you’ve told me, I feel as though I already know you quite well. And you’ve shared so much with me, everything you’ve been through these past few days…I feel as if I’ve experienced it with you.
It’s so strange being here—being in your sisters’ house. I spent so many years wondering who your sisters really were. Wondering what made them the way they are and why they hounded me as a child. They still haunt me in my dreams.”
Circe looked concerned. “Do they? I’m so sorry. If they are sending you bad dreams, I will see what I can do to put a stop to it.”
Now Circe had another reason to be upset with her sisters. After all those years, they were still tormenting Snow White. It made her angrier than she wanted to admit. “Come, sit down and make yourself comfortable. I will make you some tea,” Circe said. She could tell Snow didn’t quite understand why she was there.
It had suddenly occurred to Snow that she could have just sent the book. Why had she come? Was it presumptuous of her to intrude like this with Circe going through so much?
Circe smiled at her cousin. “I did send you the spell so you could come, Snow. You’re most welcome here.”
Snow handed Circe the book of fairy tales she had brought with her. “Here, take this. And let me make the tea. I can’t stand not feeling useful. Since I don’t know my way around spell books, you should probably leave the more mundane tasks, like making tea and preparing meals, to me.”
Circe thought Snow White was probably the sweetest lady she had ever met. She had almost forgotten Snow was a queen. “You probably have people who do these things for you.”
Snow laughed harder than she had in a while. “I used to handle cooking and cleaning for seven dwarfs. I can handle making us a pot of tea. I know you’re eager to look through your sisters’ spell books and the book of fairy tales. And I know you can’t possibly be comfortable leaving Nanny alone with Maleficent for too long, even if it’s what she wants. So you’d better get to work.”
Circe smiled at Snow’s thoughtfulness. Circe didn’t doubt Nanny’s ability to protect herself, but she knew Nanny’s heart. She couldn’t imagine Nanny hurting Maleficent, even in self-defense. Setting Snow’s fairy tale book to the side, she opened one of her sisters’ spell books.
As Snow looked through the odd sisters’ kitchen cabinet for teacups, she came across a beautiful deep blue one edged in metallic gold. Something about it reminded her of her childhood. She was almost certain that her mother had had teacups just like it. Snow almost mentioned something to Circe, but she didn’t want to bother her while she was searching.
“Oh, gods! I think they really are my mothers!” Circe cried. She was becoming frantic. Something within filled her with dread, causing Circe’s heart to pound so fast she thought she might faint.
“Circe, are you okay? What is it? Did you find something?” Snow asked, concerned.
“No, I’m sorry I’m such a mess. I’m worried Maleficent is telling the truth, and it’s giving me anxiety,” Circe admitted.
“Is there anything I can do for you? Do you need some water?” Snow’s sweet voice rang out like a little bell.
Circe looked at her cousin. “I’m just so overwhelmed, Snow. I honestly don’t know where to begin looking in all these books. My head is spinning.”
Snow joined Circe on the floor. She placed her small hand on her cousin’s shoulder. “You’re in shock, Circe. Take a moment to breathe. Why don’t you start by looking for journals dated before you were born? You said Maleficent mentioned something about your sisters also keeping a secret of hers. Maybe you should look for journals that concern her.”
Circe was thankful for the suggestions. “And you wondered why you came here. Thank you.”
Snow smiled and brought Circe her tea.
“What’s on your mind, Snow?” Circe asked.
Snow laughed. “Can’t you tell?”
Circe shook her head. “Not always. Not if I’m not listening. I do get the sense you wanted to ask me something. Something you think might upset me.”
“I’m wondering if you’re going to wake up your sisters.”
“I…well…of course I am,” Circe said. But she herself was starting to wonder if that was really a good idea.
“You don’t seem sure.”
Circe wondered if Snow was reading her thoughts. “Are my expressions that easy to read?”
Snow put back the deep blue and shining gold teacup, deciding she didn’t fancy being reminded of her childhood. Instead, she chose two cups that were black and edged in silver. “Well, if I were you, I would be feeling the same way. I’d be conflicted. Part of me would want my family back, but the other would wonder if it was responsible to unleash them on the many kingdoms.”
Circe knew what she was saying was true. “And of course, if Maleficent is telling the truth, and I have a feeling she is, I will want answers. Answers only my mothers will have.”
“And you will want those answers from them directly? You don’t think you will find all the answers you need in these books?” Snow brought Circe her cup of tea as Circe started a fire in the fireplace with a wave of her hand.
“I’m not sure,” Circe replied. “But there’s only one way to find out.”
As Circe searched through her sisters’ books, Snow sat in one of the love seats, sipping her tea and letting her thoughts wander. Strangely, she felt a sense of relief to be away from her mother. She was happy to be in this house with her new friend and happy to be on her own for the first time in her life. Ever since she was very small, Snow had been in the company of someone she had to take care of: her father after her mother had died, and her stepmother after her father had died. It had continued with the dwarfs when she was hiding from her mother, and of course her own children had depended upon her when they were growing up, but that had been Snow’s greatest pleasure and not a burden. And now that her children were grown, it was her mother who always seemed to need constant assurance of Snow’s love. It was true her mother protected her, sheltered her, and enchanted the lands around her so that she would always be happy. But Snow realized now, after some time away from her, that she was really the one taking care of her mother. She was always comforting her, making her feel better. Always making the old queen feel less guilty for the things she’d done to her when she was younger. It was exhausting.
Circe could hear the thoughts running through Snow’s mind, and she could relate. She imagined the scene that would likely transpire if she was able to wake her sisters. All the guilt and anguish for her part in how they ended up in the land of dreams would rain upon her head. Circe sometimes forgot how angry she could be with her sisters because of the horrible things they’d done. Sometimes she forgot that her anger with them was justified. She didn’t share her thoughts with Snow, because she felt they already understood each other. She wondered if that would all be ruined once her sisters woke up. Her sisters had no love for Snow White, though Circe didn’t understand why. Often her sisters’ hatred was arbitrary, and surely that was the case with Snow White. She had been just a child when they knew her. Perhaps I will find answers in these journals. Maybe after all these years, I will finally get to know my sisters and learn who they really are.
She had been looking through the spell books for a long while when something finally caught her eye. Circe went ghastly pale. All the color ran from her face and she looked like she might faint. “Oh, Snow! I think I found it! I think I found what Maleficent was talking about. It’s a spell!”
“What is it?” Snow ran to Circe. “Are you okay? Come sit down over here. I will get you some more water. You look dreadful.”
Circe was in shock. “I understand now. It all makes sense. Everything. Every foul deed. My sisters’ mania. My powers. Everything.”
“What does it say?” Snow’s eyes were wide. She was frightened for Circe. Before Circe could answer, they were interrupted by a terrible rumbling.
Snow rushed to the window and saw that the house was lifting off the cliff, rising through the clouds into the heavens. “Circe! What’s happening? Are you doing this?”
Circe looked just as terrified as Snow was. “No, I don’t know why the house is traveling! Snow, sit do
wn. I’m sure we’ll be safe, but please sit down, just in case.”
Circe went to the large round window in the kitchen to get a better view of where they were headed. Although she had experienced it more times than she could correctly recall, her sisters had always directed the house. She had no idea why it was moving on its own.
Snow clenched the arms of her chair tightly.
Circe sat back down beside Snow. “We’ll be fine, sweetheart. I promise. This is the way my sisters and I have always traveled. The house is meant to move from one place to another like this. I just don’t understand why it’s happening now and on its own.”
“But where are we going, Circe?” Snow asked.
“I don’t know, my dear. I guess we’ll find out when we get there.”
Nanny had never imagined sitting with Maleficent like this again, just talking.
“I wish I knew what you were thinking. I always did,” Maleficent said.
“You seem much changed to me, Maleficent,” Nanny replied. “There are so many things I want to know, so many things I want to say to you, but there isn’t much time.”
“What could you possibly say to me now that would make a difference?” Maleficent snapped.
Nanny paused for a moment. “I could tell you that I understand.”
Maleficent stood, her rage burning within her. “There is no way you could possibly understand! Do you know how I spent those years after I destroyed the Fairylands? After I was finally myself again and no longer in my dragon form?” Maleficent asked.
Nanny shook her head.
“I was alone, tortured by the thought that I had killed you!” Maleficent’s rage knocked Nanny back like a blow to her chest. It felt hot and vile. Nanny was worried that Maleficent was about to lose control. It must have shown on Nanny’s face, because Maleficent cackled manically. “Oh, don’t worry; I won’t burn down your precious Tulip’s castle. I can control my powers now. Nothing will burn. Not unless I want it to.”
Mistress of All Evil Page 11