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“You mean my sisters,” Circe said, correcting her.
“No, I mean your mothers,” Maleficent smirked.
“You lie just to hurt her, Maleficent!” Nanny said, raising her voice with Male
ficent for the first time since she had arrived.
Maleficent drew back. “I may be the mistress of all evil, but I do not lie. You are the queen of lies, queen of secrets, queen of betrayal, not I!” Maleficent’s voice reverberated through the castle like a malevolent storm.
“What is she talking about?” Circe asked Nanny. But Nanny didn’t know. Clearly the odd sisters had secrets they’d shared only with Maleficent.
“You can find the spell in your sisters’ books for yourself. It’s all right there. How they did it. How they created you,” Maleficent said. “You may be the only thing in this world left of them now that they are trapped within the realm of dreams.”
“I don’t believe they are my mothers. I don’t!” Circe cried.
Maleficent laughed. “You know I’m telling the truth! Read the books sitting before you. Everything is there. Learn your mothers’ secrets now that their books are open to you. I gave them the spells that protected their secrets from you all this time. But they no longer inhabit this world. Those spells are broken! Why do you think you have always had greater power than them? Why do you think they have always deferred to you, their little sister? You are them! But go! Go look for yourself. When you find the book that tells you their secrets and mine, secrets we have been hiding, you bring those secrets back here. Bring them to me and to the One of Legends, and then you will know what I say is true. Only then will you want to help me!”
Circe’s reflection in the mirror looked at Nanny, wondering what she should do.
“Go, my dear. Do as she says!” Nanny said. “See for yourself and bring the book back to the castle.”
Nanny looked at Tulip and Popinjay. “My sweet dears, I have not forgotten you. Tulip, can you and Popinjay please go attend to that matter we discussed earlier?”
“Yes, of course, Nanny,” Tulip said. She had almost forgotten that they were expecting the Fairy Godmother and the three good fairies.
“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?”
