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As the Dark Fairy addressed the court, acknowledging everyone assembled, Aurora could tell Maleficent was angry and hurt. Even though she was stoic and spoke in a pleasant voice, her words were bitter and dripping with despair.
“I really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation,” she said.
It was made clear to the Dark Fairy that it wasn’t a mistake that she hadn’t been invited. “You weren’t wanted!” Merryweather shouted, trying to charge at the Dark Fairy with her wand drawn. Her friends Flora and Fauna struggled to keep her back.
“Not wanted…ahh, oh dear, what an awkward situation. I had hoped it was merely due to some oversight,” the Dark Fairy said, stroking her raven Diablo with a sly smile. “Well, in that event, I’d best be on my way.”
“And you’re not offended, Your Excellency?” asked Queen Leah.
“Why, no, Your Majesty. And to show I bear no ill will, I, too, shall bestow a gift on the child. Listen well, all of you,” the terrible fairy commanded as she slammed the end of her staff against the stone floor. “The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her. But before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die!”
The odd sisters’ laughter echoed through the chamber again. They were laughing so loudly the mirrors in the chamber were threatening to break. “Why do you think the Dark Fairy cared whether or not she was invited to a stupid christening? Why would she have ventured out into the world, something she loathed doing? Something she tried to avoid at all costs? What could possibly compel her to do so?”
Aurora shook her head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Our dear sweet girl. It makes all the sense in the world if you know where to look. There are so many invested in your well-being. Even the Dark Fairy holds you in what’s left of her heart. She thinks she lost everything the day you were born, but that isn’t true. If she didn’t still have some part of her old self within her, she wouldn’t want to protect you.”
“She tried to kill me!” the princess cried.
“She tried to kill you for your own protection! It’s degenerative, our dear sweet Rose. Don’t you see? We took almost everything that day, but she held on to what was left. She held on to that tiny shining light within her heart,” the sisters said with sad smiles as they looked down at the confused princess.
“Please stop talking nonsense!” Aurora shouted. “That doesn’t make sense!”
“Oh, it will, my darling. It will. We will explain and show you the truth of your curse, on one condition. First show us our sister!”
Tulip and Popinjay were waiting in the garden. Everything had been arranged to welcome the Fairy Godmother and the three good fairies. Violet brought them a lovely pot of tea accompanied by little finger sandwiches, scones, and tiny tea cakes in pastel colors. Tulip was happy it was a bright clear day. She could see all the way to the cliffs, where the wild, overgrown vines seemed to be lying in wait for Maleficent to come out of the safety of Morningstar Castle. “It’s so eerie, isn’t it? I wonder why those vines didn’t follow her into the castle.”
Popinjay thought perhaps he knew. “Oberon, did you have something to do with that?”
Oberon’s sonorous laugh echoed in their chests. “You’re a clever one, Popinjay. I did indeed!”
“I wonder why Nanny didn’t think to do anything about the vines herself. Or Circe,” Tulip thought aloud.
“They have many other things to occupy them, little one,” Oberon said. “And I am happy to help.”
Tulip was just starting to let everything that had happened over the last several days sink in. She hadn’t actually had a moment to just sit down and think for what felt like many ages.
“Don’t fret, little one. You are handling all of this very well. And you have a good partner in Popinjay here. He may not speak much, but I can see he loves you more than anything in this world,” Oberon said, smiling.
Tulip turned a deep shade of scarlet and changed the subject. “There are so many things I don’t know about Nanny. It never occurred to me she had such an exciting life before she came to live with me.”
Oberon laughed. “Children often don’t think of their parents as real people with their own lives. They see them in a very narrow scope. But your nanny, she is a remarkable fairy and witch. And
I know she isn’t your real mother, but I imagine she treated you like a cherished daughter.”
Tulip nodded. “She did, and still does. I love her very much.”
Oberon thought it made sense that Nanny had found herself there. After he had decided to take his slumber, she’d searched every kingdom, trying to find him. He’d loved and appreciated her efforts, but he had lived many lifetimes and he had been tired. It had been time for him to rest. It stood to reason that Nanny would look for Oberon at the place of his origin. And when she had lost her memory, it made sense that she would be drawn to Tulip’s family—and to Tulip. “Everything happens for a reason, little one. Nanny might have forgotten who she was for a time, but her heart, her soul, and her reason for living remained. She was drawn to you, just as I was.”
Tulip didn’t know what to say. “Do you think Nanny is okay?”
Oberon had no fear for Nanny’s well-being. “Your nanny is a very powerful witch. Maleficent knows this. And she needs your nanny’s help.”
Before Tulip could ask Oberon a question that had been plaguing her mind, Hudson arrived in the garden to announce their visitors. He cleared his throat as their guests walked in. “Announcing the ambassador of the Fairylands and former custodian of the princess Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, who is accompanied by the three good fairies, Merryweather, Fauna, and Flora, the custodians of the princess Aurora.”
The fairies looked like they were in very good spirits. “Thank you for receiving us, Princess Tulip,” they said in unison.
The Fairy Godmother was dressed in a blue-and-periwinkle hooded cloak, which was decorated with a big pink bow at her throat. Her hair was completely white, not silver like Nanny’s. Though Tulip didn’t think Nanny resembled the Fairy Godmother, she could see the two were related; they had the same powdery soft skin and grandmotherly quality about them. The three good fairies followed closely behind the eldest fairy. Merryweather was in a long blue gown; Fauna was in green; and Flora was in a red-and-gold gown. All three of them were wearing witches’ hats with sashes that kept them securely on their heads. Tulip found that amusing. “Welcome to my court. I’m sorry my mother and father are not here to greet you.”
