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“Well,” Circe said quietly, taking in the damage as she prepared some tea for her cousin, “at least we were expecting it. And Nanny said Tulip was safe, right?”
Snow White was sitting on a little red velvet love seat with a heap of letters on her lap, looking out the large round window. “Nanny’s letters and the book of fairy tales say Tulip is well, and that she and the Fairy Godmother are working to repair the damage to the castle.” Circe looked up from the tray of tea and cakes she held and smiled at her cousin.
“Thank you for going through all those letters and books. Are you sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable at home in your own castle?”
“Are you trying to get rid of me already?” Snow said, winking at her cousin.
Circe set down the tray on the little table and rushed over to Snow. “Of course not! I’m so happy you’re here! But I’m worried you will be bored sequestered in the house while I’m at the castle. I know it may seem overprotective, but Nanny really does feel you’d be safer here than at the castle, with my mothers’ bodies still in the solarium.”
Snow smiled. “I understand. I have the fairy tale book and all these letters to keep me occupied. Besides, I’m not at all ready to go back to my old life. Not just yet.”
Snow laughed at the stack of letters. “That poor little owl. Nanny must have kept him busy while she was unable to reach us. By the look of it, she sent several letters a day while we were in that strange and beautiful place.”
“The Beginning,” Circe reminded her. “There’s so much I don’t know about my mothers, or this house. I wonder if the fail-safe spell was reversed when I took away their powers.”
Snow White smiled at Circe. “Well, that is why I am here, to help you in your research. You haven’t even had time to process everything that happened to Gothel, let alone Maleficent. There are some things your mothers said that I’m finding really curious, and I want to know more. And I know you want nothing more than to go through all these books, but you can’t be in two places at once. At least, I don’t think you can,” Snow said, giving Circe a playful look. “So please let me help you. I’m happy to do it, truly I am.”
Circe poured her cousin a cup of tea and watched her take a sip. “You know, that cup used to be yours. I read it in Lucinda’s journal,” Circe said.
Snow looked at it closely and smiled. “I thought so! I’m guessing your sisters—I mean, mothers—took it from my parents all those years ago?”
Circe nodded. “I’m still trying to figure out what they were doing with all these cups. Do you think they could just be mementos of their misdeeds, or is there something more sinister at work?”
“I think I read something about the cups in Maleficent’s story, actually. Do you want me to—” Before Snow could finish, Circe snatched the cup from her and threw it across the room. It shattered against the wall.
“Circe!” Snow was shocked. “Circe, please calm down!”
Circe took Snow by the hands, clenching them tightly. “Oh, my goodness, I am so sorry, Snow. I don’t know what came over me. I think I’m much angrier with my mothers than I realized.”
“I understand, sweet Circe, I do. But please, go see Nanny, she’s been so worried about you, and I think it will do you good to see her. I promise I will be fine here. I want to read the rest of the fairy tale book in peace.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I think seeing Nanny will help.” Circe put her hand on Snow’s cheek. “My dearest Snow, should I have taken you home after we checked on Mrs. Tiddlebottom and her charges? Have I asked too much of you? Won’t your husband be worried?”
Snow White kissed Circe on the cheek. “No, Circe. My dear, sweet husband understands. He’s never been comfortable with how close I am with my mother, and I think he is happy that I am finding my independence without her.”
Circe was happy to hear that. “I’m going to enchant the house while I’m at the castle, Snow. No one will be able to enter. I promise, you will be safe. And if you need me, for anything at all, you can contact me through the hand mirror.” She paused, worried. “You’re sure you will be okay here alone? Maybe I should try to convince Nanny it’s okay for you to come with me to the castle.”
Snow shook her head. “No. I understand completely. Really. Nanny thinks I will be safer here. I get it, Circe. Please don’t worry.”
Circe smiled at her cousin again. She thought Snow had such a beautiful soul. Who else would have dropped her entire life to go on this adventure with her? Who else would have ventured to distant lands to check on the sisters of a terrible witch who kidnapped children, or seen to a sweet, befuddled elderly woman consumed with baking birthday cakes? Even though Snow was much older than Circe, it sometimes seemed that she was just a little girl. There was a youthfulness about her that Circe found utterly charming. A kindness she felt she didn’t deserve, not after everything her mothers had done to Snow years ago. Snow had proven that she was a wonderful woman with a forgiving heart. A woman who could forgive even her own mother for trying to kill her.
“You know, Snow, I truly love you,” said Circe.
“And I love you, too, Circe.”
The ladies hugged and hugged. Circe didn’t want to leave Snow. “And if you learn anything important in the fairy tale book, you’ll let me know?”
Snow had the book in her hand. She looked down at it. “Of course I will. Now go and give my regards to Nanny.”
With a kiss for Snow and a protective enchantment on the house, Circe left for the castle.
As she traveled, Circe couldn’t help feeling that her heart was still with Snow. She looked back at her mothers’ house, silhouetted against the crashing waves. With its witch’s-cap roof, dark green hue, and black shutters, it was the last place you would expect Snow White to live. Circe laughed, lost in her thoughts and the beauty of the landscape. She had missed Morningstar, with its brilliant lighthouse and glittering sea. Then, as she neared the castle and her heart skipped a beat, Circe could see Nanny and her sister, the Fairy Godmother, in the distance outside the gates. They looked like they were talking about something important. She sped up her pace, but a voice she hadn’t expected to hear startled her.
Hello, Circe. Circe spun around, wondering where the voice had come from. Then something soft brushed against her legs.
It was Pflanze. The odd sisters’ cat was a tortoise-shell telepathic beauty with orange, black, and white markings.
“Pflanze!” Circe squealed with delight, though it seemed Pflanze wasn’t as happy to see Circe. She just looked up at Circe with narrowed eyes, shifting her weight from one marshmallow-white paw to the other.
