The Odd Sisters

by Serena Valentino

  “We should just wait,” said Martha. “If we wait and do nothing, as Circe asked, she will forgive us eventually. She has to!”

  Lucinda waved her hand at her sisters, forgetting they no longer had magic in this place. “Silence! I will not wait on the judgment of fairies!”

  “What do you mean, ‘the judgment of fairies’?” asked Ruby and Martha at the same time, getting on their feet.

  “Do you think the fairies won’t have a say in all of this? This is their perfect opportunity to put us on trial, while we’re trapped here in this place. Gods, they’ve been threatening to for ages! And now that Circe is their creature, we won’t have her to defend us. We’ll need to defend ourselves! We need to be ready!”

  Ruby and Martha looked at Lucinda, tears welling up in their bug eyes. “Circe isn’t the fairies’ creature!”

  “Of course she is!” spat Lucinda. “She’s turned against us for the love of Nanny and her horrible sister, the Fairy Godmother. They’ve asked her to be an honorary wish-granting fairy. Our Circe, an honorary fairy! After everything they did to Maleficent? How could Circe even conceive of the idea? She is a witch! Honored by the gods and conceived of the three. There is no way I will let her be tainted by the fairies. And there is no way I will allow them to use our daughter while they sit in judgment of us. I can’t believe you would be content in just waiting! Waiting? Have you lost all your senses? What has happened to you, my sisters?” Ruby and Martha looked at Lucinda sheepishly, finally answering.

  “You happened to us!”

  “What madness is this? What have I done?”

  “You told us we must try to be better witches for Circe. Now you want to kill everyone she loves!” Ruby said.

  Martha chimed in. “You insisted we speak properly, stop meddling, and make all our decisions with Circe in mind.”

  Ruby took over again. “You said making her happy would be the only way to get her back, Lucinda! And we want her back! We want her back!”

  Martha joined her sister’s chant. “We want her back!” Ruby and Martha stamped their feet, spinning in circles, and ripped at their tattered bloodstained dresses, their voices growing louder with every revolution. “We want her back! We want her back!”

  Lucinda stood twitching before her sisters. “Stop this at once! I won’t have these theatrics!” She stood there, looking at her hysterical sisters in their ruined dresses, tattered and torn, barely clinging their thin, frail bodies. She didn’t even have the power to give them something decent to wear. Even the most mundane non-magical person in the dreamscape had the power to change their clothing, but Circe had taken everything from them. Including their dignity.

  Still, Lucinda knew her sisters were right. She had said those things. How was she going to make Ruby and Martha understand it was time to change their methods? Time to be the powerful witches they were? At long last, it was time to leave the dreamscape and reclaim their rightful place in their own lands. But Lucinda wasn’t sure her sisters were ready to hear the truth, so she kept it to herself. Her sisters had always been fragile, but she feared for their sanity now more than ever.

  She had been keeping a secret from them for their entire lives. To tell them now would almost surely mean disaster. It was a secret she hoped even Circe wouldn’t learn. As much as she loved her sisters, she knew their wills were too weak to keep something like this to themselves. Oh, they knew part of the story. But they didn’t know the most important part, and it could destroy them all if Circe found out. And that was why more than anything they needed to get out of this place. They needed to destroy Gothel’s library.

  “Sisters, listen, I am the eldest. I need you to trust that I know best.”

  Her two sisters started to laugh. “Oh, Lucinda knows best!” cackled Ruby and Martha. “Lucinda knows best! Did you hear that?”

  “Sisters, please. Use all your will and try to listen to me! This is important!” But Ruby and Martha kept mocking their sister with their chant.

  “Lucinda knows best, Lucinda knows best!” Without her magic, Lucinda was forced to put her hands on her sisters, taking each of them firmly by the neck and lifting them off their feet to dangle like helpless rag dolls.

  “You will stop this at once and listen to me!” The room started to rattle and shake, causing the mirrors to vibrate and bow until they nearly shattered. Lucinda released her sisters to the ground, where Martha clung to Ruby in fear.

  “What’s happening? Lucinda, stop! We will listen to you!”

  “Oh, Lucinda, we are sorry! Please stop this!”

  Lucinda went rigid, silently considering the room. Considering the mirrors. Something was wrong. She searched each mirror for the witch she was certain lurked behind one of them.

  The room continued to shake. “Lucinda, please!” Ruby and Martha clung to each other. “We promise to do whatever you say! Don’t break our mirrors, it’s all we have!”

  “This isn’t my magic, you fools. We have no magic here! Now get back! Behind me, now!” Lucinda pushed her sisters behind her and stretched out her arms.

  She hissed, “Reveal yourself now, witch!”

  The mirrors in the chamber trembled, filling with green flames.

  “It’s Maleficent!” screamed Ruby. “She’s back! She’s found her way out of the darkness! She’s crossed the veil without our help! Oh, I knew she was strong!”

  The flames grew, so bright and hot they seemed about to jump out of the mirrors and into the room itself. Then a face appeared from the flames, reflected in every surface. It was pale, with large beautiful dark eyes. She looked exactly as the odd sisters remembered her so many years earlier.

  It wasn’t Maleficent.

  “It’s Grimhilde!” the three sisters said at once.

  “Hello, foul witches.” Her voice echoed from every mirror in the chamber. Ruby and Martha spun in circles, trying to figure out which of the many reflections was the real Grimhilde and which were illusions.

  “Sisters! She is there,” Lucinda said, pointing at the mirror directly in front of them. The old queen Grimhilde looked more striking than Lucinda remembered.

  Cold. Steely. Beautiful.

  Lucinda wondered if trapping her within the mirror like they had done to her father before her was a punishment at all. Now she was eternally young and beautiful, and somehow stronger than Lucinda remembered her.

  “How did you get into the dreamscape?” Lucinda’s question made Grimhilde laugh.

  “It’s your magic, Lucinda. You cast the spell that trapped me in the world of mirrors. And yet you don’t know how I am able to appear before you?” Lucinda wondered if Grimhilde would work out that she was no longer bound by their spell. She suddenly felt self-conscious, standing before the queen in her tattered, bloodstained clothing. How she wished she wasn’t trapped in the dreamscape, powerless with only her witless sisters. She longed to be in their own lands, where they would rule as queens. Instead she was in the land of mirrors and madness, talking to the old queen Grimhilde. What did the queen think of them, trapped in this place, so frightful-looking?

  Curse Circe for taking away our powers! We’re helpless without them and our mirrors!

  Then, as she realized something, she laughed.

  “The mirrors! Circe, the smartest, most powerful witch of any age forgot to enchant the dreamscape’s mirrors so that Grimhilde couldn’t enter!” Lucinda’s laugh echoed throughout the chamber.

  The wicked queen narrowed her eyes at Lucinda. “Aren’t you the least bit interested in knowing why I’ve come here, or are you content to stand there and laugh until I get bored and walk away?”

  “Oh, I know exactly why you’re here, witch. You’re here for revenge.”

  Ruby and Martha screamed. “It’s not fair! We don’t have our powers! We have no means to defend ourselves! It isn’t fair! It isn’t fair!”

  Grimhilde shook her head. “Calm yourselves. I’m not going to hurt you, though by rights I should. I’m here because I need your help.
”

  The sisters were silenced. Their eyes bulged with shock. They didn’t know how to respond. They just stood there, twitching and sputtering, the three of them thunderstruck.

  “Clearly I’ve made a mistake coming here. You’re even more insane than the last time I saw you.” Grimhilde chuckled and continued. “Even if I was here for revenge, I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to wield my magic against you. Not as you are now. Defenseless, forgotten, and addled. You’re pathetic.”

  “How dare you—”

  Grimhilde cut her off. “How dare I? How dare you? You destroyed my life! You contrived to have me kill my own daughter! And now your daughter, your Circe, has taken Snow from me! My poor Snow, whose nightmares are still filled with visions of you! I should destroy you where you stand!” The witch’s eyes were conflicted. “But I came to you for help. After everything Maleficent told me about you, I thought—well, it doesn’t matter what I thought. I see I’ve made a mistake coming here. You are losing your minds. I dare say they are already lost! Any revenge I could take on you would be nothing compared to the torment you’re suffering here, trapped without your daughter in this perpetual madness. It’s exactly what you deserve.”

  Grimhilde turned away, moving farther into the depths of the mirror, where she almost disappeared into the flickering green flames.

  “No! Grimhilde, wait!”

  “Yes, Lucinda?” The wicked queen paused and glanced back over her shoulder.

  “What do you want of us?”

  The queen sighed. She seemed to make a decision and turned back to the sisters.

  “I want you to help me get Snow White back. I want a spell to bind her to me. I’m willing to do anything in exchange.” Lucinda could see that Grimhilde was being honest. She sensed her desperation. She felt it almost as acutely as her own longing for Circe.

  “I see,” said Lucinda. “And where is your daughter now?”

  “She is with Circe, among the fairies.”

  “Oh, is she? Well, we have a plan for the fairies,” said Lucinda, her voice calm and steady.

  “One that you can wield from the dreamscape?” Grimhilde asked, a hint of irony in her voice as she looked around the small room.

  “With your help,” Lucinda said, smiling.

  “And you promise my daughter won’t be harmed.”

  “We promise no harm will come to your daughter.”

  “Are you willing to be bound by those words, by blood, and by magic?” the old queen asked, looking at them through narrowed eyes, as if it would help her see whether they were telling the truth. Lucinda smiled at her sisters, who smiled back at her in agreement. “We will happily bind ourselves to that oath.”

  “Then tell me what you need me to do!”

  “We need you to find one of Maleficent’s birds,” said Lucinda.

  “I think I can do that,” said Grimhilde with a wicked grin the odd sisters recognized. It was the same grin they’d seen on her face after she had drunk the potion they had given her years before—on the day she ordered the huntsman to murder Snow White. Lucinda was pleased to see Grimhilde hadn’t lost her hate; it was blazing inside her like the fires of Hades.

  Lucinda didn’t know if she could trust Grimhilde, but perhaps coming together would bring them the one thing they both desired even more than revenge.

  Their daughters.

  Snow White and Circe had been reading the book of fairy tales while they were traveling in the odd sisters’ house. They had been trapped there since the house took them to its place of origin, a place known as the Beginning.

  Much of the lore surrounding the odd sisters’ house was a mystery. There were secrets hidden within its walls and its bookshelves and steeped in its very being. One such secret was where the house had been created. The odd sisters had introduced a fail-safe when the house was first built. Should anything ever happen to them, the house would take its inhabitants to its place of birth. The sisters wanted to be sure their secrets would be safe should they ever be compromised while away from their home.

  And that was exactly what happened: Circe and Show White were inside the house when the odd sisters went to the dreamscape, and the house took them to a place outside the many kingdoms.

  The Beginning was a celestial landscape filled with stars and swirling constellations. They were trapped and had no idea where they were or how to escape. So they occupied themselves by reading the book of fairy tales and the odd sisters’ journals. They thought perhaps they would find answers in the journals that would lead them back home. They were so worried about everyone in Morningstar Kingdom after their battle with Maleficent. But soon they became distracted by reading Gothel’s story in the book of fairy tales. They couldn’t believe how deeply the odd sisters were involved.

  Circe was so angry with her mothers she took away their powers.

  And then, without explanation, the house released them from the Beginning.

  With the sudden freedom to travel where their hearts led them, Circe and Snow White wanted to make sure everyone they had read about in Gothel’s story was safe.

  First their journey took them to Rapunzel, where they saw her happy ending with their own eyes. Then they traveled to check on Mrs. Tiddlebottom, a dear old woman who had cared for Rapunzel when she was very young and who now looked after the bodies of Gothel’s sisters, Hazel and Primrose. Once satisfied everyone in Gothel’s story was safe, Circe and Snow headed back to Morningstar Kingdom in the aftermath of their battle with Maleficent to see how Nanny, Tulip, and Oberon were faring.

  Even though what they had learned from reading Gothel’s story in the book of fairy tales was still very much on their minds, their hearts were in Morningstar. As Circe and Snow White traveled, they read the ending of Maleficent’s story again just as they were starting their own adventure.

  Nanny stood among the ruins of Morningstar Castle. The Fairy Godmother had sent the good fairies off to help Prince Phillip fight the dragon and stayed behind to help her sister repair the damages to Morningstar and to tend to everyone’s injuries after the terrible battle with Maleficent.

  “Thank you for your help, Sister,” Nanny said sincerely.

  The Fairy Godmother kissed her sister on the cheek. “It’s my pleasure, dear. We have repaired far worse in our time, you and I. I’m just happy no one in the castle was seriously hurt.” Nanny looked around, trying to find Tulip. “Are you looking for Princess Tulip?” the Fairy Godmother asked. “She is with Popinjay. They are doing what they can to help Oberon’s army. He lost many friends in his battle with Maleficent.”

  Nanny was heartbroken. Everything had turned to ruins, and the Fairy Godmother could see the pain in her sister’s face. “Don’t fret, my dear. You really did all you could for Maleficent. I’m just sorry I never helped you. Perhaps if I had…”

  Nanny hugged her sister. “Let’s not speak of it now. I know your heart. I know.” And she cried. She cried harder than she ever had. She had lost so much. She’d lost Maleficent, and she didn’t know how to find Circe, who was traveling to places unknown in the odd sisters’ magical house.

  “You have me. You will always have me,” her sister reminded her. “Speak to Pflanze. She likely knows more about the lore surrounding the odd sisters’ house than anyone. I’m sure Circe and Snow will find their way back safely before we know it.”

  “You’re probably right, Sister. I’d better go help Tulip with the Tree Lords. Perhaps I can heal them with my magic,” Nanny said, still looking very concerned.

  The Fairy Godmother thought that was a good plan. “I’ll stay here and repair the castle…” And before she could finish her thought, a magnificent dragonfly appeared with a message from the Fairylands.

  “What’s this?” The Fairy Godmother opened the scroll and read it. “It’s from Merryweather. She says Aurora has woken up. Prince Phillip has broken the curse.” She looked at her sister, knowing the good news also brought heartache.

  Nanny shook her head. “No, I
’m happy for the princess, and for King Stephan’s court. I’m sure the good news has brought love and light to everyone in the kingdom, and I’m so glad the princess will be happy. She deserves that.”

  The Fairy Godmother took her sister into her arms. “And in a way, Maleficent is finally happy. She lives on in her daughter, Aurora.”

  Nanny thought her sister was right. That, at least, gave Nanny peace. For now. Until she turned her mind to other matters. But in that moment, she would be happy the princess lived to find true love with her prince. And Nanny was comforted in the knowledge that Maleficent would, in some fashion, live on in Aurora.

  Even if the histories and books of fairy tales left that part out, she knew. And that was all that mattered.

  “Snow, stop reading,” said Circe. “It’s breaking my heart. Besides, we’re almost there.” Circe looked out the window of her mothers’ cottage as it flew through the air. “Look, I can see Morningstar.” Snow put down the book of fairy tales and looked up excitedly.

  “Oh! Are we? Nanny will be so happy to see you.”

  Circe perched her mothers’ house on the black rocky cliffs that overlooked what had once been the domain of the sea witch, Ursula. The view of Morningstar Castle from the large round kitchen window was a startling sight. Though the Lighthouse of the Gods stood untouched by the great war between Maleficent and the Tree Lords, the castle was still in disrepair. The battlements that faced the cliffs were crumbled, lying in heaps at the base of the castle like broken Cyclopean tombstones. Two of the towers were completely destroyed, including the one that had held Tulip’s chambers. The sight sent chills through Circe’s heart.

  “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?”