Cold Hearted (Villains 8)

Nanny tutted at the Fairy Godmother (no doubt having read her sister’s mind) and turned to face her.

“Sister, please don’t ever mention Circe again,” Nanny said. “And don’t insult me or my intelligence by invoking her name in an attempt to distract me. You know as well as I do that you are fairy duty–bound to help Queen Cinderella!”

As Nanny spoke, the Fairy Godmother grew more and more agitated. She tapped her wand on the edge of the table, causing it to spark in rapid bursts that Nanny had to dodge.

“Sister, stop that!” Nanny scolded. “You know you don’t have a choice. You have to help Cinderella. And as much as you will hate it, that means you have to help Anastasia and Drizella. I can’t believe we are even having this discussion.” Nanny was so angry her wings were now standing up straight behind her.

“Don’t you dare twitch your wings at me, Nanny!” said the Fairy Godmother, slamming her teacup onto the saucer, then putting her hand to her head dramatically as if her sister was giving her a terrible headache. “Can I please, just for once, have my tea in peace without you pestering me with all this wish-granting nonsense? Next thing you know we will be granting wishes to Anastasia and Drizella themselves!”

“Well, sister, that’s exactly what I had in mind.” Nanny laughed as she got up from the table again and slowly walked away, not bothering to turn back to look at her sister even though she was yelling behind her.

“Don’t you walk away from me!” cried the Fairy Godmother. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Nanny looked over her shoulder and smiled. “To get my magic mirror. Let’s see for ourselves why Cinderella is so worried.”

The Fairy Godmother slammed her wand down on the table, snapping it in half with an explosion of glittering sparks. “Oh, look what you made me do! What am I supposed to do now? I can’t do magic without my wand! It will take the Maker of Wands weeks to make me another,” she screeched, but her sister had already gone into the house.

When Nanny returned she found the Fairy Godmother pacing back and forth, nearly in tears. Nanny rolled her eyes. She waved her hand, effortlessly mending her sister’s wand.

“There. Good as new. Now sit down and calm yourself. Let’s see why Cinderella is so worried about her sisters.” Nanny cast her hand across the mirror. “Show us the Tremaines!”

“Sister, stop!” the Fairy Godmother protested. “I don’t want to lay eyes on those creatures. We know everything there is to know about them. Besides, I know exactly what has become of them, and they deserve their fate for what they did to my Cinderella.”

Nanny looked into her magic mirror anyway, ignoring her sister, and was shocked by what she saw. Anastasia and Drizella were in a deplorable state. The château was crumbling around them and filled with cats. They were wearing tatty white dresses, and she could hear the voice of Lady Tremaine in the background raving over everything she had lost.

“No wonder you didn’t want me to look in on them!” said Nanny, putting down the mirror. “We have to do something about this! This is horrendous! Why hasn’t Cinderella done anything to help her sisters?” Nanny was appalled.

“She’s bound by magic. I put an enchantment on the Tremaines and Cinderella so they would never meet again,” said the Fairy Godmother.

“So the Tremaines are trapped in that house?” Nanny was horrified and felt deeply ashamed for her part in their story. “I had no idea they’ve been trapped there all these years. If I had known, I would have done something. Oh, this is

all my fault. I can’t believe we let this happen.” Nanny clutched her mirror so tightly the Fairy Godmother thought she would break it.

“Stop it! You’re going to hurt yourself,” said the Fairy Godmother. “You know as well as I do there was no other choice. Lady Tremaine picked her path even though she was warned.”

“But surely we can remove the enchantment so those poor girls can leave that place and Cinderella could help them herself if she wished? I’m just heartsick knowing that they are still there after all these years.”

The fact was, the Fairy Godmother could remove the enchantment if she wanted. But why should she? She had thought carefully before placing it, and she had to do what was best for her charge. It was her job to protect Cinderella, and she wasn’t about to do anything that would put Cinderella at risk, not now or ever. “I won’t do it! I won’t ruin Cinderella’s happily ever after! Not for those horrible girls or anyone else. Anastasia and Drizella are getting exactly what they deserve!” said the Fairy Godmother, standing up to her sister.

Nanny was unrelenting. “I spent time with them, sister; you didn’t. I was their nanny, and I cared for those girls. You have no idea what they’ve been through. And I feel just awful we didn’t help them when we could. Those poor girls don’t deserve this!”

“I believe they do,” said the Fairy Godmother, catching sight of her protégées the Three Good Fairies walking down her garden path and about to enter her gate. “The law is very clear when it comes to crimes against princesses-to-be. Anastasia and Drizella, not to mention their tyrannical mother, are lucky they survived their story.”

Nanny scoffed. “And how exactly is it determined who is a princess-to-be and who is not? Why weren’t Anastasia or Drizella marked as princesses-to-be? Why was their fate written so tragically while Cinderella’s was so charmed?”

“Cinderella’s life was not charmed! She was tortured by the Tremaines, and they’re lucky they got off so easily. Most storybook villains meet a less kind fate. I’m not even sure how we let those three escape their punishment!”

Nanny scoffed. But before she could answer, the Three Good Fairies came bubbling into the garden making themselves quite at home, pouring cups of tea and conjuring little cakes and scones to share.

“What were you fairies chatting about so animatedly when we got here?” asked Merryweather, conjuring some of her special preserves and honey from her own gardens. But before the Fairy Godmother could answer, Nanny took over the conversation.

“It has come to our attention that the fairies have been holding Lady Tremaine and her daughters captive in Queen Cinderella’s old château,” said Nanny, her wings fluttering with agitation. “This is highly disturbing considering my connection to the Tremaine family.” Nanny wiggled back and forth in her seat, trying to make herself comfortable. The Fairy Godmother thought it was laughable that her sister, who was born a fairy, never felt comfortable in her own wings.

“Come now! I wouldn’t put it quite like that, sister!” said the Fairy Godmother, feeling a bit guilty once she heard it in such simple, straightforward terms.

“Good heavens! We can’t help those awful girls!” screeched Merryweather, startling Fauna and Flora.

“I’m sorry you’re so upset, Nanny, but I have the majority in this. We will not help Anastasia and Drizella. My fairies will never grant wishes to foul demons, witches, evil stepmothers, or cruel stepsisters! Not ever! Not while I’m in charge anyway!” said the Fairy Godmother, feeling very proud of herself.