Maleficent sighed. “What will it take for you and Circe to help me unbind the good fairies’ spell? Must I prostrate myself in some fashion so you will find my cause worthy?”
“I will not answer for Circe, Maleficent,” Nanny protested. “She knows only some of your story. She must know everything, as must I, before we can even consider helping you.”
“Where shall I begin?” Maleficent asked.
Nanny took her enchanted hand mirror from her pocket, more thankful than ever that the odd sisters had given it to her many years ago.
“Show me Circe!” she commanded.
Circe’s stern face appeared in the glass. “What is it, Nanny? Is everything okay?”
“Circe, Maleficent is here, and she would like to share her story with us. She thinks if she does, we will be willing to help her unbind the good fairies’ spell.”
“She can share her story, but I will not harm that child!” Circe replied.
“I do not want to harm her. I want to protect her,” insisted Maleficent.
“Then share your story, Maleficent. I’m eager to hear what you have to say,” Circe said.
“I think Nanny can tell this part best,” said Maleficent, surprising Nanny by using her name for the first time since she had arrived.
Nanny sighed. She could no longer put off remembering her daughter’s heartbreaking memories. “Tulip, dear, can you please ring Violet for that tea? This is going to take some time.”
The morning of the fairy exams, Maleficent woke to find that Diablo still hadn’t come home. He wasn’t on his perch waiting for her, like she had hoped. She tried to banish all the negative thoughts plaguing her mind. She needed to focus on her exam, but she found herself distracted. Maleficent was convinced something horrible had happened to Diablo.
She called for one of her favorite crows. “Opal, my pet, will you go see if you can find Diablo? I’m worried about him.” Opal gave a soft caw and flew out the window. Maleficent watched her as she circled over the Fairylands. She knew if anyone could find Diablo, it was Opal. For a brief moment, she could see what Opal saw as she headed toward the thick woodlands. Maleficent had come to realize it was her fondness for Opal that allowed her to see though her eyes. She still needed practice to see clearly through her pets’ eyes, though, rather than experiencing the flashing images she was seeing now. She looked around, yawning. She felt a little better knowing Opal was out looking for Diablo. And she loved waking up in her tree house. The view of the Fairylands was beautiful from up there, and she wondered what it would be like to live life from that vantage point. Perhaps one day she would know.
“Maleficent! Come down and have your breakfast. You’re going to be late for the exam!” Nanny said from the doorway, startling the girl.
“How long have you been standing there?” Maleficent asked.
Nanny gave her a sad smile. “Long enough to know Diablo hasn’t come home. Not to worry, my sweet. He is safe. I can feel him in the world. I’m sure Opal will find him. Trust me.”
Maleficent and Nanny went down to the kitchen. Nanny had been up all night, baking various pastries, which she had arranged beautifully on pretty flower-patterned plates.
“Are we having guests for breakfast as well?” Maleficent asked.
Nanny looked up from the pot of tea she was making. “What? No! Why do you ask that?”
“You’ve baked so much!” Maleficent’s yellow eyes were wide but happy. Her long black hair was wild, as it often was when she first woke, and Nanny thought her horns were beautiful. They seemed to have finally stopped growing less than a year earlier and were a lovely deep shade of gray, which complemented her yellow eyes. And Nanny had noticed Maleficent’s skin was a very light shade of lavender. That meant she was either happy or worried. Maybe both. Nanny had realized years before that her daughter’s skin tone changed depending on her mood. At least today she wasn’t green, which would have indicated she was either angry or extremely sad. Green was a color Nanny hadn’t seen on Maleficent in quite a while. Nanny blinked a few times, taking in her daughter’s beauty, before she realized Maleficent was waiting for a reply.
“Oh, yes, you know I bake when I’m nervous. Now eat something before you have to get ready for your exam.”
Nanny was definitely more nervous than Maleficent. Not only was the table filled with artfully decorated pastries and little cakes, but she had also made an assortment of preserves and clotted creams and a lovely lemon curd. Those sat beside bowls filled with fresh fruit. “Does nothing on the table look good? Would you like me to make you some porridge?”
“No, Nanny, I’m fine. Everything looks beautiful. Sit down and have some breakfast with me.” Maleficent gestured to the chair next to her.
Nanny shook her head. “I can’t, my dear! No time! Now eat!”
Maleficent grabbed a large chocolate chip scone, broke off a piece, and covered it with clotted cream.
“Try the cinnamon berry preserves, my dear, and the maple butter. I made those just for you,” Nanny insisted. Maleficent had intended to try them; the maple butter was her favorite. “I thought you would like that, my dear. Now hurry up and finish! You’d better go get ready soon.”
Nanny stopped fussing for a minute and looked at her daughter
. “My dear one! I almost forgot! Open that package on the table. It’s a gift for your birthday.”
Maleficent smiled as she tore open the brown paper. Inside the parcel was a set of beautiful black robes edged in silver and embroidered with silver ravens and crows. She had never seen anything more beautiful. “Thank you, Nanny!” Maleficent flew into her mother’s arms and kissed her on the cheek.