Heavy is the Head

Mavis

Chapter 34

I looked out at Gale carrying Fae high up above the mountains and saw her rainbow wings glittering against the pale wintry sky. Her hand was stretched out as though she could touch the watery sun and I couldn't help but remember the story of Icarus. My father loved that story.  

When I could no longer see her in the distance, I went back inside and made some furniture to go inside my living room. I was amazed at how naturally ice magic came to me. All of my creations that had been stuck festering in my mind were finally free. On my first attempt, I made a man made of ice with icicles forming mohawk across his head. I named him Verglas. When Bruni went up to Verglas wanting to play, he happily complied and went outside to play fetch. After that, I made a couple made of pure snow who held hands constantly and spoke to each other in the language of the frozen.  I called them the Crystals.

They also went outside after a while, leaving me alone so I sat down and wrote a more detailed plan of what Fae's life with Flora, Fauna and Merryweather would be like. I was so engrossed in it that by the time I looked into the magic mirror, it was mid-afternoon and Fae had already reached the home of her wisher. She knocked on the door of a large, stately house that looked like it had once been very beautiful but was now beginning to fall into disrepair. 

A young woman with hollow cheeks and dirty blonde hair opened the door. The sound of a dog barking instantly echoed through the front part of the house. "Good afternoon, how can I help you?"

Before Fae could reply, an older woman wearing an expensive-looking satin gown marched up to the door, elbowed Cinderella out of the way and looked down at Fae with a disgusted expression on her face. "Whatever it is you're selling, no. Get off of my property immediately please and thank you. Go on, shoo!"

She slammed the door shut but her yell of "For goodness' sake, Drizella, stop antagonising that dog and start preparing yourself for the ball!" still filtered through.

Since she was a professional, Fae didn't bat an eyelid at the encounter. She just rolled her eyes and after casting an invisibility spell, opened the door and went inside on her own. Lady Tremaine was too busy shouting at Cinderella to take the dog outside and then start cleaning the mirrors in the foyer to notice anything amiss. Her bright eyes oozed over with toxic green poison, looking for a reason to be dissatisfied. And it soon came, because in the kitchen her younger daughter, Anastasia had decided it was lunch-time.

Lady Tremaine snatched the brioche roll out of her hand. "What on earth do you think you are doing?! You should be preparing for the ball, not eating!"

"But..."

"No buts! I shall have Cinderella make us all hearty luncheons in a minute. Your bath has been ready for two minutes and thirty two seconds now and I even told Cinderella to put in the strawberries and cream bath bomb, your favourite." Lady Tremaine nibbled at the brioche roll and stormed into the drawing room. "Drizella! Drizella, where did you go? And what on earth is taking Cinderella so very long?"

Cinderella hurried inside from the foyer, "I was cleaning the mirrors."

"Never mind that now. There's food to be made! We can't have the girls fainting of hunger before they even get a chance meet the prince." Lady Tremaine cried, looking at the clock with an aghast expression on her face. "Cleaning the mirrors indeed, I have never..."

"You called for me, Mother?" Drizella asked, appearing at the top of the stairs in a frilly green dress with cyan feathers attached to it. 

"Oh my child, you look absolutely beautiful." Lady Tremaine gasped. "Cinderella, fetch me my cane."