Yes, I do read Discworld and I doff my hat to Granny Weatherwax and Terry Pratchett for the creation of headology...
Fairy Godmother raised her wand in front of her and faced Charming.
"Pigeon? Can you hear me?" Charming raised his sword and swung clumsily towards his mother. She parried it with a flash from her wand, relieved to see his old skill with a sword was not at Simon's command. Charming slashed out again and again Fairy Godmother moved the sword aside easily with a flick of her wand.
"Boring," interjected Simon. He clicked his fingers and the other servant drew a sword and advanced on Fairy Godmother. She found herself backing away from both the attackers, trying to defend against two swords with only one wand.
"Merryweather?"
"Yes Fairy Godmother?"
"Do you still have the crystal ball I told you to keep safe at all costs?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"Take it out and toss it to me," Fairy Godmother flew upwards and darted out of Charming's reach for a moment, ducking slightly behind Simon's throne. As Merryweather threw the ball to Dama, Simon reached out a lazy hand and caught it, crushing the glass into powder in his hand as Dama knew he would.
"More of your party tricks Dama?" he drawled.
"Maria's actually," replied Fairy Godmother. She moved in front of Simon, blocking his view of Charming and the servant. "You really should have looked more closely at that ball before destroying it." She crossed her hands in front of her chest, then looked down and summoned up as much power as she could muster. Behind her, Charming shook his head, dazed and feeling stupid. As the world came back into focus, he remembered a messenger telling him to ride north to a tower where his aunt would meet him and help him out of the financial mess he'd landed the potions factory in. He'd met with Maria, but couldn't remember what happened next. He looked down and saw the sword in his hand. When he looked up, a man was standing in front of him, also brandishing a sword. Charming acted instinctively and slashed out towards the man in front of him, who turned and blocked the attack. With an unforeseen clarity of movement, the servant started to attack Charming who, with his hero's instincts now concentrating solely on staying alive, fought back.
Fairy Godmother looked up and met Simon's gaze.
"Now this is interesting – what's next?" He swept his hand in front of him, unbalancing Fairy Godmother and sending the other three spinning against the far wall. "So your power has increased," he said thoughtfully.
"Of course. I didn't spend the last thirty years in a stone pillar." She pushed her hands out in front of her, the gesture summoning a spell that forced Simon back against the throne. He gasped as the spell took hold, crushing him against the throne. Shouting in pain, Simon struggled free, only to be pinned again by Fairy Godmother. "Merryweather – take over!" she instructed. Merryweather picked up the holding spell, freeing Fairy Godmother to take on the challenge of disposing of Simon once and for all.
Charming parried a blow from the servant, then reached out and grasped the man by the throat. The servant choked, then dropped his sword. As he started to turn blue, Charming thrust his sword through the servant and let him drop. The man writhed for a moment, then lay still. Charming dropped his sword and rubbed his eyes blearily. He staggered back and scanned the room. He saw Merryweather in a blue cloak, but recognised her only as a fairy, never having met her before. He vaguely recognised Simon – as one would a random face from a dream. The woman in front of Simon was wearing a long white cloak, but the lavender hair was unmistakable.
"Mother?" he cried, just as Fairy Godmother was transferring the holding spell to Merryweather. As Merryweather grimaced under the strain of holding Simon in place, Fairy Godmother turned and saw her son looking at her. "Mother – I thought you were dead?"
"I was pigeon, but I cannot explain now. Do you remember the stories I used to tell you of Simon Debaal?"
"Yes Mummy. Is it really you?" he felt tears filling his eyes, unable to think of anything but the pain tearing at his heart.
"That man is Simon Debaal. I have to kill him. Whatever happens – stay safe." She touched Charming's face briefly, then turned back to Simon. "Alright you bastard." She touched her hands either side of Simon's face, bringing her face level with his and staring into the pitiless depths of his eyes. She searched for his mind and felt it resisting her entry. Finally, as if she had backed the physical Simon into a corner, his mind weakened and she broke through, controlling him. "Change," she whispered. In her mind, she saw an image of the two of them standing on the plain outside at night, the only two people in a silent world. The mental image of Simon crouched before her, while she stood, hand raised in a warding gesture, trying to change him into something she could kill.
Merryweather watched as Fairy Godmother slipped into a trance, eyes locked with Simon's. The holding spell Merryweather was trying to maintain was fading, but she held her concentration until she saw Simon's hands grow limp and collapse into his lap. She walked over to Charming.
"It's nearly over now, prince. Nearly over."
"What's going on?" he groaned.
"Maria put a spell on you and forced you to act as guard for Simon. Your mother killed Maria and we made our way here to kill Simon. She's trying to make him mortal enough to kill – Simon's a devious old man and we can't assume he'd stay dead if we simply ran him through with a sword. She intends to drain him of magical power first."
"How?"
"Only she knows that."
"Oh." Charming looked to his mother again, then walked up and leaned against the throne next to both Simon and his mother. He reached out and stroked his mother's hair softly, feeling the tense grief of the last few months return as he looked at her unblinking face. He looked back to Merryweather.
"Who are you?"
Inside Simon's mind, Fairy Godmother fought to find a way to defeat him. She sorted through broken memories of his time trapped inside the pillar, realising that the prison would have crumbled with time even without her death, only to release the poison inside. She saw the answer flash in front of her briefly – she would have to make him mortal, steal his power by force and make him human. Only then could she be sure that he would remain dead once killed. Her mental self reached out and took the mental self of Simon by the hair, pulling upwards as she tried to pull his power from him. But Simon resisted her and she felt the challenge, her mental self letting go of Simon's hair in exhaustion. On the starless plain inside Simon's mind, Simon's mental image laughed at Fairy Godmother's weakness. Terrified, trying to avoid being caught, her image turned and ran from the plain, trying to escape Simon's mind and return to her own. But Simon was too strong, and Fairy Godmother felt herself fall back into her mind, trying in vain to block Simon's entry.
Charming saw his mother take a sharp intake of breath and watched as her face contorted into a pained grimace. He called over Merryweather and they both watched anxiously, worrying in case Fairy Godmother lost this final battle.
Inside her own mind, Fairy Godmother gathered her thoughts and turned to face Simon. This time they faced each other on a field of grass, Simon's self-image reasserting itself as a strong, middle-aged wizard in a red robe, while Fairy Godmother appeared in her trademark blue dress. Simon grinned, drew his hand through the long grass, stimulating a host of memories in a blur of information. She saw her childhood flash through her mind, her own death, then saw Charming's first few steps. A meeting with an old witch went through her mind, followed by an image of Shrek on a white horse. She sank to her knees under the strain, looking up in surrender. Simon advanced and took her hair in his hand.
"I shall enjoy this," he hissed. Fairy Godmother thought over what she'd done so far. She had tried to force power from a sorcerer. She had nearly died fighting him last time. Perhaps this time force wouldn't work. The answer came to her and she felt her strength return. She pushed herself up, Simon involuntarily losing his grip on her hair as she did so. She looked up and raised a hand.
"You have no power here Simon. I know my own mind and will not be trapped here." A wave of her hand and Simon was gone, returned to his own consciousness.
Merryweather saw both Simon and Fairy Godmother flinch and blink as they came around. Almost immediately, Simon raised his hands and gripped Fairy Godmother around the throat. Charming tried to hit Simon to distract him, but the blow was unheeded and certainly didn't slow Simon down as he flew across the room and pinned Fairy Godmother to the wall.
"You lose," he spat. Fairy Godmother closed her eyes and thought back to her training years, reminded thanks to Simon of the old witch who had believed in headology, the magic of the mind, where convincing someone they were a frog and sending them hopping around the garden while still human was quite possible.
"Didn't you know that mortals are not permitted to touch a fairy unless invited?"
"I am no mortal."
"Oh yes, you are." Fairy Godmother raised her hands, a powerful spell flaming in her hands. Simon released her and made a shield to block the spell. When Fairy Godmother released the spell however, it was to her that the shards of light sped, casting an aura around her. "You are a mortal," she repeated to Simon, smiling as he shook.
"No, I'm Simon and I'm a sorcerer..."
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"No, I couldn't. But I'm not a mortal."
"Then what are you? I say you are a mortal – what are you?"
"I am a sorcerer." The certainty was draining from his voice and the aura of power around him was diminishing. The spell Fairy Godmother had cast upon herself was one of glamour, where anyone she spoke to directly would believe anything she told them. Despite being a powerful sorcerer, Simon was becoming convinced he was a mortal with no powers.
"Are you sure? I think you are a mortal."
"Then it must be so..." he mumbled, defeated now. His mind had been convinced he was mortal, then his mind had convinced his body likewise. Fairy Godmother held his hair in her hands and pulled upwards gently. She felt no resistance this time, the power in Simon's body draining from him into her. When she felt all of his power was gone, she looked down to see the mumbling old man the sprightly Simon had become. She scanned him once more to check for magical ability and found none. She stepped back and ended the glamour spell.
"Charming?"
"Yes mother?"
"This was a great sorcerer once. He should not suffer in death – make it quick." Charming nodded and raised his sword, sweeping it forward and decapitating Simon cleanly. Merryweather shuddered a little and felt sick, but the nausea past as she realised that Simon was finally defeated. "Come. I'll call Kyle to pick us up from the tower." Fairy Godmother walked out, Charming following her. Merryweather took one last look behind her at the body of the Great Sorcerer Simon, then closed the door and followed the other two. In the empty room, as the centuries caught up with the sorcerer who should have long since been dead, the body crumbled to dust.