"Mother! Mother! There is something strange going on in Cinderella's room!" The two sisters hadn't finished explaining, that a trembling Lady Tremaine, who clearly seemed in state of shock, was already quickly running up the stairs to Cinderella's room. "Dear Lord," she cried, part of her hopeful that it was Cinderella well and alive who was simply moving stuff in her room frantically, which would explain the fuss that was audible through the thin walls of the girl's room. Too agitated and worried to pay attention to the odd lighting effect emanating from her stepdaughter's room, Lady Tremaine, unlike her daughters, wasn't afraid of going inside to see for herself the "strange" events that were occurring.
Without wasting a second, Lady Tremaine pushed the door open, and gasped as she saw the shape of a little and yet thickest silhouette of a woman, who was standing still to the bedside of Cinderella. "What on earth...who are you? Get away from her! Cinderella!"
Lady Tremaine walked in the fairy's direction with the intention of pushing her away from Cinderella, who she instantly recognized to be limply lying on the bed. "Oh no wait, please I mean no harm, Madam, I am here to help dear, please, I am her fairy godmother!"
Lady Tremaine however ignored the fairy, and instead ran to the opposite bedside of Cinderella, judging it more urging to take her stepdaughter's vital signs. She sat on the bed and checked for Cinderella's pulse, but didn't find any. Real hot tears started streaming down the older woman's usually impassive face. "What have you done to her? Cinderella, wake up child!"
Before she knew it, the fairy found herself silently crying too, in one corner of the room, as if watching in retreat, joining her hands in front of her, trying not to invade that little space of the bed it seemed the stepmother needed with her stepdaughter. Meanwhile, Lady Tremaine was caressing Cinderella's right cheek. "Cinderella, child, don't die on me. I am imploring you to open your eyes."
Anastasia and Drizella, who were now on the same floor, came by the door and watched as well, a little panicked but mostly intrigued. They couldn't see the fairy who was hidden in the corner behind the door, but they could see their mother seated on Cinderella's bed, cradling the girl and sobbing. That scene, whatever the circumstances, would forever be engraved in their minds.
Then they saw Lady Tremaine close her eyes as if understanding that her biggest fear had been realized: "Oh no, my poor child." She put her arms around Cinderella and gently pulled her upper body up, taking her into an embrace. "Oh lord why! Oh no it is all my fault!" Then Drizella asked in a soft voice but still unwelcome, nonetheless: "Mother, what's going on?" Between sobs, Lady Tremaine shouted at her daughters to leave. "Not now! I don't want you here. Go away, both of you!"
This time, they listened, although they seemed hurt by the sudden harshness in their mother's tone, and confused. She usually didn't address them like that. They left quietly, going for the first floor. The fairy moved slightly to shut the door behind them, and walked behind Lady Tremaine, who caught up in her despair, did not notice the fairy's hand that was now resting on her left shoulder. "I know, I know dear."
-She's... dead?
-Oh, uhh, Lady Tremaine.
-Who are you? How do you know my name? What were you doing here with that poor child?
-Like I told you, Madam, I am Cinderella's fairy Godmother. And she isn't dead! Well, not exactly. I am attempting to save her! But I cannot guarantee the results. You see, I used a frozing spell destined to maintain her in a state between life and death, until a cure is found.
-Not dead? Look at her! She's livid! And you are her... fairy godmother? Is this is a bad dream? My conscience perhaps, playing tricks on old me. Oh I suspected a power or supernatural force of some sort would make me regret everything; make me pay for certain things, but I never expected Cinderella to also pay of her life. Were you sent here to bring me pain, and to bring death upon her?
-Oh now wait just a minute! Lady Tremaine, you don't understand this. I don't do such things, Madam, I am only supposed to protect this child.
Still holding Cinderella close to her chest, Lady Tremaine looked over at the fairy, the honest and sympathetic face that seemed as pained as her own. "I have witnessed magic, once before, but I don't recall it being the work of a good fairy, rather dark magic from an evil old witch."
-Oh I promise you I'm not evil, nor a witch. Although I wish I had the power to change all this. I have failed her. I am sorry. I let her do this...
Noticing the hesitant tone in the fairy's voice, Lady Tremaine completed her thought... "You mean, letting her, kill herself..." Still weeping tears of pain, Lady Tremaine sighed and looked back at Cinderella in her arms. "I led her to her grave."
-Please try not to blame yourself dear, don't torture yourself this way. Besides, Cinderella is alive! For now... she's only, well, deeply asleep. But I remain hopeful. Oh please stay positive dear! Perhaps you could rest by her side, while I go scavenge on everything I need to prepare a cure?" Lady Tremaine nodded, and then slowly lowered the young lady's body back on the bed in a lying position. She went to rest next to her as well, lying gracefully at her left side, then put her left arm around Cinderella and kissed her temple. It was quite an unexpected but beautiful sight. Who knew Lady Tremaine was capable of such a warm and loving gesture... The Fairy wiped a tear of her own and caressed Lady Tremaine's shoulder down to her arm, as an act of encouragement, and put the covers on the both of them, before disappearing in a cloud, leaving the two women intertwined in bed.
Lady Tremaine was gazing at Cinderella's immaculate but disturbingly white skin, the pink of her lips, those blue eyes she didn't need to see open to remember oh so well. The vitality in them. How could such beautiful eyes and mouth be shut forever? Lady Tremaine could never accept that she would never hear Cinderella's enchanting voice again. She whispered close to her ear, while tracing with her fingers along the girl's left arm: "Cinderella, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm sorry I hurt you. I-love you. Very much my child. You have no idea how much. I just wish you would open your eyes and smile at me, if only for a moment, show me that what this woman said is true, that you're not really gone."
Although Cinderella was deep in her "sleep" and couldn't reply, hearing her, that she could, and without knowing it, Lady Tremaine had just given Cinderella new strength and motivation to fight for her life. Hopefully, that, added to the fairy's efforts, would be enough to bring her back to life.
To be continued...
