Between Nightmares and Dreams Lie the Truthful Vows of Love
The first spell initiated on her by her Fairy Godmother when she'd found her, had started to have a curious effect on Cinderella. First, she'd heard her stepmother's words and whispers in her ear, and it had puzzled her quite a lot. Then she thought of hallucination, but remembered the sorrow in Lady Tremaine's voice, and it had felt so real and heartfelt: "I love you very much my child... I just wish you would open your eyes and smile at me..."Could she be in a conscious state, hearing her stepmother? "Maybe she just found me, and thinks I'm dead... or asleep. Maybe she's really sad for me. No, no that's not possible," she thought. "I'm probably already dead, I've succeeded to end my life and now I'm in a place, probably a room between heaven and hell, imagining what I wish would happen after my death, and how I wish my beloved Stepmother would mourn it."
Cinderella could hear somebody's breathing next to her, perhaps her own, but she couldn't move. She tried, or wanted to try but there was only blackness and a total sense of numbness about her body. With the second and final spell, sensations would return, but long after her hearing. That was not always how the spell worked. No one could predict how a creature would react to it. Not even fairies. Nor could they be sure it would actually save the life at stake. But if one thing, it seemed to work on Cinderella, no matter how slow the process.
The fairy came back shortly after she'd gathered what she needed for her next life-saving potion, and found Lady Tremaine and Cinderella on the bed, as she'd left them, sound asleep and intertwined. "Aww, it's too bad I have to wake her," she said, before approaching the bed and slightly shaking Lady Tremaine's shoulder. Startled, the said lady would have jumped had she not been lying, but quickly sat up in bed, recognizing her surroundings and the sad context around them. She gazed down at her side where a limp Cinderella was lying, and sighed in desperation. "So it's not a nightmare, this is really happening. She's dying. I've lost her."
-Now now, I will not allow that kind of talk! Please hear me out Lady Tremaine. I believe we can do this. Oh oh well-well we don't have much time however-
-You're still going on with that nonsense of yours? How can I believe you?
She was now angry and obviously emotional, frightened, and fought every urge in her body to burst into tears as she was now stroking Cinderella's cheek.
"I mean it, it might save her!"
-You do seem honest. Simple and grotesque, but honest nonetheless. And I don't suppose I have much of a choice now do I?
-No, but you do have hope. Somewhere deep inside, in your gut, you know that Cinderella was promised to a better fate.
Lady Tremaine's response was nothing more than another sigh in acknowledgement and a short glance at Cinderella and back at the fairy, before she asked "now what?" as a way to indicate she was ready. "Well Iet's see now. You could start by changing your attitude toward me you know? We need to get along for this to work. But I don't blame you, you're angry and taking it out on me. But it's all going to be fine. I assure you. Now I have fetched many useful ingredients!"
-Oh, such as?
-Hmm, I believe they call it, 'psychotria elata,' also known as "hooker's lips"!
-WHAT?
-Oh oh well it's a curious name for a flower, I'll give you that. But see for yourself, they do look like voluptuous lips with their-
-Oh for God's sake it's all right I do not care for a botany lesson. Do whatever you must with it!
-Of course of course. But I might need your assistance. You see that flower is rare, and we cannot afford to waste any. But that's not all, I will need a sample of someone's blood, someone who cares deeply for Cinderella, and-
-I will provide it.
After those words were pronounced, Cinderella felt something. She felt light, as if she were floating. Floating, she was indeed, but outside of her own body. Blackness turned into light and colors, she saw the frames of three people, recognized a room, and felt herself going down and down, until she started walking around them in her room. She could see the scene very clearly now, but apparently, they couldn't see her. Was this real? All she'd heard? Was this curious woman her actual fairy godmother? But a more pressing question needed its answer; was this really her stepmother stroking her check and shedding tears and soon her own blood to save her? Cinderella wanted to run to that woman she cared for and hug her in an endless embrace and thank her and apologize, but she didn't know what was really happening to her. How come, when she opened her mouth to speak, words came out muffled, and no one could hear her? How come, when she'd approached close to the bed, to her own body, to Lady Tremaine, and tried to touch her, she felt like she was waving her hand in the air? She didn't know, but hoped with all her heart, that what she was witnessing was as real as seemed her own flesh looking dangerously pale in this bed. And yet, there again was her stepmother, now repeating her last statement: "I said I will provide it. Use my blood."
-mm, that's generous of you, but are you sure your affection is deep enough?
-How dare you doubt it?
-Well, if we fail, and your blood isn't enough to save her, then-
-Then I and only I will have failed. But I'm not prepared to lose, not now or ever! I will not let Cinderella die, and I sure as hell will do everything in my power, for what it's worth, to save her life.
Oh Stepmother! You really love me afterall... how I wish I could kiss you right about now.
"Good enough! " said the fairy. "Your blood will do. And it's not like I can think of anyone else besides you... except for the dog, or the horse maybe."
-How flattering.
-But it has to be a human person.
-Well, I wish I could say that the last time I checked, I was human, but the truth is, lately, I did feel like a monster in the way I treated Cinderella. It doesn't please me to admit it, but now is as good a time as any...
Cinderella, or rather her ghost, so to speak, had now put her hand on Lady Tremaine's shoulder, despite their lack of ability to feel the contact. The fairy took two steps forward and said "let's not turn this into your trial, Lady Tremaine. What I know, is that you just offered to bleed yourself in order to preserve Cinderella's life, and that counts for something."
Yes it does...
The fairy held Lady Tremaine's chin and raised it to look into now confident eyes. "Your love is deep enough, I have faith in you, Madam Eleanor Tremaine." Tremaine wiped a tear on her cheek as she replied with a soft and barely audible "thank you," that stroke directly at both Cinderella's ghostly and physical hearts...
A few minutes later, the fairy was holding out a glass containing the almost magical mixture, while Lady Tremaine took a blade from out of her pocket, and drew blood from her own hand, into the glass. She almost did not flich and let the fairy say a few words that accompanied the spell before more indications followed.
"That's enough blood," she stated, before instantly healing Tremaine's wound with the tip of her wand. "We must now each take a sip. Meaning me first, then you and Ella." Lady Tremaine wasn't very fond of the idea of drinking from her own blood, and Cinderella thought that drinking any blood was gross, but that it might as well stay in the family, kind of, and that it was her ticket back to life. Besides she would only be watching herself do so...
The fairy drank, then passed the potion on to Lady Tremaine. She bravely took a sip, winced, then kissed Cinderella's temple, held her head, and poored the liquid down the younger woman's throat. "Now it's only a matter of time," said the fairy. Lady Tremaine nodded and whispered to Cinderella: then you can finally open your eyes, and see, see that I meant it when I said I would bring you back on earth from any kind of dangerous cloud you choose to travel on, no matter how high and far it has vowed to take you away from me."
And hopefully, I will be able to thank you, darling stepmother, and never leave you again...
_
To be continued...
PS: Some of you in your messages seem to not see the potential femsalsh while others only see it as such... I'm curious to know, just for fun, in a review, to know what you'd like it to be? Who wants it to be a slash pairing and who expects it to be a chaste mother-daughter type of relationship? I will not hide my first intentions which clearly weren't chaste... lol
