It was finally time, the moment for absolute success or the most catastrophic failure one could imagine. With so much on the line, even Mistress Tatiana was shaking on the inside though she wouldn’t give anyone the pleasure of seeing that for real. When the clock stroke midnight, she ordered Ellen to call her fairy godmother.

“Do it now.”

“Yes, Mistress,” the brainwashed girl replied, eyes cast down. “Cinderella, I need you! Please, come quickly.”

Furious lightning cracked outside the house and the blue-clad supernatural entity made her appearance right as the last stroke ended. Both her arms and legs oozed tendrils of fading light. As expected, the magic flow was starting to go haywire again. The circle activated the moment she laid one foot on the ground, humming with unnatural energy.

“Ellen? What’s going on?” the fairy asked, staring into her protégé’s vitreous eyes.

“I’m afraid Ellen isn’t here anymore,” Mistress Tatiana replied, standing proudly outside the magical trap. As for Prudence and Drusilla, they were by the main door, weapons on the ready for any unforeseen consequence. 

“You!” Cinderella spat. “What did you do to her?”

“I put her in her rightful place, the one you tried so hard to erase... So, you’re the bitch that wants to ruin my plans, huh? I have to say I was expecting someone a little more... majestic.”

“The only bitch I see around here is you, Tatiana. How did you find out?”

“I’m smarter than what you think, fairy, and now you’re my prisoner.”

“I don’t know where you got the information to create this little circle of power, but  it won’t keep me trapped for long, and once I’m free...”

“Spare me the vain threats. Right after I fried her mind again, Ellen told me all about your magic deficiency problems. You will try nothing against us or she’ll be the one to suffer the consequences, are we clear?”

“It depends on what you want.”

“Isn’t it obvious? Everything that’s rightfully mine, of course.”

“You mean, spend the rest of your life in jail for what you did to her parents and all the others you’ve been in contact with over the years? Because if that’s the case, I sure as hell don’t mind arranging that.”

“Who are you to deny me my happy ending? Everything was going according to plan until you came along and tried to write a whole new story. You don’t belong here and now it’s time to make things right again.”

“Villains and happy endings don’t go hand in hand. I’m more than happy to keep them from you.”

“Have you been living under a rock all this time? Villains do have happy endings and It happens more than you know. The world isn’t black and white and adhering to a strict moral code is nothing but comfort food for the weak. If you want something done, you need to be willing to fight for it and go the extra mile for as long as it takes. If not, you’ll be eaten and spit away until you’re nothing but a pile of bones. Everything I’ve done so far was to survive and leave my mark on this world. I wouldn’t change a thing even if I had the chance to do so.”

“And that’s where your reasoning fails... Without change, there’s no growth, and without growth you’re but a husk pretending to be a human being. Brainwashing, and corrupting others to do your dirty work is never the way and Ellen understands that. You’re a petty criminal pretending to be a Lady, Tatiana, and your daughters are heading down the same dark path as you. I’d be ashamed to have this senseless trail of destruction as my legacy!”

“And I would hate to be the manner of creature you are, visiting countless worlds and manipulating other people’s lives in the name of an imaginary Greater Good! At least I don’t hide my true colors behind magic. I’m not ashamed of who I am. If anything, your spiteful words just make me prouder.”

“You’d do well to remember what happens to those that are too proud of themselves... the fall is never pretty.”

“Are you done with the insults?”

“I don’t know. Are you done wasting my time? I will not help you accomplish anything.”

“Oh yes, you will! Ellen, crawl to me and open your mouth.”

“Yes, Mistress,” the servant girl kneeled at her feet, neck bent backward, lips wide open to receive her new gift. Mistress Tatiana grabbed a fresh teapot and had her drink half of it without taking a breath. 

“Good slave. Now, go wait in your corner.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“What did you give her?” Cinderella asked. 

“Something to make you a little more cooperative. I’ve just poisoned your precious Ellen.”

“You what?”

“Mother, why?” her two daughters asked at the same time.

“It’s called ‘leverage’, girl... do whatever it takes, remember?”

“Are you fucking insane?” Cinderella asked.

“According to you, I’ve always been this way, so why are you so surprised? I had a suspicion you’d refuse to see reason through conventional means, so now you have to do as I say, or she’s already as good as dead.”

“You sick bastard! How long does she have?”

“A bit, but not enough to make you comfortable. You see, my little concoction doesn’t get you right away. It’s more of a slow burn, yet an extremely painful one. When she starts experiencing the effects coursing through your body, you’re going to wish to never have set foot in this reality, bitch! Are you ready to play ball now?”

“Even if I wanted to help you, as long as the witching hour’s effects are in place, I can’t guarantee a thing. Surely she told you that, too.”

“She did, but one thing I discovered is that people find unexpected reserves of strength when confronted with dire situations. You better make it all work or you’ll have to deal with her grueling demise on your consciousness... assuming you have one, that is.”

Cinderella tapped her feet against the edges of the binding circle, sparks of electricity running up her legs. Coupled with the toxic tincture, it made her feel dizzy and disoriented.

“It’s not that easy.”

“Make it easy. I don’t care what you have to do or how much you have to suffer, but you will give me everything I want.”

“And us, of course,” Prudence said.

“Quiet, girls. It’s best if you let me handle this,” Tatiana said.

“We’re not useless, mother, and we’ve already proven it,” Drusilla retorted. “We want our wishes granted as well.”

“Wish-granting is for genies, not me, so you’re out of luck, girls.”

“You know exactly what we meant, Cinderella,” Drusilla continued. “Fairytales can be fun, but they’re ultimately boring. You will create a better story for us all, and it will be glorious.”

“I’m not omnipotent. What the hell do you want?”

“The kingdom, for starters,” Tatiana said. “The King is looking for a new companion as well, and who better than me to fill in the role? While I have my methods to keep him in check, you will make me irresistible in his eyes so that I can become the rightful ruler with him as my pet.”

“And the Prince is mine!” Prudence declared.

“What? No! If anyone gets to have Philip, that will be me,” Drusilla said.

“Don’t be ridiculous, sis. I was always the one with the better chances, so it’s fair I reap the rewards. The fairy will find you a better suitor, won’t you?”

“Are you even listening to yourselves?” Cinderella asked. “Love is a different type of magic with its own set of rules. I can’t create feelings in their hearts for you to exploit, and even if that were possible, they wouldn’t last.”

“Who said anything but love?” Tatiana chuckled. “I’ll settle for lust and sex any day of the week. They should eat from the palm of our hands and be willing to do everything we ask just like Ellen here.”

“I will not brainwash them for you.”

“Why not? You did it to every version of yourself you encountered throughout the ages, making them think that they could create their own fate! Giving them false hopes like that is a thousand times worse than anything I ever pulled off. A servant will never be a true Princess or a Queen.”

“As much as I hate what you’ve done to her, Ellen has learned something valuable from you. Anyone that doesn’t know how to serve is not fit to rule. She will be a better Queen than all three of you combined.”

“How if she’ll be dead?”

“Mistress?” Ellen muttered as if she had only just realized what was at stake. “I... I feel weird.”

“And you’re about to feel a lot worse soon. Stay in your corner and not another word while the grown-ups are talking.”

“As you wish, Mistress.”

“See, Cinderella? It’s already starting. The first symptoms are a slight indisposition, sore throat, and itchy eyes. Then, as the poison spreads, she’ll experience an irritating rash on her arms and legs followed by shortness of breath and as her airways collapse, all she’ll be left with is the agonizing pain of being liquefied from the inside out and, yes, it’s as horrible to witness as you’re imagining it right now. Without the antidote, she’ll be gone in the next twenty-four hours, so I ask you: what are you going to do?”

“How I can be sure you’ll treat her if I agree to your demands?”

“You can’t, but now you know I’m not bluffing. Prove that you really care about her and do the right thing before it’s too late.”

“I hate you for this.”

“I honestly don’t give a shit. Do as you’re told and you may live to tell another tale. Fight back and I’ll dispose of you too.”

“That won’t be as easy as you think.”

“Neither was trapping you and yet here we are. Do we have ourselves a deal?”

“You’ll have to undo the magic circle to get anything done.”

“Once the magic flow is stabilized and not a moment sooner and if you betray us...”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You win this round... for now.”

* * *

“Skinny” entered the Manor’s grounds through the back, effortlessly leading his new human companion to where exactly he needed to be. The small cat stopped below the study’s lit-up windows, looked back, and jumped onto the ledge in a single attempt.

“Seriously?” Philip thought. “There has to be a better way to do this.”

There wasn’t. The main door was locked and so was the one in the back, and he would not force his way in without at least proving his gut feeling. He rolled up his sleeves and held on to the main gutter to get at least five feet off the ground. Then he climbed the rest of the way, being careful not to make much noise. The beautiful lightning show that followed almost blinded him and as he peeked inside, he knew he was in the right place.

The first familiar face he saw was the fairy’s as she stood in the forbidden circle, unable to break free. Mistress Tatiana was facing the opposite direction and her two daughters were practically invisible at the far end of the room. In the corner closest to the window, he saw the ragged young woman kneeling in abject servitude and despite having never seen her face for real, his heart recognized her immediately. His personal sin was as beautiful as he had imagined even in the worst of her days, but what was this story about poison? What the hell was going on? He bided his time and the moment he heard Cinderella say,

“You win this round... for now.”

he jumped inside and exclaimed,

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” 

“What the...?” Prudence gasped.

“How are you here?” Tatiana clicked her heels, bewildered by his sudden appearance. 

“It’s all thanks to her,” he smiled, drawing his sword. “And it looks like I got here just in time.”

“You sure did,” Cinderella noted. “I honestly didn’t see this coming. How did you find us?”

“It wasn’t easy, but I get your lesson now.”

“Good. Could you please undo this trap so I can give this slut a taste of her own medicine?”

“The antidote first,” he replied. “Lady Tatiana, I don’t know what sick game you’re playing here, but it ends now.”

“This is not what you think, Your Highness.”

“Really? So I didn’t just hear you talk about taking over the kingdom by threatening an innocent woman's life?”

“There’s nothing innocent about this wretched creature, so if you’ll be so kind to let me explain...”

“I’ll hear what you have to say after you treat her...” he held the tip of the blade against her wrinkled neck. “Antidote. Now!”

“Of course,” she gulped. “It’s on the top left drawer of my desk. May I?”

“Do it.”

Mistress Tatiana moved quickly, restless hands opening the drawer. A small green vial was immediately visible but also the Scottish dirk next to it and she reached for the weapon first.

“NO!” Ellen screamed as the unexpected arterial blood spray painted the carpet red.