Misfit Trials

Chapter 46

"How could you do that to her?" The voice is quiet, but it still rings through the glade. The tone is colored by so many emotions: grief, fear, pain. But anger is the one that sticks out the most, the accusation clear.

"Who has spoken?" The Cat asks, his ever present smile looking distinctly displeased. The night is waning and a decision will need to be made soon. Delays in hearing the final story of the night are not welcome at this point in the evening.

A tall, frail looking woman stands. She is dressed in what once surely must have been finery, but is now little more than rags that hang off of the woman's gaunt frame. Her skin is pale, her blonde hair ashen and in limp strings on either side of her face. Dark circles ring her eyes, causing her already lean face to look even more skeletal. "I spoke." Again, her voice is quiet, but it holds a command for attention that is only bred in royalty.

"Princess Genevive," Maleficent states, inclining her head to the woman. "I am surprised to see that you were able to escape your captors. When I last spoke with your father in an attempt to free you, he had not seen you nor your sisters for many weeks."

This statement brings a snarl to the face of the woman, infusing her gaunt features with the life only born from hate. "My father is the reason that my sisters and I are in the state that we are. I care not how long it has been since that vile old man has laid eyes on us."

Instead of responding to the princess's vehemence, Maleficent turns to The Cat. "Princess Genevive is the oldest of the 12 Dancing Princesses."

"Aaah," The Cat says, his anger immediately dropping for a look of astonishment.

The legend of the horrible fate of 11 of the 12 Dancing Princesses has spread far and wide through the fairy tale community. Princess Genevive and her sisters were sheltered by the father and rarely allowed to leave their wing of the castle. It made it so they were more than willing to follow the demons disguised as handsome princes to an underground ball every night. When a lowly cobbler's apprentice discovered what was happening with the princesses, he was allowed to marry the youngest princess.

Unfortunately, that left the other 11 still in their father's hands. And though he closed off the tunnel that the princesses had been going to, thinking that he had blocked the demons from tormenting his daughters, he still refused to give them the freedom that they desperately wanted.

It wasn't long before the demons got to the princesses again. And this time, they didn't let them return home at night anymore.

Many had wondered what had happened to the princesses, so to see one of them here at the Trials was enough to pique The Cat's interest.

"How are you able to come to our humble gathering, Your Royal Highness?" The Cat asks, awe in his tone.

The princess turns back to The Cat, much of her anger dissipating and turning back into the bleak mask she wore when she stood. "I am sent by those I serve to ask for intervention in bringing my sister back to the fold. Her consort misses her." The princess says the last with a twist of the lips, indicating that she is in some sort of pain.

Still, she continues, turning back to Mother Gothel. "But I could not stay silent. How could you have locked that poor child up in a tower with no means of escape for years? Of course she's turned evil in your eyes. She's trying to do everything she can to be the opposite of what you wanted her to be!"

It seemed that the princess was speaking from experience.

Mother Gothel looks slightly surprised, but comes back with a curt answer. "She was destined to have too much power. Power that could easily corrupt her and make it so that she could change the very fabric of reality around her because of a temper tantrum. I had to contain it."

"You couldn't have taken her to Avalon? She would have been around those that would have been able to guide her. She would have been able to socialize and have a normal childhood and learned how to contain her magic on her own!" The princess's emaciated frame shakes with the force of her anger.

"Princess, I think that you need to sit. Possibly get some food and rest. Elphaba!" The Cat says before calling the green faced witch of Oz.

The witch stands, inclining her head towards The Cat. "How may I be of service to the court?"

"Elphaba, could you care for the princess? Use whatever magic you need to possibly break the hold on her?" The Cat says.

This seems to scare the princess, tears immediately flowing from her eyes. "You can't! If I can't go back, my sisters - "

But The Cat interrupts her in a kind voice, "Sinbad will come with you. Tell him everything you know. We will prepare a rescue mission for you. This court decided long ago that if we were able to help you and your sisters, we would."

"Come dear," Elphaba says. "You look like some broth and a strong tea would do you good."

The princess, seemingly startled that this is happening so quickly, looks between The Cat, the pirate now standing beside her, and the witch who has taken her elbow. Shocked, she just nods and allows herself to be led out of the glen.

Once the trio are out of sight, The Cat turns his grin back to Mother Gothel, a new sharpness to his features aimed at her. "Though that was an astounding turn of events, the princess had an excellent question. Why didn't you take the child back to Avalon? You could have had help to stop what was coming."

Mother Gothel gives a loud sigh. "I thought that I was doing the best thing for everyone involved..."