Taking a deep breath, Maleficent looked back at Nanny. Nanny flashed Maleficent one of her magnificent smiles and mouthed the words I love you, Daughter. With one last wave to her mother, Maleficent turned and walked down the path that felt like it might be hers. She soon found herself in a world that was very unlike the Fairylands.

Maleficent was standing near a small well that lay in the shadow of a beautiful castle with many spires. The castle’s roofs resembled red witch hats, and the surrounding lands were lush, green, and heavily wooded. There seemed to be all manner of forest creatures romping about, making the scene more picturesque than if it had been reality. Sitting on the edge of the well and kicking her feet was a young girl with black hair tied with a red ribbon. She was a pretty little thing, with her pale face and apple-red cheeks.

She was crying.

“What’s the matter, dear?” Maleficent asked. The girl looked up and gasped. “Shhh, I’m not here to harm you,” Maleficent assured her. “What’s your name?”

The little girl looked at Maleficent, terrified, but she managed to speak. “My name is Snow White.”

“Snow, don’t be afraid of me. I’m here to help you. What’s the matter, why are you crying?”

“It’s my mother. She won’t eat or drink, and she spends her days talking to someone who isn’t there. She has been ill and heartbroken since my father died…and…”

“Tell me, please,” Maleficent said, coaxing her.

“I’m afraid of her. She’s changed since my father died. I’m afraid she may kill me.”

“Where is your mother now?” asked Maleficent.

“She spends all her time in her room,” Snow replied. “I think she may be going mad. I hear her talking endlessly to someone who isn’t there. Sometimes I hear her screaming at something.”

Maleficent was concerned. “Has no one looked into this? Is she being tormented by someone or by something? Has anyone been to see her to lift her spirits? To help her through her grief?”

“No one except my father’s cousins. But she banished them long ago, along with her best friend, Verona. I’m afraid she is very much alone,” Snow replied, wiping tears from her face.

Maleficent didn’t understand how the girl could leave her poor grieving mother alone to wither and suffer, but she remained sweet and understanding. “Stay here, my dear. I will see to your mother.”

As soon as Maleficent entered the castle, she could feel despair weighing heavily in the air. The home was cursed with sadness and something much worse, something sinister and unnerving. As she made her way up to the queen’s chamber, she heard a woman’s voice. How long has this woman been alone up here raving like a madwoman? And to whom is she speaking? Maleficent whispered a charm that allowed her to see through walls. The effect was much like creating a window. She could see whoever was on the other side, but they were unaware that they were being spied on.

Standing in the middle of the room was a beautiful queen, sobbing with despair as she screamed at a man’s image in her mirror. “I command you to tell me the truth!” she shrieked through tears.

A horrible wicked voice came from the man in the mirror. His face was cruel and twisted with hatred. “You killed your mother the day you were born, and your face reminds me of hers.”

“That’s why you despise me?” The queen was crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.

“I wish you had died that day, not her!” spat the man in the mirror.

Maleficent was horrified. The man was the ghost of the queen’s father, and he was tormenting her from beyond the grave. She had no one to defend her from him. He was slowly turning the poor woman mad.

“If I could reach through this mirror and kill you myself, I would! You’re ugly and vile and your heart is black as night. You repulse me.” The queen cried even harder as the man in the mirror continued. “Your daughter, Snow White, is the fairest in the land. I could never love you or find you beautiful while she lives.” The queen looked up at her father through swollen, tear-filled eyes. Maleficent thought the queen must be bewitched or under his spell, because she couldn’t fathom any other reason the queen would want the horrible man’s approval, or want that creature to love her and find her beautiful. It made Maleficent ill.

“Will you love me if I kill Snow White?” the queen asked, an evil smile on her lips.

“Yes, my daughter. That would please me. That would make me love you more.”

Maleficent had heard enough. Snow White had been right to be afraid. Something had to be done. Maleficent opened the door, startling the wicked queen, who turned around, ready for a fight. Maleficent raised her hand, using her magic to send the queen flying into the far wall of her chambers. An invisible force left the queen unable to move or speak. The wicked queen was trying to scream, but no sound came from her lips.

“You are a monster for treating your daughter so cruelly!” The evil queen was shocked to see that Maleficent wasn’t speaking to her but to her father’s reflection in the mirror.

“I condemn you to Hades, where vile and wicked things belong! I banish you from this mirror and from this house, never to revisit it again!” Maleficent cried.

The mirror shattered with an explosive crash that reverberated through the entire castle. She heard Snow White’s scream from the courtyard. The young princess ran into the castle and up to her mother’s rooms, where she found the queen crying in a heap in Maleficent’s arms.

Before Maleficent could tell Snow White that she and her mother were safe, everything around her melted away. It was the strangest sensation, seeing the queen’s castle slowly disappear and the courtyard in the Fairylands appear. The courtyard was cluttered with the eager faces of fairies waiting for the students to come out of exams. Maleficent desperately wanted to stay with the queen and her daughter. She wanted to be sure they would be okay. She wanted to comfort Snow White, to make sure the queen would recover. Surely this wasn’t what it was going to be like if she became a wish-granting fairy? She hoped she would have more time with her charges.

Maleficent blinked a few times, adjusting to her new surroundings. She must have been the first to finish the exam, because she didn’t see any of the other students. She stood there, trying not to fidget. She was unsure what to do next until Nanny ran up to give her a big hug. “You did beautifully, my darling! Just brilliantly. I am so proud of you.”

The Fairy Godmother cleared her throat. “Let’s save the comments until everyone has finished. No sense in getting her hopes up unnecessarily.”

Nanny flashed her sister a dirty look. “What do you mean? She did really well.”

The Fairy Godmother shook her head. “Of course you would think so, but I think she should have done things differently.”

“What should I have done differently? I saved the queen,” Maleficent said. But the Fairy Godmother didn’t answer her.

Just then, the Blue Fairy appeared next to Maleficent. “How did you do?” Maleficent asked. The Blue Fairy looked concerned she hadn’t done well, but Maleficent had a feeling that she had performed the exam beautifully. Soon all the fairies except Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had appeared. The Fairy Godmother refused to give anyone her results until they returned.

“I wonder if they’re okay. Should someone go check on them?” Maleficent asked.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you? To have them disqualified?” the Fairy Godmother snapped.

Maleficent was shocked. It was true she didn’t like the three fairies, but she wouldn’t want to see them unfairly disqualified. “What do you mean?”

Nanny put her arm around Maleficent’s shoulders. “If an instructor has to go into the story, then the fairy is disqualified.”

“Can another student go in to help? What if they’re in trouble?” Maleficent insisted.

The Fairy Godmother looked at her suspiciously but seemed to be considering the possibility when the three fairies finally appeared.

“Oh, my goodness! Finally! It was so dreadful. I can’t believe we made it out alive!” Merryweather said dramatically. Fauna and Flora looked as if they were stricken by some sort of ailment. Maleficent wondered what they had faced in their scenario.

“Are you okay?” she asked them, but the fairies didn’t thank her for her concern.

“It’s your fault! You attacked us!” Merryweather snapped.

Maleficent was shocked. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what we’re talking about, Maleficent!” Merryweather shouted.

“You tried to sabotage us, Maleficent!” Flora screamed.

“I did not!” Maleficent looked at Nanny, confused. “I swear I have no idea what she’s talking about!”

Merryweather pointed her finger accusingly at Maleficent. “You know what you did! You attacked us, trying to protect your evil birds!”

Nanny had never seen exams devolve into such chaos, but she did know her daughter had nothing to do with it. “The Fairy Godmother and I will look at your story, and we will figure out what happened,” Nanny said.

“I don’t think the One of Legends should be able to help decide, even if she is the headmistress!” Merryweather insisted. “She is Maleficent’s adoptive mother. She can’t be objective!”

Nanny looked at Merryweather, wondering where they had gone wrong with that one. How had she let those three fairies become so petty? Had she spent so much time trying to lift up Maleficent that she had neglected those three, leaving them to her sister? She suddenly felt responsible for those fairies and wondered why she hadn’t taken the time to guide them and set them on the path of goodness that she had thought was their fate. She searched within herself and through time to see how the three would end up. In spite of their pettiness, she saw goodness, kindness, and pure hearts. There would be squabbling, and perhaps a bit of bullying on Merryweather’s part, but she saw her pushing the other two because they needed guidance. She saw there was a child they would care for deeply, a child who would need their protection. She sighed with relief, knowing she hadn’t failed them entirely. However, that didn’t change who they were today—three petty girls hurling insults at her and her daughter.

“Girls, please! I won’t be deciding who passes or fails. But I imagine you’d be very pleased if I did. I see an important task for you in the future, a task you will not be able to accomplish without wish-granting status,” Nanny said.

The three fairies looked at each other in disbelief.

“And I promise we will look into this matter of Maleficent attacking you,” Nanny finished.

The Fairy Godmother cleared her throat. She didn’t like her sister taking things over, so she took the matter in hand herself. “I suggest everyone go back home and have some tea. We will interview the charges and decide who will be granted status. We will make the announcement later today. I know you are all eager for the results. We promise to make our decision as soon as we can.”

Maleficent looked at her mother with worried eyes, her skin turning a pale shade of purple. “My darling, don’t fret. Go home. The odd sisters are there waiting for you,” Nanny told her.

Maleficent kissed her mother on the cheek and did as she was asked. She followed all the other students filing out of the courtyard to go home and wait for the exam results.

The Fairy Godmother quickly got to business. With her wand, she conjured up a little round table with a dark pink tablecloth that matched the cherry blossoms behind them. She also conjured two white chairs with pink cushions to match. “Sit, Sister. Sit!” And with another wave of her wand, a teapot, teacups with saucers, and little plates, all a pale shade of pink, edged in glistening silver, appeared on the table. “Have some tea, Sister, before it gets cold. Oh! And I almost forgot!” With another wave of her wand, little white cakes decorated with pink roses settled on the plates. “There! Now we’re ready.” Nanny laughed to herself, but she let her sister talk. “We’ll discuss each student in order of completion of the exam. Does that sound fair?”

Nanny nodded, letting her sister speak first. “I’m sure you’ll agree that Maleficent did deplorably. She failed to realize her charge was actually Princess Snow White, not the wicked queen.”

Nanny scoffed. “So what do you suppose Maleficent should have done? Let the queen languish in torment and try to kill her own daughter? There was no fairy, no good sorceress to help Snow White. There was no other part for Maleficent to play in this scenario than to destroy the man in the mirror! She saved the queen and the princess! You can’t deny it!”

The Fairy Godmother was shaking her head furiously the entire time her sister was speaking. Nanny felt anger growing inside her. “You know as well as I that the three fairies chosen should be Maleficent, the Blue Fairy, and your favorites, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Do we really need to sit here and debate this all day?”

Just then, the odd sisters flew into the courtyard, screaming at the top of their lungs like wild harpies. Ruby was holding the hand of a small blond girl. The tiny girl seemed to be made of all things silver and gold, shining like a star. She was crying so hard she was shaking. “Where are those little beasts? Where is Merryweather, where are her friends?” Ruby shrieked.

Maleficent ran into the courtyard just behind them. “Where are my birds? Where is my crow tree?”

The little blond girl continued to sob.

“Maleficent! You’re frightening this young girl. Stop this screaming at once!” scolded the Fairy Godmother.

Lucinda glared at her. “It was your fairies who made our Circe cry! Not Maleficent! Merryweather attacked her!”

Nanny rushed over to Circe and the odd sisters. “Circe, what happened? Merryweather attacked you?”

“All three of them attacked me, but I think it was my fault,” she sobbed.

“What happened?” Nanny asked in her gentlest voice, hoping to calm not only Circe but also the odd sisters and Maleficent, who were equally outraged.

“When the three fairies appeared on their path, I saw into their hearts. I saw they had a terrible secret. They had taken Maleficent’s raven, Diablo, and hidden him away so she would worry and fret over him. They wanted Maleficent to be distracted at her exam today. I didn’t think it was fair, so I took the form of Maleficent to see if they would help me find her raven. But no matter how much I begged them for help, they refused to even look at me.” Circe was crying so hard now she couldn’t keep telling the story.

“How did Merryweather know Maleficent was taking the exam today?” asked Nanny, giving her sister an angry look. “Did you tell them?”

The Fairy Godmother couldn’t bring herself to meet her sister’s gaze. “I might have said something to Merryweather after the argument you and I had in your kitchen.” Nanny was incensed, but the Fairy Godmother kept talking. “But I didn’t have anything to do with this!”

“Stop your insipid squabbling and let our sister finish her story!” screeched Martha.

“Tell them what happened next, dear,” Ruby said encouragingly, holding Circe’s hand in hers.

“I…I…decided to appear further along the path. I was in the middle of a beautiful forest, standing beneath the largest of the trees there. I was still disguised as Maleficent, weeping because I couldn’t find Diablo and Opal. The fairies didn’t realize that I wasn’t the real Maleficent. They started screaming at me, accusing me of trying to ruin their exam. They hurled silver sparks at me, which made the crow tree catch on fire.” Circe sobbed even more. “I didn’t know! I didn’t know the birds were in the tree. I didn’t know the fairies had hidden them there from Maleficent. I thought it was all make-pretend!”

“And where are Maleficent’s birds now?” Nanny asked, her heart full of fear.

Circe collapsed in a heap of tears. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to put Maleficent’s pets in danger! I didn’t realize the fairies would try to hurt us!”

The odd sisters took their little sister in their arms and held her tightly as she cried. “It’s not your fault, my dear! You didn’t know. Maleficent won’t blame you. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault!”

“Where are Maleficent’s birds?” Nanny asked again, frantically searching everyone’s faces for answers they didn’t have. “Maleficent, where are your birds?”

Maleficent was crying. “I don’t know. My crow tree isn’t in our yard.”

Nanny was trying to stay calm. “Circe, darling, are you sure it was the real Opal and Diablo with you in the scene?”

Circe nodded. “I am!”

Nanny waved her hand, summoning Merryweather, Fauna, and Flora. The fairies were surprised to find themselves standing in front of a legion of angry witches. “Where are Diablo and Opal? Where are Maleficent’s birds?” Nanny asked sternly.

The three fairies looked frightened and began speaking all at once. “We didn’t mean for them to be harmed, I swear! We didn’t realize that our charge would turn herself into Maleficent and threaten us! We thought she was Maleficent! We thought she was angry because we had stolen her precious birds!”

Maleficent stopped crying, her face turning a startling shade of green. She just stared at the fairies. She was deathly quiet and seething with anger. The fairies almost wished she would scream at them. Her silence was unsettling.

“Maleficent, I’m sorry! We would never hurt your birds on purpose,” Flora whimpered.

Maleficent quietly stretched out her arms, the sleeves of her robes resembling a raven’s wings. “Where are my birds?”

The three fairies gasped with fright. “We don’t know! We promise! We swear!”

Maleficent’s face became stone cold and her yellow eyes blazed. “Lies! Where are my birds? Tell me now!”

“No! Not until you stand down and renounce your right to wish granting!” Merryweather shouted. “We can’t have you sullying the good name of the fairies in this land by spreading your filth to the many kingdoms!”

“That’s enough!” Nanny yelled. “Tell us where you have put Maleficent’s birds or I will punish you myself!”

“You will not touch them, Sister!” the Fairy Godmother said, stepping in front of the three fairies. “When will you give up this wretched girl? When will you see that Maleficent will bring you nothing but pain and misery? You saw it the night you brought her home, when you looked through her time in this world. You saw it through to the end, but still you insisted on taking her in. You cared for her and defended her even though she doesn’t deserve it!”

“What is she talking about?” Maleficent’s anger was turning into heartbreak.

“Nothing, my dear, nothing,” Nanny said.

Maleficent began crying again. “What is she talking about? What did you see? Am I evil? Is that why I was abandoned?”

“Yes! You were created in evil, and you will do evil to the end of your days. You will destroy everything you have ever loved!” yelled the Fairy Godmother.

“No, Maleficent, don’t listen to her. It’s not true!” Nanny insisted.

Maleficent’s fingertips started to tingle. The terrible feeling quickly spread to the rest of her body, turning into a burning sensation that came from within. She remembered feeling that way when she was younger, before she had learned to teleport to her tree house, before she had learned how to control her anger. But this time—this time it felt different. This time she was different.

“Maleficent, no!” Nanny screamed.

Everything in Maleficent’s world went black as she became unbearably hot. It felt as if the raging heat burning uncontrollably inside her would consume her. But just when she was sure the heat would make her burst, she felt herself expanding, becoming larger and more imposing, as if her body was making room for her anger. The heat that had been growing within her was creating space for the pain, the heartache, and the betrayal she felt at hearing that Nanny had seen she would become evil. How could she have lied to her all that time? How could she have kept that from her? This awful thing inside her now raged like a beast. It was like a hungry serpent eating away at her insides, devouring her. She screamed in pain, her cries mingling with her mother’s screams until she could no longer tell the difference between the two. She couldn’t bear it. It was the most terrible thing she’d ever experienced. She lost all sense of herself as a blinding green fire exploded from within her, destroying everything in her path.

And all she could think was they had all been right.

She was evil.