“That was your voice in the Glass room,” she said.
Elowen sucked in a shaky breath. “Yes, and I would have had much more time to explain if it weren’t for your prince breaking down doors. You see, Imelda was the last to fall into Vencia’s trap. By then, she knew she was the last fairy godmother. She went with the goal of procuring a future for magic. She made the Glass Room and linked my essence to it. She gave her life with the promise of the Cinderella. Neither of us knew when or how, but only that one day a human would be worthy.” She gave her a long smile. “And it was you.”
Luci swallowed hard.
“Why me?” she asked.
A single tear dripped down Elowen’s left cheek.
“Because you have something to lose. Some things, rather. So now it’s come to this. Which will you choose?” she asked.
As she gestured to the two pieces, a pit grew in Luci’s stomach. It was an uneasy anxiety that threatened to tear her limb from limb.
“Choose?” she choked out.
Elowen nodded solemnly.
“You can save Brielle, but you will lose your prince. The pieces, they won’t-” she waved her hand, and the green and navy pieces broke apart, their edges changing. When she pushed them back together, they no longer connected. “I’ve heard people can be happy even without their perfect match. It might be harder, but you can still be happy.”
“But somewhere out there will be a piece that matches his,” Luci said, glancing over at Ira.
“Perhaps. Once you make this choice, you will be changed. Not the same woman you were. I am sorry to put you through it, but there’s no other way. Imelda used to say the hardest part of being a fairy godmother was watching someone you love suffer, knowing that it was the only way through. I see now she was right.” Elowen said.
She’d come so far. The midnight flower was just outside. She’d- she’d kissed Ira, and he’d kissed her back. Even though it was a ridiculous notion, for one minute she’d seen it. A life with him. A life where his laugh was loud and warm. Where she felt safe just because he loved her. A man who saw all her imperfections and loved her in spite of them.
The tears fell freely now because the empathy in Elowen’s eyes was the only confirmation she needed. This was real.
“Why?” Luci asked.
Elowen reached over and took Luci’s hands in hers.
“Because human greed took everything,” she said.
Luci wanted to rage. To throw the pieces and the table. Her whole life, all she ever had was Brielle. It had been more than enough. Then there was Ira. Ira, who made her laugh and her heart skip a beat. She wanted both, but Luci was no stranger to loss.
“Can I speak to him first?” Luci asked.
Elowen shook her head.
She’d always known the world was cruel, but Brielle’s storybooks and happy endings never felt like this. They never talked about what it meant to sever a piece of your soul. That was what Luci was about to do. Cut off a piece of herself for another.
With one last lingering look at Ira, she met Elowen’s gaze.
“I choose Brielle,” she said.
The words cut deep into her core, but she knew there was never any other choice for her. She would lose Ira, but he would find someone whose pieces fit perfectly with his, and he would be happy. There was no world worth living in without Brielle. She was the reason for her breath.
Elowen smiled. “No bargaining? As simple as that?”
Luci shook her head.
“If you are asking me to choose, I will always choose her,” she said.
Elowen’s tears fell faster, and she gave a small laugh as she waved her hands over the pieces.
“The funny thing about souls and pieces is that they are forever changing. Because of the choice you just made, you have changed. But there is no accounting for how others will change as well.”
A snap of her fingers, and Ira woke up with a start, scanning the room before landing on Luci. With a few blinks, he was out of his chair and kneeling before her with his hands on either side of her face, searching.