omg I thought I was the only one out here thinking about a Diana/Zelda backstory because honestly it would make Zelda's distaste for mortals & her superiority complex that much more understandable.
I’m glad I’m not the only one! I wish it was explored in fic more. I may just have to write some myself. Because it makes total sense to me. Being a staunch traditionalist, the idea of her much beloved brother consorting with a mortal woman would naturally be repugnant to Zelda. We’re all aware of how concerned Zelda is with keeping up appearances and preserving the Spellman name, and this threw a massive wrench in all of that. Heading somewhat into headcanon land here, but it’s evident enough in the show that Zelda loved Edward fiercely, maybe even possessively, and Diana absolutely threatened that. Edward and Zelda were close, close enough to warrant more than a few whispers and second glances over the years, but what it really came down to was that they were cut from the same cloth. Everything they did they did passionately. Their rows were infamous, but their fondness for each other was undeniable.
When Diana came into the picture, Hilda would’ve taken a shine to her immediately, grateful to have someone with a somewhat gentler nature in the family arena. Zelda, of course, did not. She and Edward disagreed more on this union than they had on anything else before. And to add insult to injury, Diana proved herself to be relentlessly gracious at every turn, even when Zelda was at her most venomous. Diana never responded to Zelda’s cutting remarks with a few of her own, the way Edward might to gain the upper hand; nor did she grow flustered or shut down, the way Hilda often did. She would meet Zelda’s gaze, and artfully guide the conversation in another direction, and if a pretty little flush crept upon her cheeks everyone but Zelda would pretend not to notice. She was, as Zelda would disdainfully dub her, often and loudly, a saint. And she was losing her brother to this woman, who, to top it all off, had the gall to be beautiful. Zelda has proven herself to be the type who can be cruel to those she has deep, conflicting feelings for, so honestly? It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch that there might have been romantic undertones to the dynamic between them.
But then Diana died, taking Edward with her, and became even more saint-like in death, especially to Sabrina, who would never get the chance to know her mother properly, and therefore worships her without question. And this has to sting, just a little bit, because it’s Zelda (and Hilda! but that’s not who we’re talking about here) who must eventually make most of the hard choices a parent makes. It’s Zelda who guides and provides, and most of the time it’s a thankless job. Sabrina has Edward’s eyes, and Diana’s coloring, and it’s challenging for Zelda, raising a living reminder of her heart’s failings. But she does what she can, in loving and protecting Sabrina, to make up for her stubborn, prideful unkindness in the only way she knows how.
tl;dr Zelda is a secret soft and my WIFE and she :(( makes me so sad sometimes.
