The Curse of Maleficent

by Elizabeth Rudnick

  And that was when she learned the worst of all the truths. She had been cursed. By a dark faerie who hated King Stefan and wanted to harm his family, Knotgrass claimed. This faerie had arrived in the middle of the celebration, putting a damper on all the festivities. Then the wicked faerie had decreed that on her sixteenth birthday, Aurora would fall into an endless sleep.…

  Knotgrass finished speaking and looked over at Aurora. The girl’s face was ashen and her hands were shaking. Her whole life had been a lie. Her aunts weren’t actually her aunts. They weren’t even human. They were pixies from the Moors. Her home wasn’t actually the cottage; it was the castle at the end of the road. And she wasn’t an orphan. She had a mother and a father.

  “That is why we brought you here,” Knotgrass added, trying to find a way to cheer her up. “To keep you out of harm’s way. We’ve done our best. But that is why you must stay here until the day after your birthday. It’s the only way we know to keep you truly safe. So, Aurora, we really must insist…”

  But her voice trailed off as she looked down at the now empty chair. Aurora was gone.

  Aurora ran as fast as she could out of the cottage and into the woods. Her heart was pounding and she was sick to her stomach. She wanted to cry and scream.

  How could this be happening? Just a few hours earlier she had been so full of happiness. Now everything was different. It felt like her world had been turned upside down. She needed to talk to somebody she trusted. Somebody who would not mince words to try to make her feel better.

  “Faerie Godmother!” Aurora shouted, bursting into a small glen. “Faerie Godmother!”

  The bushes parted, and out of the shadows of the trees, her godmother appeared. “I’m here,” she said, stepping toward Aurora, her face filled with concern.

  But the girl held up a hand. She couldn’t bear to be touched or coddled at the moment. Right now, all she wanted was the truth. She had to hear it from her faerie godmother. If anyone would tell Aurora the truth, it was she.

  “When were you going to tell me that I’m cursed?” The question flew out of her mouth before she knew what she was saying, her eyes tearing up as she said the awful words aloud. She waited to hear her faerie godmother say there was no way Aurora could be cursed. That she had never heard of such a thing. That they would get to the bottom of everything together.

  But instead of answering, her godmother turned and glared in the direction of the cottage. Butterflies of nerves flew around in Aurora’s stomach. She twisted her hands nervously. “Well?” Aurora said. “Is it true?”

  Her godmother looked down at the ground and gave the smallest of nods. “It is,” she said softly.

  Aurora felt her heart plummet. Until then she had been holding on to the hope that her aunts were the ones lying because they didn’t want her to leave. Or, at the very least, that her faerie godmother had been in the dark about her past. That she hadn’t been keeping anything from her. A whirlwind of thoughts bounced around in Aurora’s head as she tried to make sense of what she was hearing.

  “I was just a baby!” she cried, anguish filling her innocent face. “Who would do such a terrible thing to a baby? My aunts said it was an evil faerie. They said her name. They said…they said…”

  “Maleficent,” her godmother finished.

  There was something in the way her godmother said the name that made Aurora’s sinking heart pound faster. It was a familiarity, a knowingness. In that moment, a terrifying possibility struck Aurora. “Is that your name?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Are you Maleficent? Are you the one who cursed me?”

  Slowly, the faerie turned around. Her face was racked with emotion. In her eyes Aurora saw anger, sadness, loss, and love, but most of all, regret. Before the faerie spoke a word, Aurora knew the answer. “Yes,” Maleficent said.

  Pain shot through Aurora and she began to back away. She had never felt pain like this. The pain of a horrible betrayal. She felt like she was being pricked by a thousand needles. She had trusted this faerie. She had loved this faerie. How could she have done such a horrible thing? She had taken away her parents, her home, her chance at a normal life. It was too much to bear.

  “Wait…” Maleficent begged, reaching out her hand.

  “No!” Aurora shouted, sobs beginning to shake her thin body. “Don’t touch me! You’re the evil that’s in the world. It’s you!”

  Aurora turned and raced out of the glen. She didn’t dare look back. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She just knew she needed to get away from Maleficent and her lies as fast as possible. But she couldn’t go back to the cottage. That place was filled with lies, too. So where was she going to go now?

  took Aurora only a few minutes to realize she had one choice. She had to go see her father and mother. Dashing through the woods, she paused at the edge of the clearing around the cottage to make sure the pixies were still inside. Satisfied that the coast was clear, she snuck into the barn. In his stall, their horse stood munching hay. Not bothering even to saddle him, Aurora threw on his bridle, leapt onto his back, and then with a loud “yaw!” urged him forward.

  They raced through the woods. Animals darted out of the way. Birds stopped singing. The only sounds Aurora could hear were the horse’s hoofbeats and her heart slamming against her chest. Spotting the road up ahead, she slowed the horse down only long enough to make sure no one was coming. The road was empty. She urged the horse on, and faster and faster they went until finally, Aurora found herself right in front of the castle’s main gates.

  Pulling back on the reins, Aurora brought the horse to a halt. She stared up at the stone walls. She had never seen it this close. It had always been just a speck on the horizon or a part of her fantasies. In her daydreams, she had imagined the castle down to the very last detail. She had pictured it surrounded by a clear blue moat. She had envisioned beautiful carvings perched atop turrets and a busy, happy feeling in the people who bustled about the grounds.

  But this was not the castle of her dreams. Looking up at it now, she saw giant iron plates covering its every side. The moat was brown and the sky above the castle seemed darker than everywhere else. Walking slowly around the small cluster of surrounding buildings, Aurora saw that it was nearly empty. No children played near the large fountain in the middle. No women laughed as they did the washing. No men argued about the day’s crops.

  Listening for any signs of life, all Aurora heard was the pounding of hammer against anvil. She followed the noise and found herself outside the blacksmith’s shop. Inside, nearly a dozen young men pounded away at various pieces of iron. Some shaped them into swords. Others appeared to be making more iron siding for the castle walls. And there were even a few who seemed to be crafting large iron thorns.

  Backing away, Aurora shook her head. There was something wrong with this place. Something sad and scared. It felt nothing like her home in the clearing or the Moors with its many inhabitants. What happened here to make it such a dark place? she wondered. Was it a part of her curse?

  There was only one way to get the answers. She had to find her mother and father. Quickly, she found her way back to the castle’s main entrance and began to walk across the drawbridge.

  “Halt!” came a voice from the shadows of the arch that covered the bridge.

  Startled, Aurora stopped. Two guards stepped out from under the arch. They were covered in iron armor. In one guard’s hand was a long sword. The other one held up a shield.

  “Who goes there?” the guard with the sword asked. “State your business here.”

  Aurora took a deep breath. “I’m here to see my father, the king. And my mother, the queen.” She felt the men’s curious gazes on her. She knew what it must look like to them. A country girl, wearing a homemade dress with leaves in her hair, claiming to be the princess. It was rather far-fetched. Princesses wore crowns and beautiful gowns made of silk and la
ce. They didn’t ride horses bareback or show up unannounced by themselves. Still, she needed them to believe she was telling the truth. Or at the very least, take her to see her parents.

  After what felt like an eternity, the guard with the shield nodded. “Follow us,” he said. “And stay close.” They turned and began walking toward the castle’s main entrance.

  Aurora followed, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. Walking through the big iron doors, she found herself in the middle of a great entrance hall. A giant chandelier hung from the ceiling. Yet none of its candles were lit. In the dim light that came through the dirty windows, Aurora could make out several large paintings on the walls. Through another door she saw furniture draped with white linens, making it appear ghostlike. It was as though no one lived in the castle. Or at least no one cared enough to make it livable.

  Realizing she had fallen behind the guards, Aurora raced to catch up. She was sure that as soon as she was reunited with her father and mother, they would explain everything.

  Suddenly, it hit her. She was about to meet her parents. After nearly sixteen years of being apart, she was going to be held in their arms. She was going to be able to tell them all that had happened to her while she lived in the woods. She would be able to share her dreams. Her mother could brush her hair and her father could teach her the castle’s history. They could sit for hours, together, just being a family. The thought made her smile despite the gloomy surroundings, and she picked up her pace.

  A moment later, the guards came to a stop in front of a huge set of iron doors. One of them reached out and knocked once. Hearing a muffled response, they pushed the doors open and all three moved through. On the other side was the biggest, grandest room Aurora had ever seen. It dwarfed the entrance. Instead of one chandelier there were dozens. Huge stained glass windows dominated the far wall. Up on a pedestal sat two thrones, worn with age. And in the middle of the room, surrounded by his officers, was her father, King Stefan.

  He wore a heavy suit of armor. On his head a crown perched, pushing down his wavy gray curls. While the other men seemed meek, her father had a commanding presence. He seemed to dominate the room and Aurora could just picture him on the battlefield, sword in hand. He was just as she had imagined. A bit older, perhaps, with a few more wrinkles and a slight stoop to his back. But nevertheless, he was handsome and she just knew he would be charming as well.

  Grabbing Aurora by the arm, the guard with the sword stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty,” he said. He pushed Aurora in front of him. “We found this urchin at the gate. She claims to be your daughter.”

  King Stefan slowly turned around. He stared at Aurora, his dark eyes revealing no hint of emotion. It was nearly the same look the guards had given her at the gate. The look that said, “All I see is a country girl. Not a princess.” Yet it wasn’t exactly the same look. There was a glimmer of recognition, as if he were looking at someone he had met once but couldn’t quite remember her name.

  Aurora couldn’t take it any longer. Pulling free of the guard, she ran toward the king. “Father! It’s me! It’s Aurora!” When she was right in front of him, she threw her arms around Stefan and tried to bury herself in his embrace. But the heavy iron armor was cold and hard.

  Placing his hands on her shoulders, King Stefan pushed her back so that he was holding Aurora at arm’s length. He stared at her, taking in her long wavy hair and her button nose. His face softened and he smiled. “You look like your mother,” he said. Then, just as quickly as the warmth had come, her father’s face turned cold. It was as though a light had been briefly lit inside his soul only to be extinguished a moment later. “You shouldn’t be here yet,” he said, his voice now icy. “You’ve come back a day too soon. I told those three idiots!”

  Aurora took a step back as though slapped. “You mean my aunts?” she asked, for she had no idea what else to call them. This was not the happy reunion she had anticipated. “Father, didn’t you miss me while I was gone?”

  The question seemed to take King Stefan by surprise and he hesitated before answering. “Of course,” he finally said.

  “Then why didn’t you come to see me?” Aurora asked, her bottom lip trembling. Until that moment, she had never stopped to wonder that herself. True, she had been hidden in the woods. But her father was the king. If he had wanted to find her, he could have done so with ease.

  “You were well looked after,” King Stefan explained. “And I was occupied here with matters of state.” He stopped and thought for a moment. The frown on his face deepened. “I’ll have to put you in a secure place until tomorrow.”

  “But I’ve only just arrived,” Aurora protested. “I want to stay with you.”

  Her father shook his head.

  “I know about the curse,” Aurora said, hoping perhaps the reason he wanted to send her away was that he didn’t want to tell her the bad news.

  Expecting a look of relief to cross his face, Aurora was surprised when her father grew angrier. “So then you know the danger you’re in,” he hissed. “Do not come out of your room for any reason. No matter what you hear. We’ll talk tomorrow when this is over.”

  His orders given, Stefan turned to go. Behind him, Aurora stood, a look of sadness on her face. Ever since the pixies had told her the truth about who she was, all Aurora had wanted was to see her father and mother again. Yet her father was not the father she was hoping to find. He is mean, she thought. Still, she had one last hope.

  “Where is my mother?” Aurora called out.

  Stefan didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and nodded at one of the guards. “Take her,” he commanded. Then, with a swish of his long cape, he strode back over to his officers. A moment later, Aurora was led out of the room. With a bang, the giant iron doors swung shut.

  Aurora and the guard made their way to her room in silence. Down a long hall, up a flight of stairs, through a sitting room, and up another smaller staircase they went. Finally, the guard stopped in front of a set of doors painted a lighter color than the others in the castle. Pushing them open, he gestured Aurora to enter. Once she was inside, he turned to go.

  “Wait!” Aurora called out. “Do you know what happened to my mother?”

  The guard shifted uncomfortably on his feet and a familiar sense of dread began to grow in Aurora’s belly. “The queen passed away, Princess,” he said. “A long time ago.” Then without another word he departed, leaving Aurora alone with only her sad thoughts for company.

  passed. The sun began to lower in the afternoon sky. Up in her room, Aurora paced back and forth. She felt like a caged bird. She wanted to be downstairs with her father. She wanted to ask him how her mother had died. When it had happened. Instead she was stuck staring at the same four walls.

  Not that they were ugly walls. Her room was beautiful. Four huge windows dominated the far side. Through them she could see the entire kingdom stretching out into the distance. The floor was covered in thick carpets and there was a large fireplace right in front of a canopy bed draped in the thinnest sheer fabric. Paintings depicting horses in fields and faraway lands hung on the walls.

  Yet despite the room’s beauty, there was a sadness to it. Clearly, the room had always been Aurora’s. But it had been baby Aurora’s, not suited to the teenager she had become. Hints of the childhood she could have had were everywhere. There was the wardrobe full of unworn baby clothes. A crib, its sheets dusty, rocked slowly behind the big bed. In one corner a pile of toys sat unused, the colors on them faded with age. And perhaps saddest of all was the large portrait of Aurora and her mother. In it, the queen was looking down at the baby in her arms, a smile of pure happiness on her face.

  Staring at the portrait now, Aurora felt a pang of regret. She would never get to meet her mother. Never know what it felt like to be held in those arms. It made her angry. And she realized that her anger was directed at Ma
leficent. Maleficent, who had pretended to care but was the very reason Aurora had never known her mother.

  With a sigh, Aurora resumed her pacing. Her head was pounding, she was thirsty, and for some reason, her finger was throbbing. She rubbed at it, trying to make the pain go away, but it only grew stronger. Once more she felt the urge to get out of the room. She needed to find something. She just wasn’t sure what.

  Hearing a noise from the hall outside, Aurora called out. “Hello? Is someone there? Can you hear me?”

  “Yes?” a soft female voice said from the other side of the door.

  “Unlock the door, please?” Aurora asked.

  There was a pause and then she heard a key in the lock. A moment later the door swung open. Standing on the other side was a woman who looked about ten years older than Aurora. She was wearing a servant’s uniform and carrying sheets. Seeing Aurora in front of her, the woman raised an eyebrow.

  “This room is for the princess when she arrives,” the servant said. “No one should be occupying it.”

  So clearly, Father hasn’t announced my return, Aurora mused. But what did it matter? She didn’t have time to correct the servant. She needed to find some way to stop the pain in her finger.

  Heading past the woman, she walked out of the room and into the hall. It occurred to her that she had no idea where she was going or what exactly would help her finger. But she decided to keep walking anyway. She wound her way through various halls and down several flights of stairs, tiptoeing past the Great Hall. She could hear her father inside, shouting about some attack. Ignoring him, she kept walking. Luckily, no one was around to witness her wandering. While she wasn’t happy her father was keeping her a secret, she didn’t want to go against his wishes and make her presence known.

  She continued on, rubbing the tip of her finger. It pulsed and felt hot to the touch. Looking down, Aurora expected to see it swollen or red. But it looked the same as it did every day. She moved on, finally arriving at the servants’ wing. For some reason, that felt like the place she wanted to be.