The Curse of Maleficent
Page 11
They had spent their youths always in each other’s company, but after a time, Stefan had grown more and more restless.
“He’d always wanted to live in the castle,” Maleficent had explained. “He was an orphan who wanted treasure, who wanted power more than anything.”
She went on to tell Aurora that Stefan eventually found work as a servant in the castle, that he had cut off her wings to gain the throne.
It was that betrayal that had filled Maleficent with such pain and anger for trusting a human. Driven mad with heartbreak, she had cursed baby Aurora, hoping to destroy Stefan’s chance at happiness. Ironically, Maleficent admitted, the person she had ended up hurting the most was herself.
As the fairy had grown to know Aurora, she realized that Stefan’s daughter was a kindred spirit, one who loved and respected nature as much as she did. Through Aurora, she had accomplished the unthinkable—she had learned to love and trust again. She’d learned that peace between humans and faeries was indeed possible.
When she was done with her sad tale, Maleficent apologized over and over again. But Aurora was not angry. She knew the truth now. And it was clear to her that Stefan had never been a good man. He would have driven himself crazier with anger and would eventually have died in his effort to destroy Maleficent. He had no room in his heart for anything but revenge. So while it hurt to know she would never hear his voice say “I love you” or feel his arms around her, Aurora couldn’t blame Maleficent. She was the only family Aurora had now—the only family she could imagine ever needing.
Turning her attention back to the present, Aurora watched as Maleficent lifted her hands in the air and shot magic at the thorns. Instantly, a section of the Wall wilted. She was destroying the barrier. Now that Stefan was dead, Aurora was the ruler of his kingdom. And she had no intention of keeping the humans and faeries apart any longer. From then on they would live together in harmony.
Feeling Aurora’s gaze on her, Maleficent turned and smiled. She took Aurora’s hand. “Follow me,” she said.
Aurora nodded. Together they made their way deeper into the Moors. As they walked, they were joined by more and more faeries and woodland creatures. There was a festive air to the procession and it grew as they came closer to the heart of the Moors. Aurora’s eyes grew wide as she made her way into the center of a large clearing.
It seemed that all the creatures of the Moors had gathered in the clearing, even ones Aurora had never seen before. They cheered for Aurora and Maleficent. A sprightly little faerie flew up to Maleficent, hugging her shoulder. Aurora had never seen her faerie godmother so happy, positively glowing among all the Fair Folk. Standing in the middle of them, high up on a stone shaped like a throne, were Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle. In her hands, Knotgrass struggled to hold a large crown.
“We present this crown to our little Aurora,” she began. “For whom we have sacrificed the best years of our…” Her voice trailed off as Maleficent shot her a stern look.
Taking the crown from the pixie, Maleficent gently placed it on Aurora’s head. Then she turned toward the crowd and, with a look of motherly pride, announced, “You have your queen!”
As the crowd erupted in cheers, Aurora stepped forward and laced her hand through Maleficent’s. She turned to smile at those coming up to congratulate her. Phillip was leading the crowd, and her smile grew into a wide grin as she saw him approach. She was so happy that he was here, so happy that everyone she cared about was sharing in her joy.
That day, two kingdoms became one. The Moors would be open to humans and the castle walls would ring with the laughter of faeries. Looking up at Maleficent, Aurora smiled. She had a home, a mother, and a kingdom. No matter what happened next, Aurora knew they were both going to live happily ever after.