- PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THE BACKSTORY BEHIND MALEFICENT'S IMPRISONMENT AND KING ADAM'S ASSENT TO THE THRONE. ITS NOT REQUIRED TO READ THIS BEFORE THE STORY, BUT IT WILL EXPLAIN THE CONTEXT OF THIS AU-
Prologue: A Bitter Beginning
Once upon a time, the Magic Kingdoms lived in harmony. There was no good or evil, no fight to be won or war to be conquered. All was at peace.
Maleficent was a young woman, gifted with fairy magic and a golden heart. She wanted to bring the wonders of magic to the world, but doing so was a lonely journey.
Maleficent had found herself wandering the forests of the Kingdoms for weeks, alone and famished. Nature had provided for her at first, but with her energy weakened, it was only a matter of days before she could no longer travel.
Fortunately, one rainy night, she stumbled across a luxurious castle in the forests of Auradon, a small Kingdom that had only recently flourished. The castle was beautiful, and with hope in her heart, Maleficent knocked on the large oak doors, hoping for food or shelter from the dreary night.
A young prince opened the door, his face scrunched in disgust at Maleficent's appearance. His suit was prim and pressed, not a single crease in sight. He was the stark opposite to the woman in front of him.
"May I help you?" the Prince asked skeptically, taking the woman in front of him to be a beggar.
"Please sir, do you have a spare room or food for the night?" Maleficent asked pleadingly, "I've been travelling for days and-"
"Absolutely not," the Prince answered in distain, "We can't allow for someone like you to reside in such a fine place like this."
Maleficent continued to plead. She didn't understand why, despite all the kindness she had shown people throughout her time, no one would show her an ounce back. The anger inside her began growing as the Prince continued to insult her, laughing at her soaked boots and dirty clothes. Her anger grew so strong that her eyes began glowing green, and suddenly, something overtook her.
"You are a foolish, greedy Prince," Maleficent began, smirking in satisfaction as the Prince took a step back in fear, "You want to live in luxury? Fine. So be it."
Maleficent invoked on her powers, feeling the rush of energy flow through her blood as the clouds above her began thundering, the wind picking up its pace bitterly. The doors of the palace swung open, leaves and twigs flying inside and around the Prince.
"Let the face of the selfish Prince be torn," Maleficent chanted, "Let him live trapped in his own beastly ways, as he is no longer a prince, but a Monster."
"What are you doing?" the Prince screamed as he felt his body shift, hair sprouting from his hands.
"And let the curse be lifted only when the Prince learns to love and be loved," Maleficent continued, eying a bouquet of roses in a golden vase inside the palace, "If the Prince has not learnt love by the fall of the last petal of the last rose, he will remain cursed as a beast for the rest of time, as will the rest of the palace inhabitants."
With a final flick of her wrist, the curse was set. She calmly walked out of the castle as the Prince screamed, his body shifting into the form of a monster. As she walked back through the forest, a raven perched itself on her shoulder. She felt a surge of power within her, something new...
She felt wicked.
And so began the reign of Maleficent, the Empress of Evil. She cursed all who did not show kindness or respect. Her name became feared, and with fear, also came popularity. Some applauded her deeds, including Queen Grimhilde of the Enchanted Forest, who soon became Maleficent's loyal accomplice.
The Magic Kingdoms became divided. Many royal families believed Maleficent to be a wicked sorceress who should be imprisoned. Others believed she was simply weeding out those who were unfit to rule. Others also simply feared her.
However, Maleficent's heart darkened further. There was one curse that truly changed her, and that was her curse against Aurora, a young princess who had done nothing evil in her life, but would have to pay for her parents sins against nature and herself.
Also, they didn't invite her to her christening.
"Listen well, all of you. The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who meet her," Maleficent had begun in the royal palace, "But before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a sleep like death! A sleep from which she will never awaken!"
Maleficent paused her curse, looking at the baby in her cot. Something inside her stirred. Something she believed was... Pity.
"The princess can be woken from her death sleep," Maleficent corrected herself, "But only by...true love's kiss. This curse will last till the end of time! No power on Earth can change it!"
It was this curse that truly changed Maleficent forever. Gone was the young woman who spent her life protecting nature. She was vicious, awful, and was ready to make the Magic Kingdoms fall to their knees.
That is, until she fell in love.
It was unexpected, truly. She had lost her belief in love many years ago, but when she met Mor'du, a man with incomparable kindness in his heart, she fell. And hard.
And so did he. Despite the evil deeds Maleficent had committed, he saw her for who she truly was; a fairy that had been wronged one too many times. He became her weakness, and soon, Maleficent found herself wanting to escape the Magic Kingdoms and live a flourishing life with him.
With Maleficent's followers behind them, they formed The Moors; a forest kingdom on the outskirts of the Magic Kingdoms, with evergreen forests and beautiful sceneries. Those who believed in Maleficent inhabited the kingdom, and soon, it became one of the most beautiful kingdoms to have graced the earth.
Maleficent took this time to retire and enjoy what was left of her life with her husband by her side, and to enjoy magic for what it was meant to be used for; for good.
Unbeknownst to her, something had changed in the Magic Kingdom. Prince Adam had too learnt to love, and had changed back from his beastly appearance into a handsome king, crowning him the new King of Auradon alongside his wife, Belle.
Belle showed him the good that lay beyond first appearances, and although he had learnt his lesson, he had heard of how Maleficent had terrorised the Magic Kingdoms for far too long. With his wife alongside him and a kingdom to rebuild, King Adam was ready to seek revenge against the evil enchantress.
He began looking for allies against his fight with Maleficent, and soon found a woman known as Fairy Godmother, who had been slowly but surely undoing the damage of the magic Maleficent had left in the world. Upon their meeting, however, news emerged.
"You must be so excited," Fairy Godmother had gushed to Belle, "How far along are you?"
"Excuse me?" Belle asked in confusion, an excited smile appearing on Fairy Godmothers face.
"Oh my!" Fairy Godmother continued, "You're with child, Dear!"
Celebration ensued almost immediately, the palace staff congratulating a startled Belle. Joy overtook the King and Queen, hands clasped hopefully at the prospect of growing their family.
"But I must warn you," Fairy Godmother continued, "There is a chance that the child will carry whatever leftover magic Maleficent left in your genes. It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened, so do be careful in their upbringing."
And suddenly, King Adam had an idea.
He'd had a private meeting with Fairy Godmother that night. Blinded by his need for revenge, they created a plan.
The child would be used as a vessel of magical energy to cast a curse on Maleficent, the same curse she'd cast on King Adam. She'd be cursed into a beast by her own magic and banished to the Moors, unable to leave for the rest of eternity. The curse could only be broken by someone of Maleficent's own bloodline, which didn't exist, making the curse virtually unbreakable.
They kept this plan a secret from Queen Belle, as she would never support anything that could put her child in danger. And so, when Prince Ben was born, an invite to the royal christening was sent to the Moors, addressed to the King and Queen.
Eager to repair her wrongdoings and apologise for all she had put King Adam through, Maleficent and her King made their way to Auradon, now the thriving capital of the Magic Kingdoms. Baring gifts of kindness and prosperity, Maleficent was eager to restore her relationships with the royals of the kingdoms.
Unfortunately, it had been too late.
Upon arrival, the room fell to silence. King Adam had greeted them warmly, the crowds of royals parting as Maleficent and Mor'du walked towards the King. Belle, with confusion etched onto her face, moved to stand over her sons cot protectively.
"Let today be a day of change," King Adam proclaimed to his subjects as Fairy Godmother approached him, "For today, we leave evil behind us once and for all."
"Indeed," Fairy Godmother continued, wand grasped tightly in her hand.
"Fairy Godmother, the honour is all yours," King Adam confirmed, stepping aside.
"What's happening?" Mor'du whispered to his wife, clasping her hand tightly.
"Listen well, all of you," Fairy Godmother began, repeating Maleficent's curse as her wand and Prince Ben started to glow, "Let the face of the selfish queen be torn, and let her be changed to a hideous monster."
Fairy Godmother waved her wand towards the two monarchs. However, realising what as about to happen, Mor'du quickly pushed his wife aside, the spell colliding with his bond painfully.
"NO!" Maleficent screamed at the sight of her husband changing, from what was once a handsome man to a beast. A large, brown bear with piercing blue eyes.
Maleficent's own eyes started to glow, her hands shaking as green orbs formed in her palms, anger overtaking her. She began throwing the orbs in hysterics, desperate to avenge her husband.
"And let her live in banishment in her own kingdom," Fairy Godmother continued the curse, aiming her wand at the fairy, "For the price of evil is good as none when left standing as one."
The curse hit Maleficent painfully as the room was evacuated, leaving just the royal family and Fairy Godmother to watch as Maleficent shrivelled down onto the floor. A scream erupted from the evil fairy before, with a puff of green smoke, she was gone. Ben too had stopped glowing, sleeping in his cot peacefully.
"It worked," King Adam realised gleefully, turning to his wife, "It worked!"
However, his smile soon disappeared at the sight of his injured wife. One of Maleficent's orbs had grazed Belle's arm, leaving a small laceration on her bicep.
"And what exactly worked Adam?" Belle asked angrily through gritted teeth, "Putting our child in harms way? Because you most definitely succeeded in that."
"Belle," Adam tried in vain.
"You could've killed him!" Belle screeched, holding her arm painfully, "You could've killed our son, and for what? Revenge?"
"If I could just explain-"
"You're not the man I married," Belle concluded, standing tall as she pulled the crown off her head, thrusting it into Adams hands, "If this is who you truly are, then I'm sorry, but I can't rule by your side."
That was the last anyone ever saw of Belle. She disappeared from Auradon that very evening, bringing nothing with her but a golden locket, the crest of the royal family etched into it. Guards spent days trying to find her, but with no trails left to follow, King Adam proclaimed that she had died during the fight against Maleficent.
The Kingdom mourned, but became stronger in the aftermath of the defeat of the most famous villain to have lived. Ben grew to be a kind Prince, unlike his father had. Fairy Godmother continued her duties as a royal advisor, and took it upon herself to educate all young royals of Auradon and neighbouring kingdoms. Ben grew up knowing that his mother had loved him, and had been murdered due to Maleficent's actions. He learnt what evil was, and he despised it.
Meanwhile, Maleficent grieved the loss of her one true love in the decaying Moors. When banished, a wall of thorns had erected around the kingdom, leaving her subjects trapped alongside her. She wanted revenge. She wanted to make King Adam suffer, for taking away Mor'du's rights of fatherhood.
For that summer, Belle hadn't been the only one with child.