Disclaimer: I do not own the Maleficent movie.
Innocence
o1.
Gifts or no gifts, Aurora truly was the most beautiful thing Diaval had ever seen. As a raven, Diaval had seen a lot of cruel and vile things in the worlds of the humans and the fairies. People fought and creatures changed, and humans killed and fairies died; there were a lot of malicious, unnatural injustices in the world of the living, and time and time again, Diaval watched them all crumble within themselves.
There on the second floor of that tiny, tranquil cabin, however, was the exception. There dwelled a little girl with the most beautiful gift of all: innocence. She laughed and sang as her caretakers yelled and argued, and she simply radiated the very best that the world could hope for; not yet tainted by the wants and desires of her kind, she was Mother Nature's finest. Additionally, Diaval couldn't help but admire the child's soft, blonde curls and tender, brown eyes, and in all sincerity, he didn't think anyone in existence could resist their purity.
Even Maleficent seemed to recognize the unearthly power of Aurora. She was as menacing and unpredictable as always, of course, but amidst her outer display of contempt and malevolence, Diaval sensed a stronger emotion.
"She's really quite something," he said as he stood delicately on her shoulder. He felt her body stiffen at his words, and he sensed her demeanor darken.
"She's nothing but a foul, despicable beast. I'll be glad to watch her suffer an eternal fate of sleeping."
"But just look at her." Diaval fluffed one of his feathers, and relief flooded his system as he saw Maleficent turn towards Aurora. "She hasn't a worry or a grumble in the world. She takes life as it is and appreciates its worth."
"How would you know?"
"Because she is young; because she is innocent."
Maleficent let out a cold, hard laugh before shrugging her shoulder and nudging Diaval away. He soared into the air and hovered near her horns, and his heart sank as he noted the look of betrayal and mistrust glittering in her tawny gaze.
"Nothing and no one is innocent. We all live to aspire our own ambitions, and one day we will all fall victim to our very natures." She paused to stare at Diaval, her expression distant. "No child or human can possess anything akin to 'innocence.' It's a dying art and a dying claim." Maleficent turned away then, casting one last glance in the child's direction before making her way further into the woods.
How sad it must be to live trapped with such scorn and disdain. Flying back over to Aurora's window, Diaval perched himself on the ledge and watched her sleep. Regardless of what Maleficent said, Aurora was innocent, and that innocence was the entire world's hope. One loses such purity as they grow and become familiar with the world, but for now at that moment, the child was still natural and capable of such bliss.
To be young is to be innocent, and to be innocent is to be beautiful. And in the world of the humans and the fairies, life currently experienced neither, and time eventually could produce either.
Thanks for reading! This is just a little something I thought of after seeing the movie. The entire thing truly struck me. I just love the depth of it! As for this story, it will develop as it develops, so we'll see how it goes. :)