Disclaimer: I don't own Maleficent, and I won't make any money from this. What did you expect from fanfiction?
Stefan had a childhood friend named Maleficent. She lived in the Moors and she was a faery. He loved her, but he knew that orphaned peasant boys like him didn't get magic happy endings. If he ever wanted to be anybody, he would have to work for it.
King Henry is not a good king, Stefan thinks. He doesn't care about his people, only about acquiring new lands and more power for himself. Stefan could do so much better, but he is only a guard, meant to follow orders and not think.
King Henry is mortally wounded trying to invade the Moors. Now he is offering his daughter and the crown to anybody who kills Maleficent. With that kind of reward she is going to be killed. (Stefan could do so much better…) Maleficent will die… unless she doesn't.
Stefan returns with her wings. It is completely unforgivable, but she is alive. (She would have died.) He marries a woman he doesn't love. (True love doesn't exist anyway.) And, he becomes king. (He will do so much better.)
He doesn't do better. He is driven mad with guilt. (But she would have died.) His wife is kind and patient. (But he doesn't love her.) He might have come out of it when they had a beautiful daughter. (Maybe love does exist.)
Maleficent comes to the christening. She is strong and proud, even without her wings. (She would have died.) She starts to curse his daughter, Aurora. (He deserves it… but Aurora.) He falls to his knees and begs her not to. (For Aurora.) She adds that Aurora can be saved by true love's kiss. (True love doesn't exist, as they both know.) He sends Aurora away with the faeries. (He can't ruin things if he isn't there.)
He is alone again, and mad. (He had taken Maleficent's wings, but she was alive, and she had cursed his daughter, and maybe he shouldn't have done anything, but then Maleficent would be dead and Aurora wouldn't exist, but she wouldn't be cursed either, and he couldn't have let Maleficent die, but it was all his fault.)
Aurora comes back just before her sixteenth birthday. The curse takes effect, and now she will sleep forever. (Perhaps he could kill Maleficent for this. None of this would have happened if he had just let her die.)
Stefan finds Maleficent in his castle, and he is stunned. She is standing there with Aurora and two men. (How can Aurora be awake when true love doesn't exist?) They explain how Maleficent saved Aurora. (Could he have done that?) Aurora releases Maleficent's wings, which rejoin her as if he had never taken them. (So easy.)
Stefan has never believed in miracles, but he thinks this might be a second chance. Maleficent has her wings back, his daughter is awake and true love exists. He will never forgive himself for what he has done, but he will try again to be a good king, and a good person.