I saw Maleficent yesterday (well... 2 days ago since it is now 12:30am) and I was very interested in why her hair is loosely flowing in the beginning. All the way up until she takes the throne of the Moors. But then she has her hair up until the very end scene. I, of course, immediately decided to write a fanfiction about why that is. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE, DON'T READ THE STORY!
And so without any further ado:
Diaval, The Protected.
The darkness around her seemed to dull the pain of his betrayal. It hid her deformed self from the view of the others from the Moors. It muted the sadness that tried to creep in. And she stood there and looked out the window. For days she looked, and for days nothing changed. She found herself petting her hair, imagining and wishing it were her wings instead. If only that... man... had cut her hair off and not her wings. She would feel phantom winds that seemed to come from wings, and yet... there were none. She felt the weight of gravity like a choker around her neck. Binding her. Branding her.
But it was only a few weeks after her forced solitude, did she hear the cry of a creäture of the Moors. And not only was it crying out, but she could feel it's terror. Automatically, she went to spread her wings and go to the creature's aid. The ache, and the emptiness had her press a hand to her hair. It had her close her eyes and pretend for a moment that this was all a nightmare. But it wasn't, so she closed her eyes and appeared in the human world. And there she could see a brave crow fighting against the net a human had set on him. This same crow who had once sought to break her solitude. The man prepared to beat the bird, and she was moving her magic before she realized. "Into a man." Was the command and the bird transformed. The silly man fled with his little dog, and they soon lost her interest.
She spoke with the bird, but the words themselves did not seem as important. He had wings. Her heart ached, and he pledged his servitude. She pledged in herself, that no harm would come to his wings. None ever.
The weeks went by quietly. She returned to her solitude in the tower, but Diaval was there with her. So she was not truly alone. But the company of a crow man was not the company she wished, and every time he transformed into a crow once more, she felt her back ache. But she refused to show him her pain, and would wait for him to fly off before she would begin to close her eyes and pet her hair once more. She could almost imagine that the silky strands of hair that lay under her fingers felt like the smooth expanse of feathers on a wing. And if she pressed the hair into her shoulder, she could almost imagine it was a wing feeling the pressure instead.
Diaval had brought back news of the worst of things. That... that... MAN... had dared to steal her wings all so that he could have a human throne. All so that he could be king. Fury, never before known, flooded her veins and screamed her rage at the sky, hoping that all the lands would see her rage and understand. It did not take much thinking about what she could do to counter his power. She would become Queen of the Moors. If he thought he was so powerful, well she could be powerful too. A single loss... Maleficent took a deep breath... a single loss was not enough to keep her from avenging her loss. So she took a throne she built herself.
She often saw Diaval catching her petting her hair, but she ignored him. She ignored what she was doing, and ruled the people of the Moors the best she could. They did not like her rule, and she found herself petting her hair on her shoulder more and more. One day Diaval approached her. This was not so unusual, but the reluctance on his face was.
"Speak Diaval. What is it? Any news?"
"No, Mistress. I was wondering... would you like someone to help with your hair?"
"My hair?" Her hand shot to it, relieved to find it where it was supposed to be. "What is wrong with it?"
"Nothing," he lowered his head, "I just frequently see you.. pet it. I had just wondered..."
"Well cease wondering. Nothing is wrong with my hair."
"Of course Mistress."
She was walking the perimeter of her wall when Diaval arrived with a scroll in his claws. She took the scroll from him and transformed him human again. "Well done Daival."
"What is that?" Diaval asked, his head bowed as though he wasn't acting presumptuous. But Maleficent couldn't care as she opened the scroll.
"It an ancient protection spell." She read the instructions, walking as she did so.
"And... why did the humans have it?" Diaval asked, obviously reluctantly.
Maleficent turned and looked at Diaval, and she knew that her eyes were flashing angrily. "Because they came here and took it from us. It was long ago, and they must have thought we had forgotten about it. But we did not." With this said she turned and began to walk again. Most of the requirements were easy enough. But the main ingredient she pretended to ignore. She was finally going to make sure that her promise would be kept. "I need a feather from you Diaval."
"Why?" He asked uncertainly.
"It is not for you to question me!" She wove her magic and he transformed into the stunning crow that he was. He flew in a quick circle around her, until a single feather fell from his wings and she scooped it from the air. She immediately began to walk toward the tower where she had hidden herself for so long. "I must be alone for this spell." She informed the crow, and she was pleased when he turned and flew away.
When she arrived in the tower she immediately made a bowl of vines as the instructions dictated. Filling with fresh spring water she had gathered on her way, she made sure that there were no leaks in the work. A minor adjustment and it was fine. Looking down at the instructions she copied the ancient fairy runes around the bowl and the water began to bubble. Nervous, she placed her hand over the bubbles and was pleased when she found that the water was not boiling in heat. That meant she had done everything correct. Taking a deep breath she scattered the leaves of the flowers and plants she had collected on the way. They immediately disintegrated into the water, and then it stopped boiling. It began to glow faintly. A voice rang out from the water.
"Who is the one who calls on the Eternal Beings?"
"It is I, Maleficent, fairy-born and Queen of the Moors."
"Queen? There has never been a Queen before."
"Well there is one now."
"Very well. What is you wish?"
"I have a companion, Diaval..."
"Yes we know of the crow you turned human. What of him?"
"I wish that his wings will be forever protected."
"Protected from what?"
"From all things, weather, war, age. I wish that his wings will never falter, that they will never break. I wish that his wings will stay with him always."
"And yet you transform him into a wingless beast on many occasion."
"And yet."
There was a moment's silence. "We shall see. Place the freely given essence of Diaval into the water." She did as she was told, and the water immediately turned clear, though there didn't seem to be a bottom of the bowl. "This is acceptable. Now for the payment. We require the thing you treasure most."
"What I treasure most are my wings."
"But they are gone."
"Yes, so I ask that you may take another."
"What other?"
Taking a deep breath, and reminding herself of why she was doing what she was doing she breathed out, "Take my hair."
There was another silence, and this one seemed louder than the other. But then the words she both feared and hoped for echoed though the room. "That is acceptable. Place you head into the water." Taking a deep breath she did so. There was a bright flash of light and then she found herself laying on the ground, the bowl, and runes having disappeared.
Cautiously she lifted her hand to her hair and found only skin. Crawling into the darkest corner, so rocked herself and sobbed quietly. Repeating to herself "To protect his wings. To protect his wings." Eventually she calmed down. She ripped the hem off of her dress and began to wrap it around her head. A bit of magic and a mirror later, it looked deliberate. It didn't seem to be a last-minute effort to hide her head. Lifting her chin, she left the tower.
She felt the most amazing joy when her wings were returned to her. She hated that the moment was marred by that horrid man. But she fought him, and when she finally stood over his dead form, did she take her first breath of clean air. No longer was he in his mind, no longer was the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Diaval immediately came up behind her, and she allowed herself to lean onto his chest. She finally allowed herself to acknowledge that she no longer considered him a servant. In fact, he had stopped being a servant to her, the day she had given up her hair for him. That evening they shared their first true kiss, one not marred by anger, or war. And their first true kiss turned into so much more. And the last vestiges of him were gone.
The next morning she woke up in her tree, with the crow Diaval nearby. At first she couldn't tell what had woken her, but then she noticed a small pool of water in a bowl of leaves on a branch. Light was shining out of the water. "The Eternal Beings great you, Maleficent Guardian of the Moors and Human world; and to Diaval, the protected."
Diaval had transformed into his human form, Maleficent having given him the power to change at will the night before. But now both of them were frozen. But for very different reasons. "How may I assist?" Maleficent slowly, trying to breathe calmly, knowing what was coming.
"Your most treasured possession has returned to you, the offering you gave us before is no longer acceptable. We seek the honorable trade."
"Offering?" Diaval asked, directing the question to both Maleficent and the water.
"The offering for the gift of protection."
"Is that why you called me the protected?"
"Yes, Maleficent..."
"Enough." Maleficent closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Can you allow me a few days before you take my wings away."
Diaval froze even more. The water paused, than. "That is not acceptable. We demand the honorable trade now."
"I... I..." Maleficent could feel tears begin to fall as she knew there was nothing she could do. She had had her wings for a day, and she was going to have to lose them again.
"Is there anyway she can keep her wings and be returned her other offering?"
A moment. "The protected would be no longer protected, and a payment of blood."
Maleficent blanched. But Diaval didn't seem fazed. "How long would you wait for a payment of blood?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Would Mother's blood be acceptable?"
Maleficent felt both fear and joy radiate within her. Mother's blood... to birth a child... "Would Maleficent be willing to trade the current protection, and mother's blood to keep your treasured possession and have your second treasured possession returned to you?"
Maleficent turned to her lover. "I offered them this for you, your protection. What if you need it, and because of my selfishness here you won't have it?"
"I'll have you." Diaval took her hand. "And a child, if that is not acceptable with you... I mean we did just..." Maleficent shut him up with a kiss.
"That is acceptable." Maleficent said.
"Very well." A black feather shot from the potion and landed in Diaval's hand. Diaval looked at the feather and seemed to realize something. Cautiously, as though she would hurt him, he took hold of the covering on her head, the one she had refused to remove even the night before, and pulled it off.
Maleficent closed her eyes, so she didn't have to see his response. "We return your possession." Came the voice, Maleficent's head suddenly itched like crazy and she reached to scratch it, and encountered hair. She couldn't keep her tears in this time. So pressed her face into Diaval's shoulder and let the few loose tears fall. "Till the Mother's blood. You have 2 years."
Diaval lifted her chin and kissed her gently. Things quickly turned heated.
Maleficent lay with her head on his chest, her eyes were closed and she was almost asleep when Diaval muttered something as he pet her hair. He must have thought she was fully asleep because he said, "I'll have you and a child."
Please Review!