Mother/Daughter
Prologue
"Was that true, what you said to Phillip?" Maleficent asked after Rose had gotten her settled.
"Yes it was. I realized a long time ago that I no longer loved him. Were you sincere last night when you called me your child?"
Maleficent averted her gaze before giving back a soft "Yes." Rose was surprised and happy. She had always longed for a mother, now she actually had a chance at having one. She was, needless to say, thrilled.
"Did you mean it when you called me Mother?"
Rose blushed.
"Yes. Growing up, I never had a mother. Then I was told that I had one. When I finally met her, she showed no interest in me. She never gave me any love either. Neither did my father."
Maleficent felt sorry for Rose. True, she had never known her own father, but at least her mother had given her attention and love. Maleficent looked up at Rose, only to see tears slipping down her cheeks. Wordlessly, she opened her arms, inviting Rose to come to her. Rose collapsed onto Maleficent, silently crying from sadness and joy. As Rose's own tears subsided, she felt something wet on her head. She gazed at Maleficent to find tears silently rolling down her face as well.
*********************************Shortly After**********************************
Rose had never seen Maleficent cry before. In fact, she didn't even know she could cry. Rose cocked her head slightly, and continued to gaze at Maleficent. Maleficent, however, didn't seem to notice or remember that Rose was there. Hesitantly, Rose reached up and brushed her thumb across Maleficent's cheek. Maleficent was startled and jerked away from the contact, causing Rose to withdraw her hand quickly. Maleficent realized what she had done when she saw Rose's hurt expression.
"I'm sorry Rose. I was simply lost in thought and didn't realize that I was crying."
Rose let her breath out in one long sigh. She had been afraid that Maleficent had reconsidered. Rose shivered at the thought. Maleficent raised an eyebrow, concern written across her face.
"Are you cold?"
Honestly Rose hadn't thought about it while she was crying from sheer happiness, but now that Maleficent mentioned it, she was cold. She shivered again and nodded her head. Maleficent lifted up the blankets, clearly inviting Rose underneath so that they could continue their discussion. Rose dove underneath the covers, seeking warmth. As usual, she cuddled up to Maleficent, who was radiating heat from running such a high fever. Rose rested her head on Maleficent's chest and immediately felt sleepy. Maleficent winced slightly at the sudden contact of ice-cold skin on her own clammy-and yet somehow burning-skin. Despite being so close to Maleficent, and under at least twenty thick, heat trapping black blankets, Rose was still shaking slightly. She noticed her skin that had been exposed was like ice.
Maleficent noticed the shivering and how Rose's skin remained like ice, and worry consumed her. She recalled that she had been inexplicably cold during the few days before she got sick.
******************************Flashback: 1 week ago***************************
Maleficent was curled up with a blanket in a chair in her library, researching spells and trying to find one that would unfreeze her beloved pet. She shivered slightly at the cool wind blowing through the corridor and into the room. She noted that it seemed colder than usual in her castle. Although the walls were falling down, she hardly ever noticed the cold. Maleficent shivered again and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. She was actually quite annoyed, since this was the third day in a row she was required to use a blanket just to read.
After a few more minutes of useless searching, Maleficent decided that she could not put up with the cold any longer. She decided to relax in her room for a few hours. As she was going up the uncovered staircase that led to her room, she wrapped her arms around herself because she suddenly felt like a block of ice. She found this odd, her body usually thrived in the cold, especially in the winter. Reaching her bed, she collapsed onto it, suddenly utterly exhausted. After a few moments of tossing and turning, Maleficent discovered that she could not seem to get warm. No amount of heat seemed to penetrate her body. Getting into a comfortable position, she fell asleep, still feeling like a chunk of ice.
*******************************Shortly After Cont.*****************************
It had been a day or so later that the other symptoms set in and her magic failed. It was another two days before Rose had found her in her pitiful state and helped her. Maleficent hoped and prayed that Rose would not catch her cold. Ordinarily, Maleficent would not have worried so much because if Rose were simply a mortal, it would not have a serious effect on her. But, since she was part fairy, it would be almost as bad as her own case. Rose, by this time, had fallen asleep watching Maleficent think. Maleficent could feel Rose shaking in her sleep. She placed her hand on Rose's forehead, certain that she would be burning up with fever, much like herself. To her surprise and delight, Rose was very cool. Of course, this could simply be because her hands were warm from her fever. This did not cease Maleficent's worrying however, because she thought that perhaps Rose was only in the first stages of the virus.
Right now, she was starting to feel tired again. She fought against it though, because she didn't want to be asleep when Rose awoke. But eventually, her illness overtook her body and she too was violently shivering. Maleficent was sure that her fever had risen but she really didn't care. Well actually she did, because the higher it went, the colder and more miserable she felt. Snuggling closer to Rose, Maleficent swore she would stay awake. Of course, Rose's gentle breathing and general presence soon soothed her enough so that she gave in to her body's demands and fell asleep.
Rose woke up to find herself quite close to Maleficent, surrounded by blankets, and yet, she found she was just as cold now as when she had fallen asleep. Shivering, she moved so that instead of resting her head on Maleficent's chest, she was now almost completely on top of her. Rose could not believe how warm Maleficent was. It was like sleeping inside a fireplace. Yet, Rose could feel that Maleficent was shivering almost as violently as she was. Rose had a sudden urge to wake Maleficent up. She knew she shouldn't because she was ill and needed her rest, but she just had a certain feeling that she needed to be woken up.
"Maleficent." Rose said while shaking the older woman's shoulder. "Maleficent. MALEFICENT!" Rose nearly shouted when the shaking failed to wake the woman up.
Rose sat up and stared at Maleficent. She soon became acutely aware of how pale Maleficent had become. Instead of being an evergreen-white, she was now utterly white. Not to mention her labored breathing. This frightened Rose because she knew she was in danger of losing the only person who mattered to her anymore. Quickly, Rose jumped from the bed and grabbed the spell book, searching for any spell that could help. Luckily, she managed to find one. Concentrating, Rose chanted the spell over Maleficent and watched the color flood back into her face. At that exact moment, Rose sat down, feeling dizzy. When Rose's weight shifted the bed ever so slightly, Maleficent woke up. For a moment, she couldn't recall where she was. When she saw Rose, she immediately went into over-protective mode, otherwise known as being a mom.
"Rose, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"I...I'm fine. I just did a spell and then I felt dizzy. It's nothing, it's passed now."
'Uh oh. That's what happened to me shortly before I lost control over my magic.' Maleficent thought to herself. By this time, Rose had curled into a ball on the bed and was shivering violently, actually causing the bed to shake.
"You are definitely not 'fine'. How long have you been cold?" Maleficent asked with a sigh.
"All day."
Maleficent cursed under her breath, now questioning the logic of letting Rose share the bed when she knew that there was a good possibility that Rose would get sick as well. Maleficent suddenly felt hot, and it wasn't from the fever. She threw back the blankets, which Rose grabbed, and was pleasantly greeted with cool, not cold, air. Maleficent stretched, suddenly feeling much better. She decided she would try a spell to see if her rising suspicions were true. Maleficent pointed her finger at the wall and concentrated. Almost immediately, a bolt of green lightning shot from her finger. Maleficent smirked. She then curled her hand upwards and created a green swirling ball. She smirked again and let the orb dissolve.
Maleficent looked down at herself and pointed her finger at her gown, successfully transforming it into her billowing robes. She then pointed at her head, and her raven hair was swept up out of sight beneath her usual horned head dress. It felt good for Maleficent to be dressed again. This done, she turned her attention back to Rose. She was now surrounded with blankets. Maleficent's heart broke, watching her suffer. She thought she knew what spell Rose had used, but she asked her just to be sure. If she was right, Rose was truly the most powerful fairy of all.
"Rose, what spell did you cast before you got dizzy?" Maleficent asked in a tone so gentle that she couldn't believe that it was her speaking.
"I'm not sure. It was something about changing places and healing all."
Quickly, Maleficent snatched the book off the floor where it had fallen and began to search for a spell she knew that fit that description.
"Was it this one?" she asked, showing her the page.
"Yes, I think so."
Maleficent swore under her breath, realizing this was indeed the spell she thought Rose had used, meaning she was truly the most powerful fairy. Unfortunately, this meant Rose was in trouble. It was a simple healing spell. But since it was a dark spell, it wasn't designed to heal completely, just force the illness on someone else. Rose had read it in a hurry, only seeing that it would heal Maleficent. Maleficent wasn't sure how Rose had managed the spell, because magic colds normally resisted all magic, good or bad. This meant that Maleficent was more than unlikely to be able to switch places with Rose. She was determined to try however. Maleficent squared her shoulders and focused her all her magic into the words she had begun to chant. Immediately after the spell was finished, she felt the urge to throw up. That wasn't all she felt however.
As soon as Maleficent managed to regain control over her stomach, she noticed she felt drained and feverish once again. She glanced at Rose, who had stopped shivering and was now staring at her with worry, because she had suddenly bent double. Maleficent sneezed quite violently and realized that her spell had been a success. In the back of her mind, Maleficent acknowledged the fact that she had just doubled her misery and her illness. Since Rose had already begun to get sick when she had cast the spell, and since Maleficent had just transferred everything from Rose to her, she was suffering from a double cold. She was back at square one, or maybe even square negative one if it was going to be as bad as she thought it was.
Maleficent slowly straightened up to her full height, and tried to transform her robes into her gown, only to find her concentration was so horrible from a sudden headache that nothing at all happened. Maleficent held her forehead and doubled back over, trying not to fall because she was so weak. Rose had been watching, vaguely aware that Maleficent had cast the same spell on herself, and now she seemed to be in a great deal of pain.
"Maleficent." Rose whispered, "You didn't have to do that."
Maleficent slowly turned her head so that she was looking at Rose and gave a weak smile.
"Yes, I did. I do not like to see my daughter suffer."
Rose smiled.
"Well, I can't stand seeing my mother so miserable. That's why I performed the spell in the first place. I...I almost...lost...you." Rose finished in a quiet whisper, tears threatening to fall.
Maleficent's eyes widened in shock. She had almost died? Rose had saved her life? As quickly as she could manage, Maleficent went to Rose and hugged her tightly. Suddenly, Maleficent's legs gave out from under her, causing her to fall on top of Rose, who caught her.
"Maybe I should help you change and get back to bed."
Maleficent nodded, grateful she wasn't alone. Rose transformed Maleficent's robes once again into a black and purple gown. She then helped Maleficent under the covers, taking off the head dress as she did so. Rose then conjured a brush and sat behind Maleficent, forcing her to remain sitting up. Rose began to gently brush Maleficent's hair, soothing the woman to the point of sighing contentedly. The longer Rose brushed, the sleepier Maleficent grew until instead of sitting, she was leaning against Rose. When she was finished, Rose discovered that Maleficent had indeed fallen asleep. Rose didn't want to awaken Maleficent, so she decided to just stay put.
Rose looked down at her mother. At least, she had come to consider Maleficent her mother. She just hadn't had the courage to call her that yet. Rose was upset that Maleficent was ill again. She had purposely recited that spell to heal her. True, she didn't realize that it would in turn make her ill, but it had been worth it when she watched Maleficent perform magic. Now she didn't know what to do because she was fairly sure that she couldn't successfully perform the spell again. Even if she could, she knew Maleficent would just switch places with her again. Rose sat in silence for a few moments, trying to decide how to get out from under Maleficent without waking her up. The peace was suddenly shattered with a scream.
Maleficent ran. She was very young, only six or seven. She had already exhausted her powers by throwing untrained magic at the creature. In truth, she knew it was a man. It was one of the King's knights to be more precise. He had come to her home and slaughtered her mother and sisters in cold blood. They hadn't even seen him since they were asleep. The only reason she had been spared was because she had stayed up late reading in the library. She had come out to find the knight creeping into her mother's bedroom. Maleficent knew that she shouldn't follow, but she loved her mother dearly and wanted to make sure she would be okay.
Maleficent crept into her mother's bedroom after the knight. She saw him approach her mother's bed and raise his sword. She screamed and her mother's eyes flew open. But it was too late. His sword hit her chest and pierced her heart. She gasped and spit up blood. Maleficent screamed again and hurled untrained magic at the knight. Luckily, it was powerful enough to knock him unconscious. Maleficent rushed to her mother's side. She knew she was dying, and there was nothing she could do about it. Maleficent saw a faint orange glow, and knew her mother was trying to heal herself. She was too weak, and the magic failed. She looked to her youngest daughter.
"Maleficent," she gasped, "run. Run away and live. Don't let him kill you too."
"But I can't leave you Mommy." Maleficent said as she started to cry.
"You...you must run. Pr...promise you'll run."
"I promise."
"Good. I love you."
And just like that, her mother was gone. Quickly, Maleficent ran from the room, tears streaming down her face. She ran into her eldest sister's room. She found Elsie dead. Soon, she discovered that Esmerelda and Satania had been killed too. Maleficent, blinded by tears, ran downstairs and out the front door. Just as she got outside, she heard the knight running down the stairs, and she knew that she had to get away or she would be next. Her mother, Amnessa, was the Mistress of all Evil. Maleficent knew the knight had come to rid the kingdom of all the evil fairies.
Maleficent stumbled along blindly, tiring quickly. But she kept running. She could hear the knight getting closer, and at that exact moment, she tripped over a rock and screamed, sure that she was dead.
…...
Rose didn't know what to do. Maleficent had started to scream and shake. Rose assumed that she was having a nightmare, considering that Maleficent was never scared. And she never screamed. Ever. Rose knew she had to wake Maleficent up before she could hurt herself.
"Maleficent. Maleficent, wake up." Rose said shaking her shoulders. "Maleficent, it's just a nightmare." Nothing. "MOMMY WAKE UP!" Rose shouted as she began to panic.
Immediately, gold and black eyes snapped open. Shaking, Maleficent turned and buried her head into Rose's shoulder and began to sob, which eventually turned into coughs.
"Shhhhh. Shhhhhhhhh. It was just a dream. It wasn't real, it can't hurt you."
Slowly, Maleficent ceased crying, but remained with her head in Rose's shoulder, hiccuping. Rose began to rub Maleficent's back, trying to further calm her down. After a few more minutes, Maleficent turned and looked at Rose. Her black eyes still held a few unshed tears, but she did a good job of holding them in.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
Maleficent nodded.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Maleficent shook her head.
"Are you sure?"
Again, she nodded.
"Okay. Are you alright now?" asked Rose.
"Yes. I'm alright."
"Good. Try to go back to sleep."
"I'll try."
Maleficent uncurled from Rose and laid back down. Rose shifted to the other side of the bed and lay down as well, needing a nap. They were both quiet for a few minutes before Maleficent spoke. Rose was nearly asleep and could barely comprehend what Maleficent was saying.
"Whatdidyousay?" Rose asked sleepily.
"I said: Did you call me mommy?"
"Uh-huh."
"Why?"
" 'Cuz you are." And Rose fell asleep, leaving Maleficent to ponder on the revelation.
'She called me 'mommy'. She actually called me mommy. Does this mean she actually loves me? I haven't had anyone love me in two hundred and ninety-four years. I haven't loved anyone since then either. Not since Mommy...' At the thought of her mother, Maleficent felt a fresh wave of sadness wash over her. The nightmare came back in full force, making her shiver. The horrible thing was, that was a memory, not a nightmare. After she had fallen, the knight easily caught her. Maleficent had been scared to death. Before he could kill her, she had thought of a spell she had been learning. It was a teleportation spell. It was her last hope.
Maleficent quickly chanted the spell and thought of the Kingdom of the North. Instantly, she had been transported there. She had appeared in a castle, the same one she now called home. At the time, it had been the home of a rival king and the kingdom was at war. She had hidden in the woods that surrounded the castle and watched as the king was killed and the crown was returned to the rightful ruler. After a few months, Maleficent had deemed the castle safe and had been living there ever since. Over the years, the castle had fallen into despair, and was currently beyond repair. The anger she had felt in her heart remained and grew with each passing day. Maleficent trained and gained control of her magic. She had then taken her mother's title and reeked havoc on generations of kings, up until the day of the battle with Phillip, in which she had been defeated. She was now waiting to claim revenge.
But Maleficent was no longer sure that she wanted revenge. Now that she actually had a daughter, something to live for, she didn't feel the drive to be evil beyond comprehension anymore. Of course, she wasn't going to lose her reputation. Not after she had spent nearly her entire life building it up. Looking at Rose who was peacefully asleep, Maleficent felt her heart melt. She wasn't sure why Rose had chosen her. Rose was sweet, charming, innocent, caring, and honest. In short, everything Maleficent was not.
As Maleficent was watching, Rose's facial features changed. Her face contorted, and she started to thrash around. "No. No, leave her alone!" Rose mumbled. Maleficent watched, unsure of what was wrong. Rose thrashed around some more until she went suddenly rigid. A tear slipped down her cheek and she screamed "MOMMY!" and jerked awake, panting. Rose's eyes darted around, until they locked onto Maleficent. Launching herself upon Maleficent, Rose realized she never wanted to let go. She held onto Maleficent with an iron grip, which she guessed would leave bruises later. Maleficent just sat still, stunned.
This was the second time in two days that Rose had clung to her. Maleficent looked down into wild violet eyes. She saw a massive range of emotions from scared to love. Rose continued to pant and stare at Maleficent, finding no words to express her feelings.
"Rose, what was your nightmare about?" Maleficent asked gently.
"Oh, Mommy, it was horrible! Phillip was there and he killed you! He chained me to a wall and made me watch. I tried to help, but I couldn't break the chains! He wouldn't event release me to tell you goodbye!" Rose said, on the verge to becoming hysterical.
"Shhhhh. Rose, you're fine, I'm fine. It was only a dream. Phillip will never hurt me."
"Promise?"
Maleficent was flooded with memories of herself as a child asking her mother the very same question.
"Promise."
Rose, satisfied, sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to Maleficent, and released her death grip. Maleficent, happy that she had successfully calmed Rose down, basked in the glory of her new title. She knew that before long, Rose would more than likely change 'Mommy' to 'Mom' or 'Mother'. Until then, however, Maleficent was content with Mommy.
"Tell me a story." Rose quietly requested all the while loving the feeling that she could now experience having a mother.
"Once upon a time-" Maleficent started, but was interrupted by small yawn accompanied with a "No, Mommy, a true story." Maleficent chuckled lightly at how child-like Rose could be. She supposed that was because Rose had never had a mother to be childish with. Maleficent figured that because the Good Fairies were so incompetent, Rose had been forced to grow up quickly. She sighed at this thought. Until her mother had been murdered, Maleficent had had a normal childhood filled with I love you's, good night kisses, and stories. She felt sad that Rose had never been able to experience that and was determined to make it up to her.
Rose poked Maleficent in the shoulder, wanting her to continue with the story. Maleficent looked down at her and smiled. "When I was a little girl..." Rose smiled, glad to have gotten a story about Maleficent's childhood out of her. "And that was when I discovered my powers." Maleficent finished. Rose had managed to stay awake for most of the story, but close to the end she had drifted off to sleep. Maleficent glanced at one of the windows, aware that it was growing late. She felt the stress of the day sink through her body, making her tired once again. Cautiously, she bent her head and lightly kissed Rose on the forehead. "Good night my sweet child." Maleficent whispered as she fell asleep.
********************************One Month Later******************************
Since the confrontation with Phillip, and the spell reversal, Maleficent had been recovering steadily and was now allowed to get up and move around. It was now the middle of winter, and it seemed to Rose that the past month or so was a joke that mother nature had decided to play. The temperatures now did not compare to anything Rose had ever felt. She was now forced to keep a fire burning constantly, and she still shared a bed with Maleficent, partly from necessity, partly because she was still afraid she would lose her. In fact, she now listened to her mother's heartbeat before she allowed herself to fall asleep. It was on this cold, frosty morning that Rose and Maleficent were taking a small walk.
They had made an agreement that morning. Maleficent would be allowed to come with Rose but only if she wore layers of cloaks and did exactly as Rose said. Maleficent, eager to get out of the castle, agreed. So here they were, both covered in so many layers that they each wondered how the other could move. It hadn't been too long until a contented sigh came from Maleficent.
"What is it Mommy?"
Maleficent smiled, pleased that Rose hadn't changed Mommy to something else.
"Nothing. It just feels good to be outside again."
They continued on in silence for a while until they came to a hidden lake. It was beautiful, covered in ice and surrounded by frozen trees with icicles hanging off the branches. Rose and Maleficent drew a breath simultaneously.
"It's beautiful." breathed Rose.
"It is indeed"
"Did you know it was here?"
"No."
The pair continued to gaze at the beauty before them. Unconsciously, Rose shivered and snuggled close to Maleficent, who obliged and wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulders. Maleficent shivered and coughed lightly, causing Rose to turn her attention to her.
"Maybe we should go back now." she suggested softly.
Maleficent simply nodded in agreement and they headed back to the castle. Rose flicked her wrist and transformed Maleficent's robes back into her gown. Another wrist flick and there was a roaring fire. The walk had made Maleficent tired, and as she was getting back into bed, she noticed Rose hadn't changed her robes.
"Where are you going?"
"Out to find some winter berries."
Maleficent nodded, and with a bang!, Rose transported herself back to the forest. She was intending to look for berries, but she also wanted to see the lake again. So Rose made her way to the lake, picking berries along the way. When she reached the lake, a message came through her mind. It was from Maleficent, asking if Rose was okay and if she would be back soon. Rose sent Maleficent a message that stated she was fine and it would be a little while before she would be home.
They had discovered soon after Rose started to train her magic that they had an emotional link between their minds. With a little concentration and a little magic, they had strengthened that connection to a sort of communication system. They could read each others' thoughts and did it often when they were apart. That was probably what saved Rose's life.
After she sent Maleficent her message, she tripped and her basket flew out across the lake, stopping in the middle. Annoyed, Rose inched across the ice to get it. She had just reached it when she felt the ice crack beneath her weight. Rose stood stock still, afraid to move. She was more afraid that if she tried to teleport, the magic given off would crack the ice before the spell was complete. So she was stuck. Rose decided her best option was to inch her way back across the lake slowly and stop if the ice cracked anymore. Just as she started across, the ice cracked and gave way. As Rose went underneath the water, her mind flooded with thoughts. One of which was how she couldn't swim and how it didn't matter because her clothes were so heavy. As she ran out of air, she thought about her mother, and how much she loved her. She was upset that she would never see her again. Her last coherent thought as she blacked out was that she wished she would have risked teleportation.
Maleficent had been flipping through a book when her mind was flooded with Rose's thoughts, most of which were incoherent. Maleficent was able to understand that Rose was in trouble, given her thoughts of how cold the water was and that she was probably going to die. Quickly, Maleficent transported herself to the lake and nearly collapsed, the exertion almost too much for her. She looked across the lake, seeing a flash of gold disappear beneath the surface. Maleficent couldn't swim well. She had never taken the time to learn and saw it as useless. She regretted that now.
Maleficent pointed at the place she saw Rose vanish, and chanted a spell. Rose floated up to the surface and Maleficent breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Rose wasn't safe yet and that her magic had been exhausted, but at least she was above water. But she had to get to Rose. She had to save her daughter. Slipping layers of robes off until she was in her gown, Maleficent took a breath and dove into the lake, praying she could swim well enough to get to Rose. The cold water shocked her system, and for a moment Maleficent went under as well. But the next moment she was floating and gasping for air. She then began swimming to Rose. Upon reaching her, Maleficent grabbed her arm and started to pull Rose to the shore. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Maleficent and Rose made it.
As Maleficent lay gasping in the snow, she became aware that Rose wasn't breathing. She chanted a spell and hoped it would work. It did and seconds later Rose was coughing up water. Maleficent leaned over and helped Rose sit up so that she could breathe. After clearing her lungs of water, Rose looked up at Maleficent and suddenly slipped into unconsciousness. Startled and scared, Maleficent shook Rose and tried to make her wake up. When that failed, Maleficent noticed that Rose was still breathing and calmed down considerably. Now she was faced with the problem of getting them both home. It had been a miracle that her magic had worked to revive Rose, because she had been sure it was spent. Against all odds, Maleficent hoped for another miracle as she recited the teleportation spell. For a moment, nothing worked and Maleficent supposed it was too much to ask for two miracles in one day. Then, the world swirled around her and she found herself back at the castle with Rose cradled in her arms.
She sprang into action. Since she felt so drained, she couldn't use magic to get Rose out of her wet clothes and had to do it the normal way. When Maleficent reached Rose's slip, she stopped and slipped a warm gown over her body. She then put Rose to bed and sat in the chair Rose had conjured so many weeks ago.
Rose awoke to find herself in bed at home, Maleficent staring at her with relief and worry. For a moment, she suspected she was dead, until Maleficent placed her hand on her cheek. Her hand felt cold and Rose realized she must be alive. She actually felt a little feverish and hoped Maleficent hadn't noticed.
"Mommy, what happened?"
"You fell under the ice. Don't you remember?"
"No. Wait, I remember falling and being cold. Then I remember seeing you and feeling colder. Was that it?"
"Yes. You fell beneath the ice and I got you. I revived you and you fell unconscious soon after. I brought you here."
Rose pondered this for a minute. She vaguely wondered how Maleficent could have known she was in trouble, then she remembered the connection. Blinking, she realized that Maleficent was shivering violently. Rose wondered why that was because she felt hot. Panting, Rose sat up and was determined to get up, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Maleficent with a questioning gaze. Maleficent could feel the heat radiating off of Rose and knew she was running a fever. She gently pushed Rose back down, only to have her sit back up again. She sighed in defeat and knew Rose would win.
"Did you get wet too?" Rose asked, although she was sure knew the answer.
"Yes. Now please sleep Rose. You're running a fever."
"I'm fine. You're the one who's got a fever. I can tell."
"Maybe so, but I'll be fine. Please Rose, get some rest."
"No. Switch places with me."
Maleficent sighed again, very aware of how tired she really was. She obeyed Rose however, and figured when Rose felt bad enough to admit she didn't feel well, she would tell her. She glanced at Rose now, who was perched on the edge of the bed beside her. She saw and felt Rose place her hand on her forehead and felt the coolness on her hot face. In spite of herself, Maleficent sighed in relief. A smug smirk crossed Rose's face as she conjured a wet cloth and placed it where her hand had been. The smirk was soon replaced with a look of love however when Rose considered what Maleficent had done.
"I love you Mommy." she whispered to Maleficent's sleeping form.
The first sound Maleficent heard when she woke up was sneezing. She looked around for the source of the noise and wasn't surprised to find that it came from Rose. Rose was curled into a small ball on the chair, feeling miserable. She was almost ready to wake Maleficent up and tell her she didn't feel good, when she noticed she had woken up. Maleficent's eyes locked onto Rose, who had finally stopped sneezing. Rose gazed evenly back at Maleficent, although, Maleficent noted, her eyes were a little glazed over from fever.
"Mommy?" Rose whispered, careful of her sore throat.
"What honey?"
"I don't feel good."
Maleficent wasn't surprised. It hurt her just to look at Rose. She was shaking and sweating. It reminded Maleficent of how sick she had been when Rose had found her in the tower. She imagined she must have looked similar to this. Getting up, Maleficent discovered her own fever had broken. She went over to Rose and cast a spell over her. Rose was too sick to really care what the spell was and she knew it wouldn't hurt her. Maleficent then leaned over her daughter and easily lifted her into her arms. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have needed the aid of magic just to pick Rose up, but she was still weak and decided it would be best to use magic to ensure she didn't drop her.
Maleficent tucked Rose into bed and smoothed the hair out of her face. She placed the back of her hand against her forehead and discovered Rose was burning up. Maleficent tucked the blankets a little tighter around Rose and flared the fire up a little higher. As she gazed down at Rose, she realized she wouldn't be able to go on if something happened to her.
"Mommy?"
"Hmmm?"
"I love you." Rose said for perhaps the millionth time that week.
"I love you too."
Maleficent rose to her full height and turned around to sit in the chair. Just as she reached it, she heard a small whimper. She turned to face Rose, who was sitting up.
"Where are you going?" Rose asked quietly.
"I'm just going to sit in the chair Rose, don't worry."
"Please stay."
"Rose, I'm not going to leave."
"No, I meant...never mind."
And then it dawned on Maleficent what Rose was asking. She wanted her to be beside her, much as she had wanted Rose beside her when she was first found.
"Of course I'll stay Rose." Maleficent whispered.
She then made her way to the other side of the bed and climbed in beside Rose, opening her arms. Rose snuggled close to Maleficent, sighed, and drifted off to sleep. Maleficent began to rub Rose's back, all the while hoping that it was just a simple human cold. She soon realized that Rose had done magic and realized that would not have been possible if it were a magic cold. Thankful for that third small miracle, Maleficent gazed down at Rose and immediately pulled her closer when she noticed the small shivers that racked her body. She was very worried about Rose. She was so delicate and Maleficent often wondered how she had managed the journey to her home-their home now-through a blizzard. 'Maybe, just maybe,' Maleficent thought, 'Rose isn't as delicate as I think.'
Noticing Rose's shivers had calmed down somewhat, Maleficent allowed her thoughts to wander. It wasn't long before she found herself wondering how she was going to tell Rose about her parents, her mother especially. She had approached the topic before, only to be cut off by Rose exclaiming "I don't want to talk about them." or "You're my mother, not her." And Maleficent couldn't miss the tone of distaste or hate whenever they talked about Rose's birth mother. Hearing such a surly tone coming from her usually sweet daughter, Maleficent would always back down, feeling more ill at ease than before. But she knew it couldn't be put off much longer. It was killing her to lie to Rose, or rather, keep a secret from her. An important secret that deeply concerned her at that. Maleficent decided that as soon as Rose was well (which she suspected would be in a few days) she would tell her then.
Maleficent was roused from her thoughts by a pair of sleep-heavy arms wrapping themselves around her. Soon after, she felt Rose's head on her chest, assertively nuzzling itself into her breast. She let out a nearly silent whimper at the short lived, unexpected pain. Not that it hurt much, but that was a rather...sensitive spot, and without her layers of robes or blankets covering her chest, it was just enough to send a little lightning bolt of pain through the affected area. Rose soon settled, however, and the momentary pain was forgotten. Sleepy again, Maleficent took one last look at Rose before she allowed herself to be pulled into the world of comforting darkness that was sleep.
About an hour after the pair had fallen asleep, Maleficent realized this was definitely not a cold. She had been awakened by Rose turning and tossing in her arms. She was also whimpering, which Maleficent found strange. Not long after, Rose woke up and wrapped her arms around her stomach. A few more minutes found Rose several shades whiter and slightly green. Maleficent had been trying to find out what was wrong with Rose by gently prodding areas of her stomach and asking if it hurt. When that failed, she had simply tried to comfort her as she became paler. Maleficent had just let Rose go to get behind her to hold her, because Rose had curled into the fetal position clutching her stomach. Rose then leaned over the side of the bed and began retching.
Maleficent was startled to say the least. When Rose continued to be sick, Maleficent took to rubbing her back and holding her hair out of the way. After a few minutes, Rose began to dry heave. She had started to cry about halfway through, screaming and begging for her mommy to make it better and to make it stop hurting. Maleficent had started to cry, telling Rose that she couldn't help her and that she was so sorry. Rose finally finished and was weak and exhausted. She slumped over the edge and Maleficent gently pulled her onto the bed. Glancing at Rose's mess, she flicked her wrist and the area was clean again. She laid Rose onto her back and felt her forehead.
She was still running a fever, and Maleficent was concerned because it had gone up. Rose was still pale, but some of the color had returned to her face. Her cheeks were a bright, angry red from fever. There were dark circles under her eyes, which were no longer vibrant, but dull violet. She gave off the appearance of death. And Maleficent was extremely afraid that was what would happen, because she recognized this illness. It had no formal name. Most just called it 'the stomach sickness' or just 'the sickness'. She had seen it before, and in those places, it usually killed the people suffering from it. The fever was usually horrible, the stomach was upset, the people couldn't keep anything down, and almost always complained of a headache. Rose had all these symptoms and Maleficent feared for her life. Maleficent herself had survived a bout of this illness a century ago after she had stayed a bit too long in a village where an epidemic had broken out shortly after she had arrived.
No one had helped her. She had returned to her castle and waited it out, sometimes afraid she would die, at other times praying for death. She had lived but barely. It had taken her months to become fully recovered. But she had noticed that people who had the illness once and survived often did not get it again, so she at least knew she would be spared from that horrible thing this time. Maleficent placed a wet cloth on Rose's forehead, hoping to bring the fever down. It was so high now that Rose whimpered when Maleficent brushed a hand across her face. It was worse when she touched her arm or brushed against her leg. Rose actually cried when that occurred.
Maleficent knew she had to do something quickly, but what? She could try a spell, but this would most likely not complete the required task. Rose was shivering, violently. Maleficent lightly laid her hand on Rose's shoulder and it was immediately warmed by the immense heat coming from the girl. Rose whimpered quietly at the contact and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Her skin had become flushed except for a light red color that resembled a blush. Maleficent was debating her options. She could cast a spell, she could try to cool Rose down herself, she could leave her be and hope the fever broke before it killed her.
She immediately ruled out the last option, that was too big of a risk. That left her with two solutions. Unfortunately, neither had a dependable outcome. Maleficent decided to try the spell first, and if that didn't work, she would cool her down herself. She recited the spell from memory and when after a few minutes it didn't have the desired effect, she was deciding how to go about cooling Rose down. After deciding that the best thing to do would be to dunk Rose in the lake once again, she looked at her daughter, who was now almost unconscious. Rose was mumbling something that sounded like 'Mommy' to Maleficent. She leaned closer and listened intently for a few moments. Rose was indeed murmuring Mommy.
"Shhh, baby. Shhhh Rose. Mommy's here. Mommy's here." Maleficent murmured into her ear while she lightly kissed her forehead. The searing heat burned her lips and Maleficent knew no more time could be wasted. She laid her hand gently on Rose's arm, causing new tears to come forward, recited the teleportation spell, and braced herself. When she opened her eyes, they were seated on the bank to the lake. Maleficent took Rose in her arms, and slowly waded into the water until she was waist deep. She lowered Rose into the water slowly, at first stopping when her knees were in the water.
After a few moments she lowered her further still until she was waist deep also. A few more moments and she was up to her chest. Maleficent lowered Rose until the water was up to her neck, standing and holding her for several minutes when she noticed the red tint beginning to fade from her daughter's still-too-hot skin. It wasn't until Maleficent was shaking violently from head to foot and when she could no longer feel her lower body that she brought Rose out of the lake. Rose was still only semi-conscious so she didn't really notice the change in setting. She only knew she was in her mother's arms and that she felt much cooler, thus feeling much better. She recalled being sick shortly after waking up. Maleficent, meanwhile, had seated herself with Rose on her lap, arms wrapped protectively around her.
Rose lifted her head and gazed at Maleficent through half lidded eyes that, while still glassy, were no longer unfocused. Through her feverish gaze, she perceived Maleficent shivering quite violently. For a moment, Rose couldn't place the reason for such horrible shivering, until she noticed the lake over her mother's shoulder. It took a few moments, but Rose finally realized what was going on. Maleficent, on the other hand, was curled around Rose, trying to keep as much wind off of her as possible. She was rocking back and forth, unconsciously trying to lull Rose to sleep.
"M..Mommy?" Rose managed to ask.
Maleficent's eyes automatically snapped to her daughter.
"Yes darling?"
"Can we go home now?"
"Of course we can."
Maleficent scooped Rose into her arms and stood shakily. She quickly transported them back to the castle and set about getting Rose settled. When Rose was safely in bed and surrounded with all the blankets, Maleficent finally relaxed. The dip in lake seemed to have helped Rose a great deal as she was no longer covered in the light blush. While it was true that she still had a fever, it was no where near as dangerously high as it had been hours ago. Maleficent leaned in and kissed Rose on her forehead and as an afterthought she tucked the covers a little more tightly around Rose.
…...
Throughout the next two weeks, Rose's condition stabilized and then slowly improved. During that time, Rose heard countless stories about Maleficent's early life and childhood. Rose also told Maleficent of her childhood, much to Maleficent's amusement. She found the way the good fairies raised Rose humorous. She couldn't believe that Rose was so isolated as child, although that would explain a lot. Rose also told her of her marriage to Phillip. It turned out that it wasn't much of a marriage. It seemed to Maleficent that Rose had only endured it for the sake of her parents. Phillip, as it turned out, was a horrible husband and preferred "alone time", in a sense. Maleficent truly felt sorry that Rose had to endure such a horrible marriage for people who didn't even care about her.
When Rose was able to get up and walk around for long periods of time, Maleficent felt the time had come for Rose to know her real mother's secret.
"Rose, would you come here for a moment please?" If someone had told Maleficent two months ago that she would be saying please, she would have laughed in their face and then incinerated them on the spot. "I have to tell you something important. About your real mother."
Rose frowned at the mention of that woman but complied and went to her mommy none the less. "Yes?" she asked curiously.
"Rose," Maleficent took a deep breath. "I don't know how to tell you this but I'm going to do my best. Please don't interrupt and let me finish before you ask questions. Now how should I start? Well, Rose," Maleficent exhaled heavily in a sigh. " Seventeen years ago your real mother came to see me. She told me she had a problem. When I asked her what it was she admitted that she was expecting. I told her that I didn't see the problem."
"She further explained that the child she was carrying was not Stephen's. She wished me to dispose of the unborn child. I refused and before she left I asked her who the father was. All she told me was that it was a dark fairy." She watched the light of understanding dawn on Rose's face. "Rose, that baby was you. Now I know this is shocking, but you need to stay calm. Of course this means you are not really a princess. What your mother did was horrid Rose. And I'm ashamed to admit that I almost agreed to aid her in her mission. I am so glad now that I didn't. Can you forgive me Rose?"
The whole time Maleficent had been talking, Rose had remained motionless, a blank expression on her face. It took a lot for her not to curse the Queen to die on the spot, but she managed to restrain herself. Rose brought her gaze to her mommy, whose eyes were glassy with tears. Rose took a breath, successfully calming herself. "Of course I forgive you Mommy. The Queen should never have asked you to do such a despicable thing."
Maleficent sighed in relief. She had been worried her daughter would have been crushed or refuse to speak to her anymore. "Now, what to do about the Queen?" Rose's voice brought Maleficent back to the present. She smirked evilly.
"Well darling there are several curses or hexes you could cast. And the annual spring celebration is coming up soon..." she let her suggestion linger in the air.
"I think that will be perfect Mommy." Rose said as she mirrored her mother's smirk.