The world was crashing down around them, and it was her fault. How foolish she had been to let a human rule over both the Moors and the kingdom of men, even if the human was her little beastie. It was the beastie's eyes that reminded her of innocent sunset kisses and childish fantasies that caused Maleficent to trust her judgement in ruling the Moors. Not anymore.
Maleficent flew high in the air. She and Diaval were returning from patrolling the beastie's new kingdom. What they had seen filled her heart with dread.
A strong wind rammed into the side of Maleficent, catching her unawares and ripping her from her thoughts. Her wings crunched together, and she dropped several yards, but then her wings snapped out and carried her over the gale. An anxious, raven-like roar screamed from bellow her.
She barely gave Diaval a glance before flying even higher. He roared again, his dragon form twisting in the air below her, his dark feathers and scales glistening like obsidian in the sunlight. He could not fly as high as she, as the air was too thin for him. He worried about her too much, Maleficent thought.
Her beautiful, long, strong wings snapped out around her, taking her faster and faster towards the beastie's throne. It gave her time to reflect on what she had seen as she flew over the land.
The humans were in turmoil. They feared the fair folk, and feared their queen whom they were convinced was part fairy herself. The humans avoided the Moors, and if one of Maleficent's own stumbled across the border into human territory, they were treated with fear, anger, and distrust.
Most humans feared Maleficent's legendary rage and simply avoided the fair folk or pretended not to see them. But there were few who had gathered together bands whose sole purpose was to hunt out the fair folk and torture them to death.
And the humans did not love their new queen. They feared her, feared the blood of her mad father in her, feared the influence of the fair folk. And the beastie, and this was more Maleficent's fault than hers, had established her throne in the Moors, further alienating her people.
And King Philip…
King Philip was another bushel of worms, as Diaval would say.
And not even a day ago Maleficent and Diaval had found a dark army riding from the south.
It did not take long before the beastie's throne was visible looming from the still waters like dolphin fins. As Maleficent descended, she saw the twisting vines and flowers of the beastie's throne loom closer and closer.
The beastie sat in her throne, sucking on a juicy pomegranate absentmindedly, her white blonde hair flowing down her shoulders and breasts, and her head gently inclined towards King Philip. The King was whispering in her ear, always whispering, his finger tucked intimately under her chin and his lips so close to the beastie's ear Maleficent couldn't read what he was saying. She felt heat on her back and she was enveloped in smoke. Diaval had noticed the King as well.
Trolls and goblins sat splashing in the mud at the base of the throne, and they squealed as they saw Maleficent and Diaval approach from the sky. They dove into the waters and ran across the marshes, sending mud flying with their fat, stumpy legs.
With a wave of magic, Diaval was transformed to his human form, and Maleficent and Diaval approached the throne, both shrouded in robes of black.
"Aurora," Maleficent called to the beastie, and the beastie's large, round eyes glanced up.
"It is Queen Aurora now," King Philip reminded Maleficent. His tone was slightly haughty, and was only checked by his fear of Maleficent.
"She will always be a little beastie to me, Philip," Maleficent responded. Maleficent had no King or Queen. King Philip made a face as if he tasted something bad.
"How is my kingdom, my guardians?" the beastie asked.
Maleficent strode towards her, her dark hair spilling out in the wind behind her. Diaval shadowed her steps.
"The humans captured a troll. They tried to drown him, but luckily he escaped. Two pixies were not so lucky."
The beastie's eyebrows puckered beautifully and she looked at her king.
"Where are your knights, my love? You said they would protect my fair folk," she said.
"They are coming, my Queen. The fair folk's deaths will be avenged."
"They are not coming fast enough," Maleficent said harshly. "I will give the people my own type of justice." She spun around, striding faster and faster towards the water, her wings unfurling.
"No!" Philip yelled. "My men will be here soon. You cannot unleash her on your people, my love!"
Maleficent whipped around.
"I will not sit here and watch my people die!"
Tension was high between the King and Maleficent.
"We saw an army, your grace," Diaval said, carefully cutting through the awkward silence. "It's amassing in the south, heading towards your kingdom."
"No fool would dare test the strength of my beloved!" King Philip scoffed.
"Do you say that our words are false?" Maleficent asked haughtily.
"Mayhap you are mistaken, Godmother?" The beastie asked. Her voice was so innocent and sweet.
"No, Aurora. While your kingdom falls down around you, and your people are divided and fearful, an army comes as black and deadly as disease."
"My love tells me none of this. Philip assures me that my people love me," the beastie said. Her large dark eyes were round and full of hurt and confusion.
"Philip whispers lies in your ear, little beastie," Maleficent whispered softly. Philip dropped to his knees, and slid his long, pale finger under the beastie's neck and lifted her chin so that his lips brushed her ear as he whispered.
Maleficent raised her hand, summoned her staff, and struck the ground with a loud crack!
"Enough of your whispering, snake!" she screamed at the king. Maleficent threw out her arms, and pointed her staff at the kneeling king whose face was pale with fear. "You will never speak lies again!" Green tendrils erupted from the staff and flew towards the king.
The beastie jumped to her feat, screamed, and threw herself between Maleficent and her king, but the curse wrapped around her and struck the king full in the face. He flew backwards and lay still.
"No! What have you done?!" the beastie screamed. She collapsed beside her love and pulled at his eyelids, trying to wake him to no avail.
"I have stopped his lies," Maleficent said.
"You have betrayed me! Leave this place, evil one, I will no longer hear your council!" the beastie screamed, tears running down her cheeks. Maleficent felt her heart ache at the sight.
Maleficent spun around once more, walking faster and faster as her wings snapped out.
"Maleficent, you can still -" Diaval began to say but she cut him off.
"Into a raven!" she called at him, her words echoing with Power. Diaval disappeared in a cloud of feathers and dust, then reappeared and took to the air as a raven. Maleficent's wings beat the air, taking her higher and higher with every stroke, too high for even Diaval to fly. The beastie's sobs grew fainter and fainter behind her. Up in the high atmosphere, Maleficent's tears froze on her cheeks.