Author's Note: Writer's Block made me do it.
The christening of the newborn Princess Rose began as a marvelous celebration. People from all over the kingdom, nobles and peasants alike, were invited to deliver their good wishes to the newest member of the royal familty. King Phillip and Queen Aurora welcomed them all as the guests trickled into the great hall of the palace. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather beamed as they accepted the roles of fairy godmothers to the child, vowing to protect her throughout her life and bestowing their gifts on her.
Suddenly, the jovial mood was cut short when a cloud of smoke appeared in the middle of the room. The guests looked at one another uncertainly, while the good fairies gasped in alarm as a familiar face emerged from the thick vapors.
"Maleficent!" Flora cried, holding her hands to her mouth.
It was indeed the sorceress Maleficent standing before the crowd. Those that knew her before her defeat at the hands of King, then Prince, Phillip recoiled in terror. Flora and Merryweather instantly stood in front of Princess Rose's cradle, while Phillip and Aurora stood from their thrones to confront the witch.
"Maleficent?" Queen Aurora turned to her husband, looking fearful. "I thought you killed her!"
Fauna, however, stared curiously at the figure that had just materialized before them. The tall woman looked significantly different from the last time she had seen her. Her raven was gone, of course, and her shoulder seemed rather bare without him. She still carried her staff, but the green orb was replaced with an orange jewel that resembled the sun. Her menacing black robes were replaced with ones of bright lilac, and a dazzling smile decorated her thin face.
By this time, the other two fairies noticed that something was amiss. Flora looked back on the day when Phillip had apparently vanquished Maleficent with the Sword of Truth. She and her sisters had enchanted the blade with their magic, uttering a powerful spell meant to put an end to Maleficent forever:
Thou sword of truth, fly swift and sure, that evil die and good endure.
The spell was incredibly powerful, requiring the magic of all three good fairies to perform. That spell should have slain the evil fairy when the weapon pierced her heart.
Unless…
"Hello everyone!" Maleficent cried, beaming around to the guests. "Isn't this a glorious day for a christening?"
"What do you want, you evil old witch?" Merryweather fumed, gripping her wand tightly in case the witch was attempting to trick them.
Maleficent turned to the blue-garbed fairy, her smile disappearing. Phillip and Aurora braced themselves for the fairy to express her rage, but instead her expression turned to one of humility and repentance. "I understand your anger, my dear," Maleficent stated softly. She turned to the royal couple, offering a polite curtsy. "And I do apologize for dropping in uninvited. It's just that I've spent the last few years alone, pondering the error of my ways, and now I find that another royal child has been born!" Maleficent paused to wipe away a tear that had suddenly formed in her left eye. "How lucky I am to see another princess born in my lifetime!"
Merryweather slowly turned to Flora and Fauna, all three fairies sporting identical expressions of horror. "Oh dear," she whispered.
Flora nodded slowly. "We only killed the evil in her."
"King Phillip!" Maleficent shouted as though seeing an old friend as she approached the king, holding her arms open. "How wonderful it is to see you again!"
"I'm afraid I cannot say the same for you," Phillip said bravely.
Maleficent laughed. Rather than the thunderclaps that accompanied her cruel cackle in the past, this laugh echoed with the sounds of singing birds and giggling children. "I'm so pleased that we have a chance to chat like this," she said. "I know I was in a rather poor humor the last time we interracted. I do hope you can forgive me for how I behaved."
Merryweather clutched at her stomach. "I think I'm going to be ill."
"Oh, Your Majesty," Maleficent whispered tenderly as she gazed upon the form of Queen Aurora. "You've become such a lovely woman. I am ever so grateful that my curse left no ill-effects on you. And what a lovely child you have!"
"No!" Aurora picked up Rose from her cradle and held her close. "Leave her alone!"
Maleficent approached the queen to place a tender hand on her shoulder, ignoring the way that the younger woman recoiled. "I know that I have a poor history with children," she said gently as Merryweather retched. "But I beg you to reconsider. With my magic, I swear that I can bestow upon her a wonderful gift."
"Just let her do it," Fauna muttered to Aurora, shaking her head while cradling her brow.
"Very well," Aurora said carefully, keeping the princess near to her breast.
The fairy smiled as though being allowed to bestow a gift on Rose was her one true goal in life. "My gift for the young princess," Maleficent proclaimed as she waved her staff, "is that she will be loved by all her subjects." Tears of joy filled her eyes as she turned to look at the many guests. "Just as I love all of you!"
"I… thank you," Aurora stuttered, relaxing her hold on the baby.
"You're very welcome, your grace," Maleficent said, bowing again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some flowers I must plant for my dear friend Flora." She addressed the fairy with a question: "You are partial to peonies, correct?"
Terrified, Flora only nodded.
"Then I am off to plant some," Maleficent announced happily. "And I swear, no frost will harm these flowers as long as I can help it." With a sweep of her arms, the fairy vanished with another cloud of light purple smoke, leaving butterflies and violets in her place.
Dead silence filled the room after Maleficent's disappearance. For several long minutes the only sound in the room was Princess Rose's soft snoring, as she had fallen asleep during the whole ordeal. At last, the king turned to his wife to break the stillness with a single sentence.
"I liked her better when she was a dragon."