Episode Four: The Cottage and the Dream

Maleficent awoke that morning with little optimism. Watching Xemnas, she tried to think about how she could find another place to stay. She couldn't stay in the forest forever, eventually it would get cold, or it would rain, or precipitate in some other way. Despite her dreary situation, she still couldn't help but smile when she saw Xemnas awaken, stretch, and yawn. He was the only thing keeping her from succumbing of unhappiness.

She decided that the best thing to do was to just get up and start walking. Eventually she'd see something that would give her an idea or she'd just find a place to stay. Who knows, maybe she'll get lucky and find an abandoned house right here in the forest. But the way things were going, it didn't seem likely. Maleficent seemed to have run out of luck.

That was when a friend she hadn't seen in a long time appeared. It was that crow, cawing up a storm.

"What is it, my pet?" Maleficent asked, tiresomely. If the bird didn't shut up soon, it would become breakfast. It was starting to annoy her.

The crow seemed to want Maleficent to follow it, so she did. She followed it deeper and deeper into the forest. When it seemed she'd been walking for hours, she couldn't even tell whether it was noon yet, as she could not see the sun through the trees. Despite this, she kept following the bird. For hours they walked, and the crow kept cawing, beckoning. They seemed to be going in circles, and Maleficent thought she could hear some strange noises to her right. Now they were on the left. But Maleficent was too apathetic to be scared. She just kept following the bird.

It was about this time that she started to get hungry. But if she stopped, the crow would just start cawing more, and Maleficent already had a headache. She looked up, and she thought she noticed the trees getting a bit thinner, and the area a bit lighter. That was when the crow took a sudden sharp turn to the left.

There, at the end of a short path, was the most adorable cottage Maleficent had ever seen. She walked up to it in awe. As she opened the small, white, gate it made little creaky sound and she could smell the scent of flowers freshly bloomed. She walked up to the door and turned the knob. It was unlocked, so she opened the door and proceeded on in.

She could tell the place had been uninhabited for a long time, but it was clear that during the time it was inhabited, it was well taken care of. There was probably about two millimeters of dust on every surface, but other than that it was quite clean. It had only three rooms, a small bedroom, a kitchen and eating area, and a general area with a couch and some bookshelves, but it was good enough for Maleficent. And, strangely enough, there was a sign that said "Castle, Sweet Castle" on the wall.

It wasn't really late, but Maleficent was exhausted from a full day of walking. As soon as she saw the small bed in the back room, she fell onto it and into a deep sleep. And Maleficent dreamed…

Maleficent was in the kitchen of this new cottage, cooking something on the stove. It smelled wonderful, and she added a bit of this and a pinch more of that. Then she stirred the contents of the pot for a time. She put the spoon down on the spoon rest, and walked out the door into the backyard.

"Don't eat the flowers, dear; you'll give yourself a stomachache like last time!" She shouted out into the yard.

"Ok, mommy, don't worry!" called a voice from the distance.

Maleficent shook her head and walked back inside. She began stirring again, when she heard a door open and then close. Then footsteps.

"Home so soon, Xemmy?" Maleficent said as she turned around, and the door to the kitchen opened. Her heart started to beat faster, as there, standing in the doorway, was Xemnas.

He walked over and pulled her into a warm embrace. "I wanted to see you," he whispered in her ear. Then, placing his lips on hers…

Maleficent woke up. She wished the dream had continued, but that's the way dreams were. One always wakes up at the best part.

After that, she had to watch Xemnas. He was still sleeping, and she watched his chest rise and fall so peacefully. As she watched him, she thought about the dream. She wished it had never ended; it seemed like the perfect life, although she wasn't sure what she thought about children. Maleficent just couldn't see herself as the motherly type, but if Xemnas wanted children, she didn't think she could say no to that beautiful face…

Other than that, the dream was perfect. She and Xemnas living together in a cozy little cottage, this one to be exact, making him dinner… She didn't even mind that they didn't live in a castle. Well, the cottage did say "Castle, Sweet Castle" on the wall. Maleficent knew it would be perfect for the two of them. Even if it could never work out, she could still dream.

It had to work out. Maleficent knew how pathetic it was, but she felt as if she would rather die than live without Xemnas. She had no idea how he got that important to her, but he did. And Maleficent needed him more than ever.