Rose woke up in the same position she fell asleep in. Which meant her face was buried in Maleficent's chest. A low chuckle vibrated through her "pillow" causing her to look up. The woman was smiling softly, and Rose relaxed once she realized she wasn't mad.
"Good morning, little one. Did you sleep well?"
Rose smiled up at her. "Yes, did you?"
"Yes, better than I have in centuries." Rose bit her lip, wanting so badly to ask the question she knew to be rude. Maleficent arched an eyebrow. "What is on your mind, child?"
Quickly, before she could lose her nerve, she blurted out the question. "How old are you?"
Maleficent's eyes widened subtly at the rude question. 'But then,' she reasoned, 'she's only a child.' Her face then took on a look of amusement as she prepared to answer her.
"I am 323 years old which, I'll have you know, is still very young for a fairy."
Rose's mouth dropped open. 323 years old! She couldn't even begin to fathom how long that was.
"How...how is that possible?"
"I am immortal you might say. As long as I'm not seriously injured or incredibly ill, I can't die."
Rose seemed to accept this answer, and dropped her head back down to rest on Maleficent's chest. The woman noticeably stiffened. Touch was not her favorite of the five senses, not by a long shot. The child didn't seem to notice, as she remained where she was, and gradually Maleficent relaxed. They laid there for a while until Rose asked another question.
"Maleficent, are you going to stay forever?"
Damn children and their ability to ask the most uncomfortable of questions. When she didn't answer right away, Rose lifted up her head and locked eyes with the witch. Hoping to stall, she said the first thing that came to her mind.
"Well, forever is a very long time." When Rose kept staring at her, she decided to be as honest as she could. "I don't know. I have my own world to consider. After all, where there is light there must be darkness. These things must be balanced, lest the universe fall apart at the seams."
"It must be hard to have the fate of humanity in your hands."
Maleficent sighed. "It is. A kingdom can only live in a Golden Age for so long before the universe becomes imbalanced. It's very delicate, the slightest fluctuation could-" She stopped suddenly, remembering her audience was four years old. "Do you understand anything I'm saying?"
"Yep."
Maleficent raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Then restate what I just told you."
"You said that a kingdom can only live in a Golden Age for so long. A Golden Age is the time after a wicked presence has been defeated. Just the slightest tip of the scale, caused by too many years of good fortune, can cause the universe to implode." The sorceress sat slack-jawed, amazed that the girl had actually understood her explanation. "What's wrong?" Rose asked in confusion, "Didn't I get it right?"
"You understood me perfectly. I don't understand it."
Rose shrugged. She was different, she had already said so. Part of that involved being incredibly smart. Maleficent shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was speaking with a child genius. A noise caught her attention, and she grinned when she realize it was Rose's stomach.
"Sounds like someone's hungry."
"A little. Aren't you hungry?"
The woman was about to tell her no, she wasn't hungry, when her stomach betrayed her and rumbled.
"I was going to say no, but it appears as if my body has other ideas."
Quick as a flash, Rose was off the bed and waiting for Maleficent.
"Come on! We have pancakes and toaster stroodles and pop tarts..." Her face fell as she realized something. "Oh, wait, Mama's down there. She can't see you or she'll be real mad at me."
Maleficent was thoughtful for a second before remembering a spell she had learned when she was young to hide from her mother.
"What if I did...this?" Instantly, she became invisible. "Will this work?"
"But I can't see you!" the child complained. "How am I supposed to know where you are if I can't see you?"
It was a good thing Maleficent was such a powerful sorceress, else she wouldn't have been able to conform the spell to her needs. A bit of magic here, a spell there, and she had fixed the problem. Now, not only could Rose see her, she could hear her as well. It was an original spell, designed entirely for the child's benefit. No one but her would be able to see and hear the powerful witch.
"That's perfect!" Rose exclaimed. "Now you can go places with me and not scare people!"
With that, she began tugging Maleficent downstairs. The fairy couldn't help but chuckle. She was beginning to grow fond of the little girl, and it didn't hurt that she could converse with the older woman. If this was going to be her life for the next few weeks (or years), then so be it.
