10
Mal smiled, watching him go and finding shelter near the school but not close enough anyone would find out where they were. She fell asleep almost instantly, wrapping her arms around her mother and holding her close. She unfastened a cape she had draped around herself, wrapping it around them gently. And then, she fell asleep.
But when she woke up, she wasn't holding Maleficent. Instead, she was lying beside her, wrapped entirely in the cape. When she reached for her, her eyes widened. She was like she had always been. The only difference was that now, for the first time Mal could remember, Maleficent shook under her touch. She tried to pull her under the cloak without waking her, feeling as she shifts away from the warmth. "Okay, I guess that's a no. But we're outside. And I don't care about being cold."
Her mother opened her eyes slowly and looked up at her, feeling her hands and then Mal's, smiling. "I stayed up almost all night for you Mal. And I'm still not entirely sure I understand why you're so good to me."
Mal allowed a weak smile. "You're my mother, good or not. No one can change that."
Maleficent smiled a little. "And you're going to be a good queen. Without sins. The kind of good queen everyone wants."
Mal's eyes brightened. "Yes! The wedding… I can't wait! I just… I just wish everyone wouldn't freak out like it was some sin if…"
She didn't have to say another word. Her mother knew what she meant. "I know dear. But do you ever think I let people dictate what I could or couldn't do?"
Mal shook her head. "Well, no. Not considering the fact you tried to crash my fiancé's coronation which… may have been the best thing you ever did." She smiled, draping the cape around the woman like a blanket before standing. "Look. I have to get back to the school. And I don't want to hear that you went off and got in trouble. Alright?" She turned, walking back but really not wanting to leave her.