After our brief conversation, Maleficent helped me to pick out a dress to wear for the coronation. I was torn between the blue dress I wore the last time we attended court and a black dress with purple and gold embroidering down the sleeves.
"Ughh! Why is this such a difficult decision?"
"Which would you rather wear?"
"I don't know!"
Maleficent, having a very specific taste for her personal style of garment, seemed to be amused with my inability to choose a gown. When we first entered my room, I was tossing dresses into piles of potential candidates and those that were not cut for the job. Getting it down to the final two took at least half an hour. I kept going between the two dresses, listing off pros and cons. The longer I spent looking at each garment, the more I started to sound frantic. This entire process seemed to cause Maleficent so much entertainment that she eventually burst out laughing.
"At least one of us is finding some joy out of my indecisiveness."
"You are making this into bigger deal than you need it to be."
"That's easy for you to say. You already have a set style that is unique to you."
"Explain to me again why the dress you wore the last time you were in court is unacceptable for this occasion."
Letting out a sigh I turned back to face her. "As I said before, it is too plain for a gathering of such magnitude."
"Perhaps I might have something that will ease your troubled mind." Snapping her fingers a dark emerald dress appeared in her hand. Its flowing sleeves reached almost half way down the dress. The dark color was accented with a gold rope tied around the waist as well as gold ribbon around the collar and midway down the sleeves.
"Um…green isn't blue."
My thoughts exactly. However it is a beautiful dress.
Seeming to have heard the short exchange that was in my head, Maleficent waved her hand over the dress and emerald changed to sapphire. Looking down at her work she stated, "This used to be mine when I was your age. I wore it once before deciding green was not my color." She then preceded to hand me the dress. Looking at the garment that was in my hands I let my fingers dance across the smooth fabric. "You might get a better idea of if you like it by wearing it rather than simply looking at it."
Waving her hand the dress in hand was switched with the one I was currently wearing. Looking at myself in the mirror, I could tell that this was the dress that would be what I would wear from now on at any sort of social engagement. It rested so that my shoulders were visible and dipped low enough that the top part of the mark that Lilith gave me was peeking out over the dress's edge. I was rendered practically speechless. I finally looked like someone who was eligible for the title of Maleficent's heir.
Looking up at Maleficent's reflection in the mirror I asked, "What do you think?"
Smiling warmly she replied, "It suits you well." She proceeded to walk up right behind me a gently place her hands on my shoulders. "If anything it makes you look like royalty."
"You flatter me too excessively."
"You know better than others that I don't say anything that I don't find true."
"Of course. How are we to address each other now that….that…"
"We will continue to keep things formal as they were before. There is no need for them to know of our personal matters." Leaning down so that her face was level with mine she continued. "However I see no reason to be so formal in closed quarters." She cast a small smile at me and I returned it with the same gesture.
"Now that we have averted a potential 'crisis' do you think you will be ready for tomorrow?"
Nodding I replied, "It's the start of a new chapter and I plan to take full authorship of it before others have the opportunity to try and write it for me."
The rest of the day I kept going over in my head what I planned on saying to our hosts tomorrow. It finally got to a point where I could have recited it in my sleep. Despite this I kept going over it, wanting to make sure that my confidence in my delivery was at its peak.
"For the hundredth time, you already know what you are going to say just give it a rest."
I want to make sure that I sound prepared for this, and it hasn't been one hundred times.
"You're right, it's been fifty nine, but who's counting?"
Don't you have something else you can do?
"Oh trust me, this is pretty low on the list of things I like to listen to, but alas whatever you do, I have to endure. Come on why not go for a little flight? It might help you to relax," she goaded in a sing song voice.
You know that Mal…mother wouldn't be pleased.
"Oh pfft, what mom doesn't know won't kill her. Besides I think you need to blow off a little steam."
Even though I would never openly admit it, that girl knew exactly how to convince me to do the opposite of what I would normally do. Leaving the comfort of my room I hurried up to the tower that was opposite Maleficent's study. It wasn't quite as tall, but it was far enough away from the daily hustle and bustle that no one would notice me there, at least not yet.
I knew if I was to attempt to leave off the highest tower Maleficent would hear me, and at this point some alone time was what I needed. Since I hadn't been a dragon after that first flight I was cautious to say the least about this attempt. Taking a deep breath I focused on the mist that started to surround me. The pain wasn't as excruciating as it had been the last time, but by no means was it an enjoyable ordeal. This time it was more of muscle ache that occurred. With my vision being cleared of the cerulean fog that had surrounded me I extended my wings and let the late afternoon sun shine through them casting much of the tower I was on in shades of blue.
One loud roar caused the guards in the court yard to scurry about even faster than usual. Pouncing into the air I picked up an uprising air current and let myself fly into the clouds. Twirling around and around allowed me to forget my stress.
I continued to stay above the clouds for the majority of the time that I was in the air. It wasn't until my cover started to fade that I noticed I was right over the very castle that I would be at the next day. From what I could see people were already starting to arrive in the confines of the palace grounds. I wasn't sure how many though as at this height they were as small as insects scurrying from rock to rock.
The idea of causing a little misery and strife was extremely tempting, but as a devilish grin started to take place on my distorted features Lilith decided to chime in.
Don't do it.
"You were the one who said I should leave the castle."
Leave the castle, yes. Arrive a day early for the coronation, no.
"Since when did you become the sensible one?"
Look, we are in mom's good graces right now. Let's keep it that way. Besides it won't help your case for tomorrow if you want this curse to have the lasting effect you desire.
Releasing a sigh and a small puff of smoke from my nostrils, I turned to head back towards the Forbidden Mountain. The sun was starting to set on my way back and hues of blue and purple decorated the sky, setting the stage for the thousands of twinkling lights that would fill the space with their light. Guards were still scattered throughout the open court yard and I couldn't resist a little mayhem at the moment.
Allowing myself to head towards them I noticed a few had seen me approach, so in order to get them to have a similar reaction as before I let out a deafening roar that caused the scurrying to recommence. As I landed the ground shook beneath me and a few of the guards closest to me were tossed in the air. Even though none of them were running anywhere near me I let out a long stream of cerulean flames. Spinning around I let even more flames escape my mouth.
I was about to let another roar out when I was stopped by the sky being lit up with purple lightning. I turned my head towards Maleficent's study, which wasn't quite as tall in this form, and saw that she was indeed standing outside and staring down at me. We didn't need to share any words but I knew that she wanted to talk to me. I raised myself up on my back legs and braced my arms against a few of the closer rooftops and towers. In doing so a few of the boulders fell from their previous resting places and tumbled to the ground.
"Oops," I said with the same gravelly voice as last time.
"Perhaps this is not the best way to hold this conversation. Come up to my study as hopefully you will be less likely to bring down what is left of this castle that way."
Nodding I lowered myself back down slowly and waited till I was back to my normal size once again. Heading up slowly I contemplated on how much Maleficent would yell at me for leaving like that. I opened the door to her study and upon closing it behind me Maleficent was leaning forward from behind her desk with her fingers interlaced and propping up her chin.
"You know that if you continue to do things such as that they will never listen to you."
"But you will cast spells at them left and right at times."
"Only when it is warranted. If I were to have done that every time I got frustrated they would have left years ago, at least those that survived. And believe me trying to get a new army is a delicate and tricky business for someone like us. Their loyalty is what keeps them here unlike paid mercenaries."
"You sure it isn't their fear?"
"Perhaps." She rose from her seat and walked towards me. "But I think for now we should focus on why you felt the need to leave in the first place."
"It was more of Lilith's idea. She said I needed a little time to not think about tomorrow."
"Sometimes time away from your work will help you to get a new perspective on it. I'm sure at this point you are more prepared for tomorrow."
"I'm still nervous. I don't want for things to not work as I planned them."
"Nerves can be a good thing. They show you care about how things unfold, but you must not let them take control of you. Now go, I look forward to you impressing me at tomorrow's coronation."