True to her word, Aurora showed up at the library once her lesson was completed. Maleficent was sitting in a corner, her wings curled around her as she admired the pictures in a book. Robin hovered by her elbow, making a comment that Maleficent laughed at. Diaval was rummaging through a desk, papers strewn everywhere. His mouth was pulled in an irritated frown.

"Hello," Aurora greeted them. Maleficent's head snapped up, a smile appearing on her face.

"Hi, Aurora!" said Maleficent. "How was your lesson?"

"It was fine. A little dull, but oh well. It's better than needlepoint," Aurora said, her nose wrinkling at the thought. She rather disliked needlepoint. It was very boring.

"You do needlepoint?" Diaval asked, looking up.

"Yes," Aurora nodded.

Diaval raised his eyebrows. "Huh," was all he said before returning to his search. Aurora supposed, considering the curse that had been placed on her as a baby, doing needlepoint was kind of ironic. But it was insisted she learn.

"What book are you reading?" Aurora asked, walking over to Maleficent.

"It's a book about plants and animals," Maleficent explained, holding it up. Aurora looked at the picture on the page, an ink drawing of bluebell.

"But she's not reading it so much as looking at the pictures, now are you, Maleficent?" Robin teased. Maleficent rolled her eyes, smiling.

"You're not reading it, either."

"Aye, you got me there!" Robin laughed. Aurora was pleased that Robin seemed to be at ease in the castle. Or, at least, not paranoid.

"We found a mouse in the desk," Maleficent told Aurora. "He positively hated Diaval."

"It was a demon mouse!" Diaval cried, looking up again. Aurora giggled.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes! I swear, that mouse was evil! But Maleficent liked him," Diaval said, glaring at the faerie. She smiled innocently.

"He was a good little mouse," she said. Diaval snorted and turned back to the desk. Maleficent smirked at his back and shut her book.

"Are you done with that, then?" asked Aurora as Maleficent stood.

"I'm not much of a reader," Maleficent said as she returned the book to its original spot.

"How would you like to go outside and take a look around the garden?" Aurora asked. Maleficent's eyes lit up, and Robin also looked eager.

"That would be wonderful!" Maleficent said, and she hurried over to Aurora, her wings fluttering in excitement. "Let's go!"

"We'll be back soon, Diaval," Aurora said, walking away with Maleficent and Robin.

"Alright," Diaval replied absently.

Strolling down the corridors, Aurora said, "I'll be the first to say that while the garden here is lovely, it isn't anything near as wonderful as the Moors. Most humans like their gardens to be arranged tidy and neat. But you and I were able to help with this garden so it wasn't so contained. But still, it isn't as beautiful and free as the Moors. Then again, what is?"

"I can't wait to see it, Aurora," Maleficent said, smiling at the young Queen.

A group of young maids walked by. Aurora frowned as they cringed away from Robin, Maleficent, and her. Then she caught herself and smiled at them. "Hello," she said, hoping for a kind response, but they just hurried away, stealing glances at Maleficent.

"That was odd," Maleficent said. "Are servants normally that nervous? I met one earlier, and she almost looked scared of me."

"Some people are a little wary of magical folk," Aurora said, sighing. And while that was true, the servants were probably more startled to find the queen's infamous godmother not only in their presence, but also suddenly a child.

"But I thought the Moors and this kingdom were united?" Maleficent said.

"We are, but the humans are still wary of magical folk, and vice versa," Aurora said a little sadly. She wished the subjects of her kingdom were closer. She had considered special events before, to bring humans and the creatures of the Moors together so they might see the other is not as bad as they have thought. But these hopes had been shot down by the Council.

Maleficent was silent for most of the walk outside, perhaps thinking of the relationship between Aurora's two kingdoms. But she was distracted from her thoughts once the group reached the courtyard in which the garden was located.

"Wow," Maleficent murmured as she took it all in.

The garden was, indeed, splendid. Aurora had worked hard to see to its creation and continued health. Maleficent had helped with the garden, bringing seeds from the Moors and coaxing them to grow into the grand sight that lay before Aurora's eyes. Colorful flowers waved under the day's slight breeze, their scent perfuming the air. Ivy teased the lower trunks of trees, which provided shade on the brick path winding through the garden. Bees flitted from flower to flower and birds chirped to one another.

"This is quite nice," Robin said, nodding appreciatively. Aurora smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "Come, I'll show you my favorite spot."

The three made their way to a corner hidden in the back of the garden. It was here where Aurora was most content, for it was much less contained than the rest of the garden. Flowers grew where they pleased, not worried by boundaries and order. A tree grew at the top of a little slope, and Aurora contently sat against its trunk. "This is my favorite spot," she told Maleficent. "I like to come here when I miss the Moors. It's not the same, but it's comforting."

Maleficent nodded, touching a flower with her fingertips. "Robin is right, the garden is very nice. It's kind of a merge between your two kingdoms. A traditional human garden combined with the plants of the Moors."

"Yes," Aurora nodded, although Maleficent's philosophy wasn't entirely correct. The layout of the garden wasn't a common traditional human garden. Most gardens were grown to supply a family with food, and only wealthy people had flower gardens.

The threesome enjoyed the garden until one of the caretakers appeared. They nervously explained to the queen that they were to groom the garden, and - glancing at Maleficent's large wings and twisted horns - asked if they could kindly be left alone to do so. Reluctantly, Aurora, Maleficent, and Robin left. They strolled through the halls of the castle, chatting casually. However, their discussion diverted Aurora's attention from where they were going, and she suddenly realized she didn't know what part of the castle they were in.

"What is it?" Maleficent asked when Aurora stopped walking. Aurora gave a slight laugh.

"Oh, I forgot to pay attention to where we were walking, and now I'm afraid we're a little lost," she said. Maleficent looked worried. "It's fine, here, let's just retrace our steps…."

"Do you get lost often?" Maleficent asked the group walked back down the hall.

"Every now and then. It's a big castle," Aurora said. Maleficent laughed.

"That's for sure," she said as they turned a corner. "Oh!"

Instinctively, Aurora grabbed Maleficent's shoulder and pulled her back.

"Jumping grasshoppers," Robin muttered.

The corridor was filled with iron thorns and brambles, a remain of Stefan's reign. Aurora's heart pounded at the sight of it - she had thought that all of Stefan's iron traps had long since been destroyed. Her mind raced back to when she had first arrived at the castle and laid eyes on the devices meant to keep out Maleficent. She had been horrified, and the impression had never faded.

"What is this?" Maleficent asked quietly, her voice trembling slightly with shock.

"The-the last ruler, the king, he meant to keep the Fair Folk out of the castle," Aurora said, her eyes glued to the terrifying structure before her. "He put up iron traps like this all over the castle…. When I became Queen, they were all taken down. Or, I thought all of them had."

"King Henry did this?" Maleficent said. In horrified fascination, she took a step toward the iron thorns. Aurora quickly yanked her back.

"We should go," she said urgently, and without further ado, the trio hurried away. Aurora's thoughts flew around her mind as she remembered the night of Stefan's death. She had been so scared when she had seen her godmother curled under the iron net, soldiers prodding her with weapons…. Diaval the dragon causing chaos…. Maleficent had shouted for Aurora to flee, and feeling hopeless, she had obeyed…. She felt terrible running when her godmother needed help, and for months, she pushed away the thoughts of what could have happened if she hadn't found Maleficent's wings.

Aurora burst through a set of doors, and halted. She had just barged in the empty throne room.

"Oh my goodness," Maleficent breathed, taking in the grand sight. "This room is huge!"

"Yes, it is. But we - we shouldn't be in here," Aurora said, forcing the lie out. Maleficent looked as though she were questioning this, but didn't speak as she followed Aurora out. She threw a glance over her shoulder, coincidentally looking at the exact spot where she and her wings had been reunited. And from what Aurora had heard, that was also where Maleficent had cast her curse.

Aurora was grateful when they managed to get back to the library without further incident. Diaval looked up as they hurried in. Frowning as he took in Aurora and Robin's worried faces, he asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, but we, ah, came across one of the last king's iron traps," Aurora said. Diaval looked surprised.

"But you had them all taken down," he said. "The iron workers missed one, then?"

"Apparently so," Aurora said, her face flushed. Maleficent looked confused at her worry. Perhaps Aurora was overreacting, but she could suddenly not get the image of her trapped godmother out of her head. For a moment, she wished Maleficent was her normal self. The child in her seeked reassurance that everything was alright, and would remain so. But she had to cope by herself.

"How is the search going?" Aurora asked, changing the subject. Diaval scowled.

"There is nothing useful in this desk," he grunted, thumping his fist on the wood as if it would help.

"I'm sorry. What can I do to help?" Aurora asked. "What exactly are you searching for, anyway?"

"I suppose you could look through those books, and see if there is anything about translating a sorcerer's language," Diaval said.

"A sorcerer's language?"

"That's what the spell was written in."

"Like I said earlier, Diaval, maybe my friend Katherine can help," Maleficent pitched in. Floating by her shoulder, Robin tensed up. "Maybe she could even come up with a spell to reverse it, if she doesn't already know one."

It struck Aurora that Maleficent didn't realize her friends where all grown up.

"Perhaps," Diaval said. "But we better keep searching here first, just in case there is something here. Aurora, if you could look at these books and see if there is one on sorcerer's language, that would be helpful."

"I'll help, too," Maleficent volunteered, moving past the disappointment that her idea wasn't as well received as she had hoped. She walked over to a bookshelf and took a book off the shelf. Aurora went to the end of the bookshelf near Diaval.

"What's wrong with Maleficent asking her friend?" she asked quietly. "Even if this Katherine isn't a child anymore, she could still - "

"We'll talk about this later," Diaval interrupted, throwing a glance at Maleficent.

"Alright," Aurora said slowly, suddenly worried. Had something happened to Katherine? Even if Aurora didn't know her, she dreaded the thought of something having happened to one of Maleficent's friends.

They searched the library until lunchtime. Diaval refused to admit defeat, and shut himself away in the library for the afternoon. Aurora, Maleficent, and Robin went to the Queen's room and entertained themselves there. They talked, and Aurora and Maleficent played a little bit of dress up. Maleficent had difficulty putting the dresses on because of her wings, but the clothes were all too big anyway. She did enjoy looking through the jewelry box, finding items that had once been Aurora's mother's and comparing them to stones and colors in the Moors.

"Oh, this is - I recognize this!" Maleficent said, holding up a necklace. The stone glittered in the light cast through the window. "This is from the Pool of Jewels!"

"Aye, it is," Robin said, ever-present at her side. "How did it get here?"

"I don't know," Aurora said truthfully, but she had an idea. Her father must have given it to her mother. A token stolen from the Moors.

Maleficent looked at the stone for a while. She opened her mouth, closed it, then asked hesitantly "Aurora?"

"Yes?"

"Can I tell you a secret? You, too, Robin," she said.

"Of course," Aurora nodded, walking over to the seat by the window. Maleficent sat across from her, spreading her wings on either side of the chair. Robin took a perch on the back of her chair, sitting by one of Maleficent's horns.

"Robin," Maleficent said, twisting her neck to face him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier, but I knew you wouldn't approve."

Sighing and looking back to Aurora, she said, "I met a human boy at the Pool of Jewels. His name was Stefan."

Aurora's heart leapt, and she struggled to keep her face calm. She couldn't believe Maleficent was bringing this up.

"Stefan and I - we became friends. He kept coming to see me, even after I told him it wasn't safe," Maleficent, wringing her hands. She looked up at Robin. "Robin, I'm sorry, I know you wouldn't want me to have done that. I know you don't like humans, but he's different! He has so little, but he still threw away his iron ring for me. He's kind, and fun, and smart…."

Robin's tiny fists were clenched in an effort to not reveal his ugly thoughts about Stefan. While it was difficult for Aurora to listen to Maleficent to speak so adoringly of Stefan, who she believed to be a good friend, it was also reassuring. Her father hadn't always been a monster.

"Stefan sounds like a nice boy," Aurora said. It was true. He had been a nice boy, who had grown up to be a not-so-nice man.

"He is," Maleficent said. "Robin, he isn't like other humans. He wouldn't hurt me. We want to prove that there can be peace and friendship between faeries and humans. Can you forgive me for seeing him?"

For a moment, Robin struggled with himself. Then he managed to say, "Aye."

"Are you sure?" Maleficent asked, looking worried. Robin nodded.

"I am." There was nothing he could do about the relationship, anyway. Maleficent didn't know it, but this was information of long ago, and Stefan was dead.

"Alright," said Maleficent, relieved. The trio lapsed into silence. Maleficent seemed to have more she wanted to say, to defend Stefan, but was worried that this might provoke Robin to withdraw what he had said. In the meantime, Robin and Aurora were dealing with nasty thoughts of the man Maleficent's friend had become.

Just as Maleficent opened her mouth to speak, Diaval burst into the room. "I have searched every inch of that library!" he exclaimed, angrily raising a fist. "I have gone through that desk over and over, but I haven't found a single thing! Not even just a hint!"

Diaval slumped down on Aurora's bed, burying his head in his hands. Aurora and Maleficent hurried over to him.

"It's alright, we'll find something," Aurora said, sitting next to him. On Diaval's other side, Maleficent tentatively put a hand on Diaval's arm.

"I'm sorry," she said. Diaval looked up at her.

"There isn't anything for you to apologize for," he said. "I should be apologizing for not having found anything."

"Diaval, no," Maleficent shook her head. "You don't have to be concerned for me. I know that this is… insane for you. You know a grown-up, different me. And maybe that grown-up, different me would be distressed at being young again. But I - I swear I'm fine like this. It's shocking, seeing how things have changed. But I think it is all for the better. I have you, and Aurora, and Robin, and I couldn't ask for more. I really couldn't be happier."

"Really?" Diaval asked. Aurora smiled in relief, glad to hear the words coming from Maleficent's mouth. They really didn't have to worry for her.

"Really," Maleficent nodded. Diaval embraced her, Aurora following suite. Robin settled on Aurora's shoulder and squeezed, and she laid a hand on his small arm.

At that moment, Aurora agreed with Maleficent. She couldn't be happier.

...

Hey, Malefifreaks!

Thanks to Niker for suggesting that Maleficent stumble upon one of Stefan's old traps!

Thanks for reading! Please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

Kitty