Knotgrass, Flittle, and Thistlewit flew into an excited flurry of curtsies and "Your Majesty!"s as soon as the King and Queen of Ulstead stepped into the dining hall. Katherine and Robin respectfully greeted them, Katherine keeping her eyes lowered. Maleficent wished there were a way she could help her friend grow less afraid of the world. She would have to discuss it with Aurora, or perhaps Diaval, as she had no ideas of her own.
Maleficent was grateful for the dinner. It kept her mind off the question that had been haunting her ever since she woken up the previous day - what now? What did she have to do? What did she want to do?
Maleficent's thoughts were interrupted by the Queen of Ulstead. "Hmm? I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I'm afraid I didn't catch that."
"Phillip told me that you were the Queen of the Moors before Queen Aurora," Queen Mary repeated. "This is true?"
"I - yes," Maleficent said after her initial bewilderment. Oh, yes, Maleficent had almost forgotten - on top of being betrayed and cursing a baby, she had crowned herself Queen of the Moors. "I was."
Queen Mary nodded. "I see. I suppose it must have been quite different than being a ruler of the kingdoms I know."
"Yes, very different," Maleficent said, unable to think of anything more descriptive to say. "Aurora's doing a fantastic job, though, being Queen of the Moors. Everyone adores her, of course."
"I suppose you have different subjects than I," King John added. "Tell me, are the creatures of the Moors all faeries like yourself?"
"Most creatures are faeries. There are faeries like water faeries, mushroom faeries, hedgehog faeries, and animal faeries like Robin," Maleficent said, gesturing at Robin. "Faeries like him have an extra special connection with animals. They often help animals, especially babies. They help fallen baby birds back into their nest, search for nuts to last squirrels through the winter, and the like. Oh, and there are other magical creatures besides faeries, like the wallerbogs."
"What kind of faerie are you, exactly?" King John asked, raising his eyebrows. A servant sent a glass of wine before him, and he took a small sip.
"I'm a bit more complicated, one of kind, I guess you would call me," Maleficent said. "I am the only faerie of my race I know. I don't just excel in one field, my powers stretch over many. I can help plants, transform animals like Diaval - "
"I am not an animal, I am a very beautiful bird," Diaval interrupted, pointing a finger at Maleficent.
"You are a bird. Birds are animals," Maleficent shrugged. "I can also, ah, perform other magics that resemble those of a sorcerer's. I suppose I must have had a sorcerer for an ancestor, or perhaps once faeries and sorcerers were the same species, until eventually they began to branch out."
King John nodded. "You can perform magic spells and... curses?"
The muscles in Maleficent's shoulders tensed, and her wings curled in a little to her side. "Yes," she said, trying to not sound too timid.
Servants entered the hall and laid food on the tables. The plates near Maleficent were full of berries, breads, and herbs. Down the table, King John helped himself to a healthy serving of meat.
"Is there any poultry?" the queen asked. Then she spotted Diaval and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, my, forgive me. I quite forgot."
"Nothing to forgive, Your Majesty," said Diaval, nodding to her. "It can be difficult to remember the truth when it doesn't stand right before you." For some reason, Diaval glanced at Maleficent, frowning slightly. She blinked. Was he talking about her?
"Indeed. I am relieved you understand," the queen said.
Maleficent popped a berry in her mouth, still puzzling over Diaval's words. Wondering if she had done something to disappoint Diaval, the berry's juices tasted almost bitter.
The rest of the dinner was delicious. Maleficent had never had bread before, and found it quite good. The king asked her many questions about the Moors and the creatures that dwelled there. Queen Mary, Aurora, and Phillip conversed - judging from Phillip's red ears and embarrassed half-smile, the queen had shared more stories about his apparently eventful childhood. Diaval and Katherine occasionally added to the conversations, but they spent most of their time listening. The three pixies stared in awe at the king.
Maleficent couldn't decide if the king was just curious or suspicious. He asked more questions about the inhabitants of the Moors and Maleficent's reign - she was very vague about that, making guesses about what she would have done or else Diaval helped her. King John eventually inquired to know about Maleficent and Aurora's relationship - how had the faerie befriended the young queen after cursing her? Heat crept into Maleficent's cheeks as she was reminded of the incident.
"I - I watched over her when she was young," Maleficent said, remembering what Diaval had told her.
"Why? To wait for your curse to act?"
"Yes, although later Maleficent and Aurora properly met, and became close," Diaval said quickly, frowning at King John. The king leaned closer to Maleficent, lacing his fingers together.
"How did you convince the good queen Aurora to accept your presence after what you did to her? Sorcery? Or did she simply not know who you were?"
Diaval stood up, looking angry. It was then Maleficent realized what all the questions were about. King John still thought Maleficent was untrustworthy. Evil.
Tears pricked Maleficent's eyes.
Queen Mary had noticed her husband's questions. She grabbed his arm. "John!" she scolded. She turned to Maleficent. "I'm sorry, my dear, I don't now what - "
"It's alright," Maleficent said softly. She cleared her throat and said, in a louder voice, "You have every right to be suspicious of me. Aurora and I are close, and you don't want your son to be interacting with the woman who cursed Aurora. But I'm not the person who cursed Aurora. Not anymore. That woman... she was hurt, and what continued her existence was a thirst for revenge. But after getting to know Aurora, I realized that, despite what Stefan had done to me, I shouldn't have tried to take revenge. I shouldn't have sunk as low as he. But I did. And I only hurt myself again, didn't I?
"I've changed since then. I made a horrible, horrible mistake. Aurora forgave me, because she is the nicest person any of us will ever know. I hope, King John, you too can forgive me. Please don't forbid a relationship, romantic or otherwise, between Aurora and Phillip because of your lack of trust in me," announced Maleficent.
The large room was silent. Maleficent's heart pounded with grief and anger as she stared at King John. After a moment, he bowed his head.
"I apologize for my behavior," he said. "But as you said, I am cautious of you. Your history with Aurora is not something to be ignored. Though our conversation has proven you to be a perfectly peaceable being now, I do not know if I can completely trust you."
"You don't have to completely trust me. Just trust me enough to not harm anyone. Don't let your worries blind you and convince you to make an unwise decision," Maleficent said. She realized she was shaking slightly. But the king nodded, straightening in his seat. His eyes still gleamed warily, but his shoulders were more relaxed. Maleficent took a deep breath, stood, and her voice strong, said, "Thank you. Now if you would excuse me, I - I think I need fresh air."
"I'll accompany you," Robin offered, flying over to Maleficent. She shook her head to the small faerie. Her chest was tightening and she started to feel paranoid. The stone walls were beginning to feel confining, like the lid of a coffin creaking shut, trapping Maleficent forever.
"I'm fine, I'll go alone," muttered Maleficent, hurrying away from the table. Her bare feet slapped against the cold floor.
"Maleficent - " Aurora called, upset. She walked after the faerie.
"I'm fine!" Maleficent snapped. She stiffened - that was no way to talk to her friend. Then a shiver ran down Maleficent's back. Her tone reminded her of something darker. How she had been before, when she was wicked. Though she had no recollection of being evil, Maleficent was sure that must have been how she had talked. Fear prickled at her. Maleficent turned to Aurora and, in a softer voice, said, "I'm sorry. I'm fine, I would just like some time alone." Aurora's eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she nodded.
"Do you - do you remember where the garden is?" Aurora asked in a tight voice.
"I'll find it," Maleficent assured her. She hastened out of the room, avoiding the gazes of the servants.
Maleficent didn't know where the garden was, but she could sense the presence of nature. It was an odd, tugging sensation around her stomach that guided her through the halls until she found the courtyard garden Aurora had brought her and Robin to. Maleficent retreated to the back of the courtyard, where the plants grew with a little more freedom. She sat against the trunk of a tree and gazed up at the stars as they began to stud the sky. As she fretted, a tear made its way down her cheek.
A squeak captured Maleficent's attention. She shifted and looked down. A mouse blinked at her from beside the tree. A smirk tugged at the corner's of Maleficent's lips. "Are you Diaval's demon mouse?" she chuckled. The mouse chattered angrily before scampering off. Maleficent sighed and pulled her knees in to her chest.
"Maleficent?"
Maleficent looked up. "Katherine?"
The sorceress had found the garden. In a few moments, she stood before Maleficent.
"Are you alright?" Katherine asked quietly. Maleficent shrugged as Katherine sat down next to her.
"I suppose. But…" Maleficent looked away, studying a patch of flowers that grew not far away. "Is that still what people think of me? Do they still consider me the monster that cursed Aurora?"
Katherine leaned away from Maleficent. For one second, Maleficent felt hurt - was Katherine, too, repulsed by her? Then Katherine smacked Maleficent's arm. Maleficent yelped, more surprised than pained.
"I'm sorry! Are you alr - I mean, you deserved that for calling yourself a monster," Katherine said, crossing her arms. "You made a mistake, but you can't hate yourself for it forever."
"Cursing an innocent baby is more than a mistake, Katherine. It's a sin, a crime."
"Well, you've done Aurora more good than harm," Katherine pointed out. "I cannot pretend to know how you feel. Confused, I guess. Angry at yourself. I don't know if I can convince you to recognize you are not a monster, but let me make it clear, your friends - Robin, Diaval, Aurora, me - none of us consider you a bad person. Aurora's forgiven you. You, too, should start thinking about forgiving yourself."
"How can I, after doing something so terrible! And I don't even know why - well, I do, because Stefan stole my wings. But what was I thinking? I would never hurt someone like that! Stefan hurt me, but how could I have let myself become so bitter because of it?" Maleficent cried, grabbing her face. "I wish I knew, but I don't want to remember being evil. I - I wish I could just go back and reverse what I did, and we could all live happily ever after!"
"You already know my opinions on trying to reverse time," Katherine said quietly as Maleficent tried to get control of her emotions. "If it could be done, it would be dangerous. The results could be disastrous…." Katherine's voice tightened, and, sounding as though she were forcing the words out, said, "But maybe… maybe we could try it…."
"I don't understand," Maleficent said, trying to keep the hope from her voice. "You said it would be - "
"I know what I said!" Katherine said, tense. She took a deep breath and relaxed. "I'm sorry. The idea scares me a lot… but I can't stand seeing you so upset. You're my best friend, and you've always been there for me. I want to help you. And if we go back... Lydia could be changed."
"We could fix everything," Maleficent marveled at the thought.
"You might not end up with Stefan, but you don't care about that, do you?"
"Of course not, as long as Aurora isn't cursed," Maleficent said. Something nagged at her, but her excitement pushed away any other concerns.
"She won't be. Everything will be fixed," Katherine echoed Maleficent.
"How will we do it?"
"We could just modify the spell, so it actually sends you back in time," Katherine said. Maleficent grinned and reached to her friend.
"Thank you, Katherine, for giving me a chance to fix this," said Maleficent, embracing Katherine. Katherine hugged her back.
"Of course. I'd do anything for you, Maleficent."
...
Hi, guys! As always, sorry this took so long to write. I've been busy, with Halloween and school and stuff...
Please review. Constructive criticism and random jokes welcomed!
Thanks for reading!
Kitty