Persephone yawned and looked around the room. She realized this wasn't her ruined bedchambers, with foul smells of ale and dirt. This room was clean and well kept, although a little beaten up. She blinked to see through the darkness and saw the very person from her dream that she had relished in.
Maleficent slept soundly, her soft breathing the only sound in the room. Persephone got up and went to stand beside her. She smiled at the peaceful look on her face. Persephone jumped as thunder roared outside. She whimpered in fright at the terrifying sound. She bit her lip in worry as a thought came to mind.
"Would she mind if I slept with her? Like I did... with momma on these kinds of nights?"
Maleficent had been nice to her so far, given her a new home, a new start, so would she mind? Another crash of thunder made her decision clear. She gently climbed into the large bed, careful not to wake Maleficent and slipped into her arms. The thunder continued and she gripped onto Maleficents night gown. As more thunder shouted at her came from outside, memories of her stepfathers cruelty seeped into her mind. He would shout at her, hurt her when mother wasn't home, and swear right in her face, calling her nothing but dirt and an unworthy daughter. She began to cry softly as her arms hugged Maleficent.
She felt the fairy stir and stiffened. Her tears wouldn't cease and Maleficent was stirring more and more by the moment. She soon felt her head turn to look at the top of her head, her yellow eyes boring into her.
"Persephone? What are you-"
Another strike of thunder sounded, although to Persephone, it sounded like her stepfather.
"You worthless piece of garbage! Your mother should be ashamed!"
She burst into tears. Maleficent grabbed the child and rocked her back and forth to calm her. While the storm raged outside, Maleficent comforted Persephone with all the love she could offer, like her mother had done for her in such dark moments like this...
Maleficent walked out of the room, where Persephone slept peacefully in her bed. It had taken almost the whole night to get Persehone to stop crying, although it didn't bother Maleficent that she hadn't gotten much sleep. She soon heard the yells and squawks of her precious bird and dim witted henchmen. She gripped her staff as she teleported to the main hall. She saw a large, red faced man being surrounded by her men, while Diablo circled overhead. The man was yelling and kicking her henchman, while trying to beat Diablo.
"Get off me you stupid, pathetic weaklings!"
She hit her staff on the floor freezing them all in place.
"Enough!"
She walked to her throne of stone and sat. Unfreezing everyone, the man glared at Maleficent.
"I don't appreciate anyone other then me wreaking havoc in my castle."
He simply shook off one of her men and began to approach her.
"Maleficent, I honestly don't care about that, I just want-"
"Maleficent?"
Persephone walked down the stairs with tired eyes. When her eyes saw the man, she stopped dead in her tracks. He grinned evilly.
"Oh my dear daughter! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Persephone let a few tears out before glaring. She ran to Maleficents side and hid behind her throne. Maleficents eyes widened in realization and glared hatefully at the man.
"Get out."
He smirked, making Persephone whimper in fear behind her as he came closer.
"Oh I couldn't possibly leave after just finding my daughter. So I'll just take the miserable child off your hands."
Persephone gripped Maleficents arm in fright. Maleficent stood up angrily with the girl still holding onto her.
"I think you've lost the privilege to call her your daughter. I will be caring for her now. Unlike you and your savage ways, she will receive love and compassion from me, like a true parent should do to her child."
His mouth twitched in anger. Maleficent felt Persephone shiver and gripped her staff more fiercely as he approached.
"She's coming home with me! She's my right and ownership! She's-"
"Not going anywhere, you heartless beast!"
Maleficent looked at Persephone and saw her green eyes had turned a fierce gold, glowing with anger. Her hands shot out and balls of sea green energy burst forth. Her stepfather was thrown back against the wall as she came foreward. A large ghostly hand appeared and grabbed the man mercilessly. She closed her hand, the ghostly hand following suit and squeezing her stepfather until she heard the cracking of bones.
"I am not yours to own. You lost that as well when you murdered my mother, my dear stepfather."
She threw him down and dragged his weak body to the guards. She looked up and wiped the hateful and disgusted look from her face as she took on a wicked smile.
"Could you lock him up, Maleficent? Please? I can't bare to look at him..."
Maleficent was shocked but was able to numbly nod to her guards as they took the man, groaning in pain, down to the dungeons. She had never seen anyone do such tremendous magic without looking drained at Persephone's age. Then she saw Persephone hold her head, looking slightly tired. She rushed to her and tried to keep her from tipping over.
"I've never felt so mad before, Mother... I'm so tired..."
Maleficent stiffened when she heard Persephone call her mother. She shook it off as a sign of exhaustion and supported the girl as she walked up the stairs back to her room. As soon as Persephone's head laid atop the pillows, her eyes closed, sleep consuming her. She kissed the child's forehead and let herself out, an official conquest in her mind.
"I need to pay a visit to King Stephan... He needs to know of this..."
She told her guards to watch the prisoner from a distance and not go near him, as well as keep an ear out for Persephone, and to summon her if something happened. With the orders in her guards hands (along with her smart Diablo), she left to talk to Stephan.
She entered the throne room in green and yellow flames. She saw that almost the whole kingdom was in the room, along with the despised good fairies, and realized something she had forgotten. The queen had been due sometime this week for her pregnancy and it seems she had just had the baby, having the christening a day after. And they hadn't invited her. She grew angry at the revelation of it all and smirked spitefully at the king and queen, completely forgetting about her earlier conquest.
"Well, quite a glittering assemblage, King Stephan."
Persephone awoke and felt an painful headache. She got up and held a hand to her head. Her eyes looked around and didn't see the person she really wished to see.
"Mother?"
She knew she had called her that in her weaker state but she meant it. Maleficent may have only known her for a day, but she was everything her mother was and so much more. She deserved the title and all its rewards. And she had technically said that she was her child. She sighed happily when she thought of Maleficent as her mother.
Persephone sat back down and looked down at her hands in wonder. How had she been able to do all that to her stepfather? She furrowed her brow in concentration and tried to summon the hand again. It appeared quite easily and she moved her own hand in random movements, as the replica moved the same. She made it disappear and tried to summon the balls of strong energy. They came immediantly and her hands were bathed in their light. She went to the window and looked for something harmless to shoot at. She saw some of the goons practicing archery and she could see the targets quite well. She aimed and threw the ball, earning herself a perfect bullseye and a tiny fire for the goons to put out. She smiled and made the swirling energy disappear.
She opened the door that led out of the room and wandered the halls. She soon came to the throne room and marvelled at it. She climbed the stairs leading to Maleficents throne and sat in it. It was quite uncomfortable and she shifted in her seat. She soon couldn't stand the uncomfortable thing and jumped off. Maleficent must be very tolerant because, who else could sit there for hours? She pondered this for a moment and an idea struck her, making her grin. She looked down at her hands and pointed them towards the tattered throne. She thought of a more comfortable one that would suit Maleficent and before she knew it, it appeared before her.
It was a pure ebony throne with purple fabric behind it for her back and soft light green cushioning for her to sit. She smiled at her work and turned to leave when she heard a crash of lightning, then a yell of anger and fear. Maleficent soon came down the stairs yelling for her guards.
"You imbeciles! You blundering fools! I told you to watch her! And now I don't even now where she is!"
Persephone ran down the stairs and stepped in front of the fairy to calm her fears.
"Mother, I'm fine, I'm right here."
Maleficent gave a sigh of relief and hugged Persephone tightly.
"Oh thank the lord, your alright. I was about to destroy the whole castle if..."
She stopped talking after registering what I said. She let go and looked down at Persephone in fear and wonderment.
"What... What did you call me?"
Persephone giggled and hugged her again, mumbling into her clothes loud enough for her to hear.
"I called you Mother, because that's what you are. You've been so kind to me, so you deserve to be called my mother."
Maleficent was speechless. In a matter of a day, this innocent child, had amazed her beyond comprehension. She smiled at the thought of Persephone as her daughter. She hugged the girl one last time before heading to her throne, which she hadn't noticed had changed.
"Well,... daughter. That's very lovely and I'm honoured actually."
As she sat down she felt something... different about her throne. She didn't feel the usually uncomfortableness or prick of sharp old metal. She traced a finger on the arm of it but the design was different. She jumped up and whirled around to look at her newly transformed throne. Her eyes widened and she hesitantly traced the design of throne again and backed away.
"Who... How..."
A giggle behind her answered her question. Persephone walked up and stood beside the throne with a smile.
"I transformed it because it seemed so uncomfortable for you. Do you like it?"
"And once again this child doesn't cease to amaze me."
She thought as she sat back down, feeling it's softness relax her. She looked at Persephone, who was awaiting patiently for her to answer. She smiled and brought the girl to sit on her lap as she hugged her.
"I adore it, Persephone. Thank you so much."
She giggled and hugged her new mother back, feeling a familier warmth in her chest. They sat like that for a few minutes until Maleficent spoke up.
"Persephone? How would you feel about me teaching you about magic?"
Persephone looked up and smiled, nodding as she sat in Maleficents arms.
"I would love that, mother. Although I guess I already know a fair bit about conjuring."
Maleficent laughed and hugged the child to her chest.
"That you do, Persephone. That you do. We'll start tomorrow because I think you need to relax for today."
Persephone nodded and snuggled closer to her new mother, smiling into her warm robes. Maleficent couldn't help but smile at the realization that she had both a student and a daughter. Both were things she wished for countless times before. And now she had it.