"It's Mother's Day!" Knotgrass crowed. "Of course we're allowed to be here! Now come on, come on, hurry up!"
"Ok, ok, all right, all right! Flittle is so heavy nowadays!" Thistlewit muttered under her breath as she flew after her oldest sister, both of them struggling to carry their middle sister in the middle of them. A second later, Thistlewit was left coughing and sputtering as a jet of pollen hit her face. "Flittle!" she complained at the blue flower.
"Girls! Enough!" Knotgrass snapped.
"But she—!"
"We are approaching the sacred grounds!"
Thistlewit shut up immediately. As bumbling as the three sisters could be, there was a reason they were selected as Aurora's original mothers. When they weren't too busy being idiots, they could be incredibly perceptive and protective.
She may consider Maleficent her mother, Knotgrass thought. Bah! It was US who raised her!
While Maleficent got to come and go as she pleased, being the cool mom who showed Aurora wonders and worlds she'd never seen before, the three sisters got the less glamorous job of taking care of Aurora during the day. Waking, feeding, changing, disciplining, all the not-fun stuff.
And do we get any thanks for our 16 years of hard work and sacrifice? No! She demotes us to auntie position! Knotgrass huffed, but as much as Aurora's thoughtlessness could get under her skin, she really was soft for the girl. They all were. That, in Knotgrass' opinion, was what made them mothers. Sure, they weren't perfect, but neither was Maleficent. They'd done their best, and their concern for their daughter—yes, she was theirs too—was real. Maybe Aurora would argue they didn't show that concern very well, but again, neither did Maleficent.
Maleficent was already at the holy grounds, kneeling, head bowed in silent prayer. Knotgrass and Thistlewit approached quietly, reverently, a rare thing for them, but a sign of respect, nonetheless. They set Flittle down as quietly as they could, placing her beside Maleficent.
If there is ANY proof that we ought be considered mothers too, look at Flittle's sacrifice! Knotgrass thought indignantly.
Maleficent finally looked up and turned to the three fairies, her face softer than any of them had ever seen it before.
Mercy Moors! Is she sick? Did she hurt her head? Thistlewit worried, but no, it was nothing like that. Maleficent just understood that which Knotgrass was already thinking. As much as she found the three fairies to be annoying little pests, she could still respect the sacrifice Flittle made to protect the Moor folk. And even during Aurora's christening, when Maleficent first blew in the doors, those three stooges had no hesitation about trying to protect Aurora. They were utterly ineffective, handwaved away in just a gust of air, but that made their decision to stand up against Maleficent all the more respectable. Especially since they, of all creatures, knew what she was capable of when she felt slighted.
Maleficent gave them a polite, respectful nod.
Oh, the poor dearie! Thistlewit worried again. For a time, the four fairies spoke in hushed tones and quiet conversation. Or at least, three of them did. Flittle could contribute only by using spells to interact with the world around them. Maybe one day, Maleficent would discover a cure, or invent a talking/translating spell, but not today. It was Mother's Day, and the four fairies were trying to honor every mother that came before them.
Even… Ingrith… Maleficent's lip curled as a snarl involuntarily pulled itself from her throat. She would never forgive that monster for nearly murdering her daughter. Many a time, Maleficent still wished to slay the true Mistress of Evil, and she was sure that had the three fairies seen what Maleficent saw—Ingrith shoving Aurora off a tower to save her own skin—the murderous intention would spread. But Maleficent was trying to forsake her old ways. Ingrith was utterly harmless now as a goat, so there was no cause for murder, no matter how badly Maleficent desired it.
She is evil, but I know all too well that evil comes from somewhere. She was not born so hateful or violent. Likewise, she must've done at least ONE thing right for Phillip to turn out the way he did. Although, heh, I suspect most of the credit belongs to the father in that regard.
A fog finally started to roll in, making the air warm and heavy. Before they knew it, the four fairies were yawning, frozen in a dreamlike state at the very edge and borderline of sleep and wakefulness. On that shadowy border of twilight, they also saw the intersection of life and death. A ghostly woman melted from the tree line and hovered slowly towards the four fairies out of the depths of the mist.
Queen Leila! Aurora certainly had a lot of mothers, but as the old saying said, it took an entire village to raise a child.
"Your majesty!" Knotgrass and Thistlewit bowed in perfect synchronization, and even Flittle's flower bud managed to bend.
For a moment, only Maleficent seemed to refuse to genuflect, but it was only because she was overcome by a wave of guilt, regret, and even fear.
"Queen Leila…" All she could see was Aurora. The resemblances were not exact, but they were striking.
"Knotgrass, Thistlewit, Flittle…" Leila addressed the three fairies first, each by name, smiling, voice soft and sweet, but still tinged with sorrow for all the life she lost, not just because she died so early, but because she'd never been allowed to be a part of her daughter's life. Despite being the one who gave birth to Aurora, and despite loving her just as deeply as Maleficent or the three fairies did, she was the only one of Aurora's mothers who never got to spend any time with her. Maleficent stole Stefan's years with Aurora, but she'd stolen Leila's too, and she knew it.
The late queen tapped Flittle's flower, and the petals burst open, and little Flittle came flitting out, the same misty shade as Leila.
"Flittle!" Her sisters chorused in delight and flew up to meet her in the air. Leila smiled at them as they danced around her head.
"Thank you… For loving my daughter as you did… I know she was in good hands, thanks to you." Maybe not in a physical sense, but had Aurora stayed with Stefan…? No, that man had gone mad with paranoia. He would've twisted her up to be just like him.
That was the beautiful and dangerous thing about Aurora. She was her father's daughter, whether she liked it or not. Oh, she was Leila in many ways, and she even had traits of all four of her adoptive mothers, but she had Stefan's fire and grim determination when it came to getting what she really wanted. That was the danger. How easily she could become a Mistress of Evil in her own right. Hadn't she even considered it in the brief few minutes she thought Ingrith had successfully murdered her mother? Suddenly, nothing else mattered to Aurora except revenge.
That was the danger, but the beauty was that despite everything, Aurora always made a different choice, a better choice. In that, she turned all of Stefan's worst traits into something good. Leila turned to Maleficent next.
"And thank you… For protecting her…"
"I… I'm sorry…"
Leila shook her head, face becoming bitter. There was a small part of her that would never forgive Maleficent for what she'd done. There was a small part of her that would never forgive Stefan for what she'd done. And there was a small part of her that would never forgive herself for what she hadn't done. If perhaps she'd been a little stronger, braver, like the Moor folk, would she have found the courage to leave Stefan?
How would things be different, had she made that decision? It was a question she'd spent her entire afterlife thus far pondering, and she knew she had an eternity left to come up with a satisfying answer. But that was not the point of the moment. She had not come to torment Maleficent, or express jealousy to Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle. No, today was a day of peace and gratitude.
"I think we can all agree," she finally said, making sure to meet each of their gazes individually, "that we want nothing more than for Aurora's health and happiness in life."
Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle bobbed their heads frantically while Maleficent nodded once.
"Then, I know I can trust you four to continue to look after her for many years to come." Leila's face and voice became beatific again. While Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle flew circles around her, excitedly promising to do exactly that, Maleficent locked eyes with the other ex-queen.
It takes a village, so I'll be sure Aurora knows how much you've done for her as well. Maybe Leila felt that she hadn't played any sort of significant or important role in Aurora's life beyond birthing her, but Maleficent disagreed. You loved her enough to give her up because of me, to keep her safe. That may have been an action you committed one time, but the love that fueled that decision didn't end that day. It persisted for years.
Leila was just as much Aurora's mom as any of them, and her sacrifices weren't any less just because she hadn't been able to be there to see Aurora grow up. She'd loved Aurora just as long and deeply as the others. Wasn't that all that mattered?
It was the same thing Knotgrass was thinking about on the way over. Maybe Maleficent didn't understand it while looking at her, but she seemed to understand speaking to Leila's ghost.
I promise, none of us will let her fall.
I know. Thank you.
When the ceremony came to a close, Flittle's little ghost flitted back into her blue flower form.
"Don't worry, girls! It's actually quite cozy in there!" she promised as her spirit faded back into the petals.
Lelila chuckled softly, then she locked eyes with Maleficent one last time. Tell her I love her.
Maleficent nodded back. Of course, always, I will make certain she knows.
It took a village, and lucky for Leila, she had exactly that. She could rest in peace knowing her beloved babygirl was in good hearts and good hands.
AN: Mom and I were joking about how even though the three fairies are idiots, they DID help raise Aurora, and then they got delegated to "auntie" positions, ouch, LOL! (Aurora out here knowing she wants Angelina Jolie as her main mom, LOL! #Respeccc)
Also we out here sleeping on poor Leila who was also probably a great mom. Aurora really is a lucky gal.
WOO yall, I swear, Maleficent just gives me the best inspiration for fics. Literally the seven I just posted were all written the same night, because I just kept getting IDEAS, and now I'm very tired, LOL! Time to pull a Sleeping Beauty (Sleeping Boggle?) Plz nobody kiss me awake, let me sleep 5ever, LOL!