Blackbird crying in the dead of night…
In the dead and the dark of the night, Maleficent sat and stared forlornly out. She was hidden alone in the highest reaches of the ruined castle located in the furthest reaches of the Moors. No one else was here. No one else would ever come out this far. There was nothing here. That was why Maleficent chose to—
"Caw!" A soft crow. Maleficent turned her horned head. Hmm. Perhaps not as abandoned and isolated as she thought. A single, lone raven was perched atop a castle brick, both equally black, the brick the remnants of what was no doubt once a fine and mighty battlement. But no more. Like the bird and the dark fairy, the castle was now nothing but a crumbling and forgotten wasteland.
Take our broken wings and learn to fly.
And as Maleficent looked at the raven—and the raven at Maleficent—she realized that it wasn't just alone, but lonely, too. Why else would a bird come here? So far out in the middle of nowhere? There were no other ravens for miles, she was sure. This one didn't have a family either…
All your life…
The next time they met, the bird was trapped in a net, seconds away from death at the hands of a human and the fangs of a dog.
"Into a man…"
"What have you done to my beautiful self?"
"Wings. I need wings. I need for you to be my wings."
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Two families of one became one family of two.
ooo
Blackbird flitting through the woods and trees…
Diaval, in raven form again, hopped after Maleficent as they worked and walked through the Moors together. The dark fairy's golden magic hissed and snaked around every flower and plant it came across, restoring and rejuvenating them all. No matter what Maleficent said, no matter what her names or titles were, actions spoke louder than words, and the raven's sharp eyes could see that, clear and plain as the daylight overhead. Though he would've said that even a human with poor eyesight would be able to see it. If only Maleficent could see what he was seeing…
"Hello…!" A tiny voice whispered up to the dark fairy, and she and the raven turned and looked down to see… a human child! The princess Aurora! For a moment, neither bird nor fairy knew what to do upon this unexpected encounter. So the little girl made the choice for them. She reached up to Maleficent. "Uppie! Uppie!"
Eyes shifting left and then right, Maleficent finally—albeit reluctantly—picked up the child. Curious hands explored her horns with no fear. Maleficent was so stunned that she was frozen in place. When was the last time she'd been touched? Years and years…
Diaval watched from his nearby perch, amazed. If only Maleficent could see what he was seeing…
Take your sunken eyes and learn to see…
With the light of dawn—Aurora—reflecting in Maleficent's golden eyes, maybe she was starting to…
Or maybe not. She finally set the child down. "Go on, then. Go away now. Go, go, go…!" she muttered and waved Aurora off.
But then Diaval watched the way Maleficent watched even after Aurora was long out of sight. Had the family just grown slightly larger?
Don't you flee.
He would be sure when, years later, Maleficent found herself staring into the eyes of the princess again. Tears almost blinded all three of them, but Aurora's eyes were open, and that was all that mattered.
"Hello, Godmother…"
"Hello, Beastie…" Two hands intertwined, then they looked at the man standing by the door. He returned their smile, then rested his hand on theirs.
You were only waiting for this moment to be three!
ooo
Blackbird mourning for all of the dead.
"NOOOOO!" The family was back down to two. Aurora fell down to her knees, screaming and crying, weeping as she ran her fingers through the remains—the ashes—that used to be her mother. Where was Diaval?!
And poor Maleficent had had a rough week too. Even though she was able to reconcile with her beloved daughter in the final seconds before she died, nothing before that had been easy either. First was the initial separation from her daughter. Then the suffering of her people. The entire race of dark fairies was literally forced underground. That was no place for them to stretch or spread their wings to fly.
And one among their ranks in particular—Conall—died to protect Maleficent. She had to mourn too. And the casualties only climbed as the war between fairies and humans began in earnest. Maleficent's only silver lining was that her beloved daughter was not someone she had to mourn. In the final seconds before Maleficent was reduced to ash, she hoped that her golden eyes could convey one last message to Aurora.
Take this hollow life and live again.
She did not wish for her kind, sweet, caring daughter with a heart as gold as her hair to become cold and twisted just because Maleficent could not be there with her in body anymore. But she would always be there in spirit. That was the power of love. Her influence, her positive legacy, would live on, so long as Aurora willed it. And as her tears struck the ashes, the fires of a phoenix began to burn. Was the family… back to three?
In the end…
Eyes and mouths went wide, some with shock, and some with horror, but for Aurora, it was nothing short of the most brilliant awe and amazement that she'd ever felt. First were her tears of sorrow, then fury at the one who murdered Maleficent, and now they were overjoyed! But every single tear, no matter the other emotions behind it, was one of love. The human queen locked eyes with the phoenix queen, rising slowly to her feet.
You were only waiting for this moment to ascend!
ooo
Blackbird finding peace just like a dove.
It was hard for Maleficent. It was hard for all of them. Even though most would've assumed that peace was far easier than war, to creatures who had only ever known the latter, the former was frightening and foreign.
"Will you give me away?"
"Never!"
"I mean… Will you walk me down the aisle?"
"… Ah…" It took some time, but… "Yes…"
Take your frightened heart and learn to love.
"Pull yourself together!" Maleficent hissed at the man standing by her side, right where he'd always been, right where he belonged. He didn't respond verbally, but he smiled through tears when he caught her wiping her own. How things had changed. Of course she hated being caught crying in public, but the Maleficent of old would've cursed every person in attendance who bore witness to it.
Now, she simply dabbed her eyes, even though she knew it was a gesture nobody would miss. Ah well, if it was for Aurora—as her tears of love were—they were all worth it. And perhaps, if anything, she hoped that the world would see it. See? She was no heartless monster, for she loved Aurora, as frightening as it was. Now their family was four. Or maybe five…?
Learn to trust.
King John managed to catch Maleficent's gaze. He was smiling, but she could see tears in his eyes too. After all, she wasn't the only one losing a child today. No, not losing. The family was simply… expanding. And perhaps… Maleficent regarded him. The Maleficent of old would've never called a human—outside of Aurora, at least—family, but here she was considering it.
Diaval caught the human king and the ex-queen fairy smiling at one another, and he smiled as well. Ah, how far his mistress had come since the night they met! Now here they stood, side by side in the sunlight. Who knew? Maybe someday their family would be six, or seven, or eight, or nine, or even ten! It all just depended on how many heirs Aurora and Phillip wanted.
"And maybe we could have another?" Diaval joked as he and Maleficent swooped and soared through the clouds together. After all they'd been through, they were practically mates, even if none of them ever used that word explicitly. And all around them, other dark fairies of all ages flew, including children. Maleficent only smirked back at him. Well, she hadn't said no! And that surprised him too. Maybe he should've been more careful what he suggested they get into…
But with all the dark fairy children flying around, Maleficent couldn't help it! In many ways, her heart felt fuller than it ever had before, as if something missing all her life was finally there. She'd reconciled with Aurora, and found her people again. To Maleficent, it was "happily ever after" beyond her wildest dreams. Together, two pairs of black wings flew into the aurora, the light, of a Moorish night.
You were always dreaming of this moment, now fly above!