Chapter Text
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, or the movie would’ve gone Malora…
Updated version beta'ed by the amazing midnightbokeh. (Dear reader, do yourself a favor and check out their works and tumblr!)
“The reception will take place in the main hall. Did the kitchen staff present their menu, your majesty?” Sir Alexander, master of ceremonies, spoke in a flat tone.
“Yes,” Aurora hastily replied. “Although I had to remind them I still do not have much of a taste for meat.”
“Noted.” Alexander continued, in the same monotone. “The kingdom of Airgialla has sent a small music group to play, as part of their gifts.”
“A charmingly disguised diplomatic mission. I know their representative wishes to discuss trade once the band and Princess are homebound.” Aurora knew she could not let a single political exploit slip past her. She would always see and wish for the best in people, but she also finally knew that she must present the strongest front to keep anyone with negative intentions in their place.
“How did you know that? It was to be discussed after your… honeymoon.”
Is Alexander blushing? They hide it well. “A little birdie told me.” Aurora laughed at her own remark.
“What should the colors be?” Lady Mackenzie coughed, steering the conversation back on course.
“Blue!” “Pink!” “Green!” the pixie trio said at the same time.
With equal parts affection and dismissal, Aurora glanced at her ‘aunts.’ “You’ve had me and my dwellings clad in those colors enough in the past years, my dear pixies. I think such a day calls for my colors to be on display, yes?” The sunrises and sunsets of over twenty years had not dulled the charms gifted by the pixies themselves. Aurora could still so easily disarm them with just her smile and a teasing gleam of her eyes.
“Well, what colors do you wish for, your majesty?” Lady Mackenzie asked again.
Aurora closed her eyes and let visions dance behind her lids. Green? Perhaps not, the council still seems to scowl at the hue. She smiled again once she aligned her thoughts. “Gold,” she said, like particles of sunlight swirling in the air. “Purple,” such a striking color when I’m able to draw it to the surface of those bottomless spheres.
“Fine regal choices,” Lady Mackenzie interjected.
“Good woman, I have another,” Aurora quipped, making her subject blush in embarrassment. After a pause… “Black.”
“What?” every voice in the room spoke at once.
“Since when was this a funeral?” Flittle arose, her fairy wings atwitter.
“Or a display of... malignancy?” Knotgrass whispered.
Aurora again took an air of purpose and charm. “Calm yourselves. I did not mean as a major part of the color scheme. Merely a small accent. To highlight the contrast.” More than one eyebrow rose in reaction, but no more arguments were articulated. They could not deny her.
(-)(-)(-)
The Queen and the Protector of the Moors sat in the ancient rowan tree, Aurora leaning into Maleficent, who softly kept an arm around her beastie, instinctually making sure Aurora did not fall off her perch for all the gesturing she was so oft to do as she spoke.
“… and black, but just as an accent.” Aurora finished listing off the finalized arrangements. “I am very glad the pixies can magic materials we already have. No need to spend down the treasury when we can transform the existing textile and swag overnight. It will be ready in time for tomorrow.”
Maleficent smirked, in her usual slight fashion. “I hope so. You are a good woman, trusting the rabble with such business.”
“Maleficent!” Aurora strongly smacked the arm draped around her, knowing it would sting no more than a chafing feather to the fairy. Leaning into the taller woman, Aurora asked the question that needled her mind. “Do you approve?”
“As much as I can.”
(-)(-)(-)
Aurora stood motionless in the haze of twilight near the border of the Moors. She had overruled Maleficent’s proposal of personally escorting her back to the castle. ‘A bride must remain in seclusion the eve of her wedding.’ She relied on a impulsively remembered human notion in order to vindicate her choice of Balthazar and the promise of her human honor guard waiting, who both were bound to honor her wish for this detour.
The Queen of the Moors turned to the fae Robin, who made a slight bow in her direction. “You need me, my Queen?”
“Yes. This is… important. I require assistance in… a… message, I suppose.” Aurora spoke softly, almost as if afraid someone would overhear them.
This intrigued the fae intensely. “Why my assistance, if I may be so bold? You have the gift of a silver tongue.”
Aurora let out a ‘humph!’, but knew there was no genuine reason for ire. “It is not one I can speak. Not now, anyhow. I have an idea, but one that requires magic my mortal self does not possess. Come closer, I can explain.”
Robin glided over to the Queen and leaned in as she whispered in his ear.
“You know what those mean, yes?”
“I do. Why do you think I insist on the arrangement? And this…” Aurora removed a tiny scroll of parchment from her robe.
“Oh… OH! As you wish.”
As Aurora finally headed back to the castle, Robin flew into the Moors and spun his magic into it, coaxing it to behave in the needed manner. It was as if the land heard the earlier conversation, for he found his magic flowed effortlessly and more powerfully than he knew he was capable of.
(-)(-)(-)
The following morning, light spilled over the united kingdoms, beckoning in a new day. Exhibiting a rare display of tardiness, Maleficent was actually behind in the pace of her normal daily routine. She had lain awake in her tree for many hours the night before, her mind stirring. Oh, what a day... Finally taking to the air, she started her review of her beloved Moors, wishing to clear her mind before heading to the castle.
The role of Protector meant a special bond with the land. In an intangible but definite way, she could feel every rock, every blade of grass, the aura of every magic creature, the… what’s this? Maleficent could feel that something meaningful had changed. Something beyond the natural ebb and flow of the land and water that were so alive in their eternal dance. This was a … coerced change? She could feel the impression of a magic she knew from long ago… she would deal with that later, she needed to see what he had done first. Closing her eyes and turning on the wind, she let her intuition point her in the needed direction.
The throne of the Moors? Sure enough, the surge of transformation and magic was emanating from the rock and root formation that had become the throne of the enchanted land. Maleficent ignored the biting sensation in her heart and memory as it came into view and she quickly landed upon the islet.
She released the breath she was not aware she had been holding, not with fury, but with surprise. The winding gnarled bridge of roots was covered in red carnations and yellow chrysanthemums, arches of color swirling into each other. This colorful pathway continued onto the rock expanse that jutted from the water. The blooms covered much of the ground surface, but obviously were meant to draw the eye to the throne. The throne… Maleficent lost her breath once more. Crawling up the throne, woven into the once fearsome lattice, covering the carven curves roughly hewn by ancient fae before her… were roses. So many roses. Red roses and white roses in equal number intermingled and opened in full bloom. The only portion not covered was the seat itself. Sitting there was a single rose, white with red edges, and a parchment.
Aurora survived getting dressed by the pixie trio.
Goodness knows they meant the best, but the emotion of seeing their charge as a bride quickly overcame them and led to a blubbering mess followed by some escaping bolts of magic as they tried to comfort one another. Aurora’s skills of evasion, developed over years of wallerbog mud fights, finally allowed her to get close enough to again use her gifts on the ones who had themselves gifted them. After quieting them down and sending them away to take their places in the Great Hall, Aurora felt lucky that she did not end up with a multicolor wedding gown.
Finally alone but for her lady-in-waiting, Aurora looked at herself in the long mirror. Her long flowing white gown shone with silken iridescence. The golden ribbon cross lacing brought the dress close to her form, but the fabric draped from her waist in a perfect slope down to the short train. The sleeves flared in a similar manner from bands of shimmering golden-purple lace above her elbows, concealing her nervous hands under the exquisiteness. On the skirt, swirling black vines contrasted the stark white. Almost blooming out of the dress were magnificent purple fabric roses, decorated on the edge of their petals with golden thread.
“It’s time, your majesty.” The singsong voice of her most loyal human servant brought her out of her self-examination. Aurora dipped without being asked to as the royal diadem was placed upon her golden locks, and the veil draped over her head and shoulders.
Turning to depart, she thought she heard a raven’s cry fade into the distance outside her chamber window.
(-)(-)(-)
The intricately decorated veil partially obscured her vision, but she knew her handmaiden had delivered her to the ornate doors that led to the main hall, made hallowed ground for this occasion. With the creak of well-used hinges, the well-practiced pageant of recent days is converted into reality. Rows of benches took up the first half of the hall, full of royalty, nobility and gentry alike. The rest of the hall was packed, standing room only, with lower-ranking subjects who had responded to Aurora’s open invitation to the ceremony. It should be no surprise that so many came. After all, who wouldn’t want to see the wedding of the once-cursed Princess to her betrothed?
A page walked before her carrying the silver bridal chalice aloft. Within the cup were sprigs of rosemary and leaves of sage, to bless the union. Spilling down from decorative knots around the stem of the goblet were ribbons of gold, purple, and black. Aurora kept her face forward as she walked to the raised portion of the hall. The bridal procession continued behind her, the musicians playing a joyful tune, the maidens with sweet cakes displaying domestic skill, and chosen members of the honor guard brought up the rear. Aurora took her position. Now to wait, even if only for a few moments. Aurora’s mind drifted…
/”Then you’ll be afraid.” It took pleading, but come out she did, her cloak and horns casting an unforgettable shadow amongst the moonlight and supernatural hues surrounding her. Aurora stood her ground; why would she be afraid of the one who watched over her? This beautiful and strong fairy would steal her away whenever her Aunts were distracted, which was often. Those days and nights were the best memories of her young life… She was a day shy of sixteen when the woman she then called her Godmother invited her to stay in the Moors permanently. “You don’t have to wait. You can live here now.” Oh how her heart felt so full on that sunny afternoon./
Aurora wondered how that scenario would have played out. Oh, but for perturbing interruptions in the woods and the revealing of unknown… unwanted?... birthrights and truths. That careless lost boy…
A trumpet’s herald marked the arrival of her soon-to-be spouse.
“Prince Phillip, son of King Hubert. Promised King of this realm. Unifier of Lands.” The court announcer’s voice cut through the air.
She glanced all around, even stealing a glance through the rebuilt stained glass window, and her heart broke… They hadn’t come. SHE hadn’t come. Had she found the note? She must have... Was her last act and message in the Moors too late? Was Maleficent showing her choice? The enchantment of decades ago threatened to falter under a weight of emotions it was not meant to bear. There was no way Aurora felt happy now, but perhaps Flittle’s christening words would allow life to be bearable. She swallowed the bubbling emotion and stood as tall as she could.
She must do what was ‘right’ for the kingdom; she owed her kingdom that much after all the chaos that had been produced in her name, didn’t she? The eve of her sixteenth birthday was such a blur. She remembered falling under the curse, and then an endless fog... and then she was awake with her Godmother near her. How had she undone the curse? All this time and she never asked… Fate gave her the chance to repay her debt almost immediately as she uncovered her father’s sin and broke the glass case that sickeningly glorified the horrible deed. She had given her Godmother her wings back. In turn, Maleficent had taken her away from the chaos that night, an evening she could barely remember but for being flown back to the Moors and hands holding each other until sleep overcame all. She remembered that far too soon after that eventful evening, the human kingdom had called upon Aurora as the crown princess she was. The Moors could not risk keeping her, as much as Aurora may have preferred that. The council had awaited her. Phillip had awaited her. He was nice enough; a life with him would be… acceptable and proper. But what about the years after that night? Aurora’s mind screamed. She was Queen of the Moors! The human kingdom kept her away for longer than she liked, but she always made sure to return to her Moors… Was Maleficent really letting her go so easily?
/Aurora had arrived in the Moors a quarter moon prior to her eighteenth birthday. The years of balancing learning how to be a human royal and learning how to interact with the Moors had changed her, the child-like features falling to reveal a more statuesque face and bestowing curves. However, a young impishness still gleamed in her eyes. Her crown had not taken that away. Neither Protector nor Queen of the Moors found themselves wanting to retire, despite the hour. They found themselves sitting near the water in the moonlight, like when Maleficent had spirited her away as a true innocent so many moons ago. The water sprites painted the water and mist with their magic, always willing to please their Queen. Maleficent again watched the impossible human… but very soon Aurora was staring back./
Looking back, she knew that was the moment things changed. Her soul had seemed to command she look at Maleficent with a new devotion. She remembered the fluttering heart and flushing cheeks when a lithe hand brushed over cheek and jawline. She had found herself struck dumb by the tidal wave of feelings in every fiber of her being.
/The next day, before any words could be said on the matter, the human kingdom took Aurora away again. It would be many months before Aurora would see Maleficent again. Again, things were not like so many prior visits. Aurora found herself drawn tighter into Maleficent’s arms, gazing longer, and her heart beating faster. ‘What is this feeling?’ she thought almost every moment of her days and nights in the Moors. Limbs tangled closer as they slept in Maleficent’s great tree. Aurora found herself awoken with ghosted kisses on her cheek and brow, but did not quite understand the smirk Maleficent tried to hide each time…Too soon, again, more human emergencies meant more time away from her truest home and stole away words left unsaid… /
The priest stepped towards the pair, speaking for them alone to hear. “I require and charge you both, as ye will answer at the dreadful day of judgment when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, that if either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in Matrimony, that ye confess it. For ye be well assured, that so many as be coupled together otherwise than God's Word doth allow are not joined together by God; neither is their Matrimony lawful.”
/Finally, in the fall of her nineteenth year, Aurora had fled to the Moors after a rather heated council meeting. Maleficent had let her rant until she ran out of breath, then proceeded to wrap her arms around Aurora, her wings following suit, shutting out the world. Aurora nearly stopped breathing, but not from the strength of Maleficent’s arms. The feelings hit rather suddenly… She would rather be here, always. She’d rather have the company of one great Fae instead of scores of humans and a silly prince. She realized her heart belonged not just to the Moors, but also aptly to the being in whose arms she now wished to melt into. Turning her head up, she found herself meeting a new gaze from Maleficent, eyes swirling with new colors she could not name. Images and futures danced through Aurora’s mind. She brushed a thumb over a pointed cheekbone. Keeping her palm on Maleficent’s cheek, she placed a gentle kiss on the corner of the currently stoic mouth. ‘I… I think I need to deal with the council first…’ Aurora whispered, dulling the moment she did not entirely know she had created, ‘But I will be back before the sun sets.’.
Fate however, again, seemed to have other plans for both parties… for it was that very night that Aurora was informed of her betrothal to Prince Phillip./
Aurora cursed silently and bit her tongue. She was human, she could lie, she did not necessarily believe in this aforementioned Day of Judgment... But… Gah! She should’ve absconded this morning, with or without the great Fae… No, she should have listened to her heart long ago instead of her vulnerable human mind and foolish council. A bit late to be regretting that… But it would not have been difficult this morning, to flee to the borders and cry aloud for Maleficent. Not that that would’ve been proper to do… and to run now would cause even more repercussions than she cared to think about. I do this for the realm… but… Her inner monologue turned from rationalization to a form of self-harm when her mind wandered to the continued absence of Maleficent and she barely paid heed to the continued ceremony of the priest…
/More confused than she thought possible, Aurora had made the mistake of not returning to the Moors that particular evening. When she did finally return, it was with awkwardness. It had been so long her twentieth birthday celebration had passed, without Maleficent… She was promised to another. She had stalwartly tried to voice surprise and denunciation of the plan, but was seemingly ignored in favor of the thoughts of Phillip. Despite growing in charisma and diplomatic skills, and proving herself capable, on more than one occasion, of handling incidents that had stolen her from the Moors… the council and nobles seemed to hunger for a King… not a reigning Queen. Aurora was restless in either kingdom now and wandered often. Visits to the Moors seemed shorter and their interactions could only offer a balm, not a cure. The most meaningful of recent visits was the last she had seen of Maleficent. She sat in the great rowan with Maleficent, discussing her upcoming marriage to Phillip. The words that tumbled out of her mouth seemed a mix of repeating the arrangements she had settled on, and rambles of what the marriage would do for all the kingdoms she now was tied to. Aurora did not know if she was being truthful or it she was just rationalizing what she had accepted as her reality. After a needed moment of levity, Aurora sighed and asked, ”Do you approve?”’… “As much as I can,” is all Maleficent said. Aurora wondered if Maleficent spoke less than she thought, or if what they had almost shared earlier was gone, forever out of reach in a heart Aurora feared cold once more. Aurora wished to speak her mind, but all she could make her lips form was a whisper only meant for the wind to hear, “I wish things could have been different”./
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted by God in Paradise, and into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. Therefore if any man can show any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, by God's Law, or the Laws of the Realm; let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace.”
Aurora thought one last time of the message she had left in the Moors. Well, now would be a good time, my vexatious Fae… Aurora could again feel a certain charm be pushed to a breaking point as a wall of thorns threatened to grow around her heart.
Silence.
A/N: Stuff below is kinda meant to be at the same time-ish as above section
Diaval sputtered that the ceremony was imminent. He braced for a transformation, but Maleficent was already gone into the sky…
/Maleficent had not failed to notice the maturation of her beastie into a striking young woman. Memories of the past years danced through her mind. Oh, how time flies for humans… She smiled a rare grin as the crown princess sent a still impish gaze her direction; the rest of the humans had not stolen that away and Maleficent thanked the stars. She noticed that Aurora seemed wide-awake despite the late hour of her arrival. History repeated itself and Maleficent found herself gazing at her unlikely human companion in the glow of dancing water sprites once more. But this time, Aurora took her gaze away from the magical light, and those striking blue eyes bore into Maleficent…/
Maleficent streaked through the clouds, cursing the wind she fought against.
/Maleficent also did not fail to notice the change in the intensity and depth of that stare. She was suddenly aware she was reflecting that intensity and depth with her own gaze. Carefully, so carefully, she reached out and brushed her hand over the perfect cheek and jawline of the human woman before her. She could hear Aurora’s heartbeat race and felt the flush of her face. Maleficent slowly drew her hand back, aware of how delicate a human could be. Laying together in the hammock like structure her tree had woven just for them, Maleficent was unable to sleep, eyes swirling colors in the darkness as she watched Aurora’s sleeping form. If the legends were true, Fae love, when with one not bound by blood, was a surprisingly malleable element. When freely given to a human, it may even be whim to change in nature as the human heart finally learned truths of a world it was merely a fragment of. She had felt the change she could tell Aurora was likely still processing... Longing now filled the heart Maleficent had kept locked away for so many years. Of course it would be Aurora, the one who stole what was left of her heart when still a girl, who would now, somehow, be… hers. She could not control this change, not that she wanted to, but now she must control herself. The fate of kingdoms, of creatures and humans alike, would rely on Aurora. The princess must discover her own heart and decide her own future./
Finally, the castle grounds loomed.
/Before either had the chance to discuss the prior night, Aurora was stolen away for human commotions yet again. Maleficent purposefully tried to give Aurora room, and awaited her return to Moors. Months passed. Though she kept her face stoic, Maleficent could feel her heart soar like it had wings of its own when her Aurora finally returned. Maleficent let things happen as naturally as she could bear. Aurora pressed closer to her embraces, held gazes longer, and both women’s hearts beat faster. Limbs tangled unconsciously in slumber in the great tree, requiring untangling in the morning. Maleficent brushed lips over brow and cheek, wishing to wake Aurora softly. Blue eyes, hazed by sleep, did not entirely discern the enraptured gaze Maleficent tried to hide each morning she did this…. Maleficent cursed the fortunes as one morning she had to escort her beastie away to deal with another human emergency…/
A silent yet antsy crowd had gathered in the courtyards. The ceremony was already underway… She slowed to a glide as she gathered her thoughts.
/It was in the Queen’s nineteenth year of life, on a crisp fall day, that Maleficent greeted an emotional Aurora on an unexpected arrival to the Moors. Her dear beastie expounded about trivial human matters, but ones that obviously upset her, so Maleficent lent her ear. Finally, when Aurora seemed to be mostly out of breath, Maleficent silenced her with a firm embrace. Her wings acted of their own accord and followed suit, shutting out the world. She heard Aurora catch her breath, and stilled, glancing down at Aurora. Her queen, her beastie… Maleficent stilled inclinations in her own heart, but felt her eyes blaze. Suddenly Aurora turned her head up and met her gaze. Now it was Maleficent’s turn to be breathless. She felt Aurora brush a thumb over her cheekbone. She leaned into the touch as Aurora left her palm on her cheek. Maleficent’s heart blazed to match her eyes when soft lips placed a gentle kiss on the corner of her mouth. Pulling away, Aurora buried her head in her chest and whispered something about council matters. Maleficent almost laughed at how apparently unaware her dear Aurora was of the situation she had created. Upon a promise of a hasty return, Maleficent let the smaller woman out of her embrace…. Later… alone on the cliff that overlooked the human realm, Maleficent tried to calm her own fluttering wings as she wondered what kept Aurora away./
Diaval had spied on the rehearsals of days prior and informed her of the human rituals. Thinking of this again, Maleficent scoffed at the over-doing of things humans loved to do so much.
/Maleficent received the answer she sought via a parchment delivered by Diaval. Her familiar made a hasty retreat before Maleficent could decipher Aurora’s unfocused inscription. The note quickly turned to ash when she did. Aurora was promised to that foolish boy. When? How?... When Aurora finally returned to the Moors, the awkwardness of the situation could be felt in the air. Visits often lasted less than day, and Maleficent felt that Aurora was merely seeking distraction from an incurable condition… That last night, in the boughs of the tree, Maleficent again wished to curse humankind. Aurora sat with her, letting her thoughts flow off her tongue, all of which seemed to do with her upcoming wedding. The arrangements sounded pleasant, for a human… Maleficent tried to focus on Aurora as she explained why this would serve all three kingdoms well, even the Moors. Aurora swore Phillip was not interested in conquering the Moors and would treat them reverently… But the growing chill in her heart proved a strong distraction. Somewhere in the sounds she heard the words ”the right thing to do”… She wished to not think so bitterly, but her beastie appeared to have proven to be all too human… Aware how close she actually was to breaking again, Maleficent took the bait for a light jab at the ‘rabble’ to cover the cracks in her façade. Cracks that widened when Aurora asks for approval. “As much as I can.” She was not lying. Aurora could take that as she wished, even when Maleficent did not approve at all. Her ears surprised her when they caught the breathy whisper of, “‘I wish things could have been different,” and she knew she was not meant to hear the words… Maleficent did not let on she understood the breath escaping Aurora, but soundlessly aired into the blonde locks nestled against her, “Another life”… She must let Aurora choose her own future… Maleficent contemplated retreating to the innermost Moors for a century when Aurora left for what felt like the truly last time. /
Apparently, there was a human practice that allowed the protestation of a marriage by an outside party... For once in her life, she did not want to make a scene, but now it was far too late to do this tactfully... Closing her eyes, taking in one last dose of soothing sun, she veered towards the large window. She couldn’t exactly walk in this time… Maleficent swooped in front of the stained glass window, casting her very distinctive shadow.
/Maleficent swayed and felt weak at her knees amongst the flowers growing around the throne, her eyes ablaze with both understanding and bewilderment. Was she reading the meaning of the scene before her correctly? Moving on her feet finally, she tenderly held the singular rose in her hand, before unfurling the parchment. She read it once, twice, and thrice… Her heart thawed, and then ascended… but her mind then quickly grasped the ludicrousness of the position she was now in if she was to answer it. She laughed for the first time in months as she accepted what fate required her to do, not only for her happiness but also for Aurora’s…/
She held her arms aloft, and sure enough, felt the compliance of the material before her. As an act of goodwill, and as a seventeenth birthday gift for Aurora, the new stained glass had been infused with elements and ores from the Moors. The window shone like no other in the human world. Maleficent almost felt bad as she called upon the fact it was technically of the Moors, and consequently subject to her whim. With a swirl of her hands, she dissolved the window back into the components from whence it came.
Gliding in, Maleficent was surprised by what greeted her.
Silence.
Silence.
Interjected by many extraordinary things that Aurora could barely comprehend as they occurred rapidly…
It materialized only for a second, but it would be hard to not recognize the shadow of great wings and horns that appeared against the variety of colored glass.
A variety of colored glass that suddenly vibrated with swirls of golden magic before the entire window dematerialized into colored dust.
Aurora’s heart did know whether to stop completely or soar into the sky as Maleficent landed on the steps.
The silence could not last.
.
.
.
Maleficent stifled her wicked grin when she realized she had arrived precisely at the most perfectly theatrical of human moments, knowing now was not the time for making another adverse impression. Seizing the moment before all hell broke loose, Maleficent spoke in a manner she had not used since battles before Aurora was born.
“I am neither man nor human, and cannot speak for your human God… but I have been called upon to stop this marriage!”