Healing the Heart [Disney Maleficent]

Chapter 5

As Maleficent had said, Aurora did grow in grace and beauty.

Y/N emerged from the edge of the forest, smiling down at a little rabbit that was hovering near the path. When she heard laughter from the clearing in front of the fairies, her smile grew. A young princess was frolicking around the pots and trowels, chasing a black bird around on the old wooden table that sat in the middle of the clearing. A straw hat was clinging to her neck by way of a flimsy rope, and with every movement of her leg, her deep yellow dress swirled about her legs.

"It seems that you two are having fun," Y/N said, drawing the attention of both Diaval and Y/N. The raven let out a caw of greeting and inclined his head towards the enchantress as she approached the table. Aurora took a different approach and ran over to Y/N, throwing her arms around the waist of the enchantress and hugging her tightly. 

"Y/N," she exclaimed, "It's so good to see you again!"

Y/N chuckled at the young girl and knelt before her. With a single wave of her hand, a rose blossomed between the two, its ruby-red petals shining in the afternoon sun. Aurora gasped at the bud and gently reached out to stroke it.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, enchanted by the flower. 

Far away from the lofty palace that she remembered not. 

Aurora and Y/N sat in the shade of a blossoming tree, its petals of flushed red and bright pink fluttering down around them. Y/N was focused on the plants at her feet, gently guiding them as she created a crown of flowers for the darling girl. 

Aurora, on the other hand, was much more interested in the large castle off in the distance. She had asked her aunties about it many times before and had asked Y/N upon occasion, but she had never got a definitive answer about who lived beyond the walls of stone and metal.

"Y/N," she asked after a moment, picking up a petal that had floated down into her lap. She gently rubbed the petal between her fingers, smiling at the strange sensation. She found it curious how the plant could be so simple and yet so beautiful at the same time.

"What is it, little one," Y/N asked. She smiled as she finally finished with the crown and carefully, she lifted it and set it on Aurora's head. A few sparkles of f/c magic drifted down around Aurora and the young girl smiled, nearly forgetting the question that she was about to ask.

"Who lives in the castle?"

"The king," Y/N said. Aurora noticed how her voice seemed almost sorrowful at the mention of the man.

"Why does that make you sound so sad?" Aurora leaned over to Y/N, resting her head on the woman's shoulder. She stared out at the bustling town that lay before the castle, and even though a great distance separated them, she felt as though she could hear the lively conversations of the common folk as they flitted about, gathering what they needed before the sun fell over the horizon. 

Y/N smiled sadly and brushed away a strand of Aurora's golden hair. "Because, little one, while you are good and kind and loving, not all humans are the same as you. They do not have the joy in their hearts that you have in yours." She held Aurora close and lifted her gaze to the palace. "I know the king, and he has long since lost all light and love in his life. He cares for nothing. He has no room in his heart for anything beyond paranoia and power lust."

Aurora shivered at the thought of the king. She was glad that she did not live closer to the castle. She was happy in her home in the forest, where she lived with her three aunties, and where she could receive visits from the raven and the enchantress. 

"Y/N," she asked after a moment, snuggling into the warm embrace of the enchantress.

"Yes, little one?"