Maleficent’s heart stopped as she watched Diaval’s huge black body speed down after Aurora’s small pale one. He stretched his neck, going faster and faster. Then he reached out his claws and closed them around Aurora, swooping safely back up right before they both hit the ground.
Air flooded into Maleficent’s lungs and her heart began to beat once more as she watched the two land safely nearby. That had been too close for comfort. If Diaval had been just one second slower…
Whish!
Maleficent let out a cry as Stefan’s iron-chain whip wrapped around her arm. Unprepared for the pain, Maleficent lost her grip on her staff. She watched helplessly as it fell over the edge of the bridge.
Seeing that she no longer had a way to defend herself, Stefan let out an evil laugh. He began to lash her. Raising her hands in front of her face, Maleficent tried to duck out of the way. But the whip kept coming. Taking a few steps back, she let out a gasp as her foot found air instead of ground. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that she was backed up against the edge of the bridge. There was nowhere left to go.
As she turned back, her eyes met Stefan’s. So this is how it will end, Maleficent thought sadly, looking at the king’s evil grin. All the years of hate and battles. The walls that had been built, of iron and thorn. They had all been for naught. They had not been the things to destroy either Maleficent or Stefan. In the end, it would be a fall. A fall into nothing. Letting out a sigh, Maleficent waited for the inevitable. She watched as Stefan’s smile grew broader and broader as he waited for the inevitable, as well.
And then his smile vanished.
Behind her, Maleficent heard a whoosh, and then she felt something she hadn’t felt in many, many years. It was a feeling of comfort, of wholeness. It was a feeling almost as strong as the love she felt for Aurora. A smile began to spread across her face as she slowly turned around.
There, hovering in the air, were her wings.
They were as strong and beautiful as they had been on the day Stefan took them from her, and Maleficent let out a soft cry. How could this be? she wondered. Had they been there, in the castle, all along? And if they had been, how had they been released? Looking down, she saw Aurora and suddenly knew just how they had come back to her. Somehow, Aurora had found the missing piece of her. With a huge smile, Maleficent turned back to her wings and opened her arms.
There was an earth-shattering crack and Maleficent disappeared in a magical explosion of light. When the light faded, Maleficent and her wings were one once more. With a mighty flap, she lifted herself high in the air and hovered, glorying in the moment. She had never believed this day would come. Yet it had. And now she was close to having everything she needed and wanted in the world.
While she wanted to fly high into the air and forget the problems below while she dipped and soared on the wind, once again free to go wherever she pleased, there was one last thing to take care of.
Swooping down, she slammed Stefan with one of her powerful wings. The king was thrown back, stumbling as he tried to keep his footing. Flying forward, Maleficent held him up against the tower wall. She leaned forward, her face mere inches from Stefan’s.
“You won’t kill me,” Stefan said, trying to sound brave but failing. “I’m her father.”
For a moment, Maleficent didn’t say anything. She just stared at Stefan, struggling with herself. She had never wanted to hurt someone as much as she wanted to hurt Stefan. He deserved it. That she was sure of. Yet before he had betrayed her, Maleficent had never believed in revenge. She had never wanted to hurt anyone or anything. Stefan had changed all that the day he broke her heart. But if she killed him now, wouldn’t that be letting him get the best of her? Wouldn’t that, in a way, be letting him win? Aurora could forgive her for a lot, but would she be able to forgive her for killing her father?