“You’re her,” he said.
Maleficent looked him up and down. He was about her height, which seemed small for a human. “Are you fully grown?”
“No.”
Maleficent turned to Balthazar. “I believe he’s just a boy.”
“And you’re just a girl,” the boy said. “I think.”
Maleficent narrowed her eyes. “Who are you?”
“I’m called Stefan. Who are you?”
“I’m Maleficent.” She paused and then asked the question she really wanted to ask. “Do you intend us harm?”
Stefan blinked at her, clearly surprised. “What? No.”
“Then I’ll guide you out of the Moors.”
Balthazar screeched once more.
“Yes, right,” she answered. She looked at Stefan. “You have to give it back.”
“Give what back?” Stefan asked.
Maleficent shared a look with the sentries and sighed. Holding out her hand, she stared at Stefan, who groaned, knowing he’d been beat. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a beautiful stone, and tossed it to her. Maleficent caught it smoothly, and gently tossed it into the glittering water. Then she gestured for Stefan to follow her. She felt bad for the human. Since he didn’t have wings, they’d have to go on foot.
“If I knew you would throw it away, I would have kept it,” Stefan whined.
“I didn’t throw it away. I delivered it home. As I’m going to do for you.”
They walked in silence for a while, Maleficent guiding Stefan through the forest and into a clearing. In the distance, past acres of fields, stood the castle. Maleficent stared at it, wondering what would be so appealing about closing oneself off from the outside with such high walls.
Noticing Maleficent’s gaze, Stefan said, “Someday I’ll live there. In the castle.”
Maleficent was not impressed. “Where do you live now?”
“In a barn,” Stefan replied.
Now this was something Maleficent wanted to hear more about. “A barn? So your parents are farmers, then?”
“My parents are dead.”
Maleficent looked at Stefan sharply. Maybe they had more in common than she’d thought. “Mine too,” she said softly.
“How did they die, plague?” Stefan asked.
“They were killed by humans. In the last war.” She gestured toward the forest. “Now all the family I have is in there.”
Stefan frowned. “That’s sad.”
“No it’s not,” Maleficent responded defensively. “They’re all I need.”
“We’ll see each other again,” Stefan said suddenly.
Maleficent sighed, knowing how much Robin and the other Fair Folk distrusted humans. “You really shouldn’t come back here, you know. It’s not safe.”
“Would that not be up to me?” Stefan asked, stepping toward her.
“It would,” she replied.
“And if I made that choice, if I came back…would you be here?” He was only a few inches away from her now.