Filled with regret, Maleficent spent the next day sitting listlessly by the Wall. The thought of seeing Aurora's innocent face that evening was heart-wrenching. She felt this new, intense need to protect the girl from the ugliness of the world, but ironically, she was part of it. For she was the one who had cursed her, and she was the one who had made it impossible for her to live a full life, on the Moors or with her family. And, Maleficent thought with a sad laugh, Aurora had been the one to remind her just how important family and friends were. Aurora's birthday was swiftly approaching, and Maleficent felt more hopeless, more powerless with every day that passed.

By the time Aurora arrived that night, Maleficent was overtaken by feelings she had thought she had left behind. But never one to show her pain or fear, she simply remained quiet, the torment on her face the only indication of what was going on inside her head.

Unaware of what her faerie godmother was going through, Aurora prattled on about the cake she had made that day. She had had to go far to find the berries, but it had been worth it, she said, as the aunts were very fond of sweets. Distracted by a faerie fluttering between trees, its green body mimicking the leaves, Aurora interrupted herself, asking, "Do all of the Fair People have wings?"　

"Most do," Maleficent replied shortly, not in the mood for conversation. It was hard enough just listening to Aurora's singsong voice without breaking down, admitting that she had cursed her, and then begging for forgiveness.　

But Aurora didn't take the hint. "Then why don't you?"

"It's not anything I wish to talk about," Maleficent said softly.

"I'm just curious because all the other faeries have wings and—"

It was too much for Maleficent. "Enough!" she snapped.　

Aurora instantly became quiet and they walked on in silence. Glancing at the princess, Maleficent saw that her face had grown pale and her eyes were watery. Seeing the pain she had caused, Maleficent softened. "I had wings once," she said, her voice barely a whisper, the pain sharp just from remembering them. "But they were stolen from me. And that's all I'll say about it."　

But she had given Aurora only a tidbit of information and the princess wanted more. "What color were they?" she asked, growing excited. "How big were they?"　

Looking off into the distance, as though she could see them on the horizon, Maleficent smiled sadly. "So big they dragged behind me when I walked. And they were strong." As she spoke of her long-lost wings, she felt an itch on her back where the scars remained. "They could carry me above the clouds and straight into headwinds. They never faltered. Not even once. I could trust them."

As her words faded, Maleficent dared not look at Aurora. She had never said those words aloud. Never admitted to anyone just how much the wings had meant to her and how much it had hurt when Stefan took them away. They had reminded her of her mother, but they had also become the features that she linked to her own identity—her soaring, organic identity.　

Suddenly, she felt long fingers intertwine with hers. Looking down, she saw that Aurora had put her delicate hand in hers and was squeezing tight. Meeting her gaze, Maleficent saw the pain she felt reflected in Aurora's eyes. It overwhelmed her. Slowly, she pulled her hand free. She had already lost so much she loved. And now it was only a matter of time before Aurora, too, was taken away.

Maleficent's wings were carrying him, higher and higher into a sky the color of soot. He struggled against them, kicking wildly. Soon he saw their target. The Thorn Wall gleamed in the moonlight below him, the boulder-sized thorns pointed up. The wings were taking him right above it. Even if he survived the fall, he would never survive the impalement he was sure to experience. Just as he felt the wings let go, Stefan woke up, gasping, in his chamber.

Another nightmare. Would those wings never cease haunting him, even in sleep? Quickly, he got dressed and headed to the battlements. He needed to be active, to see the progress his men were making.

But as Stefan approached the scene, he was sorely disappointed. Nothing was being done. There were no workers in sight besides the overseer of the ironworkers, who was snoring loudly in the corner. Stefan grabbed a bucket of water and threw it at the sleeping man. The overseer bolted up, shocked and disheveled.　

"Where are your men?" Stefan asked.　

"In their beds, Majesty," the overseer responded, shivering.

"Get them back to work without delay."　

The man hesitated, unsure how to refuse the king. "They're exhausted, sire. But I'll have them back to work at first light."

"I need them back to work now," Stefan insisted.

The overseer wasn't sure what the king meant. Work now? "It's the wee hours," he started.

"Aye, aye," the king agreed. "It is the wee hours. So wake them up."

"Sire?"

His patience exhausted, Stefan slammed the man against the wall. "So wake them up and get them back to work now! We're running out of time. Go now!"

For the next few days, Maleficent walked around in a conflicted daze. She barely spoke, didn't eat, and didn't even bother tricking the pixies or turning Diaval into various animals. Even being in her grove or running her hands over the velvety cattails gave her little comfort. More and more often she found herself making her way to the shores of the Dark Pond. On the edge of the Moors farthest from the Wall, the pond was home to the darker creatures of the faerie world. It was there the ram trolls resided alongside hog trolls with their furry hog-wart mounts. The pond itself was dark, too. No wallerbogs cleaned its waters, and the stone faeries dared not go close. It was a lonely place. A place for the dark-hearted. It is where I deserve to be, Maleficent told herself every time she arrived. For only someone with a heart as dark as mine could do something so evil to a girl with a heart as light as Aurora's.

Aware of his mistress's dark thoughts, Diaval often accompanied her to the Dark Pond, where he would sit silently with her until she was ready to leave. But one afternoon, several days after Aurora had taken Maleficent's hand in hers, Diaval was not there when Maleficent left the grove. Discovering her gone, he quickly flew to the Dark Pond and, upon arriving, landed on her shoulder. He began to rub his feathered head against her as though comforting her. But Maleficent was not in the mood. "Stop!" she ordered.　

He began to rub harder. With an angry wave of her hand, she transformed him into a man. When he was up on two feet, he looked at Maleficent, his expression worried. "Mistress," he said, "you're miserable."

"I'm perfectly fine," she replied.　

"No, you're miserable," Diaval repeated.　

"I'm going to make you miserable if you don't stop saying that."

Diaval shook his head. There was no getting through to her with words. But maybe... ? He slowly reached out a hand and touched her shoulder, hoping to comfort the upset faerie. It didn't work. She turned her icy glare on him and shook his hand off. As Maleficent turned and began to walk away, she silently fumed. What right did Diaval have to try to comfort her? Who did he think he was? He was why she was in this mess in the first place. If he hadn't been so bent on making sure Aurora was all right in that little cottage with those obnoxious faeries, she never would have seen the child. Never would have watched her grow up. Never would have grown fond of her. Never would have had to tell her something that was going to break the girl's heart. But that was what she had to do. Maleficent knew that now. It was what had been eating away at her since she'd last seen Aurora. She had to tell her the truth about the world. And it wasn't going to be easy. Letting out a groan, she stalked to the Wall to wait for night, when the stars and the truth would all come out.　

A light snow had fallen during the day so that now, as Maleficent and Aurora walked across the Moors and made their way to one of their favorite spots, the Snow Faerie Meadow, their footsteps were muffled by the soft powder. In the cold they could see their breath coming out in little clouds. The landscape was beautiful, the hills covered in white and the stars twinkling in the sky above.　

If only I didn't have to ruin the beauty with darkness, Maleficent thought. Straightening her shoulders, she shook off the thought. It was now or never.

"Aurora," she began, "there is something I need to tell you."

"Yes?" Aurora said, looking up at her, innocent and pure as ever.　

Maleficent stopped walking and shuffled on her feet for a moment, unsure how to proceed. "There is evil in the world," she finally said. "I cannot keep you safe from it."　

Expecting the princess to look scared, Maleficent was surprised to see her smile. "I'm almost sixteen, Godmother. I can take care of myself."

Maleficent smiled despite herself. The girl was so brave yet so naive. "I understand. But that's not—"

Aurora interrupted her. "I have a plan," she said, her face lighting up with excitement. "When I'm older, I'm going to live here in the Moors with you. And then we can look after each other."

Looking at the proud smile on Aurora's face, Maleficent had no choice but to smile back. It was clear the girl had put a lot of thought into this. And that she not only wanted to live in the Moors but wanted to be a part of Maleficent's life was beyond touching. Aurora didn't know what her future held, the curse that was inevitable. She thought she had her whole life in front of her. And she wanted to spend it in the Moors, not in the cottage with her aunts, where things would be easier. There she had a home and was surrounded by family—at least, she thought they were family. There in the Moors, she would have only the woodland creatures as companions. True, she would also have Diaval and Maleficent, but what fun could they possibly be after any length of time? But it would be so nice...

As Aurora's words sank in, Maleficent's heart began to beat faster. Wait a minute, she thought. Why didn't I think of it sooner? Maybe, just maybe, there was a way to prevent the curse and give Aurora what she wanted—and, frankly, what Maleficent wanted, too. If the girl lived in the Moors, she would never be able to touch a spinning wheel. She could avoid the fate placed upon her nearly sixteen years earlier. Her excitement building, Maleficent turned to Aurora. "You don't have to wait until you're older," she said. "You could live here now."

But Aurora shook her head sadly. "My aunts would never let me."　

"I thought you could take care of yourself," Maleficent said, hoping she didn't sound as desperate as she felt. Now that the idea had lodged itself in her brain, she couldn't let it go.

"I can," Aurora said. "But they would be sad without me." She paused and then smiled as she, too, had an idea. "Could they come visit me?"　

Maleficent stifled a groan. Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle? Here? The pixie traitors back in the Moors and, worse still, in her grove? The idea was abhorrent. The three little pixies had abandoned their home to live with the enemy ... and yet they had raised Aurora. And while it pained Maleficent to admit it, they hadn't done that bad a job. Even if it had taken a little unseen help from her and Diaval. Looking down at the hopeful expression on Aurora's face, Maleficent knew she had no choice. If she wanted the girl to be safe in the Moors, she was going to have to let the pixies through the Wall. Though it wouldn't be all the time. Just every once in a while. But that was something she and Aurora could discuss at a later point. For now, she was simply going to say yes.　

Aurora let out a happy squeal and clapped her hands. "Then I will!" she exclaimed. "I'll sleep in a tree and eat berries and black nuts, and all the Fair People will be my friends. I'll be happy here for the rest of my life. I'm going to tell them tomorrow." As she spoke, she skipped ahead, lost in thoughts of her life to come.

Behind her, Maleficent watched, pleased that things were going to work out after all.

第二天，玛琳菲森一直无精打采地坐在荆棘墙边，心中满是愧疚。她一想到那天晚上爱洛天真无邪的脸就心如刀绞。她忽然觉得自己应该保护爱洛免受这丑恶世界的伤害，但可笑的是，她自己就是罪魁祸首之一。是她诅咒了爱洛，是她让爱洛不能像其他人一样生活，是她让爱洛没有自己的家，也不能在摩尔森林快乐地玩耍。接着，玛琳菲森一脸苦笑地想到，偏偏又是爱洛向自己展示了家庭和朋友的重要性。爱洛的生日快到了，随着日子一天天过去，玛琳菲森越来越无力，越来越绝望。

那一晚爱洛来的时候，玛琳菲森已全然被她自认为已经抛却了的情绪所控制。因为没有人可以让她向其表露痛苦或恐惧，她只能保持沉默，但是她脸上的神情依旧暴露了其内心的煎熬。

爱洛对仙女教母正在遭受的一切一无所知，她继续聊着自己白天做的蛋糕。她说她得走很远才能采到浆果，但是她觉得很值得，因为她的阿姨们很喜欢甜食。爱洛被一群精灵打断了思路，他们在树丛间飞来飞去，绿色的身体和树叶一模一样。她转而问道：“所有精灵都长着翅膀吗？”

玛琳菲森没心情谈话，只是简短地说：“大多数都有。”只要听见爱洛那银铃般的声音，玛琳菲森就会心碎，就想承认是自己诅咒了她，并祈求她的原谅。

不过爱洛没领会到她的意思，继续问道：“那你为什么没有翅 膀呢？”

玛琳菲森轻声说：“我不想说这件事。”

“我只是奇怪，因为其他精灵都有翅膀和—”

玛琳菲森再也忍受不了了，她厉声说：“够了！”

爱洛立刻安静了下来，她俩在一片静默中继续往前走。玛琳菲森瞥了一眼爱洛，她脸色煞白，眼睛也泪汪汪的。看到自己让她难过成这样，玛琳菲森的态度缓和了一些。她的声音低到几乎听不见，因为只要一想到这个，她的心还是像揪起来那样疼，“我曾经也有翅膀。但是它们被偷走了，我只能说这么多。”

但只言片语只会让爱洛想知道得更多，她有些兴奋地问道：“它们是什么颜色的？它们有多大？”

玛琳菲森望向远处，好像能在地平线处看见自己的翅膀一样，她悲伤地笑了：“它们很大，我走路的时候它们拖在身后，它们也很强壮。”说起那双丢失已久的翅膀，她忽然觉得伤疤有些痒，“它们能带我飞上云端，逆风而行，它们从不退缩，一次也没有过，我信任它们。”

玛琳菲森的声音越来越小，她不敢看爱洛。她从没说过这些话，从没向任何一个人承认翅膀对她来说有多重要，而斯戴芬偷走她的翅膀这件事对她的伤害又有多深。看到翅膀，她就会想起自己的母亲，不过后来翅膀也变成了她自己的象征—象征着飞翔，象征着自我。

忽然，她感觉到一双修长的手和自己的手缠绕在一起。她往下一看，爱洛用她那柔软的小手紧紧地握住了自己。她遇上了爱洛的目光，看到爱洛也在为她心痛。这让她无法承受。玛琳菲森慢慢地抽回手。她早已经失去了她深爱的一切，但不久之后，爱洛也将离她而去。

玛琳菲森的翅膀带着他，越飞越高，飞向如墨的夜空。他拳打脚踢，疯狂地和翅膀做着斗争。很快他就看见了目标—荆棘墙在下面发着微弱的光，大如巨石的荆棘刺向天空。这双翅膀正带着他在荆棘刺的上空飞翔。就算他没摔死，这些刺也定会要他的命。正当翅膀松开他的时候—斯戴芬惊醒了，在卧室中喘着粗气。

又一场噩梦。即使在睡梦中那双翅膀也不放过他吗？他很快穿好了衣服，前往城垛。他要主动出击，要去看看工人的进展 如何。

但是当斯戴芬到达城垛时，他失望透顶。什么都没有做。没有工人，只有铁匠的工头在角落里大声地打鼾。斯戴芬拿来一桶水浇在了工头的身上。工头跳了起来，披头散发，满脸 震惊。

斯戴芬问：“你的人去哪了？”

工头颤抖着答道：“在睡觉，陛下。”

“立刻让他们回来干活。”

工头有些犹豫，但又不知道如何回绝国王，只好说道：“陛下，他们已经筋疲力尽了。天一亮我就叫他们回来工作。”

斯戴芬坚持道：“我要他们现在就过来。”

工头没明白国王的意思，现在开工吗？他说：“现在是深夜啊。”

国王点头说：“是啊，是啊，就是深夜。所以把他们弄醒。”

“陛下？”

斯戴芬有些不耐烦了，他一把将工头推到墙边：“把他们弄醒，立刻来干活！没时间了！现在就去！”

在接下来的几天里，玛琳菲森到处游逛，她心情复杂，精神恍惚。她几乎不说话，不吃饭，也不捉弄魔法仙子，也不将迪艾瓦变成各种各样的动物。就算待在树林里或摩挲着顺滑的香蒲叶也难以安慰到她。她越来越常发现自己会走到暗湖的岸边。暗湖位于摩尔森林边缘，在离荆棘墙最远的地方，许多暗黑的精灵在那里生息。除了羊角魔之外，那里还有猪嘴魔和他们毛茸茸的野猪坐骑。湖水本身也很黑。没有一只沃泥伯格会来清理这个池塘，也没有岩石精灵胆敢靠近这里。这是一个孤独的地方，一个为黑心人准备的绝佳场所。玛琳菲森每次来到这都会对自己说，我只配待在这样的地方。只有像我这样的黑心人才会对像爱洛那样纯真的女孩做出如此恶毒的事来。

迪艾瓦看出了女主人黯淡的想法，便经常陪着玛琳菲森去暗湖。他会陪着玛琳菲森安静地坐着，直到她离开。但是一个午后，就在爱洛握住玛琳菲森的手之后没几天，玛琳菲森离开树林的时候迪艾瓦刚好不在。迪艾瓦发现她不见了之后，立刻飞往暗湖，在那里发现了玛琳菲森，落在了她的肩膀上。迪艾瓦用自己满是羽毛的头摩挲着玛琳菲森，想要安慰她，但是却没有心情，她命令道：“停下！”

他却摩挲得更加用力。玛琳菲森气愤地挥了一下手，将他变为人形。他站了起来，看了一眼玛琳菲森，焦虑地说：“夫人，你看起来很痛苦。”

她回答道：“我非常好。”

迪艾瓦重复道：“不，你很痛苦。”

“如果你再不闭嘴，我也会让你很痛苦。”

迪艾瓦摇了摇头。看起来谈话没什么作用，但是也许……？他慢慢伸出一只手放在她的肩膀上，想要抚慰她的悲伤，却仍没有用。她冷冷地看了他一眼，将他的手甩掉了。玛琳菲森怒火中烧，转头就走。迪艾瓦有什么权利安慰她？他以为自己是谁？就是因为他，自己才会落到这个地步。如果不是他一心想要确保小屋里的爱洛在那三个烦人仙子的照看下安然无恙，自己就不会看见爱洛，就不会看着她长大，也不会渐渐喜欢上她，更不用告诉爱洛那些让她心碎的事。但那些又都是她必须做的。玛琳菲森现在想明白了。这就是上次见完爱洛后一直困扰着她的问题。她必须告诉爱洛这个世界的真相。而这不是一件容易的事。她叹了口气，走向荆棘墙，等待夜晚的来临，当繁星初现的时候，事实也将浮出水面。

玛琳菲森和爱洛穿过摩尔森林，走到了她们俩最喜爱的雪精灵草地。这里飘了一天的小雪，所以此时她们的脚印都被这柔软的粉状物覆盖了。天气很冷，她们可以看见自己呼出的气变成一团团白雾。小山周身雪白，夜空繁星闪烁，景色十分迷人。

要是我不必让黑暗破坏这美景该多好。玛琳菲森这么想着。她挺起了肩膀，想要摆脱这些念头。要么现在说，要么永远都不要说。

玛琳菲森开口了：“爱洛，我有件事要告诉你。”

爱洛抬起头，像往常那般天真无邪地看着她：“什么事？”

玛琳菲森止住了脚步，两脚不安地动来动去，不确定该如何继续。最后她说道：“这个世界有些邪恶的东西，我无法保护你不受它的伤害。”

玛琳菲森本以为爱洛公主会害怕，但她却惊讶地看到爱洛笑了起来：“我快要十六岁了，教母。我可以自己照顾自己。”

玛琳菲森也忍不住笑了起来，这个女孩那么勇敢，又那么天真。玛琳菲森说道：“我知道。但那不是—”

爱洛打断了玛琳菲森的话，一脸兴奋地说：“我有个计划，当我再大些，我要和你一起住在摩尔森林里，我们可以互相照顾。”

看着爱洛脸上骄傲的笑容，玛琳菲森也只好跟着笑了。很明显爱洛为这个计划已经考虑很久了，她不仅要住在摩尔森林，她还想成为玛琳菲森生命中的一部分，这简直太令人感动了。爱洛不知道她的未来是怎样，也不知道那个诅咒无可避免。她以为自己有一辈子的时间，她想在摩尔森林生活，而不是和阿姨们住在小屋里，虽然那里的生活相对更简单一些，有她的家和亲人—阿姨们在她心里至少也是家人般的存在。而在摩尔森林里，她只有在丛林里生活的朋友。当然，她还会有玛琳菲森和迪艾瓦的陪伴，可时间长了之后还会那样快乐吗？但是，如果能这样就太好了……

回味着爱洛的话，玛琳菲森的心脏跳得更快了。她想，等一等，为什么我刚刚没有想到呢？也许，只是也许，有一种方法可以阻止魔咒的应验并让爱洛实现愿望—而且，老实说，也让玛琳菲森实现愿望。如果爱洛在摩尔森林里面生活的话，她就永远碰不到纺车，这样也就可以改变她将近十六年前就注定的命运。玛琳菲渐渐兴奋起来，她对爱洛说：“不用等到长大，你现在就可以住在这里。”

但是爱洛悲伤地摇了摇头：“我的阿姨们不会允许的。”

“我觉得你可以自己照顾自己呀。”玛琳菲森说道，希望爱洛听不出自己内心的绝望。现在这个主意已经在她的脑海里生根发芽，她可不能放弃。

爱洛说道：“我可以自己照顾自己。但是如果我离开了，她们会伤心的。”她停顿了一下，又有了主意，笑着问：“她们能 来看我吗？”

玛琳菲森强忍住自己的不满。红叶仙子、绿蕨仙子还有蓝果仙子？到这里？让这些仙子叛徒回到摩尔森林，还让她们住在她的小树林里？想想都恶心。这三个魔法仙子已经抛弃了摩尔森林，转而和敌人住在了一起……但她们确实抚养了爱洛啊。虽然玛琳菲森不愿承认，虽说她和迪艾瓦也暗中帮了一些忙，但她们做得也还算不错。玛琳菲森低头看了看爱洛充满了希冀的脸，她知道自己别无选择。如果她希望爱洛安全地待在摩尔森林里的话，她就必须允许魔法仙子们进入荆棘墙。也许不用每天都过来，隔一段时间过来一次就好—这些她都可以等以后再和爱洛商量。现在，她只要同意就够了。

爱洛高兴地尖叫了一声，拍着手说：“太好了！我要睡在树上，吃浆果，还有黑坚果，所有的精灵都会成为我的朋友，我会快乐地在这里生活下去。我明天就去告诉她们。”她边说边向前面跳去，完全沉浸在对未来生活的想象中。

玛琳菲森在后面看着，很是开心—事情终于解决了。