Healing the Heart [Disney Maleficent]

Prologue

Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms that were the worst of neighbours. So vast was the discord between them, that it was said only a great hero or a terrible villain might bring them together. 

In one kingdom lived folk like you and me, with a vain and greedy king to rule over them. They were forever discontent, and envious of the wealth and beauty of their neighbours. For in the other kingdom, the Moors, lived every manner of strange and wonderful creature. And they needed neither king nor queen but trusted in one another.

In a great tree on a great cliff in the Moors lived one such spirit. You might take him for a boy, but he was not just any boy. He was a fairy.

A young boy, no older than twelve, lay against a large branch, small golden swirls of magic dancing about his fingers. Above him twirled two beautiful figures made of branches and the petals of flowers, their hands joined by the magic.

Suddenly, he heard a crack and the magic stopped, the figures dropping into the small wooden pool in the centre of the tree. The boy climbed up onto the branch, his large wings flapping carefully behind him as he moved. He noticed a small branch that had cracked and cupped his hands gently around the splintered angle. Shutting his eyes in concentration, he silently willed the beach to heal, and beneath his still fingers, he could feel the veins of the tree come alive with his magic, slowly pulling itself back together.

"There you go," he said with a small smile to the renewed branch. It pleased him a great deal to see the wonderful beauty of his home being repaired by his gentle touch.

And his name was Maleficent. 

Maleficent dove off of the tree, his wings tucked close to his body as he fell. The wind cooled his face and he smiled gaily, stretching out his wings and allowing the air to catch them. He soared through the sky, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his hair and the sensation that tickled his wings. Few could enjoy the pleasure that came from flight, and Maleficent was overjoyed to be one of them.

"Good morning, Mr Chanterelle," the boy called as he noticed one of his friends emerging from his home in the mountainside. "I love your cap!"

In response, Mr Chanterelle removed his cap and tipped it to the boy in a gentlemanly fashion.

Maleficent moved on to the river where three of his friends were gathering mud on a large flat rock. They waved to him as they saw him, though one reached into the mud and started gathering it in his hand. He smirked and pulled his arm back to hurl the mudball at the young fairy.

"No. No, don't do it!"

The wallerbog didn't listen and launched the mud. It arched through the air, narrowly missing the fairy, and instead hitting another fairy in the face. He squawked in discontent, but Maleficent simply ignored the irritation.

"You missed me!"

Further down the river, some small fairies of blue and orange were tending to the flowers that grew on the side of the river.

"Good morning," Maleficent called.

"Good morning!"

Some fairies danced across the water's surface, flecks of gold magic floating behind them just beneath the surface of the water. It looked like pure gold followed the fairies each time their feet graced the water.

"Lovely work, girls!"

Feeling almost overwhelmed by the pure joy that he felt, Maleficent performed a beautiful loop in the air, whooping as he did so. He continued his flight down the river until he reached a small pool of water just off of the main river, and landed on a small stretch of land where some other fairies and moorfolk were gathering.