Healing the Heart [Disney Maleficent]

Chapter 1

For the human king had learned of a growing power in the Moors. And he sought to strike it down. 

Maleficent sat on the edge of a cliff, watching the sunlight as it bounced off of the ring around his finger. He had found it not so long ago, abandoned at the base of the tallest mountain in the Moors. He discovered that it was not crafted of wood or iron like the trinkets so often found, but instead, it was made of something much more stunning- pure moonlight. 

Since he had found it, it illuminated with the rays of the moon every night, stretching to meet its counterpart in the night sky. He found the small ring odd, as it hadn't fit on his finger before and seemed better suited for one with fingers more dainty than any fairy in the Moors, and it had seemed immune to his magical attempts to widen it until he tried to change it in the moonlight. Then it had willingly succumbed to the magic and easily slipped over Maleficent's finger, settling comfortably at the base. 

It had become one of his most prized possessions. 

Suddenly, feeling a malicious feeling in the pit of his stomach, Maleficent looked up and out to where the border of the human kingdom met the border of his home. The unsettling feeling grew as Maleficent noticed a cloud of dust and smoke billowing out of the meadow that stretched between the village and the pillars. It was normally a quiet place where no humans went, as they were frightened of what lurked within the trees. 

His eyes widened and he shot to his feet as he realised what was coming. A legion of human soldiers on horseback, decorated with armour, and wielding weapons deadly to the creatures within Maleficent's home. He dove from the cliff, his wings stretching wide to either side of his body and catching him as he plummeted toward the earth. 

. . .

The human king held up his arm, signalling for his army to stop. They obeyed immediately, not wanting to anger their temperamental king. Silently, the old man watched as the light filtered between the mist and the trees, sending a chill down his spine. Long had he heard of the dangers of the Moors, and now, as he stood watching the shadows, he was acutely aware of the stories that his father had told him. The pillars that stood on the edge of the wood seemed to stare down at him with hatred, and the king felt as if a beast might leap forward from the mist, killing both him and his army with a single wave of their hand. 

He gritted his teeth and turned to the army. This was not the time to show fear. 

"There they are! The mysterious Moors where no one dares to venture for fear of the magical creatures that lurk within! Well, I say, crush them!"

The army roared in agreement.

The sound of beating wings filled the air and the king turned to see a strange creature flying down toward the edge of the Moors. Its wings seemed to fill the sky with shadows and as it landed on a rock, the king was startled to see how human the creature looked. A man stood before him with two wings as black as night and two horns that seemed as twisted as the thorns that grew outside his castle wall. 

"GO NO FURTHER," the strange man yelled. His wings seemed to stretch out to block the Moors from the view of the humans.

"A king does not take orders from a winged elf!" The king was eager to hide his fear.

The army laughed behind him, happy that their king was taunting this creature of nightmares.

"You are no king to me!"

Silence stretched between the two, each silently daring the other to make the first move toward the violence that they knew would ensue. 

Finally, the king took a stand. "Bring me his head."