Pretty Bird | Diaval

Two

A kingdom neighboring man-made stone and wood flourished in beauty, wealth, and peace. Creatures of all natures lived together, played together, and loved one another. Among these creatures was the adventurous and brave Maleficent. Despite being the only one wholly of her kind, she was not alone. She had a sister – half-blooded fairy left in the Moors years ago. She was not the usual half-blood, however. She bore the mark of the fallen angels; holy beings cast out of heaven by their father and cursed to roam the lands.

Pale skin paired with short hair that never grew, wings hidden beneath the skin, and horns faded away. In her hair were three braids traveling across the side of her head until they blend with the remaining straight, messy strands. To the unknowing person, she was merely human. However, closer inspection of her back would show a small outline of her wings, shrunken and rippling against the bone.

Even amongst the Moor Folk, she was a welcomed outcast. Her relation with Maleficent gained the partial trust of those around her, the remained pushed away by her instinctual bloodlust – a craving she did not desire, but received as punishment. Born as hellish royalty, yet taken by her and Maleficent’s shared mother. After her death, her father searched and searched, but has yet to find her. The anger of her betrayal traveled to his daughter as he cursed her with the hunger of a beast.

Maleficent would often find her sat next to the lifeless body of a woodland creature, staring with tears in her eyes as she hated herself. As she grew older, Maleficent aided her in controlling her hunger, bringing them closer. And yet this connection was momentarily lost as worlds collided.

In a tree with roots grown into a cliffside, the sister’s lay together. “Astrid look,” Maleficent spoke sweetly. The young girl, a few years younger than her sister gazed up in wonder as she watched two, winged dolls dance across the sky, swirling in a golden hue. The same hue was seen in Maleficent’s hands as she moved the dolls in unison, humming a simple tune. The girls watched the dance before being broken away by a crack of wood.

Startled, the girls notice a branch snapped, hanging together by a thin strand. Maleficent smiles as she stands, holding the branch together. Astrid watches as her hands glow with a golden hue once more, repairing the branch easily. She looks to her sister before leaping from the tree, laughing as she sees Astrid scurry after her.

She stared at her sister, watching her greet the others happily, her wings supporting her easily. However, Astid’s wings were still growing. She struggled to keep up as she would occasionally drop a bit, taking time to regain her composure. In those moments, Maleficent would slow to stay with her sister, watching and protecting her.