The party was held at the throne room of the Palace. Jolly music was played at the background, harps and flutes, you could hear the joy within the heart of all the musicians. All the guests were talking, laughing, eating. Happiness was so filled the atmosphere that the people somehow forgot how the Queen and the princess were struggling to live just one night before.

Perhaps the people were so distracted by the glamour of the surrounding, they missed the most beautiful scenes in the Realm - the connection of a child to her mother. Little princess Aurora stretching out her short and tiny chubby fingers and grabbed the Queen’s slim long forefinger, wrapping around it. If you could read her Majesty's mind, you would hear her cry of joy. It was too long, 17 years, the waiting was too long and unbearable. But, here, she became a mother.

“Presenting fairies from the Glass Forest, Miss Flora, Miss Fauna and Miss Merryweather!” The announcement brought everyone back to the focus and the noise faded away slowly.

“Your Royal Highness,” the three fairies greeted with their head bowed down. From their postures and tunes of words, an awkward and clumsy aura was presented, especially from Miss Merryweather. By a mere glance of their appearance, it would be impossible for you to link them with the association of the second most powerful fairy groups in the Realm. They were as little as a lily but with a calming countenance as a granny.

“We are ready to present the gifts to the Princess,” Miss Flora, who seemed to be the leader of the three, continued, “Shall I begin first?”

“Why should she always be the lead?” Miss Merryweather childishly complained about with an unpleasant stare at Miss Flora.

“Shhhh, we are in front of his and her majesty,” Miss Fauna warned in a whispery voice at her ear and shoved at her shoulder.

Miss Flora, in her best red gown, sparkling with fairy dust, flew near the cradle of Princess Aurora and started her bliss, “My Lady, beloved Princess Aurora, you will grow up with the beauty of a fresh red rose. With soft and silky blonde hair in matched with your deep blue eyes and lips painted with a blood red rose.”

“Followed by Miss Fauna,” Miss Flora instructed quietly and bowed to the Princess.

“Princess, you shall have the most beautiful voice in the Realm. You shall sing in melodies that will charm the flying birds and the walking beasts. A voice that is coloured by your beautiful nature.” After giving her bliss, following the act of Miss Flora, Miss Fauna also gave the Princess a respectful bow.

When it was Miss Merryweather’s turn, she was almost bursting with excitement and anticipation. Of course, she thought she would be the first but was stolen by Miss Flora unexpectedly. Now, it was finally her turn. However, again, unexpectedly was it to be, stolen by another fairy, Maleficent.

It all started with a violent roar which stroke the entire throne room. When silence fell upon the crowd, a black glowing ball was at the mid of air, suddenly, it blasted out a figure, slowly, a shadow, slowly, a person, slowly, Maleficent.

Compared to her teenage self, as what the fairies still remembered, her aura and appearance now had varied a lot that nobody could recognise her. Not even her aunties; Miss Flora, Miss Fauna and Miss Merryweather. Though they didn’t share anything in common for their appearances, it was a fact that they share the same bloodline of powerful magic.

They hadn’t seen Maleficent ever since her return from the Realistic Realm and nobody knew where she was living. They only knew she started to practise black magic and her tragic story in the Realm of Reality.

“Why so shocked everybody? Smile! Laugh! Celebrate! It’s the Princess’s birthday,” she commented loudly in a teasing manner with dramatic hand gestures.

“We didn’t invite you.” The King clearly warned.

“Why, how discouraging. Don’t ruin the fun!” She joked with no manner in respect to the King.

Her black hair, long and curly, had a similar length as a rope that rang the Palace’s bell (the one informed time to all citizens). With a crown made of black diamonds and cursed stones and a black silk robe that was sewed with the skin of serpents. Along with an arrogant spirit in tune with her pace of walking, the clackings made by her high heels were the only sound in the room. Everyone was holding their breath as she reached the centre.

“Wha….what do you want?” Miss Merryweather asked but couldn’t pretend to be courageous. She could sense her power and change of nature even at a distance.

“Stand back! Don’t come close to my child!” The Queen raced to the edge of the cradle before Maleficent could reach her.

“Maleficent, step back!” The King rebuked and stood up which followed by groups of knights coming up, lining as a wall in front of the cradle with their spear pointing right in front of her.

“Hum, now you guys come to protect innocent citizens. Where were you losers when I needed it!” She condemned in an equal volume as that of the King and raised her forefingers in the air, a swift, and all the knights were bounced backwards, so was the Queen.

“Maleficent, you should know that you weren’t supposed to cross that wall at the first place. You broke the rule.” The King replied in a calmer manner while helping the Queen to get up, also, having a bit of guilt of what Maleficent had gone through.

“Then it gives you the right to not saving a child. Just because a curious child wondering the world at the other side of the wall. Just because of curiosity.”

“Your help call couldn’t pass through the wall, my dear, and….”

“Couldn’t!” A very rough interruption to her Aunt Flora and continued, “Don’t tell me the knights standing by the border station couldn’t see the flying message! If they couldn’t see, they must hear the sound of the explosion when it self-destroyed the message!” Flames of anger were burning around her presence.

“Don’t blame the knights, I told them not to go….”

“Oh, my King, now you finally realise your doing of the part.”

“But it was for my country’s sake! Risking my armies to be seen by the Realistic People. What could happen is out of my imagination. Let’s say, a war! Heavens know their evil and wild beasty ideas!”

“Yes, and risking my life, one of your citizens, in that hell! Did you think they just lock me up? Oh, my King, much worse. And all you could think of was risking the prosperity of your throne other than the life of a child in your kingdom! Was my life a nothing to you?”

All silent, a horrid silence, a moment for the rise of guilt.

“Oh, and here we are, another innocent life of a child,” she approached to the edge of the cradle and smirked right at the face of Princess Aurora.

“Maleficent!” The King yelled.

A green wall of flame was formed around her and the cradle as Maleficent raised her fingers. People and knights tried to break it with swords and spears and it was simply unbreakable.

“Maleficent, please! As a woman, think of your child!” The Queen begged desperately and helplessly.

“Me? Think of my child? Oh, my Queen, I appreciate your sense of humour. But do you think a fairy with broken wings can ever produce fairy dust? And, your honour, without fairy dust, do you believe that I can ever bear a child?” Her words, through her angry gnashing teeth, were difficultly uttered out and fell harshly at her Majesty's ears.

“Your wings? What happened to your wings?” Miss Fauna asked in a sudden worried tone.

With a flick of her fingers, the transparent part of her back slowly became visible and the concealed one was presented, covered with unmendable scars and a half broken ragged pathetic sheet of wings.

“Mally, why you never told us? Does it hurt?” Miss Merryweather asked without bearing the sight of her wings a second time.

“Thank you, Aunt Merry, and please never call me that again. I appreciate your present words of care. But I’d like you all to come and search for me yourselves in the Realistic Realm rather than giving me a pathetic care. I told you before I went away.” She said coldly.

“Merryweather, why…..why you never told us?” Miss Flora accused in shock.

“Shhh, nevermind, what was done was done, and yes, it hurts.” The pain which showed on her face, in regard to her wings, faded away very quickly, so quick that she didn’t notice the emotion.

“Well, enough of me, let’s talk about the Princess. At the end of the day, I am not the star here. I also come for this darling.” She teased while poking the cheeks of Aurora.

“Leave Aurora alone!” The King ordered firmly but with no way to pass through the flame wall.

“Calm down, my King, let’s not be rude to the one who merely wants to give.” She grinned with an evil smile that reminded the fairies which she was no longer the same Maleficent they knew a long time ago.

“I, too, have a gift for the Princess.”

“Thank you, but we don’t want it!” The Queen cried out.

“How rude, anyway, this is my portion of the blessing,” she smirked and looked directly at the Princess’s pupils, “The Princess shall grow as fine and elegant as a fresh rose. She shall be adored by many and loved by many. In happiness and joy will she become a kind and good-hearted young lady. ….”

“Thank you, the blessing is taken, you shall leave now.”

“Shhhhh, where’s your manner, my Queen? I haven’t finished yet. With that heart of the Saint, she shall be pure forever. But, before the sunset of her eighteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. And die, forever! This curse shall not be broken by any power of this world!”

All of a sudden, the green flames rose up even higher around them and exploded with a sound of thunder. Along with it, Maleficent disappeared in the air and not spotted by anyone in the room.