Heart of the Moors

Chapter 32

Smiling John arrived soon after, one of his scouts having discovered Aurora and Alain’s camp and tracked them from there. He found an exhausted group resting beneath a newly grown tree, its limbs shimmering with magic and some of its roots formed into a mossy, bark-covered cage that held an enormous scuttling black centipede. On the other side, the roots seemed to have grown over Lord Ortolan’s ankles, holding him in place.

“My queen,” Smiling John said, bowing stiffly, “your leaving your camp after dark had us in quite a panic. We came as soon as we got a signal from the raven, but—” He looked around and swallowed the rest of the lecture he had clearly been planning on giving. “I see you have everything well in hand.”

Maleficent eyed them with suspicion. “How do you come to be looking for her?”

“Queen Aurora ordered us to follow behind her with a large battalion and to await a summons from the bird. She said she thought she was going into a trap, but she couldn’t be certain who had set it. She suspected the count but believed that the only way to prove it was to go along with the scheme and see who the traitors were and what they were planning. I disagreed, as I thought it was too great a risk. But in the end, it seems she was correct.”

Maleficent eyed Aurora with an obvious desire to scold her. “So you knew you were going into danger—”

“I knew you were in danger,” Aurora reminded her.

Smiling John went on. “A rider came to tell us that Lady Fiora turned in packets of letters between her brother and Lord Ortolan. We were very worried for you, Your Majesty.”

Aurora recalled Lady Fiora trying to prevent her from traveling with Count Alain. At the time, she had just thought Lady Fiora didn’t want her to leave the party, not that she was trying to save her from her brother’s schemes. “I would not have thought it of her,” she remarked softly to herself.

Smiling John’s people bustled about, trying to make Phillip more comfortable and telling him how fortunate he was that the wound hadn’t been deeper or in a different spot.

Phillip, for his part, was trying to prevent Diaval from being the one to hold Simon.

“Give me the mouse,” Phillip called, “right now. Aurora, make a royal proclamation that the mouse is for me to hold until your godmother turns him back.”

“You don’t trust me not to eat him?” Diaval asked with a raised brow, letting the rodent run up one arm and onto the other, his gaze following the movement with a disturbing fixedness.

“I do not,” Prince Phillip said.

“You are the one who ate a mouse heart, I should remind you,” said Diaval, bringing his head eye level with a terrified Simon, who stopped running. “He did, you know. Gobbled it right up.”

“It was one time,” Phillip protested.

Maleficent allowed the royal guard to take Lord Ortolan from her tree prison into the cart. With a wave of her hand and a whorl of glittering golden magic, both he and the cage of roots that held Count Alain the centipede were loosed from the tree. The guards walked around the cage in confusion as to how to move it without getting close to the thing inside.

“Well, my queen, since we don’t have your carriage, may we offer up our humble carts?” asked Smiling John. “I wish we had something more fitting, but we were moving too quickly to bring more.”

“Oh, no,” said Maleficent. “I will return them to the castle.”

She gestured toward Diaval, and gold sparked at her fingertips.

He threw up his hands as though he could block the magic. “Wait, what exactly are you planning on turning me into this time? You ought to ask my permission for these things. It had better not be a dog!”

“I doubt you’ll mislike this so very much.” She waved her hand, and he grew longer and larger until a black horse stood in his place. From the sides of his back, enormous shimmering raven wings unfurled. And from his mane, a mouse peeped out.

The guards sucked in their breath, perhaps thinking of the dragon she’d once turned him into, perhaps just awed by such magic. Maleficent smiled her widest and most sinister smile.

“You should do something about Simon first,” Phillip said. “I don’t think he ought to be flying. Perhaps he can return with the guard.”

“Very well. Into a boy.” Maleficent gestured with a negligent wave of her hand, and in a wash of shimmering gold, Simon was human again.

He fell off the horse’s back, stumbling as he moved into a standing position. The poor boy was clearly getting used to not being on all fours. He looked around, then saw Aurora and bowed hastily.

“The missing lad!” Smiling John said. “So he was under a faerie curse.”

With so much attention on him, Simon sputtered a little. “No, sir,” he said. “Or at least, I was, but only for this past little while. The elf lady and Prince Phillip freed me from a cell where I’ve been locked for days and days. She thought I’d be safer traveling in a pocket and turned me into a mouse, which I’m sorry to say I didn’t like above half.” He paused with a look at Maleficent. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, though, for you’ve done me nothing but a good turn.”

Smiling John’s gaze went to the cage and the centipede inside, then to Maleficent. “I don’t suppose that you’ll turn him back.”

“Of course she will,” Aurora said over whatever Maleficent was about to say. “Centipedes can’t stand trial.”

“Can’t they?” Maleficent asked with a mischievous quirk of her mouth. “Are you sure?”

Aurora gave her a stern look.

“As soon as we’re back in the palace, then?” Maleficent said.

Aurora’s expression did not falter.

“Very well!” With an exasperated wave of her hand, the centipede grew larger and larger until its arms and legs broke through the cage and it returned to the shape of Count Alain. He looked ridiculous.

“John,” Alain shouted, trying to shuck off the remains of the cage. It was remarkably hard to remove from his head. “You can’t believe all this nonsense! She put a curse on me. You have to see that she’s the one you should be putting in chains!”

Smiling John shook his head and spoke to Maleficent. “You may have had the right of it. If you’d left him as he was, we wouldn’t have to hear his mouth all the way back to the palace.”

With that, he headed off to his troops, steering Simon toward one of the mounted soldiers.

Diaval, in his winged-horse form, knelt down so that Phillip could more easily get onto his back. Phillip did, gingerly, and Aurora got up behind him.

Then, with a great sweep of his wings, Diaval pushed off the ground and they were flying. Higher and higher they climbed. Moments later, Maleficent was beside them, a wide smile on her face and a rare light in her eyes.

Maleficent was always graceful, but being in the air was her natural state, and she moved through it like a dancer. She dove and spiraled and flew with irrepressible joy. And her unfurled wings beat strong and steady on her back.

Phillip knotted his fists in the horse’s mane. Aurora put an arm around the side of his waist that wasn’t hurt, leaned back her head, and looked up at the clouds, her hair streaming behind her like a banner.

Aurora slept that night, out of sheer exhaustion. When she woke, dawn was just breaking on the horizon. She watched the sun come up and thought over what she needed to do. By the time Marjory entered with a breakfast tray, she had come to some decisions.

Marjory put the tray down, rushed to her, and clasped Aurora’s hands. “Oh, I am so glad you’re well. I was so worried.”

“I was worried myself at times,” Aurora admitted, squeezing Marjory’s fingers.

Aurora drank her tea and ate a piece of bread with butter and listened as Marjory told her about dancing at the festival. She’d even gone around the maypole with one of the Fair Folk and blushed at telling Aurora some of the compliments he paid her.

After breakfast, Aurora put on a robe and went up the stairs to Prince Phillip’s room. If they could meet in the middle of the night, then she wasn’t going to stand on ceremony now, when she wanted to know how badly he’d been hurt.

She didn’t expect to find him bare to the waist, having his wound rewrapped by an elderly doctor with wild white hair and long tufted sideburns.

“Oh, hello,” Phillip said, clearly a little embarrassed.

Aurora felt her cheeks heat and tried hard to keep her eyes only on his shoulders. “I just wanted to make sure you’re well.”

“No dancing for a few weeks,” he said. “But I’ve had stitches, and an ogre came over this morning bearing packets of a special tea in which I’m supposed to soak my bandages to speed healing.”

Aurora glanced at the doctor, wondering if he was suspicious of faerie remedies.

He saw her look and smiled. “Once your treaty is signed, most of the people in Perceforest will be excited to trade for gems, but for me there is no greater treasure than the herbs of the Moors. Ones humans have not been able to gather for generations, but which are rumored to be able to cure many diseases that plague us.”

“I hope you will come to the ceremony today,” she told the doctor, and then gave Phillip a smile. “And I hope your patient will as well.”

It was with a light step that Aurora returned to her room to get ready for the treaty-signing ceremony.

The pixies interrupted her on the stairs. They had a lot to tell her about, most of it regarding Nanny Stoat and how clever she was. Apparently, she had pressed Thistlewit, Flittle, and Knotgrass into service, getting them to do little magics around the castle and managing them with such flattery that they enjoyed it.

“You see,” said Flittle, “Lord Ortolan never saw our importance in this kingdom.”

“We should have known he was wicked then,” added Thistlewit. “After all we’ve sacrificed, how could anyone not reward our loyalty?”

“Very right,” Aurora agreed, smiling.

They also passed on some gossip. After depositing Aurora and Phillip at the castle, Maleficent had been convinced to go with Smiling John to return Simon to his family. Once the boy was done telling them about the awful Count Alain, they were not only trying to press tea and jam on Maleficent but paying her such flattering compliments that she had to flee in horror at their overwhelming gratitude.

“Although I don’t know why they singled her out in such a way, when no one ever bothers to invite us for tea, even though we are much more agreeable,” Knotgrass put in.

“A mystery, to be sure,” Aurora said.

Aurora entered the throne room in cloth of gold, wearing her crown, and with a smile lingering at the corners of her mouth.

Already there were the Fair Folk. Maleficent and Diaval stood at the front, beside tree sentries, wallerbogs, hobs, ogres, hedgehog faeries, and more. Maleficent was in a long black gown, with silver bands on the horns of her head and matching ones on the horns at the joints of her wings. Diaval was in a long black coat with cuffs made of feathers that were undoubtedly his own. The pixies hastened to make a place for themselves at the front, buzzing their bright wings and forcing everyone else to move.

The humans were also assembled in the hall. There were nobles, young and old, including Lady Sybil and Lady Sabine and a nervous-looking Lady Fiora. And Nanny Stoat was there, along with farmers and villagers. Simon stood beside his family, looking proud. She supposed that his story had been in great demand with everyone he met and that he had been made much of.

Aurora cleared her throat and began to speak. “Before me is a document that will set the terms of an enduring peace in our unified kingdom, one that I hope will live on past the end of my reign. It will be signed not just by me, but by representatives from the humans and the faeries. Will the representatives please come forward?”

Maleficent and Nanny Stoat moved to the sides of Aurora’s carved wood throne. A small table was brought forward by a footman, and a scribe set down a long scroll on which the terms of the treaty were set out.

“Some of you may know that a conspiracy to prevent this was undertaken by my advisor, and that was the reason for the delay in this ceremony,” said Aurora. “If anyone here imagines attempting something similar, know that both conspirators are in prison and will remain there for long years.

“Furthermore, Lord Ortolan’s wealth will be stripped from him and used to fund the distribution of rations of barley to anyone in Perceforest or the Moors in need of food. Once, he said such a thing was too costly for the royal treasury to undertake. I hope he will be pleased to know that because of him, it is now possible.

“As for Count Alain’s estates, they will go to his sister, Lady Fiora. We hope to be better friends with her than we were with her brother, and we hold none of his actions against her.”

Lady Fiora looked up at Aurora in surprise and gratitude. She sank into a deep curtsy.

“And now I am in the position of needing a new advisor,” Aurora said.

Of all the decisions she’d had to make, this one was the most difficult. It was evident already that Nanny Stoat made a much better advisor than Lord Ortolan ever had—even setting aside the whole treason thing—and Aurora was tempted merely to install her in the position. But the more she thought about it, the more that didn’t seem right, either. No one person could give her all the help she needed or represent everyone that needed representing.

“From now on, I will have not one advisor, but a chamber that will help me make decisions for these lands.”

There were a few she was sure she was going to ask. Maleficent, obviously, but also Robin. And Nanny Stoat. Maybe the doctor. Perhaps Smiling John. She knew that when she was done, though, she would have collected people—faeries and humans—who were committed to changing Perceforest for the better.

“But first,” said Aurora, “let us sign this treaty and agree to be good neighbors to one another.”

Maleficent reached to yank a single shining black feather from the cuff of Diaval’s coat. He made a sharp noise of pain, and Aurora decided that they must be his feathers after all, especially once she saw that Maleficent had signed in shining red blood that was already drying brown.

“We will do as you bid,” Maleficent said, “and respect your laws. We won’t sour anyone’s milk or steal anyone’s children”—her eyes twinkled—“so long as no one expressly agrees to a bargain involving those things.”

Nanny Stoat stepped up to sign as well. “We humans will follow the laws set forth in this document. We will not steal from the Moors, nor will we harm any faeries we encounter in Perceforest.” She fixed Maleficent with a look. “And we do not need to mention any exceptions.”

Maleficent shrugged extravagantly, and Nanny Stoat signed with the white quill the scribe provided her, dipped in black ink.

Then it was Aurora’s turn. She signed with black ink, a quill of her own, and a great flourish. “And I myself promise to do whatever I can to promote peace between my people. To that end, I will split my time between my kingdoms. Half will be spent in the palace here, and half in my palace in the Moors. But wherever I am, I promise that humans and faeries will be welcome.”

The room broke into applause. There were congratulations all around. Everyone wanted to speak with Aurora.

Lady Fiora wanted to beg Aurora’s pardon for not telling her outright about her suspicions about her brother. Lady Sabine and Lady Sybil wanted to hear about Aurora riding to Phillip and Maleficent’s rescue, which they seemed to think was both outrageous and a bit of a romantic adventure. And her pixie aunties wanted to tell her that while they liked the way she’d arranged her hair, they were sure they could magic it into a much better confection if only she’d let them.

Eventually, people began to file out.

As they did, Phillip walked toward Aurora. He was wearing a woolen doublet with a row of gold buttons up the middle and slashes showing a bright print underneath. His brown curls flopped over one eye, and his gentle smile didn’t reveal anything. Had she not known he was hurt, she would never have guessed.

“You did it,” he told her, “just like you said you would.”

She grinned up at him. “I am glad you were here to see it happen.”

“I have the oddest notion,” he said, “that when I was losing a lot of blood, you told me something I very much wanted to hear. But maybe I misheard you. Or perhaps you were carried away by your concern for me. Perhaps you were afraid I was going to die—”

“I have another riddle for you,” she said, interrupting him. “What is mine, but only you have it?”

She felt her cheeks grow hot. It was no matter that she’d already told him she loved him, even if he wasn’t sure whether it was memory or wishful thinking. She was still shy to say it again.

“That’s easy,” he said. “My heart.”

“No!” she told him. “It’s supposed to be my heart.”

“Are you certain?” he asked, his manner serious, giving the question greater weight.

“Yes,” she said. “Even when you’re not bleeding on the floor of a mine after being stabbed by my mortal enemy, I still love you.”

“Oh,” he said, looking as though he had suddenly become the shy one. “Thank goodness.” He gave her hand a squeeze and moved toward the hall, where the other courtiers were heading. She would follow in a moment. But first there was something she had to do.

Aurora turned toward her godmother. Maleficent was watching Phillip depart. She raised her eyebrows at Aurora.

Aurora walked toward her. “You aren’t still going to insist he’s a mistake.”

“If you suppose that because Prince Phillip turned out to be something of a hero, I am going to say that I like him, you are very much mistaken,” Maleficent said, but there was a light in her eyes and a curve of her lip that belied the words.

“All that proves is that you are still my dear wicked godmother,” Aurora said.

“And you are my fearless beastie,” Maleficent told her. Then she amended the pronouncement. “My fearless queen beastie.”