King Henry lay in bed, dozens of councilmen and generals surrounding him. From an alcove¹, Stefan watched the scene, lighting² the last candelabra. He had to lean in closely to hear what the weakened king was saying.

"When I took the throne, I promised the people that one day we would take the Moors³ and their treasures. And each of you swore allegiance to me and to that cause." He started coughing violently, sputtering⁴ as he tried to sit up. Stefan appeared with a pillow and placed it behind the king's back.

"Defeated in battle," the king continued as if there had been no interruption. "Is this to be my legacy⁵? I see you waiting for me to die. You won't have long to wait. But what then? Who will rule? My daughter? Or perhaps I will choose my successor."

An audible intake⁶ of breath sounded from the other men. One of them, be king? They all stood a bit straighter.　

"But who among you is worthy⁷?" The king's eyes flashed with anger. "Kill her! Kill the faerie, and avenge⁸ me. Upon my death you will take the crown!"

Stefan backed away from the bed quietly, knowing that as a servant, he would not be missed. Once he stood outside the king's chamber⁹, he panted, his palms against his knees. He knew what he had to do.　

"Maleficent? Maleficent?" Stefan called out. It had been so long since he'd set foot in their old secret spot, but it was as beautiful and serene¹⁰ as it always had been.　

Maleficent landed swiftly behind him. He spun¹¹ around, surprised. He almost laughed, thinking how he should have been used to her entrances by then.

She eyed him wordlessly for a moment, trying to see if he had changed. It was as though he had never left. He still wore his threadbare clothes and a flask¹² at his side. But Maleficent was even stronger now after winning a battle, aware of her power and authority, her ability to protect her friends and her home. She had been reminded of the Moors' war-stricken past, why the others were so suspicious of outsiders.　

At the same time, she couldn't help feeling a flutter in her stomach as she looked upon his familiar and comforting face. Forcing the sensation aside, she squared her shoulders and raised one perfectly¹³ arched eyebrow¹⁴. "How is life with the humans?" she asked.

He stared at the ground, clearly uncomfortable. "They are horrible," he said after a moment. "And they will not stop. They mean to kill you." He looked up into her eyes.　

Maleficent listened carefully. She had once loved this human deeply. Now she wasn't sure if she could trust Stefan.　

"When we first met, you told me never to come here again. But I did, and I told you it was worth the risk." He brushed her hair out of her face. "It still is. I have chosen."　

Stepping closer to her, he whispered, "I belong here, with you. If you'll have me."　

Maleficent relaxed, moved by his words. She hugged him as she had done the day they had first met, and it felt like everything was right once more.

A short while later, Maleficent lay snuggled in Stefan's arms. Her wings were wrapped around them like a warm blanket, and as dusk faded into the darkness of night, they continued to laugh and talk. It was a joyous¹⁵ occasion. She loved and was loved in return, by a human no less. Her parents' goal of peace between the races had been achieved by her. And now she and Stefan could live in the Moors together. Now there was hope for peace for everyone. She couldn't wait to introduce him to the others. It would likely take some getting used to, but in time, they would learn that an alliance with some humans was possible and could even help protect the Moors from future attacks.　

Smiling to herself, she reached over and took a small drink from Stefan's flask. Then, closing her eyes, she began to drift off. The last thought she had before sleep overcame her was that maybe, just maybe, she would get to live happily ever after.

 

亨利国王躺在床上，数十位议员和将领围在他身边。斯戴芬点燃了最后一支烛台，从凹室中注视着这一切。他侧着身子靠近他们，想听清楚虚弱的国王在说些什么。

“当我登上王位时，我答应子民们，有一天我定会拿下摩尔森林，夺取他们的宝藏。你们都发过誓，要效忠于我，要忠于那份使命。”他开始剧烈地咳嗽，气急败坏地想要坐起来。斯戴芬拿着一个枕头走出来，垫在了国王的背后。

国王好似从未被打断一样继续说道：“在战斗中被击败，难道这就是我的遗赠？我知道你们都盼着我快点死。你们不需要等多久了。但是那之后呢？谁来统治这个国家？我的女儿吗？也许我该选一位继任者了。”

在场者的吸气声清晰可闻。他们其中一个人，将成为国王？他们都站得更直了一些。

“不过你们谁才能担此重任？”国王的眼中闪过一丝怒火，“杀了她！杀了那个精灵，为我报仇。我死之后，那个人就能继承王位！”

斯戴芬静静地从床边离开，他知道作为一个佣人，没有人会记得他。他站在国王的寝殿外，双手撑着膝盖，呼吸变得急促起来。他知道该怎么做了。

“玛琳菲森？玛琳菲森？”斯戴芬大声呼唤着。他太久没有踏上他们的这块密会之地了，不过这儿还像之前那样美丽、宁静。

玛琳菲森迅速地落在他的身后。他惊讶地转过身，几乎笑了出来，他早该习惯她的出场方式了啊。

她默默地看了他一会儿，想看看他是否变了，而他好像从未离开过一样。他还穿着那件磨破的衣裳，酒瓶挂在身侧。不过在赢了一场战役之后，玛琳菲森变得比之前更强了。她意识到自己拥有的力量和权威，意识到她有能力保护朋友和家园。她回忆起了摩尔森林被袭击的往事以及其他人都不相信外来者的原因。

与此同时，看见他那熟悉又令人安心的脸庞时，她又忍不住心动。她将感情搁到一边，挺直了胸膛，挑起一弯美丽的眉毛，问道：“人类怎么样了？”

他盯着地面，显然很不安。过了一会，他说：“他们很可怕，他们不会善罢甘休的。他们想要杀你。”他抬起头望着她的眼睛。

玛琳菲森认真地听着。她曾经深深地爱着这个人。而现在她不确定她是否可以信任斯戴芬。

“我们第一次见面的时候，你告诉我不要再过来了。不过之后我还是来了，而且我说过为此冒险是值得的。”他将她脸上的头发拨了开来。“现在还是这样，我还是选择来了。”

斯戴芬走向她，轻声说道：“我和你，属于这里，如果你想和我在一起的话。”

玛琳菲森被他的话打动了，放松下来。她像他们第一次见面时那样拥抱了他，所有的事情好像都回到了正轨。

过了一会，玛琳菲森偎依在斯戴芬的怀中。她的翅膀像一张毯子那样裹着他俩。随着夜幕的降临，他们仍然有说有笑着。这真令人开心。她爱他，他也爱她，即使他是人类也毫不影响。她实现了父母关于两族人民和平的梦想。现在她和斯戴芬可以一起在摩尔森林里生活了。现在每个人都有实现和平的希望了。她已经迫不及待地想要把他介绍给其他人了。这可能需要一些时间来适应，不过，以后他们就会知道，和一些人类结合不是不可能的，而且这也能让摩尔森林今后远离战争的纷扰。

她笑了起来，拿起斯戴芬的酒壶，喝了一小口。接着，她闭上双眼，迷迷糊糊地睡了过去。她睡着前的最后一个念头是，有可能，只是有可能，她可以一直快乐地生活下去。

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