Night had fallen on the Moors¹. High in the sky a full moon hung and beams of light shone down, illuminating² the lush ground. The air was still and silent. Most of the Moorland creatures were asleep, some tucked in the leaves on the ground, others resting in trees. Through it all, a sleeping Aurora³ floated. Maleficent walked a few paces behind while Diaval flew ahead. As the trio made their way along, a few curious faeries peeped out, eager to see who would dare disturb the peaceful wood at that hour.

Arriving at a small glen through which a shallow stream burbled, Maleficent lowered Aurora gently to the ground. Then she slipped into the shadows. She took a deep breath, then whispered, "Awaken⁴."

Maleficent waited, her heart pounding. She was beginning to regret her decision to bring the girl there. What had possessed⁵ her? It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now, as Aurora's eyes fluttered open, Maleficent was beginning to think differently.

Slowly, Aurora sat up. She took in her surroundings calmly with her big blue eyes, as though waking up in an unfamiliar⁶ grove⁷ of trees was a common event for her. Watching Aurora take in the Moors, Maleficent felt an ache in her chest. She had never felt comfortable out of her familiar surroundings. Yet Aurora, who had lived her whole life in one cottage and knew only three people, seemed unfazed.

Turning her head in Maleficent's direction, Aurora spoke⁸. "I know you're there."

Startled, Maleficent slipped farther back into the shadows.

"Don't be afraid," Aurora added.

"I'm not afraid," Maleficent said defensively. She slapped a hand over her mouth. As soon as the words had slipped out, she wished could take them back. Now there was no hiding.

"Then come out," Aurora pleaded.

Maleficent smiled. Ah, maybe there was a way out of this after all. "Then you'll be afraid," she said. But Aurora shook her head. "No, I won't," she said stubbornly.　

It appeared Maleficent had no choice. She hadn't really thought through what would happen once Aurora was in the Moors, but she most certainly hadn't thought she would have to talk to the princess. Nevertheless, if Aurora was like any other human, the girl would run away as soon as she saw Maleficent.

Stepping out of the shadows, Maleficent made her way closer. A bright beam of moonlight shot down, illuminating her, and she cast a long shadow on the ground behind her. In the night, her horns looked bigger and darker, and she was not surprised to see Aurora's eyes widen with fear. But what did surprise her was that Aurora didn't run. Instead, she spoke.

"I know who you are," she said, causing Maleficent to raise an eyebrow⁹. "You're my faerie godmother."

A chuckle¹⁰ caught in Maleficent's throat. "Your ... what?" she asked, trying not to laugh out loud.

Ignoring Maleficent's reaction, Aurora nodded. "Faerie godmother," she repeated slowly. "You've been watching over me my whole life. I've always known you were close by."

"How?" Maleficent asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

Aurora pointed¹¹ over Maleficent's shoulder. Turning, Maleficent saw her distinct horned shadow. "It's been following me ever since I was small," Aurora explained. "Wherever I went, your shadow was always with me."

Hearing that, Diaval let out a loud caw. While Maleficent knew he was, in his own bird way, saying something along the lines of "I knew it!" Aurora simply heard the birdcall and smiled. Watching as Diaval landed on Maleficent's shoulder, she paused and then made her way closer.

"I remember you!" she said, reaching up to pet Diaval. "Pretty bird."

Maleficent tried not to cringe as the girl's small hand brushed her shoulder. She hadn't been this close to a stranger in a long, long time. To her surprise, it didn't feel as terrible as she would have thought.

And what was even more surprising was how at home Aurora seemed in the glen. She turned from Diaval and wandered around, bending down every now and then to get a closer look at the small flowers and plants that were different from the ones on her side of the Wall.

As she explored, Moorland faeries, awoken from their slumber¹², began to emerge, curious to see the human in their midst. When Aurora caught sight of the winged creatures, her face filled with wonder. Maleficent felt herself smiling as several courageous¹³ dew faeries fluttered up to the princess, their translucent¹⁴ wings glimmering¹⁵ in the moonlight. It had been a long time since Maleficent had really looked at her home. True, she fought to defend it and loved it fiercely, but with Aurora there, she was seeing it in a fresh light. It was beautiful and mysterious. Peaceful and yet alive. The trees protected the plants, and the plants hugged the ground. There was a home and place for everyone and everything. That, Maleficent thought, was why she fought so hard to keep it safe.

Unaware¹⁶ of Maleficent's musings, Aurora softly ran her hand over the top of a cattail. "I've always wanted to come here," she said softly. "But my aunts told me it was forbidden." She looked up, and her eyes met Maleficent's. "How did we get through the Wall?"

The question snapped Maleficent back to reality. It was one thing to have the girl there for a short while, but it would not do to have her asking questions and wanting to come back. "It's time to take you home," Maleficent said, not answering Aurora.

"So soon?" the princess said, clearly disappointed. "May I come back another night?"

Instead of answering, Maleficent reached into her robe and pulled out another yellow flower. Once again, she blew on it, sending pollen¹⁷ into the air in front of Aurora. And once again, Aurora's eyes fluttered shut and her body went limp.

As the other faeries looked on, Maleficent raised Aurora into the air. And then, in silence, they left the glen.

A short while later they arrived at the small cottage. Quietly, Maleficent floated Aurora into her room and gently lowered her onto her bed. Leaning over the princess, Maleficent felt a small smile tug¹⁸ at the corners of her lips. "Good night, beastie," she said gently before turning to go.

At the door, she paused to take one last look at Aurora. It hadn't been so bad after all to have her around the glen. But it was a one-time thing. It could never happen again. Ever.

 

摩尔森林内夜幕降临，满月高高地挂在空中，莹莹的月光洒落在这一片富饶的土地上。空中寂静无声。摩尔森林中的大部分生灵都在沉睡，有些裹着叶子睡在地上，另一些则睡在树上。在他们中间，熟睡的爱洛飘在空中，迪艾瓦飞在前面，玛琳菲森跟在后面。三个人就这么向前走着，有些好奇的精灵向他们张望，想看看到底是谁这么胆大，敢打破林中这个宁静的时刻。

他们走进了一个幽谷，一条浅溪从中穿行而过，玛琳菲森将爱洛轻轻地放在地上，然后躲进了阴影里。她深吸了一口气，轻轻说道：“醒来吧。”

玛琳菲森等了一会，心脏怦怦直跳。她有些后悔把爱洛带到这里来了。刚刚她到底在想什么？这在当时可能是个好主意，但现在当爱洛的眼睛抖动着睁开时，玛琳菲森的想法就开始变了。

爱洛慢慢坐了起来。她睁开蓝色的大眼睛静静地观察着周围的世界，就好像在陌生的森林中醒来是常有的事一样。玛琳菲森在一旁看着，胸中隐隐作痛。她从来不会在自己熟悉的环境之外感到很自如。而一直住在小屋里、只认识三位仙子的爱洛看起来却一点也不担心自己的处境。

爱洛将头转向玛琳菲森的方向，说道：“我知道你在这。”

玛琳菲森有些吃惊，不由向阴影处又退了几分。

爱洛又说道：“别害怕。”

玛琳菲森辩解道：“我没有害怕！”她赶忙用手捂住了嘴。话刚出口，她就希望自己能将其收回。现在她已经暴露了。

爱洛请求道：“那就出来吧。”

玛琳菲森笑了。唉，也许这样倒可以打破这一窘境。她说：“如果我出来，你就会害怕的。”但爱洛摇了摇头，坚定地说：“不会，我绝不会害怕。”

看来玛琳菲森别无选择了。她还没有认真想过，如果爱洛在摩尔森林中生活会发生什么，但她肯定从没想过有一天她会和爱洛公主说话。不管怎么说，如果爱洛真的和其他人类一样，那么只要见到自己，她就会逃得远远的。

玛琳菲森从阴影中走出来，朝爱洛走近了几步。明亮的月光倾泻而下，照在她身上，在她身后拉起了一条长长的影子。由于是晚上，她的犄角看起来更大更黑。爱洛被吓得睁大了双眼，这完全在玛琳菲森的意料之中。但让玛琳菲森奇怪的是，爱洛并没有转身逃跑，而是开口说话了。

她说道：“我知道你是谁。”玛琳菲森不禁抬了抬眉梢。爱洛接着说：“你是我的仙女教母。”

她强忍住笑意，不让自己笑出声来，问道：“你的……什么？”

爱洛没有理会玛琳菲森的反应，她点了点头，慢慢重复道：“仙女教母。你一直照看着我的生活，我一直都知道你在我的身旁。”

玛琳菲森越来越感兴趣了，她问：“你是怎么知道的？”

爱洛指向玛琳菲森的身后。玛琳菲森转头一看，发现自己带犄角的影子的确很容易辨认。爱洛解释说：“从我很小的时候起，它就一直跟着我。不论我走到哪里，你的影子都一直伴随着我。”

迪艾瓦听到这个，大叫了一声。玛琳菲森知道这是什么意思，他是在用自己的方式说：“我就知道！”爱洛一听见鸟叫就笑了起来。她看见迪艾瓦落在玛琳菲森的肩膀上，停顿了一下，接着向前走去。

她伸出手去抚摸迪艾瓦，说：“我记得你！漂亮的鸟儿。”

玛琳菲森的肩膀被爱洛的小手轻轻扫过，她忍着没有缩回来。很长时间以来，玛琳菲森都没有让陌生人这般靠近自己了。但是这种感觉却没有想象中那么可怕，这让玛琳菲森很是 惊奇。

而更让玛琳菲森感到惊讶的是，爱洛在幽谷就仿佛置身家中一般自在。她转过身去，不再看着迪艾瓦，开始四处闲逛，时不时弯下腰观察那些小花小草，这些植物和墙外人类世界中的大有不同。

在她继续东瞧西看的时候，摩尔森林的精灵们都从熟睡中醒来，出来好奇地看着他们中间的这个人类。爱洛看着这些长着翅膀的生灵，脸上满是惊奇。有些露珠精灵勇敢地向着这位公主飞去，他们透明的翅膀在月光下闪闪发亮，看到这一幕，玛琳菲森不禁笑了。玛琳菲森有很久没有好好地观察过自己的家了。的确，她深爱着自己的家园，也竭尽全力保护自己的家园，但是当爱洛到这里时，她开始用一种全新的目光审视周围的一切。她发现这片土地美丽而又充满神秘；平静却又充满生机。大树为地面的植物遮风挡雨，而那些植物也紧紧地拥抱着大地。这个地方是所有生灵的家园。这些，玛琳菲森想，正是她竭尽全力保卫这片土地的原因啊。

爱洛对玛琳菲森的思绪毫不知情，她摩挲着香蒲的叶尖，轻柔地说道：“我一直想到这里来，但是阿姨们说这里不让别人进。”她抬起头与玛琳菲森四目相接，问道：“我们是怎么穿过那堵墙的呀？”

这个问题把玛琳菲森从脑海的思绪中拉回了现实。把爱洛带到这里待一会儿是一回事，但是绝不能让她一直问东问西，甚至还想再次回到这里。玛琳菲森没有回答，却说：“该送你回家了。”

爱洛公主显然很失望，她问道：“这么快？改天晚上我可以再来吗？”

玛琳菲森没有回答，将手伸到长袍里，掏出另一朵黄花。她又一次向花吹了一口气，花粉随着空气落在爱洛身前，爱洛的眼睛又一次颤巍巍地合上了，身体也变得软绵绵的。

精灵们在旁边看着玛琳菲森将爱洛举向空中。然后在一片寂静之中，他们离开了幽谷。

很快他们就到了那间小屋。玛琳菲森悄悄地将爱洛送到她自己的房间，轻轻地把她放到了床上。玛琳菲森弯下腰看着爱洛公主，感到自己的嘴角浮现出一丝微笑。她轻柔地说：“晚安，小怪物。”然后便开始往回走。

刚到门口她又停了下来，最后看了爱洛一眼。如果爱洛和她一起在幽谷生活，倒也不是一件坏事。但是这种事只会发生一次，绝不会有第二次。绝不会。

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