Stefan looked terrible. He'd been up all night, pacing in the room he rarely left anymore. The sun peeked¹ out, marking the dawn of another day. If he hadn't been so distracted, perhaps this time of day would have reminded him of the daughter who had been named after it.

"You mock me," he murmured just as a servant entered the room behind him.

"Sire?" the servant questioned.

But Stefan did not turn, did not answer. He simply gazed ahead, not blinking.

The servant decided² to go on with the news he'd been trusted with. "Majesty³, your presence is requested by the queen."　

"Leave me," Stefan said simply, acknowledging the servant's presence at last.

"Sire," the servant pleaded. "She is not well. The nurses are fearful that—"

"Leave me!" Stefan shouted. "Can you not see that I'm having a conversation?"

The servant stared at him, mystified. There was nobody else in the room. Clearly the king had come unhinged. The servant left, closing the door behind him, deciding to come back when the king was better rested. He only hoped it would not be too late. The queen had hours left at best. No one knew what disease plagued her, but most suspected she was dying of a broken heart.

Stefan had not even noticed that his wife was dying, just as he didn't notice that the servant had taken leave of him now. He started to walk straight ahead, still not blinking. "Intended to represent my triumph, my strength. And yet, day after day, year after year, you exist only to mock me. To remind me ... It is not without purpose. Is it?"

He stared at the objects tormenting⁴ him: gigantic raven-black wings hanging in a glass case. Maleficent's wings. Shafts⁵ of morning light shone around them eerily⁶.

Stefan moved up to the case, peering in. Then, resting his head on the glass, he whispered, "Is it?"

Suddenly, the wings flapped. Stefan jumped back, startled and alarmed. The wings were motionless once more. He took in a deep breath, unsuccessfully trying to calm his nerves.

"I spare her life and this is my reward? A curse upon my child? Upon my kingdom? Upon me?"

The wings flapped again, more powerfully this time.

Stefan continued his monologue⁷. "When the curse fails, Maleficent will come for me. This I feel. This I know. As sure as the sun rises." He pointed⁸ an angry finger at the wings. "And on that day, I shall not be as benevolent⁹. I will slay¹⁰ her as I should have done then. And I shall burn her carcass to ash!"

He paused, trying to catch his breath. He thought of the victory, of sweet vengeance¹¹. "And then ... you will be once again a trophy¹². Nothing more."

The wings flapped angrily now, but Stefan just stared at them. Then, slowly, his face broke into a wide smile.

Maleficent's well-intended plans to keep Aurora¹³ away from the Moors¹⁴ quickly went awry¹⁵. No sooner had she concluded that Aurora would never visit the Moors again than the beautiful princess found her way back to the Wall. And before Maleficent knew what she was doing, every night she was putting Aurora to sleep and bringing her into the faerie world.

In no time, Aurora had made herself at home amid the woods. And still worse, before Maleficent knew it, she was actually enjoying having the princess around.

There was something invigorating in the way the princess moved about the Moors in the star-filled nights. Whether she was hopping¹⁶ over a stream or wading¹⁷ through tall cattails, she was always reaching out, connecting herself to the world around her. And it wasn't just the flora¹⁸ she loved. She loved all the woodland creatures, too, from the beautiful dew faeries to the silly-looking hedgehog faeries, with their oversized ears and spiky¹⁹ backs.

And they all loved her. Even the jealous water faeries, who were known to pull anyone they thought prettier into the water, admired Aurora's beauty. They would let her play along the water's edge, eager to show the princess the treasures of the streams. When they pulled out a shiny rock, Aurora would laugh in delight and praise them, causing the water faeries to blush with pride.

When they had no more stones to show Aurora, the water faeries would take to the top of the water, skating over its surface, leaving barely a ripple²⁰. Aurora would sit, entranced, as they put on a show for her, their long wings flowing out behind them. And when the show was over, they would dive under the water, leaving Aurora clapping on the shore.

The water faeries were not the only ones to vie for Aurora's attention. The grouchy²¹ wallerbogs loved to engage her in mud fights, which she inevitably²² lost. And even covered in mud, she kept smiling, thrilled to be part of this magical world. When she stumbled upon the more fearsome faeries, like the ram²³ trolls, with their hunched²⁴ shoulders, dark bark-like skin, and sharp branches that grew out of their arms and back, she didn't run but simply let them pass, aware that they too had a part in the way the Moors worked.　

As the nights passed and Maleficent watched the princess, it became harder and harder to think of her as Stefan's daughter. She was nothing like him. While he had never respected nature, only ever seeing what the Moors could give to him, Aurora loved everything about the faerie world. She seemed instinctively²⁵ to know how to be a part of it, and Maleficent found herself growing fond of the girl. Together they would wander, Aurora eagerly listening as Maleficent pointed out various plants and trees. And Maleficent found herself happy to listen as Aurora babbled²⁶ on about whatever silly antics her aunts had been up to on that particular day. With each night, the pair grew more and more comfortable with each other. And while Maleficent had a hard time admitting it to herself, when she put a sleeping Aurora to bed as dawn broke, she was sad to leave her.

In Aurora, Maleficent had found a kindred spirit. Someone whom she could teach and someone from whom she could learn. Aurora's heart was wide open, eager to love, while Maleficent's was still closed up tight. Yet seeing how free and happy Aurora was, Maleficent couldn't help wondering if perhaps she had been doing herself a disservice all that time by being so cold. Even in the short time that Aurora had been a part of the Moors, Maleficent had felt a thawing²⁷ toward her from the creatures who had ignored her before the girl's arrival. Through Aurora, they began to see a softer side of Maleficent. And Maleficent couldn't help enjoying being part of the bigger community once again.

But despite how much Maleficent liked having Aurora around, there was a heavy weight on her shoulders. She knew the visits would have to end. They have to end, she reminded herself on many occasions, because of my curse.

One night, weeks after Aurora's first trip to the Moors and only a few weeks before her sixteenth birthday, Maleficent lay Aurora down in her bed. And as she had done every night for many nights, she pulled the covers up gently and whispered, "Good night, beastie." But on this particular evening, as the moon began to sink into the horizon and the sun began to rise, she softly added, "I retract²⁸ my curse. Let it be no more."　

As the words left her mouth, the room filled with magic. The air crackled and shimmered²⁹ and a gentle wind rustled³⁰. But the magic didn't touch Aurora. Narrowing her eyes, Maleficent stepped closer and repeated the words, this time more forcefully. "I retract my curse. Let it be no more."　

Once again, magic filled the air and the room shimmered. But once again, the magic flowed around Aurora, leaving her untouched.　

Feeling dread³¹ begin to build in the pit of her stomach, Maleficent spoke³² the words again, with still more passion. And then she repeated them. Again, and again, and again she spoke, musteringall her strength and willing all her magic to break the curse. The room began to shake as the massive amount of magic collected in the small space, but Maleficent went on, oblivious³³. All she could see was Aurora, sleeping the way she would forever if the curse could not be broken. Letting out one last cry, she threw her staff in the air and sent a huge burst of magic raining down over the room.　

But it still didn't touch Aurora.　

Lowering her staff, Maleficent slowly left the room, her heart aching. She had done everything she could. Yet the curse, the one she had so foolishly called a gift, could not be undone³⁴. Which meant, one way or another, in a few short weeks, Aurora would prick³⁵ her finger on a spinning wheel and never wake up.

 

斯戴芬看起来很糟糕。他一夜没睡，在那间他几乎从未离开过的房间里来回踱步。太阳悄悄升起，又是一天的拂晓。如果他没有这般心烦意乱的话，他此刻一定会想起自己的女儿，那个以“黎明”为名的女儿。

这时一位仆人走了进来，听见斯戴芬喃喃低语：“你嘲笑我。”

仆人不知道发生了什么事，问道：“陛下？”

但是斯戴芬没有转身，也没有回答。他只是盯着前方，眼都不眨一下。

仆人没忘记自己受人所托，说道：“陛下，皇后请您过去。”

斯戴芬终于意识到仆人的存在，他只是说：“走开。”

仆人请求道：“陛下，皇后的情况很糟糕，看护说恐怕—”

斯戴芬大叫一声：“滚开！你没看到我正在和别人说 话吗？”

仆人看着国王，神情中充满了迷惑。房间里没有别人，很明显国王有些精神错乱。仆人决定等国王休息好之后再过来，于是他把门关上，离开了房间。他只能在心里默默希望还不会太晚，因为皇后最多只能再活几小时了。没人知道皇后犯了什么病，不过大多数人猜测，皇后是伤透了心。

斯戴芬一点儿也没有意识到他的妻子将不久于人世，也没留意仆人已经走开了。他向前走了几步，眼睛死死盯住前方，说：“本以为这将会是胜利的象征，力量的象征。但是，一天又一天，一年又一年，你只是在这里嘲笑我，让我想起……你一定是故意的，是不是？”

他盯着那个一直在折磨自己的东西：玻璃柜里悬着的一双巨大乌黑的翅膀。那是玛琳菲森的翅膀。几道晨光诡异地洒在在翅膀的周围。

斯戴芬走到柜子跟前，盯着翅膀。然后他把头靠在柜子上，低声重复道：“是不是？”

忽然，翅膀扇动了一下。斯戴芬吓得往后一跳，神情中满是惊慌。然后翅膀又一动不动了。他深吸一口气，想让自己平静下来，但无济于事。

“我饶了她一命，这就是她对我的报答？诅咒我的孩子？诅咒我的王国？诅咒我？”

翅膀又扇动了一下，这次更加用力。

斯戴芬继续自言自语道：“如果诅咒失灵的话，玛琳菲森会来找我的。我觉得是这样，我知道一定会这样，这就像早上太阳必定会升起一样。”他气愤地用手指着翅膀：“到那一天，我不会再心慈手软了，我会杀了她，我当时就该这么做了。我定会将她挫骨扬灰！”

他停顿了一下，喘了一口气。他幻想着胜利和复仇的喜悦：“到那时，你会再次成为我的战利品，其他什么也不是。”

现在，翅膀生气地拍打起来，但斯戴芬只是盯着它们，然后慢慢地大笑起来。

玛琳菲森本想让爱洛不再靠近摩尔森林，但她的计划很快失败了。她还在想爱洛永远也不会再回到摩尔森林了，这位美丽的公主就找到了回荆棘墙的路。而玛琳菲森也不知道自己究竟是怎么了，每天晚上都会催眠爱洛，把她带到精灵世界。

很快，爱洛就把森林当成是自己的家了。更糟的是，玛琳菲森竟然喜欢上公主的陪伴了。

在繁星闪烁的夜晚，爱洛公主精力充沛，在摩尔森林里四处玩耍、游荡。她跳过小溪，在高高的香蒲间穿行。不论干什么，她总要伸出手将自己和周围的世界融为一体。她不仅仅喜爱花花草草，也爱着树林里的所有生灵，从美丽的露珠精灵，到耳朵硕大、背上布满尖刺但看起来呆呆傻傻的刺猬精灵。

他们也都喜欢她。即使是水精灵也赞叹着爱洛的美丽。他们的嫉妒可是出了名的：他们会把一切比他们漂亮的人拖到水里。但水精灵却让爱洛在水边玩耍，还急不可待地要把小溪中的宝物呈现给她看。有时候他们拿出一块闪亮的石头，爱洛就会高兴地笑着夸奖他们，而水精灵则会骄傲地涨红了小脸。

水精灵如果没有什么石头给爱洛看时，就会拍着翅膀从小溪的上游一路滑下来，而溪面上不起一丝波澜。爱洛坐在一旁入迷地看着扬着长长的翅膀的水精灵带给她的表演。水精灵完成表演后就会钻到水底，而爱洛会高兴地在岸上拍着手掌。

水精灵可不是唯一想赢得爱洛注意的精灵。嘟囔个不停的沃泥伯格总喜欢拉着爱洛加入自己的泥浆大战中，不过每一次爱洛都赢不了。即使浑身都是泥巴，她还是会开心地笑着，为自己能成为这神奇世界的一员而兴奋不已。当她不小心撞见长相有些吓人的精灵，比如羊角魔，她也不会惊慌失措。这些羊角魔有着隆起的肩膀，树皮一样暗黑的皮肤，手臂和背部还长着尖利的枝状物，但爱洛觉得，他们也是摩尔森林的一部分，她可不会落荒而逃，而是站在一旁，让他们通过。

每天晚上玛琳菲森都会仔细地端详爱洛，都快要忘了她是斯戴芬的女儿。爱洛一点也不像他。斯戴芬从不敬重自然，他看重的是自己从摩尔森林攫取的利益。爱洛爱着精灵世界的一切，她好像天生就会融入这个世界。玛琳菲森愈发觉得自己喜欢上这个姑娘了。她们一起漫步，爱洛非常喜欢听玛琳菲森给她介绍各种植物和树木；玛琳菲森也喜欢听爱洛抱怨阿姨们某天又干了什么傻事，一个又一个夜晚过去了，两个人的相处也越来越融洽。尽管玛琳菲森不愿意承认，但每当自己在破晓时将熟睡的爱洛放回床上时，她总是依依不舍。

玛琳菲森和爱洛志趣相投，她可以教爱洛一些事，也能从爱洛那里学到一些东西。爱洛心胸开阔，对爱充满了渴望；但是玛琳菲森却恰恰相反，她仍然紧紧锁住自己的内心。但是每当她看到快乐、自由的爱洛时，她禁不住想她这般冷漠是否是在伤害自己。爱洛在摩尔森林的时间虽然短暂，但是玛琳菲森已经感觉到那些在爱洛来之前对自己不理不睬的动物们开始有了一些转变。通过爱洛，这些生灵看见了玛琳菲森温和的一面，而玛琳菲森对重新融入这个大家庭也感到喜不自禁。

不过虽然玛琳菲森很喜欢爱洛陪伴左右，她的心却始终沉甸甸的。她知道爱洛不可能一直到这片森林里来。她常常不停地提醒自己，这一切都会结束，因为她的魔咒。

距爱洛第一次来到摩尔森林已经过去好几周，而再过几周就要到爱洛十六岁的生日了。这天晚上，玛琳菲森把爱洛放在床上后，就和之前的许多夜晚一样，轻柔地为她盖上被子，低语道：“晚安，小怪物。”但这个晚上，当月亮沉入地平线，当太阳开始升起，她轻轻地补上一句：“我撤回诅咒，让它消失吧。”

话刚脱口，房内魔力涌动。空气噼啪作响，微光闪烁，轻风飒飒。可是魔力并没有在爱洛身上起作用。玛琳菲森眯了眯眼睛，靠近几步，用力重复了那句咒语：“我撤回诅咒，让它消失吧。”

魔力再次在空中涌动，发出微光，但这一次魔力仍然只是在爱洛身边流动，起不了作用。

恐惧从玛琳菲森的心底升起，她再次使劲地重复着咒语，一遍又一遍，用尽全力，希望她的魔力能打破魔咒。由于大量魔力在小范围内集聚，房间开始颤抖，但是玛琳菲森置之不顾，继续念咒。这时她眼中看到的只有爱洛，如果魔咒无法破除，爱洛将像现在这般永远沉睡。最后，玛琳菲森大喊一声，将魔杖举向空中，强大的魔力像雨点一般落满整间屋子。

但是魔力对爱洛还是没有起作用。

玛琳菲森放下魔杖，慢慢走出了房间。她的心在痛，自己已经竭尽所能却还是不能解除魔咒，那个她曾经傻傻地称之为“礼物”的魔咒。也就是说，无论如何，短短几周之后，爱洛都将被纺车扎伤手指，然后一睡不醒。

点击收听单词发音