The Horns that Fit

Chapter 2

Word has gotten out on the birth of the child, which made the king's subjects very distant. Some have even moved away. The damned child known as Maleficent spent her early years locked away in her room in fear of being rejected by others. She was rarely to go outside and the times she would go out, she was under tight supervision as well as limited to go out. Maleficent spent days by the gates, looking past them and wondering what's on the other side. Her parents strikly forbidden her to pass those gates.  One evening, close at dinner time, the family sat at the table, eating. The king and queen carried on in their usual conversation, talking about their day while little Maleficent continued playing with her food. "Dear, what's the matter?" Her mother asked. "Nothing. I'm not really hungry. May I be excused?" She asked. "...of course, dear." Her mother replied. Maleficent quickly ran off to her room. The darkened space was only lit by the blue moon that shone through her window. Sitting on the edge, she could see over the gates and past the meadow, but a thick wall of black thorny bushes had block the rest of the path. She continued to stare out the window even as a magnificent idea popped in her head. Quickly, she changed for bed and fell fast asleep.
Early the next morning, Maleficent found  fresh water on her dresser to wash up in and new clothes neatly folded up next to it. The water was warm and felt nice against her skin. The clothes, a simple black dress that stopped at her knees. Staring back at her reflection in the mirror, she noticed her horns starting to poke through her hair. "Mmphm." Maleficent grunted as she walked out of her room and down to the kitchen. The main chief, already put out her breakfast for. "Good morning, your highness. How are we this morning?" He asked cheerfully. "I'm fine. How are you?" She replied. "Great. Your parents are having an important gathering today and I have to prepare the food. I imagine you'll be by yourself for most of the day." "Yes, but I'm a big girl. I'm turning ten in a little while." "That sounds exciting. Finish eating your breakfast. Kellen is waiting for in the parlor." The chief replied. Maleficent finished up her breakfast and ran off to the parlor, where Kellen was reading a book. "Your majesty? Are you ready for today?" "Yes." "What shall we be doing today, princess?" "I want to play outside." "Yes, your highness." Kellen responded as he grabbed his dagger. Maleficent raced out of the castle, down to the royal garden. The sun was out, warming up everything. The sky, cloudless.Red roses and blue daisies popped up from the dirt. The leaves looked extraordinarily green today. Honey bees darted here and there. "Its nice today." Maleficent asked, looking at a strangly different flower. The petals were solid black and the steam looked dead with blood red thorns. "Oh my. It's dead." Kellen said over her shoulder. "No. It isn't. It just sleeping." She argued. "I wanna take a walk." The two walked around the edge of the garden. As they turned a corner, they both noticed a hole through the wall that led to the other side. "Oh, dear. Someone has broken in. Your highness, come with me. I need to report this." "I don't want to go. I can stay here. I'll watch if anyone comes." Maleficent said. "I won't go anywhere." "*sigh* stay here. I'll be right back." Kellen said as he darted back inside. The second he turned his back, Maleficent crawled through the hole. The air on the other side felt more freely and open. The grass was soft against her skin. "Ha ha ha!!" She took off as fast she could towards the the massive wall of thorns. The ground underneath her seemed surreal. In fact, everything did. She didn't dare to pinch herself in case this was all a cruel dream. When she arrived at the thorn wall, her stomach dropped. It was a lot bigger than she thought it was. Huge spiky thorns jetted out in every direction. Curiosity taking its toll, Maleficent hesitantly reached out for one. Upon contact, the wall began to slowly move around, making a path for just for her. She smiled to herself before taking a step in. The air around her was much cooler. It was getting dark fast. The ground was wet and she noticed no plants growing. Nothing but blackness. The path wondered deeper. A snap off in the distance caught her off guard. Soon, she came to a flat part of the land. Then she noticed something shiny in the ground. Without a second thought, she walked over to it. It was partly underground. Using her fingers to dig it up. A sphere with unusual colors. The outer edge is transparent and the core is a solid green. It glowed as if something was moving inside. "I'm keeping this." She said, putting it in her dress pocket. She got up, dusted herself off, and continued going. Shortly after, the still air was shattered by a tiny noise. A small cry. She followed the sound to a thorn branch. Down on the ground, a little baby raven. Tiny whisps of feathers stuck out. His head and beak was too big for his body. His wings weren't strong enough. "Oh no." Getting down on her knees, Maleficent watched the black bird struggle to get up. "Let me help you." She said, cradling him. She felt as if his skin would tear any minute. "Where's your mother? Do you have a home? Would you like to come home with me?" The little bird chipped happily as the two turned around and head back. Unfortunately, the path looked different for Maleficent and nothing looked familiar. "Oh dear. I think we're lost." She said as she stepped over numerous thick roots. "I believe this is the way..." Her foot caught on something, causing her to smack hard on the ground. Her head crashed against just before her vision turned black. The last thing she heard was the repeative chirpping of her new friend.