Ruffled Feathers (Maleficent Oneshot)

Ruffled Feathers! Oneshot

***italicized unbolded are quotes directly from the movies.***

"I'll see you later, Philip" cried his wife, as she turned to the large creature resembling a tree. As much as his wife had reminded him the creature was nicknamed 'Branches', he would never call the terrifying anthropomorphic tree something as cute as Branches. That's like calling Borra, leader of the Dark Fae his best buddy. He had nearly stabbed the guy! Their relationship was like saying fire and oxygen got along well! Okay, now he was getting a little off track but still, it just wasn't something he would ever do.

Watching as his wife got on a platform Branches made, he smiled, despite the innate terror that lined his veins. It was the greatest decision he had ever made, getting to know that lonely princess from the Moors. Who would have thought that five years later from that fateful day, he would propose to her and she would accept? And then, not even a few days later, the two had defeated his mother and their kingdoms finally joined in peace. Nearly everything was perfect in their lives except for one thing. Philip flinched as he watched the large crow circle around his head. He knew it was Diaval, but the slightly larger bird above him is what truly scared Philip. After all, what son-in-law isn't completely petrified of his mother-in-law.

It had been a week since the wedding after he and Aurora watched Maleficent fly off. His mother - the loud goat that she was - eventually was transformed into being human again but given the poisonous words that she had spread, she had to wear a muzzle that was only removed during certain times of the day. It was a just punishment, treating her like the animal she had accused the citizens of the Moors of being like. On the more pleasant side, Philip's father was released after being checked out by multiple physicians and he had been deemed with a clean bill of health. Everything in Philip's life was going swimmingly, so of course, something had to rain on his parade. That rain came in the form of an 80-foot flying, prehistoric bird named Maleficent.

For the last few days, Philip had felt a shadow seemingly crawling over him every time he went outside. Going out on a horse ride? Shadow followed him all the way to the stables. Talking to the governors in an outdoor picnic? Shadow was there so long, his food was cold by the time he could eat it without feeling paranoid. Pulling Aurora in for a hug, on their balcony? The shadow winked at him, through Aurora's golden hair! Philip was finally down to his last threads of sanity, the only thing keeping him from yelling out had been his wife. But now that she was gone...

"Maleficent, what in the Moors do you WANT FROM ME!"

The large bird swooped down, its golden eyes judging the stressed-out monarch. The light gold color that symbolizes Maleficent's magic surrounded the bird until it shrunk down to the figure that often frequented the Prince's nightmares. The thin woman smiled, the peaks of her lips spreading all the way to her sharp cheekbones. Now, Philip didn't believe Maleficent was the terrible monster she was accused of being, but there was something in a mouth full of perfectly white, sharp teeth that made Philip want to run. Preferably into Aurora's arms, if possible. But he stood his ground, heart beating fast like a rabbit's before a fox. And with the golden glint of her eyes, her new orange and black ensemble, and the predatory smirk on her face, Maleficent was definitely scaring him, as a vixen* would.

[vixen* as in a female fox, not as an attractive woman (though she is one, Philip is faithful and wouldn't say that :)]

"Well, well, well," drawled the woman, her famous catchphrase catching him slightly off guard. Maybe she wasn't planning on killing him? Maleficent's quirked eyebrow at his shoulders slackening in relief though, grabbed his attention again. "Philip. Princie. Beastie's boy-toy" Maleficent continued, face filling with glee."Did you know it's usually common courtesy for a young man to ask the family for permission when asking for their daughter's hand?". Philip quickly nodded. "Well, I'm not sure you knew that given your mother's primary role in raising you". Philip's face fell. That was a low blow, even for the 'evilest' enchantress on this side of the kingdom.

"You see the reason I was doubting your raising, is because of the fact that you never came to me before asking Aurora to marry you. And I understand the need you young people have to disregard tradition, but I thought at least a prince would have the courtesy to request for permission. Due to that exact reason, I still don't fully view you two as man and wife," said Maleficent. 

"I'm sorry about that Maleficent. The fact that I didn't go to you first to ask for her hand, but Aurora and I are married and you can't change that. I love her and she loves me, and no matter what you do, we will always be married." Philip countered, upset Maleficent would even suggest the two young lovers weren't bound together in holy matrimony.

"No, no, no. You misunderstand me. I really felt quite distressed not to receive your proposal before you knelt in front of my daughter. I mean, what an awkward situation you put me in" Maleficent drawled in return. Philip flushed, Diaval had warned him right after proposing that he should have talked to the Dark Fae, but he had been distracted. Still, it wasn't fair that Maleficent got to rant to him, without addressing the problems she caused him. "Hey! I'm not the only one at fault. I mean, you used your shadow power things to freak me out. I was distracted for the last three days because of that!" he yelled back, his voice rising.

Maleficent's other eyebrow raised to meet the other, as she put on an obviously shocked face. That farce quickly dropped from her face revealing a face filled with the malice of the dark. "How quaint! Making everything about you. Be afraid, Young Prince. Be very afraid! I love Aurora with all the fierceness of human mothers, and along with the addition of my powers, you'll find yourself in some very unfortunate circumstances. If you ever hurt my daughter, you will have a personal encounter with the force that has forced kings to their knees. The same force that cast a dark all-encompassing shadow upon this entire land", she stated, leaning in close to the prince's ears.

"You will learn why I am called the Mistress of Evil. After all, if you ruffle my feathers, you'll meet a worse end than King Stefan. Philip flinched, a few years Aurora had described what had happened to King Stefan. It wasn't pretty. Quickly regaining his bravery though, he nodded to the Dark Fae.

"I understand."

And that was it. Maleficent nodded back to him, opening her wings up instead of transforming. Just slightly above the clouds, Philip spied Borra. His mother-in-law quickly took to the skies, dropping one of her feathers onto Philip. Grabbing the feather, he drew his hand back after it cut into his skin. He sighed, already thinking of all the ways he could have died. At least Borra and Diaval didn't participate in the shovel talk. He knew he wouldn't have been able to handle the three of them together. Especially since Borra was like a surrogate father to Aurora.

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"How do you think it went?" Borra asked, as Maleficent drifted closer to him, the drafts in the wind pulling them closer together. The cold, desert fae smiled as the descendant of the great Phoenix wrapped herself under his warm feathers. The two had certainly grown closer after they had both come to terms regarding Conal's death. 

Maleficent grumbled, a good sign for Prince Philip, decided Borra. "It went well enough. I think I frightened him to a good enough point. He has my permission." she sighed, smiling lightly.

"Okay, so why are you smiling so brightly then?" he playfully asked her. She didn't usually seem happy to see Philip when her daughter wasn't around. And at the moment, she was beaming despite the sadness in her eyes that came from her daughter growing up. In response to his question, Maleficent smiled cruelly, the shining light of happiness decreasing the fear-inducing effect that her eyes possessed.

"I didn't warn him about Branches wanting to speak to him personally tomorrow."