CHAPTER 9
While it would have been nice to keep Diaval as a raven for a long period of time, Maleficent knew she needed him to inform her of goings-on in the kingdom. In the wake of her christening present to Aurora, Maleficent was eager to hear what Stefan would do to protect his infant daughter. So she continued to send Diaval on his reconnaissance missions and transform him when he returned.
She didn’t have to wait long for news.
A few days after Aurora’s celebration, Diaval flew back to the Faerie Mound. He landed in front of Maleficent’s throne and hopped around, flapping his wings furiously until she transformed him. When he was human once more, he quickly filled in his mistress on what he had witnessed.
Stefan, it seemed, was not taking Maleficent’s “gift” lightly. He’d ordered his men to gather all the spinning wheels in the kingdom and lock them in the dungeons. While the queen was not pleased, the king also had ordered the three pixies to whisk Aurora away from the kingdom. His hope was to keep her hidden and safe, protected by faerie magic and a lack of spinning wheels. Stefan thought no one but his closest advisors knew his plan. But of course, he was wrong. For Diaval had seen Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle on their way out of the kingdom. He had seen them use their magic to make themselves grow to the size of regular humans, and he had followed them while they made their way to a small cottage in the middle of the woods that surrounded the castle. Then, he told Maleficent.
When Diaval finally stopped talking, Maleficent shook her head. “Idiots,” she said. Diaval nodded in agreement and then paused. He wasn’t sure who she meant—the king and queen or the pixies themselves.“Those three raising a baby? What a disaster! I must see this for myself.”
Maleficent stood, grabbing her staff, and began walking. Raising a hand, She turned Diaval back into a raven so he could keep up, and quickly made her way to the Thorn Wall at the edge of the Moors.Maleficent was capable of parting the thorny branches to allow herself passage between the human and faerie worlds. While she didn’t like to leave the Moors, she had found herself beyond their borders too often of late. I don’t want to make a habit of this, she thought as she walked through the Wall and let it close behind her. I’ll just take a quick look at the baby and that will be all. Then I will be done. I’ll let the curse play out and that will be that.
Following Diaval, who flew above and ahead of Maleficent, she made her way deeper and deeper into the human forest. After a while, the pair arrived at a clearing. In the middle stood a small cottage with a thatched roof and white sides crisscrossed with brown beams. It was clear that the cottage had been abandoned for quite some time. Upon closer inspection Maleficent could make out holes in the thatch, and weeds grew tall among what once had been an herb garden. Hidden in the shadows of the trees that surrounded the clearing, Maleficent watched as the pixies, now big and awkward in their new bodies, stumbled about, trying to spruce upthe place and quickly make it homey and inviting.
Maleficent peered through the window and saw baby Aurora tucked in her bassinet, sleeping peacefully. Her lip curled back as she gazed at the baby’s soft, rosy cheeks. She looked a bit bigger than when she’d last seen her, a bit plumper, maybe, but just as beautiful. “I could almost feel sorry for it.” Beside her, Diaval nodded his raven head.
Suddenly, Aurora opened her eyes and looked directly at Maleficent. In response, Maleficent made a mean face at the baby. Aurora smiled. Maleficent made an even meaner face. Aurora laughed and began to clap her hands.
“I hate you,” Maleficent said.
She was about to try to make the scariest face she could when she heard the loud bustle of the three pixies approaching. Quickly, she backed away from the window.
The three pixies entered Aurora’s room and made their way to the bassinet. Immediately, the baby began to cry. Maleficent listened as the pixies argued among themselves about what they should do before finally deciding Aurora was hungry. They then proceeded to plop a whole banana, apple, and orange in with the baby before walking out of the room. Aurora’s screams grew louder.
“It’s going to starve with those three looking after it,” Maleficent muttered. But that’s not my problem, she added silently. She turned and walked away, her shoulders tense until the sound of Aurora’s cries finally faded.
For the next few weeks, Aurora was the least of Maleficent’s concerns, though she knew Diaval visited the baby every day. What he did while he was there, she didn’t know. But it felt a bit like a betrayal, in any event.
Nevertheless, Maleficent’s focus was on King Stefan and his castle. On a daily basis she heard reports from Diaval that Stefan was said to be going mad in the wake of her curse. He was paranoid. Convinced that Maleficent would come back any day to wreak further damage and destruction, he had all his soldiers at the ready. He sent them to the Thorn Wall over and over again, hoping they could chop it down. Once, the soldiers had even catapulted large fireballs, trying to burn it down. But the Wall remained impenetrable, just as Maleficent had planned, and the thorny vines stopped the greedy humans in their tracks.
One morning, as Maleficent sat on her throne, contemplating how much things had changed since that long-ago day when she had met Stefan at the jewel pool, Diaval landed on the Mound. Transforming him back into a man, Maleficent waited for his daily report.
“You saw nothing?” she asked when he finished his report.
Diaval shook his head. “No, mistress,” he said softly, aware that this would not make Maleficent happy. “The castle is locked up tight. I couldn’t see inside.” He went on to explain that in fear of another visit from Maleficent, Stefan had ordered windows to be boarded up, the drawbridge to be raised, and all entrances to be guarded by double the men. He was not taking any chances.
Maleficent’s fist clenched tightly around the top of her staff. She despised Stefan. Pure and simple. “He’s hiding from me,” she said, sneering. “He always was a coward. Fine. Let him rot in there. His child is doomed and there’s nothing he can do about it.”
Standing beside her, Diaval kept quiet, waiting for Maleficent to do what she always inevitably did—turn him into a raven so he wouldn’t ask questions or bother her. Maleficent felt his gaze on her but ignored it. Lately, she hadn’t wanted to transform him. She knew that he would go and visit Aurora as soon as he had wings. And for some reason, that irked Maleficent.
Growing impatient, Diaval tapped Maleficent on the shoulder to get her attention. Turning, she looked down at the spot where his fingers had brushed her shoulder, an unreadable expression on her face. “What is it?” she asked.
“Aren’t you going to change me?” he retorted.
“Why?” Maleficent queried, curious if he would tell her the real reason.
But instead of saying he wanted to see Aurora, he replied, “I prefer my own form.”
Shrugging, Maleficent waved her hand and transformed Diaval back into a raven. With a caw, he rose into the air and began to fly away. But Maleficent’s voice stopped him. “Diaval,” she called. Veering, he flew back. When he was once more in front of her, she added, “Are you going to stay close or do I have to put you in a cage?”
His feathers ruffled, Diaval flew over and landed on top of Maleficent’s staff. It seemed his trip to the cottage would have to wait.
第 9 章
雖然瑪琳菲森覺得讓迪艾瓦的烏鴉嘴閉得久一點比較好,但她還是需要他繼續(xù)帶回人類王國的事態(tài)進展。給愛洛的洗禮送去禮物之后,她已經(jīng)迫不及待地想要知道斯戴芬會怎樣保護他那幼小的女兒。所以她繼續(xù)派迪艾瓦前往城堡偵察,回來后再將他變?yōu)槿诵巍?br />
她不用等太久,就能得到消息了。
在愛洛的慶典結(jié)束幾天后,迪艾瓦飛回了精靈丘。他停在瑪琳菲森的王座前,不停地跳來跳去,猛烈地撲打著雙翅,直到瑪琳菲森讓他變身。一變成人形,他便立刻向女主人匯報他所看到的一切。
看起來,斯戴芬對瑪琳菲森的這個“禮物”大為緊張。他命令手下搜集國內(nèi)所有的紡車,然后鎖進地牢。國王還命令三個魔法仙子將愛洛帶離王宮,盡管這讓皇后很不開心。他希望將女兒藏到安全的地方,遠離紡車,還要用仙子的魔法保護她周全。斯戴芬自以為除了他最貼身的心腹,沒有人知曉他的計劃。顯然,他錯了。因為紅葉、藍果和綠蕨仙子們離開王國的時候,被迪艾瓦看見了。他看見她們用魔法將自己變成正常人類大小,他又跟著她們來到了一間小屋,就在城堡周圍的樹林中間。然后,他告訴了瑪琳菲森。
迪艾瓦說完以后,瑪琳菲森搖了搖頭,說道:“一群白癡。”迪艾瓦點頭表示贊同,接著又停住了。他不確定她是在說誰白癡—國王、皇后,還是魔法仙子。“讓那三個養(yǎng)一個嬰兒?真是一塌糊涂!我得親自去看看。”
瑪琳菲森站起身,抓過魔杖走下王座。她一抬手,將迪艾瓦變回烏鴉,好讓他能跟上,然后快速向著摩爾森林邊界的荊棘墻走去?,斄辗粕允悄軌蝽樌ㄟ^兩國之間的荊棘墻的。盡管她不喜歡離開摩爾森林,但近來她發(fā)現(xiàn)自己往來邊界太頻繁了。她穿過高墻關(guān)閉身后的通道時心想,我不想把這變成一種習慣。我只是想看一眼那個孩子,沒有別的。然后我就完成任務(wù)了。我將讓魔咒繼續(xù)上演,就是這樣。
跟著飛在前方的迪艾瓦,她慢慢走進了人類森林的深處。不久之后,兩人來到了一塊空地上,一間小屋立在中間。小屋有著茅草屋頂,白色的墻邊,棕色的頂梁縱橫交錯。很顯然,這屋子被遺棄很久了?,斄辗粕屑毜匾暡炝艘环l(fā)現(xiàn)屋頂上有些漏洞,原來的香草園成了雜草叢生的庭院。她藏身在空地旁的樹林里,看著三個魔法仙子磕磕碰碰地用她們現(xiàn)在那又大又笨拙的身子收拾房間,好讓屋子盡快變得舒適怡人。
瑪琳菲森透過窗戶向內(nèi)看去,小愛洛正在搖籃里靜靜地睡著??吹胶⒆幽侨彳?、紅潤的臉頰,瑪琳菲森抿了抿嘴唇。和上次見面的時候相比,她長大了一些,可能也胖了一些,不過依舊那樣美麗。“我?guī)缀醵加悬c后悔了。”迪艾瓦在她身旁,點了點烏鴉頭。
突然,愛洛睜開了眼睛,直視著瑪琳菲森?,斄辗粕隽藗€丑陋的鬼臉回應(yīng)她,愛洛笑了?,斄辗粕缌藗€更加丑陋的鬼臉,愛洛大笑起來,還拍起了手。
瑪琳菲森說:“我討厭你。”
她本來要做個最恐怖的鬼臉嚇唬她,可是她聽到三個魔法仙子的喧鬧聲越來越近,便很快從窗邊隱去了身形。
三個魔法仙子來到愛洛的房間,走向搖籃,愛洛立刻哭了起來?,斄辗粕犚娤勺觽冊跔幷摰降自撛趺崔k,最后才覺得孩子應(yīng)該是餓了。她們?nèi)碚坏南憬丁⑻O果和橘子,一股腦全扔到愛洛身上,然后就離開了房間。愛洛哭得更厲害了。
瑪琳菲森嘀咕道:“按她們?nèi)齻€這樣照顧下去,遲早會把她餓死。”不過這也跟我沒關(guān)系,她心想。她轉(zhuǎn)身走開了,一直繃著肩膀,直到愛洛的哭聲漸漸消失不見。
接下來的幾周,瑪琳菲森完全不關(guān)心愛洛,不過她知道迪艾瓦每天都會去看那個孩子的。她不知道他在那做了些什么??墒遣还茉鯓?,都有種被背叛的感覺。
雖然如此,瑪琳菲森的注意力還是放在斯戴芬國王和他的城堡上。她從迪艾瓦的每日匯報中得知,斯戴芬據(jù)說已經(jīng)被她的魔咒折磨瘋了,成了偏執(zhí)的妄想狂。他深信瑪琳菲森定會回來復(fù)仇,帶來更多的傷害和毀滅,所以他讓所有的士兵都隨時待命。他一次又一次地派兵攻打荊棘墻,希望能砍倒它。有一次,士兵們向荊棘墻射出了許多大火球,企圖將其燒毀。但是荊棘墻還是堅不可摧,就像瑪琳菲森預(yù)計的那樣,布滿荊棘的枝條成功阻擋了貪婪人類的進攻。
一天早上,瑪琳菲森坐在王座上回想著自從很久以前在珍寶湖遇見斯戴芬以來,都發(fā)生了哪些變化。迪艾瓦落在了精靈丘上。她將他變?yōu)槿诵危戎拿咳諈R報。
當他結(jié)束匯報后,她問道:“你什么也沒見到?”
迪艾瓦搖了搖頭:“沒有,夫人。”他輕聲回答,知道她聽見這些會不高興,“城堡關(guān)得緊緊的,我看不到里面。”他繼續(xù)解釋道,斯戴芬怕瑪琳菲森再次到來,下令關(guān)閉所有門窗,升起吊橋,將所有出入口的衛(wèi)兵數(shù)量加倍。他不打算冒任何風險。
瑪琳菲森緊緊握住魔杖頂端,對斯戴芬滿是鄙視:單純又愚蠢。她輕蔑地說:“他在躲我,他從來就是個懦夫。好吧。就讓他爛在里面好了。他孩子的命運已經(jīng)被注定了,他怎么也改變不了。”
迪艾瓦安靜地站在她旁邊,等著瑪琳菲森的必行之舉—將他變回鳥身,這樣他就不會問問題來煩她了?,斄辗粕惺艿搅怂淖⒁?,不過她并沒有理會。近來,她不大想將他變回去。她知道一旦他有了翅膀,他就會去看愛洛。出于某些原因,這讓瑪琳菲森很惱火。
迪艾瓦等不及了,他輕拍瑪琳菲森的肩膀以吸引她的注意。瑪琳菲森轉(zhuǎn)身瞥了一眼肩膀被他指尖掃過的地方,臉上的表情難辨莫測。她問:“怎么了?”
他回嘴道:“你不準備把我變回去嗎?”
瑪琳菲森反問他:“為什么?”她對他是否會說出真實原因很是好奇。
不過他沒說想去看愛洛,而是說:“我更喜歡自己本來的 樣子。”
瑪琳菲森聳了聳肩,一揮手將他變回了烏鴉。他呱地叫了一聲,展翅而起,準備離開,卻被瑪琳菲森的一聲“迪艾瓦”給攔了下來。他又折返飛了回來。當他再次回到她跟前時,她繼續(xù)說:“你是想和我寸步不離呢,還是想被關(guān)進籠子里呢?”
他羽毛直豎,飛了過來停在了瑪琳菲森的魔杖上??雌饋硭バ∥莸挠媱澮笸屏?。