Heart of the Moors Read online

  “You see,” said Flittle, “Lord Ortolan never saw our importance in this kingdom.”

  “We should have known he was wicked then,” added Thistlewit. “After all we’ve sacrificed, how could anyone not reward our loyalty?”

  “Very right,” Aurora agreed, smiling.

  They also passed on some gossip. After depositing Aurora and Phillip at the castle, Maleficent had been convinced to go with Smiling John to return Simon to his family. Once the boy was done telling them about the awful Count Alain, they were not only trying to press tea and jam on Maleficent but paying her such flattering compliments that she had to flee in horror at their overwhelming gratitude.

  “Although I don’t know why they singled her out in such a way, when no one ever bothers to invite us for tea, even though we are much more agreeable,” Knotgrass put in.

  “A mystery, to be sure,” Aurora said.

  Aurora entered the throne room in cloth of gold, wearing her crown, and with a smile lingering at the corners of her mouth.

  Already there were the Fair Folk. Maleficent and Diaval stood at the front, beside tree sentries, wallerbogs, hobs, ogres, hedgehog faeries, and more. Maleficent was in a long black gown, with silver bands on the horns of her head and matching ones on the horns at the joints of her wings. Diaval was in a long black coat with cuffs made of feathers that were undoubtedly his own. The pixies hastened to make a place for themselves at the front, buzzing their bright wings and forcing everyone else to move.

  The humans were also assembled in the hall. There were nobles, young and old, including Lady Sybil and Lady Sabine and a nervous-looking Lady Fiora. And Nanny Stoat was there, along with farmers and villagers. Simon stood beside his family, looking proud. She supposed that his story had been in great demand with everyone he met and that he had been made much of.

  Aurora cleared her throat and began to speak. “Before me is a document that will set the terms of an enduring peace in our unified kingdom, one that I hope will live on past the end of my reign. It will be signed not just by me, but by representatives from the humans and the faeries. Will the representatives please come forward?”

  Maleficent and Nanny Stoat moved to the sides of Aurora’s carved wood throne. A small table was brought forward by a footman, and a scribe set down a long scroll on which the terms of the treaty were set out.

  “Some of you may know that a conspiracy to prevent this was undertaken by my advisor, and that was the reason for the delay in this ceremony,” said Aurora. “If anyone here imagines attempting something similar, know that both conspirators are in prison and will remain there for long years.

  “Furthermore, Lord Ortolan’s wealth will be stripped from him and used to fund the distribution of rations of barley to anyone in Perceforest or the Moors in need of food. Once, he said such a thing was too costly for the royal treasury to undertake. I hope he will be pleased to know that because of him, it is now possible.

  “As for Count Alain’s estates, they will go to his sister, Lady Fiora. We hope to be better friends with her than we were with her brother, and we hold none of his actions against her.”

  Lady Fiora looked up at Aurora in surprise and gratitude. She sank into a deep curtsy.

  “And now I am in the position of needing a new advisor,” Aurora said.

  Of all the decisions she’d had to make, this one was the most difficult. It was evident already that Nanny Stoat made a much better advisor than Lord Ortolan ever had—even setting aside the whole treason thing—and Aurora was tempted merely to install her in the position. But the more she thought about it, the more that didn’t seem right, either. No one person could give her all the help she needed or represent everyone that needed representing.

  “From now on, I will have not one advisor, but a chamber that will help me make decisions for these lands.”

  There were a few she was sure she was going to ask. Maleficent, obviously, but also Robin. And Nanny Stoat. Maybe the doctor. Perhaps Smiling John. She knew that when she was done, though, she would have collected people—faeries and humans—who were committed to changing Perceforest for the better.

  “But first,” said Aurora, “let us sign this treaty and agree to be good neighbors to one another.”

  Maleficent reached to yank a single shining black feather from the cuff of Diaval’s coat. He made a sharp noise of pain, and Aurora decided that they must be his feathers after all, especially once she saw that Maleficent had signed in shining red blood that was already drying brown.

  “We will do as you bid,” Maleficent said, “and respect your laws. We won’t sour anyone’s milk or steal anyone’s children”—her eyes twinkled—“so long as no one expressly agrees to a bargain involving those things.”

  Nanny Stoat stepped up to sign as well. “We humans will follow the laws set forth in this document. We will not steal from the Moors, nor will we harm any faeries we encounter in Perceforest.” She fixed Maleficent with a look. “And we do not need to mention any exceptions.”

  Maleficent shrugged extravagantly, and Nanny Stoat signed with the white quill the scribe provided her, dipped in black ink.

  Then it was Aurora’s turn. She signed with black ink, a quill of her own, and a great flourish. “And I myself promise to do whatever I can to promote peace between my people. To that end, I will split my time between my kingdoms. Half will be spent in the palace here, and half in my palace in the Moors. But wherever I am, I promise that humans and faeries will be welcome.”

  The room broke into applause. There were congratulations all around. Everyone wanted to speak with Aurora.

  Lady Fiora wanted to beg Aurora’s pardon for not telling her outright about her suspicions about her brother. Lady Sabine and Lady Sybil wanted to hear about Aurora riding to Phillip and Maleficent’s rescue, which they seemed to think was both outrageous and a bit of a romantic adventure. And her pixie aunties wanted to tell her that while they liked the way she’d arranged her hair, they were sure they could magic it into a much better confection if only she’d let them.

  Eventually, people began to file out.

  As they did, Phillip walked toward Aurora. He was wearing a woolen doublet with a row of gold buttons up the middle and slashes showing a bright print underneath. His brown curls flopped over one eye, and his gentle smile didn’t reveal anything. Had she not known he was hurt, she would never have guessed.

  “You did it,” he told her, “just like you said you would.”

  She grinned up at him. “I am glad you were here to see it happen.”

  “I have the oddest notion,” he said, “that when I was losing a lot of blood, you told me something I very much wanted to hear. But maybe I misheard you. Or perhaps you were carried away by your concern for me. Perhaps you were afraid I was going to die—”

  “I have another riddle for you,” she said, interrupting him. “What is mine, but only you have it?”

  She felt her cheeks grow hot. It was no matter that she’d already told him she loved him, even if he wasn’t sure whether it was memory or wishful thinking. She was still shy to say it again.

  “That’s easy,” he said. “My heart.”

  “No!” she told him. “It’s supposed to be my heart.”

  “Are you certain?” he asked, his manner serious, giving the question greater weight.

  “Yes,” she said. “Even when you’re not bleeding on the floor of a mine after being stabbed by my mortal enemy, I still love you.”

  “Oh,” he said, looking as though he had suddenly become the shy one. “Thank goodness.” He gave her hand a squeeze and moved toward the hall, where the other courtiers were heading. She would follow in a moment. But first there was something she had to do.

  Aurora turned toward her godmother. Maleficent was watching Phillip depart. She raised her eyebrows at Aurora.

  Aurora walked toward her. “You aren’t still going to insist he’s a mistake.”

  “If you suppose that because Prince Phillip turned o
ut to be something of a hero, I am going to say that I like him, you are very much mistaken,” Maleficent said, but there was a light in her eyes and a curve of her lip that belied the words.

  “All that proves is that you are still my dear wicked godmother,” Aurora said.

  “And you are my fearless beastie,” Maleficent told her. Then she amended the pronouncement. “My fearless queen beastie.”

  Would you like to know what it’s like to have your wings again?

  Imagine falling, except instead of hitting the ground, you soar.

  Imagine beginning to believe that love is never a lie, even if there are liars.

  Imagine recalling that cracked bone grows back stronger.

  That scars are beautiful.

  You might not be quite who you were when you lost the power of flight.

  But it is only in having your wings resting heavy on your back again that you realize you always and forever belonged to the sky.

  You were always strong and fierce and full of magic.

  Even when you were stranded on the ground.

  Some of the riddles were taken, in part, from Anglo-Saxon Riddles of the Exeter Book. A few were invented by me.

  Thank you to Emily Meehan, Brittany Rubiano, and everyone at Disney for letting me play in this world and for making the process of writing this book so much fun. Thank you to Kelly Link, Cassandra Clare, Steve Berman, and Josh Lewis for quickly convening a workshop to help me fix the first draft. Thank you to Sarah Rees Brennan for all your great notes. And apologies to Ursula Grant, who would have given me great notes had I given her the chance. Thank you to my agent, Jo Volpe, for her encouragement and for figuring out an extremely tricky schedule. And huge thanks to my best beloveds, Theo and Sebastian, for making me endless cups of coffee and letting me hole up in my office to get this done.

  HOLLY BLACK is a number one New York Times best-selling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.