On this day, the sun had shone brighter than on anyother day. For this day, the king and queen were blessed with the birth of their first borne child. A daughter whom they named Aura. This brought great joy to the land as this princess was a beautiful heirloom of the king and queen. At the child's coronation to being princess, everyone from across the land had come to see this child. For the king and queen were known from nation to nation as they have spread nothing but love, aid, and caringness for everyone. They were the reason for this long stretch of peace that had engulfed the land. The world had never seen a lack of conflict for as long as 50 years before. The king will always reming his people,

 

"Love begets love."

For all the king had done, everyone was so very happy to see him with his daughter and the smile that she brought to his face.

"I will love you always, Aura. You will grow up loved, yet not spoiled. You shall learn to give generously but also to care for yourself. You shall learn that only love begets love."

Throughout the coronation guests came and went. Princes from as far north, east, west, and south as one ever thought possible. All faces had a smile and everyone enjoyed themselves. However, there was one face that the king had wished not to see in attendance of this grand event. She walked in, head held high as her cape drapped the floor behind her. A walking stick in one hand and a letter in the other. Her ashen skin would've put the gray floor tiles to shame. As she walked passed, people's smiles instantley vanished and they began turning their backs or looking in another direction. She walked before the king, who was currently holding his newborn.

"Malificent," he stated bluntly, "you were not invited."

She gave him a charming yet un amused look.

"I was unaware that you sent an invitation to all 10,000 people here."

She continued to look around at the guests and at the archetecture of the hall that they currentley resided in.

"Please Malificent, why are you here?"

She looked at the king with a confused look.

"Is that anyway to talk to your queen?" she asked with a malicious grin.

The King flushed and became enraged.

"You are not my queen!"

"Oh but I am. You should know that considering that you hold my daughter."

It was true. Malificent was once a beautiful young woman with dark brown hair and careless spirit that the king soon fell in love with. When they were wed, however, the kingdom was much less rejoicing as it was crying for the war that had raged between them and the dark kingdom for 7 years claiming the lives of many young men. The dark kingdom was a land of shadow and a land of demons. When looked upon, they do look exactly as a demon would. Long sharp teeth, two horns atop their heads, dark ashen skin, and fiery red eyes. Their sole purpose of this war was to kill and destroy. They relish in the destruction of lives and souls and it makes them more powerful. The king so desperatley wanted peace but that was not possible while the dark kingdom remained. Any shepherd that crossed their land would be found weeks later, naked, rolling around in the carcasses of his herd and screaming that the darkness was closing in. The dark kingdom went too far when they suddenly sent a pack of beasts, 8 demons, to plunder and burn a nearby country village that was peacfully farming for crops. This war was long fought. When the opportunity to invade the dark kingdom finally arose, the king and his entire army rode to battle. The battle lasted a weeks time. The kings men were able to push through the dark kingdom to the tower that lay in the center. Their king sat inside his tower, watching as the shadows were pushed away and his army dwindled in numbers. The brave king proceeded to enter the tower to face this demon lord and end this once and for all. The world waited in awe. As the king had entered the towers chambers, he saw a man drapped in black watching from the balcony. He looked out at what was left of his kingdom. Ash, rubble, and death.

"So you actually did it," the dark lord said, "You were not the coward that I expected you to be. All of my progress, all of my building, all of my patience, and you just destroyed it all in less than 8 years."

The king held his sword toward the man on the balcony.

"Surrender. Your army is finished and your kingdom in ruin."

The dark lord continued to stare out of his balcony breathing in the smoke from the fires set below.

"I will not be prisoner in a dungeon for the rest of my life. You know what will happen here. Two kings will fight until the other dies. And once I kill you, I will see to it that your entire army serves me and I will burn your precious kingdom to the ground and then the world will see what happens to a king that challenges me."

He began to turn towards the king who still held his sword at the ready.

"Prepare yourself," the dark lord said, "because you are looking the devil in the face."

He removed his hood showing his horns and his dark red eyes. His face looked much more humanlike than his servants but he was not lying when he claimed that he was truly the devil. The two kings fought a glorious battle. Minutes seemed like hours. It seemed a stalemate until suddenly the king got a lucky strike at the dark lords stomach and he sliced his sword acrossed his enemies chest. The dark lord collapsed on this wound, blood pouring out of his chest.Through all the pain that he was in, the demon laughed. He laughed and coughed blood, using his last few breaths carefully.

"Nar bash gasti un tulve," he muttered as he waved his arm in the direction of the kingdom.

He continued to laugh.

"By the time of dawn, you will not recognize your queen as she will be mine. She will command nothing but she will ensure that my kingdom lives on, meaning that so do I."

The king became enraged and put his sword to the villans neck.

"Speak sense or not at all demon."

And with that, the dark lord drew his last breath and the king slayed him ending the war and destroying darkness; or so he thought. As the dark lord had said, the following morning, the queens skin looked ashen and she had a dark presence around her. The king was very cautious of her.

"Good morning my love."

She turned to him.

"Come and see your kingdom."

She gave him her hand and led him to the balcony. In the air, instead of smelling the lilies that were laid at the feet of the soliders upon their return from victory, he smelled smoke and a ranscide smell of burnt hair. He looked out to see several stores and homes on fire. People running and screaming through the streets. Black clouds jotting out the sun. And a mother crying in the street as she holds her dead son. Once more, the king grew enraged yelling through his clenched jaw.

"What have you done Malificent?"

She turned to him.

"I've brought back the darkness. Isn't it beautiful?"

The dark lord had been right all along. In his dying moments he put a curse on the queen so that she could gurantee that his dark kingdom lived on with her. The king, with a broken heart, made a caravan of priests that escorted the queen out of the city and banished her from the kingdom. He didn't have the heart to kill her. And she remained banished for 15 years.

"Malificent, you know very well that Aura is not your daughter. You are no longer my queen and you have no offspring."

Malificent, who was still observing the arhcitecture of the hall, suddenly became alert and looked at the king who returned a harderned stare. Malificent suddenly began to mutter a strange language as she motioned toward the child. The king grew alert and, with one hand, drew his sword and brought it to rest at her throat.

"Leave my daughter alone or else I will finish what I should've 15 years ago."

Malificent simply laughed.

"If she truly is not my daughter than on her 18th birthday, she shall die."

And with that Malificent walked out of the hall and while the king was in shock, all he could do was stare at his child. Luckily, fairy godmother, a woman who had blessed the king since he was a child was in attendance. She came to the king and without speaking to him, layed her hands on the child and began to sing. It was a strange, yet beautiful hymn. Once she had finished, she looked very tired.

"My king," she remarked, "I have performed many miracles before but this work of darkness is too powerful for me. I was able to weaken her curse but she will fall into a great sleep, that of a coma, when she turns 18. I am so sorry my king."

The king wept throughout the coronation of his daughter not knowing what to do next. However, you all know how the story of sleeping beauty ends. And with the origin revealed, perhaps more light can be shed on why this all truly happened.