Chapter 7

Aurora was shivering. Maleficent had no idea how long she had been holding beastie but it had been long enough for the water to go cold.

"Let us get you out of this water beastie, you look like a prune," she said softly and extricated herself from the younger woman's grip.

Aurora whimpered, then tightened her grip on Maleficent,before slowly releasing her. Maleficent got to her feet then reached over to a clean towel which she had place on the counter earlier. She turned back to the bathtub and held an arm out to Aurora, and helped her out of the tub as she took the offered hand.

The soft, white fluffy towel wrapped all the way around Aurora and was in stark contrast against the blacks and blues of her bruised skin. Maleficent gently dabbed Aurora's wet hair and led her to sit back on the toilet. They both remained silent as she took a cloth and dipped in a sink of cold water and brought it to Aurora's face, tending to the open wound of her split lip and where her eyebrow had split open. Once the wounds were clean, Maleficent opened a box she had found in one of the cabinets and took out a few containers of dried herbs, selecting a few she mixed them together and added some water and mixed it all into a paste. Maleficent gently applied the paste onto the cut above Aurora's eye and then used a bandage to secure the poultice.

Aurora was staring off into the distance, had she not been she might have been amazed at the tender care that Maleficent was applying to her wounds, she might have wondered how Maleficent had learned such skills or which herbs to mix. Instead she was away in her head, barely aware of the salve that Maleficent was rubbing on her torso, over the bruised ribs and battered stomach.

She took bandages from the box and wrapped them carefully around the broken arm, immobilizing it securely, but also rendering her hand useless.

Maleficent glanced up at Aurora before venturing down her body to her legs, avoiding the main wounds for the time being and continuing to rub an ointment on the various bruises that were starting to form on the blonde's legs. Maleficent felt her anger flare as she got to an ankle that was blackened in the shape of a hand that had gripped her very hard and pulled. The bruise looked painful, walking on it must have been painful but Aurora had not mentioned it at all.

All that was left to tend to was the bruises on Aurora's thighs, Maleficent looked up at Aurora again, lifting her hand and placing it on Aurora's face, turning it so that she could make eye contact with her.

"Give me your hand." she said softly.

Aurora offered her hand freely, never breaking eye contact with Maleficent. The fairy turned the hand over and placed a generous helping of the salve on it then she brought it to the blonde's lap. Aurora rubbed the ointment into her bruised thighs, still maintaining eye contact as tears slipped from her eyes. Maleficent pulled the towel back around the younger woman's body and then placed both her hands on Aurora's face, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears as she stood and placed a kiss on Aurora's forehead.

Aurora took a deep and shuddering breath, exhaling slowly and seemed to relax some as she wiped her hands on the towel and stood, following Maleficent over to the dressing area. Maleficent helped Aurora into clean underwear and a fresh nightdress. Now that the younger woman had clothes on Maleficent was able to relax more as well, for the first time since she had arrived at the castle she felt a her muscles loosen as the tension seeped away.

Maleficent sat on the couch for a moment and closed her eyes, meditating for a moment, trying to slow her heart rate now that the adrenalin had stopped coursing through her body. She was so focused on this act that she was not aware that Aurora had moved from her perch on the couch. Maleficent opened her eyes when she felt a small hand touch her shoulder and turned to look at Aurora who was rubbing some of the healing salve into the burn wound she had received from her battle earlier. She smiled at Aurora, amazed that despite all that Aurora had been through a relatively insignificant wound on her shoulder had caused her to worry.

Reaching up she took Aurora's hand in her own gratefully. She squinted at Aurora, there was still a glazed look in her eyes, dark bags accenting them perfectly. Maleficent started to imagine what Aurora had gone through with King John but had to push the thoughts to the back of her mind, she couldn't let herself go there, she had to be strong for Aurora.

The Fairy looked at Aurora and the war that had was clearly waging inside of her, the fear and loathing for how she had been hurt, the pain at seeing the bruises all over her, threatened to consume Maleficent. The battle for the castle was still being waged outside, Maleficent should be there with her army, ensuring the safety of the kingdom as was her duty, but she couldn't leave, Aurora needed her, she had needed her hours before but Maleficent hadn't been there for her, she had let her down.

Maleficent got to her feet and went into the adjoining bedroom and poured water from a jug to a glass, sipping at it to wet her suddenly dry throat. She knew that Aurora needed rest and so she set about the next task, turning to the bed she considered the sheets, rumpled and stained from when Aurora had lain on them earlier. Maleficent walked over to the bed with purpose and began stipping the sheets from it before rifling through the dressers and cupboards until she found clean ones.

Aurora appeared in the doorway, watching Maleficent intently, her brow furrowed carefully as the confusion set in again.

"What are you doing?" she asked

Maleficent answered, "Clean sheets so you can rest," she explained.

"Are you angry at me?" Aurora asked in a moment of insecurity.

Maleficent's heart broke a little at hearing those words, "Oh beastie," she went to her, "never. You never need to worry that I am angry with you!" she exclaimed.

Aurora took a step back tears filling her eyes, "You left me," she glanced back in the direction of the bathroom, "You will not talk to me, you can hardly look at me." Aurora's voice was shaky and uncertain. "I do not blame you."

Maleficent, gasped, startled at the confession and distraught that she had provoked such feelings in Aurora, "No beastie, I...I am sorry," the words did not come easily to her but they needed to be said. She needed to give Aurora the reassurance she craved, "I let you down. I should have been here, or you should have been with me in the moors, we should not have been apart."

Aurora's brow creased as she tried to comprehend what Maleficent was telling her, "You saved me." she said.

"I was too late," Maleficent whispered.

It was Aurora's turn to put her hands on Maleficent's face, "You are not responsible for the actions of others," she promised, "you saved me, I knew you were coming, I was holding on for your."

Maleficent blushed at Aurora's unwavering belief in her, "I am sorry, I should have got here quicker," she repeated, leaning her forehead against her counterpart's.

"Do not be sorry. You did everything you could. You saved me." Aurora said.

Tears slipped from Maleficent's eyes, she swallowed, not wanting to move, to ruin this moment or to betray how her heart beat for Aurora. In the end though it was Aurora who moved, leaving forward she placed a sweet, if a little awkward, kiss on Maleficent's lips. Maleficent returned the kiss, before her brain engaged. Aurora put her arm around Maleficent taking the comfort she needed from the stunned fairy.

"Beastie…" Maleficent started to protest, but even as the words left her lips her arms wrapped around Aurora.

"Maleficent, it is alright, I give you my word. You are here now to protect me," Aurora reassured her, "You are here, with me, that is what I need. Your love for me is what I need."

Aurora stroked Maleficent's cheek fondly, and to her amazement and happiness, Maleficent leaned in to the touch.

Aurora needed Maleficent to believe that what had happened to her was not her fault, that it was safe to love her and that she needed her love now more than ever. Nothing else mattered.