Golden Dustweed (Maleficent)

[Chanel_no5]

***Note**

Because I have such a crush on the wicked fairy I couldn’t stop myself from doing a little ficlet. Also, I tried to be serious with this, but I lost it a little because I really can't take Aurora seriously, so I'm sorry if I make her sound completely imbecile.

This is Maleficentric. Heh, see what I did there?

And the disclaimer of course; I own nothing but my own imagination.

***

"Oh, Godmother, look at this! It's so pretty!" Aurora said. Maleficent turned around, curious against her own will. Aurora was able to see the beauty even in the Moors, true, but "pretty" probably wasn't a word even the young princess would use for something she found here.

"What is, beastie?" she asked, then fell silent as dread filled her. Aurora hadn't noticed, she was bending down to pick the enormous bright yellow flower. She turned towards Maleficent with the flower in her hands, and the fairy had to fight her immediate reaction to take a step back.

"I found a flower here", Aurora said, her face expressing delight and not a bit of mischief. Of course not, she meant no harm, although harm would come of it.

"I can see that", Maleficent replied and swallowed. Had her throat already begun to itch, or was it just anticipation? She was unsure.

"What's wrong?" Aurora asked, finally noticing Maleficent's distress. She took a step towards her, and this time, the fairy did take that step back, holding up her hands in a defensive gesture.

"That flower is Golden dustweed", she said, clearing her throat slightly. Yes, the reaction was already starting. And the inner petals hadn't even opened to spread the most amounts of pollen yet. "Just... keep it away from me, beastie."

Aurora looked at the flower curiously. A vague golden haze was surrounding it, spreading into the air.

"Dustweed... ugly name for such a pretty flower. What's the matter, Godmother?"

Maleficent raised a hand to her face and rubbed at her nose, giving a light, shallow sniffle. Her nose was starting to tickle and as she took a breath to speak, the urge to sneeze overwhelmed her.

"It's... heeE-ISSCH!"

"Bless..."

"Listen to me beastie", Maleficent interrupted, the back of her hand pressed against her nose, that was already taking on a pinkish shade. "Have you ever heard of something called 'hayfever'?"

Aurora shook her head.

"No."

Oh this is lovely, Maleficent thought, I have to explain what allergies are while I'm succumbing to them.

She pinched her nose and rubbed it hard several times, but it was no use; it was already invaded by the tiny grains of pollen that reduced her to a sniffling, sneezing mess.

"Aurora", she said in a voice that was starting to sound congested and hoarse. The princess looked at her in surprise; she was used to the fairy calling her nothing but "beastie". "Get rid of it. Now. Please?"

Aurora’s eyes widened in surprise bordering on shock at the word "please". She saw tears well up in the fairy’s icy cold eyes and didn’t understand what about that flower was so bad Maleficent had to cry. She dropped the flower, and the very movement was enough to make its inner petals open and reveal a huge cloud of glittering golden dust that swirled in the air. The princess smiled as the cloud surrounded her.

Maleficent however did not smile. She had a look of complete terror upon her face.

"Oh, doh..." the fairy gasped and turned as if about to run, but before she got anywhere, the cloud caught up with her. Glittering pollen invaded her sensitive nose, teasing and prickling its tender insides. She got both hands up to her face and exploded into a sneezing fit that she was still desperately trying to fight off even as it took over.

"Heeeh-ikgSCH! kgtSCH! ikgSCh-gtschuh!"

Aurora grasped her waist trying to steady her, finally understanding that Maleficent wasn’t crying, but she seemed to have gotten ill all of a sudden. Perhaps the flower held some kind of magic that only affected fairies.

"Th-this… Heh-EISSCHH! Is hayfever… ah-ESCHH!"

"Is this caused by a magic spell or a curse?" Aurora asked. Maleficent sneezed, laughed and sneezed again.

"I suppose you could call it a curse if you like. I know I have."

She pulled out a handkerchief from a hidden pocket - not some laced lady-like handkerchief but one that was meant for handling matters like these - and brought it to her face, sneezing heavily into it twice before giving her tortured nose a blow. It didn’t help at all. The itch in her nose was a raging dragon’s fire.

"I don’t understand", the princess said.

You have no idea how lucky you are, the fairy thought and rubbed her nose through the fabric of the handkerchief. The irritation was so great she actually felt like she could cry. Gods knew she had in the past.

"Hayfever is… is… hehISSCHH! When your body is allergic to - that means it can’t handle - something in the air… ehh…ehISSCHH! Such as pollen…" she pointed towards the glittering dust as she sniffled desperately. "Some people affected only get what seems to be a slight cold. Huhh… ehhh… EISSCCHH! HeISSCHugh! Some can’t breathe, and seem to suffocate, drown on dry land. Others… ah-ISSCHH! Hah-ESSCCH! HA-EISSCCHH! End up having sneeze attacks like this."

"But why doesn’t it affect me?"

"Your body isn’t sensitive to these things", Maleficent managed to say, sniffling between every two words.

"Have you been like this your whole life?" Aurora asked, nearly teary-eyed from sheer compassion.

"No", Maleficent cut off and blew her nose again, then wiping at the corners of her now bloodshot and runny eyes. "It started when I was much younger, that much is true, but I was still grown up", she said, sniffled and sneezed violently before being able to cover, spraying a cloud of tiny droplets into the air. Her nose was streaming down her face. Aurora pulled out her own handkerchief - this one was the typical tiny piece of lace that ladies would carry - and gently wiped some moisture from the fairy’s red-rimmed nostrils and upper lip. Maleficent’s pale skin enhanced the redness around her nose and eyes, to the point where it seemed to glow with a feverish flame.

"You look terrible", Aurora said. Maleficent cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"Do I, now?"

The princess blushed fiercely, her cheeks turning the same rosy shade Maleficent’s nose already had. The half amused, half condescending look upon the fairy’s face stayed for a few seconds and then gave way to the desperate, tormented look of someone who needs to sneeze so badly they can’t. Her breathing came in shallow, hitching gasps with irregular pauses when she’d just stare cross-eyed into thin air. Her nostrils flared, her lips parted… and nothing. She sniffed wetly and rubbed her nose with her knuckles, heaving an annoyed sigh.

"Oh, cursed be this!" she spat and shook her head as if trying to clear it of the congestion and the spreading itch, that was no longer concentrated to her nose and eyes; it rather felt as if the itch was lurking inside her head, behind her eyes, within her sinuses…

Aurora helped her sit down at a rock by the stream and sat down next to her, unaware that the golden pollen was sticking to her hair, and when she moved, small amounts - only a few grains, but that was enough - were released into the air between them. Maleficent saw the golden glitter and knew she wouldn’t get off the hook that easily.

"Hahhh… haahh-eiSCHH! Heh…ahhh…heeh-djEESCHH-ugh! AH-ESSCCHHuuh! Heh…heEEISSCHH-ooh! Huh…huh-iSSCCHughh! Uh… ah-iSCHHuuh!"

"I’m sorry", Aurora said. Maleficent managed to open her watery eyes in between two sneezes and say: "You didn’t know."

"Will it pass?"

Maleficent nodded with her eyes closed, half her face hidden by the large handkerchief, struggling to regain control over herself. She knew from experience it would take some time, but yes, it would pass.

Eventually.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Chanel_no5

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Maleficent nodded with her eyes closed, half her face hidden by the large handkerchief, struggling to regain control over herself. She knew from experience it would take some time, but yes, it would pass.

Eventually.

Oh dear, poor Maleficent. *grins*

[Chanel_no5]

Maleficent nodded with her eyes closed, half her face hidden by the large handkerchief, struggling to regain control over herself. She knew from experience it would take some time, but yes, it would pass.

Eventually.

Oh dear, poor Maleficent. *grins*

"What an awkward situation..."

Sorry, I had to!

[Wildwood]

Good God, this is perfect.

Usually I try to offer advice or something of the like when replying to a story, but in this case, I find myself incapable of finding a single fault. You did a fantastic job of portraying the characters. (Even Aurora. I can see her being ignorant of things such as hayfever, having been raised by those three ridiculous chitchattering airheads... )

This was more than brilliant! Very, very well done!

[NoV]

I have missed your writing on this forum Chanel, and this is a superb return I like the idea of pollen trapped on someones hair causing an allergic reaction

[count tiszula]

Yes, a welcome return to the fiction columns! I am just imagining the Maleficent Hankie being a huge black silken number dotted with silver spots. And reading her sneezes suggests to me that like all the best powerful ladies she has a very girly sneeze.

[Chanel_no5]

Awww, thank you guys, you're all just too sweet!!

I had way too much fun writing this, I must admit...

[SexyGodlikeHair]

Oh my goddd...this was. So. GOOD. Really, it's fantastic! Is there any possibility of you continuing this-?

[Chanel_no5]

Oh my goddd...this was. So. GOOD. Really, it's fantastic! Is there any possibility of you continuing this-?

Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it! I hadn't planned on continuing this one, but I have a couple of other Maleficent fic ideas, so when I have the time, there will be more of her. Thank you again.

[Maus_17]

THIS IS AMAZING! :3

[YouAreHawTCHEW!]

Aurora thinking the flower contains curse! XD

Awesome story!

[Cocobalt]

This was an awesome story. So descriptive and in character... it was heavenly.