雙語讀電影 《沉睡魔咒》第21章 :是她的翅膀

CHAPTER  21
As Aurora made her escape, Diaval continued to wreak havoc on the Great Hall. With a swish of his tail, he knocked down a line of soldiers. He let out a roar, raining fire down on another group. As he raised his head, the two large horns that dominated his forehead smashed into one of the large chandeliers, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The broken crystal fell on the soldiers still on their feet, causing them to scream in pain.
Under the net, Maleficent stayed curled in a helpless ball, weakening every moment she spent surrounded by the iron. Her staff was too far away to reach, and without it, she felt even more powerless. After a while, she could only lie there and listen as Diaval roared. She could only lie there and do nothing as soldiers stumbled past her, trying to escape the fire-breathing dragon. She could only lie there and think, This is all my fault.
The minutes seemed to stretch on for hours, and Maleficent began to think she might never escape her iron prison. Then, through the haze of pain that continued to rack her body, Maleficent heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Unlike the hurried, frightened ones of the soldiers, these footsteps were determined, confident. She looked up, already knowing who she would see.　
Stefan was approaching, his eyes glued on Maleficent, trapped under the net. They bore into her, all traces of the feelings he had once had for her gone. For the first time, Maleficent truly saw him for the despicable man he had become. True, she knew he had changed physically—the boyish build and unlined face replaced by girth and wrinkles. And she knew he had grown colder. That was evidenced by his murdering King Henry and cutting off her wings, to name a few offenses. But before, those things had made her hate him even more. Now she felt almost sorry for him.
There was nothing left of the boy she had fallen in love with in the Moors. No hint of the playfulness that Stefan had easily displayed as they chatted beside the bogs or walked through the forest. This man before her was hard, cold, and dead inside. The years of building iron walls around his castle had had an adverse effect—they had caused him to build an iron wall around his heart. Staring into his eyes, Maleficent felt sad. Sad and frightened. For there was no telling what he would do now. Desperately, she reached for her staff again. But it was still just out of her grasp.　
Seeing her struggle, Stefan smiled cruelly. “I still regret not killing you that night,” he said harshly.　
The words cut deep and any sadness she had begun to feel for Stefan vanished in an instant. Memories of that night long before, when he had taken her heart and her wings, came flooding back. He might as well have killed her for the damage he had done. That night had set in motion a horrible chain of events. In a way, that night had made her a heartless monster just like him— until she met Aurora and things began to change. Yet she would never admit that to him. Not now. So instead, Maleficent gathered her remaining strength and said, “You were always weak.”
Stefan’s face turned red and his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. Maleficent knew she had gone too far. But what did it matter now? The chances of her escaping were far from good. As if to prove her right, Stefan raised his heavy sword high above his head. Then, with a loud scream, he brought it down...　
Maleficent closed her eyes, waiting for the blow.
But it never came.　
Instead, there was a roar followed by a loud thud. Opening her eyes, Maleficent saw Stefan lying on the floor a few feet away, and standing above her was Diaval the dragon. She smiled at him as he lowered his long neck and gently grabbed the iron net in his teeth. Then he pulled it off Maleficent, freeing her at last.　
As soon as the net was gone, Maleficent grabbed her staff and scrambled to her feet. As the blood rushed back to her limbs, a wave of dizziness hit her, forcing her to steady herself on her staff for a moment. Taking a few deep breaths, she waited for her head to clear. Then she stood up straight. Adrenaline flooded through her as she took in the chaos around her. Soldiers were running in every direction, fearful of the giant creature in their midst. Diaval had broken nearly every chandelier in the Great Hall and his fiery breath had scorched the walls, turning them black. His giant claws had left deep gashes in the stone floor, while his long tail had taken out several large pillars near the hall’s grand entrance. Scanning the room, she saw Stefan struggling to his feet, and without hesitation, he began to charge toward her. But he didn’t make it far. Diaval stepped between them and, with another mighty roar, renewed his fight with Stefan and the soldiers.
Using the distraction, Maleficent raced toward the stairs unnoticed. She needed to find Aurora... immediately.
As Maleficent reached the top of the stairs, she turned back. She watched as Diaval hissed and snapped at the men, trying to keep them at bay. But more and more soldiers came. They had sharp weapons and he was not used to his dragon body. She saw panic in his eyes as he whipped his tail, knocking a few more men down. Then Diaval turned toward the far wall. Racing forward, he smashed through it, sending the iron plates on the other side to the ground. Through the gaping hole, Maleficent could make out one of the castle’s many towers nearby. Its rounded sides offered no footholds, so the soldiers had no way of climbing it. But Diaval’s claws could easily dig into the stone. Seeing his chance to escape, Diaval began to climb up the tower wall and disappeared from view a moment later.
Maleficent turned and frantically looked around. Where could Aurora have gone? There was a long hall to her right and another to her left. But straight ahead, slightly swaying, was a huge door. That had to be it. Racing through, Maleficent found herself in front of another set of stairs. They circled up, up, and up, leading high into the tower that at that very moment Diaval was scaling.　
Quickly, Maleficent began to climb the stairs, her heart pounding with the fear of what she might find. Aurora didn’t know the castle. She didn’t know the soldiers or the cruelty angry men were capable of expressing. She had lived her entire life protected from such things. And now she had been thrown right into the middle, witness to some of the worst acts of human nature. Maleficent ached at the thought of Aurora frightened and alone, wandering the castle halls. Her footsteps quickened, and finally, she reached the room at the top of the tower. It was empty. On the far side of the room, a door led out to a long bridge that connected the tower with the one next to it. And standing there, in the middle of the bridge, was Aurora. Sighing with relief, Maleficent ran out.
But her relief was short-lived.
From behind her, she heard a whish, and then she felt a familiar pain rack her body. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Stefan. He had a long iron whip in his hand and a crazed look in his eyes. He took a step forward, lashing the whip over and over in front of him. Raising her staff, Maleficent stood her ground. She was not going to let him defeat her, not now. Not when Aurora was so close. Narrowing her eyes in determination, Maleficent took a step forward, swinging her staff.　
The sound of iron against wood rang out on the bridge as Stefan lashed his whip repeatedly. And over and over again, Maleficent deflected the blows with her staff. They moved forward and backward, their motions a terrifying mockery of a romantic waltz. The fight took them from the bridge onto another, neither of them backing down, both of them determined to win. Maleficent forgot that Aurora was nearby. Forgot that she had come to save her. All she could think about was defeating Stefan once and for all. Making him pay for the pain he had caused her and his daughter. Her mind went blank with rage and she slammed her staff into Stefan.
They were so engrossed in their fight that neither noticed the ground beneath their feet was shaking. Nor did they notice that Diaval was still clinging to the tower, scrambling toward the roof and sending debris and iron plummeting to the ground far below. And they definitely didn’t notice that standing on a smaller bridge right underneath them was Aurora. The princess stood helplessly as broken pieces of the tower slammed into her bridge, causing it to shake violently.
And then Aurora’s bridge collapsed.　
Maleficent heard an ear-piercing scream, and her rage vanished, instantly replaced by fear. Turning, she saw Aurora falling. The girl’s arms flailed as she tried to slow her fall. But it was useless. The ground was quickly approaching. Maleficent frantically looked around for some way to help her beloved Aurora. But there was nothing she could do. Her magic wasn’t powerful enough and she didn’t have the wings to fly. And then she noticed Diaval and felt a surge of hope. The girl meant as much to him as she did to Maleficent. He was not going to let her die. As Diaval perched on the roof of the tower, his eyes were glued to Aurora. He judged the distance and then, with a mighty flap of his huge wings, launched himself from the roof and swooped down after Aurora.
Maleficent’s heart stopped as she watched Diaval’s huge black body speed down after Aurora’s small pale one. He stretched his neck, going faster and faster. Then he reached out his claws and closed them around Aurora, swooping safely back up right before they both hit the ground.　
Air flooded into Maleficent’s lungs and her heart began to beat once more as she watched the two land safely nearby. That had been too close for comfort. If Diaval had been just one second slower ...
Whish!
Maleficent let out a cry as Stefan’s iron-chain whip wrapped around her arm. Unprepared for the pain, Maleficent lost her grip on her staff. She watched helplessly as it fell over the edge of the bridge.
Seeing that she no longer had a way to defend herself, Stefan let out an evil laugh. He began to lash her. Raising her hands in front of her face, Maleficent tried to duck out of the way. But the whip kept coming. Taking a few steps back, she let out a gasp as her foot found air instead of ground. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that she was backed up against the edge of the bridge. There was nowhere left to go.　
As she turned back, her eyes met Stefan’s. So this is how it will end, Maleficent thought sadly, looking at the king’s evil grin. All the years of hate and battles.The walls that had been built, of iron and thorn. They had all been for naught. They had not been the things to destroy either Maleficent or Stefan. In the end, it would be a fall. A fall into nothing. Letting out a sigh, Maleficent waited for the inevitable. She watched as Stefan’s smile grew broader and broader as he waited for the inevitable, as well.　
And then his smile vanished.
Behind her, Maleficent heard a whoosh, and then she felt something she hadn’t felt in many, many years. It was a feeling of comfort, of wholeness. It was a feeling almost as strong as the love she felt for Aurora. A smile began to spread across her face as she slowly turned around.
There, hovering in the air, were her wings.　
They were as strong and beautiful as they had been on the day Stefan took them from her, and Maleficent let out a soft cry. How could this be? she wondered. Had they been there, in the castle, all along? And if they had been, how had they been released? Looking down, she saw Aurora and suddenly knew just how they had come back to her. Somehow, Aurora had found the missing piece of her. With a huge smile, Maleficent turned back to her wings and opened her arms.　
There was an earth-shattering crack and Maleficent disappeared in a magical explosion of light. When the light faded, Maleficent and her wings were one once more. With a mighty flap, she lifted herself high in the air and hovered, glorying in the moment. She had never believed this day would come. Yet it had. And now she was close to having everything she needed and wanted in the world.　
While she wanted to fly high into the air and forget the problems below while she dipped and soared on the wind, once again free to go wherever she pleased, there was one last thing to take care of.
Swooping down, she slammed Stefan with one of her powerful wings. The king was thrown back, stumbling as he tried to keep his footing. Flying forward, Maleficent held him up against the tower wall. She leaned forward, her face mere inches from Stefan’s.
“You won’t kill me,” Stefan said, trying to sound brave but failing. “I’m her father.”
For a moment, Maleficent didn’t say anything. She just stared at Stefan, struggling with herself. She had never wanted to hurt someone as much as she wanted to hurt Stefan. He deserved it. That she was sure of. Yet before he had betrayed her, Maleficent had never believed in revenge. She had never wanted to hurt anyone or anything. Stefan had changed all that the day he broke her heart. But if she killed him now, wouldn’t that be letting him get the best of her? Wouldn’t that, in a way, be letting him win? Aurora could forgive her for a lot, but would she be able to forgive her for killing her father?　
With a sigh, Maleficent released Stefan, landing and taking a step back. She waited, wondering if this act of kindness would restore anything of the man she once cared for. But instead, he said, “I want you to know that I never loved you.”
Maleficent let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, Stefan,” she replied. “You never were a good liar.”　
There was nothing left to be said or done. Maleficent turned and began to walk away. But hearing the sound of running footsteps, she whipped around just in time to see Stefan racing toward her, an iron knife gripped in his hand. A moment later, he slammed into her, and together, they fell off the bridge.　
The moonlight silhouetted their bodies as Maleficent and Stefan plummeted toward the ground. Maleficent’s wings were cupped around them, almost like an opaque hammock, preventing those below from witnessing their fight. The king struggled against the wings as he tried to stab Maleficent. In turn, she ducked and wove to elude the weapon, causing their fall to take on an erratic pattern. But while she managed to avoid the knife, she wouldn’t be able to avoid the ground, which was rapidly approaching.
As Stefan raised the knife once more, Maleficent flipped over. The sudden movement caused the king to lose his grip, and before she could grab him, Stefan fell out of her arms.
A moment later, his body hit the ground and lay there, lifeless.
Opening her wings, Maleficent slowed her fall and rose into the air. Then, seeing Stefan on the ground, she swept low and landed next to him. Bowing her head, she closed her eyes, a myriad of emotions coursing through her.　
The person lying on the ground next to her was the first person to have loved her. The first person she had loved. And for that, she felt grateful. For without any understanding of love, she could never have opened her heart to Aurora. But this person was also the first to have betrayed her and the reason she had closed her heart for so long. He had been her blessing and her curse. And now he was no more. She felt a deep sadness. But after a moment, she realized it was sadness not for her, but for Aurora. For the girl would never have the chance to know her father.　
As Maleficent raised her head, her eyes met Aurora’s. The girl stood a bit away, her face pale. But meeting Maleficent’s gaze, she nodded. And in that nod, Maleficent knew that Aurora would be fine. She would forgive Maleficent for her part in this, and she would live a happy life, surrounded by beauty, nature, and loved ones. And Maleficent would be there to guide her and protect her ... always. She had found her family once more. And it was in a kindred spirit. A human girl.