《沉睡魔咒》第21章

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.

爱洛离开的时候，迪艾瓦继续在正厅里发威。他尾巴一扫，一排士兵就倒了下去。他一声咆哮，一团火雨就扑向了另一群士兵。他头一顶，前额的两只长角立刻戳烂了天花板上的一个大吊灯，碎片四散，那些还没有倒下的士兵被碎裂的水晶砸中，痛苦地尖叫起来。

铁网下的玛琳菲森无助地缩成一团，在铁网的包围中，她的力量每分每秒都在衰弱。她够不着自己的魔杖，这让她感到更加无力。过了一会儿，她一动也不能动了，只能趴在那里听着迪艾瓦的怒吼。她只能趴在那里，看士兵们为躲避吐火的巨龙在自己眼前跌来撞去。她只能趴在那里想，这都是我的错。

短短的几分钟就好像几个小时那么长，玛琳菲森开始觉得自己根本不可能逃出这个铁牢了。在浑身剧痛中，她听见有脚步声在朝她走近。那不像士兵们慌乱受惊的脚步，这个人的脚步声坚定而自信。她抬起头，却已经知道自己即将看到的人是谁了。

斯戴芬正走过来，他的目光死死盯住困在铁网中的玛琳菲森。这双眼睛似乎刺穿了玛琳菲森，目光中丝毫没有曾经的爱意。玛琳菲森第一次真正看清楚了他的模样，他已经变成了一个那么卑鄙的人。的确，他在外形上是有所变化—稚气光滑的脸庞现在长满了横纹和褶皱。他的心也变了，他变得越来越冷酷，他谋杀了亨利国王，砍下了她的翅膀，随便就能列举一堆他的罪行。要在以前，她会因为这些而更加仇恨斯戴芬，但现在，她几乎为他感到悲哀。

曾经在摩尔森林让她陷入爱河的男孩早已不在。更别提昔日他们一起沿着沼泽漫步，一起穿越森林时他们的欢声笑语。眼前的男人冷酷无情，心如死灰。他经年累月地为城堡建造铁壁，反而也让他用钢铁把自己的心包裹了起来。玛琳菲森看着他的眼睛，她感到很悲伤。既悲伤又恐惧，因为她不知道这样一个人会做出什么事来。她不顾一切，想要抓住自己的魔杖，但她还是够不着。

斯戴芬看着玛琳菲森的挣扎，冷酷地笑了。他无情地说：“我还在后悔那天晚上没有杀了你。”

这些话太残酷了。玛琳菲森刚刚还在为斯戴芬感到悲伤，但现在这种感情瞬间消失了。记忆如潮水一般涌来，很久之前的那天晚上他偷走了她的心和她的翅膀。在他的伤害下，她也许已经死去。那晚发生的一切是后续这些悲惨事件的导火索。在某种程度上，那晚的经历让玛琳菲森变成了和斯戴芬一样无情无义的怪物—直到她和爱洛相遇，才开始改变。但是她绝不会向他说这些事，至少现在不会。所以玛琳菲森用尽所有力气说道：“你总是这么软弱无能。”

斯戴芬脸色通红，抓紧了剑柄。玛琳菲森知道自己刺激到他了，可那又怎样？反正她也逃不掉了。似乎她的想法被验证了，斯戴芬将那把重剑举过头顶，大叫一声，狠狠地刺了下去……

玛琳菲森闭上眼睛，等待着那一剑。

但是什么都没有发生。

她只听见一声大吼，还有物体重重坠地的声音。玛琳菲森睁开双眼，看见斯戴芬躺在几英尺开外，而巨龙迪艾瓦正站在自己身旁。迪艾瓦弯下长颈，将铁网轻轻衔起，玛琳菲森对他笑了。他掀开了铁网，救出了玛琳菲森。

铁网一掀开，玛琳菲森就抓起魔杖，挣扎着站了起来。血液重新流向四肢，她感觉有些晕眩，不得不扶着魔杖站立一会儿，稳住自己。她深吸了几口气，等待头脑恢复清醒。然后她站直了，周围的混乱让她更加兴奋。士兵们对他们中的这个巨形生物恐惧不已，四处奔逃。迪艾瓦几乎把正厅里的每一个大吊灯都打碎了，他喷出的火焰将墙壁烧成了黑色；他巨大的爪子在石头地板上留下深深的沟壑，而他的尾巴扫断了大厅入口处的好几根柱子。玛琳菲森扫视了一圈，发现斯戴芬挣扎着爬了起来，不假思索地冲向自己。但他冲不了多远，因为迪艾瓦站在他们中间，他一声狂吼，继续和斯戴芬还有他的士兵们战斗。

趁斯戴芬注意力被分散的工夫，玛琳菲森悄悄冲向了楼梯。她要找到爱洛……立刻找到她。

玛琳菲森爬上楼梯顶端，回头看了看。她看见迪艾瓦正在冲士兵们怒吼、抓咬，试图拖住他们。但是越来越多的士兵加入战斗，他们带着锋利的武器，而迪艾瓦还没有完全适应巨龙的身体。迪艾瓦又用尾巴扫倒了一群士兵，但玛琳菲森在他的眼睛里看到了慌乱。这时迪艾瓦向远处的一面墙冲过去，他撞破了那堵墙，铁片纷纷落到外面的地上。透过墙上的大洞，玛琳菲森看到外面有一座塔楼就在附近，城堡中有很多这样的塔楼，其弧形的墙体没有落脚之处，士兵们难以攀爬，但迪艾瓦可以轻易地将爪子嵌进石头里。一看到有逃跑的机会，迪艾瓦就爬上了塔楼，不一会儿就消失在视野中。

玛琳菲森转过身，焦急地四处寻找。爱洛去哪了呢？在她的左边和右边各有一个长长的走廊，但是她的正前方有一扇微微摇晃的大门。应该是那扇门。玛琳菲森跑了进去，发现里面还有一条楼梯。楼梯盘旋着向上，向上，再向上，直通塔顶，而此时此刻迪艾瓦也在攀爬这座塔楼。

玛琳菲森飞快地向上爬着楼梯，她的心怦怦直跳，充满恐惧。爱洛不了解这座城堡，她也不了解这些士兵，不了解这群愤怒的人们会做出怎样残酷的事来。爱洛从出生起就被保护起来，以避免受到这类事件的伤害，但现在她却忽然被卷入其中，目睹了人类天性中最丑陋的一面。玛琳菲森一想到爱洛现在很可能孤身一人，惊慌失措地在城堡内徘徊，她就觉得心如刀绞。她加快了脚步，最终到达了塔顶的屋子。里面空空如也，屋子远处的另一边是一扇敞开的门，门后有一座连接着旁边塔楼的桥，爱洛正站在桥中间。玛琳菲森轻舒了口气，冲了出去。

但是她的轻松转瞬即逝。

她身后传来“嗖”的一声，接着她感到一阵熟悉的剧痛袭来。她转头一看，斯戴芬手里握着一条长长的铁鞭，眼神中充满了疯狂。他向前迈了一步，不停地抽打鞭子。玛琳菲森站在原地举起了魔杖，这次她不能再被他击败了。爱洛就在不远处，所以就更不能失败。玛琳菲森眯起眼睛，下定决心，向前迈了一步，挥舞着魔杖。

斯戴芬每挥动一次铁鞭，桥上就响起铁器撞击木头的声音，玛琳菲森则用魔杖一一挡住他的攻势。他们你进我退，你退我打，看起来倒像是在跳一曲令人胆战心惊的华尔兹。他们从这一座桥跳到那一座桥，谁都不肯后退，谁都想志在必得。玛琳菲森已经忘了爱洛就在一旁，也忘了自己是来救她的。现在她满脑子都是打败斯戴芬，彻底地打败他，让他为曾经伤害了自己和他的女儿付出应有的代价。玛琳菲森被愤怒冲昏了头脑，她将魔杖狠狠地挥向斯戴芬。

他们一心在决斗上，谁都没有注意到脚下的桥开始颤抖。他们也没有看到迪艾瓦还在塔楼上，正朝塔顶爬去，使得岩石碎片和铁块从高处狠狠地砸向地面。他们更没有注意爱洛就站在正下方的一座小桥上。塔楼碎片重重地砸在桥面上，桥体摇晃地更加剧烈，而爱洛正无助地站在上面。

然后，爱洛所在的桥倒塌了。

玛琳菲森听见一声刺耳的尖叫，她的怒火立刻消失得无影无踪，取而代之的是深深的恐惧。她转身一看，爱洛从桥上掉了下去。女孩的双手胡乱摆动，试图延缓坠落，但是徒劳无功。眼看着爱洛就要摔在地上了，玛琳菲森疯一般地看向四周，想着法子去救她心爱的爱洛。但她什么也做不了。她的魔力没有那么强大，没有翅膀她也不能飞。忽然她看到了迪艾瓦，心中涌上了一线希望。这个女孩在迪艾瓦的心中就像在玛琳菲森的心中一样重要，他不会让爱洛就这么死去的。停在塔顶的迪艾瓦一直盯着爱洛，他判断了一下距离，拍了拍巨大的翅膀，从屋顶飞下，向着爱洛俯冲而去。

当玛琳菲森看到巨大黝黑的迪艾瓦加速向下，去接瘦小苍白的爱洛时，她的心脏都快要停止跳动了。迪艾瓦伸长脖子，飞得越来越快。最终他伸出爪子捧住爱洛，在撞到地面的前一秒双双安全地飞了起来。

看到爱洛和迪艾瓦安全地降落在附近，玛琳菲森又恢复了呼吸，她的心脏也恢复了跳动。简直太险了！如果迪艾瓦晚了一秒的话……

“嗖”的一声！

斯戴芬的铁鞭一下缠住了玛琳菲森的手臂。这一击让玛琳菲森猝不及防，她失手放开了魔杖，绝望地看着魔杖落到了桥下。

斯戴芬看到玛琳菲森再也无法自卫，邪恶地狂笑起来。他开始抽打她。玛琳菲森将手挡在脸前，试图躲开，但是鞭子还是不停地抽过来。她倒退了几步，直到一只脚踩空，她惊得倒吸一口冷气。回头一看，她正贴着桥边，已经没有退路了。

她转过身，与斯戴芬四目相对。玛琳菲森看着他邪恶的大笑，悲伤地想着，这就是我的结局吧。多年的仇恨和战争，建造的铁壁和荆棘墙，都是无用功，它们都无法伤害玛琳菲森或斯戴芬。最终是一场坠落作为了结，一了百了。玛琳菲森叹了一口气，等着那无法逃避的最后一刻。她看到斯戴芬笑得愈加猖狂了，他也在等着那一刻。

然后，他的狂笑忽然消失了。

玛琳菲森听见身后“呼”的一声，接着，她感到一种多年以来都不曾有过的感觉。这是一种舒适之感，一种完满之感。这种感觉几乎就像自己对爱洛的爱一样强烈，她缓缓转身，微笑在脸上绽放。

半空中悬停着的，是她的翅膀。

它们还是那样的美丽，那样的强壮，和斯戴芬那天从她身上取走时一样。玛琳菲森轻声哭了出来。这怎么可能呢？她不得其解。它们一直都在城堡里吗？如果是那样，又是谁将翅膀放了出来？她低头看见了爱洛，突然明白了是谁帮助自己找回了翅膀。从某种程度上说，爱洛找回了那个丢失的自己。玛琳菲森笑得很开心，她转向翅膀，张开了双臂。

空中响起了一声惊天动地的巨响，玛琳菲森消失在魔力爆发的光芒中。当光芒黯淡下来，玛琳菲森和她的翅膀又重新合为一体了。她用力扇了一下翅膀，冲向天际，在空中翱翔，欣喜不已。她从没想过这一天会到来。但它来了。现在她近乎拥有了这世上自己想要的一切。

尽管她想在高空飞舞，在云端起伏，尽管她想抛离下面一切的烦恼，尽管她再次获得自由，可以想去哪就去哪，但还有最后一件事没有办完。

玛琳菲森向斯戴芬俯冲过去，她用一只翅膀狠狠地扇了斯戴芬一下，将他扫得后退了好几步，勉强才能站稳身体。玛琳菲森向前飞去，将他逼到塔楼的墙边，她身体前倾，两人的脸之间只有几英寸的距离。

斯戴芬强装镇定，说道：“你不会杀我的，我是她的父亲。”

好一会儿，玛琳菲森一言不发，她只是盯着斯戴芬，内心充满了矛盾。她从未像想伤害斯戴芬这般想过要伤害别人。她很确定，他活该。然而在斯戴芬背叛她之前，玛琳菲森从来不认为复仇是对的；她从来没有想过要伤害任何人或物。斯戴芬让她彻底心碎的那天，一切都改变了。但如果现在自己杀了他，不正是让他控制了自己吗？从某种角度看，这和他赢了又有什么区别？爱洛已经原谅了她很多事情，但如果杀了她的父亲，她还会原谅自己吗？

玛琳菲森叹了一口气，松开斯戴芬。她落到地上，后退了一步。她在等待，看她的善举能否让国王重获良知。但是他却说：“我想你知道一件事，那就是我从没有爱过你。”

玛琳菲森苦笑一声，她回答道：“哦，斯戴芬，你一直都不会 撒谎。”

事情了结了。玛琳菲森转身准备离开。但是她忽然听见背后有奔跑的脚步声，她猛然转身，只见斯戴芬握着一把铁制匕首向她冲了过来。片刻之后，他撞到了她，两人一起从桥上掉了下去。

月光勾勒出正在坠落的两人的轮廓，玛琳菲森的翅膀包裹着两个人，就好像一张密不透光的吊床，这样在下面的其他人就无法看见翅膀内打斗的情景。国王挣扎着想要冲出翅膀，他试图刺中玛琳菲森，但玛琳菲森不停地躲闪着武器，这让两人下落的时候一路上东倒西歪。然而就算她躲过了国王的匕首，也躲不过摔死，因为他们正迅速逼近地面。

斯戴芬又一次举起匕首，玛琳菲森翻身逃开，这突然的动作让他一下没能抓住玛琳菲森，而玛琳菲森也已经来不及抓住他了。斯戴芬从她的手臂处落下。

不一会，他砸在地上，躺在那里，死了。

玛琳菲森张开翅膀，放慢了下落的速度，再次飞到空中。然后她看见了地上的斯戴芬，又降落到他身旁，低下头，闭上双眼，心中百味杂陈。

她身边躺着的是第一个爱过她的人，也是她第一个爱过的人。她很感激这一点。如果没有懂得过爱，她就不可能向爱洛敞开心扉。但是这个人也是第一个背叛她的人，是他让她的心冰封了很久。他是上天对她的恩惠，也是给她的诅咒。而现在，他什么也不是了。她感到一股深切的悲痛。但不一会儿，她就知道她不是为自己而是在为爱洛伤心，因为爱洛再也没有机会去了解自己的父亲了。

玛琳菲森抬起头，和爱洛四目相交。爱洛站在稍远的地方，脸色苍白，但是看到玛琳菲森的注视后，她点了点头。玛琳菲森知道爱洛会没事的，她会原谅自己的所作所为，她会在美好的自然、永恒的美丽还有亲人的陪伴下快乐地生活。玛琳菲森会引导她，保护她……直到永远。玛琳菲森又一次找到了家人。一个和自己志趣相投的人。一个人类的女孩。