He walked into the depth of the forest, away from the dying light of dusk.

Barefoot, he came as far as the old wives had warned not to, and then, a little further down the road. No shoes, but courtship clothes, the finery worn by one that knows that sometimes love enters through the eyes.

The clothes were not meant to impress the fairy. Yet, it didn't hurt. People had tried to persuade him not to go ahead with his schemes, but if he was ever to do it, then he should follow all protocols. Andre knew not to step into the dark realm without a gift. It was enough of an affront to venture uninvited.

He brought a bouquet of the best roses. Thick, fully opened petals of an immaculate white.

The incantation parted his lips, summoning the Mistress of Evil by her true name, her Fae name, one she had forsaken to be known as Maleficent.

Few things please solitary fairies as much as humans knowing their place. Wretched creatures; lesser than anything that was ever touched by magic.

Andre knew nothing short of blood would do. He cut deep, forearm to wrist. If his summons weren't answered, he'd die unable to contain the wound.

"White of death, red of life. Take to the Gates this sacrifice."

Minutes passed. For those who bleed in agony, it might as well be an eternity. Blood on roses, lazily dripping onto the forest floor.

Andre drifted, trying to hold on to that last hope of warmth. He thought he had imagined it; a delicate hand held onto his with a strength that jolted him back. Her touch meant everything. He felt her before he could see her.

"You have summoned me, using my true name. A name spoken but once, whispered in our ear at the moment of birth. The one word that can send me home, or turn me into a tithe to Hell."

The fairy had an odd brand of beauty, as one would expect from a daughter of the Far Dorcha, the Shadow Children. With a single touch, his cuts healed.

"There are so many of us, walking in twilight. I must warn you, not all are gentle." Maleficent held him by the chin, beckoning the young man to rise and meet her. A fairy never lowers herself to human needs. Her long fingers brushed against his neck until she found that pulse of fear. "Good. Fear keeps you alive. You surely know fairies can kill on a whim. Why summon a solitary Fae? Who gave you the right to speak my name?"

"None, my lady. But it struck me that you might be able to help me. It is said, you've known love and deep sorrow."

The words carved her. Anger rose, making her eyes burn bright. The mortal boy was so ignorant of the hurt inflicted, he might have mistaken her pause for contemplation.

"What do you want?"

"I met a girl."

"Isn't that a story?"

"Perhaps you know her. Her name is Riannon, and her hair is as dark as yours, but her eyes are the purple..."

"Quiet! The more you think about her, the more embellished it'll become, the more beautiful she'll grow until you pine and die. I know who you speak of. She's my sister, another bastard child of the Faerie Queen."

Maleficent never addressed her lineage. When her enemies called her Mistress of Evil, they trembled as much as they snickered.

"It's not wise to remind a fae of being a bastard, let alone sic her on the hunt for one of  her blood. If you have come to ask me to strike Riannon down and break her spell, it won't happen."

"No mistress. I just want to see her."

Maleficent's eyebrows knitted, before her doubts were dispelled. She had forgotten how it felt to cherish another the way this boy did Riannon. She wanted to tell him that it was but a glamour. Her sister was a hell bound acolyte that deprived him of his innocence, his life force, his very will to live.

Where are you, Ria?-Maleficent thought- You are probably waiting, knowing that he has only so many nights left. Soon enough you will show your true face and cut his eyes out with sharp, yellow talons, dragging his soul into Hell to pay one of your many debts.

"Do you trust me?" He took a while to answer, before he whispered yes. "Then kiss me, and in kissing me, you'll be kissing her.We are both daughters of the same mother, and my kiss will lead you to that magic realm you need to be a part of, if you ever want to see her."

"Is it true, my lady?" Andre asked. "A human can be turned into a fae by the Far Dorcha? Will you grant me a pass?"

Her lips captured his, seducing until he no longer could think straight. Riannon was forgotten, and so was the world. She drank his soul in a kiss and gave him a dream instead.

It is said that if a fairy gives a mortal shoes, said mortal will be able to freely cross into otherworldly realms. Andre's last dream was of a pair of black leather boots. So fine an illusion, he thought he had crossed the Gates of Elphame without noticing his feet never touched the ground...

Maleficent killed him. No silver lining. Riannon was not happy. It takes a lot for a netherbound to find the right one to feed on, and her sister claimed him as a prize.

Not only that, his soul transformed, now a green glow, mixed with primal magic, forming spirals on the crowning piece of her staff. Maleficent draws from it, growing stronger. There's after all, nobility in dreams of love. It gave her a measure of humanity.

Her  cruelty promoted her further among fairies; not everyone dares harness human souls... Little did they know, it was her one act of kindness.