Maleficent waits a good quarter-hour before going to greet her guest. The first of her servants that return say that they only left the food for him. It is important that he accept a fair and generous offer, rather than acquiesce under duress. The extent to which a visitor's acceptance is self-willed will strengthen or dilute the binding.

But Maleficent needn't have worried. This young man, hailing from worlds unknown, for purposes unknown, has no idea what is and is not wise to do when seeking faeries...

She wills herself down to her receiving room and appears in a flash of green fire. She sees that food was taken. She smiles.

"Greetings," Maleficent says, with a proper bow. "I hope I have not kept you waiting."