AN: Don't know what came over me... I just had to write this. And this is properly due to me being overly emotional and some sort of crybaby when it comes to fanfiction, but I cried quite a lot writing this. Just thought you might appreciate a warning.

Disclaimer: Neither "Maleficent" the movie nor Maleficent the character belong to me. The same goes for every other character appearing in this story. I walked with them once upon a dream, but then there was this voice from above telling me I mustn't do that because they belong to a bunch of Disney people who won't give them to me. Phhh.

She Had Been There

It hadn't come unexpected. No, not unexpected at all, and Maleficent numbly thought that maybe her reaction was slightly hyperbolic. But then her gaze returned to the stone, the dark and cold stone that sat lonely on the otherwise empty cliff, and she knew that her reaction was more than justified. She had promised to always be there for her...

None of them had deemed it worthy of their time to think that far into the future. Not when the horrible past was still so fresh in their minds, and when the present seemed so bright and wonderful right before their eyes. What could ever go wrong anymore?

The curse was broken, broken by True Love's Kiss, because never was it said it had to be romantic love.

Maleficent had her wings once more, and she would make sure she would never lose them again.

King Stefan was dead, and scarcely mourned by anyone. Aurora never had gotten to know her father, and Maleficent hoped to forget she ever had.

Diaval had been set free from his services, but decided to stay with Maleficent, much to the dark fairy's delight – even if she would never openly admit it to anyone.

And finally, the newly crowned Queen Aurora had grown quite fond of Prince Philip, and soon the relationship that developed between them could almost be called love.

So, all in all, it was a happy time. Of course there were more problems arising than they all had thought possible – it had seemed like after the initial battle, it should all finally be over. But Queen Aurora was quick to adjust to her new tasks, and with Maleficent, Diaval, and Philip, she had three capable advisors at her side – and all the more important, three loyal and loving friends.

Though Aurora had symbolically been crowned Queen of the Moors as well, her duties in the human world made the most demands on her, and so Maleficent had returned to her function as the protector of the Moors. Since the two kingdoms now largely were at peace though, she always found time to assist her little Beastie if needed, and to visit her (or more often, to receive her visits) if not.

She was there for her without Aurora even having to ask. She would always be there. She had promised it. She would always be there for her little Beastie, for the child she had cursed, the child she had then practically raised, the child she had then finally released from her own curse. The child who, over time, grew into a woman, but who still called her godmother and whom she still called Beastie in return.

She had been there for her when there had been uproar in the castle, as some of the older citizens didn't like to be ruled by a queen as young as Aurora was, and a queen who held sympathies for the Moors to make matters worse.

She had been there for her when Prince Philip asked for her hand in marriage and she didn't know how to react. She had been able to soothe her, she had told her to wait until she was sure about herself, and she had been there to give the young lad a detailed description of what she would do for him if he ever did anything to hurt Aurora, even if that lecture had proven unnecessary.

She had been there for her to prepare her for her wedding, and had instructed Diaval to walk her down the aisle as he was the closest to a father she had left. She had listened to Aurora voicing her fears of the oncoming wedding night.

She had been there for occasional mud fights and whatever came to Aurora's and Philip's mind in the Moors, even as their visits grew less frequent over the years.

She had been there for her during her pregnancy and the birth of her first and only child, a cute little girl with her mother's eyes and her father's nose, and she did her best to help her grown up Beastie raise her own little beast- and a beast she was.

She had been there for Aurora on the queen's 40th birthday, when she had asked how old a fairy would grow to be, since Maleficent looked as young as she ever did while Aurora's face had gotten lines and wrinkles, and there were barely remarkable silvery strands in her long hair. And she had silently given an answer, and then awkwardly held her goddaughter as she silently cried while the fairy forcefully kept her own tears at bay.

She had been there for her when her daughter fell in love with a prince of another kingdom and left home to marry him, now living too far away to visit her more often than every few months.

She had been there for her when King Philip fell ill and died shortly after.

And was still there when Aurora fell ill herself. She sat with her, enduring the cold, dark, suffocating castle walls since the doctors wouldn't agree to letting their queen be moved to the Moors. She sat with her, talked with her, laughed and smiled with her and cared for her and only allowed her tears to fall when the now white-haired queen was fast asleep.

Diaval was helpless. He watched Maleficent become thinner and all but emaciated, as if her own health were failing together with Aurora's. He watched her hold on to her Beastie every night, and he heard her curse her magic for being so inefficient against the troubles of old age. And as he sat in the window, watching silently, he wondered what Maleficent would do when her Beastie was gone.

Maleficent smiled weakly when Aurora's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Hello, Beastie." It came out as nothing more but a hoarse whisper, and Aurora couldn't bring herself to smile back at her godmother. The faint twilight confirmed that, outside the castle, the sun was setting. Aurora had a feeling she wouldn't see it rise again. Despite the thick blankets covering her, she shivered with cold, and her chest hurt with every ragged breath she took. As she looked up to meet Maleficent's eyes, in her youthful face she could see the pain the fairy so desperately tried to hide.

It was time, and they both knew it. And Aurora asked one last favour from Maleficent.

Nobody noticed the tall, winged figure that flew from the castle that night. Maleficent had Aurora's small frame deliberately gathered in her arms, and she flapped her wings as soft and steady as she could, her eyes barely ever leaving her Beastie's face. Aurora had a smile on her face as she finally felt the rush of flying once again, and for a moment she could almost believe that everything would be alright. That she was young again, young and carefree, without any need to think about what might be waiting for her in the future because the present would last forever.

The moment was over when Maleficent landed on a cliff, next to a gnarled old tree that stood there like a silent guardian. She sat Aurora down, helping her lean against the dark trunk, and lowered herself to the floor next to her when the queen softly pulled at the hem of her dress. This one time, she didn't hesitate even a second before wrapping one of her wings around the slender body next to her. Aurora sighed. She could see the tears the fairy frantically tried to blink away so her vision would not be blurred, and felt the salty wetness on her own cheeks.

"Pretty bird," Aurora whispered with a small smile as she saw the raven land on the ground before her. She knew Diaval was affected by Maleficent's magic in a way she could never be. Maleficent couldn't keep her alive.

Diaval cocked his head to the side, and then bowed it. He did not ask to be changed into a human, and Aurora slowly lifted one trembling hand to pet his dark feathers. "I loved playing with you when I was a child... I should have done it more often."

Diaval's eyes closed and he kept still. He knew, if he were a human now, that he would cry. He didn't want to cry, he didn't want to make it any harder, so he kept still.

For a while, there was silence. The three of them stared out over the Moors, the castle hidden from their eyes by the blackness of the night. Then Aurora's unsteady voice broke the silence once more.

"I... I want to thank you. For everything you have done. I couldn't..." Her voice broke, and Maleficent pulled her closer. "I couldn't have wished for better parents." She looked up at her godmother. "I'm sorry that I have to go," she whispered. "I'm... so sorry."

Maleficent felt her heart clench as Aurora's breathing became more laboured. "Beastie... you... don't be sorry." She swallowed, trying to keep your voice steady. "It's natural... it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault." Her wing moved on its own accord, drawing her goddaughter ever closer, as if she was trying to give her back her life just by physical closeness.

Aurora smiled softly and moved her hand over Maleficent's. Both were trembling. "Will you... let me stay here? I don't... I don't belong over there. I belong here... my heart has always belonged to the Moors..." Maleficent nodded, unable to speak over the burning lump in her throat as she felt Aurora take a shuddering breath in her grasp. "I... love you..."

She didn't give her fairy godmother the time for a response before her body grew still. Maleficent was frozen for a second, still holding Aurora close, unbelieving of what had just happened. And then her arms tightened around the still form even more, and the tears started to fall as she failed to hold back a sob. Her small frame shuddered as her body was racked by one sob after the other. Aurora was gone. She was gone, and she would never return. Her goddaughter, whom she had hated so much at first... her little Beastie... she was gone. She would never hear her laugh again, never again talk with her about silly things and important things, about mud fights and about the ways to rule a kingdom, about love and hatred and everything in between.

She had been there for her all her life, and in return, Aurora had been there for Maleficent as well. Without even noticing, she had helped restore her broken heart and soul, had slowly mended and fixed the wounds her father had left, and had her taught how to love again. And now she was gone, and Maleficent felt her heart shatter into pieces, pieces so small that this time, there would be no fixing them. This time, her heart was indeed broken beyond repair, and she knew it. So she screamed, screamed in agony over her loss. She had promised to always be there for Aurora... but she had failed. In the end, she couldn't save her anymore.

Diaval watched silently as his former Mistress stood before the plain gravestone, her head bowed and her wings dragging on the floor like a burden she was tired of carrying. He knew Maleficent loved him, just as he loved her. But he knew that Aurora was the one who completely held the fairy's heart. She had known her all her life, had seen her but a few days after her birth, and had been with her until the very end. No matter how much he meant to her, he could never compare with the true love of a mother.

"I love you too, Beastie." It was the first words Maleficent had spoken in days, the first words since Aurora had died in her embrace, and they were choked with tears yet unshed. "I love you too."

Diaval watched her as she retreated. Her eyes met his, and he saw the silent apology in her gaze, the begging for forgiveness for what she was about to do. He nodded his small feathered head at her. He knew she loved him. And because he loved her, too, he let her go.

He turned away when she leaped. He did not see whether she used her wings to catch herself, or if she fell.