A/N: For all my readers keeping up with this story don't worry! I just reformatted it so that the first three chapter were merged into one, it seemed more fitting together as a prologue and Chapter 1 than a separate three. Plus I added the second chapter, meaning this and all of the rest of them will be fairly longer. So thank you all for your support and for new readers, read and I hope you enjoy!

XXXXX

Loud grunts and grating metal echoed through the vast green brush of the forest. A group of gruff looking men worked desperately to tame their newly caught prize. It struggled just as fiercely through hisses, swats and jerks. There could be only one victor, predator or prey. One side needed to act fast or succumb to the other.

A sharp scraping sound was barely heard through the tussle, one of the men having swiftly pulled a large, thick piece of wood from their cart nearby and staggered to his full height. He grunted as he swung his weapon over his head, signaling his cohorts to move out of the way with a tilt of his head. As they jumped away, the creature attempted to do the same only to be plunged into painful darkness as something hard and heavy crushed it into the dew-soaked grass.

Bright sun beams delicately entered the large room through the open window, being disturbed as articles of clothing flew about the air.

"How about this dress? No, no, this one! Oh, I believe this one even better suits you, my dear!" a small voice squeaked excitedly from the grand, black walnut brass wardrobe. The dresses ruffled and shook along with the mumbles and musings from behind them.

"Aha!"

The row of dresses swiftly parted down the middle as a tiny, pink-clothed pixie popped out from them. She grinned as she held out a pink dress strewn with lighter pink ruffles.

"This will be the perfect dress for the ball, My Queen!" Knottgrass exclaimed, rushing toward to the pair sitting patiently on the bed. Aurora kindly accepted the dress, holing it up to inspect its intricate designs. "This will be the first get together under your rule so you must look your absolute best!" she continued, clasping her hands as her wings flittered in a burst of happiness.

"It is a fine dress indeed," she agreed, laying it carefully across her lap, smoothing out some of the creases. She tilted her head to the side with a small smile before bringing it up before her once more. "What do you think, Godmother?"

Green eyes slowly roved over the garment, only for a moment before falling back down upon the lines of the wooden floor that seemed to be all the more interesting at this point.

"You would look beautiful in whatever it is you choose to wear, Little Beastie." Maleficent murmured through the palm of her hand, the faery watching the scene with her chin resting in the palm of her hand. She was the picture of perfect patience, save for the boredom swimming in her eyes and the random twitches of her wings.

Aurora giggled, shaking her head and nudging the other gently. "Godmother," she chided. "That's not helping."

"She does have a point, you know." Diaval grinned, readjusting his slimly muscled, black cladded form from his perch on the lengthy window sill. Blue eyes rolled in exasperation as she grinned back at the man-raven.

A huff followed their exchange, all eyes turning to the pouting blue pixie hovering in the air, an equally ruffle-laced dress in her clutches.

"The only point we have to make here is," Flittle started, bringing the dress before her and wiggling it in a show off. "To get the Queen in dress that enhances her natural beauty and that make her shine like a sparkling river in the middle of spring." She sighed dreamily before shooting a glare at Knotgrass. "Not to make her look like a little piglet!"

Knotgrass bristled, tiny fists clenched in anger. "A piglet?!" she roared, snatching her chosen dress from Aurora's shocked hands and waving it in front of her fellow pixie's face. "This dress was made by the best tailor in the kingdom!" She then turned and flew to the blond-haired girl, holding it up near her face. "And it will bring out the natural glow of her lovely, rosy cheeks." She smiled softly, looking down at the young woman.

Flittle huffed again, shooting forward and promptly pushing the other away, ignoring her squeak of anger. "Well, this dress will bring out the blue of her eyes." She stated firmly, bringing the dress up to her face as well.

"The dress is blue!" Knotgrass countered, shoving her back. "If anything it will distract from her blue eyes!" she snorted, pausing for a moment before looking snootily back at Flittle. "And it will make her look like blueberry." She added.

"Rather a blueberry than a piglet!" the blue pixie shouted, coming face to face with the other, throwing the dress down to the floor in a fit of rage. Knotgrass did the same.

"Pink is better, admit it!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

Aurora turned her wide eyes to her Godmother, who merely shrugged and looked back at Diaval, looking for his thoughts on the situation. He, too, shrugged before looking at the fighting pixies.

"How about the dress be both colors?"

The two paused in their brawl, looking contemplative at the dresses below, they then grinned and with a wave of their wands the two dresses combined into one, shimmering before them in all its glory. Or, at least, glory in their opinion.

The young Queen looked at the mismatched dress in utter horror. "Now I am going to be a piglet drowning in the sparkling river during spring." She muttered as she stared distantly at the dress. The pixies wilted in confusion, prodding and searching the dress to find the source of Aurora's discontent.

Maleficent straightened herself up and graced the snickering man with a glare. Diaval choked on his chuckle.

"You will pay for this." She promised, fingers twitching and glowing with affirmation. The shape-changer had the nerve to sniff and cross his arms over his chest, looking away.

"I was only trying to help." He muttered, brushing a few black locks away from his eyes. He abruptly stood, staring off into the distance.

"Diaval, what is it?" Maleficent asked, quickly moving to him to look out the window as the others looked on, exchanging worried glances.

The kingdom was a peaceful as it ever was, the calm bustle of bother workers and royalty roaming about. Suddenly a small green dot shot toward them, the pair having to duck out of the way to prevent from being hit a good one. The green burst of energy let out a pained squeak as it ran smack dabbed into the opposite wall of the bedroom before falling into the laid out fluffy pillows. They rustled momentarily before a head popped out of them.

"Thistletwit!" Aurora cried out, rushing to the headboard of her bed. She gently pulled the pixie out of the freshly cleaned sheets, cradling her in her arms with care. Said pixie groaned, adjusting her leafy hat accordingly and rubbing the painful bump she knew was going to form. She looked up at her Queen, eyes suddenly brimming with tears as she threw her arms around her neck.

"It-it w-was sso ho-horible!" she sobbed, clutching her tighter as though she was the only lifeline to make it go away. Aurora gently pushed the pixie away, blue eyes gazing into hazy green ones.

"What was, Thistletwit?" she asked calmly, trying to hide the building panic trudging its way through her stomach. The pixie's bottom lip trembled, furiously wiping her tears with one hand while pointing toward the window with the other.

"Th-they g-g-got h-her!" she choked out, covering her face in her hands as her fellow pixies floated downwards toward her, murmuring sweet comforts. Maleficent stepped forward, wings arched high.

"Who?" she asked firmly, gazing upon the other Moor creature intensely. Small hands slowly slid down the green pixie's face and she stared up at the other in surprise as if she was now noticing the other's presence.

"Maleficent!" she shouted with great power, darting from Aurora's hands and to the faery, startling the much larger being. Thistletwit clutched on her sleeves, tugging fiercely and guiding her toward the window.

"You must go!" she cried in panic, letting go of the cloth and moving to shove her from behind as the other would not budge any further than before the windowsill. "You have to go now and save her!"

"WHO?!" the others cried in exasperation and concern.

She looked up at the all with wide eyes full of desperation, panting from exhaustion.

"The other faery…"

Name: Belladonna

Origin: beautiful but deadly plant- deadly nightshade

Treasured possession: a rock- the environment and creatures mold it into what it becomes, but it will always remain a rock

"Pass the spoils, man, don't hog it all for yourself!"

Murmurs of agreements rose from the group, prompting a grumble and a small thud as a brown, worn out sack was carelessly thrown into the middle of the circle. Greedy, black, filthy hands hurriedly pilfered through it, drawing out its contents only to quickly dispose of them into their awaiting mouths.

A hiss broke cut over the loud crunches and gulps of their meal, but no mind was paid to it save for one man.

The young man, barely of age to be considered an adult yet, turned his head toward the noise. He frowned deeply, looking downward to the scraps of meat and bone that remained in his thin, cut-up fingers. The wheels of his brain turned in his quiet thoughts, brown eyes peeking under dirty blond hair at his self-absorbed cohorts. He looked back up to where the noise originated. His mind made up with a clenched of his fists over the tiny morsels in his hand, he quietly stood and headed toward its direction.

Stepping through the bushes a few feet away camp, the youth came to a stop. Before him sat a grand cage, not unlike an oversized canary cage one would have hanging in their homes for their beloved pet. Except this cage was not built for a beloved pet. It was constructed for a much desired and deadly prey, having thicker bars only to provide oxygen and no chance of slipping between them; spikes lining them and pointed inwards for further of this impossibility. Even thicker chains were wrapped around its cylinder-like shape, coming to be locked tightly at the front of its single hatch.

It was nothing short of a prison, an over-kill of a prison under normal circumstances in catching animals. But this was definitely not normal circumstances. And what lay hidden in the shadows of its innards was definitely not just any animal.

The youth was pulled out of his horror-filled awe by a low, drawn out growl. The noise went straight to his spine, coaxing out momentary shivers as he hesitated to get any closer. Brown eyes closed and deep breaths were taken before the last steps to be directly in front of the cage were achieved. Eyelids slowly opened, and the sight was breath taking.

Silver eyes stared back, unblinking and unmoving and a predatory likeness to them; the only things to be seen from the shadows of the cage. The intensity of them was so overwhelming, the youth was unsure if the creature that they belonged to was truly trapped within its confines or was, in reality, encompassing his very being; his body and soul.

The breath he had not realized he was holding was only released when those eyes suddenly disappeared behind the shadows as well, leaving him with a cold, and unresolved emptiness. The blond-haired boy shook his head and blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to shake the rest of the lingering stir of emotions away.

Slowly, almost unsurely, he broke a shaking hand forward to the edge of the cage. He turned his hand so his palm faced upwards, opened to present the now slightly mushed contents within.

"I-Its food," he began shakily, moving forward even closer when he got no response. "…for you…"

He leaned forward on his tiptoes, moving to dump the contents on the floor of the cage. They instead made their way to the muddy grass below as a large hand suddenly clasped his wrist and sharply twisted it downward. The youth cried in pain, other hand attempting to free the thick fingers that were looking to add the bones of his wrist to shattered nothings as the pebbles below their feet.

He was pulled forward roughly, large, angry eyes glaring back into his panicked ones.

"And what is it that you think you are doing here, boy?" His captor asked slowly, palming the blade on the belt at his left side. The younger gulped quietly, eyeing the weapon as it glinted gleefully under its masters fingers. A rough shake brought him back to attention.

"Answer the question, you damn fool!" the other roared, yellow-stained, black plaque teeth clenching in anger.

"N-nothing sir!" the boy squeaked, wincing for the upcoming pain that was sure to come his way. Instead, however, the man before him gently let him go; a look of surprise gracing his gruff, mangled, masculine features. The boy stared back in confusion.

"Nothing you say?" the older man said back in mock curiosity. He then looked back at the approaching men, pointing toward the youth. "You hear that, men? They boy here said he ain't done nothing with his time."

The others chuckled and rumbled in amusement, coming to a stop behind the largest of them all. The first man, too, chuckled quietly to himself, examining a clenched fist with calm amusement. Large, narrowed eyes then glanced sideways at the silent youth. A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips.

"Then I guess this will be for nothing then."

The large man swung his arm, ring covered fist full on connecting with the smaller's cheek, sending him sprawled across the floor with a pained grunt. The youth could barely register the resulting cruel laughter that echoed around him. He tried desperately to push himself up, past the pain. He needn't try as he was forcefully yanked upwards by the hem of his tunic, only to be thrown across the hard ground toward his supposed friends who gladly stopped his skidding body with kicks of their feet.

Hard fingers tangled in his hair, yanking him up once more and pulling his head backward to face their owner. Dark green eyes filled with sick glee stared back at him.

"You think that damned creature in there gives a damn of what happens to ya?" he asked smoothly, turning the youth's head to face the cage. The piercingly silver eyes were back, staring on in narrowed patience.

The man placed his face closer to the youth's so he, too, could face the cage as he whispered in his ear, "If anything it is angry that it cannot finish you off with its own filthy claws."

A 'shink' of a sword could be heard as the man brought the sharp metal over his head, throwing the boy to the ground. He looked back at his crew.

"We don't need any sentimental hearted fools in our band of men now do we, brothers?" he asked haughtily, receiving a collective roar of "NO LEADER!" in return. "I thought not."

He turned to bring the sword down and finish the show only to lose his footing as a harsh, random gust of wind knocked him on his back. He snarled, shoving away the others attempts to get him on his feet as he stomped to a standing. His eyes widened as he stared at the two figures before him.

"It's another one of those creatures, sir!" One of his men hollered, the others standing in attention with their weapons at hand.

Sparkling, green energy twirled around thin, ivory-kissed fingers, tendrils making their way upward into equally enchanting green eyes. White fangs peered from smirking, red lips.

"What a rude introduction." Maleficent tsked, glancing sideways at her companion with an even wider smirk. "Don't you agree, Diaval?"

"Quite rude," he grinned back at her. "I believe we should rectify this, Mistress."

The feary's wings twitched in excitement. "My thoughts exactly."

XXXXXX

The young man was pulled from the depths of unconsciousness by the sounds of grunts and yelped of pain and clashing metal. He groggily looked up to see a large-winged creature in the middle of the crowd of men tossing them about like pebbles skidding across a pond's surface. She was accompanied by an equally large black wolf that tore into their armor and rustled the metal and weapons from them.

He whimpered quietly as he struggled to stand, ignoring the gradual flow of blood sliding down his face and collecting on his clothes. Through the agony his thrumming ears managed to catch the sound of sizzling and the smell of something burning wafted his nose. He looked up to see an arm reaching through the small spaces of bars in the cage, a stick grasped between slender fingers as it attempted to snag on the bunch of keys laid discarded a few feet below. One of the others must have lost them in the fight.

As the young man stared on, it was only then that he registered strained hisses and pain-filled snarls of the creature attempting to grab at its freedom. The arm was in the processing of becoming fully charred as it pressed against the iron of the cage, jerking and twisting in desperation to get its prize before it was too late.

He groaned as he padded toward the cage, slumping down before the keys and slowly picking them up. A quietly hissed cursed flew from the cage as the branch was left on the ground and the arm retreated back into the cage. Blood soaked bangs swished slightly as the young man looked at the cage, seeing nothing but shadows once more.

With a deep breath he heaved himself up onto his feet once more and turned to the cage.

"Imma…Imma letyouout…" he slurred, the pain making the world spin around him. The key was the forcefully jammed into the lock, unsuccessfully twisted about to get it to open before a heaven sent 'click' was finally heard. He grinned goofily at his achievement as he swung the hatch open and waited for the creature to escape of into the bright sky. But nothing happened. He frowned and went to look inside the cage as someone called from behind him.

"WATCH OUT!"

He turned to watch in horror as an axe was soaring its way to his head. A loud growl sounded from behind him in the caged and a heavy force suddenly slammed him to the ground; the whoosh and wind of the ax flying mere inches above his head before getting stuck inside the now empty cage.

Brown eyes tried to blink the dizziness away as he looked up at his 'savior.' The same stunning silver eyes glared back at him, only now attached to a lot more than darkness. He stared up in awe as his gaze sluggishly travel further from those eyes to see porcelain skin of a slender face with full pink lips; accented by deep russet colored hair with highlights of black, brown and gold, much like the leaves of the forests that are scattered during autumn as the tresses blanketed his own face.

He blinked slowly before muttering kindly, "My…name…is…John."

Those pink lips pulled back into a sneer, proudly showing glinting white pearls of fangs as silver eyes narrowed. John grinned lazily back up at the creature before letting his head loll to the side and let the unconsciousness claim him once more. He did manage to hear one last thing before going out.

"My name is Belladonna…"

XXXXX

The large-winged faery smacked away from her the last of the men, hissing at the ones who picked themselves up off the ground. They looked at her wearily before retreating away from the woods toward the main roads. She straightened herself out, huffing in triumph and casually brushing the dirt off her long sleeves.

She turned to see her partner chasing off the rest of the men before trotting toward her. With a flick of her fingers, the wolf starched and expanded into a tall, slender man; one of which who was looking greatly unamused.

Maleficent graced him with a blank look.

"Don't start with me, Diaval." She heaved a sigh of irritation rivaling the raven's. He bristled, watching as pushed past him.

"We talked about this!" he complained with a throw of his arms. "I will gladly be turned into anything but a mangy mongrel!"

The guardian of the Moors rolled her light emerald eyes, stopping momentarily to give him a sideways glare.

"The situation called for brute force and swiftness, both of which a wolf can provide." She explained, continuing to walk away.

He blanched. "Really?" He jogged to her to come up at her side. "You turned me into a dragon not a few weeks ago," he countered. "That would have been more than sufficient in this situation!"

"Be silent, Diaval." Maleficent sighed once more ignoring his continued grumblings and stopping before the unconscious boy still lying on the ground. She kneeled down, brushing her fingers across his bloodied forehead and down his neck.

"He's still alive," she said, tilting his head. "Just minor wounds…He will heal."

She stood to her full height once more, looking around.

"Where's the faery that was captured?" Diaval asked, voicing her concerns aloud. The black-haired man peered into the cage before looking up into the trees. There was no sign of her anywh-

"OOF!"

Diaval groaned as he was tackled from behind, causing him to ungracefully face plant into the dirt below. Fingers tangled up in his hair, yanking up his head as a blade was pressed up to his neck. He shivered as a hiss blew in his ear.

"Don't move, human." The being above him sneered, pushing the sharp weapon even closer into his skin.

The raven-man choked in discomfort. "N-not human…!"

"That is enough." Maleficent's voice sounded behind him. He then felt the weight upon his lift up off him and the blade fall to a thud before him. He quickly pushed himself back up to see the new faery being suspended in air by the larger's magic, snarling and hissing in panic and anger.

His mistress gave the other a lopsided grin, bringing the struggling form closer to her. "A bit more feral than the last time we met aren't we, little one?"

The younger faery paused, looking down in shock.

"Maleficent?" She asked in disbelief. Said faery smiled warmly at her, gently placing her down on her feet.

"The one and only."

The other continued to stare at her wordlessly with sharp, silver eyes. Diaval watched the exchange for a moment at a distance before curiosity overcame him and he approached them slowly.

"Well, Mistress," he began hesitantly, startling slight when the smaller of the two fear's whipped around and hissed at him. He smiled nervously down at her, before giving Maleficent a nervous look. "Are you going to introduce me to this," he hesitated once more, searching for the right words in those predatory eyes. "Proud warrior, you so graciously have the pleasure of knowing?"

The young faery calmed, straightening herself and beaming silently in a new air of confidence. The guardian watched the display with a hidden smirk before answering,

"Why yes of course, how rude of me." She coughed in an attempt to wipe the amusement from her face. "Diaval, this here is a very good friend I met once upon a time ago," she smiled, gesturing to the girl. "Belladonna."

He calmed at that, figuring if this faery had managed to be "good friends" with Maleficent, then there was a chance he would survive in her presence in this meeting.

"It is truly an honor," he bowed, offering his hand to her with a smile. Belladonna looked at his hand almost distastefully before looking away with her arms crossed.

"Charmed." She answered curtly, discreetly studying the man before her from head to toe.

Diaval straightened and lowered his hand awkwardly, looking to his friend with a deep frown. She shrugged and wave him off, giving a look that clearly said, "Don't worry about her." She then approached her old friend, placing a gentle hand on the burns and cuts scattered across autumn-patterned wings. Belladonna yelped and swiftly jumped away, glaring at her.

"That. Hurts." She growled, baring her fangs.

"As lovely as ever." Maleficent retorted with a roll her eyes. She placed hand behind the other and pushed her forward, causing her to stumble slightly and throw her another glare. The older faery pointed to the woods.

"Get moving," she ordered with another shove. "We need to get those wounds taken care of." Belladonna stepped forward to say something but was cutoff with a wave of a hand. She yelped as she was, once again, unceremoniously floating in the air again.

"You cannot fly with those wounds on you wings," the guardian explained before the other could start. She went to push herself into the sky before pausing, looking at her friend. "And while you are healing, you can explain to me what business you have here, so far away from home."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"OW! You're hurting me, woman!"

'SMACK'

"OW! What was that for?!"

"For talking back, child."

Diaval snickered in thought, watching the display below from his perch on a branch in his true form. Maleficent had the new faery, Belladonna, sitting before her as she tended to her wounds. First, she would clean them with the crystal clear water of the stream before them before rubbing in some herbal paste into them. Lastly she bandaged them up to keep them from the forces of the environment. A simple process really, if not for the younger's constant gripes and growls, prompting a certain guardian to put her in her place with a good smack in the head.

Belladonna grumbled with her arms cross, wincing as Maleficent began cleaning of the cut on her cheek. Metallic-like eyes peered up from behind russet bangs as a smiling blond-haired woman approached them with a basket in hand.

"I brought more of the bandages you needed, Godmother." Aurora said, gently placing the basket beside them. Belladonna studied her for a while before sniffing in disinterest and turning away. Aurora just continued to smile pleasantly at her.

Maleficent smiled softly at her. "Thank you, my Little Beastie." She then looked down expectantly at the young faery. Said faery tilting her nose upward in an arrogant gesture. She yelped as a harsh tug at her made her look upwards into a glittering green gaze. Another expectant look.

Belladonna sighed, letting her head loll to the side to give Aurora a bored look. "I am so very grateful, Miss Aurora." She said in a mockingly sweet voice. Aurora only giggled back, causing her to wrinkle her nose in annoyance. She growled as a hard flick landed on the tip of her ear, clasping it to shield it from further retaliation as she glared back at the other faery.

"What?"

Maleficent gave her a pointed look. "That is Queen Aurora to you, little one." She corrected.

Belladonna straightened suddenly, boy tensed and wings arched high as she gave Aurora a shocked look up and down. "You're the Queen of the United Kingdoms?"

Aurora and her companions looked at each other strangely. She then looked back at their new acquaintance.

"Why, yes I am…" she answered slowly. "Is there a problem?"

Belladonna fidgeted nervously as the others pinned her own with inquisitive looks. She then scoffed and looked away, hiding her eyes beneath her bangs. She hesitated and shrugged before answering,

"You're just…younger than I would expect a…Queen to be..." she finally answered, putting a strange emphasis on her title of royalty. Maleficent and Diaval noted it with an exchange of suspicious looks but Aurora simply smiled wider and shrugged.

"I know, I am a bit young to be the Queen of two kingdoms," she agreed with a laugh. "But with the great love and support I have," she continued, looking to Maleficent and Diaval who looked at her back with soft eyes. "I will definitely try to do my best with our kingdom."

Belladonna's eyes scanned her companions before flashing a seemingly forced smile to Aurora and nodding. "I'm sure you would."

Emerald eyes studying the being before them before closing with a sigh. Maleficent gracefully stood up, pinning the young faery with a stern yet curious look.

"Now that your wounds are tended to, I believe it is time you start answering my questions, Belladonna."

The other looked up warily at her, slowly pushing herself to a stand and staring nervously at Aurora, Maleficent and, the now human-formed, Diaval. Silver eyes then looked back to the older faery.

"What do you want to know?"