This one-shot was requested by ThatPyscoTrekkie. Hope it lives up to your expectations!

"Mistress."

Maleficent swiped blearily at the noise, her eyes screwed shut against the light of the sun that heated her skin.

"Mistress." Barely a buzz, like the kind an insect would produce as it flew by her ear.

Again she swung an exhausted hand at the source of the sound, the other draped over her eyes in a feeble attempt to give her more time to sleep.

"Mistress." Louder now; she could almost distinguish whatever syllables the annoying creature was repeating.

She rolled to the side, away from the source, burying her face in the blanket of autumn leaves that coated the ground.

"Mistress." Now something was touching her on the shoulder, lightly shaking her. "Mistress, wake up."

"Go away," she moaned, flinging one arm at whatever was trying to wake her.

"Ouch!" The contact vanished as her hand met its mark with a stinging slap. "Mistress, really. You need to wake up. Aurora's in trouble."

And those were the magic words that jolted Maleficent from the scraps of her sleep. She sat bolt upright, colliding with a solid figure as her eyes raced to adjust to the light.

"Agh!" The other figure scrambled backwards, holding its head with agony. Now Maleficent could see the scars that marked his pale skin, the dark hair that covered whatever injury had occurred below.

"Diaval? What are you doing? Why are you human?" she asked groggily.

The raven-man made a most unhappy noise as he stood up and brushed his tunic off. "Because, Mistress, you were in a terrible temper this morning when I tried to wake you. You sent me off in this disgusting form to walk- walk!- all the way to Aurora's cottage and keep an eye on her."

The impulse to insult the injured man's pride warred with her curiosity as to why she had been woken up, with the latter eventually winning. "Then what necessitated my presence? Can you not keep an eye on some irritating child without assistance?" Maleficent snapped.

Diaval hesitated. "Mistress, something… is going on. With Aurora. I traveled to the cottage as commanded, and was there for only a few moments when I heard screaming. Lots of screaming. Aurora yelling that she was going to die, the aunties shrieking in fear." His dark eyes searched her own for the flash of emotion that roiled through them.

"Die… Like the curse? Oh, gods, did she find out about the curse?" Maleficent was glad she hadn't risen with Diaval, for her legs weakened even as she leaned against her elbows.

"No. At least, I don't think so." Diaval didn't sound entirely sure of himself, but he kept talking. "Aurora was screaming about blood and bleeding, and I don't think the aunties are capable of patching up a tiny scrape, let alone whatever was so severe that it had Aurora panicking."

Maleficent was on her feet before he had finished. "Come. Are you used to running? I'll have to leave you behind if you fall back," she warned.

"I'll keep pace, Mistress," Diaval replied, concern a shadow over his face.

Maleficent knew she must have the same appearance of fright, for though she tried to hate the girl she had cursed thirteen long years back, she could only hate the father. But she left her thoughts behind, outstripping them as she did Diaval as she whipped away, fleeing the camp with light steps.

Finally, the two reached the cottage, Diaval eventually catching up some time when Maleficent's soft breaths had deepened to gasps and her pace had slowed correspondingly. Now she slowed to a jog, heavy pants for air filling the forests. Sometimes I really do miss my wings, she thought wistfully as she stared out over the cottage.

No screams resonated from inside, but neither did wails of mourning. Maleficent felt a flutter of relief, then remembered that the aunties didn't care as strongly for the girl as she herself did.

She cast a glamour of magic upon her face, smoothing her cheekbones and lining her skin with wrinkles, dimming the crimson radiance of her lips and the gold-green fire of her eyes. Her long, curved horns she could not magic away, so instead she flipped the hood of her cloak above them and hoped their height would remain inconspicuous. She didn't intend on staying long enough for the child to be able to notice anything, anyway.

Recognition was a light in Diaval's eyes. "Will you transform me, Mistress? I want to be there to help."

"Of course," Maleficent replied, her voice crackling with age as the glamour reached her vocal cords. With a flick of now-brittle fingers, he was a raven in flight, already swooping toward an open window.

As if in a dream, she could hear voices from within the cottage as she drew closer.

Aurora's high-pitched squeal of fear: "But what's going on? I don't understand! How can I be bleeding but not dying?"

Knotgrass, hesitantly replying: "I believe it's a problem of a… more personal nature, dearie."

Aurora again: "How could this be in any way personal? I'm bleeding, not emotionally troubled!"

Now Maleficent approached the same window that Diaval perched on. Glancing inside, she could see the faeries-turned-human clustered around Aurora, trepidation evident on all their faces. A closer look, and Maleficent could see Aurora clutching at bits of her dress. There were definite bloodstains on the fine material, but what caught her notice was that they were all located, not at the heart where an assassin would dive, but much lower.

"Oh," she whispered. That made much more since. It was no wonder how little help the aunties were, as they were older, even for pixies, and likely had not gone through the trouble Aurora was experiencing for quite some time.

Thistletwit, her mind clearly reeling with the situation, clapped her hands in what appeared to be a sudden fit of insanity. "Well, Aurora, it all has to do with the birds and the bees!" she said cheerfully.

Knotgrass slapped the blonde. "Don't be stupid. That has nothing to do with… that!"

"It's close enough!" Thistletwit snapped as her battle cry before an onslaught of magical proportions ensued.

Maleficent dove out of the way as the two battling faeries, with Flittle egging them on, tumbled from the cottage and soon vanished in the meadows. "It seems their fights do come in handy sometimes," she remarked quietly as she rearranged her hood and knocked on the door.

A very tear-stained Aurora greeted her. "Oh, hello, ma'am. What brings you here?" the girl asked, all politeness despite her situation.

"I'm just a traveling healer. I stumbled upon this place, heard screams, and came to offer my assistance," Maleficent replied, grateful that her magic worked on the child.

"Oh, then do come in. I'm not sure if you'll be able to help me, though…" Aurora pushed the door open wider and allowed Maleficent to walk in.

"What's wrong, miss?" Maleficent asked in age-worn tones.

Aurora blushed. "Well, I'm… bleeding, and my aunties told me it's a 'personal' problem, but I don't really understand how… Is there something wrong with me?" Desperation filled the girl's blue eyes. "Am I sick? Dying? What's wrong with me?"

"Shush, shush, dear. There's nothing to be ashamed about," Maleficent soothed. "You're just going through some… changes, just like every other woman in the world. You'll survive through it."

Aurora still looked panicked. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. All that's occurring are some changes in your body, and what's happening to you is just a side effect."

A bit of the terror left her eyes. "Then if I can't make it stop, how do I make… this… stop?" Aurora gestured expansively at the stains on her dress.

"You do wear undergarments, do you not?" At Aurora's slight bewildered nod, she continued. "If you place some material, scraps of fabric and cotton or whatnot, and change it every few hours, it'll keep the blood away from the rest of your clothes."

"Oh, thank you!" Aurora squealed, hurling herself into the faerie's arms. Maleficent stiffened, and the girl drew back. "Sorry. I'm just glad that you could help me." Aurora flashed a vivid smile.

"Of course, dearie. No charge," Maleficent responded, carefully easing away and reaching for the door.

"Thank you! Safe travels!" Aurora called after her, much more vibrant now than she had been at the beginning of their meeting.

Maleficent did not respond, only striding away from the house quickly. Diaval swooped after her and landed a few paces ahead of her, within the forest that surrounded the cottage. With a flick of her fingers, he was a man once more, and unusually smug for that. Maleficent let out an exasperated sigh as she lowered the glamour and began to walk back to her camp.

"I knew it. I knew you cared about her," he crowed, grinning broadly as he followed a half step behind her.

"Diaval, not now."

"Otherwise you wouldn't have sprinted all the way here."

"Diaval, quiet."

"But what I don't understand, Mistress, is what was wrong with her."

"Diaval, just drop it."

"How was that a 'personal' problem? Could you explain that to me, Mistress?"

"Diaval, would you prefer to be turned into a dog?"

"You know, you're remarkably compassionate for someone who acts so cold. I didn't even know you could talk in such a comforting-"

"Diaval, just shut up."

"Woof!"

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