Chapter One

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Disney, I'm just having fun with them for my own pleasure :)

Two years had passed since the curse had been lifted from the Princess Aurora, and she became the Queen of the human kingdom. Two years since the evil Maleficent had become not so evil again, and the Moors turned bright and happy again. A lone figure was seen on a horse, headed towards the border between them, and as they approached, a winged figure landed in front of them. Aurora grinned and slipped off her horse, and ran forward.

"Godmother!"

"Hello, Aurora."

The two of them shared a hug before turning and heading into the Moors, chatting as they went. A familiar raven flew down, where Maleficent turned him into his human form.

"Morning, Diaval."

"Ladies." he said with a bow of the head.

Aurora grinned and hugged him as well, and after a few minutes, they reached a large clearing and sat down to talk about the goings on in their worlds. Maleficent spread her wings and leaned back on her hands, turning her face to the sky. Dialvo smirked to himself and reached over to playfully smack one of her hands out from under her, only to have her wing smack /his/ hand away.

"Nice try, birdie."

"Ah, I'll get you eventually."

"Mm...we'll see."

Aurora laughed when the man stuck his tongue out and leaned back against a tree.

"You two are funny. Oh! There's going to be a big ball at the castle in two days...I'd love it if you came."

"Last time I was there...they tried to kill me."

"They won't this time, I promise!"

Turning to dig through the bag she had with her, she produced a pair of folded papers and handed them over. Maleficent took them and handed one of them to Diaval, before flipping hers open.

"A formal invitation, eh? You really want us to come, don't you?"

Aurora nodded and smiled when Diaval moved over to sit next to the fairy, looking hopeful. The fairy in question raised an eyebrow at him, before chuckling.

"Don't look at me like that, birdie."

"You just can't be bothered to have fun, can you, Mistress?"

"Two things. I don't dance, and I'm not fond of most humans. My little beastie here is an exception."

The young Queen gave her best puppy dog eyes, and Maleficent let out a light sigh.

"You two are horrible. Alright, we'll come."

Aurora gave a near squeal of happiness and got up, saying goodbye before heading back to the castle. Diaval stood up and stretched, holding a hand out to help his mistress off the ground. She rolled her eyes a bit, but took the offered hand anyways, pulling herself to her feet.

"I could have gotten up on my own, you know."

"Ah, yes, I know." he said with a slight wink in her direction, which caused the fairy to lift an eyebrow again.

The two of them wandered the Moors in comfortable silence, every now and then stopping to talk with some of the other creatures that inhabited the area. Maleficent yawned slightly when the sun began to set, and flexed her wings a bit. The raven smiled and peered up at the darkening sky.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, moving to lean against a near-by tree.

"Indeed it is. I suppose it's time to head back to the tree, hm?"

Diaval nodded and pushed off the tree he was leaning on, heading back towards the large one where the fairy slept. Maleficent followed, and before long, they reached her tree, and she took to the sky, landing in its branches where she had a nest-like bed set up. With a wave of her hand, Diaval was transformed back into a raven, and he flew up to join her, landing on the branch next to her hand. She reached over and stroked the feathers on his back before shifting to lay more comfortably on her large wings, and closing her eyes.

"Goodnight, birdie."

A soft caw was his response as he hopped into the large nest with her and made himself comfortable. Before long, the two of them were sound asleep, the peaceful sounds of the Moors relaxing them. At some point during the night, she was awoken by Balthazar, one of the border guards.

"Hm? Balthazar? What is it?"

The large tree creature simply gestured with his head towards the border, shifting his wooden lance in his hand in agitation. Maleficent blinked and shifted, getting up, careful not to wake the slumbering raven, and took to the skies. Balthazar followed as she flew towards the border, his anxiousness rubbing off on the fairy. When she landed, her eyes narrowed and her magic flared a bit at seeing who was standing there.

"Stefan...what are you doing here...I thought I told you that you were not welcome here."

"I...just wanted to talk...I promise I won't hurt you..."

"Hurt me? As if I would allow you to ever hurt me again..."

Her wings flexed, ready to send her into the sky again if he tried anything. The former king took a step forward, which cause Balthazar to growl and move to stand in front of his Queen.

"It's alright, Balthazar...I don't think he's foolish enough to attack me, not with you here. Speak your piece and leave, Stefan."

"I wanted to apologize...for everything. I never meant to...well...I did...but..."

"Just spit it out already, idiot."

"I really did care for you, Maleficent...I don't know what came over me."

The fairy stared at him for all of two minutes, making the man feel extremely uncomfortable, before she simply laughed. Balthazar looked down at her in confusion, shifting a bit before returning his gaze to the human. A loud caw sounded before a raven swooped down and landed on her shoulder, staring intently at the former king.

"Do you think I'm that much of a fool, boy? I don't believe a word you say. I forgave you, and you stole my wings to obtain power. You killed what good was in my heart, and by the gods I wanted to kill you for it. If not for that little girl of yours, I would have."

"Maleficent please...I came here to say I was sorry."

The raven cawed loudly, and the fairy waved her hand, turning him into his human self, letting him stand next to her.

"She said you aren't welcome here, human. I suggest you leave and don't come back."

"It's alright, Diaval. Don't waste your breath on him. Balthazar, see to it our...guest...returns to his kingdom."

The tree guardian growled and stepped forward, pointing his lance at the former king, who immediately stepped back. Diaval leveled a glare at the man before turning to follow his mistress back into the Moors. Once they were a good distance in, she stopped walking, wings shaking a bit.

"Mistress? Are you alright?"

"Fine...I'm...I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine..."

Maleficent sighed and moved to sit on the ground, folding her wings against her back. Diaval sat next to her and hesitantly reached over to place a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to him and smiled a bit, not shrugging off his hand as she would have before.

"You seem upset...what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I promise. I'm just wondering if letting him go was the right thing to do...I have this nagging feeling that he'll continue to come here."

"If he does...I'm sure the guardians will take care of him."

A few moments later, Balthazar passed them, bowing his head slightly before continuing on his way.

"I didn't mean to wake you when I left, by the way."

The man-bird laughed and shook his head before standing and stretching, again holding his hand out to her, which she declined.

"Go on back, I'll be there soon."

Diaval nodded and started to walk back to the tree, hands behind his head. Maleficent rolled her eyes, and after a few moments, stood as well. Instead of going back to her tree, she wandered the Moors, healing trees and plants as she went. When the fairy reached the edge of a lake, she sat down with her legs folded under her, and reached down to run her hand through the water.

"I should have done this two years ago...ugh..."

Distracted as she was, she didn't notice the man lurking in the trees, slowly drawing a sword from it's scabbard. When her senses finally heard the sound of the iron sword being drawn, her wings stiffened, and she turned towards the noise. The moment she turned, she was charged, the sword biting into her arm, and the collision with the un-known man sending her falling into the water behind her. Maleficent splashed about to right herself in the water and get her head above the surface, but instead, her apparent attacker splashed /into/ the water and wrapped a hand around her neck to hold her down.

"Die, you disgusting creature!"

The sword he held dove into the water, again piercing her skin, remaining stuck where it landed in her side. The fairy flapped her wings desperately under the water, the tips barely breaking the surface. The commotion drew the attention of the water nymphs that lived in the lake, and they immediately rushed to their Queen's aid, throwing rocks, and anything else they could find, at the man.

He released his grip on her and blocked his face from the flying projectiles before exiting the water and running back towards the border, Balthazar and the others right on his heels.

Maleficent broke the surface with a gasp, and drug herself from the water, a pained yell escaping her when she pulled the sword from her side and tossed it away. She coughed and leaned on a rock next to the lake, catching her breath. Rustling in the trees behind her caught her attention and she immediately turned, raising her hand, ready to blast anyone that emerged.

"Mistress!"

She sighed and dropped her hand when Diaval emerged from the trees and rushed to her side.

"Mistress what happened?! You're hurt..."

"I...was distracted. A human attacked me. How he got into the Moors is beyond me, but..."

He immediately noticed the iron sword and set about examining the wound, careful not to put too much pressure on it. She let out a low hiss and closed her eyes, her wings twitching in response to the pain. The water nymphs brought over a plant from the bottom of the lake and handed it to the raven, who carefully placed it over the wound made by the sword.

"Thank you, birdie."

He smiled at her, and after securing the plant in place, he reached over to take her hand.

"Can you walk?"

"I...think so..."

He nodded and helped her stand up, the fairy stumbling a bit. Diaval caught her, and then picked her up, heading towards the tree where they slept. She looked up at him and smiled slightly, allowing one of her arms to loop around his neck, and her head to rest on his shoulder. He smiled back and once they reached the tree, he huffed.

"Hm...didn't think about this part."

Maleficent chuckled and motioned for him to put her down, which he did carefully.

"I think I can still fly, silly bird."

She spread her wings and flapped them carefully, wincing a bit when the motion caused a bit of pain.

"Perhaps we should sleep on the ground, tonight, mistress..."

"I suppose you're right..."

Diaval helped her down to the ground before sitting himself next to her, making sure the plant hadn't dislodged.

"You worry too much, Diaval. I'll be fine, really."

"I'm allowed to worry about you...I..."

"Sh. We'll talk more tomorrow. I'm exhausted."

He nodded, and once she fell asleep, he dared to lean over and kiss her forehead, right next to one of her horns. She smiled in her sleep and leaned over, falling against his side. The raven blinked, and allowed himself to drape an arm over her shoulders, careful of her wings, and closed his eyes.