Years again passed like days to the pair of them, and one morning, not long after Celine's tenth birthday, the horned woman was seated by the lake, conversing with the water nymphs that inhabited it. Feeling someone watching her from the treeline caused her to roll her eyes and peer over her shoulder a bit, simply waiting.

"I know you're back there, little one."

The gentle rustling of feathers and leaves, as well as a startled yelp as a figure stumbled out of the tree-line, caused the woman to laugh and turn around. Standing up straight and dusting off her dress, was a young girl with dark brown wings and jet black horns.

"You should know you can't sneak up on me."

"I'll surprise you one day!"

"Mm, perhaps."

Grinning, the girl ran forward and sat down in front of the other woman, her feet dangling in the water of the lake. Maleficent rolled her eyes and went about straightening out the girl's feathers, cleaning leaves from them.

"How you manage to get your wings so dirty and ruffled is beyond me, Dawn."

"Sorry, mother."

Chuckling again, she pulled one last leaf from her daughter's feathers before leaning back on her hands and gazing up at the sky. The gentle breeze carried the sound of ruffling feathers, once again, and Maleficent closed her eyes as Diaval landed in the lake clearing.

"There you two are."

"Was wondering how long it would take you to come looking for us, birdie."

"Aurora, Phillip and Celine are coming for a visit later today, are they not?"

"Actually, we'll be going to them. Phillip was called away on last minute business, and Aurora isn't feeling up to traveling without him."

Nodding, Diaval seated himself next to his mate, reaching out to pluck a stray leaf from between her feathers. Peering over at him, she lifted an eyebrow as he dropped the offending piece of foliage and smoothed the feathers back into place.

"What? You had a leaf…"

"Probably got there when this little one decided to try and sneak through the trees, and got leaves stuck all through her wings."

Blushing, the girl in front of them crossed her arms and huffed, doing an impeccable impression of her mother when the horned fairy was annoyed. It didn't last long, however, as she broke into a grin when some of the creatures of the Moors approached her for a game. Turning to look at her parents in silent question, her grin grew when they nodded their permission, and she took off to play.

"Energetic, isn't she love."

"I was as well when I was her age."

Diaval wrapped his arms around Maleficent and pulled her close, the horned woman immediately moving to recline against his chest, letting him hold her against him. Watching their daughter, the Princess of the Moors, play in the distance, caused pride to swell inside both of them.

"I'm so glad we have her…"

"So am I."

"And you thought you wouldn't make a good mother…I hate to say I told you so…"

"Shush or I'll turn you into a dog."

Grinning, the man pressed a kiss to the top of her head before turning his eyes back across the lake. The two were content to stay that way, lounging in the warmth of the sun and occasionally snacking on berries that were presented to them by some of the Moorland residents. A bit later in the afternoon, the pair of fairies disentangled from one another and Diaval called across the lake to his daughter.

"Dawn! It's time to go!"

"Coming!"

Saying goodbye to her friends, the girl joined her parents where they hovered in the air, and together, the three of them flew through the skies towards Aurora's castle. Almost as soon as they landed, Dawn found herself wrapped in a hug by Celine, the two having grown close very fast. Maleficent and Diaval gave and received hugs as well, before Aurora entered the main hall to greet them.
"Godmother, Diaval!"

"Ah, hello beastie."

The three fairies were met with warm hugs from the Queen, and as the two Princesses ran off to play, the three of them sat in the castle's library. Aurora told the two fairies of things that had been happening in her Kingdom, including her father's growing illness.

"He hasn't gotten any better, then?"

"No, he's getting worse, if anything."

Maleficent reached over and laid a gentle hand on Aurora's shoulder, squeezing in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. The young Queen covered her hand with her own and smiled slightly, before her godmother withdrew her hand. Loud laughter caught their attention, and they all shared a light laugh as they saw Dawn fly by the window with Celine, low to the ground in case the human girl were to fall.

"It's so amazing that our daughters are able to be friends."

"Agreed, beastie."

"Do you like being parents?"

Diaval grinned, and it was a sure bet if he'd still been a raven, his feathers would have puffed up in pride. Maleficent chuckled at the look on her mate's face and nodded, before the man voiced his opinion.

"It's definitely nothing like I'd thought it would be, but I can't think of anything I'd rather do with my life now."

Reaching over, he took the horned fairy's hand and squeezed gently, causing a gentle smile to curl her lips. Aurora simply beamed at seeing the two of them so happy, and laughed when Dawn and Celine ran into the library. As soon as she took in the frazzled look on the pair of children, the laughter stopped abruptly, and Maleficent lifted an eyebrow at her daughter.

"Uhm…there's…a creepy old lady wandering around outside."

"A creepy old lady?"

"Yeah. She's not human, and I don't think she's a fairy either…she just kinda stopped and stared at us. It was super strange and kinda freaked us out."

Glancing to her goddaughter, the horned woman stood up and followed the two outside, where there was indeed what appeared to be an older woman wandering around the castle grounds.

"Excuse me…"

Turning with speed that didn't fit her age, the woman leveled the fairy with a stare, her piercing gray eyes seeming to bore into Maleficent's soul. Feathers ruffling a bit at the woman's odd gaze, the horned fairy took a cautious step closer.

"Are you lost?"

When the woman again made no answer, the fairy walked closer, only stopping when she was a few feet away. After a moment of hesitation, she reached out and placed a hand on the older woman's shoulder, attempting to get her attention. A loud, shrill shriek suddenly escaped her, causing everyone within hearing distance to cover their ears and wince. Maleficent shrank back away from her, hands cupped over her ears, feathers bristling at the loud noise so close to her. After a few moments, the sound stopped, and when the fairy opened her eyes, the strange woman was gone. Uncovering her ears and shaking her head, she turned her eyes towards Dawn and Celine, finding them doing the same.

"Are you girls alright?"

"What was that?!"

"I…I'm not sure. Definitely not human."

Turning around, the fairy put a hand on the girls' shoulders and led them back inside, where Diaval and Aurora were uncovering their ears. Seeing his mate come back inside, he lifted an eyebrow in silent question. Shaking her head, the woman silently told him she had no clue what had happened, and the three of them joined him and Aurora. Grinning when Celine insisted that her mother read to them, the blonde Queen quickly obliged, laughing when her daughter handed her a book from one of the shelves. Excusing themselves as she read, Maleficent led Diaval outside, green eyes searching the area for the strange woman from before.

"What was she?"

"I'm not sure. The scream is reminiscent of a Banshee, but those died out long ago."

"Do you think it could be possible that they aren't actually extinct?"

"At this point, I'm hard pressed to disbelieve anything."

Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around his mate's waist and pulled her back against him, dark eyes joining hers in looking around the grounds. Giving a wave as the familiar form of Martha passed by, carrying a basket of laundry, the rulers of the Moors turned to walk along the perimeter of the castle, making sure nothing was amiss. A loud scream tore through the relative silence, and had the two fairies back inside in a heartbeat, with Maleficent stopping short just inside the library doors. Aurora was kneeling on the floor next to the prone form of her father, panic on her young face.

"What happened?"

"He hasn't been able to walk for months...and...he just...came down here and collapsed!"

Moving forward, the horned woman knelt down as well, her eyebrows knitting together as Stefan took shallow, raspy breaths. Lifting the former king, with Diaval's help, the pair returned him to his room and made sure he was settled before returning downstairs. Aurora was seated with Dawn and Celine, both a bit flustered at seeing Stefan collapse before them.

"Perhaps we should return to the Moors, and see if anything odd has happened there while we have been gone."

"I'll go, love. You and Dawn stay, I'll be back soon."

"Be careful."

"Always am."

Grinning at the disbelief on Maleficent's face, he leaned over and caught her in a quick kiss before stepping outside and taking to the sky. Watching him until he vanished across the border, the pair of mother and daughter attempted to relax, listening to the blond read some more. Becoming more and more anxious as time passed, and her mate did not return, the horned fairy had an increasingly difficult time staying focused on the story being told. A soft rustle of feathers caught her attention and she looked over as Dawn moved to sit next to her, worry in her eyes.

"Shouldn't father be back by now?"

"Yes...which is why I suggest we go back to the Moors."

Sharing a quick hug with her goddaughter, the two took to the sky and returned to the Moors, sharp eyes searching for Diaval amid the trees. Landing near their tree, Maleficent let out a sound akin to a growl when the man was nowhere to be found. Instructing her daughter to stay put in case he returned to the tree, the older woman headed off into the trees, intent on finding him. Picking her way through the leaves, Maleficent let her sharp green eyes travel over everything, hearing trained on listening for the familiar rustle of her mate's feathers. A sound caught her attention, and she turned her head slightly, standing perfectly still, trying to discern what the noise was. A low hum seemed to echo through the Moors, causing the horned fairy to knit her eyebrows together in confusion. As she stood there, a strong wind blew up, carrying with it the sound of a pained yell, from a very familiar voice.

"Diaval..."

Turning, she hastily made her way towards where she'd heard the yell from her lover, determined to find him before the sun sank below the horizon. Emerging into a clearing, she spotted the man in question, fighting against a heavy iron chain that was wrapped around his left wing. Moving forward, rather quickly, Maleficent approached, ignoring the burn of the iron as she gripped the chain and helped her mate free his wing. As soon as it was off, Diaval shot forward, falling to the earth and wincing as she pulled the offending object from the tree it was suspended from.

"What the hell happened?"

"I...wish I knew. I was taking our usual path, checking everything...then I got caught by...something."

"How long have you been like that?"

"I don't know honestly. I lost sense of time."

Moving over, Maleficent helped him off the ground, the two of them walking back towards their tree, where Dawn was waiting for them. The girl had flown up to her nest in the tree next to it, and was watching the area for anything amiss, as she'd been taught. As soon as she saw her parents break the tree-line, she flew down again and ran over to them, worry in her eyes.

"Father! Are you okay?"

"He'll be alright, he just needs rest."

Nodding, she watched anxiously as the male fairy sat down at the base of the large tree, wincing as Maleficent examined the burning on his wing, only retiring to her own nest when her mother shot her a look. A frown curled her lips at seeing the angry mark on his skin, the feathers compressed from having the chain wrapped around them.

"How bad is it?"

"It could be worse. You're lucky I found you when I did...any longer and you may have lost your wing."

"How the hell did a chain end up in the Moors?"

"I'm not sure. Did you see anything off when you returned?"

Shaking his head, Diaval huffed in thanks when he felt his mate's magic flowing into his injured wing, doing her best to heal it and ease his pain. Reaching over, he took one of her hands in his and smiled a bit, coaxing a small one from her as well.

"You need to rest. That burn should be healed by morning."

Maleficent stood, helping him to his feet, and it wasn't long until they were relaxing in their nest at the top of their tree. The pair called a quiet goodnight to their daughter in the tree next to theirs, and she returned it before settling down to sleep. Diaval, after struggling to find a position that didn't hurt, ended up laying on his side, arm draped over his mate's waist as she insisted he rest his head on her chest.

"Aren't I supposed to be the one holding you?"

"Shush and go to sleep, Diaval."

Lifting up to gaze down at her, she rolled her eyes before putting a hand on the back of his neck and drawing him down into a loving kiss. Grunting, he soon found a comfortable position with his head on her chest, ear resting over her heart, the steady beat and her fingers in his hair lulling him to sleep. Senses on high alert, sleep didn't find the horned fairy that night, as she stayed awake, watching and listening for any threats that may approach under the cover of darkness.

AN: I'm BAAAAAACK! I re-watched the movie, and FINALLY decided to continue with this story! I know I did quite a large time-skip here, but it's where my muse took me! I hope you enjoy, as I plan on keeping this going for at least a bit longer. I hope to be updating All In The Family soon as well, for those of you following that story!