Most ravens mated and had a family. Most ravens mated early in life and had at least one batch of hatchlings by now. Most ravens weren't Diaval. Of course, he tried not to think about it. After all, most ravens weren't granted the gift of transformation.
But sometimes, when he wasn't spying on the King or flying after Aurora, who grew more adventurous every day, he allowed himself to dream. He pictured a beautiful she-raven, a plump nest, and five or six eggs. He imagined sitting on them, keeping them safe from harm. He saw them hatching, and watched as his beautiful mate helped them grow. He taught them to fly when they were ready, calming them when they fell.
It was wonderful, it was beautiful. It was something he could never have. Each day spent under Maleficent's command made him more human, less conscious of his primary instincts. He felt more, saw more, understood more. He fought it at first, desperate to cling to what he knew.
But gradually his will to fight faded and he accepted his changes. That didn't mean he always liked it, and sometimes, when he was really angry, he found himself wishing Maleficent would have just let the dog eat him. But those times were far and few between, and more often than not he was worried about other things. Was Aurora healthy? Was his Mistress allowing her anger to completely control her?
With time, he grew to love his human form almost as much as his true one. He learned to filter his emotions and survive under his Mistress. He learned her habits, learned when to push a topic and when to let her be. He saw her for who she was inside, and knew she was better than she thought. And at some point, he fell in love.
Most ravens mated and had a family. Most ravens mated early in life and had at least two, perhaps three batches of hatchlings by now. Most ravens weren't Diaval. Most ravens weren't in love with a faerie. Most ravens hadn't raised a Queen.
Diaval wasn't most ravens. He had served many years under a powerful faerie, raised the kingdom's Princess, fallen in love with said faerie, and saw wrongs righted. Watched as the little Princess broke through a damaged woman's shield and healed her broken heart. Observed as said woman accepted the child into her life, and watched proudly as the little Princess became Queen of two kingdoms, subsequently uniting them and ending a centuries old war. Swelled with happiness as a certain newly-repaired faerie accepted and returned his love.
Sometimes, when he wasn't spending time with Maleficent or playing with his grandchildren, he recalled a long ago dream of a nest, a mate, and hatchlings, and smiled. He no longer craved that dream, he had found a better one. Instead, he looked around at his family. His mate, Maleficent, the faerie he had once served under. His one hatchling, Aurora, who had survived a curse and gone on to become Queen. Her children, daughters Alexandra, Rose, and Malora, ages five, three, and two, and her son, Diaval, who was four months.
He didn't need a traditional family. He didn't need to soar through the air on a daily basis. All he needed he had, right in front of him. He lived his life surrounded by family, albeit an unusual one. His heart swelled with love each time his mate told him she loved him, each time Aurora called him Daddy or he heard her call Maleficent Mother and watched her light, each time his granddaughters called him Papa.
No, he no longer craved the nest and hatchlings. He had found a better dream that he would spend the rest of his life living. After all, Diaval wasn't like most ravens.