A.N: So it's been a little over a month since I finished For Your Happiness and that's amazing! It was a nice break but I couldn't stay away from writing these characters for too long! So, I have decided to begin a new project. This will be a collection of one shots from the same universe as For Your Happiness. The timeline starts when Diaval first meets Maleficent.
I will talk about how the specifics are going to work on my ending note, but until then let's get started with the first of this collection.
Disclaimer: I do not own Maleficent, and all rights go to their respective owners.
...
It was always black and white. No colours, no grey area. Only black and white.
You find your own food, you find your own nest, don't get injured or caught or you will be killed.
You find a mate, make a nest, hatch your own fledglings, and the cycle continues. That's the world, that's your purpose and there is nothing else. The only emotions you know are primal. There is anger, protectiveness, desire to mate, hunger, fear, and pain.
You are either the prey or the predator, there is no second ground. This was the world.
So you know when you feel the net entangle your wings and hear the dogs barking that you have failed in your purpose. You are now the prey, you will die unless you can escape. No grey. No colours.
You are fearful, you wish to fly away. Your wings are restrained, you cannot fly away. Black and white still.
But then you've felt something never experienced before, and you can feel your bones moving under your skin and suddenly the net isn't so heavy anymore.
Something more too, new feelings, sensations, colours.
"It's a demon!" The farmer yells, running off with the dogs and his malicious intents. The bird realizes with a shock he can understand the human's words. It had only ever been known as squabble before.
What was happening? What was he seeing? He felt cold, he felt heavy and there was so much rushing at him at once. Where was his wings? The sleek black feathers that gave him flight?
A female human came into view. No... she wasn't human, not quite. What was she? Why did it matter? What was this curiosity that grew inside of him, it had only ever mattered if she was prey or predator, yet now he felt drawn to her.
"What have you done to my beautiful self?" He mumbled, his mind clicked that he had spoken, in their language no less! This was not only about his form, surely she could help him! He was so, so... confused?
"Would you rather I let them beat you to death?" She replied, locking his gaze with her own. Her voice was smooth, and he liked it. Another strange sensation and he was still so, so confused.
"I'm not certain." He replies after a moment, because he really isn't. It is too much so fast and yet his body seems to be under no duress. How can he live with so much processing in his mind all at once? For the first time in his life, there is colours and feelings and confusion.
"Stop complaining." The she human continues, and again he feels pleasure by her voice and his understanding of it. "I saved your life."
Yet everything he had ever known about assessing new creatures was that she was a foe. A predator perhaps. Her gaze hadn't wavered once, her body was assertive and he could feel the power of one at the top of the food chain radiating off her. So why had she done that? Was she friend or foe? One could not be both. He drops his gaze before she, finding the words surprisingly easy.
"Forgive me." Forgiveness? He had never encountered that before, hadn't ever heard the word before either. It was human concept. So why had he now used it, and why had he known what he was asking?
"What do I call you?"
Oh. He had never been called anything before, there was no need. Why did she ask him when he had no idea himself? Diaval. A voice sneered inside his head. Why he was remembering something, but that had been so long ago how could he now access it? A young farmer's wife had sneered the title at him whilst he perched in hopes of scraps.
"Diaval." He decided, for it had been the one and only title given to him. He did not know what it meant. He was still wondering how he could remember so far in the past and how he could now understand the squabble of the humans' language. Even in his thoughts. "And in return for saving my life, I shall be your servant. Whatever you need." More words that he did not know, yet he knew that with these words he could stay with her. This she not quite a human, who was neither friend nor foe.
For the first time in his life, there was grey.
"Wings. I need you to be my wings." He knew those words. Why would she put him in this infernal form if she had sought a raven the whole time?
He knew what he was to call her. Mistress. The word sounded oddly good tumbling around his mind.
"You are in the form of a man." She explained, and he hoped she would go on. "I change you at my own will, with magic. Listen up because I shall not repeat this. You will fly to the humans' castle and bring me the news and conversations that partake there."
"Mistress I still do not understand-"
She held up two fingers, and he took it as her signal for him to be silent.
"I understand that this is all very new. Animals are not as stupid and people like to make them out to be. You pick up the language without even realizing it. While at the time it may only sound like gibberish your mind stores the information and then forgets that it has it. Soon it will be clearer and clearer and you won't be confused. I explain this now because you are confused now but as soon as the mind of man fully sets in for your form it will become better."
She was merciful for allowing his questions, instead of throwing him into this new world blind. He did not know how pleased he was being told that he would soon have a mind of a man.
"Also, men wear clothes." He opened his mouth but she cut him off. "The word will come to you, here." She handed him a bundle of fabric, "Put these on."
Clothes. Coverings for humans, they seem to wear them all the time except when the bathe. He was awkward and clumsy when he moved his limbs but eventually correctly wore the outfit she had produced. It was black and reminded him of his raven form.
They walked, she had curtly explained to him that her home was in the Moors and that she expected him to come to her when she called.
Then she changed him again, and it felt like someone had flipped a switch. Yet things were not as they were before... Not completely.
He followed orders, returned with what he had heard and later recalled while in the form of the man.
She nodded her head, the features of her face never twitching. Diaval thought she did not seem cruel nor did she seem friendly. And when he was between states he could see how the darkness circled her and tried to wrap it's claw around her heart.
He stayed, and learned. The first thing he learned of course was how to be a man, but at the same time he began to grasp emotions and feelings and his mistress. Oh how he learned. They said a broken heart was the hardest to understand, and it was hard to understand but not hard to see. For the first time he saw a broken heart was when his mistress and told him that he was to be her wings.
...
The rest of the community that he had once lived in rejected him, cawing in their language that he was an abomination to serve a fae. (He'd learned that that is what Maleficent was shortly after their first meeting.) He found he didn't mind that much, the creatures of the Moors quenched his newborn curiosity. And he found sleeping somewhat near his mistress was easier than not.
Diaval spoke to the other residents of the Moors, learning bits and pieces of Maleficent's story. She had been right he no longer was confused at the world around him. What she hadn't told him was that emotions were so strong.
He learned about her past with the King and felt such sadness for the fae. That's when he realized that he had seen her broken heart that first day.
Sentiment was also hard to grasp, but eventually after about half a year he had grasped everything that being a man was. It was most definitely not easy but at least he wouldn't spend the rest of his life confused.
When he had bore the news of the new King he had been fearful as she screamed in rage and let the power surge from the staff she used to help her walk. The absence of her wings he guessed was the cause of her disability.
After that he could see the darkness more clearly, as she took over the position of Queen of the Moors. A position that he understood, no creature of the Moor had known before.
Even though she treated him as a servant and nothing more, he found he enjoyed the company of Maleficent. At first he would tell her what he had heard and she would change him back to a raven and that would be all, but as the months went on he found that they spent a bit more time together.
He ate with her, engaged with limited conversation but in that conversation he would try to amuse her. Just to see her playful eyes jibe back or rarely a true smile would grace her lips.
It seemed that maybe, she would be able to fend off the darkness from truly taking over her heart. He thought that if she could then she would be happier, and for some reason that's all he wanted. He didn't want her heart to be broken anymore.
But that notion came crashing down as he carried news that would surely hurt her even more. How he wished he didn't need to bear this, this had the potential of ruining her for good.
And he'd do anything to take back the news of the royal baby when he sees unshed tears pool in hear eyes which he quickly hides.
"A grand celebration... For a baby. How wonderful." She sneers, her lips curling into a sinister smile. The darkness circled her heart more closely, looking for a crack big enough to enter. Sadly, he could see that it had found one.
He reminded himself that he must have faith in her, that she was broken not evil. He was her servant and he was to be what she needed, that she was good. She is grey. This became his chant as he watched her spiral, embracing the darkness and letting it pretend to fill those cracks.
She's grey. She's grey. She's grey.
Yet he knew that it wasn't going to be enough. She just needed one person believing in her he thought, we can get through this together. That darkness hasn't won yet. I'll make sure it never does.
She's grey. She's grey. She's grey.
A.N: So there's the first chapter. I thought it was the best of the plot bunnies in my head to start this collection with. I have maybe one or two left in here but after that I've decided that it can be up to you guys to ask or suggest one-shots for me to write. I want to say thank you to those who were so helpful to me in my first Maleficent fic so this is my way of doing it!
If you have thoughts, or a prompt that you'd like to see you can PM it to me, or leave it in the review box and I'll try with all my might to get it as you hoped for!
Thank you so much for reading!