A/N: Hello, Samuel here with an odd little plot bunny. I was thinking about Diaval's reaction when he first becomes human, and it resembled Amalthea's reaction to humanity so perfectly (at least in my head), that I knew they just had to meet. I hope there are more fans of The Last Unicorn out there than there appear to be. Either way, enjoy and please review!
To Be Human Is To Be…
Diaval felt the air rush over his feathers as he flew steady and straight across The Moors. His mistress had sent him away saying she had no more use for him today, but he knew better. He could tell that the wounds on her back were causing her more pain than usual today.
It had been an entire week since Maleficent had saved his life and corrupted his entire being. Doing his mistress's bidding had been a welcome distraction from his new, decidedly human mind that he could not escape.
He flew faster, yearning to rediscover the simplicity and satisfaction he used to feel when he was nothing but a raven, when his only thoughts of the future concerned where he would find his next meal.
It was no use.
Diaval's thoughts turned to his own mortality. The way he lived before, he might as well have been immortal. Now, he was painfully aware that he would one day die. How long is a raven's lifespan? The answer hardly mattered; he had no idea when he was born or how long he had been alive before his mistress had awakened him.
He thought of his mistress. Her spell had made him aware of good and evil, but the concept only confused him. Maleficent had saved his life, which was a good thing. But did she even realize the inherent evil of this curse she had placed upon him? Did she know how much more complicated living had become for him?
The raven landed gracefully into a tree at the edge of the The Moors and began busily preening himself as he kept one eye on the dirt road that led to the next kingdom. After several minutes he spread and admired his beautiful wings, his vanity momentarily satisfied.
"How strange. I cannot think of anything you might have in common with a writing desk."
The musical, feminine voice took Diaval by surprise. He had not heard anyone approach. He looked up from his freshly cleaned plumage to a sight that made his breath freeze in his chest.
Diaval had only heard legends of unicorns before. The creature standing before him with her head slightly cocked in benign curiosity was unlike any bird or beast he had ever seen. She was smaller and slimmer than a horse, and her hooves were cloven like those of a white stag. Her tail was long and tufted like a lion's and her mane was wild, tangled, and fiercely beautiful. It reminded Diaval of sea-foam. The spiraled horn on her brow shone like gold in the light of the setting sun.
After several seconds of silence between them, the unicorn spoke again.
"Forgive me. I was just remembering a riddle an old friend once told me. What is your name?" She paused, giving Diaval a chance to speak.
"I cannot speak," Diaval cawed, but the unicorn nodded gracefully.
"I can understand you perfectly well, raven. Will you tell me your name?" she asked again.
"It's Diaval."
"That is a very nice name. I can tell it is your own. My name is simply 'Unicorn.' I never chose a real one for myself."
Diaval continued to stare at the unicorn, eyes unblinking.
"You're beautiful," he cawed, stupidly.
The unicorn let out a high-pitched whinny, which might have been laughter.
"You are as dumbstruck as any human I have ever met. That is always the reaction." She tossed her head, showing off the way the fading sunlight danced in her mane. Unicorns are as vain as ravens, after all.
The unicorn became solemn when she spoke again.
"You are not as you are supposed to be," she declared.
The unicorn's direct stare seemed to pierce through Diaval and into his human-tainted soul.
"I don't know what you mean," he said, realizing only instants later that it was no use trying to lie to a unicorn.
"You are like me. Someone corrupted you. Someone made you human. Who was it?" the unicorn pressed.
"My mistress. A wingless fairy named Maleficent," Diaval answered.
"She sounds terribly cruel."
"She is not!" Diaval cawed, flapping his wings angrily. The unicorn remained calm.
"If she is your mistress, then you are her servant. She turned you human and forced you to bow to her will. And yet you say she is not cruel?"
Diaval thought for a long moment, unable to come up with the right words.
"My mistress only does cruel things because she is suffering."
"I see," the unicorn said with understanding. "Her wings were taken from her."
The unicorn turned to look at the long, twisting path laid out before her.
"I wonder if you will accompany me for a little while? I have a long road behind me and ahead of me. It has been a while since I had someone to talk to," she said.
The raven responded by leaving the branch and fluttering to the unicorn's side.
To be continued…
A/N: Thanks for reading!
-Samuel