Oneshot, Maleval.
Word count: 2404
Don't own the characters etc.
It was over.
Over sixteen years of hatred and thoughts of revenge, darkness consuming her and now she was finally released from all of it.
Maleficent winced a little as she slumped against the stone wall, Stefan laid a few feet away, bones broken and neck laid at an odd angle. Everything had fallen silent and Maleficent tried to shift to relieve some of the irritation of her new wings.
It was an odd sensation, she'd lived a great many years without her wings, they were supposed to be natural and right now Maleficent could feel every slight twitch of a feather.
"Godmother!" Aurora's voice was followed by the pattering of her feet on the stone, "Where are you?"
"Over here, Beastie." Maleficent mustered a weak smile onto her face at seeing the golden haired girl appear in front of her. As the girl got closer, she realised that cupped in her hands was Diaval, returned once more to his raven form, he must have changed on his own due to exhaustion.
"He's hurt, not too badly I don't think. He knocked down a few columns though."
Maleficent cupped her hands around Diaval, and though she was exhausted in every possible way she pulled what vestiges of magic she could from deep within her chest, and sighed when she felt the raven's cuts and bruises heal.
Aurora watched in concern and fascination as the golden light swirled gently around Maleficent's hands. The raven seated in her palm made a tired, deep chirruping sound and began to inspect his wings, tipping his head left and right before letting out a squawk to let the fairy know he wanted to be changed into the form of a man.
Maleficent rolled her eyes and deposited him on the stone beside her and shifting him with a familiar ease, Diaval let out a chuckle as he clutched his side, "I want to do that again, but with less spears and angry humans."
The fairy felt a smile twitch at her lips, Diaval looked far better than expected, his face was scorched and sooty and though it was obvious he was exhausted his expression was lit joyfully. Maleficent "Perhaps," she said softly, "But with less fire next time."
Diaval let out a cackle, "It's much like being a bird, just a lot bigger." Placing a hand on Aurora arm he hauled himself to his feet.
Maleficent studied her friend's - because that was what Diaval was to her wasn't it? – face and then let her gaze drift to Aurora who was giggling softly. Maleficent's hands and arms were blistered and itchy and she could feel a small trickle of blood above her eyelid. The fairy grimaced a little and moved her hand to rub at the base of her wings, after over sixteen years of not having to use those muscles and then all of a sudden using them a lot hurt, the muscles ached from exertion and her wings stung and felt uncomfortable.
Maleficent had rather hoped that neither of them had noticed but after so many years together Diaval recognised her discomfort easily, "Mistress?"
Maleficent tried for a smile and hoped to remove the attention fixated on her actions by saying, "Next time you'll be asking me to turn you into some water creature, I'm sure the girls who dance on the lake would be glad to teach you some moves."
"I resent that." Diaval told her as he helped her stand, he slipped his arm around her waist beneath her wings, and tucked the rest of her body into his side.
"Perhaps a beetle or a mealy worm?" She asked him, leaning into his side as they began walking back towards the door of the castle, it wasn't so much that she was limping but couldn't find her balance. Wings were much heavier than she remembered.
"Why always with the slimy things?" He huffed gently in her ear, "Why not a rabbit, at least they're relatively clean."
"As if you didn't have enough problems being turned into a wolf." Maleficent replied glancing up at him, she had never really noticed that he was taller than her.
"True," he managed, the three of them making their way slowly back up to the castle. Any and all who saw them simply stopped dead and turned the other way, and the ones that didn't were stopped by Aurora who seemed to struggle with the fact that she was now, presumably, in charge of the situation.
"How about an owl?"
Diaval face scrunched up in disgust, "No. You wouldn't believe the types of things the get up too. No respect!"
Maleficent let a small smile slip into her face, and moved away from Diaval's side to spread her wings, it helped with the irritation some and if she let them stretch a little longer than necessary when she caught the look of warmth and awe in Diaval's gaze, well Maleficent didn't notice.
They were strong, as strong as they had been before and though part of her wished to merely take flight and soar above the clouds, she wouldn't for Maleficent has seen the slightly lost expression on Aurora's face. She and Diaval would stay until they were sure the girl would be alright.
"Are you well?" Diaval's voice broke through her musing.
"I'm believe so, I have been much worse after all." Her shoulder blades stung when she let her wings fold back in and settled once more into Diaval's side.
The trio were now back in the hall and Maleficent quirked her eyebrows at just how much damage had been done. As Aurora had said, several of the columns had been smashed apart, there were black scorch marks upon the walls and several blackened shapes that resembled people laid on the floor, Maleficent let out a hiss and jumped upwards as she stood on a sword, wordlessly Diaval kicked the sword hard enough that it skidded and hit the far wall, the fairy landed and stumbled slightly as she once again lost her balance.
Diaval gently tucked Maleficent back into his side, and then carried on walking across the wreckage. By now the sun was beginning to creep upwards.
"Aurora!"
The princess whirled round and her face turned slightly pink as Philip came running across the room.
"You are not hurt? I saw a dragon." Philip exclaimed coming to halt in front of her.
"I am unharmed, umm this is my Godmother and Diaval." The golden haired turned and introduced the two figure behind her to the prince.
"Pleasure to meet you, sir, my lady." He bowed slightly and both the fairy and the raven-turned-man nodded in response.
"Beastie, have you got somewhere that we could rest for a while?" Maleficent asked, the longer she stood still and pressed against Diaval's warm side the more her eyelids threatened to close.
"Oh, um." Aurora turned and walked over to a lady who had gathered in the doorway with a few other people, "Could you please guide them to a room where they can rest?"
The lady bowed, and gestured for Maleficent and Diaval to follow her. After Maleficent pressed a kiss to Aurora's brow she and her friend left the room after the plump lady.
Diaval limped slightly and when she turned to give him a questioning look he smiled softly, "They wrapped chains made of iron around my feet."
"I did tell you that you did not need to come with me."
"And where would you be without me, hm?" he asked looking down into her eyes, "You'd be dead and I don't think me or Aurora would've survived that. You could have ordered that I not follow you and I still would have."
Maleficent swallowed back the tears that threatened to appear at his admission, she turned to face forward and narrowed her eyes at the lady in front of them, no doubt she had been listening.
"Here." The lady bowed and left, both Maleficent and Diaval raised an eyebrow at the door.
"You know mistress, I do believe she thinks we are married."
Maleficent rolled her eyes and opened the door closing it behind herself and leaving Diaval out in the corridor. For the moment she ignored his knocking and irritated calls, the room had a large bed and a wardrobe, a dressing table with a mirror and was lit by the morning sun creeping through the window on the far side, a large window seat beneath.
"C'mon mistress let me in, I don't want to sleep in the corridor." Diaval whined.
Maleficent opened the door with a huff and he stumbled into the room. Using a bit of magic Maleficent cleaned her face and clothes, unbound her hair and turned to do the same for Diaval.
The raven-turned-man was looking out of the window arm folded behind his back. He turned to face her when he felt the magic shimmer around him and smiled when he realized he was not soot free. He frowned as he glanced over her wings.
"What?" Maleficent asked sharply.
"Nothing mistress, just they're filthy. I know how uncomfortable dirty wings are." Diaval looked to the floor, hand playing with the sleeve of his coat.
Maleficent bowed her head guiltily, she shouldn't have snapped at him, "I don't remember them ever being this fussy." She admitted softly.
"Would you like some help?" He asked her, peering up at her through dark lashes.
Maleficent immediately thought to refuse, but stopped herself, she trusted Diaval with everything and though she would never admit that to him she had a feeling he already knew. Diaval had seen her cry, had seen her in the throes of a nightmare and had then comforted afterwards, she had trusted the story of how she lost her wings to him and had allowed him soothe the burned stubs on her back, from which her wings should of protruded from, with salve when she couldn't reach. So with a deep breath she nodded.
She seated herself on the bed and felt it dip under Diaval's weight as he settled behind her. Gentle hands touched her wings and at first she tensed but soon went lax and continued to let him preen her feathers, quietly she pulled her long hair over her shoulder and out of his way.
Diaval knew from the moment he started with the smallest feathers beneath the larger ones that this was going to take hours, but that was okay because this was something that Maleficent obviously needed.
Maleficent swallowed, "I'm sorry that I have kept you all of these years." she whispered, "You've been lonely."
"It hasn't been bad, I've enjoyed my time by your side."
"Are you going to leave?"
"Do you want me too?" Diaval asked, face dark with concentration.
Maleficent didn't reply and that in itself should've been answer enough. The fairy felt her wings flutter a little as Diaval pulled what appeared to be a twig from the feathers, she hadn't realized how much discomfort that had been causing her. "You could leave if you wanted. If you asked I would release you."
"I shall be returning to my home." Diaval replied.
Maleficent bit back tears at that, he was leaving. "Oh." Internally she berated herself, stop crying she thought to herself, of course he was going to leave you've kept him locked up for far too long.
"You misunderstand me, Maleficent." This was the first time he had used her name, "I am too different to return to an unkindness. Too much a man to spend the rest of my years as a bird, yet to much a raven to spend them a man. What is one more magical being added to the Moors?"
Maleficent let out a shuddering breath, she was moving before she realized just exactly what she was doing, her arms slipped around Diaval's shoulders and she leaned into his chest, the man simply returned the embrace and waited until she pulled back to let go of her and return to preening her wings once more.
A weight that she hadn't realized was there was suddenly lifted and the fairy felt much lighter. They spoke of little else as Diaval worked his way through her wings, eventually it was nearing mid-morning by time he was finished. Maleficent stretched them and felt Diaval's eyes watching her.
Maleficent laid herself down on the bed and frowned to herself as she tried to find a comfortable position to lie in, it wasn't working. The fairy sat up and watched as Diaval stole two pillows from the bed and moved to the window seat propping them against the wall, he slouched against them with contented sound.
"You're looking rather uncomfortable over there mistress."
"I'm no longer your mistress, you're free."
"Okay then. You're looking rather uncomfortable over there Maleficent."
"I'm not used to having my wings back, or a having a bed rather than a tree."
He turned and studied her face before opening his arms. The fairy raised her eyebrows, "Just come here." Diaval waved his hands.
Maleficent moved cautiously and when she got within reach of the dark haired man he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down. A rather undignified yelp left the fairy's mouth as she landed between Diaval's legs, her head hitting his chest.
She struggled to sit up but Diaval had grasped her in such a way that her wings could not move. "Trust me." Maleficent relaxed after a moment and as his grip slackened she shifted so that her pointed ear rested over his heart and her legs tangled with his.
Her wings that had spread of their own accord folded back into place and one of Diaval's arms settled about her waist beneath them, the other hand he let play with her hair, Maleficent soon found herself drifting to sleep and though she tried to fight against it her eyes slipped shut. Diaval soon followed her and the two slept peacefully, pressed together.
Aurora had come to check on them along with Philip and the plump lady from before, when they had received no answer to their knocking, Aurora opened the door and froze before smiling. Her Godmother and 'Pretty Bird' were sleeping curled together in the window seat.
"Are they married?" Philip asked when the door was pulled shut once more.
"No. But they are impossibly close to each other."
R and R ta x