Hey guys! So yeah... It's several hundred years later and Mal and Diaval's great great grandson is totally unaware who he's related to. Ladies, my main character looks like Benedict Cumberbatch. With shoulder length hair. OH MY! :3

- Chapter 1

When balance is broken chaos always follows, and even powerful fairies and shape-shifters don't live forever.

So it was that when Maleficent and her mate no longer guarded the Fae kingdom from humanity. Their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren had been raised beside humans and so were not as prepared for betrayal as they might have been. Only one member of the family survived, and at the time he was an infant. So he had no knowledge of his past, though the elf who raised him must have suspected something. After all the boy had the black hair and molten green-gold eyes that marked all his family. With their protectors gone, the dark Fae took to praying on humans. Especially human women. And in time the whole race became mixed with humanity. these part-Fae children, while not evil were nonetheless subject to all of humanity's failings. That mixed with powerful magic made corruption inevitable.

Humanity meanwhile did no better. The royal family was quickly done away with as soon as their Fae protectors were gone. Some said a demon had taken the throne, but in truth it was a warrior with a grudge against magic. This wicked tyrant quickly began to hunt down anyone with magic.

And so twenty years later our story begins...

The forest was dark, black as pitch. somehow the girl managed to avoid tripping over tree roots as she ran for her life. The wind howled and pulled at Briar's long hair, frozen tears clung to her face, she had to out-run them. She paused for a moment to listen. They were getting closer, despite how long and hard she'd run they were getting closer! Just as she was about to take off again Briar saw it. A doorway between the trees not a hundred yards away. She didn't stop to think, she ran.

Inside the door it was cool, though much warmer than the winter landscape she'd just left behind. Briar squinted to see in the dimness.

"Oh dear, what have I caught now?" A soft masculine voice spoke from the darkness.

Briar let out a squeak of fear and pressed herself against the wall.

A light bloomed. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, when they did she nearly screamed. Before her stood a man, In his right hand sat a golden ball of light. He was tall, slender and pale. She noticed then, to her growing alarm that he clearly wasn't human. His eyes were a molten green-gold, his ears were pointed, and a pair of huge black wings lay folded upon his back.

"Who- who are you?" She asked.

He laughed. "Who am I? I'd say a better question is, who are you?"

Briar felt foolish, she took a moment to steady herself and stood. "I- I'm called Briar Rose." She said as calmly as she could.

He nodded. "And what are you doing in this realm?" He asked gently, seeing how exhausted and afraid the girl was.

She really didn't have a good answer for that, so the truth would have to do. "I was running- from the king's men, they wanted to kill me. When I saw the door I-."

"You saw the door? You didn't just stumble in by mistake?" He asked clearly surprised.

She nodded. He looked her up and down frowning. "Then I don't need to ask why you were being hunted, do I?" He said quietly.

"Well I-" Suddenly voices rang out not far away. She saw his eyes go wide.

"Stay here and keep absolutely silent." He said in a hushed voice.

She nodded, watching her new acquaintance walk off into the darkness taking the light with him. After a moment Briar heard voices speaking softly. "No trouble... quiet all day... will tell you if..." After what seemed forever but was really only about fifteen minutes, she heard the man returning.

She jumped when the light reappeared, the strange winged man once again standing before her.

She looked up at him and was about to speak, when another figure entered the room. He was a tall silver haired elf.

"Well then Corvus, I thought you told me all was quiet? That no one had come through today?

Corvus turned to face his superior. The girl would die, and die horribly unless he did something. "Yes Sir, that is true. This is my mate Briar Rose."

The elf raised a silver brow at this. "Oh? I thought you were against such things?"

Corvus tensed, he hated that bastard elf. "I am indeed against the practice of abducting mortal women. Briar has agreed to be my mate." He said raising his chin slightly in a show of defiance.

The elf laughed. "I see, well carry on, I'm sure you have other things to attend to this evening."

After shooting a dirty look at the retreating elf, Corvus gently took Briar's hand and led her away. They passed through tunnels and passages that shone with star light, though they were clearly underground. Finally they came to a place that was well lit, Briar found herself being led through a door into a comfortable, well appointed sitting room.

Briar turned to look at Corvus, she could see him clearly for the first time. He no longer looked so frightening, in fact she thought he looked quite hansom. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"I don't quite know what happened back there, but I think you saved my life. Thank you."

He nodded, looking as tired and nervous as she was.

She knew very well what the Fae did to mortals, especially women. Men they killed out-right, women were not so lucky. If not for this man who had, by claiming her as his mate, saved her. she would be suffering worse than death. For that, and because it was proof of his upright character, she decided then and there that she would be his mate.

Briar gathered her courage, but before she could do what she planned Corvus leaned forwarded and placed a finger on her lips.

"Briar, You have a choice to make, I can take you back to your world, if that's what you want... Or you could stay."

She narrowed her dove-grey eyes. "If I leave, what will happen to you for helping me?" She asked.

His silence told her all she needed to know. "I'll stay." She said with finality.

love it? Hate it? Have ideas? Let me know! :) also... I hate to be that guy but I will NOT be updateing until I get at least 10 Reviews.