Author's Note and Disclaimer: I don't own Maleficent or any of the characters from the movie. I am a fan of other characters that are more friends and family and ward, rather then Mary Sue's and romantic alternates. I'm totally Maleficent/Diaval as a couple. I only own Maira.

Story: Diaval was accidentally left as a man, and King Stefan wants to get back at Maleficent through the closest thing she has. Takes place while Aurora is with the three sprites.

Chapter 1

Diaval clasped his hands behind his back as he followed Maleficent around the Moors. She had changed him into a man so she could enjoy small questions and bits of conversation as she stopped to fix branches, dying flowers and anything else she could do to help maintain their home. For his part, Diaval loved this time with Maleficent. He saw her for the caring gentle soul he knew her to be. In the past few weeks, she had sent him in his raven form to feed and rock the baby, Aurora, because the three fairies in charge of her were horribly incompetent. Once they started to get the hang of taking care of a baby girl, Maleficent had kept him with her in his human form. He suspected it was because she wanted the company. He moved to hold a branch aside for her, and Maleficent walked forward, nodding her thanks to him. He was a loyal servant, never questioning her since she had saved him and first changed him. As he spied and reported the goings on of the kingdom, he became her trusted confidant. So it was during one of their private conversations and walks that they both heard the thunk of axes against wood. Maleficent held up a hand to him and with a flick of her wrist he was a raven. a quiet caw and he took off ahead to circle up in the air and see what was causing the distressing noise. Maleficent walked forward, glancing up to see where Diaval was as she saw he was headed for the wall of thorns.

Diaval circled twice to count the soldiers that were attacking a thinned section of thorns with axes and swords. They had torches and carts and were burning portions of the wall to weaken the wood, and then cutting it away to try and clear a path through. After the second circle, he dove down to swoop in front of Maleficent, who had caught up to him. She swiftly changed him into a man and he staggered to maintain his balance, whispering. "Mistress, there's fourteen of them. All trying to cut through and using fire to weaken the branches." She smiled with an evil twist of her mouth, her green and gold eyes moving towards the flickers of fire that could barely be seen. "Well now, such a bad choice for them this day. Stay here, Diaval. I will call you should I need you." "Mistress.." He started to object, but she gently pat his shoulder and gleefully walked towards the soldiers, disappearing into the shadows of the wall of thorns. Maleficent used the shadows to hide her movements, and she counted ten soldiers in her line of sight. She couldn't see anymore and figured Diaval may have counted wrong, or included the peasants that were loading the carts and trying not to get jabbed. She rested her walking staff against her right shoulder and began to twirl her fingers in front of her. Thin green tendrils of magic floated out into the giant thorns and with a creaking noise, they began to loop and twist to thicken where the soldiers had been working. They shouted and gasped and cried out as the carts lifted into the air, hooked with thorns that had spread while covered in green licks of flames and magic. The carts went up, and then crashed back down making the men yell and start running. Horses took off, and he peasants yelled for mercy as they ran ahead of the soldiers. A few tried to defend themselves from the unseen forces and a pair with crossbows fired into the thorns blindly, hoping to hit something. Maleficent laughed loudly with amusement and it echo'd through the small clearing. "Run. Run!" More yelling and the soldiers were soon growing distant as she clutched her staff and smiled, proud of her own work. She hadn't even had to make her presence visible, and the wall was now thicker and more twisted. "That will make them work twice as hard and think twice before trying that again." Maleficent said out loud to herself as she walked back to where Diaval had been waiting. He wasn't there.

"Diaval?" She spoke loudly in case he had drifted towards the wall and forgotten where he was suppose to stay. There was no reply. "Diaval! Where are you? You silly bird." Maleficent looked around and took a few steps back towards the wall of thorns, but then stopped, her eyes downcast to the ground. The plants had been crushed under a persons weight, that much she could see from the shape and size of the flattened grass and flowers. A splatter of blood was still wet in the flattened grass, and she placed her hand on the blood. Turning her hand over, she let golden whisps drift up from her hand, and they formed an orb the size of her open hand. A frown and widened eyes watched the last few seconds of the owner of the blood. Diaval was pinned to the ground, kicking and fighting against two large men in full plate mail armor. One took a sword hilt and slammed it into the back of his head causing the blood to splatter and the orb went out. Maleficent was silent a moment before a darkness covered her face and she turned to look in the direction of the castle that Stefan was hiding in. "That is the biggest mistake you could have done Stefan. The biggest. One."


Diaval's head felt like someone had played the drums with it. He knew he wasn't in the Moors because he was on his knees on stone. Keeping his eyes closed, he tied to take stock of what was going on. He knew two plated soldiers had come out of the shadows shortly after Maleficent had disappeared. He tried to yell but got clocked once on the side of the head, and then again on the back when he went down. He was in his useless human form, so he hadn't been able to fight them off efficiently. Diaval tried to move his hands and he stifled a groan of pain that cut through the numbness. His hands were behind him, no, they were pulled back, but chained apart so that his arms were spread behind him forcing him to lean forward. They were keeping him on his knees because of the position and he started to blink his eyes open when a splash of cold water hit his face. Diaval hissed and sputtered as he leaned back, relieving some of the ache in his arms and trying to blink through the water. He was still on his knees, but was able to open his eyes and look at the boots first, and then the knees, and eventually up at a giant of a man in a filthy brown tunic with a belt that showed how unfit he was. This had to be the jailer, the ring of keys on his belt hadn't been removed in some time, making Diaval worry about how many people went into the dungeons or came out. He knew he was in a small cell, no window or natural light, but three bowls with burning oil were high up on a swinging chain from the ceiling. He turned his head to the side to see up at the lights, and caught sight of a grizzled looking man in the doorway. He had a beard and brown hair to his chin. He looked sleep deprived, beaten, worn out, and was wearing a red and blue patterned tunic. His belt was gold and black, and he had gold rings on his hands. "Stefan." Diaval croaked, his pain forgotten as he glared at the man who had hurt his mistress so. Stefan flinched at his name being used, but the large ugly jailer reacted for the king and brought his fist across Diaval's cheek to silence him. "You will address your king as 'Your Majesty' and you will not look upon him ou demon filth." Diaval couldn't' help but chuckle, his head staying where it had turned from the hit. He whispered, for his jaw hurt from the hit. "He is no king of mine. Nor my Mistress." The jailer was about to hit him again when Stefan raised a hand to stop him. "Roth, a moment." Roth, as Diaval now knew was the jailer, took a step to the side, but grabbed a handful of Diaval's black hair, ignoring the feathers that were mixed in them, and pulled back to force Diaval to look up at the king. "You are the bird that is always with Her." Stefen spoke simply, looking at Diaval as if he was an infectious blight. Diaval glared at Stefan and said nothing. A slight smile and Stefan dared to lean forward. "The curse that witch put on my daughter. How do I break it?" Diaval remained quiet, glaring at the king with every drop of venom he could put into his eyes. This man, no monster, had hurt his mistress. Taken her wings and broken her spirit. He had done all that to become king, and then blamed Maleficent for his own greed and ambition. Diaval didn't quite agree with Malficent cursing a baby, but he knew curses could be broken. This one was to teach a lesson, and he would not question or betray his mistress, so he remained silent.

Stefan didn't like the silence and suddenly screamed into Diaval's face. "I will kill you to free my daughter from this curse. That witch can either release her, or I will rend you piece by piece and return you to her. Unless you help me, and help yourself." Diaval's head was starting to swim from pain and his neck ached from being yanked back as it was. His shoulders were going numb again and his arms felt like they were going to fall off. As far as tortures went, the combination was certainly making him wish he was back with Maleficent, even if she turned him into a dog. He must have started drifting off because he felt a boney, cold hand grab his chin and shake his head roughly. "Look at me you damned demon bird!" Stefan yelled and Diaval spit at him in reaction. The shocked look on Stefan's face was only mirrored by the look on he jailer's face as the cell got deathly silent, save for everyone's breathing. Diaval was holding his breath, waiting to see how fast they were going to kill him for his defiance. Instead, Stefan took a shakey hand and wiped the spit from his face. His eyes looked enraged and he looked at Roth, making a small nod. "Break him." He turned to leave and Diaval watched the king leave as the ugly that was Roth moved to block his vision. Diaval dropped his head to look at the ground and gasped as Roth threw a fist into his side knocking the wind from him. Stefan heard more gasps and cries until the door shut behind him and didn't pause in his walk as he headed up from the dungeon to the servants corridor in the lower level of his castle. He had a bargaining chip now. He had a way to make Maleficent listen to his demands. And he had a way to save his daughter.