Well, if you recognize my name, it's probably because I've done a Sleeping Beauty fanfiction before. Just this time, I'm doing it by myself. The prologue is short, I know, but the first chapter is considerable longer, and will be coming soon. Please review, whether you like the story or not, and thanks for reading! :D

Prologue

Find the baby. Find the princess. Find Aurora! Portho's mission echoed in his head as he walked down a sloping hill. He only wished Maleficent could be a bit more understanding; it was not easy to find one person amongst the thousands in the world! Who knows where she could be?

But of course, it was Maleficent. She was the most evil witch in the kingdom – in the world! 'Understanding' was not in her vocabulary, just like 'kindness', 'forgiveness', and 'sympathy'. And Portho had been promoted, given what modicum of trust Maleficent could possibly give, and had become a sort of manager, leader, if you will, of the other minions. Which meant that he could not, under any circumstances, fail in his mission.

Today, he divided the minions up into smaller groups than usual: instead of groups of six or seven, everyone was working in pairs. Portho had paired himself with his right-hand man, Angelo. They had silently spread themselves all through a countryside town. It was relatively large, but the families were spread out enough that help would not be imminent, in case a scream was uttered, or a small child was stolen.

By dawn, they had already spent an hour or so in their hiding places: bushes, shadows, hollow trees. By the time the sun began to rise the men had headed out. But Portho waited a bit longer, keeping Angelo with him. They had seen no movement in the cottage they were spying on: the windows remained dark, curtains drawn, no noise came from within, and there had been no sign of people inside at all!

When they heard the cry of a baby, Portho had to clamp a hand over Angelo's mouth to keep him from whooping with joy. They had stumbled upon a few babies before, but not only had they not seen one in a while, but this was the cry of a young girl! It was sweet and melodious, acting as a wake-up call for the other people of the household. Could it be Aurora?

Portho and Angelo crept down the hill, stealthily using the shadows to conceal their dark forms. The tiptoed over to the house, pressing themselves against the stone wall, underneath the window-ledge. Portho slung his bow and arrows over his back again, and began to climb up the wall, using the slightly jutted-out stones as support. Angelo swiftly followed.

Holding out a hand to stop Angelo's assent, Portho gripped the window-ledge and peered inside the house, scanning the room set before him. What luck! It was the nursery, with a rocking cradle over in the corner. Someone had just been here, but they were gone now. Truly, luck was with the evil side this summer morn'!

Portho beckoned for Angelo to continue climbing, and Portho pulled his own stout form through the window. He righted himself, checked to make sure no arrows fell out during the climb (none had), and reached a hand down to pull the now-exhausted Angelo into the room.

"Quietly, Angelo." Portho hissed, creeping towards the cradle. "We mustn't ruin such a valuable opportunity."

Angelo nodded silently, and the two crept to the cradle. They peered over the side. Nestled in wool sheets was a newborn babe, with little wisps of blond hair growing on her tiny head. Little brown eyes looked up at the pair in amusement. The baby cackled a little, opening her rose-red lips.

"We've got her!" Angelo gripped the arm of Porto in excitement. "I can't believe it!"

"Quickly, quickly…"Portho said, reaching his arms down into the cradle and picking up the baby, blankets and all. "We must get her back to Maleficent! Oh, she'll be ecstatic!"

"Imagine the honor we shall receive from her!" Angelo nodded. "Fifteen years of hard work, searching for the little brat, and now it's finally paying off!"

The two snorted in excitement, and tiptoed to the window, looking down. Both scrunched their snouts, trying to think of a way to get the baby down without killing her. Maleficent would surely want her alive…

The door swung open behind them, interrupting their thoughts.

Standing there was a young maiden, of about the age of fourteen, perhaps a bit older. She had long brown hair that was twisted into a braid, resting on her shoulder and falling to the bottom of her ribcage. She wore a blue dress, with a white corset on top. The dress flowed to her ankles, revealing slim, pale white feet.

She gasped, dropping the towel she was holding. A thin had went to her cherry-red mouth. "What are you doing?" she asked simply, looking Portho directly in the eyes. "What are you doing with the child?"

Now Portho was confused for a minute here. He had been discovered a few times before, usually when he wasn't as close to escaping as he was now, and the reaction had been much different. For one thing, he was usually discovered by angry men, who instantly came at him, swinging their fists or whatever else they could find.

With no hope of escaping with the child, Portho would usually leap out the window, or run out the door, and be promptly followed by his men. Stories of the minions had been spread throughout the kingdom, and children were becoming more and more protected. A woodcutter's axe lay in the corner of this child's room, and Portho froze, knowing what any man would have already done.

But this lovely, beautiful woman had a much different reaction. She was not understanding, no, this was her sister, yes, she was too young to have a child of her own! But there was something about how she approached Portho and Angelo. Her demeanor, even when stressed as it was, radiated kindness and grace.

Not waiting for them to speak, the woman took a step closer to the minions, a step farther away from the axe. "Please," she asked, holding out her arms. "Please, please, give me my baby sister." She begged, tears filling her eyes.

Portho looked at the poor girl, and felt a twinge of, well, of something, in his chest. Sympathy? But he looked down at the child he was carrying. By bringing the child back, he would receive respect and he would be revered by all the forces of evil – especially Maleficent. By giving the child back, he would face scorn, and Maleficent's wrath. If he was going to give the child back to the maiden, she had to give him something in return. She couldn't get something for nothing.

So he looked up at her and smirked saying, "What would you give me in return?"

"Anything, anything!" the woman said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Just please, give me the child!"

"Your hand." Portho stated simply. "Your hand in marriage."

"What?" the woman asked, running a delicate hand through her bangs. She straightened her back. Her gaze went from Portho, to the child in his arms. She knew she was in no position to bargain. Her baby sister's life was in danger! "Only if you become a human." She stated, biting her lip. It was impossible, right?

Portho, too overcome to possibly bargain with her, simply agreed, handing her back her child.

Ignoring the looks he received from Angelo, Portho went to the windowsill. Sitting on the ledge, he turned to face the girl, who was rocking and soothing the child. "I ask one more question," he said. "What is your name?"

The girl looked up at him and sighed, simply stating "Diana."

"Lovely Diana…" Portho smiled, his heart swelling. "I will return for you!"