Maleficent trains Diaval with his new ability. Aurora and Phillip train Diaval on how to treat women. Diaval is still cute.

Hi, I hope this follow-up doesn't disappoint.
I introduced an OC here for a little love triangle. She dies don't worry. LOLJK. She's just friends with Diaval. Or is she?
Endless thanks to flamingdongsaeng for his editing skills! Salute.

True Love's kiss comes next chapter. Please bear with me and #ShipThemLikeFedex

Chapter 2: Training Diaval

As Diaval fell, he was shouting in pain for trying to transform, and in fear, knowing that his landing area is a skeleton-bone-filled den of huge, lion-like monsters whose teeth are of rhinoceros' tusks and whose furs were long steel spikes.

The vision of having his white-rabbit form barbecued in the metal thorns forced him to try harder. But alas, he was still a rabbit, was falling quickly, and the hungry growling of the beasts were too close for his comfort.

Just when he was inches away from being food, Maleficent caught him in her right hand and she flew up so that the two of them were out of the starving beasts' reach. They landed on the roof of an uninhabited cottage in the middle of the woods. Maleficent looked right into the eyes of an unintelligibly snuffling and grunting rabbit, while talking to him like he was an infant.

"Awwww, my poor baby rabbit." She said, her voice low and teasing. "I thought that if I throw you in danger, adrenaline will help you cope with it."

"Well, apparently, it didn't!" Diaval tried to say, which he couldn't, because he was a rabbit. He stood somewhat steadily in Maleficent's palm on his bunny feet and he puffed out his chest to make himself bigger. He glared at Maleficent's smiling eyes and his insides melted when Maleficent finally let out the chuckle she seemed to hold back.

He looked into her eyes that were bright like wildfire and yet calm like a lake. They were the shade of the lively, green grass of the moor but when under a twilight sky. And as he stared deeper into them, he saw a woman of pride and grace. He saw a woman whose scars run deep and yet still smiles at the simplest of things and takes her time to appreciate them. In her eyes, he sees fire.

He stopped short as he realized that his hand, which was now human, was hovering over the space between his human face and Maleficent's cheek. He was surprised that a) he was able to transform without pain and b) that he was unconsciously trying to reach her and caress her face. He realized that he was temporarily lost in a subspace their eyes created and that in that place, it felt…

There was no word for it. It just felt.

He coughed and shivered as he realized that the cold wind was whipping past his wingless, naked form and the trance they were in was broken. It was awkwardly silent for a bit more as the two of them looked away and fixed their gazes at anything as long as it's not each other.

Maleficent flicked her finger and, in an instant, Diaval was clad in a black, velvet robe.

"How come when you transform me I am already fully clothed but when I do it myself, I end up naked." Diaval said as nonchalantly as he could. Goosebumps broke out all over his body, and sensing that this was an uncomfortable moment, he hugged his robe tighter and closer to his body to conceal everything the garment could.

"Because… you…" hesitation stilted a still-looking-away Maleficent. "You can transform to whatever you wish or think to be… and… perhaps…" the sound of crickets and the distant hoots of a night owl are magnified by their quietness.

"You perceived of being a man… without garments." Maleficent finished weakly.

Diaval's blood rushed to his neck, to his cheeks, and to the ends of his ears – the sensation familiarly close to trying to transform.

"I did not!" he said with forcefulness. He clung to his robe feeling very vulnerable. When they locked eyes, they looked-away again and the two of them were staring in opposite directions, Maleficent at the weathered roof of the cottage, Diaval at the very thin, crescent moon.

"Well… I, uh, believe that that is it for tonight. We'll train more tomorrow." Maleficent did not wait for a reply and just flew away, dismissing a flustered Diaval.

In his nest, which was a small tree-house he manually built that rests on a low oak tree, he tried to get comfortable on the makeshift bed made of piled-up, young, pine tree leaves. He looked at the jagged, rectangular crevice right beside him that serves as his window.

Ever since Maleficent told him he was free and replied that he didn't want to be, Maleficent agreed but insisted that he explore on his own and enjoy being alone; she said that it was so much fun to fly alone in the moors when she was younger and suggested that he try it too. It was. It did feel free and lively and it was indeed indescribable. Then, he got to build this nest where he now stays and where he pondered and realized that flying alone was indeed fun but that it was not the same without flying with Maleficent.

He closes his eyes and tries to sleep but Maleficent's "Awww, my poor baby rabbit" ring and echo through his head like a too loud lullaby. And when he sees the crescent moon outside his window, he is reminded of Maleficent's blue-green, sky-meets-horizon colored eyes and they serve to be night lights, too pretty and too bright, that he'd rather fall into their depths than into sleep.

The break of dawn came and he didn't have even just a minute of shut-eye. He sat with frailty and decided he needed to talk to someone. Someone he thinks that had been through exactly what he's currently in.

The morning sun enveloped the moors with unforgiving brightness and heat. The waters twinkle in elegance and the morning dew catches light and sparkles as well. He never really got to enjoy the moors because he was always flying around. Currently being wingless, he was forced to have a long walk toward the kingdom. He didn't dare try to transform because his body felt strengthless and he might turn to a worm and that would be worse.

Outside the castle, the nobles, the merchants, the scribes, everyone, smile gleefully at the clear day. People who knew him greeted him with brief pleasantries and a blessed day ahead.

Inside the grand castle, on his way to King Phillip, he was distractedly walking when a fair maiden, who works as a cook in the castle, ran into him.

"Oh, Diaval! 'Tis you." Divine said joyfully.

"Great to see you, Divine." Diaval smiled and he yawned for the sleep he didn't get.

They talked about the weather, and how they were, and how the cookies were, and they laughed, and Divine said she has to go, so they said their goodbyes.

Diaval met Divine about a month ago when they bumped, literally, into each other when Maleficent asked him to deliver a message to the queen. Back then, she was bringing a tray of cookies and pastries and when they scattered on the floor, Divine said that that would be 15 pieces of silver and Diaval said he doesn't have any and he looked so guilty like a kid caught biting off a chocolate candy bar he wasn't supposed to and Divine laughed and told him she was just pulling his leg and that it was okay and that her name was Divine and Diaval replied with his and they've been friends since.

When Diaval was to proceed to the King, he saw Aurora a few feet away with a smirk that seemed so out of place in her sweet, innocent semblance.

"Oh! I think it's better to talk to you, your Majesty." Diaval said with a humble bow.

"What is it? Although I have an inkling." the Queen replied, a smug look on her face.

"You do?"

"Is it about a woman?"

"How… did you know? Have you always noticed this before?" Diaval's voice was small and raised.

"Oh come on, it's impossible to miss!" Aurora said with surety.

"Really?" Diaval asked, suddenly conscious of the sideway glances she stole at Maleficent whenever she laughs, the stares he unconsciously gave her whenever she ordered him around in a friendly, yet still bossy way, and the too-hard laughter he did whenever Maleficent bullied Thistlewit and her companions.

"Diaval? Are you still there?" Aurora said waving a hand in front of him.

"Oh, yeah." Diaval snapped out of his flashbacks and decided to be straightforward. "Is it… uh, like this?" Okay, too much for being straightforward.

"Do you mean, thinking about him whenever a dull moment arises? Having difficulty sleeping because his hands, his eyes, his hair, and the way his mouth moves when he talks haunt your mind?" Aurora's face – lost in a daydream.

"Your highness." It was Diaval's turn to try and snap Aurora out of her romantic reverie. "You're thinking of King Phillip aren't you?"

"And you were thinking of her, weren't you?"

Diaval nodded shyly.

"But, it wasn't like this before."

"What do you mean?" Aurora said with a befuddled expression on her face.

"I didn't feel about her like this before… but…" Diaval trailed off, not knowing how to describe what he feels.

"But, suddenly, one day you wake up and you realize you want to hold her hand and play with her hair? And as each day passes, you yearn for more."

Diaval blushed shyly, yet the red tinge was furious and unabashed.

"Oh, pretty bird." Aurora said, her voice filled with sympathy and warmth. "This woman has you wrapped around her fingers, reducing your virility to blushing and nodding shyly."

Diaval laughed. "She does have me wrapped around her fingers."

Aurora gasped, her eyes wide, as if having a brilliant idea. Aurora snapped her fingers and two knights came out of nowhere and bowed humbly. "Your Highness." The two of them said in sync.

"Just like that." Diaval whispered to his smiling self. "Just like that."

"Guards, take this man to the tailors. Tell them to dress him up real prettily and take him back to me in mid-afternoon." Aurora said commandingly, yet still in an amicable manner. "Yes, your Highness." The two of them said in unison. They hooked their hands in Diaval's pits and they dragged him across the room.

"Wait! Your Majesty, what's happening?" Diaval asked Aurora as he seemed weightless to the huge guards that carry him.

"Just stand still and don't prick your fingers on spindles."


"Godmother! Godmother!" Maleficent saw Aurora excitedly, gracelessly jump from her carriage, and into her arms.

"Beastie." Maleficent said. Suddenly realizing she was talking to the Queen, she quickly took that back. "Your Highness."

Aurora looked up from their embrace. "Don't be silly, you can call me anything you want." The two of them smiled.

"Alright then. So, what is it that brings you here bouncing in fervor?"

"It's Diaval!" Maleficent stopped at that and thought of how Diaval seems to act strangely these days. In quick consecution, the stiff silences they shared and the unnecessary glances she stole whenever he laughed flashed by her. Her heart beat quickly and she wondered what that meant.

"He seems to have fallen for someone." Aurora announced excitedly.

"Oh?" Maleficent suddenly felt her insides turn as she felt old feelings resurface like an hourglass tipped over to start again. She shook her head and scolded herself that it can't be. Diaval? Unimaginable.

"Her name's Divine and she's really pretty."

"Oh." Maleficent half-sighed, half-groaned.

"Yes, and I'm helping him get her. What do you say?"

"Goodie. Diaval and Divine. Their names match." Maleficent said with no enthusiasm at all. She was peppy to impassive in seconds flat. "That seems lovely." She said like how an emo-teenager would recite a poem about flowers and butterflies. Aurora sensed the drastic change in her demeanor.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Maleficent said coldly. "Who is this… Divine that you speak of?" Maleficent stared at Aurora. Aurora flinched and stepped back twice.

"Godmother. Your… your eyes. They're green. They… they glow." Aurora reached out to touch her but Maleficent looked away. Maleficent noticed that she seemed to do that often as of late.

Aurora gasped as if she realized something and Maleficent looked at her and she saw that her face was both unbelieving and piteous.

"What is it?" Maleficent asked.

"Oh, Godmother." Aurora said, her voice filled with melancholy.

"What?" A brief silence stretched between them and the gushing flow of a nearby river and the caws of the ravens that fly above them suddenly seemed loud.

"I'm sorry. It's nothing." Aurora shook her head sadly.


"What do you think?" Aurora asked Phillip as she motioned toward a finely clad Diaval. He wore a black tunic that was embroidered with regal patterns with a golden-like thread, black wool pants that are accented by a dangling gold chain, and boots, made of fine leather, with silver buckles. His hair was combed and styled to look like a warrior and a prince at the same time.

"He looks gorgeous and kingly doesn't he?" Aurora asked enthusiastically. Phillip nodded.

"Please tell me you're not leaving me." That made Aurora and Diaval laugh.

Aurora chuckled. "Someone's getting a little envious." Aurora smirked. "And someone's getting a lot envious." She whispered to herself and looked wistful.

"Are you ready for your date?" Aurora asked a little somberly.

"What!? What date? Your Highnesses?" Diaval asked.

"Phillip, brief him." Aurora said.

"Here, take these flowers. If you meet a maiden that gets your heart, always get her flowers." Phillip said as he handed over to Diaval three, long-stemmed white roses bound tightly by a scarlet ribbon. Phillip took his right arm and Aurora, his left. The three of them walked around the castle in a fast pace. Aurora continued Phillip's briefing. "Tell her how she looks pretty whether under sunlight or moonlight. Smile at her when she smiles at you and always treat her like a diamond. Treat her with respect. And…"

They stopped before the gates to the courtyard. "That's about it." Aurora pat Diaval's back twice. "You can do this." She said.

The gates opened and at the gazebo, in the midst of a labyrinth of bushes, a table for two was prepared. There was wine and food that was fit for royalty. Diaval stared questioningly at the Queen and King.

"She's here. Get ready." Aurora said. They took off at the speed of lightning and disappeared into the bushes.

Suddenly, before him, Divine stood, dressed in a very simple red dress that emphasized her ethereal face.

"What are you doing here?" They said in unison.

"The Queen called for me to be here in my best dress." Divine said in a confused voice. Suddenly, things fell into place and Diaval shook his head.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Flowers for you?" He handed her the flowers and she thanked him for how lovely they were. He immediately explained the misunderstanding. "To be honest, I was just dragged into this, literally." They laughed and they sat and they ate and they enjoyed each other's company. Both of them cleared it out that they were just friends and that Divine actually had a crush on the Knight Commander. They laughed some more, good stories were shared, good wine was drank, good chicken was savored and good friendship was born.

"Don't you have someone? Someone like you should have someone." Divine asked.

"Well, I do have someone in mind." Diaval said.

"Does she know?"

"I don't know."

"Tell her then." Divine encouraged Diaval.

"I don't think I could."

"Why not?"

"I'm already hers." Diaval fidgeted with the white table cloth. "And, I don't think that she'd be mine that way."

"Are you telling me you're her lackey?" Divine asked her brows raised in intrigue.

Before Diaval could answer, he heard a distant flapping of wings and turned his head around. He saw nothing and he thought that it was just a figment of his imagination.


"It wasn't her, your Highness." Diaval said to Aurora while doing his politest glare. The two of them locked eyes in a staring contest.

"Oh, Diaval. I'm flattered, but I'm with Phillip." Diaval broke down in laughter. Aurora and Phillip soon followed.

"With all due respect, you are definitely beautiful, your Majesty, but it's not you."

"Do I know this woman?" Aurora inquired.

"So well." Diaval said. In his face, the timeline wherein Maleficent cursed Aurora, watched over her and made sure to do everything she could to protect her, was etched in his nostalgic face. "So well, Aurora." Diaval started to walk away, leaving an open-mouthed, squealing Aurora behind.


Maleficent was riding two metal lions, her left hand holding their reins, her right hand was holding a half-eaten apple.

"Come on, Diaval, turn into a cheetah." Maleficent took a bite and watched laid-back as Diaval, currently in his rabbit form, ran as fast as he could. He was like a white dandelion swiftly maneuvering through the savage wilderness.

Diaval knew he was running out of both distance and breath, and that he was doomed. Maleficent seemed to be in a really sour mood. They were playing cat and mouse for a half an hour now, without breaks. Diaval ached everywhere. He tried once more to transform and his right leg exploded into a white ball of pain and it turned into a tiny human leg, and that made him lose his balance, and he tripped and he rolled and he knew he'd be food.

A sudden flash of Maleficent's red, luscious lips biting into the redder apple started another excruciating chain of pain through his body. The lions were near and their roars were louder than ever and he closed his eyes and just waited to be torn apart.

When that didn't come, he opened one eye and he realized that he was in his winged human form, flying above ground and out of the metal lions' reach.

"I did it!" He pumped his fists in the air. "Mistress, did you see that? I did it." Maleficent was right beside him and she smiled sadly.


"What's wrong?" Diaval asked, concern filling his eyes.

When Maleficent saw that Diaval was about to be eaten, she was about to flick her fingers when Diaval gracefully turned into a winged human. It was then that Maleficent realized that she never got to appreciate that transition because she was always looking away when she flicked her fingers. Okay, she realized that she's got to lessen her looking-away habit.

When she did see Diaval's transformation a while ago, it was as gentle as the shift from the break of dawn to the early sunrise. It was something she thought she'd like to see, and would never get tired of, every day.

When Maleficent saw Diaval transform on his own, she thought about the time that she said that she no longer needed him. Well, it seems that it is he who no longer needed her.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." In fact, everything's so right I wish that something was wrong so I'd have the excuse to say I need you again.

"Oh, by the way, how did your afternoon with Divine go?" Maleficent uttered Divine with such bitterness that it almost seemed tangible; like she drank bad whiskey.

"I think the Queen misread me. Divine's just a friend and she also sees it that way." Diaval explained with the defensiveness of a husband caught cheating on his wife. "And how did you know about that?"

"Aurora told me. She was excited about it. She said that, you seem to have fallen for someone." Maleficent said, her voice still bitter.

Before Diaval got to say things he thought he'd never admit, though he was a good height from the ground, a metal lion jumped and bit his wing and he screamed and yelped in pain.


With the explosion of pain on the edge of his left wing, he was dragged down back to the ground. He panicked and an unbearable warmth spread through his body as his form quickly and unstably jumped from creature to creature. A wolf, a snake, an elk, a catamount, a bear, a woman, a pixie… it seemed to go on forever. He heard Maleficent laugh at him as he struggled at the metal lion's big paws.

He turned into a giant metal lion and he roared so loudly, several flock of birds cawed and flew away. He pictured his winged human form again and it burned but it was not as stinging as before and he managed to transform, albeit it took him about a minute. He crossed his arms and flew at Maleficent's level; she was still laughing at him.

When she calmed down a bit, when the gentle breeze of the night wind was all they heard, he decided to break their calm silence.

"You look beautiful when you laugh." Diaval blurted out.

"What are you talking about?" Maleficent said, flustered. But it lasted only a few milliseconds.

"I am always beautiful." She added with a serious voice yet a little wobble implied that she was still laughing.

"I know." Diaval spoke very softly only the tiny fairies that provide light in these dark nights that suddenly surrounded them could hear it.

"What?"

"What?" Diaval repeated Maleficent, playing dumb.

"You said something."

"No. Nothing. Nothing at all." Which was a lie because, suddenly, he realized that Maleficent could mean everything to him. And he looked up at the new moon wondering if she wasn't already.