Author's Note: So this is the first real chapter of the story which I hope you will all like! It's their first meeting :D haha, anyways thank you for reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it! I can't give you a regular schedule of updates I'm afraid, as I am quite busy at the moment with other stories as well as life itself, but I will try to get the story online as soon as possible! I came up with the idea after watching the movie and falling in love with Diaval. At first it was supposed to be a oneshot of him falling in love with a girl and then meeting her in person, but that idea kind of evolved into this story... So hope you all like it! Please enjoy
Special thanks to Avalanet, Allanna Stone and SesshiraRayu for their reviews. I did my best to space things up ;)
Chapter 1: Saving a Raven
"Father, I promise I will return before nightfall!" Arella chuckled as she stood before her father with a loving smile. "Nothing will happen so don't worry!" She tried to assure her father. The farmer had a deep crease in his forehead however, caused by the frown on his face. "I don't know my dear Arella, it's just that you are such a beautiful woman and to think that you have to go into town all by yourself..." he shook his head to get the nightmarish images of what could happen to his sweet girl out. "There are always those who would love to take advantage of you."
Arella leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her father's forehead. "I am sure there will be enough gentleman around to save me from such vulgar people, father." She told him softly. "Jonathan for instance would never let anything happen to me." Arella smiled as she remembered how her best friend since childhood had always stood up for her, sometimes earning himself a heavy beating just to protect her.
Her father also chuckled this time, "I still don't understand my dear why you won't just marry that boy!"
"Because he is not the one!" She explained once more, even though the previous hundred times hadn't helped her father realize that either so she doubted it would now. "And I can't be married when I meet my true love!" She continued with a foolish grin, winking. "Now, I will be on my way father or I might not even make it back before sunrise." She curtsied gracefully in her father's direction after which she turned around and started running towards the trail that would lead to the town she called home.
The farmer watched his daughter go with again another frown settling on his tired features. Even if she told him not to worry, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Every time she said it he was reminded of the first day he saw those clear and enchanting green eyes, the day that his dearest wish was finally granted and he received a daughter. He shook his head and sighed warily, heading inside of the farmhouse they lived in. It was a rundown place, there was no doubt about it, but it was a place filled with memories and so he could not bring himself to sell it.
He walked over to a cabinet and sat down before it, opening the drawer and pulling out an envelope with elegant golden lettering on it reading Arella. He put it in front of him and stared, feeling another's gaze rest upon him. He looked up at a drawing of his wife, one made by the sketch artist of the town. All three of them were pictured on it and their happiness glowed through the parchment it had been drawn on.
"What to do, my love?" He whispered as he looked at his wife. "Almost 20, and I still cannot decide what to do..." he sighed and put the envelope back where he'd put it. Just a few more months, then he'd have to make the choice whether to give it to her, or keep it from her. That cursed letter that could destroy everything he had built with the girl he now thought of as his daughter.
Meanwhile Arella had returned to a slower pace, her eyes set on the clear blue sky that promised it would be a beautiful day. She was feeling giddy today for some unknown reason, as if something good was about to happen. She nodded and greeted those she met along the way, and waved at the children that were staring at her from behind the window. And reason to stare they had, for this young woman was beyond beautiful. It was even rumored that she outshone the princess' beauty in many ways, though of course she didn't believe that herself.
Her looks however did always make her wonder what her real parents had looked like. Of course she knew she wasn't the blood related daughter of the farmer and his wife, even if she did love both of them with all her heart. If they hadn't told her she would've eventually found out anyway. Her long light blonde hair that almost appeared white in the warm light of the sun and her forest green eyes did not fit her black haired and brown eyed father, nor her brown haired blue eyed mother. But she didn't mind the fact they weren't her real parents, they had been a happy family, right up until the moment her mother died of illness that is.
Her face instantly fell at the memory, but she was soon cheered up again by the arrival of her best friend Jonathan. "Well good morning, milady." He said as he bowed, taking the basket she was carrying as if it was too heavy for her. She raised an eyebrow and he sighed, handing it back. "If you would just allow men to be chivalrous, maybe you wouldn't be so-"
"If you're going to say alone I am going to hit you." She warned him and he soon changed his mind. "Independent." He said instead.
She laughed, "There is nothing wrong with independence, dear sir."
"I beg to differ," he replied. "I really wish you would let me do these things for you." His tone was serious and Arella felt her heart twinge at the sight of his frown. She hated seeing her friend hurt, but she couldn't help it. Being more than friends with him just didn't feel right.
"If you want to do something," she told him in defeat. "Go get some bread for me."
He lightened up and grinned, "Be right back." He said as he went off to the bakery, leaving Arella watching after him. She really did hope he would one day find his true love, it just wasn't her. If only he could see that…
She continued her journey through the town and by midday she had collected everything she needed. Jonathan had already returned with the bread but before he could continue any conversation he was called back to the blacksmith's, where he worked. He excused himself with a deep bow and hurried back to work, which made the girl chuckle lightly before returning home with her basket full of goods.
She decided to walk along the edge of the forest, as that was by far the most magical place at this time. She often wondered what the lands beyond that forest beheld, but never got the chance to figure out. Her eyes trailed along the trees, hoping to catch a glimpse of something magnificent like she sometimes did, but instead she found just simple trees, branches and fallen leaves. She sighed, it was moments like these that she felt a hole in her heart.
Her whole life she had believed she was destined for something; and however much she tried to shake that feeling off it never went away. Yet here she was, almost twenty and still nothing had happened that could change her life forever. Her home was caring and loving, but it wasn't enough. She simply missed something that she couldn't grasp, as she had no idea what is was, which made it all the more frustrating.
As she was about to turn around and walk the rest of the way home straight through the grasslands, she was stopped by the sound of a dog barking. She turned her head towards the sound and started towards it as she wondered what was going on. She soon saw it and stopped, looking around to see if there was anyone that could be the owner of the dog in front of her.
The animal was barking right up a tree, growling and trying to jump up but failing miserably. She took a few steps closer and the dog directed his growl at her instead. She stretched her neck, trying to see what the dog had been barking at and soon spotted it. It was a bird trapped in a net, a raven to be precise. She could see there was blood on its wing even as it fought the restraints and she felt sorry for the poor creature.
She rummaged around in her basket and soon found what she was looking for, pulling the sausage out and throwing it over to another tree. The dog ran right after it and she quickly loosened the tied net, hearing voices approach. She narrowed her eyes and worked faster, until finally it came loose. She took the bird carefully in her arms and ran away carrying it close to her chest, running until she was far enough away to no longer hear the sounds of the hunters.
She stopped and put the raven on the ground carefully, inspecting its wing and shaking her head in disbelief.
"How could they do such a thing?" She asked as she looked at the hurt creature, whose eyes stood clear and were aimed at her. It was almost like he was agreeing with her and Arella smiled at her imagination. She turned to her basket and pulled out a cloth.
"This will hurt, I'm sorry." She said softly as she tied it around the wing. The bird cawed and bit her in the arm. She pulled back quickly and glared at the animal.
"I warned you, ok!" She told him off. "And I'm trying to help!" She continued. It was as if his eyes showed regret in what he'd done and he took a step towards her hand, moving his head underneath it as if to ask for forgiveness.
She sighed and smiled, "Its fine." She told the bird. "Now get on the basket, I'm taking you home with me. I've got herbs that will ease the pain and a better bandage for the wound."
That moment was the moment she knew that the bird understood what she said, as it walked over to the basket and with one wing tried to get on top of it. She helped it along, careful not to touch the injured wing, and when he sat in place she picket the basket up again and continued her journey home, humming softly as the raven's dark eyes watched her closely and full of curiosity as to who this girl was that had saved him.
"Ok, I know you're a bird and that it might be harder for you than for a human, but sit still already!" Arella scolded the raven standing on the desk she was sitting in front of as she took off his makeshift bandage. The bird cawed and she shushed it. "If my father hears you, you're out of here in no time." She hissed, shaking her head as she took the herbs she had found in her father's medicinal cabinet. She started crushing them with a mortar for a few minutes, the bird moving over to her hand as if smelling the stuff she was going to put on his wing.
"Here, you want to taste some?" She asked as she held out her hand with crushed rose colored petals. He seemed to eye her warily and she rolled her eyes, "It isn't like I'm poisoning you or anything." She said dryly and he seemed to consider that as he took a step forward and took some in his beak, shaking his head immediately at the bitter taste. Her mouth twitched and she couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped, making him glare at her. A knock on the door made them both freeze however and Arella quickly got up and took a careful hold of the bird, hiding it underneath the desk. She then opened the door with a smile, "Evening father." She greeted the farmer. "Is there something wrong?"
Neither of them noticed the raven moving slightly closer to watch the scene from underneath the desk. He saw the worried eyes of the farmer scan his daughter and shake his head. "No my dear, I just wanted to wish you a good night before going off to bed." He said as he looked at her desk and noticed the petals. "Are you not feeling well?" He asked her even more worried than before. "It's just a simple headache father, nothing to worry yourself over. I'll be fine again tomorrow." He nodded slowly and forced a smile, "I trust you won't make it too late?"
"Of course not, father." She replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek and wishing him goodnight before closing the door and returning to the desk. She pulled the chair out carefully and picked the raven up again. "We were lucky he didn't see you." She whispered with a sparkle in her eyes as she put him back on the desk.
She took the crushed petals she had luckily been able to make up an excuse for and smeared them over her fingers, carefully taking ahold of the injured wing and stretching it. The raven tried to suppress another caw and she noticed, frowning as she tried to be even more gentle. She smeared the crushed petals onto the wound and quickly grabbed a more appropriate bandage, covering the wound with the soft fabric.
When finally done she looked at the bird and apologized, "That must've truly hurt.." she whispered as she looked away in guilt. The raven felt something take ahold of him and in order to relieve her from the guilty expression he brushed his uninjured wing across her arm softly. She smiled and gave him a kiss on his head for the gesture, getting up and putting everything she'd used away. After she had cleaned everything she blew out all but one candle, changing into her nightwear before going to bed.
When she turned back to the raven she noticed how he had turned around as if to give her privacy. She smiled at the thought and walked over to him, pressing a kiss on the top of his head again. She stepped into bed and the raven sat beside her, watching her with dark eyes as she blew out the last candle. She could see his outline against the light from the moon, "You really are a wondrous creature." She whispered to him as she closed her eyes and fell into a deep dreamless sleep, not even half aware of the extent of truth that sentence really carried for the bird not only possessed this form, but also a human, and he was known as the winged fairy's helper, Diaval.
The next morning she got up early, sneaking downstairs to get a few grapes from the bunch she had gotten the day before. When she returned to the room she threw one right at him, which he caught easily even if he couldn't move as well with the injured wing. She put the rest of the grapes in a pile on her bed and he started eating eagerly, which made her chuckle. She got dressed for the day while he was busy eating and waited for her father to wake up. When he did he announced he would be going to the land, which was what she'd waited for.
She watched him leave through the window like she normally did and waved one last time. When he was out of sight she turned back to the bird with a grin. "We've got the house to ourselves!" She exclaimed happily. She was glad that was the case or the bird would've been confined to her room alone. Now he could hop along as she did her tasks.
Arella cleaned the house from top to bottom, finished the dishes and her knitting work and finally cooked dinner, all while the raven followed her around while watching her closely. The bird stood on the counter now, watching her stir the pot of stew. It smelled delicious and he found himself wanting some of it. She noticed and prepared a bowl for him, putting it on the counter as well so he could reach it. He devoured the meal like it was his last and he loved every single taste that filled his mouth. He had found out that this girl had many talents, and obviously cooking was one of them.
Arella leaned in and watched the bird eat, smiling at the sight. "You sure have a healthy appetite." She chuckled, taking the empty bowl and putting some more stew inside. He ate all of it, and she would've given him another bowl if it hadn't almost been the time that her father would return. She carried him upstairs and told him to wait there until after dinner. She would see if she could maybe smuggle another bowl in for him. That prospect made the raven feel giddy as he sat on the desk. However when he heard voices floating in from outside the feeling disappeared. He couldn't quite make out what was being said but he recognized Arella's father's voice together with another he did not know. If he could just make it to the window sill, he thought, but as he spread his wings a pain shot through him that he could not defy.
That reminded him of how Arella had carried him almost everywhere. It made him feel helpless and like a burden, which was one of the reasons he was determined to quickly strengthen his wing again. From that moment on he spread and unspread his wings over and over again when Arella was not around, biting through the pain. He would jump onto the chair from the desk he'd been put on and try to fly. This mostly resulted in falling and having to climb all the way up again, which made him hungry.
Lucky for him Arella never failed to bring food up for him right when he needed it, and she would watch him eat with delight even though it wasn't the prettiest sight. Every time again he vowed he would be a more graceful eater, but the hunger would take over and he had devoured half the bowl before even realizing what he was doing. Arella never seemed to mind though, which was a relief to him as he didn't want to leave a bad impression on this girl for some reason.
One day, about a week after the accident, he again jumped off the chair, and his wings caught him. He wasn't able to fly over to the window sill, but he still landed in a more controlled manner than before. This made him even more determined and soon he was able to fly again, though no long stretches. He wanted to show Arella in the morning and could hardly wait until she woke up, resulting in him jumping onto her bed and cawing softly into her ear in order to get her to wake up.
Her green eyes opened and raised to meet his dark orbs and she smiled sleepily, making the raven forget for a moment what he had been wanting to do again. She looked beautiful, so beautiful….
"What's wrong?" Arella asked him and then he remembered again. He stood at the edge of the bed and slowly spread his wings. He then took off and as he did he heard her gasp and clasp her hands together in delight. "You can fly again!" She called out in joy.
That made him feel proud of himself and turn around to fly back towards her, but when a sudden shot of pain went through him he lost control and flew right into her. She caught him however and fell back onto the bed again, chuckling. "Well at least you can fly." She told him with a wink. Diaval cawed in agreement and flew towards her desk, landing carefully. That evening, after Arella's father had once again gone to the market and returned, he again could hear voices outside. This time he did fly over to the window, and listened in to the conversation.
"Thank you for your help, Jonathan." He heard Arella's father say. "You really are a true gentleman."
The man named Jonathan laughed shortly, though it wasn't sincere. "I wish your daughter would see that." He then said, sounding rather sad.
Diaval narrowed his eyes at the sound of that, not entirely understanding his own reaction. "You should ask her to marry you, Jonathan. You know you have my blessing." Her father spoke.
"I know," the guy replied, "And I had been planning to do so this week. However she did not come into town, so I did not get the chance."
"Yes, she is confined to her bedroom nowadays, except when I'm gone. I wonder why."
The raven knew exactly why, it was because of him. He felt a slight satisfaction at the thought that he had prevented this guy from proposing to Arella, however that didn't make him hate the guy any less for even wanting to.
"She probably already found out what I was planning." Jonathan sighed. "She has a way of reading people, you know."
"Yes," Arella's father replied, almost sounding regretful. "I know."
I didn't hear anything else as that was the moment Arella walked into the room, smiling at me as she found me. "Hey, here you have your dinner, sir." She said with a bow and a wink, being distracted almost immediately by her father calling her name, probably just having said goodbye to that Jonathan guy.
"I'll be back after dinner." She quickly said, and turned around again to leave. Diaval watched her leave and looked down at the food. Even though he'd been hungry before, somehow he lost his appetite now. He couldn't do anything about this as a bird, but as a human…
He suddenly was remembered of Maleficent, which he in all honesty hadn't thought about all that much in the past days. He instantly felt guilty, as she and Aurora were probably worrying about him. He had never been gone this long on an errand. He decided he would return to them tomorrow, he should be able to fly to them now. The only thing he would be dreading however, was the goodbye with Arella…
Arella found her beloved bird sitting over by the window when she brought him food, and all throughout dinner she wondered if he had wanted to leave. He had been with her long enough. His wound was almost healed and he could fly again. Being trapped in a room wasn't that great, was it really? Especially not for a bird. She wondered about is so much that she completely missed her father's questions, and when she finally realized he'd asked something he had waved it away and asked her if she was alright instead. She nodded reassuringly, "I am perfectly alright, I'm just tired." She answered, excusing herself from the table and heading back to her room quickly.
She found him standing by the window again, his food untouched and she sighed, closing the door behind her. The raven looked up at her entrance and cocked his head to the side questioningly at her sad eyes.
"You have enough of this place, don't you?" She asked him with a sigh as she sat down. He flew onto the desk and looked her in the eye. "You want to return to where you're from, do you not?"
She looked genuinely sad as she asked it and Diaval was inclined to shake his head but he couldn't. If he really wanted to return to his human form he'd need to leave, so he nodded instead. She smiled sadly and nodded as well, "Then tonight when father is asleep I will take you outside and you will be free again."
He cawed in agreement, though Arella missed the sadness in the sound that was definitely there. As it was said, it was done. When her father had gone to bed and she could hear his snores she got up from bed and allowed the bird to step onto her arm. She carried a lantern with her down the stairs and outside, standing in the moonlight and the light of the lantern. The raven looked at her for a moment and she smiled.
"I hope you will return some day." She whispered. He leaned in and stroked his beak over the place he had bitten her at their first meeting. He silently promised her that he would return, and that he would always, because she had stolen his heart and he wished nothing more but to steal hers in return.
He then spread his wings and took off, cawing again loudly while she could hear the beating of his wings as he circled above her once before disappearing. She listened to the sound fading and felt something wet tracing down her cheek, a tear. She was crying over the goodbye of an injured bird she helped, she could laugh at herself right now, but she didn't. She knew that it was more than just a bird, he had been her friend, and somehow watching him leave made her heart ache.
At that thought a realization hit her. The reason her heart ached was because for once that hole in her heart had been filled, and now that which had filled it, was leaving her….
