Thank you to my reviewers Greentwister14, DancingKitKat, overlordred, AwesomeGizmo, MissusGages and CaliyaLedesma12! Now we have a little girl talk between Aurora and Maleficent...

By the Great Tree

'Faerie Godmother?' called Aurora, below the Great Tree she knew her godmother to live.

Maleficent poked her head out from between the rustling, hanging branches and observed the girl with a smile she reserved only for her. The Great Faerie spread her enormous wings and flapped down in front of the Queen. 'Yes, Beastie, what is it?'

'Well, good morning!' Aurora's rosy cheeks beamed as she giggled.

'Good morning,' answered the faerie softly, amused at her goddaughter's cheerful nature. There was a time when her sunny disposition was more than a little out of place in the Moors, especially when there were creatures such as she and Diaval lurking around dark corners, but now, the Moors was a beautiful sun filled place again, and the girl made it more so.

'Godmother,' she said, taking on a more serious tone, 'I must ask you... where is Diaval?'

Maleficent's smile dropped, and she began walking in the opposite direction. 'Diaval? Why do you ask?'

The young Queen quickly skipped along behind her, lying, 'Well, I have not seen him since last night, and the two of you never part, not unless you send him away. I notice that he is not here. I do hope that he is alright...'

Aurora didn't like lying, but when she found Diaval to be a man so early in the morning, she was concerned that there might have been an upset. Aurora didn't like upset, it tore her happy heart.

Maleficent stopped abruptly, though Aurora could see her face was written with concern. 'Diaval is more than capable of taking care of himself.'

'I do not question it, he is a clever bird.'

Maleficent turned, and Aurora knew something was wrong, for the faerie's face was troubled, and was staring, unseeing at the hem of her dress.

The Queen frowned. 'Godmother, something is wrong. Please tell me, I can help?'

'You cannot help, Beastie. Not unless you can turn back the clock by sixteen years.'

Aurora nodded. 'You still regret the curse.'

Maleficent's piercing eyes shot upwards to meet the girl's. 'The curse? Oh yes, of course I still regret that but...'

She whispered, 'There is something else that happened at that time. A magic I made that is too late to reverse.'

Aurora's brow furrowed as she pondered the faerie's words...

'Diaval?' she blurted, incredulously, 'you regret transforming him?'

The faerie nodded with guilty eyes.

'But his life has been so much better with you - I know he was your servant, but you never really hurt him... he has lived much longer than he ever would have done as a raven... he has grown... and he has been simply wonderful to me... and to you... oh, Godmother you cannot regret him!'

'That is just it, Beastie. I fear he has grown to much.' Maleficent perched gracefully on a rock, and peered at Aurora from the corner of her eye. 'Specifically his heart.'

Aurora gasped and brought her hands to her face in delight. Did she mean...?

'Oh Godmother, your problem is not that Diaval's heart has grown,' she said, placing her hand on the seated faerie's shoulder. 'In fact, I suspect his has not changed for many years... your problem is that your heart has finally acknowledged it, and forgive me, but I think your heart has also grown...'

'You are mistaken.' Maleficent stood up, causing both the Queen's hand and face to fall. 'Yes, my heart has grown, but not in the way you suggest. You opened up my heart to love, and reminded me of who I was - someone I thought I lost long ago, but...'

'Yes I know you have found that part of yourself,' nodded Aurora, 'but Diaval is still searching for another part - he thinks he sees it sometimes but he is too kindly to chase in case he frightens you.'

Maleficent's cheeks tinged pink, and she whispered, 'He has told you this?'

'No of course not, I have guessed from the way he acts.'

'Then you have guessed wrongly, Beastie. Diaval cares for me as nothing more than a friend.'

'Godmother do not make it so! Diaval is your... he is -'

'Do not say it...'

'Fine, but I will say that he is a loving male with the kindest nature of anyone I have met, and do not pretend that he is anything less than handsome. I truly believe he would do anything for you, and that includes hiding his desire lest you send him away. Whether you like it or not Godmother, that raven has lodged himself within your heart.'

'Do not speak such folly, child,' whispered the Great Faerie, but Aurora could see she had taken it all in.

'You will know,' persisted the Queen, 'how much you care for him when you contemplate him gone forever. Imagine that. Imagine if he never came back from one of his missions; if the farmers finally got him, what then?'

Maleficent faltered and clutched her chest as though pierced by an arrow. 'What?'

'There you see,' beamed Aurora, gesturing to her chest. 'He snuck in while you were not looking.'

The faerie however, looked most perturbed, and was ready it appeared, to voice something she had been secretly concerned about.

'Diaval, Beastie. I sent him to guard you last night and he didn't come back to me this morning... I must find him.'