Chapter Three

Aurora was sitting near the stream, dangling her feet carelessly in the clear water.

A few water pixies were dancing for her and they emitted a blue light while they tumbled and twirled.

The pixies loved to entertain people with their dancing but they always seemed reluctant whenever he visited the small river.

The pale moon shone down on Aurora's golden hair and this light mixed with the pixies' blue glow made her look even more angelic than usual.

He slowly walked up to her and he was almost afraid to break the serene ambiance that surrounded Aurora and the magical creatures.

Diaval accidently stepped on a twig and Aurora quickly turned her head when she heard the piece of wood snap in half.

"Diaval!" Aurora said and one of her beautiful smiles, that she was so famous for, spread across her face "what are you doing here?"

He couldn't help but return her smile with one of his own even though his heart was still heavy with the burden of Maleficent's words.

"Your godmother sent me" he said "she told me you would be here"

Aurora patted the ground next to her, telling him to sit down.

She looked at him with a certain admiration in her eyes which he had never noticed before.

He could still remember the way her soft lips had pressed against his and how she had tasted of honey and other sweet things.

It was strange to think that she might love him back but there was such familiarity between them which just couldn't be explained any other way.

Aurora took hold of his hand and they laced their fingers together and he couldn't help but notice that even they seemed to fit perfectly together, her soft, small one in his calloused and large one.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Aurora asked him all of the sudden and she bit her rose-colored lip softly.

"Why would I be mad at you?" he asked her surprised and he couldn't remember one single time he had actually been mad at her.

Unlike Maleficent he had never felt any animosity towards Aurora and even when she had been a baby he had already cared about her, but in a very different way of course.

"Be-… because I kissed you" she said softly and a blush spread across her face while she averted her eyes.

He laughed at that and Aurora gave him a surprised look.

"How could I be mad at you for that?" he asked her smiling while he cupped her cheek with his right hand.

Aurora shrugged almost unnoticeably while they looked into each other's eyes.

This time it was Diaval who took the initiative while he slowly moved a closer to her.

Aurora met him halfway until they were so close that her sweet scent seemed to completely surround him and he could feel her breath on his skin.

Diaval pressed his lips against hers and while he closed his eyes he could feel Aurora's hand move through his hair.

Their lips parted slightly before their tongues met and they fell into a rhythm that almost came natural to them.

Aurora let out a small moan while she pressed against him closer and he could feel her small breasts against his chest.

He whispered her name in-between kisses and when they finally let go of each other they were both out of breath.

A charming blush had spread across Aurora's cheeks while she smiled at him shyly.

Diaval knew however that things would never be the same again because he was sure that she had felt the same way he had done when they kissed.

A more romantic person might have called it True Love's kiss but Diaval wasn't concerned about what they should name it, the only thing he knew for certain was that he would do everything in his power to stay with Aurora and to make her happy.

"Don't marry Philip" he said and he didn't care anymore what anyone would think of their relationship.

"I won't" Aurora said shaking her head "I promise, I won't"

There were tears glistening in her eyes which she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand.

"I love you, Diaval" she said taking hold of his hands and looking into his eyes "maybe I've always done"

He smiled at the young girl.

"I know I've done" he said making her blush again and a joyful giggle escaped from her rose-colored lips which made him laugh too.

He couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy, not as a human and not as a bird.

Aurora's facial expression changed all of the sudden and became more serious.

"I wish you could come to the castle with me" she said still holding his hands.

"Me too" Diaval said with a heavy heart "but I'm afraid the nobles of your Kingdom won't be too thrilled with the fact that you're not marrying Philip even without you introducing them to your new… uhm.. lover"

A sad smile spread across Aurora's face while she stared across the water and he knew that she agreed with him even though neither of them liked it very much.

"I'm going to miss it here so much" she said softly "I just know that I'm going to count every day until I'll return"

Diaval put his arm around Aurora's small frame and pulled her closer.

"We'll miss you too" he said and he pressed a kiss on the top of her head "it won't be the same without you"

The water pixies had returned to the stream and they carefully restarted their dance routine while their reflection seemed to struggle to keep up.

They both laughed when two of the pixies accidently bumped into each other when trying to show off their dancing skills and their laughter scared away a few birds who had been sitting on a branch nearby.

"I hope those weren't friends of yours" Aurora said with a cheeky smile while the ravens cawed offended after sitting down on a higher branch.

"Believe it or not, I don't really have much bird friends around here" Diaval said chuckling while he watched the couple several feet above them.

"Good" Aurora said putting on a smug smile "I don't want you to get distracted while I'm at my castle"

Diaval laughed at Aurora's comment and she joined in since they both knew that she had only been joking.

"I'm the one that should be worried here!" he said teasing her "with all those Princes that will try to court you"

Aurora rolled her eyes and snuggled a little closer to him.

"Believe me, I've had enough Princes for a life time" she said "and besides you're my True Love"

"And you're mine" he said smiling warmly.

Suddenly Aurora sat up right again and she had a familiar twinkle in her eyes.

"I've got an idea!" she said and before he could ask her what she was going to do she had already disappeared into the tall bushes near the stream.

"Aurora, what are you doing?" he asked her but she didn't answer him.

Diaval got up from his seat and walked to the greenery in which Aurora seemed to have disappeared.

He pushed past the thick branches and the thorns on one of them ripped his dark shirt.

He barely paid it any mind while he kept searching for the girl.

Just when he was starting to panic he found her sitting near a rose bush on the ground.

There were leaves in her hair and grass stains had gotten on her pale blue dress but that was when she looked the most beautiful to him and it was the way he would always remember her, no matter how extravagant the crown they put on her head might be.

"What are you doing?" he asked again, but with a soft smile this time, and he sat down next to Aurora.

The girl opened her hand and showed him what she had been making.

She had fabricated two rings out of a rose's stem which she presented with a certain shyness as if he would tell her that he didn't like it.

"I know it's not a wedding ring but…" she said softly but Diaval stopped her before she could apologize.

"It's perfect" he said with a bright smile and he took one of the rings from Aurora's hand.

Diaval took hold of Aurora's left hand and looked into her clear eyes.

"Aurora, I promise you that I will always be there for you to love you and to protect you for as long as you let me" he said while he gently put the ring around her finger.

There were tears of joy in her eyes while she watched him move the ring and she smiled at him while she put the other one around his finger.

"And I will always be there for you" she said before kissing him passionately.