Hi guys!

Yes I am still in hospital, but hopefully I'll be out by boxing day. My nameless baby is doing ok, he's a strong little guy. Thank you all so much for your reviews and words of kindness, they were so sweet and helped so much. If I was to personally thank every one of you we'd be here all day, and I'm sure you just want to read the new chapter.

I hope you enjoy it!

Oh, and there is an interesting story by RavenDiablo called I'm alive, it has a very interesting plot if you want to read it :)

Everyone fell silent at his chilling words, until he continued. "I have been by her side since the day she lost her wings. She gave me a new life, and she's my only friend. Other than Aurora, she's also the only one I care about. I'd give my life for her, so I gladly take the risk of trying to help her."

Aurora nodded at him "She took this curse to save me, because she loved me, even when she had every reason not to. She has shown and taught me so many things, allowed me to feel so much happiness, of course I would fight for her happy ending." Diaval looked at her, a silent thank you.

The pixies looked at each other, huddling together to discuss. When they separated, Knotgrass announced their decision. "Before all this, Maleficent was our guardian, our protector. We practically raised her too, and we want to see her be that happy person again. We will help you."

Aurora grabbed her aunts in a hug while Diaval looked at Maleficent's sleeping form. How odd she would've found it that the pixies were willing to help her.

"I need to get her out of here, the castle is too dangerous, for both of us. I need to take her back where I can keep her safe."

Flittle looked at him nervously "I actually think you'd be more safe here," she admitted, to which he cocked an eyebrow. The pixies looked at each other "You say it," both Thistlewit and Knotgrass said to Flittle. "Always the bearer of bad news." She huffed

"We went back to Moors today while Aurora was preparing for the ball." Aurora looked up, so that's where they had been. "Balthazaar informed us of the growing unrest in the kingdom. More guards are being sent to the Moors, and the entire kingdom is being searched top to bottom for Maleficent. The wall of iron has been added too, and even if you did somehow manage to get her through without severely burning her, the guards are still stampeding the Moors. Without Maleficent to protect it, Balthazaar won't be able to keep them all out. Here, with all of us, she'd be safer. I doubt someone would enter the princess' room unannounced, and the doors a locked tightly."

Diaval ran a hand through his wild hair, but nodded. The pixies promised to meet back up tomorrow, for it was late and they were finding hard to concentrate as sleepy as they were. They said their goodbyes and flew out the window.

The two got up off the edge of the bed, deciding to leave Maleficent on it and sleep on the floor themselves. They pulled out sheets and any soft clothing they could find to make a makeshift bed. Aurora went behind the curtain to change and Diaval examined the cuts he had acquired in the mirror. He poured some water from a jug into his hand and wiped at the cuts. They weren't deep, so hopefully they wouldn't scar.

Diaval kept his clothes on, only taking off his boots. There wasn't much space on their 'mattress' and it was awkward enough to have to sleep so close together. He didn't want to further embarrass the girl. Godfather or not, to her she was still a man.

Thankfully the night was warm, and no covers were needed. Aurora, exhausted by the events of the day, fell straight to sleep. Diaval, however, could not stop his mind from racing. He thought long and hard about all the information they had gathered today. They needed to find someone that Maleficent loved, and in all his years of servitude, the only love interest of hers he ever knew of had been Stefan. Diaval had a feeling that it would be just as difficult as he was predicting, if not more.

Some time during his thinking, he began drifting off to sleep himself.

When Aurora awoke, Diaval had already disappeared from her side. She got up, checking her bed to find the sleeping fairy still occupying it. Aurora stretched out her limbs, which ached from her sleep on the floor.

Just then, the door quickly opened and shut. Aurora gasped, but it was only Diaval. "Where were you?" She asked.

"I snuck out to talk to the pixies, they're going back to the Moors to ask around and see if anyone knows a person that Maleficent loved before the curse. They said they'd be back by nightfall."

Aurora nodded, and was about to speak when a knock sounded at the door.

"Yes?" Aurora asked shakily

"It's me," Stefan replied.

Aurora gulped, and Diaval looked at her worriedly, motioning for her to pick up the clothes they had slept on while he picked up Maleficent.

"Um… just a minute!" she replied

She hurriedly stuffed the clothes back, slamming the door so they wouldn't fall back out.

Diaval carried Maleficent and himself under the bed, and Aurora hurried to open the door. Stefan gave her an odd smile, and she returned it.

"Hello your majesty." She greeted.

"No, no. We'll have none of that. I'm your father, you can call me such." He gave her another weird look. He wanted her to call him father.

Aurora couldn't help but wonder how bad her father was. Perhaps he had changed. She bit her lip. Still, she couldn't trust him until she knew more. After all, he had hurt her Godmother enough to have her curse a baby, and Maleficent had never shown Aurora an ounce of cruelty in her life.

"Ok…father." She amended, and he gave her a wide smile. At least she could make someone happy.

"Good. Now, I'm taking a day off from my duties today to show you around the castle. It'll just be you and me, and I invited the Prince of Alfstead to come with us, so you'd have someone your age in case I bored you with my talking. He's been waiting to meet you." He gave her another smile, before telling her to meet him in the throne room.

Aurora shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Diaval quickly pulled himself and his mistress out from under the bed.

"What are we going to do now?" Aurora asked.

"Well, I am going to go get Maleficent's staff, which I forgot yesterday, from the room where they burned the spinning wheels. And then I'm staying by my mistress until we can get some more information. And you are going to spend the day with King Stefan and this Prince."

"What? So I'm doing nothing then! I have to be able to help somehow! I'm not going to just live my life like she doesn't exist while everyone else does all the work!" Aurora cried.

Diaval gave her a disapproving look "Aurora, Maleficent did this so you could live your life. And be happy. She would turn me into a mealy worm if I let you get yourself in trouble. I know you want to help but that's not really the best idea."

"Then why don't you just escape and live your life?" she argued

Diaval snorted "What life? Your Godmother is my life. When she changed me, and I became her servant, I was abandoned by my family and my unkindness because they thought I was the devil. I can't fly anymore, and I don't really think the humans will be very willing to accept me. She was the only person I had left! Being by her side is all I know! All we both had for twenty years was each other, and I'll die before I abandon her!"

Aurora felt such deep sorrow for the poor raven man standing before her. His eyes had clouded over with tears, and hers had too. Diaval felt guilty for upsetting her, and he enveloped her in a hug.

"You still have the pixies, your father, an entire Kingdom ready to love you. Enjoy it, if not for yourself then for me and her." He pleaded

Aurora nodded through her tears, sniffling. He wiped away her tears and let her run to pick her dress for the day. Once she was dressed and Diaval had made her blush with his complimenting, she gave him one last hug.

"We'll get her back." Aurora promised, which he answered with a half smile as she left.

"I sure hope so, Aurora. I sure hope so"

Thanks for reading! Please review!

And Merry Christmas!