Chapter 4

Maleficent heard Diaval's approaching screech but could not afford to be distracted as she ordered another battalion towards the bridge that they were laying siege to. The invading army was defending the gates to Aurora's castle well. She surmised that the invaders had been imbedded in the castle for little more than a few hours, yet their position was well fortified and their defense was starting to become aggressive.

Diaval screeched again as he swooped in closer, she could tell his screech was more one of panic than simply trying to get her attention. He landed on her shoulder, surprised that she had yet to transform him into a man, he pecked her cheek and hopped back and forth from shoulder to shoulder, desperately trying to get her attention.

Maleficent swatted at Diaval annoyed, couldn't he see that she was busy, on two fronts! She just needed to get past this defending force across the bridge and through the gates to the castle with her army at her back and then it would be her turn to storm the castle, her turn to be the invading force. She had to get to Aurora.

Maleficent squashed down the panic that accompanied her previous thought and turned to address the flame ball that was headed straight for her. Balthazar raised his weapon and swatted the flame ball off it's trajectory and harmlessly into the moat below, bellowing a battle cry as he aimed his battalions attack at the source of the flameball.

With that in hand, Maleficent flourished her wrist and Diaval finally transformed into a man, but she did not have time to divert her attention to him as a flurry of arrows whistled through the air. Maleficent pushed off the ground and beat her wings strongly, sending a shock wave for force over the heads of her soldiers and disrupting the arrows pushing them off course. While in the air she swooped up to the ramparts using the tip of her wings to knock the archers off the keep's walls, dodging projectiles as she did so.

Sheer terror flowed through Diaval as the image of the bedchamber was burned into his brain. He was terrified for Aurora and incredibly frustrated at Maleficent for not staying to hear what he said. He looked around for her and saw Maleficent doing a second sweep of the ramparts, he also saw that one of the archers that had fallen to the ground still had a bow in his hand and he was tracking her with his knocked arrow. Diaval lurched forward, grabbing a gladius from a fallen opponent and charged through the ranks of Maleficents dark warriors until he reached the man.

Raising the short sword above his head, Diaval let out a roar as he swung the blade down on the archer, rendering him useless until he bled out. The roar of frustration and rage had caught Maleficent's attention and she landed heavily beside Diaval, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Aurora," was the only word that Diaval could allow to tumble from his lips as his chest heaved breathlessly while his brain tried to process the result of his actions which lay at his feet.

"Did you find her?" Maleficent asked.

Diaval stood stock still, the sounds of the raging battle falling away in his mind, the horror of his actions engulfing him as he realised that he had killed a man. He was not built for war, he was a beautiful bird built for flying and basking in the suns rays. How could he have done this? How could he take a mans life.

Suddenly the sound of the battle crashed into his eardrums as a hand on his arm brought his attention back to the here and now.

"Diaval," Maeficent said softly but no less insistently.

She waited for a response and when she didn't get one she probed, "Did you find her?"

Diaval nodded, a tear slipping down his cheek, still unable to speak.

Maleficent felt fear roiling in her stomach again, coiling like a snake ready to strike, it was bad she knew it was by the fact that all color had drained from Diaval's face. She knew because she had never seen her friend so upset.

"Where is she?" traces of panic leaked into her voice.

Diaval could not respond, his eyes flitted across the bridge, registering the fallen on both sides. He knew that Maleficent was desperately trying to get to Aurora, he too wanted to rescue her. There would be hell to pay when Maleficent found out what was happening to her, he thought perhaps the entire kingdom might pay, but none of that mattered right now.

"DIAVAL!" Maleficent shouted urgently, grabbing both of his arms and shaking him at the same time.

"We need to fly," he responded and then he waited.

Maleficent studied his face, her friend was afraid, but of what? For himself? No that wasn't Diaval's way, it never had been. Aurora? It had to be. She nodded once and then turned to her trusted left hand.

"Balthazar! Keep pushing, we need to be inside the keep and through the castle doors now," She ordered.

Balthazar roared in response and began bellowing orders to his troops.

Maleficent turned back to Diaval and restored him to his former self. He was inflight before the transformation was fully complete and Maleficent was a tailfeather behind him as she followed him up to the bed chamber window.

Diaval was able to land on the ledge and tilted his head to look through the window, King John blocked his view of the bed but that was enough for Diaval to know that Aurora was still very much in danger.

The ledge was not wide enough for Maleficent to land on but she was able to hover long enough to follow Diaval's line of sight. Her eyes widened at what she saw as the horror of the situation set in. Maleficent pushed herself away from the ledge flying high into the cool air as her heart thundered in her chest demanding that she deal with the situation.

She looped back around and aimed for the window, letting herself gather up speed as she plummeted towards it. Just as she was a short distance from the window she began to spin so that the she had enough force to break through the glass and the ironwork. Maleficent landed on her feet in the middle of the room and snarled as she shook the loose glass from her wings.

King John spun around at the crashing noise, his hand going to the hilt of his sword despite his now soft manhood hanging outside his garments.

Maleficent took in the sight and again felt her stomach revolt, she beat her wings once, the resulting force knowing the half dressed King to the floor, his sword clattering out of his hand and out of reach. Maleficent went to take a step forward towards him but as she did so the door to the bedchamber burst open and soldiers poured into the room, weapons drawn.

Maleficent used her staff to fight the soldiers off, either beating them to unconsciousness or terrifying them so much that they fled. Not before a few of them had struck her a few good times with their iron weaponry, leaving terrible burn scars on her upper arms and shoulders. The last of the soldiers ran from the room probably in search of reinforcements.

Maleficent spun back around to where the King had fallen but he was no where to be found, having escaped during the distraction. The room had fallen silent and all that could be heard was the sounds of the battle on the bridge below. Maleficent scanned the room, her eyes falling on the bloodstained sheets, looking for Aurora. The bed was empty and Maleficent's heart sank, had the King taken her as part of his escape? Had Maleficent been that distracted?

Her thoughts were disturbed by a sniffle and Maleficent got down on all fours and located the source of the sniffle. Aurora was hiding under the bed, good girl, was Maleficent's immediate thought as she crawled over to Aurora and began assessing the damage.

She was alive, nothing else mattered.