An: Thank y'all for the reviews and the kudos and the comments and favourites and follows. Hot damn! It makes me so happy! So happy that I felt bad about the cliff-hanger so here is a short chapter before I go to work. Yay for Aurora swinging a stick and going Hiyahh! It's short one and I feel that is your lot for a while until I get up to speed nana nana. Peace out yo.

Disclaimer: My attempts to take Disney's castle failed. They still own everything.

Chapter Nine: To Carry a Stick and Shout HIYAAHH!

Left alone in the woods, Aurora started shaking in terror. Was it Phillip? Was it soldiers? Had something happened? Had Diaval returned too soon? Questions spilled in a never ending supply. There was a rumbling around her, causing the ground to shake and she turned and fled back to the Oak, climbing with tearing speed up the path Maleficent had shown her, arriving sweaty and gasping to find no Diaval.

"DIAVAL!" she shrieked, looking to the woods and the skies, even though she knew him to be in human form. She looked out across the Moors and saw birds clattering up in lines converging towards the border. She saw Maleficent swoop down and disappeared below the tree line and her heart seized. "DIAVAL!" she called again but there was no reply. She hesitated for a moment. Maleficent had given her instructions.

But Maleficent was not here. And neither was Diaval. She had returned to the Oak per the first, but the second had been to find Diaval. She suspected the changeling raven had heard the panic of the faeries and had gone to the border. Well, if she had to find Diaval then to the border she would go also. She scrambled back down the cliff path and set out towards it.

The rumbling around her grew louder and she crouched behind a tree as a giant boar with a Border Guard thumped through the woods. She didn't recognise the Guard but called out all the same.

"Please! Wait! Can you take me to the border? I have to find Maleficent!" she shouted, running out from her hiding place. It turned to her and she swallowed hard, suddenly realising that if patrols were looking for humans, then they'd just found one. It grunted in a deep throaty loam sort of way and moved off again. She had no idea what it'd just said but decided to follow it anyway. There appeared to be no objection from it as she stumbled in its wake.

She looked at its huge spear and stopped to search for a broken branch that she could use as a makeshift club or weapon.

The Boar and its Guard waded through a swamp and Aurora followed it, cursing a little at getting so dirty again, although a rather detached part of her mind was not objecting if it meant she had another bath with Maleficent. She frowned at it for being so distracted at the moment and as her thoughts coalesced on Maleficent she strode on all the more determinedly.

The Border Guard had long since disappeared into the distance but she could still hear it. She was beginning to appreciate precisely how large the Moors were when you didn't have wings and you wanted to get somewhere quickly. She heard a disturbance to the left of her and grasped her stick firmly. If it was a soldier, then it was going to have a bad day. A figure came running out towards her and she swung her stick.

"Aurora!" it ducked and rolled to the side.

"Diaval!" Well that was the second instruction obeyed at any rate.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. She could sense him fluttering as he would do if he was in bird form.

"I'm going to the border! There are humans!" She felt like dancing from foot to foot herself.

"Armed with a stick…" he stilled for a second as he took in her weapon.

"Have you got a better idea?" She hefted it meaningfully.

"…no." Diaval swiftly located a stick also and they set off at a run towards the border.

"Do…you think…it is Phillip?" Aurora panted slightly.

"Not a clue." Diaval wheezed in reply.

"It…better not…be." She snarled and on they ran.

The Border Guards had been the ones to first spot the humans approaching and they amassed in a great line, waiting for the shadow of her wings. Long had it been since they'd had cause to rise up and they creaked in anticipation as Maleficent swooped down and landed in a heavy crouch in front of them. The humans by this point had spotted the looming hulks and had stopped rather suddenly where they were.

Maleficent frowned. Something was wrong. There was no glint of metal, no sign of armour. And the group was not large enough. She waited as a horse detached itself and rode forward, recognising it as Phillip.

"Maleficent!" he called out in greeting with a smile, the horse shying slightly at the Border Guards, so he dismounted, removed a long parcel from its back and sent it back to the group.

As attacks went, it was not the most frightening and Maleficent raised an eyebrow.

"Phillip." She nodded. "What brings you to the Borderlands?"

"We…that is to say the soldiers found this when cleaning up the castle." He withdrew the wrapping from the package to reveal her staff. "I wanted to formally return it to you." He bowed onto one knee, offering it up to her.

She blinked at him and then inhaled sharply and held it as her mind raced through the situation. *Right.*

Phillip nervously eyed the Border Guards as they stared at him but did not move.

Her mind screamed that it was a trick, but there was nothing she could detect, even with a brief flurry of magic so she grasped her staff once more, feeling the familiar weight of it in her hands.

"Thank you." She said gratefully, meaning it.

There was a smattering of nervous applause from the human contingent as they observed the interaction. Phillip rose up again with a smile.

"Good day to you and your people." He bowed.

"Likewise King…"

She was interrupted by what could only be described as a hollering whooping battle cry of "HIYAHHH!" and two unidentifiable mud-covered creatures raced out of the woods, brandishing weapons, heading straight for Maleficent and Phillip.

Human guards rushed forwards, drawing swords. Border Guards raised their spears.

"PEACE!" Maleficent's voice reverberated with far more effect than Phillip's "HOLD!" but both cries were listened to.

Maleficent swiftly disarmed the two figures with a sweep of her staff. She recognised the two of them and had to bite back a laugh.

"I appreciate the effort, you two, but what exactly are you doing?"

"Aurora?" Phillip startled slightly as he too recognised the young woman. His manners stayed further comment about the precise state of her robe and hair. Running through marshes and woods was not good for a graceful entrance.

"We…ah…" Diaval sniffed to regain his composure. "We came to um…see what was happening." He finished lamely, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"We thought there was…something wrong." Aurora quailed slightly under Maleficent's stare.

"King Phillip was returning my staff to me, in a gesture of peace." The Faerie explained.

"Ah! That's…" Aurora looked to Diaval for support.

"…good!" he nodded. "I'm sure ye are glad to have it back."

"Indeed." With a strong attempt at keeping her face straight, Maleficent turned back to Phillip.

"My apologies. They seem to have…" she glanced at the pair and then at the branches on the ground. "…grasped the wrong end of the stick."

Phillip burst out laughing. "Quite all right." He grinned then became serious. "Next time, I shall send an envoy ahead so the visit is less of surprise." He realised the slight palaver caused despite his good intentions.

"That would be extremely welcome."

"Until next time then." He waved to Aurora, bowed again to Maleficent and headed off back to the contingent.

Despite the friendliness of the meeting, Maleficent did not dismiss the Border Guards until the group had disappeared into this distance. When they were creaking back into the woods and marshes, she turned to Aurora and Diaval, standing shamefaced, staring at their feet.

"I think…" Maleficent started, looking upwards in order to avoid their expressions. Bursting out laughing might offend. "That one of your first lessons as to how to be Queen should be how to fight."

Aurora had expected an admonishment on her behaviour and was startled. "Fight?"

"Yes. You have proved you're valiant but leading the Border Guards into battle requires a little more than a stick and a yell. Particularly as you have no wings as yet." Maleficent's smile curved across her face. "Yes." She mused almost to herself. "And you will need a token in order to summon the Border Guards if necessary."

She picked up Aurora's fallen stick and enveloped it in golden magic, shrinking it and shrinking it until it was a small whistle pipe.

"Border guards!" she called out and the cry reverberated throughout the Moors. "Hear this noise and know that in the future, when you hear it, it is the call of the Queen for assistance." She blew a sweet trill and there was an answering roar and then silence. Maleficent fashioned a black leather cord and strung it through the hook she had created on the back of the pipe before placing it around Aurora's neck.

"Blow this only in times of war or trouble. The Guards will deal with individual intruders and will send Faeries to raise the alarm. Also, as Protector I will be looking out. But if I am not there, then use this and they will answer your summons. You understand?" she placed a hand on Aurora's cheek.

Aurora nodded.

"Good. We shall also have to teach you the language but I think that is enough excitement for one day. And apparently you need another bath." Part of Aurora's brain danced in glee. "You too, Diaval."

"I'd like to be a bird for that, if you will." Diaval protested. He disliked human baths immensely.

"As you will." She waved a hand at him gently and he flew off.

"Let me guess." Aurora sighed. "You're not carrying me like this?" she gestured to her filthy robe and marsh spattered face.

"I shall make an exception, seeing as it is rather a way to the pool." Maleficent grinned and gathered up her brave human.

"I'm sorry." Aurora sighed.

Maleficent shook her head before taking to the skies. "No, dear heart. You have shown great courage in defending your Moors." Aurora's heart sang at 'your Moors'. "That is not a thing to be sorry for. Although, if it had of been an attack I would've preferred you at the Great Oak."

"You've fought in battles." Aurora protested.

"And I would fight them all again, if only to keep you safe."

"Surely I'm safer at your side. And besides, I said that I would come live here in the Moors and that we could look after each other. How am I looking after you if I let you fight all by yourself?" Aurora argued as she settled into Maleficent's embrace.

"I would have the border guards." The Faerie pointed out but it was a small reply. She was touched by Aurora's bravery and hugged the young woman tightly to her as she took to the skies.