Hey guys! Sorry it's so late updating (again.) You have every right to be mad for the delay. This chapter did not come easy. Reactions were a pain and I still think there's one moment that's not quite in character but we'll see. I knew I couldn't make you wait while I worried about perfection, so I posted. :)

To my reviews: Bookwyrm52, I'm glad you like my interpretations. Yeah, Stefan is actually really fun to write, I don't know why. I just felt like there's a lot going on with him, and we don't really get to see how he's affected by everything going on around him. (other than going mad, of course) So then I thought to just really dig into it and try and figure him out as well, so that's how he came about. Your comment about jealousy was interesting, as I never really thought about how Stefan would feel about Diaval, almost replacing him, in a way, so thank you for the inspiration! :)

EmpathyBlues: It's all about the characters! ;) I wanted to try and cover as many perspectives as possible, and, as I mentioned to Bookwyrm, I wanted to dig into each character and show not just what was happening, but how it affects them and everything around them as well.

Lozzyjayne: No need for bursting, the chapter is here! Haha, and so worries about the review, I was late for the chapter, so we're even. ;)

The warnings for this chapter are: Angst. Angst and feels like crap.

Things start to get a little darker here, in preparation for things to come. Maleficent is such a complex character, especially the way they portray her in this retelling, and so I struggled a bit with just how dark to go, but she is The Mistress of All Evil, so I knew I couldn't hold back, because she certainly doesn't!

Anyway, here's the chapter. I apologize for its length (namely, the lack of) but I'm working on the next chapter as I type this, and I promise it won't be nearly as long a wait. For those anxious for Aurora, more foreshadowing! (But mostly angst) I hope you guys enjoy, and don't forget to review!

- Raven

The moon had risen and sunk when Maleficent finally seemed to rouse. She blinked at Diaval, who cawed softly to her, wondering if she was even aware enough to realize how much time had passed, or if she knew he had left. She drew a breath that sounded more like a sigh to the raven, but she lifted her fingers to stroke his feathers, and he was pleased to see further signs of life from her.

Her expression remained closed off, but Diaval could see the pain in her eyes, and he knew it was more than just a physical pain that drove the emotion. She sighed again, but it transitioned to a pained noise halfway through. Diaval looked over at her sharply, his eyes glinting with the concern that couldn't show on his face. Maleficent caught the look and frowned, but it didn't carry the weight it normally would.

"Are you alright?" he asked, knowing better than to expect an answer. She drew a sharp breath, her mouth opening as though to speak, but then her lips pursed and she shook her head once, her eyes flickering and revealing her uncertainty.

Tell me what's wrong. He wanted to say. What can I do? How can I help?

Instead of saying any of those things, however, Diaval shuffled just a little closer, ruffling his feathers as he pressed himself under her chin. He felt her smile a little at that, but it fell too quickly off her face, and he chirped softly, trying to comfort her as best as he could.

"I'd known them all my life."

Her voice was barely above a whisper in the darkness, and Diaval could feel it vibrating through his feathers, tickling his skin beneath.

"The fairies…" she stopped abruptly, and Diaval could feel her features twist, her jaw clenching slightly.

He blinked a bit in surprise, realizing that she was actually trying to tell him something, and the significance of the fact wasn't lost on him. He straightened on her shoulder, eager to hear what she would say, but knowing better than to press.

"The fairies were the only family I had," she continued lowly. "Balthazar and Ronin taught me, everything, but they…they raised me."

He ruffled his feathers, processing her words, and he realized there was still so much he didn't know. The fairies had raised her? They had actually been competent enough to….he inwardly shook his head. No, that wasn't fair, to them or Maleficent. But that did explain at least, why their leaving affected her so much. Though he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Maleficent's parents, and why the fairies had needed to care for her in the first place. He wished he was human so he could see her face and communicate fully with her, but he had a feeling that this limitation had been purposeful on her part, and he wouldn't risk overstepping her boundary.

"They raised me," she repeated numbly, her voice echoing in a far-away sense, and Diaval wasn't sure if she was speaking to him anymore. "The closest thing I'd had to-and they left. They left me."

Diaval straightened on her shoulder, hearing the raw pain and grief and anger in her voice. Whoever had said that Maleficent was heartless and didn't feel emotion had lied. It wasn't that she didn't feel, he thought. It wasn't that she had no emotions. It was that she felt so deeply, and so much, that it was overwhelming. Her emotions were so powerful that rather than face them head on, the safest option was to hide them, bury them down lest they consume her.

But he wasn't sure how to deal with this sudden outpouring. It might not have seemed like much, but for Maleficent, she might as well have been openly sobbing and confessing all her deepest fears and regrets. In some way, she was, and Diaval didn't know if he could have done anything to help her even in his human form. Just as he was contemplating the right words to say, she spoke again, and he froze.

"Where did you go, Diaval? When you left."

The way she said it turned the simple question into an accusation, and considering the circumstances, Diaval knew it wouldn't be an offense forgiven lightly. He cringed, shuffling nervously along her shoulder until her fingers twitched, and he knelt beside her in the dark, damp leaves rustling beneath him.

"I went to the castle," he admitted slowly, grimacing and trying to gauge the emotions reflected in her eyes.

Her own face seemed to twist, and he wasn't sure what the expression was, but didn't have time to interpret as it was quickly wiped away.

"And?"

She sounded almost as hesitant as he did, and he shifted anxiously, trying to decide if he should tell her everything.

"Diaval."

There was the sharpness he was used to. He straightened, organizing the events in his mind before beginning to answer.

"There's...a lot that's been going on," he confessed, his voice low. "I wasn't sure how to tell you earlier, and I didn't want to add to everything else, and so I didn't. Tell you," he added quickly, inwardly cringing and bracing for her anger.

"Tell me what?" She asked, and if he hadn't known better, he'd have said she sounded curious.

But he did know better, and he swallowed nervously, wondering if she'd make a ring or some other ornament out of his body once she'd killed him. That was rather dark, he chided, though if he was being honest, she was more than capable...

"Tell. Me. What."

Right. Green flame seemed to lick at the tips of her fingers, and he paled slightly as he answered.

"About...about the fairies. About Stefan and...everything!" he burst out. "It's my fault, not yours! I'm the reason they left; they told me, and I didn't listen, and I should have told you but I...it's me. It's my fault. They wouldn't have left if I had told you when I was supposed to."

He drew a quick breath, gasping slightly from his desperate confession. She remained silent, but he could see the emotions flickering in her eyes, so many and so fast, he wasn't sure which one would be the most dangerous to him.

"There's also a lot of talk about the child and kingdoms joining Stefan's and marriages and armies and things like that," he rambled nervously, his fingers tapping his legs in time with his frantic heartbeat.

"What?" She said sharply, her head turning quickly to face him. "What did you just say?"

Diaval paused, reviewing it in his mind and trying to see if he had tripped over his facts. Everything was right, he hadn't left anything out or...Then he realized what it was he'd said, and he cringed a little as he raised his eyes to hers, cursing himself for his mistake.

"A ch-child," he repeated in a whisper. "King Stefan and the Queen are expecting a child."

He saw the flicker in her eyes before she could hide it, and in that second, Diaval thought he saw something like sadness reflecting in them. No, that wasn't right. More like, one last thread of hope, and it had just broken. He couldn't make sense of it, but Maleficent raised her chin, her expression unassuming once more.

"Oh," she said, and if her voice seemed to waver ever so slightly on the one word, he didn't dare mention it.

She made a gesture that was almost like a shrug, noncommittal; dismissive. Even the way she turned her back, and Diaval wasn't sure if it was further proof of a lack of interest, or if it was to hide just how much deeper this affected her. He knew he shouldn't have said anything, but he just couldn't seem to stop.

"I- I don't know when," he found himself saying, staring morosely at her back. "Soon, I think, but there's already talk- plans. They say there's to be a grand celebration."

She seemed to rouse slightly at those words, her head lifting. "A grand celebration," she repeated, her voice a low, thoughtful drawl. "For a baby."

Diaval didn't like her tone. He liked it even less when she turned back, and he could see a vicious something like malice in her eyes, her lips pulling upwards in a ghost of a smile.

"How wonderful."

He shivered. He couldn't help himself. There was something...she was thinking something now and he knew that whatever it was, it couldn't be good. She stood, and he scrambled quickly to his feet after her, tripping in his haste to try and stop her thoughts. She ignored him, her eyes distant, as though the castle stood before her now instead of trees.

"Find out when," she told him over her shoulder.

It was a command, Diaval realized belatedly, still trying to process the rapid (and dangerous) shift in her emotions. When he realized what she'd said he froze, pale face turning even paler at the request.

Find out when.

There was something more to that sentence, he knew. Something unfinished and unspoken. Find out when, so I can...what? Do something, he thought, but do what? Find out when so I can...

He looked up at Maleficent, framed in the shadows and lost in this plan forming in her head. She was in pain, he knew, and this wasn't helping. Too much information, too much feeling, too much...hurt.

Find out when, so I can...hurt.

"No," he murmured, more to himself, than to her, but she heard anyway.

"What?"

"I meant," he tried to recover. "I just meant"

No, he told himself. He had meant no. No, this isn't the way. This isn't you. No, I won't help you in this. No. No, no, no.

"I'll find out when."

So yeah, bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry. But the next chapter won't be long in coming, I promise. It will feature a bit of a time jump, and possibly another POV shift. Not sure yet, I'm working on it, but it will be lighter, I can tell you that. Thanks again for the continued interest, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to hearing what you think in the reviews! :)

- Raven