Chapter 3:

Maleficent led the group to the glen along the Southern boarder that sat against the Perceforest kingdom. They landed at the edge of the glen and looked over the area. There was a distinct ring around the glen. Inside of it, all the fair fauna that had been bountiful and full since Aurora's reign began were sucked dry of their magical properties. Their life force gone, they laid as drained, black husks. The trees that surrounded the glen seemed intact with the exception of any of the magical mushrooms that had once grown on their bark.

Then at the center of the glen, they were found. A small clan of Hedgehog fairies laid on the now dark grass next to the holes that led to their homes. A few families wiped out and left in the aftermath of a new threat. There bodies were not as plump as they usually were, now depleted of all that had made them magical. Their bones shown through their skin as if they had been starved for weeks, even though Maleficent herself saw a few of them early in the day still full of all their vigor. Not three feet from the fairies was another body. That of a man from Perceforest, his body the same as it had ever been, but now with what looked like burn marks along one side and a puncture of a sword through the gut.

"What did this?" Borra asked with a bark to his voice.

Shrike was the first to take a step into the glen to see if she could find any survivors. Her step immediately began to falter and she fell backwards. Two arms held her up and brought her to the outside of the ring. Percival had just arrived with the guards and held her securely on her feet.

"Shrike?" Maleficent asked as the younger Fey shook her head to clear it.

"I... I felt like my very soul was being drained instantly," she whispered and patted Percival on the arm to let him know she could stand again, "This- whatever it is, was taking my magic from me. Just by being in its presence."

Percival stepped forward this time and put a cautious foot into the ring. When he felt nothing he took another step and turned back to the group, "It doesn't seem to affect humans. Just Fair Folk."

"Tell that to him," Diaval pointed to the human man.

Percival looked at the man closely, "He died by a long sword, but the burn marks look like they came from the hottest fire."

"And the fairies?" Maleficent asked. Diaval moved forward to put his foot into the ring, but Maleficent grabbed him back, "Just what are you doing?"

"I'm not a fairy," he put a reassuring hand on hers. She gritted her teeth in frustration, but knew she needed her eyes in the ring. She breathed out and nodded her head.

He took a step in and though he felt a little pull from the magic that Maleficent had given him to shift shapes, but there was no drain from the area like Shrike had felt. He was a raven, not a magical creature. He was in very little danger of being drained. He gave her a comforting look to let her know he was okay and walked past Percival to see the fairies. He turned their small bodies gently over and saw the poor creatures withered remains. He sighed heavily and looked at Percival over his shoulder when he came close.

"They are all gone. Any of them that were trapped in whatever this was, is gone," he put a hand over the body of a very young one and shook his head.

"Was this the red powder?"

"No," he shook his head, "The powder would have turned them back to their earthly elements. This took every ounce of magic they had. Leached and strangled it from them and even from the magical fauna around them."

He turned to the plants nearby and rubbed at the leaves that once shown with the glow of magic. His brows furrowed and he stood up.

"See something?"

"Maybe," Diaval nodded and turned back to the others at the border, "We need to see our guests home."

"Well, the festivities have definitely ceased," Borra muttered and looked at the ring in morbid curiosity.

"Aurora and Phillip need to know," Maleficent said and shook her head at the loss.

"Can you and your guards please help with returning the little ones to the Moors?" Diaval asked Percival before they stepped away, "I know that the Moor Folk would, but they cannot risk themselves to do so."

"Of course," Percival nodded and waved at the guards to help him, "Where should we bring them?"

"To the Heart of the Moors," Maleficent answered from the ring border, "We will return them from there."


Maleficent returned first with the other Dark Fey. Diaval stayed behind to help with the little ones and promised that he would be along shortly. Once they heard what was found, Aurora and Phillip were quick to end the celebrations and began to disperse the guests.

"I am sorry to see that our first Solstice celebration together be dirtied with such sorrow," Aurora said with a surprisingly strong voice in front of the attendees, "We will track down what has caused this pain and we will make sure that we are all safe. Please be careful on your journey home, we will make sure that there is a guard with every group, either fairy or human."

Smiling John and Nanny Stoat offered guards of their own to escort those from Ulstead home. The men agreed gratefully to have more humans in their group and were the first to go. Elwine looked to Maleficent, saw her sorrow, but walked with his group back toward home. He didn't know what to do for this, or what to say, so left instead. The other man, Warwick, stood a moment longer to gauge the reaction of most of the Fair Folk and his regents before he followed as well. He kept a very close eye on Maleficent as he had when Elwine had first tried to make their introductions. Nanny Stoat, Smiling John and Robin also went with them as they knew that their queen would need her council in Ulstead when she and the king returned.

Those of Perceforest said their goodbyes to their Fair Folk friends and bid them safety, as the Moor Folk bid them a safe return to their homes as well. Maleficent looked around the clearing and saw the Moor Folk hug their children just a little tighter and hung to one another a little more frightened at yet another threat.

"Why can't we ever just have peace?" Aurora asked with a sigh, "We were so close."

"There will always be something, Beastie," Maleficent said and turned to her daughter, "But we will overcome it just as we have done all things in our past."

"Well, well," Aurora smiled up at her, "Look who is being optimistic."

"Have to when you are around, or you give me that pathetic pout," Maleficent smirked sadly at her daughter, her teasing not quite meeting her eyes. She turned to the forest line where Diaval and Percival carried a large tarp with the fairies on it and the two guards who followed carried the man.

Shrike and Borra walked closer with Maleficent and the royals as the tarps were set down.

Aurora gasped as she took in the remains of her subjects, "What happened to them!?"

Phillip was fast to wrap his arms around his distressed wife, but it seemed hard for him to look on and process the pain that the fairies must have felt. He rubbed at her back, not shielding her from the sight, but being her rock should she need him. Maleficent readily agreed with his actions. They had a partnership in their marriage and it was easy to see it. They helped each other, not blinded one another to the hard things. They would work together to find solutions.

"All the Fair Folk in that grove were drained," Percival reported to the now small group, "But the man that was there... he was killed. Not drained. He was burned and then stabbed."

"I knew him," Diaval nodded at the man now that he looked closely at his face, "He was known to visit the glen at the border. He would check on the growth of the small clan that lived there. The same that were killed. He more than likely died trying to protect them. Good man from what I saw."

"Whatever this is, it's not the red powder," Borra shook his head.

"I think I saw something very similar to this," Diaval brought up and caught Maleficent's eye, "The Mushroom Fairies were having problems with their harvest. Their fields lacking their magical properties. It was similar, but this is a much more concentrated scale."

"Then we will have to keep an eye out. It must be something that is unknown until now," Aurora took a cleansing breath so that she wouldn't cry over the ones that they had just lost.

"Aurora, you and Phillip will stay in the Moor palace tonight. I wouldn't want either of you out there with this. It killed one man, it would not hesitate for another," Diaval spoke up, feeling very much like guarding those in his small unkindness.

"It sounds like a good idea, sire," Percival nodded at the safety of his regent.

"Agreed," Phillip nodded, "We will head to Ulstead in the morning and meet with our councils."

Maleficent was quiet through most of the talk and stared at the little bodies in the tarp. She felt someone shift next to her, on both sides. On one she saw Aurora and the other Diaval.

"They must be returned to the Moors," Aurora said quietly.

"And they shall," Maleficent waved her hand with a golden mist. It fluttered around the small ones and they began to float gently in the air. Just outside of the clearing small holes began to open and each of them were lowered gently into the ground of the Moors. The earth moved and covered them as if tucking them into bed for the last time. As soon as the earth stopped its shifting, the only things that marked the small graves were the sprouts of very small Tomb Bloom flowers, so tiny in comparison of those that had been before. Maleficent turned to the human who risked his life for those not of his own kind, "And the man?"

"He will be taken back to Perceforest. He will have a hero's grave and send off," Aurora announced and looked at the tree line. A couple of the tree warriors were returning from escorting some of the humans back to their home borders. She also noticed the form of young Simon with Leaf as he had accompanied the tree guardian to see if any others needed help home. Aurora waved them over, "Leaf, can you take this man back to Perceforest? He needs to be returned to the land of his home."

The tree leaned down and picked up the man with ease and a nod of his head.

"I will accompany him if you can do without me for the night, your majesties," Simon offered, "I will make sure that preparations are made correctly for him."

"Thank you, Simon," Phillip smiled at the boy from behind Aurora.

"All right, Beastie," Maleficent rubbed at her daughter's arms, "To bed with the both of you. Strong talks coming tomorrow."

They turned and headed to the small towering palace. Maleficent turned to Percival and one of his guards that was left, "There are rooms in the palace close to theirs if you feel the need to be close by."

"My thanks," Percival nodded and followed his regent in. He took a long look at Shrike and gave her a nod of his head. Shrike answered it with a smile and turned to head back to her clan's nests. Borra watched the interaction with an irritated growl and set off for his own clan as well.

The other human guard stayed outside by the door of the Moor palace.

"You don't need to guard them all night," Maleficent told the guard, "We are all exhausted."

"All the same, I want to see them through the night. No offense meant to the Fair Folk, I just want to make sure in my own way that they're safe. That- what we saw today- wasn't any way good, my lady."

"No, no it wasn't," Maleficent nodded and looked to Diaval for him to follow as she too entered the palace.

After they entered one of the larger tree guardians also took watch on the other side of the door from the human guard. They regarded one another for a moment before they both nodded respectively to the other and resumed their watch.

Both Diaval and Maleficent went to the nest that she had built in one of the many rooms, just down from Aurora and Phillip. She went immediately behind a screen and changed into the earthiest dress that she had at the palace. She needed to feel surrounded by the Moors tonight, something to tie her to the land that was so cruelly attacked. She came out, her hair still loose, now a little more wind blown. She began to pull out the pins that pulled her hair back and thought of the next days.

As she tucked the pins away in a geode bowl, she turned back to where she felt Diaval had situated himself. He stood by the window and looked out over the Moors. His face held concentration and worry as his eyes scanned what he could see. She could almost hear his thoughts and concerns from where she stood. As well as he could read her, she could read him.

"Find any answers yet?" she asked on her way to him and sat at the window opposite from where he leaned against the wall.

"Not yet," he sighed heavily and finally turned to her, "You need your sleep. Go rest, I want to stay up a little while longer."

"You think I don't know that you plan on keeping watch all night long? You need your rest too," she stared at him with narrowed eyes. She knew that her glares did not work on him, but pointed looks about his or Aurora's well being usually make him relent, "Rest, Diaval. The following days will be trying."

He looked from her out the window and then back, "I don't like that this is very tailored toward you. Toward the Moors. It worries me."

"As it does me, but we will overcome it," she looked him over and took a quick look out the window as well toward the now empty glen, "Whatever it is."

"That should be a chant of this new blended kingdom," he chuckled sadly, "Overcome."

"It wouldn't be a bad chant," she shrugged helplessly and felt the tension in her back at her wings. Her face squinted at the slight ache caused by the commotion of the night and her wings shuddered slightly to work the strong muscles loose.

He noticed the slight pinch in her face, "Relax your wings and get some rest."

"Only if you do the same," she stated with determination.

He turned from the window with a defeated sigh, shifted into his raven form and landed in the nest. He nestled down into his spot next to where her head laid as he had done many nights before. He made a soft caw at her and a look that asked her to also come to nest. She nodded at him and flicked her wrist to extinguish the candles in the room and climbed into the comfortable nest. She laid her head down next to him and caressed his feathers in the comforting pattern she was used to. She didn't feel herself drifting off as she had done easily in the past. Something told her that she needed more than just the Moors surrounding her tonight.

"Diaval?" she whispered to the raven at her head.

A soft muttering from his beak told her that he heard her and was still awake as well.

"... into a man," she whispered and he grew next to her, pushed close by the size of the nest. He looked down at himself and then at her with an unasked question in his eyes. She took one of his arms under her head and the other she laid around her waist. She slowly settled down, her head cushioned on his chest and let out a breath, "Is this... is this all right?"

Diaval tried to control the frantic beating of his heart, and after a moment or two he did. His hands flexed a little in their new position around her and he pushed his face against her hair, away from the points of her horns. He was not all that surprised on how easy it was to find a comfortable spot for them both. His one hand on her waist relaxed in the slope of her form and his other hand rested at her back, just under her wings. Not that he would admit it, but he would sleep much more soundly with her in his arms so that he didn't have to wonder about her well being through the night. He would be able to protect her.

"More than," he whispered out into the room, his lips barely a whisper against the straight strands of her hair.

"I just needed to know you were here," she punctuated the word with an open hand placed on his chest, her fingers splayed out over the material of his shirt.

"I know the feeling," he nodded against her hair and chanced a quick kiss to her head as he had when they had sat together earlier in the evening, "Go to sleep. I promise I will still be here when you wake."

With that promise, Maleficent finally let sleep take her.