Chapter 4:
The next morning found a small band of people and Moor Folk alike on their way to Ulstead. Aurora and Phillip were protected in the middle by not only Percival and a couple of his men, but also by a few of the tree guardians and a couple of familiar pixies as well. The Moors were left in the hands of the Dark Fey clan leaders and the rest of the tree guardian army. Diaval and Maleficent flew above the group and kept an eye on what was behind and before them. The trip was uneventful, but still a longer one than what they had hoped for. They landed with the group just outside the castle doors and Diaval shifted back to his human form.
As Aurora and Phillip entered the castle, servants gathered around them, "The councils are prepared whenever you are, your majesties. All are present, including that of Perceforest and the Moors."
"We shall convene with them in a few moments," Aurora nodded to the servant and turned toward the family wing, "Enough time to make ourselves presentable."
"We will meet you there," Maleficent nodded her head toward her daughter and son-in-law as they turned to freshen up. The tree guardians who had accompanied their queen looked around the large entry hall and poked at a few of the items on the walls.
"It may be best if you wait in the gardens," Diaval motioned to them as one of them almost knocked a couple of paintings from the wall.
He followed Maleficent toward the doors of the large meeting room and walked in. The large table was surrounded by not only humans but by a few of the Moor Folk as well. At one end Nanny Stoat sat with Smiling John behind her, a few of the Perceforest council with her and Robin at her right. A few of the sprites and nymphs of the wood sat at Robin's other side. The other half of the table held Aurora's new council. Many seemed to be older gentlemen, more than likely with the experience of the government, but not of the Fair Folk if their concerning glances told them anything. A few Maleficent had remembered from the night before such as Warwick, but she didn't see Elwine. Percival and another man that looked like military sat toward that end but seemed more at ease with the Fair Folk of the council.
In the middle of the table sat two elaborate chairs that resembled small thrones where Aurora and Phillip would sit once they come. Maleficent sat toward the Moor side of the table as the guardian, Diaval taking his seat at her side.
"I am happy to see that you have come to no harm," a voice said from her other side.
"We missed you at the celebration," Maleficent threw a small smile at the man at her side, "How is retirement treating you, Prince John?"
"It is so strange to hear Prince before my name again, but that is how things go," Phillip's father, John, only smiled back and stretched out his back, "Retirement is not as relaxing as I would have thought it to be. Still have my words taken for some kind of wisdom at this table. The joke is on them."
"Wisdom or not, we may need your words at this table. You're one of few humans who make sense in this kingdom," she heard him cough into his hand to hide his laughter, "No great offense meant to the majority of your people. Just the ones that seem hesitant against my own."
"I know what you mean, and I take no offense."
Both Aurora and Phillip came into the room, in new clothing and set faces. They took their seats at the center of the table and motioned for everyone else to do the same.
Once seated, Phillip was the one to begin, "As you must have heard from our guests and from your own experiences from last night, we were attacked."
"We were? Or just the monsters of the Moors?" one of the older men asked from the far end of the table. Jacket cuffs and neckline were elaborate with gold filigree, though they were stretched by his body's girth. His round frame rolled from side to side as he made himself comfortable in his overly plush chair. He coughed into his hand and then smoothed out his thin mustache and full short beard. The beard covered his apparent double chin that protruded from the high neck of his jacket. His light green eyes narrowed as he looked over the Fair Folk at the council.
"The only monsters that I am aware of are the ones that attack with no provocation. The ones who attack to cause pain and suffering for their own enjoyment," Maleficent spoke and eyed the man back carefully- green swirling in her hazel eyes.
"Lord Hemmet," Phillip began and looked deathly still at the man as well, "The Moor Folk are no monsters and shall not be referred to as such. They are part of our combined kingdom and part of who we are, just as we are now a part of them."
The lord leaned back in his chair which groaned under the movement and weight. His eyes scanned up and down the table as no other seemed to follow his lead against the Fair Folk. The rest of the council either silent or regarding him with a new sense of ill will.
"Whatever this is, it is a danger to not only fair folk, but humans as well," Phillip continued, "A man was slaughtered by the same thing as the fair folk with him. Just in a different way. Both were carelessly killed. And I will not have any under my watch perish in the way that those did last night."
"Shouldn't we wait and see if they cross our border?" another Ulstead lord spoke up. This time Lord Warwick, if Maleficent remembered correctly from the night before. A distinguished man in his late thirties, dressed impeccably and spoke in a magisterial way. His dress did show that he was a lord of some kind but did not flash his wealth as much as Hemmet seemed to do. His eyes questioned his king, but then landed on her and seemed to linger on her face and then her wings.
"Then it would be much too late for the Moors, Lord Warwick," Aurora spoke this time and pulled his eyes from Maleficent, "By then they may take more from the Moors and even have spread to Perceforest."
"It is better to find a way to research and provide answers?" a dew fairy asked from the end by Robin.
"The hard part is knowing if we are on the right path. I don't want to see more lives perish to this. All the lives of our people need to be protected," Phillip motioned for one of his servants and grabbed a couple of rolls of parchment, "So we start with what we do know. These are the base facts that we have gathered thus far..."
The meeting dragged for a few hours, all sides with their own ideas and their own theories on what the cause may be. Even Lickspittle was in at one point to go over what they knew so far and concluded that it had nothing to do with the red powder that he helped to concoct. This was something separate and much more dangerous. They ended at a standstill, but with plans in place for those of the Moors who wished to find shelter elsewhere and for those humans that have chosen to fight with the creatures of the Moors. It was more than what they had, but still less than what they could have developed if not for a couple of loud voices.
"If I have to listen to another line from Lord Hemmet..." Diaval took a deep breath. The short, round man was nothing but a thorn in his side that he would love to dig out. He spewed nothing but hate against the Moors and Diaval saw that he was trying even Aurora's abundant patience thin with his fairy ignorance. On top of that, a few men were lingering too long on Maleficent for his liking. There were a few times that he felt like he should shift forms just to block their view of her.
"It does make one wonder how he made it on the council," Maleficent said out loud to support the raven at her side.
"Hemmet was once a brilliant mind for development and harvesting throughout the kingdom," John sighed and shook his head, "I think his time in the court and usefulness may be coming to an end."
"Indeed," Maleficent nodded.
"I have to take my leave for the moment and check on my wife," he stopped by the door that led to the stables, "I will say that her change into a goat has softened her slightly. I wouldn't try for either of you to see her anytime soon, though."
"No risk here," Diaval nodded with a half-smile.
"Until later," John nodded to them both with a smile of his own and disappeared behind a door.
"Let's take a break and eat with Aurora. She said that she wanted to set up something in the garden?" Maleficent offered and began to walk to the wide arch that led them to the large garden. The large tree that sprouted on the day of Aurora's wedding to Phillip still was the focal point of the whole garden. It was well tended to as it was a gift from the queen's mother. At the moment under its long branches, Aurora and Phillip sat with food and drink as they whispered further plans to one another.
"So what do we have?" Diaval asked and sat across from Aurora and next to Phillip as he always left the seat next to Aurora open for Maleficent.
"Fresh fish with sweet berries and newly baked bread," Aurora said and pushed a piece of fish toward Diaval.
"What? No-"
"If you say mice hearts again, so help me, Diaval," Phillip warned him with a finger in his face.
Diaval's face split into a grin and he only popped a few berries into his mouth as an answer.
"What were you whispering about while we walked up?" Maleficent asked and looked over the assortment, unsure of what she was in the mood for. Without a word, Diaval picked up the far bowl and pushed it toward her. She opened her mouth to argue but saw that those were what she would have chosen. She took the bowl without argument.
"We had a few thoughts," Aurora tilted her head to find the best way to bring their idea up, "What if this... thing... was magic?"
"Magic destroying magic?" Diaval asked and then took a bite of fish.
"Well, the Fair Folk weren't destroyed like they were with the red power," Phillip mentioned and looked to Maleficent, "Their magic was destroyed by the iron in the red powder, but those fairies from last night, their magic was-"
"Taken," Maleficent nodded as she figured out where they were going with their thinking, "There is a possibility. There are many curses and spells that can siphon magic, but never one like what we witnessed last night."
"But there is still a chance?" Aurora asked as she worried her skirts, "There is a chance that magic is being used against the Moors?"
"There is a chance it could be a number of things, Beastie. I will look into your theory."
"Thank you," she smiled slightly and nibbled on more of the berries.
Phillip took a breath to change the subject when another boom sounded from the far Moors. The blast echoed through the sky and guards went to immediate alert. The tree guardians that had joined them on their journey rose to gather around both Maleficent and Aurora.
"Not again," Aurora rose to her feet and stepped toward the direction of the border.
Diaval took the first step and shifted to take flight. He looked out over the Moors and saw some kind of strange smoke coming from the darker realms of the Moors. He flew back down and shifted back to man, "It's at the dark borders this time, toward the Eastern lands. Some kind of strange smoke is coming out of the area, but it isn't fire. Not a type of fire that we have dealt with before anyway."
"We must get there quickly," Phillip stood and began to walk back toward the castle. He passed a few servants on his way, "Bring me Percival, a few guards and my sword. We must go help the Moors immediately. We don't know who and what this blast could have hurt."
"Wait, what do you mean we?" Aurora followed close behind Phillip as a servant went to collect Percival and the guards. She pulled at his arm to stop him just inside the castle halls as Diaval and Maleficent both caught up, "Why are you going?"
"They are my subjects, just as they are yours," he reasoned and pulled on his father's sword that a servant brought to him, "You stay here with your mother. Stay Safe."
Maleficent immediately popped to attention, "I'm not going?"
"No, you're not," Diaval answered her this time and stood next to Phillip, "We don't know what this is, remember? It could be worse than the red powder. You are safer here. You, Aurora and the other fair folk."
"And you?" she eyed him.
"I'm just a raven," he shrugged and looked over his shoulder where Percival and three guards made their way to them.
Maleficent put a hand on his shoulder and turned him back to face her, "You are more than that."
He smirked, "I will be fine. You need to know what is going on out there and I can't be hurt by the residual effect as you would. Besides, I need to keep an eye on this group. You know that no one knows the Moors as well as I do. Other than yourself and we have already made that call."
"I heard it again, sire," Percival nodded to him.
"We are heading out to investigate. Diaval will lead the way," Phillip turned toward the front of the castle where their horses would be waiting for them.
"Mother," Aurora looked to Maleficent for help to slow their march out to the unknown.
Maleficent took Aurora's hand and they both walked quickly after the group of men. Phillip patted his horse's nose and took a deep breath before he turned back to his wife. Aurora was immediately away from her mother's grip and in his arms; her own arms holding tight around his neck.
"Just because you are king, does not make it okay to throw yourself into danger," she whispered into his ear.
"But it does mean that I protect my subjects with everything that I have," he whispered back and hugged her tightly around the waist, "I will come back."
Maleficent stepped up to be in line with Diaval and watched the two before them. She looked at the ground and then took a glance to her side at him, "I really should be going. I am the guardian of the Moors."
"And so we lose you again? I saw you- felt you die once before," he pulled at his shirt sleeves to distract from his memory and then glanced up at her, "It's not happening again. Phoenix or not, it's not happening, Maleficent. You're staying here."
She took in his stance and the way he said her name. His hands were placed on his hips, his upper body leaned toward her to make his point. He narrowed his eyes as he watched her and tried to puff himself up as much as he could to keep her at the castle and safe.
"Was that an order coming from you?" she asked with a little amusement and a sliver of pride.
He leaned back and looked at her with one of his smiles, "More of a strongly worded request."
"Then I am free to-"
"I need to know you and Aurora are safe," he blurted and she stopped all movement. He sighed heavily and pulled at one of her hands. He put it between his two and held it for a long moment, his fingers brushed the inside of her wrist, "You need to be out of the range of whatever this is and she's always safe when she is with you."
"You..." she hesitated and wanted to argue with him. Tell him that he needed to be safe too. That the Moors needed both of them, but he was right. Aurora needed to stay safe and she was the best to provide that safety. Especially with Phillip gone, "I hate when you make sense."
"You can't hate me all the time," he winked at her and tugged at her hand again. He quickly pecked the back of it with a kiss, so much shorter than the one during the party the night before. But his eyes never left hers once again and she felt the feeling in her chest come back tenfold. He lowered the hand, "I'll be back soon."
"Diaval, we are ready," Phillip announced and Diaval walked toward them.
Maleficent came next to Aurora and held her against her side, "Phillip, be careful and come back to Aurora."
"I will, my lady," he nodded with a grin at the woman, "I promise."
"And do try to bring my raven back in one piece, will you?" she asked without even a glance at Diaval.
Before Phillip could answer, Diaval stood right in front of her and made the correction, "I'll make sure he gets back."
"Be careful," Aurora kissed Diaval on the cheek before he got too far.
He kissed her forehead as he had done many times before, gave one more glance to Maleficent and then shifted into a raven. He cawed at the horses below him and the group set off.
Maleficent and Aurora watched from the drawbridge until they disappeared. Aurora looked up at her mother and saw the worry written on her face. She caught one of her hands and squeezed.
"Don't look so worried. You'll begin to worry me."
"Sorry, Beastie," she apologized, "Take me on a walk to calm me. Show me what you have rebuilt with your husband?"
Diaval and Phillip met Borra and a couple of Dark Fey at the border to the Moors.
"We saw you approach. All clans are side by side with the tree warriors at all borders," Borra explained, "You heard it then?"
"All the way in Ulstead," Phillip nodded and looked up at Diaval, "Diaval saw the smoke after the blast. He is to lead us there. Is everyone alright?"
"No casualties so far as we can tell, but won't know for sure until you all get in there," Borra turned and took off into the sky with Diaval to become a larger target for the horses to follow.
An hour into the Moors and the vegetation grew too thick for the horses to push forward. Diaval swooped low with Borra and shifted to a human. He looked at the dense path ahead, "It looks like it is to be on foot the rest of the way."
"I will stay with the horses," Borra promised, "I regretfully won't do any good in there. Don't mess this up, bird."
Diaval threw a glare over his shoulder before he continued into the vegetation.
"We will figure this out," Phillip promised and followed close behind Diaval.
"Where are we going?" Percival asked as he watched the low, biting branches around them. They jumped over a wide creek where they saw a fleeting glance of a few nymphs in the flowing water, "This is nothing like the Moors we were enjoying last night."
"It wouldn't be," Diaval mentioned, "This is the darker places of the Moors. Where only the dark and the despicable go. Not all Moor Folk are as charming and handsome as yours truly."
"You're not even Fair Folk, Diaval," Phillip teased after him.
"Didn't say I was, just listed a couple of my wonderful qualities," he teased back and lifted a branch to step through and nearly fell forward as there was nothing but an empty circle of dried magical fauna, "Well, that was quicker than I thought."
The guards behind them spread out around the large circle. There were no bodies that they saw, but Diaval also looked for any sign of little homes or nests that were used. Still no sign of anything other than that of the fauna. There were no tracks, no scattering of ash, nothing. Diaval did not like the idea of the place being completely empty. It didn't sit well.
"Where did the smoke go?" Phillip asked and looked for any kept flames.
"Long extinguished," Percival muttered and knelt down to rub his hand against the ground where he saw dried magical fauna laying over the calm grass, "Very similar to the first site."
Diaval roamed his eyes over the whole circle. This was too perfect of a circle to be anything other than planned. It was almost the opposite of a fairy ring, the whole thing hummed with a strong aura that pulled at anything magical. Diaval looked at the fauna once more and looked back to Phillip, "This isn't something organic or that can be made in experimentation like the red powder."
"Then what is it?" Phillip asked and stepped closer to him.
"Magic!" one of the guards screamed as he was picked up and thrown back by a line of fire that seemed to slither and lick at him before he was dropped like a snake.
Percival drew his sword and guarded Phillip on one side as Diaval backed up against his other. The other guards held their swords in front and tried to gauge where the magic had come from. Then the lights began. Fog and clouds seeped into the large circle and enclosed around them. The clouds turned angry, lights and streams of lightning flashed and reached toward them. From the angry storms came a large wind that rushed over each of them in turn before it went back to settle among the small clouds. A larger form appeared at the far side of the ring, cloaked in a heavy material making it impossible to tell if it was human or something else.
"You are not of the Fair Moor Folk," the voice echoed through the ring, the men inside able to hear the words, but not catch the voice, "Where is Maleficent? Where is the guardian, phoenix Fey?!"
"Far from your reach," Diaval squinted at the figure and took a step forward, "And that is where she will stay."
"I will not take such talk from her servant," the robed figure laughed.
"Partner," Diaval corrected, "And you are trespassing on the Moors and of the people of this kingdom."
"Trespassing? I thought those of Ulstead and the Moors were one and the same now."
"I won't let you harm the Moors and those who reside here no matter where you hail from!" Diaval shouted at the hooded man. He was now certain it was a man from Ulstead who hid behind the mask.
"You don't have a choice, and you are not who I need," the figure shrugged and waved a hand. Three others joined him in the glen, all robed and all their hands aglow with sickly blue magic, "But maybe your disappearance along with that of the newly crowned king will bring me who I do."
The wind in the clouds around them kicked up and began to turn as the clouds came closer to them. The two guards rushed at the sides and were immediately consumed with the lighting from within, their skin blistered with burns, just like the man they found the night before. Percival tried to toss a dagger at one of the robed men, only for it to be tossed back into his shoulder. The force of the returned weapon tossed him through the clouds and into a tree on the other side of the glen. He groaned but seemed unharmed from the lightning.
Diaval looked at the clouds, the sickly color coming closer and noticed that the clouds were only as high as they were tall. He should be able to fly with Phillip in tow if he had the right creature in mind. As he tried to focus, only his fingers or legs would shift, but not his whole being. He turned to Phillip, "The draw on magic is too strong. I can't shift completely."
"Then what do we do?" Phillip eyed the closing walls.
"I transform a little and get you out," Diaval said and his arms shifted to that of his bear. He grabbed Phillip by his middle and looked him in the eyes, "Get back to Aurora. Warn Maleficent. Tell them everything."
"Diaval, I can't leave you here."
"I'm not giving you a choice," Diaval grunted and threw Phillip over the swirling wall.
Phillip felt a sharp burn of a barely missed lighting strike along his side and landed next to Percival. He instantly sat up in preparation to launch back toward the cloud for Diaval. The guard captain held his king back with both arms despite the one shoulder bleeding.
Phillip reached toward the vortex, "Diaval! No!"
"Go!" Diaval shouted through the vortex, "GO, PHILLIP!"
"Sire! He's right! We must get you out of here!" Percival yelled over the wind that shifted.
The vortex seemed to take a hefty breath and then collapsed upon where Diaval stood. Phillip fought harder against Percival, "DIAVAL!"
The vortex turned and began to race toward them.
Percival took his king over his good shoulder and began to run through the trees from where they came. Branches hit and scratched at his face as he fumbled through the brush. They weren't too far from their horses. He just had to keep running. He ran until he hit a wall and looked up to see Borra.
"Run," Percival said to him and pushed at him to turn.
"What?" Borra frowned as he came to help when he heard the screams, "Where is the raven?"
"Run, you fool!" Percival pushed at him again.
Borra turned to see a vortex push through the trees and chased after the humans- his wings no good under so much tree cover. They ducked as lightning shot past their heads, landing on branches or rocks creating sparks and small flames that went out as soon as they exploded. They all saw the clearance of the tree line, but then tumbled over the creek that they had crossed earlier. With a clumsy flail of arms they all turned to see the vortex almost on them.
At the last moment, the creek exploded straight up into a large fountain as if to shield the three of them on the ground. Borra looked up past the water to the vortex as it weakened and started to dissipate. In the water stood around five water nymphs that kept the water alive and strong. The vortex pushed against the water, it's power growing weak with every push. It soon stopped and fell, then too did the water.
Borra nodded down at the nymphs in the water, tired, but still hearty, "I owe you my thanks."
They all nodded and began to swim back upstream.
Borra helped Percival and Phillip up and into the clearing with their horses. There were at least a couple more Dark Fey who had come at the commotion.
"What happened? Where is the bird-man?"
"He sacrificed himself to get the king out," Percival huffed still out of breath, "The magic took him. Those things now have him, if he isn't dead already."
Phillip shook his head as if to argue the point, but couldn't and looked away from Borra and Percival.
"The raven is gone?" Borra asked and his brows furrowed. He had has run-ins and booming arguments with Diaval, he even had days where he wanted nothing more than to pluck his small body of all his feathers. But he had never wanted his death. Above all, the bird-man was honest and dedicated to the Moors and to the phoenix. He risked his life to make sure that the king would be free and able to get back to his people. To help save their home.
Borra growled to himself, turned to the horses and then patted them on their flanks to send them away.
"What are you doing?" Phillip asked as he watched his horse run off in the direction of home.
"We can fly faster than a horse will run," Borra told him and held out an arm to the human king, "If you will trust me to take you."
Phillip clapped Borra's arm and Borra picked him up easily.
"You will be okay to fly as well?" Borra asked Percival as another Dark Fey approached him.
"I will have to be," he nodded and let the other Fey pick him up, "I won't let his majesty out of my sight."
"Let's go tell the phoenix," Borra said and took off into the sky, "Just give me some warning before you let her know you lost her raven."
