Chapter 5:

Back in the expansive garden, Aurora had just finished with her extensive tour of all the repairs that were being done since the war attempt. They walked in the open area that had the most in common with the Moors as they both needed to feel the grass under foot instead of marble or stone. Aurora brought Maleficent under the tree once more, their forgotten lunch had long since been cleaned and taken away. She held a hand up to comb the wispy branches with her fingers.

"I will always treasure this tree," she said in a far away tone, "It will always give me good memories."

"War is good?" Maleficent asked with a frown.

"My wedding day and the day you came back home," Aurora nodded with her choices, "I get to choose my memories, you know?"

"I wonder what other memories this tree will bring in the future for you and Phillip," Maleficent looked into the branches, "I will think that many of your children will be chased through these same branches."

"Children are out of the question until after all this nonsense is taken care of," Aurora pouted again and looked at the Moors, "I hate being away from the Moors. True, Ulstead is one of my new homes, but I hate to think that I can't go to my first true home."

"I know how you feel," Maleficent nodded.

"How goes the Dark Fey outside of Borra?" Aurora asked with a try at a more calm topic.

"They all revere me, but they don't know me," she frowned and played with the branches above her head with magic, "I'm just the phoenix, the most pure. Most just nod their heads and smile as if they are forced to. It just seems so... pretended."

"Maybe they force themselves to do what they think you want to see," Aurora shrugged, "It's all new. Even to them."

"I just had hoped that they would have understood."

"What? You?"

"Yes," she nodded and pulled the branches that had been braiding above them. She finished the last flourish of a new basket and set it between the two of them, "They are my species, apparently my people. But not a single one of them know who I am."

"That's how I felt when I came back to integrate with the humans of Perceforest," Aurora smiled and giggled a little, "I was so lost. I was raised by the fair folk, I knew next to nothing of being human."

"Which is one of my favorite things about you," Maleficent smiled and showed off her fangs.

"None of the humans knew what I was going through. They knew nothing of me," she sighed and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, "Thank goodness for you and Diaval. You two helped me immensely."

"Eventually you found people who would listen and try to learn of you and your customs of the fairy kind."

"I did, maybe you will find that with a few of your own kind," Aurora lolled her head to the side to look at her mother, "I mean, you already have that strong rapport with Diaval. He understands you as well as I do... maybe even more. He's been at your side since before I was born."

"That infuriating bird, making me stay," she muttered and threw a look over her shoulder at the Moors again before she looked at Aurora, "He would be the only one to convince me to stay behind."

"He wouldn't be Diaval if he couldn't."

"No, he wouldn't."

Aurora studied her mother's face. She was worried, she was pensive and something was bothering her deeply. Something that she couldn't seem to figure out on her own. She wondered if she should have a conversation with her mother just as she had with Diaval.

"Your Majesty!"

Aurora and Maleficent both looked up at one of the castle guards at the edge of the tree, "Yes?"

"There are a few Dark Fey coming from the Moors. They are carrying something," the guard cleared his throat, "It seems like it may be men."

Both the queen and the guardian ran toward the front of the castle doors where Borra had just landed. He set Phillip on the ground gently, trying his best to not tousle the young king more than he already had.

"Phillip!" Aurora ran to her husband and cupped his face in her hands. Her eyes fell to the angry looking burn at his side and then back at his eyes, "No, Phillip."

"I'll be fine," he grunted his words.

Maleficent sat to his side and ran a hand over his burn, her gold magic covering the wound like a blanket. Before it was absorbed into the injury, the gold magic was blasted back by that of a dark blue essence. Maleficent hissed at the response and shook her head.

"I can't heal it. It looks like you will have to wait the long road," Maleficent frowned down at him.

"Listen to me," Phillip whispered as he fought to stay awake, "It's men... with magic. Dark Magic. They ambushed us. Our whole group."

Maleficent raised her head to see another Dark Fey put Percival on his feet, but there was no third Fey with Diaval as a man. There was no raven circling above them. Not even a dragon flying over them in a flourish as he had done before.

"Phillip?" Maleficent turned back to him as his eyes wanted to drift close on and off. She scooted closer to him as servants had finally arrived to carry their king into the castle, "Phillip, where is Diaval?"

"Diaval..." he whispered and tried to crane his neck to look back at the Moors.

"Yes, Diaval. Where is he? Where is Diaval?!" she turned her head from the drawbridge to Phillip as if the quick movement would reveal her raven.

"He pushed me out."

"Out of what?"

"The magic... it swallowed him. He saved us."

Maleficent fell silent. Her legs folded under her weight and she knelt on the ground her eyes unfocused. His face and smile flashed in front of her briefly.

"I'll be back soon."

"...they wanted you," Phillip muttered and his head fell back.

"Phillip!" Aurora called out to him.

"His injuries are not life threatening, your highness," a castle healer at his side reported, "We will patch him up."

Prince John rushed from inside the castle out to his son, "My son. Phillip?"

"Go with him," Aurora asked him, "I will be along in a single moment."

John nodded and followed the healers toward an inner chamber.

Aurora looked at Maleficent who hadn't moved from her place on the stone next to where Phillip was. She was cautious in not wanting to surprise the Fey on the ground. Her wings were laying heavily on the ground, her long primary feathers mixed in the entry way dirt. Her face blank except for the swirling green that shown from her eyes. Suddenly, Maleficent's hands glowed the same green and she stood slowly.

"Mother," Aurora called out to her and then ran to stand in front of her, her hands firmly on her shoulders to make sure she didn't fly off, "Mother!"

"Take care of Phillip, Aurora," she said quietly and more calmly than she should have.

"Don't go!" Aurora pleaded with her.

"They have Diaval," she said again very calmly, her eyes focused on the Moors.

"I know, I know..." Aurora nodded her head vigorously, "but they cannot have you both. That would kill me."

Maleficent closed her eyes for a moment before her wings drooped further, her hands dropped their green glow and she looked at her daughter hopelessly with her eyes back to their beautiful normal color, "Than what do I do?"

"We find a way," Aurora smiled sadly and tried to battle the tears that wanted to take over, "We will find a way to bring him back to us."

Maleficent stood only a second longer before she wrapped her daughter in her arms. It isn't said much, but Aurora did see Diaval as a father. Her only father. He was there since she was a babe and if it weren't for him, she would have surely perished before Maleficent even had a chance to love her. Maleficent smoothed her hand over Aurora's golden hair and kissed the top of her head. She needed this as much as Aurora.

"Yes. We will find him," she nodded and leaned back to hold her daughter's face in her hands and look her in the eyes, "We will bring that silly bird back and I will curse him for doing this to us. Bringing you to tears is unforgivable."

Aurora laughed through her teary eyes.

"My lady?" Percival walked up to them, a hand on his shoulder where the dagger wound still bled. He waved off the servant that had tried to steer him toward the infirmary. He bowed his head toward Maleficent, "They laid a trap. For you. They were hoping for you. You could imagine how that sat with your raven."

"They knew you weren't fairy?" Maleficent asked and he nodded, "How?"

"Apart from our dress, we all noticed a magic wind kicked up when we got in the circle of drained plant-life. It passed over all of us and then he appeared. He knew for sure then."

"A magic wind," she whispered and nodded to Percival, "May I see your shoulder? Seems like it wasn't hit with magic."

"Just my own dagger," he nodded with a huff, "What a way to get an injury."

"You did so protecting the king," she reminded him and used her gold magic to seal his skin back together again, "And we thank you for it."

"My lady, Your Majesty," he bowed to both of them before he excused himself to the barracks.

"Go to Phillip, Aurora," Maleficent said again and kissed the top of Aurora's head, "I promise I will not leave. At least not yet. I just wish to stay here for a little longer."

"All right," Aurora nodded and gave her mother another hug before she left to the infirmary to see her husband.

Maleficent walked further out to the drawbridge and stood by the column. Borra and the other Dark Fey looked at one another and then to her. Borra nodded to the younger Fey and the young one took off back toward the Moors. Borra took a breath and approached Maleficent.

"Are you to stay here?"

"For the time being," she said lowly, "Make sure you track everything that comes in and out of the Moors. Human or fairy. They will not get away with this."

"I will alert the border guards. All of them," Borra nodded even though she wasn't looking at him. He looked back at the castle where a few guards had their watchful eye on Maleficent, probably sent by the queen to make sure she didn't fly off for vengeance. He growled slightly and turned back to face Maleficent who still hadn't moved her eyes from the sky above the Moor treeline, "We will look for him as well. It will take more than this to take one of our own."

At that declaration Maleficent did look at Borra in a little of surprise, "You would call a 'bird man', one of our own?"

"He... was right," Borra growled uncomfortably and sighed in disappointment, "The water nymphs covered us from that magic at the risk of their own safety. If not for their intervention, I may not be standing. We are all in the same home. We watch out for one another, no matter how our differences may push at one another."

"Thank you," Maleficent said and turned her eyes back to the sky, "I will keep you updated on any developments."

Borra jumped into the air and pushed himself back to the Moors to let the border guards know of the new orders.

Hours passed as Maleficent stayed at the drawbridge. Soon the sun would set and she wouldn't be able to see anything in the sky. The guards that Aurora sent were still at her back. Not that they would have been able to stop her should she wanted to actually go. They would only be able to watch her leave. Aurora would be heart broken, though, and that thought alone kept her feet on the ground. Her massive wings wound around her to stave off the slight cold that had started to take root around her. She didn't know if that cold had come from the air around her, or from her own heart.

"Lady Maleficent?"

She turned her head to see Lord Elwine coming up to the castle, scrolls under his arm from his master. She gave him a nod to let him know that she heard him and kept her eyes on the sky even with the falling dusk.

"I met your Lord earlier in the day during the council. He seems to have an opinion of the Fair Folk."

"Yes, Lord Hemmet is rather boisterous about where he sits with the Fair Folk. His grandparents were largely responsible to push the last war against the Moors and it just kept with his family despite all the changes. They were actually banished from their home hamlet and resettled here in Ulstead. I apologize on his behalf for any rude words he may have offended you with."

"Never apologize for another person's words. You can't control what rolls off his tongue. Nor would you want to in my opinion."

They stood in silence for a moment facing one another before he noticed the upward tilt of her face.

"Are you waiting for starlight?" he asked and walked up next to her, "It's not for another half hour at least."

"No, I am waiting for..." she hesitated and shook her head, "My raven to return."

"You send a raven with your correspondences?" he asked genuinely interested as most of the kingdom used doves or pigeons for the task. Still a mess and more often than not all that reliable. Maybe ravens were more set to the task as he heard of their intelligence.

"He is much too smart for that," she scoffed, "I was told that he was caught in a trap earlier today. I cannot go find him, so for the moment I wait. I wait and hope that he returns without harm."

"I hope for his safe return as well," he nods and tilts his head as if looking for something, "Your servant isn't with you?"

"I don't have a servant," she bit out and turned to her side as if Diaval was there before her eyes went back skyward, "Diaval is a free creature to do as he pleases. He made a choice to stay with me. He is quite invaluable."

"Is he out there to find your raven?"

"You could say that," Maleficent nodded, "My raven is a very tactile creature, very skill full. He was my wings when I had none and my eyes where I couldn't see. He is... very important to me."

"He sounds like a very smart creature," Elwine nodded and looked up at the sky with her.

"The most clever I have ever met. That's why he has been with me for so long. I do not do well with the weak minded."

"Do you think that your raven will escape this trap before your serv-" he caught his tongue as her glare felt like she had pierced his skin, "I mean, before Diaval gets to him? Is that why you're out here?"

"He is a clever mind. If there is a way for him to return without help, he will find it."

"You have a lot of faith in a raven."

"He is much more than a simple raven," she sighed and with one last look at the coming night sky she turned to the castle, "I thank you for your presence, but I will be heading in. He will not be back tonight. I bid you goodnight, Lord Elwine."

"Good night, my lady," he nodded to her retreating back still encompassed by her wings. He slowly followed her in, but turned down one of the many other hallways of the castle to deliver his lord's plans for the council to review.

At the end of the drawbridge, a cloaked figure shifted and disappeared fully back into the shadows after hearing what they could from the winged devil. It wasn't much to start with, but he could deliver what he could.

Diaval could feel the tension in his arms as he came to. He was actually extremely glad for the aching stretch at his shoulders, it meant that he was still alive. When that vortex of magic collapsed on him, he wasn't sure that would still be the case. He opened his eyes slowly to a darkened room and took a breath in despite the extra stretch on his ribs. He tested the pull at his arms and felt them tied tight behind him, a tall piece of thick iron at his back kept him on his feet. The room he was in was small, but had a wide opening to the next large room with no door. The room was dark for now, but he could tell that the walls seemed very wrong. They weren't stone and they definitely were not mud. He didn't see anyone in the room, but he heard three distinct voices in the next room over. He heard shifting around his feet and saw shadows alter themselves.

Just what he needed. Dark Fair Folk. Definitely not the kind of company he usually kept. From the sound of it, they were little Spriggins, trying to poke at him to see if he had any shiny trinkets for them to pilfer.

"Away you," he hissed at them and tried to kick at them only to realize his feet were also bound. The Spriggins laughed darkly with one another and then scurried out the large opening.

"Finally awake?" a robed figure came in. The hood still hid the face though Diaval could tell that he was different from the initial one from the glen. This one was taller and seemed to fill out more of his robe in the shoulders. He was bulky and shifted more as he walked than what he knew most humans to do. It was a distinguishable limp, to be sure.

"You keep all your guests tied to a post while Dark Fairies tend to them?" Diaval asked as he tried to stretch out the kinks in his neck.

"You're not here as a guest," the man sneered through his words, "You are here and still alive so we can get information."

"About what?" Diaval narrowed his eyes at the man before he smirked, "You're here about my secret to healthy preening? I swore that I would never tell."

"You are not amusing," the man swore under his breath, "We want to know everything that you know about Maleficent. Tell us her weaknesses. You have been her servant for years, you must know the little known imperfections that we can take opportunity with. Iron is not enough to bring her down as King Stefan showed us."

Diaval looked straight at the man as if in deep thought and then simply began to laugh at him. His cackle echoed off the rock walls around him and he shook his head, "You have the wrong creature for that end. I may be a lot of things, but the foremost, I am loyal. I will do anything and everything in my power to make sure you don't touch her. That you can't touch her."

The man paused and then started his own deep laugh, "Everyone has their price. You just need to know how to pay it."

Diaval watched the man closely as he rolled up the sleeves on his arms and took off a ring. His arms were long and well worked. Muscles pushed and pulled under the darker almost sickly skin. His fingers were long as well, topped at the end with short talon like nails. He turned back to Diaval he he cracked his knuckles. The raven didn't say anything else as he had an idea on where this man was going with his actions. As a raven he had escaped many beatings, but not all of them. He knew what this man planned to do to him and prepared for what was to come.

"You know my colleagues rely too heavily on their magic when they want things done. I prefer the older approach."

"Oh?"

"I feel like I get more out of it and out of people when it's hands on," he cracked his knuckles, "Everyone breaks eventually and I love feeling of that moment when they do."

Diaval looked at the fists of the robed man and then looked at the darkness under his hood. He shook his head, "Sorry to disappoint, but I won't."

"That's what I want to hear," he rolled his shoulders and grabbed Diaval by the neck of his shirt, "This is what happens when you side with true Evil."