Here is the next chapter!

THIS WEEK'S UPDATE SCHEDULE: I have a major assignment that I need to work on tomorrow (Tuesday), so I'm posting this tonight. I will have a few hours of free time on Wednesday, so you may see a chapter on that day, no guarantees. If there is no chapter Wednesday, then I will post one on Thursday. I highly doubt that I can update on the weekend because my mother's side of the family is celebrating Thanksgiving then. If I somehow manage to add a chapter on either Saturday or Sunday, then I finished one on Friday.

In just a couple more chapters, the story will finally start to pick up. We'll be in Auradon.

Enjoy.

"Welcome home, Mali," Hades greeted as his daughter walked through the door with her three companions. He was in the kitchen, 'slaving' away to prepare enough food for his family and the guests, while his wife watched from the kitchen island once again. "All of you are back just in time for dinner."

"Great," Mal commented with a slight yawn. "I haven't ate since breakfast. Mom, where would you like the scepter?"

Maleficent eyed the Dragon's Eye with a certain cautiousness in her glance, like she was reluctant to touch it herself. "Place it in my bedroom for now. I'll decide what to do with it later."

Nodding silently, Mal obediently did as she was told while the other three stood awkwardly at the entrance. Meanwhile, Cruella—who was sewing tirelessly in the living room—wondered, "How long until it's ready to eat?"

"Ten minutes?" Hades assumed unsurely. "Maybe a little less."

"Good. Carlos!" Cruella called out for her son as she stood from the couch, a stack of clothes now in her hand. "Go try these on in the bathroom. I think I got your measurements correct, but I'm not entirely sure. I can make any adjustments if necessary."

Carlos blushed as he slowly crept forward, purposely trying not to look in the general direction of Maleficent so his blush wouldn't grow worse. "For me?" He mumbled uncertainly. "But. . . why-?"

"Consider it an award for finally gaining enough confidence to stand up to me." Cruella smiled warmly before shrugging carelessly. "Besides, I needed a break from working on Bertha's clothes. I ran out of purple fabric and had to wait a couple hours for the shipment to arrive. It's nothing much: a formal outfit, a school outfit, and an extra outfit. Now, go on! Don't keep me waiting!"

Cautiously, Carlos shakily grabbed the stack of clothes before heading off to the bathroom, bumping into Mal on the way.

When Mal emerged into the large open room, she instinctively smacked Jay—who was sitting on the couch—on the back of his head when she noticed him staring in a particular direction. Jay cradled his head at the impact. "What was that for?"

"You were staring at her again," Mal scolded, knowing he would know who she was referring too. "If I catch you again, you'll be banned from the house for a month."

Maleficent chuckled at her daughter's behavior before she noticed the blue-haired still standing awkwardly by the front door. "Evie," Maleficent greeted as she gestured the princess to come forward. "Find a seat. There's enough for you too."

Evie cautiously glided into the living room, which was adjacent to the kitchen. "You know who I am?"

"Of course. You are Grimhilde's daughter," Maleficent answered. Then she smiled sadly. "I still remember the day I met you. It was a week after you were born and your mother wanted to show you off to the public, despite the temperature being colder than usual. She only had you in a thin onesie; no socks and no hat to keep you warm. Your skin was turning as blue as your newly dyed hair. I couldn't stand to see you shivering in practically nothing, so I took you away from your mother for a brief moment to swaddle you with a nearby royal blue baby blanket. You immediately stopped shivering and the color returned to your pale face. I was so afraid Grimhilde wouldn't raise you well, yet you look like a beautiful princess."

Evie stepped closer as she tilted her head curiously. "Why do you and my mother not get along?"

"Well, to put it simply, your mother was jealous." Maleficent shrugged nonchalantly. "She didn't like that I caught the attention of a god when I wasn't trying, when she is a queen. She and Mother Gothel tried to split Hades and I up multiple times, even before we officially became a couple. After she had you, she tried to convince everyone that my husband cheated on me when she dyed your hair. Your mother failed to realize that Hades and I are inseparable; he never had the chance to cheat."

"I'm sorry," Evie apologized automatically.

"You have nothing to do with our feud. You and Mal just got in the crossfire." Maleficent offered a small, reassuring smile. "So, you joining us for dinner?"

"Carlos and I can walk you home after," Cruella pipped up from her spot in the living room. "That way I can talk to your mother if she has any problems with you staying out late."

With a nervous smile, Evie nodded happily. "I'd love to. Thank you."

With the four guests present for dinner, the meal lasted nearly an hour longer than it usually would for the family of three. Of course, Mal's parents noticed her being more reserved than usual. It was almost like she had something gnawing on her from the inside, but she wouldn't say anything. Or . . . she didn't want to say anything in front of their guests.

After the last visitor left the home for the night, Maleficent waited a moment or so before interrogating her daughter, "What's wrong, Baby Girl? You hardly spoke during our meal. Does it have something to do with your quest?"

Sighing softly, Mal slumped onto the couch while her parents opted to stay at the kitchen island—Maleficent sitting on the stool while Hades had his arms wrapped around her waist. Adjusting herself to see her parents better, Mal tilted her head curiously. "I thought Diaval was a crow, not a raven."

Swallowing a lump in her throat at hearing her friend's name, Maleficent explained, "My story changed so much that it changed the type of bird he was. Yes, he was a raven, but people mistook him as a crow."

Hades glanced down at his wife in surprise. "So, you let me make a windup crow to help you remember him when he was originally a raven? I have to fix it now."

"You will not." Maleficent glanced up at her husband with a saddened smile. "You won't change something that I love so dearly. It would be like changing something monumental in our relationship to something less meaningful. I won't allow it."

The mother adverted her attention back to her daughter. "How did you know he was a raven instead of a crow?"

"When I touched your scepter, I was somehow able to see some of your true story," Mal admitted slowly so her parents could process the information. Sitting up properly, she revealed, "I saw the fight, where you turned Diaval into a dragon."

Mal hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to tell the news delicately. "Mom, I saw Diaval being stabbed in the shoulder—"

"He was stabbed in the heart," Maleficent corrected hurriedly, maybe so she wouldn't have to remember such a horrific sight. "I saw it with my own eyes."

"But you were flat on the ground at a weird angle," Mal argued as she stood, almost challengingly. "I was watching head on. He was hit in the shoulder. Once I saw that, a voice told me that I now know the truth! Diaval could be ali—"

"Diaval is dead!" Maleficent proclaimed, her voice suddenly becoming unsteady. "You saw wrong."

Standing from the stool, Maleficent staggered to her daughter, resting a hand on her shoulder to keep herself steady. "I love you, Baby Girl," Maleficent announced with a gracious smile, though a tear slipped down her cheek—the first time Mal has ever seen one. "I love that you are so hopeful, like a princess and queen should be. Even if he somehow survived after I fell in battle, he still would have been killed. Thank you, for trying to give me hope that my beloved friend is alive. However, he is dead."

Maleficent kissed her daughter's forehead lovingly. "Good night, Baby Girl."

Waiting until after her mother closed her bedroom door, Mal adverted her gaze to her father. "What do you think?"

"I think I will do some research," Hades answered carefully. "I am a judger of souls, which also pertains to animals. I'll have your uncle look into the records from the past twenty years referring to ravens or crows, since Diaval is mistaken as such. Until my brother tells me something, don't say any more about this to your mother. She won't say anything, but I think you did give her a little hope."