A/N: I apologize for the lateness! School got super busy for me and I had absolutely no time for writing. It's starting to slow down, for now since its almost the end of the school year, so I'll update a little more. I'm so sorry again!
Thank you everyone who favorite, followed, and reviewed! It warmed my heart and made me smile to see an email about this story every day of a person liking this story or the first story. Thank you!
Please enjoy!
Chapter 2:
"Now let's add the finishing touch," Aurora says as she places a flower gently behind one of the troll's ears. The small troll smiles and mumbles a 'thank you' before running back to her parents.
Aurora laughs as she stands back up from kneeling on the rich green grass, and brushes her golden strands of hair out of her face while small fairies whiz past her chirping leaving fairy dust behind.
"Maleficent, what do you think of the treaty that King John proposed?" she asks the majestic horned fairy who has been sitting quietly in the trees since the wedding of Diaval and Serena.
Maleficent looks at her, parting her thick red lips as if to speak but hesitates for a moment. That night was one of the greatest times she has ever had, for she was accepted by people, but of course something bad had to have happened, her argument with King John. Her nostrils flare thinking of the anger she felt when he talked to her about treaties with his kingdoms and others so that they can unite and trade amongst each other. But King John can't see that the Moors are in no need of his kingdom's goods, and the Moors are not necessarily a kingdom. It is simply a Moor, a home to all the creatures who is believed by many to be mythical, and it is also a land that should be conserved. It will help defend Armistad especially, or any kingdom if it deserves their help if such conflict risen.
She flies down from the tree gracefully and lands with her bare feet on the ground, looking at Aurora ,"I think it is nonsense. It's so much nonsense to where it's not worth talking about. Aurora, do not worry over it, at least not yet. There's nothing he could do to make us."
Aurora looks down at her feet and mumbles, "Except war."
The fairy tilts Aurora's chin up to where she is looking directly in her eyes, "We will not have such talk, especially from a Queen. You've grown up Beastie, and I don't know if I like it."
"Me neither Fairy Godmother, but I'll control it because I will remain positive. I don't even know where that thought could have come from," the blue eyed girl responds. "I'm going to go walk around and see everyone, and Philip should be visiting one day soon so I must prepare."
"Okay Beastie," Maleficent's lips smile as she watches her walk off deep in thought about the future of the Moors.
"I may go for a walk myself," the fairy says under her breath before she starts walking into a deeper part of the woods where the trees are thick allowing barely any light through the tops of the trees; all the more a place to think, and to be alone with her thoughts.
Serena sits on the chair behind her desk full of drawings, graphite, and paint in her room. As she wipes the black graphite off her hands with her towel, she feels eyes gazing upon her. She looks up from wiping her hands at Diaval lying back on the lounger looking at her with a smile playing on his lips.
"What? Is there any on my face?" She asks him when he said nothing to start a conversation.
"No, not at all. Can I not just look at my beautiful wife?" He says placing his hands behind his head and sighing dreamily.
His wife rolls her eyes playfully, "I'm not complaining. What are you thinking about?"
He shrugs, "Everything, mostly us and planning our future."
"Mostly ruling a kingdom is our future," she laughs. "Maybe you can tell me what happened last night, what happened?"
"Serena it's so stressful, I don't want to see you stressed or full of any worry-" He is silenced by the look she gives him that makes him rethink his words. "The darkness in the west that I've been seeing and feeling isn't anywhere anymore, so I called off patrol for 2 months at least, and if nothing shows then we will cease all together. Well, maybe it wasn't as bad news as I thought."
As he spoke she stood up from her desk and went to sit beside him on the long lounge chair.
"That's not too bad, nothing what I thought," she says playing with their entwined hands and measuring his big hand to her smaller one.
"What did you think?" Diaval asks her concernedly.
"I don't know something bad I guess, but nothing I can put to words," she answers. "Aside from that, we should be able to tell each other everything, especially you no matter how stressed it may make me. I am ruling beside you after all so I am allowed to be stressed out."
"You're right, I know," he says before squeezing her hand tightly and sitting up to where their noses are touching, "But I will try my hardest to keep you away from any danger, and worry."
"I know you will Diaval, and I will try to," she smiles for him before he closes the space in between them in a chaste kiss. Serena sighs inwardly because she knows he'll never keep worry from her; she's always been a worrier. Surely it's not a bad quality to have, but to Diaval it is. He was a raven, or still is in a way, and animals have no worry over anything. Now that he is human, he is a brave and fearless man and wants his wife to have nothing on her mind bugging her. Oh how she wished all her life to be a bird, or any animal with no worry and can just live life-
"Are you alright?" He asks her softly as they part from their kiss, and he's still holding her hand.
She nods giving him a smile, "Of course, especially when I'm with you."
He laughs a little allowing his charming grin to grace his gently scarred face, "Same here. How did I get so lucky?"
She shrugs, "You're so kind and charming that's why. Now what were you planning to do for the rest of the afternoon?"
"I was going to lie back," as Diaval says this he lies back down on the lounger, "and watch my lovely wife."
Serena smiles showing her white pearly smile as she rests her head on her husband's chest, "That sounds wonderful. Now I can take a nap in your arms."
He sighs, "Now I want to take a nap, I don't like naps- well only with you…" He trails off as he looks down at her half way to sleep already. As he stares at her peaceful face, his mind starts to drift, and soon he fell asleep too with her in his arms.
"Your Majesty," a voice that belongs to his friend Harrison, shakes him awake after he had just fallen into a deep nap.
He sits up alert, blinking his eyes to adjust, "Yes Harrison? I apologize."
"No need my lord. I'm sorry for disrupting your nap, but you and the Queen are needed down in the throne room, urgently."
His eyes widen as he starts to wake up his wife, "Serena wake up, and we are needed quickly." He gets out of their warm embrace as he goes to straighten his robes and put his crown on as she wakes up and comes to a stand quickly next to Harrison, after she straightened her hair, ready to walk out the door.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Diaval asks feeling the worry creeping up his stomach.
"I was told to not tell under orders of Captain Edmund because there could be other people around who should not hear this, just yet," Harrison says as he gestures at the handmaidens who bow their heads to their majesties with kind smiles that they couple quickly returns.
Serena swallows nervously before her face becomes serious and ready for the news as Harrison motions the guards to open the doors to the throne room, which they do, opening up to loud arguments of soldiers that bounce off the walls.
The soldiers quickly took note of their King and Queen's presence after the doors clung shut loudly, and became deathly silent as the couple walked to them side by side.
Captain Edmund walks forward, with dirt on his face and a look of shock as he bows brisk and stiffly, "My King, and Queen. Some of our watchmen were attacked and… killed on the Eastern borders."
Serena brings a hand up to her mouth as the other soldiers glanced at the shapes covered by blankets on the marble floor that look like human bodies through the cloth.
"When did this happen? How wasn't I informed of this til now?" Diaval asks with sorrowful eyes and a low voice.
"It happened midday, and we—" Edmund turns around gesturing at the plenty soldiers, "didn't find out til' an hour after by a beacon being lit to a large fire by a soldier. We moved out quickly, thinking it wasn't anything too serious, as the fire was big, if it was small it means war," he breathes some as he looks down before looking back up slowly. "We got there and there were hooded assassins everywhere, and they fought us."
"People," Serena whispers.
Edmund looks at her, "Yes people, I don't know where they came from or who they belonged to, but they did not have a good plan, whatever that plan may have been."
"And it had nothing to do with the west," Diaval asks.
"Nothing has shown in the west, only the east as of today," Edmund states. Diaval nods in response, looking back at the other soldiers, "Are you all alright?" Diaval asks loud enough for them all to hear, and all of them answer with a 'yes.'
"Good, then we can discuss this all more now," he commands with an ordering tone. "Serena-"
"I'm staying, do not argue with me," she tells her husband as she goes to walk around the throne room in thought. As she does so, he goes to the table that the soldiers had pulled out, placing it in the center of the room before all the men gathered around it, each and every one of them talking, except when Diaval spoke to them.
Serena just walked slowly and gracefully around the throne room, looking out each of the windows at the village down below, still full of people in this late afternoon. Soon, everyone will be back in their homes for the night, and everyone in the castle will be wide awake, keeping everyone in Armistad safe and sound.
"Serena," Maleficent speaks in her mind.
She smiles hearing her voice inside her head. Recently, she and her sister have discovered that their fairy godmother can enter their minds and hold a conversation with them from any distance. Fairies are strange creatures, but so very interesting and unique.
"Yes Maleficent?"
"Have you been told what happened?" the fairy asks gravely.
"Yes I have been told, I feel horrible about all of it. Are you and Aurora well?"
"We are just fine. Serena, you need to tell Diaval after the meeting that he needs to come to the Moors to speak with us," Maleficent informs.
She looks at Diaval who is talking now to the men, "I will tell him. How did you know we were having a meeting?"
"Women's intuition."
Serena nods understandingly with a smirk as she stops looking out one window, watching the sun disappear from the colorful dark sky, "Can I come?"
"I wish you could my dear, but you must stay with the Kingdom if you are needed. We only need Diaval for a moment."
"Alright," she answers understandingly as she felt the weight lift off her mind and shoulders, the connection ending. Seeing that the meeting wasn't near done, she leaves the room, going back to her chambers, seeing she is not needed.
As she went back she ran into several handmaidens who asked what happened. She told them of course, but only a summarization which made them tear up. Telling them goodnight, she went to her room to bathe, and lie around until Diaval returns to tell him he is needed in the Moors.
The doors to the King and Queen's chamber is pushed open, making the doors hit the walls on either side, and Serena is greeted by a crownless and worn out Diaval as he shuts each door behind him.
"Serena, my love, you know you could've been asleep," he says once more as he does many nights.
"I know, and you should know by now that I am up for a reason. Maleficent spoke to me, and says she and Aurora need you at the Moors to talk tonight," she says standing up and going into his open arms that close around her small frame.
"Of course I do. I shall get to it then so I can come back sooner and be in your arms," he says breaking the hug with a smile as he goes to their large dresser and opens up a box, taking a grey ring out with a green stone in the center that glows in their candle lit room.
"I think you mean lying our head on me, your head is in my arms," they both laugh as she follows him out to their balcony, overlooking the kingdom.
He turns to her, cupping her face in his hands and kisses her softly, "You know me well," he whispers.
"What do you have there?" she asks looking at the ring in his hand.
"A magic ring that turns me into a raven, wolf, horse, or dragon," he says rather calmly as if it's not a big deal as her eyes widen. "Maleficent gave it to me when you were crowned in the Moors."
She then smiles warmly, "That's wonderful, you can be a raven again whenever you feel like it."
He frowns at this, "Well yes, but I'm happier to be a man, by your side. I should and will only use this in times of danger or urgency."
"That sounds like a plan. Stay safe, please," she says as he kisses her forehead.
"I always am," he says in return as he slips on the ring, and in five seconds he was a black raven once more, perched on the paling looking at her.
"Handsome bird," she says petting his head before he flies off, struggling a bit getting used to wings again, but he still flies heading straight for the Moors.
Serena looks on until she can't see him no more in the darkness, so she wraps her robe around her tighter, and heads back inside, closing the balcony doors.
Unknown to her, and to all, someone below was watching attentively and silently, taking mental note on everything that transpired just then.
A/N: Hey everyone! This was a big chapter that took…. I know, FOREVER to write! I apologize again, it shouldn't be as long as a delay again. I'm getting into the plot line more, so the next chapter will be up soon, but not real soon. Thanks for sticking with me this far! I Hope you all enjoyed it, I'd love to hear from you all!