Diaval followed Maleficent back to the Moors, hoping that in her grief she wouldn't do anything too rash. He felt so guilty that he had ruined her happiness like this, but she had wanted to know. At least the worst was over with.

Maleficent spent the afternoon in her tree. Diaval took a perch not too far away, his raven eyes trained on the Rowan Tree. Around sunset, Aurora and Robin arrived. For a moment, Diaval worried that if Aurora spent the night in the Moors, she would miss her meeting with the Council. However, he really couldn't care less about the Council, as long as they didn't give Aurora a hard time.

"Maleficent?" Aurora called softly. "May I come up?"

"Yes."

Aurora climbed up the tree, and with a soft caw, Diaval followed her into the nest. Maleficent sat on the other side of the nest, her knees pulled to her chest.

"Maleficent, I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?" Aurora asked quietly as she sat down next to Maleficent. Maleficent shook her head.

"I'm so sorry," Maleficent whispered. "I know I was upset, but that doesn't mean I had any right to curse you. You hadn't done anything to me, but I cursed you. Because of me, you - you never knew your parents. Instead of growing up in a castle, you grew up in a cottage with Knotgrass, Flittle, and Thistlewit, and - "

"And I couldn't have asked for a better upbringing," Aurora interrupted gently. Maleficent looked at her in confusion. "If I had grown up in the castle, I wouldn't be the person I am today. Maybe the pixies weren't the most competent parents, but they did their job well enough. I grew up surrounded by nature instead of stone walls. If you hadn't cursed me, I wouldn't be Queen of the Moors, there would be no peace between the humans and the Fair Folk, and I would not have an amazing Godmother."

The relief on Maleficent's face was contagious. As Diaval turned into a human, he decided that Maleficent would be alright after all. She was strong. The question, "What happens next?" popped into his mind, but he knew he could only wait to find out.

"Thank you," Maleficent said, reaching out and embracing Aurora.

"We're sorry for not having told you earlier," Diaval said.

"We didn't mean any harm," added Robin.

"Don't be sorry," Maleficent said. "I know you were just trying to protect me. Thank you for that, and for eventually telling me."

"We'll always be here for you, lass," Robin said, landing on her shoulder, "and we'll always love you no matter what."

Maleficent smiled. "Thank you." She looked to Aurora. "Are you staying here tonight?"

"Of course," Aurora nodded.

"But what about tomorrow? Don't you have to be back at the castle in the morning?"

"If I leave early enough, I will be," Aurora said. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

…

Someone shifted on Diaval's left, and he opened his eyes. Aurora was sitting up, her golden hair glinting in the early morning light.

"Good morning, Aurora," Diaval whispered as so to not wake Robin and Maleficent.

"Good morning," said Aurora, smiling at him.

"Did Maleficent have any nightmares?" Diaval asked, nodding his head to the faerie who had been pressed against Aurora's side, her wings curling around the both of them.

"Nightmares? I don't think so," Aurora said. "Has she been having nightmares?"

It seemed no one had brought up the subject of Maleficent's nightmares with Aurora. "She did have a few. That's how she found out about her wings."

"I think she slept soundly last night. If she did have a bad dream, she didn't wake me, and I'm not a heavy sleeper."

"Well, that's good that she can have a little peace," Diaval said softly.

"She'll be alright," Aurora said. "Won't she?"

"Of course," Diaval answered. Maleficent would be alright, even if she didn't act the same. Diaval hoped that whatever change the knowledge of her life had wrought on young Maleficent, it wouldn't be too hard on the little faerie.

"I best be on my way," Aurora said sadly. "But I'll be back the moment I can manage it."

"Well, good luck with the Council. They can be a handful, can't they?"

"Oh, yes," Aurora said, standing up. "Tell Maleficent I say hi."

"Okay, I'll pass the message on," said another voice. Diaval looked over at Maleficent, who opened her eyes and grinned at Aurora.

"Oh! Good morning, Maleficent," Aurora replied. "I didn't know you were up."

"Good morning to you, too, Beastie," Maleficent said cheerfully. Aurora blinked, taken aback, and Maleficent frowned. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to call you that, it just popped out…."

"No, no, it's alright, that's just - you've called me that for as long as I remember," Aurora said.

"Oh, right, I remember now. You told me I used to call you that." Maleficent's eyes clouded as she perhaps recalled the previous day's events.

"You know," Diaval said, hoping to distract Maleficent from less than happy thoughts, "Aurora's called me 'pretty bird' before. You can feel free to call me that, too."

"Mm, no thanks," Maleficent said, pushing herself up.

"What? Are you denying that I am a beautiful bird?"

"Don't you mean incredibly vain?" Maleficent jested. There was a small, sleepy chortle, and Robin sat up.

"Nice one, lass," he said. Diaval looked to Aurora pleadingly.

"Tell her that I am a very pretty bird!"

"Yes, you're absolutely charming," Aurora assured him, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Didn't we have this conversation before?" Maleficent asked.

"About my gorgeousness? Most likely." Diaval grinned, unable to help himself from adding, "You do bring up the subject all the time."

"Ew, Diaval!" Maleficent's face twisted itself into a look of disgust, but she was laughing. "I meant, haven't we discussed your vanity before?"

"I am not vain. There is nothing wrong with telling the truth, and the truth is that I am a beautiful bird."

"You're vain," Robin said as he lifted up into the air. Diaval pouted as Aurora suppressed a laugh. Maleficent didn't bother attempting to hide her amusement.

"I hope to see you all soon," Aurora said as she began to back out of the nest. "If you want to talk, you know where to find me."

"Do you want me to walk with you to the palace?" Maleficent offered. Aurora smiled.

"That would be wonderful, if you don't mind keeping me company," Aurora said.

"Of course not!" Maleficent said, following Aurora out of the tree. "I'll be back soon, Diaval, Robin."

"May I come with?" Diaval asked, wanting to keep a close eye on Maleficent. If she needed to ask any questions about her past - future? - or if she just felt like talking about it, Diaval wanted to be there for her.

"Yes, of course," Maleficent nodded.

The walk to the castle was uneventful. Maleficent was cheerful and talkative. However, she fell into silence when they neared the castle. After Aurora had bid them good-bye and disappeared in the stone walls, Diaval asked Maleficent if she was alright.

"I'm fine," she said, waving a hand in dismissal. She spread her wings and took off into the sky, giving Diaval a moment to transform and catch up, along with Robin. Together, they soared through the clouds. Diaval crowed happily - he hadn't flown like this in what felt like ages. Diving through the air, wind rushing through his feathers, and no distinct destination. His worries for Maleficent were left on the ground while he flew in the sky.

That is, until it suddenly occurred to Diaval that Maleficent may no longer be satisfied being as she was. He began to fret, but it was so amazing to fly once more… Maleficent gave a delighted cry as she spun through a cloud, popping out on top. Robin followed her, and Diaval cawed as he did a short series of rolls. He settled for waiting to land before acknowledging Maleficent's situation.

Too soon, Maleficent began to head in the direction of the Rowan Tree. Diaval followed her, wondering why she was already going home. They had been having such a nice time, and it was a perfect day to fly…. But of course, the previous day's conversation must be haunting her.

"That was a nice flight," Maleficent said once she had landed.

"Aye. It's a lovely day today, lass. Perfect weather for pulling a few pranks," Robin said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "It's been too quiet around here lately. I daresay the other faeries will get used to it soon enough, and we can't have that."

"No," Maleficent agreed, "but I would actually like to take a look at the spell I used."

Maleficent looked up at Diaval, who came down from his branch above her. "You want to see the scroll?" Diaval said once he was human, feeling a prickle of dread. He suddenly regretted having told Maleficent about Stefan's betrayal, and the curse.

"Yes, do you have it?"

Diaval nodded warily and retrieved the scroll from a small hollow in the tree he had stored it in. Maleficent looked over it, her brow furrowing slightly. "I recognize a few of the words. There's something about the sun, and something being mine. But Katherine can read this."

"Maleficent…."

Maleficent's head snapped up, worry clouding her eyes. Robin shot Diaval a look, and Diaval's heart skipped - he shouldn't have begun to approach this subject, but she was bound to find out sometime.

"What? What is it?" Maleficent asked.

Sighing, Diaval admitted, "Katherine and Lydia left the Moors."

For a moment, Maleficent was stunned. "Oh," she finally said, looking crestfallen. "That's why you didn't want me asking Katherine for help." She sighed. "Why did she leave? When?"

"Years ago," Robin sighed. "I don't know where they are now. I'm sorry, lass."

Silent, Maleficent sat down, her head bowed. Diaval sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Maleficent leaned into his side and asked, "Anything else I need to know?"

Diaval thought for a moment before saying, "I can't think of anything else." He sighed. "I'm sorry, I know this is really hard."

Maleficent shrugged. "It's not your fault. You're just telling me everything that I've forgotten." She shook her head. "I can hardly believe or even comprehend half of what you've told me. It seems so impossible that - you know. Stefan would betray me, and I would turn so evil…."

"You weren't evil. You did evil things, yes, but you weren't evil," Diaval said.

"That's an arguable theory, Diaval."

"I side with Diaval, and I'm sure so would Aurora if she were here. So it's three against one. Diaval's theory wins," Robin said.

"That's right," Diaval smirked. "Beautiful birds always win."

"That's an arguable theory, Diaval," Robin quipped, grinning at Diaval.

"I don't think so," said Diaval, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm on Robin's side, and Aurora would be, too, if she were here. So it's three against one. We win."

Diaval shook his head at Maleficent. "You two," he huffed. Maleficent grinned innocently at him.

"So, what do we do now? About the spell," she asked. The humour faded from Diaval's eyes, and he frowned.

"Well, we could go back to the castle and continue searching the library for a book that we can use to translate the spell, but I'm pretty certain there isn't anything there. Maybe we could find someone who knows the language," Diaval said.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask around, but I don't know of anyone around here who knows the language," Robin said.

"Maybe we could visit another kingdom, although I can't think of anywhere sorcerers might live," said Maleficent. She unrolled the scroll once more and examined it. Diaval studied the words from over her shoulder. "It says to think of the time you want to go to. I could try the spell, thinking of being a grown-up."

Diaval was instantly wary. Robin seemed to share his concerns as he asked, "Would it work that way? You wouldn't be traveling back in time."

"In a way, she would be. Maleficent doesn't remember being adult, but she has been. She would be returning to that stage," Diaval said begrudgingly. He wasn't too keen on the idea of Maleficent experimenting with the spell, but she looked so hopeful and proud to have come up with an idea.

"What if something goes wrong? I don't want you to get hurt," Robin worried.

"We'll never find anything out if we don't take some risks," Diaval said.

"I thought you would be on my side of this," Robin pouted, glaring half-heartedly at Diaval.

"The last I checked, it was the both of you against me. Although Maleficent seems to have left your side, haven't you?" Diaval said to Maleficent.

"Whatever it takes to turn back into an adult," she said. She stood up, her warmth leaving Diaval's side. The raven-turned-man's face flushed - until he, Aurora, and Robin had told her about Stefan's betrayal, Maleficent was perfectly content being young. Diaval felt like he had ruined something, stolen her happiness and innocence.

Diaval also pushed himself up as Maleficent held out her hands. He backed away, remembering the golden light and wind from the last time, as Maleficent stole another glance at the scroll and then began to recite the spell. Maleficent's hands began to glow with magic, and Diaval's heart jumped. A sudden impulse to protect Maleficent from more harm drove him to take a step in Maleficent's direction, but Robin muttered, "Calm down. It's Maleficent's choice." Reluctantly, Diaval stood still as Maleficent was hidden from his view. The golden light flared, and Diaval had to shield his eyes.

The breeze stopped tousling Diaval's hair, and he carefully lowered his hands from his eyelids, his heart pounding in anticipation. Maleficent's eyes were closed, and her palms were still stretched out in front of her.

"Am I older?"

"I'm afraid not," Diaval said, disappointed Maleficent wasn't returned to her normal state, but relieved that at least she was alright.

"Oh. Too bad," Maleficent sighed, opening her eyes. She reached down and picked up the scroll. "Do you think…."

"Do we think what?" Robin asked. "Do we think I'm exceptionally handsome? Of course! Why did you even have to ask?"

Maleficent laughed. "No, silly, that's not was I was going to ask. But it doesn't matter."

Over the years, Diaval had come to be able to read Maleficent in ways others could not. Maleficent guarded herself and built up stone walls others could not breach, but Diaval had learned to squint through the cracks and crevices and see what she was really thinking. Even though she was a child, the slight pursing of her lips made it obvious to Diaval that she was dissatisfied. She almost glared at the scroll, but the anger faded and gave way to worry. Did she think the spell had not worked because she was not powerful enough?

Diaval was about to assure her that this was nonsense. The spell simply didn't work as they had been hoping. It had nothing to do with Maleficent's power. He was about to comment on this when Robin said, "I don't suppose you feel any different?"

Maleficent thought for a moment. "Come to think of it... I'm hungry."

Robin chuckled. "Naturally."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maleficent asked hotly, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows.

"Nothing, nothing at all, my dear," Robin said, still grinning. Maleficent shook her head in exasperation before dropping the scroll and taking off. Privately thinking that Robin always knew how to bring a little light into a dark situation, Diaval changed into a raven and made to follow Maleficent. But then Robin gave a shout.

Maleficent was frozen outside the Rowan Tree, suspended in midair by golden magic.

"The spell," Robin gasped. He and Diaval tried to rush to Maleficent's side, but when Robin got near, the golden magic threw him back. Diaval cawed in distress, but then the light faded, and Maleficent dropped to the ground.

It was probably a good thing Diaval was a raven. If he had been able to talk, he would have cursed himself and exposed Maleficent to some rather rude language. I shouldn't have let her try that spell, Diaval thought as he swooped to Maleficent's side and transformed.

At the same time, Maleficent groaned and started to sit up. For one bizarre moment, Diaval was sure she had miraculously reversed the spell, and was again adult.

"Maleficent, are you alright?" Diaval asked, helping her to sit up. It was then he realized her shoulders were much too small under his hand.

"Yes," Maleficent said. She looked up and met Diaval's gaze. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

Oh gods, not again.

...

I believe my cliffhangers are improving. :D

Thanks for reading! Please review. Constructive criticism and random jokes welcome!

Kitty