A.N: Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a grand time celebrating it, I had lots of fun last night. It was about twelve hours ago for me, we had a grand time, lots of drinks clinking together. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Maleficent and all rights go to their respectable owners.

...

Maleficent was up and walking in no time, though it was clear she was still slightly uncomfortable. She would wince if she moved too fast, or Aurora would see her look down and search for a wound with her hands.

Aurora thought that it may have been physiological wounds she was trying to heal, but never voiced her thoughts. If her Godmother wanted to talk to her about it, she would.

Maleficent lifted her and Aurora into their tree, settling into a comfortable position, her Beastie cuddled beside her. She'd turned Diaval a while ago, telling him to go rest for an early morning scout.

It was Aurora's first time sleeping in a tree, ever, but she found it strangely right. It took only a few moments before her chest was rising and falling deeply and evenly, a soft slumber taking her.

Though she was exhausted, and all she wanted was sleep it would not come to Maleficent. She stared at the stars, not really seeing them.

A quiet caw made her head turn, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Into a man." Diaval transformed, sitting across from Maleficent.

"Mistress," He greeted, nodding his head. "Are you feeling well? You were... quite injured."

"I'm fine. You should be resting, I need to see what Stefan is planning."

"And I'll still be able to fulfill my duties."

Maleficent stayed silent for a moment, she was thinking he knew, but about what he could only wish to know.

"Why do you stay with me Diaval?" She asked, looking at her hands.

"I owe you my servitude Mistress, you saved my life."

"Surely if you wanted to leave you could of. I mean, it's nearly been two decades Diaval, plenty of time for you to just... fly away."

'I stay because I love you, and I want to be with you.' He wanted to say to her, but instead he replied, "I grew to care for certain people around me, and if I flew away I would never see them again."

"Did you find a mate without me noticing?" Maleficent asked, a playful grin appearing as she looked up in interest. "And I've never met her? How interesting..."

"No Mistress, there is no mate. I meant friends, and well, Aurora." Diaval said, gesturing to the sleeping beauty.

"Yes, she has such a capacity for love, it's amazing really."

"What are we going to do now Mistress? Surely not attack the King."

"No, we cannot attack Stefan. I merely need to know if the Moors are in danger. He will want Aurora back, I need to keep her safe."

"What about you Mistress? You nearly died today."

"It's of no concern to you." She assured him, though it was clear she had her own doubts about the matter.

"But Mistress-"

"No Diaval, I won't discuss this with you anymore. You could of gotten yourself killed today, coming out with no weapons and in that form, you disobeyed me." She said irritated.

"You can't be serious, we saved your life. The King would of run his sword through your chest and that would be it, but instead of thanking us you choose to reprimand." He fired back, his human emotions taking over.

"You're right, you did save my life." Maleficent said, an angry flare in her eyes, "So now your debt has been repaid I give you freedom. You're free from me, go and enjoy it."

"No Mistress, that's not what I-"

"Into a raven." She flicked her wrist and he was transformed. He angrily cawed and pecked at her but she batted him away.

"Leave me you silly bird!" She said, turning her body away from him.

He flew away, but as he settled on a branch he made sure he could still see his mistress. She needn't to be watched, but he cared very deeply and he had to make sure she was as fine as she had said.

Diaval watched as her fingers delicately traced the places Stefan had touched her, then trailing to her burn sites before she stopped at the scars of her wings. Silent tears leaked from her eyes and Diaval's heart went out to her.

Nothing of that conversation had been planned, or wanted for that matter. She had sent him away, but he would not stop being her servant. She was his everything, without her the world would not be a place he would want to live in.

He watched Maleficent until her entire body relaxed into sleep, before he himself even thought of going to sleep.

At first light Diaval awoke, and remembering his mistress's wishes he spread his majestic wings and began to soar, heading straight for the King's castle.

...

Aurora stretched out her arms, her back arching as she let out a soft moan. Wiping the sleep from her eyes she smiled. She was in the Moors, her new home and beside her was her Godmother.

"Godmother? Godmother, are you awake?" She asked, her hair falling over her face as she leaned over to gently shake the resting fairy.

"Aurora, Aurora let me rest." Maleficent muttered, though she still grinned. "Go no further than the stream."

"Yes Godmother." Aurora bode obdiently, crawling to a nearby branch and swinging herself down.

Aurora had played with the many creatures in the Moors before, but today they rather greet her and in their own ways, welcome her home.

She was by herself for a little more than an hour, never crossing the stream or leaving the eye-sight of Maleficent.

"Oh dear," In her excitement Aurora hadn't heard her Godmother come behind her, "I fear it was easier to feed you as a baby." Maleficent said, a faint smirk still on her lips.

"It is okay Godmother, I'll find something to eat I'm old enough to find something to eat."

"There's nothing here for you to eat."

"Berries and nuts."

"Hardly a diet that will keep you healthy."

"My aunt's garden, if well maintained has many good fruits and vegetables to eat."

"Hm, I suppose. I'll see to it."

"Godmother, where is Diaval?" Aurora realized that in the whole of the time she had been awake she hadn't seen Diaval, or a raven, anywhere.

Maleficent sighed, looking down.

"Well if you must know, we had a fight last night. And I freed him from being my servant."

"Godmother!" Aurora exclaimed, looking at the faerie in exclamation. "Surely you didn't mean it, and surely he hasn't truly left you."

"He saved my life, as I saved his many years ago. His debt has been repaid."

"But you didn't mean him to leave you, did you?" Aurora pestered.

"I'll admit to you, I don't particularly like the idea of never seeing him again, but if that is what he wants to do with his new freedom then so be it."

"No Godmother, he would never leave you. You haven't freed him from anything, I know that in heart he is still your servant. Even you say he isn't he will never stop serving you."

"When did you get so wise?" Maleficent asked, smiling as she stroked Aurora's hair.

"Somewhere around my teenage years when I realized my aunt's had never raised a child before." Aurora replied, grasping onto her Godmother's hand.

Maleficent chuckled and looked to the skies, perhaps Aurora was right. Diaval knew her well enough to realize she hadn't meant any of the words she had said to him. Unless he truly did want to be released, otherwise she would never want to send him away.

"If Diaval wants to remain my companion, then I wonder where he is." She voiced her thoughts to the girl, for she was the only one who had the right to each and every one of them.

"Perhaps he went on that scouting trip you ordered him to last night, you said as soon as he woke. Raven's wake with the sun."

Maleficent looked up, the sun was nearly directly over their heads.

"Hm. It is quite late for him to not be back. Nearly mid-day, it doesn't take that long." Maleficent felt worry build within her, for whatever reason Diaval wasn't back.

"He would never leave you Godmother, I know that's what you're thinking."

Maleficent mulled this over, before looking back at the castle.

"Even so, he isn't back. I think I need to investigate the palace myself. Perhaps he's trapped in the rafters again, that happened a few years ago." The faerie tried to reason with herself, he was just in a tight spot, nothing serious but she should check just in case.

"No! You will surely be spotted, and after what happened last night? You're the most hunted being in the kingdom."

"I've always been the most hunted being in the kingdom Beastie, and this isn't my first time in the castle."

"Yes, the first time was yesterday. You would be going blindly through the palace, and you're easy to detect."

"I can't do nothing, last time he was trapped in the rafters he couldn't get out for an entire day."

"So what do you plan on doing? Walking into the palace, checking all the rafters there and leaving?"

"I haven't gotten as far as making a plan yet," Maleficent admitted, "But..." Her voiced faded away and she looked away from Aurora.

"I understand Godmother, you care for him. I could go to the palace, I'll disguise myself as a servant."

"A few nights ago that would of worked, but now everyone knows your face. You'll be taken, and I can't let you put yourself in that sort of danger."

"My face will not be shown, please Godmother, what if he's in real trouble?" Aurora pleaded with her Godmother. "He isn't that stupid of a bird to get trapped in the rafters twice."

"Alright, but I am going with you. I nearly lost you, I'm not going to let you walk into danger alone."

"It's hardly dangerous Godmother."

"You're right, but maybe I'm just overprotective." Maleficent said, still wary not to say anything bad about her father, besides the truth of what had happened.

"It's dangerous for you Godmother, not for me." Aurora saw right through that, she knew the darkness her father held within him.

There was worry in both of them, but nobody voiced it in fear they would upset the other.

"Brave Beastie, we should begin walking, the trip is long without a horse."

"Well... we could take a hose."

"How? My horse was Diaval, and he's the one whom we need to find."

"There's a farm nearby... They have plenty of horses."

"Aurora we can't steal." Maleficent's eyes quirked upwards, though even the implication of it was amusing coming from Aurora.

"Not steal, borrow. We only need to make it halfway, then we can send the horses back."

"How do we know they would return to their owners?"

"They will, horses are loyal like that."

"One day in the Moors, and you're thinking like a rogue, how is that possible? Am I a bad example?" Maleficent replied lightly, after nodding in agreement at her goddaughter's plan.

"Oh Godmother, desperate times call for desperate measures."

...

Back in the palace, something a little more serious than being stuck in the rafters had happened.

Perching on an open windowsill Diaval had listened in on the King's conversation with the guards.

"Well we can't directly attack her again." The captain had said, "And obviously, trying to recuse the princess won't work if she doesn't want to leave."

"She doesn't want to stay there, not with someone as a evil as Maleficent." Stefan had insisted, his eyes darkening in rage. "She's done something Aurora."

"Your Majesty, is it possible that perhaps the princess really does love Maleficent?" A guard boldly asked, looking at the King. "It looked very sincere last night."

That guard received a backhand to the face, he straightened himself and stepped away.

"No, it isn't possible. She's my daughter, she can't love a witch."

Diaval wanted to swoop down and throttle the king for his unkind words, but restrained himself.

"Majesty, what if Maleficent grew to love Aurora, and Aurora Maleficent in her sixteen years of absence?" The captain wondered aloud, taking to the idea.

"Have you all gone mad! This is Maleficent, she is evil and wicked and she can't love anything. No!" He slammed his dagger into the table. "We will get my daughter back by force, for she is unreasonable."

The guards bowed their heads obediently, and as the King's rage simmered down so did his voice. He was paranoid that Maleficent's spies were around to hear their plan, and that was about the one thing he was right about.

Diaval knew, he knew he shouldn't have gone inside, but the temptation and the need to hear the King's plan was too much. If he brought back the information his mistress needed she could protect herself, and Aurora more accurately.

It took only a look to the ceiling and the King's shout of "The witch's familiar! Capture it!" To send any plan of escape out the window, which unfortunately for him, was immediately closed.

Squawking and franticly flying around the room, Diaval had to dodge many objects that had been thrown at him.

The flying dagger is what pierced his wing, causing him to drop from the air. Diaval tried to get away, even with a crippled wing but birds are not built to escape without flight. Tall, blurry figures loomed over him, and he recognized them as the King, his captain and a few of the guards.

"Men, we have a new plan." Stefan proclaimed, a dark smirk raising as he lifted Diaval with his rough hands.

A.N: I'm on a bit of a roll here, and I believe this is the longest chapter of this story yet, so that's also exciting. So as you can see, or read, Diaval is aware of his feelings for Maleficent in this story, but Maleficent is not aware of her feelings towards him. She knows she cares, and don't worry, soon she'll know that Diaval is much more important to her than she thought.

Please leave a review, and thanks for reading! Also, a special thanks to those who've already reviewed, you're my motivation to try and post everyday! Thanks guys!