Thank you everyone for following and reviewing this fanfic. Enjoy !
A couple of hours before sunset, Maleficent and Diaval finally reached their cliff. The fairy had one arm around her servant's neck, and was holding a bag with her free hand. The raven turned man was clasping at her hand to hold her up, while his other arm was tightly clenched around her waist. They were walking slowly but steadily.
"I can see your tree, Mistress!" he exclaimed cheerfully.
The journey had been long and exhausting. If not for him, he knew it had been for her. She was panting heavily and he could feel her leaning more and more onto him. It would have been much easier to carry her, but he knew she was far too proud for that.
She lifted her gaze only to look at her home with relieved eyes. Finally, she thought. She didn't know how much longer she would have been able to keep on. The pain in her back was barely bearable. Maybe she should have waited another day or two before starting such a long trip, as Diaval wisely suggested. However, she grew tired of staying in bed – if one could call the hard-like-rock cot she had to rest in a bed. Besides, she truly hated those awful walls and wanted to go back to her nest.
They both sat on the huge knotted roots of the single tree standing on the cliff. After losing her wings, Maleficent had modelled its trunk and branches to form a light crook on its middle, and arranged moss and leaves to make a proper nest. She didn't trust her hammock suspended over the void anymore. She felt like she would fall off and kill herself at the slightest move.
Now she slept in this new nest, and if she wanted to occasionally welcome Diaval in it, she would have to make it a little bigger, she thought as she looked at it. She waited to catch her breath and proceeded at once to work her magic on the majestic tree.
"You will sleep with me tonight, Diaval. That way, I will be sure your beautiful self fits in my little nest," she teased.
He looked at her with a smile and figured she used what may look like a compliment in a hidden manner to thank him for helping her along the way. Or maybe she was just mocking him. He wasn't sure to fully comprehend just yet this cryptic human's habit of saying something and meaning something entirely different.
Nonetheless, he couldn't ignore the taunt and answered on the very same tone, "Does that mean I'm fat or anything?"
He was sure he saw the shadow of a smile crossing her features only for a second, while she was watching intently at the growing trunk. She did not smile often, but before he saved her life, she used to never smile at all. He figured that was a bit of an improvement. Whatever was the reason beneath it, he couldn't help but feel hope. Hope that she would heal and find the light once again. Hope that maybe he could help her get better.
"Diaval?" she called, cutting him off of his thoughts. "You will go to the castle now. Oh, and don't forget to bring back my staff."
He had neglected to take it when she passed out on the forest, a few days ago. Fortunately, he had assured her he remembered the exact location and would be able to find it in no time.
"Of course, Mistress," he said at once. He had answered out of habit, but remembered she wasn't having her best day. "Are you sure you won't need me or anything?"
He knew she could take care of herself and all, but he was still shaken about how she had left herself dying, and still couldn't understand why. Maybe it wasn't much and she would be ok now, but he wasn't sure. He didn't know her well enough for that yet. She was very good at hiding her feelings and he only started to see through her. That was something he had vowed to master, as he had vowed to stay by her side and help her in any way he could.
During his pondering, the fairy had emptied the bag at their feet. They had gathered food, water and herbs during their journey home.
"I will be pretty busy, don't worry," she said while sorting the herbs on the grassy floor. "Just bring me some twigs to start a fire before going."
As soon as he had put together a big enough pile of dead sticks next to her, she told him to be back by nightfall. She changed him into his original form and watched him disappear into the sky, wondering if she should have sent him to the castle, in the end. He already helped her walk all day and should be tired. She usually never asked him to work this much.
Suddenly, she wondered what he would do if she was to give him a day off. Maybe he had some relatives or raven friends to go visit? She never did it before, but perhaps she should consider granting him some free time once in a while. He was undoubtedly a very good servant and it was the least she could do for him.
While he was gone, she brewed the two different balms, both for healing and painkilling. After that, she moved Diaval's nest to her tree. She chose him a good spot, where he could overview the Moors by looking down and gaze at the stars by looking up.
By the time the darkness of the night replaced the last beams of day, she had cleaned herself, changed her clothes to something more comfortable and cooked a hot meal for the both of them. She didn't cook often, especially for him, but tonight she wanted to please her pet. Her pet-friend, she corrected with a smile.
The raven finally came back and landed to her right with her staff, before flying off to her left. He stretched out his arms with a moan when she gave him his human form and sat down next to her.
"You're late," she scolded, taking a look at the ebony stick that once was just a mere twig.
"Yes, sorry. I've had trouble finding your staff in the dark," he said apologetically.
He thanked her when she handed him a large bowl, before peering inside with a funny face.
"Soup?" he whined.
He liked vegetables, but when it was cooked that way, the taste was rarely the one expected, and he didn't like that. The only thing that could cover it up was-
"I've added some beetles in yours," she pointed out with an even voice.
He smiled widely at her, took a sip and let out a humming sound. She knew him so well.
"Best mistress ever," he whispered, loud enough for her to hear.
Her lips curled up a little and they ate in silence. She chose to let him eat without inquiring about what was up at the castle. When he brought back important news, he used to tell her right away, anyway. Therefore, she expected uninteresting banalities from tonight's report and didn't ask for it.
"I'm giving you a day off tomorrow," she announced after a while, piling up their empty bowls on the ground.
"A day off? What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.
"You won't have to go to the castle."
His eyes widened, "Really? Thank you, Mistress!"
Spying was so dull sometimes… Besides, he didn't like to spend so much time close to humans - especially that human. The raven turned man never hated anyone before, even the farmers and dogs that hunted him at times, but from the moment he understood what had happened to his mistress, the only thing he felt towards Stefan was pure, wild, merciless hatred. He figured she was listening to his reports, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on him, and when the time would come, he would fully support her. Even though he never was one to enjoy the perspective of hurting others, he knew he would relish this moment.
The fairy didn't go through the trouble of mentioning that he didn't have to take care of her either, because she was pretty sure he would say he didn't mind, anyway.
They stayed silent for a while, before she gave in to her curiosity, "You don't like going to the castle?"
"I don't mind flying to the castle and reporting to you, but spying on stupid humans, that's really boring. Today, for example, the nasty one was taking dance lessons to attend to a royal ball or something. You should have seen him swearing every time he stepped on the poor teacher's foot. By the end of the lesson he couldn't even dance through the two first bars of the song, that was hopeless."
She didn't even wanted to know where he had learned what a "bar" was. She wasn't sure herself of what it was. Surely, he had witnessed some other lessons of some sort. Making him spy on the castle had somehow taught him lots of non-useful stuff, but it was for the best. The more he knew, the more useful he would be.
"Could you?" She inquired, truly curious.
She always wondered what was all the fuss about dancing. The other fairies here in the Moors danced while flying, but she had never been able to experience it since she was much too different from the others. Maybe at some point, Diaval could enlighten her about it.
"Well, I'm not sure. I never tried."
He yawned loudly while adding, "But maybe I could show you some other time?"
The fairy guided his hand to cover his mouth with a sigh. She gave in to the urge of yawning back and conceded, "Yes, we need some sleep. Help me get to my nest."
A few minutes later, they were sitting in the nest, and Diaval was unlacing his mistress' gown.
In the meantime, Maleficent closed the branches of the tree around them, like they were curtains. She did so every night since her wings were stolen, because she was so ashamed of what she had become she didn't want anyone to see her off-guard.
She sighed. What she feared the most revealing anyone had now become a habit between her and her servant. She didn't mind him watching or even touching her bare back anymore. The distance she wanted to keep between them had been crushed down, and there was nothing she could have done about it. Now he knew all about her sorrow, and she was letting him share her pain almost naturally, even though they've only met three months ago. That was crazy. Her life had taken such an unexpected turn. Nothing went as planned, and she didn't know what to think about it.
"The infection is almost gone, Mistress. I think tomorrow will be the last time I bother you with the balm," he said cheerfully, dipping his fingers into the newly made mixture.
"I may require your help in the future, if the pain gets too annoying," she remembered him stiffly.
Diaval didn't believe that, not after the scene they've been through for her to accept it the first time. He was pretty sure she wouldn't want him to do it again if it wasn't absolutely necessary.
"Will you?" he inquired, his voice laced with amusement.
She didn't answer, but he wasn't expecting her to, anyway. Eventually, his wetted fingers came in contact with her delicate skin. He was much more comfortable doing this than before, especially since he wasn't causing her pain at every move. Right now, he was even wondering if there was the slightest chance she could appreciate the feeling. He knew he did. Her skin was so soft. The raven turned man always thought the velvetiness of feathers had no equals, but now he realised he had been terribly mistaken.
He bit back the lump in his throat when he reached the stumps. He was determined not to cry this time, and tried his best to think about something else, just like she told him. The sobs seemed to pull away the moment he focused his attention on the silkiness of her skin under his fingers.
Maleficent turned around to look at him when he had laced back her gown. She had to admit it, she just spent the most delicious moment in a very long while. Her back wasn't aching too bad, causing his touch to feel even more exquisite than the two first times. She didn't even care how bold he got, and didn't stop him from massaging her nape and shoulders after he had finished with her stumps.
Her lips curled up a little when she noticed he managed to keep the tears at bay.
"Lie down," she demanded in a whisper.
He obeyed and got under the cover, opening it for her to join him. She scooted closer, leaned on his form and murmured to his hear, "Open your arms, my pet."
He did so, encouraged by her gentle tone, and she cuddled against his lying body. She felt him sighing in contentment as he held her close into his warmth. There it was, the inexplicable feeling of safety his embrace never failed to provide her. She inhaled deeply into his neck, relishing the moment. She liked that far more than she should, but to hell with that. After everything she went through these past three months, she deserved a little bit of relief.
An awkward silence followed. They just began to realise the implications behind the fact that they were sharing the fairy's nest. It was new and almost frightening to both of them. Before, they had slept in a place that could be qualified as neutral, but now, she was sharing her nest, her home with him, and felt even more exposed. As for him, he wasn't really comfortable sleeping in a place he had been absolutely forbidden to go for so much time.
Feeling the growing tension, Diaval assumed that the only way to lighten the mood would be to talk. Even if it wasn't, it couldn't be worse, anyway, "We seem to be fitting very well in your nest, Mistress, don't you think?"
She looked up at him, noticing he seemed even stiffer than her. She let her hand climb up to his scalp, entangling her fingers in his hair, and stroked gently. It relaxed them at once.
"Yes, we do."
She heard him purr, and felt his head leaning on hers as he was trying to give her better access. She leaned back instinctively, and the warmth in her chest grew wider.
When she was about to give up on slumber, she heard him speak, "I see you moved my nest, Mistress. Thank you."
Glad he prevented her from falling asleep that early, she yawned and replied, "You're welcome, birdy."
The fairy struggled to not let her eyes close themselves. She didn't want to doze off before him, just in case. Therefore, she was kind of hoping he would keep talking, if only to keep her awake.
As always, he did everything she needed him to, even though he wasn't aware of it, "But Mistress, why didn't you build my nest on your tree in the first place?"
She looked at him thoughtfully, and didn't talk for a good minute.
Diaval feared he had pushed too far, remembering a little late that she didn't like it when he questioned her actions, but finally, her stern expression faded and her gaze lowered.
"Because I didn't want you to see or hear me if I had a nightmare," she said softly
At the end, she realised it wasn't that big a deal revealing this to him. Now that he had seen the worst part of her agony, she wasn't that worried about letting him know about this too.
She noticed his puzzled look, and frowned at him in order to make him speak his mind.
"I don't know what a nightmare is, Mistress," he confessed, a little bit nervous.
Whatever it was, he could guess by her tone that it didn't seem to be something very funny. He was hoping that wouldn't be too serious and could be dealt with. They already had so many problems that needed to be solved.
"It's a bad dream," she started, cutting him off of his thoughts. "When you sleep, sometimes, you feel like you're awake, confronted with awful situations, often your worst fears, and have no control on what is happening. It can be very intense, and make one's move violently and even scream during sleeping."
She felt him stiffen at her words, and she wondered if that ever happened to him. Surely not, as he spent most of his nights in his raven form. Birds couldn't dream, and that was for the best. She certainly wouldn't want any bird, especially him, to go through that.
"That's frightening," he pointed out after a while. "What am I supposed to do if that happens? Shall I wake you up?"
"Yes, I guess."
He tightened his grasp on her lying form, as if he wanted to protect her from something. He wished it wouldn't happen to her anytime soon. Tonight he would be there, anyway, and could wake her up if necessary. As for the nights he wouldn't sleep with her, his nest was close enough for him to hear if there was anything unusual going on.
Suddenly, he realised something: she had nightmares, which must mean that she had fears. That was disturbing. He couldn't imagine his powerful mistress being afraid of something. Even when she was about to die, she was anything but.
"Mistress? What are your nightmares about?" he inquired before thinking.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he shouldn't have asked that, and held his breath.
She managed to detain an annoyed growl. Just who did he think he was to ask her such things?
"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped.
Maleficent felt the urge to change him and send him off to his own nest, but she knew better. It would give her great satisfaction at first, but it wouldn't be as comforting for her. When she thought about it, she didn't really needed comfort right now, but she just didn't want him to go. She liked the way he held her tight, and how his head was resting on hers.
"Go to sleep, now," she added grumpily.
The raven turned man let out a shaky breath. That was close. He almost recognised the look on her face when she was too pissed to let him talk and ended up turning him into his raven form. He truly enjoyed his original form, but in his human self, he could be so much closer to her. He liked that closeness, and the way it made him feel.
He noticed her angry gaze on him and obediently mumbled, "Yes, Mistress," before closing his eyes.
He shifted in the nest. It was truly uncomfortable, almost worst than the bed in the ruins. After she grew it, the moss and leaves weren't covering the whole nest anymore, and most of its bottom was just wood, now. Fortunately, she was half lying on him tonight, so she wouldn't feel it too much. However, Diaval wondered about the nights after that. She couldn't sleep like this. He came to slumber thinking he had to do something about it.
Many thanks to RavenDiablo and DancingKitKat for beta-reading me ;)