Hey guys! Thanks for your lovely comments and for not giving up on me! Sorry it took so long to update, but this chapter was quite a pain for me to write as I was still looking for where I'm going with this fanfic. Until now I was writing fluffy just to be fluffy, but I've finally found where I'm going with this (it definitely doesn't mean I'll give up on fluffy chapters don't worry xD)
With the first lights of the morning, Maleficent slowly opened her eyes, only to sigh as her gaze focused on the heavy snow falling outside. More snow. That was the last thing she needed. At least today she had an excuse to stay at the nest a bit longer, she thought while looking down at her pet, sleeping peacefully. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed their hands were still awkwardly clutched together, but didn't let go. Instead, she toyed with his fingers, thinking about yesterday's events. He had said he would protect her, and he had, even despite herself – which was quite the accomplishment, really. Surprisingly, he had even been able to sense the danger when she could not. She wasn't sure if it had been because of his animal instinct or his closeness to the human kind, but in any case, he had been right and she had been wrong, as hard as it was for her to admit it. She sighted heavily. At least he had the good sense to not rub it in her face afterwards. She didn't know how she would have reacted to that. Surely very badly.
She was driven away from her thoughts when she felt his form jerking violently. The arm around her slipped away, and she sat down next to him as he was gasping and mumbling, until she recognized a few words.
"Mistress, don't… No!
It was certainly the very first time he had to go through a nightmare, and Maleficent was distressed to observe it seemed to be about her torturing him. Surely he knew she would never harm him? As a whimper escaped his lips, she couldn't take it any longer and used her magic to wake him up. The raven turned man suddenly opened his eyes, jolting upright.
"Diaval, are you alright?" she asked, concerned.
She was certainly the last person he wanted to see after this, but it was her duty to make sure he was going to be ok.
However, when his wet eyes looked up at her, what she saw in them wasn't fear, but pure relief. His bottom lip was quivering uncontrollably.
"M-M-Mistress…" he breathed shakily, before encircling her with protective arms. "You-you were dead," he gasped into her shoulder.
She easily slid into his embrace and held him tight. It was hard to believe that her death would shake him that much, yet he looked utterly horrified. She wondered what she had done for him to treasure her like that. Weirdly, she also wondered what she didn't do for Stefan not to care for her as much. Less than a year ago, she would have done anything for this man to cherish her life the way her raven did.
"I'm fine, Diaval. It was just a nightmare," she whispered gently into his ear.
She never liked comforting people, but it was much easier to comfort someone that seemed to care so deeply about her. She stroked his back in slow motions and his breathing – as well as his grip on her - eased progressively.
After a few seconds, Maleficent pulled back to look at him. His eyes were still wet and a few tears had escaped, but he seemed to be holding up. Again, his human emotions were overwhelming him.
She hated seeing him like that. Such a sweet creature should never have to go through that kind of things.
Almost on its own accord, her hand landed on his cheek, and she closed the space between their foreheads. Usually, he was the one chasing her pain away, the least she could do was to return the favour whenever she could. She relished at the warm feeling growing in her chest as she nudged at him, and her arms moved to his side once again.
The raven-man drew out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and leaned in, slowly stroking her head with his. Their noses brushed slightly, and he responded to her embrace. It was the first time they did that since he showed her how raven cuddled, and he was glad she remembered. A soft moan escaped his mouth as she dragged her lips across his jaw, but she pulled away instantly.
She definitely didn't do that in purpose, but… well it felt kind of good. She was about to do it again, when she heard a familiar grunt outside and shifted her attention towards it.
"Mistress?" He queried, distressed to have to end their moment so soon.
"Stay here, Diaval. I'll be back in a minute."
Diaval obeyed and with wary eyes, he followed her slender figure getting down the tree. He sat against the tree trunk and kept a close eye on his Mistress from inside the nest. After that dream, there was no way he would let her out of his sight, even for a moment. He was relieved to see she was talking to Balthazar. If there was one creature in the Moors which loyalty towards her rivalled his, it was the tree warrior. He gave her something that looked like a heavy bag, nodded at her and walked away.
The raven turned man bowed and held out his hand to help her climb back on the tree like he was now used to doing, and she sat next to him on her side of the bed. He was still shaken and was trying his best to forget the awful images of his nightmare, but after a few minutes, he figured the best way would be to distract his mind by talking about something else.
"Any plans for today at all, Mistress?" He asked as she was putting the bag in the hollow of the tree.
The fairy turned to him with a raised eyebrow. He couldn't expect her to be sending him on mission after what happened the day just before, could he? He may be able to fly, but he needed rest after all the blood he'd lost, or he'd be exhausted. She couldn't put his life at risk by neglecting his health. Not after everything he was doing for her, and certainly not after everything he became to her. She scolded herself for being so sentimental and remembered he was still waiting for an answer.
"Not for you. You're staying in the nest today," she declared sternly.
"Oh,"
He wasn't really surprised; he had been hurt after all, and even though his mistress seemed sometimes cold as ice, he knew she was also very caring. He remembered fondly the first day of snow, when she offered him a warm and elegant black coat after he came back from the castle, saying haughtily she would have no use of a frozen servant.
However, he wasn't sure he liked the idea of being away from her for the whole day, especially with who knew how many of those iron traps still in the Moors.
"You'll be staying with me, won't you?" He asked pleadingly.
"Well as a matter of fact, Balthazar just convinced me to take over my duties so I could take a day off, so I might as well stay here."
She shot him an insisting glare, and he lowered his eyes. He didn't know how, but she knew. Surely Balthazar wouldn't have told her, would he? It happened a few days ago, when she neglected to change him back to his raven form when sending him away. He walked for a while, sat against a tree and began talking to himself. He liked talking, this voice of his was still almost foreign to him, and hearing it helped a bit with his human form. Not to mention it was a good training to word his thoughts and feelings. Anyway, he voiced all kind of things, and at some point, he was stunned to feel the tree he was sitting against moving out of his way and walking away, after giving him an assessing look. The Moors really was a strange place to live in, sometimes.
"What did you tell him?" she asked, raising an accusing eyebrow.
Her annoyed face made him nervous instantly. He knew she had her pride, and he was afraid he had said something that would offend her, even if he couldn't picture why.
"I'm sorry, Mistress, I didn't mean to, you see, I hadn't recognized him and I was in the forest, talking to myself like I sometimes do, and…
"WHAT did you tell him?" she cut him off with a dangerous voice.
The fairy was growing more concerned by the second as he rambled on. He was obviously trying to hide what he said from her in fear of her reaction, which only meant he did say something that would anger her. Her emerald eyes glowered at him in the dim light of the nest, and she was satisfied to notice it was enough to make him shiver.
"I said I wished you could have some time to yourself like you often give me, instead of patrolling the Moors all day," he answered in a rush.
Maleficent raised an eyebrow at him, dumbfounded.
"Is that it?" she asked with a dubious tone.
How exactly was that supposed to make her mad at him? It was instead very sweet, so why would he try to hide it? Suddenly, a thought struck her. Maybe it wasn't it. Maybe he did say something very private about her, and was only trying to buy some time. Something like… Oh no. Not that.
"Did you mention anything about the cuddling? She growled suddenly, fierce eyes back on him
"W-What? No! Of course not, Mistress!" he protested, outraged she could think he would reveal their secret so easily.
She observed him intently and concluded he was saying the truth. It has never been in his nature to lie, anyway. Birds didn't lie. Her expression softened as she remembered the thoughts he had been voicing. It was certainly very sweet, but she couldn't allow him to keep talking about her that way in the Moors. The risk of someone hearing and thinking less of her was too big.
"Diaval, from now on, I expect you to voice your thoughts to me, and me alone whenever you feel the need to do so," she said in a stern voice.
"Yes, Mistress," he replied at once.
He wasn't sure he would be very comfortable sharing things he thought about her, but the last thing he wanted was to give her another reason to get mad at him, especially when they were about to spend their first day off together. The only thought of it made his lips curve up. He knew he couldn't expect any form of cuddling, but she was acting so carefree around him in the nest that it made him feel more like her friend than her servant, and he liked that quite a lot.
Maleficent nodded curtly and turned around to get her hairbrush out of the hole of the trunk. She managed not to wince at the pain in her back, but sighed heavily. A few days ago, the usual ache had slowly turned into a dull pain and she could feel it growing with each passing day. It has begun so annoying that she might even get bold enough to ask Diaval for the balm if the pain hadn't lessened by tonight.
"Do you want your reading things? Last time you told me you were very close to decipher it all, didn't you?" she queried, eyes on him.
He puffed his chest very much like he would have done as a bird. He liked the thought of still being useful to her, even in this useless human form.
"Yes, Mistress. I think I'll be done today."
She nodded in appreciation and gave him everything he needed to get to work.
"Good. Tell me as soon as you know."
They spent the following hours mostly in silence. Diaval was lying on his stomach, feet in the air, and worked intently on his papers, while Maleficent was busy attempting to fix herself a frightening hairstyle. This was something she often thought about trying, but she never had the time to do so.
"What about this one?" She asked, eyebrow raised.
She didn't really care about his opinion, but she was looking for something specific, something closer to evil than her usual look, and as a very vain bird, Diaval's comments on that matter were somehow helpful.
The raven turned man looked up at her. This time, her hair was nowhere to be seen. It was tightly wrapped within a scales-like fabric. She looked quite impressive, if not scary. However the ethereal beauty of her features was so raw that it left him agape for a few seconds.
"Alright, this time you look almost fearful," he consented playfully, before shifting his attention back to his work.
"Almost?" she asked in a bewildered voice. "What do I have to do to scare the wit out of you?" the fairy growled angrily.
He managed not to chuckle at her tone. It would have terrified anyone, but he knew she was only half serious. She had that impish glint in her eyes. The raven turned man sat up and his eyes met hers. He knew she was in the mood to banter, and he was all too happy to oblige.
"Forgive me, but I can't really bring myself to see you as fearful when you are in fact so beautiful," he replied smugly.
Maleficent rolled her eyes and did her best to push back the blush she knew was coming. If she didn't know better, she could have thought he was actually flirting with her. Now that she thought about this, it wasn't the first time he was so daring while speaking to her. His growing boldness was likely a side effect to the cuddling and she should have put an end to it quite some time ago, but she decided she didn't mind as long as it stayed in the nest.
It started one evening, during his report, when he described how the queen looked noble and elegant compared to the king, saying she was still not as gracious as certain queen fairies. Back then, she didn't get the hint and completely ignored his blabbering, like she usually did, and it took her some time to realise he was actually talking about her. Since that, he had let slip a few hidden compliments from time to time, but it never had been so obvious. She knew she should tell him off this moment, but she couldn't find the resolve to do so. His sweet words were oddly comforting to her ears, even if she couldn't bring herself to truly believe them.
"Maybe I should change you into something slimy to get rid of your impudence," she wondered aloud, eying him with a devilish sparkle in her eyes.
"Or you could say 'Why, thank you very much, Diaval, you don't look bad yourself'," he replied with a girlish voice, mimicking her imperious tone.
She nearly snorted at his voice. He was ridiculously funny sometimes, it almost made her forget about the throbbing pain in her back. She tried not to wince, but her discomfort must have somehow showed on her face, because his eyes went from mischievous to worried.
"Mistress? Are you alright?" He asked, concern lacing his voice.
Her stern mask was back in the blink of an eye and she raised a defying eyebrow at him. No, she wasn't alright, and no, she didn't want anyone to help her. The only thing she wanted right now was to be left alone. Couldn't he do just that? How hard was it to just ignore her agony, like everybody else? A second later, a wisp of golden magic escaped her fingers, and a huge stack of snow fell on the raven-man, soaking him wet from head to toe. She realised the pain was making her even more quick-tempered than usual, and she immediately regretted directing it towards the only soul that genuinely cared about her.
The fairy's blank expression remained, but a gleam of amusement danced in her eyes as she watched her outraged companion brushing the snow off of him. She helped him to get rid of the snow, ignoring his endless moaning about grumpy fairies and catching a cold.
"What did you do that for? I was just worried," he sulked as she used her magic to dry him and their soaked nest.
Even if her back was on fire, he knew his mistress was too proud to let it show, let alone ask for the balm, so it was his duty to talk her into it. However, when said fairy was as impetuous as she was, it was very likely that it would end badly for him, and the snow was really not the worst that could have happened. He would have to be persistent and gentle but not pressing.
"It's not your place to worry about me. I can handle myself just fine," she replied through clenched teeth.
He refrained from rolling his eyes. Of course she could, but it didn't mean she had to, especially so soon after her recovery. He was nonetheless happy she hadn't used the fact that she would feel uncomfortable or insecure with him applying the balm on her as an argument. At least as soon as they would go past her pride, she would surely agree.
"I know that, but it doesn't mean I can't help, to make it easier," he explained with a soft voice.
He wanted to push more, if only to end her pain, but he knew better. At this point, if he were to insist, she would close up completely. She needed some time to gather her thoughts and let the information sink in.
"How about I go fetch us some food?" He asked, assuming she wished to be alone for a while.
In all honesty, she wanted nothing more than to send him away, but it wouldn't be right. He was still recovering and should rest. She reached for the bag in the hole of the trunk.
"Stay. Balthazar brought us food."
He nodded and didn't protest. If she really wanted to be alone, she would have sent him fetch the food anyway.
They ate in a comfortable silence, Diaval working on his board, and Maleficent deep in thoughts, fighting against the ache in her back. She was looking absently in the general direction of her pet, her back pressed against the trunk – as if to punish it for the torment it was putting her through. She considered asking him for the balm. A part of her craved his soothing hands on her sore back, but her pride was irrevocably against it. She would not show any of her weaknesses. Even to him. Even if he had seen them already.
She yawned and reached to unwrap her hair, in the hope to try and get some sleep, but vivid pain suddenly shot through her back and she hissed, half curling up on herself.
Alarmed, Diaval's gaze was on her in an instant. He slowly shifted closer to her, eyes filled with concern. A few minutes later, her body was still as tensed, and he couldn't stay silent anymore. He had to help her.
"Mistress? Are you in pain?"
The question was the most stupid ever asked, but he figured if she admitting it to him that would be a good first step for the proud fairy.
A short silence ensued. Her head was bent down, avoiding his worried eyes. Almost imperceptibly, she nodded once. At this point, she couldn't help it; her body was acting on its own, trying desperately to get rid of the pain by any means possible, and Diaval had already proved himself more than once to be quite the painkiller.
"Will you let me help?" he quietly asked.
She closed her eyes and didn't move for a few seconds, before pivoting to the side so he could access her back and slowly reaching for the balm in the hollow of the tree to give it to him. Her mournful gaze finally met his, and he bowed his head humbly. His fingers gently stroked hers as he took the balm, and he settled down behind her.
"I wish you could stop thinking you're weak whenever I help you," he whispered, slowly unlacing her gown.
Maleficent took a deep breath and looked down. She felt weak every single day, she thought with bitterness. It didn't have anything to do with him.
The raven-man exhaled heavily at the sight of his mistress' back. He had to admit, he was afraid the infection was back, but it wasn't. Instead, the tops of the stumps were now covered with a thin layer of reddish skin, and her milky white back was only a bit flushed around the scars. He made a mental note to take extra care of this part, guessing that was where the pain originated.
As usual, he started massaging her lower back and climbed slowly. He was careful to read every flinch, every gasps, every tilt of her head and every breath of relief from her to apply the balm as gently as possible. Her skin was as soft and silky as he remembered, and he took pride in being the only living creature that ever touched it so thoroughly. He had always known he was a bit special to her, but it was those moments that made him realize that the bond they shared was far deeper than any other she had. He quite liked that, as it was the exact same for him.
A few minutes later, her back muscles were almost relaxed, but before he could finish with her nape and shoulders, she moved to lie down on her stomach.
"Mistress?"
He assumed she had enough for one day, and withdrew his hands. He only hoped he managed to ease her pain. What he hadn't planned, however, was her answer…
"I'm just tired. Keep going. Feels good," she said in a sleepy voice.
God, and how good it felt! She wondered how on earth she could have been foolish enough to say no to this, and was most pleased with her servant's stubbornness, for once. Not only the pain was going away under his fingers, but her back was actually starting to feel good, lulling her into a drowsy state. In a way, she hated to be so not in control with herself, but she trusted Diaval with this, and as she felt the exquisite goose bumps blooming in her back under his touch, she couldn't care less, anyway. She was amazed at how good he had become at this. He was firm and soft at the same time, reverently blessing her skin with his tender caresses.
She closed her eyes, trying to picture the dumbfounded look on her servant's face when she would give him the balm without so much as a fight next time she'll be in pain, and she smiled.
Thanks to DancingKitKat again for beta-reading and special thanks to Princess Luna Alicorn for commenting on pretty much every chapter!