Hurricane

Chapter 2: Jealousy

Aurora's laughter rings throughout the clearing. She is running around, trying to chase Diaval the raven. Maleficent looks on, appraising the little beastie. She is almost sixteen now, with beauty that is probably unrivaled by any other girl her age. She is kindhearted, cheerful, and she seems to represent everything that is good. She is like the sun. She is light, attracting any creature towards her.

Even her servant is not immune. Nearly two decades of being in his company has made her privy to his idiosyncrasies. Maleficent knows him, and she knows he is overly fond of the little beastie. It's the extent of his fondness that is open to question. Is her servant fond of the girl in a platonic way? Or does he look upon her the way… the way she foolishly believed Stefan looked upon her?

She tells herself that it's not her business if her servant is in love with the girl. However, she believes it is her duty to remind him that the beastie is under a curse and would most likely not survive to return his affections. So she must ask him. She convinces herself that that is the only reason why she will pry. She tries to ignore the annoyance (or more accurately, the distress) that the idea of her servant and the little beastie together brings her.

When they've ascertained Aurora is safely in bed that night, Maleficent and Diaval go back to the Moors in silence. Diaval senses there is something wrong with his mistress but he's waiting for the right moment to ask. He reckons he shouldn't wait until morning, so before they settle down for the night, he queries, "Is something wrong, mistress?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I just felt like something is bothering you, mistress. Do you wish to talk about it?" He deferentially replies. She is silent, as if pondering what exactly to say.

"Diaval, are you fond of the little beastie?"

"Huh? I suppose I am. I am not sure if that is appropriate, given the fact that I was there when the curse was placed upon her, but I guess raising a child for almost sixteen years would be enough to make one attached to the girl." He thoughtfully answers, taken aback by the question.

There is a pause, before she lets out words in a voice so soft he wouldn't have heard if he wasn't listening intently. "I tried to take back the curse. I used to revel my own cleverness in casting that curse. It turns out my words were my own undoing because there is nothing I can do now to take it away."

"I know mistress. But there is still hope! Did you not put a condition on the curse? She only needs true love's kiss and the spell will be broken!"

She shakes her head, lips forming a smile that contains no mirth. "Do you still not get it, Diaval? I made that condition on the premise that true love's kiss does not exist! The spell was meant to never be broken."

"You may feel that way, but not everyone thinks it's unreal, mistress. Didn't she meet a young lad earlier today? He could be the answer to our conundrum."

She laughs joylessly. "They've only met today, Diaval." Maleficent turns to look at him. "Would that be alright with you? Will it be okay if the boy is the answer to our problems?"

"Of course, mistress. It would be wonderful if he is indeed the answer." He states empathically. He nearly misses his mistress's face sink into confusion.

"But I thought you were fond of the girl?"

"Yes, and that is why I want the spell broken as much as you do."

"No, what I meant is I thought you see her in a romantic light." She is almost embarrassed with her words. He laughs like she just said a hilarious joke.

"What gave you the assumption that I am in love with the princess? I've known her since she was a baby. I am fond of her, yes, but only as a raven would look after his hatchling."

"It's not an improbable assumption to make, Diaval. After all, the little beastie has indeed grown up in beauty and elegance. I thought that is what attracts men?" The way she forces the words out seemed like they left a bitter taste in her mouth. Her discomfort is admittedly amusing, but Diaval is also puzzled as to why she is bringing this up if this is not a conversation she wants to have at all.

"That is true. If I had met her as she is now, if- like the lad earlier- I had had my first glance today and if I had been younger then maybe I could have considered her in that way." If Diaval wasn't as attuned to his mistress as he currently was, he would have missed Maleficent's face showing displeasure. It was only for a moment, because she had mastered the art of schooling her features in a mask of indifference, but it was definitely there. Diaval ploughed on, "However, circumstances have made it impossible to see her as anything more than my hatchling. I thought you knew that. Of all people, I expected you to know that. We did raise the child together, after all." He finishes the sentence with a smirk that only infuriated her (but she grudgingly allows that it looks good on his face). Then he goes on to add, "You know mistress, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous of the girl."

Her jaw drops and her eyes are brimming with indignation, but a voice in her head keeps repeating "you got caught!" She narrows her eyes (because of his audacity or because of the voice in her head, one will never know) and firmly says "Such cheek, Diaval. Have you forgotten I can turn you into a dog and keep you in that form until morning?"

"Come on, mistress, be a good sport!" He chuckles. But the smug look on his face is replaced by panic when she raises her hand and the first wisps of magic spread out from her fingertips. He quickly reaches out for her wrist while almost shouting "No, mistress, please I am sorry I was only trying to ease the tension; I will not joke about this again just please do not turn me into a dog and leave me like that overnight. I am asking you!" His eyes are wide and he is breathless. He looks like a scared child, and she cannot stop herself from laughing at his antics. She doesn't see his contented smile while he stares at her laughing form. However, she does feel the warmth of his hand around her wrist. She lets it linger for a while.

A/N: I wanted angsty and emotive sort of fic but instead you get this- serious conversation with a bit of fluff. These things are trickier to write! But I do enjoy them immensely and I hope you guys are enjoying this too. Leave a review if you ever have "emotion" prompts or requests and if they catch my interest, I will try to respond to your requests. Or talk to me at a-caffeinated-life . tumblr . com :) Cheers!