Hurricane
Chapter 12: Euphoria
Maleficent was breathing heavily. It was a fine day to fly, so Maleficent and Diaval took to the skies like they usually do on days like these. They flew for quite some time, enjoying the wonderful weather. However, upon landing, the first thing Maleficent did was lie down on the grassy clearing they settled on. Maleficent covered her eyes with one arm to shield them from sunlight, while the other is atop her chest, as if trying to slow her breathing.
"Maleficent, are you alright?" Diaval kneels beside her.
"I suppose, although I do feel exhausted."
"But we've only flown for the usual amount of time." Diaval's brows furrow in concern.
"I know." That is all she says for a while. Diaval waits until her breathing has evened. Maleficent removes the arm placed over her eyes and looks at him.
"Would you mind transforming into a steed? I am simply too tired to walk back to our nest." Maleficent asks. Diaval obliges and they return to the heart of the Moorlands. Diaval morphs back into a man.
"Would you like something to eat? I can get you food." Diaval questions the faery who is now resting against the base of a tree.
"No need to bother. I can get it myself." Maleficent waves a hand, summoning her magic to obtain apples from a nearby tree. Nothing happens. Maleficent's eyes widen in surprise.
"I don't understand." Maleficent stares at her hands in confusion. She tries to summon her magic a second time. Still, nothing happens.
"What's wrong, Maleficent?" Diaval queries worriedly.
"I can't summon my magic. I'm trying, but it's not responding." Despite feigning nonchalance, Diaval catches an undercurrent of panic in Maleficent's voice.
"Has that ever happened to you before?"
"No. It only happens when…" She doesn't finish her sentence.
"When what?"
"It doesn't matter. Maybe I just need to rest for a while. Kindly leave me be for a while, Diaval." Maleficent firmly states. Diaval was about to protest, still anxious about what has transpired, but his gripes were quelled with one look from her. He lets her rest.
Diaval returns from flying around the Moors, and he finds Maleficent already awake. Her expression was one of deep trepidation and he rushes to her side. Maleficent slowly looks up at him.
"My magic hasn't returned, Diaval." She whispers.
"What does that mean? Has it happened to other faeries before?"
"Diaval… a faery is different from a human in many ways, like in appearance and built, but the most important difference is that faery-folk are sustained by their magic. Magic is in their core, and it is what enables them to live longer lives than a couple of humans combined. Without magic… Diaval, without magic…"
The air seems to have stilled around them, and the temperature feels like it has dropped several degrees. "Maleficent… no. No. You're not dying. How can you be dying? You're still young for a faery; you can't just lose magic like this! This is absurd. This is impossible. Come on, maybe the other older faeries can explain what is happening to you." Diaval is nearly hysterical. There is sheer hopelessness in Maleficent's countenance.
"Diaval…" Maleficent clutches on the sleeve of his shirt. She has never seen Diaval this horrified before.
"Stay here. I will call on other faeries to examine your condition." Diaval stomps off. Maleficent lets him, trying to hold back tears.
Some of the older faeries arrive with Diaval. Maleficent asks him to leave them be as they conduct the examination. Diaval almost shouts at her for making him go away, but if she is dying, Maleficent knows she can't handle it if Diaval is with her when the faeries confirm it. She wants to be the first to know, and very reluctantly Diaval gives in to her wishes.
The faeries didn't take long in their assessment of her condition but to her it felt like hours. She could hardly breathe as they tested to see if she still has magic in her body. They listed off other possible causes of magic loss other than death and checked to see which of those resulted in her predicament. After the examination, she requests Diaval's presence again, preparing herself to share the news with him. He was by her side in the blink of an eye.
"Did they find out what's wrong with you? Did they cure you, Maleficent?" Diaval's voice was laced with intense apprehension, his hand gripping hers tightly.
'They managed to find out what was wrong with my magic. Apparently I still have my magic, but it is blocked so I am not able to summon it anymore." Maleficent explains.
"If you still have your magic, does that mean you're not dying?"
"No, I'm not dying, thankfully. You're not going to get rid of me that easy." She sends Diaval a teasing smile, only to earn a glare back. Still, he kisses the palms of her hands in relief.
"Your magic is blocked, you say? What is blocking your magic? And what should we do to remedy the situation?" Diaval rapidly queries, demeanor visibly relaxing now that there is no threat to her life anymore.
"There is nothing we can do to remedy the situation. However, it is only temporary, because the block will go away on its own. In about a few months, I reckon." Maleficent can't help but smile at her words. Diaval glances at her, confusion evident in the lines of his face.
"But what is blocking your magic?" He persists, frustrated that he still hasn't gotten his answer.
Maleficent inhales deeply, hoping her next words will be received well. "A child, Diaval. A child is blocking my magic."
His eyes grow wider than she'd ever seen them, and he seems to have lost the ability to talk. When he is finally able to speak, he says in the softest voice possible, "You're… pregnant?"
Maleficent nods happily. "Yes, Diaval. I'm with child. Our child, in case there is some confusion on your part." She laughs when he glares at her again, but the glare quickly makes way for wonder. He mutters almost reverently, "Our child. You're pregnant. We're going to have a hatchling." She just stares at him in amusement, waiting for the moment he realizes exactly what is going on.
He fixes his eyes on hers, then-
"YES!" He shouts so loudly Maleficent is sure he's startled nearby fae as well. Diaval puts both his hands on the top of his head, grasping his hair tightly, as if he can't believe this was happening. "We're going to have a hatchling. Bugger it all, we're going to have our own hatchling! I cannot believe this is happening!" Diaval fervently exclaims.
"And why not? After all, isn't this what we've been spending our nights on?" Maleficent smirks at him. Diaval shakes his head and helplessly smiles at her.
"Oh stop teasing me. You can't blame me for reacting this way! This is surreal!" Then he envelops her in the tightest embrace he's ever given her, but he lets go quickly. "Was that alright? Did I hurt you?" He grips her upper arms and gives her a once-over. Maleficent could only laugh at the way he's acting.
"I'm only pregnant, Diaval. I'm not even that far along yet. I'm not going to break, I promise." He gives her a sheepish smile and a mumbled "sorry".
Diaval's touch moves to her hands, adjusting them so they're connected palm to palm, and he twines his fingers with hers, tips brushing the back of her hand.
"I thought life couldn't get any happier than it already is, Maleficent. I was wrong." Diaval speaks softly, his breath fanning her face.
This time, she puts all the jests aside and tells him what is in her heart. "I would have been perfectly content with just you and Aurora. Now I cannot imagine not having this child in our lives."
Diaval rests his forehead to hers. "We're actually going to do this."
"We are, Diaval, so prepare yourself."
"Oh, I daresay I've been prepared for a long time. It's you who should brace yourself!" Diaval grins, Maleficent raises and eyebrow, and they began bantering about who's actually better prepared, who's going to be the child's favorite parent, whether it's a girl or a boy, who gets to decide the name, and a whole lot of other matters. They talk and talk until they get tired, and the excitement fades to an awe that leaves them marveling how life turned out like this.
END
A/N: I have this headcanon that if Maleficent gets pregnant her magic will stop working because it's being channeled to and duplicated for the child. Since it's being internally utilized, she can't use it for a while, until the crucial stages of her pregnancy is over.
This was done in response to mariah 12 and TerraBee's prompts. I didn't think I could write Maleficent getting pregnant but I thought I might as well try my hand at it. And after hours of writing and editing, this is the best I can come up with. Ugh. I am not happy at all but I didn't want to throw away the hours I've slaved over this so I thought, might as well post it. I'm sorry for butchering your prompts especially after you've taken the time to read this.
I won't mind if you flame this chapter, honestly. But please leave a review all the same.
I promise the last three chapters are infinitely better.
Cheers!