Disclaimer/claimer: Obviously I don't own anything about Maleficent, but the poem "Fall" is total and completely mine.
When I was in my young Spring
All flowers sweet and running free
I didn't dream a thing of thee,
Of thee I didn't dream a thing.
But Spring was short and long ago;
No flowers did I keep from mine.
Another road to take was time,
Time was to take another road.
Summer full of golden light
Burns my bones and blazes my eyes
For all my fights are now my cries
My cries are now for all my fights.
Summer ends with all its glow.
What shall I keep to warm my bones
As sun goes low for all old ones?
As for old ones the sun goes low?
Who shall in Fall my feet warm keep:
Whom shall I mourn when all is gone?
I'm sure I'll meet in enchanted tone
In enchanted tone I'm sure I'll meet
The one to stand with, back to back
The one to keep me 'till the Fall
And this will last, for this is all
And this is all for us to last.
The sun was setting for the Moors and the sky took the colour of the fallen leaves. Fruit ripened heavy in the branches and the fairy folk hasted to gather, dry and store them for the upcoming Winter. Seeds and nuts had similar destiny, but this year was the first one of exchanging goods with Aurora's human kingdom, and fruits and cider went to the town as grain and wool came to the Moors. It was an attempt, none of the parts was sure if it would work, but the good will was there to end generations of distrust.
Maleficent was tired of the busy day and retreated to her nest, wanting nothing more than silence.
Being Diaval's mate, silence was not an option, obviously.
The flutter of wings followed by a thud when human feet contacting the ground announced his arrival.
"She will come in the morrow, mistress."
Maleficent settled down on her favourite corner of the nest and smiled at him.
"Thank you, Diaval, I don't know what would be of me without you."
"Deathly boredom, of course."
He shook his footwear away and sat cross-legged in front of the fae, taking her feet in his lap. Knowledgeably fingers massaged her toes and then the soles, slowly going up to her ankles.
"Hmm, this feels good… my feet feel like I walked the whole Moors around thrice!"
"They are swollen." Agreed the raven.
"I must be dying…"
"Drama queen!" He tried to better her mood with a playful tone and a wink of his onix eyes. "None dies from swollen feet, I'd wager."
"Aurora told me of an elderly woman in the castle who stopped peeing and she swell up for two weeks and ended up dead."
Diaval considered her statement.
"Did you stop peeing?"
"Nope." Maleficent pouted. "Sometimes I feel like there's a whole pond in my bladder, I can't even sleep a righteous night without getting up to pee."
"So, no swelling up to death problem, I presume."
"You presume too much. Still, I might be dying from old age."
Diaval crunched a couple of leaves in his hands and repeated the massage, this time focusing on her ankles and calves, rubbing the camphor on her skin with a little more pressure than before.
"Old age? You don't have a single wrinkle on your beautiful self, mistress, how can you be dying from old age?"
"I don't know. I feel so weak and tired all the time, I could well be living my last days."
He left her feet to rest atop a cushion and scooted beside her.
"You are tired. You're overworking yourself. I'll provide a nice dinner and make you rest, all right? By the morning you'll be good as a fledgling."
"If I don't die in my sleep, that is."
000ooo000
The night didn't kill Maleficent and the morning brought a shiny sun and a worried Aurora the Moors.
"Hello, godmother!"
"Hello, beastie. I'm glad to see you once more before I die."
"What?" The blonde was in shock. "Diaval, you didn't tell me…"
He scoffed.
"She's playing the drama queen lately and doesn't want to get out of the role. She's just tired, overworking herself."
Maleficent scowled back, sitting up.
"Overworking doesn't make one…"
Her complaint was interrupted by a strong wave of nausea, her face turning a shade of green. She laid back on her pillows.
"I'm sure I'll gonna die.
"Diaval, she doesn't look well at all." Aurora admonished the raven and turned to the fae. "Have you eaten, godmother?"
"Nope. I don't think any food would stay in its rightful place if I tried to."
"Hmm." The young queen rummaged the wicker basket she brought with her, retrieving something. "Some fruit, maybe? I brought peaches, and plums, and starfruit…"
"Starfruit?"
The strange name claimed her attention, and Aurora presented her a yellow fruit.
"Yes, Philip brought it last chart, they are a bit sour, but…"
"Hmm, smells good…"
Maleficent sat up again, slower this time to avoid the nausea, and took a bite of the scenty fruit. The acidic juice dripped from her lips to her chin and she ignored it, greedily eating more of it.
"Hmm, I think I won't die after all. This fruit might save my life, beastie. Have you more of them?"
"Yes, godmother, a couple more." The young woman handled her the fruits with a smile. "Hope they make you feel better. I can provide more in the following days, if you wish."
"Yes, that would be…"
Whatever that would be was interrupted by a violent nausea that had her heaving the few contents of her stomach over the border of the nest and the arrival of three well known pixies, fluttering in annoyance of the sudden rain of starfruit waste.
"Oh-oh…"
"What…" Maleficent interrupted herself to lay down, trying to quiet her stomach. "What are you three doing here? I don't need witnesses to my death."
"Sweet Aurora, I mean, Queen Aurora summoned us, Maleficent." Stated Fittle.
"We came as soon as possible."
"Beastie, why on earth did you summon these… ladies… for lack of another non-offensive wording?"
Knotgrass crossed her arms, indignant, and replied in Aurora's stead.
"Sorry having to remind you, but we are the most knowledgeable healers in the whole Moors."
"Yes, and we know a lot about healing, too." Added Thistlewit.
"That's what I just said, Thistlewit."
"No, you, said that…"
"Argh, enough!" Complained Maleficent. "If you're able to find what's wrong with me, you may be able to find a cure, I suppose."
"Oh, she supposes!" Celebrated the blond pixie, clapping her hands.
"Of course she supposes, why wouldn't she suppose? She's the Protector of the Moors, completely capable of supposing and…"
"Enough!" The fae shouted again, silencing the pink babbling pixie. "If you just could proceed…?"
Diaval carded her hair, a wet rag in the other hand cleansing the remnants of the starfruit from her chin, and Aurora took a canteen from her basket and offered it for her to rinse her mouth from the bad taste. The pixies flew above her body, hands extended half an inch from her skin and faces frowned in concentration.
Several minutes passed before the blue one stopped with a jerk.
"Oh! I think I got it!"
"What?"
"Your illness, of course!"
"Hmph."
"You're feeling unwell because your stomach is empty! A full belly is all the remedy you need, I say. No food, no vitality, that's why you're feeling weak as if you'd be dying."
"How am I to fill my belly, as you say, if the mere smell of food is enough to revolt said belly, pray?"
"Erm…"
"I thought so."
"But Fittle is right, godmother. You can't go on without food. Maybe some honey? Or nectar, maybe?"
"I'll consider it… later."
"I beg your pardon to disagree, noble colleague." Prompted Knotgrass, hands on her hips. "I diagnose a severe infestation of parasites."
"Parasites?" Maleficent's face frowned in disgust at the idea. "How come I develop parasites?"
"Oh, it could be anything, actually." The pink pixie gazed at her fingernails, absently. "Dirty water, food, or even something carried by an animal."
"Ani…"
"Now you've trespassed certain borders, mistress!" Diaval snarled.
"Hush, Diaval, I'm sure Auntie wasn't talking about you!"
He eyed Aurora sideways.
"Not so sure…"
Thistlewit finished the quarrel with a crystal laugh.
"It's nothing of this kind!" She barely concealed her amusement. "Lack of food and parasites are nothing compared to her heart rate!"
"Heart rate?" The idea of heart problems made her heart beat faster, to her annoyance.
"Sure! I can state a clear increase in your heart rate, nothing to be very worried about, see, but to look at with care. Have you being under stress lately?"
"Stress? Do I look like someone who has the time to be under stress?"
"That's what I thought! See? My diagnostic is right!"
"No way! It's her lack of food!"
"Parasites! Obviously it's the parasites!
"Heart rate!"
"Parasites!"
"Malnourishment!"
Aurora and Maleficent watched the trouble trio shout and whack at each other, as if physical shoves would shove ideas inside the heads of any of them. Diaval, annoyed, was the one to end it.
"Stop it, would ya?"
His shout was almost a caw, and the pixies obliged.
"Thank you." He turned to his mate. "Maleficent, what do you think about their diagnostics?"
The fae closed her eyes, breathing deep to calm herself from the pixies shouting match and to settle her own thoughts. Some moments later she opened her eyes again, resigned.
"There might be some truth to it."
"Hah!"
"I said it"
Maleficent's look was enough to silence the little beings.
"Diaval is right. I might be working too much, and resting too little. If this is called stress, then I must concede I'm there, and the faster heart rate Thistlewit noticed might be true."
"See? See? I mmpffff!"
Diaval gaged the blonde pixie with two fingers successfully and the fae resumed.
"And I might have to force myself to eat better if I am to have the energy required to go on."
A stern look from the raven-man and Fittle clamped her mouth shut before any sound came out.
"We'll see to honey and palatable foods for you, godmother."
"Thank you, beastie. This is very caring of you."
"You're welcome, godmother."
"Now, about parasites… Now that Knotgrass brought the issue up, I notice there's something drawing from my blood. I never felt such a thing before, I didn't know fae were able to get infested. It might even be the cause of the weakness I'm feeling lately, besides the lack of proper nourishment."
"Oh…"
Having Maleficent agree with the three of them was a novelty for the pixies, and it did the trick of shutting them up.
"How do we get rid of it?" Maleficent conceded to ask.
"Oh, there are some options, you know. Some potions, certain plants, or a bit of magic, whatever serves you better."
"I must be severely disconnected from myself to have failed to notice such a thing happening inside of me. Thank you for your healing advice."
It was a polite way to dismiss the trio, and they took the clue, starting to bicker again shortly after leaving the nest. The inhabitants of said nest and their adopted fledgling watched the pixies go, enjoying the silence for a while.
"So, godmother, what plants should we gather for you to get rid the parasites?"
"Oh, don't worry, I still have enough magic to do the trick. Just must find where the things are." She answered and moved her hand above her own torso to locate the offending beings. "But if you would be so kind as to ask the leaf-fairies for some aster honey, it's the best flower for honey at this stage of autumn."
"Of course, godmother; anything else?"
"No, beastie, Diaval can help me if I need."
"Right, I'm going then."
The blonde hurricane stormed out of the nest and the mates were alone again. Maleficent resumed moving her hand and Diaval carded her hair, enjoying the silence. Suddenly, her eyes flew open like saucers.
"What?" Asked Diaval, worried.
"Diaval… I'm not completely sure, but…"
"But what? Mistress, you're scaring me!"
Her gaze was far, as if looking for something in the horizon, and her voice was a whisper.
"It's not parasites. It's only one."
Diaval felt relieved.
"Better so, my love, easier to get rid of it, I suppose."
"No!" She almost shouted, then recomposed herself and turned to face him. "No, Diaval, I cannot. Not ever!"
"What? Why? I don't understand!" The raven felt bewildered by now. Wasn't his mate, his mistress, the most powerful fae in the whole Moors? What could be so strong that she could not deal with it? He touched her face, a thumb trailing her acute cheekbones and fingertips on her pointy ear. "Of course you can get rid of the parasite, mistress, you said yourself that it is drawing on your blood, how not to get rid of something that's making you sick and weak?"
To his astonishment, Maleficent laughed. One of her hands trailed his face, mimicking his own gesture, whilst the other rested on her flat belly.
"Diaval, my pretty bird… I could never… ever… get rid of this… parasite..." She laughed again, to his distress. "That's part of me… and part of you…"
"What…?"
He was silenced by a kiss, her smile on his confused lips for a brief moment.
"Rather who than what, naïve bird."
The poor soul shook his head, dumbfounded.
"Mistress, I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."
Maleficent took his hand and guided it to her lower belly, a spark of golden magic grazing his palm to lend him the same sensory power she was using. His charcoal eyes grew wide at the realization.
"Mis…"
Diaval drew Maleficent into his arms, holding his beloved fae as if the world would fall apart if he let her go, burying his face in her hair and laughing with her. This was how Aurora found them minutes later, a vial of honey in her hand and a stunned expression on her face.
"Godmother, what…?"
The fae only laughed, and Diaval drenched the blonde in information.
"Aurora, I hope you're all right with idea of having a sibling, because that's what you'll have, be you content with it or not, and I won't let anything to threaten my hatchling, and you don't have to worry because we'll be responsible parents and never let him fall off the nest nor…"
Aurora watched Diaval's speech, almost dizzy with the speed the words left his mouth, when Maleficent interrupted him with a bold smile on her face.
"Diaval."
"Yes, mistress?"
"Stop rambling and kiss me!"