Disclaimer: I do not own the Maleficent movie.
Innocence
o2.
Diaval wasn't one to linger, but as a bird devoid of any purpose but to serve and cater to Maleficent, lingering around Aurora was the only thing he could count on doing.
Maleficent had ordered him to watch and observe the girl whenever he wasn't fulfilling other requests, and Diaval made it a point to do this job as thoroughly as possible. He'd fly there in the morning when her caregivers would shyly wake her up and bring her breakfast, and he'd stay with her on her window at night when she struggled to fall asleep; he'd travel with her when she escaped outside and ran around in the field, and he'd crow to distract her when she wandered a bit too far.
In a way, Diaval became a guardian of sorts. Of course Maleficent constantly watched and scrutinized Aurora, but Diaval was there through all the times that mattered. He watched with a sort of concerned, caring eye, and he knew almost as soon as it all started that the prospect of Aurora enticed his very soul.
The first time he ever talked to Aurora was overwhelming. It was a chilly, misty autumn morning, and it was Maleficent's favorite time of day. She could stand in the shadows of the trees without actually having to hide, and it served as a reminder of the steady chill of her heart.
"Diaval," she said, snapping her fingers. In an instant, Diaval went from bird to man, and everything he had ever felt came pulsating through his brain. His emotions were always ten times as powerful when he assumed human form, and he felt things he had never felt before. He felt the cool, bare earth slide between the stubs of his toes, the sting of the frost as it settled on his sensitive flesh, the rhythm of his hands as he moved them back and forth, the beating and aching of his lonely, age-old heart – "Diaval!"
Sighing, Diaval bowed his head and stepped forward. Maleficent never had time for his myriad of emotions and recollections, and he knew that she hardly even cared that he went through such potent shocks of feeling. She had rescued him from that net with her own needs in mind, but as cruel and selfish as that could be, it was the only thing allowing Diaval to possess his living, palpitating form. It was a hard way to live, he would admit, but at the same time, it was the only way he could live.
"Yes, Mistress?"
"I can't see the little beastie anymore. You need to go to her."
"Of course. Just snap your fingers and I will be there."
"No." At that, Diaval looked up and Maleficent smiled. "I wish for you to go to her as a human. Go talk to her; go interact with her. Go see what she's really like."
A slight prick of alarm made its way down Diaval's neck, and as he stared hesitantly at Maleficent, he thought about what that would entail. Besides Maleficent, Diaval had never talked to another non-bird being. His company consisted of whining, has-been ravens complaining about the shifting dynamics of the Moors, and all of his socialization involved ruffling his feathers and chirping. He didn't know how to properly express all of the feelings now magnified in the very core of his heart, and as hard as it was talking to Maleficent, Diaval couldn't imagine how difficult it would be talking to Aurora.
"Relax," drawled Maleficent, narrowing her eyes. She always had an uncanny way of knowing what Diaval was feeling, whether she actually acknowledged it or not. "She's just a child. All you have to do is say hello and ask her what she's doing. It's simple enough."
How did Maleficent know how to talk to children, Diaval wondered? She was a fairy, and she had lived her entire youth in the Moors. Before the battle, perhaps she had come across stray children stumbling around on the border, but did she have some other claim of expertise of which Diaval was unaware? Was there a hidden part of her that Diaval would never know?
"Of course, Mistress." Per usual, Diaval could never articulate and express his deepest feelings, so he left it at that. "I shall go to the child right now."
As Maleficent nodded and then phased out into the shadows, Diaval took a deep breath and then turned to the cottage. Pressing his hands together, which felt stronger and safer wrapped up within each other, he eyed the lawn where Auroa was playing and then made his way down the rocky slope to greet her.
Thanks so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! I was initially just going to make chapter 1 a one-shot, but I like where this is going. I'll update as soon as I can. Thanks for reading, and please drop off a review and let me know what you think! :)