Disclaimer: I do not own the Maleficent movie.

Innocence

o3.

Above all things, Diaval liked the way she laughed. Light and airy, the girl's chuckle mixed in with the swaying of the wind to create a soft, sweet melody. It lifted Diaval's spirits, and as he made his way down to the cottage, it reminded him of how pure and innocent Aurora was. She was three years old yet full of so much potential and opportunity. She could do anything her little heart wanted to do, and she could be anyone she wanted to be. Life hadn't yet interfered with its mature interventions and unruly complications, and in the end, Auroa had a clear path ahead of her.

Yet at the same time, she didn't. Plagued by Maleficent's curse, Aurora couldn't truly live beyond her sixteenth year. Everything Diaval had thought left his mind in an instant, and as he continued to descend down to Aurora, he felt his heart ache for her. It ached for the loss of her future, but it also ached for her ignorance of the fact. They say that ignorance is bliss, but from Diaval's point of view, ignorance was as equally cruel.

When Diaval finally reached her, Aurora was kneeling down by a patch of yellow and white flowers. Her little head was bent down towards them as she considered them, and as Diaval stepped closer, she heard the crunching of the grass and looked up.

Light brown eyes pierced dark brown, and it felt like pure, honest sunshine shone on Diaval's heart. Aurora's face widened into a smile as she waved at him, and after Diaval just stood there, she stood up and ran over to him.

"Hi," she said, continuing to peer up at him.

"Hello."

"I'm Aurora."

"I'm Diaval."

"What's that?" Extending her hand, Aurora pointed to the scar on Diaval's forehead. Her eyes were narrowed in a sad, concerned fashion, and as Diaval bent down and kneeled in front of her, she reached out to touch it.

Her gentle touch sent a jolt of feeling through Diaval's system. His heart swelled with tenderness at Aurora's soft, benevolent gesture, and his mind marveled at how something so small and so young could be so caring. Diaval was a complete stranger yet there she was wondering why he was hurt. It was really quite a dumb, silly thing to think about, but at that moment, it released the boundless hurdles of thought and emotion that had been trapped inside Diaval's raven body for his entire life.

"It's called a scar," he explained, surprised at how soft his voice was. "It's part of my skin."

Her eyes wide, Aurora tilted her head and then looked at it again. "It hurts?"

"No, it doesn't. I can't feel it at all."

Aware of Maleficent watching from the bushes, Diaval realized he had to actually do something. Maleficent wasn't one to accept broken orders, and since she had wanted to know how the girl behaved and what she was like, he knew they had to move beyond skin lessons. "What are you doing?"

As Maleficent had advised him, that was all Diaval had to say. Aurora's face lit up and her lips parted to reveal a small, bright smile. "I'm playing with flowers. Come play with me!"

Like Diaval had always noted, Aurora truly was a remarkable being. She made the simplest of actions appear bright and wholesome, and her presence was sincerely warming and uplifting. She had so much kindness and goodness in her heart, and even though she was far too young to realize it, Aurora had the potential to do wonders in the worlds of the humans and the fairies. As he went with her and watched her talk and sing to the flowers, Diaval didn't want it to end.

"Aurora," called a voice from the distance. Aurora looked up, and Diaval froze. It was one of the caregivers, and though they were several feet away from the cottage, fear shot through Diaval's nerve endings as he thought about the woman coming out to retrieve Aurora. "Aurora, dear, it's time to come in. Come on home now."

"That's auntie," said Aurora, her face crestfallen as she looked back at Diaval. Her light blonde hair gleamed golden in the fading sunlight, and Diaval wondered what it was like to resemble the sun. It must be nice to have hair so transparent and adjustable, and though he didn't have his dark hair for long, Diaval wished that his hair follicles could immolate the sun like Aurora's. The sun was such a bright, vibrant thing, and as it embodied Aurora's spirit and nature, a part of Diaval wished that it could embody him, too.

"You better go," said Diaval. He took a step backwards. "You don't want to get into trouble." Diaval wasn't familiar with Aurora's "aunties," but he knew they probably wouldn't wait for long. Lingering outside when one was called could never lead to anything good. Diaval knew perfectly well how ruthless and impatient Maleficent could be, and even though the caregivers couldn't possibly be as bad as she is, Diaval knew defying them wouldn't be a wise thing to do.

As he moved to turn away, however, he felt light pressure press against his arm. Turning around, he saw Aurora staring up at him. "Will you play with me again?"

Something strange and warm filtered through Diaval's heart, and it made him feel both excited and happy. Not really knowing what to do or what to make of it, he merely smiled and nodded his head.

"Soon?"

"Yes."

Aurora returned his smile, and after a few moments, she turned around and ran towards the cottage, her hair vanishing into the spreading flames of the setting sun.

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