Disclaimer: I do not own the Maleficent movie.
A/N: Hi everyone! I'm SO sorry for the delay. I've been super busy, but here is another (small) chapter that sheds some more light on the feelings of our favorite raven. :) I hope you like it, and please drop off a review to let me know what you think! Thank you so much for all the support!
Innocence
o5.
They say that a man is a bird without wings and a bird is a man without sorrow, but Diaval would beg to differ. As a bird, he indeed felt less of his overwhelming emotions, but the pain and intensity never left him. His fondness for Aurora grew like a mustard seed and spread to get tangled in his head, and there were times where she was all he could think about.
She grew to become poised and articulate even at the age of eight, and without fail, Diaval would find and land on her whenever she was out and about. She'd laugh and stroke his feathers, chatting about her life and about all of her deepest thoughts and fears, and it was as if the two were the best of friends. Diaval could never talk back, of course, but when he looked into Aurora's eyes, he hoped she would know that he understood and that he cared. Maleficent would never let him speak to her again as a human, and though it hurt him so, he was determined to somehow bridge the gap of her cruelty.
Like they also say, no pain can ever truly go away – it can only become bearable. Diaval was working on it, and in the end, he would hopefully master it.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Diaval."
In an instant, it was all back. Feathers shrunk and facial hair surfaced as Diaval stood before Maleficent in his patched-up best. She gazed down at him coolly, and he stared back calmly. "Mistress?"
"I'm going to see the girl." Quickly, harshly, carelessly, Maleficent turned around and headed towards the woods. Staring after her, Diaval had but a moment before her fingers snapped and he soared behind her as the infamous raven.
How cruel it was to exist in the manner that Diaval did. Though he understood his obligation and loyalty to Maleficent, he didn't understand her exploitation of him. His heart had been aching and breaking as he admired and interacted with Aurora through the lens of his true self, and all the while, Maleficent had merely watched, enjoying it all. She could speak to the girl and actually verbalize her thoughts, she could receive the girl's warm, joyous hugs; she could experience life and love the way Diaval hardly ever could.
In the end, it was most unjust and malicious. It was almost as if Maleficent was doing it on purpose. Perhaps she wanted both Aurora and Diaval to suffer. The girl did lose a friend, after all and, to be fair, Diaval lost the only human he had ever known. Perhaps she had seen the look of pure, ethereal happiness on Diaval's face when he returned that first day and perhaps she decided that he wasn't worthy to experience such a thing.
Or, more realistically, perhaps Maleficent had sensed the connection between Diaval and Aurora and perhaps she was jealous. Perhaps Maleficent wanted to be sincerely revered and admired like Aurora, and perhaps it was that which made her stopper the only good thing to come out of Diaval's life.
Regardless, one thing was certain about the ordeal: Diaval was jealous. He envied Maleficent's hands, her mouth, her nose, her face, and most of all, he admired her heart. As cold as it may be, it palpitates with that special human intensity, and for all that it's worth, it can hold more affection than Diaval the Raven can even fathom.
Ultimately, Diaval resented the fact that Aurora can get to know Maleficent while never being able to actually talk to him. He wished it were otherwise, and likewise, he almost wished that those feelings had never even happened in the first place.