Important note: What clutter do you wish for Diaval to have? Leave a note and I'll see what I can do! :)

Prompt: This chapter was inspired by DudeISoDumb when she suggested shiny rocks for Diaval's clutter quite a while back. Thanks!

Chapter 4: Pebbles

"I'm bored."

With an audible groan, Diaval tore his gaze from the set of cards he had been breeding over, trying to figure out the rules, and flinched when he saw the nasty glare Maleficent shot him.

"I'm sorry," he hurried to pacify her. "But really - again?"

"I don't see why the idea of me being bored seems so absurd to you," the faerie snapped, and with a distinct feeling of dread Diaval watched her eyebrows draw together. She seemed to be in a particularly foul mood today.

"Besides, shouldn't you just fall over yourself trying to make my day better, seen as you owe me your life and such?"

The words were dripping with sarcasm. Focusing on the task of carefully sorting through his cards, Diaval answered, "No offence, Mistress -" "Offence taken." "- but whenever you are bored, it ends in a situation that leaves me entirely humiliated and you thoroughly amused."

"But can't you see that's the point of it!" Maleficent said, raising a finger at him. "A bored faerie is never a good faerie."

"Yes, I've seen that," Diaval muttered under his breath.

Maleficent threw him a sharp look. "What was that?"

"Nothing, Mistress," he answered, a bit louder. Silently pleading that she wasn't too bored, Diaval stacked his cards neatly and put them into the pocket of his overcoat. Then he looked at Maleficent. "Just saying I'd be happy to help."

She nodded sharply. "Yes, I thought so."

Diaval leaned back and stretched in the luxuriously soft grass beneath him, letting out a sigh that was both content and resigned. Undoubtedly Maleficent would come up with something entirely absurd in order to keep herself amused, and so he tried to savour his last few moments of peace.

Through half lidded eyes he looked up at the faerie who in turn peered down at him from her spot up in the lower branches of an old beech. Waiting patiently for the inevitable idea that was bound to pop up some time soon, Diaval contemplated the strange enigma Maleficent was. She was so completely different from everything he had encountered in his short raven life, which thanks to her had spanned significantly more years than nature would have allowed him, and he couldn't help but be drawn to her. She was just so complicated and otherworldly and had the bearing of a queen, he honestly couldn't see her doing something as simple as stone skipping even. Somehow, she seemed to be above everyone and everything.

And despite the darkness in which she wrapped herself he could see her shining beneath all the blackness. He wasn't sure anyone else could. Aurora, probably, but then again the child didn't really know her and most likely never would. Even if Maleficent decided to reveal herself to the girl, she would never be able to read the faerie the way he could. Maybe it was because she trusted him, or maybe because as a raven she didn't take him all too serious - Diaval favoured the first option despite knowing knew the latter was more likely -, but sometimes when they were alone she lowered the walls she had built around herself and he could see her shine. It made his heart swell with pride, knowing he was the only one allowed to see this side of her, and it was the reason he stayed.

That and, despite his human form, he couldn't help but being drawn to shiny things.

Maleficent lifted her head and Diaval knew it was time. "Did you have an idea?" he asked lazily from his soft bed and closed his eyes.

"Indeed I did," she answered slowly. He could hear her climb down the beech and walk over to him. "How about we try something... different today?" The question that wasn't a question at all sounded so utterly ominous to Diaval he felt his stomach lurch with dread.

"What do you have in mind?", he asked slowly, propping himself up on his elbows. The faerie met his guarded gaze with a serious expression. "I have decided," she announced and, after an artistic break, continued, "That today you are going to keep us entertained."

Diaval frowned. "When you say we, do you mean yourself, as in the royal we, or are you talking about us, as in, I don't know, you and me? Because if you are talking about us, I have no idea how to-"

"I mean that you are going to come up with an idea to keep us, as in us both, entertained."

Diaval pouted unhappily. "With all due respect, Mistress, but that is the worst idea you have ever come up with by far. I am but a simple raven, how do you expect me to come up with a plan that would do for a faerie?"

"I'm not looking for faerie ideas, you dimwit," Maleficent replied haughtily. "I am looking for raven ideas. So, think of something."

"I don't-"

"Now!"

With a theatrical sigh, Diaval gave in. He racked his brain, he thought, he pondered, he deliberated, and contemplated, but he couldn't come up with anything that would suit Maleficent. "How about stone skipping?" he finally asked, a disheartened attempt at a weak joke.

"Stone skipping it is," Maleficent nodded, and turned into the direction of the river.

"Wait wait wait!" Diaval cried, jumping to his feet. "That was a joke! I didn't mean - I can think of something better. I..." The words died in his throat when Maleficent turned to look at him. "What's the matter with you?" she asked. "Stone skipping sounds like a perfectly acceptable idea."

"I - I didn't think you would like it," Diaval said in astonishment. "Because I don't," his mistress sniffed. "But you obviously are unable to come up with anything better and I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Don't be fooled - I expect this stone skipping to be an entirely boring affair. But you came up with it, so we're going to do it. Now, come on."

Not even waiting for his answer, Maleficent waved a negligent hand in his general direction. Diaval's stomach jumped when he felt the faerie's magic lift him up, and then he was floating helplessly behind his mistress who made her way down to the water.

Diaval couldn't help the frustrated shout as his stone hit the surface of the river with a big flash and sunk instantly. Apparently, ravens sucked at stone skipping. Big time. Next to him, Maleficent's pebble hopped one, two, three - nine times before it disappeared in the murky depths of the water. Obviously, faeries were naturals.

"You're cheating," he said aloud and crossed his arms. "You're using magic."

His mistress appeared entirely unfazed by the dark glare he shot her. "It's not cheating. Why shouldn't I use what I was born with?" she retorted, a happy twinkle in her eyes as she picked up another pebble and let it skip. It hit the opposite riverbank.

Diaval huffed and loudly voiced his disapproval. "It's cheating because I can't do it! What use is a contest if it's not fair?"

Raising an eyebrow at him, Maleficent answered, "I wasn't aware we were competing."

"Of course we are!" Diaval retorted. "Because that's how it works. The winner is whoever can make their stone skip the farthest." "Then I believe you have lost." "Only because you are using magic!"

Maleficent let out an impatient sigh. "Diaval," she began in an annoyed voice. "If a crow and a squirrel were to race each other, who do you believe would win?"

Thrown off course by this sudden change of topic, Diaval frowned. "Why, the crow of course."

"And why is that?" He didn't have to think long. "Because it can fly."

Maleficent nodded. "Now, do you think the crown would instead agree to keep to the ground just because the squirrel cannot fly?"

Seeing where she was going with this story, Diaval sighed. "No, it wouldn't. You're right."

With a satisfied nod, Maleficent picked up another pebble and let it skip. Diaval lowered himself onto the rocky ground and watched its course with keen eyes.

"But then again, the crow probably just doesn't want to take any chances," he contemplated. Maleficent straightened from where she had been picking up more pebbles and threw him a warning glance. He ignored it. "I mean, there is a pretty good chance the squirrel would actually beat the crow."

The faerie cocked her head. "I think the squirrel is just being a sore loser," she said and narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe the squirrel just wants to be treated fairly and with respect," he shot back, and picked up a round pebble. "Now, are we done talking about squirrels and crows? I would like to propose a rematch."

Maleficent cocked her head at him. "And I suppose you expect me to forgo my magic." "It's only fair," he nodded, then smiled at her prettily. "Indulge me?"

"Very well," she answered with a roll of her green eyes. "Have it your way."

With an incredulous look in his face Diaval watched his stone sink as soon as it hit the water, like a bird shot from the sky, while Maleficent's pebble skipped merrily one, two, three times before disappearing.

Next to him, his mistress straightened up and wrapped her long fingers around his wrist. He shivered at the sudden contact and looked at her with wide eyes. Leaning closer, she shot him a pretty smile and took his hand. "I think the squirrel has lost again," she whispered conspiratorially. Then she dropped a few colourful pebbles into his palm and closed his fingers around it. "Maybe the bushy-tailed champion should practice running now."

Diaval was unable to produce a coherent thought. Breathing in her sweet scent, he watched as she winked at him, then turned around to leave. "Oh, and by the way," she said over her shoulder, and he head to strain his ears to hear her over the sound of his racing heartbeat.

"This was a terrible idea and I didn't have any fun at all. Next time I'm bored, I definitely won't ask you what to do." With that she disappeared between the trees and all Diaval could do was stare after her, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot.

"Liar," he murmured, and flexed his fingers around the shiny stones in his hand. Following after her, he called out, "Maybe the crow could hop on one leg."

"It would still win," came the answer from somewhere within the forest.

"The squirrel could ride a rabbit - or even better! It could build a carriage pulled by rabbits! Then it would win for sure, don't you think? The crow would be unable to simply -"

"Diaval?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Hello, dear readers!

I felt like writing something other than my usual fanfiction today, so I wrote this chapter.

There will probably be a couple more to follow, so stay tuned!

I went through the reviews again to write down your suggestions for Diaval's clutter, and I got quite a bit of inspiration.

If you have any more ideas, feel free to submit them!

I hope you liked the chapter because I'm not quite sure about how it turned out.

See you around!

Love, planless