"RAWK! RAWK!" Diaval croaked loudly, trying to wake the two heavy sleepers. He swooped and dove around their heads, stopping just short of pecking them.

"I think Diaval is trying to get our attention." Aurora mumbled thickly.

"So it would seem." Maleficent rolled over to face Diaval, who, seeing that they were finally awake, settled on a sturdy branch to await his transformation. She waved her hand, golden magic floating from her fingertips and said "Into a man."

Immediately Diaval changed into his human form, the branch under him creaking with the sudden weight.

"Well? What is it that you want Diaval? I assume there is a very good reason for waking us so early." Maleficent pinned him with an expectant and somewhat grumpy stare.

"There is, mistress. A delegation of humans from the castle is at the border of the Moors. They are here to escort Aurora back to the human kingdom."

"Oh." Maleficent gave Diaval a crestfallen look before turning to Aurora, who still lay curled in the hammock staring dejectedly at them both in response to the news. She slowly sat up, brushed her blonde hair out of her face, and reached out to grab Maleficent's hand. Her fingers curled around the fairy's, who squeezed tightly in return.

"What are your orders, mistress?" Diaval asked.

"You do not take orders from me any longer Diaval. Ask your queen." she responded, looking off towards the border.

Diaval looked over at Aurora expectantly. She narrowed her eyes in concentration and then seemed to reach a decision. When Aurora finally spoke, she directed her question at Maleficent. "Is it true that Prince Phillip and I are the only humans to have seen the Moors?"

"Yes, apart from the king." Maleficent replied with a snarl. Aurora squeezed her hand again, knowing that King Stephan was an unpleasant topic for her. Aurora faced Diaval once more.

"Would you please ask Balthazar and the other guards to bring the delegation to the flower throne? Make sure they don't have any weapons or armor. I don't want a single scrap of iron to ever cross into this land."

Diaval nodded.

"And if you see my Aunties on your way, could you please ask them to meet us at the throne with my crown as soon as possible?"

"Right away Aurora." Diaval jumped gracefully down from the tree and strode off.

"You left your crown with those idiots?" Maleficent's mouth twitched up into a pained smile.

"I just thought that if I gave them a task they deemed important, then they wouldn't follow me around constantly. Besides, they aren't so untrustworthy. They managed to raise me after all." Maleficent couldn't help rolling her eyes at that last statement, remembering all the times she and Diaval had intervened to keep Aurora safe and happy as a child.

"Do you mind that I asked Diaval to bring the humans into the Moors?"

Maleficent stared into Aurora's bright blue eyes for a long moment before replying, "I trust you."

Aurora leaned over and hugged the fairy who, still somewhat unaccustomed to physical displays of affection, stiffened for a moment before returning the hug.

"Maleficent, I need to ask you for a favor. Can you tell me who made my crown?"

"Yes. I did."

"Could you make me a necklace that matches the crown?"

"Of course." Maleficent looked at Aurora, an eyebrow raised in an unspoken question.

"The necklace is not for me." Aurora answered.

"Oh?"

"The necklace is for you." she finished. Maleficent continued to look at Aurora questioningly, but did not ask for further details. Reaching up with her nimble fingers, she plucked a leaf off the tree and held it in her hands. As Aurora watched, Maleficent's magic transformed the leaf. The stem lengthened and split in two before looping around and reconnecting to make a delicate gold chain. The leaf shrank to the size of a pendant and turned to gold as well. When the spell was finished, the pendant looked exactly like the gold leaves on Aurora's crown.

"It's perfect. Thank you." Aurora carefully took the necklace and latched it around her neck. "This way I don't have to carry it and worry about dropping it." she explained.

"It suits you." Maleficent said, turning her head to admire her work.

"It will suit you as well." Aurora smiled back. "I'm going to miss you terribly while I'm gone."

"I will miss you too Beastie." Maleficent reached out and tucked a blond curl behind Aurora's ear. "The human kingdom needs you, Aurora. You're the only one who can fix things."

"I suppose you're right. We did leave the castle in an awful state. It's only right that I help clean it up. I can't wait to get all those iron spikes removed. Makes the place look even more grim than it already is. I hate the thought of living there. It will never hold my heart the way the Moors do." Aurora looked out over the land she loved.

"I do not like the thought of you living there either," Maleficent said, "nor do I trust the humans. That is why I am sending Diaval with you in raven form. He will be my eyes and ears and will report to me as often as he can."

"I can take care of myself, Maleficent. You don't have to send Diaval with me. You will have no one to talk to if we both go." Aurora responded with concern.

"This is not up for discussion, Aurora. Diaval is going with you and I will hear no more about it." Maleficent insisted, a hard edge creeping into her voice. More softly she continued, "I need to know you're safe and that the people around you are loyal."

"You...you're afraid?" Aurora asked, incredulously.

"Yes, I am afraid. I'm afraid of losing you, afraid of what I will do if that happens. If anything were to happen to you, the curse I placed on you as a baby will look insignificant by comparison."

Aurora reached over and took Maleficent's hand and held it between her own.

"I promise I will be careful and I will make sure Diaval gets back to you often."

"Thank you." Maleficent smiled sadly. "We must hurry if we want to arrive at the throne ahead of the humans." She climbed onto a sturdy branch, stood, and snapped her wings open. Holding her hand out to Aurora, she smiled a rare, genuine smile and said "Come. Let's fly."