Maleficent's POV

After talking with Conall, shortly after, Diaval appeared.

"Good morning Mistress."

"Good morning." I waved my hand as I started to feel sleep set in.

I could barley keep my eyes from shutting as I looked his way.

"You look exhausted...Why don't you head in and sleep."

I gave a simple nod as I got up, a bit unbalanced.

"That's a grand idea." I put my hand to my head from a sudden rush of lightheaded-ness.

Diaval stepped toward me to offer help.

"Don't worry, I don't need help."

I immediately declined knowing I couldn't handle being flustered right now, even if the feeling would have been as gentle as a butterfly to my thoughts...my mind whirled too much to, really...deal with anything at the moment.

I would need at least a few more hours to tire it all away, to come back to rearrange them.

My emotions and thoughts were still a heaping mess.

Even if I knew what I truly wanted deep down.

Diaval's POV

As Maleficent went to rest I decided to take a look around the Dark Fey's living space.

It was quite amazing really, this was the first time I've seen anything like this.

Their land was truly a sight to behold.

—

After a few hours of wondering around on foot I became a bit hunger, and if fate would have it, the Dark Fey were serving around breakfast.

I was given a plate from one of the young female Fey, who were aiding in serving the food.

She smiled at me but I only nodded, thinking of if Mistress were here...she would of probably grown jealous.

As would I, if the same situation occurred upon her with another male.

But.

Still.

I felt I did not deserve to be by my Mistress's side.

I almost felt unworthy of her in a sense.

But my heart knew that she was the one I'd wish to spend the rest of my life with, even if just a servant.

Who was I kidding...

I loved her more than a servant ever could. I couldn't just be a servant anymore.

Especially, if she's now aware of my feelings for her.

And if by any chance she truly thought of me as someone she could love...for her, I'd be the best I could...even if I felt I didn't have the right to be.

I wasn't going to let my feeble and selfish feelings get the best of me.

I wanted 'the best of me' to belong to her.

I wanted that part of me to be able to protect her.

Just as I was about to sit down to rest my feet, I was kicked off.

Literally, by someone's filthy foot.

I had taken no notice to someone sitting where I was about to sit due to my lack of awareness.  

I felt as if they were attempting to make fun of me, to mock me.

To provoke me to anger and to eventually making a fool of myself.

But I didn't give in to the tempting risk of the one who was trying to start a fight with me.

"Watch where you're going Crow." Just by the raspy and stern voice, I could already tell who is was.

Borra.

I didn't even have to turn around.

And I didn't want to.

But I did, out of common respect that I may or may not have had for this certain illiterate Fey.

Even if he knew I wasn't a crow and yet...he still intended on calling me that.

"My apologies, I didn't realize you had claimed that seat."

"More like your blind! Tsk. He even talks like he's human. How pathetic. 'My apologies', just watch your back next time Crow!"

I had nothing to say to his sour attitude.

I just kept quite as I found a different place to sit.

A place that would be plenty afar away from that troubling Fey.

Just then I spotted Mistress walking near the rising tension between Borra and I.

"Is there a problem with my Raven? Borra."

She had asked this question to Borra so powerfully that no one could mistake the protectiveness she harbored for me.

"Not at all."

I knew Borra wanting to say so much more but due to the fact that he fancied her, he kept his mouth shut and continued to mind his own business.

My Mistress, Maleficent glanced my way with such a soft and tired look.

"Are you hungry? I can ask for a-"

"No. I'm not."

"Then. Well, I was just about to head somewhere quieter...if you wouldn't mind joining me."

"I wouldn't mind at all." Her voice was as calm as the morning sea.

So still and unbothered.

So we walked side by side through the forest until we found a spot by a gentle-flowing stream.

I started to eat in a constant pace.

I was quite hungry but didn't want to eat improperly in front of her...

And that was my first turning thought that I had never put in consideration before.

A thought I never thought to bother with.

I felt my face flush in an unwanting color as I continued my last bites.

As I finished it appeared Maleficent didn't even look at me once and I had worried for nothing.

Her eyes were set on a pair of deer on the other side of the fairly large stream, not big enough to be called a river.

"Isn't spring around the corner?"

"Umm, good question. I haven't been keeping track." I couldn't answer her unusual question.

I was still getting over my flustered thoughts myself, of worrying on something so trivial as eating in front of her.

I felt foolish for that one.

The truth was, it was spring.

My answer would've been 'yes' to her out-of-the-blue question.

It was obvious with all the flowers at full bloom, with coupled Fey, as well as the wild animals.

But my question was, why was she asking?

"I was just wondering...spring, it has its own beauty...doesn't it."

Her question was more like a suggesting statement but I did agree.

"Yes, it does. It's very pretty."

Then there was silence again.

I was starting to think I was the only one appearing a bit awkward here.

"Why do you ask Mistress?"

"No particular reason. I just never gave much thought to spring. Because it was...the time..."

"Was what the time?"

She turned to face me as her eyes became weary.

"Can I tell you something."

"Yes, anything. I'm here to listen." I set aside the piece of wood given to me as a plate to let her know I was paying attention to her.

"The reason why I'm so guarded and closed off...well it's because of what happened so long ago. As a parent-less child I found love in the unexpected. I grew up with a human boy in whom I fell in love with, all through those years as a young Fey. I...um.."

I could tell this was her first time letting these words loose from her heart.

This was something she had kept locked away for so long, it's what had broke her.

Her eyes became teary, she could hardly speak.

"Was it that man, Aurora's father?" She looked up into my eyes and nodded.

"Yes....yes it was. And it was a huge mistake on my part."

Then I started to piece it together.

Back then I could tell that Aurora's father was a touchy subject but I never really knew why.

Now I know why she had visited Aurora's christening as a baby. 

In someway, maybe Aurora was suppose to be hers.

And inevitably she was.

Then I also knew why she had disliked Aurora as she grew up in her lands.

But Maleficent also couldn't help but love her like her own daughter.

She was a daughter to a man that she had once loved.

A man who had forgotten her, who sought power and even a queen.

And that queen wasn't Maleficent.

Her heart had truly been broken.

He had even went to the lengths of tearing her wings from her, her freedom as well as almost taking her life.

"Mistress. I can't say I know your pain. But may I, perhaps....be the one to help mend a part of that?"

She gave me a small and sad smile.

Her eyes watering just enough to notice.

"You already are."

Maleficent's POV

Besides Aurora being one of the ones to help mend a part of my heart...Diaval was the other.

He, just as Aurora had, was unexpectedly healing the rest of my damaged heart.

He had done what I thought was impossible for anyone to do.

And as unexpected as Diaval was, he held my hand in both of his.

The moment I found him netted by the farmer, the moment I took him as my wings...

Was a serendipitous moment.

Where I had only needed wings for the time mine was taken away...became so much more than that.

He wasn't just my wings, he was also a part of my very life.

Someone who I was falling in love with.

I know a part of me wished for me not to get entangled in relationships anymore.

But for once, listening to my heart once again, it was feeling right.

I touched foreheads with him.

In that time, I was the one to be unexpected.

"Thank you Diaval. You have done more than you could possibly realize."

"I think I do." Just then he had surprised me.

I became baffled by even being surprised be his words.

"Maleficent, I love you. And I don't just say that causally, I mean it from the depths of my heart. And I'm not saying this as just some servant either."

His hand slide to the side of my face as I leaned into it.

It was such a relief getting all this pent of pain out of my system.

He was the first one and probably last one I would ever tell this to, besides Aurora.

Just then tears spilled from my eyes.

Oh Diaval. If only you knew.

If only I could tell him in words.

But really, words could not completely satisfy the yearning of explaining what I felt from the depths of my heart for him.

Surely, words were not merely enough.

I closed my eyes for a second.

When I opened them I saw such a soft and warmed face.

It was comforting to my eyes, seeing him so relieved and at rest around me.

Being aware of my feelings for him brought a new perspective to what I saw.

"Words cannot express enough...they cannot be conveyed so much so to satisfy what I wish to tell you...of what I wish to say..."

Diaval said not a word as he only grew closer, eliminating any space that was between us.

We both, now, stood in front of each other.

Just as he was about to, I would guess, kiss me I turned away.

My heart was beating so much.

That would have been my course of action in showing him how I felt but he was beating me to a race I wanted to win.

I wanted to be the one to tell him first. In any way I saw possible, even just the most smallest of reason to.

He did already confess his truest feelings toward me already.

I felt my face blush a thousand reds.

I had to play this off quite cleverly.

So I just cleared my throat in such a simple manner for him not to suspect me.

My arm instantly covered my face as I turned away.

The more my thoughts gravitated to the mere thought of kissing him or even being kissed by him...my heart couldn't stand it.

It was too overwhelming, but not unpleasant.

I felt my face turn ten shades redder. I felt my face burn like a furnace more so than it ever has.

"Are you alright?" Diaval went to touch my face and as he did I felt him flinch.

"Your burning-"

"No, I'm quite alright. Just a bit warm." I cut him off with my usual tone of seriousness.

He didn't dare challenge me with conversation after that.

Just then, I was thankful to my decision of letting my hair down today.

If not for that choice, Diaval would have surely noticed my reddened face.

And if it hadn't been for my hair being kept down, he would of seen right through my lie.

I was far from alright.

Before he could notice anything I cleared my throat once more.

"We should head back. I think I'm feeling quite peckish now." I diverted my gaze away from him as I walked past to lead the way.

"Yes, as you wish." He allowed me to go ahead of him as we headed back.

The thought that dwindled...the thought of the possibility of wounding his sense of hope was a nagging thought that started in my mind.

Could I have insensitivity hurt his hope of growing closer with me in anyway?

Was it wrong of me to turn away as I did?

I just, I wasn't ready for such a bold and huge step, not yet.

Was I...really becoming so flustered about this?

What was happening to me...

I had so many questions and yet I knew thee exact answer. Which was so simple to say the least.

The reason for blushing like a furnace wasn't from any other reason than that of me being in love with him.

And now, anything that would happen between us was, undoubtedly going to be pulling strings on my heart.