Strange and Beautiful {Diaval}

chapter 1 : in the beggining

"I walked across an empty land. I knew the pathway like the back of my hand."

--

It was the day of the Princess's 15th birthday. The familiar dread that came with days like these, now all too familiar.

The curse will take affect a year from now. A terrible curse it was, for the protector of the Moors created it out of anger, despair and envy.

On the Princess's 16th birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel. Her body will then fall into a dark, long, death-like sleep.

The King that had caused the wrath of the protector of the Moors kneeled and begged. Amused, the wingless Moors fairy had played with their hopes.

True love's kiss can break the spell.

However it may seem, the fairy had all knowledge of what she was doing.

There was no such thing. True love was nothing but a folks tale.

But secretly, Diaval disagreed. True love exist to the people that believed in it. Little Aurora might just find true love, even if Maleficant does not think so.

The black raven was now flying the familiar pathway to his mistress- the one overhead the empty land. He knew this way well, so he allowed his mind to wonder off a little.

It has been 15 years since he had met Maleficent and became bound to her. When she had saved him, he was but a mere raven that was foolish enough to mess with the human farmers during harvest. His conspiracy had made it clear they did not want his company and so, feeling un-disturbed, he had ventured off to stay somewhere else for the night. It was then he had first laid eyes on Maleficent. In the ruins of a castle, he had made eye contact with her. She made it clear she did not want company, animal or not, and shooed him away. Precisely the day after that was when he had gotten trapped by a farmer and his net.

When he felt the weight of the rope pressing him to the floor, he knew it was the end. All he could think about was his father being captured by humans and used as bait. But instinctively, he had kept on fighting, trying to get out, trying to cheat death.

And that's when he heard it.

It was faint, human ears wouldn't have picked it up. But through his wing flapping and the voices of the humans, three words floated in the wind.

Into a man.

Diaval shuddered at the memory.

That was the beginning of everything.

Now here he was, flying back to his mistress after 15 years. In the beginning, Devial found himself frightened of Maleficent. It was always his name called, followed by 'yes mistress?', followed by whatever task she had for him, then the spin of her two fingers and he became whatever animal she wished him to be. Thankfully, she had only changed him into his original self and never something as disgusting as a dog. But 15 years together did sprout some unspoken relationship between them. He had become more comfortable around her, and she looked at him now as a confidante or even a 'friend'.
Subsequently, he had gotten back a bit of his wit, but he always new when to stop.
That reminded him of what happened last night.

When Aurora had played a trick on one of her fairy guardians- a funny one where it made the fairies think there was an invisible man misplacing their cutlery-Maleficent had been smiling as she watched the scene unfold.
Feeling warmth and weirdly courageous, Diaval declared.

"Mistress, there's something I need to know."

Maleficent, still laughing and showing her rather charming smile, turned to Diaval. "Really?" She said. "And what is that?" She tested him.