Maleficent & Diaval: A happily ever after?

Chapter 4

Yawning, Maleficent sat up in her cave, when she recalled what had happened last night. She had fallen asleep in Diaval's arms, and she had the vague impression that after she had fallen asleep, Diaval had carried her back in his arms, except that he seemed to have wings too...how curious.

"Good morning,  Mistress." Diaval suddenly appeared before Maleficent, a bunch of wild berries in his palm, rosy pink and shining with fresh droplets of morning dew. "You don't have to call me that anymore, Diaval." Maleficent found herself blushing as she took the berries from him, and Diaval felt a shy smile make its way up his face. "But I want to call you that."

"Whatever for, Diaval? You no longer need to serve under me, you're free now." Maleficent spoke absently, carefully biting the berry into half and watching as the golden liquid from the center began to glow and clot, preventing any of it from spilling.

"But I wish to stay." Diaval insisted, and Maleficent looked at her persistent pet. "Diaval, explain to me how exactly you carried me back here last night." Maleficent recalled that he had carried her in his arms, and Diaval cleared his throat awkwardly, "I, uhm, may have taken on the form of a Dark Fae..."

"You what?!" Maleficent exclaimed, the berry instantly down her throat, and Diaval suddenly felt as though he was back to that servant, at the mercy of her wrath. "How is that possible?!" Maleficent muttered to herself, when she finally realised that she had given him the gift of free will shapeshifting. 

"That's just incredible." Maleficent pondered about it, and Diaval didn't know if he should've agreed. "Diaval." Maleficent suddenly spoke up again, and Diaval was caught by surprise, making him stumble on his long trench coat, trip over his own feet, and send him crashing into Maleficent.

By accident, their lips met, and Maleficent's eyes widened in panic again as she was brought back to the past, when she was 16 all over again, and the person before her was Stefan. Frozen and unable to breathe, Maleficent repeated to herself, "It's okay. This is Diaval. Kind, caring and loving Diaval. Stefan is dead. Stefan was long gone."

Allowing herself to close her eyes, to push away all the fear that turned her blood cold as lead, Maleficent pushed herself against Diaval, their lips pressed together, and Diaval didn't hesitate, reaching behind her and wrapping his long arms around her back and pulling her close to him.

It felt like fireworks were exploding in her chest, much unlike how cold and rejecting Stefan's so-called True Love's Kiss was. Diaval's lips were sweet, with bursting flavour of the berries that he had given her just now. "Maleficent. You're beautiful, have I mentioned that?" Diaval looked deep into her eyes, and she gazed at him softly.

"Diaval?" Maleficent managed to pull out one hand from his tight hug, and she placed her index finger on his chin, pulling it closer towards her.

"Quit the flatter, and just kiss me!"

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