• how to court a dark fae •

• it's been you all along •

"How can one court a Dark Fae?"

Maleficent shot him a curious glare. They had been sitting above a tree for a while now, eating strawberries and watching a couple of kids trying to learn how to fly. Their life had been divided now between Aurora, the Moors, the Dark Fae's secret base – as Diaval liked to call – and some occasional expeditions to find habitable places and others from their kind. The raven-man asked some questions about her specie's culture eventually, especially when they were around them, and some of his inquires she didn't even know the answer to — having others like her was still something new to Maleficent. She was still trying to figure which of her customs came from the Moors and which were inherited from her kind. Still, when he blurted the question completely out of the blue during the comfortable silence they were sharing, the fae couldn't help but be surprised.

"As far as I am aware, it is not much different from humans" Maleficent gave it a thought. It's not like she had much experience on the matter considering that the only person who ever tried to court her was a man, and we all know how that turned out.

"But humans have many ways of displaying affection." he sounded somewhere between confused and frustrated. Maleficent lifted both eyebrows.

"So..."

"I guess I was hoping for more... Direct instructions" Diaval confessed.

The fae's frown was back, deeper than before. Instructions? Suddenly, a rush of an unpleasant feeling came onto her as her mind, puzzled, tried to catch up with her emotions. And then it all made sense.

Oh.

Maleficent blinked twice, slower than normal, and tried to keep her face stoic despite the sudden anxiety that threatened to take over her. "I did not realize you wished to find a... Mate."

It did make sense, though. Ever since they first met, he never dared to speak of such things and he basically devoted his life to her, so she doubted he ever had time to look for a partner. She had freed him from his debt after Aurora was crowned queen of the Moors, a gesture of gratitude for saving her life as a dragon that day, but even though he appreciated, he politely declined. He swore to serve her for life, and so he would, or so he said. Plus, he claimed to have nowhere else to go.

She had her suspicions about having changed his internal nature permanently between so many shiftings for years, and this answer confirmed her personal theories. Diaval was no longer a raven, nor a man, he was just... Diaval. An entire different, special being and, now, a shapeshifter. After she almost didn't get to him in time to save the raven-man's skin at the battle of Ulstred, Maleficent conjured a necklace that gave him the power to shift on his own. And then he became officially both, at his will, and it was both from ravens and human's nature to find mates, which now he had the opportunity to do. She had freed him already, so now the only thing bounding him to her was his own will. He could cut ties and make a family of his own if he wanted, after all, he had every right to be happy and have his own life. .

But then, why did that thought bother her so much?

"I wouldn't quite put it like that" he tried to play it cool, but she could tell he was also anxious and a little flustered. "To be honest, I wasn't looking for it. I guess it just... Happened".

"Oh" Was everything her stupid mouth was able to mutter. Change wasn't something that came easy for her, she needed time to process it and that's why all she wanted to do was to get up and fly far away, to put her mind at ease and be alone for a while. But he started to talk again and something in his voice made her freeze.

"Do you think it's possible? That such an amazing, powerful being could ever... See me that way?" Vulnerability, fear, apprehension, hope. It was all there, a powerful mix that made her heart tighten and her body stand still.