We Will Take Care of Each Other

The Battle

Caw! Caw! CAW! CAAAAWWW!

"What, Diaval?! What?" Maleficent waved her hand impatiently, her raven servant turning back into his human form.

"It's Stefan, Mistress," the raven-man panted. "He's here!"

For only a split second, Maleficent stood stock still, like a statue. But after that second passed, she came alive with fury and power.

"Get Aurora to safety at once," she snarled at Diaval, angry not at him, but at the man who was threatening their peace. "Take her to the safest place you can think of and stay with her until I send word that it is safe for you to come out once more!"

"Yes, Mistress!" Diaval responded, then a second later, he was back in bird form. He could feel magic surging through his body, though. Maleficent was giving him some of her powers, so that he could shift into the animal of his choosing. He would stay as a raven for as long as possible, but if push came to shove, he had the power to turn into anything he wanted... including a dragon.

But while he flew off to find and protect Aurora, Maleficent went the opposite direction to lead her ranks into battle. She began shouting orders to every creature in the Moor and they didn't miss a single command.

"Tree Warriors! TO YOUR POSITIONS! Defend your queen and your kingdom!" she thundered as she crossed the Moors. The Tree Warriors creaked to life and began to march obediently after Maleficent.

"Awaken, Great Tree Dragon! Arise and assist your queen!" Maleficent bellowed next, waving her hand at the ground. A giant, snake-like head shot up from the soil and a roar louder than thunder filled the air. She hoped that it would scare Stefan and that he would stop before he dared came any closer. But in her heart, she knew he would follow her to the ends of the Earth, so great was his rage and hatred against her and her family.

"Please, Diaval," the fairy stopped to whisper a soft prayer to her oldest and dearest companion. "Keep Aurora safe until I come home." But unfortunately for Maleficent, her request wasn't going to be answered that easily. Instead, the second the Tree Dragon had come to life, Aurora heard its fearsome roar and knew at once what was happening.

"Stefan is here!" she gasped, and without a second of hesitation, she dropped everything she was doing and ran, not to safety, but to the frontlines. She wanted to be there when her "father" made his arrival. She wanted to be there when her godmother took a stand against him. She didn't want to miss a single second of the upcoming battle, no matter how fierce it would be. She wanted to stand beside her true family for the entire thing, no matter what personal cost came of it.

Caw! Caw! CAW!

"Oh no! Diaval!" Aurora muttered to herself. Normally, she would've been delighted to see the man who was more of a father than Stefan had ever been, but she already knew that he was not here to help her find the way to the battle. He was likely going to try and stop her. To protect her. And barely had those thoughts left Aurora's head when Diaval suddenly landed in front of her, turning into a man at the exact same second.

"Aurora!" he gasped. "Wait!" and he put out his arms to stop her.

"No! Diaval! Let me through!" she commanded, thrashing against him.

"But you can't go out there, Aurora!" the raven man pleaded, dark eyes wide with concern and grief, even though the fight had not even started yet.

"I can and I will!" Aurora shot back, still thrashing against his hold. "Besides, it's me Stefan wants! Let me see him!" she added angrily.

"And risk your life?" Diaval cried. "Never!" then he turned into a dragon, six times larger than Aurora. He scooped her up with ease and carried her away despite her outraged demands that he let her go.

Do not fear, Aurora, we will look after each other until Maleficent can return. But until then...?

Meanwhile, Stefan arrived to the great thorn wall surrounding the Moors. The entire kingdom seemed to have come with him. Even the peasants were armed to the teeth. And they were all wearing and bearing iron. Fantastic.

"MALEFICENT!" the crazed king thundered. "I BELIEVE YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME!"

"And what might that be?" the dark fairy landed easily in front of him, leaping down from the top of her thorn wall like a graceful jungle cat. The contrast was almost laughable. While Stefan stood armed to the teeth in iron, eyes and hair wild, Maleficent was cloaked only in a simple black robe, just like always, and her face was an impenetrable sea of calm. There was a tempest swirling in the depths, but it had not yet broken the eerily still and silent surface. She met his fierce gaze quietly, her own eyes half shut with ease. Her voice was low, soft and smooth. His was full of hate.

"My daughter," the king literally spat, drops of spittle almost landing on Maleficent's smooth and flawless face.

"What about her?" Maleficent managed to smirk while Stefan was literally grinding his teeth in a fury.

"You have her. Give her back to me."

"I never thought you were a family man?" Maleficent pretended to be perplexed and intrigued.

"You witch!" Stefan shot back.

"No," Maleficent said calmly. "A fairy. But in any case, I cannot return Aurora to you for I do not have her."

"You lie! I saw you leave the castle that night a month ago!" Stefan took a threatening step forward, but Maleficent held her ground.

"You are right that we left together, but that is exactly why I cannot "give" Aurora to you. She is not mine to give. She is not mine to possess. She is her own person and her choices belong to her and her alone..."

And there was another contrast between the king of the humans and the queer of the fairies. While Stefan had come to see Aurora only as a pawn to be used for benefit wherever it might've been, Maleficent saw the true worth and value in the princess' life. Like she had said, Aurora's life was not hers to control. While Stefan saw Aurora as a piece to be handed from owner to owner, Maleficent considered it impossible to give Aurora away because, like she had said, she did not own Aurora in the first place.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!" Stefan bellowed, growing angrier and angrier.

"Did I?" Maleficent tilted her head and gave him a sweet smirk. "I think you are just mad that Aurora chose me over you..."

And then, the battle began.