The Thing About Fairytales

Real Father

"Your majesty, a strange man has come calling for you. Should we let him in?" one of Aurora's bodyguards at Ulstead gestured for her to look out the nearest window. After peering through the glass, Aurora saw a familiar figure waiting at the castle door.

"Oh! Yes!" she cried, face lighting up into a smile brighter than the sun shining overhead. "That's Diaval! One of my nearest and dearest friends! He's my oldest companion, even before my mother! Oh, please, yes! Do let him in!" she clapped excitedly before turning back to her guard, gesturing for him to take her downstairs and to the door. For just a second, though, he did not move. Instead, he only gave Aurora a curious and slightly wary look. But almost as soon as it had come, that distrustful and disapproving look vanished and, without another hesitation, the guard nodded to Aurora and led her downstairs to the castle door.

This reunion between Diaval and Aurora had been a long time coming. Maleficent was not able to join, needing to look after the Moors while Aurora remained in Ulstead to help Phillip clean up the mess his evil mother had left behind, but Diaval had been granted some time to come visit the new queen of three kingdoms (her home kingdom, this one and the Moors) and spend some time with her.

"Aurora," he greeted, bowing to her before taking her hand to kiss it. She giggled in response. This playful little ritual of theirs never got old. Diaval might've been but a common raven, but he was full of flare and he liked nothing more than to present himself in the best manner possible.

The guard, meanwhile, continued to watch with a close eye. Even though he knew exactly who Diaval was, he still did not trust the raven-man completely. Instead, along with being wary about having another magical creature walking the halls of Ulstead castle, he just didn't really know what to think about a man who was really nothing more than a common bird. As such, the guard found Diaval's closeness and friendliness with Aurora to be a bit... unsightly and strange. He was only a bird! How could he truly be friends with a queen of three realms? But the guard wisely held his tongue. At least for the time being...

But a few days after Diaval's arrival, over dinner on the fourth night, the guard finally spoke up.

"I must ask," he said suddenly. "Does his lordship eat any sort of meat at all?" dinner for that night had been nothing but plants.

"Oh! Uhhh, yes, I do, but mostly only the... uhhh... smaller creatures," Diaval pinched his fingers together. "You know, mice and such. But I mostly prefer fruit or grains."

"Hmmm," the guard showed the first signs of open disapproval.

"Is that a problem, sir?" Aurora caught onto it quick and was instantly thrown back to the dinner a few months back, only then, it had been Ingrith challenging Maleficent. But Aurora could sense the same old fight rising up again and she was determined to end it before it began. She was not going to sit passively off to the side again! Not anymore! This time, she would be much more adamant about who her true family was...

"Not at all, your majesty," the guard said with a shrug. "As you know, I ate before you. I was just wondering if you didn't want anything more filling for yourself."

"This will be just fine," Aurora replied coldly. Diaval looked down at his plate, but the moment he felt Aurora touch his hand under the table (just like she'd done with Maleficent when they had dined together here), he relaxed instantly and flashed her a grateful smile, which she returned.

For a few minutes more, dinner continued on peacefully. But then, just as Ingrith had done before him, the guard started up more "small talk" and worked his way from subtle remarks and false ignorance to low blows and outright insults.

"What is your relationship to the queen?" the guard pretended to ask out of sheer curiosity.

"Oh, uhhh, I guess you could say that I'm her-" Diaval began nervously, but Aurora, who was much angrier, answered for him.