Chapter 1: Show Your Cards

The hoarse caws of a raven sounded through the air as it crossed the lands beneath on nimble wings, so fast that everything became blurred and it proved increasingly difficult to discern the shapes littering the earth. A flock of sparrows picked up on the call and scattered, loudly voicing their discontent at the late disturbance.

The sun had already begun to set and it simply didn't do to be noisy at this hour of the day.

Cutting through the orange tinged sky like a black streak of ink, the raven tightened its grip on the small bundle held in his claws.

If this package got lost, everything would have been in vain. All the trouble, the danger...

Determination spreading through its small chest, the raven tucked in its jet black wings and dove down, all but falling from the sky, its precious cargo held safely between sharp claws.

By the time Diaval finally found his mistress, seated on a flat rock beneath the thickly leaved twines of a weeping willow, his wings were tired from carrying the extra weight and his claws felt cramped and stiff from holding in so tightly.

When he attempted to land in the sturdy branches of a nearby birch three, however, he found himself struggling with his cargo which repeatedly got in the way.

Not quite sure what to do he hovered over his destined landing spot. In the end, it was Maleficent who solved his problem, obviously annoyed with his constant flapping and contemplating caws.

A shiver ran down Diaval's spine when he felt the magic take hold. His bones stretched, feathers receded to leave only pale, scarred skin behind, covering the bony yet muscular body of a man.

Diaval gave a surprised cry when his wings disappeared all of a sudden.

He fell, his stomached lurched but at least he had the presence of mind to grab at the next best branch.

His feet, however, were unable to hold his pillage any longer. Silently Diaval cursed his useless human toes. What good were they, really?

Dangling from the sturdy branch, the man-turned raven glanced beneath him, eyes searching for his lost parcel.

A relieved sigh escaped him when he saw that is was still firmly wrapped in the piece of dirty linen he had snatched in order to move his loot. Pleased by the fact that the knot had held fast – it had been a bitch of a task, collecting all the pieces and wrapping them up with only a beak and clawed feet at his disposal – Diaval turned his head to glance at Maleficent.

He flinched when he met her eyes, realising she had watched him all along. His grip on the branch slackened momentarily but it was enough to send him falling.

A strangled yelp escaped him, just before he hit the ground. Though the impact was softened by the thick moss covering the ground, it still managed to knock the air out of him.

Groaning, he rolled over and rose to his knees, throwing his mistress an indiscernible glare.

However, the annoyance he felt vanished when he saw her relax back against the trunk of the weeping willow. Her face betrayed not even the slightest hint of emotion, but her eyes, illuminated by the light of the setting sun filtering through the canopy, twinkled with mirth and amusement.

All Diaval could do was stare at her in wonder.

"And here I was wondering if you'd ever come down."

Her soft voice snapped him out of his haze, laced with that ever present load of sarcasm, but at the same time Diaval detected a faint note of genuine amusement.

Shaking his head in order to clear his jumbled thoughts, Diaval picked up his pillage, carefully brushing off the dirt.

"I could have managed," he sniffed, referring to his failed attempt to alight and his sudden transformation.

"I'm sure you could have." The sarcastic edge in her voice made him bristle, only for the feeling to be smothered by her next words. "But you were annoying me."

Diaval blinked, then hung his head. "Sorry," he murmured without any real remorse.

Maleficent only closed her eyes, resting her head against the trunk.

Clutching the small bundle in his hands, Diaval took a tentative step towards her. He could feel his heart beating in his chest, a nervous staccato that left him edgy and inexplicably nervous. Eyes set on the faerie's relaxed frame, he wondered at his own sanity. He was being a fool. What had gotten onto him? Really, he should -

Maleficent interrupted his thoughts. Without opening her eyes, she asked in a tone that all but screamed Dismissed. at Diaval, "Is there anything you wanted?"

The black haired man took a deep breath, mustering the courage needed for what he was about to do. Come on, be a brave raven. He cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump that seemed to be stuck there and flinched when Maleficent opened her eyes. In them he could see a great deal of annoyance, but there also was a faint trace of curiosity. Diaval decided to get it over with.

"I found something in the human realm," he began. I thought you might – maybe, possibly, perhaps – like it. Glad Maleficent couldn't read his thoughts he added a hasty explanation when the faerie tensed visibly.

Holding up the precious bundle, he looked at his mistress.

"I nicked it from a bunch of men once they had gone to sleep."

When there was no reaction, he carefully ventured closer and placed the wrapped bundle next to her. "It seemed like fun," he added hopefully when she failed to move.

Only now did Maleficent rise an eyebrow, clearly sceptical. At least some kind of reaction, Diaval mused.

"And what exactly makes you think I'd appreciate anything made by humans?" Her words, sharp and cold, stung and, somewhere in his chest, Diaval could feel what little hope he had held wither and die.

He had miscalculated.

All this trouble – for nothing.

Lost in thought, he only stood there, staring at Maleficent without really seeing her.

The faerie regarded him for a long moment, then gave a resigned sigh that snapped Diaval out of his musings. He felt a pang of feverish excitement that spread through him and made his nerves tingle when she reached out her hand and gingerly picked up the item.

Carefully, she undid the knot and, brushing pack the fabric, couldn't quite manage to hide the surprise showing on her features.

She glanced at Diaval, then back at the neatly stacked items on her lap. He held his breath.

Maybe, just maybe -

"You brought cards?" Maleficent asked, disbelief clear in her voice. Diaval shrugged helplessly and rubbed his neck when she sent him a sharp glare. "I thought it would be a nice idea."

As he watched her flick idly through the set, he felt torn between hope and resignation. Maleficent's face clearly betrayed her disdain at his present, but still - she hadn't thrown it away. Yet.

Diaval frowned.

For a while, neither of them spoke a word as Maleficent shuffled through the stack of cards. In the end, she looked up and the hope Diaval had felt died a quick and easy death when he saw the cool look in her eyes. So this is it.

"Some are missing," she told him matter of factly in a tone that conveyed quite clearly what exactly she thought of his gift. Useless. Diaval slumped, an unhappy frown marring his features. With dark eyes he watched as Maleficent set down the cards.

"Do you even know how to play?" He frowned at the question. There are rules..?

He felt stupid. Of course there would be rules. He hadn't thought that far.

Without a word Maleficent rose from her spot on the rock and disappeared through the low hanging twines of the weeping willow, leaving Diaval behind.

He stood silent for a moment, then huffed in resignation and annoyance at his own stupidity.

He gathered up the discarded stack of cards, climbed up into the branches of the willow and settled himself high above the ground where he flipped through the set.

Maleficent had been right, there were indeed some missing cards.

Five, if he was correct. The king of hearts, trèfle four, coeur ace as well as pique seven and eight. With an unhappy frown, Diaval slowly rewrapped the cards and stuffed them into the only pocket of his black overcoat, contemplating what to do with his now voided treasure.

Maybe some of the mudslingers would want it, seen as they were a generally curious little folk. It also was an option to drop the cards off at the little hut where the three faerie ding-a-lings were watching over now four year old Aurora. They probably wouldn't even know what to do with them, and it was a plan that promised at least some amusement if actually carried out.

Diaval sat there in the treetop for a long time, lost in thought, and watched as the day faded and night began to settle. In the end, his musings were interrupted by the sound of nimble feet moving lightly over the soft ground. Leaves rustled and he leant forward, only to see Maleficent flit through the thick curtain of low hanging twines and come to a halt just beneath the branch Diaval was perched upon. Puzzled, he watched as she looked around as if searching for something – or someone - and then, with an annoyed sigh, threw something over her shoulder.

Curiosity piqued, Diaval held his breath and waited for his mistress to leave. Only when he was sure she was out of earshot did he climb down and soon enough found himself kneeling on the moss covered ground, staring at the items left behind by the faerie.

He held his breath.

Cards.

There, in his hands, lay five beautiful cards. He immediately recognised them as the missing pieces of his set.

They were magnificent. Made of leaves, they looked as if they had grown to look like this – square shaped, with their respective numbers and symbols on it, the ink black and blood red colour a stark contrast against the green surface. Diaval noticed that while the trèfle and pique cards were of a light green, coeur displayed a dark emerald that caused the red colour of the marks to stand out even more. Smiling, he traced the fine leaf-veins and shivered when a faint pulse of power echoed through the very core of his being.

He knew this magic all too well.

He stared at the cards in wonder. They were alive.

His smile slowly morphed into a face splitting grin. Leave it to Maleficent to create a living set of cards. Feeling giddy, he jumped to his feet, gently cradling his new treasures in his hands, and headed after the faerie.

Maybe, just maybe, she could be persuaded to join him for a game.

The fact that he didn't know how to play completely slipped his mind.

Heyho!

I'm glad you decided to read this far. I hope you liked the one-shot!
So, I watched Maleficent a few days earlier and ever since I can't help but ship her and Diaval - they are such a cute couple (and I obviously ship them!).

I've watched the Maleficent-fanfiction grow in number over the weekend and decided to contribute my own MaleficentxDiaval, for the sake of those who can't get enough of the two of them (Lol).

This is going to be a series of One-shots or drabbles, since I don't really have the energy for a multichaptered fanfiction. However, the oneshots will be in chronoligical order.

Hope you approve of my works, lemme know :)

Cheers, planless

P.S.: I'm German, so bear with me if you find any typos/whatever mistakes. Feel free to point them out in a review or pm, however, I won't bite! :)