Chapter Text
“The little beasty is going to starve with those three” Maleficent claimed, and she did not feel quite as satisfied by it as she ought to. She wanted her revenge, and that came through the little monster's death, but starvation was cruel.
Beside, she wanted the little one to die by her own hand, not because Stefan had given her to the most incompetent of guardians. He ought to have known better. She had made him meet the pixies, he had talked to them, how could he have forgotten was they were like, how could he... but then, how could he have done any of the things he had done. They were not made to mingle, fairies and humans, they were too different... and the little horror would be a warning for all of them.
“What do little humans even eat?” she sighed, the child's desperate cries piercing her ears.
Diaval hopped on his feet next to her, and croaked until she turned her human.
“Baby humans drink milk,” she smugly announced, as if the fact were common knowledge.
“Milk? Like fawns and rabbits?”
“And like cows and goats. A lot of wingless animals do that, I'm surprised you don't know.”
Maleficent glared at the raven. She wished she had found a less cheeky servant.
“I know what I have to know, bird. But you of the great wisdom, tell me, where shall I find milk so that the little horror doesn't die before my curse kills her?”
That rendered Diaval silent, and it was no small feat. Enjoying the relative calm, now that there was only the crying babe to distract her. Without really thinking, she conjured a small flower somewhat shaped like a teat, dripping a whitish liquid. Diaval opened her mouth to comment on it, but Maleficent swiftly turned her back into a raven to avoid it.
“Take that to the little beasty,” she ordered. “If these three flower-brains cannot keep the child alive, then I suppose we will have to, until it is old enough to care for itself.”
Diaval delicately took the flower, and flew away toward the cottage, entering the window of the baby's room. Immediately, the crying stopped, and Maleficent felt a tension she hadn't noticed leave her. When Diaval came back, her mission accomplished, she was given as a reward a large, colourful beetle that seemed to please her well enough. When she was done eating, Maleficent turned her human once more.
“They're going to need lessons in caring for a child, these three,” the raven sneered. “They know nothing about how human fawns are. She was famished and she's starting to attract flies already because they're leaving her in her own shit. Couldn't do anything about it, didn't have hands.”
“I will come with you next time, and give you hands to clean her then,” Maleficent sighed. “Or I could force them to clean her themselves. Maybe if she got wet... Certainly, even these three would know better than to leave her in soaked garments...”
“Wouldn't bet on it.”
“We shall try anyway,” the fairy decided.
If nothing else, it would certainly be amusing to tease these three again.