Status: once upon a time, there was a co-write...
Broken Illusion
Wendy.
Wendy knew what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to stay silent, wait for the guards to drag Aurora away, finish the judgement ceremony. That was the safe option, it was the option that gave her the best chance of staying alive.
Maleficent was laughing. Her cackle got stuck in the air, ringing in Wendy’s ear. Wendy willed it to stop, but it wouldn’t. Maybe it was that harsh, screeching laugh that clouded Wendy’s judgment.
“Stop,” she said, too quiet. She tried the word again, louder, still not quite a command.
Maleficent raised an eyebrow at Wendy, the guards gathering around Aurora. The queen stepped closer, slowly, trying to intimidate Wendy.
“Stop this,” Wendy said. It wasn’t a strong tone, it was a begging tone.
Maleficent dark eyes were feral when she smiled.
“Name!” Maleficent demanded.
“Wendy Moira Angela Davenport,” Wendy rushed through her name, “please, don’t do this to her.”
“You dare to question me?” Maleficent asked. She sounded curious, not angry at all. Wendy didn’t trust her at all.
“I just don’t want to see someone get hurt when they don’t deserve it.”
Maleficent looked her up and down, stepping away from her. She was thinking, probably of a gruesome punishment.
“We’re done here,” Maleficent said at last. The guards had taken Aurora away already, and Wendy wasn’t getting her back.
“No, we’re not,” Wendy decided. It wasn’t fair. And if Peter was right, surely she should be standing up to Maleficent and not cowering from her.
Maleficent marched right back up to her. Those dark feral eyes piercing right through her.
“Very well,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.
“You’ll… let her go?” Wendy asked, her voice croaking at the end.
“I aim to please.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Wendy said, surprising herself.
“My daughters will take her out of the kingdom. If I cannot punish my own subject, then she shouldn’t be my subject.” Maleficent shrugged, no longer interested in the conversation.
“You’re banishing her?” Wendy asked, horrified.
“And you, darling, will be joining her.”
The guards marched her out of the room, swarming around her in an enclosed circle. As she was taken from the room, she turned her head to see Maleficent disappear in a cloud of purple smoke.
Wendy had no idea what lay beyond the kingdom, though she’d heard the stories. All those stories were horrific, full of ruined dry land and untold evil. The more she thought about it, the more it couldn’t be possible. If there were so many monsters outside the kingdom, why did they never venture into it? Maleficent’s power was great, but how great was it?
The tall, winding staircase was made of dark marble. It reminded Wendy of Maleficent’s dress at first. But then, staring intensely at the marble, it reminded her more of Maleficent’s eyes.
The castle wall beside the staircase was covered in stained glass windows. They told different stories, all of Maleficent and examples of her greatness. Wendy wondered if a single one of them was true.
At the very top of the staircase, up in the highest tower of the castle, Aurora and Wendy would wait for banishment. They didn’t say a word to each other. Their hands were clasped together until the day faded and they couldn’t stay awake a moment longer.
Maleficent was laughing. Her cackle got stuck in the air, ringing in Wendy’s ear. Wendy willed it to stop, but it wouldn’t. Maybe it was that harsh, screeching laugh that clouded Wendy’s judgment.
“Stop,” she said, too quiet. She tried the word again, louder, still not quite a command.
Maleficent raised an eyebrow at Wendy, the guards gathering around Aurora. The queen stepped closer, slowly, trying to intimidate Wendy.
“Stop this,” Wendy said. It wasn’t a strong tone, it was a begging tone.
Maleficent dark eyes were feral when she smiled.
“Name!” Maleficent demanded.
“Wendy Moira Angela Davenport,” Wendy rushed through her name, “please, don’t do this to her.”
“You dare to question me?” Maleficent asked. She sounded curious, not angry at all. Wendy didn’t trust her at all.
“I just don’t want to see someone get hurt when they don’t deserve it.”
Maleficent looked her up and down, stepping away from her. She was thinking, probably of a gruesome punishment.
“We’re done here,” Maleficent said at last. The guards had taken Aurora away already, and Wendy wasn’t getting her back.
“No, we’re not,” Wendy decided. It wasn’t fair. And if Peter was right, surely she should be standing up to Maleficent and not cowering from her.
Maleficent marched right back up to her. Those dark feral eyes piercing right through her.
“Very well,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.
“You’ll… let her go?” Wendy asked, her voice croaking at the end.
“I aim to please.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Wendy said, surprising herself.
“My daughters will take her out of the kingdom. If I cannot punish my own subject, then she shouldn’t be my subject.” Maleficent shrugged, no longer interested in the conversation.
“You’re banishing her?” Wendy asked, horrified.
“And you, darling, will be joining her.”
The guards marched her out of the room, swarming around her in an enclosed circle. As she was taken from the room, she turned her head to see Maleficent disappear in a cloud of purple smoke.
Wendy had no idea what lay beyond the kingdom, though she’d heard the stories. All those stories were horrific, full of ruined dry land and untold evil. The more she thought about it, the more it couldn’t be possible. If there were so many monsters outside the kingdom, why did they never venture into it? Maleficent’s power was great, but how great was it?
The tall, winding staircase was made of dark marble. It reminded Wendy of Maleficent’s dress at first. But then, staring intensely at the marble, it reminded her more of Maleficent’s eyes.
The castle wall beside the staircase was covered in stained glass windows. They told different stories, all of Maleficent and examples of her greatness. Wendy wondered if a single one of them was true.
At the very top of the staircase, up in the highest tower of the castle, Aurora and Wendy would wait for banishment. They didn’t say a word to each other. Their hands were clasped together until the day faded and they couldn’t stay awake a moment longer.