Read what I have to say before you read the one-shot:

The Horned King from the 1985 Disney animated film The Black Cauldron is my favorite Disney villain. Yes, the movie was a Disney fail, but it shouldn't have been. The script was poorly written, and even the best director can only make (as a friend of mine would say) a piece of turd into a shiny turd.

Many agree with me that the best thing to come from The Black Cauldron was the Horned King. An underrated villain when he should be one of the most iconic. The film was one of Disney's darkest, and the Horned King is the (correct me if I'm wrong) only villain who broke the Disney Taboo of saying 'kill' in a kids movie. That deserves some evil points in my book. That, and he doesn't sing out his schemes to the hero/heroine.

He monologues to a room full of skeletons.

Granted, its only approximately a minute and thirty seconds long, but not many Disney villains can say they've monologued and not broke into song (and dance) for three minutes.

Now, I can rant about the injustices to the Horned King (and congrats if you've actually read all this), but you probably care more about the one-shot. This one-shot is me rewriting his entire monologue and how I believe it should've been done.

Enjoy!

The torches did little to light the stairway. It remained a dark, dank, and foreboding passageway. Rats scurried across the stone floors, seeking their next meal of scraps. The faint sounds of hearty cheers and wooden pints knocking against each other were also heard. A celebration to be sure, but the master of these halls cared not for them.

Slow, paced steps came down the dark stairway, and the air was overcome with a sudden chill. All was then silent, as nothing in the vicinity dared to make a sound as the presence drew closer. The steps became slightly louder as a shadowed and horned figure arrived at the bottom, turning away from the echos of good times to go deeper into castle.

The figure was briefly lighted by the torches of the corridor, and one could see the maroon of its robes and the deep hood which proud horns have torn through. The dark-brown fur stole of the robed figure swayed as a draft blew into the corridor, but the creature did not care. It was stopped briefly by large wooden doors that easily gave way to its bone-like hands. Once opened, the horned figure gazed upon the sight of an extensive chamber, littered with the skeletons of warriors from past centuries.

"The time comes, my long dead soldiers."

The creature's voice was low and raspy, as it rarely spoke unless speech was truly needed.

"Soon, the Black Cauldron will be mine."

It walked down the few steps into the room, then among the many bones and rusting metal. The pointed nails of a hand occasionally caressed a piece of armor.

"Soon, Arawn's great and evil power shall course through my veins."

Suddenly there was the squeaking of a rat and a helmeted skull toppled, landing before the horned figure. It silently bent down and picked it up, resuming its stiff posture and turned the skull each way in examination.

"Oh yes, I shall make you undead."

It looked up then and glanced all around the room as it continued.

"Cauldron-born."

Red light shined from within the deep hood as the creature let the skull fall from its grasp with a clank on the stone floor. Passion drove its next words, its hands raised slightly in the air.

"All of Prydain will worship me then!"

Silence was the only response to the horned figure, and it lowered its head, hands falling to their former place. It remained that way for long moments, as if contemplating. Then, it raised its head and once more looked about the chamber.

"Yes, my soldiers, soon you shall rise in my name, as I have long thirsted to be a god among mortal men."

The horned creature turned on its heel, soft and quick steps bringing it back to the open doors at the top of the stairs. Again, it looked at the chamber with a slight turn of its head.

"All shall bow before the Horned King!"