Title: Teacher
Author: Digimon Empress Yaten (de yaten)
Notes: Written for the springkink community. A kind of "what if?" take on the idea that Maleficent encountered the Nobodies before KH2, and had to take Namine in for a bit. Nothing really to warn for.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. I don't claim to own them.
It was a new agreement, struck during the brief period of Light in the Worlds, when her strength was waning and striking a bargain with this so-called "Organization" seemed to be the only option at the time.
They were curious creatures to Maleficent - Nobodies, they called themselves; beings unable to grasp onto either Light or Darkness. Heartless things, yet capable of more than the animalistic need to seek out and steal hearts. The leader was a bit of annoyance with a habit for giving long-winded speeches, but they offered her shelter during the brilliant blasts of light that weakened her, light that only came because that child Keyblade-bearer had defeated Ansem. Ansem, who had tricked her (in the guise of that boy, no less) into overwhelming her heart with Darkness and thus sealing her fate to drown in it. For a while, at least.
It had been a trial clawing her way up through the black mass, with only the faint sound of her faithful raven to guide the way through most of its depths. She could not see on her own until it was more shallow, perhaps neck-high, if she could compare the endless Darkness to an ocean - she was dark in her own heart, yes, but not so dark that she thought only of Darkness and nothing else. That had been Ansem's mistake and, for that brief moment in Hollow Bastion, her own.
It was a lesson well-learned, and now she skirted along the Darkness carefully, holding just enough in her heart to appease the Heartless and not enough to pull her all the way down again. A careful balance that required constant equations in her mind. A destroyed village here to weigh her down, a kind word to her minions to pull her back up - just enough. Just enough to keep her steady.
And the alliance with the mysterious Organization 13, while certain to pull her further into the Darkness, had been a pleasant one thus far. She was granted a new castle, and in exchange all she need do was grant them a "favor" when the time came.
The favor, when it came, seemed simple enough - to take a Nobody witch under her wing and improve on the witch's "tricks of the trade," as they so casually put it. Maleficent had scoffed at that - as if witchcraft were some cheap parlor trick, a magician's turn of a hat! Well, they would learn that witchcraft was not something to be taken so lightly. She would send their Nobody hatchling back a powerful sorceress, capable of mass destruction and powers darker beyond their non-existent imaginations.
Of course, Maleficent hadn't planned on the witch being a little girl. She had expected a woman, maybe a young one - after all, the youngest of the Organization members appeared to be of the late-teen persuasion, and that was just assuming they weren't just youthful looking. So when a little girl showed up at the castle entrance, fingering the edge of a soft white dress and hiding her face in muted blonde hair, it had come as quite an unpleasant shock. Maleficent did not like little girls, especially ones that looked as if they could break at the slightest blow. That sort of girl, no matter the age, never made a good witch-in-training. (She had lost many apprentices who were simply too fragile-minded to take even the simplest of pains. Pain was a necessity, sometimes a burden, but a witch's life had a tendency to be one long burden, anyway.)
"I'm... Naminé," the little she-witch said quietly, voice soft, afraid, as if speaking above a whisper would shatter her tiny frame. "Pleased to meet you, miss." She gave a small curtsey, which did bring a small pleased smile to Maleficent's lips. At least the witchling had been taught proper manners, even if she hadn't been taught to fully take control of her magic. She gestured for the child to enter, noting with amusement at the way her already large eyes widened even more as she tiptoed inside the castle.
It was expansive and extravagant, as per Maleficent's request. The floors and walls were made of refined stone, polished a soft black with a strange green undertone to them. The main room doubled as a large throne room; an elegant high-backed black throne lay in the center, surrounded on both sides by two curved stone staircases that led further into the castle.
Of particular interest to Naminé's wandering eyes were the hand-woven tapestries hanging on the walls, depicting various fellow-witches and their favorite handiworks; A coffin-bound princess who forever tasted apples, a long-braided child trapped high in a tower, or Maleficent's own pride and joy, Aurora, eternally sleeping in the thorn-surrounded castle of her infanthood.
"Are they not beautiful?" Maleficent asked, gesturing towards the tapestries.
Naminé nodded, apparently still in a sort of awe. Slowly, she brought up a pale bird-like hand to point towards the grandest tapestry, the one of Aurora encased in thorns. "It's very pretty but why..." She trailed off, lowering her head. "Why is she sleeping like that?"
Maleficent smiled, and perhaps it was better that the girl was meekly looking at the floor – Maleficent's smiles had a tendency to be on the 'terrifying' end of the smile spectrum. Hardly something that would comfort a child such as this.
"I used my powers to make her sleep, dear girl. She shall sleep eternally in the darkness until it consumes her..." Maleficent left out the small details, such as the prince who could very well have rescued the girl by now; she hadn't the strength or time to check in on her own World since making her way out of the deep Darkness.
Naminé looked up, eyes wide and doe-like. "But why would you…?"
Maleficent waved her hand, batting away the girl's clear objection like a particularly persistent fly.
"For the sins of her parents, I suppose. But it's nothing you need to worry about, child. Now," she said, quite finished with the awe-and-gawk of the child's first impressions of her castle. "Let me show you to your room, and my servants can show you where you are permitted to roam. I do recommend you treat them with respect, for they can be very… unpredictable creatures."
She motioned for the girl to follow her up one of the winding staircases - not missing the surprised look of Maleficent's odd habit of practically gliding up them instead of walking. "We shall have dinner together, I think. We can discuss your training then."
The girl said nothing, and let herself be led through the dark castle to her new room.
--
Dinner, for the most part, was a quiet, somber affair. If not for the occasional awkward clink of the utensils hitting the floor (they were much too big for the girl's small hands) Maleficent wouldn't have considered it different than any other night. She had thought the little witch would start the conversation, perhaps asking what they were going to learn first, or even offering up some knowledge of her powers thus far, but Maleficent had no such luck. After two courses of almost-silence, she spoke.
"Well, Naminé... I suppose you are wondering what aspect of your powers we are going to work on first?"
Naminé started, apparently not expecting the conversation, or perhaps - Maleficent wasn't sure - there was a bit of confusion in her eyes. "But..." she shifted in her chair, the fingers of one hand smoothing down her dress. "I thought that..." she faltered under Maleficent's gaze, toying with the edge of her fork.
"You thought that...?" Maleficent prompted, feeling an irritating unease growing in her. What, exactly, had the Organization told her before sending her to the castle?
"It's just that I… well, I don't know what my powers are. They—they said you were supposed to help me find out."
If Maleficent wasn't preoccupied with keeping the girl somewhat comfortable in her presence, she would have done something akin to setting a few of her servants on fire. But she settled for gripping the arm of her chair so hard it began to splinter.
How dare they… how dare they think her such a fool! They had told her she was to improve on the witch's existing powers, strengthen them—not find out what they were in the first place! True, she had experience with such green foundlings before, but those had been the children of close friends, and she certainly hadn't been tricked into taking them! To train a witch was one matter, but to essentially create a witch was another thing entirely! It was almost enough to send the child away… but she still had a debt to pay to them, and she loathed being in anyone – or Nobody's, as it were, debt.
And it wasn't as if it was the child's fault, really. She didn't appear to be in on their plot—no, she looked as confused as Maleficent was, and she couldn't really blame the girl for their deceit. And… perhaps this could work out in Maleficent's favor—if the little witch were strong enough, she could be an ally if and when Maleficent decided to abandon her alliance with the Nobodies.
She forced her arm to relax, releasing the tight-grip on her chair. A smooth smile came over her face with practiced ease.
"It seems that I was simply misinformed about my mission, child. But that is of little importance right now… I am going to teach you everything you need to know about magic. I will teach you to bind hearts in Darkness, control them, twist them, crush them."
"But I don't want to hurt people…" The girl's eyes were almost pleading, but it was of little consequence. It was something every witch would have to get over, if they wanted to tap into their full potential.
"Tsk. You mustn't concern yourself with such… minor details, Naminé. A witch's work is to move with the Darkness, bend it to their will, control it if they can, as much as they can. A witch's work is best with that of her own kind, which is why, I suppose, they sent you to me." She motioned for a servant to clear their plates. "But you must be exhausted, child. I shall see you to your room -- tomorrow we will begin your training."
--
Maleficent sighed.
The girl had been taught little, if anything, about witchcraft. In truth, she did not really know what a witch was—and she only stared blankly when Maleficent asked her what she knew of spells, of potions, of the various types of magic that one could have at their disposal.
And if her knowledge of witchcraft was scarce, her knowledge of her own powers was nonexistent. There was only the vague idea that she was able to do something with magic – but what, she didn't have a clue.
The first training session could hardly be called training -- Maleficent felt more like a schoolmarm than a powerful witch instructing an apprentice.
She spent most of it explaining a few forms of magic – potions, herbs, general spells and Maleficent's own goals for the girl's time in the castle. Hopefully, Naminé would be able to harness a typical witch's magic (which, in truth, almost anyone with the right connections could learn) and discover her own. The former, Maleficent knew, would probably be a great challenge – but if she was to become a greater witch, thus a greater potential ally, then it would have to be done.
She dismissed the girl early, instructing her servants to provide the girl with something to do. Books, perhaps –just something to occupy her while Maleficent went about her own business.
Maleficent would learn at dinner that her youngest goblin servant had found a small sketch pad and box of crayons for the girl to play with—something she was currently doing, almost avoiding her plate of food entirely. She considered having them taken away—it would do no good if the girl was skipping meals to doodle, and it was certain to be a distraction during training sessions.
But something made her stop… perhaps the strange look in Naminé's eyes, a small flicker that seemed to burn when her hands scrawled over the pages.
For now, she could keep on drawing.
--
Naminé was terrible at potions – the only concoction that didn't explode turned out to be a strange fruity drink which, while delicious, was not very magical. She had no luck with the magic wand, which even a non-witch could spring some magic from if they really wanted to. The girl flat-out refused to even step foot in Maleficent's garden, and when Maleficent ordered her to go in (apprehension, she could accept—disobedience, however, was going too far) the garden, Naminé promised she would work extra hard on potions to make up for it.
Well, why not—Maleficent sent the girl away with a heavy volume on potion mixing and expected her to be able to create anything from the first ten chapters by the next week. It wasn't an impossible task, but if the girl was determined enough then she could do it. (And if her complete seemingly-real fear of having to go into the garden was any indication, Naminé would do anything to stay out of it.)
As the training went on, Maleficent noticed something curious—each day, the number of drawings she found around her castle grew. Childish scrawls of color littered every floor, every room—she even found a simple drawing of one of her servants lying by her throne! They were certainly childish, barely realistic, but something about the intensity of the colors made them stand out from an every day doodle; something about the way they were drawn, simple, almost pure, gave them a captivating power usually reserved for the finest trained artists.
--
The day Maleficent found a drawing of herself, she decided to approach Naminé.
"These are very... interesting, child," she said, indicating a pile of drawings lying on the small dresser she had provided. "Have you ever done such drawings before?"
Naminé shook her head, fingers curling in softly to crinkle the paper on her small desk."No, I wasn't... allowed to do much, before. He didn't let me." She smoothed out her drawing, a finger trailing softly over swirl of pink above criss-crossed black and silver. "Marluxia, I mean." Naminé simply stared at the figure she had drawn for a moment before she blurted, "He has an evil garden, you know."
Maleficent paused, considering. Perhaps this Marluxia was the cause for Naminé's odd fear of the garden? And she couldn't help but notice the name seemed familiar somehow. She was certain the child had never said it before - indeed, aside from someone named 'Axel,' Naminé hadn't mentioned another Nobody by name before. But Marluxia... well, it was not the same name, but a similar sound, perhaps? And coupled with the figure Naminé drew, it had to be more than just her imagination.
Maleficent had once sent her personal Heartless to dispose of a troublesome witch of another World; Lumaria, a solitary thing with a penchant for growing the most beautiful gardens – flower and vegetable, which had led to a nasty incident involving some rapunzel and a child… unfortunately for Lumaria, the child she had stolen happened to be the sole daughter of one of Maleficent's dear friends. Or as dear a friend a witch could have, anyway. Well, that nasty problem was solved with the simple stealing of a
heart, and Maleficent hadn't expected to hear anything more of the man. Or his shell, she supposed, since Marluxia was no doubt a Nobody.
"… sometimes," Naminé said suddenly, softly, as if her previous outburst had shaken her. "Sometimes when I draw, things happen."
Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" Maybe there was something to the girl's drawings after all.
Naminé nodded, hands reaching to a drawing she had done of one of the goblins in the castle—or at least, that's what it appeared to be. He was simply a mash of brown and grey and silver drawn in a lump. "I drew him with a baby last night and…" She paused, knitting her eyebrows together. "This morning when he came to get me, he told me all about a son that he said he had for years. But… he doesn't really, does he?" She looked at Maleficent, smiling a bit too eerily. "I made him believe he does."
And, ah, there it was. Maleficent let a smile creep over her face before kneeling on the floor next to the girl, to examine her pictures further. It was a surprise, and certainly unexpected—but the little witch did have her own powers after all. Not ordinary, not typical, and in truth, Maleficent had never heard of drawing being a magic…. But there it was, in all of the colors of the rainbow. A strange, childlike magic created but a strange child (or not-child, nobody-child?) in strange circumstances, but magic nonetheless.
Maleficent picked up a crayon and smiled.
"Let's begin with sketches of the basic human form, shall we?"