Thank you all so much for the reviews! It has really inspired me! Thank you :)
The first part of this chapter picks up where the previous one left off. I tried to give off some glimpse of the Queens of Darkness' past. I really hope you enjoy it! ~ T
Chapter Two
Setting Up Camp
"What's your plan?"
"Walk with me."
"It's simple. Make friends, build relationships, appear as if you are trying to change," the Dark One explained, the flaps of his jacket flapping from side to side with each step.
"We're supposed to socialize? That's how we get our happy ending?" Ursula barked with sarcasm in her voice. She didn't have time for games, and that is exactly what his plan seemed like. "Locate your goal and find the quickest way to conquer it," her father had always said to her.
"Yes, dearie, it is," he retorted, turning around once again and stopping them in their tracks. His hazel eyes slowly shifted to each of them. "Because while you three garner the trust of the residents," he continued, " I'll be busy finding what we need to cast our curse."
"Which is what?" Maleficent asked, tilting her head slightly upwards, wondering if Rumple really did know what it would take to get their happy ending. She was conflicted. The blonde deeply hoped that the little man did truly have the answer to her problems, yet, after all she had been through, she couldn't help but be skeptical of him. She had learned long ago to never, ever, fully trust anyone. Everyone is capable of betrayal.
"The heart with the greatest potential for darkness."
The three queens thought on this - could this really be what they needed to enact their curse?
However, as they thought about it, and whose heart is could possibly be, their minds all came to one name, the person whom they all believed to be the evilest hearted. A person they were all fully aware and familiar with. She was one of their own. Their stomachs ached, and their skin shuddered as they all hesitated to speak the name of the person they thought.
"Regina, darlings" Cruella finally spoke, slightly wide-eyed, her stuffy accent elongating the "re" of her name, "her heart is the darkest of anyone."
"There is no way we'll ever get a hold of her heart. It certainly won't be inside her," the sea witch added with worry.
"Where is Regina, anyway? You said she was here in this town, but I don't see any angry mobs with torches or any execution platforms," the blonde Maleficent asked, her lush lips slightly ajar and her green eyes once again looking around their surroundings.
"You dearies have severely underestimated the Evil Queen's abilities," the imp replied, "She has changed. She is no longer the fierce bitch she once was. Now she's the mayor."
The trifecta furrowed their brows. They were unable to believe that the dark, sinister, evil queen they had known was even capable of change. So full of rage and revenge, willing to destroy anyone and anything that got in her way. No way, they thought.
"That's not possible."
"It is indeed, dearie," Rumple slyly replied, "But now, you queens of darkness, I suggest we find a place to set up camp."
"The fashion in this land is so strange…"
Maleficent complained as she looked at her appearance in the mirror. She was dressed in something called a pantsuit, in the color of gray, with a long overcoat draped over her shoulders. Since her headdress would be out of place - Rumple said they had to blend in - she wore a matching fedora atop her golden locks, which were wrapped intricately in a bun that was swept to the side. All the gray she wore nicely augmented her pale white skin. However, the queen of evil much more preferred her black robes and staff.
"Tell me about it," murmured a glowering Ursula, the sea witch gently brushing one of her tentacles with her gloved hands. She thought the attire in this land was far too restrictive, and not nearly revealing enough. She did like not having to wear a corset, though.
"I rather fancy the furs in this world, darlings, much more variety than the Enchanted Forrest," Cruella admitted matter-of-factly, heavily reapplying her lipstick in another nearby mirror. Her diamonds clinked against her breast as she leaned in and pressed her thin lips outwards as she painted the dark red color.
Since their meeting the night before, Rumplestiltskin had moved them to an abandoned mansion outside the city. It was a large, empty place, with lofty rooms and sparse furniture. No one was quite sure who it belonged to, but it wasn't on the town map, and it would provide them with a shelter till they were able to integrate themselves into Storybrooke society. You would never know they were there,as the place was desolate except for Cruella's black and white 1985 Zimmer Golden Spirit that was parked in front of the entrance, something she insisted on. The Queens of Darkness were right at home
"Of course my fabulous collection is mostly gone now, thanks to those bastards. At least they took Carl with them," she continued, "though they could have left off with the theatrics. It was quite embarrassing, darlings!" she continued, referencing back to her life in the outside world, before Rumplestiltskin had contacted her.
"Oh stop complaining. You lived in a palace, while I was stuck working at an aquarium," Ursula jabbered as she lounged down on dusty sofa that was positioned against a paneled wall, flinging back her waterfall of brown hair, "I could barely afford to feed my precious babies!" she said, lamenting the deplorable state of her fish.
"Both of you had it better than I did!" Maleficent hissed, turning around towards them, her hands on her hips, "I was trapped in a wretched cave, you should-"
"Ladies, ladies!" suddenly interrupted a familiar voice from above, booming through the high walls of the room, "there's no need to argue."
The trio turned from their bickering to the smiling Rumple, who stood on the balcony that graced the room, leaning over the ornate, brass railing. He was dressed in an outfit similar to the night before: black suit, dark red shirt, striped tie, his cane at his side. His thin hair was neatly combed to the sides in it's usual fashion.
"Rumple, so glad you could join us, darling" Cruella drawled as she waved her cigarette holder in the air, spreading green smoke throughout the room. The dark animal fur she wore drooped from her shoulders as she continued, "What brings you here?"
The old man disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and reappeared at the entrance of the room, his thin body leaning against the creaking doorway. He propped his cane at his side and slowly a grin formed from his lips.
"It's time to begin the first phase of our plan."
"It's about time," Ursula interrupted, rolling her eyes "All we've been doing is sitting here."
"I assure you, dearie," he cooed, turning to her, "You won't be sitting much these next few days. We have work to do."
Ursula sneered maliciously at his response, tilting her head slightly and laying her hands in her lap.
All three of the ladies were very eager to get started. Their lives had been wrought with misery and unhappiness for so long. It was time for that to change. They were hesitant to trust Rumplestiltskin. He was aware of their secrets, their pasts, their histories, and he could at any moment use that against them. However, they knew that he was their only hope in achieving their happy endings, because that's exactly what he, too, wanted.
"What do you have in mind?" Maleficent questioned with dour, a watchful eye and batting thick eyelashes appearing from underneath her hat.
Without even looking at her, the dark one responded.
"It's time you paid a visit to your old friend, the Evil Queen."
Maleficent's mind wandered back to the faint memories she had of the girl, Regina, before she became the Evil Queen. They were happy memories, some of the few she had, and a smile almost crept across her face in remembrance. However, their parting had not been a pleasant one, and, besides that, Regina had trapped her as a dragon in that cave for what seemed like forever. She wondered how Regina would react upon their meeting.
Regina Mills hurried across the sleek, marble floors of her kitchen, in what seemed like her usual rush. She was dressed in a dark suit and skirt with a blue silk shirt and grey high-heels. Her jet black hair, brushed elegantly to the side of her shoulder, gleamed under the bright lights that dangled from the ceiling. She may now just be the mayor, but she seemed queen-like to be sure.
In her hands Regina carried two slices of bread, ham and some cheddar cheese. She gently places these items down on a paper towel, next to her sink, and prepared her task: making Henry's lunch. Though he lived with Emma, Snow and Charming, Regina still liked to walk him to the bus stop at Granny's, and always brought him a packed lunch for school. He loved ham and cheddar cheese sandwiches, and Regina faithfully made it for him every morning.
She smiled at her son's obsession with grilled cheese. They both had their tendencies, to say the least.
She was interrupted from her cookery by the mysterious sounds of heels clinking up the steps of her entry way. She paused to listen to the sudden sound. Who could that be? She thought, furrowing her brows. The sound grew quickly, then, suddenly, it stopped. They must of reached the edge of the steps.
"Hello?" she demanded. No response. "Emma? Is that you?" she repeated. Still no answer.
Regina set her son's packed lunch back onto the counter, and stomped through the kitchen door and into her dining room. Turning towards the entryway, she was stopped in her tracks, wide-eyed in shock at the figure of her old friend standing gracefully before her, one hand placed on her hip, the other laying gently at her side.
"Mal…" Regina uttered, blinking nervously, the rosy color of her cheeks now white. Her expression was haunted. Her heart beat voraciously against her ribcage, while her stomach dropped. No, this can't be, she thought.
"Hello, Regina," Maleficent oozed lovingly, the edges of her thick lips tilting slightly upward in a smile. Her head was bent slightly, ready for the brunette's reaction. Regina had, after all, stolen from her, threatened her pet, and then locked her away in a cave for thirty years, before sending someone to kill her.
The blonde's mind couldn't help but flicker back to the first time she had met the brunette. Regina had been sobbing vigorously in the forrest, Maleficent remembered very clearly, because she had overheard her while passing through. Regina had been upset about how she had fallen in love with some stable boy, but her mother would never approve of it. Maleficent, at the time, had been having problems with Stefan, and together she and Regina had bonded over their love lives.
Despite the downcast of their situations, it was a warm memory of the blonde's, and, as she stood there looking at that same chocolate-eyed girl, it caused her heart to warm in remembrance.
"But you're…" Regina spoke, interrupting Maleficent from her own thoughts, trying to make sense of what was going on, "you're dead, or at least supposed to be."
"You're right," she agreed, taking a step forward, and calmly nodding her head, "I was dead. But I was revived."
Regina's face grew even more confused, as she furrowed her brows together and squinted her eyes slightly. She failed to notice her visitor slowly advancing towards her.
"How?"
"A mutual friend of our's," she explained, taking another step forward, her. She was hesitant to give Regina much information, lest she decide not to join them.
"Rumplestiltskin," Regina murmured to herself, realizing it could be none other than him. She should have known he would be up to something, it had been almost three weeks since he was banished. She had sought comfort in knowing that the imp had also been denied his happy ending, though it appears he, unlike she, had made progress in his attempt to reclaim it.
"That's right," Maleficent answered. She looked deeply in her old friend's eyes. The shock had now faded, replaced with something more: a burning. However, unlike the burning the blonde had always seen in her friend's eyes, this wasn't a rage for vengeance. It was a different type of flame, one that Maleficent couldn't quite figure out.
As the surprise of seeing someone return from the dead surpassed, the witch could see her friend's real appearance. She looked worn, like she had been searching for something for quite sometime, but had been unable to find it. Weary perhaps. Maleficent's heart, the sliver that wasn't stone, went out to the brunette.
Regina finally noticed the blonde's movement toward her. There must be only reason she is here, the brunette thought, I trapped her in a cave, and before that I stole the curse from her, and then I threatened her horse and her, as well. If she had done all that to me, I probably would have tried to kill her by now.
"Are you here to kill me?" she blurted grimly.
Maleficent closed her eyes and let out a snort. Regina's bluntness had always made her laugh. Even when she was at her saddest, she could count on Regina to cheer her up with her humor. She had missed that.
"No, Reg, I am not here to kill you," she started, looking towards the ground.
Regina let out a small sigh. At least she wouldn't have to worry about that. She didn't have the energy to summon a fireball that early in the morning. Magic could be tiring.
With that out of the way, she once again prodded.
"Then what are you here for?"
Maleficent once again looked at Regina, her green eyes locking with her chocolate-colored ones. She batted her thick eye lashes, as Regina brushed away a lock of her hair from her face. There was a slight pause, and then, with as much sincerity as she had ever had, she delivered an answer that the Evil Queen wasn't at all expecting.
"I want to be your friend again."
