It was the morning after the encounter with the carriage and the watch. Mal awoke from her evil dreams with a light yawn, stretching her arms out with a smile on her face. She actually liked waking up, the sun streaming from the broken window in her room casting a delicate glow on her face.
She liked her room. It was the highest room in Maleficent's castle, Maleficent herself having opted for the room with a balcony just below Mal's. There were tree branches and plants growing from the cracks in the walls, serving as clothing hangers for Mal's cloaks and dresses. Her bed was a mere mattress with a lovingly knitted blanket by the elderly witch a few doors down, and a pillow stolen from the royal palace years and years ago. The floor was always immaculate, save for the few piles of books and parchments Mal kept laying around. Of course, there was a spinning wheel with a spindle in her room, in memory of Maleficent's acts of cruelty. Her mother placed there in hopes that it would inspire Mal to one day commit an evil curse.
Mal awoke with cherry blossom petals falling in her face, courtesy of a cherry blossom branch that had recently made its way through the cracks on the wall. She brushed the petals away, standing up and getting dressed immediately. The previous night, Maleficent had made it very clear that Mal was to be up bright and early for a 'Special Announcement'.
After getting ready, she gleefully hurried down the crumbling staircase, wearing the same clothing as the day before. Maleficent was still fast asleep, obvious from her loud snoring, so Mal still had a little time before her mother expected her. She decided to stop by Carlos' house to make sure he was awake, as he was also expected to be at Maleficent's special announcement.
Carlos had a slightly less glamorous way of life than Mal. His bedroom was situated on the bottom floor of Cruella's crumbling mansion. It was in the fur closet, behind the furs and inside the secret room. Like Mal, all he had was a mattress and a stolen pillow, with one of his mother's old furs to warm him. He spent most of his time outside, so he really didn't use his room much, therefore his sleeping conditions didn't really bother him.
However, what did bother him was the sound of someone's fist knocking on the door.
With a groan, Carlos got up, stretching his arms and wolf ears before heading towards the door. His mother, the unstoppable alcoholic she is, was passed out on the living room sofa with a mug of brandy dangling from her fingertips. The house was empty, save for Cruella's light snoring and the creak of the floorboards as Carlos walked to the door.
When he opened it, he wasn't surprised to find Mal standing there expectantly, and Mal wasn't surprised to see Cruella's form on the sofa passed out. She rolled her eyes at the woman, grabbing Carlos by the sleeve and dragging him out into the village road.
"Mom is going to be awake soon, and you know she doesn't appreciate being late," Mal explained, grabbing an apple from a deserted fruit stand and taking a bite out of it, "We need to wake Jay too."
"Can't he do that himself?" Carlos moaned, yawning and scratching his head, "I was hoping to sleep in for a little longer."
Mal shot him a short glare as they walked towards Jafar's store, where they knew Jay slept in.
However, on the other side of the village, the beautiful daughter of the Evil Queen was awoken by the shrill sound of a delicate bell, which had been waking her up every morning for the past sixteen years. Like Mal, she woke up delicately, without rush. Her room was decorated with the finest treasures the Evil Queen could find in the village, which wasn't much considering they were in the villains side of the Enchanted Woods.
Her bed was in the middle of the room, a real princess-worthy bed with a paint-chipped bed frame and piles upon piles of blankets. Her pillows were the finest her mother could find, with just a few rips and tears on the seams, and the curtains draped in front of her windows were just a little worn, meaning that only a few streams of light would pass through. Her vanity and wardrobe were like the frame of her bed; painted with chipped white paint and barely standing anymore. Her vanity was piled with half-used cosmetics and empty perfume bottles, each one a gift from her mother with her attempt to make sure Evie remained the 'fairest of them all'.
The ceiling of Evie's room had been covered in vines of different plants long ago, and had grown to hang down above her room. A few particular ones covered in flowers nearly reached the floor, where Evie would pick them and braid them into her hair. She enjoyed sewing the flowers into dresses too, using a simple preservation potion her mother had taught her to keep them fresh. Although magic was prohibited in the village, simple potions such as cures and to aid harmless tasks were still accomplishable. Evie had learnt all of her mother's spellbooks and potion books back to front at an early age, so she was perfectly capable of brewing any simple potion. Therefore, she now also had a shelf with a row of potions ready to use.
Evie knew that although she might not be the brightest girl, she was definitely the fairest. If beauty has a name, it would be Evie. However, no one would ever be able to see her true beauty.
Or so she thought.
"Evie my darling," Her mother cooed as she entered her bedroom, "Did you have wicked dreams?"
"Oh yes mother," Evie replied with excitement, as she sat up in her bed, "I dreamt of a prince and the most wonderful palace and, oh, you should've seen the gowns!"
The Evil Queen chuckled fondly at her daughter before resuming her serious demeanor, "Evie, I'm afraid there's something we need to talk about."
Evie immediately paled, "Did I do something wrong mother?"
"Nothing at all my dear," The Evil Queen replied, sitting next to her daughter on the bed and caressing her hair, "It's just... There are going to be a few changes around here, and we need your help to let them happen."
"What kind of changes mother?"
The Evil Queen smiled sadly at Evie's innocence. She was as pure as they came, latching onto every word her mother said. It was saddening, however The Evil Queen knew that she'd grow up into a wonderful young girl, and a wonderful wife for that matter.
"There is an item in a place far far away, a place full of horrible princesses and dashing princes," Her mother began, "This item, this wand, is so powerful it could free us all from this village. Maleficent called a meeting, and she's decided that you are one of the chosen few to adventure to retrieve the wand."
"Me?!" Evie gasped as her eyes widened, "Why me?! I'm sure there are others in the village that would be much more suited to the role-"
"You're special Evie, more than you know," The Evil Queen explained, "Now lets get you dressed and ready, Maleficent wants to see everyone at her palace soon."
Evie and her mother were the last to arrive to the meeting out of the villains. Like the rest of the castle, it was dark and stingy, save for the very few lit candles around the room and the tears in the curtains letting light through. There were paintings hung on the walls, mostly torn or shredded. They took their seats at the large round stone table, Maleficent nowhere in sight.
Evie glanced curiously at the two boys sitting across from her. They looked to be the same age as her, however they seemed very uninterested and bored, whilst she was buzzing with excitement. Their parents were bickering between themselves, however there was one more person at the table.
Evie observed the girl with purple hair longer than the others. She seemed eternally bored, legs propped up on the table as she examined her fingernails. Evie assumed she was Maleficent's daughter Mal. She'd heard her mother talking about her countless times, but she never thought she'd see her in person so soon.
Suddenly, the large wooden doors in the room blasted open. Maleficent marched into the room elegantly, a smirk on her face as she reached the table. She placed both of her hands on the table and peered at everyone in the room, subtly smiling at Mal.
"Villains," Maleficent began, "Today marks a very important day in history. Today marks the start of something new, something positively wicked.
"We have been trapped in this village for far too long. Its time we take a stand and take the kingdom back. Today, we are sending our own children out into the world we've been banished out of to retrieve a very important item: Fairy Godmothers wand."
Instantly Mal, Carlos and Jay sat up and instantly began protesting.
"Why us?!"
"What can we do that you guys can't?!"
"Carlos can't even pack a punch!"
"Enough!" Maleficent shouted, causing the trio to stop, "You four are the only ones capable of getting into the kingdom. Anyone older will be recognised, and you four are the only competent children in the village. Therefore, you have been chosen. Now, onto tomorrows plans..."
A/N: I am so so sorry for not having updated any sooner! I've been busy with exams recently, and if you follow me as an author on here, you'll probably know I've been busy updating another fic. However, summers here and I'll be updating a lot more!
Please leave any feedback you may have in the reviews, I really want to make this story perfect for you guys who read it. Thank you!