14
The last thing Maleficent wanted to do was gather together a group of people she hardly cared about, but she would do it for Anna. Despite being the girl's mentor, she had learned so much from her. Anna had been the only person to truly treat her like a friend. She looked past her horns and sa the person underneath. She wasn't afraid of her, and Maleficent admired that.
It was a miracle she hadn't lost Anna's friendship when she told her what she had done. The fact that she was going to make a rule to allow half strikes just so she wouldn't have to penalize her severely only proved she was her one true friend. True, she hadn't told her she had cursed Aurora so she would die come her next birthday, but she was even debating trying to undo that.
She smiled at Mim broadly as she approached her, trying not to smirk. "Anna wants to have a meeting. Probably to celebrate our successful coux."
Mim smirked. "Oh yes. We should celebrate." She called Hans over and smiled, leading them out with her head held high to where Anna waited for them. "Um… Anna? Why are you sitting in my place?" She spotted Yzma next to her and frowned. "And why is she here. I thought we were celebrating."
Yzma smiled at her, the expression the same as when she had met Anna. "We are. We're celebrating a regime change. No empress likes to be kicked off her throne, but at least some are given the chance to choose their successor. And I choose Anna."
Maleficent smiled to herself, knowing exactly where this was going even before Anna reorganized the seating arrangement and placed her in what had once been Mim's old seat, Yzma on her other side. "And she will be a fine leader. We all know this; it's high time we embrace it."
Mim looked around the group, having been left standing in front of the table and making as if to sit between Yzma and Hans only to be pushed away. "What-"
Anna smiled sadly. "I hear you always were one of the most devoted members of this little group. But I also heard that you have two strikes. Attacking the leader with the cowardice displayed tonight is a third. Thre strikes and you're out."
Yzma stood up slowly, taking in the other woman's disbelief and horror. "But you should know… you were next in line. That's why you always sat beside me. Not because Anna scared me. But you're just not wicked enough. Mad, yes. But not wicked. I'm going to walk out of here in a few months and find a way to start over. You probably won't be able to handle leaving."
And so it was that Anna took over leadership that night. And a few months later, after a lot of hard work, she was able to watch Yzma and her sister walk through the gates of Disney University, knowing they would probably never return to it. But those were the best few months she had known. Sure, she would have to survive two years with Hans, but she knew deep down she could do it. She had always been strong enough to stand up for herself; she simply needed a reason to do it. And now she knew there was a part of her that was truly wicked—but wicked in the best way.