Redeemed - Sleeping Beauty 8
Maleficent woke up to the frantic cawing of Diablo, her trusted familiar. She was annoyed, had she not told him that she didn't want to be disturbed by anyone for once. She flung aside the purple embroidered black sheets and rose. She let her robes form around her and took up her staff. Her anger overcame the calming effects of the little lavender flowers she had painted on her bedroom walls.
Maleficent strode out of her bedroom and shouted, "Silence!"
'Was it too hard to try and get just one good night's sleep!?' she raged in her mind.
She turned to Diablo and said, "You, tell those fools to..."
Maleficent gasped and covered her mouth.
Diablo had been turned to stone!
She turned and saw the blue dot of tiny Merryweather fly behind a wall. Then she could see Prince Phillip riding away escorted by Flora and Fauna.
Her goons were too slow to drop the portcullis and raise the crumbling drawbridge, but only the help of the fairies allowed Phillip to escape the fall to his doom.
Maleficent climbed her tower to get a clear view of the situation as Phillip and the fairies raced away.
With a swirl of her staff she brought down a rock arch, but Phillip was able to bounce the rocks off his shield.
She blasted the causeway to block his escape, she wanted him alive so she could cause enormous suffering, but Samson was able to slide down the slope and jump a smaller gap.
As Phillip reached the bottom of the causeway and race toward King Stefan's castle, Maleficent twirled her staff over her head and cast a massive spell.
"A forest of thorn shall be his tomb.
"Born though the skies on a fog of doom.
"Now go with the curse and serve me well,
"Round Stefan's castle cast my spell!"
She sent the spell-filled, crackling black cloud toward the castle easily overtaking the speeding rider and his flying escort.
The spell licked the ground around the castle and vines quickly grew with their thorns interlocked.
Maleficent laughed in triumph as Phillip side to a stop in the embrace of the thorns.
But the laugher cut off quickly as he chopped his way through the heavy thorns and made it to the bridge to the castle.
"No, it cannot be!" Maleficent shouted. Flames rose around her as with a swirl of magic teleported herself to the gate of King Stefan's castle.
"Now shall you deal with me, O Prince. And all the powers of hell!"
Her heart pounds as she begins a new spell. With a massive explosion of magic Maleficent transformed herself into a dragon. The transformation felt so good and she laughed. The look of fear on the faces of the fairies were so gratifying.
The puny prince actually charged her. How brave. How noble. How foolish. A precisely aimed blast of fire and Phillip was knocked off his horse. She didn't really have any malice against the horse and so she let him escape.
That shield was stronger then it looked, the fairies must have given it to him. He should have been burned to a crisp.
No matter, he is standing on a bridge. With another blast of her fiery breathe she shattered the bridge under the prince's feet.
He scrambled to safety, but did not retreat.
So you still defy me, princeling? Defy this!
Maleficent can feel the heat of her own fire on her snout as she forced Phillip back, moving closer, then snapping her jaws on him, but he dodged.
Then he was gone.
Maleficent moved forward carefully, he had to be around here somewhere. She found him the hard way as he revealed himself by bringing his sword down on her snout.
She growled in surprise, as she snapped at him. He swung that ineffective sword at her face but she reared back and set fire to her thorn forest. She might not be able to get through his shield but she can go around it by setting everything on fire.
The fires and smoke obscured her vision, but soon she saw Phillip climbing a cliff.
Maleficent glided over and snapped at him to keep him off balance. He was at eye level to her this way so she easily climbed the cliff and forced him back step by step. Phillip was courageous but he was no match for her in this form. She saw him lose his footing and she blasted away his shield.
Maleficent laughed. True love didn't really exist and so was not powerful as everyone said it was. She would prove that now, rather then wait.
Were those foolish fairies trying something now? That sword was useless against her, hadn't they seen that already.
She reared back for a final lunge that would see the end of Phillip.
Phillip threw the sword.
How useless that was.
Maleficent felt the sword penetrate her breast.
How could this be? Could true love really exist? She knew her dragon form was big enough to give her some time to do some things even now.
She lunged at Phillip but missed. She fell as the cliff crumbled under them. She let out a billow of smoke, as she felt another spell take hold of her.
And everything went black.