Maleficent's Training
I own nothing, I just enjoy playing in Disney's sandbox from time to time. Fanfiction is just that, fiction by fans. I have already ignored the canon of Jay's mom, so you know that I am not above re-writing backstories to fit my vision.
I apologize for the delay in posting. This was a difficult chapter to write, and I have changed it several times. I struggled between a desire to continue writing the fun relationship between Jay, Mal and Scheherazade, or moving the story along. Chapters two through four were actually last-minute additions, as I kept rewriting this chapter.
This chapter explains Mal's magic and the reason why she is so guarded later in the story. It was hard to write, but knew that this chapter had to happen. I have a final goal in mind for this story, and you won't see the driving force behind Mal's actions until later. What happens in this chapter has a great impact on her future development, and I just hope that you don't hate me at the end of it.
**WARNING** This story does contain child abuse, and this chapter deals with murder. If you have difficulty with either topic, then either proceed with caution or hit the back button.
A guest posted that they would write their own version of this unless I posted soon. I do not respond to threats, but I had been spending some of the COVID-19 quarantine time on writing. I am still working around my job, but I am now working from home. If this guest wants to write their own version of the story, then please send me a link so I can read it. It is always fun to see how different people write from the same plot bunny. I would appreciate a shout out though, since I was apparently your inspiration!
Mal's point of view
"Again."
I looked up at my mother, sweat dripping down my face. She had been drilling me in magic during our "evil" lessons, and straining to perform the simplest of spells was draining. When I was three, my mother realized that I could do simple magic spells, even though we were on an isle warded against magic. She posited that only the magic of the villain's themselves were keyed into the magic inhibiting wards, and that the children were only tangentially affected. She believed that I was able to do simple spells because I was born from two magically powerful individuals, and that I would be extremely powerful myself if I was ever able to leave the Isle.
"Again."
I took a deep breath and repeated the spell she had been drilling me on for the past hour. "In darkest night, I lose my sight, so help me out and make a light." The spell sounded ridiculous, but it worked. I was able to create a small orb of light in my hand. It fizzled out after a few seconds though. When we first started, I could hold it for about a minute, but the strain of reaching for my magic had tired me out.
"I suppose that is enough for today." My mother finally admitted that I had reached my limit, and I sagged into the chair in front of her.
My connection to my magic was a bit staticky, like the poor connection our tv had when we tried to connect to stations from Auradon. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. My power had been growing over the years though. My mother had me drilling with my magic a few days a week, giving me at least a day of rest in between each session. I had memorized every spell in her spell book, but was only able to make a few of the lower level spells work.
"I suppose that wasn't a complete failure," my mother went on, "but you won't ever get better unless you practice, practice, practice. How could you ever learn to be evil, like me, if you can't even preform a simple illumination spell?"
During one of my early lessons, I made the mistake of asking her why I was expected to do the spell if she couldn't do it. If she was so powerful, and I was so worthless, then why could I do something she couldn't. I couldn't sit down for a week after that one, and never asked again. I learned to straddle a line between being showing magical skill than she had on the Isle, and remaining second best to her greater knowledge and, albeit bound, power.
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Two weeks later:
I crept along the hallway, desperate to reach my room before my mother realized that I was home. I had been with Jay and the mother of my heart all day, and I had missed a training session on being evil with Maleficent. Missing one of those sessions always resulted in a different lesson in pain. The last thing that I wanted was another beating, so I hoped that I could sneak in and that she would be calmer by the morning. I knew that if I stayed out all night that it would make things worse, so my only resort was to sneak in.
I made it through the door of my room and closed it softly. I turned and leaned my back against the door, breathing a sigh of relief as I closed my eyes. I'd made it. When I opened my eyes though, I stopped breathing in fear. My mother sat on my bed, her eyes glowing green with anger and an evil smirk on her face.
"Did you think that simply sneaking in was going to save you? Do you think that my memory is so bad that I wouldn't remember that you missed a session?" Her eyes bored into me, and her smirk did not drop.
I tried not to show fear, but my legs were shaking and the door behind me was the only thing keeping me upright. I knew that I had done it this time. The look on her face told me that there would be no mercy tonight. No excuse I would give, if I could even think of one through my fear, would be sufficient.
I braced myself, took a deep breath, and stepped forward. I kept my back straight, my head high, and looked straight ahead, trying not to show my fear. "I apologize for missing our meeting mother. It was disrespectful of me and it won't happen again." I hoped that I could assuage some of her anger by admitting my guilt and not trying to excuse it. I should have known that it wouldn't be enough.
Maleficent stood up and circled me, looking me up and down, the smirk never leaving her face. "You are right," she said, "it was disrespectful." She tapped her finger on her chin as she continued to circle me. "But I'm not sure that a simple statement that you 'won't do it again' is enough. A stronger lesson may be needed, so that you remember not to do it again.
I knew that pain was to follow that statement, but how much and what kind was a mystery. Maleficent had become more creative with her punishments lately, resulting in painful marks in areas where no one would see them. Her recent favorite was spanking me with a paddle covered in iron rivets. It left burning marks on my buttocks and upper legs, making it difficult to sit for several days. As long as she didn't hold the paddle to my skin though, the marks did face. Once she simply held it against my skin, and the resulting burns had scarred over. I hoped that the scars would fade, but only time would tell. Iron did not hurt me as much as it did my mother, but I did not recover from the burns as quickly as she did.
My mother continued to circle me a few more times until she halted in front of me. She grabbed my chin and looked into my eyes. I knew that she could see stubbornness and fear warring in my eyes, and I could only hope that what she saw did not aggravate her further. "You expect pain," she purred. "But I think that a new kind of pain is needed this time. It will take some planning though. You are to stay in your room until it is ready." She then left the room, locking the door on her way out.
I stood there, breathing hard. What did she mean? What kind of punishment was in store for me this time? I dreaded the opening of the door, but laid down to a fitful sleep when the clock struck 3AM and my mother had not yet returned. I knew that I would probably need to be rested for whatever she came up with, so I tried to prepare myself.
When I woke up the next day, it was almost noon. My mother had not yet returned. I wasn't sure if I wanted her to show up and get it over with, or delay the inevitable a few more hours. She hadn't given me any food, but I was able to slake my thirst in the bathroom attached to my room. The water had a bit of a metallic taste, but it helped to mask my hunger. I sat and watched the clock on the wall, waiting for my punishment.
Finally, my mother returned.
"Get up," my mother spat, then turned around and walked out. I followed her out to the enclosed courtyard behind out house. "Explain why you were late."
I looked warily at my mother, but her face remained impassive. I knew that my next words would directly impact the severity of my punishment. If I lied, and she actually knew what I had been doing, I was dead. If I told the truth, then the punishment would be harsh because I knew that she did not like me spending time with Jay and his mom. I decided that the likelihood of her already knowing where I had been was too high, so I opted for the truth. "I was at Jay's house yesterday."
My mother nodded her head, indicating that she already knew this. I was incredibly thankful that I had opted for the truth now, because being caught in a lie would only make things worse.
"You know that I don't like you hanging around at that house. Jafar was a good villain, but that wife of his has softened him and she holds too much sway over his son. Why they want anything to do with you to begin with I'll never know." She rolled her eyes as she spoke.
"Jay is my friend," I replied hotly, "and his mother is wonderful." My mother's eyes turned towards me then and pulsed green. I froze in terror. I had just broken two cardinal rules: don't ever argue with my mother during a punishment, and never call anyone a friend.
"You worthless girl," Maleficent exclaimed, "friends are a weakness and I will not have you coddled by Jafar's worthless wife Scheherazade. You are ten years old now, and it is time to grow up and smell the brimstone."
"She is a far better mother than you ever were," I shouted back, knowing that I would be punished further for my defiance.
My mother just grinned and told her goons to, "bring the worthless woman in."
I gasped as I saw Jay's mom dragged into the room. I could hardly recognize her; she was so badly beaten. I started crying as I shouted at my mother, "what have you done. Do anything you want with me, but leave her alone."
"Oh, I will do anything I want to you anyway, and I am going to remove this weakness from your life." My mother cackled evilly as she had her goons throw Jay's mom at my feet. "She has been beaten so badly that she will not survive. I will give you the chance to strike the fatal blow, or I will kill her son too. He will never want you after you kill his mother but he will live, or you stand by the family and they both die."
I cried for the first time in years, giant sobs wracking my body as I threw myself into one last, desperate hug with the woman who practically raised me. "It's okay Mal," Jay's mom whispered in my ear, "do as Maleficent asks so that my children may live, for you are as much my child as Jay is now."
I raised my eyes to the rooftops and saw Jay standing there. His shoulders were shaking, so I knew that he was crying, but he was hidden in the side of a chimney so Maleficent had not seen him. He caught my eyes and slowly nodded his head. He understood my dilemma and agreed with his mom. Striking the final blow to an already dying woman would redeem myself in my mother's eyes and cause her to ease up on my physical torment, and he knew that his mom was willing to die for us both.
My biological mother handed me a fireplace poker and egged me on. I closed my eyes and swung, hearing a wet crunch and feeling the skull of the mother of my heart give way. I gathered my wits about me and faced my mother with my head held high. "I understand your teachings now about weakness. I am now free to be as evil as you desire." My mother nodded with approval and walked away, leaving the body lying on the ground. Once she was gone, I collapsed on the only real mom I had ever known and felt my body shake with silent sobs. Jay slid down the rooftop and walked over, looking down at me hunched over his mother. "I am so sorry…" I started, but he held up his hand to stop me.
He had tears streaming down his face as he knelt down and reached towards me. I flinched before I heard him say in a strong voice, "it's okay." I looked at him in wonder. "I understand what you had to do and why you had to do it. Maleficent (he rarely called her my mother anymore) gave you no choice, and mom understood what she was asking of you." I threw myself at Jay and he caught me in a surprisingly strong embrace. "I've trusted you from the moment we met, and have loved you as my sister for six years. This changes nothing, and I would still follow you anywhere. You are stronger than you know, and now you need to show that strength to Maleficent. You can be yourself with me, but don't give her any reason to doubt your devotion to her. It is too dangerous for you, and I don't want you to be put in a position where you have to kill again."
I looked at Jay in awe. "What did I do to deserve you," I asked through my tears.
"You simply do, by being you." He smiled at me tenderly and then turned to his mother. "Let's get her home so we can bury her properly. And we don't need to tell my dad how or why she died."
