Derranged
"If only I could read the signs in front of me
I could find the way to who I'm meant to be"
Chapter 3: Through the woods
No water. No food. Slim chance of survival on the run. The imperial guards would be chasing her soon.
When King Adam retired from the public eye after a nasty scandal involving Princess Jasmine and Princess Cinderella, he quickened the coronation of his son, Prince Ben. Now that all of Aurodon's attention was on Aurodon's favorite son, King Adam could retreat to lick his wounds in secrecy.
King Ben's first order of business was to determine the state of things on the Isle of the Lost. He created a special elite unit of guards to police Aurodon's laws on the Isle until he could make sense of the current state of things. As if things weren't hard enough with poverty and hopelessness of any sense of proper living, the criminals that lashed out their fury on eachother would now be forced to suffer in silence. The Imperial guards were comprised of soldiers from each division of Aurodon and were properly trained to detain and punish the Isle's reprobates with extreme prejudice. The murder of Maleficient would definitely reach the ears of the Guards and Mal would be found and brought to justice. Jafar had his hands removed after the Guards discovered his treasure trove of stolen items. Queen Grimhilde was flogged publically after she was seen illegally importing beauty products from the mainland. Ursula was beheaded after two of the people she was holding captive died from dehydration. Cruella hadn't been seen for years and the guards had no reason to inquire into her further.
With the main villains of the island subdued and punished, the lower tier villains in line and obeyed the rules. When the goblins of the island stopped by the castle to see Maleficient and bring her supplies, they were going to know something was wrong. Mal did not have the supplies or ability to dispose of the body or erase all traces of the crime. Someone would know what she did and she would die because of it. That would be a sorry, petty end to a girl whose life had been one long torture session with only brief, miniscule shreds of happiness.
Despite all of the odds stacked against her, she continued to run. There must be SOMEWHERE she could go.
Through the chill and the sudden rainstorm that somehow penetrated the dome's protective barrier, Mal fought her way through the bushes and brush of the forest until she could make out a tall, looming structure in the distance. She brushed the water from her eyes and squinted. It was a house. A large, three structure Victorian house with spiked steeples and an ominous window in the center of the tallest, middle peak. The house was surrounded by a stone wall and iron bars. Mal could make out the name above the middle gate. "DeVill".
Carlos! This was Carlos's house! He would help her!
Mal rushed over to the gate and searched for a way to open it. It wasn't locked, nor was it chained up. Alas, it would not budge open at all. Mal cursed. She had been running for hours and was in desperate need of food, clothing, and shelter. The Imperial Guards would be on her any minute, and she would not stand a chance, especially from Razul's son, Fazhal. He was particularly viscious and once he was on your trail, he would never stop. He seemed to take after his father, who made it his personal mission to catch and bring Aladdin to justice.
After giving up on the gate, Mal took a few steps back and made a running leap for the stone wall. She was able to clutch one of the top stones, but slipped off and fell a few feet onto the ground. She gritted her teeth and cursed, trying to surpress a sob. She shook off the pain and stepped even further back to get a running start. She was about to run when she saw a flicker of light in the upstairs window of the house. A tall, dark figure was pacing in the room. Mal could see the black and white hair sticking up from the back of that head and the long fur coat.
Cruella was active after all. Mal had figured that she died long ago, the rumors circulated throughout the island for years. No one had seen her in public for years.
Mal wondered if she would help her after all this time. Her and her mother weren't exactly friends, but what was there to lose?
Cruella could turn her over to the Imperial Guards. Carlos was her obedient son, though he received about as much abuse as Mal got from her own mother. Perhaps if she could get to Carlos, she would have a chance.
After two attempts, Mal was able to get a hold of the iron bars above the stone wall and pull herself up. She lept over the wall into Cruella's yard, which was littered with naked trees and barren gardens. It was less of a yard and more like a cemetery, thought Mal.
She figured knocking was going to alert Cruella, so she snuck around the house and tried to see if Carlos was in any of the rooms. Window by window showed empty rooms until Mal happened upon the kitchen, where a meal of sandwiches and milk were on the table. Mal's stomach rumbled and she clutched it. She had not eaten for almost two days. Maleficent had neglected to feed her in the dungeon. When she fled, there was no edible food in the kitchen and no clean drinking water to take. The vile liquid was all that remained.
Mal abandoned her quest to find Carlos and chose to allow her primal instincts to take over. The meal in the kitchen was now her goal. She gingerly slid open the window and climbed inside. When she swung her legs over and placed her feet to the floor. She removed her tattered tennis shoes and set them aside. One step at a time, she inched closer and closer to the meal in front of her. She was so concerned with sustenance that she forgot to close the window. A strong gust of wind blew through the window and the candelabra on the table fell over with a loud clang. Mal froze in terror. Footsteps sounded overhead and scuffling was heard as a figure rushed down the hall, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Mal was terrified to turn around, but she did so slowly.