Getting To Know You

[Queen Grimhilde]

(January 10th. Open to Queen Grimhilde & Maleficent.)

Queen Grimhilde walked into the living room. She'd calmed down since seeing Critic's review of her the day before. But she was still a bit touchy about it. She sighed as she sat down wondering if they were going to do anything. They'd been making battle plans and rescue plans the past couple days. She knew Ask That Guy's army would be expecting a rescue. She hoped they knew what they were doing especially with a few of their members injured including Maleficent and their leader Nostalgia Critic. She grabbed a hand mirror lying on the table and began looking at her reflection as she waited for someone else to show up.

[Deleted]

Where is it?

Maleficent rummaged through the drawers of her bedside table, her frustration mounting. Next she checked the table itself, small dresser, even beneath the bed. Still nothing. The fairy growled and ran a hand over her eyes. The item which so eluded her was an ointment Splinter had prescribed that was meant to be applied to her wounds daily, something she had insisted on doing herself. And she had lost it. How could she have lost something so important? This sort of thing had never happened to her before, ever. She was a person who kept everything in her realm orderly and took pride in that fact.

I can’t understand it.

Maleficent mentally ran through all the places she’d been in the last twenty-four hours. She was certain that she’d put it in her table drawer, but it was possible that she’d actually left it somewhere else. The fairy went downstairs to check the living room, and sure enough, the ointment was right on the coffee table. Maleficent frowned.

The stress must be getting to me, that’s all.

For the last day, they had been throwing themselves into formulating rescue plans to free the Chick and Morpheus from Ask ThatGuy’s clutches. It was a time-consuming process, and the fact that she was apparently forbidden to actually kill anybody meant that Maleficent’s ideas were usually inadmissible, something which agitated her to no end.

Reaching over to grab the ointment, Maleficent suddenly became aware that she wasn’t alone. Grimhilde was there, admiring her reflection in a hand mirror. The fairy’s frown had nothing to do with the queen’s presence or vanity – she hated mirrors.

“Pardon me. I didn’t wish to interrupt.”

[Queen Grimhilde]

Queen Grimhilde turned seeing Maleficent and smiled setting the hand mirror down.

"It's alright. I was just checking my reflection. I wish I'd brought my Magic Mirror with me. It would certainly help. We could spy on the other army perhaps find a weakness to rescue those two who were captured." said Queen Grimhilde.

She smiled at her before spying the ointment.

"Are you feeling any better?" asked Queen Grimhilde.

[Deleted]

“Magic Mirror?”

Maleficent paused and raised an eyebrow at Grimhilde’s words. She would have never pegged the queen as someone who knew anything about the art of magic. Particularly an item which could apparently spy on enemies, something which admittedly aroused the fairy’s curiosity quite a bit. She tried hard not to let it show.

“How… interesting,” was all she said, keeping her tone cool and almost sarcastic, as though this bit of information was nothing new to her.

At Grimhilde’s question, Maleficent nodded.

“Yes, my wounds are healing quite nicely,” she replied, editing out the fact that her back was still causing her not inconsiderable amounts of pain, particularly at night. It wouldn’t do to look weak.

You got what you came for, now leave.

Somehow, however, Maleficent’s feet refused to move and though she opened her mouth to say good-bye to Grimhilde, no words came out. She had never had the opportunity to speak to someone so… so like herself before, and she didn’t want to waste it.

“So,” she said instead, “would you like to tell me what you did to be labeled a villain?”

[Queen Grimhilde]

"Yes I have a Magic Mirror back in my kingdom. Along with a few spellbooks and potions I can use. That's how I poisoned Snow White." said Queen Grimhilde.

She smiled glad Maleficent was feeling better. She still was annoyed the others were more upset about the enemy than one of their own.

"Well Snow White's mother died shortly after giving birth to her. And her father wanted a new mother for his daughter so he married me. I didn't personally care about the child but who would resist the chance at being a queen. I did love him but it wasn't meant to be. He died a few years after that. I continued to raise my stepdaughter but as a servant instead of a princess as I grew jealous of her beauty.

Every day I asked my Magic Mirror who was the fairest one of all and most of the time he answered me. When it was another maiden I had them killed. But one day it was Snow White. I ordered my huntsman to take her into the forest and kill her giving him a box to put her heart in. However he tricked me by putting in the heart of a pig instead and letting her flee into the forest. She found sanctuary in the cottage of the seven dwarfs.

I learned about this from my Magic Mirror and consulted my spell books. First I transformed myself into an old woman so I wouldn't be recognized. My second spell was the Sleeping Death Curse I placed inside an apple. I went to the cottage while the dwarfs were away in the mines. I told her the apple was a magic wishing apple and with one bite her wish wouldcome true. She fell for it and took a bite falling into a deep sleep.

The dwarves discovered me and chased me to a cliff where I tried to stop them. A lightning bolt struck the cliff and I fell over to my death. But I awoke here alive and well and back in my original form. After watching the review I learned they put Snow White in a glass coffin instead of burying her underground like I originally thought. Then her prince broke the spell with true love's kiss and they lived happily ever after."

She sighed in annoyance wishing she hadn't waited so long in the cottage. Or made something else to use for a quick escape.

"I was in such a hurry to get rid of her I didn't think of a plan to escape. I didn't think the dwarfs would return in time." said Queen Grimhilde.

She paused glancing at Maleficent as she remembered Critic's review she'd seen earlier.

"What about you? Did you really curse that girl to die at 16?" asked Queen Grimhilde.

[Deleted]

“How interesting,” Maleficent purred when Grimhilde finished telling her story. Her words were genuine – such things didn’t happen where she was from. “And here I was, thinking I was the only one of my kind here.”

Grimhilde asked about her, and the fairy felt herself begin to smile as well.

“That and more. The princess’s parents neglected to send me an invitation to her christening, so I invited myself and cursed the child to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die before the sun set on her sixteenth birthday. It was a brilliant curse, but unfortunately it was softened by one of three insipid good fairies, Merryweather, so that true love’s kiss would break it.”

Maleficent’s eyes flashed at the thought of the blue-clad fairy.

“Aurora was hidden for sixteen years, during which I send my goblin army to find her. They, however, spent those years looking for a baby. My raven, Diablo, was able to find her in a matter of hours, enabling me to go to the castle and make ready for her arrival. I hypnotized her and forced her to prick her finger. I next set about capturing her true love, who turned out to be a prince betrothed to her since birth, and locking him in my dungeon. It seemed as though I had won.”

At this, Maleficent couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh.

“Unfortunately, the fairies managed to free Prince Phillip and escape my realm. I of course tried to stop them, even turned into a dragon, but they managed to kill me anyhow and… turn my raven to stone.”

She lowered her head for a moment, ashamed that she couldn’t protect her only friend.

“I spent a period of time – I don’t know how long, but it felt like years – in a sort of limbo where there was only darkness and silence. Then I was brought here and wound up joining this army. As you saw a few days ago, I’m still getting used to the way things are run.”

Maleficent scowled at that, some of her undying bitterness returning.

[Queen Grimhilde]

Queen Grimhilde frowns as she hears Maleficent's raven had been turned to stone as she listened to her entire story.

"I'm sorry you lost him. I also had a raven as my friend. I left him behind in my castle when I went to poison Snow White. I'm grateful I didn't take him with me so he didn't fall into that chasm like I did." said Queen Grimhilde.

She frowned remembering offering the apple to the bird. She had only been joking at the time and hadn't spent much time with him as Maleficent had with Diablo. She envied Maleficent's friendship with her familiar. Queen Grimhilde regretted neglected her raven friend as she had spent more time in front of a mirror than taking care of him. She sighed before turning to Maleficent and smiled.

"It appears we both had some incompetent help. But once we went after them ourselves our plans worked. If it wasn't for those meddling dwarfs, fairies, and princes they would have." said Queen Grimhilde.

[Deleted]

“Thank you.”

Maleficent accepted Grimhilde’s condolences with a small nod and hastily set about removing all traces of guilt and grief from her face. Her pride would not allow her to appear vulnerable, even if it was only for a few moments.

“You’re lucky that your own raven still lives,” she added, trying hard to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

The queen’s next comment made the fairy roll her eyes. It was all true, unfortunately.

“‘Incompetent’ is quite the understatement. Why I ever trusted those fools with something so important I’ll never know – never send a goblin to do a villainess’s job. And as for those Good Fairies…”

Here Maleficent’s face scrunched up in almost comical distaste.

“The less I say about them, the better. I’ve already destroyed some of the Critic’s furniture. I doubt he'll be pleased with me losing my temper and ruining more of his things."

[Queen Grimhilde]

Que

en Grimhilde nodded not really sure what else to say. So she focused on the conversation instead.

"Yes. He was alive when I left him but he could be dead now. I'm beginning to wonder if I want to go back." said Queen Grimhilde.

She nodded to her frowning at their henchmen.

"I guess we had different problems. And you're right. No need to talk any more about our incompetent henchmen or our enemies from home. Although I really don't want Snow White or the dwarves to show up here. They would join this side for sure." said Queen Grimhilde.

She sighed before hearing Maleficent had destroyed some of Critic's furniture and chuckled.

"Before or after you saw the video?" she asked.

She smiled before continuing.

"Well it doesn't really matter if the whole living room is destroyed by us or our enemies. He can always replace anything he owns eventually once we win the war." said Queen Grimhilde.

[Deleted]

Maleficent chuckled at the idea.

“Those fairies would join this side too, as well as Aurora and Phillip. Oh what a shock they would get when they discovered that they had to fight alongside me.”

She continued to chuckle, imagining what the fairies’ faces would look like if such a thing were to happen, and a part of her almost hoped that they would show up at some point. It would be entertaining, if nothing else.

“Before,” Maleficent replied in answer to the question about the destroyed furniture. “I was giving Jasmine a demonstration of my power and I got a bit… carried away.”

[Queen Grimhilde]

Grimhilde smiled at that hearing her demonstration of the power.

"Good to see your magic works here. I wish I had your power. I could have turned into a bird or something and flown away instead of falling off that cliff. But enough of the past. I'm more worried about the future." said Queen Grimhilde.

She paused glancing down at the medicine in Maleficent's hand.

"You were hurt in the last battle, and so were others. Two members of our army were captured and most of this army is so inexperienced including myself. I don't know of a magical way to make our army stronger and it take months or years to train an army perfectly. And we may not have that time." said Grimhilde.

[Deleted]

Maleficent scoffed.

“This is not an army,” she said, her voice dripping with scorn. “We are, at best, a ragtag group of fighters, and not a particularly good one at that. We’ve only fought in one battle and already we have a retreat, on our records. Not to mention the fact that two of our own were captured, and no one has the common sense to implement proper interrogation techniques on our own hostage!”

This wasn’t even taking into account the fact that there were children fighting in their ranks. Serious measures would have to be taken if they were to have any hope of getting their fellows back.

[Queen Grimhilde]

I know. Perhaps we should find that device when we get our rescue mission. If we can't use it to get home we might at least be able to bring more help. I'd even take goody too shoes heroes and princes at this rate just as long as we win." said Queen Grimhilde.

She frowned wishing she had been able to bring her spellbooks or Magic Mirror with her.

"Your magic seems to work in this world. I wonder if mine will. I know a few spells to make from memory. I think I'll try making some once I get ingredients to try making some potions." said Queen Grimhilde.

[Deleted]

Maleficent raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t a bad idea, not at all. One of the keys to winning a war was to have strength in numbers. It wouldn’t guarantee anything of course, but it would certainly help tip the scales in their favor.

“I quite agree,” the fairy replied, smirking faintly once more at the thought of Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora – or even their parents – reacting to having to fight alongside her. “Although I suspect the main problem with that would be their unwillingness to cooperate with necessary procedures.”

Maleficent nodded at Grimhilde’s remark about magic.

“Well, if my magic is still able to function in this world, I see no reason why yours shouldn’t. Why don’t you try one of your spells, and then we’ll know for sure.”

[Queen Grimhilde]

"Perhaps we should keep it between ourselves for now. If we find the device while on the rescue mission we can use it. I know those other fools would consider it dangerous and try to stop us if we told them. But if we find it and get more help I know they'll be happy about it." said Queen Grimhilde.

She paused considering her magic. She knew she couldn't use her Sleeping Death spell as she didn't have anyone to test it on. And they'd probably banned her from the kitchen anyway.

"Hmm. Perhaps my mirror spell." said Queen Grimhilde.

She walked over to a mirror in the hallway.

"Mirror on the wall a favor I ask of thee.
A vision I wish to see.
Reveal to me where my enemies reside.
And show me our lost allies inside."

She stopped and waited. At first, nothing seemed to happen but then the mirror began to glow green and an image began swirling onto the mirror. First of Ask That Guy's home and then finally of Nostalgia Chick and Morpheus both imprisoned in electronic cage.

"It actually worked. They appear to alright for the moment." said Queen Grimhilde.