Mal's lips pursed as she kept walking, shoulders rigid. Lesson absorbed.
Sadly it was her mother's lesson, not Mallia's.
That her human half was, once again, the issue. That she couldn't take a hut as well, that she'd always be an ineffective enemy at best. Her hands tightened into fists.
One of those fists hit a flower, however.
Maleficent sat upon her throne like chair in the ramshackle castle from which she ruled on the Isle. "Oh I suppose it's not your fault you're such a disappointment, dear," she said to a young Mal. Child Mal was maybe as much as eight or nine. "I should have known better than to take up with a weakling human like him. Still, one would have thought there would some of me in you," she said, shaking her head. She gestured the kid closer.
Little Mal inched closer to her mother, tried not to flinch as sharp nails drifted across her face without breaking skin.
"See, that's what I'm talking about. Weak. If you were like me you'd be fearless. But then... I suppose you're weak and useless like he is. I suppose fear makes sense for someone who will probably die young and miserably. Still... you carry some part of my name, dear. Do try and live up to that. I had thought that one day you'd be able to earn the rest of your name... but..." she moved viper fast, grabbed the child's arm and pushed up her sleeve, showing a large nasty bruise. "You thought somehow I wouldn't know that you lost that fight?" Disgusted she let go of the child. "When I was your age I was already making my name, showing my mother I was the baddest of my generation. But you let that... that.... ugh... his parents are both human. You should have had at least some advantage."
Little Mal's shoulders squared back, her chin lifted, but her lip wobbled. "His brothers helped..." she mumbled.
"So?" the woman snapped. "You should have been able to take them all. Their father is just a blowhard with an overinflated ego. You let them get you again, Mal, and you look weak. Well, you are weak of course. Human, pathetic. But you can't let them see that. So you go to your room young lady and don't dare come out until you've plotted a proper revenge to show them all that you're not to be trifled with."
"Yo... you really think I can, mother?" she whispered.
"You had better! If people think they can walk all over you they might be foolish enough to try it with me, and then I'll have to burn down half the Isle to make a point. You can't look weak, not when people see you and think of me. you want to keep even the bit of your name you have go upstairs and come up with something truly evil. If you have to be depressingly human, find some other way to make them suffer. Now go. I'm tired of looking at you."
Little Mal fled upstairs, running through modern Mal as the vision ended.
Mal had been hidden by the illusion, more or less. But when it vanished, there was nothing between her and Mallia. Nothing to keep Mallia from seeing the pained and stricken look for a moment before Mal slammed down a wall of anger over it.
"I am so done with this flower nonsense..." she said, seriously considering starting a rather large fire herself. Her eyes, still lined with unspilled tears started to glow green.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
CW: verbal abuse/gaslightingRe: cw for prior violence?
Date: 2023-10-17 07:34 am (UTC)Sadly it was her mother's lesson, not Mallia's.
That her human half was, once again, the issue. That she couldn't take a hut as well, that she'd always be an ineffective enemy at best. Her hands tightened into fists.
One of those fists hit a flower, however.
Maleficent sat upon her throne like chair in the ramshackle castle from which she ruled on the Isle. "Oh I suppose it's not your fault you're such a disappointment, dear," she said to a young Mal. Child Mal was maybe as much as eight or nine. "I should have known better than to take up with a weakling human like him. Still, one would have thought there would some of me in you," she said, shaking her head. She gestured the kid closer.
Little Mal inched closer to her mother, tried not to flinch as sharp nails drifted across her face without breaking skin.
"See, that's what I'm talking about. Weak. If you were like me you'd be fearless. But then... I suppose you're weak and useless like he is. I suppose fear makes sense for someone who will probably die young and miserably. Still... you carry some part of my name, dear. Do try and live up to that. I had thought that one day you'd be able to earn the rest of your name... but..." she moved viper fast, grabbed the child's arm and pushed up her sleeve, showing a large nasty bruise. "You thought somehow I wouldn't know that you lost that fight?" Disgusted she let go of the child. "When I was your age I was already making my name, showing my mother I was the baddest of my generation. But you let that... that.... ugh... his parents are both human. You should have had at least some advantage."
Little Mal's shoulders squared back, her chin lifted, but her lip wobbled. "His brothers helped..." she mumbled.
"So?" the woman snapped. "You should have been able to take them all. Their father is just a blowhard with an overinflated ego. You let them get you again, Mal, and you look weak. Well, you are weak of course. Human, pathetic. But you can't let them see that. So you go to your room young lady and don't dare come out until you've plotted a proper revenge to show them all that you're not to be trifled with."
"Yo... you really think I can, mother?" she whispered.
"You had better! If people think they can walk all over you they might be foolish enough to try it with me, and then I'll have to burn down half the Isle to make a point. You can't look weak, not when people see you and think of me. you want to keep even the bit of your name you have go upstairs and come up with something truly evil. If you have to be depressingly human, find some other way to make them suffer. Now go. I'm tired of looking at you."
Little Mal fled upstairs, running through modern Mal as the vision ended.
Mal had been hidden by the illusion, more or less. But when it vanished, there was nothing between her and Mallia. Nothing to keep Mallia from seeing the pained and stricken look for a moment before Mal slammed down a wall of anger over it.
"I am so done with this flower nonsense..." she said, seriously considering starting a rather large fire herself. Her eyes, still lined with unspilled tears started to glow green.