Green Eyes and Blue Flames

Exile

...The monster was slain, the brave and noble prince rescued his true love, and Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip lived happily ever after...

Except for me.

It's been over a month since Princess Aurora and her Prince Phillip took back their precious kingdom. And I must say, that little princess is much more clever than I first believed. Tricking me into setting everyone else free so they could defeat me in the end? I may have underestimated that girl... that WON'T happen again.

Maleficent slammed the leather bound book shut and tossed her quill pen to the side, letting out an exasperated sigh. Everyone in the kingdom now thought she was dead... but they were wrong. Prince Phillip may have awakened Princess Aurora a second time, but he didn't defeat Maleficent for good. While she was in her dragon form, she had threatened to bite him with her venomous fangs... but she had bitten her own tail instead. However the venom in her razor sharp teeth didn't kill her; it only caused her to fall into a temporary coma and she recovered within a few days. Six weeks have passed since then and for Maleficent, life has become downright dull.

"I never realized how boring living in exile can be." She said to herself just as her beloved raven Diablo perched on one of the arms of her throne. "But at least I still have you, my pet." She held out her hand, the black bird hopped onto it, and he affectionately nuzzled her face. She sighed again. "So what should we do now?"

Diablo flapped his wings and gestured for his mistress to follow him through a hall to her left.

"The library? Alright. Since I have nothing better to do this evening, I might as well catch up on some of my reading." Maleficent stood from her throne, grabbed her scepter, and followed her dear companion.

She walked through the halls until she came across a set of large double doors. She opened them and entered a large dark room; she waved her scepter over her head and the candles in the old brass chandelier hanging from the ceiling flickered to life, bringing a soft pale light into the library. The dark fairy descended a set of stairs, where a few sets of bookshelves were located. She scanned the spines of the many books and tomes she owned, hoping to find something decent to read.

"Hmmm, let's see." She trailed off. "A Brief History of the Frog, the Toad, and the Newt? No, I'm not fond of amphibians. The Life and Times of Hagatha the Heinous? No, I've read that one five times already. The Unabridged History of Amulets and Charms? No, too long. The Legend of the Silver Haired Witch? A classic, but no. The Seized and the Deceased? Tempting, but not tonight. Vice and Virtue? Absolutely not." She let out a sigh before one book in particular caught her eye. She removed it from the shelf and read the title on the cover.

"Greek Tales, Legends, and Myths? I don't recall seeing this book before." Maleficent said to herself, raising an eyebrow.

Even though she was skeptical and a little suspicious, she decided to take a look anyway. She went over to her ebony wood desk, sat down, lit a candle, opened the book, and began to read. Diablo then perched on his mistress's left shoulder and scanned the pages of the book, silently reading along with her. As she read, Maleficent was intrigued by the many tales, stories, and creatures of Greek Mythology and she quickly developed a desire to learn more. Then she came across a story that piqued her interest; it was the tale of the mighty Hercules.

"Diablo, have you ever heard of Hercules?" Maleficent asked; Diablo shook his head. "Well according to this, he was known as the strongest man on earth and possibly the greatest hero the Grecian Empire has ever seen." She looked in the book to see a portrait of Hercules in battle. "He has gone on quests, battled many fearsome monsters, and saved countless lives, and he has even rescued the love of his life, a young woman by the name of Megara." She turned the page to see Hercules and a woman in a purple dress holding hands. "Ugh, those lovesick fools."

Diablo cawed, urging his mistress to continue reading. She chuckled. "Alright, alright. You've always enjoyed a good story."

The bird cawed and squawked with delight.

Maleficent continued. "Before meeting Hercules, Megara had a lover once before, Adonis the Prince of Thrace. She loved him so much that she had sold her soul to the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, to save Adonis's life. But shortly after Adonis recovered, he immediately broke Megara's heart and left her for another woman. Therefore, Megara was left in the service of Hades. When she met Hercules, she sacrificed herself to save him. Distraught with grief, Hercules ventured down to the Underworld to rescue his love. And in doing so, Hercules had become a god... but in the end, he chose to stay on earth with Megara." She rolled her eyes and groaned in disgust. "What a ridiculous sentiment." She went on. "After Hercules and Megara were married and had a family of their own, they both ascended to Mt. Olympus. Hercules became the God of Heroes and Megara was now the Goddess of Inner Strength. And their many descendants lived on and spread across the globe. And as for the Lord of the Dead?"

"The moment Hercules threw Hades into the River Styx; no one has seen or heard from him since." She turned the page to see the image of a man with gray skin and dark clothes being dragged down into the River of Souls. But when she did, Maleficent noticed something fall from the book and onto the floor. She picked it up and saw that it was a folded up piece of parchment.

"What's this?" She asked, unfolding the paper.

It was some kind of message. It read:

"Whoever finds this, listen very carefully. If you wish to free the Lord of the Dead from his prison, follow these instructions. Perform the first spell on this paper, go down to the Underworld, recite the second spell, and when you do, Lord Hades will finally be set free."

Maleficent raised an eyebrow and gave her pet a confused look.

"Do you think I should?" She asked.

Diablo cocked his head to the side, as if he was shrugging. Maleficent looked at the paper again and smirked.

"...I'll give it a try. What have I got to lose? Guards!"

A trio of ugly looking goblins ran into the library as fast as they could and stood at attention in front of their mistress. They gave her a salute.

"What is it you command, mistress?" One goblin asked.

"I need you three to fetch me some things." Maleficent commanded. "I need a piece of chalk, some large candles, and a bottle of ink. And make sure the ink is jet black. Go!"

"Yes, mistress! None shall avert us from our task!" The goblins said before running out the door, nearly tripping over each other.

Maleficent sighed and shook her head. "Imbeciles..."

When they came back with what she wanted, the dark fairy immediately set to work. She took the chalk and drew an angry skull on a stone wall adjacent to the stairs, then she melted the candles in a large glass bowl. When the candles were melted completely, she slowly poured the hot melted wax onto the drawing along with the black ink. Maleficent stared in bewilderment as the mixed liquids dripped down on its surface, then disappeared as the chalk on the wall soaked them in like a sponge. In its wake, a small light began to glow. The more she poured onto the wall, the stronger the glow became. As the last drop hit its surface, it glowed brighter than a star.

"It's working. Now for the final step." She said to herself, glancing at the parchment. She cleared her throat and turned back to the drawing. "Transitus Expelium Ordinio!"

The moment the incantation was spoken, the wall with the drawing on it slowly opened into a large hole. Maleficent was shocked; she had never performed a spell like this before. After a moment, she looked into the hole to see a long set of stairs leading downward. Diablo was just about to fly away when his mistress stopped him.

"Not so fast. I think you should come, too." She said. The raven squawked in disappointment before flying over and gently landing on Maleficent's shoulder.

Swallowing the lump in her throat and taking a calming breath, the dark fairy started to descend the stairs with her dear raven at her side.