Game of Hearts (Original Version)

Chapter 7

Maleficent paced in front of the magic mirror before her, growing more and more frustrated. She had been trying for hours, but the mirror couldn't conjure up the image she wanted.

"Again. Show me the princess, ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈." She commanded, and the mirror's surface distorted her image and began to swirl with green smoke. She waited, crossing her arms and scowling, until the smoke finally cleared and revealed an image so blurred and hazy she could only make out a few colors. Green, gold, (hair color), and (skin color), and that was it. Maleficent scoffed and her hands balled into fists.

"What magic is keeping you from me?" She pondered aloud, studying the image the mirror was reflecting, hoping to see some kind of clue as far as where you were, even if it was just a landscape. She couldn't make out a single thing. She bit her lip so hard it drew blood, and she waved her hand over the mirror, the image going black once again, and reflecting her own glaring face. "Show me King Stephen."

Once again the mirror swirled with green smoke before clearing up to reveal the king of the Enchanted Dominion as he sat on his throne. The bags under his eyes and the lines that a serious lack of sleep had put on his face made it look as though he had aged ten years since she had last spied on him. Someone else was in the room next to him, though the mirror could only show the image of the person she was asking after. She could only assume it was one of his generals advising him on what to do now to try and get his youngest daughter back.

"Who could have taken you? And where would they be hiding you?" Maleficent asked no one in particular as she waved her hand over the mirror again, having it show her huntsman next, hoping that he might have caught up with you by now. For you to be hidden from her as you were, there must have been someone helping you. Something had to be keeping you from her grasp. The mirror cleared to show the huntsman crouched down, a knife in his hand as he carved something out of a dark shadowed figure. She was able to deduce that it wasn't the body of any princess, nor any werewolf. "Despicable boy, who have you killed now?" She watched him with little interest as she studied his surroundings. He was clearly in the woodlands, but she couldn't tell much else about where he was or what he was doing. With a final pull of his knife, blood splattered his face and he groaned in disgust. His wolf came over and began trying to lick his face, and Maleficent scoffed again and cleared the image.

She was now faced with her own reflection, and she looked into her own eyes with a grim expression on her face. She put her hands on either side of the mirrors frame and leaned in on it threateningly, as though daring it to fail her again.

"Show me my daughter..."

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"Axel, he's hurt." You said quietly, tucking your hair behind your ear. It was cut so short during your escape from that mad man, and you weren't used to it being in your face like it was now. It was normally stuck behind your shoulders for the most part, but now it wasn't even long enough to touch them. The boy who had saved you—and cut your hair—was following behind the two of you, doing a poor job of perusing without your knowledge due to his limp. He was stumbling around and breaking twigs, and using the trees as support every few feet.

"If he gets any closer, he's going to be a lot more hurt." Axel shot back, loudly so the boy could hear him. You wanted to stop and help him, and Axel clearly didn't.

"Oh come on, he saved me." You argued back in a whisper.

"He also held a knife to your throat."

The boy began coughing, and fell to his knees, holding a hand over his side where blood began to soak through the strip of fabric he had tied around his waist.