The Kingdom of Elias

Down The Rabbit Hole

The following morning Cyril was roused early by one of Flynn's aides. Flynn wanted a meeting with him before they set off for Buena Vista. Cyril saw that Oswald and Gwen were still sleeping so he quietly left the room and he followed the aide down to a large room with a cavernous fireplace in the center. The fire was lit, and Flynn and Belle were sitting, chatting, and waiting for Cyril. When he arrived, Flynn invited him to sit and offered some breakfast pastries and fruit. He also had tea and coffee brewing. Cyril took a seat and saw a fourth unoccupied chair.

"Are we expecting someone else?" Cyril asked Flynn.

"Yeah, my Sergeant at Arms, Vlad will be joining us momentarily," Flynn said with a tired grin.

He yawned as the early morning light trickled through the stained-glass window of the room. He sipped on his coffee. His aide sat behind him and had a stack of paper and a few writing instruments to take notes. Belle smiled at Cyril while she held her teacup in hand trying to stay warm in the cool morning air. He noticed that her cup had a small chip on the rim. She was wearing a beautiful maroon wrap across her shoulders, which seemed to beautifully accent the few grey streaks in her hair near her temples. Le Fou entered from a door behind Cyril and was carrying several large books. He wobbled and waddled under the weight of the stack. He attempted to carefully place them on the table without much success. Flynn chuckled to himself and shook his head in disappointment as he sipped more coffee.

After enjoying another moment of morning silence, the main door opened, and a very large man walked in. He was bigger than PJ which Cyril didn't think was possible. He seemed to be one giant muscle from head to toe. He was wearing an official banner across his chest emblazoned with the Corona seal. He removed his helmet upon entering. His helmet was small for a man of this size and only covered the top of his head. It had small ear guards and a leather strap, but the defining feature was the two large horns sticking out on either side. They appeared to be rams horns and curled mightily. Cyril was unsure of his past, but he looked the part of weathered soldier.

He placed his helmet gently on the table near the food and walked up and saluted Flynn. Flynn stood up and saluted back. Once released Vlad turned and bowed courteously to Belle. He stayed in the prone position until she patted him on the shoulder playfully. He stood up with a large smile and turned to shake Cyril's paw. It was a comical gesture since Vlad's hand was nearly as big as Cyril's arm. Cyril felt like a baby. Flynn made the introductions. It appeared Vlad already knew Belle quite well. He blushed anytime she addressed him directly. Flynn's aide and Le Fou were taking notes as the group discussed the plan.

"Cyril," Flynn began, "I am sending Vlad with you today. Tulgey Woods can be very treacherous and I would feel better about this knowing I had some of my guards with you."

Cyril motioned at Vlad's extreme size. "No complaints. Glad to have him along."

"Not to complicate this trip but I heard last night from one of our scouting parties that there was a sighting of Facilier on the eastern edge of the woods. It is also reported that there has been a sighting of who we believe to be Mal. We don't know what they were up to, but my reports show his team was burrowing deep into the ground. We have charted a course that should help you avoid that perimeter, but we need to be prepared just in case."

"Pardon me," Cyril interrupted. "Who is Mal?"

Flynn looked at Belle apprehensively and then at Vlad before answering.

"Mal is the daughter of Maleficent. During the End War, I'm sure you heard that Maleficent was killed during the siege, but it was unknown at the time that she had any offspring. When Mal was a young adult, it appeared her mother's death, or murder as she frames it, was too much for her, and she began small raids on various villages around her family's land. We realize now that she was strengthening her magic powers. They were just practice runs. She was eventually captured but served her time and was released. She went underground, and no one heard from her after that. It is said that even the Primes lost track of her, and that's saying something."