Redeemed - Captured

Captured

Maleficent slowly woke up, her tongue tasted like leather and it felt like drool was running down her chin. Had she slept with her mouth open all night? She ached all over too, it felt like she was sitting. Had she fallen asleep on her throne? That was not dignified. She would have to think of something to terrify the servants.
She wanted to wipe her chin but her hand didn’t move. A little red flag went up in the back of her mind. She tried closing her mouth and moving her tongue to dispel the flavor, but something was in the way.
She tried moving her hand again but it still didn’t move but as sensation returned to her skin she felt the bonds. There was a blindfold across her eyes and a gag in her mouth.
Her arms were spread wide. Leather laces held down each joint of her fingers, and thick iron bands held her wrists, elbows and upper arms, securing her to a wooden frame that spread her arms wide. Bonds around her head, throat, bosom, waist, thighs, knees and ankles held her tight to a chair. Her bare feet clawed empty air. She remembered the fight, incredible pain and blackness. She had lost and was obviously captured.
Maleficent reached out for magic to blast herself free but found only emptiness.
She was naked and helpless, again.
Panic clawed at her throat.
“No, the Mistress of All Evil does not panic! Others panic in my presence!” she ordered herself. Her breathing slowed and she listened intently. Striving to gain some information about where she was and what was to happen to her.
There was a smell that reminded her of blood. She had done things to people that had ended with lots of spilled blood and now she was on the other side again. That panicked feeling rose again.
She thought she could hear someone breathing and felt warmth on an area of her skin.
“Hello, Celestina.” Came a gentle voice. “It’s Aurora. You’ve been captured and are now in a iron chamber, you will not be able to use magic here. If you understand me hum once for yes and twice for no.”
That explained the smell. Iron could attenuate magic, she wondered how they could made a room that allowed people to enter and leave while keeping the magic out.
“Well, might as well get on with this,” she thought to herself and hummed once.
“Good. We are actually not planning on killing you.” Aurora began, and Maleficent smiled, indeed, smart girl, that would allow her to escape.
“At least not right away, but since we have your heart, we believe its now possible to actually execute you properly.” This voice was deep and tight. It was Phillip.
Maleficent’s smiled faded. Then she felt it, a finger stroking her heart. A shiver forced her to fight her bonds and a moan escaped quietly around her gag. The finger retreated.
“Sorry about that, but you have to know that we do have it.” Said Aurora as she heard the clink of a clay lid settling on a clay pot.
Maleficent hummed once.
“I’m glad you understand. That will make this easier.”
Maleficent hummed twice.
“Oh, well, we expected you to fight us.”
Maleficent hummed once.
“If it makes you feel better, you can try.”
Just then her stomach spoke for her. A long slow rumble that she could feel traveling around her belly.
“You have been under a simple sleep spell for a few days. Since it wasn’t a curse, your body will be needing food. We won’t let you starve yourself to death. We are prepared to force the issue.” Phillip said from above.
“Please, Celestina. Take the food. Being force fed is awful. I don’t want you to experience that. I’ll feed you myself and it will be well with you.” Said Aurora from below her, there was a gentle hand on her knee. As if she begging her to eat. Had they practiced on Aurora, the queen?
Maleficent remembered what had happened to her, fighting wasn’t something that succeeded in circumstances like this. She relaxed in her bonds.
“Celestina, will you eat?”
Maleficent wanted to fight with everything she had, yet she knew she already had and had failed, again.
She hummed once.
“Thank you” said Aurora with palpable relief in her voice.
“Fine.” Said Phillip and Maleficent could hear him walk away and the screech of a metal lock. A heavy door opened and closed and she could hear the sound of leather on metal as Phillip walked away. Then another metal door clanged.
“Open your mouth, please.” Asked Aurora as she removed the gag. Then Aurora wiped the drool from Maleficent’s lips and chin.
“Thank you.” Maleficent said after working her mouth a few times.
“You’re welcome.” Aurora said.
Maleficent heard the scrap of a spoon in a bowl.
“We made some gruel for you.”
“Gruel. How nice, I expected coarse bread and water.”
“That was one of the options, but we chose gruel as something familiar. Open please.”
Maleficent felt a warm spoon on her lip, she hesitated.
“Please, it will be so much worse the other way.”
She opened her mouth and the spoon came in, she wiped it clean with her lips as the load was deposited on her tongue. It was warm, soft and slick. She swallowed, though it was an effort to do so.
“Thank you.” She whispered. The texture made her shiver from the last time she was in such circumstances. The memories assaulted her.
“Are you okay?” She heard the scrap of the spoon and then Aurora eating. “I was worried there for moment, the way you shivered. Many people would be happy to poison you.”
“No, I don’t think it is poisoned. It’s just been a long time since I’ve had gruel.” Maleficent lied. Why did it feel like Aurora cared for her?
“Ready?”
“Why not.” And she felt the spoon again. This time she wasn’t so distracted as she tasted it. The gruel was familiar. There was more than oatmeal in it, now she could taste the spices and honey.
“Thank you. Merryweather made this, didn’t she?” asked Maleficent.
“Yes, she did. She wanted to be sure you had something safe to eat.”
“Her cooking is rather distinctive.”
“Yes, it is. The castle kitchens can’t seem to get it right.”
“No. They don’t.”
“Would you like some water?”
“Yes, please.”
There were some clinks and then a cool metal cup was on her lips. Maleficent had not thought this though, her heart was pounding as she careful drank, as not being able to tilt her head make it difficult.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You are being very polite, thank you.”
“I was trained as a princess.” Maleficent said deftly not pointing out what happened to her.
“Yes, I would like to know more about that at some point.”
“Indeed? The fairies could tell you all about that.”
“I am sure they could but their perspective is …different. I would rather have yours. You spent a lot of time with the fairies and they raised me. It might be interesting to compare notes, so to speak.”
“I appear to be at your disposal, your Majesty.” Her tone was slightly mocking.
“Ah, yes.” Said Aurora awkwardly. “More gruel?”
“Please.”
After a few quiet spoonfuls of gruel, she asked, “So why was it so important to you that I accept this food from you and not be force fed?”
“Because I know many people are angry at you. Tens years have passed here and that has been difficult for many of the families that were split because of what you did.”
“Oh and you are not? Eric is older now, married too I noticed.”
“Yes, and she is a good person, but that is not a surprise. But back to the subject, I wanted to know what force feeding was and what it was like. I ordered them to do it to me, they held me down in a chair and had me swallow a funnel, I couldn’t breathe so they hurried and poured gruel into the funnel and stuffed it down with a stick until my stomach was full and removed the funnel before I passed out.”
To Maleficent that sounded about right, though they were probably extra gentle to the queen.
“I don’t want you to suffer that.”
“Why not? Do you not think I deserve some humiliation and degradation?”
“You deserve punishment, but not torture. Water?”
“Yes, please.” Maleficent wondered about what Aurora meant, but just as she took a sip an unearthly howl echoed through the castle. She heard the sounds of swords coming out of sheaths around her. Aurora jumped and water spilled down her front.
“Easy. That wasn’t her.”
“We will protect you, Your Majesty.” Came a deep voice.
“Yes, sergeant. I am sure you will, but she is not a threat right now. Sorry about spilling on you.” Maleficent felt a napkin wiping the cool water from her body. She shivered as the water evaporated.
“It’s quite alright. Let us continue our meal please.”
Maleficent ate quietly.
Before long boots stomped down the corridor, doors slamming along the way.
“What did you do?” demanded Phillip.
“Phillip, what happened?” asked Aurora.
“I? I have done nothing but have a quiet meal with you wife and her guards.” Maleficent said, but she didn’t even try to feign innocence.
She heard the boots move beside her. She heard wood squeak behind her and felt something touch her spine.
“This can break your back so you no longer have control over your legs. What just clawed its way out of the castle?”
Maleficent was surprised by the intensity of Phillip. Something sharp was pushing her forward at the small of her back. It felt like it was trying to get between her bones.
She took a gasping breath against the bonds pressing into her flesh.
“Phillip, please stop it.” Said Aurora.
The spike trying to enter her spine paused. “I really must thank you Phillip. You did what I could not. A demon cannot come to Earth physically, their spirits can tempt people but people must choose to follow. Your son and his friend was able to use true love to bring you, your castle and my demon back to this world to wreak unrestricted havoc on this world. Well done.” She laughed.
She fully expected Phillip to twist the wheel and snap her in half.
The gag was jammed back into her open mouth, muffling her laughter.
“Come.” Maleficent heard Phillip command, and then the door opened and she heard footsteps moving away.
Soon she was alone with her pain and all was quiet.