herroyaldarkness:

Despite her reassurances, Regina couldn’t help but feel guilty. Had she just not been so foolish… Her gaze fell to her hand, now healed with no trace of the burns, and she scowled at it. She still hated the way it felt to hurt something so innocent. And while Maleficent might not be pure she certainly was innocent in the eyes of the queen. The woman had done nothing but help her and be kind to her. And this was how she repaid that kindness? With pathetic pleas for healing and hurting the woman who was meant to help?

A deep growling sigh fell from the girl’s lips as she glanced up to see Maleficent retreating, and quickly hurried her feet after the woman.  ❝ Surely there must be some way to — help you as well? ❞ She offered as she followed, uncertain if she’d even been heard at all. Perhaps it was for the best. After all the entire cause of this situation had been due to her idea. Maybe she should just stop trying to help all together. Suffer her own pains for once.

As she kept on Maleficent’s heels, she found herself once more in the woman’s large, and largely untouched chambers. The darkness there seemed some sort of strangely welcome respite to the fire bathed light of the bathing room. Smiling faintly as she watched Maleficent lay against her sheets, Regina did not even realize how her gaze drifted across the woman for several moments. Upon realizing it, her cheeks stained pink and she cleared her throat, hoping that, once more, Maleficent hadn’t noticed. 

Even she had no idea why she found herself so hypnotized by the woman. It was such a strange sensation. Typically she could care less what a woman looked like, and held no curiosity for the form beyond her own reflection, and yet….

Clearing her throat she gave a timid smile as she stood near the foot of Maleficent’s large bed.  ❝Are you feeling any better? ❞ she asked, voice brimming with hope. Hope that perhaps her self loathing might not need to last through the night.

She hadn’t been kidding about the loud.

Maleficent winced as Regina’s voice somehow sounded booming, despite all obvious signs of how delicately she spoke to her. How delicately she believed the woman needed to be spoken to. A hand came up to press to her forehead, trying to will away the ache there. Even in her time of despair, years spent fireless, she had never felt quite so weak. She felt it in her bones, in her throat, a hollow hardness she couldn’t seem to shake. The fire filled it quite beautifully just before, but once drained she was left emptier than she’d been in years. A shell where fire chose to flow, but it would not keep her. Something was still wrong, and she had no idea what.

“I’m fine dear,” she lied, and obviously so, as when she went to sit up even that was a near struggle, her nails digging in deep to the thick bedding to hold herself steady. She was not a woman to admit her inadequacies, but oh how she felt them. They felt more at home than the fire did. But it didn’t matter. She was strong despite how she looked, despite how she felt; there was a beast beneath her skin and she would have her way, soon enough. Maleficent knew she need only acclimate to harboring such power again and all would be fine. She would not be put to rest this time, not by any stretch of the imagination. She would have blood, and fire, and every bit of revenge she sought. She would be a terror once more. She’d make sure of it.

Drawing in long and deep breaths that filled her chest, Maleficent’s grip on the sheets lessened until it was nothing, and she stood yet again to reach for a chaise just to the side of her bed. “If you don’t wish to see anything I suggest you look away now.” She remarked with some of her familiar wry attitude, but only some. Truthfully it was more about appearance than anything, not wanting to be fawned over like something much more pathetic than she’d ever wish to believe herself being.

Picking her nightgown off of the chair she once again took a seat, this time just on the edge of the bed with her back mostly toward Regina, though if she did wish to see something she had herself more than enough of a view. The robe was pulled back without much thought or care, Maleficent was not the type to display any shyness whatsoever; in fact, quite the opposite. But now wasn’t about showing all there was to show, and with her mind in some far off trail of thought even she forgot just what all that entailed. Namely the scar she wore above her hip, that decorated her side and nicked her back. It was not something she thought of very often, even while she’d gone to great lengths to never allow a soul to see it. There were things she’d forgotten about herself, and it was just one of the many.

herroyaldarkness:

Regina’s gaze averted to the floor at Maleficent’s teasing, cheeks stained rose red. She wanted so badly to argue that the woman was clearly not fine. That she looked in pain, and exhausted, and that something really must be done to right it. Regina did not think herself worth enduring such misery. Especially not by someone of such power as Maleficent possessed. Furrowing her brow and glaring at her hand, the very one responsible for this entire situation, Regina found her gaze wandering upwards just enough to peek at Maleficent as she changed. Immediately her cheeks burned hotter, though her eyes lingered. They traced a path from her back, and around her side to the voluptuous curve of her breast. She had yet to understand why she found herself so fixated on them, without even a vague inclination. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have them herself, or that they were anything extremely out of the ordinary for a woman….

After several long moments, some inner voice found the good sense to scold her, and her gaze fell, ready to sweep away from her until it landed on the raised and jagged length of a scar. Her breath caught in her throat for how gruesome it seemed. Immediately her heart was gripped with concern, demands to know what had happened and who had dared harm her were barely caught behind clenched teeth as she completely turned her back on the woman, her breath now slightly more labored. She could not imagine what must have happened for such an injury — or one so very large. Clearing her throat, with hope that Maleficent might not have noticed her staring for the third time tonight, Regina spoke clearly into the dim echoing recesses of the stonewalled chamber.

❝ I – am truly happy that you’ve allowed me to stay with you,❞  she offered, though in truth it wasn’t quite so simple. She had offered herself as a means to help the woman rest. Having heard of her difficulties, she thought a presence might help her relax. Yet, all the same Maleficent had been agreeable, much to her surprise.  ❝ Though I… Well. I don’t exactly have anything to wear. This wasn’t really planned, after all. ❞

What hung in the air was an unspoken hope that Maleficent might both have something to offer, and allow it as well. As Regina certainly had no intentions of trying to rest in this dress she’d come to visit in. It was anything but practical.

Working her way into the nightgown was not the easiest feat. Tired muscles nearly refused to cooperate in a timely fashion, and even so simple a task began to make her chest rise and fall with heavy breaths. She tried regulating it, the exhaustion and every so often twinge of pain, but it was easier said than done. The longer her magic stayed depleted, the harder it was becoming. Once the garment was finally pulled over her head, two arms finding their way in too, she pulled the fabric down until she would need to stand to keep tugging it. It would simply have to do. There was no way she would be standing again tonight without betraying just how fine she wanted Regina to believe she was.

Turning her head just enough to catch sight of her, a small smirk still played at her lips. No matter how her physical strength left her, there were still some things that were not so easily brought down. “Did you think I’d have you sleeping in the nude?” She remarked, teeth flashing in a wider smile as she turned and pushed herself back against the pillows, still somehow managing to sit up. “Don’t worry dear, I already hung something up for you.”

Her gaze was all that moved to indicate where, toward the armoire that stood to Regina’s left, tall and black with intricately carved wood doors, the latch left undone. Perhaps Regina didn’t think this planned, and in truth this circumstance was not what she’d imagined, but Maleficent believed there would come a time when offering the girl a chance to stay, away from her dreary castle which made Maleficent’s own seem welcoming by comparison, would be met with one of her now famous gleaming smiles just at being invited.

“If you’d like some privacy you can dress in there,” she nodded back toward the bathing room. “Or if you trust me to keep my eyes shut…” Another smirk as she felt herself beginning to sink down further into the clawing comfort of her bed.

herroyaldarkness:

She felt her cheeks flush with heat at Maleficent’s remark, realizing all too suddenly how foolish she must have sounded, and inwardly cursed herself for it. As if burning herself and being unable to muster enough magic or skill to heal the wound wasn’t humiliating enough in the face of what was, quite frankly, the epitome of all she admired and wished to be. Now this. Clearing her throat and ducking her head, the young queen’s feet shuffled away from Maleficent’s piercing gaze and hurried to the indicated armoire, finding she was almost nervous as she moved the door open to see what might be laying inside. 

It was simple enough, satin – she guessed, silk perhaps, in a pale pallor that still appealed greatly to her no matter what front she put on for the woman sitting just a few feet behind her, when she showed up wrapped in increasingly darker shades to imitate what she saw and admired so very much. A wry grin pulled at her lips as she ran a hand down the length of the fabric, gently pulling it down to hold in her hands.

Hearing Maleficent’s voice startled her from her thoughts, and brought forth a small, shy chuckle from her as she glanced up at the dragon lounged upon pillows looking nothing the creature of destruction she truly was, and all Regina could think was how entirely delightful that was. To be so lethal and yet unassuming. She could only hope to one day be so powerful.

                    ❝ Well it isn’t as if I have any reason to mistrust you. ❞

She replied, a nervous laugh still lacing her words. She wasn’t certain why she felt so strange about it. She dressed in front of her hand maidens quite often, and they were both women. Hardly either of them had anything the other had not seen before, and yet the smirk Maleficent fixed her with sent heat rushing to her cheeks and set a flutter in her stomach. 

Opting to try and be as bold as she was reasonably capable of, hoping to save some face in the eyes of her idol friend, Regina turned her back to Maleficent and slipped one shoulder of her gown down, and then the other. Next came laces and a slow, arduous process of disrobing herself (one often given to said hand maidens,) but before long the dress she had come in fell into a pool around her ankles, and she bristled at the crisp air of the bedchamber. She dared not look back to see if Maleficent watched or offered her promised privacy, she found her heart beat too wildly at the idea of it. Instead she simply pulled the sleeping gown over her head, and quickly made about folding her dress neatly so that it could be worn back home.

Even after she had set it within the armoire, she found she still lacked the courage to turn around and face the woman now. Perhaps she’d used too much of her boldness dressing here in plain sight, as she found her hands trembled just faintly as she ran her fingers through her hair, seeking any excuse to delay the inevitable now.

Already sleep was calling, a not so distant siren song drawing her toward itself, filling her with half truths of how it would all be better if only she slept. What it didn’t say though, what if wouldn’t, was the nightmares that inevitably awaited her too, should she succumb so easily to its pleasant tune.

Nothing could scare her, nothing could rattle a DRAGON down to her dragon bones, and yet in vulnerable moments where she welcomed slumber it was another case, when at her weakest she could be tormented and the torment did come — years, decades spent in loneliness she’d never give a name to or it might follow her further beyond sleep. Even now that she wasn’t alone it could still take a claim in those weakened moments, hours spent alone in her chaotic head. The girl had helped, in many ways, but Maleficent knew better than to think her presence would quiet it entirely.

Without realizing it she had in fact kept her word. She didn’t stare or catch even a glimpse of the girl undressing, her eyes had fallen closed on their own, tiredness and achiness dragging them down, a furrow setting between her brows as she recalled all too familiarly the sound of sleep’s traitorous call. When her eyes opened they found her company completely redressed, looking smaller somehow, if it were possible, and that drew the tiniest hint of a smirk back across her lips.

          ❝ I think most would tell you you have every reason to mistrust, but for the most part they would be wrong. I have no reason to deceive you. ❞

There was little point in lying in her position. What could anyone do about it anyway? She’d met few ever brave enough, ever stupid enough to confront her, and fewer still had ever gotten close enough to have their complaint voiced. What with being fried to a crisp before they had much of a chance. By one means or another. But as of yet the queen faced no such threat, even when it had been implied otherwise. Perhaps she’d gone soft in her years of isolation, or perhaps she simply enjoyed this particular company. No matter how winsome and shy it may have been.

          ❝ Are you planning on joining me? ❞ She asked after the girl still had yet to face her, and though she was weakened the sultry tone of her voice remained for the most, unaffected.

herroyaldarkness:

Turning at last with all the courage she possessed to face the woman, Regina smiled faintly, feeling her cheeks burn with a soft blush. She couldn’t actually fathom how she had ended up here, so soon after having only been well, a fan, of this woman and all she was capable of. To think that now there were somehow friends… it gave her the most foolish of notions that perhaps there was still something to be hopeful about in her life. The fact that said hope came in the form of a fearsome woman who could transform herself into a dragon at will, was merely only an added bonus.  

   ❝ I would find you less trustworthy if you seemed the sort
    prone to deceit, ❞ Regina stated plainly, voice still meek
    by comparison to that of her host.  All the while she quite
    nervously approached the bed. ❝ If anything you seem
    overly honest. I like that. ❞

Standing near the foot of the bed, she found herself caught in the act of staring again, curious why it was she found Maleficent so entrancing, Certainly her power was enough to fill anyone with awe, but by the way her heart fluttered against her ribs and her stomach churned in ways she had only ever associated with things she was most certain did not apply to their situation; still it was more than mere admiration, of that she was certain.

          ❝ I assume the sheets won’t scorch me as well? ❞

She offered in way of a joke, meant more so to alleviate her nervous she felt about actually crawling into the bed and laying herself next to the woman than it was to elicit a laugh. And after a moment of lingering, she pushed past her apprehensions and rounded the bed, fingers dancing along the vaulting pole that stood at one corner post. The silken gown she wore was longer than she needed, and clung in ways she was unused to. Without much thought to it, she found herself raising one arm to press against her chest, maintaing her modesty as she clambered atop the blankets and settled into an awkward and uncomfortable position, but one that did allow her a perfect view of Maleficent. After all, she was here in promise to help the woman sleep. To watch over her and ensure she was rested. To lay any other way would be selfish, she thought.

Fixing the woman with a small, fading smile, she laid in wait – expecting there would be instructions of some sort as to what she was here to do precisely.

Watching the girl was proving more interesting than even she would have thought. How every move she made only came after what seemed like a great summoning of bravery she might not otherwise possess in front of present company. It brought a smirk to Maleficent’s lips, a moderately salacious one in fact, as she stayed still watching the young queen making her way into Maleficent’s bed. But instead of embarrassing her, or pointing out just how shy she clearly was when she covered herself further to do so, she simply spoke; responding late to the conversation at hand.

      ❝ Many would say I am deceitful by nature — but you’ve already seen what I am, so you’re right, I have little else to hide. ❞

It wasn’t entirely accurate, there was plenty still to hide but she saw little reason to at that point. She’d already seen more of the elusive and terrible dragon woman holed up in her dank and dingy castle, passing into memory, no longer a viable fear to threaten even ill behaving children with. But that all would change. In time.

A soft laugh escapes once Regina finally lays next to her, the gown covering her tiny frame much more thoroughly than it did on herself, and even then it was still one of her more modest pieces. Her own gown stayed caught just above mid thigh, long bare legs left stretched out beneath with little care, her skin still hot to the touch from the scorching bath, which would prove a problem if only her company were the kind brave enough to reach out and touch her. But fortunately, for the girl, she wasn’t.

      ❝ Not the sheets, but I can’t promise the same of myself. ❞ It was one part taunt and one part actual warning on the slim chance she were to prove Maleficent wrong. ❝ I wouldn’t want you getting hurt all over again. ❞

herroyaldarkness:

   Regina found herself staring, unsure if Maleficent was only teasing her, or if the woman truly was dangerous to the touch. It should come as no surprise if it were true, she supposed. Who was she to put expectations upon someone so powerful? She had no idea the capabilities of someone who could transform themselves, much less just what exactly Maleficent was. She didn’t seem entirely human, she knew that for certain. 

Taking necessary precaution, Regina inched a marginally greater distance between her and the woman, at long last allowing herself to relax somewhat, posture loosening enough for her to nearly slouch. She allowed herself to trust that the gown she wore was appropriately modest, and set her hands to pushing back her hair rather than keeping herself concealed. 

          ❝ Are you always so warm? ❞ She asked with some earnest enthusiasm, still so eager to learn more about her magic and how she herself might master it. And if she was to be here the entire night, watching over the older woman and keeping her word to ensure her rest, she might as well make the most of it while the dragon was still conscious. ❝ It didn’t burn when we met — ❞ she realized aloud, in effect answering her own quandary, though she was left no less curious. ❝ There’s just so much — so much your book didn’t explain. ❞ Regina continued, almost wistfully so, gaze briefly travelling across the room to her folded belongings, the spell book rested securely beneath them, before returning back to Maleficent, eyes wide and bright. 

Sleep was coming for her, but she would use every moment before it laid claim to make time with her company. The girl intrigued her, somehow — and she would be the first to tell her how little truly kept the focus of a dragon — more often attention was kept only by that of a meal, something the young queen was not. In the strictest sense, at least. Maleficent’s eyes had grown the slightest bit heavy, but it only served to add to the image she put forth; a dangerous beast of a woman strewn across silk sheets, heavy lids making every glance Regina’s way seem more lascivious than it was intended. Or perhaps exhibiting exactly how much it should.

She watched as the queen made a marginal effort to relax, visibly pulling further away and that only made a smirk reemerge on her lips, paler than they were usually, but no less persuasive. She watched as her long, dark locks were pushed back off her shoulders, her décolletage showing the faintest flush, evidence perhaps of what had moved her to put more space between them? But it was when her hand fell from her hair that Maleficent’s caught her wrist, a faster reflex than she really should have mustered but it mattered little now.

                      ❝ You tell me. ❞ 

Her voice was smooth, as was the skin that her fingers wrapped gingerly around. Her grip wasn’t tight, nor painful in temperature, but there was heat there that would surely be felt. She was indeed much hotter to the touch than most, but nothing like the blistering heat of the bath that had burned her young friend. And even with her being more than capable of being so, there was little to no risk the girl would ever encounter it.

After a long moment she released her grip, fingers then trailing gently down around her forearm, heat trailing with. It was just enough to prove her point, whatever that point may have been — enough to answer the queen’s inquiry, all while hopefully allaying whatever fear she may have had at their proximity.

      ❝ That doesn’t hurt — does it? ❞

herroyaldarkness:

  Regina had been so caught up in her nervous rambling that she’d never seen the move coming. Not that she would have seen it had she been alert, either. The swiftness with which Maleficent moved was stunning, leaving her to gape and stare in wide-eyed alarm. She worried at first that she had done something wrong, perhaps even angered the woman or offended her, and yet the look she was given was not one of wrath – she wasn’t quite sure what it was a look of, in fact. Though it did make her feel entirely peculiar, not unlike she had when she’d seen the woman undressing. 

Clearing her throat as she stared on, transfixed by all that the woman was, she laughed nervously in response, a shiver racing its way down her spine as unnaturally warm fingers trailed their way down her arm. 

       ❝ No – ❞ she finally replied, with only the faintest of waver to her voice. ❝ Though you are still very warm. ❞ Of course that was obvious, and she felt foolish for saying so the moment the words irreversibly escaped her lips.  Smiling a touch she glanced down to where Maleficent’s hand still brushed against her skin, and wondered if it was only the heat that made it feel so electrified.

                   ❝ Has it always been this way? ❞

A smile cracked apart chapped lips, eyes raising from where they stared at the girl’s hand to find the wide, dark eyes behind it. She was a pretty thing, all deep gazes and parted lips; Maleficent had noticed from the moment they met, though she was hardly interested in having anything pretty as company then — now perhaps, the story was a bit different. It was clear to her that she had some sort of effect on the girl, evidenced in how her heart raced along with each glancing touch Maleficent’s fingers made against her, and how her voice faltered just a little each time she spoke. And it had been far too long since she’d had such an impact on anyone, quite frankly. Far, too long.

At last she let her hand slip away from the girl’s arm, landing softly, limply, and she had not the care to pull it back toward herself. She was tired — moreso every minute, and yet still she spoke, unwilling to admit defeat and sleep, not while she had such a delectable little creature in her bed.

      ❝ As long as I can remember, ❞ she offered in response, given with little care behind the words. Not all that different from any other time really. ❝ Though I won’t be telling you how long that is either, ❞ a glint in her eye said that she was playing with her — for the most part — though her age was not something she was willing to reveal, she was not offended by her questions either, and found herself uncharacteristically moved to be certain the girl knew such. But perhaps that was the sleep talking.

      ❝However — ❞ she began in means of a half compromise, that while she had no intention of giving her a real answer, she could give her something, she supposed. ❝ I can assure you it is much longer than you think. ❞

herroyaldarkness:

       ❝ Surely not that long. You don’r seem that much older than myself at all, ❞ Regina laughed lightly, assuming the dragon was only having a bit of fun with her. Of course it was possible the effects of her heritage went further beyond Regina’s comprehension than she realized, but she couldn’t be convinced the woman before her was in any measure of the word old.

With the touch no longer on her skin, Regina moved her own hand over where it had been in an absent minded gesture, feeling what residual heat still radiated off her skin, and to quell the curious tingles that still lingered despite the other’s hand having since fallen away. She could tell how tired her company was, however, and resolved not to burden her with any more questions tonight (no matter how desperately she desired to know more about her, her abilities, and what it was about her that made Regina feel so ——- strange in her presence.) Instead she cleared her throat and looked to the end of the bed where a blanket was folded. Reaching down for it, being not a dragon herself and quite chilled, she placed it on her lap and gave the woman a soft, caring smile.

             ❝ You should rest, Maleficent. I’ll be certain nothing goes awry. ❞

A soft laugh crept its way out, unusual too in how soft it really was. Guarded was not the word for how she normally behaved, but somehow whatever guards she may have had up just kept falling away the longer she sat staring at her younger companion. There was something about her that begged for Maleficent’s attention, whether completely intentional or not; and she had it. She had the fearsome and dangerous dragon reduced to quiet laughter and gentle eyes, two things she had rarely ever brought out of herself on her own. It was clear to her, more and more every minute, just how special this girl truly was.

      ❝ I will sleep when I am good and ready. ❞

The lilt in her voice made it obvious she was not perturbed by the queen’s insistence, but simply had no desire to give up just yet. Finally retracting the hand that laid on the bed between them, and using the strength exuded for another task too — a flick of her wrist that set fire to a few stray candles that surrounded them, casting the room and its occupants in a warm honey glow. The flaming flickers danced along dark walls, and she smiled softly once more, though it still edged on the side of smirk.

❝I have no doubt you will, ❞ she replied in turn, still unwilling to fall to defeat by the sleep that called her, clawed at her limbs and wanted her weak. There was still so much they could talk about. And so many more opportunities for her to make the young queen’s chest flush. With every word her tone grew both predatory and sweeter, every breath inhaled and expelled in a way that it could coil around the girl and draw her nearer if she willed it.

                  ❝ Tell me something more about you, dear. Why is it you keep coming back? ❞

herroyaldarkness:

She had hoped to be more persuasive. In her mind, she would only need to urge the dragon toward slumber, and she would succumb, leaving Regina to feel both useful and adept. Yet, it would seem such far flung hopes were foolish at best as Maleficent stubbornly refused what her body so clearly craved. Regina had half a mind to rebuttal her, to insist she needed sleep, but something stayed her tone. The faintest traces of fear. Respect, she wagered was a more accurate term, but to say that Maleficent’s very presence did not make her nervous would be a blatant lie. She left Regina feeling vulnerable – trembling even, at times – though she had not yet quite discerned entirely why. Nor why the heat she had just previous lacked flushed across her mercilessly when Maleficent smirked at her in that way she had.

She was thankful for the candles at least, they offered more light, and a better view of the woman’s expressions. At least now there was less mystery and strain in trying to guess at what she might be feeling. Regina hardly wished to misread a comment and become a SNACK rather than whatever it was she’d achieved thus far. She’d like to call them friends, but that was likely far too bold. Yet, when Maleficent spoke again rather than try and rest, Regina was left staring, panic setting fire to the fringes of her gaze.

❝ Me?❞  Regina repeated, laughing nervously at the inquiry. She hadn’t planned to share anything about herself, nor had she rehearsed any such confession as finely as she would require when speaking to someone as… powerful and accomplished as Maleficent was. ❝ There…. isn’t much to tell, really. I come because you inspire me. Your power is — it’s incredible. ❞ Smiling faintly at the woman, she hoped the answer might suffice. She wasn’t exactly of the mind to tell her the other reasons, least of all now, when she was meant to be caring for MALEFICENT’S turmoil, and not her own. ❝ And because I think you need the company, ❞ she added hesitantly after a pause of silence. Not that she doubted the truth of her appraisal of the woman’s needs – but because it was clear that decades of solitude had done her no favors whatsoever, and Regina would be damned if she let such a great power diminish once more under her own vigilant watch. 

The flickers of panic in the girl’s eyes made her smirk soften a touch, barely enough to be discernible, but it held somewhat of a new meaning all the same. Her friend seemed equally interested in and terrified of her, even in her current state, and whether that was only due to how much of her book the girl had read, or simply a peek into feelings she harbored everyday and not just for the dragon, she didn’t quite know. Staring at her now with the aid of candlelight, she watched her even more closely, scrutinous gaze trained on each movement, each reaction, and each inflection her tender little voice made. It was obvious how carefully she was behaving, and how much Maleficent’s own opinion and reactions to her seemed to matter. She couldn’t remember another time that had happened without threat of fire and death on her companion’s head.

         “I inspire you? Trust me dear, the power may be alluring but I am no one you should emulate otherwise.”

It wasn’t intended as self deprecating, though it likely came off that way, but with how gentle and delicate her friend was, she saw no reason to wish a thick skin and sneer on to that face. She was much too pretty to ruin it only for power. Leaving little to no time for her reaction, Maleficent spoke once again, the gnawing effects of sleep taking only minute amounts of strength out of her voice the longer she did so.

“You may be right in that,” she began with as much power and mild aggression behind the words as she could muster, never one to fall completely docile no matter the subject. “It has been sometime since I had someone to talk to. If you don’t count meals or visitors who come with only one other purpose.” Grinning slightly at that, she turned just to her side to find a more comfortable position, and see the girl better too. “You didn’t answer the question I asked.” She stated plainly, without much malice at all, simply a point of fact iterated so as not to be forgotten about. “Is there nothing you’d tell me about yourself? You only wish to know of my exploits?” Teeth bare once more in a little grin, despite how heavily her eyes still fall, and how long is each blink.

herroyaldarkness:

       ❝ Of course you are. ❞

The chastisement blurted out from the depths of her very soul, she felt. She was left completely astonished that this woman could see herself as anything other than the very epitome of all anyone could hope to be. Regina hardly cared about what she might have fallen into when separated from her power, it did not change the incredible truth of what Maleficent was. She was truly all Regina aspired towards. Powerful, deadly, free. She for once found she cared not what ill effect her words might reek upon her; there was only so much she could do to keep her true feelings locked inside. 

Sighing in a tight, controlled breath, Regina released it to try and relax herself, knowing that if she became too tense it would more than likely be pointed out. It was already difficult enough to maintain her composure in the woman’s presence, the last thing she needed added to it all was her acknowledging the anxiety. ❝ Other purposes? ❞ She asked, confused, brow crinkling just a touch, before the answer worked itself out for her, and her cheeks flushed bright pink. ❝ I see, ❞ she answered herself, looking far too shy for a woman her age. Laughing it off, she grinned at the woman, ignoring the strange knotting in her stomach as best she could.  ❝ There must be many of those, I can’t imagine many men would be able to resist your allure. ❞

It was true, Maleficent was – beautiful. Enough so to cause Regina to wish and wonder what she might look like herself if she were so graced. If she were taller, daintier, and had a fairer complexion. Maybe things would be different. It wasn’t that she thought herself homely, but she certainly was no match for the dragon herself. 

❝ Well there’s really not much to hear. At least not so much that isn’t dull — or depressing. ❞ Regina replied, pulling the warm furs up higher to her lap as Maleficent laid more on her side, exposing even more than the already flimsy gown concealed. ❝ My life’s not exactly been pleasant up until this point. ❞

She was a brave little thing, Maleficent would give her that. Among many other things she might give her, but for the moment that was the one making itself known the most. But unlike so many others who thought themselves brave staring down a dragon, ready to cut her down — in their minds, at least — Regina was a different sort altogether. Her courage was soft, not meant as anything beyond what it most obviously sounded like; care. And while she couldn’t think of why the young girl might care for her as she did, she found it was not something she wished to force her out of doing. Or comment on at all in fact, but the smile that touched her lips likely said enough on its own.

The smile gave way to a soft laugh, bubbling up from somewhere clearly affected by how sleep deprived she was. Why else would the sound be so…genuine? But as the realization dawned on her young friend the smirk came through once more; something about enlightening Regina to her ways little by little, and being rewarded with her blushed cheeks made it all the more worth it to only let such information out a little at a time. Then on the other hand, letting out a little more would likely only make her blush trail even further.

              ❝ Resisting wouldn’t be a problem even if they did, though you are right that most men don’t. Women on the other hand take a little more effort on my part; which is why so few pass through here. I’m usually not the type to pursue. ❞

There was no delicacy with which she spoke, despite the softening tone her drowsiness brought on. It was still a mere statement of fact, both to her preferences and her intentions. Whether or not both were picked up was up to the girl herself. She’d heard more than enough about the thief that held her young heart, and how she laid in wait for him to return for but a few nights at a time. But her heart was not at all what the dragon would choose to go after — no — merely the fleshy little cage that kept it out of reach. That heaved in heavier breaths the longer Maleficent kept her gaze trained on it, on her; and that with every passing moment seemed to gain a shade or two of pink.

herroyaldarkness:

She was staring, gaping at the woman, struggling to process what had been said. She must have heard her wrong, she thought, cheeks flaring with a deep rouge. She had never considered, nor even heard of such a thing before. Two women… and it ought not to scandalize her so, she realized, there were far more salacious things that she had heard of, even experienced in some ways, yet this just left her feeling overwhelmed and suddenly far too warm to need the furs. 

Tossing them aside, she cleared her throat and attempted a smile at Maleficent, unaware of any of her actions or their cause. She only knew that her pulse seemed to quicken as she grew flushed, and that her mind was now somehow fixated on understanding the logistics of how such a union might happen. 

❝ I think you’re more sleep deprived than you believe, ❞ she laughed nervously, wanting so desperately to unhear those words, as they now plagued her thoughts. Perhaps if she blamed it on Maleficent’s incoherence, it would get better. ❝ You look as if you will pass out at any moment,❞ she continued, smile less strained and a touch softer now. It was for the best that they deviate from this topic anyhow, she was here to learn MAGIC from Maleficent, nothing more than that – except possibly to be her friend. Neither of which were well fulfiled fixating on the dragon’s secrets and proclivities. 

Her breathing was beginning to even, her temperature continually rising as sleep relentlessly still tried to come for her, and she was left sinking further into the pillows despite how hard she fought. She had always been a stubborn woman, even when it didn’t exactly serve her well to be so. But she couldn’t have cared. The night was offering her more than enough reason to keep fighting, knowing that once she closed her eyes for good she would miss what would surely be an entertaining sight of her friend then trying to sleep. She’d given her more than enough stimuli to make her night just as restless.

“Are you alright, dear?” She asked, squinting quizzically at her as she threw off the furs, voice gentle in its tone but still there was an obvious air of taunt. She was more than aware that her admission would likely come as a surprise, one the girl never would have come to on her own even with Maleficent never attempting to hide what she liked. Her friend was just that innocent. “Is is too warm in here for you? The air can get a bit thick from the heat if you aren’t used to it.”

Grinning more to herself than to Regina, she once again shifted ever so slightly, and reached down just enough to tug a blanket more onto herself. Her strength gave out just as it reached her hip, but it would do fine enough, and her hand dragged along the bed as it was brought back up nearer her face.

         "Though the castle is normally quite cold, if you catch another chill you’re welcome to come closer. I’m the warmest thing you will find.“