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[center][h1][color=DarkOrange]Scar Lionhart[/color] and [color=DarkOrchid]Freya Beauchamp[/color] - Present Day - The Pride Lands - Flashback - 13 Years Ago - The Pride Lands[/h1][/center]

Although Scar couldn't have been more relaxed, he had a terrible night sleeping. His mind was plagued with 'what ifs' pertaining to Odette, Rothbart, and the man Odette had brought with her that had displayed such an easy act of magic within his own halls. It was unnerving. Unsettling, even, though Scar wouldn't ever admit it. He hated magic and he hated what it could do. Himself and the swan sleeping contently in his arms were living proof of this case. Magic taints everything it touches, no good has ever come of it, not for him, not for anyone. Magic has no place in this world.

And yet, here he was, laying awake in stressing on how magic could help him by helping Odette. Magic got her into this mess, magic could surely get her out. Even if it was just temporary, there had to be something the witch could do. He hated to have to resort to such means, but he had no other choice. He had to allow Maleficent to walk through his halls, magic included. He had to do it for Odette.

Once morning broke through the small holes in the cave-like structure they were in, Scar roused himself, gently waking Odette up long enough to get in a message before letting her go back to sleep.

"I've got some things to take care of today, kid. I'll be back though. Just stay here and you'll be safe." He pushed himslf up and off of the ground, returning to the pool to swim the short distance through the tunnel and back onto the ledge. Perhaps now Maleficent was ready to talk.

[i]Thirteen Years Ago...[/i]

[i]The rain was coming down hard, but the barely clothed and unsheltered man didn't seem to notice as his eyes were trained on the mountainous structure of [url=http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/269/2/e/desert_fortress_by_zachdb-d5fyj9s.jpg]The Pride Lands Castle[/url] before him. Lightning struck across the sky, illuminating the fortress for a fraction of a moment but Scar didn't need the reminder of it's appearance. For too long now, Scar had looked upon his brother's castle as a symbol of mockery towards him. Mufasa did not deserve to be king, and yet even as children their father had hammered into both of their minds that Scar never had a chance for the throne. Not unless Mufasa and any heirs he may have were dead and there was no one else.

So be it.

That didn't go without saying, however, that Scar hadn't already tried to kill his brother. A great number of times, even as children, Scar had attempted to construct some sort of accident to befall his older brother, but each time was in vain and once even, Scar nearly lost his own life in the mix, managing to escape with only a single 'C' shaped scar around his eye in which he had disbanded his birth-name, Taka, and took on Kovu (translated to Scar) as a reminder to plan accordingly in all things and places. Never again would he be so careless in his murder efforts.

His next attempt had gone down without a hitch, if it weren't for his older brother's little brat Simba. It was because of Simba that Scar's attempted assassination was brought to an abrupt halt. It was because of Simba that Mufasa was still alive. It was because of Simba that Scar and his wife and child were exiled from the Pride Lands. It was Simba's fault that Scar had been desperate enough to call on help from an evil sorcerer. And it was Simba's fault that Scar was now covered in the blood of his wife and daughter, slowly being washed away by the pelting rain.

Mufasa was sure to die tonight... and Simba too. The question was; how? How could he storm an entire castle with nothing but a scrapped loincloth covering his manhood? He had no weapons, save for his own two hands which he now knew were more than capable if he was angered enough, but he wanted to[/i] see [i]the life draining from his brother's and nephew's eyes as he took their lives, something he couldn't do as the cursed beast.

"To lose those closest to you... A pain no man nor woman should have to endure..." Moving out of the shadows she let her dark gaze turn away from the towering castle before them only to lower dropping on the figure of the man sitting upon the ground glaring at it with a hatred that she could feel eminating from his very being, moving forward she closed the gap between them her legs gracefully folding underneath her as she took up the space beside him her palms pressed into the ground behind her as she leant back her head tilting to the side slightly as she went back to looking at the Pride Lands lain out in front her barely covered body matching that of the woman who wandered the lands though it was clear she didn't belong in this Kingdom.

"So... Tell me my dear Scar..." She paused and after a few moments she looked back over at him her eyes flicking slowly over his figure taking in the mattered and the muscular body that was obviously tense his expression making it clear that revenge was on his mind, "..What is your next move..?"

His heightened senses hadn't even picked up on another's presence, her sudden voice causing his head to jerk around in her direction with eyes full of the hatred that now fueled him entirely. His amplified vision cut through the dark to look upon her figure, finding her not at all hard to look at, though any such thoughts of lust or arousal were far from his mind, buried deep, perhaps never to be unearthed for the remainder of his days. So he simply stared at her, his brows furrowing as he tried to surmise who she was or what she was doing there. Even in The Pride Lands standards, sitting out in the rain wasn't considered normal. Though she wore the clothes of the land, the horns protruding from her grown were a dead giveaway that she did not belong, so why was she here?

"Who are you?" He demanded, his voice rough and calloused as though he had spent an eternity gargling with rocks. "And how do you know my name?" Suspicion was wearing on his features then, a blatent look of distrust coming over his alerady black eyes as he looked her over once more.

"My dear, I go by many names... Morgana, Fae... Maleficent-... There are more, but those are just a few. Please. Go ahead and take your pick, I do not mind which it is you choose to call me by." Lifting one of her hands up she flicked her wrist as though dissmissing the thought altogether showing him that she really didn't care which of her many names he chose to call her by her hand once more lowering to join the other one in keeping her up, a name was a name simple as that, it didn't matter which was used, each did the same job.

Closing her eyes she dropped her head back slightly shaking her long dark locks out slightly allowing them to brush lightly over her back as she took a few moments to herself enjoying the peace and harmony that the rain seemed to bring to the land around her, "As for how I know your name... Well, I know a lot more than that. Like how you seek to kill your brother, punish those who get in the way, and to take the throne for yourself... To be the King you deserve beyond all else to be..."

Shaking his head slightly, forcing the collected water on his nearly shaved head to roll down his neck and shoulders, Scar pushed himself up and onto his feet, finding a small sense of power in standing taller than her, whoever she was- Maleficent or whatever.

"I don't care what you are called, you have not answered my question. Who[/i] are [i]you?" He asked again, crossing his thick arms across his bare chest and holding them there, looking down on her. "You speak information that anyone in The Pride Lands would know, yet you are not from here. Has word of my failure spread so quickly?" He shook his head again and turned his back to her to look upon the place he could once call home again, more-so disgusted with himself in that moment than anything else. He spoke the truth, however. After he had been caught and thrown into prison, months before his exile, the prospect of the King's brother attempting to murder his own family for the throne spread like wildfire. It was not new news.

"Go on back to your home. I'm sure there's a husband or master who will be missing his bitch from their kitchens."

Chuckling softly she let her head roll slightly before her gaze came to a stop on his figure her lips twisting up into a smirk as she listened to him trying to order her around like she was some common whore slaving day and night to appease some man who thought himself better than her, the knowledge that he had no idea that he was speaking to the one person in this world who had the power to rule over it was by far amusing to the woman causing her to have to supress a few short chuckles, "Oh, of course... What [i]was[/i] I thinking. My master must be-... Oh wait, I don't have a master, nor a husband."

Raising her eyebrow slightly she continued to watch him a mixture of curiosity and and slight surprise as it began to dawn on her that he truly must be out of touch with the world if he had not recognised her by rumors or name, "You truly do not know who you're speaking with right now do you... Interesting... Well, I shall let your witty tongue and rash behaviour go this time, but do not expect me to let it slide again. In answer to your question, you may call me whatever it is you wish to, however more commonly I am known as the Dark Queen. I am the one is to rule over each and every land, meaning you will be answering to me whether you like it or not. However I am not a cruel tyrant; in return for your loyalty, I too offer my services to you."

Scoffing audibly, Scar rolled his shoulders slightly trying to work out the small knots that had formed behind his shoulder blades, his body still trying to get used to the drastic transformation he had been forced to undergo not hours ago though he doubted he ever would. Keeping his back to her, he raised his voice in volume to make up for his words that might get lost in the sound of pouring rain.

"Yeah, sure you are kid." His voice left no mistake that he didn't believe her words. How could he? One person, let alone a woman, taking over the entire world? Impossible. Simply impossible. Something like that would takes years upon planning, more than any normal human being had to give, not to mention unlimited resources, an unrelenting army, money, influence...

Turning his head just a bit to look over at Maleficent from over his shoulder, just to make sure he was looking at the right thing, he just shook his head again. No, she didn't cut it, how could she? She was half his size... and alone.

"Let me know how that all works out, yeah? I'm a bit too busy right now to pledge anything to you, or anyone else."

"Ah of course... How could I forget. Proof! You desire proof that I am who I claim to be, am I not correct in my assumptions? Hm, now let me think..." Pouting slightly she let her eyes lazily glide over the area in which they were conversing with one another taking not of their surroundings; a few trees, a bit of grass, several rocks and boulders, no shelter what so ever... Well, at least not yet.

Shifting the position she was sitting in she held her hand out over the ground her eyes flashing a gentle gold which seemed to cause the ground to break apart making way for more foliage which with the help of her magic began to entwine with one another creating a thick roof above the two of them stopping the rain from pelting down upon their bodies, turning her hand palm facing up she flicked her wrist causing stones to roll over the ground settling in a ring before a raging fire roared to life within the circle the heat quickly working to dry them from the unpleasent weather outside the shelter.

Upon first feeling the Earth starting to quake under his feet, Scar's eyes darted about, looking for an area where a bolt of lighting might have struck for half a moment thinking that the storm had moved in closer than he had thought, but as his eyes landed on Maleficent, his throat grew incredibly dry as he realized what it was that she was doing. It was[/i] her[i]![/i] She [i]was doing this. She was using[/i] magic[i]!

Snarling somewhat as his feet carried him over to the witch without him realizing it, his hand shot down, finding it's mark around her throat and pulled her up to her feet simply by closing his grip around her wind pipe. Using the momentum he gained in bringing her up, he walked them both back a bit and slammed Maleficent's back into the makeshift shelter hard enough that a few chinks in the intertwined wood and stone broke free and a small amount of rain was able to fall in.

"You! What did you do! Take it back!" He said, his grip closing around her throat even more-so in his apparent fright on the subject matter of magic. Magic was the reason he wore his family's blood all over his body, magic was not to be trusted no matter who wielded it.

Her breath caught in her throat her body tensing as he came barging towards her his anger and shock causing him to reach out and to force his hand against her his fingers tightening around her neck as he lifted her up slamming her against the wall of the shelter she had made to keep them out of the rain, lifting her hand up she gripped his wrist tightly the palm of her hand glowing bright red as it began to burn getting hotter with each second he continued to hold onto her keeping her up off the ground.

"I-... Used magic-... I can do the same-... For you-... If you agree to be loyal to-... My cause-..." Though her voice came out strained due to his hold on her she managed to keep her message clear and strong as she forced her point across knowing that even if he didn't want her help he would take it, it was the one way that he could get everything that he wanted, "Give me your-... Loyalty, and I can give you what-... You need to get-... What you want most in life-..."

Closing the distance between the two of them by Scar reaching his neck forward so that his face was closer than an inch from hers, his eyes darkened as he looked her up and down shortly before connecting his eyes with hers and narrowing them. There was something behind the hatred he felt for her then, something in his eyes gave away to the fact that he was frightened, a fact that he would never admit no matter the circumstance. His arm was burning, but he opted to ignore it. He had been taught at an early age to tolerate pain, and his years serving in the brutal army of first his father and then his brother helped him to hone those skills of saving face even under the most dire of circumstances.

"I. Don't. Need. Magic!" He spat out and threw her to the floor hard, like a slave who had overstepped their place. "I know the castle like the back of my hand. What I need is an army to surround the area and take out the problem areas... or at the very least a distraction so I can slip into the armory and get myself a weapon. The walls are heavily guarded, I can't take on a dozen guards that lay in the most direct line between me and my brother with only my hands..." He went on, speaking more outloud to himself rather than to her. It was clear that he had his plan already thought out, and a well devised plan if it were to work. Quiet, silent, and in the middle of the night when they couldn't see their surprise attacker. "Once my brother and his little brat are dead, it won't matter who knows what I've done or how many guards are alerted. I'd only need five minutes, seven tops. By then, it will be too late, by then I will have made myself King..."

Her grip relaxed as she was thrown down to the ground her body crumpling and her shoulders hunching over as her hand automatically jumped up to rub gently at her neck the skin red with irritation while her heart began working overtime causing her chest heave up and down to once more fill her body with the oxygen that she had been lacking, after a few moments however she chuckled her lips twisting up into a smirk seeming to find the whole thing amusing though the situation was serious and far from being something she should be laughing at, "And what exactly do you believe that I have been attempting to offer you? A great feast in honor of your failure?"

Shakily getting back up to her feet she paused for a few moments being sure to maintain both her composure and her balance before she turned to face him her eyes watching over his figure curiously, "I am not one of the women you see roaming the Pride Lands, Scar. I am not uneducated and simple minded. I know your feelings towards magic, the strain it has put on your life, and in turn the blood it has placed on your hands. But know that I can provide you with the army and distraction that you seek... My offer will only be given once, if you choose not to take it, then I will assume you are against me and I will not hesitate to shed the blood of the entire royal family here in these lands."

Her expression became cold and calculating as she brushed past him heading towards the entrance of the shelter the rain once more hitting against her skin causing it to sparkle slightly under the light of the moon, "You have made it clear of your intentions. I bid you luck... Enjoy what time you have left my dear, I will be returning, and when you bow to me... It will be too late..."

Keeping his posture rigid, unmoving even when she moved past him and towards the exit of the structure, he kept his ground. Yes, she could help him, that much was clear, and... given his desperation he knew he would have to take it, but there was something else that had him hung up on accepting her offer right away.

"Why offer your services to me?" He asked, his voice mysteriously absent of the anger that once fueled it on an almost constant occasion. "Why not take the other side and aide my brother? What does[/i] my [i]'loyalty' provide that his doesn't?"

"Because I know what it is like to lose everything you have ever truly cared for... Everyone you have every truly loved..." Bringing her arms up she folded them over her chest her breasts pushing together though she wasn't meaning for them to do so her eyes flicking out to look at the castle in the distance, "Contrary to your belief, we are a lot alike. Things were taken from us by those who once claimed to be by our side. A betrayal that can not be forgiven no matter how much they may beg for mercy."

Turning around to face him she waited for a moment before she held held her hand out turning it slightly the innocent action causing her eyes to flash golden once more as a beautiful sword appeared sticking out of the ground close by the raging fire, "I do not take kindly to those who betray blood in the ways I have observed here in the Pride Lands. Your brother is not fit to be King, nor is the young beastie that took it upon himself to ruin your plans. You're loyalty provides me with strength in area's that I may or may not be lacking in for my rise to complete power. You are a leader Scar, and it this reason that I give you my services."

His head tilted to the side slightly, taking in the witch's words though was unsure what to make of them just yet. A slight, shimmering sound, however, caught his attention, forcing his head to the side to look at the sword sticking up and out of the ground that wasn't there a few moments ago. Tentatively, he took a few cautious steps towards it, eventually lowering his hand to grab around the handle and pulled the blade from the soft earth. Immediately, the light of the fire caught the edge of the steel, giving the entirety of the sword an almost magical appearance, though as he examined it closer, found that it was nothing more than an ordinary sword; a sword of fine craftsmanship yes, but nothing he couldn't ever produce out of The Pride Lands.

"So be it." Scar said indefinitely, though spoke more to the sword than the woman behind him. He had no more use of her and didn't wish to be in the presence of a magic wielder a second longer than he had to be. Lowering his arm that held the sword, not having a sheath to place it on his hip instead, Scar headed towards the exit of the makeshift shelter, pushing past Maleficent with his broad shoulders and greeted the rain with a sharp inhale. Immediately, the rain had begun to wash away what little remaining blood he had stained on his skin, his eyes back on the towering castle before him, his black eyes darting this way and that as he thought over his plan once more, but in a new light as now he had the means to do it.

A smirk played over her lips at his words her eyes following his figure as it began to move away from her heading directly to the castle in the Pride Lands that would soon be his and the life that he was born to lead, lifting her eyebrows slightly as though she was just remembering something important she closed her eyes chuckling softly once more, "Oh, and Scar... Should you ever need my services again, find your way to the top most tower in the North Wing of your soon-to-be castle... There you shall find a mirror, you will know what to do when the time comes." With the last of her words leaving her lips she lifted her arm up her fingers curling slightly as her body became envelopped by a thick plume of purple smoke the young woman disappearing from the land and his presence altogether.

Standing there in the rain, it looked as though Scar hadn't even heard Maleficent's final words before she disappeared behind him, his mind and every sense trained instead on the task beforehand. It was time to take back what was rightfully his in the first place. He may not have like magic, but that was something he and the witch could agree on.[/i]

Presently...

Coming out of his reverie, Scar found himself staring back at his reflection through the mirror's glass that Maleficent had gifted him all those years ago. Rubbing his hand over his goatee, his dark eyes left his reflections eyes and looked himself up and down for half a moment. He had thought, at least by now, he would have found a way to rid himself of his curse, but even now, thirteen years later, he hadn't been able to do anything. But now... now he had the chance to do something about the curse of another, given by the same man. Odette. He was doing this for Odette. Returning his hand to his side, his dark eyes met back with his reflections. He squared his shoulders, pronounced the tight muscles in his face and once more summoned Maleficent, calling her by name.