As Sharp as Thorns 8

"... Maleficent, are you sure this is a good idea?" Inquired the Horned King, walking beside Maleficent as the two of them made their way to the House of Mouse. "I do not feel comfortable with this..."

"Your majesty, relax..." Said Maleficent. "Everything will be fine. And besides, I want to make up for my absence last time."

"... It's not that." Grumbled the Horned King. "It's the other villains... You know what they think of me.

"Just leave it to me if they trouble you."

All that the horned lich could do was lower his head. The Horned King knew of the low opinion that the other villains held toward him, and frankly, he didn't want to see any of them-- but Maleficent insisted that he go with her to the House of Mouse.

To put it bluntly, the Horned King had this feeling that he was in for a miserable night-- and when it was written 'miserable', it is not referring to the mouse-witch in Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse, who's name was a pun on the word 'miserable'.

... To write the obvious.

And so, the two made their way through the doors-- not before shaking hands with Donald Duck(who once again referred to the Horned King as 'Mr. Black Cauldron'-- the lich merely rolled his eyes at the nickname), who stood by the door to greet the characters as they went in.

As usual, the House of Mouse was as occupied as ever. Characters from all sorts of films seated at the tables, chatting with one another, eating their meal and clapping their hands in an applause as another short came to an end.

"Was this really a good idea?" The Horned King asked himself quietly as he walked beside Maleficent toward a table that was occupied by villains. Hearing the quiet hissing sound suddenly growing louder the closer they got, Maleficent placed her hand upon the lich's shoulder to keep him calm.

"... Well, I see the potion worked splendidly." Commented the Queen as she stood up to shake hands with the fairy.

Yeah, that was right. Grimhilde was the one that brewed that potion for Maleficent-- but the Horned King could not understand why it was Aurora who delivered it...

"Indeed it did." Responded Maleficent. After thanking the queen, the fairy then proceeded to shake hands with the other villains that occupied the table: Captain Hook, Cruella De Vil, Hades, Jafar and Ursula.

... Why did there have to be so many villains there?

And to make matters worse, the Horned King was already being assaulted by Miss De Vil about his large fur stole...

"... Darling, you know how I am about fur, but this is absurd! Look at all these knots and snarls!" Commented De Vil. The lich merely stared at the fur-obsessed woman while Maleficent merely shook her head.

"You must take better care of your fur!" And in response, the Horned King could only facepalm himself upon hearing the comment...

"... Miss De Vil, calm down. It's not like he's Scar or anything." Commented Jafar, who was also shaking his head at the scene. And so, Cruella De Vil returned to her seat, nose stuck up in the air, thinking to herself how the king needed to take better care of his fur-clothes.

... Whether or not Jafar was trying to get some pressure off of the Horned King or was actually commenting about his popularity was debatable. Regardless, the lich no longer had the woman obsessed with fur bugging him anymore.

Still, the Horned King could not help but have this certain feeling of... Unrest? Foreboding? He didn't feel comfortable surrounded by all these other villains-- all these other villains that were more popular then him...

If not for Maleficent, the Horned King would have been out the door and heading back to Prydain. But he eventually sat down with the crowd-- mind you, it took a lot of convincing, but he eventually obliged...

"... So, how is life treating ya'?" Hades started.

"Well, it's just the same as before." Responded Maleficent. "Flora, Fauna and Merryweather always on my back about this or that."

"... And who's your friend here?" Asked Ursula, as she poked the Horned King on the shoulder with one of her tentacles.

"That would be the Horned King." Said Maleficent.

"Horned King?" Ursula repeated. "Wasn't he from that film... What was it again? The Black Hole?"

"... It was The Black Cauldron..." Corrected the Horned King, his voice coming out sounding like a threatened cat then anything.

"Oh! Right."

"... Did you see the sorry state that fur-cape was in!?" The Horned King could hear Cruella speaking quietly to Jafar. "I would never allow such things to happen to my beautiful fur-coats!"

... Of course, here came the part where they talked about the Horned King as though he wasn't there.

Any minute now, they're going to lecture him about how terrible his film was and how it nearly spelled the end of the animation department of Walt Disney. What had Maleficent dragged him into?

"... You know, come to think of it, I've heard quite a lot about that film, The Black Cauldron." Started Hades. Already, the lich prepared himself for the facepalm that was just about to come.

"Nearly forced the company to walk the plank, it did!" Commented Captain Hook.

"... Yeah, if weren't for a certain Little Mermaid swimming ashore and saving the day." Grumbled Ursula. Coming from the villain who came from the exact same film, so of course she was the one to make that comment...

Upon hearing these comments, the Horned King looked over at Maleficent with an almost pleading look in his eyes as though he were saying 'Can I go home, now?'.

"... Indeed, it is quite unfortunate that The Black Cauldron has such a bad reputation-- but let us not forget that he is still one of us." Said Maleficent to the other villains.

"... Yeah, in his defense, he must have some popularity if he has appeared in some of the merchandise with us." Commented Cruella De Vil. "... I still say that he needs to take better care of his fur, though."

This woman. She was obsessed with fur...


Meanwhile, while the Horned King was being harassed by the other villains, Daisy Duck was confronted by a certain princess from an obscure land.

"When was the last time you've seen them?" Inquired Daisy Duck.

"... It was about three weeks ago." Responded the blond-haired girl. "So, I... I wanted to know if you've seen them coming here, by any chance?"

"No, I have not!" Said Daisy. "In fact, the only two characters I've seen coming and going recently from your film are Taran and the Horned King."

"... No one comes and goes like Gaston!" Commented Gaston as he came walking past.

"... Is he always like that?" Inquired the blond haired girl, putting both her hands on her hips as she watched the egotistical villain strutting past. Daisy merely shrugged her shoulders.

"... Anyway, do they often go out? Like, do they come here often?" Inquired Daisy Duck, to which the blond haired girl shook her head.

"I can't say we go anyplace very often." Said the young girl. "Our film has such a bad reputation that we don't really bother going anyplace. We're... We don't feel very welcomed anywhere else." Daisy Duck couldn't help but frown upon hearing those words. Everybody was welcomed, regardless of what film they were from.

"... Well, just know that you're always welcomed at the House of Mouse." Said Daisy, smiling at the young girl.

"Thank you, miss Daisy." Smiled the girl in response. "Anyway, their names are Fflewddur Fflam and Gurgi."

"Right, Fflewddur Fflam-- spelled with two 'F's, right?" Asked Daisy, to which the girl nodded her head. "Alright. We'll be sure to keep an eye out for these two."

"Thank you very much!" Said the girl, before turning and walking away...


Meanwhile, back at the villains table, the villains were all chatting away-- while the Horned King sat back and remained utterly silent. Neither of them had made any further attempts to try and converse with the lich. Of course, the Horned King wasn't much of a conversationalist, so it was only natural for him to remain silent.

Still, he couldn't help but feel as though he was utterly out of place surrounded by all these other villains that were so much more well-known then him. But he was seated right between Maleficent and Grimhilde! It was like he was being held captive, and he didn't like it!

... Admittedly, that was not anyone's intention. But he couldn't help but feel as though he was being held prisoner-- why and what for, he couldn't fathom. But the point being: Had it not have been for him being seated between these two villains, he would have been out and gone...

But, no. Maleficent had brought him here. He sat there, so he had to suffer until either the show ended for the night, or he stormed out. But for the most part, the Horned King was content with just sitting there and being ignored.

Then, something caught his attention...

"... Eilonwy?" The Horned King mused quietly as he noticed a familiar blond haired girl making her way through the crowd, pausing for a moment as she noticed, to, noticed the Horned King sitting there with the other villains.

There was a look of uncertainty in Eilonwy's eyes as she gazed over at the Horned King. A shiver ran down her spine the longer she stared at him. No, she could never forget that time where she, Taran and Fflewddur were held prisoner and were made to watch as the Horned King summoned the powers of the Black Cauldron. And seeing the Horned King himself sitting there simply made her blood freeze.

Finally, the princess turned and headed out to the door, starting off slowly but gradually quickening her pace, fearing that the lich would come chasing after her. But the Horned King simply sat there, watching her as she left the building.


"... So, what's it like being in those Kingdom Hearts games?" Asked Cruella De Vil.

"It's alright, until it comes to the part where you are beaten to death by a brat with a key." Commented James Hook, pouting as he spoke.

"... Yeah, we still have yet to hear poor Frollo's thoughts once the new game comes out." Chuckled Hades.

Well, it looked like the conversation had now gone to those video games that involved some kid with spiky hair running around wielding a giant key and beating up Disney Villains...

... And a few Final Fantasy characters, for some reason.

"... So, what about you?" Inquired Jafar. Much to the Horned King's dismay, all eyes were then focused upon him.

"... Me?" Asked the Horned King, to which the villains nodded their heads in confirmation.

... Well, what could he say? The Horned King didn't particularly care about the games...

... But he really, really wanted to make an appearance in one of them, but it wasn't his decision to make. The Horned King had hopes that he would appear in the next installment that was recently announced, but he already knew there wouldn't be any worlds based around The Black Cauldron. No, the Hunchback of Notre Dame was getting all the attention in Dream Drop Distance...

"... I... Can't really say for sure." Started the Horned King, lowering his head to hide his face in the shadow of his own hood. "... I'm an obscure villain, so I doubt I'll-- Any worlds based around The Black Cauldron will be featured anytime soon..."

"If anything, they'll probably feature a world based around their other game, Drakengard instead."

"Drakengard?" Said Jafar, Ursula and Hades in unison.

"That's... A pretty dark game, there." Said Hades, scratching the back of his head. "Though admittedly, it would be interesting to see that included in the Kingdom Hearts franchise-- if they wanted to make the series darker and edgier."

"... In any case, I have not heard any word of Jones or Teach making an appearance." Stated the Horned King. "... I'm actually surprised-- fans are demanding that Davy Jones in particular make an appearance."

"... They're also dying to see a few others included in the franchise." Hinted Maleficent. Unfortunately, it passed right over the Horned King's head, so he failed to catch what Maleficent was referring to...

"But what I'm asking is: Don't you wish you were included?" Jafar inquired again.

"... As I said, I cannot quite say for sure whether I want to or not." Responded the Horned King.

... Of course, the Horned King could not help but ask himself why he couldn't answer such a simple question. Yes, he wanted to appear in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. He would love it, regardless of getting the living daylights beaten out of him by some kid with a giant key.

Admittedly, Maleficent had managed to translate those words into saying: 'Yes, I would love to be included in those games one of these days'...

"... Well, I for one, hope to be included soon." Grumbled Cruella De Vil, crossing her arms and pouting. "They included those accursed dogs in the first game, so why haven't I made any appearances?" All that Cruella got in response was the shrugging of shoulders.


And so, the lich listened quietly as the conversation wandered off to other things not related to Kingdom Hearts-- in this case, the Kingdom Keepers book series. The Horned King had only ever read the first two books. Interesting series, the Horned King had to admit.

... He really liked the idea of the dolls on 'It's a Small World' coming to life and assaulting the poor souls sitting on board the boats.

Aside from being asked about Kingdom Hearts, the Horned King did not participate in anymore conversations with the other villains. He simply sat there in silence, listening to the other villains chatting with one another. None of them had made anymore attempts at talking with the obscure villain, but the Horned King was fine. Any attempts at talking with the horned lich would have probably lead to an argument, anyway...

Time, admittedly, went awfully slow for the Horned King's liking, but he sat in his seat with the other villains until the show was over and the House of Mouse was closing down for the night. Admittedly, the evening wasn't as miserable as what the Horned King had originally predicted, but it was very boring in his opinion...

As time progressed, some of the villains took their leave to retire for the day-- in particular, Cruella De Vil, Hades and James Hook, leaving only Maleficent, the Horned King, Queen Grimhilde and Jafar.

"... So, I heard you were creating a potion for some kind of experiment, correct?" Inquired Jafar to the Queen. "And I suppose you're not inclined to reveal any details?"

"Now, you should know that we villains never give away our secrets so easily, Jafar." Said the Queen in response. "I must admit that word travels fast. However, I'm afraid I cannot reveal any details surrounding this potion to you-- or anyone else. Personal request."

Potion? Experiment? Personal Request? The Horned King mused over what little he had heard concerning the subject. There was that time when the entirety of the guests were given chipmunk voices, or vanished after a magic spell went awry.

Though admittedly, the latter was of Daisy Duck's doing when Jafar had failed to make it to the House of Mouse on time for a magic show of some sorts. But what exactly was the Queen up to?

"Personal request?" Inquired Maleficent.

"... I admit that this potion that I am creating was more of a request from someone-- though this is the first time that I have ever attempted such a potion, so I suppose it is an experiment, in and of it's own."

"Really?" Said Maleficent. "And who was it that requested this mystery potion-- if you are inclined to reveal?"

"... I'm afraid I cannot reveal that information, Maleficent." Stated Queen Grimhilde.

... Now, why did the Horned King have this feeling that this was the foreshadowing of some kind of plot that has yet to come? Well, he had no part to play in whatever it was that the Queen was doing, and frankly, the Horned King didn't care what the Queen was up to, just as long as he didn't find himself in the middle of whatever chaos the Queen was about to conduct...

Though he wouldn't deny that he was a bit curious as to what kind of potion the Queen was making-- and who could have requested it. And for what purpose? The rules did state that there were to be 'No villainous scheming in the House of Mouse.'

But, of course, since when did villains have to oblige to the rules?


As time progressed, the Queen was the next to announce her departure, bidding the other three villains a farewell and heading out, leaving only Maleficent, the Horned King and Jafar at the table.

"... You don't talk much, do you?" Started Jafar, after having grown tired of the silence. In response, the horned lich shook his head, stating:

"Admittedly, I am not much of a conversationalist. It's not because I am not thought of highly by the other villains, it's simply because that is the way I am."

"Could have fooled me..." Muttered Jafar in sarcasm.

"... So, judging from how your words sound, you don't exactly have fond relations with the other villains, yet here you are, sitting with the other villains."

"... Look, simply because I am one of the Disney Villains does not mean I have to actually like the other villains." Stated the Horned King, hoping that this would end the conversation, but the sorcerer-vizier proceeded to continue...

"And yet here you are, an obscure Disney Villain, sitting among us." Said Jafar, clasping his hands as he rested the elbows of both his arms on the table. Upon hearing this, the horned lich glanced over at Maleficent, before turning back to Jafar and adding:

"... Maleficent insisted that I attend." Started the Horned King. "I admit to being hesitant--"

"... Do forgive me for seeming rude, but you seemed bored." Cut in Jafar, dryly. The lich narrowed his eyes as he stared at Jafar, but decided against making any attempts to respond to the comment and continued with what he had started to say.

"... As I was saying, before being so rudely interrupted, I was hesitant at the idea of attending a table that was occupied by so many other villains that are arguably so much more popular then I, but..." The horned lich then cast another glance back at Maleficent, before adding in:

"... I was flattered by the offer." The Horned King finished in a particularly chilling voice. Upon hearing the way the line was delivered, as though feeling mocked somehow, Jafar narrowed his eyes threateningly at the lich.

"... Are you jealous?" The horned lich added suddenly, catching Jafar by surprise.

"Don't be silly." Said Jafar, crossing his arms and sticking his nose up at the Horned King. "I'm just surprised that she didn't bring someone who was more popular..."

Oh? So this was the part where the conversation got nasty, was it?

"... And I don't leap at the chance of wishing to become an all-powerful genie without thinking first." Responded the Horned King, resting his arm on the table and tapping his fingers against the surface.

"... Touché."  Commented Jafar after a moment of trying to think of a good comeback, but not succeeding at finding one. There was a hint of stubbornness to his voice upon uttering the word, and that stubbornness showed through when the vizier noticed Maleficent's grin upon hearing the comment made from the Horned King.

"What are you smirking at?" Grumbled Jafar to Maleficent, who merely shook her head. "... While I should have thought more thoroughly before making the wish, I DID become the most powerful being in my film." Growled Jafar, crossing his arms and pouting. Admittedly, if not for the restrictions that a genie is under, Jafar probably would have been a very powerful foe to face-- so powerful that even Maleficent would have possibly had trouble facing, if their powers ever clashed.

However, the fairy merely rolled her eyes in response.

"Indeed..." Said Maleficent, to which an audible 'humph!' was heard in response from Jafar.

And with that, the fairy then stood up. "Alas, I'm afraid I must be going now." Said Maleficent. "I am tired. How about we continue this conversation at another time, shall we?"

"... Indeed." Said Jafar with a low hissing to his voice. Standing back up, the vizier gave a low and respectful bow to the fairy before turning and heading to the door.

... Though the Horned King debated as to whether it was sincere or not.


"I must admit, I am impressed by the response you gave to the sorcerer." Complimented Maleficent as she and the Horned King made their way to the door.

"About the wish?" Started the Horned King. "It's common knowledge that one should always be 'careful with what they wish for'-- especially if that someone is a villain."

"... But what can we say?" The Horned King added, before putting on a brief accent and adding: "Is' our nature, is it not?"

"... Indeed it is." Responded Maleficent, who slowly nodded her head in response. If there was anyone that could sum up the reason why the Disney Villains did the things they did, it was Tia Dalma-- or Calypso, as some call her.

"I apologize if the others caused you too much trouble, your majesty." Said Maleficent, turning to glance over at the Horned King as he walked beside her. But the lich did not meet her gaze. Instead, he merely kept his eyes fixed on the path they walked.

"... It's fine." Responded the Horned King.

"... To make us even, I would like to apologize for being so silent."

"... You are unaccustomed to being around other villains, correct?" Inquired Maleficent, to which the Horned King nodded his head slowly in confirmation. "I now tell you what you had just told me: It's fine, your majesty." Said Maleficent, nodding her head to the Horned King. But the lich kept his gaze forward.

"... You said you plan to return back to your own world tomorrow, didn't you?" Inquired the dark fairy.

"... Unlike you, I do not have anyone to watch over the castle for me." Started the Horned King. "I fear what has transpired during my absence."

Of course, this was to be expected. But something troubled Maleficent. She wasn't sure what exactly, but she felt... Almost sad that the horned lich would be leaving.

After having confirmed that he would be returning to his homeworld of Prydain the next day, the Horned King brought his stride to a halt upon sensing something from Maleficent.

"... You are troubled." Said the Horned King, slowly turning back to face Maleficent.

"It has been a long time since the two of us have had any interaction. So many years..." Started the fairy, shaking her head. "Admittedly, I am disappointed that it has come to an end."

"... I am not going to be erased from existence." Responded the Horned King, flatly, but Maleficent's mood remained unchanged. "You are free to visit-- If that is your desire."

"I thank you, your majesty." Responded Maleficent, smiling briefly upon hearing the Horned King's words. But she was still...

Shaking his head, the horned lich turned and approached the fairy.

"My lady, you are always welcome to visit me." Started the Horned King. Carefully reaching his hand out to Maleficent's face, he gently lifted her head to look upward at him. "You always have been..." The lich added quietly, but the fairy still had that look in her eyes as though this would be the last meeting with a dear friend of hers...

There was a long silence between the two as they looked at each other; she stared at him, and he stared right back. Slowly and carefully, the Horned King moved his hand across her face until coming to a rest upon the fairies cheek.

Was he the forgiving sort? No. But despite the slight 'grudge' he bore against Maleficent, the Horned King could sense that she was, truly, sorry.

Before long, and much to Maleficent's surprise(as well as the surprise of the Horned King's, to some extent), the horned lich leaned over closer toward Maleficent and kissed her.

Was it ironic to be sensing these emotions from someone like Maleficent? They were both surprised, but somewhere deep down-- they weren't sure where, what or how, but they felt... Content, being in each others arms.

Did he really have to leave tomorrow?