The Twisted Chain || A Disney Fanfic [discontinued]

3. the plan

"My child, there isn't a single issue that cannot be solved at the Round Table."

Aurora's father had mentioned this once before, while giving the newfound princess a guided tour through Elia's palace. He had been referring, of course, to an iconic slab of wood which many of Aurora's childhood fairytales were centered around. In her opinion, a circular table was the most clever thing in the world- no head, no greater power. Everyone had an equal say, making the Round Table the ideal place for solving problems, mainly those centered around business and war- issues with easily negotiable solutions.

The problem at hand, however, was different in this sense. This problem may not have had a solution.

Aurora pressed her lips to her husband's ear. "We should be on our honeymoon right now," she whispered, scanning the array of flesh tones that surrounded her. She had never seen so many royals in one place, and, in all honesty, it was making her quite nervous.

Philip sighed. "Don't remind me."

A bark from a man with a countenance like stone drew Aurora's attention back to the discussion. "I say we fight," the man declared- General Shang of China. "If we get experienced fighters, people who know how to use weapons, or even magic, we can band together to foil Maleficent's plans."

The woman who sat across from the general shifted uncomfortably in her seat- Queen Elsa of Arendelle, the living embodiment of winter. "If you're asking me to fight, General Shang, I'm afraid that I have to say no. I no longer use my powers as a-"

"No, no, no," spoke Shang's wife, a petite yet bold warrior named Mulan. "I know that you don't use your magic for the purposes of war, Queen Elsa, and my husband and I respect that."

Elsa thanked the girl with a subtle grin.

"Isn't fighting back our only option?" the general continued. "If we create an army- a combined army, with the most skilled warriors and sorcerers in the Disneyverse- we could destroy this beast-" He stopped himself, embarrassment flooding into his face. "M-My apologies, King Adam."

Queen Belle of France laid a dainty hand on top of her husband's significantly larger one, and the couple nodded in understanding. Insults no longer phased King Adam- he had already heard every name under the sun.

"I can see where you're going with this, General," said King Stefen, whose face had gained three more wrinkles since Maleficent's appearance the previous day, "and it would work quite well- if we knew for a fact how powerful Maleficent was. Keep in mind that the villain resurrected herself. There is not a single being who has been able to perfect the act of resurrecting the dead, let alone self-resurrection. Maleficent would massacre our soldiers, regardless of how well-trained they were."

"Not to insult our valiant Prince Philip," spoke Prince Charming of Monroe, "but are we absolutely sure that Maleficent died in the first pla-?"

"Yes," Philip sighed, exhaustion bleeding into his vocal cords. "I plunged a sword into her throat- an enchanted sword, to be precise-"

"Thank you," mumbled Merryweather.

"-and she fell to her death right before my eyes. I heard her body hit the ground. It is a sound that one can never forget."

"Does it really matter whether or not Maleficent truly died?" asked the Sultan of Agrabah, a comically stout man who had trouble seeing over the edge of the table. "What matters is deciphering this curse and stopping this war before it begins."