A mother's revenge
Mal/Ben
There will be a couple of songs in there and I might even change some of the lyrics in it.
Mal's mother figures out how to get back to her human size self and wants revenge on her daughter for turning her back on her. She finds a surprising ally in getting her daughter back and away from everyone.
After the eventful coronation ceremony, Maleficent, in her lizard form, had been placed in a special enchanted cage and sent back on the Isle of the Lost, where her 'friends' would take care of her.
They had offer to let Mal keep her in a cage in her bedroom, and she had for a while, hoping it would get her mother to see things her way and to love her more but after about a week, the teenage girl was uneasy. She felt watched, judged and criticized every second, she could barely sleep because her lizard mother made so much noise every time she tried to close her eyes or when she did her homework. If this had been any other animal, she would have thought it was natural but coming from her mother, she knew it was the only way her evil mother had found to hurt her and punish her. Mal ended up taking the decision to let her go back to the Isle of the Lost and didn't regret it.
Once back in the Isle, Maleficent's cage was placed on the kitchen table of the large place she shared with the Evil Queen, Cruella and Jafar.
"Shouldn't we let her out?" The Evil Queen wondered.
"I know that I'd hate being restricted to this little boring cage." Cruella nodded.
Jafar, seeing that they all agreed, opened the sage, letting the cute little lizard walk out of its cage.
Maleficent knew that she wouldn't be able to change back into a human while on the Isle, she needed to leave it, go back to a place with magic. Back in the coronation hall, she was about to change back into a human when they trapped her first under the beast's magic glass and then in an enchanted cage. Her friends had let her out and now her plan was simple: snick out of the Isle on the next delivery truck that came.
She wouldn't be able to change into a dragon anymore, her new animal form was one of a lizard, but she didn't care, she wanted to give her daughter a very valuable lesson and she already knew how she would do it. It would take time but it would be well worth it.
Mal had betrayed the trust her mother had placed in her and Maleficent wasn't a very forgiving person. Her own daughter had sided with the enemy, fallen in love with the son of the man who had imprisoned them all on the Isle. She'd pay for it, she'd come to understand how wrong she was and she'd go back to being on her mother's side.
In order to do what she wanted, Maleficent would need a safe place, a lair, where she'd be able to take her daughter to and she had the perfect place in mind: an isolated tower lost in the dark haunted woods. She'd go there first, prepare everything, get everything ready and then she'd go to Auradon's school to get her daughter. Once they were alone, far away from this Ben who had poisoned her head with love, she'd be able to win her daughter back to her cause, she knew it. And Mal would understand why she's being punished, she'd understand and she'd do anything her mother asked of her.
Audrey wasn't a happy princess. Of course she had fun with Chad, but he wasn't the one she wanted, she wanted Ben. Not because she loved him but because she knew that she'd look good by his side as a queen. She didn't understand how he could love Mal so much, how they could be so happy together. He should be with her and she had only one mission in mind: get him back, no matter what she had to do in order for it to happen.
Unfortunately for her, she had a hard time finding people willing to help her. The fact that Mal and her friends had saved the day at the Coronation had given them a place in the school, they had more friends than ever and Audrey had to pretend to be their friend also in order to not be suspicious. However, she knew that she could count on Chad, the lovely idiot could be swayed by her fake smiles and she loved that he was always ready to do anything she asked of him, without questioning her.
It had been about a month since she had let her mother go back to the Isle of the Lost and Mal was happy, something she had never thought she would truly be in her life.
Ben loved her and she loved him back. To prove it before she could even begin to have doubts, he had explained to her that, after her love spell washed out in the lake, he had decided to check if she was using him or simply wanted to have a chance with him. He explained how that pure glowing white rock he had given her after getting her out of the lake was very special. It glowed in his hand because he loved her and it kept glowing once she held it because she loved him back, even if she didn't know it yet. He had gotten back sometimes after she let her mother go and had given it to her, as a reminder that, as long as it glowed, their love was strong. Using magic, Mal had separated it into two halves and now they each had one half to look at when they couldn't be with the other one.
Two halves of a whole, just like them.
Ben also confessed something to her that he hadn't told anyone else: his visions. He had told her that he took the decision to give her and her friends a chance after having had a vision of her and having fallen in love with this vision. He also had had a vision of after the coronation, which was why, after family day, he was so sure that everything would be fine for the 4 teenagers once the coronation was over.
Seeing how open he was being with her, Mal opened up about a subject that hurt her a lot: her name. She had explained to him that her mother wanted to name her Maleficent too but that she only gave her the first syllable because she hadn't deserved the full name yet. Having just a part of a name because your mother doesn't think you deserve a full one was something that hurt Mal a lot. Of course now she didn't want Maleficent's name, she didn't want to have a name that held so much evil and terror in it.
That's when Ben suggested that she chose her full name herself. He told her that he loved her current name: Mal, but he added that if she really wanted to change it, he'd help her. In the end, Mal decided she'd look for another name with Mal in it so that she could keep on being called this way.
"So, how was your day? I saw you speaking with Audrey earlier. She seemed friendly enough from where I stood." Ben asked Mal, fishing for information.
"She was trying to be nice, yes." Mal nodded.
"Trying?"
"I could tell that it was fake. I think she's playing nice with me because everyone else is nice to the four of us now. She doesn't want to stand out but she definitely doesn't like me." She confessed.
"Well, I'm sure you'll grow on her. You grew on my parents didn't you? They love you now. I'm sure everyone else will too. Anyone that matters anyway." He smiled, making her smile in return.
They were on their way to dinner, something they always did together now. There, they met up with Doug and Evie and sat with them. Jay was off to another table with some members of the team and Carlos was eating with Jane and Lonnie, enjoying having both girls flirting with him.
"Everything okay, E?" Mal asked her, seeing how deep in thoughts and worried she looked.
"You know how Fairy Godmother allowed us to write a letter to our parents and to receive their answers as long as the letters were being checked first for magic or other armful things?" Evie asked her.
"Yeah, I do. Why? What did you mother answer?"
"Nothing much. She's trying to appear nice on paper to lure me back in but she did tell me something troubling."
"What is it?" Ben asked.
"They let your mother out of her cage and now they can't find her anywhere. She just said it because she was explaining how tired she was from having looked everywhere but... I don't know, with your mother, we never know..." Evie explained, shrugging her shoulders.
"Could she turn back into a human?" Ben asked.
"Not as long as she was in the cage, not even on the Isle of the Lost because there is no magic there but if she can find a way out of the Isle, she could definitely turn back to her human form." Mal replied, much paler.
"Don't worry Mal, I'll warned he guards and they'll just be more careful." Ben reassured her.
"I just got the letter and I immediately told Fairy Godmother, right before we came here." Evie added.
"Thanks E. I guess we'll just have to keep an eye open." Mal nodded.
"I know you Mal, I can feel how worried you are. Don't worry, I'll get the guards to look for her and to watch out for you." Ben promised his girlfriend in a whispered voice while Doug and Evie went to get desert.
"I don't want to be a burden Ben. I'm sure the guards have better things to do than to follow me around." Mal shook her head.
"Well, I was thinking of having them just watch the entrances but you'r right, I'll have a couple of them follow you around. You're no burden Mal. I love you and I can't let anything happen to you. I can't lose you. Please, accept it?" He begged her and, seeing how sincere and truly worried he was being, she nodded, agreeing to have two bodyguards follow her everywhere she went.
She tried to hide just how truly worried she was for herself but she knew that he could see through her brave facade. She could remember how cruel her mother could be when she disappointed her back at home, when she was a child who simply refused to hurt one of her friends too badly for no reason. She knew that her mother wouldn't come back to forgive and forget, or even to scold her and tell her how disappointed she was in her daughter. No, she came to hurt, torture and get revenge.
Ben and Mal ate their dinner quickly before they both went to the big palace, to inform Ben's parents of everything they had learned and see what Fairy godmother and his parents had decided would be the best course of action. As they left, none of them saw that Audrey had been sitting right behind them and had heard everything that Evie had told them.
"Audrey, what's going on? Why are you smiling like that?" Chad asked her.
"Something very good for me just happened. Now I just need to grab that opportunity and rise up." She replied mysteriously, already thinking of way to signal Maleficent that she wanted to help her.
.
Audrey did researches a while before she found what she was looking for: one of the rare birds who delivered letters to whomever you asked them to. Once she had it, she wrote a simple letter that went straight to the point:
"Maleficent,
I know that being Aurora's daughter, you and I would be natural enemies but it just so appear that we might have a common goal:
You want to get your daughter back, (I don't care what you do once you have her) and I want her gone from this school.
They know you're coming and are placing more security around the school.
I'm willing to help you get what you want, because it's what I want.
I have a window of opportunity Monday if you answer quickly.
Audrey"
Smiling happily, she gave the letter to the bird and let him fly away before she went to bed. She thought she'd need to wait a few days before she got a reply from Maleficent but less than 3 hours later, the bird was back and waking her up with a reply.
"Interesting.
How do I know that I can trust you? How do I know that this isn't a trap?
Maleficent"
Her reply was brief but it made Audrey smile. She had thought of that. She hurried to her desk without waking her roommate up and quickly wrote her own reply:
"Next Monday I'll have a homecoming dress delivered in my room. It's in a large wooden case for protection and you'll fit in it. It has my name on it and will be delivered directly in my bedroom. A copy of my dress order is included in this letter. I'm sure you're more than capable of sneaking into the shop and into the case.
Audrey"
She knew that she was playing with fire but trusting Maleficent was worth the risk if it allowed her to get rid of Mal and have Ben all to herself. All she had to do was wait for next Monday. Then, she'd have everything she wanted and Mal would be gone for good. She be back at the top of the school's food chain. If she didn't act quickly, Mal would be elected Homecoming Queen and she couldn't let it happen.
.
The next week went by pretty quickly. The additional security placed on the school was discreet, except for those who followed Mal everywhere. Everyone knew that there was a risk that Maleficent was coming but they all had faith that things would end well. Everyone was so hopeful that Mal was starting to feel safe again as well.
She hadn't forgotten that her mother might be on her way to her, but she was starting to believe that she was safe again and that good would win. Ben was especially good at making her feel loved and safe. When he was by her side, she felt like nothing bad could ever happen to her and her friends.
"Goodnight Mal, I'll pick you up for breakfast, okay?" Ben asked his girlfriend after dropping her off to her dorm room after the afternoon spent with his parents.
"As usual. Goodnight Ben." She replied.
"I love you. Always." He whispered before kissing her.
"I... Me too." She smiled, unable to actually say the words yet but ti didn't matter because he knew that she felt it and he didn't need for her to say it, as long as she kept on showing it.
With one last kiss goodnight and an intimate smile shared Ben left to go to his own room.
Mal entered her bedroom knowing it would be empty. Evie had been invited to a pajama party in Lonnie's room and her best friend had jumped on the occasion to have some 'girly girl' time. Mal had been invited as well but she knew that she'd come back too late from Ben's parent's place and she liked spending time with Ben much more than spending it with the other girls.
"Well, well, well, look who's coming back late after spending the day with MY boyfriend." Audrey declared as soon as the door was locked.
"What are you doing in here? You need to leave, you have no right being here." Mal exclaimed angrily.
"Oh, don't mind me, I only came here to show her the way to your bedroom." Audrey smirked, moving to show that Maleficent was standing in the dark corner of the bedroom.
"Mother?" Mal whispered, afraid and taking a couple of steps back.
She knew that without the Fairy's wand in her hand, she had very little chance to win against her mother. Love might be powerful but was it strong enough to defeat her mother? Without thinking, she grabbed her half of the glowing stone and placed it in her pocket. She needed Ben and she felt, when she had it, that he was with her, in a way.
"Now, now Mal, someone needs to be punished. How many times have I warned you about being a good girl?" The evil sorceress shook her head.
"Well, I'll be going now If you don't need me anymore. It was nice doing business with you Maleficent but I can't stay, I have school in the morning and a boyfriend to get back." Audrey declared and, after a nod from Maleficent, she left the bedroom.
"Mother, you should leave before it's still time." Mal warned her mother, wondering why the guards hadn't detected her yet.
"If you're hoping that your boyfriend's guards will show up, don't bother. Audrey and I have already put them to sleep for the next few days. Audrey told me that Evie was in another room for the night so we have all the time in the world." Maleficent replied, not hiding her anger.
"I'll fight you again, I'm not afraid." Mal warned as her eyes started to glow but, before she could finish her sentence, her mother had spelled her to sleep.
Quickly, Maleficent grabbed her sleeping daughter and rushed discreetly out of the school, using the cover of the night while it was still there.
.
"Hey Evie, have you seen Mal? We were supposed to meet for breakfast but she wasn't in her bedroom or in the cafeteria. I've heard that she wasn't in her morning classes either." Ben asked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. I'm getting worried too. I went to look in our bedroom and everything is still in the same place. The only thing missing is that glowing rock you share with her but I know that she sometimes just keeps it with her to feel like you're close." Evie replied.
"Do you think she might be sick?" Ben asked her.
"If she were, she'd have stayed in bed." Evie shook her head.
"What's going on?" Carlos asked them.
"Have you seen Mal today?" Evie asked him.
"No, not since last night when I saw Ben dropping her off. Do you want me to ask Dude to look for her?" he asked them.
"Look for her?" Ben asked, confused.
"I've taught him to track scents." Carols explained proudly.
"Might as well try." Ben shrugged his shoulders.
They rushed back to the bedroom to grab something with Mal's scent on it and they let an eager Dude to sniff it. Immediately the dog turned around in the bedroom before he rushed out the door. They followed him through the corridors and through the front door, through the yard and in front of the entrance portal.
"She can't have left, I refuse to believe this." Ben shook his head.
"Even if she had left, she wouldn't have left everything behind. Someone forced her to leave." Evie agreed.
"Or someone took her forcefully." Ben added.
"You're thinking about Maleficent?" Carlos asked him.
"Of course I am."
"But how could she have gotten through the defenses?" Evie asked him.
"I'm planning on finding this out right now. Come." he replied before he rushed in the direction of Fairy Godmother's office.
.
A couple of hours later, Ben was in fairy Godmother's office with his parents, Carlos, Dude, Evie, Doug and Jay. They were all very worried for Mal. Jane and Lonnie had been informed and volunteered to try and find out if anyone had seen anything.
"It looks like the guards have been spell to sleep. They're in no danger and should wake up in a couple of days but it might be too late by then." The beast explained.
"Dude tracked her up to the school's entrance, maybe he can track her further." Carlos suggested.
"There was a lot of wind last night, the chances of him getting a scent outside the school's limits are very slim." Fairy Godmother shook her head.
"Maleficent couldn't have gotten in on her own, I'm sure she had help." Ben declared.
"Do you realize what you're saying Ben?" Belle asked him, shocked.
"I do, and I'm sure that I'm right. Someone in this school helped Maleficent take Mal away and I will find out who did it, I'll get answers from them and I will find Mal and rescue her from her mother. Then this person or people will pay." Ben replied in a strong and angry voice.
It was the first time that his parents saw him so angry and he reminded Belle of her husband, before he fell in love with her. If something bad happened to Mal, she could feel like her son would end up becoming a beast too. They needed to find her, not only for her son's sanity, but also because she, too, had grown the love the girl in the past month. She was a breathe of fresh air in their lives.
"I'll help you." Jay, Carlos, Evie and Doug all told him at the same time.
"Maybe Dude can find out whoever helped Maleficent. Start in Mal and Evie's room and let him track scents." Carlos offered.
"Evie, why weren't you in your room last night?" Fairy Godmother asked her, trying to place everyone.
"I was in Lonnie's room, she was having a sleep-over."
"Who else was there?" Belle asked her.
"Lonnie of course, Jane, Cindy, Jasmina and her sister. Audrey and Mal were invited too but Mal didn't want to cut her evening with Ben and his parents short and Audrey said she felt sick so she stayed in her room." Evie replied truthfully.
"She looked just fine this morning when I saw her making out with Chad." Jay frowned.
"I saw that too, I think she was trying to get my attention or something. She didn't look sick at all." Ben nodded.
"You can't possibly be suggesting that Audrey helped Maleficent inside to school so she could take Mal away!" Belle exclaimed.
"You said it, mom." Ben nodded.
"She never really liked Mal, she's just pretending. I'm sure that Mal being away serves her right. She probably thinks that with Mal away, Ben will go back to dating her." Evie suggested.
"I've also heard that she was worried that because Ben was dating Mal, Mal would be elected Homecoming queen and take the crown from her." Doug added.
"After the time it took me to get rid of her, she thinks I'd go back to her? She's crazy." Ben shook his head.
"We can't just accuse her without proof." Beast shook his head.
"Come on then, I have an idea." Carols exclaimed and they all followed him to Mal's room.
There he let only Dude in and asked him to try and smell for someone that wasn't already there. Quickly the dog seemed to have found something and rushed out of the room and through the corridors.
"This isn't the way to Audrey's room." Fairy Godmother shook her head.
"Every road leads to Rome. Some are just longer." Jay replied.
"Especially when you're trying to avoid being seen by guards or other students." Beast agreed.
"I really hope we fine her soon though. As bad as our own parents were, Mal's mom is the worst. She can be very cruel to her daughter..." Evie stated.
"What do you mean?" Ben asked, surprised.
"I know, she told me." Belle replied.
"She did?" Evie asked, surprised while ignoring Ben.
"When I took her with me for some tea so we could bond a couple of weeks ago, I managed to make her understand that I was there if she ever needed a mother's opinion, that since she was Ben's soul mate, she's family now, that we're here for her too and she opened up. I'm not sure she told me everything but what little she told me is enough to want Maleficent caught quickly. No child should have to go through that." Belle explained.
"What did she tell you? What did Maleficent do to her?" Ben asked, curious.
He was wondering why she hadn't told him but figured that she must have had her reasons. At least she told his mother, she opened up to someone.
"Let's just say that Maleficent doesn't need magic to hurt someone without leaving a visible trace." Evie replied, which only made Ben's worry grow.
After about 15 minutes of running up and down the stairs and through the corridors, Dude finally stopped in front of Audrey's bedroom. Without thinking twice, Beast rose his fist and knocked on the door. He, too, wanted Mal found. He and Belle had gotten to know and love the girl. They knew how important she was to their son. It was rare to find your soul mate so early in life but Ben had and they knew that if they didn't find Mal in time to save her, Ben would never be the same again.
Mal woke up in a dark tower. She was laid on a dirty blanket on the floor and the only window was high up and had bars so strong she wouldn't be able to break them. The room was very small and she decided that it was most likely a cell. The only door was wooden and it looked like it was protected by magic so that nobody would be able to open it. According to what little she could see from the window, she was high up.
There was absolutely nothing in the room except for this dusty and dirty blanket and Mal quickly checked her pocket. She still had the glowing love stone in her pocket. Apparently, her mother hadn't thought of checking them. Besides that she didn't have much. A broken pencil that needed to be sharpened, a couple of candies, a tissue with Ben's monogram on it. She also still had his ring on her finger and, not wanting her mother to steal it from her, she quickly took it off, wrapped it in his tissue and hide it in one of her inside pockets, a different one that the glowing love rock. She really hoped that her mother wouldn't look for them. She needed them, she needed to hold on to them until Ben rescued her, because she knew that he was coming for her.
"Ah, finally awake, are you?" Maleficent stated after suddenly opening the door.
"Let me go, mother. Please." Mal begged.
"I can't sweetie. See, you misbehaved, you betrayed your own mother and you did the right thing. You acted exactly how I taught you not to act time and time again and so you need to be punished. You need to understand the error of your ways and you need to forget about that boy. You're not leaving this room until you're finally ready to be called Maleficent."
"I don't want to be called Maleficent, Mother!" Mal exclaimed.
"That's only the poison of love talking here, don't worry, mommy will take care of it." The evil witch replied before she used a burning spell on her daughter so she'd feel like she was being burned while she actually wasn't.
"Please, let me go." Mal begged once the pain was over.
She had tears in her eyes and wasn't ashamed by it. Ben had taught her that she was allowed to cry, that it was okay and only human to do so.
"You have to trust that I know what's best for you little Mal. I'm your mother and mothers know best." Maleficent smiled.
"I just want to be happy with Ben and to be good, please, mother, you have to understand..." Mal started but was cut by her mother singing (AN: Mother knows best from tangled only I've changed the lyrics a bit):
You want to go back on their side
Oh
Why, Mal, why?
Was it really necessary for Mal to state why she wanted to go back to Auradon and to her Love? Her mother probably wouldn't listen to her anyway. Nobody tried to hurt her in Auradon, well beside Audrey. She felt safe and happy there. People cared about what she wanted and what she loved, her mother didn't and never had.
Look at you, as weak as a flower
Still a little sapling, just a sprout
You know why we are up in this tower
"Please mother, I want to be with Ben. He makes me happy, I just want to be happy." She tried to plead.
She didn't want a song, she wanted her mother to see reason and let her go to be happy.
That's right, to get you back on tracks, dear
Mal knew that she'd have to be very strong to prevent her mother from winning, she'd have to concentrate on her love for Ben and for her friends until the evil woman stopped.
Guess I always knew this day was coming
Knew that soon you'd want to do what's best.
If she knew that it was coming, then why was she so surprised by it, Mal wondered. Did it have anything to do with her father, this man she knew nothing about? Was it possible that her father was actually a good guy? Was he still alive and did he know about her?
Be evil, forget the rest!
"But..." Another protest cut short. It seemed to be the story of her life.
Shh, trust me, pest
Mother knows best
Mal could feel that her mother was trying to use her persuasion power on her but she was stronger now and as long as she concentrated on her love, she knew that she'd be able to resist. Well, it did take a lot out of her. She really hoped that the rescue would come soon because she wouldn't be able to hold on against her mother for more than a few days.
Mother knows best
Listen to your mother
It's too good of a world out there
"Not good enough when you're in it." Mal snapped before her mother threw a wave of painful magic her way to punish her for speaking out of turn.
Mother knows best
One way or another
I'll get you to do wrong, I swear
Ruffians, thugs
Poison ivy, quicksand
Cannibals and snakes, the plague
"Never! I won't do it."
Yes
"But..."
Also large bugs
Men with pointy teeth and
That, and more, you'll do it all for me
"I doubt it." Mal replied, decided to stand up to her mother as long as she could.
Mother's right here
Mother is here to fix you
Darling, here's what I suggest:
Skip the drama
Stay with mama
Mother knows best
Go ahead, fall in love with a prince that wants to be good
Go ahead, do good and betray your own blood
Me, I'm just your mother, what do I know?
I only bathed and changed and nursed you
Mal couldn't remember a time of her life when her mother was sweet and soft with her. Did she really ever change her daughter's diapers or did she have one of her minions do it for her? Did she ever love her daughter or was Mal just a tool to help her grab power?
Go ahead and Try to fight me, I want to see it
Try to stop me here, be my guest
Before it's too late, you'll see, just wait
Mother knows best
Mother knows best
Take it from your mumsy
If you fight me, you won't survive
Here it was, the real threat. If she resisted for too long, if Ben and her friends took too long to come to her rescue, her mother would kill her rather than let her go to the one she loved and let her be good. It wasn't only her heart and her sanity on the line, it was her very life that she could lose in this awful place.
Sloppy, wrongly-dressed
Immature, clumsy
Please, I'll eat you up alive
Gullible, naive
Positively grubby
Ditzy and a bit, well, hmm, vague
Plus, I believe
Gettin' kinda chubby
I'm just saying 'cause I Know you
Mal snorted, now her mother was just being a drama queen. Chubby? She knew that she wasn't. She closed her eyes and concentrated on Ben telling her how perfect she was and smiled through the pain her mother was inflicting her.
Mother understands
Mother's here to help you
"Help me? I doubt it. If you wanted to help me, you'd let me go." Mal snapped.
All I have is one request
Mal?
"Yes?" she replied, knowing her pain would get worst if she ignored her crazy mother.
Don't ever try to betray your mother again
"Oh, you can bet I will."
Oh, I have so many plans for you, dear
"I don't want to execute these plans. What about what I want?"
I'll get you to see it right
Don't forget it
You'll regret it
Mother knows best
After these words, Maleficent sent a magical electric shock to her daughter before she left the room. Her words had hurt her daughter but the pain would work better, she knew it. She'd get her daughter to forget about her love and her hopes. Without hope, she'd be easily swayed back into the dark side of this world and she'd be even better than her own mother. Maleficent always knew that her daughter had the potential to be an even greater and more powerful villain than her, it was in her. She didn't only have her mother's magic but also her fathers. Sadly, her father's will to do good had apparently survived in Mal and she needed to stop this, to kill it before it grew too large to be stopped.
Back in Auradon, Audrey was in Fairy Godmother's office, being questioned. She knew that there was magic in the room that would show everyone that she was lying so she had simply refused to answer anything. Being found out so soon after executing her plan was humiliating.
"Why did you do it Audrey? Mal never did anything against you." Evie shook her head.
"She took my boyfriend! Ben was mine!" Audrey snapped, speaking for the first time and surprising Belle, the Beast and Fairy godmother.
"I was never yours Audrey. I was trying to break up with you for weeks before Mal arrived, you just never let me speak long enough to say it and when I did say it, you ignored it or changed the subject." Ben replied cruelly, wanting to hurt the girl who, he knew it, was causing Mal pain right now.
"I was supposed to become your queen, I was perfect for this role, not her." Audrey snapped back just as her parents arrived in the room.
"What did you do, Audrey? We know you had a part to play in what happened to Mal. You better tell us now." Fairy Godmother demanded while Belle explained the situation to Princess Aurora and her husband.
"Just answer their questions, Audrey." Her father asked in a deep and angry voice.
"I contacted Maleficent and told her that if she wanted to take her daughter away, I'd help her. She snuck in the school by hiding in the box that delivered my perfect and pretty homecoming dress." Audrey ended up admitting after meeting her parent's disappointed gaze.
"How could you do this?" Aurora asked while Ben looked even angrier.
To calm himself, he took out his half the glowing stone and felt reassured by the fact that it was still glowing.
Audrey then admitted how jealous she was of Mal and how much she hated her for even coming here and changing everything. She ended up telling them how Maleficent had spelled all the guards one by one with her and how she had left Mal with her mother to go and get some sleep.
"If anything happens to Mal, if we can't find her on time, I swear Audrey you'll spend the rest of your life on the Isle of the Lost. Until then I don't want to see you." Ben announced in a dangerously calm voice.
"What? Why? Please..." Audrey started to beg but was cut of by her father.
"Just shut it Audrey! You've done enough. You'll be locked in your bedroom without being able to see any of your friends, without internet, without phones and without TV. You'll have only selected books to read and you won't see anyone until Mal is found." Audrey's father snapped.
"What else can you tell us to help us find her?" Fairy Godmother asked the scared girl while Belle and the Beast tried to calm their son.
"Nothing, I didn't ask her any details because I didn't want to risk being forced to reveal where she was so she could be rescued. All I know is that Maleficent is planning on killing Mal's love for Ben and her friends." Audrey replied reluctantly before her parents took her away.
"Hey, where did Doug go?" Carlos asked.
"He went to call his father and his uncles to see if they have seen or heard something. The dwarfs have many contacts everywhere and he wanted to see if they could help." Evie replied in a small voice.
"Good. We'll need all the help we can get." Ben replied, taking the rock out once more.
"What will happen if Maleficent manages to kill Mal's love? Will it show on the rock?" Jay asked.
"It will stop glowing. You see the small red dots here? It shows that Mal is in pain, emotionally and mentally. it kills me that I can't help her." Ben admitted.
"Don't worry son, Mal is family, son. We'll find her." Beast promised his son.
He had already called his best warriors and investigators for help.
.
"Any news?" Ben asked for the 5th time in 30 minutes.
"Some of the people we've interrogated think they saw someone wearing a hood and carrying someone go to the dark haunted woods. We think it's Maleficent." Beast informed his son.
"Great, let's go then." Jay immediately suggested.
"It's not that easy, these woods are dangerous and without magic, I doubts anyone would make it out or even find his way inside." Beast shook his head.
"I don't care, I need to find Mal, I'm going." Ben decided.
"I won't stop you, son, I know how important this is for you but at least take some of the men with you." Beast insisted, knowing that arguing with his son was pointless.
"Okay, select them. We'll prepare ourselves and leave tomorrow at first light." Ben nodded, knowing that Carlos, Jay and Evie would want to go with them.
Of course word of what happened to Audrey and Mal had spread like wild fire around school and everyone knew what was going on. Surprisingly enough, everyone was supportive of Ben's quest and a few of the students with magic offered to enchant objects to help them along the way. One gave Ben an enchanted Compass so he could find his way in the dark haunted forest, another enchanted trinkets to keep the ghosts and dark spirits away from them while they crossed the forest. Of course Evie packed her mother's magic mirror, it would be able to show them the way too.
"You guys don't have to stay with me tonight you know, I'll be fine on my own." Ben told them as Evie, Jay, Carlos, Dude and Doug settled in his room for the night.
"We know that, but you're not on your own." Evie smiled.
"We stick together. We work together and we find her together." Jay added, making Ben smile as he hugged his half of the glowing rock closer to his chest.
Mal was in pain and tired and she could see through the window that it was already night. It had been two days since she had woken up in this horrible place, two days of horror.
How long had she been asleep before her mother allowed her to wake up? Where was Ben? Did he know where to look for her yet? Her mother had refused to tell her where she was or how long they had been there for. All she could hope was that Ben and her friends would find her soon.
"You better sleep well Mal, tomorrow will be a long and hard day for you." Her mother said from the other side of the door.
Sighting, Mal looked back out of the window. She knew that it had been at least two days because she had woken up there 2 days ago but how long passed before she woke up? She hoped Audrey would get remorse and tell everyone what she did, getting them on their way to rescue her sooner.
It would be easy for her to lose hope so Mal concentrated on Ben, on the way he always looked at her, on his smile and his laughter. Facing the window, she took his ring out and placed it back on her finger while she looked at her half of the glowing rock. It had hints of blue in it now and she knew that it meant Ben was worried for her.
(AN: the song is My heart will go on, from Titanic. Again, I might change some lyrics)
Closing her eyes, and imagining Ben's face in front of her, Mal started to sing:
Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you
That is how I know you go on
For once in her life she had faith in someone, she knew that he'd come and look for her. She knew he wouldn't give up, that he'd go on until he found her and brought her back home. She could still feel his love in her.
Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on
She didn't know how far he was from her but she knew that, just like her, he was thinking about her and trying to find her.
What Mal didn't know was that Ben, from the camp he had settle with his rescue team, couldn't sleep either so he was looking at the same stars she was watching, thinking about her, hoping she was looking at them as well and that she would be strong enough to hold on until he found her.
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
She just couldn't stop believing in him, in their love. Falling back into her mother's footsteps would be easy but it wouldn't make her happy. She wouldn't be living, she'd just be existing.
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
This was a promise to herself. She had let Ben in and she wouldn't lock him out. He was in her heart and no matter what he mother told her, she knew that it didn't make her weak, it made her stronger.
Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're gone
Could it really last this long though? Was her love for Ben strong enough to survive the terrible torture her mother put her through every minute of everyday. Already, holding on to his face and voice was getting hard when her mother was hurting her, one way or another.
Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on
It was easier now, with her mother away, to hold on to his love. Mal had almost given up today but she couldn't. She couldn't let her mother win this quickly. She had to fight, to hold on. He'd come for her.
Near, far, wherever you are
From where he sat in his camp, Ben couldn't calm his mind long enough to sleep. He looked around him and envied Evie and the others for being able to sleep. He could barely rest a couple of hours a night since he had discovered that Mal had been taken. He was glad his father had let him go though, he couldn't even imagine how he would have handled things if he had been obligated to stay in school.
"Can't sleep?" Jay asked him.
"No, I'm too worried about her for that. You?" Ben asked him back.
"I just need to pee." Jay smiled, getting up and making Ben chuckle.
He knew that although Jay was keeping a brave facade, he was worried for Mal too. She was like a sister to him, she was the leader of their little group of friend and they all loved her, they all needed her.
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
In her dark cell, all Mal had to hold on to was Ben's ring and her half of the glowing rock. She hoped that by holding it tightly enough it would send him some sort of message but she didn't know how to do it. All she could do was keep him tightly locked in her heart and believe that their love would be stronger than anything her mother could throw at her.
You're here, there's nothing I fear
Suddenly it was like she was looking at him, like he was looking right at her. Ben was sitting next to a camp fire and her friends, among other people, where lying around him. What she didn't know was that he, too, could see her. He guessed that it was simply one of his visions but quickly enough, he understood that she could see him too.
"I love you." She assured him.
"I'm on my way Mal, I'll find you. I love you too." He promised her in return.
She smiled at him before the vision dissipated in the air.
And I know that my heart will go on
Mal knew that it had been real and it fueled her fire. He was coming for her. he was on his way, with help and she'd be fine. She just had to hold on for a little while.
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
Feeling the need to rest, Mal placed the glowing rock back in one of her inside pockets before she laid down on the floor, refusing the use the blanket she suspected of being infested with bugs. She didn't realize that she had forgotten to take off Ben's ring.
.
The next morning, Maleficent woke up early and went to wake up her daughter, only to notice the golden ring around her finger. She didn't know how her daughter had kept this hidden from her but it angered her to no end. She would take it and destroy it in front of her very eyes. She'd watch her love's ring being destroyed and, soon after, her own love for the young king would die as well.
"Up! How dare you wear that thing here? You're more far gone than I thought, child. I think I need to take this." Maleficent yelled, waking Mal up with a start.
While her mother attracted her beloved ring to her, Mal fought with every bit of magic she had to keep it with her and, eventually, managed to keep it. Before her mother could do anything else, Mal threw it out the window, hoping Ben would find it and give it back to her later. Better that than whatever her mother would have done to it.
"You think you're so smart, do you?" Maleficent smirked before she added "I think we'll have to level up today."
Mal knew that today would be much harder than the previous 2 days. She was exhausted, hungry and scared.
Ben and his rescue mission were getting closer to Mal's location with each step they took.
"According to the mirror we need to go left now." Evie informed him.
"The enchanted compass points to the right." A soldier Beast had recommended argued.
"It's filled with dark magic around here. The compass was enchanted with white magic. Evie's mirror is dark magic. I think only dark magic works well around here." Doug argued.
"Makes sense." The soldier nodded.
"Let's follow the mirror then." Ben decided, trusting Evie, especially when it came to Mal, her best friend.
"Did you see her again?" Carlos asked Ben, knowing that their friend had seen Mal a couple of nights ago.
"No, nothing. The rock stills glows though. Maybe it's the dark magic here that prevents me to see her. I just want to hurry and find her as soon as possible. Who knows what her mother is putting her through." Ben shook his head.
"I think she's going through hell." Carlos whispered.
"She's strong. She'll get through it and be fine when we find her." Jay declared, trying to convince himself more than the others.
"We'll help her." Ben added before they went back to making their way toward Mal.
They walked for the rest of the day until the mirror showed them that they were close.
"I think we're almost there. We should try to be discreet now. Look for anything that could be a lair." Ben advised and they all went on their separate ways to explore their surroundings.
They planned to meet up in 15 minutes.
"Your highness, I think I found it. There's an old tower over there. It seems to be protected by magic but we should be able to break through it with what we brought with us." One of the soldiers informed them.
"Good, let's go and check it out." Ben nodded.
They found themselves hidden in bushes, watching a tower where, Ben could feel it, his love was.
"She's here, I know she is." Ben whispered.
"It's so dark and cold around here..." Evie frowned.
"Question: how are we going to stop Maleficent once we have saved Mal?" Carlos asked.
"The soldiers that came with us have special chains. It'll hold her until we can get her back to the Isle of the Lost." Ben informed him.
"It's been over five days mother, can't you just give up and let me be happy?" Mal whispered weakly.
She felt like she was about to break. She was tired, hungry and thirsty. All she had was one small piece of hard bread a day and a couple of glasses of water. She also wanted to sleep and to take a shower, or a bath. More than anything, she wanted to be in Ben's arms and back to the safety of Auradon, with her friends.
"You will be happy here with me Mal and when I'm done with you, you'll be the new Maleficent." Her mother replied.
"I don't want to, please mother, I'm tired! It hurts!" Mal managed to scream with everything she had, not knowing that, outside, Ben and her friends had heard her.
"Now, now Mal, you're weak enough as it is, there's no need for you to waste your energy." Maleficent smirked.
Her daughter was about to break, she knew it and as soon as it happened, she'd be able to fix her up the way she wanted her.
"It's too bad really that you can't replace my will for your own. Maybe then you'd manage to be proud of me or even to love me." Mal whispered, unable to speak louder after her scream.
"Now, where would be the fun in that?" Maleficent replied before she sent her daughter another strong wave of pain and turned around and left her daughter alone in the room.
Mal managed to pull herself to the window but she couldn't stand to look out. She didn't even have enough strength to take her half of the glowing stone in her hand. She just wanted to close her eyes and that's what she did. She didn't even think about Ben or her friends, she couldn't. She was too tired to hold on to them. Curling into a ball, she allowed herself to cry as she fell asleep.
Maleficent was satisfied with the way things were going with her daughter and when she went back downstairs, she opened the front door to enjoy some of the evening fresh air. SHE wasn't confined to the tower, only her daughter was after all. She took a couple of steps and, suddenly, she felt something heavy and cold coming around her waist.
"Chains!" She exclaimed, powerless to do anything against the enchanted chains.
"Where's Mal?" Ben asked at her in a tone that didn't hide his anger.
"You're too late, she forgot all about you." Maleficent lied.
"I know you're lying, see this rock: as long as it's glowing, Mal loves me as much as I love her. Now tell us where she is or you'll suffer." Ben snapped.
"I won't say a thing." She smirked.
"Let's go and look inside." Evie suggested.
4 soldiers stayed to keep an eye on Maleficent and to tie her up some more while the others went inside the surprisingly large tower. Before he stepped inside, Ben saw something, a small gold thing was shinning on the floor, near the tower. He only saw it because it reflected with their torches. He went to see what it was and found out that it was his ring, the one he had given Mal. Glaring at Maleficent, he placed it in his pocket, planning to give it back to his love as soon as possible.
"Up or down?" Jay asked.
"Up, she could see the stars." Ben replied, leading the way up the stairs, even though the soldiers were supposed to go before him.
"Mal? Where are you? Mal?" Ben started calling out.
.
Mal woke up from her exhausted sleep, not knowing why since it looked like she hadn't slept much.
"Mal?" She heard.
It seemed to be Ben's voice but how could she know that it really was his voice and not one of her mother's cruel illusions?
"Mal, it's me. Where are you? Your mother is chained up downstairs, you're safe." Ben called again and this time, she knew that she could trust the voice, it was him.
Unable to call back out to him, she went to the door and, with her fist, hit it a couple of time. She wasn't strong enough for much more right now.
She heard noise growing louder behind the door and moved to the side.
"I'll break it your Highness." A deep voice she didn't know said before she heard more hitting and the noise of wood crashing.
Wasn't the door spelled? How could they break it? But then Mal figured that if they had her mother incapacitated in chains, her spells on this place would be ineffective.
"Mal! Oh Mal, I'm here." Ben exclaimed as soon as he saw her.
"You made it." She whispered.
"Of course I did, love. You're safe now. I'm here. Come one, let's get you out of here."
Knowing that things would be fine now, Mal closed her eyes. Before she fell asleep, she heard the deep voice offering to carry her and Ben refusing. Before he lifted her, she felt him placing something around her finger and she just knew that it was his ring. He had found it, he had found her, he had saved her.
Mal wasn't very aware for the next couple of days. She knew that she was in Ben's arms and that her friends were with him. She also knew that they were taking her back home. She understood that she was sleeping so her body and mind could heal, that she'd need to rest for a while. She had managed to wake up in time to eat every once in a while.
The soldiers were keeping Maleficent tied up and as far away from Ben as they could. The young King had made it clear that he didn't want to see her so, as soon as they could, a group of 5 soldiers separated from them to lead her straight to the Isle of the Lost while the teenagers were being escorted by the last 2 soldiers back to the palace of Belle and the Beast.
Mal felt it the moment they had arrived. Ben kept on carrying her and she was suddenly place in a soft bed that smelled like him.
"Poor child, how is she?" Belle asked as soon as she saw Mal.
"I think she needs rest but it'll be best to call a doctor." He replied worriedly.
"Of course. Why don't you and your other friends go to take a shower and change? I'll help Mal into a bath to clean her up, give her a change of clothes before the doctor gets here. I promise I'll take good care of her." Belle suggested.
"Fine. Thanks mom." Ben nodded.
Belle called a couple of maids who helped her and Mal woke up fully once she was in the wonderfully scented water of the warm bubble bath Bella a prepared for her.
"Thank you." Mal whispered, feeling like she still wasn't able to speak louder.
"It's nothing, dear. This is Ben's bathroom, so I'm sorry to say this is the only scent of bubble I can give you." Belle apologized, feeling like it would have been better to give Mal more relaxing scents like Lavenders.
"Don't be sorry, it smells like Ben." Mal smiled.
"I know it's not easy Mal, but just know that if you want to talk about it, about what your mother did to you, I'm here. Always." Belle told the girl her son loved.
"I don't think I'm ready yet... I... She's... Why can't she love me?" Mal asked Belle, breaking into tears before Belle pulled her into her arms.
"I don't know why Mal but I promise you, it has absolutely nothing to do with you. Any mother would be proud to have you for a daughter. You're might not be my daughter biologically but let's face it, you are part of our family now and will be forever because of your link with Ben and I am proud of you. You're strong, beautiful, smart, nice... You're mother is an idiot for not seeing just how perfect you are." Belle told her.
"Thank you." Mal whispered.
"Now, let's clean you up before the doctor comes to check you up."
.
The doctor came and after giving Mal a few vitamins and advising her a lot of rest and three good meals a day, she was able to see her friends and to thank them for having rescued her.
"What about Audrey?" She asked Ben.
"If it was up to me she'd be sent to the Isle of the Lost but my parents think I might be a bit too harsh in my judgement because it was you she hurt. I've decided to let them decided but I don't think she'll come back to school, not anytime soon anyway. Her parents are very angry with her, especially for working with Maleficent. She won't get to do anything enjoyable for a while." Ben replied.
Mal spent about an hour with her friends before they were driven back to school and she found herself alone with Ben.
"I should go too and let you rest." He told her, not making any move to get up from his sitting position by her side.
"Please stay. I feel better with you here." She begged him.
"Are you sure?" He asked her and she nodded:
"I'm safe when you're here."
With a smile, Ben moved closer to her on his bed and let her lay her head on his chest while he wrapped his arms around her.
"I'll always find you Mal. I promise I'll do my best to make you happy." He whispered in her ear.
"I am happy. When I'm with you, I'm happy." She whispered back before she fell asleep.
So, it was supposed to be short, with the Titanic song but then I built all of this around it for it to make sense.
I hope you liked it. Personally, I couldn't do anything else until I got it out of my head.
Review please?
Lorelei Candice Black