Running. Running is what made Mal happy.

She'd been gone from Auradon for nearly five years, and she'd definetly grown to be a beautiful woman. As she escaped the dense forest and emerged on the cliff edge, the morning lights caught in her eyes, making the green glimmer like two stars. Her hair had grown down to her hips in luscious purple curls, matted from running through the forest. The freckles on her face remained the same, giving her a youthful appearance, highlighted by the euphoric smile on her face.

She felt alive. Truly and utterly alive, with the wind blowing through her hair and the light from the sunrise hitting her skin. She felt utterly in control, and most importantly, free.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Well, somewhat free.

She looked behind her back to see glimpses of the familiar royal blue uniforms between the branches, an alarming sign of the royal guards of the realm finally catching up to her. She turned to look at the cliff drop, knowing she wouldn't be able to survive if she jumped down. So, with a mischievous smirk etched onto her face and most of her face obscured by a black eye mask, she waved her hand and caused wings to sprout out of her back, a matching pair of black horns growing out of her head.

"Later boys," she teased as the guards appeared out of the woods. She spread her wings, the gush of air knocking them backwards, before she took off over the cliff and into the sunset.

Now she was free. Sure, she may have caused a little trouble here and there, but she'd finally corrected all the wrongs her mother had made. She made a good balance of friends and enemies along the way, but thankfully, mostly friends. In fact, she could see them below her in the forest, signaling for her to descend. So, with a victorious smile, Mal sunk back onto the ground, her friends instantly surrounding her.

"That was so cool!"

"Can you teach me to do that?!"

"Are you okay?!"

Mal looked around the clearing, dozens of wide-eyed animals meeting her gaze. Yes, Mal made friends with animals, deers and birds predominantly. She stood up straight as her horns and wings vanished, smoothing down her clothes before grinning.

"Its official," Mal began, "The Sleeping Curse has been broken forever. No one will ever fall under it again."

The forest roared with cheers, birds flying around happing and deers stamping their horns in celebration. Before she knew it, Mal had been lifted onto the back of a wolf in celebration, her happy laughter echoing throughout the forest.

She felt at home. Truly and utterly at home.

In all reality, she was miles away from Auradon and the Isle of The Lost, the only two places she'd ever lived in. However, as she made her way back to her hidden cottage in the forest, she couldn't help but feel the warmth and familiarity of the cottage hugging her, welcoming her back. She wasn't leaving any time soon, that was certain.

She stepped into the wooden cottage, closing the door behind her and hanging up her cloak. She removed the black eye mask and placed it on the kitchen counted, pulling her boots off and putting them next to the fireplace. Everything about her house was cosy and inviting, from the fluffy rugs to the flowers planted on her windowsill. She'd made a life for herself, a somewhat lonely life, but a happy life regardless.

That is, until a knock sounded on the door the next morning.

Mal had a tendency of not having any visitors at all, so it was a shocker when the sound echoed into the kitchen. She picked up her mug of tea and walked cautiously to the door, opening it slowly.

On the other side stood a scrawny looking guard with an Auradon emblem on his chest, short and probably one of the descendants of a dwarf. He held out a parchment in his shaking hands and read out from it slowly.

"M-Mal, d-daughter of M-Maleficent?" he stuttered, to which Mal nodded, "Y-You have b-been asked to report b-back to t-the city. Y-Your mother is very ill."

And that's when Mal's heart stopped, the mug of tea falling from her fingers and smashing against the floor. Little did she know that those few words would be the start of a new adventure back into the past.

King Ben was one of the best kings the kingdom had ever seen.

He was young and still had a lot to learn, yet he lead the kingdom with a warm and open heart. His smile dazzled thousands of women and men, and his parents couldn't be prouder. He had the perfect life, with the perfect friends and the perfect girlfriend.

Yes. Girlfriend.

Cuore was a princess in a kingdom far away from Auradon, however moved to Auradon to study her final year of high school. Doing so, she met Ben, and they soon announced their relationship. They were the picture perfect couple, with Cuores silky brown hair and deep blue eyes, matched with Ben's charming smile and brilliant mind. They were perfect on the outside, however, Ben didn't quite feel perfect with her.

It took him a while to get over Mal, and to this day he still wonders what happened to her, but his friends insisted for him to move on, and so he did. Cuore was the poster girl for a princess, only comparable to Audrey in that category, and with her tanned complexion contrasting the gorgeous pink gowns she wore, how could his parents dislike her?

At first his mother had been adamant. She'd confessed to her husband that something was 'off' about the girl, that she lacked the spirit that Mal had, however her husband had convinced her that it was better to keep Ben grounded to his goals. So, she kept her mouth shut, however constantly looked out for her son.

However, as much as his dad pushed him, Ben could not find it in himself to propose.

Sure, he could do fancy candle-lit dinners and long walks on the beach, but for some reason he couldn't take the last step. There was something holding him back, stopping him from taking his grandmothers ring out of the family safe and putting it on Cuore's finger.

Consumed by these thoughts, Ben did not hear the knock on his study door, and only broke out of his trance when the door opened to reveal Jay, his good friend and co-captain of the royal guards, walk into the room.

"Ben? Hellloo? Earth to Ben?" Jay asked, smirking as he closed the door.

"Sorry, I was distracted," Ben explained as he motioned to the paperwork on his desk, "What's up?"

"It's uh, not good," Jay began hesitantly, "We just received news from the isle of the lost. Maleficent is dying. They've set out to look for Mal a few hours ago."

A/N: SEQUEL!

So yeah, a lot has changed huh? Things are definetly going to get interesting soon, especially with Maleficent at her death bed. As always, please feel free to leave any comments and suggestions in the reviews, and thank you for reading!

Until next time!