Hi Guys. Well here it is the prequel to my No Matter Where We Are trilogy. This story was requested by Harry Potter Fan 1994 so HP I hope you enjoy it. I hope that readers of the trilogy will enjoy this story as well. And as always a MASSIVE MASSIVE THANK YOU to my AMAZING WONDERFUL Beta xez2003 for your AMAZING editing skills. I think that is all so without further ado I give you Connected Hearts. Enjoy!
DISCLAMER: I DO NOT OWN DECENDANTS ALL RIGHTS GO TO DISNEY ANY DIOLOGE YOU RECONISE BELONGS TO DISNEY I OWN NOTHING! I also DO NOT own ANY songs used in these chapters all right go to the RIGHTFUL OWNERS. You may also notice that some content of this chapter comes from the Isle of the Lost books this content belongs to Melissa De La Cruz I DO NOT own it and ALL rights go to her I make ABSOLUTELY NO profit off ANYTHING IT IS NOT MINE!
9 years ago
Little five year old Mal hurried behind her mother as she stormed round the marketplace scaring people away. Every time they visited the marketplace, Mal would look around in awe as this was one of her favorite places, always abuzz with activity. With its stands full of all sorts of things, from robes and capes to used brooms and crystal balls, it was one of the only spots on the Isle which offered some shade of colour in their otherwise bleak surroundings. But all that activity would stop in an instant, as soon as her mother and she would pass through the busy streets. Everyone would scurry away in a panicked frenzy so as not infuriate the ruler of the Isle, Maleficent. All Mal could think about was how much she wanted to be like her mother one day, respected and powerful.
All of a sudden, a goblin tripped and fell, spilling his basket of fruit everywhere.
"Oh your malevolence. I am so sorry." he squeaked terrified.
"No. It's alright." young Mal said, and without thinking started picking up the fruit, helping the goblin gather it all. One by one, she picked up the apples, dusted them off her dress, and placed them back in the basket.
"What-What are you doing?" he squeaked.
"Helping you pick up the apples." Mal replied as if stating the obvious.
"But-"
"Stop questioning me." Mal snapped back trying to do her mother's scary voice.
Suddenly Mal looked up from where she was crouched. The market had gone silent, and everyone, including her mother, who was rotten-apple red and fuming, was staring at her. Mal's smile faded immediately as she saw her mother's face.
"Mal! Get up this instant. What in the name of evil are you doing?!" She hissed.
"I-I was just helping Mommy." Mal stuttered.
"Helping?! You stupid girl. Villains do not help!" she screamed and kicked the basket, spilling all the apples back out on the street. Maleficent then grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her back in the direction of their home.
When they got back home, Maleficent locked her up in her room to think about what she had done. "Honestly Mal. Have I taught you NOTHING?! When someone crashes into you and falls, you kick them while they are down for daring to be close enough to touch you! If you are not careful, my girl, you will end up just like your father! Weak, powerless and PATHETIC!" Maleficent ranted through the locked door.
"Now stay in here and think about what you've done!" she bellowed before storming away muttering.
Mal slowly stood up from where she had landed hard on the floor and stared into the dingy mirror leaning precariously on her vanity. Mal thought dejectedly about how she had simply gone on an instinct when she had helped that goblin, but all that had done was make her mother so mad at her. Fighting back tears, she nodded to herself as she rubbed her arm, vowing to herself to never help anyone ever again. She would prove to her mother that she could be just like her. She would not disappoint her again and she would become the baddest of them all!
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Present day
Fourteen year old Mal and Jay ran out of their school, Dragon Hall, laughing gleefully. They had lots of reasons to celebrate as it was just the start of their spring break but most importantly they had just beaten their biggest rivals at Serpents Prep at dungball.
"They say I'm trouble. They say I'm bad. They say I'm evil and that makes me glad." Mal sang as they dashed through the market place knocking things over.
"A dirty no good, down to the bone. Your worst nightmare can't take me home" Jay joined in as he swiped some fake jewels from a stall.
"So I got some mischief in my blood. Can you blame me? I never got no love." Mal sang as she ducked under a rail, Jay following her.
"They think I'm callous. A low life hood. I feel so useless, misunderstood." Jay sang as he grabbed an apple off another child.
"Mirror. Mirror on the wall who's the baddest of them all? Welcome to my wicked world, my wicked world" Mal sang as they strutted down an alley, walking like she owned the place, which in fact she did.
"I'm rotten to the core. Rotten to the core. I'm rotten to the core, who could ask for more? I'm nothing like the kid next, like the kid next door. I'm rotten to the..I'm rotten to the core." They both sang cheering and laughing as they finally stopped at the docks.
"Did you see their faces when we beat them?" Mal laughed turning to Jay. Jay was the son of the former grand vizier of Agrabah, and according to him, once destined to be a great prince. Jay had however become the next best thing on the Isle..a prince of thieves and a con-man well known for his schemes and lies. Jay was the closest person to what Mal could describe as a friend even though they each considered themselves more partners in crime.
"Yeah. They were in utter shock." Jay laughed amused.
"Big deal. So you beat us at throwing a ball that stinks." A familiar but unwelcomed voice snapped back at them suddenly. Jay and Mal turned around to come face to face with Uma and her sidekicks, Harry and Gil, all three glaring at them.
"Jealous Uma? That I have yet another notch in my belt at being better then you?" Mal smirked back in retort.
She glared at her. "Get out! You two aren't welcome here. This is our turf" she hissed.
Mal could only laugh in response as she thought of how Uma had the audacity to believe she could order her around. "This entire Isle is my turf, Shrimpy. If anything, it's you who should get out of the way. It is all your fault if things are like this between us. If you wanted to stay in my good graces, you should have thought about it twice before crossing me four years ago!"
There was a time when Mal and Uma were inseparable friends who together created havoc in the streets of the Isle, terrorizing everyone who was in their way. Mal's mind wondered off to that day four years ago when all of it had changed...
4 years ago
It was a hot day in June and Uma and Mal were playing on the docks by the water. The two bad girls were pranking Hook's crew and getting on Smee's already agitated nerves. They giggled naughtily behind some empty barrels as their best trick went off without a hitch and one pirate after another tripped and fell on the slippery wooden planks, which they had covered with a nearly invisible slime.
They had then soon spotted Cruella de Vil and her son approaching, and Mal turned to Uma mischievously signalling to her to get ready. They had wanted to get her back for so long as Cruella was a nemesis of theirs. She was one of the only few people on the Isle who wasn't afraid of their mothers and she never hesitated to pinch their ears when they tried to make her their victim.
They watched her walking down the docks from their hiding spot and Uma whispered "What is she doing down here, anyway?"
"Goblin barge is arriving soon, and she likes to have first dibs." Mal explained.
As she approached them, Mal raced to pour another batch of the slime in Cruella's path, but the giant bucket was too heavy for her.
"Hurry!" said Uma, running to grab the bucket's other handle.
"I've got it!" said Mal.
"Let me!" said Uma. "You did Gaston last time!"
Uma pulled the bucket to her side.
"Stop it! Let go!" Mal demanded.
"You let go! You're splashing it on me!" whined Uma.
As they were fighting for the possession of the bucket, Mal lost her grip on the handle, overturning the pail and its contents, and she tripped and fell upon their own slippery puddle.
"Mal!" yelled Uma, as her friend skittered down the length of the dock till the very edge.
"Help me!" she screamed as she attempted to get a hold of the wooden rails not to fall into the sea. "I can't swim!"
But the irony of the situation and the sight of her friend sliding down the dock like a flopping wet fish was too funny for Uma, who doubled up on her knees in laughter instead of running to help her.
But the sight of Mal disappearing over the railing's edge brought back Uma to reality and she quickly ran to the edge and searched the sea below, shouting for her. "MAL! Where are you?"
Uma then felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Mal standing there, totally dry. "You didn't fall in!" she cried in relief. Maleficent would have killed them if anything had happened to her.
"I caught a wooden rung right before I fell." said Mal sweetly.
"You're all right!"
"Yes, I'm okay." Mal's smile suddenly turned evil. "But you are not!" she yelled, and before Uma could blink, Mal reached behind her back and dumped a huge bucket of smelly baby shrimps all over Uma's head. Uma screamed and sadly, the smell never quite left her hair, no matter how many times she had washed it. And what was much worse, Mal's nickname for her caught on and from that fateful day forward, everyone called Uma "Shrimpy" behind her back, except for Mal who simply told her in her face. And from that day forward, their friendship was forever broken. Instead the animosity between them only grew as time went on and up to this day somehow, Mal always ended up on top.
Mal was brought back to reality as Uma snapped angrily, her eyes blazing "You are not the only one whose mother is a big name around here Mal! My mother stole King Triton's trident and ruled the seas. What did your mother do? Put a girl to sleep for less than a day?"
Mal rolled her eyes and taunted back "And how long did her 'rule' last before she got turned into fish bait? An hour?"
At this point, Uma took a step towards Mal, her eyes blazing furiously "So you really think you're the 'Queen' around here? Well why don't you prove it then? I dare you to spend the night in the Dark Forest. And as proof that you have actually really gone, you must bring back with you a few leaves of the holly plant which grows there!"
Low gasps were heard from the crowd that had formed around them during their argument. No one had gone into the Dark forest for years. Everyone knew about or had actually heard the strange howls and roars that came from within the forest from time to time. There was a legend surrounding the place that the villains told their young kids to scare them at night. They spoke of a Beast that lived there and that anyone who dared venture into the forest had never returned to speak about it.
"And if I don't?" Mal snapped back.
"If you don't, you let me back into your little gang and you start taking orders from me." Uma smirks.
"Fine! I accept your dare." Mal snarled, glaring at her. There was no way I am doing that! she thought Beast or no beast, I am not going to let my competition into my gang and let her order me around.
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After packing everything she needed for her impromptu 'camping' trip, Mal set off for the Dark Forest. The forest was on the edge of the southwest part of the Isle and got its name from the almost black trunks and dark foliage that littered the area. There were a number of narrow paths spread irregularly across the woodland, which were made even more uneven by the thick roots that covered them. There was no map to follow, but even if there was, the perpetual dark would prevent you from using it. It was no wonder that everyone stayed away from this eerie place, where the only sounds heard came from the rustling of the bushes caused by the howling of the wind.
After following one of the paths, Mal found herself in a clearing that not only had the holly bush she needed but also looked good enough for her to set up camp in. But as she left her bag on the grass and walked over to the bush to examine it and determine whether it was actually the holly she needed, she heard a big rustling noise coming just from her right-hand side.
"Who is there? Jay, if it is you, this is not funny." Mal shouted as she turned to look at the direction of the noise. Time seemed to freeze as Mal found herself looking into a pair of hazel-green eyes staring intently at her with such a deep gaze, that sparks and a shiver tingled through her body as a reaction. She snapped out of it and took a step back in shock when the bushes continued to rustle and a boy her age with long disheveled brown hair just over his shoulders crawled out of the bushes in torn bloody clothes. He staggered a further step towards her, growling menacingly at her before whimpering loudly in pain at the sudden movement. He just had the time to give her another deep gaze before his eyes rolled back in his head as he passed out.
Mal could only stare dumbfounded at the scene before her. She stayed in that stunned position for a few long minutes deciding on what to do. Her common sense told her to run away and leave him behind without a second thought. It was certainly what mom would do, she thought. But her instinct told her something else. She just couldn't leave him like that. He needed her help. Then she remembered that deep look he gave her, and the curiosity to find out more about this boy overpowered any other emotion at that moment. She couldn't help herself as she took a step towards him and crouched beside him. As she took in his tattered clothes and rough appearance, she began to wonder if there was really any truth to the legend surrounding the forest and if he could be the beast everyone feared.
As she continued to look at him, she remembered the way he growled at her and she suddenly stood up and went to get some rope from her camping bag. She doubted he could hurt her, given the extent of his injuries, but she still needed to protect herself after all, so she quickly tied his hands in front of him and tied the other edge of the rope to a nearby tree. She then went to get her supplies and started to slowly clean his various wounds. His shirt was so torn that it pretty much fell off him as she carefully pulled it to be able to bandage him properly. As she got a proper look at his now exposed back, she couldn't help but notice a number of burns and older looking scars which looked like claw marks of some sort. This only further fueled her curiosity. Who was this boy? Where did he come from? What was his story? She mused deep in thought.
Mal went about setting up her camp for the night across from the boy, and started a fire between them to keep them warm and provide some light. She then decided to start preparing some food while she waited for him to wake up. She looked up at him as she heard him whine as he slowly regained consciousness. She watched him cautiously as he first noticed his bound hands, then the fire and lastly Mal as he looked up to meet her eyes. He immediately started growling at her and pulled at his ropes in an effort to free himself. But he stopped almost instantly and let out a loud howling noise, at the movement, she guessed, and put pressure on his still fresh wounds.
"You shouldn't move around too much. Your wounds are still too fresh and you will end up ripping the bandages I made." Mal said softly.
The boy somewhat calmed down as she spoke and he looked down at himself to discover that his body had been wrapped up in bandages. Mal gazed at him as the boy's facial expression turned to one of confusion and curiosity as he returned to stare at her.
"What's your name? How are you feeling?" she asked softly as she tried to make conversation. But he just continued staring at her, not answering any of her questions and keeping his guard up defensively, as if she was ready to attack him.
They fell in an uncomfortable silence until Mal heard the boy's stomach growl so she decided to change tactic and instead tried offering him some food.
"You must be hungry. Here." she said as she took one of the stale loafs she had brought with her and offered it to him. He once again just snarled at her sudden movement towards him, before he quickly stretched his bounds hands and snatched the bread. Mal watched intrigued as the boy devoured the food she gave him as if he hadn't eaten in days.
After they finished eating in silence, nightfall had fallen and Mal decided it was time to check his wounds and replace his bandages before turning to sleep for the night. She picked up some supplies and an extra blanket and stood up to approach him. As soon as she got closer to him, the boy started pulling frantically at his ropes, a terrified expression on his face, as he tried to get away from her.
"There is no need to be afraid of me. I have no intention of hurting you." she told him reassuringly in an effort to calm him down.
"And I am sorry for tying you up but I didn't get my "VK ruler of the Isle" title by not being cautious. I mean you did jump out of nowhere in a dark forest rumored to be ruled by a beast." she continued. As soon as those words left her mouth, she wondered confusedly why on earth she had just apologized to him, as she never had apologized to anyone in her life except her mother. But Mal also noticed a subtle change in his expression to one of curiosity at her mention of being the VK ruler of the Isle.
They stayed in an awkward silence, only broken by his occasional hisses and whines, as the boy watched warily as Mal carefully checked and cleaned his wounds, before bandaging him up again. She then covered him with a blanket, before double checking his bound hands and returning to her side of the camp to sleep for the night.
As Mal curled on her other side and fell asleep, she did not notice the boy's tiniest of smiles as his bound hands touched the blanket around him before exhaustion and the pain from his wounds caught up with him and he closed his eyes to sleep.
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The following morning Mal woke up first to find the boy still asleep peacefully. A thousand questions went through her head as she continued to gaze at him. She wondered whether she should just pack up her things and leave him there just as her mother would have done. After all she had taken care of his wounds now. But the curiosity surrounding him was just too great and there was just something about him she couldn't explain, she mused. Without thinking about she was doing, she stood up and approached him slowly and brushed his hair away from his forehead. He's a good looking guy, or he would be, after a bit of cleaning up. she thought absentmindedly. What on the Isle is happening to me? she suddenly realized as she snapped out of it and took her hand away quickly as he slowly started to wake up. She quickly scurried to her place and started to prepare breakfast.
"Good morning. How are you feeling?" she asked hoping that he would start talking to her about himself. Once again he remained completely silent and did not answer any of her questions. But suddenly, Mal remembered his change of expression the previous evening when she had mentioned being ruler of the Isle. So without thinking she started talking about herself, her mother and Uma's dare. "My name's Mal. My mom is Maleficent, the ruler of the Isle and the evilest and most feared of all the villains in the land so I'm queen of the VKs."
As the morning progressed, Mal finally noticed a subtle change in the boy's behavior towards her. She could tell he had finally started to warm up to her as instead of just snatching the food she offered him for breakfast, he took it slowly from her hands without growling. As she finished cleaning and bandaging his wounds one last time, she turned to him and said "Your wounds are starting to heal and you will just be a little sore. But you should be good as new in a matter of few days. You just need to take it easy."
As she stood up to go back to her side of the camp, she stopped and turned back to look at him as he finally spoke and quietly told her "My name is Ben." She gave him a small smile in response.
"Well I have to get going soon. Ah! With all that has happened I almost forget about Uma's dare!" she exclaimed as she stood and went over to the holly bush with the intention to pick some up.
"Don't!" Ben suddenly yelled making her jump, not expecting to hear his voice.
"What's wrong? I'm not going back without the holly. I don't back down from a dare." she said firmly.
"The leaves are poisonous." he explained.
"What do you mean their poisonous?" Mal exclaimed. That little sneaky shrimp set me up. Mal thought as she figured out that Uma knew about it when she told her to bring some holly back. She momentarily pushed aside her anger towards Uma and her ideas of revenge against her, as she suddenly realized that Ben had saved her.
"Why did you tell me that?" she slowly asked, turning back to him. Why would he help me? There was nothing in it for him. She thought.
Ben just looked down at his bandaged torso without saying anything.
Oh! So he thinks he owes me. Good. Mal thought as she slowly approached him. "It seems you have just earned your freedom, Ben." she told him as she untied his hands.
As soon as he was free, he bolted away from her, rubbing his wrists. Ben stared at her for a few long seconds before turning to break off an entire holly branch with a surprising amount of force and ran into the forest disappearing from view.
"Ben! Wait!" she called after him but he was gone. She stood there for a minute in shock, thinking that he was such a strange boy and now she would never find out the truth about the mystery that surrounded him.
However, she snapped out of it as she suddenly remembered the trick that Uma had tried to play on her. She packed up her things and picked up the holly branch, careful not to touch any of its leaves, determined to get Uma back for setting her up.
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"I really don't know what you weaklings were so worried about. There was nothing in that forest. Just trees!" Mal snapped as she walked up to Jay. He was waiting for her at the docks with Uma and her crew. On her way back, Mal had decided not to tell them about her encounter with Ben, at least for the time being.
"So? Why don't you come closer and check if it's actually the right holly I've got here, Shrimpy?" Mal goads.
"Um-" Uma said hesitating. Mal thought that she probably did not want to admit she knew that the leaves of the plant were in fact poisonous.
Mal decided to stop playing this stupid game and she suddenly threw the entire branch at her. Uma cried out in pain as she did not have time to move and inevitably touched some of its leaves with her hands, which made a few angry red patches appear.
Mal then stepped up to her, her eyes glowing threateningly as she got hold of her collar "If you ever pull a stunt like that again or even think for one second of setting me up again, you will get a lot worse the just some infected hands. You got that?" she snarled threateningly before turning to storm away.
"Jay!" she snapped and he started to follow her quickly away from the docks. What Mal didn't notice was Harry's sudden adoring look on his face as he watched her leave.
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Later that night, Mal woke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. What on the Isle was she doing dreaming about Ben. she thought. She shook her head trying to clear it from the vision of the deep gaze in his eyes when she had first saw him. No one had ever looked at her like that before. Snap out of it, Mal. He is just another boy like all the rest. she thought as she tried to get back to sleep. But little did she really know just how important Ben would become to her..
That's it. So our power couple has met but it looks like Ben has had a rough time already. Yes Mal he will become VERYYYYYYYY important lol
Guys I also have a small announcement after this story is finished and No Matter Where We Are and I Will Love You are revamped I will be changing my pen name so don't be alarmed if my stories suddenly come up under a different name. That is all I really hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review? Pretty please?