A/N: This was requested and co-written by pinksakura271. This is a sort of fix-it for the beginning scene in Descendants 2 where the paparazzi swarm Mal and Ben comes in and saves the day. I have not read/seen this idea written before and with pinksakura271's help, I have written a version that is different than in the movie.
pinksakura271: Thank you for giving me this challenge as I have not written anything for Bal before. I hope I have written your idea well and have done these beloved characters justice.
*This is my first attempt at writing anything involving Bal as the main pairing.
Diclaimer: I do not own Melissa de La Cruz or her Isle of the Lost trilogy. I also do not own Disney or their Descendants franchise. All ideas/settings/places/characters/ideas are not mine.
Warm rays of sunlight softly caressed the pale skin of Mal's arms. A gentle breeze brushed her hair to and fro with each and every clack of her feet on the familiar cobblestone path in front of the grandiose castle she used to envision burning to the ground before she left the Isle and traded her bad villainous roots for a better life. However, her idea of a better life did not involve falling for the King of Auradon or his boyish smile and charming good looks. Nor did it involve changing her appearance to please the court of royals. Throwing aside her infamous purple leather jacket for a blouse and skirt still left a sour taste on her tongue and a feeling of remorse in her mind.
Never in her life did the Junior Mistress Of All Evil think she'd adorn a dress. In Auradon. But especially a dress. And not just any dress, Hades below would Evie ever let her best friend wear anything but the softest smoothest fabric in a beautiful vanilla color that would make even the neighboring city of Seabrook jealous.
The cream colored mini dress fell right at her kneecaps in a royally pleasing fashion yet kept her shoulders bare to accommodate the warm Auradonian air.. Since becoming Ben's girlfriend, the purple haired teen had undergone a brand new transformation even Snow White would be envious of...er...is. And with the transformation, went Mal's beloved purple hair. In its place rested platinum blonde locks curled into large voluminous curls that twisted and stopped at her waist. And gone were her favorite (and only) pair of black leather combat boots, having been replaced by ugly eggshell pumps.
Yet, there she was...making her way down that cobblestone path with a gentle breeze and sunlight kissing her pale skin as the clicking of her heels echoed across the empty campus.
It was this peace...this serenity where every student sat in classrooms that Mal could breathe and allow herself to feel...to feel like she could be herself. In moments like this, Mal was not 'Ben's girlfriend,' she was not 'Lady of the Court,' she was not 'Future Queen of Auradon,' she was Mal, the girl from the Isle of the Lost. She was Mal, still trying to figure out where she belonged. Not Mal with a title, not Mal the daughter of a villain, just Mal...student at Auradon Prep with her whole life in front of her. She was just...Mal.
And with the warm rays of the sun, the gentle wind kissing her hair, the campus void of all other students at the moment, she could finally be herself.
At least until the first shout of her name had her turning around. Before she could blink, a swarm of cameras and microphones and cell phones invaded her personal space. They were like swarms of bees and she was their Queen, each person calling out questions and accusations and making noise.
And Mal could not do a thing about it.
Royal protocol dictates a Lady must always be polite. A Lady mustn't fight back. A Lady must always remain cool and composed when faced with other royals. Every lesson Evie had endured for sixteen years was suddenly thrown at Mal's face. Though the bluenette understood Mal's temper and knew when to step away for the evening, Mal had to get this royal etiquette thing down before her first major meeting with Aladdin and Jasmine. Coincidentally, later that afternoon. But since Mal passed her training with flying colors, Belle offered her to take the day off from her studies and get herself ready for her flight to Agrabah at four and her quick last minute dress fitting with Evie at two. Which she agreed was a good idea at first.
But now Mal was left with this hoard of paparazzi and nothing but a fake smile to get her through it. Even if she wanted to burn them to death with her glowing green eyes.
"Mal-"
"Mal-"
"Mal, is it true-"
"...still evil..."
"...lizard in the..."
"How does it feel-"
"Do you like-"
The voices would not stop talking over each other and Mal just let them. Counting the number of cameras, her eyes noticed the amount of microphones in the area. Eventually after another few minutes of their scrambling to talk over each other, one of the voices broke through and the woman reporter launched herself forward through the mass of cameras and microphone cords.
"Only three days until Royal Cotillion!" The woman screeched, causing Mal to wince slightly at such a loud noise. Her salmon colored blazer jacket would've had Evie fainting, especially when the blazer moved and Mal could see the outline of green indicating the woman's pants were in fact a dark shade of mint. "Will you be wearing yet another Evie original? Or will you be buying one from a royal tailor?"
A bright white flash bathed her face and Mal held her hand up to shield her eyes from the blinding light. One after another, white spots danced across her eyes and she stumbled back. The backs of her calves brushed something unfamiliar and delicate and she forced herself not to trample over it in her haste to reclaim her balance.
"Okay. I think that's enough." The sound of Ben's voice caused Mal's spine to straighten and her ears to pinpoint exactly where the beautiful sound was coming from.
The flashing white lights disappeared just as quickly as they had come, allowing Mal to lower her hand. A brief glance over her shoulder had her scanning her surroundings.
She had strayed from the cobblestone path and was now pressed against one of the statues resting on the left side of the path. Her legs brushed some of the plants placed in front of the large statue. The familiar warmth of his arm sliding around her waist had her eyes shifting from her surroundings to his face.
The light of the sun had his golden highlights shining against the usual brunet strands of hair, creating a caramel swirl of colors to catch her eye. Her head tilted to the side once the vibrant hazel of his eyes radiated anger instead of their usual tenderness he seemed to possess around Mal and the other Isle kids. His arm tightened its grip around her slender waist and he positioned himself so she was a half-step behind him.
Around them, the group of paparazzi seemed bigger, almost double the size at the sight of Auradon Prep's power couple together and posing for pictures. With her eyes locked onto the side of Ben's face, Mal was able to ignore the flashes of light surrounding them. She busied herself with studying the curve of his jaw, the sharpness of his cheekbone, the small misshapen dent in his nose which she easily identified as coming from a broken bone. She'd have to ask him about that later...
"Did you ever think you'd be with a villain kid?" The same feminine screeching from earlier asked. Ben swallowed, his eyes now focusing sharply and singling out the reporter. Mal moved her eyes to the reporter, a look of confusion contorting her facial features into an un-princess like manner. "Especially the daughter of Maleficent?"
"Yeah, what about Audrey? How does the princess of Auroria feel about this?" A masculine shout called from the back of the group.
"Did she spell you?" Another female reporter asked while shoving a microphone closer to Mal.
Even though he knew Mal could take care of herself, Ben swatted the microphone away with his hand. The black box-like object fell out of the reporter's hands and landed on the grassy ground with a loud thudding noise. The reporter and the salmon-colored one from before both stepped back with audible gasps at their King acting so strangely. His action silenced the group and a quiet hush rang through the crowd. A low menacing snarl burned his chest and the faintest hint of a growl reached Mal's ears. Her head snapped back to study Ben's expression, her calculating eyes searching for a hint of discomfort on his face.
"Mal did not spell me." Ben spoke lowly yet loudly. His eyes finally moved from the reporter to address the crowd. "Audrey and I broke up for a reason. Mal had no part in our break-up, regardless of what many of you may think. Audrey is happy for me, and I am happy for her and Chad Charming. She respects Mal and approves of our relationship." Ben's grip tightened again, his fingernails digging into the soft fabric of Mal's dress.
Her eyes flickered from the crowd to his face, his eyes growing a darker shade of green with each and every word. The golden honey flecks around his pupil grew fainter and fainter. Her lips parted, however he continued on before she could interrupt.
"Mal is not a villain kid. She is a citizen of Auradon just like you. She has not done any wrongdoing or breaking of any rules. She is a brilliant student, and an even better artist. Her grades are impeccable, not that you need to know, and she is the most kind-hearted, wonderful, and selfless person I have ever met. Her determination to become everything a Lady of the Court should be...should be enough proof for you. To me, she was never a villain kid." He spat out, the color of his eyes mirroring the forest of green on the right side of the path they had strayed from. His breath hitched in the back of his throat. "None of those children on the Isle are villain kids. They are all my people. They are all citizens of Auradon and I will not let any of you stand idly by and blame them for crimes they have not committed. What would be the difference between me dating Ally, the daughter of Alice in Wonderland, and me dating Mal? Is it just because Audrey has a title? Because a title does not matter to me. Mal is loyal and funny and caring and she has proven to be everything and more than I ever could've asked for in a companion. And even though she has no title, she is my Lady of the Court and hopefully my wife someday. As long as she'll want me. So for you to belittle and berate her...to berate me for choosing a 'villain kid' is absurd. To think so lowly of your King and your Lady of the Court..." He trailed off, faint rumbling noises and a cacophony of low vibrations bubbling in the back of his throat. Mal put a steadying hand on his chest, causing his eyes to dart down. He took a shuddering breath as she lightly patted the area of his dress shirt where his heart would be.
"What is going on here?" Fairy Godmother bellowed, quickly running through the mob of cameras. "You all need to leave. You're all trespassing on private property." She snarled at the crowd as she elbowed her way to the front. "Get out! Leave them alone!" She hissed, bringing the group of shocked faces back to reality. "You cannot speak to underage children without an adult's consent. They are still minors." She broke free, only to whirl around on her heel. "Now leave at once! All of you!" She shrieked in anger, pointing and waving her finger at all of the reporters.
Slowly, the crowd began to disperse. Reporters trickled down the pathway one by one until only one lone reporter remained-the girl in the salmon blazer. Fairy Godmother huffed, ready to give that reporter a verbal lashing, but Mal beat her to it.
"No further comment." The Junior Mistress Of All Evil smirked smugly, proud of Ben's sudden bout of courage. The blonde-headed Lady of the Court ushered Ben forward, his arm still secured around her waist and his fingers still digging into the fabric covering her hip. Ben followed her lead, refusing to even acknowledge the reporter. He kept his head bowed and his eyes on Mal as his Lady of the Court walked with her head held high and a smirk on her lips.
Except, Ben had another idea. Once they were a safe distance away from Fairy Godmother, Ben planted his feet. His arm still around her waist, he jerked Mal to a sudden halt. Turning her head in response, he tugged her closer, smashing their lips together. A short squeak of surprise from Mal had Ben smirking into the kiss. He may be the King of Auradon but even Ben had a 'villainous' side. And that included kissing his girlfriend and catching her by surprise. When they broke apart for air, he rested his forehead against hers, entwining their fingers of his hand not still around her waist.
"What was that for?" She breathed out. Her breath was warm against his cheeks, her eyes sparkling like two pieces of Jade in the sunlight. Her blonde hair fanned her face, creating an almost angelic glow on her skin.
"I can be wicked too." Without warning, Mal burst out laughing. Pink tinted her cheeks at his words. He rolled his eyes at her behavior. Poorly masking her amusement, she pecked his lips.
"Of course you can, Bennie Boo. Of course you can."
"Good." He placed a feather-light kiss to the tip of her nose. " But just promise me one thing." Her lips parted to interject. "No secrets between us, Mal." Her eyes dropped from his to his chest and her mouth abruptly shut so tightly he was afraid her teeth chattered together from the force. "If you're hurting or scared, or even angry, I want you know. We have to be able to talk about what's wrong with each other in order for this, for us to work." He unclasped their hands to use his forefinger and thumb to lift her chin so he could once again stare into those beautiful green eyes. "I like the blonde, but I really really miss the purple. Do you think you can schedule an appointment to change it?" Mal rolled her eyes with a teasing smile highlighting the pink blushing on her cheeks.
"As my King commands." She mumbled, just barely loud enough for him to hear. He tugged her body even closer to his so she could feel his heart beating against her chest.
"Well my 'villain kid,' shall we get away for awhile then?" Mal bit her lip, a quick thought barely managing to surface to the forefront of her mind before his lips were capturing hers into a softer more gentle kiss.
Evie is going to kill me for missing my gown fitting. But dancing in my bathrobe, Benny-Boo would love that.