A mother's revenge
Part 3
It wasn't planned, but the idea was in my head and I had to write it. Especially since so many of you asked for a third part.
"Mother? What's going on?" Mal asked her mother as she joined her down the stairs of their private tower.
A few months ago, they had been able to escape the Isle of the Lost, leaving everyone else behind. They had found this isolate little tower in the Dark Woods and ever since, mother and daughter had been living happily in there, planning for a way to overthrow the power and rule the kingdom together. Maybe, then, they would free some of the other villains. But before they did any of hat, Maleficent needed to train her daughter to practice magic and help her power grow.
"Nothing Pumpkin, I just thought I saw a dog and thought it might be Cruella but it was just a lone wolf." Maleficent reassured her daughter.
"You don't think anyone else managed to follow us out of the Isle, right?"
"It's possible, but they would be idiots to come here. We're the most powerful ones in the land." The mother replied with a smile.
"I kind of hope that the Evil Queen and her dreadful daughter Evie escaped too so that we can destroy them." Mal smirked evilly.
"I know sweetheart. Refusing to invite you to her 5th birthday party was horrible and showed just how uncivilized that girl is. Her mother didn't raise her right and you'll get your revenge Pumpkin." Maleficent smiled at her daughter.
"I already know how I'll make her suffer."
"How?"
"Let's just say that I won't take the chance of her true love finding her and getting in the way. I'll start by taking her precious beauty away from her and by making sure she has no choice but to see it every second of the day by locking her in a room covered in mirrors. Then I'll make her lose her mind and finally, I'll kill her in front of her mother before I kill her, too." Mal replied.
"I'm so proud of you Pumpkin. Finally, I am proud to say you can have your full name." Maleficent declared before she hugged her daughter.
.
"Mal? Mal, wake up, you're having another nightmare." Ben whispered as he gently shook her awake.
Ever since she had started sleeping with him, Mal hadn't had many nightmares, simply bits and pieces of bad dreams, of her mother trying to worm her way into her head but his presence had always been able to sooth her and bring her back to the land of pretty dreams. Unfortunately, this time, he wasn't able to sooth her or even wake her up.
At first Ben thought that, after a particularly tiring day, Mal was a heavy sleeper but what worried him was that her half of the glowing stone, which usually shone a bright white light right next to his, was now covered in purple stripes. It had to have happened in the past 5 hours since they went to bed because it was still bright white when he turned the lights off. He tried to wake her up for about 15 more minutes before he started to really panic, took his cellphone out and called for help her friends, Fairy Godmother and his own parents.
.
Mal was in the tower, with her mother and she knew, in the back of her mind, that something wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to be here, she was supposed to be somewhere else, doing something else with other people. Her mother wasn't supposed to be by her side, or even free. Deep down, she didn't even want to be called Maleficent like her mother and why did she have to go after Evie like that? She was about to question her mother about it when she spoke:
"Mal, come here Pumpkin, it's time you trained some more."
Immediately, Mal forgot every doubt she had and her mind was clear once more. She didn't even question why she had suddenly forgiven all of her mother's abuses of her childhood.
.
"Her mother has to have something to do with this." Beast spat, wanting this solved soon because he didn't want his son and Mal to suffer any longer.
"I have to agree with you, I can sense great magic around her, powerful dark magic." Fairy godmother nodded.
"I thought she was locked up and couldn't do anything to Mal from there?" Evie asked.
"She probably planed this before we caught her." Jay suggested angrily.
"Can't you undo whatever was done?" Ben pleaded.
"Unfortunately I can't. This is powerful Dark Magic and if it's been growing in her since she was rescued from the tower, it means that it's had over 2 months to grow quietly." The nice fairy shook her head.
"What about True Love's kiss?" Evie asked.
"I tried several times, it didn't work." Ben replied, looking down.
"That's because she's surrounded by the dark magic, it's like an invisible barrier around her. Your lips didn't really touched hers. What worries me is that I can feel that her mind is clouded, I don't know how, but Maleficent somehow planted a seed in her daughter and it's taking her away slowly. I don't know why it didn't show earlier. It's like it was hidden until it was ready to overtake her completely..." Fairy Godmother explained.
"What do you mean?" Beast asked.
"Mal's living in what we could call an unreal world right now where she's with her mother and everything is fine. Somehow, the spell or curse that's on her is hiding from Mal her true feelings for you all and her memories so that it fits what Maleficent wanted when she brought her daughter in the tower. What worries me is that if we wait too long, the changes that are fake in her mind right now might eventually become permanent and irreversible. We'd lose her for good." Fairy Godmother explained as she waved her wand above a sleeping Mal.
"We're losing her?" Ben exclaimed angrily, hint of yellow glowing on his eyes, worrying his father who rushed to hold him, calm him down and show him support.
"Surely there's a way to save her." Evie argued.
"I honestly don't know. We can't get in her mind to reassure her and there is nothing we can do from here. All there is do for now is hope that she's strong enough to remember who she is, who she loves and who she wants to be. I'll go and contact a couple of people who might know more about this kind of curses. Someone should always stay with her." Fairy Godmother declared before she hurried out of Ben's room.
"I'm not leaving her." Ben stated as he placed Mal's half of the glowing rock in her hand, hoping she'd feel it.
"I'll help with the researches." Carlos offered, followed by Doug.
.
Mal was collecting wood for the fire when she felt something warm in the palm of her right hand. She brought it in front of her eyes but couldn't see anything in it, though she could still feel something. With the tip of her fingers from the other hand, she tried touching where she felt the warmth and she was immediately overtaken by images she couldn't connect with anything. Who was this blond guy who confessed his love to her? Why was she smiling next to this horrible Evie? And what was this place she saw herself so happy in?
She could feel like she knew the answers, that this wasn't a vision of the future but a memory of the past. But when could this have happen? Why did she suddenly feel like she was lost and needed to find her way when earlier she had all of her faith and confidence in her mother?
And why did she suddenly feel angry and resentful toward her mother for all of the abuses and punishments she had gotten during her childhood? She felt fine earlier. Just 15 minutes ago she understood why her mother had done it and like it was only natural but now... She wasn't so sure.
"Are you coming Mal?" Her mother's voice called her and immediately, Mal's mind was clouded again and she was forced away from these troubled thoughts.
Her mother's voice had restored her confidence in the older woman and suddenly, she was once more willing to give her life to her mother if necessary.
.
"Did you see that?" Carlos asked, pointing at the rock in Mal's hand.
"Yes, it looks like a couple of purple stripes dissipated before they came back even thicker." Ben growled.
"Don't worry son, we'll find a solution." Belle told her son before she and her husband hugged him and left to tend to the kingdom and see if they could help Fairy Godmother finding an answer.
Belle also wanted to hurry her search for Mal's father. If he really was powerful, he'd probably be able to do something to help his daughter, especially since her own mother did this to her. So far, every clue she had gathered pointed to Lance, Merlin's grandson who was just as powerful as his late grandfather had been and who was a few years younger than Maleficent was. Every sign pointed to him.
There had been only 6 candidates to begin with and he was the only one who had been in the right area at the right time. He had never married and lived away from town, in a small village where he didn't have to get involved in the kingdom's affairs. She had planned to approach him slowly but now, she felt that the situation was urgent and he needed to know that he could have a daughter. Surely he'd be able to do a paternity test quickly and and save their son's love. Even if he wasn't her father, he's probably be powerful enough to save her.
"Where are you going?" Ben asked his mother before she was out the door.
"I'm going to try and bring her father here. I think I know who it could be and it's possible that he'd be able to save her." She replied with a smile before she followed her husband out the door.
"Like that's going to change anything." Ben whispered darkly before he looked back to Mal.
"Don't think this way Ben, we'll get her back. Good and True Love always wins, right?" Evie tried to reassure him.
"How am I supposed to believe it? Ever since we met, it's been one thing after the other against us, worst every time. Let's face it, if True Love's Kiss can't fix this, Mal's going to stay this way until whatever her mother wanted happens. And then it'll be too late, we'll have lost her." Ben snapped at her, his eyes shining a brighter yellow as he spoke, changing into the eyes of a Beast.
"Ben, your eyes..." Carlos started to say.
"I don't care about my eyes!" Ben barked as hair started to grow on him.
"You need to calm down and think positively Ben. You're not alone, we're here and we'll help you and her." Evie tried to say, slowly moving so that Jay was standing between Ben and her.
"You're becoming a Beast, man." Jay exclaimed.
"I don't care, don't you understand? I don't care what happens to me if she's not there. I can already feel like I'm losing her. I don't care what happens without her!" Ben yelled at them, while his transformation continued.
"You really should try to calm down, man." Jay tried to say while Evie backed away.
"I'll calm down when she's back." Ben yelled once more, making the walls shake, before turning back to Mal and, using his now furry hand, which was slowly turning into a paw, to hold Mal's hand.
"I... I'll go and warn his parents." Evie whispered before she ran out of the room.
.
Belle had left her husband to take care of the official kingdom business while she took a few guards with her to get Lance, Merlin's grandson and the one she suspected of being Mal's father. She took one of the fastest car they had and, within 6 hours of very fast driving, they arrived in front of the isolated house.
"Your Majesty? What are you doing here? We usually don't see royals in these parts." A tall man that seemed to be just under 40 years old and that she knew to be Lance asked her, coming out to greet her as soon as she stepped out of the car.
"I have something very important to tell you. You'll have a hard time believing me but it's important that you do. It's urgent and very serious." Belle stated.
"Come on in, what is it?" He asked her before serving her some tea.
"Do you remember ever meeting Maleficent before she was sent off to the Isle of the Lost?" Belle asked him.
"No, I don't think so, why?" He asked her.
"Have you heard of her daughter?" Belle asked him once more instead of answering his question.
"I read an article about it, yes. Why? What's going on?" He asked her.
"Well, there is no easy way to say it so... I think that you are Mal's father and that Maleficent took the memory of it away." Belle replied.
"What, how is that even possible? I mean, even if this really had happened and she had taken the memory away, it would have been over 20 years ago. This girl is only 16."
"Magic. She had a spell. Listen, it's a 6 hour drive back to Auradon and I really need you to come with me. I'll explain everything on the way and once there, you'll decide if you believe me or not but she's in grave danger and my son's True Love kiss can't save her. Maybe your magic can. Even if it turns out that she's not your daughter, please, come and help us." Belle pleaded.
"Fine, just let me pack a bag." Lance nodded after thinking about it for 5 minutes.
He was living so far away from everything because he was afraid of being used by royals but he didn't really have a choice now. It was for a good cause, to save a child, a child that might turn out to be his. He couldn't say no and stay back, he had to go and see. Maybe that would explain why he had been feeling uneasy for the past few months.
10 minutes later, they went back in the car. Lance had the magic staff that he inherited from his grandfather along with a grimoir, a few change of clothes and a few ingredients he needed to make a paternity testing potion. It wasn't in his habits to get involved in official kingdom business but if there was even a small chance that she could be his daughter, he needed to do whatever he could to help her.
On the way to Auradon, Belle explained everything to the powerful wizard, from Mal's arrival in school to how she had found him and everything they knew for sure about Mal's father. Then, Lance had started making a memory potion with what he had taken with him. He didn't need to let it cook and so it was done quickly and three hours into the drive, he could drink it.
"So, do you remember anything?" Belle asked him.
"I think so. Only one new memory came back to me. A woman, one night. I don't know if it was Maleficent or not, it was after a reunion with other people who had magic and she hide her face. I was lonely and she was willing... It matches the dates and places you described though. I can't believe I could be a father." Lance shook his head.
"You are her father, then?" Belle asked him.
"I don't know. I mean, I could be, the spell you told me about would work that way but it could also be someone else. I'll have to do a paternity test to be sure. It'll be quick though, I'll know withing 5 minutes."
"Good. Do you know how to get her out of her comatose state?"
"Well, if I really am her father, I'll be able to get into her head and help her away from her mother's influence and back to us. If I'm not... Well, I'm sure I'll think of something. Maybe I'll be able to get your son in her head instead, it'll be hard but I can do it." Lance declared.
"I hope so. I just received news from my husband that our son is changing into a Beast."
"Because of what's happening to Mal?"
"Yes. They're soul mates, losing her would be terrible for him and everyone in the kingdom." Belle shook her head.
"How is she? Mal, I mean. What kind of person is she, what does she like?" Lance asked her a few minutes later.
"She's had a hard life, Maleficent was definitely not up for 'Mother of the Year' award. She fights hard to be good though, she's loyal to her friends, smart, very talented when it comes to arts. I can't judge her about magic but she was able to defeat her mother while using Fairy Godmother's wand so..."
"This is a powerful wand, only the most powerful and pure hearted people can use it." Lance explained, impressed.
"I know." Belle nodded before she told her everything she knew about Mal, knowing that Lance was starting to feel close to the girl without even having met her yet.
.
When they arrived at their destination, Belle and Lance ran as fast as they could to her son's bedroom. They arrived to find the room very quiet.
Ben was a full Beast now and was rolled up at Mal's feet, forbidding anyone to go near her. Beast was petting him, keeping him calm while Jay, Evie and Carlos were on the opposite side of the room, each with a tick book, probably trying to find answers. Still present but carefully away from the potential danger that Ben could be.
Ben held Mal's half of the stone in his hand and when he saw his mother with this new man, he showed it to them.
"It's almost completely purple now!" Ben snapped angrily.
"I just need one of her hair to check if I'm her father." Lance stated, approaching carefully while looking at Ben for permission and the new beast nodded, allowing him to come near his love without taking his improved eyes off of him.
They all watched as the wizard placed her purple hair next to his brown one in a bottle filled with yellow liquid. When it became green, he smiled fondly.
"I'm her father. I'm a father." he whispered.
"Good, now save her!" Ben growled.
"Calm down Honey, he'll do his best." Belle scolded her son, not afraid of the beast he had become.
"Stop talking and act now! There's only one white stripe left and it's starting to get pink!" Ben roared.
Lance ignored the young beast' anger and placed both of his hands on each side of his newly discovered daughter's head.
.
Lance appeared in the tower Mal was conceived in and the teenager was reading a book about the darkest potions that existed. He wasn't surprised that someone like Maleficent would have a copy of that book. The only reason he had one in his own library was because his grandfather had taken it away from Morgana before he defeated her.
"Mal?" he asked her.
"Who are you?" She asked, dropping the book and standing up in one move.
"My name is Lance, I'm Merlin's grandson, and your father. Belle found me and I'm here to help you." he explained.
"I don't have a father, and who is this Belle? Why would she want you to help me? I don't need help." Mal denied.
"This, what you're seeing and living right now, it's not real, Mal. Your mother is poisoning your mind. She's clouding what's important to you like your Soul Mate and your friends and replacing it by her own will. I'm here to help you fight it, to bring you back to them. All you have to do is trust me, give me your hands and allow me to help you." Lance pleaded.
"You're not making any sense. My mother is..." Mal started to reply but he cut her off.
"Where is she? Where is your mother?" he asked her.
"She stepped out to get something right before you arrived, she'll be back soon." Mal replied.
"No, she's not real and her image only comes when you start doubting this reality. She's not here now because I'm using my powers to block her. Mal, you have friends waiting for you back in Auradon, a boyfriend who's your soul mate and needs you by his side." He explained to her.
"Ben." Mal whispered, remembering the visions she had had earlier.
"Yes, that's him. You need to fight against everything your mother wants of you Mal, you need to be your own person." he pleaded with her.
"Why would I do that? Being the next Maleficent is what I've always wanted." She shook her head, trying to fight it.
"No, it's what your mother wants you to be, what she wanted of you. You never wanted this Mal."
"How would you know? You don't know me." She shook her head.
"Maybe not, not yet anyway but on the way here Belle told me a lot about you. She told me how loyal you were to your friends and what a great person you are. She told me how proud and happy she was that her son's Soul Mate ended up being you. She told me how her husband loved you like his own daughter now and how enraged he was when he learned that your mother had found yet another way to hurt you, even from afar. You are beloved and everyone wants you to come back with me. Please Mal, I'm your father and I just want you to be happy and to have the opportunity to watch your happiness. Trust me Mal, take a chance on me, take my hands. The only thing I'll ask of you is for you to be yourself and to be happy and safe. I promise that if after that you want me to go away, I will." Lance asked her, extending both of his hands to her.
"What if you're lying?" She asked, obviously trying to fight her memories.
"Then nothing will happen once you place your hands in mine. If you're right, nothing will happen and we'll both still be here. If I'm right, you'll wake up in the life your mother tried to force you to forget with this curse." he smiled.
Nodding her agreement with his argument, she slowly placed her small hands in his larger ones and closer her eyes, deciding to put all of her trust in him.
.
"Something's happening!" Beast exclaimed, pointing to Mal's half of the rock which was slowly clearing up.
Immediately, Ben got off the bed and, while everyone else got closer to Mal and her father, he went to stand against the wall, as far away from the bed as possible, unwilling to let Mal see him like this, as a Beast. He was ashamed of what he had become without her and wondering what he'd do once she saw him. How would she react? Would she still love him like her mother loved her father or would she stop because he was too hairy?
"How are you feeling sweetie?" Belle asked Mal as soon as the girl sat up.
"Like my head is about to explode, or like it already exploded, I'm not sure." She replied, closing her eyes for a few seconds.
"It'll pass. It's the curse leaving." Lance explained.
Mal looked at him and was about to ask him if he really was her father when he spoke:
"Don't worry kiddo, we'll have all the time in the world to speak once you're feeling better." He smiled.
"Wait, where's Ben?" Mal asked after a few seconds, confused as to why he wasn't by her side.
Without really answering her, they all turned to where Ben stood, his head bent down.
"Oh no, Ben..." Mal whispered before she rushed to him, ignoring her headache.
"Don't come closer Mal, I don't want to hurt you." he told her, trying to get away from her.
"You could never hurt me Ben." Mal told him, full of confidence, before she stepped even closer to him and, before he could do anything to stop her, kissed him.
The magic happened almost immediately, forming a bubble of magic around the two of them before dissipating, leaving a happily back to normal couple.
"I was so afraid Mal, I thought for sure that I'd lose you." Ben told her, hugging her close to him.
"I know, and I was almost gone, too." she replied, laying her head on his shoulder, feeling exhausting.
"Mal should rest for a bit, this kind of spell takes a lot out of you. We should leave the two of them be for a while. Mal, I'm not going anywhere, I'll stick around until we talk, alright?" Lance declared.
"Where are you going to stay?" She asked him.
"He'll stay at the palace with us, we're family now after all. When you're ready, you and Ben come over and we'll have dinner together." Belle smiled.
Mal nodded, smiled at her father and went to lay down before everyone left.
For the next couple of hours, Mal and Ben snuggled in each other's arms and rested, happy to be back together and hoping that things would be good now. When they were done, a little before dinner time, they got changed and made their way to Ben's motorcycle so he could drive them to his parents' castle.
Mal was nervous about speaking with this man who claimed to be her father. What if he had only said that to get her out of her mother's curse? What if he didn't want anything to do with her? Could he really want her in his life?
"You worry too much Mal, it'll be fine, I know it." Ben reassured her before letting her in.
.
When they entered the castle's dinning room, Lance, Beast and Belle were already there, talking before dinner was served.
"Mal, how are you feeling?" Belle asked before anyone else could say anything.
"The headache is gone and I managed to rest a bit. I think I'll feel even better tomorrow." Mal replied honestly, loving the fact that Belle and Beast cared about her just as much as they cared about their son.
"Dinner won't be served before at least 30 minutes, why don't we leave Lance and Mal alone for that time so they can talk?" Beast suggested, thinking of using that time to speak to his son about his recent beast experience.
"Good idea dad. You'll be fine, I know it." Ben told his father before he spoke the second half to his girlfriend.
"So... You're my father?" Mal asked the sorcerer in a shy voice.
"Apparently so. I had no idea, you know, about you." He replied, not really knowing where to start.
"I know. My mother might have lied to me about a lot of things, but I knew she told me the truth when she said that my father had no idea that I existed." Mal replied.
"You're worried about her, aren't you?" he asked her.
"How could I not be after her last stunt? She's locked up in a special prison cell where she can't get even a message out and see or talk to nobody and she still found a way to hurt me." Mal shook her head, showing her vulnerable side.
"That's because she planted some sort of magical seed in your head when she had you hostage. Don't worry, your head is free now. She can't get in it anymore." His tone held a promise and Mal knew what he meant: even if Maleficent found a way, he'd save her.
"What if she finds another way? She could break out of her cell or find someone else to do her dirty job..." Mal expressed her worries.
"I'm here now Mal. I know that you don't know me and I don't know much about you but now that I know about you, there's no way I'm leaving without you. I'll stay around while you're in school and during the holidays, we'll either go home or visit some places, we'll see. We'll have to go home first though, we need to set a room for you and I'm sure you'll love to read Merlin's old books." Lance started to say and Mal smiled.
"You want me in your life?" She asked him before he could go further.
"Of course I do! You're my daughter, Mal. I know that being Maleficent's daughter has defined most of your life so far but it's time you learned what it means to be Merlin's heir, the first female one at that. I'm very proud of you Mal and I want to be your father, to help you define who you are, to watch you grow and to see you be happy." He assured her.
"Wait, I'm the first female heir of Merlin's?" Mal asked, trying to move the discussion away from feelings for now but she couldn't help but be happy that her father wanted her and wanted her to be happy.
"Yes, you are, and I'm sure you'll be very powerful once you've taken the time to discover all of your powers." Lance told her.
"Do... Do you think I'll be able to change into a dragon like my mother?" She asked him in a small voice.
Changing into a dragon was the only thing she ever really wanted from her mother, the only thing she wanted to be able to do.
"Well, I can't but Merlin could. Since your mother can do it, or could before you reduced her form to one of a lizard, you'll probably be able to. It's nothing to be ashamed of, too. The dragon is a very noble and powerful animal, one that can do evil or good, depending on who's in control." He smiled.
"I hope I can. I've had dreams about it, ever since I was a little girl. I'm a great green and light purple dragon flying over the world... It feels great freeing." Mal confessed.
"If you've dreamt about it, it means that the dragon is in you. I'll help you find it during the next school break if you want." He offered.
"I think I'd like that." She nodded.
"And, since they can't go back to the Isle of the Lost anymore, if your friends want to come with us instead of staying alone at school, they'll be welcome. I can see how close you are to them." Lance suggested, making Mal smile even more.
"I'm sure they'll love that idea, thank you."
"Anything Mal. I never thought I'd be a father but after everything I've heard about you, I can't help but be proud and honored to be your father. I promise you, I'll always be there for you, no matter what. All I want is for you to be happy." He assured her, kneeling in front of her and looking her in the eyes to make sure she understood how serious he was being.
"I... I'm glad you're my father. I'm not good at sharing my feelings but I'm happy that you decided to find me and that you want to stick around. I really want to get to know you." Mal admitted.
"And I know how worried you are about your mother. If it makes you feel better, I'll talk to King Beast about taking you to see her. It might make you feel safer if you can see where she's locked up and that she can't break out." He offered as he hugged her.
"I think I'd like that, yes." She nodded.
"And I promise you not to play the overprotective father with your boyfriend." He smiled, trying to lift the mood.
"Good thing too, he's the king after all." Mal chuckled.
"Does he make you happy?"
"The happiest I've been in my life so far." Mal replied truthfully.
"Then I have no reason to protest. I'll go after him if he ever breaks your heart, which, given that you're soul mates, will probably never happen." he smiled.
"Thank you for being here." Mal whispered, hugging him again.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." he replied, happy to know that the teenage girl in his arms was his daughter, his heir.
"I was afraid you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me because of who my mother is." Mal confessed after a few seconds of silence.
"How could I not want anything to do with such a wonderful young woman?" He smiled at her.
"Some people think that we're just like our parents, that we're not worth spending time with..." Mal told him.
"I know, people are easily scared but after what Belle told me about you on the way here... A person who inspires as much love and respect as you do deserves to be believed in, Mal. Somehow, in the few months you've spent here, you managed to have King Beast, who's not an easy man, and Queen Belle, love you like one of their own. They believe in you and would go to great length for you, all because of who you proved to be, who you are."
"I'm betting most of it comes from you." Mal smiled, touched by his compliments.
"Well, I'd like to think so. I don't think Maleficent used to have a lot of friends." he chuckled.
"She only knows servants, minions. She doesn't have friends, just people that could be useful to her some day." Mal replied and Lance could tell that she was thinking that she, too, was nothing more than someone useful to her mother.
"That's her loss." Lance smiled.
"So, where do you live?" She asked him.
"In our family home, which isn't much. It's a small house lost in the Enchanted woods. There's a road that leads up to it but not many people come, and that's the way I liked it."
"Why? Don't you feel lonely?"
"When loneliness gets too much, I go in town and spend some time with the villagers but I tried to stay away from the larger towns."
"Why?" She was confused now.
"My grandfather was, as you know, very famous and my father used this fame to get famous as well. He didn't see as royals manipulated him to get what they wanted and he died young because of that. It scared me and I decided to stay away from people as much as possible. I didn't want anyone to use my magic or me... I go to the nearby villages, help them with my magic whenever I can, when there is no hope for something else working but I ask my intervention silent in exchange. When I saw a royal car park in front of my house I was surprised, I thought maybe someone broke out of the Isle of the Lost or something... Then I saw the Queen and her grave face and I knew it was something personal and even more serious than that."
"But if you wanted to stay away from people and royal, why did you go with her?" Mal asked him, trying to understand.
"Because even though I stay away from big cities and castles, I heard about King Beast and Queen Belle, I knew that they were good people, trying to stay away from magic as much as possible. I knew that for them to come to me, it was something important. Plus, for the past few months I've had a feeling, I'll teach you to recognize them later, that something big and life changing was going to happen to me. I knew that I had to go with her, that something important to me was waiting for me at our destination." He tried to explain.
"And that was me?"
"Yes Mal, it was you." he smiled.
"Ben is behind the door, waiting. I think his parents are with him. I think it's time for dinner but they don't want to interrupt anything." Mal informed her father, feeling her bond with Ben working.
"Let's let them in then, we'll have all the time in the world to talk some more later." Lance smiled, using his powers to open the double doors, revealing a blushing Ben.
As they ate and laughed together, as a family probably often did, Mal couldn't help but pray for it to continue. She didn't want it to end, she was truly happy. She had Ben, her friends and even a loving and accepting father.
A few days ago, Mal had been dreading the school breaks. She knew that while all of the other student would happily go back to their families, she would have to stay back, along with her friends, or risk their lives to go back to the Isle of the Lost. Now she couldn't wait for it to come so she could spend more time with her father, learn more magic and discover who she really was. Her father accepted her, loved her and he'd help her control her magic, he'd push her to be herself without holding back.
And here you go, a third part with Mal's father, or my version of him.
I don't know if I'll write more of this but, who knows... An idea is like a seed, it can grow fast...
Review please? Tell me what you thought about it.
Lorelei Candice Black