4: Fear of Love (Mal)
To Mal, the concept of love was frightening. Her whole life she'd been taught that love made someone weak, that she should never fall in love. She grew up believing that love was fake, something created for the weak of heart to give them hope in their miserable world.
That is, until she met Ben.
She didn't fall in love with him the first moment she met him. That was too ridiculous for Mal. In fact, although she found Ben's familiarity intriguing, Mal instantly disliked the boy. He was everything she wasn't, everything she stood against.
Yet, somehow, she'd fallen for him.
It wasn't love when he sang that ridiculous song to her at the end of the Tourney game. It wasn't love when he asked her on a date. It wasn't love when she rode at the back of his scooter to the enchanted lake, with her arms around him.
It couldn't be love, because love was weakness. Mal may have been many things, but she was not weak.
Yet somehow, she slowly began understanding. She'd seen the way Chad had treated Evie, and although they were never really friends on the Isle, Mal had slowly come to think of Evie as a sister. She enjoyed spending time with Jay and Carlos, laughing with their jokes and chatting with them in class. However, she refused to admit that she may have felt love for the three of them. Not romantic love, but love nonetheless.
Maybe it was the fact that Mal had never experienced love.
She'd admitted it to Ben on their first date next to the enchanted lake. She'd told him that she didn't know what love felt like, which was true. She didn't know what the love of a mother felt like because her mother refused to show it. She didn't know what the love of a sibling felt like because she'd never met any of her siblings, if she had any. She'd never felt love for a boy like Ben because she'd never dated a boy like Ben.
But Ben was everything she was not. He was sweet and kind and full of love for his people, something Mal admired in him, although she'd never reveal it. He was the prince the world deserved, the king the world deserved. But Mal? She was born out of evil and wickedness, and she could never compare herself to Ben, let alone allow herself to love him.
When Ben gave her the ring at his coronation, Mal knew she was hooked. Deep down, she knew she could never steal that wand. Because something had started growing inside of her, and it was wonderful. The heart she'd kept frozen was melting, as if spring had finally found its way to her. She felt warm and happy.
That warmth and happiness left when she grabbed the wand from Jane's hands. She saw the look in Ben's face, and knew she could never forget it. She could never forget the heartbreak she saw in his eyes.
And so, she chose good. She fought against her own mother who'd never loved her, and stuck by her friends who accepted her for who she was. She hugged Ben tightly, not wanting to ever let go of this dream she was living.
And so, a few months later, with his ring still on her finger and his hand clasped in hers, she told him.
They were back next to the enchanted lake, exactly where they'd had their first date. Mal was nervous yet excited, because Ben had spent the last few months teaching her the wonders of love, proving to her that he didn't need to be under a spell to love her.
"Ben," Mal began as he popped a strawberry in his mouth, "I need to tell you something."
"Do I have something on my face?" Ben instantly asked, embarrassed at the rate he'd been devouring their picnic.
"No," Mal laughed, taking his hand, "But I just wanted to say something.
"The first time you brought me here, you asked me if I loved you. I didn't know what love felt like then, and quite frankly, I was scared of finding out. I've grown up thinking that love is a weakness, that it's useless and shouldn't be felt. But you've shown me differently, and I've realised that I love you Ben. I always will."
She'd never forget the smile on his face as he pounced on her like a dog, kissing her cheeks with little murmured 'I love you's'.
Love wasn't her weakness. It was her strength.
A/N: I tried to make this as soppy as I could for you guys, because I've always wondered about Mal's approach to love.
I'm taking this quick author's note to thank you guys for all the support you've been showing this fic. I love writing these short snippets of the VK's life, and I wanted to ask you guys to check out my other Descendants fics which I've been updating recently. (My newest one is a crossover with Harry Potter for those fans of the books/movies out there).
I'd like to urge you to leave any suggestions for future chapters in the reviews, and follow the story for updates. I apologise this chapter took so long to publish, but I've been writing multiple short stories for this fic and I kept losing track of which one to publish. Thank you for reading, and until next time!