-Lots of you may be angry at me for having this chapter so early in the plot with Mal still being quite young. Sorry, but it has to be this way so that we can start moving onto war chapters and massive magical happenstance.-
The leaves in Auradon frosted into a golden and scarlet pointillism masterpiece. Mal quit her morning climbs to the roof because the frost would stick to the bricks and make them slippery. Instead she and Ben went out for short drives and Mal locked herself in her room to pour over her plans for the Isle of the Lost.
September turned into October.
Mal's things slowly vanished from her room. Not everything, but outfits and toiletries and books gradually disappeared. Pictures from the walls, her favorite blanket from her bed, and finally her phone charger. Mal didn't panic much, because she knew where she'd find everything. The same thing was happening to Ben's room. All their things were being moved into a suite with an attached living room and a large bathroom fitted with a jet tub. King Adam and Queen Belle had vacated the Master Suite and downsized to something closer to the front of the castle. Adam's office had been emptied except for a couple of important copies of legislature and things Ben had put there himself. Doug had been at the castle for a solid eight hours on September thirtieth scanning everything in Adam's office into his computer and sorting it all into usable formats.
Still, it was awkward for Mal when she walked into their room to plug her phone in and found Ben muttering under his breath as he tried to hunt down a pair of socks. She wasn't ready to be sharing her living space.
The last night she spent in her own room passed in the blink of an eye. She laid down to close her eyes, and then woke up to Belle and Sophia shaking her gently. The room wasn't even light yet. It was the sort of hour that Mal usually woke up to climb the palace roof, except now the time was spent cramming as many energy drinks as possible into her and scrubbing all the dirt out from under her fingernails. Sophia and Belle teamed up to help Mal wash up, paint her nails a nude color, and braid her hair up. Sophia spent a half hour on her curls alone.
Her eyeliner was so thin it was almost invisible. They used white eyeshadow and brushed delicate sparkles across her nose and cheekbones. A pretty rose color was applied to her mouth, and more red was added to her cheek color so that no matter how pale she was underneath all that makeup, the audience wouldn't be able to tell.
Belle had offered Mal her own wedding gown. It was cinched at the hips and stopped above her ankles because Belle had been afraid of tripping back when she'd been a bride. Mal was only a few inches shorter, so Sophia hemmed up the base as Belle helped Mal into the white satin slippers they'd found. Mal was just grateful she wouldn't have to wear any sort of killer heels during this ordeal.
The sun climbed higher. An hour before the carriage was to pick them up and take them to the coronation hall, Sophia and Belle laid a thin line of white stones across Mal's neck and helped her glue on little diamonds for earrings since she didn't have holes in her ears. They moved the mirror and helped Mal sit down on the edge of her bed to examine her reflection before they left her alone to think.
Mal felt a little numb. Her fingers were chilly. She stared at her reflection and realized the sight didn't mean all that much to her. She could have been dressed in street clothes and not have cared.
She fumbled with her numb hands and then managed to locate her cell phone on the bed beside her. Sophia had brought it down from the Master Suite so that Mal could watch videos and listen to music while they worked on her.
'Are you ready?' She texted Ben.
A small notification popped up that the message delivered, and then that it had been read. 'Are you talking ready-to-leave or emotionally prepared for this?' He asked.
Mal's fingers hovered over the screen before she wrote: 'I meant ready to leave.'
Ben replied: 'Yeah, I am. I'm just sitting and waiting for everyone.'
'Sooo,' Mal started. 'Are you ready for this?'
'I don't know. Are you?' He asked.
She imagined Ben sitting on the side of his bed just like she was, drumming his fingers on his screen while his expression remained numb. The thought made her heart feel a little warmer. She sent back a message she hadn't yet admitted to herself: 'I don't know yet. But I have a feeling that things will work out.'
'Even for a daughter of Maleficent?" Ben asked.
Several conflicting feelings poked up in Mal's chest, and she wondered if it was too late to call everything off, do everything in secret, and never become a queen at all. 'Well, happily-ever-after is supposed to be a thing, yeah?' She responded.
'It is.' Ben confirmed. 'And we'll get there one day. The curse will be broken, and you won't have to put up with me.'
'You make it sound like you're the worst person in Auradon to get along with.' Mal pondered. 'Just being around you and your family is really making up for this awful deal.'
Three grey thinking dots appeared from Ben before a new message downloaded. 'It could be a lot worse. I could be getting hitched to a vile, controlling daughter of a villainess who is actively seeking to get her hands on the crown, so she can bring her mother over, murder me, and unleash evil on my kingdom.'
She bit back a smile. 'Aren't you?' She asked. Then, before he could respond, she said: "I agree though. I mean, I could have been married in secret three months ago, before being assassinated by the Auradonian guards, and maybe been assaulted several times and tortured brutally before my entrails were left to dry out in a museum.'
'You know Auradon doesn't do that, right?' She pictured Ben rolling his eyes and chuckled.
'I will gladly fight you on this argument on any day that is not our wedding day/your coronation day.' She reprimanded him. 'Which reminds me, are you ready to be King?'
'Are you ready to be queen?' He returned.
A knock echoed at Mal's door. Sophia poked her head in. She was wearing a blue long-sleeved dress and had braided her black hair. "Are you ready to go?" She asked Mal.
"Yes," Mal answered. She looked back down at her screen. 'I'll have to be – Sophia's here now. See you there?'
'I'll look for the vision in white.'
'That sounds like a vision of death.'
Of all the things Mal had to do that morning, getting into the carriage was one of the hardest.
Auradon had this thing for open carriages and convertible cars. Mal personally saw it as a massive safety hazard, but it was fun for the people to throw flowers and other things at them as they came, which sounded like a second, more versatile hazard. Currently, the danger was trying to navigate the dress so a) she didn't fall on her freshly done-up face and b) So that there'd still be room for Ben.
The extra few inches off the ground didn't help much on the stairs, and the layers of fabric made it hard to lift on the first try. The dress had a natural twirl to it that made it billow out when she sat down. After she survived the climb up into the carriage, she struggled to move the fabric to her liking. She growled in frustration at the outfit.
"If I ever have to attend a fancy thing like this again," She told Sophia, "Remind me to get a dress like Queen Elsa's, with the slit. No more poof."
"No more poof." Sophia agreed with a smile. Mal felt more like her friend was teasing her than supporting her.
Sophia hopped down and went to stand by Belle. They began to talk animatedly. Mal quietly looked down at her hands and tuned them out. Not for the first time, Mal thought of her friends. It baffled her how she'd never once called them friends when she'd lived on the Isle, and then suddenly they'd appeared in her vocabulary as friends the moment she'd left the Isle behind in her heart.
She missed them. There was no way around it. And she was feeling their absence more than ever. Today, if they hadn't already, they'd learn of her treason to her mom. Hopefully, they'd forgive her if she ever managed to contact them through her plans with the Isle.
Across the courtyard, Ben walked in. He took a few solemn steps forward and smiled up at her. He sure looked a lot more confident than she felt. He was dressed in his very best, brand-new dark suit with a grey tie and a gold earpiece clipped onto the top of his ear.
He climbed the stairs with ease and sat next to her. "Hey." He said.
"Hey." She said. There was nothing more to say.
Adam, who had escorted Ben, went to stand by Belle. Sophia left the Queen's side and went to the side of the carriage. "You'll have to help Mal down," Sophia told Ben. "She had a little trouble getting up with the dress. Hopefully going down will be easier." She gave Mal a smile.
"Thanks, Sophia," Ben said, nodding to Mal. "How much longer?" He asked.
"Not long." Sophia pointed across the courtyard to where the driver was walking towards them. "They're about to open the doors."
She hopped off the stairs and Mal swallowed nervously. It was okay. Okay? Okay.
She turned to Ben. It felt like someone was pulling her ribcage apart. The lights seemed bright again. "Ben." She whisper-gasped.
He examined her in concern and put a hand on her cheek. "Are you okay?" He asked.
She shook her head, feeling a bit like a fish gasping for breath. "I- I'm not ready. Ben, I don't want to marry you yet." Her lower lip wobbled and she forced her mouth shut.
It wasn't a call to cancel the coronation. It wasn't even her quitting. If anything, it was a subtle acceptance of something she hadn't ever stopped to consider before. She and Ben were in this together, for better or for worse. And if things had been different and she had a true choice in the matter, she might have chosen him anyway. The world would never know.
"I mean, what I'm trying to say-" She tried to fix it, but he held a hand up.
"I know." He interrupted. "I'm not ready either. I lied. I don't want to marry you yet either."
His honesty brought tears to her eyes. They were just kids, her especially. Their hands fumbled in their laps for a second, then they reached out to grab onto each other. Both of their hands were cold and clammy. "We're going to go through with this?" She asked him.
"Last chance." He responded.
"I'm okay." She lied.
"Me too." He lied.
"Let's do this, then." She sighed. He smiled, used her hand to pull her against him, and put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned against him as the driver climbed up, waved, and the carriage began to move forward.
"This is the first time Auradon will see you." He muttered in her ear as they waved to Belle, Adam, Sophia, and Lumiere down on the sidewalk. Lumiere had appeared behind Adam a few seconds after she and Ben had started talking.
"I hope I make a good impression," Mal muttered back. He chuckled. She felt their fingers moving against each other, intertwining. The contact helped her feel steadier. She took several deep breaths.
"You'll be great." He assured her.
The route was quiet for the first few minutes. Then, Mal heard a low roar begin. It continued to get louder, and after a few blocks, Mal realized it was the crowd. Her breath caught in her throat.
They went under an archway and into a wide expanse of color and light and sound. People cheered as they went by. White petals rained down from the sky. Mal sat, stunned, as she watched people wave enthusiastically and cheer. Children squealed as they saw the royal carriage coming. Older women and mothers stood in groups with wide-brimmed sunhats to smile at her and Ben as they passed.
"Smile." Ben prompted, squeezing her hand.
She did and waved shyly to a group of kids in blue shirts and tan pants and skirts as the carriage rolled past. They gasped in excitement and began to tug on their mother's skirts as they exclaimed: "She waved at me! The new queen, she just waved!"
"She has purple hair!" A small child screamed, running ahead of them in the crowd while his mother yelled behind him. "Just like they said! I want purple hair too!"
There was a crash and Mal's head snapped up. The driver flicked the reins a little and began to quickly move past a commotion on the left. Mal leaned forward to see what had happened. A large group on Ben's side was yelling far louder and more insistently than anyone else. They had flung a sign underneath the carriage's wheels, where it splintered and broke. More people held large signs and some were shouting so hard some of their faces were turning purple. Mal glimpsed one sign that read: "The villains will destroy us!" Another read: "Go home, demon spawn!"
Ben pulled her back as people shook their fists at the carriage. Mal pushed him away. "Who are they?" She whispered as her eyes skimmed the signs.
Ben grimaced. "Protestors." He grumbled. The carriage rattled on past the end of the group. Mal spotted Auradon guards marching through the crowds, presumably to tell them off. The last sign Mal saw as the group was ushered away had a picture of Maleficent with an angry red 'x' through her face. Mal swallowed. Protestors. Against her. She looked away.
The carriage came to a halt at the base of the Auradon Cathedral. Mal tried to not groan as she looked up the staircase that she'd have to climb. Ben tucked her arm into his elbow. "I'll help you." He promised.
A footman opened the carriage door for her, and then Ben stepped out. He immediately helped her step down and took her arm up again. Mal gathered up as many of her skirts as she could and walked up with Ben, hoping the multitudinous layers and the slow speed would help hide every time her foot missed the next step.
There were cameras everywhere. She could tell many were zooming in on her face as bright lights flashed around them. The downside of not joining Ben for his interview was that everyone was anxious to see what she looked like. Reporters were talking aloud as she walked past. "Slim... short, striking purple hair and piercing green eyes." She heard one mumble as he scribbled. She swallowed.
Near the top, a little princess in red tripped out into the Isle as she lost her balance, crowded among the adults on the stairs. Mal narrowly avoided tripping over her as the girl scrambled to get up. Ben paused as both Mal and the small child regained their footing. Mal let go of him to bend down and help her up. "Are you alright?" She asked.
The poor thing looked like she'd seen a ghost. She nodded numbly. Mal's eyes flickered up and down from the ground to her eyes. She tried to summon that confidence that Ben always seemed to have when talking to people. She cleared her throat and said: "Those are pretty earrings you have."
The girl reached up to feel her earlobes. She was wearing little birds with tiny red glass wings. Mal smiled. "Do you like birds?" She asked.
The child stared for a few seconds, then nodded. Mal reached behind the little girl's hair and brushed her fingers against one of the earrings. The birds wiggled a little, and their mouths began to move. Sweet birdsong emitted from them. The girl's face twisted into shock. Mal smiled, shook her hand, and stood back up. Ben took her arm with a palpable aura of pride, and together they walked towards the doors of the cathedral. There, a waiting footman offered his arm to Mal. Mal glanced nervously at the crowd behind them, leaned up to kiss Ben's cheek, and then took her leave. Ben, meanwhile, would wait outside to walk down the aisle to his destiny.
They led her through a series of back hallways and to the coronation room. They entered from the back. When she entered, the room hushed for a few seconds and then began to buzz. She was led to sit beside the King during the ceremony. Adam smiled and patted her hand when she sat down. "It's okay to breathe." He told her.
The hall was incredible. The cathedral was hundreds of years old and had been partially destroyed during the war twenty-five years ago. King Adam had requested it be renovated before he'd even become King. It was made of speckled grey stone and large glass windows fragmented the light streaming inside.
For several long minutes, there was nothing for Mal to do but fiddle with the skirts of her dress. She tried to sit up tall – it didn't work. She imagined her mom sitting, staring intently at the home screen, shouting for silence.
The trumpets began to pick up a different tune, and the doors opened. Ben was almost so far away she couldn't see him take a deep breath. Almost. King Adam and Queen Belle stood up and the entire hall was silenced. Mal stood up hastily. Someone laughed to her right. Mal bit her cheek and steeled her gaze, but Adam put a hand on her shoulder.
"Ease up." He whispered. "It's his coronation day. You could look a little happier."
"I know." She muttered. "Just… nerves."
King Adam nodded in understanding.
People bowed and curtseyed as he passed. There were smiles. As Ben passed, people looked excitedly to one another. He looked tall, elegant, and kingly. It made her twist her hands and think about herself, climbing the walls of the castle and meeting princesses with dirt on her face. If only Evie's mother had enchanted her instead. That seemed like the kind of thing Evie's mom would do. Then, Evie would be the gorgeous queen who took everyone's breath away and who participated in royal conversation without a hitch.
She stood taller and glanced to the side. She saw several people she recognized, one of which was sadly Audrey. But there was also Doug and Sophia. Beside Sophia stood an erect woman in forest green, with golden eyes and naturally white hair. She smiled at Mal, and something warm unlocked in Mal's chest.
An enchantress. How interesting.
Ben began to ascend the low stairs to the pedestal, paused halfway up, and knelt. Fairy Godmother turned to Adam with a joyous smile. He bowed, and she curtseyed. Then he bent down, and she lifted the crown, which had been resized and no longer fit him, off his head. This she put on Ben's head as Belle lifted the glass jar off of the wand, which stood upright in a cushioned pad in the center of the raised platform the royal party stood on. Fairy Godmother took it and held it out in both hands as she spoke.
"Do you solemnly swear to protect and guide the peoples of Auradon, for as long as you shall reign?" Fairy Godmother asked. She sounded like she was about to burst with excitement. Ben lifted his head a little, and he and Mal locked eyes. She made a gesture with her head to get on with the show.
After all, she wasn't sacrificing herself to this cause for nothing.
"I so swear," Ben said with resounding fervor.
"Then it is my honor and my joy to bless our new king." The Fairy Godmother said, tapping the wand once on his right shoulder, once on his left, and then gingerly touching the crown on his head. "Long shall he reign!" The crown lit for half a second, and then it was over. A… magic filled the room. Nothing seen, nothing heard, but it was clear everyone felt it. Auradon yielded to her new ruler, and the magics of the crown sealed upon Ben's head. He stood up, looking stunned. Belle and Adam embraced him. Mal felt an ache in her cheeks. She brushed her finger against the corners of her mouth and discovered a smile was imprinted on her mouth.
A hand wrapped around Mal's bicep and began to lead her back through the back. It was Sophia, with tears on her cheeks. Mal's smile dropped. Of course, now it was her turn.
Mal hadn't given the actual marriage much thought since Belle and Sophia had taken over and assured her it'd be great. Now she wished she'd had them define 'great'.
Sophia led her out the way she'd come and took her back around to the front so Mal could walk down the aisle. She slung an arm around the shorter girl's shoulder. "You deserve this, you know?" She said with shining eyes. "The party and the people. You deserve an event like this."
Mal shrugged. She personally didn't think anyone deserved what she was going through.
At the front doors, a man wearing wire-rim reflective glasses stood with his hands behind his back in front of the door. Mal gasped. "Stewart?" She asked.
Stewart turned around and smiled at her. "Miss Mal!" He said and removed his sunglasses. He reached out for her hand and shook it. "Or, is it Queen Mal, now?"
"Not yet," Mal said softly. "Soon though."
"Good, good." Stewart winked at Sophia, who blushed a little. "I didn't miss it then."
"Well, you missed the coronation, but if you care to, I'm about to walk out," Mal explained.
"Oh, I wasn't here for the coronation," Stewart informed her with a smirk. He held out his arm, much like Ben did sometimes when they went for walks around the castle. Mal stared at him questioningly. Stewart continued to smile as he began to explain: "Ben asked me if I'd escort you down the aisle and give you away. He said I was the one who brought you here to him in the first place and said it felt fitting."
Mal felt something in her heart that initially hurt, but then it became an overwhelmingly warm and bright feeling. Her vision felt blurry. She smiled and threaded her arm through his. He squeezed it to his side and patted her fingers.
"Are we good to go, Sophia?" He asked.
Sophia smiled. The pink tones hadn't left her cheeks yet. She nodded, wiped her tear-filled eyes, and stepped back as two footmen appeared to open the doors.
Mal looked up and met the eyes of many in the crowd. Her legs turned to jelly. They stood for a few seconds as everyone in the room turned to face them.
"Ready?" Stewart whispered.
She nodded, and he led her down the aisle.
The room was a much different view coming into it. Mal hadn't realized exactly how many people there were. She had to stop herself from gaping at all the eyes that were on her. Garlands of blue and white flowers had been hung from the sides of the cathedral, and the stained-glass windows reflected pretty patterns across the walls. Mal could see Ariel, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Merida, and Moana in some of the intricate window impressions.
Stewart kept Mal at a decent pace between rushing because she was so anxious to sit down and have this over with and going too slow because she was still taking in the whole thing.
"Penny for your thoughts, princess?" He muttered, really, really quietly into her ear.
"I'm not a princess," Mal muttered.
"No, you're not." Stewart agreed with a tone of reverence. "You're a queen."
"Not yet." Mal shook her head. Not yet; not now; not ever.
"The crown will be a nice accessory," Stewart whispered in her ear. "I've known since I first saw you that you are a strong, independent leader. You choose to walk with the war-weary and work for the better of all. You, madam, are a queen." She and Stewart leveled their eyes and came to an understanding of each other.
When Ben had walked down, people had bowed and smiled. But as she passed, people only dipped their heads in acceptance, with only the youngest who did not understand why everyone was cautious about the new queen bowing. One man with a bristly beard's head went down, and a glob of spit appeared on the carpet as Mal passed. Mal ignored him.
Ben reached for her hand as she neared him. She and Stewart met eyes one last time, and he took her hand in his rough, calloused one. Then he gave her away to Ben with a smile and stepped back. As it were, Stewart had now brought Mal to Ben twice.
Fairy Godmother married them. She started to cry as she got to the lines 'in sickness and in health, for better or worse, till death do we part.' Mal felt her throat go tight, and that was before she looked at Ben.
He looked proud, kingly, and stern. He smiled as bright as he could every time she met his eyes. She started to blush after the third time when she looked back, and he hadn't stopped looking at her.
"Are you two, uh, exchanging vows?" Fairy Godmother asked with a flashy smile.
Mal started to say no when Ben suddenly let go of her hands and reached into his pocket. She stared at him in horror. He pulled a little piece of palace stationery all folded-up out of his pocket and smiled confidently at her.
"I have a few things. Some of them I spent the last few days thinking of, and others my Mom said I better promise you so that you don't have to worry about it." Ben said. The audience laughed at his quip towards his Mom. "Mal, I promise you safety. You will never have to worry about whether or not you'll be safe with us again. If you are hurt, it will never be by my hand. And I will protect you if you decide you need protecting, though I doubt you'll ever want it. I promise you your place in a partnership. You are a ruler and an innovator both like and unlike me. I recognize your strengths and vow never to stifle you. You will always have a place in the palace as long as I am king. You will always have a say over your homeland and yourself. You will have opportunity to display your talents, and you will always have a place of comfort in me." He smiled shyly at her, and she felt a little smile stretch across her own face. "These things I promise you, Mal, Queen of the Isle and of Auradon."
He folded his paper up and took her hands again. Mal ran her thumb over his knuckles. Before the Fairy Godmother could open her mouth to continue, she began to speak.
"I'm always going to help you about." She told him. "And I'm always going to challenge you. I know I'm not going to stay the same person for you, but I swear there won't be a day I'm not working to be a better friend and confidante. We're never going to be like anyone else, but that's okay. We may come from different worlds, but we're still a team." Mal swallowed. "I'm your shield. I'm your sword. I'm going to protect you and I'm going to fight for you. Above that, I'm going to cherish, honor, and change you through this life…" She trailed off. "And into the next."
Ben started to cry. It must have been the nerves or the stress or something. She chuckled at him as he took one of his hands back to scrub at his eyes. "May God go with you and bless you." He mumbled, which was the beginning of a Celtic wedding vow that Mal knew from when Evie had recited them in her sleep a few years ago. "May you see your children's children."
Mal started speaking with him as if they had planned this. It was practically the only line she really knew."May you be poor in misfortune and rich in blessings."
And Belle, Adam, Stewart, Sophia, and the Fairy Godmother took up the chant: "May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward."
Gradually, the word spread, until everyone in the hall was repeating the mantra with them. "May joy and peace surround you both, contentment latch your door. Happiness be with you now, and God bless you evermore. May you live with trust, and nurture lifelong affection. May your lifelong dreams come true for you; move ever in that direction."
When it was over, there were only the sounds of general sniffles around the room. Fairy Godmother, Ben, Adam, Sophia, and Belle were all crying openly, which made Mal feel very awkward for not being so emotionally overtaken until she glanced toward Stewart behind her and saw him looking as awkward as she felt.
After long last, Fairy Godmother cleared her throat. "We wish you two the absolute best." She hiccupped. "You may kiss the bride."
Ben put a hand along her jaw and drew her attention back to him. They kissed quickly, and she tasted salt from his tears. Yeah, it was a little weird. They made it as short as possible. Fairy Godmother held out two rings when they finished. As Mal and Ben retreated half a step and put their rings on, a new person got up onto the stand. It was Doug, looking very unsure of himself. He sat down in one of the chairs on the stand, and Fairy Godmother replaced the wand and Ben moved to stand in front of the wand case as the glass was lowered. Then he turned back towards the audience and knelt. Mal got the distinct feeling she should get out of the way. She went to sit in her seat beside Doug, but before she could ask him anything, Adam and the Fairy Godmother put their hands atop Ben's head.
Oh, of course. They were giving the King a verbal blessing.
Auradon had started a tradition with King Adam where the Fairy Godmother would allow someone else to hold her wand for a short period of time with a spell on it. They'd receive several short, spontaneous visions of the future of the kingdom, and then give the king a verbal blessing before they'd forget it all. Adam and Belle had given each other their blessings when they'd first been crowned. Mal guessed that they'd cast the spell before she'd arrived.
Adam swallowed and looked at Belle. Belle smiled and wiped some tears off her cheeks. Something told Mal this was officially Adam's last act as King; ordaining his son to the post. Adam cleared his throat.
"Benjamin Florian Benson, as former king of Auradon, it was my pleasure to hold the Fairy Godmother's wand to receive prophecy of your future. I have seen many great and marvelous things, which I will henceforth forget. I would like you to know that while you are not, and never have considered yourself, the hero of your own tale, I wish to inform you your name will be blotted down as the greatest king in Auradonian history. I have built the kingdom, but you will cause it to flourish and grow like never before. In fact, there will come a period of time where there will be no suffering upon the face of the land for a time, including in the parts you have abdicated unto your new wife. You and Mal will build up an empire unto your kingdom and unto yourselves. Your home will be a place of refuge, and your family tight-knit. You have no need to fear for the future, not even in times of danger and war. Do your best and all things will work for your favor. My dear boy, it has been a pleasure to watch you grow."
Former King Adam removed his hands from his son's head and helped him to his feet. They embraced, and after a while, turned to Mal. Doug stood up nervously beside her. "They, ahem, asked me to give you your blessing. Hope that's okay with you, and-"
"It's fine." Mal interrupted him with a smile. "Shall we?" She stood up.
"Okay." He said. "Let's do this, then." He lent her his arm for the short seven-step walk. Ben and Adam moved out of the way as they approached. Adam went to go sit by Belle, who leaned into his shoulder and began to bawl. Mal felt bad. She and Ben were kind of ruining their reign. But there was happiness in how the king and queen looked at their son. She could only hope that what Adam had said was true, and they'd be able to live up to their predecessors.
Mal carefully knelt down in her vast array of skirts. The Fairy Godmother took the crown from Belle's head and carried it to Mal. They had refinished the crown with silver instead of gold, so it looked immaculate atop her head in the midst of all the striking purple. Doug and the Fairy Godmother put their hands on Mal's head. Doug's hands were much shakier than Fairy Godmother's, Mal noticed. After a few seconds, Doug began to speak:
"Mal Bertha Maleficent, by the power invested in me as an authority in the kingdom of Auradon, I hereby anoint you as Queen of Auradon and recognize your explicit worthiness to rule this kingdom. From thenceforth, you will be known as Her Majesty, Queen Mal of the Isle and of Auradon." Doug said. His hands settled and became less quaky on her head.
"Queen Mal, a normal queen would rule the lands jointly with her husband, but you are not a normal queen. You have agreed to work with and to support the King, but you have relinquished your commanding power over the states of Auradon of your own free will. Your sole kingdom, at this time, is that of The Isle of The Lost, which the king has seen fit to sever from Auradon and give to you, in the hopes you will repair that land.
"Mal, at this time I am entitled to tell you about portions of your life and future." Doug paused. "I have seen it all. It is glorious. I promise that you will be the cause of happiness throughout the kingdom at many points in your life, and you will bring about the unification of the people. You are entering this marriage full of sorrows and fears, but I promise you now that your marriage and your strong relationship with your husband will one day be your greatest achievement. You will be tried and strengthened together. Your fondest memories will be forged with your new family in Auradon."
Doug sniffled. "Fear not about never seeing those you have left behind and whom you miss." He said. "You will have the opportunity to reconnect and rebuild and to forge new paths the likes of which Auradon does not yet understand. You will also have the opportunity to correct many of the grievances caused by your mother, Maleficent, and the heroes of Auradon, as well as villains that you have never heard of and that you have not considered. We eagerly await your wisdom."
When he removed his hands, Mal didn't move. She sat still, trying to process all that he had proclaimed. She only moved when Doug offered her his hand, and when she took it, he helped her to his feet. On newly-found instinct, she turned to find Ben. He stood from where he had sat beside his parents, and she reached for his hand. They stood as one unit together for a moment and then turned to face all of Auradon. No words were said, and all Mal could hear in the wake of the applause were the whispers with her name attached.
It wasn't entirely clear what the reception was celebrating. Originally, it had been planned as the coronation after-party, but then revamped by Belle and Sophia to include Mal. The result was a somewhat awkward climate as guests shuffled past to give congratulations for the two events. Many people avoided Mal out of principle - don't go too close to the daughter of Maleficent.
Mal and Ben split up upon arrival. Many of the guests followed him, meaning that so long as she stayed away, she was left mostly alone. As he shook hands and talked with his parents and people around him, she slipped off her shoes in a quiet corner and fished the crown out of her curls, feeling absolutely miserable. She glanced up to make sure Ben was still where she'd last seen him, and glimpsed Audrey standing with a tall, dark-skinned older woman. Both were watching Mal with looks of contempt frozen on their faces as she removed her earrings and other jewelry and put them in her shoes for safekeeping. The only thing she kept on was the ring, which she'd take off when they got back to the palace later that night.
"Queen Mal." Someone greeted her in a somewhat wary tone. Mal looked up and saw a woman with short black hair with a feminine, yet somewhat prudish dress. She recognized her immediately from all the nights she'd heard the Evil Queen ranting and raving.
"Snow White." Mal nodded, letting her eyes close for more than a few seconds as her head spun. This was an anchorwoman. She was also a famous Auradonian figure. Lovely.
Snow White stuck out her hand. "It's lovely to meet you, finally. You looked very nice today in your dress. Wasn't it Belle's?"
Mal nodded with a forced smile. "Thank you, and yes, it is Belle's. It's nice to meet you as well. I've heard lots about you."
Snow White smiled uneasily. "Oh? I can't imagine what you might have heard."
Mal swallowed. "My best friend on the Isle take a lot of your advice in making and designing clothes. She runs her own little fashion line."
"Really?" Snow White's eyes sparkled. "I'd love to see some of the things she's made."
"I brought things she made for me," Mal recalled, stifling a yawn. "They're at the palace at the moment. I think they were put in my closet, but I haven't had much time to investigate."
"What's her name?" Snow White asked.
Mal winced. "Evie." She said and watched Snow's reaction as the older woman raked her brain for anything the name sounded like.
"Evie... is she the daughter of..." Snow White trailed off with a furrowed brow.
"The Evil Queen." Mal sighed. Snow White's face crumpled in realization.
"Oh!" She exclaimed. "Oh, well, that's very interesting. I hadn't realized that Aunt Grimhilde had... oh." Poor Snow looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Yes." Mal sighed, feeling even more down than before. "Anyways. I'm glad to have met you. I hope you have a nice time here tonight."
"T-thank you." Snow stammered, taking a few steps backward. "It was nice to meet you as well. Congratulations on your-"
"Thanks." Mal interrupted with a sigh. She began to rake her fingers through her hair, messing up her hairspray as Snow White vanished away into the crowd. She scrubbed a little at her eyeliner and picked off a few bits of mascara as she pulled her skirts up to get at the odd little bracelet Belle and Sophia had put underneath her knee.
"I don't think that's for you to take off." A cool voice stopped her. Mal looked up, slightly annoyed at being spoken to again, and was astonished to see the enchantress she'd noticed earlier in the day staring at her. She was still wearing green, though her dress had changed to a long, smooth cocktail dress. She put a chair beside Mal and sat down as Mal released her skirts and let them fall back down to her ankles. The woman gestured to her knee. "It's a garter belt. Very symbolic to Auradon. It's for luck. Ben will take it off of you later in the evening before you toss flowers to the single girls."
Mal frowned. "But it's up by my knee." She protested.
The enchantress leveled her gaze with Mal's. "They know." She told her.
Mal's cheeks suddenly erupted into bright red. "Oh." She said.
"If it's any comfort, it's supposed to be higher. Whoever helped you put it low on purpose. Usually, it goes above the knee or by your thigh." The enchantress explained. "And, usually, the groom takes it off with his teeth."
"With his teeth?" Mal repeated in a high-pitched, scandelized tone. Some nearby guests shot her confused looks as her cheeks flushed scarlet. Horrible images filled her mind.
"Don't worry." The enchantress shook her head. "The idea doesn't appeal to him either."
Mal sighed, pushing her shoes with their contents under her chair and setting her head on her hands. She was still imagining him trying to wrestle it off while guests laughed at them. The idea brought prickling tears to her eyes, but she refused to cry. "They didn't really explain all this to me." She shrugged. "What else do I need to be prepared for? The cavalry and desecration?"
"No." The enchantress disagreed. "You don't need to worry about that at all - ever. Besides, there will come a day very soon a greater army than Auradon's will answer to you." Mal's head shot up and she stared into the woman's deep, illusioned eyes. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry. The enchantress cracked a smile. "There will be a dance." She told Mal. "For you and he. And afterward, the floor will be open to everyone. And you'll have to stand so everyone can get a good look at you when they announce the Royals. They're doing dinner buffet style, so there'll be no toasts, and after dinner, you get to cut cake and throw it at Ben."
Mal's mouth fell open. "No way." She smiled. "That sounds like fun. Can we skip to that part?"
The enchantress laughed. "You have to eat a piece of it first, and so does he, but yes, then there's a cake fight." Mal hung her head back and laughed as she imagined Ben scowling at her. What were the chances she could get away with blowing the cake up in his face, just like the glitter can? As if the woman could read her mind, the enchantress shook her head. "Save some for everyone, though." She cautioned. "And, afterward, they'll have you throw a bouquet of flowers over your head, just like I told you. And Ben will take the garter off your knee and throw that. It's supposed to be good luck to the two that catch them. And normally, people would throw rice or glitter at you as you leave the party, but I have a feeling that Belle and Adam are going to have you sneak away instead. They're getting concerned you're reaching your wit's end, and there's only so much cake you can throw to let your frustration out."
Mal laughed despite the fact her head had started spinning again. So many traditions... so many details. She started rubbing her leg together to edge the itchy garter down onto her calf muscle instead of under her knee, where it itched.
The enchantress reached forward suddenly and pulled Mal's face back to her. Her eyes lit up with naturous magic as she carefully examined Mal's face. Mal shrunk back from her deep gaze as the woman kept a firm hold on her face. "You're still quite young." The enchantress whispered, sounding fascinated.
Mal swallowed. "Don't we all know it." She gasped.
"Quite young." The enchantress repeated in a whisper. "You're not of age on the Isle, or in Auradon, or by Fae law, or even in the Ancient Lands."
"Ancient Lands?" Mal gasped.
"They didn't tell you much, either." The enchantress continued in an increasingly soft whisper. "The palace. Either because you didn't want to hear, or they didn't know, or they didn't know how to tell you, I don't know." She hesitated. "You have such interesting stories." She complimented Mal. "I'm surprised they didn't mention these in your blessing." On her words, dozens of vivid, intense images blinded Mal. She saw swords clanging against each other, and thick black sands, and purple lizard scales, and churning green flames. There was a sound like bones shattering and a sword snapping, and she felt intense heat and palpable exhaustion. Other sensations filled her. She could feel herself draining what felt like(she could be wrong) magic out of her body and she could feel betrayal, sharp and clear. She watched an entire desert melt into a lake of glass and an entire city burn in green flames as black horses ran through the wreckage. She saw the Jolly Roger ship flying again as it had years ago, and saw large buildings stretching towards the sky on the Isle of the Lost. Dark laughter echoed in her ears, pain filled her body, something unbelievably strong and powerful settled on her chest and suddenly it was all over and she was left staring into the enchantress's eyes as she gasped for breath.
"What?" She panted as she caught her breath.
"Nothing, dear." The enchantress released her chin. "I was only wondering whether they'd let you have champagne at your own reception since you're not of age yet."
"That's a no." Someone interrupted the two, appearing out of nowhere. It was Sophia, who handed Mal a tall flute glass filled with sparkling liquid. "Sparkling water." She whispered in Mal's ear. "You let me know if you want any more. You can't have the champagne till you're eighteen."
Mal scowled as she took a sip. It tasted just like water with a hint of something lemony. "I can get married, have my own country, and sword-fight Ben but I can't drink champagne?" She asked.
"Exactly." Sophia gave her a sympathetic look. "Of course, it's not all that. Belle and Adam are especially concerned about how you would... control yourself with alcohol?"
Mal furrowed her brow. "What, do they think I'd start performing magic and screaming at everyone about the Isle of the Lost?" She snorted as she took another sip from her specialized drink. Sophia said nothing, and Mal's heart sank. "Yeah, okay, that makes sense." She grumbled. She looked across the room and saw Ben take a glass from the bar area that had been set up. His glass looked much different from hers. It was smaller with a wide bottom and narrow top, made to fit in his hand, and filled with a honey-colored drink. "What's Ben getting?" She asked Sophia.
"Ben is of drinking age, so he can have whatever he wants," Sophia explained as she pulled up another chair by the Enchantress and Mal. "If I had to guess, I'd say that's a brandy. Ben isn't a huge fan of hard liquor, or drinking in general, but that's usually what he goes for when he does have a glass. I've also seen him and his dad with armagnac and scotch, but he likes the brandy because it doesn't burn your throat going down."
"I didn't realize you were such an expert on alcohol," Mal commented, watching as Ben shook hands with a king in a black suit.
"My mother worked in the palace with King Stefan," Sophia said shortly. "You know, Aurora's father? Queen Leah's husband. He used to drink a lot to drive the demons out of his mind." Sophia pointed across the room to where Audrey and the older woman sat together, speaking with very cross looks on their faces. "By the way, I'd avoid them tonight. Queen Leah can be very cruel when she gets going."
"Oh," Mal commented. "Okay." She kept her eyes on Ben, who spared a glance at her, mostly alone in the corner, and then turned to bow to a queen who wanted to speak with him. He took another drink as the woman began speaking.
The enchantress hummed. "Guilt." She decided aloud. "He's done that twice now. I suppose he's trying to keep the edge off the guilt."
"Guilt?" Mal asked.
"Don't worry about it." Sophia patted her shoulder. "He's a strong man. People just haven't been saying the nicest things to him about you."
"About me?" Mal frowned and knit her eyebrows together. Sophia's lower lip wobbled a little.
"Everyone wishes you were a bit older than you are." The enchantress hummed. "Especially Ben. See the way he's refusing to look at you now?"
Sophia frowned at the older woman, but it was too late to stop her. Mal frowned as she noticed how Ben had turned his back towards her and was quickly draining his glass. Trying to fight guilt. "Does he do that often?" Mal asked Sophia. "With the drinks? You must know since you work for him too."
Sophia looked a little frustrated, assumedly with the enchantress, who observed all with a careless expression. "Only lately. And he's not a drunkard." Sophia forced out. "And never will be because he doesn't respect that kind of a lifestyle. It's only been a glass each night since you two went out driving. He's just trying to numb it - the guilt - a bit. His parents have already spoken with him about bad habits though, so don't worry in the slightest." She stood up. "You'll be needed soon. You're supposed to share the first dance with him. And then there'll be a couple of other things - I'll explain them to you as we walk."
"Now?" Mal asked.
"Now," Sophia repeated firmly. She offered Mal her hand and pulled her up. "Where are your shoes?" She asked.
Mal took a little half-step to hide the satin slippers underneath her skirts and shrugged. "I don't know." She lied. "I kicked them off somewhere." She couldn't understand why Sophia was suddenly acting so hostile. She was usually so nice.
Sophia let out an exasperated sigh, though she smiled a little at Mal's antics. "Fine, fine. Anyways, it was nice to speak with you, madam." She curtseyed to the enchantress a little.
The enchantress reached out and took Mal's hand. More vivid images raced past her eyes, though they were much more comforting than the first wave of prophecies. Feelings of power and warmth raced through her. She glimpsed people she'd known on the Isle smiling, saw her friends momentarily, saw a world covered with white as she raced through it, and saw dozens of people she'd never met before. Two, in particular, took her breath away. One was of a dirty child on the Isle of the Lost, a brand-new baby that she was taking into the city. The other was of Belle taking a small child away into another room. It all happened so fast Mal couldn't tell whether the child was the same one, or which villain was their parent. The entire experience left her breathless. The enchantress smiled and patted her hand. "Good luck, Mal of the Isle, of Auradon, Exanton, and the Ancient Lands." She whispered. She released Mal's hand and returned to stare off at the party. Sophia put both hands on Mal's shoulders and marched her away quickly.
"What'd she say to you?" Sophia whispered as she hurried Mal along the back wall towards where Belle and Adam were speaking together. "I hurried over when I saw her but what did she say?"
"Nothing." Mal lied. "Or, at least, I couldn't make sense of it." She looked back over her shoulder, and to her surprise, the woman had vanished. "Where'd she go?" She gasped.
Sophia glanced over her shoulder, biting her lip. "She's gone. She tends to do that. Her name is Agathe Hattie Morahan. She's the enchantress who cursed Adam and the castle forty years ago. By god, that woman scares me."
"Scares you?" Mal asked, confused.
"Of course!" Sophia turned back around with wide eyes. "She turned everyone in the palace into live collectibles! I work in that same palace with some of the people from that story!" Sophia shivered. "She gives me the creeps. But she didn't say anything to you? About curses or the likes?"
"N-no." Mal stuttered, remembering the images of swords and what had appeared to be a very real, very intense war. "She was actually very nice. And if you're all so afraid of her, why did you invite her here?"
Sophia let out a dry laugh. "You really think that Belle and Adam wouldn't invite the enchantress who already cursed them once to a very important royal function that involves Maleficent's daughter? Maleficent, as in the evil fairy who cursed Stephan and Leah's kingdom for not inviting her to a very important royal function? If there's one thing Auradon does very well, it's that we learn from our mistakes. That woman has already done us over once, we don't want to cross her again." Sophia ran a hand through her hair and tried to calm down. "But she really didn't say anything to you?"
"She explained some wedding traditions to me." Mal started slowly. "And she showed me things - people on the Isle and buildings being built there."
"Good things?" Sophia asked, shifting her weight and twisting her hands.
"Yes," Mal confirmed after a hesitation. Sophia relaxed immediately and took a steadying breath.
"She's a prophetess," Sophia explained. "She can see the future in degrees, similar to when Fairy Godmother gives her wand for prophecies. I'm glad it was all good things because that means good things are coming." She began to walk Mal towards Belle and Adam.
"But... it wasn't all good things." Mal furrowed her brow. "There was fire and swords and war."
Sophia stopped and stared at Mal with a worried, heartbroken expression falling over her face. "Then..." She trailed off. "I hope it doesn't happen anytime soon." A horrible feeling wrenched Mal's gut as she stared at Sophia. Sophia's expression changed as she thought, and she looked up to Mal in confusion. "What did she say to you about the ancient lands? And, that other place, I can't remember...?"
"Exanton," Mal answered easily, surprised she'd remembered. "I don't know. I've never heard of them before."
"The Ancient Lands is a term the old Fae folk use to refer to the Moorlands," Sophia informed her. "Maleficent and the Fairy Godmother call it the Moorlands, so you wouldn't know the term. But no one except Sleeping Beauty has been able to cross over since the death of Stephan. The lands are sealed off and the barrier to Auradon ends where their magical protection barrier starts. It's on the far west side of Auradon." Sophia pointed to a wall, and Mal took her word that it was west.
Mal shrugged and swallowed. "I don't know." She answered honestly. "I couldn't really understand a lot of what she said to me."
A hand landed on Mal's shoulder and turned her around a bit. It was Ben, who had lost his glass at some point. "Hi." He whispered. "You and I are supposed to share a dance. Are you ready?"
"Ready?" Mal repeated, looking back at Sophia, who had closed off a bit as she tried to calm down. "I, um, don't dance."
"I'll lead you," Ben whispered, taking her hand. Sophia backed a step away. "It'll be okay." He whispered.
Everything was happening so fast, Mal wasn't sure what to do. Sophia took the glass from Mal's hand and vanished. Somewhere, whoever was controlling the music announced that the couple's first dance was happening. Her mouth felt dry as Ben led her to the middle of the floor, where everyone left a wide-open space for them. Quickly, Ben helped show her where her hands went, and they began to softly spin.
"Are you okay?" Ben whispered in her ear.
Mal swallowed. She saw a flash of green out of the corner of her eye and tripped a little before she regained her footing. She stepped on Ben's toes as she tried to figure out what her feet were supposed to do. "I had a meeting with your family enchantress." She whispered back.
Ben went a bit stiff. "What'd she say?" He asked.
"Lots," Mal whispered. "What's so important about the Moorlands?"
Ben let go of Mal's hands and took her waist instead. She put her arms around his neck as they continued spinning in circles. "I'll tell you later." He murmured. "Anything else?"
"You guys didn't tell me about the garter tradition." Mal reprimanded softly with a stern look.
Ben winced, and then hastily schooled his expression. "I'll talk to you about that later too." He assured her. "But don't worry about anything." He took her hand from behind his head and spun her out before bringing her back in. Mal fumbled her feet. It was turning out to be a good thing her dress was a bit long - no one could tell she was fudging her footwork.
They did a few spins, took a turn or two, and the song ended. Immediately, people flooded the floor and began to dance. Mal took Ben's arm and the two walked off the floor towards where Belle was waiting. Ben released her as Belle stepped forward to take Mal's hand. "I'm getting another drink." Ben murmured softly. Mal could tell he was resisting the urge to mess up his hair. Her skin felt cold.
"How many is that?" Belle frowned, patting Mal's cheeks.
"I've only had two snifters." Ben sighed. "Three isn't enough to do me in, mom."
"Brandy?" Mal asked softly, testing Sophia's theory.
An irate, yet amused look passed over his face. "Did Sophia tell you that?" He asked, holding up a finger like he was about to deliver a thesis. "Because it's not a brandy; it's a cognac, and I will fight her on that term any day other than today."
Mal snorted, which only drove him onwards. "Just because it's called a brandy literally everywhere else doesn't mean it's correct. She's German, I'm French, and Cognac is French. I don't even know what the heck a Brandy is."
"Okay, Ben." Mal chuckled. "Whatever you say. Go enjoy your brandy." Ben waved his finger at her threateningly in response.
"Not too many." Belle reprimanded with a hard look. She examined Mal's pale face. "You smudged your makeup." She sighed. "Where are all your things? And your shoes? Do you need something to drink?"
"I-I just need to sit down," Mal mumbled. The smile dropped off of her face. Ben examined her and turned away. She caught the red tones rising into his neck and saw the way he instinctively ducked his head. He headed towards the bar area, and the bartender pulled a bottle out as he approached.
"It's not too much longer, and we'll head back to the palace." Belle murmured. "We're going to sneak you guys out so we don't have to clean glitter or rice or anything off you two in the car unless you want things thrown at you?"
Mal winced. "Hard pass." She murmured as she took a chair and sat down.
"We're going to bring out the cake soon," Belle whispered as she crouched down at Mal's side. "Do you know of that tradition?"
Mal waved a general hand in the direction of her shoes. "Your enchantress explained it all to me." She whispered. She rubbed her forehead. "I'm fine. Just... give me a moment to myself, please."
Belle stood up, looking worried, and left Mal to her thoughts. Mal looked around the room. Audrey and Queen Leah were still sending her vindictive looks, and Ben was rubbing his forehead, looking equally miserable as he sipped his drink slowly, keeping close to the bar. In a far corner, she spotted Sophia and Stewart talking to each other. A light blush dusted her cheeks. She was holding Mal's refilled glass but didn't seem to be moving anywhere anytime soon. Mal sighed and buried her face from the lights.
The night dragged on slowly. Try though the palace might have to make the cake fight seem interesting, it ended up being pretty painstakingly dull in comparison to the glitter and the dust incidents. It was pretty interesting to smear frosting down Ben's cheek before placing an icing rose on his nose, but the two didn't exactly try very hard to get to other dirty. Ben did lick a bit of frosting off of Mal's cheek in a moment of silliness in front of the crowd, but that was one of the most interesting things that ended up happening. His breath smelled like alcohol.
Near the end, they pulled out a chair and sat it in the center of the room before Ben took her hand and guided her to it. By this time, he was definitely going numb to the world around him, which was probably a good thing. Mal wished that Belle and Sophia would let her join him at the bar, because she'd give anything to not be able to remember this night. The room stilled. Mal sat down with her cheeks burning, refusing to look at anyone as Ben got to his knees, still holding her hand. "Which leg?" He whispered, meeting her eyes for a brief second.
Mal swallowed. "The right one." She informed him, crossing her legs so that the leg in question was on top. "It's just on my calf." She focused on some leftover white icing on his hairline as he listened.
Ben nodded and let go of her hand. His hands were shaking. He picked up her foot and his fingers began trailing up her leg, carefully searching for the garter. Mal took her skirts and tried to lift them a little, but it didn't do much good. He still had to battle the layers of fabric aside. Nevertheless, Ben quickly found the odd scrunchie-bracelet and pulled it down, off her leg and bypassing her bare foot. Mal couldn't stand it anymore. She covered her face as a horrible blush burned her eyes, and the entire room gave a chuckle as Ben quickly stood up and helped her up. He gave a nervous laugh as Mal took several deep breaths, trying to get the blush to fade. "Okay?" He whispered, setting a hand on her waist to steady her.
"I'm okay, I'm okay." She breathed. Sophia walked towards them with a large bouquet that contained begonias, striped carnations, marigolds, monkshood and foxglove. She wondered if there were any unique meanings attached to the flowers. "So, I just throw these over my head?" Mal asked as she took the large bouquet from Sophia.
Sophia nodded. "We invite all the single women to come up first, so wait just a second." She turned around and began to address the crowd. Mal shared a nervous glance with Ben, who was still holding her garter as he waited for his turn.
When the girls had all gathered in a group, Sophia turned Mal around so she couldn't see who she was throwing to. Then, with a gentle breath and a simple count-back from three, she launched it over her head. There was a shout and a scramble and one wail of despair before she turned around to see – Audrey had caught it.
Ben made a little sound of exasperation as Audrey carefully cradled the bouquet in her arms, looking absolutely stunned. Audrey looked up at Mal, and then her eyes flickered over to Ben.
"Well, that's certainly insulting." Ben murmured.
"What?" Mal asked.
"Superstition." Ben groaned. "The girl who catches the bride's bouquet is the next to be married. And Audrey caught it. Oh dear." He rubbed his forehead.
Audrey looked down at the bouquet with a bright smile and carefully rearranged a few stems. Mal snorted and began to laugh as Ben looked scandalized. She patted Ben on the shoulder and switched spots with him as the single boys began to replace the single girls. A few more minutes, she told herself. A few more minutes and it would be over.
Ben threw the garter over his head. Mal watched the garter fly through the air almost carelessly. Someone jumped up to grab it and missed. The garter fell to the floor. No one had caught it. "Recall!" Sophia yelled. Ben rolled his eyes as someone brought it back to him. Mal wondered what the superstition meant if no one caught it. Luckily, they didn't have to throw it again because someone caught it the second time around, but Mal still wasn't sure what it meant if the superstition went both ways.
Ben heaved a sigh of relief as the crowd went wild. He turned and held out a hand for Mal to take a hold of as the men congratulated the receiver with lots of slaps on the back and funny comments. Ben looked off-balance for a second, but he quickly regained his posture. Mal laughed at him as he pulled her a little closer to him and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. All of the guests clapped politely as they settled down. King Adam stood up and began tapping a spoon against a glass. Ben took Mal's hand and led her off the floor and towards the back of the building as Adam began to thank everyone for coming. Sophia and Belle joined them as they slipped out the back. Stewart was waiting for them beside one of the royal limos, which he opened with a smile and a flourish as they approached.
"Oh!" Mal exclaimed suddenly with a frown. "I forgot my shoes."
Sophia pinched her lips together and pulled the satin slippers out from inside the car. "Yeah, I found where you 'kicked them off' to." She rolled her eyes with a good-natured smile and handed Mal back her crown, which she didn't particularly want, but whatever. "Let's head out before you're mobbed." She suggested.
"What about Adam?" Mal asked.
"Dad's staying behind to sort out everything and say goodbye for us." Ben explained as he helped his mom into the car. Stewart opened the passenger side door to the front seat for Sophia to climb into and watched as Ben held out his hand for Mal. She hesitated, and then took his hand.
"Okay." She whispered. "I guess that's all then."
Ben nodded. "That's all." He agreed. He helped her climb inside, still maneuvering her dress, and Stewart closed the door behind all of them. Soon, the car began to move. Mal thought, for a second, that she saw a woman in a forest-green dress watching them leave outside, but she blinked and there was nothing but people walking outside as the car drove away.
(For those of you who are worried, there'll be no descriptions of adult content in this story, and especially not at this stage in their relationship. Be sure to catch the Easter Eggs in Mal's bouquet(And Audrey Catching It!), her conversations with the Enchantress and the coronation blessings, because that is as straightforward as the foreshadowing gets.)
I do not own Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Descendants, Beauty and the Beast (1998 or 2017), Frozen, Cinderella (1950 or 2015), The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Brave, and Moana. (If you guys think that's a lot of things to mention just wait until the war chapters.)