Back at the palace, later that night, Sophia helped Mal out of her wedding dress and then slipped out so Mal could get dressed and also because Stewart had slipped her his phone number and they were going to go and get a late-night ice cream together. She took the dress and Ben's suit with her to be cleaned. Mal was a bit jealous that Sophia had a life outside the palace that she could leave to every day.
Mal fumbled to plug her phone in on the bedside table and rubbed at her scalp. Her hair felt a little wonky for some reason. With her phone still connected to the wall, she scrolled through Auradon News. The media station was picking apart hers and Ben's coronation blessings, although hers was admittedly more covered. As she skimmed the brief excerpts, she dwelt briefly on the Enchantress's words from that day. "You have such interesting stories." She'd said. Mal felt a lump well up in her throat. Stories of war. Stories of magic. The thought of what might lie ahead made her hands shake.
Other stories featured click-bait headlines such as: "What magic was performed at the coronation", "Queen Mal, Daughter of Maleficent; her evil secret", and "A Villainesses' daughter is Queen – What Next?" Mal briefly examined the opening paragraph of one, found it utterly dry and devoid of thought, and closed the tab.
There was a thud in the next room over. Mal glanced towards the doors, then went to the Palace's website. She liked the palace's website a lot. There was a general BIG NEWS section which was currently filled with things pertaining to the days' events and updated according to what people were interested in reading, and there was a little series of tiny blogs – one for each royal member. Adam's included a lot of political statements, Belle's was filled with her reading list, and Ben chose to fill his with many, many short essays about Auradon and its greatness mixed in with inspirational quotes. Mal wasn't sure what she was going to put on hers.
Another crash from the joined sitting-working area of the royal suite. Mal opened the camera and took a photo of herself with her purple hair splayed out on the pillow beside her. This she uploaded onto her little blog-area with the short caption: "I hear crashes from the next room. Half of me thinks I should go make sure Ben isn't going to break himself, but the other half is really, really sleepy."
She craned her head to see if she could spot him without actually moving. She couldn't. When she looked down, Abigail Arendelle had commented: "I like your hair."
"Thank you very much." She replied.
"Where you do get it done?" Abigail asked.
"I just cut it myself," Mal explained.
"And the purple?" Abigail questioned.
Mal contemplated an answer. "It's always grown in like that. Dunno why, since Mom had brown hair."
"Still, cool," Abigail said.
"Yup." Mal agreed.
Another thud came from next door. Mal finally threw her phone down and got up. The living room was a bit larger than the bedroom and had a lower level set into the floor where a couch with a table and some armchairs laid. Other tables and chairs lined the room, along with a large desk that was supposedly for when they brought work back to the room. A television was set in view of the couch, and this was where Ben was crouched down. He was connecting a black box to the television. Mal walked over and put a hand on the dark brown couch, picking at the leather a little bit.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
Ben looked up with a little smile. "I find it abominable that you've been here for three months and still haven't seen any of the movies I grew up with, so voila! Old hero movies from Auradon's glory days!" He spread his hands proudly.
Mal scoffed lightly. "You want me to watch the people I grew up around get destroyed on repeat?" She asked.
"No… I want you to see the cool animation and hear all the awesome songs we wrote." Ben whined with a small pout. "And yeah, I know that you're not into all of the stories, but I think you'll really like some of them, so please?"
He nudged a cardboard box with his foot. Mal smiled and walked around the couch. She sat down and pulled the box up onto her lap. "Hercules?" She asked, skimming the box on top of the pile.
"And that's the gospel truth!" Ben sang quietly under his breath as he went back to matching colored cables. Mal snorted. She was glad to see he was coming back to his normal, goofy self. Apparently, his drinking didn't take that away from him.
After a few minutes of shuffling, she asked: "Why are there two Cinderellas and two Beauty and the Beasts?"
"Remakes. We'll probably watch both of them eventually. Me personally, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite story." He turned around to see if she'd get it. Mal only rolled her eyes.
"Oh really?" She laughed. "Want to know my favorite?"
"Maleficent?" He guessed.
She frowned. "Don't you mean Sleeping Beauty?"
"No, there was a movie made about your mom a while back. We'll have to watch it. I dunno if it's in there." Ben frowned, leaning forward to shuffle through the disk holders for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"Oh." Mal furrowed her brow. "Well, I was going to say the one where the blue prince is forced to hook up with the purple chick, but I don't see that one in here either."
Ben laughed. Mal smirked to the side as she continued shuffling through the plastic boxes.
Mal picked out Bambi, which she would later regret, and the Beauty and the Beast remake for Ben to choose from. "So." She said, drumming her fingers on her knees as she handed the slim boxes to Ben. "We should probably talk about this a little: are we just spending our wedding night watching movies?"
Ben shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his head as if he had gotten a sudden headache. "Yeah. I thought that was a good idea. If you don't, we can…" He trailed off, sounding a bit stifled.
Upon grasping his meaning, Mal closed her eyes and let out a small breath of relief. "Honestly, I like this idea," She agreed. "We'll get together another night."
Ben relaxed as if someone had removed an entire heavy load from his shoulders. He shrugged and leaned back. "I've just been thinking, I mean, you're still pretty young. And we don't want you to get pregnant or anything." He snorted at her as Mal stiffened, looking distinctly uncomfortable, and continued. "Also, I just don't think we're there yet. I know I'm definitely not."
"I'm definitely not either." Mal agreed, taking a breath to quell her shaking. She twiddled her thumbs, trying not to show how much his comments scared her. While it was a relief to know they weren't going to rush themselves tonight, she still had questions. She cleared her throat. "Will it be okay? With like, the crown blessings and everything? Does it matter?"
Ben shook his head as he messed up his hair slowly. "It doesn't." He confirmed. "I looked into it and everything already. Technically a royal marriage is a magical event and it won't be complete until we make it so, but since we're married politically your mother's curse is still fulfilled. Does that make sense?" He looked up with a questioning gaze.
"Yeah." Mal nodded. Her next question had actually been on her mother's curse. She cleared her throat and carefully set a hand on his shoulder. "Are you... okay?" She asked hesitantly.
Ben wouldn't meet her eyes as he continued coming through his hair with his fingers, making it stick up at odd angles. "I'm glad it's over." He whispered. "That was... an ordeal."
"It was." Mal agreed. Her mouth felt a bit dry. Should she tell him about the Enchantress? There were still other things she wanted to ask him. What was Exanton? What was up with the Moorlands?
She opened her mouth to speak, but Ben started talking. "I don't want you to be worried at all about me," Ben told her. "I know I had a couple of drinks in front of you tonight, and I don't know if you're uneasy about that or-"
"I'm not." Mal interrupted. She furrowed her brow. Alcohol was an Auradon concept since it was dangerous to not be on edge when you lived on the Isle, but that didn't mean she didn't understand it. Something to numb pain. Something to distract. "I know you have a good head and heart. I don't mind. Sophia said to me, also, that people were being a bit down on you."
Ben winced. "I'm sorry." He told her. "I shouldn't have listened to them. I know you expect better of me."
Mal gave him a weird look. "What?" She asked. "Of course I don't expect that. But I'm curious-" she sat down beside him, pulling her feet up and hugging her legs to her chest. "What do the people think of me?"
A dark look overtook Ben's face as he shuffled the disk sleeves back and forth in his hands. "You don't want to know." He sighed. "People aren't exactly transparent."
Mal shifted her weight and hesitated a moment. "They don't think I'll be a good queen."
Ben snorted. "That's the least of it." He scoffed. "People think you're spelling me, spelling my parents, orchestrating this. They're talking about what they'll do to you if you start trying to make changes. I've heard threats and subtle comments..." Ben shook his head as he trailed off. "Some people are just angry you're still sixteen. I've seen lots of back-handed things on Auradon's inter-web, people keep saying snide things to me about how I'm robbing you of your childhood and..." again, he trailed off, looking absolutely disgusted.
"I'm sorry," Mal whispered. "They don't say much to me at all. I hadn't heard."
Ben shook his head. "Good." He declared. "Because there are cruel, heartless people in Auradon, and I don't want them to attack you and my mom like they're attacking my dad and me."
"Your dad?" Mal frowned. "Why are they attacking your dad?"
"He's king." Ben declared half-heartedly. "And it's his decision to pass his own throne to me. They're attacking him for stepping down."
Mal's frown deepened. "Do they expect him to rule forever?" She asked.
Ben threw his hands into the air. "Apparently." He sighed. "They'd have been angry if he'd decided to keep it and would have called it corruption, but he can't put it down without a fight either." He shook his head.
"That's awful." Mal sighed. "Auradon is cruel."
Silence reigned over the two. Ben swallowed thickly. "Yeah." He agreed. "I guess we kind of are. You've been saying it, but... yeah. Even my friends - even Audrey - we're cruel." He mirrored Mal, pulling his knees up to his chest and staring off into the distance.
Mal raised an eyebrow at him. "Audrey spoke to you?" She whispered.
Ben immediately flinched, and Mal knew it was so. Carefully, she set a hand on his shoulder. "She's smallminded." She whispered. "Audrey just...cannot understand. She's never, ever known before."
Ben closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "She said the nastiest things about you. Asked if I needed counseling, told me to go dunk myself in the enchanted lake to make sure I wasn't being spelled, acted as if it entirely your fault." He shook his head. "She told me she loved me." He finished.
Mal swallowed. She knew Audrey annoyed Ben, that she did things that confused him and that he didn't agree with. But they had lasted as a couple, if only for a little while.
"Do you love Audrey?" She asked. The word 'love' felt cold on her tongue.
Ben immediately shook his head. "I've never loved anyone." He admitted. "Or, rather, I've never been in love. I care about Audrey, but even after all that time dating I still don't love her."
"Hmm." Mal hummed. She patted his shoulder and then gestured to the forgotten videos in his hands. "Which one?" she asked.
Ben looked down and examined both films. He sucked in a breath. "Bambi." He murmured quietly, with a sad look in his eyes.
"What?" Mal asked.
Ben jutted his lip out and looked up with a forlorn expression. "Bambi." He repeated sadly.
Mal picked up the disk. "Okay, this one first then." She decided, feeling around the edges for an opening.
Ben nodded and sat down beside her. "We should watch Meet the Robinsons later. That one is gold. Or Big Hero Six. " He let out a little sigh, the kind when someone thought about something they loved. Mal rolled her eyes.
"Bambi," Mal said as she opened the case and pulled out the shiny rainbow-disk. "What makes this work?" She asked softly, confused.
Ben laughed. "Okay, this is a spinny-disk, and it goes in the light-box there." He pointed. Mal glared and palmed him the disk. He exploded into giggles as he got up and put the DVD into the player.
"This movie breaks your heart." He warned.
Mal smiled. "Bring it on." Ben rolled his eyes. An explosion of sound from the speaker made him jump in surprise. His cheeks were bright red as he scrambled for the sound and then took a seat beside Mal on the couch as she laughed at him. Mal laughed and pulled a blanket from a wicker chest beside the couch to throw over her legs. She passed a second one to Ben and then settled in, completely forgetting what she'd wanted to ask him about.
Mal staggered into the room with a small pillow still clutched in her arms. Belle smiled at her and asked: "Are you excited to leave on your honeymoon today?"
Mal deadpanned, trying to remember if she was supposed to know what that word meant, and shrugged. She made an exhausted pair of finger guns around her pillow and replied: "As long as there's sleep," before she collapsed into her breakfast chair. "I don't even know anything about this… so?"
"You sound like you were up really late…" Belle murmured, exchanging a look with Adam.
Mal's eyes grew big and sad as she jutted out her lower lip. "Bambi." She whispered softly in explanation.
"What?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow. He looked uncomfortable.
"We watched Bambi," Ben supplied, wandering into the room looking equally exhausted. "And Beauty and the Beast, and Meet the Robinsons, and the Aristocats, and the first twenty minutes of Snow White." He pulled out his chair and began pawing around on the table for some milk as Mal poured herself a glass of orange juice with a yawn. Belle let out a little breath and an "Oh." She sounded a bit relieved.
Adam's mouth pressed into a straight line as he suppressed a smile. "Only the first twenty minutes?" he asked.
"Dad." Ben began with a sigh followed by a yawn. "Just because she's the nicest lady on the planet doesn't mean her story doesn't suck. And her husband is creepy. Sorry."
"Nicest lady?" Mal yawned. "She practically ran the other direction when I told her the Evil Queen had a daughter yesterday." She reached for an orange. "It gave me a little more respect for EQ. I mean, I knew all about the poison apples, but not the whole 'kill my step-daughter' thing. The lady's a bit scarier than I thought she was."
Belle shivered in agreement. "What did you think about the other movies?" She asked out of pure curiosity.
Mal shrugged. "Your voice sounded fake in the Beauty and the Beast remake, and I didn't really get the ending of Meet the Robinsons. Wouldn't evaporating Doris cause a paradox? Like, if he didn't invent her then the time machine wouldn't have been stolen in the first place, so the entire movie never actually happened." She rolled her eyes and felt around the table cloth for her spoon as Belle and Adam exchanged looks.
"You guys better get moving," Adam said, looking at his watch. "You have to take the back way out. There's a, ah, calamity?" He glanced at Belle, his literate half, (who had a book open under the table) as she ate and waited until she nodded her approval. "at the front gates." At his words, silence graced the table.
Mal paused, stood up, and walked to the north-facing windows of the room. Ben looked like he was trying to solve a brain teaser as Belle stood up. "Um, Mal, you don't need to-" She began worriedly.
"They're protesting me," Mal announced. Ben stood up and went to look out the window beside her with a frown. Mal stared over to the circle drive, where a large group of about fifty citizens was standing. Ten or eleven held signs visible to them. They were dressed in Auradonian Blues and Golds, and the signs were purple. Mal swallowed and turned away. Their shouts were silenced by distance and walls, but Mal still felt their indignation through the glass.
"Yes, we'll leave soon. Where are we going?" She asked.
"Honeymoon," Ben responded quietly, glaring out the window.
Mal raised her eyebrows. "Is that some sort of weird pet name?" She asked.
"No, it's a trip a couple goes on after they get married," Ben responded. His expression didn't change at all.
"Oh, okay." Mal nodded. "I agree we could use that. Where are we going?"
"Surprise," Ben replied with a smile.
"Surprise? I didn't sign up for a surprise." Mal glared. "Just tell me."
"Nope," Ben said. He turned and sat back down to finish his breakfast. "Finish your breakfast and we'll head out." He pulled her chair out so it was easier for her to sit down and stole her pillow as he took his chair. Mal scowled and walked back over as he leaned into it, pushing his plate back a few inches.
Belle and Adam exchanged looks as they all settled back in. Adam cleared his throat as Belle reopened her book and dipped her head down to continue reading. The back of her neck was red. "Ben." Adam began. "You and I need to have a word before you leave."
Ben looked up, looking a bit like a deer caught in headlights. He blinked several times. "About what?" He asked. Mal hesitated, hovering behind her chair as she watched the scene. Adam's face contorted like he was in pain as he struggled for words.
"About me?" She prodded him. Ben looked down, processing, and then glanced back at her.
"Dad?" He asked slowly.
"Yes," Adam admitted, gearing up a little as he felt everyone's gazes bearing down on him. He straightened up in defense. "Yes," he repeated. "Your mom and I want to make clarifications on how we expect you to conduct yourself around Mal."
"Dad." Ben stared at his father, dumbfounded. "Believe me, we got this covered."
"She cannot, under any circumstance, get pregnant." Adam continued, though he was starting to sound strained. Mal's cheeks erupted into flames and she quickly looked away. "Now, whatever happened last night was between you two in your marriage but if we're to break this curse in the end only to split up-"
"Dad!" Ben interrupted. "I am not going to... assault a sixteen-year-old!"
"That's enough." Belle interrupted, closing her book. "Your father and I want Mal and you to respect each other and if she gets pregnant you need to know that your family will split when you part your separate ways." She fixed her gaze, first on Mal, and then on Ben. "That is all." She declared and reopened the pages in her lap.
Mal felt her cheeks burning. Ben looked offended and uncomfortable, and she couldn't blame him. Breakfast was finished in silence, and then Ben escorted Mal back upstairs.
Ben helped Lumiere and one other servant whose name Mal did not know pull their luggage down to the curb where a long-distance carriage was waiting. Whenever Mal caught Ben's eyes, she would raise an eyebrow. He refused to disclose a single word though. She kept with her a small bag that included an aged book of magick from the library, a small stack of paper and a collection of pens and scissors, and a new tablet that Adam had gifted her that included a purple case and a lavender stylus. Ben had packed much heavier than Mal. He and Lumiere each pulled a large, heavy suitcase along behind them. The last servant pulled Mal's suitcase, which was half the size of one of Ben's. Originally, she was going to do it herself, but then she'd left for the restroom and come back to find they'd called another person for the express purpose of taking it down to the carriage. After that, she'd felt too guilty for taking away their only thing to do.
Belle and Adam, who were going to see them off and run the kingdom for the next month before Ben and she returned and began to instigate changes, followed them down for the sole purpose of one hug and a kiss each. Why couldn't they do that up in the palace? No idea.
Ben kissed his mom's cheek and stood by the door to help Mal up. They were both wearing casual clothes, though Ben didn't lose his princely posture. He had tan jeans and black and white shoes. He also had a blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. So, okay, not entirely casual, but it was still a step down from suits and ties all the time. Mal herself had a purple, short-sleeved shirt with a high neckline. She had black shorts and purple tennis shoes. She'd considered going without sleeves but wasn't entirely sure how Ben would react to the mark of Maleficent on her shoulder.
She hugged Belle. Sophia had said goodbye this morning. She'd come back from hanging out with Stewart last night with a smile on her face. When Mal had asked, Sophia had explained in brief terms the concept of "good friends who are interested in each other but aren't dating yet." Mal wondered if that was where she and Ben would be, in a different world.
Mal held out a hand to shake for the king and was pleasantly surprised when he put his arms around her for a bear/beast hug. "Have fun." He told them. "We'll see you in one month."
Ben held out a hand to help her up as she neared the carriage. She smiled at him. As soon as they were seated in the carriage, they started to move. Mal looked out the window. There was no driver.
Ben put a hand over hers. "It's enchanted." He explained. "We don't use it all that often, but it is available for long-distance trips."
"Long distance?" Mal asked with a frown, mentally irritated over the idea of enchanted carriages still existing in anti-magic Auradon. "Where are we going?"
"I told you." Ben rolled his eyes. "It's a surprise." He reached under the seat and pulled his laptop out of his bag. Mal raised an eyebrow.
"Work?" She asked. "I thought your parents were handling everything."
"Not work." He replied. He pulled out a long, thin, velcro bound book and handed it to her. She opened it up and found CDs. "Movies," Ben explained. "Pick one."
"Is my mom's story in here?" Mal asked as she slipped a few disks out of their covers to examine them.
"Not yet. I put an order in for it and the DVD will be back at the palace when we get back. I do need to teach you how to stream movies, though." Ben contemplated, stowing his bag back underneath them.
Mal didn't recognize a few of the terms he was using, so she kept her mouth shut and picked a disk at random. Ben put the disk into the computer and then started it. Then, he leaned over and put his arm around Mal's shoulder. He was so warm that she immediately curled her head into his shoulder and let her eyes grow heavy.
"Are you going to go to sleep?" Ben teased her before letting out a yawn of his own. He rubbed his thumb on her shoulder.
"You act so differently when no one else is around," Mal told him. "Like, at the party and with your parents, you're a diplomat. You talk more when it's just us."
Ben considered her words as the ads began to play. "No one else knows what being stuck like this is like." He admitted softly.
"You treat me different too," Mal told him. "Have you noticed? Like when we're alone in your car versus when we're with your parents?"
Ben frowned and straightened up. "I'm sorry; are you uncomfortable?"
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Why?" He asked in a comic tone. "Are you serious? You're a girl, extremely pretty and smart, and we're stuck in a situation where you've just become my queen and you're asking why I treat you like I do?"
Mal blinked. She turned to meet his gaze. "You... like me?" She asked.
"Of course I like you. I like everyone." Ben rolled his eyes.
"We've been kissing for a month but... are you in love with me?" Mal asked. That thought took her breath away. She wasn't sure how to react to someone being in love with her.
"I don't know." Ben suddenly looked uncomfortable as well. "I told you. I've never been in love before."
"In Auradon." Mal chuckled. "The land of true love," Ben said nothing. He ran his hand down her arm and found her hand, twisting their fingers together. Mal put her head back into his neck. This felt like something they would do if they were normal. If they had actually chosen to date each other and get to know each other instead of shot-gunning this based on a spell. It felt like something she'd do with her boyfriend or whatever Stewart was to Sophia. She felt her eyelids growing increasingly heavy. "I'm not, like, a problem though, am I?" She whispered.
"I told you; I like you," Ben assured her. "You're kind, you're brave, you look for the best in this awful situation and you don't get mad when we mess up. Like we did yesterday, forgetting to tell you everything."
"That wasn't a problem." Mal yawned. The ads ended and Ben leaned a bit to start the video, but Mal was fading fast. Before they even got around to introducing the hero of the story, she fell fast asleep.
She woke when Ben's fingers started rubbing little circles into her scalp. As far as she could tell, she'd slept through the day. Late afternoon sunlight was filtering through the window. It smelled like fruit and fields outside. She was leaning against Ben's ribcage, and both his arms were around her. She wiggled to loosen his grip and sat up with bleary eyes.
"What time is it?" She wondered as she yawned and stretched.
Ben was awake, though dazed. He'd evidently fallen asleep too. His eyes flickered back and forth from Mal to the view outside. "Almost six o'clock." He told her and rubbed his eyes.
Mal frowned. She had slept all day, and the carriage was still moving. "We're still not there?" She asked. She scooted away from his grasp and leaned out the window.
A summer breeze woke her up. She examined the view. They were moving through plowed fields. The leaves outside were pretty reds and oranges. The sun was nearing the horizon, but it was still warm for now. Small, isolated houses dotted the area. Behind them, the large silhouette of a city with a castle stretched towards the sky. Ahead of them by a little more than two miles was a long line of trees where the field ended abruptly and gave way to forest. Mal studied the site. Something about it filled her with wonder.
"The field stops soon." She told Ben.
"Yeah." He agreed. "Maybe ten minutes more, then." He seemed a little nervous.
"Since we're so close, are you going to spill any secrets?" Mal asked.
Ben shook his head. "Nope." He moved to his window and peeked out. Mal too turned her attention back outside. "That's Auroria," Ben told her, pointing towards the city. "Audrey, Aurora, Phillip, Queen Leah, and their relatives live there." The carriage crept closer to the woods, and Mal watched the sunset over the hills. When a cold breeze tickled her nose and made her sneeze, she moved back inside the carriage.
"What are we going to do while we're there?" Mal asked.
Ben shrugged with a playful smile. "We'll have to see." He said.
Suddenly, everything was warmer. The air changed in an instant. For Mal, it felt like the air pressure had changed just a little, or that there was a new, heavy scent in the air. As for Ben, he turned an immediate shade of blue and began to cough and gasp. Mal gingerly touched his shoulder in alarm as his body was wracked with coughs. Ben bent down and tried to take deep, calming breaths. Mal began to panic. She didn't know how to help people who were choking or keep them from dying. None of her friends were dumb enough to have ever needed medical treatment on the Isle. Finally, after several minutes of gasping, Ben was able to sit up. When he saw Mal's pale face, he smiled and put a hand on her knee.
"Sorry." He gasped. "I was a little worried about that barrier. No one besides Aurora and Audrey has been able to pass it in almost thirty years."
"Barrier?" Mal asked. She looked back out the window. They'd entered the forest area. Behind them, at the field limit, she could see a thin purple film shielding the path. A magical barrier that wasn't visible from the other side. The trees were towering above them, but she could still spot bits of the barrier above the green layer. The air had a feeling like static electricity to it like if she rubbed her hands together, she would shock herself. But unlike static, it felt like she was absorbing it. She turned to Ben, who was regaining color. "Where are we?" She asked though she was starting to get a feeling.
"That was the barrier to the moorland. It consists of the entire west border of Auradon. We're in the outskirts of the Moorland now. I wasn't sure the barrier would let me in with you, but I hoped because I figured you'd want to see where your mom grew up." Ben explained.
"My mom?" Mal asked. The concept felt foreign to her.
"Yeah. You should feel right at home. Maleficent was born and raised here." Ben answered, leaning heavily into the seat as his strength returned to him.
"No way," Mal said, looking out the window in shock.
"Way," Ben responded. He put his head in his hands. Mal frowned and scooted back to him. When she brushed his hand, his skin felt hot.
"You're burning up." She commented.
"I'm lucky to have not passed out touching it," Ben explained.
"Why did we come, if you weren't sure it would work?" Mal asked.
"I wasn't sure it would work for me, but I knew you should be able to get over no matter up. The moorland is inheritance for you. It wouldn't block you out." He drummed his fingers on his knee and sat back up. His skin was finally taking back its healthy pallor. "There's lots of magical creatures out here." He murmured, taking her hand and rubbing it even as he remained hunched over. "You could learn a lot."
Mal blinked and furrowed her brow. Magical creatures? "Are you… encouraging me to learn magic?" She asked.
Ben pretended to toss the idea back and forth with a smirk. The fact his humor had returned was a good sign to Mal. "Maybe." He shrugged.
"No way," Mal whispered. A wide smile spread across her face.
"Hey." Ben held up his hands. "I've known for a long time our laws against magic are wrong. When I learned you had it in you, I knew you could be a powerful force in making those laws fair for everyone. It's what the kingdom needs."
The kingdom? Mal felt a rush of something icy cold run down her spine. "A magically powerful queen-" she started, suddenly doubtful.
"Who will help alleviate racism, bigotry, and the general mistrust of magical creatures and people that began in my parent's reign." Ben interrupted.
Mal blinked. "You're using me as a weapon against closemindedness?" She asked.
"That, and I enjoy your company." Ben decided.
Mal laughed. "You've certainly thought about this a lot." She chuckled as he took her hands and held them.
He met her eyes and smiled. "I have." He agreed. After a few seconds, he followed this thought up with: "I'm glad I didn't marry Audrey."
The thought was so random that Mal had to laugh. "Strangely enough, me too." She agreed. Suddenly, her head was full of ideas. She could learn magic, show Auradon what it meant to be magical, dance around the restrictive laws Belle and Adam had started, and change Auradon for so many people.
Ben continued talking. "Or anyone else in Auradon, or the Isle, or any other daughter of Maleficent." He continued. He squeezed her hands. "I'm happy it's you I get to be stuck with. You understand how hard it is."
"If it had to be anyone." Mal smiled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. His smile stretched even bigger.
The cart rumbled to a stop outside. Ben released Mal's hands as she moved back to the window. The trees were thicker here, and dark. Outside, silvery light moved in the trees, and a number of corpse-like women holding rusty lanterns and dressed in white robes appeared out of the woods. They all appeared to be sleeping as they surrounded the cart. Ben let out a breath, but the people seemed oddly familiar to Mal.
"Who are you?" A voice asked, speaking in otherworldly tones from no distinct source. Their voice sounded mournful and dry. "We recognize you, but we don't know you."
"I am Mal, after Maleficent, my mother. I'm here with my husband Ben. We're on our honeymoon. He wanted to bring me to the place my mother grew up." Mal explained through the window. Something about the women seemed familiar to her as if she'd known them all her life.
"Maleficent? Have you come to renew the moors?" the voice asked again. Mal could only assume it was the disembodied voice of one of the people outside.
"I don't know what that means." Mal murmured. The Enchantress's voice was ringing in her ears. 'Queen on the Ancient Lands'. She swallowed. "Here, can I come outside real quick? It's... weird talking through the window." There was no answer, so Mal climbed over Ben and unlocked the door. Ben followed her out cautiously.
The ground was black, rich with minerals and different types of organic salts. The underbrush was great, and the trail did not continue much further. It broke off into several small, simple footrails instead. Mal knew this was as far as the carriage could go. She walked up to the woman closest to her, whose skeletal hands rested one on her lantern and one on her hip like something was causing her pain there.
"What does it mean, renewing the moors?" Mal asked.
"We must be renewed. We are stifled. Queen Aurora cannot run the moors, and as time goes on and the stretches between visits grow longer and longer our kingdom wilts. We need a ruler to revitalize, renew." The voice sounded broken and desperate. It ripped at her heart.
Mal twisted her hands. "Oh, I just got here. I don't know anything about being a queen of the moors. But, what can I help with?" She bit her cheek. Something was telling her she already knew how this was going to end, but no one could blame her for being nervous, right?
"We need a ruler." The voice broke, and the women all hunched forward as one, as if they were crying. "Heal us, heal us!" They begged. "Your mother was the queen of the moors. We flourished under her hand before wretched Stephan stole her wings. Please, Mal. Please!"
Mal turned to glance nervously at Ben. Ben clearly wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he nodded encouragingly.
Mal furrowed her brow in thought. "I have another kingdom I need to take care of." She warned. "Would you be okay with that?"
"Yes!" The women begged. "Heal us, heal us!"
Mal was completely taken aback. For a second, she almost said no, but then she thought of the people on the Isle and how similar they were. "Okay." Mal agreed. She looked at Ben. "I think I'm about to become Queen of the Moors. Sorry if this wasn't on the itinerary, but these folks need me." Only one day after her conversation with the Enchantress and already the woman was making more sense to her.
Ben nodded and tried to smile, but it was hard with the corpse women surrounding them. He folded his arms and tried to act casual. "Yup, so go and do your thing. Go be awesome." He encouraged.
Mal cracked a smile and turned back to the woman. She had no way of knowing what was about to happen. Out of the woods came thousands and thousands of creature. She could only recognize a minute fraction. There were fairies and miniature dragons flying through the air while Fae people, tree warriors, and three people who seemed to be made out of mossy, grey boulders wandering into the open. Little colorful creatures flew through the air with tiny wings and lighted eyes. A colony of people made out of brightly colored mushrooms trudged around their feet. Pixies carried hedgehogs through the air to Mal's feet, twittering excitedly all the way. Rocks rolled through the trees to spring into the forms of trolls with bright crystals hanging around their necks. Little colonies of living fruit and vegetables came walking past. Other normal creatures, things Mal recognized, came romping through the woods, like mice, ants, grasshoppers, snakes, frogs, and other rodents. Birds flapped overhead and came down to sit on the roof of the carriage and in the trees above. All of the magical creatures ignored Ben as if he were not there. They focused exclusively on Mal as she watched them come with a wide look in her eyes. When she turned to look at him for reassurance, he put on his biggest smile and nodded.
Mal knelt carefully in front of the withered woman so as not to squish any of the creatures surrounding her. The corpse woman shuffled forward and put her wrinkled hands on Mal's head. A pixie, a male fae, and a rather tall mushroom man with large, crooked teeth rushed forward. They too, put their hands on Mal's head, with the mushroom man having to reach up and the pixie hovering delicately over Mal's head.
The mushroom man went first, sputtering out a series of grunts and rumbles that Mal simply did not understand. The forest creatures went up in a cheer around him. Mal peeked out underneath her eyelashes to watch in amazement as the man spoke, and the rock men straightened up and regained their strength. The tree guards shook their arms as years of moss and wood rot vanished from their joints and weapons. As for the mushroom men, several of them grew a few inches. Their colors grew more vibrant, and their eyes brighter.
When the mushroom man had finished, he had grown an extra six inches, and his teeth had straightened out and become white. Almost all of the forest creatures looked renewed, in fact. Only the corpse women, the fairies, and the fae people waited anxiously. The man stepped out of the circle and went to rejoin his family.
The Fae began to speak as soon as the mushroom man stepped out of the circle. With his words, other creatures popped out of the ground and began to materialize from thin air. The forest grew brighter, and lights sprang forth from the leaves of the trees. The withered October fruit on some of the branches gave way to lovely jewels in the shapes of pears, apples, and pomegranates. Long chains of fine gold dropped from the branches and wove their way into the trunks of the trees so that the forest began to shimmer and glint.
A fine perfume filled the air, and from the ground, thousands of earthworms in millions of bioluminescent colors began to break forth and turn towards her.
When the Fae man was done, he floated away on renewed silvery wings above the heads of all the creatures and took his place beside a tall, regal fae woman.
The pixie began to speak in high, squeaky tones. Ben had the urge to cover his ears. It sounded like a cheese grater working into a block of metal. Thankfully, she talked fast, and the effects of her words were immediate. The barrier, bits of which Ben could see above the trees, solidified into a thick, impenetrable force, just as it had been in the days of lore. It became white instead of a polluted purple, and the parts that had been thin filled themselves in.
Finally, the withered corpse woman shuffled a little closer to Mal. "Command." She said in a stern, firm voice. "Decide. Receive. Speak. Renew." On the word renew, white light escaped from the woman and her waxy friends. Their aging marks vanished, and they became as young ladies of the court. "Arise." On the command, Mal felt invisible strings began to pull her to a standing position. She got to her feet without the woman removing her hands. "Become." The woman finished and took her hands from Mal's head. Her face was still, despite its renewal, clothed in sleep. She and her companions turned and shuffled away. Everyone in the clearing watched as their feet avoided the smooth roots and groves in the soil. Before they were out of sight, the disembodied voice said: "Love." And then Mal got the feeling she was gone.
The forest went up in cheers. A group of pixies brought forth a crown made of white vines, which Mal accepted without a second thought. Her Auradon crown was at home in her dresser while she was away.
Ben went to stand beside her. "Who was that?" He asked.
Mal blinked. It hadn't been any other ordinary creature. She didn't even have a name for the reanimated figures for a few seconds. then the information appeared on the tip of her tongue. She smiled at Ben and gestured to where they had disappeared. "That was the Spirit of the Moors. She is connected to everything here around us, and sleeps in the center of the land."
Ben let out a breath. He was staring at her in dumbfounded amazement. Mal felt her cheeks go a little pink as her new one-word blessings started to ricochet off the insides of her skull along with everything the enchantress had said. Love. The Spirit of the Moors had blessed her with love. And what that meant, Mal didn't know. Maybe it was love for the people and the grounds. Maybe it was love for Ben. Or maybe it was just in a general sense, a greater capacity to love. All she could tell for sure was that this was a moment that would change her life forever. Mal bent down as small creatures rushed to her feet to shake her hand and chatter excitedly. Every single little word was clear to her, and she found herself speaking back in the exact languages she needed to speak. Ben watched with a smile as Mal extended her finger to shake hands with the smaller ones. Fairies and Pixies were taking up residence in her hair, causing the strands to fly out around her head. Many Fae children were rushing forward with gifts of clear stones and white twigs.
They ushered Mal away from him. Ben did his best to follow at her side, but the creatures were persistent. They ignored him as he apologized for stepping over and sometimes dangerously near them. Only a squirrel paused to chatter at him as he romped behind Mal. Mal got the feeling that the moor landers were not nearly as impressed with a human prince as Auradon was.
She was led to the edge of a polluted river, and knowledge started to fill her head. Despite all the great good the renewal had completed, certain species had not been around to renew the portions of the moors they'd shouldered to maintain all these years. These she would have to personally cleanse before the magical creatures could return to help her. As water sprites and magical fish swam towards her, she graced the top of the waters with her hand. The water became clear, and the sprites began to cry, adding to the beautiful water. Lighted flowers and stones littered the floor of the river. Large quantities of water sprites rose up over the ripples to greet the new queen. It was an amazing sight, but Mal suddenly felt exhausted. The rush of magic was new and hard for her to control.
Mal looked back for Ben and noticed he was trailing father and farther behind. She reached out a hand for him, and after a moment's deliberation, he went to her. "You want me up here?" He asked her softly.
"Of course." Mal nodded as they took each other's hands. "We did agree to work together, right?" She went on her tip-toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Then, she turned to all the creatures around them. "This is my husband." She told everyone. "His name is Ben. Please be nice to him." She repeated her statement in a few different ways until everyone was nodding along.
The creatures looked at him as if for the first time. They reached up, and Ben bent down to shake a few of their hands. A small bird-like pixie shook his finger, then flew off giggling. A blue mushroom child with a flower growing atop his head shook his hand shyly and asked something in a language Ben did not understand. He looked up at Mal for help.
"He's asking if you're also a king." Mal translated with a smile.
"Oh," Ben said. He turned his attention to the child. "I'm the king of the kingdom outside of yours. That way." He used a spare hand to point. Mal translated in a language that sounded like clicks and beeps. The child smiled brightly and hugged Ben's entire hand to his body. He was only as tall as Ben's elbow and rather pudgy, but the hug filled Ben with the feeling of a warm blanket falling over his shoulder. He smiled brightly.
"Since when do you know any of the moor languages?" Ben asked Mal.
She shrugged. "I don't know." She responded. It must have started with the blessing to 'speak'.
The moon climbed into the sky as the night wore on. Ben stayed by Mal's side, which she was extremely grateful for. She walked around her kingdom, purifying a few things and places that had not been cleansed during her appointment as queen. There was still lots of natural, non-magical damage, but the big things had been fixed. Mal was exhausted. The magic of the moors was the type that needed a filter to cleanse it. It flowed through Mal like natural magic did and then was cleansed just being in her presence, but the more it happened the sleepier she became. At long last, Ben laid down in the roots of a large tree with beautiful white veins threading up the trunk. Mal sat beside him as she finished a conversation with three fae women. It was clear they were both having trouble staying awake. One by one, the woodland creatures went their separate ways to leave the two alone.
When all the woodland creatures had left for the night, Mal laid her head down beside Ben's. The tree roots hollowed out into an alcove of soft grass where they curled up together. She folded her arms under her head and buried her face away from the light of the trees above. Ben let a soft smile pull at his lips, and then turned towards her. He slipped an arm around her waist and let his eyes drift closed at the end of another extremely long day.