Hey guys! I'm back with the next chapter of Warriors. It took a while again, but two weeks isn't too much of a late update, right? Either way, let's see Mal meet Belle and the Beast. Will they like her? Will they kick her out? No-one knows. But before you'll read which one happens, I'll respond to your reviews and then back to Mal:
pinksakura271: Thanks for reviewing! I did have fun on vacation, thanks. Yeah, Chad is a real pain in the butt. I do believe he has some qualities, but he's still a jerk. I can say it might be awkward. Yes, there's nothing more Philip can teach Mal. Who knows, maybe she'll accept the offer when she decides to stay good (if that's what she decides). We'll see what she's gonna do with the wand later, but I'm sure she'll be reluctant.
Kingson24601: Thank goodness you like it. I thought it'd be too cheesy for this story, but I couldn't possibly leave it out. And yes, that's all Ben has to do. Maybe, later in this story or in a sequel, he could teach her. Thanks for reviewing!
TKDP: Thanks for reviewing! The only thing Evie did to him was kiss him once, maybe twice. And maybe Ben really likes her, or maybe not. We'll have to wait a little to see some more evidence but you can say he's starting to like her. Well, Ben's parents are not dead, fortunately. They were alive, just hiding.
lucayarulez4ever: I'll go back to the other VKs when the time is right. Thanks for reviewing!
PurpleNicole531: Thanks for reviewing! Well, I really like the scene, too! I've always believed that scene first showed the progress she's made in Auradon in terms of being evil/good. Yes, she should follow her hart, but it'll take a while before she's convinced she truly wants to be a good person.
Enjoy!
-Writer207
Once Mal was back at the camp square, she saw how crowded the place was. Mal could barely find Ben and his parents in the crowd. His parents must be popular, she thought. If it had been only Chad, it would've probably just been Ben, Philip and Audrey.
Speaking of which, she passed them on her way to Ben's parents. Philip stood with his back to Mal, but she could clearly see Chad and Audrey's faces. Chad looked surprisingly tired. He was frowning, had folded his arms and blinked a lot more than someone usually would. His smile didn't look too genuine. Audrey, on the other hand, was smiling and seemed relaxed. As soon as she noticed Mal was looking at her, her smile briefly turned into a smirk. It only lasted three seconds, after which she looked back at Philip and smiled again, ignoring Mal again.
Mal wondered about the meaning behind the smirk she just saw. Whenever she and Audrey communicated here, there was always a reason. So what was Audrey trying to tell her this time? the more she thought about it, the more it confused her.
Eventually, she decided she'd figure it out later and continued to push herself through the crowd. Just like everyone else, she wanted to see Ben's parents and to do that, she'd have to reach the middle of the crowd. She arrived there after a while, almost exhausted from the effort. People around her were pushing to get a view, but nobody dared touch Mal. People did occasionally try to stand in front of Henry, who was currently standing on Mal's left. Mal wouldn't admit it, but Ben's father looked rather intimidating. She'd expected him to still be a hairy beast, but she was mistaken. That didn't take away that he definitely was used to danger and might turn into a rage monster anytime soon. Belle, on the other hand, wasn't like her husband at all. She was calm, relaxed, proud. She even had a smile on her lips. She wasn't a warrior – she was a healer, the first doctor of the alliance. Though, looks can be deceiving. She is a dangerous woman, but only to her enemies.
In the meantime, everyone tried to listen to what the father and mother had to discuss with their son. There were some bystanders talking to one another, but those were nothing more than whispers. Henry had asked her what she thought of them, but she just shrugged in response, trying to focus on the family, hoping she wouldn't have to leave.
Then, Beast saw her. It wasn't too hard to notice her – she probably was the only person in Auradon with naturally purple hair. If he had seemed nice before, he now changed completely. His gaze hardened, channeling the anger he felt for Maleficent and focusing that anger on her daughter. Belle noticed what was going on and then she saw the girl with the purple hair, too – Mal was already glad Belle didn't glare at her.
"What is she doing here?" Beast asked. If looks could kill, Mal would've been dead already.
Ben cleared his throat, "Two weeks ago, the council voted her into the alliance. Henry Westergaard guided her. I promise you, she is no longer evil. If she wanted to betray us, she would've done so already."
"Has she caused any trouble?" Belle then wondered and Ben shook his head.
"No, she hasn't," he said. Almost immediately after hearing these words, Belle turned her head in Mal's direction and flashed her a smile.
"Welcome to the alliance," she said and Mal started to smile, too, mostly out of relief. She'd feared they would kick her out because of her mother. She'd feared nobody would help her once they dragged her away. She'd feared not remembering anything that happened, both the bad and the good times. She was welcome, despite her heritage.
"Thank you," Mal said. She, Henry and everyone else continued to watch Ben talk to his parents, daring not to interrupt them.
"Why didn't you come back sooner?" Ben then asked them, continuing the conversation which his father had interrupted once he saw Mal. "We were all waiting for you. We feared you were…" he trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence.
"I know you were," Beast said, "I wanted to come back immediately, but there has been a slightt delay." While he said this, he turned his head to his wife. She continued talking and explaining why it took them six weeks to return home.
"I didn't want him to go anywhere as long as he wasn't healed. It was slowing us down before and traveling with such a big wound was a risk I didn't want him to take." Beast held his hands at his right side, pressing them to it. Mal guessed that was where he got hurt.
"We're too old to continue doing this, anyway," Beast said.
"What do you mean?" Ben asked, worried about his parents. Beast and Belle looked at one another.
"Ben," Belle said "your father and I have been talking about this a lot lately. The alliance is only as strong as its leader. It needs young, energetic leaders who can keep up with everything the villains throw at us. I guess I speak for everyone when I say you're the perfect candidate." The crowd, having been silent for most of the conversation, now erupted in whispers among one another. Mal and Henry couldn't help but to grin when they heard the news.
"You're going to be the leader, Ben," Beast said, "We'll arrange a meeting with the Fairy Godmother as soon as possible. Philip told me you are more than capable to be the leader this alliance needs." Beast put his hand on his son's shoulder. Ben sighed in relief.
"Thanks, dad," he said with a big smile on his face. In the crowd, Henry clapped once. And then a second time, and a lot more after that. Mal soon joined him, and then those behind them. Soon, the crowd was clapping and cheering to show their support for Ben and to express their happiness about his now permanent leadership. Ben barely took in the applause. He just looked around at everyone, thanking them for their support.
Through the crowd, someone was walking closer to the three. it must be someone who hadn't been here for a while, Mal realized, since the person had to fight his way through the crowd to come any closer. Eventually, Chad managed to stand on the edge of the circle. This time, the people who were standing close to him didn't walk off, since they wanted to see if anything else exciting happened.
"Wow, look at him," Henry said, looking at the last Charming alive. "Whatever happened, it must've been exhausting." He still looked somewhat tired. He let his shoulders hang and swallowed once before putting on a small smile. A fake smile, Mal noticed.
"Congratulations, Ben," he said – he didn't even sound happy for his friend, "I knew you'd get the job." Ben turned around to face his friend when he heard the voice.
"Thanks," Ben said in return, stepping a little closer to him. Chad took the opportunity to walk into the circle, coming closer to Ben. As soon as he took one step forward, Mal and Henry could see him from head to toe, as well as the small dagger he was holding in his hand.
Henry and Mal reacted before anyone else noticed what was going on or what Chad was holding. Mal opened her spell book – she had to carry it all the way to the lake and back here – and looked for a specific spell, once she's used before, while Henry physically tried to stop Chad by running closer and trying to take the dagger. Chad, prepared for a possible fight, immediately turned to Henry. Henry first tackled Chad and then, once they were both on the ground, grabbed Chad's right wrist. He twisted it in the hopes that it would hurt Chad enough so he'd let go of the weapon. Chad took the dagger with his other hand. He pushed it closer to Henry, who had gotten a hold of the other wrist as well. Chad was, unfortunately, a lot stronger than Henry, so the dagger slowly came closer to Henry's body.
Eventually, Mal found the spell she was looking for. Without hesitation, she spoke the same words she used to knock out the goons when she first met Ben. Please, don't let it hit Henry.
"In, out, without a doubt, knock this man out." Almost immediately, Chad stopped moving. His eyes closed and he became unconscious. Henry took the knife and put it on the ground next to him before standing up. He looked at Mal.
"Thanks for the help," he said and Mal nodded. Then, she noticed the small rip in his shirt and the wound Chad had given him. Blood was dripping out of it, though it wasn't a lot.
"Are you okay?" she said. he frowned, then looked at his wound and back at Mal.
"It's just a scratch," he said, "I hardly feel it." Before Mal could ask anything else, someone interrupted them.
"What just happened?" Beast asked them – the entire scene had happened rather fast. The shocked crowd didn't have the time to help Henry and Mal because when they had recovered, the fight was already over.
"I think Chad just tried to kill you," Henry said.
"He would never do that," Ben said, hoping to make sense out of his friend's actions. He knew Chad could be a little hotheaded from time to time and that he could lash out as well, but he was certain Chad would never take a dagger and kill people, especially those who are close to him.
"Well, he just did," Mal said, picking up the dagger from beside Chad, "And this was going to be the murder weapon." She showed it to Ben, but kept it for herself. She realized she's seen this little thing before. She didn't know where it came from or how old it was, but she was certain she had seen this before. When Ben was done looking at the weapon, he turned to his now unconscious friend, wondering what had driven him to attempt something like this.
"Take him out of our sight!" Beast commanded, "Put him in a cell. We can deal with him when he wakes up." The crowd was more than happy to help lock Chad away. Some stepped forward and dragged the body to the crowd, where they then picked him up and carried him out of their sight. The people who picked took him to his cell, since they didn't show up again.
"Thank you for saving us," Beast then said, looking at Mal and Henry.
"We just did what anyone would've done," Mal said. It seemed Henry wanted to add something to it, but he never could. Abruptly, he looked at the ground, grabbing Mal's shoulder. He just uttered one small word: "Wow."
"Henry?" Mal then asked, turning her head to Henry.
"I'm fine," he said, looking up again. He stared at a point in the distance. "I'm fine, I'm just… a little dizzy, that's all." He did not let go of Mal's shoulder. Instead, he started leaning on it.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Mal asked. He wasn't looking as well as he did just five minutes ago. He bit his lip and had a grimaced expression on his face. He hadn't moved the hand covering up his wound and it looked like he wouldn't move it anytime soon.
"Maybe I should sit down," he muttered and slowly tried to sit down. Mal helped him and not much later, he was sitting on the ground, hands on the ground to support him. His wound didn't look unusually bad. Ben and his parents, as well as some bystanders, had joined her to see what was going on with him. Belle placed her hand on his forehead and, after a while, pulled it away.
"He isn't too hot," she said, ruling out fever and other illnesses where the bodies get a few degrees hotter. Maybe Belle's mother instincts kicked in when she saw Henry like that. That and her experience as a doctor here could help her determine what's going on.
"What did he do?" she asked and Henry shook his head. He started to have trouble breathing and decided to lie down for a while. He looked at Belle.
"I dunno," Henry said, "he just scratched me." Then, he looked at the sky before closing his eyes, maybe to focus on fighting off whatever was causing it. Belle wouldn't let him, however, since there still were questions which needed to be answered.
"How much does it hurt?" Belle asked him, but there was no reaction. She said his name, shaking his shoulder slightly. Unfortunately, he still did not react. Mal grabbed his wrist and searched for a pulse, afraid of what might have happened. There was one, fortunately, though she didn't know what to do next. Nobody taught her how many beats to count in what amount of time. Instead, she decided to look at his chest. His breath was a bit slower than normal, but at least he was still breathing.
"Get him to the infirmary!" Belle told them. Beast and Ben jumped into action, lifting Henry. Beast held the boy at his shoulders while Ben held his legs. They started to walk through the crowd, straight to the infirmary. Mal and Belle walked closely to the victim, holding the possible murder weapon tightly. As soon as they had walked through the crowd, Mal started to run to give Doug, or another doctor, a heads up. She hadn't visited the infirmary yet, but she had seen Doug enter and leave a specific building many times. It was safe to assume that's where the infirmary was.
She ran inside the building and finally saw how it looked like. There were several cots placed next to one another. There were no more than fourteen cots in this room. There was an opening in the right wall, leading to another room she couldn't see. There were three patients in the room, two girls and one boy.
Behind her, the door slammed shut, startling some of the patients. She showed them her most sympathetic smile. "Sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to scare you. Have you seen Doug?" None of the patients had to tell her, since Doug came walking in. He had been in the other room, doing his job as soon as he returned from delivering the message to Ben. He sighed when he saw Mal.
"What happened? Who got hurt?" he asked. If he was worried, he didn't show it that much. Must be because of his job.
"It's Henry," she answered, "Chad tried to kill Ben and his parents, but Henry stopped him." Doug raised his eyebrows.
"Chad wouldn't do that," he said.
"Apparently, he would," she replied, "Henry's dying. This is what Chad used." Mal then handed Doug the knife Chad used to harm Henry. She hadn't let go of it since she picked it up. Doug took it from her and looked at it while she continued to talk. "They're bringing Henry here now. I hope you can help me."
Doug shrugged. "Probably. I'll see what I can do." He walked into the other room, which may function as his office, while Mal held the door opened for Ben, Beast and Belle. Fortunately, they were already close by, which made it easier for Doug to get started.
When Doug came back to the main room, Ben and family had walked into the room and placed Henry on the nearest cot. His right hand lay on his stomach, his left arm dangled next to his body, as there was no space for his arm on that side of the cot. Doug walked to them immediately, taking a closer look at the wound. Belle stayed close to Henry, too.
"Can you help him?" Ben asked and Doug nodded.
"Maybe, maybe not," Doug said, "Depends on what we're dealing with. We'll figure it out. But we can't do that with you watching our every move."
"We have to leave," Mal said. She didn't know how it felt, having to save all those people who were injured. They wouldn't just lose their lives, but the alliance would use one of those scarce allies. She did know people didn't like to be watched when doing something incredibly important.
"Right," Doug said, finally looking up from Henry, "We'll give you a sign when he's better. Oh, Mal," he quickly added, "Maybe you'd better wash your hands. Just in case. We don't know what's on the blade." Mal nodded and then followed Ben and Beast outside.
The crowd had disappeared – everyone had gone back to do their work. Ben and Beast were walking away, probably to a spot where they could continue their talk in private. While she looked around, she noticed Hadrian. He was just standing at least fifteen yards away from her. He wasn't particularly looking at her, but at the building. At least, she hoped he wasn't staring at her. What had brought him here, anyway? There was nothing interesting to be seen in this part of the camp.
Wherever he goes, death follows. She remembered Chad's words. they didn't necessarily have to be true, even if he was usually drawn to places where people were going to die.
She walked away from the infirmary building too the camp square. Hopefully, Hadrian wasn't standing there because of what happened to Henry. He isn't, she tried to convince herself, he's just standing there because he doesn't have anything to do.
At least, that's what she hoped.