So


53: Cakes and Rings.

Ben walked up the steps of the house and laughed at the door handle. It was a silver dragon. Perfect. Ben took hold of the handle and knocked it against the door three times. "Mal? It's Ben."

Inside of the house Penelope was watching a kids movie when she heard the door knock. She heard her mommy's name being called, then Ben's name. Ben? Penelope got up and looked out the closed curtain window and peeked to the side.

"Mal? It's Ben. Can we walk?" He asked through the door again. He hoped that she would open the door and they could just talk. He didn't need to know about her past five years, he didn't need to know why she did what she did. He just wanted to talk to her and that was it. "Please Mal, open the door. "

Penelope knew him. The small girl walked over to the front door and unlocked the door.

"Mal?" Ben said when the door began to open. Nobody was there. He took a glanced down and smiled at the little girl who did open the door. "Oh, hello Penelope."

"Hi." Penelope said.

"Penelope," Ben got down to her eye level. "Is mommy home?"

"No. Mommy had to do something." Penelope told him. "Mommy said to not open door for strangers, but I know you."

"Do you know when she will be back?" He asked. She shrugged. "Is anyone home with you?"

"No. Mommy said she might be home in an hour. She left a couple minutes ago."

"Could-could I stay here until she comes back? I really need to talk to your mommy." Ben said, hoping the girl would let him stay.

Penelope smiled. "Sure."


Mal was waiting at the bakery, still, for the new cake order she had to get done. The first time around the cake was bright blue icing instead of violet, and the name read Happy Birthday Persephone. They offered to fix the cake, but it would take an hour and a half for the new cake to be finished. Penelope was watching TV back home so she knew that Penelope would be occupied for a couple of hours alone.

The bakery was at it's busiest this week. Cake orders in an out the doors; the most popular theme was wedding cakes. Mal had no idea why people got married in the autumn season but she did love looking at all the different cake examples that were set up for the big day.

A few years ago sometime after Ben's birthday coronation, Mal and Evie went to a bakery to pickup some desserts for a 'Sorry we messed up your coronation and birthday, Ben!' party the girls, Carlos and Jay were going to throw for Ben. At the bakery the baker had let the girls try out all sorts of yummy treats. That day Mal found what she wanted for her own future wedding cake. Red velvet cake, white chocolate filling with chocolate icing and strawberries along the cake.

Mal sighed. She'll never get that dream wedding cake.


Over at the house Ben was giving a tour of the small home for two. Ben found the little home very comfy and nice. Mal knew how to keep the house nice and well kept, yet it was still a bit messy because of having a child running around the house. The two of them sat in the living room where Penelope continued to watch the movie she had started earlier.

"So, um, Penelope, do you go to school?" Ben asked the girl.

"Sure. I'm in preschool." Penelope said. "It's really fun."

"Cool. What's your favorite thing to do?"

"I don't know."

"I like nap time. I actually miss nap time."

"I hate nap time. I just stare at the ceiling and try to count the tiny dots on the wall, but that's hard. I can only go up to ten." She answered. "I also like free time because I go play with this girl in another room who also has free time. She can shoot fire and air out of her hands, so we make funny shapes with her air and my water powers. But our teachers tell us to not do that because the other kids, not all of them, have powers."

"That seems fair." Ben said. "What do you and mommy do for fun?"

Penelope beamed. "Mommy makes pretty pictures! She can also make things from clay on a spinning wheel that spins like a merry-go-round. She made that pot that flower is in." She pointed to the vase on the table nearby. Ben took it off the table and studied it. It was light silver painted, with black zigzags in the middle that was covered in glitter. "I added the sparkles in the middle."

"This is wonderful," Ben admired the work. "Mommy's a really great artist."

"She the best." Penelope giggled. Then she remembered something, just now, when she talked about the sparkles. Her violet eyes sparkled as she turned to Ben. "Thank you for the gift!"

Gift? "Gift?"

"For my birthday two years ago." She said, Ben still furthered bewildered. "I don't remember the day fully, but mommy told me that I was snooping around like I usually do when I'm bored and I found the gift. I guess I asked her what it was and mommy said it was a gift from someone name Ben. I just guess that you."

What in the world was she talking about?

"I took really good care of it, I promise." Penelope said. "I use water and a cloth and keep it clean. I clean it every couple of days. I only wore it twice; that year for my birthday and on school picture day last year."

"Uhh..." Ben said.

"I'll show you." She said and she left the room.


Ben watched as the girl ran away and up the stairs, laughing. She had a lot of energy. When he turned to look back at her his eyes caught the table behind him, that held pictures. He took a few of them and gazed at them. They were pictures of Mal and Penelope.

The first one was of Mal holding newborn Penelope. Mal's hair was a bit of a mess, but maybe it was the lovely glow of the new mother and her child shown in the picture that prevented Mal from throwing out a picture Ben was sure that she called horrible. This was obviously months after Mal left Auradon, and she still looked exactly the same as she did the day she left.

The second was Penelope's first birthday, from the banner in the background, and the two girls centered in the photo both smiling. The young king smiled as he looked at the two beautiful girls in the picture.

The next four pictures varied in ages of the girls, but always smiling in them. The last one was taken, assuming, a few months after Penelope was born. Mal was laying down on the couch sleeping, holding a sleeping Penelope on her chest. She looked so peaceful in the picture, so very content with her world.

As much as it hurt Ben that he wasn't there to help Mal with anything, Mal looked the happiest she could be in the moment. Then a sad idea popped into his head. Maybe Mal...doesn't care about Auradon anymore. It's been six years, maybe she's just grown out of it.

Penelope came rushing back down in seconds holding a box in her hands."This gift. I told you I kept it clean."

Ben placed the pictures down and held the red velvet box in his hands. He shook it, hearing something bounce inside. Ben lifted up the top of the box and nearly dropped the box. It was a ring. But not just any ring,

the ring he had given Mal six years ago. His ring.

"It's really pretty." The little girl said.

"It is," Ben told her as he admired it. Smirking he said, "I pick good rings, don't I?"

She giggled. "Yeah. I like it." Penelope said. "I'll be back." And with that she was out of the room.

Ben leaned back on the couch, still holding the ring in his hands. "Mal." He smiled, knowing that Mal never forgot Auradon.