Hello! Here is a not so little update! I am super excited for this chapter, but I am sorry if it was not what you were expecting.
Please let me know what you think!
shortanamx: Lol I'm sorry the chapter made you cry... It made me cry too when I was writing it!
brimason0201: I always make Maleficent the villain. I wanted to change her character even though I killed her off? lol if that makes sence.
Creator of Magic: Lol Yes. Follo is dead. I hope you like this update and please let me know what you think!
Anonymous Reader: I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry, but if it makes you feel better, I cried when I wrote it!
WolfLover2020: Thank you so much!
Ben's alarm went off the next morning, waking him up for his run. He didn't know why he always set it so early, but it did help him wake up for the day. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and stretched before getting out of bed. He quickly changed and walked out of his room, closing the door behind him. He put his headphones in and started walking down the stairs. He nodded his head to Lumier before running out of the castle, and toward the trail that led into the forest.
Ben always hated waking up early, but he loved his morning run. It always made him feel refreshed and ready to take on the day. He was about half way done with his run, and was running toward the tree he always sat under to rest. When he sat down and looked at the full trees above his head, he saw the branches shaking. Twigs were falling off the trees, making little cracking sounds, and then he saw a glimpse of purple running across the branches. He sat up, trying to see what it was and then he saw it was Mal jumping from branch to branch.
"Mal!" he called, making her look down, stop running, and hold onto the trunk of a tree so she didn't fall. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm… running," she shouted down at him.
"In a tree?"
"We don't have trees on the Isle," she said. "They're beautiful."
Ben smiled at Mal as she side-hugged the tree. The trees were pretty, but Ben thought Mal was prettier.
"Can I show you something I think you'll like?" he asked.
"Sure," she said. "I'll be down in a bit."
She slowly climbed down from the tree, and Ben stood up under where she was climbing in case she needed any help. When she was about 7 feet from the ground she jumped the rest of the way, letting her feet stomp on the floor in front of Ben.
"Good morning," she said as she smiled up at him.
"More like interesting," he said with a small chuckle. "I always run in the morning, and I did not expect to see my penpal running through the trees," he said, making her laugh.
"I had a hard time sleeping last night," she said. "I typically write or draw to fall back asleep, but I couldn't. So at 5 I came out here to take the Auradon air in, and then I just climbed a tree and here we are."
"You've been out here for an hour and a half?" Ben asked.
"I guess," she said with a shrug. "I don't know what time it is now."
"You don't have a phone?"
"No service on the Isle. So we don't need phones," she said.
"Foot," he said as he held his palm up. "Meet mouth," he said as he held his other palm up.
"It's okay," Mal said with a laugh. "It's not your fault. You never knew that you would be inviting villains over from the Isle."
"I still haven't," he said, making Mal look up at him in confusion. "You aren't a villain. No one of the Isle is," he said as they started to walk down the path. "I doubt a villain would write to a prince from Auradon, wanting to make changes to the Isle so that people there can live better lives."
"Well everyone deserves to live a good life," she said.
"Everyone?" Ben asked as he gave Mal a curious look.
"Well, good people."
Ben laughed as they continued to walk.
"Where is this place?" She asked.
"It's down the trail a bit then we're going to go off the trail," he said.
They walked and talked as they made their way down the trail. Both of them felt very comfortable around the other, but that was probably because of the years they spent sending each other letters. Ben walked off the trail, holling over a log, and making Mal follow him with a little hesitation.
"Come on," he said as he held his hand out for her to take. "I'm not going to trap you."
"I didn't think you were, but now I am having some hesitation," she said with a laugh, as she took a step and gave him her hand.
"Ha," he said and she hopped over the log. "You're so funny, I almost forgot to laugh," he said sarcastically.
"But, you didn't," she said as they walked through the trees. "And may I add sarcasm is not very king like."
"And running through trees is normal to you?" he asked.
"Okay okay," she said. "You got me, but I will have you know that being normal is vastly overrated."
Ben laughed as they continued to walk. They were talking about things that they were going to see throughout Auradon, but Ben wanted to get to know Mal.
"So, tell me about yourself," he said as they got closer to their destination.
"Well, what do you want to know?"
"Anything," he said. "Who is Mal?"
She laughed and shook her head. "Well, I am just me. I like to draw, spray paint, paint," she said. "I help with the kids at Dragon Hall, a school that is on the Isle. And Uma, Evie, and I throw little talent shows, or concerts for the people on the Isle."
"You sing?" Ben asked.
"I dabble," she said with a laugh.
"She dabbles," he said Ben said again as he laughed.
"What about you, your royalness?" she asked.
"Me? I'm boring," he said.
"I'm boring too," she said.
"Being an artist who helps kids and sings, doesn't sound boring to me," Ben said.
"And being a king who has a kingdom, a pen pal who is 'technically' a villain, and wants to make the world a better place, doesn't seem boring to me either," she said.
"I wouldn't call my penpal a villain," he said. "She's not evil."
"And how do you know that?"
"Because if you were evil," he said as he stopped to turn and look at her. "I think you would have put me under a spell or cursed the royal family while we were sleeping."
"Who said I haven't?" she said, making Ben laugh.
"Well if I was spelled, I would take it more as being enchanted," he said before he grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face a beautiful lake.
Mal gasped when she saw the beautiful lake. It wasn't big. There was a waterfall, old broken ruins, and it was surrounded by trees. Mal walked forward to the edge of the water and saw how beautiful that water looked. It was crystal clear and it was even sparkling. Ben walked up behind her as she stood up straight, making her jump, turn, and grab onto his arm so she didn't fall into the water.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you," he said as he took a couple of steps back, but Mal didn't let go on his arm.
"No," she said as she shook her head. "You didn't scare me. I was just afraid I was going to fall in."
"Oh well, if you did, the water is very nice. It's not too cold," he said. "I come here to swim all of the time."
"Yeah," she said as she shook her head. "I wasn't talking about swimming," she said as she let go of his arm. "I was more afraid about drowning."
"You can't swim?" he asked in shock, making Mal shake her head.
"No."
"You live on an Island," he said.
"That is surrounded by a barrier," she said, making Ben throw his head back because he said something stupid again. "Plus, the water is not very… clean to swim in anymore. The only 'kids' who learned to swim were Uma, Gil, and Harry," she said.
"Want to learn?" he asked.
Mal's eyes widened before she started to vigorously shake her head. "No," she said. "No way!"
"Come on," Ben said as he started to kick his shoes off. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"Uh uh," she said as she shook her head. "One of the rules on the Isle is not to put yourself in a trap."
"Well, you're in Auradon," he said as he pulled down his jogger pants, revealing that he had a pair of swim trunks. "And I would never trap you."
"Are those little crowns on your shorts?" she asked as she covered her mouth and laughed.
"Maybe," he said as he pulled his shirt over his head as he chuckled.
Mal's eyes widened when she saw the king shirtless, and saying he was toned would be a ginormous understatement. He was built like a god. He was a six foot god, and Mal was gocking at him, which is something she never does.
"But, in my defense," he said, making Mal shake her head and breaking her out of her thoughts. "Chad bought them for me the summer before my coronation as a joke."
"Chad's the blonde guy who is dating Audrey, right?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said as he nodded his head.
"You wrote about all of them. Lonnie is the daughter of Mulan, Doug is the son of Dopey but is the heir of Snow White, Audrey is Aurora and Phillip's daughter, and Jane is Fair Godmother's daughter?"
"Yes," he said as he nodded again.
"Cool. What are they into?"
"Nice try," he said. "Now come on. I won't let anything happen to you," he said as he walked closer to her.
"I don't have a swim suit," Mal said as he shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe next time."
Ben squinted his eyes, before smirking at her.
"You're either getting in in your underwear or you're getting in with your clothes," he said, shocking her. "Or," he said. "You can use your magic to poof up one."
"Or I could poof myself back to the castle," she said as she held her hand up, but was stopped by Ben who threw her over his shoulder.
"Clothes it is," he said before he jumped into the water, making Mal yell, move down his body, and wrap herself around him as they went under the water.
When they came back up Mal was still clung to Ben tightly, and Ben laughed.
"Mal," he said as he put a hand on her waist. "You can let go."
"Nope," she said as she tightened her legs around his waist. "Not gonna happen," she told him, making him laugh.
"I am standing and the water is sitting at my waist," he said. "It will probably come to the middle of your stomach."
Mal slowly peaked up and looked around, but kept her hold tight on Ben. She slowly craned her head, side to side, looking around, and saw that he was right. She ever so slowly loosened her grip on Ben and, with his help, stood in the crystal clear water. She looked down and saw that even her shoes were wet now, making her groan.
"I gave you an option," Ben said with a small chuckle.
She looked up at him and shook her head. He may have been cute and she may have liked him, but all of her clothes were wet now. She took a step back and took a deep breath.
"I need the attire. To make an impression," she said as he started to point at herself. "Whip me up the proper swimming attire, for the king's desired swim lesson."
A puff of purple smoke surrounded Mal and when it cleared, she was standing in front of Ben in a nice purple two piece elasticity at waist wear. It had a high cut style. It was sexy and unique, and very flattering on her.
"What in the underworld am I wearing?" she asked as she looked down and saw she was basically in underwear.
"That is a bathing suit," he said.
"No," she said. "This is underwear."
"Well then, technically so are my swim trunks because they look like boxers, but they're not."
"Auradon girls wear this?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said as he nodded his head. "Some wear more revealing ones, and some wear more conservative ones, but yours is…" he started to say but stopped when the lump in his throat came up. "Make you look very nice."
Mal looked up at him and saw that his cheeks were turning red. They stood there in silence for a couple of seconds before taking a step back.
"Okay," he said as he held his hand out for her. "Take my hand, and we are going to walk deeper, but not too deep to where you can't touch the bottom."
She grabbed his hand tightly as she let him guide them further into the water.
"Okay," he said as he turned to her and the water was at his stomach and just below her chest. "Hold on to my hands. We are going to take a deep breath, go under the water, and hold our breath for a couple of seconds."
Mal nodded her head before taking a deep breath. They went under the water and squeezed their eyes shut. When they were under the water, Ben opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Mal. She had her eyes tightly shut and her nose was scrunched up. He pushed up on his legs and out of the water, bringing Mal up with him.
"See," he said as wiped his face. "That wasn't bad."
Mal didn't say anything, making Ben rub his eyes to see clearly. She was standing there with her hair in her face, and both of her hands were gripped tight onto Ben's, making him laugh. He chuckled before taking his free hand and moving her hair out of her face.
"Now that you can actually see," he said as she opened her eyes. "Was that horrible?"
"No," she said quietly.
"Good. Now I am going to lean you back," he said as he turned her to the side.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because you are going to float," he said.
"What if I sink?" she asked in a panic.
"I'm going to hold on to you," he said, reassuring her.
She nodded her head before leaning back, letting Ben rest his hands on her back. She leaned further back, lifting her feet up so that they would float on top of the water. He kept one hand on the middle of her back, and he moved the other under her upper thigh.
"You're not going to let go right?" she asked as she looked up at him.
"No," he said with a small chuckle. "I promise, I won't let go."
He stood there while Mal floated with her eyes closed. After a couple of minutes, he decided to change something.
"I'm going to lower my hands," he said, making her eyes pop open in shock and horror. "But, they are going to stay right under you, in case you need me."
She nodded her head before taking a deep breath. She was scared, and she didn't care if he knew or not. She closed her eyes again, not wanting to see what was going on around her.
"Talk to me," Ben said.
"Huh?"
"Talk to me," he repeated himself.
"About what?"
"Anything," he said. "Do you have any other friends on the Isle?"
"I know people," she said. "Some I like. Some I don't like."
"Who do you like?" he asked.
"I like my brother," she said. "He's a fireball, but he's great. Uma has two sisters and their names are Celia and Freddie. Jay has a cousin named Jade. Carlos has a cousin named Diego. Harry had two sisters named CJ and Harriet, and three cousins named Squeaky, Squirmy, and Sammy. Gil has two brothers and a sister, and their names are Gaston Jr., Gaston the Third, and Ginevieve. Evie is the only one who came here who does not have any siblings or cousins on the Isle, but she is close to Chad's cousin Dizzy."
"I don't have any siblings," he said. "I always wanted one, but my mom had a complication when she went into labor with me, and she couldn't have any more kids."
Mal opened her eyes and saw that Ben looked a little upset.
"I'm sorry," she said as she started to move her hands back and forth.
"It's okay," he said. "I ended up getting a surrogate brother. Chip," he said. "The guy who is a huge flirt," he said with a chuckle.
Mal laughed. "Yeah," she said. "He kept staring at Evie and I when we stepped out of the limo," she said. "Jay walked up to him and closed his mouth, because we thought that he was going to dehydrate himself," she said, making Ben laugh loudly. "Plus, I think the only reason he wasn't staring at Uma was because Harry had his arm wrapped around her."
"That's a very good possibility," he said. "He is a big flirt."
"What about you?" she asked.
"What do you mean? Am I a flirt?"
"Well, I could tell you're not, but is there a special girl that has captured his majesty's heart?"
"No," he said. "My heart has not been captured yet."
"Why?"
"I haven't found the right girl for me," he said.
"How not? You are a very attractive man, you are kind, you are surrounded by beautiful princesses, and you are king," she said as she continued to float. "You probably have girls throwing themselves at you left and right."
"Well, thank you," he said as his cheeks started to turn red. "Can I tell you something?"
"Yeah," she said.
"I kinda think I like someone," he said, trying not to laugh.
"Oh," she said as she opened her eyes again and looked at the sky. "Is she pretty?"
"Yeah," he said as smiled. "She is absolutely stunning, but what about you?" he asked. "Is there someone special on the Isle waiting for you?" he asked, but made a small knot in his stomach form.
"No," she said, shaking her head.
"Oh," he said.
He knew that she liked him, but if he wasn't eavesdropping last night he wouldn't have known. But he did want to know about the guys that were pinning over her.
"There are no guys that you have let sweep you off your feet?"
"There are only three guys who have ever, literally, swept me off my feet, and you were the third," she said with a laugh. "Jay when I am tired and don't want to walk, and my dad."
"So, you don't have a boyfriend?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.
"No," she said. "No boyfriend here."
"Why not?"
"I don't know," she said. "I guess the same reason you have."
"I see," he said. "You're a very beautiful girl. I bet you have boys throwing themselves left and right for you too."
Mal continued to slowly move her arms back and forth, as she thought about the three guys who would not leave her alone.
"More like, I have three guys who don't take no for an answer," she said.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, the Isle is very different in terms of showing your affection," she told him. "Like I said before, most people on the Isle are decent people, but there are people who think that they can just take… including people."
"Did someone…"
"No,"she said, cutting him off. "No, it's just…" she started. "One of the guys is Chad's cousin, Anthony. And the other two are Zevon, son of Yzma. And then Fred Frollo…"
"Claude Frollo's son?!" Ben asked in shock.
"Yeah," Mal said.
Ben started to see red. He didn't even know that Claude Frollo had a kid, and he was trying to weasley his way close to Mal?! Over his fucking dead body!
"You okay?" she asked.
"Um…" he said. "Yeah, I just don't like the idea of someone forcing you to like them."
"Yeah," Mal said. "Neither did Jay… or Carlos… or Gil… or Harry… or my brother… or my dad," she said as she started to laugh.
Ben laughed. He may have started to understand that he was having feelings for Mal, and even more so now after last night.
"Can I tell you something else?" he asked as he smiled down at her.
"Yeah," she said. "Anything."
"You're swimming."
"What?"
Ben lifted his hands up, and showed Mal that he was not supporting her. She looked at him in shock before looking at what she was doing. She was moving her hand and feet softly, making herself stay afloat.
"I'm not drowning," she said in excitement as she moved her hands wider. "I'm not drowning," she said as she moved her body.
She was so excited, and she started to squirm. She started to go under water, making Ben wrap his arms around her waist, and pulled her close to him.
"Woah," he said. "Are you okay?"
Mal laughed as she placed her hands on his chest. She looked up at him and nodded her head.
"Yeah," she said. "Thank you," she told him, before she pushed herself up and kissed his cheek. "I have never had someone, other than my friends and family, do something so nice for me."
Ben smiled down at the purple haired beauty. He had this weird feeling in his stomach. He had liked girls before, but there was something different about this one. He didn't know if it was because he had been writing to her for nine years, or if it was because he was falling head over heels for her.
They stayed at the Enchanted Lake for about another hour before they walked back to the castle. Still wet from head to toe, they walked into the castle laughing, but stopped when they saw all of their friends looking at them from the hallway. They looked at each other, not knowing what was going on before looking back at their friends.
"What?" they asked at the same time.
"Where have you two been?" Evie asked with a smirk.
"And why are you wet?" Lonnie asked.
"I went for my morning run and was resting when I saw Mal running through the trees," Ben said.
"Why were you in the trees?" Audrey asked.
"More importantly," Jay said as he pointed at Mal. "Why did you go without me?"
"Oh shut it," she said as she pointed at Jay. "I doubt Anthony, Zevon, or Freddy are going to attack me while I'm in Auradon. Plus, I couldn't sleep, so I went for a run, but ended up in the trees," she said with a shrug.
"Why are you wet?" Carlos asked.
"Ben taught me how to swim!" she said in excitement.
"What?" The Isle resident asked in shock.
"Yeah," Ben said. "She isn't a pro, but she did great," he said as he smiled down at Mal.
"Okay?" Uma said. "Why don't you both change, because we don't know what you Auradonians have planned for our visit."
"Nothing big today," Ben said. "We are just going to talk about the places we are going to go to."
"Okay," Evie said as she looped her arm through Doug's, making him turn as red as a tomato. "Hurry up now."
Ben and Mal walked up the stairs and all the way to Mal's room.
"You didn't have to walk me to my room," she said as she stopped at her door.
"It's no problem," he said with a smirk before taking more steps forward. "But it does help when my room is right here," he said as he stopped in front of the door next to Mal's room.
She froze in shock.
"That… um… that's…" she started stuttering. "That's your room?" She asked.
"Yeah," he said with a nod. "It has been for 9 years."
Mal gulped in fear. She was now wondering if he was in his room, or overheard what she and the girls were saying last night.
"I see," she said. "I didn't know that."
"Is it a problem?" he asked as he tilted his head to the side. He knew she was nervous now, and he knew she was worried if he had heard them last night.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "It's your castle. I just didn't know, and I'm now worried that Evie, Uma, and I were too loud for you," she said, trying to play off her nervousness.
"No," he said. "I could hear you, but you weren't disturbing me."
"So, you heard us?" she asked.
"Yes," he said as he turned the knob to his door. "Why? Was there something I wasn't supposed to hear?" he asked with a smirk and wink, before he walked into his room, closed the door behind him, and left Mal standing there shocked and embarrassed.
When Ben walked into the dining room, he saw everyone sitting and mingling, but Mal had Uma and Evie huddled into a corner. Ben shook his head and laughed, before sitting in his seat. Chad was talking with Jay and Harry about Tourney and sword fighting. Doug was talking to Carlos about tech stuff. Audrey was talking to Gil about animals, and Lonnie and Jane were talking with Belle and Adam. Mal groaned, making Ben peak in their direction. He saw Uma and Evie laughing and Mal threw her hands to her face, covering her red cheeks.
"Shut up," she said as she walked away from them, making them giggle and follow her.
They sat down at the table, and Mal's cheeks were still very red.
"Are you okay, Mal?" Belle asked as she sat down next to Ben.
Ben had to fight the urge to laugh. He looked at his phone and sucked in his lips, trying to hold in his laughter.
"Yes," Mal said as she sat up straight. "I'm fine. Thank you, your majesty."
She looked over at Ben, and he peaked up from his phone. His cheeks flushed pink, making hers do the same as she shook her head and chuckled. Maybe things would be different than either expected.
"So, when do we get to tour around Auradon?" Evie asked excitedly.
"Well, we are not going to start the actual tour for another two days," Ben said. "Tomorrow we are having a ball so that you can get a little more acquainted with the royals."
"WHAT?!" Evie exclaimed as she stood from her seat. "We have to go back to the Isle and get our clothes!" She said as she stormed and took Mal and Uma's hands.
"Evie, sweetheart," Belle said as she stood up and held her hand up to Evie. "I am sure you can borrow a dress from any of us," she said as she held her hand out to Jane, Audrey, Lonnie, and herself.
"Thank you so much for the offer, but I don't let them or any of our other friends wear anything that I didn't make," she said.
The Auradonians looked around the table to see all of the aisle residents nodding their heads.
"It's true," Carlos said. "She makes all of our clothes, and does them in record time."
"How long?" Belle asked.
"I made Mal's outfit from yesterday, two hours before we left the Isle," she said with a proud smile.
"Well, you had no choice," Mal said. "And I quote, 'Mallory! You are not going to a royal council meeting in leather pants'," she said with a laugh.
"Well, instead of you traveling back to the Isle," Belle said. "Why don't I have some fabric ordered and to be sent here," she offered. "I have an old sewing room that I don't use much. You can make gowns for you, Uma, and Mal in there."
"Really?" Evie asked. "I don't want to impose when we can just get the ones that we have."
"I insist," Belle said. "After breakfast, you and I can look online to see which fabric you would like."
"Thank you," Evie said as she let go of the death grip she had on Uma and Mal's hands.
"Yes," Mal said as she rubbed her hand. "Thank you."
Ben chuckled and watched as Mal sat back down in her seat, which he noticed was not next to him like it was yesterday.
After breakfast, Mal and Uma were in the room Audrey was staying in with Lonnie, Jane, and Audrey. Belle and Evie were ordering fabric. Chad, Doug, Carlos, Jay, Harry, and Gil were locked up in Ben's gaming room. Adam was talking with Mrs. Potts, Lumier, and Cogsworth about the ball tomorrow night. And Ben was in his room ordering the Isle residents cell phones.
A couple of hours had passed and Ben was sitting in his room with seven iPhones in front of him. He was slumped in a chair as he was inputting phone numbers into them, when someone ran into his room, slamming the door behind them. He looked up and saw Mal sitting with her back to the door. Her eyes were closed and she was out of breath.
"Can I help you with something?" Ben asked, making Mal jump.
"Oh, crap," she said. "I came into the wrong room," she said as she stood up and peeked out of the door. "I'm hiding from Evie," she said.
"Why?" he asked.
She closed the door and put her back to it again.
"Because Evie and the rest of the girls, besides Uma, are using me like a doll," she said. "Uma's not because Harry came and took her and they went on a walk."
"I see," he said as he placed the phone down with the others. "So, you tried to go to the room she would most likely find you in?" he asked.
"Good point," she said before she walked over and jumped on his bed, landing on her stomach. "What is all of this?" she asked, pointing to the table in front of Ben.
"I bought all of you phones," he said. "I think that you guys would like them."
"Why?" she asked. "They would be no use on the Isle."
"That's why I also bought you guys cellular service boxes," he said as he pointed to the bag that had at least 5 boxes in it. "I figured with Carlos being into the techy stuff, he could set them up wherever you needed them on the Isle."
"You didn't have to do all of that," Mal said as she put her chin against his mattress. "It…"
"Mal!" they heard Evie yell.
Mal's eyes widened before Ben nudged his head to his bathroom. She jumped off his bed, and ran to the bathroom before there was a knock at the door. Once the bathroom door was closed, Ben walked to the door and opened it to find Evie and Audrey standing on the other side.
"Hey, Ben," Audrey said. "Sorry for interrupting you, but we were wondering if you had seen Mal anywhere?"
Ben shook his head. "No," he said. "I haven't seen her in a hot minute."
"Are you sure?" Evie asked as she squinted her eyes.
"Yeah," he said. "I would know if I saw a purple-haired girl running around."
"Okay," they said.
"If you see her, can you please let us know? I need to get one more fitting in before tomorrow," Evie said.
"Yeah," he said before he closed the door, but stopped when he remembered the phones. "Actually, I have something for the seven of you."
He walked into the room and walked past the bathroom to see Mal peaking through the now cracked door. He made eye contact with her before shaking his head at her.
"Here," he said as he gave Evie a royal blue iPhone. "This is for you."
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's a cell phone," Audrey said excitedly. Come on. I'll show you how to use it," she said as she looped her arm through Evie's and the two walked down the hall.
Ben closed the door before walking over to the bathroom door.
"They're gone," he said.
Mal opened the door and saw Ben standing there with a smirk on his face.
"Thank you," she said.
"Not a problem at all," he said as he smiled down at her. "But how long are you going to be hiding from her?" He asked.
"I'll do the fitting, but if I do it now she'll never let me leave because then she'll want to go through makeup and hair," she said.
"Ah," he said. "The struggles of being a beautiful girl."
"You think I'm beautiful?" She asked as she raised her eyebrows at him.
He nodded his head. He wasn't going to stand there and lie to her. He did think she was insanely beautiful.
"Yes," he said. "I think you are very beautiful," he said, making her cheeks flush red.
They stood there for a couple of seconds, letting their cheeks get red. They didn't know why they were getting so flushed with each other. They were 25 for Zeus' sake.
"Well, since you don't have a fitting right now," he said, breaking their silence. "How about another swim lesson?"
Mal smiled up at him, before shaking her head and laughing.
"We could go to the enchanted lake again, and this time we could even take food," he said.
"Why not," she said.
"Okay," he said. "I'll change real quick then you can sneak into your room…"
Mal snapped her fingers, creating a puff of smoke around her. When it cleared she was standing there in the same bikini she was wearing earlier.
"You may want to put on clothes over that," he said, pointing at her.
She turned red again. She didn't mean to just conjure up the suit, but that's what happened. She snapped her fingers again, and this time she had a pair of shorts and a crop top t-shirt. She smiled up at him, and wrinkled her nose.
"I'll be ready in 5 minutes," he said. "You can get your phone. It's the purple one," he said as he pointed to the table.
Mal nodddd her head before walking over and picking up the purple phone off the table. Ben walked into his closet to change and when he came out to see Mal lying on his bed trying to use the phone.
"Come on," he said, making her look up at him. "I'll show you how to use it when we get to the lake."
Mal nodded her head before getting off the bed and following Ben out of the room. They snuck their way down to the kitchen, trying to avoid everyone in the castle. As quickly as they could, they grabbed a couple of snacks and put them into a basket before running out the back door, and toward the forest.
"Mal!" Evie yelled, making Ben and Mal turn to see Evie looking at them from the second story of the castle.
"Hi, E!" Mal yelled.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"I was in Ben's bathroom," Mal yelled back.
"What?" She asked in shock. "He said he hadn't seen you!"
"I said I hadn't seen her in a hot minute," Ben shouted back before taking Mal's hand. "And it was the truth!" he said before he yanked her hand and they ran into the forest.
They ran all the way to the enchanted lake laughing. They spent what felt like hours swimming, talking , and enjoying the snacks that they were able to grab. Mal had even found a love for strawberries. Ben had shown Mal how to use her new phone, and showed her that he had already out contacts in the memory. It was getting dark by the time they decided to head back to the castle.
"That was fun," she said as they walked down the hall of the rooms they were staying in. "I think I'll be swimming in no time," she said, making him laugh.
"I have no doubt about that," he said as he leaned against the door. "I had fun with you today."
"Same," she said as she smiled up at him. "I bet I wasn't what you were expecting when you thought about who you were writing to huh?" She asked.
"Well, I always had a feeling that you were a girl," he admitted. "But you are 100 times better than I was expecting," he told her, making her blush again.
"So, are we going to ig…"
"Mallory!" Evie shouted as she opened the door to Mal's room. "We are doing our fitting now!" She said as she yanked Mal's hand, pulled her into the room, and slammed the door behind them, leaving Ben standing there with half a question on his lips.
"Yeah. So, I was wondering if we were going to ignore the fact that we actually like each other more than just friends?" Ben mimicked. "Yeah, thanks Evie," Ben said as he turned on his heels, and headed to his room.
Ben tried to talk to Mal the next day, but she was never alone. He had knocked on her door in the morning, but Evie answered telling me that Mal was not available because she was getting ready for the ball. I was confused at first, but then I heard more than just one girl laugh, making me realize that Jane, Lonnie, Audrey, Uma, and Mal were all in there. He was standing at the top of the staircase, waiting to be announced.
"Presenting, his royal highness, King Benjamin Florian Anderson of Auradon," Lumier announced as the doors opened.
Ben walked out and saw the crowd clapping as he made his entrance. As he made his way through the crowd to say his greetings, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Ryder Fitzherbert standing with his hands out.
"Ryder," Ben said as he pulled his friend into a hug. "How have you been?" he asked.
"I'm great," Ryder said as he pulled away from Ben and smiled. "How have you been?"
"Great," Ben said as he straightened out his coat. "Ready to show the Isle residents around Auradon tomorrow," he said.
"Yeah, I met a couple of them already," he said. "They seem really nice, and the purple haired one is beautiful."
"Mal?" Ben asked. "Where is she?" he said as he started to crane his neck around to search for her.
"She's around here somewhere," Ryder said. "I'm going to see if she'll let me have her first dance tonight. She was pulled away by Zeus before I could ask."
Ben looked at Ryder with wide eyes. He was going to ask Mal to share the first dance with him. He heard a laugh coming from behind him, and when he turned he saw Mal standing there with Zeus, Hera, and Meg. His legs almost turned into jello when he saw her in her gown. She was wearing a sleek long dark green dress with a sleeveless bodice, a cowl neckline, and mid-open scoop back with tie spaghetti shoulder strap. It is a full-length A-line skirt with a ravishing slit that starts from the waist. Her hair was down and loosely curled. There were small braids that connected in the back, and she had small shimmering glitter covering parts of her body. She turned her head and smiled when she saw Ben. She gave him a small wave, making him smile and wave back.
"She's a beauty," Ryder said.
"Yeah she is," Ben said, not taking his eyes off of Mal.
"I'm going to ask…" Ryder started but was cut off by Ben pushing him out of the way to walk toward Mal.
Ben walked over to Zeus and the rest, making the family look at him.
"King Ben," Zeus said as he shook the young king's hand. "It's very nice to see you again. Mal was just telling me that you taught her how to swim yesterday," he said.
"Yes," Ben said. "She was stubborn, until I actually got her into the water, but after that she did amazing," he said as he smiled at her.
"Well, if she is anything like her father, I have no doubt that she would be stubborn," he said, making Mal chuckle.
Ben turned his attention to Mal, and held his hand out to her. "Would you please share the first dance with me?" he asked.
Mal tilted her head and smirked before taking Ben's outreached hand. He guided her away from her family, and into the middle of the dance floor.
"Is it too late to tell you that I don't know how to dance?" she whispered, making him chuckle.
"Don't worry," he said. "I'll guide you the entire time."
The music started and Ben started to sway the both of them back and forth. They looked into each other's eyes, and laughed before he started to move them a little bit faster. He pulled her closer, making it to where she was almost standing on his feet.
"Why did you pick me for the first dance?" she asked as they started to slow down. "There are plenty of other people, princesses, who would jump through hoops to be where I am right now."
"Well, as true as that statement is," he said as he twirled her around and pulled her back close to his chest. "I wanted to dance with the most beautiful girl in the kingdom."
Mal chuckled and shook her head at Ben's statement. She knew he heard what her, Evie, and Uma were talking about the first night they stayed in Auradon, but she didn't have a chance to talk about it with him. He winked at her when he mentioned that he overheard them, but maybe he was just being funny. He twirled her around one more time before dipping her, and pulling her close to his chest again. The music ended, and Ben held Mal close. The crowd around them clapped, making them pull apart. Ben held Mal's hand and bowed, and Mal curtsied to him. He guided her off the dance floor, letting Evie and Uma pull her away in excitement.
"You could have told me you had the hots for her," Ryder said as he walked up behind Ben.
Ben turned to look at his friend and laughed. "Sorry," Ben said. "I don't know what came over me."
"You like her, bro," he said. "That's obvious."
Ben turned his head and saw Mal walking with Uma, Evie, Jane, Audrey, and Lonnie. They were all smiling and giggling, making Mal roll her eyes and laugh.
"And it's obvious that she likes you too," he said before he walked away from Ben.
The ball went on for a couple of hours. Ben had danced with so many people, but he didn't get a chance to dance with Mal again. He had gotten a little jealous when he had seen Mal dancing with other princes of different kingdoms, but he knew she was going to have to mingle. He hadn't seen her in almost an hour, and he wondered where she was.
"Ben?" Evie called, making Ben turn around to look at her. "Have you seen Mal? She went to the bathroom almost 20 minutes ago, and she hasn't come back," she said. "I would check on her, but Snow has been chatting my ear off about all the things she wants to show me when we go to Charmington."
"I'll go look for her," he said, before he smiled and gave Evie a reassuring smile.
He walked out of the ballroom, and toward the bathroom. He was about to knock on the door, but stopped in his tracks when he heard someone talking down another hallway. He made his way toward the voice, and heard it more clearly.
"If you ever think you are going to make a difference in this world. You are wrong, you monster," the voice said.
Ben walked faster toward the voice as it became more clear.
"You go back to the fucking trash hole you came from. Don't ever come back to Auradon, because if you do I will do much worse than what I did to your mother," the voice said.
Ben turned the corner to see King Stefan holding a knife to Mal's throat, and smoke was coming from her neck. Ben ran up to them and punched Stefan in the face, making him fall to the floor. Mal fell to the ground as she brought her hand up to her throat.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Ben yelled as he stood above Stefan.
"I am saving Auradon!" Stefan yelled as he tried to get up. "Saving Auradon from this monster!" he said as he glared at Mal.
Ben turned to look at Mal and saw she was sitting against the wall, still holding her neck.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he kneeled down next to her.
She looked up at him and nodded her head. She moved her hand, showed him that the cut wasn't deep, and that it was already healing. He kneeled down, picked her up in his arms before turning back to Stefan.
"Stefan, you are under arrest for assault and attempted murder," he said as he held tight onto Mal's small frame. "GUARDS!"
A couple of seconds later guards wearing royal blue came running, and were being followed by guests.
"Yes, my lord," one of the guards said as he walked around the corner.
"Please escort King Stefan to the dungeons," Ben said.
"What the hell happened?" Jay said as he walked up to Ben and Mal.
"I'll tell you later," Ben said. "I want the hall cleared and the guest to leave. I need to speak with Audrey's family, and I want to make sure that Mal is okay," he said as he walked past their friends and to his parents. "I'm going to take her into the kitchen. Can you please have FG come to check on her?"
"Of course," Belle said.
Ben nodded his head before making his way to the kitchen, with Mal's friends and family walking behind him. Once FG checked over Mal and made sure that there was no iron poisoning in Mal's system, they all walked to the conference room.
"Ben?" Aurora asked as she sat down in her seat. "What is going on? Why did the ball end so soon?"
"Because your father attacked Mal tonight," he said.
Aurora looked over at Mal who was sitting in Jay's lap. He had his arms around her in a protective hold, and he head was leaning against his shoulder, showing the burn mark on her neck.
"What did w he do to you?" Leah asked as she walked up to Mal and touched her burn.
"He had her pinned against the wall, with a knife to her neck," Ben said. "I am assuming that the knife was made of iron, because iron burns fairies," he said. "Bring Stefan in please."
The guards nodded before bringing Stefan in with his hands shackled. Leah didn't say anything, before walking up to her husband and slapping him across his face.
"You stay the hell away from my family, you get your crap out of my castle, and you get the hell out of my kingdom!" she shouted.
"That won't be necessary, Queen Leah," Ben said. "Stefan is being sent to the Isle for his crimes, and is being transferred tonight."
"For trying to protect Auradon?" Stefan yelled.
"For attempted murder!" Ben yelled as he turned red. "She has done nothing wrong!"
"She is a monster!"
Harry, Carlos, and Gil stood up, but were quickly being held back by Chad, Uma, and Doug. A loud boom made everyone cover their ears. Zeus appeared in the room, and he was mad.
"What is going on?" he asked in a booming voice.
"I am falsely being accused of attemtped murder," Stefan said.
"Falsely?" Ben yelled back.
Zeus looked around the table and saw Mal with her head on Jay's shoulder. He walked over and moved her hair. He saw the mark on her neck and knew that this was Stefan's doing.
"You dare harm a godling!" Zeus boomed.
"Zeus!" Ben said. "I will take care of this and I have. Stefan is being sent to the Isle now, and he will have no way of gaining an appeal."
Zeus nodded his head in agreement.
"So, my family is just going to sit there and let you send me to the Isle?" Stefan asked.
"We are not your family," Leah said. "Rot in hell," she said as she stormed out of the room.
"I'll go after her," Audrey said as he walked after her grandmother.
"Guards!" Ben yelled, making the guards come back into the room. "Please take Stefan to the Isle. he will reside there for the rest of his life."
The guards nodded before pulling Stefan out of the room. Jay stood from his seat, letting Mal stand and lean on him for support. Aurora and Phillip walked over to Mal.
"Where are you starting your tour?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," she said before she looked at Ben.
"We were going to start at the Kingdom of Corona," he said.
"Would you mind starting off in Auroria?" Aurora asked. "I would like to show Mal the Moors."
"Not at all," Ben said with a smile.
After everyone left, Jay walked Mal to her room, and FG came to check on her cut. Ben was just getting out of the shower when he heard a soft knock at his door. He quickly put a pair of sweats on before walking to the door and opening it to see Mal standing on the other side.
"Hi," he said as he leaned against the door frame.
"Hey," she said in a soft voice.
"How's your neck?" he asked as he moved a piece of her hair out of the way to see that it was almost healed.
"It's almost gone," she said. "FG made sure that there was no iron poisoning before she left," she said.
"Good," Ben said. "I'm glad that you are alright."
"That's actually why I am here," she said as she looked up at him. "I came to say thank you for coming to my rescue."
"It was nothing," he said as he shook his head.
"It was something to me," she said as she took a step closer to him.
She looked up at him as she took the last step toward him. She put a hand on his abdomen before pushing up on her toes and kissing him on the cheek.
"Thank you," she whispered in his ear. "Goodnight."
She backed away to see him smiling down at her.
"Goodnight, Mal," he said as she slowly walked backwards to her room. "Sweet dreams."
Mal smiled and waved before turning and walking into her room. Ben did the same and when he layed down to go to sleep, he could help but put his hand up to his cheek and smile.
The next morning everyone was sitting at breakfast, and Audrey was so excited to show everyone Auroria. They looked at her with confusion, because of the events that happened yesterday, but she said she didn't care. She had admitted to everyone that she did not have a good relationship with her grandfather, and that whenever they were together in the public eye was fake. She just told everyone not to bring it up when we were there, because Leah was still upset about the whole situation.
"I'm driving!" Audrey said as she ran to her pale pink convertible. "Who's coming with me?" she asked as she looked toward everyone.
"Well, I'm driving," Ben said as he threw his keys in the air.
"And I am driving," Adam said.
"I'll go with Uncle Adam and Auntie Belle," Jane said as she walked up to Belle and Adam.
"I'll go too," Carlos said.
"Same," Doug said as he clasped Carlos on the shoulder.
"Okay, now…" Ben said but stopped when he saw Lonnie, Mal, Uma, and Evie walking off with Audrey toward her car. "I guess they are going with Audrey," he said with a chuckle.
Chad, Jay, Harry, and Gil all hopped into Ben's jeep and followed Audrey as she drove off of Beast castle grounds. Ben tried to keep up with Audrey, but slowed down when he saw Mal, Uma, and Evie sit on the back of Audrey's car and music started to play loud. Ben shook his head as he pressed his foot on the gas to drive faster, but Audrey was trying to stay ahead of them. They were singing and having a blast. Mal stood up in the back seat of the car while Audrey drove, making Jay stand up in Ben's Jeep.
"Sit down Mallory!" he yelled, making Mal turn to laugh and shake her head.
Jay sat down and shook his head as he laughed.
"Chad," Ben said as he unbuckled his seat. "Take the wheel."
Chad took the wheel from Ben and then pressed his foot on the gas as Ben stood on his seat.
"Step on it Chad!" Ben yelled.
Chad sped up, and was catching up to Audrey. When Ben was close enough, he stretched his arms out and pulled Mal into his car. Chad let off the gas, making them slow down as Audrey kept driving forward. Evie and Uma looked back and laughed at what just happened. Ben pulled Mal into his lap as Chad pulled up the emergency break.
"What are you doing?" Mal asked as she laughed. "I think I have been kidnapped."
"No," Ben said as he adjusted her so she was sitting right in front of him and her back was to him. "Your brothers are right in the back. But, since you are here. Take the wheel," he said.
"What?" she asked in shock.
"Take the wheel. I'll do the gas pedal," he said as he pushed the emergency break down and the car started to move.
"Oh gods," Mal said as she gripped the wheel.
"This was not the way I thought I was going to die," Jay said.
"Shut up," Mal said as she started to steer the car. "I have had sword fights with pirates, run across building roofs, and have been in many fist fights, but so far Ben has scared me with all the 'normal' things Auradonians do," she said, making everyone laugh.
"Well, you better get used to it," Ben said before he stomped his foot on the gas, making Mal fly back into him and his hands flew to her hips.
"Watch the hands," Jay said.
"He was just making sure I didn't fall," Mal said as she turned to look at Jay.
They started to lean to the right, but Ben put his hands over Mal's and gripped the steering wheel.
"Woah," he said with a chuckle. "Keys your eyes on the road and your hands at 10 and 2," he said.
"10 and 2?" She asked in confusion.
"The steering wheel is like a clock," he said. "Your left hand sits at 10 and your right sits at 2."
"Oh," she said as she kept her hands in place.
Ben kept his right hand on hers, but moved his left back down to her hip, making sure that Jay didn't see where his hand was. They pulled up to Beauty castle, and everyone was waiting for them outside.
"Wow," Evie said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Mally learned how to swim and drive all in three days," she said with a smirk as Ben opened the car door, letting Mal climb off his lap and out of the car.
"Well, both were not by choice," she said as she straightened out her shirt. "Ben, is very demanding."
"Ouch," he said as he got out of the car and closed the door behind him. "Says the stubborn one," he said, making Mal gape at him.
"Welcome," Aurora said as she held her hands out. "Phillip and I are so happy to have you all here, and we can't wait to show you around Auroria."
"Since you are all staying the night, Wren and the rest of the staff will be bringing in your luggage," Phillip said.
"Come," Aurora said. "There is much to see."
The tour of Auroria was wonderful. The people were friendly, and everyone was excited to meet the Isle residents. They were driving back to Beauty Castle, when Aurora told the driver to stop.
"Come," she said as she opened the door to the limo and got out.
Everyone was confused, but followed the queen out of the limo. She walked toward the forest on the outskirts of Auroria.
"Where are we going?" Mal asked Audrey in a whisper as they followed Aurora into the depths of the forest.
All of the Auradonians knew where the queen was leading them, but the aisle residents were so confused. Jay stayed next to Mal, while Gil and Carlos were next to Evie, and Harry was next to Uma. They stood their guard when the trees in front of them started to move, holding the girls back from any danger.
"Hello, old friend," Aurora said as one of the trees turned into a giant tree warrior.
The tree warrior gave the queen a small head bow before looking at the visitors that were with her.
"I have someone I would like you to meet," she said as she turned toward the group. "Mal," she called with a smile and outreach hand.
Mal slowly walked up to Aurora timidly.
"Balthazar, this is Mallory," she introduced. "She is the biological daughter of Maleficent."
The tree warrior's head perked up when he heard that announcement.
"Hello," Mal said with a small wave. "It's very nice to meet you. You look very beautiful."
Balthazar tilted his head to the side before moving to the side to let Mal walk forward. Mal looked back at Aurora and the rest of the group, but Aurora motioned for her to go. Mal turned back to the forest and heard a melody.
"Can you hear that?" She asked as she walked a little faster into the forest.
"Hear what?" Uma asked her as she and the rest followed Mal.
"The music."
"There is no…" Harry started but stopped when Mal started to sing the melody.
Da-da-da, un, da-da
Da-da-da, un, da-da
Da-da-da, un, da-da-da-da
Da-da-da, un, da-da
Da-da-da, un, da-da
Da-da-da, un, da-da-da-da
She walked further into the forest and as she passed some of the trees some of the moor creatures came out to see her. Pixies, water nymphs, and all other types of creatures were following Mal as she wandered the forest. Everyone watched as the enchanted creatures came out of the shadows and followed Mal in wonder.
Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray
Mal touched a tree that had its bark missing on part of the trunk. A golden glow came from her hand and she stared at it in shock. She had never been able to do that, and when she pulled her hand away the bark was restored to its beautiful self.
Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I prayed (I would pray)
I could breakaway
The creatures of the moors were getting so excited, and when Mal walked further, she walked up to the river of stars. She looked up at the beautiful rocks, and looked at the crystal clear water, before smiling and laughing. She had always wanted to come here. To see where her mother had grown up, and to see the beautiful place from the stories she had heard. She turned to look at her friends, before she sprouted her wings and flew straight up into the air.
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
The creatures of the moors followed Mal. The pixies flew around her, the water nymphs circled around the water before flying up, making Mal laugh. They danced around her, sprinkling pixie dust all over her.
"What are they doing?" Belle asked as she walked up next to Ben and Aurora.
"They are crowning their queen," Aurora said as she smiled, watching Mal enjoying herself.
Ben stared at her in awe. He was so entranced he didn't notice his friends taking pictures of him, and he didn't notice the aisle residents taking them too, and pictures of Mal as well.
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I love
I'll take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
Da-da-da, un, da-da
Da-da-da, un, da-da
Da-da-da, un, da-da-da-da
She flew down, landing in front of her friends. She pulled Gil and Carlos out of the trees, before lifting them off their feet. They laughed, after their initial shock, as Mal set them down on one of the rocks that was on top of a waterfall. She flew back down and picked up Jane and Lonnie, and set them down on a bridge that was made of tree trunks and vines.
Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get onboard a fast train
Travel on a jet plane, far away (I will)
And breakaway
She flew close to the water, cascading her fingers through the water. She flew up and down, before taking Evie and Audrey's hands. They laughed as Mal flew up, holding on tight to their hands.
"She has a beautiful voice," Adam said, making Ben turn his gaze away from Mal and toward his dad. "I regret not paying attention to the Isle for so long."
"Dad…"
"No, Ben," he said. "You are doing something that I should have done when I was king," he told his son as he walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are more than I could ever ask for in a son, and I am so proud of you. You are a brilliant king, and I want you to continue making changes to this kingdom, because look at what you did by inviting her over," he said as he pointed back at Mal.
She had just set Audrey and Evie down next to a waterfall. She flapped her wings, making the water hit Evie and Audrey, but didn't soak them.
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
She flew straight forward, snagging Chad and Jay's hands. She flew straight back toward where they had first come from, but then flew straight up, making Chad scream and Jay laugh. She flew high and placed them on the other rock, across from where Carlos and Gil were standing.
Out of the darkness and into the sun
I won't forget all the ones that I love
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
She flew back, and picked up Uma and Harry. She spun them around, close to the ground before letting them land on their feet in the water. They smiled up at her, before Harry slashed Uma with the water.
Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging around revolving doors
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me, but
Gotta keep moving on, moving on
Fly away, breakaway
"Shall we join them?" Phillip asked as he held his arm out for Aurora.
She smiled at her husband before nodding her head. She took his outreached hand. They kicked off their shoes, before running into the crystal clear water.
"What do you say Belle?" Adam asked. "Want to join the party?"
Belle took Adam's hand and together they ran into the water, joining everyone in the fun. Ben stood there watching as Mal flew around and sang. Flew above everyone and smiled at them as they had fun. She looked toward the trees, and saw Ben staring at her in awe.
I'll spread my wings
And I'll learn how to fly
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
She flew straight toward him, taking his hand and sweeping him off his feet. She sang loudly, making him smile. He had never heard something so beautiful. She flew to a beautiful tree, where the branches were falling, and covered in beautiful pink flowers. It was a little bit away from everyone else, but not too far so that they could not hear everyone having fun. Mal let go on Ben's hand when he was close to the floor. He looked around him and saw nothing but vines of flowers, but he could still hear the song Mal was singing.
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
She walked through the branches, making Ben turn to see her standing there. Her wings were gone, but she was still the most beautiful sight he had ever heard. They took steps getting closer and closer together, until they were inches apart from each other.
Breakaway
Breakaway
She sang the last words, gazing into Ben's eyes. He brought his hand up and stroked her cheek with his thumb. He moved his hand down to her chin, and brought her lips to his gently. It was a kiss neither were expecting, but one they had desired.
"Why are you so grumpy?" Mal asked Audrey as the princess flopped down on Mal's bed back at Beast castle.
"Chad and I are fighting," she said.
"Why?" Mal asked. "Is it about Jordan?"
About two weeks after their afternoon in the moors, and visiting other kingdoms in Auradon, they had visited the kingdom of Agrabah. Audrey had not wanted to go, because Chad had always had a crush on Jordan, the daughter of Genie. When they had gotten there, he had completely gone goo goo eyed for the girl, making Audrey grow furious. He had completely ignored Audrey the entire time they had been there, but Gil was a gentleman and escorted Audrey around. Even Ben got irritated with Chad, because he should not be ignoring his girlfriend for someone else. He had even told Chad that if he wanted to be with someone else, that he needed to end things with Audrey so she wouldn't get hurt, instead of stringing her along.
"Maybe Chad's not your prince charming," Mal said as she started to pack some of the things she had gotten while in Auradon.
"That's easy for you to say," Audrey said. "You are here for 3 minutes, and the king wants into your panties," she said, making Mal gape at her. "Not to mention all of the other princes who were trying to throw themselves at you. Zeus, if Ben hadn't been by your side for most of our visits, you would have every guy in Auradon out that window trying to get your attention."
"Okay," Mal said as she pulled Audrey up by her hand. "First, Ben does not want into my panties. Second, NEVER say panites again," she said, making Audrey laugh. "And third, I would not have every guy in Auradon at my window. Evie maybe, but not me."
"Okay," Audrey said. "It looks like we are both the wrong people to talk to about this," she said as she pulled her phone out.
She sent a quick text and a couple of minutes later Evie, Uma, Jane, and Lonnie came walking through Mal's door.
"Really?" Mal asked as she looked at Audrey with raised eyebrows.
"Yes," she said. "Mal and I both have problems, but they are different."
"We're all ears," Lonnie said as she flopped down on the bed.
"Mal is in denial, because she doesn;t think that Ben has the hots for her, and is in denial that every other guy in auradon has the hots for her," Audrey said as she looked at Mal.
"Audrey is upset, because of the whole Chad thing in Agrabah, and doesn't know what to do," Mal said as she looked back at Audrey.
"Simple," Uma said. "Mal, you are in denial," she said, making her cousin look at her with a shocked expression. "And Audrey, maybe you and Chad should go on a break."
"But I love Chad," Audrey said as she pouted.
"Yes, but there are different types of love," Evie said as she sat down next to Audrey. "You love Ben right?" she asked, making Audrey nod her head. "But as a brother?" she asked, making Audrey nod again. "How do you love Chad?"
"I…" she said as she started to think. "I don't know."
"I love Jay and Carlos just as much as I love Hadie, but it's a different type of love."
"Really?" Audrey said. "How do you love Ben?" she asked with a smirk on her face.
"Not my topic," Mal said as she pointed at the brunette.
"Audrey, if you really love Chad let him go," Jane said. "If he is truly meant for you then he will come back," she said as she hugged Audrey from behind.
"And let's face it," Mal said. "Chad is kind of a wimp," she said, making all the girls laugh.
"Okay," Audrey said. "Maybe a break would be a good thing. It could give us a chance to see what we really want. Plus, if he ends up choosing Jordan I shouldn't be mad. She's great!"
"Now back to my in denial best friend," Evie said as she smirked at Mal. "What is going on between you and Ben?" she asked.
"Yeah, you have been spending a lot of time together, especially the first two days, and then you guys started getting closer and closer the longer we have been here," Uma said. "We even caught you guys kissing a couple of times."
"I don't know," Mal said as she sat down on the bed. "I mean Uma and Evie know this, but I am pretty sure you guys do too," she said as she hung her head. "I like him a lot."
"Well, duh!" Lonnie said. "That's obvious. And it's obvious that he likes you too. When you first walked into the meeting, I thought he was going to die from dehydration," she said.
"I told you," Audrey said in a mocking voice.
"What are you both going to do?" Evie asked. "We leave for the Isle tomorrow."
"I don't know," Mal said. "It's not the last time I'll see him, but I know I'm going to miss him."
The girls awed, making Mal shake her head and laugh.
"I can't wait to tell Uncle Hades, Mally is in love," Uma said, making Mal throw a pillow at her.
"Shut up!" Mal said. "Let's get ready for the bonfire."
A couple of hours later, everyone was sitting outside surrounded by a bonfire.
"You guys really want to come to the Isle?" Jay asked as he looked around at everyone.
"Yeah," Ben said as he sat down on the floor between Gil and Mal. "I want to get an idea of the work we are going to have to do."
"When do you want to go?" Evie asked.
"Maybe in a couple of weeks?" Ben said.
"Okay," she said. "We just want to make sure that Bargain castle is ready for you when you get there."
"They could leave with us tomorrow and it will be ready," Mal said as she laughed at her best friend.
"Don't tempt me," Ben said as he looked at Mal and smiled.
"I'm sad you guys are leaving," Lonnie said as she leaned on Uma's shoulder. "Since you are now a queen, Mal, Who is going to take care of the Moors while you are gone?"
"The creatures of the moors," she said. "They have been doing an amazing job, but if I ever come back to Auradon, I will be going back there."
"Your mom would be so proud of you, M," Evie said as she took Mal's hand squeezing it.
Mal had tears gathering in her eyes, after what Evie said. That was all Mal ever wanted. Evie hugged Mal's side and started to sing.
When tomorrow comes
I'll be on my own
Feeling frightened of
The things that I don't know
When tomorrow comes
Tomorrow comes
Tomorrow comes
Everyone started smiling as Evie sang. It was unexpected, but what is a bonfire without singing? Audrey started to sing, making everyone look at her.
And though the road is long
I look up to the sky
And in the dark I found, lost hope that I won't fly
And I sing along, I sing along, and I sing along
Mal sat up and started to stare at everyone as she sang.
I got all I need when I got you and I
I look around me, and see a sweet life
I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight
You're getting me, getting me, through the night
Kick start my heart when you shine it in my eyes
Can't lie, it's a sweet life
Stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight
You're getting me, getting me, through the night
'Cause you're my flashlight (flashlight)
You're my flashlight (flashlight), you're my flashlight
Ben smiled hearing the lyrics, he knew they were not just for him, but he was happy, hoping that he was a part of what she was singing.
Ooh
I see the shadows long beneath the mountain top
I'm not afraid when the rain won't stop
'Cause you light the way
You light the way,
You light the way
Gil clasped Ben on the shoulder, making the king look at him and smile. He never knew that he would get along with Gaston's song this well, but he did and he was happy about it. He looked around and saw how happy everyone was. Jay had his arm around Lonnie, Jane and Audrey were swaying back and forth, Gil and Carlos were bumping shoulders. Chad was laughing with Harry and Uma, Evie and Doug were sitting together now, and Mal was singing her heart out.
I got all I need when I got you and I
I look around me, and see a sweet life
I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight
You're getting me, getting me, through the night
Kick start my heart when you shine it in my eyes
Can't lie, it's a sweet life
Stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight
You're getting me, getting me, through the night
(Light, light, light, you're my flashlight)
Light, light, you're my flashlight
Light, light, light, light, light, oh
(Light light light you're my flashlight)
You're my flash, oh
Mal bumped Ben's shoulder, making him smile down at her. She leaned her head on his shoulder, making Ben wrap his arm around her and pulled her close.
I got all I need when I got you and I
I look around me, and see a sweet life
I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight
You're getting me, getting me, through the night
Kick start my heart when you shine it in my eyes
Can't lie, it's a sweet life
Stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight
(You're my flashlight)
You're getting me, getting me through the night
'Cause you're my flashlight
'Cause you're my flashlight
You're my flashlight
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh oh oh
Ben turned his head into Mal's hair. He could smell her hair and it smelled of lavender and honey. He pressed his lips against her hair and smiled.
You're my flashlight
Light, light
You're my flashlight
Light light ye-yeah
(Light light light
You're my flashlight
Light light)
You're my flashlight
Everyone enjoyed the bonfire, before they all went upstairs to bed. Ben was walking out onto his balcony to read, but saw Mal standing outside, looking up at the night sky.
"What are you doing up so late?" he asked as he walked over to the edge of his balcony.
Mal turned and smiled at him as she played with the necklace that was around her neck. "I'm not tired," she said. "Why are you up?"
He held up his book, and she nodded her head in understanding.
"It's the only free time I get to myself," he said. "I am always busy doing something that I barely have time to read anymore."
"You could have read, instead of teaching me how to swim the second day we got here," she said.
"Yeah, but that was actually fun," he said. "Is it sad to say that I am sad you're leaving?" he asked.
She walked to the edge of her balcony and rested her palms on the cement railing. "I'm sad to be going too."
"A lot has happened in the month that you have been here," he said.
"I know," she said as she sat on the railing. "I'm a queen now," she said as she laughed.
"That you are," he said with a smile on his face. "I'm going to miss you a lot."
Mal smiled at him before sprouting her wings, and flying over to Ben's balcony.
"I'm right here,' she said as her wings disappeared. "Can't miss me yet."
Ben walked closer to her, closing the space between them. She looked up at him, and her eyes made him melt. He caressed her cheek, making her cheek turn pink.
"Have you always had those golden flecks in your eyes?" he asked before he connected their lips for a goodbye kiss.
When they pulled away, he rested his head against hers.
I really hate to let this moment go
Touching your skin, and your hair falling slow
When a goodbye kiss, feels like this
He held her close as he started to sway them back and forth. Her small frame pressed against his, making him never want to let go.
Don't you wanna stay here a little while?
Don't you wanna hold each other tight?
Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?
Don't you wanna stay here a little while?
We can make forever feel this way
Don't you wanna stay?
Mal wrapped her arms around Ben's neck as he continued to move them around the balcony. Mal pressed her head to his, before singing back to him.
Let's take it slow, I don't wanna move too fast
I don't wanna just make love, I wanna make love last
When you're up this high, it's a sad goodbye
They started to move around the balcony so effortlessly, like it was the easiest thing in the world. His hand rested on the small of her back, and her hand tangled in his hair. They both started to sing, making the other feel more in the moment.
Don't you wanna stay here a little while?
Don't you wanna hold each other tight?
Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?
Don't you wanna stay here a little while?
We can make forever feel this way
Don't you wanna stay?
Oh yeah
Oh, you feel so perfect, baby
Yeah, you feel so perfect, baby
Don't you wanna stay here a little while?
Ben tightened his hold on the beautiful girl in front of him. He spun her around, lifting her off of her feet. When he stopped he grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist.
Don't you wanna stay here a little while?
Don't you wanna hold each other tight?
Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?
Don't you wanna stay here a little while?
We can make forever feel this way
Don't you wanna stay?
Ben held Mal as close as he could, before crushing his lips to hers. She knotted her hands in his hair, letting him know that it was okay for the kiss to deepen. Their kiss was getting heated, and before they knew it, Ben was carrying her back into his room. Mal waved her hand closing the balcony door shut, hoping that this would be a night neither of them would ever forget.
Until next time my lovies! xoxo GM