There was giggling nearby. Mal screwed her face up, then wrenched her eyes open. A group of nine fairies about four inches high was gathered near her head, playing with strands of her hair. They were all different colors of the rainbow, with one black and one white fairy. Their skin tones matched perfectly with their wings, while their hair, outfits, and jeweled eyes were a darker shade of the color they represented. Their wings were uniquely circular.
When the fairies noticed Mal was awake, they jumped up and scurried off. Mal scrunched up her eyes and then rolled onto her side. Ben began to wake up beside her as his arm was dislodged from around her spine. The two new rulers sat up, rubbing their eyes and yawning widely.
"Good morning." Ben greeted Mal as he rubbed the feeling back into his legs. His shirt was ruffled and his hair twisted oddly to the side.
"It is morning." She affirmed, chuckling as he ran his hands through his hair, trying to straighten it and making it much worse. She got to her feet carefully and ruffled his hair into his eyes.
"Your hair is curly," Ben told her as he pushed his now-ratty hair back and squinted through the sunlight.
Mal felt her hair. It had, indeed, been curled into many tiny, springy curls. She wondered if it was a result of sleeping beside a magical tree, or if the fairies or woodland creatures had done it in her sleep. Since she'd become queen, a sense of familiarity had entered her. She considered for a second, and then called out: "Thank you!" To their surroundings. Something inside her told her that whoever had done it had heard her thanks.
She helped Ben to his feet. He swayed a little and rested a hand on her shoulder. When he focused again, he smiled at her. "You look different." He said. "Lighter."
Mal stretched her arms out. "I feel lighter." She said. She popped her shoulders and then all the joints in her fingers before she stretched out her legs. Ben watched her, silently contemplating. Besides her curly hair, her eyes seemed even more green than usual, almost like they had fire behind her irises.
"So, where do you fit in here?" Ben asked. "Like, what was Maleficent's species?"
"Mom was a fae," Mal answered. "She told me that a long time ago. Fae are basically the balance between fairies and humans. I'm half-fae."
"Hey," He started, clapping his hands together, "If you're part fae and you have horns you can will in and out of your head, do you think you also have wings?" He made a series of pretty-pathetic flapping motions with his hands.
"I don't know," Mal admitted, pausing to consider the idea. Maleficent, of course, had had wings that Auradon had let King Stefan carve off. And sure, if she had her mother's horns, there wasn't really a reason she shouldn't have wings. "Maybe?"
Ben shrugged. "Just a thought." He assured her, though it was clear the idea appealed to him. Mal chuckled
Ben and Mal wandered underneath the trees of the moorland together, chatting and picking fruit off of trees. Mal seemed to know which ones were actually jewels, and which ones only had a jeweled texture. Ben could tell no difference, but when Mal began to peel the garnet covering off of a pomegranate the size of a baseball, there had been real fruit underneath. On the other hand, when Ben tried to bite into a jeweled apple, he had discovered nothing under the surface except more gem. Mal chuckled and explained that it was a dead fruit. If fruit wasn't eaten in a certain amount of time, it hardened into a gem. She picked a different apple for him, and they continued their walk.
Down by the river, a group of long-faced fae women waited. There were four in all, and each had various patterns in different colors of skin in place of tones or shades. A lady with black dots across her eyes stood to greet them.
"Queen Mal and King Ben." She greeted. Ben was so relieved to hear something in English addressed to him he almost tripped and fell into the crystal waters of the lagoon. "We are pleased to see you awake."
"Thank you for letting us sleep," Mal said, clasping her hands and shifting her weight from foot to foot. "I understand it is exciting for you to see so much renewal after so many years."
"It is." The fae nodded with a satisfied smile. "I regret to inform you we will soon have invaders." She pointed in the general direction that Ben and Mal had entered the moors from. "The former queen and an escort, her daughter. Should we stop them at the wayside or allow her into the moors?"
Oh, Audrey and Aurora. Mal looked unsure. She examined the three other Fae women, who looked to her expectantly for directions.
Ben put a hand on her shoulder. "Aurora, as the queen, would have felt her magical control over the moors leave her when you adopted the title of queen. She'll naturally come down to make sure everything is okay. Hopefully, she'll see reason in you claiming heritage over her." He explained.
Mal nodded thoughtfully. "I don't think it's wise to invite her onto home turf... it might be hard to get her to leave." She looked up to see what he thought of that reasoning. He nodded in agreement.
"That's smart." Ben encouraged her.
Mal stood a little straighter. "I'll go down to the borders and linger on our land until I see Aurora. Then I'll explain everything being as honest as I can be. If she reacts well, I will inform the inhabitants and they can decide if they would like to allow her access to the land. If she reacts badly, I will leave the conversation and refuse her access entirely. Let her slather my name until I return to Auradon and explain the situation before the king and queen." She glanced at Ben briefly. "My new in-laws." She smirked.
The fae laughed, which sounded a bit like a gust of wind. Something tapped Mal's foot. She looked down to see a grey rabbit. "Care for an escort?" It asked in a voice that sounded a bit sniffly, as if the poor thing had a cold.
"Thank you," Mal told it. It began to hop off. Mal started to follow it but paused when she saw Ben remain rooted to his spot. She turned and raised an eyebrow.
Ben shifted his weight from foot to foot. "This is your duty as queen," He told her. "You seem to know what you're doing. Are you sure you want me tagging along?"
"Yes." She replied. She surprised herself with how quickly she answered. It just seemed like the nicest option. She met Ben's eyes. "You're only the King in title, just like I am for Auradon, but I want everyone to know I trust you and your ideas. I want them to learn to trust you as an outsider. it'll help bring Auradon closer to the moors. As I recall you saying, no one has journeyed back and forth since before my mother was banished to the Isle of the Lost, yes?"
"That's right." Ben exhaled. "It's just, I can't do magic or understand anyone. I feel pretty inadequate next to you."
"Don't." Mal reprimanded him. "We're a team. Working together, right?" Ben hesitated and then nodded. She looked back up at the grey rabbit. "We're coming!" She called. She offered her arm to Ben, which momentarily threw him off guard. Normally, he was the one who offered his arm. After a brief fumble, they walked after the rabbit as he sniffed ahead of them, leading them onward to the path.
Their carriage had remained stopped where the spirit of the moors had come upon them the night before. Ben and Mal followed the rabbit past it and down the dirt path. The further they went, the less the magical trees sprouted. The inner grove of the moors gave way to normal trees where normal forest residents reigned. Birds flew past twittering and squirrels chattered down at them from treetops.
At long last, the now-white outer border of the moors came into place. Mal thanked the rabbit, who disappeared off into the woods. They crept nearer the border and heard voices.
"It's so odd." A woman was saying. "The border has changed color. It was like this a long, long time ago, but the last few years it has been purple."
"It was green when I came with you that first time," Mal heard Audrey say. She wasn't as loud as Mal recalled. She walked a few steps through the trees with Ben creeping behind her. Sleeping Beauty came into view, dressed in a pink outing gown, and with a delicate golden crown tucked into her curled blonde hair. Audrey was still out of sight. They were circling around the outside, staring at the barrier, which was apparently now visible from the outside.
"Have you not been able to get in before?" Audrey asked. Mal's eyes flickered around, and she finally spotted Audrey as she walked back towards her mother. Audrey was dressed in pale pink with a white clutch in her hands. Her hair had been pulled back into a high ponytail.
"No," Aurora shook her head. "Ever since I was twelve, I've always been able to-" She stopped as her eyes fell on Mal. Mal, knowing she'd been seen, emerged from the trees. Ben lingered in the shadows. Mal smoothed herself out, knowing she was still wearing her outfit from yesterday.
"Hello, Aurora." She greeted. Her voice was a little quieter than she expected. She took a shaky breath and dug her nails into her palms. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Mal."
Aurora, to her surprise, smiled kindly. "Queen Mal." She greeted. "This makes sense."
Audrey looked absolutely disgusted. "You? How are you here? Aren't you supposed to be parading around with Ben and-"
"Audrey." Aurora sent her daughter a reproachful look. "This is our queen, and she has been promised to bring our kingdoms joy. Despite past altercations, you should treat her with more respect." She blinked twice and returned her blue gaze to Mal. "It is nice to meet you. I have many questions if you have time."
"I didn't walk down here to admire the view, unfortunately." Mal shrugged. "I was told you were coming. I suppose you're wondering what happened to the moors last night?"
"Not anymore." The queen admonished with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It's quite clear you've claimed your birthright, which is good news." She let out a little breath of relief. "I admit, the moors have become more and more polluted of late years. I suppose it was rather shortsighted of your mother to crown me over the moors. I have no magical power to renew them by, and they have suffered much." She hummed in thought. "The fruit died off the trees, some species faded and dissolved to try and keep the barrier at strength. Of course, when Maleficent crowned me, she attempted to unite my kingdom and hers, but the formation of Auradon nullified most of her spell. I barely had the power to cross over." She shook her head. "You'll be taking over, then?"
"Yes, ma'am," Mal affirmed. She dwelt briefly on Aurora's words and then opened her mouth to speak. "I would offer you passage into the moors, but I agreed that I would allow the residents here to decide whom they wanted to visit. I don't know yet how open they are to outsiders. They've accepted Ben with me, but I have not had much time to ask them." She suspected that they wouldn't take kindly to the idea of more Auradonians. For some of the creatures, even Ben was a stretch.
Aurora held up her hands in submission. "I completely understand. They likely resent me for not being able to help them for so many long years. It is a good thing you came along when you did." She hesitated. "I do hope they allow me back in one day. After all, I will not be young forever, and I would like to see the place I first fell in love with back when I was a child." A serene look settled on her face as waves of memories flooded her. Mal waited patiently for Aurora to snap back to the present.
"Thank you, Queen Aurora," Mal said honestly. "Your approval means more than you could imagine." And truthfully, Mal's throat was tight.
"You're okay with this?" Audrey asked her mother incredulously. "Why? Maleficent gave the moors to you."
"Yes, she did," Aurora agreed, studying Mal. "And it's well overtime she took them back. I'm not fit to be the ruler of something I cannot understand." She brushed her dress off as the tips of Mal's ears began to turn red.
Audrey fumed. "Well, I'm going to take this up with Ben!" She snapped. "It can't be right!"
"I'm right here," Ben said, only loud enough to be heard. He walked out of the shadows and went to stand beside Mal. "I saw everything, and the fact that Aurora supports Mal makes it more than okay. Audrey, this needed to happen otherwise the moors would have died."
Audrey looked absolutely shocked. It was clear she hadn't expected Ben to materialize out of the trees. She clamped her lips shut and turned to begin to walk back in the general direction of the path. Mal assumed she and her mother had a carriage or a car waiting. Aurora pursed her lips.
"Please excuse her." She started with a huff. "Audrey is impatient and has been rather touchy on the subject of the moors ever since the fairies chased her out as a child." Aurora let out a breath. "We'll depart now. Congratulations on your marriage and have fun on your honeymoon."
Ben wrapped his arms around Mal's as the two women waved goodbye to each other. She let out a deep breath as Aurora walked out of sight.
"I honestly didn't think I would ever have to do that," Mal told Ben.
"You did well." He complimented her.
Mal bit her lip and she pondered the conversation she had just had. "She's such a nice lady... how did she end up with such a self-centered daughter?" She asked Ben.
Ben shifted uncomfortably. "Keeping in mind I did date her for a while, I have no idea. Audrey never understood the concept of helping others beyond just trying to look good in their eyes. I think it might have been a result of Leah being such a big influence on Audrey, but I honestly don't know what went on in their family."
Mal shrugged and slipped out of his grasp. She turned and fixed the collar of his shirt, deep in thought. "It's... gratifying. I honestly expected her to hate me. My mother cursed her and her kingdom asleep, then she almost incinerated her boyfriend, and then I swipe you away from Audrey... She's probably one of the most saintly people I've met."
Ben nodded. "Aurora is an example if nothing else. A lot of people think she's weak because her fairytale places her as a victim, not a hero, but she has a lot of strength and courage."
Mal hummed. She began to walk back to the path. Ben followed at her side. As they walked and their hands swung beside each other, he took her fingers and linked their hands together. He led her back to the carriage so that they could find their suitcases and pull a fresh change of clothes out. They took turns changing inside the carriage. Ben changed into blue jeans and a blue, woven, button-up shirt that he rolled up to his elbows. Mal cautiously picked out black pants and a black tank-top with a see-through purple top. When she stepped out of the carriage, she turned and examined him to see what he had to say.
He smiled. "That's a cool look. I don't think I've seen your shoulders before."
"I could say the same to you." Mal frowned. "You always wear long sleeves and pants." She crossed her arms around her chest and took a few steps back.
Ben rolled his eyes and examined her outfit briefly. He held out his hand for her to take and Mal slowly curled their fingers together. She didn't think that Ben had seen the mark yet.
"So, I have a question." Ben began as they wandered underneath the trees together, back into the magical portions of the moorlands. Mal turned her head to the side to acknowledge that she'd heard him. "Why didn't the Moors just pick a new queen when everything started to go bad?"
Mal bit her lip. "I'm not sure." She admitted. "Maybe it was the way the moors were set up? Or maybe it was magical inherit- actually, I have no idea." She continued chewing on her bottom lip, and then led Ben back to the river where they had last seen the Fae women. They were still there. "Excuse me?" She called. "We have a few questions."
The women turned as they saw the two coming and nodded cordially. "Queen Mal." They chorused. "That was fast."
"Just Mal." Mal requested, drawing closer to them and still leading Ben behind her. "And yes, there were no problems. But Ben and I have questions about the state of the moors and a couple of other things."
"We're happy to help you." A brown-skinned fae woman with eyes that looked inverted, with long lashes on the lower lid, smiled.
"Why didn't the moors pick a new queen when Aurora could not help you?" Mal asked, squeezing Ben's hand as he stood beside her.
The Fae woman nodded in understanding and straightened up. "Before Maleficent, we existed peacefully. We relied on the thick outskirts and our guards to keep up safe. However, as the kingdom grew more hostile, we found ourselves having to leave occasionally to defend ourselves. Maleficent led us on as she tried to defend her homeland. We accepted her as a ruler in times of trouble and she agreed to lead us to victory and step down. That all changed when Wretched Stefan stole her wings. She became ruthless and full of the spirit of revenge. Her magic took on a new form in her anger, and she used the leadership we had already given her to gain power from the Spirit of the Moors. This gave her even more power, and she erected a wall of thorns to keep out the invaders while she sought to eradicate Wretched Stefan. We accepted her as our sole ruler and protector, and the new title of a queen was formed. It was formed from the unanimous mix of the Moorish spirit's approval, our consent to be governed, and the power that Maleficent had. Since those three requirements had not been met until last night, we were unable to form a new crown, or rip the old one from Aurora."
The information was so dense it made Mal stop to process it for a second. "So… the title of the queen was a magical binding that Maleficent received because the spirit of the moors gave it to her, the Moorish people accepted her, and she was as powerful as her surroundings were?" She asked.
"Exactly." The fae women nodded together.
Ben let out a low whistle. "How powerful are you, exactly?" He asked Mal, staring at their surrounding in surprise.
"She was much more powerful than the Moors were last night." The fae woman informed him. "Her magical potential far usurped that of the entire diminished nation. Today, that would not be true. The land is more powerful than the queen as a whole. But so much of the magic had been polluted and diminished that she was able to fulfill the requirements at the time of the binding at the time we needed her. As she continues to strengthen us, we will strengthen her."
"Like a filter?" Ben asked.
"Exactly." The fae nodded with a smile.
"So, you couldn't choose a new queen because no one was powerful enough with the barrier decomposing?" Ben asked. The fae woman nodded in approval, and Ben let out a breath.
"Why would Maleficent have given the title to Aurora, if she knew this would happen?" Mal asked with a furrowed brow.
"That was before Auradon." The fae woman with the inverted eyes informed her. She looked up to Ben. "Surely you know bits about the barrier your country imposes?"
Ben nodded and turned his head to face Mal. "A barrier stretches around all of Auradon for, I think, one hundred miles into the sea, except for the western border where the moors lie and, now, the acreage surrounding the Isle of the Lost. It protects Auradon climates, helps Triton in the seas with his job as underwater ruler and Zeus with the skies, and also lets me, the king, know when things are crossing into and out of the border. We don't have any neighbors except for the moors because when the barrier first went up, the moors were at full power and they resisted becoming part of Auradon. Therefore, the barrier cut Auroria off of the moors despite the fact Maleficent had decreed Aurora, the queen of Auroria, to be the queen of the moors as well. Because of Maleficent's battles with Auroria, people worried that the moors would attack Auradon at some point, so we sealed them out to become their own separate nation."
"Which effectively severed Auroria from the Moors." Mal realized. "So, therefore, Aurora was forced to stay in Auradon as a citizen and that's why it became difficult for her to return to the moors. She had to leave the country and-"
"Couldn't always come back in." Ben nodded. "Phillip used to have to call my dad if she got stuck in the moorlands. And when she had Audrey, it became a really bad thing that she couldn't always get back."
"So she came less and less…" Mal continued thinking. "But why did the land start to decay? If she was still coming, then-"
"The spirit of the moors used to keep the land healthy simultaneously, no matter what." The same fae woman with long eyelashes answered. "But when she gave her blessing to Maleficent, she left the power to heal the land in your mother's hands. Which Maleficent passed to Aurora, who couldn't use the complete ability since she was not magical, although that wasn't a problem since Maleficent lived here anyways and her power was usually enough to keep things running."
"But then there was the war, and my mother left to fight." Mal prodded.
"Auradon considered her a villain." The fae with black dots in her eyes reminded them. "When they discovered she was alive and living in the moors, they got the idea to capture her and seal her away so she'd never curse anyone again. Maleficent left to fight the war of villains, and Auradon sealed themselves away, and we know not what happened to her after that."
"She was sent to the Isle of the Lost," Mal informed them. "It's where I grew up. It's a large Island, maybe a fifth of the size of Auradon, that is on their southern border. They locked all of the villains on there, continued exiling people over, and now the land is overrun by villains and people who are trying to keep safe from the villainy. She still lives there."
Ben's brow was furrowed as he thought. "I didn't realize Auradon had picked a fight with Maleficent." He considered. "I was just told she led the villain's side."
"They came for her in the early hours." A new fae woman with red skin and purple eyes spoke up from behind her two friends. "And they told her that they were taking her away, and she locked up the moors to hide from them. Later, we received tell that the same thing was happening to others around the land, and she left to defend the people like her, even though she didn't agree with many of them. She never came back."
"No wonder your mother was so angry at us." Ben exhaled. "We took… everything."
Mal rolled her eyes. "I told you your people were cruel." She reminded him in a haughty tone. She sighed and turned to face Ben. "Do you have the power to open the border up to be like the rest of Auradon? So people can go back and forth and-"
"Your Highness." The fae with the inverted eyes interrupted crossly. "With all due respect, Auradon has forced us through thirty long years of solitude. None of us wish to see Auradonians for a very long, long time." Her eyes hovered on Ben distastefully. She hadn't minded him when they were speaking of history, but Mal could see clearly now how everyone was uncomfortable around him, the Auradon king who'd been on the throne for two days.
Ben let go of Mal's hand. He set his hand on Mal's shoulder instead. "Maybe one day our countries will be able to heal. For now, the moors need a lot of help. I think you have your work more than cut out between the Isle and healing all the damage in the moors without bringing Auradon politics into this."
Mal's eyes flickered between Ben and the fae women, who were relaxing a little at his words. She nodded. "You're right." She agreed. "But… I don't want to be a mediator. I want us all to work together."
"Eventually." The red-skinned fae woman said through tight lips.
"Me personally, there are a few people I wouldn't mind cursing." The last fae of the group said crossly. She had pale green hair and odd lighting-like patterns on her skin. She held up her hands and began counting off in an increasingly-angry tone. "Wretched Stefan, Flora, Fauna, Merriweather, King Beast-"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Mal said immediately. Ben looked a little pale. "I'm sure you have your reasons, what with the barrier and everything, but we needn't start making a hit list."
"Thank you for helping us," Ben said softly, looking more than a little alarmed at the mention of his dad. "You've been a wonderful, ahem, help." He moved his hand to her other shoulder so that his arm was around her. Mal went a bit stiff as he covered the mark of Maleficent without even realizing it was there.
They exchanged nods and Ben and Mal walked away. Ben cleared his throat once they were out of earshot. "Maybe I should, ah, lie low?" He asked.
Mal made a face. "I don't want that. I think you're okay to stay with me. I already told everyone to treat you kindly, and they seem to like you despite the fact you're not Moorish." She let out a sigh. "I'm sorry about them mentioning your dad."
Ben shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I kind of get it. It was Dad's decision on a lot of this stuff that hurt them." He cleared his throat. "I'll open the barrier on this side as we leave, but the Moors has their own barrier that will keep Auradonians out."
"Okay," Mal whispered. "Did that, um, answer all your questions?"
"Actually, I have one more." Ben's face broke into a smile as he stopped her and turned her to face him with a bright smile. "About you and your magic." He clarified. "How powerful are you?" He asked.
Mal laughed. "How am I supposed to know?" She asked. "I got here last night."
"Try something," Ben said with a laugh.
Mal laughed with some unease. She looked at her hands and then held one up. Ben made to take it, but then a bright green flame appeared in Mal's palm, just as suddenly as if she'd dropped a match on kerosene. She let out a nervous laugh as the flame grew on to her fingertips. Ben laughed with her. "That's extraordinary!" He proclaimed. Mal laughed and waved her hand to make the fire go out.
"Don't get too close to me, or you'll get burned, your highness." She teased him.
"There are crimes for attacking a member of the royal family. Wouldn't want people to start assuming you're taking after your mother." Ben returned, still laughing.
"Well, if you play with fire you're going to get burned." Mal laughed.
Ben laughed as she began to walk away, leading him aimlessly down a different path. His laughter cut off abruptly the moment her back was turned, and the laughter died in her throat. An icy cold crept down her spine, and she turned back around. Ben was staring at her with an odd little smile frozen on his mouth. He looked like he'd glimpsed something incredibly funny or odd but hadn't quite had the time to process it. He put a hand on her shoulder – the right one, without the mark – and turned her back around. He used his finger to trace the black mark carefully. "What's this?" He asked.
"It's… the mark of Maleficent." Mal told him. She reached up and covered it as she turned to look over her shoulder at him. He looked enchanted, which was not a response she'd expected from him. "I've had it since I was small. I don't know if I was born with it or if it's something my mom did to me, but-"
"It's cool." He told her. "I like it a lot. The dragon."
"Really?" Mal asked. "I was a bit concerned you'd think it was… ugly?"
"No." Ben shook his head. A broader smile spread across his face. "That's why you were so hesitant at the carriage. I get it now." He continued tracing the mark, looking completely fascinated by it. Mal let him. She could count on her hands the people who'd seen her mark or that knew she had it. Sophia and Belle, as of her wedding day, Evie and Jay but not Carlos, yet, Uma and Harry, her mother and the Evil Queen. That was it. And now Ben, who was absolutely entranced by the idea of it.
"Can I move your shirt a little?" He asked. "Just to see it?"
"Um." Mal felt a lump rise in her throat. "I can." She told him, sliding the fabric down and off her shoulder so that the curling dragon was clearly exposed. He let out a breath.
"That looks way cool. It's almost… sinister." He told her.
Mal pulled a face. "You like that?" She asked.
Ben shrugged. "It's fascinating." He told her and then took a few steps back. Mal replaced her neckline and turned around. Ben still had an enchanted smile stuck to his face as he shook his head. "You're way cool." He told her.
"Because I have a dragon tattoo?" Mal laughed. "You're ridiculous." She patted his shoulder. "What do you want to do now?" She asked.
"Let's explore," Ben responded immediately. "The moors are huge, and there's so much to see. Let's see what there is."
"Okay." Mal agreed. She held out her hand for him and he took it, and together they began to wander the moorlands together.
Only a week into their honeymoon in the fading light of the day, Ben watched as Mal talked to a water sprite in a language that sounded like water splashing and contemplated his own existence. The more he watched her, the thicker the air seemed.
Fairies were crowded in her hair. They flew around her head, occasionally distracting her, and played with strands of her hair. Her horns were out. She'd shown some of the Pixies earlier today, and they had loved them so much that Mal had kept them out. It was a bit of an effort, but she blended right in with the other fae folk with them.
She was beautiful. The last week had lit something within her that he had rarely seen in Auradon, and she was witty and fiery. She'd used more magic to summon things, change things, and heal creatures than Ben had seen in all the previous years of his life. They'd done some sparring, to which she was badly beaten but still happier than he'd seen her. Being away from the toxic presence of the citizen's prying eyes and away from their responsibilities was a miracle for them both.
Mal finished her conversation with the sprite and turned to look at Ben. She smiled a lopsided smile. He waved shyly. While Mal was often surrounded by new parents vying for her to meet their children and older spirits who had known her mother, most of the creatures ignored Ben in favor of Mal. Ben couldn't exactly blame them. She was amazing. Sometimes he felt a bit lonely while she spoke to all her new friends, but it was nice to not be in the spotlight after so many harsh months of people picking him apart.
Beside the river, Mal carefully stood up and walked towards him. The pixies giggled as a couple settled on her shoulders or held onto her horns. She sat down beside him with a little smile.
"What did you learn this time?" He asked, elbowing her playfully as the pixies waved at him with dramatic giggles.
Mal's smile faded a little. "Actually... something sad. I wanted to ask you about it."
Ben straightened up and angled his frame to face her. "Okay, what is it?" He asked.
Mal twiddled her fingers and stared at the ground. The pixies exchanged looks. "King Stefan, he didn't start off as a king, right?" Mal began, glancing up at him momentarily.
"Oh, no," Ben answered. He slumped a little. King Stefan was, well, an Auradonian villain who never got what was coming to him. It was embarrassing, really, what the government had let him do to Maleficent, to his kingdom, and to his family. "He won a contest of sorts that Leah's father put out."
"Whoever could kill my mother would get the kingdom." Mal recited softly. Ben frowned. She sighed and straightened back up. "Anyway, of course, he didn't kill her because she's still alive. The sprites have been saying... they were friends. And I didn't know that. They were friends, but he drew apart as they got older. One night he came back, and they made reparations. And when she fell asleep, he took her wings off with iron."
Ben sucked in a breath. "I, um, don't know all of the details." He sighed. "I know that Maleficent had wings. I know Stefan carved them off in public many years ago before Maleficent was sent to the Isle, and that it was the second time because she stole her wings back from his palace where he kept them for years and yeah, there was a contest. I heard my parents talking with Aurora and Phillip years ago, and I do know that there were drugs involved. Stefan… he liked to brag." Ben trailed off, feeling absolutely rotten on Stefan's behalf.
Mal made an unhappy sort of sound in the back of her throat. "That's awful. Imagine waking up and missing a part of yourself." She glanced sideways at Ben and shuffled her feet. His mouth went dry and he immediately held his hands up.
Before she could open her mouth to say anything else, Ben beat her to it. "I'd never do that to you." He promised. "Believe me. Stefan was a monster even by Auradonian terms. I would never think to rob you of… any part of yourself. I meant what I said in my vows. If you ever are hurt, it will never be by my hand."
Mal smiled. "Thank you." She said softly.
Ben took her hand. "I mean to make reparations." He murmured. "It won't be easy, but it will be worth it; you are worth it." He stopped when he saw the color filling her cheeks. "I know Auradon made many, many mistakes. I know how evil you think we are. But I'm going to try and usher in a new era, where people like you don't have to be misunderstood and people like Audrey will be more tolerant. I truly believe we can right wrongs. We can change the path we're on and start a new era - together." He waited with bated breath for her reply and couldn't deny he was apprehensive. He wanted her to know he was being honest and that he meant every word with fervor because he didn't know how else to express this growing fire that was exploding inside of him. He'd never felt like this with anyone before - never liked anyone in the way he liked Mal.
Mal didn't say anything. She stared at Ben with her mouth partially open for a few seconds. He watched the gears turn in her head. She took his head in her hands and pulled him to her to kiss him. The pixies squealed and rushed away, giggling and blushing as they disappeared. Since his mouth was a bit open, she bit his tongue accidentally before Ben leaned into her and carefully put his hands on her back. By god, she was amazing.
He liked her. He liked her a lot. Her kisses were something to him that Audrey's had never been and he was absolutely exhilarated. The more she was around, the more they talked, the better they got along, the more he was sure of what he was feeling. He was in love. And that feeling shocked him because love was something that had happened forty years ago when people's lives were in danger and before everyone's lives had gone perfect, magic had been banned, and true love had ceased to exist. But this was something he'd never felt for anyone, and he could only describe it with that dated term: 'love'. He loved her. He was in love with her. He was falling in love with her, more and more. This was like his parents had described to him - true love, thirty years after true love had become scarce in Auradon, or so he'd thought.
After several seconds, they broke away. Ben leaned his forehead on hers. "We can do this." He told her.
"We can." She confirmed. And something in her told her for the first time it was possible. She could do this - with him.
"Ready, set, go." Ben counted back, aloud. There was a flash of silver and the sharp clang of metal. Mal was thrown back onto her rear with a growl as the reverberation of Ben's sword hitting hers sent her tumbling backward. She managed to block him as he took a downward slash and slowly made her way to her feet. She began to force him back with several calculated slashes directed at his legs, arms, and chest. Ben was forced to take a few steps back until his back hit a tree. He quickly blocked her next move and locked swords with her. Mal dug her toes in, but Ben simply slid her back a few inches into the soil.
"Ha, ha." He laughed at her and released the lock. They both rushed at each other, swords clanging and catching the light above their heads as they attacked each other. Pixies and miniature Harpies were hiding in the branches above their heads, letting out piercing squeals every time their swords clanged against each others.
Both Ben and Mal's swords made a horrible grinding sound as they pulled them out of a lock at the same time. Mal took a jibe that Ben was forced to dodge before Ben stomped down on Mal's boot and locked swords with her again. The creatures above their heads went crazy as Mal struggled to keep her balance while Ben edged her into a ferocious backbend that she'd probably feel for the next day. With a little growl, she lit her eyes up. Ben's sword took on a life of its own and flew out of his grasp, landing embedded in a nearby tree. Both he and she lost their balance and collapsed, though Ben began struggling to his feet. "Cheater!" He stuck out his tongue at her.
"You let go first!" Mal rolled her eyes as she stood up and dusted herself off. Ben growled as he went to the tree and yanked his sword out of the back. Silver sap rushed out and almost immediately formed a bumpy resin on the outside of the tree. Ben shook his head and sat beside the tree to begin cleaning it off.
"Look at what you're doing to your Kingdom, Mal." He scolded. "And by the way, you still haven't won. If anything, you're disqualified for cheating."
"You know what we call disqualification on the Isle, Ben?" Mal asked in a sugary-sweet tone.
"Dismemberment?" Ben replied, completely sarcastic. Mal threw back her head and laughed. He frowned. "Wait, was that actually the right answer?" He asked. Mal nodded through her laughter. He grumbled, scrubbing the sap off his sword as Mal continued laughing.
"Well, you lost." Mal chuckled, catching her breath and walking forward to rest a bare arm on Ben's shoulder. "Can I have your sword now?"
"No." Ben shook his head. "You cheated. You can have that sword when you earn it without cheating."
Mal laughed and didn't press the matter. Ben pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the back of his neck down with it. He offered it to her, and she quickly did the same with her face before plopping down in the dirt next to him. "Any tips?" She asked.
"You're still not moving fast enough." Ben scoffed. "I know that's your strategy – move fast and play smart. But you keep getting stuck under the same simple locks." He elbowed her. "What about for me?" He asked.
Mal smirked. "You've got to stop staring at me." She teased. Ben rolled his eyes. "Okay," Mal sobered up a little. "I honestly don't have that much to say to you. I seriously don't know who's better at this point: you or Jay. And I honestly am beginning to think you're just too powerful for me to beat without a sneaky plan in place."
"Or magic." Ben laughed.
"Or magic." Mal agreed. She set her sword down in between her and Ben.
Ben snorted a little. "You did better this time around. I think if you protect your frame a bit more you wouldn't struggle with having to best my strength all the time because we all know how well that's going for you."
"See?" Mal snorted, elbowing him a little. "You need to stop staring at me."
"I'm not staring!" Ben denied. "You just want to believe I am."
Mal hummed as Ben finished picking the worst of the resin off his sword and set it down. They leaned into each other's shoulder. It was midday, and the sun was beating down on them through the trees. Mal yawned. "We should try fist fighting." She told him.
"Absolutely not." Ben immediately declined, letting his eyes drift closed.
"Oh, why not?" Mal asked, sitting up. Ben slid off her shoulder and into the dirt with a smooth thud. He held up three fingers.
"One, you think I'm too strong for you when we're just sword fighting. No way you'll be able to take a fight like that. Two, I don't feel like throwing punches at my wife ever, even if it's so you can prove how Isle you are to me. Three, my parents would murder me." He peeked an eye open. "What's with you always picking fights?"
Mal shrugged. "I guess I always assumed Auradonians would be weaker than I am." Mal shrugged.
"Oh, we are." Ben nodded. "You're powerful. You're just not as strong as us."
"That's kind of what I meant." Mal deadpanned.
"Well, you know what I meant." Ben shrugged. Mal hummed and laid down on the earth beside him. The pixies waved down at them from the treetops. Mal waved back and listened to the world around her. There was the beating of winged creatures overhead, the gentle thrumming of the river nearby, and beside her, Ben's breaths were going even.
Mal rolled over and poked him. 'You going to sleep already?" She asked.
"You wear me out." Ben groaned, rubbing his face. "Can't a guy catch a break?"
"Hmm." Mal hummed, lying back down. Ben put his hands behind his head and they both continued examining the canopy.
"Tell me about the Isle," Ben said suddenly. "What was it like?"
Mal blinked and frowned. "Um, it was dark and polluted. Not much else lives there, besides us."
"What did you like to do?" Ben asked. This time, Mal pulled an affronted face.
"I don't really feel like talking about my kidhood, Ben." She told him. "Why do you want to know?"
"Just want to listen to you talk about something," Ben mumbled. She heard him take a long, slow breath. "You have any friends out there?"
Silence rested on the grove for a few seconds, and then Mal let out a breath. "Yeah, I guess." She nodded. "I didn't really think of them as friends until I came to Auradon and learned the concept, though. We were more like… in a gang together. Us four."
"Were you dating anyone on the Isle?" Ben yawned.
"No." Mal shook her head. "We didn't really… date much on the Isle. It was more like… gang activity."
Ben let out a laugh, and somehow that prompted Mal to smile and keep going. "Harry Hook and I had a brief fling when we were younger. I had a little tattoo on my finger that I later got Carlos to take off. We split when I started hanging with Jay and he went with this girl named Uma instead."
"Sounds like a player." Ben laughed.
"He… kind of was?" Mal shrugged. "I don't know. He's really just the follower type. He adored me, and now he adores Uma, but he's also kissed the son of Gaston once or twice, so I'm not really sure what to think of him." She shrugged. "It's kind of clear he's in love with Uma, but he does play around a bit."
"Charming." Ben yawned. Mal hummed in agreement and rolled over on her side.
"I've been thinking about this a lot, lately," Mal told him. "What do you think we'd be like if this curse didn't exist?"
Ben opened an eye with a deep frown. "You'd be on the Isle." He told her.
"I hope you'd have eventually done something to the Isle but go on." Mal prompted.
"I might have." Ben shrugged. "Maybe I would have brought over some villain kids or gone over to make things better. Maybe we would have met anyways."
"Do you think we'd be good friends, or what?" Mal continued her prodding.
Ben was silent as he moved his head from side to side in thought. "I don't know." He told her honestly. "I was trying to get out of being with Audrey when you came. I don't know if I'd still be doing that or not. I hope I'd have asked you out though since you're pretty great."
Mal examined him; the slope of his nose and his eyelashes as he started to fade back into sleep. "So, you think we'd be dating anyways?" She asked.
"I hope." Ben yawned. "You're nice to be around."
Mal swallowed and laid back down. She heard Ben move beside her. His hand landed on her shoulder and started searching for her hand. She moved her hand to take his, and they laid on the ground, staring at the sky together.
"Do you think we might fall in love?" He whispered.
Mal's mouth went dry. She shrugged. "I don't know if I can." She answered. "That's why I've been letting you lead. I'm just trying to support you. I don't know what love feels like."
Ben rolled onto his chest and, using the hand Mal wasn't holding onto, smoothed her hair back from her forehead and pressed a kiss to her hairline. The feeling was so comforting that Mal closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Me neither," Ben whispered.
Mal squeezed his hand. "You have your parents." She whispered. "Lumiere. Auradon. People loved you growing up."
"And yet I've never fallen in love before." Ben sighed. "I tried, with Audrey and a couple of other girls I dated. But I never did." He continued running his hand through her hair in short, soothing motions. He leaned down as she listened. "I feel something with you, though." He whispered.
Mal turned and stared at him. "Like… what?" She whispered.
Ben met her gaze. "I think you're strong." He whispered. "I think you're funny. I think you're beautiful."
"You think you're, what, starting to love me?" Mal murmured.
Ben nodded. "Yeah." He agreed. "I've never felt like this before."
Mal swallowed. "It's probably just who my mom is." She told him in a sarcastic tone. "You have a thing for the Isle."
Ben burst into laughter. "That may very well be a part of it." He rolled his eyes. "Maybe we can learn about love together."
Mal's breath fell short as she looked back up at him. She felt breathless, wild, and exhilarated. She watched the sunlight filter through the leaves and fall on his hair in beautiful golden colors. Ben threaded his fingers through her hair and leaned down. His lips hit hers in a quick kiss, and then he laid down beside her and continued running his fingers through her hair.
What was love? What did it mean? Mal was filled with a thrill and a sense of wonder. Someone loved her. Someone cared about her. Her breath hitched as Ben pulled her hair away from her ear. They laid together and watched the clouds pass behind the barrier and the trees until dusk fell, and Mal went straight to sleep.
On the day they left, Ben stood by the carriage as Mal spoke with as many of the moor creatures as she could at one time.
"I'll come back." She promised them. "I have to go and be the queen of the Isle of the Lost for a while now, and then I'll come back and be your queen for a while."
"When?" A fairy twittered loudly.
Mal turned to Ben for an answer. Everyone turned to him as well. Ben shrugged. "Mal, you can come back every other month. One month here, one month there." He suggested.
Mal brightened up. "That sounds great." She looked back at the creatures. "Hear that? One month away, and I'll come back next month. I promise I won't let you guys start to decay again."
"Will King Ben come back next time too?" A fae child asked.
Mal shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. He and I will have to talk about it."
Ben, personally, didn't know if it'd be a great idea to leave Auradon in the care of his parents for another month. He bit his cheek and made a mental note to mention it to Mal.
She said goodbye over and over. Fairies flittered in and out of her purple locks. Finally, though, she approached the carriage. As she climbed inside, one of the fae children burst into tears. "I hate Auradon!" They declared. "Queen Mal, please don't go back!" Mal frowned and waved goodbye sadly. Ben climbed into the carriage after her. The carriage began to move very slowly. As they flipped around and headed back down the path, Mal leaned out the window and called out goodbye in a dozen different languages. Finally, though, all was quiet, and she leaned back inside.
"Whew." She said.
Ben chuckled. "It never occurred to me before now... when did you get so good at all those languages?" Ben asked.
Mal shrugged. "During my queenly blessing, I guess. The spirit of the moors, she said: 'Speak', and after that everything just made sense."
Ben blinked. "I seriously can't even understand how you make most of the sounds you do."
Mal shrugged. She leaned into Ben's touch. "Thank you for all of that, Ben. I feel like I learned a lot about myself."
"I'm glad," Ben said. "How much magic do you know now, do you think?"
"Not enough." Mal laughed. She held up a hand and watched with delight as green light spread from her fingertips. She'd learned so much from the fairies… she couldn't wait to share everything. She wondered what Belle and Adam would think. Her smile faded somewhat. After all, it was Belle and Adam who had placed the restrictions on magic in the first place.
"What are you thinking?" Ben asked.
Mal considered how to put her feelings into words. "I'm wondering what your parents will think of me learning magic and being the queen of the moors." She admitted.
Ben took her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "Don't worry about it." He smiled. "It's high time this change is made."
They broke through the barrier and met the rising sun. It was much colder outside the moors than inside. Auradon was in November now. The leaves had all withered away and the nights brought frost creeping over the ground. The sky was a fainter blue. A chilly burst of wind came in through the window. Mal shivered through her clothes. Ben fished under the seat and came up with a blanket, which they wrapped around themselves for the ride back.
"It's almost time for the first snowfall," Ben said. "We better get you back to Auradon."
Mal had forgotten about snow. She'd forgotten about the pretty paper patterns and the exploding can of glitter. She smiled fondly.
"I promised you the first snowfall," Ben said, very serious. "And I'm not going to let you miss it."
Mal sighed. "I'm sure it will be as lovely as you described." She closed her eyes and curled into his side.
I do not own Descendants, Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, Beauty and the Beast(1991 2017), 101 Dalmatians, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, or Peter Pan.