I do not own Descendants, Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Frozen, 101 Dalmanations, Bambi, The Emporer's New Groove, Aladdin, Zootopia, Mulan, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
"Wait," Mal gasped through laughter. She and Queen Elsa were sitting in Belle's library underneath the large window. They were discussing Elsa's fairy tale. "So, she wanted to get married after knowing him for how long?"
"A day." Elsa chuckled. "She met him that morning when she ran into his horse."
Anna, who was sitting over on the couches with Ben, Belle, and Adam, whirled around in scarlet indignation. "He hit me; I did not hit him!" She protested.
Mal began to laugh even harder. "Sheesh, tough crowd. I mean, I don't suppose Ben and I are much better, but…" She shared an air high-five with her husband across the room, much to the chagrin of Elsa and Anna, who both began to chuckle and giggle.
"Anyway," Elsa continued as she regained her composure. "I freaked out and told Anna she couldn't marry a man she'd just met. Anna got mad and ripped off my glove in front of everyone trying to argue it was true love and that I couldn't possibly know what that was like. Without my glove, I couldn't contain my unstable magic, and I conjured some pretty lethal spikes and horrified the crap out of tons of people before I fled the kingdom over the fjord. Immediately after I left, the kingdom was cast into winter, and began to freeze."
Mal shook her head and pulled her legs up to her chest. "Tough crowd." She repeated. No wonder Auradon was so cautious of magic.
"Yeah." Elsa agreed. "I fled to the North Mountain, intent on staying up there until the day I died. I built myself a gigantic castle made of ice and I finally felt at peace with my powers because I knew I couldn't hurt anyone." Elsa held up an elegant hand and Mal watched as a frosty snowflake materialized from her fingertips. The air grew a little frosty. Mal smiled and held up a hand of her own. Her eyes lit up as she concentrated, and then small beads of green light appeared and formed into a flower from her hands. King Adam and Queen Belle exchanged cautious, uneasy looks.
"Ooh!" Jessie said from the floor where she'd been playing with several blocks that had been Ben's when he was younger. She stood up and pointed at the flower. "Preety!" She crowed.
Mal chuckled with a bright smile and bent down to press the flower into the four-year old's hand. Adam shuffled his feet back and sat up a little straighter, and Mal's eyes flicked up to examine her father-in-law.
From the far side of the library came a sneeze, followed by a minor explosion. Everyone glanced over to see where Ericka was sheepishly sitting against a bookshelf, skimming a heavy tome about Nordic Legends. "Sorry!" She exclaimed. The walls around her were icy and snow was falling from a little cloud into her hair. Already though, the climate was retreating back into Ericka.
Mal examined Ericka as the twenty-two-year-old tried to stifle a blush. She put a hand on her knee and curled her toes into her shoes. "Do you need a wand? Or some sort of focus?" She asked aloud.
Ericka shrugged. "Never tried." She admitted.
Mal wanted to ask her how her dad's powers were focused, but she had a feeling the question wouldn't be well appreciated.
Mal's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out to glance at the screen and was surprised to see a news article headline with her name in it. Across the room, Ben, Belle, and Adam were already pulling out their phones as well. Confused and insulted expressions froze their way onto their faces.
"What?" Mal asked, aloud.
"This is horse bull," Ben exclaimed, standing up. "Excuse me, I need to look into this." He began to walk briskly to the exit, typing furiously.
"What is it?" Elsa asked.
Mal tilted the screen so the ice queen could read. "As photos of the royal couple with Elsa of Arendelle grace the internet, rumors of Queen Mal's infertility persist." She read aloud. "That's such ridiculousness! Who started this?" She swiped on the notification and went to her news app. As soon as the screen loaded, she was assaulted by beautiful full-color pictures of the day before; Elsa reaching up to take Mal's hand with a bright smile. Ben looking at Mal as she addressed the reporters with a serious, yet happy smile. The most popular were those of Mal picking up little Jessie and holding her hand with a bright, proud smile. More headlines read: "A source close to the palace has revealed that the queen may be unable to have children," and "Queen Mal seems to like kids a lot; but will she ever have any of her own?"
Belle cleared her throat from the couches and began to read aloud: "We have it on good word from an undisclosed source close to the former King and his wife that choosing Mal, of all the villain children, to be a queen was anything short of a coincidence. 'This marriage is not intended to last.' Said our anonymous helper. 'The palace wanted to demonstrate an act of goodwill to the Isle of the Lost and find an easy way to rid themselves of the downfalling community, so they picked Mal from the Isle based on several characteristics. One of those is that she is completely infertile due to early self-mutilation. King Adam told me himself that they wanted to be sure no small children's lives would be torn apart when Auradon Officials decide to terminate the King and Queen's marriage.'"
Mal dropped her phone in surprise. Adam looked angry. "Why, what – lies!" He exclaimed. Mal swallowed.
"Those are some pretty upsetting claims," Belle said in a hushed tone.
"Early self-mutilation?" Mal asked. "What?"
Belle turned off her phone, looking a little green. Mal suspected the article might go on to describe some fairly descriptive rumors of how exactly that might have happened. She felt trapped. "What should we do?" She asked in between a heavy breath.
Belle shook her head. "Wait." She frowned and glanced to the door Ben had vanished behind. Mal understood. Ben got to call shots on how the official palace addressed the falsities.
Mal exhaled and picked her phone back up. She went straight to the palace website to find the BIG NEWS section flooded with false reports of slander. She loaded her private page up and typed a quick message: "Wow, I didn't know I was infertile. I wonder how I managed to mutilate myself without dying of infection on the Isle of the Lost."
She posted the caption and exhaled. Elsa patted her shoulder in sympathy. She probably knew what it was like to find out someone was spreading lies about herself.
A notification appeared at the top of her screen. It was a message from Ben. She opened her text messages and found his contact. He'd sent a screenshot of a personal social media post by someone Mal recognized very well with the caption: "I bet I know which 'close palace source' started this." She pressed a hand to her mouth and took a deep breath.
A post by Princess Audrey Fanning read, "I don't know what exactly was going on in the months before Ben and I broke up, but it's clear even to an outsider that their marriage was kept quiet while being rushed ahead. I think it's very possible that this could have, in fact, been a last-minute decision on behalf of the palace to show how good Auradon was to the Isle. On the subject of Mal being infertile, I think it's equally plausible. People tend to treasure what they can't have. Why else would a villainess (Or even a daughter of one) become so happy whenever children are present such as when she stopped outside her wedding and yesterday with Queen Elsa's daughter?"
Mal turned off her phone. "Audrey's supporting the claims." She sighed.
"Oh." Belle made a disappointed face.
"It's fine." Mal sighed, hugging her legs to her chest with a deep frown. "I know I'm not, so it doesn't matter what she says." She set her jaw.
The door opened to the library. Ben reappeared with Lumiere behind him. "Mal." He called across the large room. Everyone stared at him as he beckoned. "I need to borrow you really quick."
Mal untucked her legs and stood up. "I'll be right back." She told Elsa. "You needn't worry."
She walked past everyone, taking a second to glance at Ericka, who now was reading a book on famous magical spirits. Ben held the door open for her as she slipped outside.
"Is this about the reports?" Mal asked as he shut the door. Ben sighed as he let his hand slip off of the wood and turned towards her.
"No, mademoiselle," Lumiere said in a hushed tone. He was clutching a grey paper in his hands. "A report of danger has come from the Great Forest."
The Great Forest? Mal turned to stare at Ben. "Is that where…?" She trailed off
"Bambi's family rules there now." Ben rolled his eyes. "It's its own island. That's where all the sentient creatures in Auradon, like Cinderella's birds and mice, come from. We don't really go over there much."
"Right." Mal decided not to question how a deer retained ruling rights when Beast, an obvious predator, took over the reins on Auradon. Or even how they'd managed to get a message to Auradon.
Lumiere wrung his hands. "An entire island disappeared into the sea two hours ago."
Mal blinked. "It just… collapsed?"
"A monster was spotted off the coast," Ben whispered. His brow was furrowed. "Something unidentifiable, large, with tentacles. The island shook, and then was dragged down into the sea."
Mal stared at Ben. "How big was the island, exactly?"
"Smaller than the Isle," Ben assured her. " Maybe the size of the palace grounds. Uninhabited for the most part. The Kuzkonian empire, Agrabah, and Zootopia all sent reports of seeing it fall, though."
Mal put her hands in her jean pockets. "So, why are you telling me this?" She asked calmly.
"I… wanted your advice," Ben mumbled. "What do you think we should do?"
Mal exhaled and shifted her weight from foot to foot as she thought. "Alert possible swimmers in the area?" She suggested.
Ben laughed. Mal gave him a look, and he shut up. She continued. "Yeah, heighten coastal protections and keep an eye out for it. If possible, send professional divers down to examine the sunken island to gather more information on what it was." Mal suggested, and hesitated. "Is there any chance they could bring me back like, a rock they know it touched for sure or something so that I can see if it's magical? Because if so, do that."
Ben nodded. "Okay. I see your points, and I'll ask about bringing any samples back to the palace. It'd have to be within reason though. My worry is we can't defend outright if we don't know what it is. I say we also send a patrol boat out to ping the ocean floor using radar and see if they can locate anything using that technology."
"What if they find it?" Lumiere asked.
"Closest empire to the forest in the Kuzkonian Empire. Kuzko's is a bit, ahem, dramatic…" Ben trailed off.
"Sassy?" Lumiere added, smirking a little. Mal raised an eyebrow. Sounded like her kind of people.
Ben nodded. "Yes. I'm not sure what long-range weaponry they'd have." He put his hands into his pockets.
"Well, Zootopia is also nearby. They're a coastal city, so wouldn't they have a navy?" Mal asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Ben nodded again. "They would. I wish I could send the Auradon imperial navy to take care of the problem quickly, but it'd be a three-day trip around the continent, and then to mobilize them..."
The moment those words left Ben's mouth, a black feeling welled up in Mal's chest. She pressed a hand to her sternum and swayed on her feet. The feeling felt… evil. Masochistic.
"Ben." She drew his attention. "You should send the Navy."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Why? It'll take about a week for them to get up there, and I'm sure that the Zootopian forces will be more than enough."
"No." Mal protested firmly. "You need to send them up now."
Ben wrinkled his nose. "Why?" He asked. "Zootopia's navy should be more than up to par."
Mal's eyes flashed and Lumiere took a step back, eyeing Ben to see what he'd do. Mal balled up her fists. "Ben, send them north. We're going to need them soon. Please, just do it. Don't forget, you owe me one. You said name your price and I want the navy in the north to protect the cities up there."
Ben stared at her strangely and pinched his lips together as if he were solving a puzzle he wasn't sure he liked the answer to. He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I'll look into the matter and see if they're needed, but I'm sure the Zootopian forces can handle it until then." He turned to Lumiere. "Thank you for your help. I'll send word immediately."
Lumiere nodded and took that as a sign to take his leave down the hall. Ben turned to Mal. "I'm sorry to pull you out, but I needed a third person's advice and since you're queen I thought – are you okay?"
Mal swayed on her feet. Ben took her arm to hold her up. "I-I feel sick," Mal mumbled. "But, not ill. Just… foreboding."
Ben stared at her for a few seconds and then patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. I'm sure everything will be fine. They'll find it, and it'll all work out."
Mal wasn't quite so sure, but she trusted Ben to do what was right in the end.
"I have something I need to ask you," Ben mumbled against his pillow as soon as he knew she was awake. Mal had just let her eyes drift open and was stretching her feet out as she yawned.
"What?" She asked, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and getting up to glance out the foggy window. It was raining today, but she had to make a trip to the Isle to finalize building plans and make sure everything was completed before she allowed new citizens into her city. She began mentally preparing an outfit – thick leggings, boots, and a waterproof coat – and suddenly remembered with tremendous guilt her gifts for her Isle friends that had never gone over and had never been delivered. She realized what they were missing – an invitation. 'Please, come see me in the city. I can't wait to tell you about everything.'
"Where did you get your speech from?" Ben yawned, rolling over and staring at the ceiling. His shirt was twisted a little around his arms.
Mal shrugged. "I dunno. I just started talking and tried to not mess up." She stepped into her closet and shut her door. "Why?" She raised her voice a little as she began to pick out a warm pair of socks and a thick shirt.
"I've never heard you talk about Auradon like that," Ben called. She heard his side of the bed creak, but there were no footsteps, so she assumed he'd just sat up and started looking at his schedule on his phone. "You, ah, usually go on like you hate us and we can't do anything right."
"Considering that you guys isolated the moorlands, created the Isle, and then also taking into account your friends alone, aren't I justified?" Mal asked.
"My friends aren't usually that bad." Ben sighed. "Chad, well, I'd like to see him with a broken nose at the moment. Not even going to lie. And Audrey needs to leave you the living daylights alone. But Jane and Lonnie and Aziz are chill."
Mal opened the door and walked to sit on the edge of their bed. Her hair felt like a jumble of rope or twine. She stifled a yawn. "Why are you asking about my speech?"
Ben skimmed her outfit over the top of his phone and then returned his eyes to the screen. "It was just really good. You know, I wouldn't have really expected that of someone with your background."
"From the Isle?" Mal asked flatly.
Ben gave her a patronizing look. "You know I mean that in the best way possible." He reminded her. Mal rolled her eyes and sulked a little – even though she knew the feeling he was trying to convey. "I mean, it's not like I could be put on the Isle and know the background and all the rules and what people like to hear right off the bat. You're good at relating to Auradon's level of thinking."
"Quit while you're ahead," Mal suggested, sliding off of the covers and opening the adjoining room doors. She wandered into the bathroom to find a brush and then began to return to the bedroom for her phone. Before she could re-enter the room, she heard Ben let out a defeated groan. "More crazy news stories?" She asked and began to walk to grab her phone. Ben had finally swung his legs off of the bed and was glaring at his phone screen.
"No." He sighed. "Well, yes, but no. I just… I double-booked myself again today. I need to reschedule my meeting with emergency services before they start to head up here."
Mal wrinkled her nose. "I have to head out to the Isle." She told him. "But if you need, I can stall so I can cover for you."
"Absolutely not." Ben scoffed and shook his head. He pressed a number on his phone. He raised the phone to his ear, still facing away from her as Mal's hands dropped to her sides and she stared at his back incredulously. "Hey, is this the Emergency Services department?" He began, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, thank you, this is Benjamin Benson, from the palace. I was hoping we could reschedule by about… two hours?"
Mal continued frowning at his frame, hooking her fingers into her belt loops. Several conflicting emotions filled her. She thought she'd done okay? Sure, there had been that scene with Chad, but for the most part, people liked her. Was there something special about Emergency Services that she wasn't allowed to cover for that meeting? That it had to be the king there?
Ben finished his call with a "Thank you, see you in a few hours." He ended the call and shook his head. "Someone should keep track of me when I'm sleep deprived. I obviously can't make any legible decisions."
"We ought to get you a secretary," Mal grumbled dryly. Ben turned and furrowed his brow at her tone. Mal sat down on her side with a sour look.
"What?" Ben asked, turning back around and raising an eyebrow at her.
"What's with your 'absolutely not'?" Mal snapped. "I thought you said I did good?"
Ben blinked and looked taken aback like she'd just spun him in a circle twenty times. "You did do good. But I told you. I'm not going to ask you to cover Auradon again." He reminded her.
"I'm getting two very different messages here." Mal sulked.
"It's not you – it's Auradon." Ben rolled his eyes and leaned across the sheets to put a hand on her cheek. "You did amazing. Your speech was fabulous. Everyone was really impressed with your humor and your swordsmanship. You really gave the people a glimpse of how amazing you are. But people don't respect you, and it makes me angry. And this isn't a public event, it's an actual sit-down meeting where we're going over all the accidents that have happened in Auradon this past year and we're reviewing emergency policies and possibly arranging for additional funding. They're not going to respect a seventeen-year-old girl from the Isle of the Lost who doesn't even know Auradon's emergency number. And you're just going to get angry because of the different situation you grew up in."
Mal narrowed her eyes at her feet. She didn't need to know Auradon's emergency number – she could just tell someone else to page an ambulance or law enforcement or whatever. And there was probably a button on her phone that would do it… somewhere. She felt Ben drawing in to kiss her cheek and stopped him with a hand. "So, it's because of my age and the fact I grew up on the Isle?" She asked.
Ben seemed to sense he was in trouble. "It's not the Isle so much as there's no way I could possibly explain everything you'd need to know before my first meeting." He glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed.
"And my age?" Mal asked, grinding her teeth a little.
"What about it?" Ben asked. "None of those forty-year-olds want to be bossed around by a twenty-two-year-old, let alone a girl who's seventeen."
"And from the Isle?" Mal reaffirmed.
"Hey," Ben tried, sighing. "Come on, you know what I mean."
"Am I always just going to be the girl from the Isle to you?" Mal snapped irritably. "Is that just my entire persona to you?"
"Aren't I the boy from Auradon to you?" Ben challenged half-heartedly. "But for the record, no. It's just that's where you come from. It's a part of you."
"But isn't all of me." Mal pointed out.
"Never said it was." Ben tread carefully. He examined her sour expression and sighed. "Hey, listen, I have to go. Can we talk about this later? I didn't mean to make you angry. Can we just forgive and forget and talk about it later?"
Mal sighed and nodded half-heartedly. Ben exhaled in relief. "If you wait for me, I'll walk you down to breakfast." He suggested.
Mal shrugged without a response, so Ben got off the bed and disappeared into his closet. Mal unplugged her phone and drummed her fingers on the dark screen, simmering a little bit as she listened to him get dressed. She slipped it into her pocket with a swallow. She didn't move when she heard the knob click and only closed her eyes when she felt his gaze land on her. There were footsteps, light and cushioning as he walked across the room on the carpet, and she felt him bend down beside her. Deep, dark silence stretched out like a moat between the two of them. Mal felt like she might as well have been back on the Isle for all the divisions that were suddenly between them. She didn't dare open her eyes.
Ben put his hand back on her cheek in a moment of stillness. Her brain must have missed a brainwave or something, because, in the space of about half a second, his breath was on her mouth. She inhaled a little of his morning breath and leaned back. "Maybe we should talk about this," She snapped, getting up and taking a step towards the window. Ben blinked in surprise. His hair was still messed up(and her brush was on the bed, forgotten), and he'd gotten dressed in, of all things, a suit. Mal narrowed her eyes. Prissy pink princess and perfect princes. She didn't see why Auradon would think they were all that when they had two expectations.
"Talk about…" He trailed off cautiously. The careful tone of his voice made everything even worse. What, was she some sort of bomb?
"You know I'm going to leave, right?" She reminded him with a flash of her eyes. "You can't keep me here. As soon as that spell is broken, I'm going to leave and all of this," She waved her finger back and forth between him and her, "Will end."
Ben flinched. Badly. He looked away from her as if her image suddenly caused him pain. "I know." He mumbled. "I'm not going to control you."
"No, you're not." Mal agreed with angry, unintelligible tears filling her eyes. "You can't keep me here with… movies and strawberries and car trips and…" She sniffled and wrinkled her nose.
Ben glanced back over at her and opened his arms. Like a fool, she dropped to the floor and buried her face in his chest. Gosh, he'd gotten her to move back to him so easily. And she couldn't pull away as he started rubbing little circles with his nails on her back. It was like her joints were locking up to force her to remain still as she was breathing in some lingering cologne that he'd sprayed on yesterday and relishing the feeling of his muscles under his shirt.
"I'm going to leave," Mal repeated hopelessly. "And this will all end. The snow kisses and Christmases and… joking about you on national television." Ben's grip tightened on her arms at her words. "And the phone calls and-" She broke off, finally. Her throat was too tight to continue as she forced herself to picture it. One day, she'd leave this room for the last time. That would be it. They'd see each other for meetings occasionally. They'd exchange glances and she'd know that he was reminiscing about when they'd been married and when they lived together. He'd shake her hand, maybe touch her shoulder, and nothing else. She'd spitefully call his favorite alcohol a brandy just to watch him pinch his lips and maybe he'd have a glass every once in a while to remember her by.
Her throat was so tight she could barely breathe, and her nose felt like it was broken since it was stinging so bad. She inhaled slowly and it was as if the room had suddenly filled with water. She was about to cry and yet she couldn't get away from him. How could she expect to leave the palace if she couldn't even get out of his arms?
That was the thought that did it. She pushed him back a little and fell back on her tailbone, hurriedly wiping her eyes to stop the tears as she took deep breaths. Ben leaned towards her with an outstretched hand and she stopped him. "Don't," She gasped. "Don't touch me – don't kiss me." She knew she wouldn't be able to get away again.
"Do you really want to leave?" Ben asked softly.
"I'm not staying." Mal snapped. She felt like she was waging an entire war inside of her. On one side, her desperation to not be trapped and her wish to get away and be free. And on the other, the reminder of what a relief it was to come home to him.
"But is that what you want?" Ben asked, even firmer.
"Are you trying to guilt trip me?" Mal demanded. "I told you, I'm not staying!"
"I didn't ask if you were!" Ben snapped, reaching forward and taking her jaw. "You've kissed me before. You've wanted me before. You've missed me. And I don't know what's going through your head – do I even mean anything to you? Were you just caught up in our lies to Auradon? Because I could have sworn for a second that you cared for me."
"Care for you? I'm from the Isle!" Mal snapped, batting his hand aside. "Why would I ever care for a prince who spent his whole life in a palace with wonderful parents and friends and-"
"It sounds like you're trying to figure out where you stand." Ben scoffed.
"I know where I stand!" Mal insisted. "I stand with those on the Isle and in the moorlands. You know, the people your country suppresses."
"And yet you can preach a sermon on how Auradon college kids are going to grow up and be our next heroes." Ben pointed out with a bland tone. Mal's eyes lit up in fierce rage.
"So what if I can?" She hissed, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. "They might grow up and be honest people. I believe in change."
"So do I, and I think you've changed." Ben declared. "Because that Isle girl who climbed out of the palace limo last July would never have let me kiss her like you've been letting me the last few months. So tell me now: Do you really want to go?"
The silence intensified. Ben and Mal locked gazes, staring each other down. A hot feeling was burning in her belly and her fists were balled up so tightly her knuckles were going grey.
The small, rational part of her head that wasn't bent on trying to come up with a witty response to launch back at him was whispering. 'Do you really think you can leave now? After everything? Won't you miss him even a little bit?'
Ben took her face with both hands and leaned towards her a little. His eyes flicked down to her mouth. "I don't want you to go." He admitted. "You've got to tell me – swear to me – that you'll be happy if the curse is broken. You'll be happy when the time comes for our last kiss, and the last time we're in a room together, and the last of the secrets. I want to see the honesty in your eyes. So tell me how excited you are to get away. Tell me you can't wait for your freedom." He leaned in more, and there his breath was again. "Tell me you don't care about me, even a little." He whispered and leaned into her frame. Mal's head landed against the nightstand and there it was, that kiss he wanted. Her hands stopped shaking and her head cleared a little before her heart shriveled in her chest.
So that was it then. Was it already too late? When had they actually crossed the line where they'd never be able to truly say goodbye? She'd never even realized. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away. He stared at her, waiting for her response. She sniffed and turned away. "Please – get out." She snapped, covering her face up.
"I – what?" Ben asked, clearly confused.
"Get out!" Mal broke down. "I don't want to see you anymore! I don't want you around me! Just get out and – and don't come back!" She pulled a pillow off of the bed and flung it at him before she got up.
"Mal, come on," Ben tried to stop her by grabbing her hand, but she pulled away. She was so, so dangerously close to tears.
"Don't touch me!" Mal demanded. "Don't kiss me, don't hold me, I don't want to do anything with you right now. Just leave!"
Ben held his hands up in acquiescence, but his backing off didn't feel like a victory. On the contrary, it felt like a failure, and he knew it. Mal shook her head, scrubbing at her eyes, and turned away. "You have your meeting soon." She reminded him and left the room. Her heart felt like it'd been rendered into at least ninety pieces. Magic-infused tears were leaving green marks under her eyes. She opened the door and heard a gear sliding. She pointed to the source of the sound and Ericka's latest prank exploded in a collection of gelatin, ice, and sled pieces that were designed to take her straight down the hall. There was a long pause, and then Ericka herself looked around the corner in stunned surprise. Ben walked out of their bedroom and came to see what the noise was without a word.
"Are you…okay?" Ericka asked slowly.
Mal scoffed and turned to stalk off down the hallway. She listened to Ericka approach the remnants of her prank as Ben let out an inhale. "Sorry," He whispered. "She's… angry at me." He let out a sigh. "Just... teenagers."
"Geesh, man, good luck," Ericka mumbled. Mal clenched her fists together and hurried away faster before anything else could happen.
After she returned from the Isle, Mal disappeared to her old room for a few hours as she thought through her feelings. A plastic baggie full of strawberries was hidden in her jacket pocket, which she ate one by one as she looked at the dust that had settled on the bookcase and on the desk. Her phone used to charge here, and the balcony was high because Belle and Adam had been worried she'd escape. The bath supplies had been moved upstairs with Mal, but the room was otherwise unchanged.
Mal opened up the now-empty closet and sat down just inside the door like she had when she'd first come and had a panic attack. She shut off the light and closed the door so all she could see was the natural light coming in through the glass to the balcony and turned on her phone. She went to the castle page and typed up a status update.
"We have people crowding outside of the city and wondering if we're done yet. Honestly feel like I've done a good thing."
After a while, she opened the closet and walked out through the glass doors to the balcony. She hadn't really used the balcony a lot when she'd lived in her room, and now she was given so much freedom the idea of it was kind of funny. She went to a corner of the balcony and used the corner where the railing connected to the wall to edge her way up and on top of the railing.
Down on the grounds below, Mal spotted Sophia and Stewart walking towards the front entrance of the castle together. Sophia had a basket under her arm that looked like it held mail, and her other hand was held by Stewart. Mal watched them walk until they faded out of sight. She smiled. They were cute.
Mal took a photo of the balcony from where she was sitting and put it on the castle web with the caption: "I don't really open up on my feelings about Auradon much, but here's something that cracks me up a little. When I first came to Auradon, Belle and Adam weren't quite sure what I'd be like. They put me in a room with a slightly higher balcony. The idea was that I would be less likely to run off and wreak havoc, even though it's only about a little taller than I can reach and there's plenty of moveable furniture in the room. I guess they felt a little better even though it'd have been easy to get out if I wanted."
King Adam immediately liked her caption, which made Mal's face turn a little red.
She scrolled a little through Belle's reading list and Adam's political opinions before she looked at what Ben had been posting lately. Since he'd become king, his page had started mirroring his father's a little more, but there was still the occasional cheesy 'We are amazing' essay. She'd noticed that, as the months had gone by, Ben was less 'We are great' and more 'We will be great'. She was proud of him for looking for places to improve, even though at this point in time it made her feel incredibly guilty.
A text post on Ben's page caught her eye. She smiled as she read it.
"My mom's posts are all: I loved this book, this one was okay, and I LOATHED this one. And Dad's are: My son is doing a great job running this country and all you who don't agree with him can go screw yourselves. Then mine: Guys we can do this if we stick together and start by working out small problems like theseeee.
"And meanwhile, Mal, who runs two countries herself, is posting about her everyday random thoughts and taking selfies with all the servants and her best friend Sophia.
"We're so different, guys."
She chuckled and started scrolling through the comments on his post.
"Belle's reading list is fantastic! She and I have such similar thoughts!"
"That is actually the perfect way to describe King Adam's page."
"Queen Mal's page is one of my most favorite places. She's so uniquely random and it's great."
"I feel like I visit the current Queen's page more than any other place on the interweb."
Mal's smile faded a little as she read: "I really like Queen Mal's page, but she acts more like a girl than a queen. Sometimes I flip through her posts and realize exactly how young she really is. I mean, she posts pictures of candy, messy hair, and her beau. Not exactly a country leader."
Mal scrolled to her page and typed up a second post. "People are hard. Emotions are confusing. Tell me again why I can't just eat strawberries and ignore problems?"
And then she stared because, despite everything, she was still proving people's assumptions about her correct.
The door from the hallway opened and Mal turned over her shoulder. It was Ben. He hesitated as he looked across the room at her and swallowed. "Am I allowed in?" He asked.
Mal shrugged and turned back to the screen in front of her, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders. "It's your room too." She mumbled.
"That statement sounds like a trap," Ben mumbled. He walked up behind her and glanced at her setup. She'd taken control of the couch, the coffee table, and the TV. The box of videos was open at her feet, a large pitcher of water and a half-empty glass were sitting in front of her, and she was curling miserably into the cushions. "Is that Maleficent?"
"Technically, it's Aurora." Mal shrugged, twisting the top off of a strawberry. She watched the young child onscreen wander closer and closer to the cliff. The scene cut to a woman with killer cheekbones sitting next to a hyperventilating raven. "That's Maleficent." Mal nodded to the screen.
Ben nodded at the figure onscreen. "Does she look anything like-"
"No." Mal shook her head. Ben flinched as the sound of a child falling off of a cliff echoed from the speakers before he watched a branch grow to save her. "Nah, Mom wore black lipstick and her face was way smaller than the lady who's playing in this. And anyway, according to the moorpeople, this scene never happened. Maleficent didn't give a crap about Aurora while she was growing up. They never interacted."
"So which movie is actually correct?" Ben asked, frowning as he leaned on the back of the couch.
"Neither." Mal hummed. "And both, in certain ways." Mal paused to bite her strawberry as she continued thinking. "There was lots of confusion because after Stefan died the first time, Queen Leah had a story and Maleficent had a story and everyone in the kingdom had a story and Aurora had absolutely no clue what was going on."
Ben nodded along to her words. "And then she became queen and-"
"Not for a few years." Mal cut him off with a shake of her head. "Leah was in charge and she was very… vocal about everything? But Maleficent did make Aurora the ruler of the moors. She'd explored there a lot as a child. Most of Auroria thought Maleficent was dead and she was sick of being hunted by everyone, so she passed her responsibilities on and stepped back until, of course, Auradon came along to ruin things for her."
Ben hummed. He disappeared from behind her for another few seconds and then returned. He reached over her head and set down a large plastic container in front of her. Mal blinked and furrowed her brow. "What's this?" She asked and cracked the lid open.
"A peace offering," Ben replied sarcastically. Mal snorted when she saw a pile of strawberries hidden under the lid. In the corner of the box was a sealed container of what looked like sugar. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."
"Well, I snapped at you." Mal sighed. She paused the movie and moved her legs before gesturing to the vacant spot. Ben walked around the couch and sat down. Mal held out her container to offer him a strawberry. He shook his head with a laugh.
"No, no, that's your gift." He told her. Mal hummed as she picked one up and twisted the stem off. He cleared his throat. "But, um, here is my apology. I'm sorry I brushed you off, I'm sorry for jumping down your throat and kissing you and making you cry."
"I didn't cry." Mal frowned. "I don't cry. There were no tears." She narrowed her eyes and dared Ben to challenge her. He didn't. She sighed. "Well, I kind of need to apologize too. I shouldn't have started picking fights about things that don't really matter."
"Don't matter?" Ben repeated with a frown.
"Yeah. I mean, it's your kingdom. And you'd already had everything figured out." Mal shrugged.
Ben put his hand next to hers on her leg. His face was masked over with a puzzled look. "And everything else?" He asked.
Mal shrugged. "Well, it's inevitable, right? Eventually, the curse will be broken." She hesitated. "But I don't know if we'll change that much. I mean, you'll be the only member of the royal party again and I won't live here, but I think we'll always be friends."
"Friends." Ben nodded, leaning back into the couch.
"Best friends," Mal affirmed, though her mouth felt dry.
Ben didn't say anything. He moved his hand back, off of her leg. They locked eyes. Mal swallowed a little. "You don't agree?" She asked.
Ben shook his head and clasped his heads together. "No. No, you're my best friend. Without a doubt, you're the only person I'm allowed to talk with."
Mal blinked slowly. Ben glanced towards the TV as if he wished she'd start it back up again and sighed when he realized there wasn't a chance. "It's going to be weird when you're not around." He sighed. "I'll miss you." He met her eyes as she put a fist under her chin. "You already know I love you." He whispered.
Mal curled her toes up and swallowed. "Ben… I can't…"
"I know." Ben sighed. "But my feelings shouldn't stop you leaving. I'll be okay." But his voice cracked, and he looked away, and Mal felt another dark cloud descend over them.
"Maybe they won't break the curse." Mal sighed, picking at a thread in the blanket. "What then?"
Ben combed his fingers through his hair. "I don't want to steal your life away but… we can't live without each other." He glanced over at her. "Maybe if the curse side effects could be contained. But if you spend too long away from me, you'll turn…" He trailed off.
Mal leaned her head back against the bars. She tried to imagine a life where the curse was never broken. It didn't honestly seem that different from her one right now until she considered that they'd only grow older. One day, someone would have to have the future heir of Auradon. Right now, that someone looked like it'd be her, and that terrified her.
"What does it feel like to be in love?" She asked in a dead tone. Ben's mouth crooked up at the corners.
"Amazing." He whispered. "I feel like I could do anything. And I feel… supported. Like, I know you won't go behind my back."
"I thought love was supposed to make you weak?" Mal asked.
"Does your love for the Isle make you weak?" Ben asked.
No, it most certainly did not. Mal nodded thoughtfully and reached a hand towards him. He took it and squeezed her palm to his. "I guess it doesn't make sense to talk now about it." She mumbled. "No one knows when – or if – they'll break the curse." She swallowed. "I guess I'll just plan on staying until the option opens up that I can leave."
"It doesn't make sense to pack everything up and wait for a day that may be years away." Ben nodded in agreement. "What about… us?"
Mal shrugged. "I guess we go on as we've been?"
"So, talking, joking, hugging, and kissing are all okay?" Ben asked, counting off on his fingers. Mal nodded without a sound as her cheeks turned a tiny bit pink. Ben let out a long breath and stared at her. She blinked softly.
"Is there something else?" She asked in a small whisper.
Ben swallowed. "I – there's been something on my mind." He admitted. "But I don't think it's the right time for me to talk with you about it. Maybe later."
Mal turned her head to the side as a deep red tone set into his cheeks and he looked away. "Okay," She mumbled. Ben cleared his throat.
"But, there is something else on a different note." He straightened up. "I wanted to ask you about that magical thing you learned to do at the moors. I wanted to see it but we've both been rushing around."
Mal flinched and glanced back towards the door. It was shut. She exhaled. "Yeah, I can show you." She agreed. "But… it's different. Makes me more like my mom than I thought."
"Can you turn into a dragon?" Ben asked, frowning at the size of the room.
Mal shook her head. "No, or at least not that I know of." She pushed the blanket off of her legs and cleared her throat. She brushed her hair back and her horns appeared, growing out of her head. "You already knew I could do this," She began with a little sigh.
Ben smiled and leaned forward, wrapping a hand around the base of one of her horns. The black color made the purple seem more vibrant. "Wow." He told her, trying to ignore that fire that had erupted like an actual volcano in his chest. Oh, she was so cool. Oh, she was so cool. Mal chuckled and decided not to say anything on how engrossed he looked. "You don't even have to focus anymore." He whispered as he ran a thumb up and down her horns. The black surface was textured and warm to the touch.
Mal shrugged. "Yeah. I actually tend to wear them normally when I'm in the moors. But, the fae also taught me how to do… something else." She took Ben's hand from where it was wrapped around her left horn and instead placed it in between her shoulder blades. "Don't freak out." She cautioned.
Ben had a feeling he knew what was coming. He spread his fingers out on her shirt back.
Mal's t-shirt covered her entire back. But as Ben let his hand rest just inches under her neck, he noticed that the shirt started to recoil underneath her shoulder blades until two neat holes had formed. Two lumps formed on Mal's back, which quickly expanded. Ben withdrew his hands and leaned back as he watched two large, beautiful wings begin to grow and stretch into existence.
"Wow." Was all he could say. Mal chuckled nervously and moved her wings out so he could see the full girth and volume of them. They were almost twice as long as her normal arm-span on either side and soft and feathery, like her mom's had been. They were also a royal shade of purple, just a little darker than her hair, which Mal had moved in front of her shoulder before she'd let them grow out. They were longer than they were wider and extended from just below Mal's shoulder blades. They were tall too, slightly longer than her torso and stretching over her head.
"That's wicked cool," Ben said softly.
Mal laughed. "Wicked, you say?" She asked, turning to face Ben. She withdrew her wings so that they wouldn't hit him as she moved, and Ben was amazed to see how the wings curled up behind her arms so naturally, almost as if they were meant to go there. They looked like a gigantic coat that she was using as a cloak. She leaned back into the couch and anyone who walked in would have been excused for thinking she was leaning against a feathery pillow or blanket.
"That's amazing." Ben sighed. He stroked the length of one of her wings and was pleased when Mal shivered. "You can feel that?" He exhaled, and then put two hands on the wing. Mal shook.
"Yeah. My horns have no feeling, but my wings are sensitive. I'm told the more I use them, the less sensitive they'll be." Mal smirked at his awed expression.
"Can you fly?" Ben asked. Mal stood up and extended her wings before she gave them two incredibly powerful flaps that lifted her a few feet off the ground. Her pitcher slid back a few inches.
"I once flew along the river for a few hundred feet," Mal said as she came back down and sat beside Ben. "I can't do big distances yet."
"And that'll help you get away from the palace more?" Ben asked.
Mal shrugged. "I need more practice, and I need to know Auradon won't freak out." She took another breath and Ben watched as both her wings and her horns disappeared. The rips in the back of her shirt mended themselves automatically, and suddenly Mal was back to normal. She pulled her blanket back up around her shoulders.
Ben shook his head and put his elbows on his knees as he ran his hands through his hair. Mal raised an eyebrow. "What?" She asked.
Ben shook his head and stood up. "I, um, I'm going to get some air."
Mal deflated suddenly. "Do you not like them?" She asked, standing back up.
"No, no." Ben smiled and put his hands on her shoulders. "They're amazing. I'm kind of jealous, really." He took his hand back. His fingers were trembling with exertion. "I'm just going to take a quick walk." He swallowed.
"What did I do wrong?" Mal asked. She twisted her hands together. "You look… flushed."
Ben exhaled. "You did nothing wrong." He promised. "It's just me. I promise."
"Ben." Mal took his hand from his side and tilted her head to try and get him to look at her. "Talk to me."
Ben met her eyes. Mal felt all the air changing around her. He put his hand on her side and pulled her snug into his side with a whoosh. Mal put her hands on his shoulders to stabilize herself as he freed his other hand from hers and set in on her face before he brought her mouth to his.
Mal closed her eyes. She and Ben opened their mouths against each other's and they slowly fell back onto their couch. He was on top of her, carefully keeping his hands on her side and on her neck, and his frame was so tense she wondered how long he'd been wanting to do this. His mouth left hers and went down to her jawline, where he kissed the skin there before finally dropping onto her neck. "I'm going to stop." He promised, pressing more kisses onto her.
Mal gasped a little for breath before Ben withdrew onto his knees on the ground. She sat up and took his head. "What is it?" She asked. "Why now? What's going on?"
Ben closed his eyes, breathing heavily. "I'm okay." He mumbled, closing his eyes.
"You're so clearly not it's horrible." Mal protested. "Talk to me. Really. What's going on?"
Ben kept his eyes closed, leaning into her touch. "You're electric." He whispered. "I just… want more of you."
Mal wrinkled her nose at him as he pulled out of her grasp and stood up, turning away. "Just… don't worry about it. I'm a grown man. I'm not going to go crazy." He chuckled and ran his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry about kissing you like that. I wanted to-"
"Don't be," Mal mumbled. Ben nodded and turned to walk away. He didn't even make it around the couch. "Ben, what do you really mean? Are you talking about time or…" She stumbled off on the end of her own sentence.
Ben shook his head. "No." He sighed, resting a hand on the back of the couch. "No, no. Mal, I want you. I mean…" He couldn't get the words out.
"You want to lie with me," Mal mumbled. Her skin felt like ice as she twisted her hands. "That's it, isn't it?"
"Yeah." He admitted, letting his shoulders slump a little. Ben exhaled and turned back towards her, bracing his hands on the couch. He seemed to be debating what to say. "Where do you think we are?" He asked finally, as Mal felt goosebumps arise on her skin. "As a couple. What do you think?"
"Ben, I am not ready to answer that question." Mal gasped. "I – you – my – I can't."
Ben nodded. "Of course." He agreed. "I mean, after everything and this horrible situation, of course. Not to mention Chad and Audrey. It's way, way too much pressure."
"I feel like I'm dating you, not like I'm married to you," Mal admitted. "I'm surviving entirely short term because anything long term about this scares me." She waved her finger between him and her. Ben nodded along to her words. "I mean, there's a difference between falling asleep with you when there's still a foot or two of space separating us and sleeping with you, and that's just a line that I don't want to cross."
"I don't expect you to." Ben nodded. "And listen, this doesn't have to change us. I'm not going to move on you at all." He exhaled and made to turn around before he paused and turned back around. "If the curse is never broken, though, one day we'll have to make a decision."
Mal's veins filled with ice. "I understand." She told him and reached for the remote. She twisted it around in her hands as he hovered anxiously above her. Ben kissed her cheek quickly, leaving a warm mark on her cool skin. He started to leave the room. "Twist the handle up instead of down!" Mal warned. "Ericka triggered her next prank on the lock." She heard the door open and he slipped back out without a word or a sound. Almost all of the servants had been caught up in the war, but Mal and Ben had remained almost completely unscathed.
Mal swallowed, feeling a little sick as she started the movie and curled into the couch a little bit. The sun was setting outside. He'd have to come back in soon. Looked like her alone time was almost over.
If no change occurred on the spell, she'd stay with Ben. She'd end up sleeping with him. They'd have children together, and she'd have to stick around to raise them even if the spell was broken after that. Permanent. Mal tried to imagine what that would look like. One or two children in preppy Auradon clothes, maybe with her hair and maybe not, probably behaving exactly like him, future heirs to the kingdoms and grandchildren of Maleficent. She tried to imagine Ben touching her, feeling them inside her, and trying to raise them beside him, and while the idea wasn't bizarre or repulsive, she immediately put a bright red mental stamp reading "No" on the pictures.
Mal continued watching Maleficent onscreen and curled the blanket tightly around her chin with her box of strawberries crooked under her arm. She couldn't afford to let this take hold in her life. She had kingdoms she needed to rule and worrying about a future out of her hands wouldn't change anything about it.
Mal dropped her palm down in front of Ericka and placed the bucket of worms beside her on the desk. Ericka slumped back in surprise. "How?" She exclaimed. "I hid it so well!"
Mal shrugged. She'd hid it well, true, but Mal was so hot on the twenty-two-year-old's heels that there wasn't much Ericka could do that Mal couldn't sniff out. "Hey, Ericka?" She asked.
Ericka glanced up with a frown at Mal and Mal noticed green on her fingertips. She reached for Ericka's hand and hummed. "I'll make sure to warn Ben about his shampoo then." She told her. Ericka's mouth dropped open as Mal set her hand back down. "Let's get you out of the palace," Mal suggested. "Want to come to the Isle with me?"
Ericka blinked. "The Isle of the Lost?" She asked.
"Yeah," Mal confirmed. She drummed her fingers on the desk that Ericka was sitting behind.
Ericka stared. "Sure." She finally said. "Let's make it a party." She moved the worms aside a few inches with a sigh and then stood up. She followed Mal out behind the bookcases in the library, where she liked to hide and scheme, and they began to head to the doors. Belle was lying on the couch where Mal had blown up the glitter can and focusing intently on a book. As they passed, Mal gave her mother-in-law a quick hug around the shoulders. "Bye, Belle." She whispered as she withdrew.
"Bye, sweetie," Belle said distractedly. She patted Mal's hand as she focused on her book. "Be safe." Mal's cheeks felt warm as she withdrew and headed to the door.
"So, what's your secret?" Ericka complained as they hiked through the corridors to the entrance hall. "I'm literally almost out of tricks. You always seem to see things coming. Is it some sort of magic spell?"
Mal laughed. "I've never had anyone ask me that." She explained. "No, it's not. You just have a very distinct train of thought that I picked up on rather quickly. I can watch what things you notice and then deduce what pranks are coming and when. Among other tricks."
"Tricks that you're not going to tell me?" Ericka asked glumly.
"And give you tips to take me down?" Mal laughed. She opened the front doors and Ericka slipped out with a sigh. Mal followed her out.
Ben was sitting out on the porch steps when they ventured outside. He turned to smile at them when he heard the door open. Mal brushed her hair out of her eyes and exhaled a little bit. At his feet was a large tablet and several papers. "Hey." He greeted them, keeping his eyes on her face as she walked up.
"You doing work outside?" Mal asked as she nudged one of the papers and craned her neck. Her smile quickly faded. "Oh, I see." She nodded sympathetically. On the screen was Audrey's social media profile.
Ben chuckled and moved the tablet aside. "Yeah. I guess dealing with a real piece-of-work constitutes as working, right?" He sighed. "I wrote a letter in an email to both Aurora and Phillip. Aurora's flat-out embarrassed, but Audrey won't back down. She said: 'until you can provide proof against my statements, I retract nothing.'"
Mal rolled her eyes. "We could just share how she was acting last February. Two can play at the shame-game." She replied as she crossed her arms and leveled her gaze at the driveway, where Stewart was waiting for them.
Ben gave Mal a stern look. "No, we won't. You know better." He reprimanded.
Mal scoffed and kicked Ben's shoe lightly as she took a few steps down. "What are you, my mother?" She asked.
Ben rolled his eyes and stiffened his back. "Here, let me try…" He cleared his throat. "Mal, before the sixteenth hour fades on this bright day-" He began in a dark, over-boding tone.
"Shut up." Mal rolled her eyes with a smile. It was sort of endearing, but overall weird to see him try to mimic Maleficent. "And I'll be back around seven, not four, sorry." She leaned down to ruffle his hair and started to walk to where Stewart was waiting to escort her to the Auradon bay
"Wait!" Ben whined as he got to his feet. Mal paused and set her hip at a sarcastic angle as he quickly got to his feet. He stepped toward her and bent down to steal a quick kiss. Mal obliged him for a few seconds and then backed away half-a-step with a smirk. "What?" Ben asked with a raised eyebrow at her expression, breathless.
"Nothing." She responded, reaching up and brushing his shoulders off as if there was some sort of imaginary dust stuck to them. He looked pretty cute with the sunlight hitting him like that. "Someone just had eggs for breakfast." She smiled before she tapped him on the nose and began to walk away.
"See you tonight!" He called from behind her.
"Bye honey!" She teased, turning and fluttering her fingers at him. She heard him chuckle as he sat back down and figured he was blushing a little. She let out a little breath. Nothing had changed. It was just her and Ben. He may be feeling a little intense on her, but that was okay because she trusted him to hold off. They were still on the same page with each other.
Elsa had been in the gardens with Jessie. As Ericka and Mal made it to the car and Stewart opened the door, she appeared. Ericka waved at her mom. "Mal's taking me to the Isle." She explained. "I'll be back around seven."
At the mention of the Isle, Elsa looked a bit disproving. Her eyes skimmed Mal, however, and she nodded. "Be safe." Elsa cautioned with a frown. "I love you."
Ericka rolled her eyes a little. "I love you too, mom." She said quickly before she ducked into the car.
Mal couldn't understand how Ericka could be so nonchalant about her mother's love, but she supposed it must be different to have grown up with that kind of support. Still, Ericka should realize that her mom wouldn't always be there to back her up. She shrugged it off as she climbed inside the limo and took a seat near the driver's separating window, so she could bug Stewart. Ericka climbed in and sat opposite her.
To be honest, the limo kind of brought back bad memories. Of course, this time Stewart would listen to her if she decided to stop or anything, but it still was a little uncomfortable to relive all the bad memories she'd pushed to the back of her head. Mal rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans.
"So, how long is the drive?" Ericka asked, reaching to raid the limo's supply of candy.
"Two-hour trip," Mal replied sympathetically. "We'll get there around ten. I have a DVD player and some movies if you want to watch with me?"
"Sure." Ericka shrugged. Mal handed the DVD sleeve to Ericka as the car began to move. Immediately, Ice spread out on the cover. Ericka sighed and waved it a little to get it to start to thaw as the climate retreated into her skin. When it was gone, Ericka opened it to reveal rows and rows of compact, plastic colored discs. "Do you have my mom's movie?" Ericka asked as she began to shuffle through the different varieties.
"I do, actually. I'm hoping to catch up." Mal chuckled. She bit her lip and asked: "Does your dad's magic ever act up like that?"
Ericka wrinkled her nose. "We don't talk about my dad." She reminded Mal and hummed. "Mom's movie is cool. She becomes queen and doesn't have a love interest. They're going to do a sequel on the time she left Arendelle too here pretty quick. It'll be awesome - she already showed me this wicked clip of her trying to rush against an ocean. Also, you figure out exactly how powerful she can be when she tries. My favorite princess is Pocahontas, and after her, Mulan."
"Any particular reason?" Mal asked, skimming the visible discs to see if she could spot either of the two names.
"Pocahontas nearly had her head smashed in and Mulan almost died, but they both pulled through because they're that awesome." Ericka nodded. "Want to watch Frozen there and Pocahontas back?"
"Sounds lovely." Mal agreed as Ericka picked up the disc player. She unrolled the dividing window between Stewart and them and leaned on the window frame to smile at him in the rearview mirror. "Well, this is familiar, isn't it?" She asked.
Stewart laughed at her. "Oh yes, a situation in reverse, for sure."
Mal turned to gesture to Ericka. "Ericka, this is Stewart, Stewart, this is Ericka. Ericka, Stewart is the man who brought me to Auradon before he walked me down the aisle and consequently start dating my best friend. Stewart, Ericka is a visiting princess who's accompanying me to the Isle, believe it or not."
Stewart pushed his shades down on his nose to wave at Ericka in the backseat. "Good morning." He greeted.
"Morning." Ericka yawned. "So, what's the plan for today?"
"Well," Stewart started as he put his right turn signal on. "Normally, we would use the barrier activator to summon the magical bridge to the Isle, but that happens to take us straight into villain territory. So, instead, you'll be taking a boat directly to the construction zone. Then, I'll be here when you get back."
"What are you going to do while we're gone?" Mal asked, half watching Ericka mess with the player and half watching Stewart maneuver traffic.
"Send kissing emoji's to my girlfriend while I watch videos on your movie player," Stewart replied with a smile. "What else would I do?"
Mal laughed. Stewart turned onto a busy road and announced: "I'm going to roll up the window now, so I can focus on driving."
"Okay." Mal nodded. "Talk to you later." She waved. Stewart gave her a lazy salute as he pushed his sunglasses back into place and reached for the button to roll the window up above his head. Then she leaned into the chair and examined the screen tactfully as the movie ads finished playing.
"So, what exactly are we doing today?" Ericka asked, setting the screen down in her lap.
Mal drummed her fingers on her knee. "Actually… I need to pay a visit to the unfinished portion of the Isle. Just briefly, though." She glanced at Ericka to gauge her reaction.
Ericka examined Mal and then rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever you decide." She hummed.
Construction had turned out better than Mal could have ever imagined.
Large white concrete walls had been erected with curved edges to keep out intruders who thought they could climb the structure, even though the new barrier blocked them out anyways. They were tall, so nothing could be launched over them, and thick enough to be walked upon. They sheltered a gigantic expanse of an area with woods where there were no inhabitants save small birds and woodland creatures, a small rocky expanse with a newly purified water spring, and a long beach stretching down by the coast, which had since been purified by Auradon rescue workers and the Moorish plants as well. Large areas of soils and plants remained damaged, but when Mal brought Moorish citizens over next month, all should be fixed. A small area had been cleared in the center of all the buildings; this and a road paved with grey, brown, and white stones. Three types of white buildings with no outside paint and minimal inside furnishings were set on either side of the streets. There were large, tall apartment buildings and small, modern houses for families to reside in aside from a number of places for small businesses to begin. Nine streets, Forty dwellings of different sizes and shapes, and nine business locations. Twelve high-density housing complexes rose up into the sky. Everything was white, unpainted, and undecorated. Mal hoped once people came to live here, they'd spruce things up individually.
Ericka followed her around, teasing people and telling jokes, but when Mal went to meet the construction team, her partner went silent. A large part of the crew was originally from Auradon, but a great part nonetheless was obviously Isle. They were dirtier than the normal crew, with dark eyes that naturally shied away from light and a slightly foul odor. When they saw Mal, their faces lit up in wonder and worry. A couple of familiar faces poked out at her, but none of them were her friends.
"Hello." Mal started. "How is everyone today?"
Silence, though everyone shifted their feet and nodded pleasantly. Mal shrugged. "That's fine. I want to thank you each personally for helping out here and explain what I'm planning to do. I don't want to have any secrets between us." Mal pulled her tablet out of her bag. "I've already arranged to have you paid for what you worked per hour. If you're Auradonian, you'll be paid in Auradon dollars. If you're Isle, it's a little more complex, because I'm planning on starting a new currency."
Mal produced a card from her pocket. It was purple, with her name in raised digits on the side and two nicks in the side, a triangle and a square. "I decided it's a bit much to expect villains to not raid and pillage each other in this new utopia, so this will prevent your currency being stolen because I'm going to use magic to tie your card to you personally. If stolen, it'll reappear. Only you can use it. It'll be on record with my government systems that you have a card, and you will have to pay a yearly tax for the first few years until the Isle is self-sufficient and a card becomes an automatic right. Having one gives you the opportunity to live here in this city I asked you to build, gives you the right to vote and make improvement suggestions to me, and makes it so you can recover property in the event it is stolen. If you choose to have one, I'll also allow you an apartment in the city, but you will have to pick a profession. You can't pick an apartment and live off of stealing anymore. This is an opportunity for the Isle to heal, not become lazy." Mal tucked her card away in her pocket. "Of course, if you decide to not receive a card, you'll be paid in standard Isle currency. Does that make sense?"
The Auradonians had tuned most of her explanation out, but the Isle workers looked at her with soft expressions. Finally, someone spoke up in the back. "What about the rest of the Isle?" They asked.
"They'll have the opportunity to choose too." Mal nodded. "I'm just giving you time to think for a while on what you want. I don't have the cards for everyone yet, but you can expect them around the end of June if you want them." Mal pulled her notebook out and set it on the table. "If you already know what you want, you can scribble your name down with your decision for the new or old currency. And, if I may, construction isn't going to stop here. Once more people are in the city, they'll be free to use their cards to buy new plots of land and build their own houses. There'll be houses, businesses, and entire towns where stealing and crime is almost impossible because we'll know where everything comes from and where it goes."
One boy with a long scar across his nose raised a shaky hand. "Will we be able to go back and forth between the wall and the rest of the Isle?" He asked.
Mal bit her lip. She'd known this was coming. "Technically… yes. Your card can't be stolen, and you can't enter the city without a card. You're free to go back out and in at your leisure. But… the Isle has always been particularly bloodthirsty. I cannot be responsible for your well-being at this time if you choose to go back and forth. Eventually, we will have protection and a legal system that all will bend too, even those on the rough part of the Isle."
"Won't this eliminate the entire purpose of the Isle?" Ericka asked as she sat near Mal. "I mean, Auradon sent the villains here as punishment."
"The villains will stay put," Mal said. "This is mostly for those who never had a choice. Those who did or those who still hold onto evil intentions will remain. However, they will have to abide by rules, or I will become…" She chose her words carefully. "Fiercer."
"Fiercer?" Ericka asked.
Mal sighed. "There are certain crimes, like murder, that once we have our justice system up, I will not hesitate to assign a death sentence to." A stunned silence fell over the room. The death threat had never been used; not even when Auradon was sending people here. The Isle kids exchanged looks.
Mal exhaled. "Being from the Isle doesn't have to be bad. This is our chance to prove we're not the forgotten bygones of Auradon's glory days. We're hard workers. We're thrifty and clever. Give it a few years and I'll change people's entire lives. There'll be schools, there'll be houses. People will be able to feel the sun and explore hobbies and passions. Growing up it was unlucky to be born here, and what I want to do is I want to make people feel like it's good to be unlucky because now, for the first time, we have our shots at happy endings." She looked around the room at her proteges. Most of them were in their early to late teens, some even older than Mal. They had families and friends outside, but it was clear Mal's words were appealing. She was promising both safety and change.
A young boy stood up on thin legs and hobbled carefully to where Mal had put her notepad down. Mal moved out of the way and resisted the urge to look over his shoulder as he wrote. When he left again to sit down, Mal dared to glance at what he'd written. York Tyler, 15, card, profession to be decided. Mal let out a breath. More people stood up. Not everyone chose a card, and some people were clearly indecisive, but they had time to decide. The architect had given Mal a list of everyone's names, so she knew who she needed to pay. Those who didn't want to take her offer yet would leave when the Auradon construction crews left – the barrier would ensure it.
A supply boat had brought sandwiches and punch for a finishing celebration. Mal and Ericka stood nearby as all the workers lined up first for a sandwich and then some drink. Wherever Mal noticed young teens wrapping up their sandwiches for later, she took an extra to them. Ericka sat down beside the architect and listened to his stories of all the things that had happened in the last few months. Her eyes were bright, and she was entranced by the stories. "Not much happens in the palace." She told Mal. "I'd much rather be out in the open. Everyone thinks I'm irresponsible because I don't like paperwork, but I'd just really like to run around and be around people, you know?"
As one-thirty struck, people began to leave for the outside Isle once again. A magic gateway kept careful track of the workers who were still allowed to go back and forth.
"What now?" Ericka asked as Mal pulled out a jacket from her bag. It was her old Isle garb, a little tight around the chest and biceps now, but still as threatening as ever. Long Live Evil was sewn by Evie's careful hands into the back, and the layered zippers made for an asymmetrical work of art.
Mal picked some dirt off the ground and brushed it into her long, smooth hair without saying a word. Ericka stared. "You're kidding, right?" She deadpanned.
"You can stay here, or you can come with me." Mal offered, rubbing a little above her eye. "If you come with me, you'll have to be a bit undercover."
Ericka retained an emotionless expression as Mal carefully ruined her hair and makeup before she looked at Ericka for approval.
"Okay." Ericka sighed. "Can you help me out?"
"Gladly," Mal said. She used a little bit of magic to change Ericka's light-blue dress into dark leather and used a little more to give her ripped fishnet leggings before she and Ericka carefully dismantled her Mom's traditional braid. They used more dirt to shade her eyes and finally took a few minutes to laugh at themselves.
Mal was surprised by how comfortable she felt in her old Isle garb. It was a little tighter than she remembered, but she could still pull it off like it was as simple as a new look instead of a new personality. It occurred to her that maybe she hadn't left all of her Isle behind when she'd started to adopt Auradon.
They snuck out behind the last of the Isle kids. Upon smelling the outside Isle air for the first time, Ericka began to cough. Mal wrinkled her nose, but it was familiar to her. Spoiled milk, old socks, pollution. She pressed onward. Through the dismal forest, across the bridge where Mal had hidden after her mother revealed her plan, and into the city. They reached the old streets where Mal used to run and strayed around the crumbling buildings. Mal led Ericka through the streets on a quick goose chase before they paused for breath in a clear alleyway. Around them were several metal fences and a sign reading: 'Beware of flying rocks'.
As Ericka wheezed and tried to catch her breath, Mal picked up a rock. She twisted it around and around in her palm.
It was a Thursday, around two o'clock in the afternoon. No one would be in the hideaway unless they were skipping school. If they weren't, Mal could leave her presents and her friends wouldn't know until much later. If they were there… they could betray her to her mom or they could let her go. Mal wondered what they thought of her after everything that had happened. She bit her lip as tears filled her eyes. She tried to imagine what they'd say, but nothing came to mind.
She tossed the rock at the sign, and the hidden doorway swung up. Ericka raised an eyebrow as Mal turned and invited her up. The girls stalked up into the upper rooms. Mal waited for half-a-second at the door to compose herself and then opened it. Cold air and paint fumes rushed out, but not a sound escaped. Mal looked around the edge of the door. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw a familiar face with long hair and a sleeveless vest, but it was just the mural of Jay staring into her soul.
Their hideout was empty. The murals that Mal had created so many years ago were still up, though Mal noticed that one wall had been… disfigured. She frowned and stepped closer as Ericka left her side and began to explore. Photos of her in Auradon had been posted everywhere on it. And among them, many were of Ben. Her wedding day… her recent event at Auradon Accelerated… and even some photos she had taken of herself and shared on the interweb. Mal put a hand over her mouth. All of the pictures of Ben had been disfigured. Some showed him with red horns and black eyes, and others his head had been disconnected from his body by tearing meticulously at his neck. One had a giant 'x' across his face. A dartboard that she'd always imagined was Uma's face had a picture of Ben taped to it and had been slashed at so badly Ben's right eye was missing. Mal felt goosebumps creep onto her skin. "Oh my." She whispered.
"What is it?' Ericka asked, turning and examining the wall. Her mouth dropped open. "Is that… Ben?" She exclaimed, stepping over Evie's sewing machine and walking towards the dartboard.
"They've got everything wrong." Mal gasped. "Oh no. They hate him and they don't even know him."
"Why would they hate Ben?" Ericka asked. "He's awesome. Doesn't have a bad bone in his body."
'They think I'm trapped'. Mal deduced. 'They see him as having kidnapped me.' She exhaled. "I don't know." She lied to Ericka. "They probably just… miss seeing me?" She shook her head, and Ericka nodded and wandered back to where she'd been.
"These are amazing," Ericka stated as she examined the murals, ignoring the anti-Ben wall. Mal could scarcely rip her eyes away from their doodles of Ben with 'x's for eyes and missing limbs.
"Thanks," Mal exhaled as she took her presents and placed them on each of her friend's beds, glancing cautiously at the wall. "I wonder if I could do better now." She fiddled with her last gift, a letter, and put it carefully on Jay's bed. Jay was her oldest friend. He deserved the contact the most. Mal closed her eyes for a moment and imagined him reading it. 'Come to the city,' it read. 'Come see me. I have so much to tell you about. You'll never believe how kind and fair the palace has been. Ben especially is so supportive of everything I want to do and be. You'd like him a lot, Jay. Maybe he'd actually be a decent partner for you in swords.'
Mal hoped her friends got the message that she didn't want Ben murdered. On the contrary, really.
"You did these?" Ericka asked in awe.
"Yeah." Mal nodded and turned to look at the giant portrait of herself. She looked so… young. She pulled out her phone and took some photos of her old work. It was interesting to her. Maybe she'd show Ben. As she checked the photos, she thought she saw a movement underneath Carlos's bed. She jumped and whirled around, but there was nothing there. Carefully, Mal got to her feet and peered underneath the mattress. There wasn't any dust - Evie made sure of that, and only a few twisted pieces of electronics were there. The ceiling above creaked and made her flinch, but as far as she knew there wasn't any way into the walls.
There was a loud crash outside that sounded like it was a few streets away. Someone screamed in the distance, and Ericka flinched. She stared at Mal with wide eyes. Mal winced. "Common occurrence." She assured Ericka. "Hopefully it doesn't happen anymore in a few months. I'd go check it out if I were on my own, but I need to get you home safely to your mom."
Ericka nodded. Mal sighed. "Let's get back. Ready to go?"
Ericka walked out the door without an answer, so Mal chuckled and followed her.
As they came out onto the street level, a street urchin with patches on his elbows and knees rushed past. Ericka jumped back like she'd seen a ghost when she saw the gigantic scab that covered half his face. Mal set a hand on her shoulder. "Walk." She commanded. Ericka did so, and they quickly headed back to the utopian area.
Up in the room, a figure in red, black, and white fell down from the ceiling with a huff, clutching his chest like he'd seen a ghost. He dashed to the window and peered out cautiously. There was no sign of purple on the streets down below, but he couldn't deny what he'd just seen. Not when the proof was still sitting out on their beds. That had been Mal. That had been Mal out of the palace. She'd had an escort, a blonde girl, but she'd been mostly alone. And she had been shocked by their wall. She said they had it all wrong…
Carlos slumped against the wall, gasping for breath a little. He couldn't believe that had happened. Right in front of his eyes too. He also couldn't believe she hadn't caught him when he'd dropped that knick-knack underneath his bed from the ceiling, where he'd jumped when he heard the grate slide open since he'd wanted to surprise any intruders.
His head was spinning as he stared at her offerings. Were there any double-meanings there? Or was it possible that all that time, they really had been wrong?
No, not a chance.