Okay guys! Here is an update of Two Worlds.
Some sad news for a bit... After April 17th I will not be writing until school is over which may be over a month. I have a two projects for my microbiology class and I need to get that done before I write. I am sorry in advance, but I am going to try to get a new chapter of Descendants: A Different Tale and Missing Pieces up before then, but I will definitely have Different Tale updated.
Tracie Adams: you know what happens lol!
Agdahl.M: Thank you for reviewing! I appreciate every comment that my stories get and I can't wait until I am able to post more during the summer or fall!
brimason0201: Thank you very much! They are indeed assholes, but I hope you will like what I have planned for them later in chapters. It may be good or bad... maybe... we'll have to see
Guest: okay :D
Shayeh923: I don't remember if I updated it before your comment, but it is updated :)
Guest: it is on the list/
ENJOY!
The next morning, Ben woke up to the sun beaming on his face. He slowly opened his eyes to see light seeping through the window. He smiled when he remembered yesterday's festivities, and then turned to look for Mal. He turned his head and found Mal curled into his side, with her hair splayed over a pillow. She looked like an angel, Ben thought, and she was his. He turned onto his side, before he leaned down, gave her a kiss on her temple, and ran his fingers through her hair. Mal's eyes started to flutter, and she smiled up at Ben when she saw him.
"Good morning," she said as she stretched her arms up. "Did you sleep well?"
"I slept very well," he said as he smiled down at her. "How about you?"
"It was one of my best nights of sleep I ever had," she told him, making his cheeks flush red. "What time is it?"
Ben turned around to look at his phone and saw that it was almost 9 in the morning.
"It's almost 9," he said as he turned back to his wife, and propped himself on his elbow. "We'll be leaving around 11. So that gives us about 2 hours to get ready, eat breakfast, and say goodbye to our friends and family."
"Okay," she said as she stretched her arms up. "Do you want to shower first or me?"
"Or," he said as she looked up at him. "We could kill two birds with one stone."
Mal shook her head and laughed, before she threw the blanket over her head. She didn't know why she was embarrassed right now. They were married and they had sex last night. Why would a shower make any difference?
"We can't take forever," she said as she threw the blanket off of her and over his head. "So if you want to, you have to hurry," she teased before she jumped out of their bed and ran toward their bathroom.
Ben quickly threw the blanket off of him and chased after his wife. He caught her hand by her wrist, before he scooped her up, making her wrap her legs around his waist. Ben crushed his lips to hers, holding her head with his hand as he carried her to the bathroom, and kicked the door closed behind them.
Ben and Mal walked downstairs, hand in hand, ready to have breakfast with their friends and family. They heard laughter coming from the dining room, and then they saw everyone smiling and enjoying their time. They made their way in, and were quickly spotted by Ryder.
"Good morning, newlyweds," he said, making everyone turn to see Ben and Mal walking into the room.
"Good morning," Mal said as let go of Ben's hand to give her parents a hug. "How was the rest of your evenings?"
Ben gave his mom a kiss on the cheek, before she responded to Mal.
"It was very nice," she said as she sat back down in her seat and Ben walked over to his seat. "A very quiet evening, until Lumier and Cogsworth started going at it," she said as she looked at the two best friends.
"Well, if Lumier would have helped instead of demanded, things would have gone a lot smoother," Cogsworth said as he looked over at Lumier.
"And if I did demand things we would still be cleaning right now," Lumier said as he raised an eyebrow at Cogsworth. "You overgrown pocket watch," he said with a smirk.
Cogsworth was about to snap back, but Jane stopped him.
"Daddy, stop," she said as she stood from her chair. "Uncle Lu, you too."
"Yes, mon cheri," Lumier said, before he stuck his tongue out at Cogsworth. "Now, where will…"
"Good morning," Audrey said as she walked into the dining room with Chad in tow.
Everyone looked at the pair in confusion as they took a seat at the table. They knew Chad would be here this morning, but they did not expect Audrey to be here as well.
"You stayed?" Uma asked as she looked at the princess with a weird look.
"Yes," Audrey said. "Incase anyone needed me or if anything happened."
Mal rolled her eyes at the comment. She knew Audrey was implying that Mal was going to do something bad to Ben now that she was queen.
"Princess Audrey dear," Maleficent said, making Audrey look at her with wide eyes. "Are you saying you stayed here because you were afraid Mal would do something to harm Ben?"
"Well…"
"Because that would be a rather inappropriate accusation," she added. "Especially since they are married now."
Audrey didn't know what to say. She was surprised, because Maleficent responded to it, but she was also shocked because of her calm nature.
"I do not know what you think or were told about us 'villains'," Maleficent said as she straightened her posture. "Though I do have a feeling of what you were told of me, but if I could give you a small bit of advice. There are two sides to every story, so don't focus on one when you haven't heard the other."
"No offense, Maleficent," Audrey said as she looked at the fae. "I…"
"Elder Queen Maleficent," Ben said, cutting Audrey off. Audrey turned to look at him in confusion just to see he was giving her a stern look. "My mother-in-law is the former queen of the Moors. Therefore you should address her as such. She used your proper titles, so be as respectful as she is to you."
Audrey looked even more taken back. She knew the right side of the story. The story her papa would tell her almost every night before bed. She knew who Maleficent was, and she wasn't going to listen to it.
"Audrey didn't say she stayed here for Ben," Chad said, making everyone turn to him. "She stayed with me last night. Is that a problem?"
"No," Jay said as he shook his head. "It's not a bad thing to finally move on and let Ben and Mal be happy without trouble from the both of you."
"You know what," Chad said as he stood up from his seat.
"Chad, sit down," Mal said as she gave him a scolded look.
"I don't have to listen to you," he snapped back, making Hades, Ben, and Adam stand from their seats.
Mal stood and placed a hand on Ben's, letting him know that she had this covered. "I really hate doing this, and I would hate to prove one of your points right, but I am queen," she said as she glared at him. "This is my home, and you are being rather rude. So, please sit down so we can all enjoy our breakfast."
Mal sat back down with Adam, Ben, and Hades following her actions. They were proud of Mal for standing up for herself. Chad kept standing with his face turning red. He wanted to launch at her for talking to him like he was beneath her.
"Chad," Ben called, making the blonde prince look at him. "Are you going to act appropriately or do I need to escort you out?"
Chad sat down and glared at Mal just as she started to glare at him. They both knew that they were never going to get along, but Mal was not going to do anything to prove him right. Chad was just going to have to get used to being wrong.
"Like I was saying," Lumier said, breaking the awkward silence that was filling the room. "Where are you both off to for your honeymoon?"
Mal turned to Ben and planned to smile a pleading smile to him, but saw him shaking his head already.
"Come on," she begged. "Please?"
"No," he said as she turned to look at her. "You will know in… 5 hours."
"Not fair," she said as she slumped in her chair. "Now I'm not giving you your ring back."
Mal sat up in her chair and grabbed her index finger to feel that his ring wasn't there anymore. Her heart started to pound in her chest because she thought she lost it.
"Looking for something?" He asked as he held his hand up to show her that he had his ring.
"Where…"
"I found it on the floor this morning in our room," he said as he gave her a ha ha smile. "It probably fell off you while we were sleeping. But nice try," he said as he looked back at his hand to see his crest ring was gone again.
"Now," Mal said, making Ben turn to see her looking at her hand. "My dear husband. You should know better than to trick me." Mal looked and twisted the ring on her hand before turning to look at him. "Because you know I'll always out trick you."
"That's my girl," Hades said, making Mal turn to smile at her dad.
"We'll see you in a month," Maleficent said as she hugged Mal.
They were leaving for their honeymoon and Maleficent and the others were leaving for the Moors. Evie, Uma, Carlos, and Jay were saying goodbye to Ben and Mal's friends, while everyone else was loading things back into the limo.
"It's going to be a different Christmas this year," Mal said as she pulled away from her mother.
"It will be indeed," Maleficent said as she cupped Mal's face. Maleficent looked at Mal with such admiration. She couldn't believe what a life Mal was going to have, and she knew her daughter was going to do great things. "I cannot wait to see how bright you shine, my little fae," she said, making Mal smile at her. "Now, hurry along. Your husband is waiting for you."
Mal nodded before turning to see that Ben was talking with Anthony. She was surprised at first, but then saw the two exchange a hand shake and a smile. She didn't know what they were talking about, but she was thankful that Anthony wasn't making Ben mad.
"Get home safe," Ben said to Anthony as Mal walked up to them.
"We will. Have a good honeymoon, and we'll see you in a month," Anthony said before he gave Mal a kind smile and walked over to his mom, sister, and grandmother.
"What was that about?" Mal asked as Ben snaked his arm around her waist.
Ben shook his head. "He was just saying thank you for letting him come to the wedding and for coming to Christmas with everyone else."
Mal looked at Anthony with a confused look. He had never really been that nice, other than to his family, but it was a change in him that Mal was very curious to see.
"Are you ready?" Ben asked, pulling Mal out of her thoughts.
"Yeah," she said as she nodded her head eagerly.
Ben moved his hand to lace his fingers with her and walked them over to a large Jeep instead of a limo. She was really confused when she saw their bags in the back, and Ben pulled a set of keys out of his pocket.
"You're driving?" She asked as he opened the side door for her.
"Yes," he said as she got in and he closed the door. He walked around to the other side. He opened the door and climbed in.
"Ben!" Ryder yelled as he ran toward their car. Ben lowered his window, just as Ryder hopped onto the step. "You got everything?"
"Yeah," Ben said as he nodded his head and turned to look at his friend. "Thanks for everything again," Ben said, making Mal look at him with a confused look on her face, but then she looked at both of the boys with a state of shock.
"Wait! You know where we're going," she said as she pointed at Ryder. "Okay Fitzherbert. You…"
"Well, would you look at the time," Ben said as he punched Ryder away from the car and started to roll the window up. "We better be off."
Ben drove down the driveway, and they waved at their friends and family, as they left the castle grounds. It wasn't a long journey, but Mal had fallen asleep an hour into the drive while her fingers were still laced with his. Ben turned down a dirt road and Mal woke up when he dove over a rock, making her jump.
"Sorry," he said with a chuckle as he rubbed her leg. "It's a bumpy road from here."
Mal sat up and looked at her surroundings. They were driving on a dirt path that came to a stop when the road ended and Ben turned the car off. Mal was confused. She turned to look at Ben, and saw he had a smile on his face.
"Where are we?" She asked. He smiled at her, before pointing to the stone wall that was cascaded in green vines. "That in no way answers my question," she told him.
"Come on," he said as got out of the car.
Mal got out of the car and walked around it to find Ben holding his hand out for her. She took it with a little hesitation, because she didn't know if he was playing a joke on her. He led them closer to the wall and stopped when they were less than a foot away. Mal was even more confused, but Ben kept smiling. She looked at him and then back at the rock wall. He nudged his head before he took a step forward letting himself be consumed by the vines. He pulled Mal with him and she was shocked to see that they were now standing in a small little cave-tunnel.
"What?" Mal asked as she froze.
Ben chuckled at his wife's loss of words. He wanted to take her on a journey, and he wanted to make sure that this was going to be a trip she would never forget. He led her through the cave, and walked out onto a clearing that was nothing but a couple of hills that led to a tower and there was a waterfall at the other end of the clearing. Mal was in awe. She thought this place was beautiful, and it reminded her of the Moors.
"What do you think?" Ben asked.
"Where are we?" Mal asked as they walked down the little path that led to the tower. "This place is absolutely beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it," he said as he pulled her close to his side and as they walked up to the large tower. "I wanted to make this special for you because this is our first trip together."
She smiled at him, before pushing herself up on her toes and gave him a kiss. He led them down the path, and Ben watched as Mal looked all around her. She had no idea where they were, but she was so excited to see what else Ben had up his sleeve. He walked them over to the tower and unlocked the front door, before he scooped Mal up in a bridal hold, making her laugh. When they got to the top of the tower, Ben placed Mal on her feet as she started to look around. There were paintings all over the walls, and Mal didn't know where to begin to look.
"Ben," she said as she looked around the room. "This is amazing."
"Do you know where we are?" He asked as he walked over and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"No," she said as she shook her head.
"We are in the Kingdom of Corona," he told her as she turned to look at him. "This is the Kingdom of Queen Rapunzel and King Eugene. Or, as you said before, the Kingdom where the Queen paints everywhere."
Mal's eyes shot open wide. She had always wanted to visit this Kingdom, but she could never remember what the Kingdom was called.
"Shut up!" she said in excitement. "You remembered that?"
"Yeah," he said as she turned to look up at him. "I remember because that was the night we accidentally fell asleep in your room. I told you that Ryder's parents were King and Queen, but you fell asleep and didn't hear me. I asked them if it would be okay if we used it for our honeymoon, and they were more than happy to say yes."
She looked at him with a loving smile. She never could figure out how she had gotten so lucky to have been put into this situation. Sure, their parents decided that they were to be married, but it was their choice to fall in love. She loved him and never wanted to lose him. She gave him a big kiss, taking him by surprise, but he quickly fell into the kiss until they both needed air.
After they got comfortable, and got everything from the car, Mal asked about the tower.
"Yes, this is the tower Rapunzel grew up in with Mother Gothel."
"I would have thought that the King and Queen would have had it destroyed," Mal said.
"That's what Ryder's dad wanted," but Rapunzel wanted to keep it. "She told him that even though this was her prison all her childhood, it was still her home. So they kept it as a sort of living memory."
"That's really nice," Mal admired. "It would be like if your parents destroyed Beast Castle. It's the good memories that you make that matter."
"And I can't wait to start making new memories with you," he said, before he gave her a small kiss.
"Thank you," Mal said as she pulled away from him. "What do you want to eat, because I am starving."
"We can eat lunch in town," Ben said. "We need to go grocery shopping anyway."
"Okay," she said as she took the last of their bags to the room at the top of the tower. She quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater, before making her way downstairs to meet her husband so they could shop and explore the town.
They made it into town, but Mal pointed at every mural or painted wall that she saw. It made Ben laugh to see her excitement, and he was hoping she liked the surprise he had for her later.
"We don't need 4 boxes of strawberries, Mal," Ben said as he looked at his wife putting a bunch of strawberries into their grocery cart.
"Benji. Benji. Benji." Someone said from behind them. They turned around to see Ryder standing behind them with a bag of apples in his hands. "We have known Mal for almost a year now, and we know to never come between her and her strawberries."
"Thank you, Ryder," Mal said as she smirked at Ben.
"Didn't we see you like 6 hours ago?" Ben said as he looked at his friend with furrowed eyebrows.
"Yes," Ryder said with a cheeky smile. "I am here because mom sent me to get apples for Max."
"I see," Ben said as he nodded his head. "We just came to get some food for the tower, and some other things."
"Good! Mom asked if she should stock the kitchen before you guys got there, but I told her that you might want to do that yourself. So, we just stocked the kitchen with appliances, the bathrooms, and made sure there were extra blankets and towels for the both of you."
"Thank you," they said together.
"And please thank your mother for me," Mal said as she smiled at Ryder. "Her tower is beautiful and amazing."
"I will," he said with his own smile. "And she will probably ask to have dinner with the both of you, if you would like," he added. "She obviously doesn't want to intrude on your honeymoon."
"I think that would be wonderful," Mal said as she looked up at Ben to see he was nodding his approval. "Just let Ben and I know what day and we will be more than happy to have dinner with your family."
"I will," Ryder said as he smiled at the couple. "Now, I will leave you two for your honeymoon, and let Ben have you all to himself," he said as he winked at Mal, making her laugh and Ben rolled his eyes.
"Okay, you flirt. That's my wife," Ben said as he pulled Mal close to his side.
"Calm down, babe," Mal said as she put a hand on his chest. "Ryder was just trying to ruffle your fur."
"You know me," Ryder said with a shrug. "The professional fur ruffler."
Ryder turned, leaving the couple to finish their shopping. Ben and Mal finished their shopping, with Mal getting 2 more boxes of strawberries then she put in the cart. They ordered dinner from a restaurant and picked it up to take it back to the tower, so they would hear a nice dinner with no one potentially interrupting them. After finishing dinner, both Ben and Mal were tired so they went off to bed. When Ben woke up in the middle of the night, he reached for Mal but she wasn't there. He sat up and saw Mal sitting on the windowsill sketching.
"Mal?" He croaked as he rubbed his eyes.
She turned to see him in bed. "Hey," she said as she put her book down and turned to him. "Go back to sleep."
"What are you doing?" He asked, before he got up and walked over to her.
"I woke up to get some water and then started to sketch a bit," she told him. "Go back to sleep."
He looked down and saw she was sketching a picture of them on their wedding day. He smiled before he leaned down and gave her a kiss. The kiss lingered and before either of them knew it, Ben was picking her up and carrying her back to bed for the night.
Two days later Ben was swimming in the small crystal clear pond that was below the waterfall. Mal was getting on the edge with her feet in the water, a bowl of strawberries at her side, and her sketchbook in her hand. It was a warm day for the end of October, and Mal was trying to figure out what she would dress up as for Halloween.
"What are you deep in thought about?" Ben asked as he walked over to Mal and sat down next to her.
"I am still trying to figure out what to dress up as for Halloween."
"You don't have to dress up," Ben said as he picked up one of her strawberries, and popped it into his mouth.
"This is going to be my first Halloween," she told him. "We didn't have holidays like you guys have here in Auradon. Plus, Corona is having a Halloween Festival. We would look like fools if we didn't dress up."
"You may have a point," he said. "What were you thinking?"
"I was debating between a goddess or a fairy," she told him.
"But you are those things."
"The cliché version," she said with a laugh. "You know, the colorful wings, the colorful dress, or the goddess dress with the headdress."
"You would look beautiful in either," he told her with a smile.
"What do you want to dress as?"
He pretended to think for a moment, swaying his head from side to side. "Either a king, a random guy, or your husband."
Mal laughed and shook her head. "You have to dress as something," she told him. "Come on, it's our first Halloween as a married couple. Or a couple at all for that matter."
"Fine," he said as he threw his head back. I will dress up on one condition.
"What?"
"You swim with me," he said as he gave her a cheeky smile.
"No," she said as she shook her head. "You remember what happened the last time I went swimming."
"Yes," he said with a nod. "I do remember, but like I said then and again now, I would never let anything happen to you."
"Ben, I love you, but no," she told him. "You would have to drag me..."
"Say less, my dear wife," he said before he threw her over his shoulder and jumped into the water.
"Ben!" Mal asked as they came out of the water and she wiped her face.
"Yes, babe," he said as he wiped his hand down his face and smiled down at his wife.
"I swear Benjamin Florian Anderson," she said, shaking her head trying not to smile. "If I wasn't in a good mood right now, you would be in so much trouble."
He grabbed her waist, pulled her close and kissed her sweetly, making her melt into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their kiss lingered, and Ben moved his hands up her sides, letting his fingertips slide under her crop-top. He grazed his fingers across her side and he felt an uneven pattern on her side.
"What's that?" He asked as he broke their kiss and lifted up her shirt. He lifted it and saw two small dragons. But they looked like they were hugging and were in the shape of a heart.
"Oh," she said. "That would be my tattoo."
"When did you get this?" He asked, before he grazed his finger over her side.
"When I was 17," she told him. "I forgot it was there, to be honest."
"Why have I not noticed it until now?"
"Probably because it was either covered up, had paint on it, or you had your mind elsewhere," she said with a chuckle.
"I like it," he said with a smirk.
"You should have seen my dad when he saw it," she said. "He was not too fond of it or as occupied to not notice it as you were."
"And now I am going to be occupied again," he told her, before he picked her up, making her shriek and laugh.
He pressed his lips to hers, making her wrap her legs around his waist. Their kiss got heated, and they got lost in each other while in the shallow end of the water.
Ben walked down to the kitchen to see Mal making cookies. She was humming a song, while twirling around with a tray of uncooked cookies. Her hair was in a high ponytail and she was dressed in a pair of cotton shorts and a sweater.
"What are you doing?" Ben asked as he walked over to her and saw an abundance of different cookies on the counter.
"I am trying to find the best cookie recipe, so we can take them to dinner tomorrow night with Ryder and his parents," she said as she flipped through a cookbook.
Ryder called them 3 days after they ran into them at the grocery store. They had asked Ben and Mal if they would like to join them for dinner on November first. Ben and Mal eagerly agreed, and Mal offered to bring cookies because Ryder said that it was going to be a very casual dinner.
"How many did you make?" He asked as he picked up one and put it in his mouth. "These are amazing by the way."
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "I didn't know which would be better, so I went a little overboard and made a ton of different flavors. I was going to donate all of these to the Halloween Festival tonight and make whatever ones you liked the best tomorrow."
"Done deal," Ben said as he sat down and started to taste the cookies that were in front of him.
They each tried the cookies and Ben kept eating the double chocolate chip ones with walnuts.
"I see you found your favorite," she said with a chuckle.
"They taste just like the ones Mrs. Potts used to make when I was younger," he said as he put another one in his mouth. "But yours are better."
"Maybe it is because I used her recipe," Mal said as she held up a piece of paper that had Mrs. Potts handwriting on it.
Ben pointed at his wife. "If you tell Mrs. Potts that I like your cookies better than hers, I will deny it."
"Don't worry," she said with a laugh. "I will keep your dirty little secret. But we should get ready, before we are late for the festival."
They both got ready, and Mal painted Ben's face to look like a Day of the Dead skull. He was wearing a white button up shirt, a pair of dark washed jeans, and suspenders. He was waiting for Mal downstairs, when she rushed down because they were running late. She was wearing a green and purple dress that stopped at her mid thigh, a pair of fairy wings, and a flower crown sitting on her head.
"Are you ready?" Mal asked as she slipped on her shoes. "The festival is going to start soon and we are about 45 minutes away from town," she told him, and looked to see him just staring at her. "What are you looking at?"
"You," he said with a smile. "You look...gorgeous."
She smiled, before walking over to him. "You don't look so bad yourself," she said as she gave him a small peck. "We should get going. We have to get the cookies to the library's sweets table."
He grabbed the giant basket of cookies, before holding his hand out for Mal to take. They headed out of the tower, down the trail, and headed toward Ben's car to enjoy their first Halloween together. When they got into town, they saw that the streets had orange lights, booths were beginning to form lines, and there were kids and adults wearing costumes.
"Well if it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Anderson," they heard someone say, making them turn around to see Ryder, Ruby, and his parents standing behind them.
"Queen Rapunzel, King Eugene," Mal said with a smile. "It is so good to see you again."
"Queen Mal, please," Rapunzel said. "No need for titles."
"Well, the same goes to the both of you," Ben said with a smile. "Mal and I were just going to take these cookies over to the dessert booth."
"Here," Rapunzel said as she took the basket from Ben. "Why don't Mal and I take it over, and we will be back in just a moment," she told them as she looped her arm through Mal's and walked away from the guys.
"Sorry, Ben," Eugene said, making Ben turn to look at his friend's dad. "Blondie has been eager to talk with Mal, since Ryder told us about her," he said as he picked up his daughter so she wasn't standing on her broken leg.
"It's fine," Ben said with a shrug. "I'll get her for the rest of my life," he said as he turned his head to look at his wife.
"So, I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon," Rapunzel said, making Mal turn to look at her with a kind smile.
"I am," Mal said excitedly. "Thank you again, for letting Ben and I use your tower. I could not have imagined a better honeymoon."
"There is no need to thank me," Rapunzel said. "Ben didn't even get a chance to finish asking before I said yes. I really can't wait for dinner tomorrow, I have been wanting to get to know you since Ryder told me about Ben's magical, talented, and artistic fiancé."
Mal chuckled at the compliment. She knew Ryder was a little flirt, but he respected Ben and Mal's relationship.
"Ryder is something else," she said with a laugh. "Your kingdom is beautiful. I used to read about it when I was younger."
"Thank you," Rapunzel said with a fond smile. "I was going to ask you tomorrow, seeing as I wanted to ask Ben too, but would like to paint around the town with me for an afternoon."
"I don't see why not," Mal said with a nod. "We are here for another week, and maybe Ben could have an afternoon with Ryder while I am with you. I'll ask Ben later."
Mal felt someone tug on the skirt of her dress, making her turn around to see about six kids looking up at her. They were dressed in costumes, and they looked at her with shocked faces.
"Excuses me," one of the little girls said, not taking her eyes off Mal. "Are you Queen Mallory?"
Mal smiled and nodded her head, while the kids got excited and started to smile.
"See I told you it was her," a little boy said as he playfully hit his friend's arm.
"Ruby said that she was going to be here, doofus," the little girl said as she rolled her eyes.
"You all go to school with Ruby?" Mal asked as she knelt down to their height. They all nodded their heads, making Mal smile.
"Is that your real hair color?" The little boy asked.
"That's what she said in the interview," another little girl said, making Mal laugh.
"Yes, this is my real hair color," Mal told them. "What are all of your names, and what are you dressed as?"
"I'm Amanda," one of the little girls said. "Ruby is my best friend and I'm a butterfly like she is."
"Why hello, Amanda. Ruby told me and my best friend all about you, but if I remember right, she called you Mandy."
"Yes," Amanda said with a giant smile. "Duncan is dressed like a firefighter, Bella is dressed as a ballerina, Crystal is a kitty cat, Alex is dressed like a baseball player, and Faith is dressed like an angel."
"Can I ask you a question?" Alex asked as he looked up at Mal.
"You just did," Mal said with a smirk, making Alex look at her with a gape in his mouth and his friends started to laugh.
"Can I ask you one more question?"
"You just did," his friends said, making his cheeks turn red and Mal laugh.
"What is your question, Alex?" Mal asked.
"If your mommy is Maleficent, why aren't you on the Isle?"
"Alexander," Rapunzel said in shock.
Mal chuckled before looking at the queen. "It's okay, Rapunzel. It's a common question that I am going to be getting a lot more, now that I am going to be in the public eye. I am not on the Isle, because I am from the Moors along with my parents and friends."
"But aren't your mom and dad villains?"
"No," Mal said as she shook her head. "My parents are not villains. They are very nice people, and they are the reason I am here."
"And now you are married to King Ben," Bella said, making Mal smile.
"And now I am happily married to Ben, who I love so much," she said as she smiled, not knowing that Ben was watching her interaction with the kids.
When they got back to the tower, after the festival, Mal flopped on their bed. Ben walked over, and learned on the bed frame post as he started to unbutton his shirt.
"I didn't think all of those kids would want to talk to me and you all night, with all those games, booths, and all that candy," she said as she looked at her husband and smiled.
"You were very popular," he told her, before he threw his shirt onto a chair. "I didn't know if I was going to be able to spend any time with you."
"You act like Ryder wasn't going to hog you for the entire night," Mal said, making Ben nod and laugh.
"You're right," he said as he laid next to her. "The kids loved you though."
"I guess," she said with a soft smile.
"You know," he started as he laced his fingers with hers. "I never asked, because I never thought about it until now, but do you want to have kids?"
Mal thought about it while Ben played with their fingers. Mal had never really thought about having kids.
"I don't know," she said. "I never really thought about it. Do you want to have kids?"
"I always thought of having kids or that it would more than likely just happen," he admitted. "But I also had my mother telling me she couldn't wait to be a grandmother once she found out I had a girlfriend when I was 16. Though that thought quickly changed when she got to know Audrey better," he said with a laugh, making her laugh too. "I guess that is something we should talk about."
"I don't want you thinking that I am against having kids," she told him. "I just never thought about it, because I never thought I would get married or find someone I would want to have kids with," she told him.
"I don't want you to think I am saying that we have to have kids tomorrow," he said, making her laugh. "Or at all for that matter."
"I would hope not. I may be talented, as you all say, but I think even that is out of my range."
"Very true," he said amusingly. "If you want kids, we can have them. And if you don't we won't."
"Do you know how many kids you want?"
"No," he said as he shook his head. "If we have any, maybe 2? I know we both have our surrogate siblings, but I think them having a brother or sister to play and grow up with would be nice."
Mal saw the glint in Ben's eyes, seeing him talk about having kids. She didn't know if she wanted to have them, but seeing how Ben talked about it made her decision easy. She wanted to have kids now. And she wanted to have them with Ben.
"When the time comes," she said, making him look at her. "We will be ready."
He smiled down at her and then leaned in to give her a kiss, and when he pulled away he saw that she had white and black paint on her face, making him laugh.
"I should probably go and wash my face," he said.
Mal laughed and nodded her head. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
Ben got up and walked toward the bathroom, leaving his wife smiling on the bed. This was another big step in their relationship, and it was one that they were both happy to take.
Ben and Mal had just arrived at Corona Castle, when Ryder opened the big double doors with a huge smile on his face.
"Well if it isn't my favorite married friends," he said, making both Ben and Mal laugh.
"What other friends do you have that are married?"
"Or another question, we're friends?" Mal asked.
"Ugh," Ryder said as he held his hand to his heart. "You wound me, your grace."
"Shut up you goof," Mal said with a laugh.
The couple followed Ryder into the castle, and into the dining room. The ceilings were high, and there were multiple lantern chandeliers around the room.
"Hello," Rapunzel said as she walked through a swinging door. "Welcome to our home."
"Thank you for having us, your home is beautiful," Mal said as she looked around and saw all of the art work on the walls. Ryder had stolen Ben, leaving Mal and Rapunzel in the room alone.
"You can look around, if you would like," Rapunzel said as she took the plate of cookies out of Mal's hands. "I bet you could find other work in this room, other than my own."
Mal walked around the room, looking at all of the paintings and drawings. They were all so beautiful and unique in their own way. She stopped when she found a cluster of little drawings on the wall, and that's when Mal realized that these were drawn by kids and their names were on the wall too. Ryder, Ben, Aziz, Chad, Doug, and Audrey. There were so many different characters and creatures on the wall that Mal sat on the floor to look at them in detail. There was a picture of a princess in a pink dress, 5 princes, a genie with a lamp, a horse and a chameleon, a bunch of flowers, a dragon, some fairies, an angel, and some butterflies. She smiled and chuckled to herself, because each drawing had a name next to it, and she thought it was funny that Ben's name was next to the dragon and the fairies. She took her phone out of her pocket and took a quick picture just as Ryder and Ben walked back into the room with Ruby and Eugene.
"What are you doing on the floor?" Ben asked as he walked up to his wife.
He saw what she was looking at and stood frozen in his place. She looked up at him and smiled.
"I didn't know that you had a thing for fairies when you were younger too," she said with a laugh.
"Shush," he said as he held his hand out to help her up. "I have always found magical creatures fascinating. We just had an unfortunate first meeting."
"Yes, babe," Mal said as she pinched his cheek. "Unfortunate would be a good word to describe it."
"Okay, you two," Eugene said, making the couple turn to him. "Blondie is almost done with dinner. Let's all sit down."
Mal laced her fingers with Ben's, making him pull her close to his side. "Did I see you take a picture of the wall?"
"Yes, why?" She asked.
"Why?"
"Because I think that it was cute," she told him. "Seeing yours and your friends drawing from when you were little."
"But Chad and Audrey's drawings are there too," he mentioned.
"I may not be their biggest fans, or they are not mine either, but they are your friends," she said, making him turn to face her. "They are your childhood friends. If rolls were reversed, and my friends treated you the way Audrey and Chad treat me, I know you would never make me not be friends with them, she told him, making him smile. I am just hoping that they will come around and see that I truly do love you."
"I hope so too, but if they don't , I don't care," he told her. "You are my wife. I love you. And if they can't get it through their heads that you are never going anywhere, they are stupid."
Mal shook her head and laughed, before they joined the Fitzherberts for dinner.
"That was delicious," Ben said as he sat back in his chair. "I always loved coming over for dinner when you make hazelnut soup. It's one of my favorite soups."
"Why do you think I made a pot for you and Mal to take with you?"
"Thank you," Ben said with a big smile on his face. "It looks like someone is falling asleep," he said as he pointed to Ruby who was half asleep on the table.
"I got it," Ryder said as he grabbed a spoonful of peas and launched it at Ruby's head, making her snap up in shock.
"Ryder Fitzherbert!" Ruby yelled as she tried to reach for her plate, but Ryder pulled it away before she could get a hold of anything. "No fair!"
"You got to be..." But stopped when a clump of mashed potatoes hit him on the side of his head. He turned to see his friend's wife sitting in her seat, liking the rest of the potatoes off of her hand.
"Now, Ryder," Mal said in a calm tone. "It's not very nice to taunt your sister."
"Did you..."
"Ah!" Mal said as she held her hand up to him. "And it is not a good idea to taunt her with me here, because I would defend her in a heartbeat."
"Eat pot roast you devious fairy," Ryder said as he chucked a piece of meat at her, only for Ben to catch it and throw it back at Ryder.
"Don't throw food at my wife," Ben said as he pointed at his friend. "We'll start a war, and win too."
"Mom, I am sorry about this, but I am going to have to show the king and queen how not to get me worked up."
"The only thing I ask is that you pick up the mess, because I will not be picking up after 3 adults."
Before Ryder could answer his mother, Mal threw another handful of mashed potatoes at Ryder, hitting him right in the face.
"Oh, it's on," Ryder said before he lunged at the table, grabbing what he could, while his parents walked out of the room with his sister.
Ben and Mal started to throw food at Ryder, and Ben tried to block Mal from getting hit. Ryder ended up waving a napkin, telling them that he surrendered. They helped Ryder clean the mess, and by that, Mal used her magic to clean everything. After cleaning, Ben and Mal said their goodbyes. They made their way to Ben's car and drove back to the tower. They had a week left for their honeymoon and they were happy to have more time alone.
The end of their honeymoon was fast approaching, and Mal was getting ready for her day with Queen Rapunzel.
"Babe, are you sure you are okay with me going today?" Mal asked as she walked downstairs to see Ben making a sandwich. "This is the last day of our honeymoon."
"You are going to be gone for a couple of hours," Ben said as he looked at her and leaned against the counter. "Ryder is going to come over and we are just going to hangout. Go and have a good time, because once tomorrow comes and we are home, we are going to wear our royal hats."
"You mean our crowns?" She asked with a laugh.
"You know what I mean. I get to have you for the rest of my life, so go and leave your mark on the Kingdom of Corona."
Mal walked over and gave him a lingering kiss, making him wrap his arms around her waist. They didn't know how long they were kissing, before they heard someone clear their throat. They broke apart and saw Ryder standing there with his arms behind him.
"Sorry," he said as he moved his body back and forth awkwardly. "The limo is downstairs waiting for you."
Mal looked back up at Ben, before giving him another kiss.
"I'll be back later," she said, making him smile.
"I sure hope so," he responded. "I don't know what I would tell your dad if you didn't come back."
Mal laughed before she walked away from Ben and walked out of the tower. She walked down the path and saw the royal Corona limo waiting for her. She was sad about leaving Ben on their last day, but she was excited to be having an afternoon painting with Rapunzel. When she got into town the limo stopped, confusing Mal because she thought that she was going to be going to the castle. The limo driver got out of the car and opened Mal's door. She got out and saw Rapunzel standing with a basket full of brushes and paint.
"Sorry," Rapunzel said. "I should have told you that we would meet in town."
"It's okay," Mal said as she smiled at the blonde queen. "I am just very excited for our afternoon."
"I am too," Rapunzel said. "Ryder has told me that you are quite the artist."
"Nothing compares to you," Mal said as she held her hands out to the town. "Your kingdom is beautiful. It's so unique and I love how you show yourself in your artwork."
"I would love for you to be incorporated," she said as she walked up to Mal and looped her arm through hers. "I had a couple of people, and when I say people, I mean Eugene and Ryder," she said, making Mal laugh. "Clean a wall for you."
They walked up to a walk that was bare. Mal remembered a lot of drawings being on this wall a couple of days ago, but she was shocked to see it bare.
"I would like you to paint here," Rapunzel said.
"Okay," Mal said as Rapunzel gave her a bunch of paint brushes. "What would you like me to paint?"
"Anything your heart desires," she said as she gave Mal a warm smile. "Art is about expressing yourself, and showing your passion."
Mal smiled and nodded her head, before she started to think about what she wanted to paint. There were so many things that came to her mind, but after a couple of minutes she let her mind go, and hey her hands do all of the work. She didn't know how long she was painting, until Rapunzel came up behind her.
"Wow," she said, making Mal turn to her. "This is amazing."
Mal turned back to her work and took in what she did. She had painted a mural of the Moors and Auradon merging together to be one United Kingdom. She had painted detailed portraits of her friends and family, and she and Ben were in the center of the group.
"Thank you," she said. "I kinda just let my mind wander and let my hands do all of the work."
"And what a beautiful job you did. I can't wait to see this come true, and for what you two will do together," Rapunzel said, making Mal turn to her. "If I could give you a bit of advice?" She asked, letting Mal nod her head. "Don't let others control you, or don't let their words affect you. You are so much more than what people think of you, and you are capable of doing anything your heart desires."
"Thank you," Mal said with a kind smile. "I needed that."
"I know, becoming royal is difficult," she said. "Or in our cases, we were born into it. I don't know how things are done in the Moors, but I know the transition is tough. But you have people who are here to help you, and want the best for you."
Mal gave the queen a hug, taking her by surprise. She knew people wanted the best for her, but hearing it from someone other than her family and Ben's made the world in difference.
"Now, I should get you back to your husband, before I start getting the phone calls to pick up my son," she said, making Mal laugh.
When they got to the tunnel to the tower, Ryder was waiting in front of it.
"Why are you all the way out here?" Mal asked. "I would have gone up and told you we were here."
"It's fine," Ryder said as he shook his head and waved his hand at her. "I didn't want to waste any time, because I know both you and Ben want to spend the last night of your honeymoon together," he said, making Mal chuckle. "We'll see you later. Text or call us when you get home tomorrow."
"We will," Mal said as she gave Ryder a hug.
Ryder got into the car and closed the door behind him. As the car drove away, Mal walked through the tunnel and toward the tower. When she got inside she could smell something, making her wonder what it was. She walked upstairs and saw Ben standing in the middle of the room with a small picnic sitting on the floor.
"What is all of this?" She asked as she smiled and tilted her head.
"This is the last night of our honeymoon, and I wanted to do something special for my wife," he told her as he held his hand out for her.
She took his hand and looked up at him with a fond smile. They sat down and ate the dinner Ben had made, and Mal was surprised to see that he cooked.
"Why do you think Ryder came over?" He asked. "He may be a doofus, but he knows how to cook. He helped me get all of this together."
"Well, then remind me to thank him later," she said as she smiled at her husband. "This was nice. A perfect way to spend our last night here."
"I have one more thing to show you, but you'll need your shoes, because it's a little ways of a walk."
"Okay?" She said curiously as they both stood up.
They picked up their picnic, and both got their shoes, before walking out of the tower and into the woods.
"Where are we going?" Mal asked as Ben wrapped his arm around her waist.
"You'll see," he said.
About 20 minutes later, they stopped at a lake that was across from the castle.
"What are we doing here?" She asked.
"We are going to go on a little boat ride," he said as he pointed to a boat that was tied to a dock. Mal didn't know what to say. She was really shocked to be honest. "Come on."
They got into the boat and Ben towed them into the middle of the water. The lights of the kingdom were glistening, and it looked so beautiful as the sun started to set.
"When did you plan this?" She asked.
"When we had dinner with Ryder and his family," he told her. "It was when you were looking at the drawing from when we were kids."
"You're sneaky," she said as she pointed at him and laughed.
"Well, if I want to surprise you I have to be," he said with a laugh.
She laughed and threw her head back. When she opened her eyes she saw a small blue light floating in the air, making her look at it curiously.
"What's that?" She asked as she pointed to the light.
Ben turned to look where she was pointing to, just as a purple one appeared. More and more blue and purple lights appeared into the night sky, making Mal look around in astonishment. It looked like thousands of the lights were coming from the kingdom and when a couple started to float closer to them, Mal realized that they were lanterns.
"Hey," Ben called, making Ben turn to look at her. He had two blue and purple lanterns in his hands, making her smile.
"If I remember correctly," she said as she took one into her hand. "This is what Rapunzel and Eugene did."
"That is true," he said as he nodded his head. "This was actually her idea, because she wanted us to be celebrated on our last night here. Hence the intricate design on our lanterns."
Mal took a closer look at the lantern and saw the design in it. There were roses, her mothers crest, the beast crest, and her fathers crest all over it. Ben took her hand and they both lifted the lanterns up in the air, letting them float amongst the other lanterns. Ben pulled his wife closer to him as they watched the lanterns float around the night sky. This was the perfect way to end their honeymoon and they couldn't wait to see where life was going to take them next.
Okay! That's it for now!
Until next time my lovies! xoxoGM