SURPRISE!

Part 2 is here!

There was some speculations with the previous epilogue, but all will be revealed with this epilogue. This chapter revolves around one particular event that accumulates into several other events. I will talk briefly about the punishments given to the trio. I promise, you will be surprised by what one of them does to get out of their punishment.

I won't tell you what the final epilogue will be about. I will say that you may figure it out by the end of this epilogue. It will be posted on Tuesday as previously scheduled.

Thank you for reading my story.

I hope you enjoy the second part of the epilogue.

I know you two don't want to hear about the other wedding, but I will let you in on a few details since they are close to you.

The wedding of King Ben and Queen Mal took place on the last day of the year at the Auradon Bridge Plaza—so both the people of Auradon and the people of the Isle of the Lost could witness the event. Some say they planned the wedding on that day so they could start the new year as a married couple. Others insisted that Mal has always wanted to have a winter wedding with snow falling on her as she walked down the aisle—which is exactly what happened.

Since it was a winter wedding, Mal's wedding dress had to be altered to fit the theme and protect her from the cold. Lace sleeves in the same color were added along with a patch of lace to cover the open V-back. After all, the last thing Mal needed was to be in the middle of saying her vows and then suddenly yelp at feeling a coldness on her back. Of course, the dress had to be taken in a little bit since she isn't as voluptuous as her mother. With only four months to change the dress to the bride's liking, Cruella and her daughter Evelyn—or 'Evie' if you prefer—really outdid themselves.

Now, you probably don't want to hear the details of what the newlyweds did on their honeymoon. I will say that they spent two months alone on a small private island outside the coast of Auradon, and no, it wasn't the Isle of the Lost. The new married couple made sure to contact their friends and family at least once a week so none of them would worry. However, the couple discovered something during their honeymoon that they wanted to tell their parents and friends in person—

Which is where we are continuing this story.

Instead of returning to their castle, Mal and Ben headed straight to the Isle of the Lost so they could invite Mal's parents to dinner with them and Ben's parents that evening. When they arrived at the house, Mal noticed the unusual way that her mother used her wings to cover her body, but Maleficent insisted that she was cold—though it was the first day of March. Hades seemed somewhat excited about the dinner invite while Maleficent appeared to be apprehensive.

"Baby Girl, they don't want me there," Maleficent claimed from the barstool she sat upon, mainly because it became the most comfortable seat in the house due to her enormous wings. "They see me as a monster."

"But we want you to join us," Ben insisted from his place behind Mal, unconsciously having his arms wrapped around her from behind, his hands resting on her stomach. "I will make sure that my parents treat you civilly so we can have a pleasant meal. We can even invite Diaval and Cruella if they would make you feel more comfortable."

"Tonight is their date night," Maleficent informed with a slight apprehensive expression on her face. "And I really don't want to go. I just haven't been feeling well lately."

Mal whined at the lame excuse. "Momma! How else am I going to tell you and Dad that you're going to be grandparents?"

Mal's parents didn't say anything for a few moments. As they slowly started to process the question, their jaws slowly dropped in astonishment. The god's and fairy's expression changed from surprised to complete excitement of the prospects of a new family member.

Reluctantly removing her husband's hands, Mal showed off her slightly chubby belly that would continue to grow over the next few months. She smiled happily as she announced giddily, "I'm pregnant!"

While Maleficent gasped a little too dramatically, Hades grew a proud smile as he hugged his little girl, careful to not squish his future grandchild. "Congratulations!" he cheered as he slightly tightened his hold. "We're so happy for you!"

Once her husband pulled away, Maleficent smiled, not hugging her child since her wings were still surrounding her. "We truly are," she agreed kindly. "And we would love to join you tonight. However, can I make a small request?"

"Of course!" Mal exclaimed with an eager smile, unconsciously rubbing her belly. "Anything!"

"Would you make sure that I'm not served any meat tonight?" Maleficent requested with an almost timid tone in her voice. "Like I said before, I haven't been feeling well lately and the smell or taste of any kind of meat makes it worse."

"We'll make sure to do so," Ben promised as he placed his hands back on his wife's stomach. "So, we'll see you tonight at 6?"

"My wife and I will try to be there on time, but no guarantees," Hades warned with a soft sigh. "For some strange reason her illness grows worse closer to night."

Mal tilted her head in curiosity and slight worry. "Momma, maybe you should see a doctor if it's that bad."

"Tomorrow, Baby Girl," Maleficent fibbed with an almost strained smile. "Tonight, I have dinner plans with my beautiful, pregnant daughter."

After saying their good-byes, the youngest married couple vacated the premises, leaving Hades and Maleficent alone in the comfort of their home. Hades adverted his attention to his wife, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "How long do you think until they notice or realize?"

"Maybe tonight or tomorrow," Maleficent speculated with a careless shrug. "I say we wait until tomorrow to tell or maybe after she tells her friends if neither one has figured it out. The last thing I want to do is overshadow our baby girl . . ."

A few hours later, Maleficent found herself to be quite relieved that she was seated next to her daughter, who had Queen Belle on the other side of her. King Beast sat at the end of the table while King Ben sat across from his mother. Hades sat next to his son-in-law while also sitting across from his daughter. The youngest married couple felt that the seating arrangement was best to make all of the couples more comfortable.

Within the first few minutes of arriving in the dining hall, the servants brought the unusual family the main course of their meal. Maleficent was given a healthy salad with pasta while the rest was given a simple steak dinner with potatoes and a small salad. When Mal received her plate, she lightly snarled her nose at the stench. She ate her salad and potatoes first, hoping she could hold it down. Once she finished the sides, she snarled her nose once again as she slowly started to cut her meat, the stench growing worse and worse with every passing second.

Finally, Mal sat the utensils on the plate before pushing it way in slight disgust. "Excuse me for a moment," she pleaded while abruptly standing from her seat. "I need some fresh air."

Before more could be said, Mal quickly hurried out of the dining room, heading toward the large corridor on the right. Trying to hide the small smile on her lips, Maleficent reassured the rest of the guests, "Continue your meal. I'll check on my Baby Girl."

Luckily, it didn't take long for the fairy to find her daughter. In fact, Mal was just down the hall from the dining room, trying her best to get her breathing under control. Maleficent, with her wings still wrapped around her body, slowly approached her child so she wouldn't scare her.

"Nausea?" Maleficent guessed, her smile growing slightly when Mal nodded slowly. "You know, when I was pregnant with you, I couldn't stand the stench or taste of meat. I practically became a vegetarian until I had you."

"Do you think that means I'll have a girl?" Mal wondered as she finally controlled her reflex. "Ben hasn't said it yet, but I know he is wanting a daddy's girl. I'll be fine with a son or daughter."

Maleficent smiled, somehow not surprised that her daughter didn't notice the hint she gave. "I'm not sure," she fibbed with a careless shrug. "I am sure you and your husband will be happy with either one. Right now, we need to head back to the dining hall so you can tell your unborn child's other grandparents about him or her."

Nodding softly, Mal allowed her mother to lead her back to the dining hall with the rest of her guest. While Mal returned to her seat, her mother whispered a few words with one of her servants. Before the 'only' pregnant woman knew it, a new plate had been brought in front of her looking identical to her mother's.

And yet, Mal still had no idea what her mother was hinting at.

Continuing their somewhat awkward meal, King Beast decided to bring up a subject that would make the conversation a little tense. "So . . ." he began reluctantly as he cleared his throat to gain his courage. "Do you remember the punishment given to Audrey?"

"Her royal status was removed, and she was exiled on the Isle of the Lost," Ben answered knowingly, as he was the one that implemented the punishment. "Why do you ask?"

"There's been a . . . development," King Beast decided, unsure of how exactly he should break the news. "Apparently, a week or so before your wedding, she tried something to get out of her banishment. No one realized it until a couple days ago, when the date of your return was announced. Her parents, Fairy Godmother, and my wife and I have kept what she did quiet so the public wouldn't freak out . . . on her."

Mal tilted her head curiously, wondering, "What did she do?"

"Audrey's pregnant," Queen Belle revealed like she was ripping off a bandage, "with Chad Charming's baby. Audrey believed that she could get out of her punishment by having a child, claiming that you and Mal won't be cruel enough to let an innocent child live in exile."

"She's right," Ben agreed with an aggravated sigh, "but she will still remain where she is on the Isle of the Lost. I'll speak with her parents, the Charmings, and her via video chat to make arrangements for the child. Her child will see her on some days. The rest of the time he or she will be raised at either grandparents' house. I am half tempted to force Chad to join Audrey in banishment for going along with her scheme."

"Let's decide later," Mal requested with a somewhat stressed smile. "After all, we still need to tell our parents that we're pregnant too."

Of course, King Beast and Queen Belle were incredibly surprised by the announcements. While they were busy congratulating the 'only' pregnant couple in the room, Maleficent shot a look to Hades, who nodded in understanding.

They would wait until tomorrow to tell their news.

Tomorrow came quicker than either of the two couples realized. Mal and Ben invited their friends, Mal's parents, and her godmother to attend a nice, simple lunch in their rose garden. Cruella already knew what was going on, since Maleficent informed her of her daughter's news the day before, but Diaval couldn't join since he was in the middle of helping Queen Aurora with something involving her kingdom.

Speaking of the royal, Mal and Ben's friends—Evie, Jay, Carlos, Jane, Doug, Uma, Harry, and Gil—were going on and on about what Aurora's daughter did, mainly because the younger married couple informed them of the information they received the day before. They just couldn't believe that Audrey would bring an innocent child into the world in hopes of getting out of the punishment. It was unbelievable!

During their ranting, Mal casually mentioned her pregnancy. It took her friends a few moments before they realized what she said. Once they did, the girls squealed in excitement as they hugged the mother-to-be while the boys patted the father-to-be on the back.

Meanwhile, Cruella raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her best friend and best friend's husband, silently asking when they would tell their news.

Waiting for the excitement to die down, Hades wondered with curiosity, "So, Mali, what are you more excited about: being a mother or being a big sister?"

Within a split second, Mal's eyes widened in complete shock as she adverted her gaze to her mother, who was sipping her glass of water in a vain attempt to hide her smile. "Momma?" She addressed softly. "Are you . . ."

Setting the glass on the table, Maleficent finally moved her wings away from shielding her body, revealing her stomach that showed she was nearly fourth months long. With her happy smile growing wider, the fairy announced, "I'm pregnant too!"

Sometime later, Mal was walking through the gardens alone to find her father, who had walked away from the lunch a few minutes before to be alone. Upon her mother's request, Mal went to check on her father. Within a minute or two, she found her father sitting on a bench all by himself, just staring at his feet in what appeared to be worry.

"Momma told us Uncle Zeus spoiled the gender again," Mal revealed as she casually sat at the empty space next to her father. "You afraid the baby will team up with Mom to scheme against you?"

Hades chuckled at the questioned as he leaned back on the bench. "I haven't thought about that," he claimed with a shake of his head. "The baby is going to be even more of a menace."

"Why?" Mal challenged with a tilt of her head. "Because the baby may turn out to be like you? You're amazing, kind, sweet—"

"And also short-tempered, hot-headed, and impatient," Hades finished with agitated huff.

Mal titled her head in confusion. "You waited a year before getting into a relationship with Mom," she reminded. "Then you waited another year and a half before proposing and married six months later. It took over eighteen years before I ever saw you lose your temper. Since you and Mom did such an amazing job raising me, you will have no problem with my new sibling."

Hades sighed in defeat. "I suppose you're right."

"Besides . . ." Mal trailed off as her eyes flashed green with a scheme. "I'm kind of hoping that my child will be best friends with my little brother."