Ben had to take things slow with the new comer. He didn't want to scare her off with the news that she might be… no… that she is his future queen. He just got out of a break up with Audrey and if word got out that he's interested in Mal, the press will butcher her.

They'll say she's the reason why he broke up with Audrey.

Ben was relieved that everyone thought he was a bit stressed because of his coronation coming up. He used that as his excuse when someone asked what was bugging him.

Today was a bit hard for the two.

The two could feel a pull towards one other. Ben wanted to embrace and Mal wanted to ignore it, but it was getting hard.

During lunch Mal would catch Ben staring at her.

She would smile and blush then turn back to her friends.

It was pretty hard to contain his excitement for the afternoon's trip. Queen Belle helped him out with a few minor things for their trip.

Fairy Godmother helped out as well.

She couldn't believe that her goddaughter is the future queen and true love of Prince Ben.

Fairy Godmother did warn Queen Belle that Ben is in for a crazy ride and that Mal isn't your typical Auradon girl.

Queen Belle wanted to ask questions about the adoptive daughter of Prince Eric and Princess Ariel, but didn't because she knew that Fairy Godmother wouldn't betray someone's trust.

She would just have to be patient.

If things go well, Ben will introduce the mysterious royal to her and her husband.

oOo

The day was a bit boring for Mal.

She was a bit annoyed that her favorite class was cancelled, but at least she has a free period. She had no clue what to do though.

All her homework and assignments are up to date and she's all set for the trip this afternoon.

Maybe she could go to gym; that's Aziz's last class.

Mal made her way to the gymnasium and sat on the benches. The coach didn't mind Mal being there. He knew that the art teacher was absent.

Aziz caught sight of his friend and ran to her.

He swoop Mal up and hugged her.

"Whoa!"

Aziz put her down.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have art class?" he asked.

"It's cancelled. Miss M came out with a bad case of food poisoning," Mal answered. "So I decided to watch you hurt yourself."

"Oh ha," Aziz said sarcastically. Then he caught sight of Ben. "Hey Ben, get over here!"

Ben caught sight of his roommate and Mal.

He was confused and a bit shocked to see Mal here.

As soon as Ben reached them Aziz was about to introduce them.

"We've already met," Mal cut him off.

"Really?" Aziz was surprised and turned to Ben. "And you never told me?"

"Uh…"

"Don't bug the poor guy. He has enough on his plate mister," Mal scolded Aziz. "We met in the library on my first day and again yesterday."

"So that's where you were," Aziz wondered out loud.

"Yeah…" Ben confirmed.

"I'm his self appointed assistant," Mal announced. "I help Ben with the paperwork and you won't have to deal with a cranky roommate."

"The council again?" Aziz asked Ben.

The prince nodded.

"You owe her big time. I hope you know that," Aziz said.

"No, he doesn't," Mal disagreed.

"Yes, I do," Ben argued.

"No, you don't, Benjamin," Mal said, her voice firm.

"Yes, I do Malia," Ben smirked.

Aziz started laughing.

The two looked at him.

"The two of you argue like an old married couple!"

"Do not!" the two chorused.

Aziz burst into another round of laughter until the coach got the guys' attention.

Ben couldn't help but smile, not because he got the last word in, but because he got to see her earlier than expected.

"Okay class, break into teams of two," the coach instructed.

Mal watched the guys play basket ball.

Aziz couldn't help but notice the chemistry between his two friends.

Ben's been giving longing looks to Mal and Mal has been blushing like mad every time Ben caught her staring at him.

Aziz almost lost focus on the game because he was paying more attention to his friends' weird change in behavior.

He was almost tempted to ask her sister and friends what's going on, but decided against it because…

One, Mal keeps her personal life under lock and key and two; they both know that the girls can't keep a secret to save their lives.

An hour later the class was over.

Ben noticed that Mal wasn't sitting at the benches. He assumed that she was waiting for him at the court yard.

Ben cleaned up fast before Aziz finished up.

He wanted to get out of the school yard before anyone spots him and Mal together. He rushes through the hallways ignoring the shouts of irritation, ran through the rose gardens and caught sight of Mal waiting for him.

"That was fast," Mal said.

"Don't want anyone to trail us," Ben stated.

"And by anyone, you mean Aziz, my friends, sister and cousin," Mal guessed.

Ben nodded.

"Well, let's go before…" Mal trailed off.

"Yeah," Ben agreed.

He took her hand and led to round to the front of the school where a blue Mercedes was waiting. Just as they got into the car, looking out the window was Fairy Godmother and Queen Belle.

Queen Belle's eyes were only on the girl.

She looked beautiful, almost too perfect; pale skin, rosy cheeks, wavy pale blonde hair with purple tips. She could not help but smile hearing her son laugh as they ran towards the car.

"She's perfect for your boy," Fairy Godmother said. "Coach said that he heard that Mal helped Ben with the council's demands yesterday night."

"Really? What else has been going on with my son?" Belle asked.

"Sofia said that it isn't the first time they've seen each other…"

oOo

Ben and Mal went to their first stop, the markets in Auradon City. It was a perfect day for them to go there because it wasn't too quiet and it wasn't so crowded.

What the couple did not know was that Fairy Godmother got someone to trail the two and take pictures; with Queen Belle's permission of course.

One thing everyone in Auradon still believes in and that is true love.

It has been more than twenty years since a soul mate bond formed between two people. A soul mate bond is forever.

Nothing can break them apart.

You can already see the connection between the two.

Ben's laughing at something Mal said and she's blushing, but not looking away from the prince. The two have this glow that screams true love has been found.

"No jokes. Sebastian was in so much trouble that mom had to stick him in a terrarium as punishment," Mal continued with her story.

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Ben asked.

"Let me see… calling a girl the devils spawn all because she made a joke about crab salad. Hmmm…?" Mal gave Ben the look of "really?"

"Okay, okay," Ben said. "But still, I can't help feel sorry for him."

Mal and Ben shared a few embarrassing childhood stories. Mal made sure not to mention anything about her previous life.

Ben knew that it was going to be hard for Mal to open up about that.

He wanted to know more about the purple haired girl hiding behind this so-called perfect image of what an Auradon girl is.

He knew better than to push the newcomer.

While Mal checked out some jewelry at one of the stalls Ben wanted to check who sent him a message. He felt his phone vibrate a few minutes ago, but didn't want to look because he was listening to Mal's stories.

He paled seeing who it was.

I know you're with Mal, but dunno where you guys are. If you're dating her, that's cool. I'm not mad or anything. Lemme know how things go.

-Aziz

PS. Her favorite snack is strawberries. Well anything strawberry flavored or scented are her favorites. Good luck bro!

Ben sighed in relief that his friend wasn't mad.

Mal came back to Ben.

She had something behind her back.

"What are you hiding?" Ben asked.

"It's something I thought would be useful for you," Mal answered.

She handed him a present.

"Mal…"

"Go on, open it," Mal said.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Ben said.

Mal gave Ben a look that melted his heart.

He could not say no to her.

He opened it to find a masculine-styled ring with blue stone and green gems surrounding it. He knew the green stone was an emerald, but was unfamiliar with the blue one.

"It's a ring for protection," Mal explained. "Madam Cassandra said that you might need it in the future. She said that the emerald will protect you against dark magic, spells, enchantments and enhance psychic abilities and the blue stone, known as the lapis lazuli is the stone of awareness. She said it also protects you from malevolent forces. Along with that it'll also help you with that beasty temper you told me so much about."

Ben was shocked.

No one has ever given him such a gift before.

"Oof!"

Mal was caught off guard by the hug.

"Can't breathe."

Ben pulled away. "Thank you so much Mal! You didn't have to though."

"It's no biggie," Mal said.

Ben placed the ring on his middle finger.

It was a perfect fit.

He could feel something.

"That would be the protections surrounding the ring," Mal explained. "Madam Cassandra knows that magic is outlawed, but she said that this is the only time she used it, to protect you from what's to come in the future. Whatever that means."

Ben was touched by the gift.

Ben and Mal went to their next destination; a café owned by the Mad Hatter's daughter, Madeline. Madeline wasn't as eccentric as her dad. She was chilled and laid back.

Ben surprised Mal by ordering her favorite flavored milkshake and.

He struggled to hold back a grin when he saw Mal's jaw drop. He owes Aziz big time for that little piece of information.

After they had a little snack at the café, they went to the shops to by small gifts for their friends and family just because.

Mal was surprised when Ben bought her a very expensive gift.

It was a purple dragon made from amethyst and the statue had emerald gems for the eyes; purple and green, Mal's favorite colors.

"How did you know?" she asked after hugging him.

"The faded purple tips of your hair and the color of your eyes," Ben said, lovingly.

Mal blushed.

They spent two hours exploring the city and then came across a quiet place that overlooked the sea and across the sea was Mal's former home.

"It's so gloomy," she said softly. "The total opposite of Auradon."

Ben followed her line of vision.

He agreed with Mal, but didn't say anything.

They looked out to see the island of villains cut off from the rest of Auradon by a dome preventing magic to be used.

Ben shuddered seeing lightning flash.

He felt a bit ill just looking at the green-grey clouds.

"I bet when the villains and their children look from there all they see are fantasy bright lights and colors," Mal continued. "If only…"

"If only what?" Ben asked, curious.

Mal shook her head.

"No, tell me," Ben gently urged.

Mal turned to face him then went back to staring at the island.

There was a moment of silence.

"Have you ever wondered what life would be like if the children on the Isle had a chance to live here? To have a second chance and prove that they are nothing like their parents?"

Ben's eyes widened.

Mal didn't miss her former home, but she missed her former friends.

She felt a tinge of guilt for not missing her mom because, Maleficent never really showed her any affection.

Love is weak, Maleficent growled. Long live evil!

Mal shuddered remembering her mother's evil cackle.

Ben noticed her shiver.

He took off his jacket and placed it over Mal's shoulders.

"We should get back to the car. We have one more place to go to," Ben said.

Mal nodded and followed him to the car.

Just as Mal and Ben left…

"His proclamation is going to rock Auradon," Madam Cassandra said to another woman.

"But it will prevent another generation of villains from destroying the peace we've had," the woman next to her added.

oOo

Mal couldn't help but have this feeling that she was being watched during her outing with Ben. The hairs on her neck started rising when that feeling came back again.

She looked behind her to find a car behind them.

She didn't want to worry Ben just yet, so she checked every five minutes to see if the Ford was still trailing behind them.

Ben noticed her tensing after a while.

He placed his hand on hers.

"Mal?"

"Ben, I think we're being followed," Mal stated.

"What?" Ben asked.

"That car has been following us for an hour. Ben, we're being followed," Mal repeated.

"Ummm… maybe we should head back to the school," Ben said. "For our safety."

Mal scoffed. "No ways. I'm enjoying my afternoon so far and I don't want it ruined by some stalker. Sorry Ben, but I'm about to break a rule."

"What?" Ben was confused.

Mal closed her eyes and her hands started glowing green.

It took a while for Mal's charm to work.

Fog appeared slowly.

It took a few minutes for them to lose sight of the car.

It was the first time Ben has saw anyone use magic. It was incredible. Everyone assumed that magic has been outlawed.

The thing is, magic isn't used much because there hasn't been any danger in Auradon.

There was no reason to use magic unless it was an emergency.

"Phew."

Ben saw that the fog was far behind them and there was no sight of the car.

"That should keep him off our trail for a while," Mal said. "I hope you're not mad I used magic."

"Um… It's fine," Ben said, a bit in a daze. "At least it wasn't used for personal gain."

"Right," Mal said. "So what is our destination?"

Just as Ben was about to answer, his phone rang.

"Sorry," Ben apologized to Mal.

He answered after two rings.

Mal could not hear what was being said on the other line. She could just hear Ben's side of the conversation.

"How long? No, no. Um… I do have one, but I just need to work out a few details. Give me until the end of the day. Okay. Umm… talk to you later, dad."

Ben sighed. "Great."

"What's wrong?" Mal asked.

"I just lied to my dad, saying that I know what my first proclamation is going to be," Ben said.

Mal's eyes widened.

"This is the first time I've lied to my dad about something this important!" Ben was on the edge of panicking. "Now I can't enjoy our outing because I'll be stressing about what my first proclamation is going to be."

Mal could feel his sadness and anxiety.

It was weird, she's never felt anyone's emotions before.

Ben sighed."We're going to have to put our trip on hold. I'm going to have to go back to the castle to sort this out."

"Ben, remember what I told you yesterday?" Mal asked him. "I'm your self-appointed assistant."

Ben chuckled.

How could he forget?

"So our next destination is the castle then," Ben said.

"Looks like it," Mal smiled at him.

Ben and Mal spent the rest of their drive in silence.

While Mal admired the scenery, Ben couldn't help but think about what Mal said when they looked at the Isle of the Lost.

"It's so gloomy,"

"The total opposite of Auradon."

"I bet when the villains and their children look from there all they see are fantasy bright lights and colors," Mal continued. "If only…"

"Have you ever wondered what life would be like if the children on the Isle had a chance to live here? To have a second chance and prove that they are nothing like their parents?"

"If only…"

All these thoughts were swirling in Ben's head.

Ben looked at Mal.

She was given a second chance to prove that she is not a villain. She's proof that even the evilest of them all could change.

Mal turned to face Ben.

She noticed a spark in his eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"I know what my first proclamation is going to be," Ben stated.

Mal gave him a look that said: "Go on."

"I thought about what you said earlier; giving children on the Isle a chance to live here in Auradon, to show that they're not their parents…" Ben began.

"Yeah…"

"I know this is crazy and most of Auradon will have my head for it," Ben said.

Mal put the pieces together. "You want to bring villains' kids here to Auradon…"

Ben nodded.

Mal wanted to know more of Ben's plan and urged him to continue. "Carry on."

"We'll start out with the five that needs our help the most and…"

oOo

A/N: Got a bit of inspiration from Harry Potter: Cassandra Trelawney.

NEXT CHAPTER:

MEETING KING BEAST.
AUDREY'S RETURN.

oOo