Hi Guys. Here's an early Christmas present for you the next chapter of the revamp! THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH to my AMAZING Beta xez2003 for taking time out of your Christmas Eve to edit this YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! And of course a HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to you all for all your reads, reviews, follows and fav's! Well I think that is all. Take it away chapter 4!
DISCLAMER: I DO NOT OWN DECENDANTS ALL RIGHTS GO TO DISNEY ANY DIOLOGE YOU RECONISE BELONGS TO DISNEY I OWN NOTHING!
Mal just continued running and running across the school grounds until her lungs started to hurt, demanding her to stop. Luckily for her, she had arrived to the front door of the dorms, so she rested her hand on a nearby wall, trying to catch her breath and turned around, making sure that Hailey was not behind her. She had never felt this confused before. Why had their conversation and that morning spent with the orphaned kids affected her so much?
Mal took a final deep breath to calm her racing heart and slowly made her way up the stairs to the boys' dorm, hoping to find Ben. Hailey is a fool. I am the daughter of Maleficent, Mistress of all evil. How can she even think for one second that I can become a hero? She thought as she walked down the long hall. I am here in Auradon for one reason and one reason only…to steal the wand and give it to my mother. I am going to make everyone suffer! She clenched her fists in anger. I am going to make them feel all the pain I went through growing up on the Isle, while they were here in Auradon enjoying their happy and comfortable life, forgetting all about us.
She was however brought out of her reverie a few moments later when she looked up and spotted Ben, who had just exited from his dorm room. He was wearing his Tourney gear and was carrying his gym bag. "Finally!" she breathed out in relief.
"Ben!" she exclaimed. She ran and practically jumped onto him, engulfing him in a tight hug, seeking comfort from strange events of that morning.
Ben immediately sensed that something was amiss by the tight hug which Mal was giving him but knew better than to ask her what was wrong at that moment so he decided to give her the space she needed and instead held her just as tightly.
"Where have you been all morning? I looked for you everywhere! I was worried!" Mal asked when they eventually broke apart.
Ben's face fell as he noticed Mal's concerned expression. It hadn't occurred to him that Mal could have been worried about him, especially after his breakdown of the previous evening. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." He replied in an apologetic tone. "But there was just something I had to do on my own. But I should have been more thoughtful and left you a note. Next time I will Sweetheart, I promise!" He pulled her to him, embracing her tightly again.
"And where did you have to go? You didn't need to go alone. I could have come with you!" she asked worriedly as he released her. However, she kept a comforting hand on his arm.
"Don't worry Sweetheart. I am fine really." He smiled trying to reassure her before bending down to kiss her. They just smiled at each other once they broke apart, until his smile suddenly turned into a mischievous grin. "Actually I am going to keep where I went this morning a secret for the time being. You will find out…but just when the time is right!" he told her in a teasing tone.
"Hey! That's not fair!" she mock-pouted trying to get him to cave in but he kept a stoic and serious expression.
"No…it will be a total surprise. But I can tell you one thing…you are going to like it! Now let's go! The tourney game is soon starting and first I need to get to the boys' locker room to leave my stuff." He exclaimed as he clasped her hand and together they made their way together to the Tourney pitch.
Silence fell between them as they left the dorms and slowly made their way to the Tourney court, which was at the far end of the school grounds. As they walked, Mal just couldn't get Hailey's words out of her head. So what if I actually do display my affection towards Ben in public...after all he is the only really happy thing that has ever happened to me. But Hailey is wrong! This does not mean that I have a big heart…definitely not a heart of a hero!
"Mal, what's wrong? It's not usual for you to be this quiet." Ben asked stopping, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Actually I have been wanting to ask you for a while now. Ever since we arrived in Auradon you have been acting strangely. It seems like you have something on your mind that is bothering you. I noticed you also had a couple of sudden mood swings. What is it? You know you can tell me anything?"
Mal sighed loudly before locking eyes with Ben, his loving and gentle expression instantly reassuring her. Her heart flattered and she squeezed his hand in return, before turning to continue their walk towards the locker rooms as she started to tell him all that had happened that morning, including what Hailey had told her. She had just finished talking when they arrived in front of the locker room. Feeling that there was more to the story than Mal was telling him, Ben instinctively dropped his gym bag to the ground and embraced her tightly, feeling her lithe form tremble slightly in response to his touch.
"Ah screw the game!" he suddenly exclaimed, breaking the hug. "Come on Mal. Let's go and find a quiet and private place where we can talk."
"No Benny!" Mal immediately replied. "I have seen you during Tourney practice this week and I know that playing this game is very important to you. I can wait...we can talk about it another time. Now go!"
"You sure?" he asked her, still not convinced.
"Yes positive. Now go and win this game. I'll see you later." She told him, pulling him down by the collar to kiss him.
"I could get used to getting this lucky charm just before every game." He told her smiling, before leaving her and entering the locker rooms.
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"Hey Mal!" Evie greeted her as she joined her on the stands. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you all morning?"
Mal was about to reply when she stopped herself as she heard a frantic voice call out her name.
"Mal!" Carlos came charging over, stopping to catch his breath. "You…have… to…come…Ben…flashback...Hurry!" he gasped.
Mal instantly shot up from her seat and started running toward the boys' locker room. She cautiously entered the room to find Jay trying to calm Ben down, who was huddled in a corner, refusing to be touched.
"What happened?!" Mal cried as she crouched next to Jay.
"We were just about to leave the lockers to go to the field when we bumped into some players from the other team." Jay explained "As soon as they saw us, the jerks started making some very nasty comments about us, especially Carlos, who they said was too weak to even hold a Tourney stick in his hands. Ben stood up to them demanding an apology but when he confronted them, the leader of the group told him that he does not deserve to be in Auradon and to be quiet as he is just a beast like his father. He told him that his place is on the Isle and that he should return there before he has the chance to hurt anyone. Ben then just turned and ran back inside the locker room and that is how I found him."
Mal frowned, clutching her fists in anger. That was all Ben needed to hear especially after what happened last night with Lonnie. She thought how he had the most kind and gentle soul she had ever met and that out of all of them he was the one who deserved most to be here in Auradon. This is not the time to be angry…Ben needs me! she reasoned as she took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Ben?" she asked softly reaching out for him.
"No! Don't touch me! I don't want to hurt anyone!" he replied, jerking away from her touch. His eyes then widened in fear before he started crying out. "No, you are wrong father! I won't hurt anyone…I'm not like you! Stay away from me!"
"Benny! It's me…Mal. Listen to my voice. Your father isn't here. He won't hurt you again I promise. You're right! You are nothing like him. You are kind, gentle, loving and it doesn't matter what those jerks may have said. You do deserve to be here. Please come back to me…I love you." She said softly.
Mal slowly curled up closer to him, continuing to whisper reassurances, as she started stroking his back. He didn't jerk away from her touch this time and finally after a few moments he slowly blinked his eyes.
"Mal?"
"There you are." Mal smiled brightly before kissing him lightly.
"What happened? The last thing I remember was talking to those jerks from the other team." he asked as he rested his forehead against hers when they broke apart.
"You had a nasty flashback but it is over now." She told him as she embraced him, rubbing his back.
"Em guys…I hate to do this but…the game is about to start and we do need the whole team out there." Jay said awkwardly.
"Jay!" Mal snapped as she thought that now was not the time to be worrying about a stupid game.
"No. It's ok. I can still play." Ben said as he released Mal and stood up.
"Are you sure?" she asked worriedly.
"Don't worry sweetheart. I am fine…thanks to you." he reassured her. "Come on bro. We have a game to win! Let's show those jerks what a couple of kids from the Isle can do!" He and Jay bumped fists and started to walk towards the door. They stopped and waiting for Mal to join them.
"Promise me that if you need to call in a reserve you will?" she asked, cupping his face. He nodded giving her one last smile, before he and Jay hurriedly left her to join the other players on the field.
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"Is he alright?" Evie asked when Mal returned to the stands.
"I think so." She replied, as she watched apprehensively as the teams charged out to the field. Her eyes followed Ben, who spotted her on the stands almost immediately and turned to her, flashing her a smile, before taking his position and concentrating on the game about to start.
Mal visibly relaxed as the game started and the Fighting Knights quickly took the upper hand on the Sherwood Forest Falcons. And by the end of the first half, Mal was completed caught up in the game, all worries about Ben forgotten as he easy dodged player after player, scoring a number of goals.
As the second half of the game started, her thoughts went to the spelled cookie still safely locked in her room as she turned to watch Hailey, who was leading the cheerleaders. Mal then subconsciously looked around at her friends and suddenly questioned whether giving the wand to her mother was the right choice to make. Despite all the anger she felt towards those privileged in Auradon for letting them rot on the Isle, they were here now thanks to Hailey who had given them this opportunity. Since they had arrived in Auradon all she had done was be understanding, kind and gentle towards them. And despite the resistance and fear that some of the Auradon residents still had towards them, her friends seemed really happy for the first real time since she has known them. She glanced at Evie beside her who was enthusiastically cheering on for the boys and thought about how living here in Auradon was all she had ever dreamed about. She thought about Carlos and his surprise, at not only discovering that dogs are not rabid pack animals as Cruella had told him but rather trusty and loyal friends. And as the game finished, and she watched as the team lifted Jay into their shoulders carrying him around for scoring the winning goal, she thought about Jay's happiness at having finally discovered the fulfillment that came from being part of a team.
And finally her eyes fell on Ben who had just left his teammates and was running towards the stands to join her. She had finally managed to get him away from his father, who could no longer physically hurt him here, but most importantly they had just discovered what it felt like to be free to love one another in the open, without the fear of being punished for it. Giving the wand to her mother would mean destroying it all…how could she take this newfound happiness away from her friends?
But she pushed those thoughts aside as she started running down the bleachers, finally jumping inside the tourney court to meet up with an excited Ben. "You did it! I am so proud of you!" she told him lovingly as she embraced him tightly. She just couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her throat as Ben abruptly picked her off the ground in happiness and spun her around. The world around them faded in the background as he gently put her down, before bending down to kiss her.
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Ben hurriedly left the boy's changing room and turned to walk in the direction of Mal's dorm room. The team was going out to celebrate their win and he just had enough time to quickly talk to Mal before. He had not forgotten what they had talked about before the game and he wanted to make sure to talk to her about it today. However, he stopped when a voice called out to him.
"Ben!" Hailey called out from behind him.
"Yes Hailey. Do you need something?" Ben asked her curiously.
"Well actually yes. Can you come to my office? There is something I need to talk to you about in private." She asked.
"Can it wait? I was on my way to talk to Mal before joining the rest of the tourney team for the victory pizza dinner." he replied
"It is quite important." Hailey replied in a serious tone.
"Okay then." he agreed as he followed her into her office. Ben's eyes marveled at the size of the large room as he entered. The room was full of polished wooden furniture and his eyes immediately fell on the large painting of Hailey on the left wall and the large bookcase on the opposite side. Bright sunlight from the large window just behind Hailey's desk lit the room, which overlooked the forest just outside the school grounds. Hailey took a seat behind her desk, motioning for Ben to sit on a plush chair just in front of it.
"First of all I wanted to tell you that I heard about what happened before the game. I'm really sorry. Something like that should not have happened." She apologized once Ben was seated. "I want you to know that those players will get punished for what they said to you and the others."
He nodded in thanks.
"So you must be wondering why I asked you to come here. Well first I wanted to ask you how are finding yourself in Auradon. I can imagine it can be a bit overwhelming at first." She asked with a gentle smile.
"Okay I guess. It is certainly very different from the Isle. It will take a while to be getting used to, that's for sure. But it is nice to finally sleep in a comfortable bed for a change." He replied.
Hailey's smile left her face as a sad and serious expression marred her features. "The more I hear about what you guys have been through on the Isle, the more I wish there was something I could have done to prevent it. I know that I can't go back and change the past but all I can hope now is that I can somehow make up for what my family has done to you by giving you this opportunity of a new life here in Auradon. Ben, I also know about your family backstory and that is why I have actually called you here. I have something to give you."
Hailey opened a drawer in her desk and took out a gold beast crest ring, placing it on the centre of the table. "I'm not sure if you know this but your father once had a kingdom with a family crest back when he was human." She paused as Ben slowly reached out to pick up the ring. "But he lost his royal status as punishment, and was banished to the Isle of the Lost, when he turned into a complete beast, as a result of his curse, and killed Gaston. I really am sorry for what you went through as a child Ben. I can't even begin to imagine how terrible it must have been to lose your mother in that horrible way and I know that no apology in the world could ever make things right." She paused to compose herself as a tear slid down her cheek. "Your father's legacy has been pulled into the darkness Ben...but maybe you can do some good with it now." She gently smiled as she continued. "I have seen the way you and Mal look at each other but it is not only that. I have also seen the way you behave not only around her but also around Evie, Carlos and Jay and it is very evident that there is lots of goodness inside you. I know that it must have been hard for someone with your gentle spirit and kind heart to live on a place like the Isle but I do hope that by continuing to live here in Auradon you will come to learn that openly showing affection is not a sign of weakness as you have been taught but rather a strength which you should be proud of. Now I believe you told me you were going to find Mal and that you have a celebration dinner you need to attend. I don't want to keep you any longer." She told him softly as she stood up from her desk.
Ben just looked at the ring in his hand for a few long moments before looking up to stare at Hailey's kind, gentle and sincere expression. He stood rooted in place, processing what she had just told him. He finally nodded to her in understanding as he thought about Mal and slipped the ring on his finger. "Thank you Hailey." He politely told her as he stood up and slowly made his way out of the door, lost in thought.
That's it! With the prequel being written we thought we should incorporate more details of it into Ben's flashback. And a deeper look into where Ben's ring came from in this AU I hope you guys liked this chapter and I wish you a safe and happy Christmas. Please review? Pretty please?