Hi guys. Here is the last chapter of Connected Hearts. And boy is it a long one for you lol. THANK YOU SO MUCH to you ALL for every single read, review, follow and fav this story has gotten it means SO MUCH to both me and xez. Reminder guys after the revamp I WILL BE CHANGING MY PEN NAME so keep an eye out for that. Now that that is done without further ado take it away chapter 8! Enjoy!
DISCLAMER: I DO NOT OWN DECENDANTS ALL RIGHTS GO TO DISNEY ANY DIOLOGE YOU RECONISE BELONGS TO DISNEY I OWN NOTHING!
You may also notice that some content of this chapter comes from the Isle of the Lost books this content belongs to Melissa De La Cruz I DO NOT own it and ALL rights go to her I make ABSOLUTELY NO profit off ANYTHING IT IS NOT MINE!
Later that night, Mal quietly sneaked up the steps leading to Bargain Castle, her thoughts focused solely on Ben. After their argument, they had actually returned to the party for a while. Ben had been so right. The party was finally a chance for them to have some real fun together away from her mother's prying eyes and they truly had a blast. She smiled softly as she thought about how lucky she was to have Ben by her side. She had been so stupid not to confide in him in the first place and instead she let her old feelings of jealousy cloud her judgement. She could have lost him today but luckily for her he had understood and forgiven her. But right there she vowed to herself to never make that mistake ever again.
Mal opened the front door and jumped as she unexpectedly came face to face with Maleficent who was awake and waiting for her on her throne, the huge high-backed green chair in front of the stained-glass window.
"Ah! There you are. Do you know what time it is young lady?" she asked with a stern look.
"Um… Three in the morning?" Mal guessed confused. This was new. Her mother had never ever cared how late she had stayed out or ever once mentioned or imposed any kind of curfew.
"Ah yes." She replied, adjusting her watch. "Now where was I? Oh yes! I have something to discuss with you."
"What?" Mal asked trying to hide her nervousness. So far she had been extremely careful in hiding her relationship with Ben from her. It can't be that she discovered our secret. Otherwise she would already be screaming or even worse I would already be dead. She thought inwardly trying to calm herself. A sudden croaking sound caught her attention and she finally noticed the black raven perched on the arm of the chair her mother was sitting on.
"Is that-" she gasped as her jaw dropped. How is it possible? He was turned into stone by the three good fairies she mused.
"Yes it is Diablo." Maleficent confirmed stroking him, before the bird flew to Mal's shoulder and started to nip her ear harshly.
"Ow!" she complained, shooing the bird away.
"Don't be threatened my pet. That's just Mal." Maleficent cooed to him as he returned by her side. Mal did her best to hide her hurt expression at hearing her mother dismiss her so bluntly like that.
"Diablo has very interesting news. He's back and Evil Lives! My sceptre has also come back to life and is on this Isle." Maleficent cackled gleefully.
"What? But I thought the heroes destroyed it-" Mal answered incredulously.
"Diablo swears he saw it. Don't you my darling?" Maleficent cooed again stroking him. "And you will be the one to get it for me!" she said, pointing at Mal.
"Me?"
"Yes you! Don't you want to finally prove to me that you're my daughter? All you do around here is paint your little drawings around town or do a few harmless pranks. You need to do more!" Maleficent ordered.
"But where is it?" Mal asked.
"I don't speak raven." Maleficent snapped. "But you will find that sceptre and you will bring it to me!" she growled as her eyes starting glowing green.
Mal didn't back down and immediately responded to her mother's challenge, her eyes glowing purple in response. But her mother proved just too strong and she had to look away a few moments later. "Fine! I'll get your stupid sceptre." She snapped in defeat.
"Ah good! Once you will find the sceptre and bring it to me I can finally have my revenge on the fools who imprisoned us on this cursed Island. But don't forget that the Sceptre is cursed and that anyone who touches it that is not of dragon's blood will fall into a thousand year sleep. Now remember if you are weak and disappoint me once again…a thousand year sleep will be heaven compared to what I will do to you." Maleficent warned her menacingly.
"Yes, mother." Mal responded dejectedly.
"Now go and find a way to bring me that Sceptre!"
̴- ̴- ̴
Mal dragged herself up to her room and went to rest against the open window, turning to look forlornly outside at the Isle and the glittering lights of Auradon in the distance. Her mother just knew what to say to ruin her mood, all thoughts of the fun evening she had just spent with Ben at the party quickly forgotten. She sighed as she thought about how tired she was of having to see day after day her mother look at her as weak and as a complete failure, just because she had come from Maleficent's own moment of weakness with her missing father.
Mal knew she would get no sleep that evening as she thought about ways of how she could possibly find out where the sceptre was hidden. Her mind wondered off to all those times her mother regularly reminded her that even though she was named after her, Mal had still not proven herself worthy enough of her dark fairy family heritage. And so Maleficent only allowed her to use a tiny bit of her real name. Her brooding was interrupted by the sound of a stone tapping against the window glass and she looked down surprised to find Ben staring up at her.
"Are you crazy? What are you doing down there? Come up here quickly before anyone sees you!" she called out quietly.
"I couldn't sleep. I don't know why but I had this feeling that something was wrong so I decided to come check up on you." Ben confessed a moment later as he easily climbed up the castle's walls and joined her outside the window, resting on the ledge.
Mal smiled softly as her heart fluttered, before she instinctively brought her face closer to his and gently kissed him. "Well something did actually happen." She confessed when they broke apart a few moments later. "My mother's raven, Diablo, is back and now my mother believes that her sceptre has also come back to life. And what's worse is that she wants me to find it."
"Has she gone crazy?!" Ben asked incredulously.
"Ben, we have to find it somehow! For the first time I have a real chance of making my mother proud of me. I can't fail!" Mal answered, her voice lined with determination.
"Okay." Ben sighed, cupping Mal's cheek tenderly. "If what you told me about the sceptre is correct and it does actually command all the forces of darkness when it works, it is a good thing that magic does not work on the Isle and that it is currently miles away from your mother. But if this means so much to you, I will help you to find this sceptre and return it to her. But now it's best if you try to get some sleep and we can think all about it in the morning. And we can also ask for Jay's help. I'm sure that between us three we will come up with something."
Mal smiled in response. If on one hand her mother knew what to say to ruin her mood, on the other Ben knew exactly what to say each time to reassure her and make her instantly feel better. "Okay. I will see you tomorrow at our usual meeting spot on the way to school. Goodnight!" she answered, kissing him.
"Goodnight" he smiled one last time before climbing back down to the street and heading back towards the hideout.
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"So you think the sceptre is on the Isle?" Jay asked skeptically the next day, as Mal and Ben told him what had happened after Mal returned home from the party.
"That's what my mother says and now I have to go get it!" Mal claimed.
"But we don't know where it is or even from where to start looking. Will you help us?" Ben asked with a hopeful expression. During this past year Ben had gotten to know Jay and, despite Mal having threatened him when he discovered their relationship, he knew that deep down Jay cared for Mal in his own way, even if he would never openly admit it. After all, before Ben came along, it had always been just the two of them, two kids who surprisingly got along somehow and who were both stuck on the Isle, raised by maniacal villains.
Jay stared back at Ben, carefully pondering his request. This is madness. There is no way that Maleficent's sceptre is on the Isle. His thoughts then wondered back to the previous night when he had returned home from the party to find his father waiting for him, asking him as usual for the evening's loot and how he had disappointingly dismissed everything as garbage. His father had then gone on to give Jay the usual lecture of how this was not the Big Score they needed to leave the Isle of the Lost. Hang on! But if Diablo is right and I am able to find the Dragon's Eye, this would be biggest score of the century and father would finally be proud of me! he thought making up his mind.
"Okay. Count me in." he said in agreement.
"Great. Now that that is settled, we need to start thinking of where that sceptre might be hidden." Mal thought out aloud.
"What about your mother's true castle, the forbidden fortress? I remember one day my father telling me about how he had seen a fortress covered in thorns when he was released from his genie bottle prison and placed on the Isle. We need a map of the Isle and luckily for us I just know the perfect place where we can find one, the Library of Forbidden Secrets in Dragon Hall. Now all we have left to do is to find a way to bribe Dr Facilier as he keeps the only key to the library." Jay prompted.
"Leave that to me." Mal smiled mischievously.
"If we really want to pull this off, I think we need to get more people involved. We don't know what we will be up against. Why not ask Evie?" Ben suggested. "You could also use this as an occasion to have a fresh start with her. What do you think Mal?"
Mal nodded in agreement as she had already thought about it the previous evening after her conversation with Ben.
̴- ̴- ̴
That day at school all of Mal's thoughts were solely focused on her mother's sceptre and how she was going to get it, so much so that she had almost totally forgotten that Lady Tremaine had called her in for a one-on-one after school seminar regarding her year-long evil scheme.
"Hi Professor Tremaine. You wanted to see me?" she asked as she entered her office.
"Yes come in." she instructed her and Mal took a seat in front of her. "I am so disappointed in you Mal. What is this sad excuse for a year-long evil scheme? A simple grudge against one girl."
Great. Join the queue after my mother. Mal thought dejectedly before answering her. "What's wrong with my scheme?"
"What's wrong?" It is not evil enough. You are my best student and most importantly the daughter of Maleficent. I am sure you can come up with a truly wicked scheme. You just need to put in your dark heart and soul into it." Lady Tremaine said returning Mal's paper to her. "Now return it to me once you have come up with a legendary evil scheme and I fully expect something that will truly go down in history."
Mal inwardly scoffed as she looked down at the paper in her hands. She did not have time for this. She had to find her mother's cursed sceptre. Wait a minute! she thought as an idea suddenly popped up in her head as she thought about how she could get two birds with one stone. If Evie accidentally was the one to touch the Dragon's Eye when they found it, the curse on the sceptre would put her to sleep for a thousand years. That way she would get her revenge against Evie while also winning the school's evil scheme competition for sure. No Mal. Snap out of it. she scolded herself as she remembered the promise she made to Ben…she would let go of her grudge against Evie. She would just need to find something else as her scheme.
"Okay, Professor Tremaine I will think of something else." Mal replied as she stood up and left the office.
̴- ̴- ̴
That afternoon Jay and Ben waited for Mal who had asked them to meet her at the marketplace.
"Why are we here?" Jay asked as Mal joined them after leaving a fortune teller's stand.
Mal showed him the tattered pack of tarot cards she had just swiped from the stand. "No one's allowed into the library and Dr Facilier is the only person who has the keys right?" she asked.
"And the principal just loves his tarot cards!" Jay stated in understanding.
"Exactly! Now let's head out and get that map!" Mal exclaimed.
"Wait! The orchestra's playing a concert tonight and there will be too many people around. Let's go tomorrow morning which is Saturday when there will be nobody in sight." Ben suggested.
"Fine. Jay you take care of the supplies for the journey and let's meet tomorrow first thing at school then." Mal instructed. Jay nodded in understanding before walking away.
A few moments later Mal spotted Evie walk across the busy bazaar with her mother, the Evil Queen, who was running excitedly from store to store in her ever first shopping trip after their banishment.
"Hey Evie!" Mal called out to her, before quickly turning to look at Ben who was smiling gently at her in encouragement.
"H...i…" Evie stammered in a frightened voice as she approached them.
"Look…I am sorry for what I did to you at Carlos's party. I still blamed you for not being invited at your birthday party as kids. But that was a long time ago and I think it is now time to let bygones be bygones. I don't want to be your enemy." Mal confessed.
"Really?" Evie asked incredulously.
"Yes really. And to prove it I am going on an errand for my mother and I need your help..." Mal was about to continue when the Evil Queen burst out from a nearby shop and joined them.
"Evie! I just got…" the Evil Queen stopped in her tracks as she spotted Mal next to her daughter.
"If it isn't Mal!" she exclaimed nervously. "How are you dear? And your mother? Is she still mad at me?"
"Um..." Mal stammered, unsure of what to tell her.
"Just tell your mother to come around and see me sometime. Come on Evie! Let's go." She added nervously.
"I will let her know." Mal answered, uncomfortably. "Um…can Evie hang out with us?"
"Sure! I'll see you at home, sweetie." As she left, she mouthed, ''Reapply your lip gloss!''
After the Evil Queen had left them alone, Mal went on to explain to Evie all that had happened with her mother's sceptre and their plans for the following day. Evie looked at Ben and Mal uncertainly before speaking. "Well something happened the night of the party that may have to do with the magical dome that protects the Isle and which might have caused Diablo to awaken."
"What happened?" Mal asked.
"You need to talk to Carlos about it. He can explain better than me what happened exactly." Evie explained.
"Why Carlos? What does he have to do with anything?" Mal demanded.
"Because I think he managed to punch a hole in the magical dome." Evie answered.
"What! Okay we need to check it out. Let's head to Hell Hall to talk to Carlos and you're coming with us, Evie." Mal instructed.
- ̴- ̴
Carlos opened the door of Hell Hall and instantly shut it in anger as soon as he saw that it was Mal. "Go away Mal. Haven't you done enough?"
Mal, Ben and Evie exchanged worried glances before Evie nodded her head and spoke up. "Carlos. Please open the door. Something happened with your machine the night of the party. We need to talk to you…it's important. And I got you a pillow!"
After a few moments of silence, the door finally cracked open and Carlos let them pass through the front door accepting Evie's pillow on the way in. "So what did my machine do?" he asked impatiently.
"Evie?" prompted Mal.
"On the night of the party, Carlos switched on a machine he invented. It is a sort of box that allows you watch TV shows and radio." She explained.
"Actually it looks for a signal using radio waves." He interjected.
Evie took a deep breath before continuing. "So when he turned it on, this box let out a huge blast of light that burned a hole thought the roof and kept on going straight up to the dome in the sky. And the TV suddenly came to life with some shows that we have never seen before. This new signal must have come Auradon."
"So it means the blast from my machine broke though the dome for a few short seconds." Carlos concluded triumphantly.
"Do you think there is a possibility that the blast let magic in, apart from just the radio waves?" Mal asked.
"Magic in? I don't know. Why are you asking?" he asked curiously.
Mal looked at Ben, unsure if she should involve Carlos in their quest to find her mother's sceptre. Ben nodded to her, encouraging her to continue. Mal explained to Carlos how Diablo had surprisingly returned telling her mother that her sceptre had also come to life and how she had entrusted Mal in retrieving it for her. She also shared her plan of sneaking into the Library to obtain the Map they need to get to their mother's old castle.
"Can you show me the box?" Mal asked.
"I can do better. I will take to my treehouse so I can show you the hole in the roof too." he answered.
Carlos took them to his treehouse and handed his machine to Mal who inspected it. Her excitement quickly died out as she found the box to be quite plain…nothing special or powerful enough to punch a hole in the dome. "Have you tried switching it on again?" Mal asked.
"No actually. Let me try. Better take a step back." he instructed. He pressed the switch but nothing happened.
"This has been a waste of time!" Mal snapped in frustration turning to walk away. Suddenly the black box on Carlos's desk began to beep.
Beep
Beep
"Why is it doing that?" Mal asked.
"Maybe it's looking for a signal?" Maybe it is sensing something else like the Dragon's Eye." Evie said excitedly.
"Like a compass or a homing beacon! Yeah it might be!" Carlos answered.
"Great! So that's settled. I will be taking the box with me!" Mal said reaching for the box.
"No. It's mine." Carlos replied angrily.
"Well I need to find the sceptre so I need that box so unless you want to come with us too hand it over." Mal instructed.
Carlos thought carefully about his options. It was not Mal who wanted the sceptre but Maleficent. If word got out that he hindered the search in any way he could start hiding in his mother's closet for all eternity. "Okay, fine. I'll come with you. I am actually curious to know what this thing really did." He answered pointing to his box.
"Then that is settled. We meet tomorrow morning at school. We've got a library to break into and a map to find."
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In hindsight, Mal thought how getting hold of the map and finding the location of Maleficent's castle turned out to be the easiest part of the quest. After bribing Dr. Facilier with the tarot cards she had stolen from the market, Carlos had used his chemistry skills to create the concoction needed to break the invisibility spell on the map. The Forbidden Fortress with its menacing-looking castle of spiky walls and twisty towers then appeared right at the edge of the map, in an area of the Isle known as 'Nowhere'. Deciding to swipe the map from the library, the five kids left the school and set off to their first destination, Goblin Wharf. As it turned out, the Forbidden Fortress was not on the Isle itself but on the Isle of the Doom, a separate piece of floating rock just off the Isle. The only way to reach the piece of rock was to get a ride with the Goblins.
As they made their way to busy port, Jay, Carlos and Evie started making conversation about their daily family life while Mal and Ben walked a step behind. They soon all discovered that they were not so different after all. They were all children of the most evil villains in the world and none of them knew the meaning of love, joy or sympathy. And she listened to them talk, Mal found herself oddly happy to have people around her for a change. Until she had met Ben, she had mostly stayed on her own with no real companions as Maleficent always insisted that they lived apart from the rest of the common folk. She thought how lonely her life had been up to a year ago. But as she first turned to smile at Ben, giving his hand a gentle squeeze quickly letting go so the others couldn't see them, before returning to look ahead to the little group in front of her, she realized that things did not have to stay like that way forever.
After paying off a goblin who took them the Isle of the Doom, the group made its way up from the rocky beach into the brush until they arrived in front of a gate covered with a forest of thorns. And through the thick fog they barely spotted the large black castle set high on top of a steep mountaintop. Mal gulped in fear as she took in her surroundings. The whole place looked toxic and sinister with the thick thorns around them covered with deadly poisonous spiders. Luckily for them Jay came prepared and from his pockets he gave three silver daggers to the girls and Ben while he gave some bug spray to Carlos. They all followed Jay as he used a small axe to clear the way from the thorns.
After managing to answer the three riddles posed by the gargoyles guarding the entrance bridge thanks to Carlos, the five adventurers finally found themselves inside the Forbidden Fortress. It seemed that not only Diablo and the Dragon's Eye had come back to life the night of Carlos's party, but the entire castle too. They cautiously walked along the fortress's dark corridors using the signal from Carlos's box as a guide. Unfortunately as they suspected, just like the gargoyle bridge, the castle was filled with booby traps and the group barely managed to make it through Jay's Cave of Wonders and Evie's Magic Mirror. It almost seemed like the castle was testing their worth to approach the Dragon's Eye. And only Ben and Mal were left.
Ben nervously looked around him as they left the corridor and ended up in a large empty room. He knew his test was next and he dreaded to think what it was going to be all about. Before they knew what was happening the scenario around him changed and he found himself in a familiar looking forest. He looked around him but did not see any of his companions. Mal, where are you? he thought worriedly. His heart started pounding wildly in his chest. He had to get out of there and fast cause if he was back in the dark forest, it meant his father would not be far behind. Moments later a load roar split the air and Ben froze in fear. He was about to bolt in the opposite direction of the sound when suddenly a familiar voice screamed his name asking for help. "Mal!" he shouted and instinctively ran in the direction of her voice. He watched with horrified eyes as he arrived to a familiar clearing to find his father facing him, holding a struggling Mal against his chest, his claws dangerously close to her windpipe. The others were semiconscious lying prone on the ground a few meters away.
"We were eagerly waiting for you, boy." Adam smiled sinisterly. "I have been waiting for this day for so long. You know that you are no match for me. You want to save her?" he taunted bringing his claws even closer to Mal's throat. "There is only one way you can do that. Unleash that hideous beast inside of you. Show us all who you really are…that you are just like me!"
"Don't listen to him, Ben! You are noth-" Mal tried to call out to him from her position but was cut off by Adam who angrily pressed his claws to her throat, drawing blood. "Quiet you!"
Ben's body froze on the spot as the sight of Mal at his father's mercy was simply too much for him to bare. He started breathing heavily as his eyes started flashing yellow in response. But as the familiar feeling of rage slowly started taking over his body, Mal's voice broke through his clouded mind, reminding him what she had told him a little over two months ago. Your father is wrong! You are nothing like him! In all the months you have been here, all you have shown me is that you are a kind and gentle person and that you would never do anything to hurt me. Ben took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself as his eyes locked with Mal's. Instead of the fear he expected to see in them, all he could see was the great faith she had in him. She believed in him and her love gave him the courage to finally confront his father for the first real time in his life.
"NO! I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!" he shouted, looking up to stare deeply into his father's eyes, taking a step towards him. "I might have inherited the power to turn into a beast from you but I will only use it to protect the people I care about. I will not use it to hurt people for fun just like you have done to me all your life. You are just a coward who attacks people who are not strong enough to defend themselves like my mother!" He growled. "Now let Mal go and come face me like a real man if that is what you are!"
Adam snarled, throwing Mal to the ground as he charged towards Ben. Ben did not back down and ran to meet his father but as he was about to attack him he suddenly found himself back in the Forbidden Fortress's empty room. He looked around the room relieved to find the others slowly waking up, before quickly running up to Mal checking her for injuries and helping her stand up. Luckily Adam's claws had just left a superficial cut which had already closed up.
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, fighting the urge to kiss her and embrace her tightly.
"Yeah I am fine don't worry." She smiled reassuringly, briefly touching his elbow in an effort to calm him down. "I am so proud of you!" she beamed at him. He nodded giving her a small smile of his own. They had both felt it. Today had been the first step Ben had taken in overcoming his father's childhood trauma.
"Phew! That was close…I am never going to complain about my family reunions that's for sure." Jay quipped trying to lighten the mood.
̴- ̴- ̴
They continued walking through the various long window-lined corridors until these gave way to even taller and wider corridors and before long, Mal knew they were approaching some place of significance, a great chamber. Mal could feel a sort of familiar pull towards something unknown but which somehow belonged to her…after all this was her mother's castle, her heritage.
They arrived in front of a set of large closed doors and Mal did not need Carlos's machine that was now beeping wildly to tell her that behind them stood her mother's thrown room. She took a long breath as she pushed open the doors and entered, taking in the sight before her. The ceiling was high as the sky and as black as smoke. The room was round and surrounded by columns and the whole place just gave off a deep aura of malevolence. This was the place from where her mother looked over and cursed entire kingdoms. Right there and then she suddenly realized that all her mother ever told her about her past was true and real and a shiver passed through her body.
She looked straight ahead to the middle of the room where her mother's throne used to be to find the sceptre glowing a dim green light.
"There. Look!" Evie exclaimed as she stepped up to touch it.
A thousand thoughts ran through Mal's head as she saw Evie's hand reach out to touch it. Should she let her touch it and let her fall into a thousand year sleep? Apart from getting the sceptre, her mother would be doubly proud of her for cursing the daughter of the Evil Queen in the process. She could finally earn the right to be called Maleficent, just like her. Or should she do something…good and stop her. Mal froze unable to decide until she turns to look at Ben and his words from the night of Carlos's party come flooding back to her. I know you're better than that.
"Evie! Wait!" she called, making up her mind. She stopped and turned to look at her.
"It's safer if I do it." Mal told her before grasping the sceptre. The silence of the chamber was interrupted as Maleficent's voice echoed throughout the room.
"WHOEVER AWAKENS THE DRAGON WILL BE CURSED TO SLEEP FOR A THOUSAND YEARS!"
A blinding light filled the chamber and Mal fell to the floor asleep.
̴- ̴- ̴
Mal found herself standing in the same throne room. But something was different and Mal realised she was reliving moments of her mother's past. She watched as her mother glared out of the window where faint sounds of trumpets and cheering could be heard.
"They invited everyone except me!" her mother screamed getting up and pacing.
"But wait I will give them a chance. Maybe it was just an oversight." she mused.
The next thing she knew, Mal found herself standing in King Stefan's palace, in his royal court as him and his Queen looked down at their child in a nearby cradle. Her mother suddenly appeared in a puff of green smoke.
"Well…well…well. Quite a glittering attendance King Stephan." Maleficent said smoothly. "Royalty" she listed off with a slight nod to the king and queen. "Nobility" she said looking at the lords and ladies. "Oh and of course the rabble" she said with a slight chuckle.
"I must admit, I was quite distressed at not receiving an invitation."
"You weren't wanted." Fairy Merryweather snapped at her glaring.
At that moment Mal finally understood where all her mother's anger and taste for revenge had come from because she had felt the exact same thing years ago when the Evil Queen had thrown that party for Evie and left her out. And she realized that she felt something new towards her mother…a great sadness. While all the crowd at the christening saw her as a monster cursing an innocent child, Mal saw a hurt little girl acting out of spite and anger.
The scene dissolved before her eyes in a puff of green smoke and Mal woke up to find Ben hovering around her worriedly.
"You're awake!" Ben stated, clearly relieved, as he helped her sit up.
"How?" Evie asked. "You were supposed to sleep for a thousand years.
Mal blinked slowly as she remembered her mother's words and pulled up her sleeve to reveal the Double Dragon tattoo etched on her forearm. "Because I'm Maleficent's daughter. I have the blood of the dragon in my veins and I'm therefore immune to the curse." On one hand Mal felt strong as she had somehow proven that she was indeed her mother's daughter but on the other she was still reeling in shock from her dream. Maleficent had never planned to curse Aurora but she'd only done it out of hurt.
"Wait a minute! Where's the sceptre?" she asked. "Jay! Hand it over!" she snapped holding her hand out.
"I don't have it. I swear." he said holding his hands out to prove it. "After you hit the ground, there was a blinding light and it just disappeared."
"So let me get it straight!" Evie suddenly interjected. "You know all along about the curse on the sceptre and you had all of us come along. You were going to let me touch it and be cursed weren't you?"
"Yes I thought about it for a moment." She admitted.
"Why didn't you?"
"I was still angry at you for being left out of your birthday party but then I realized that it was something my mother would have done and that I was better than that." she told her shooting Ben a smile.
"My mom did that on purpose. I wanted you there…I practically begged her to invite you. I wanted everyone there but my mom simply refused to invite you because she was angry at Maleficent for being chosen as the Isle's ruler. As royalty, she felt she should have been that." Evie explained. "And you didn't miss anything as the party had not been anything great".
"Enough with the violins. We got a long walk home and I don't think this place has a back door." Jay commented as he turned to walk away.
"Wait guys!" Mal called out. "You know something. We might have failed miserably in getting the Dragon's Eye but I think we make a pretty good team!" she smiled despite the situation. "Evie! Carlos! Would you like to join my gang?" she asked. "Let's leave the past in the past and I think we really need each other to be able to survive here on the Isle."
They nodded in acceptance and Mal continued. "Then as official new members of my gang there is something you need to know." She smiled at Ben before grabbing a hold of his hand and pulling him in to kiss him.
"Don't tell anyone or otherwise I'll have to kill you." Mal said, noticing Evie's and Carlos's dropped jaws, before she started laughing.
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Later that night, Mal rested her head on Ben's shoulder as they sat on the roof of their hideout looking out at the Isle. They were given a ride back home by a number of goblins who they discovered lived on the Isle of the Doom and who wished to go live in Auradon. The return home had not been great for anyone especially for Mal as Maleficent was once again disappointed in her, not only for coming back empty handed but most because she discovered that she had not let Evie grab a hold of the sceptre freeing her from the curse. What was worse was that her mother revealed that she had sent Diablo to follow her and that he was the one who managed to return the sceptre back to her.
But as she snuggled into Ben and thought about all that had happened to them that day, Mal's determination only strengthened. Her mother may still see her as weak, but being immune to the sceptre's curse proved to her that not all was lost. She was and will always be her mother's daughter and one day she would find a way to keep that balance between being true to herself and listening to the newfound goodness in her heart thanks to Ben and making her mother proud.
She had to find a way.
But little did they know that across the waters in Auradon, a sixteen year old princess had just made a decision that would change their lives forever.
That's it! The prequel is finished! Wow once again its a very strange feeling. Once again I must say a HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to every single one of you for your support throughout this story. It means more than I can say. I write for you guys. Remember if there is anything you would like to see in the revamp let me know and we will see what we can do.
One last reminder for you guys: After No Matter Where We Are and I Will Love You are revamped:I WILL BE CHANGING MY PEN NAME. So don't be alarmed if my stories come up under a different name I promise no one has stolen them
And to my ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL AMAZING Beta xez2003: I honestly CANNOT thank you enough. You really go above and beyond with the amount of effort and time you put into our chapters. I can only express my sincerest thanks for everything you have done for me and everything you will do for me in helping revamp part 1 and 2 of the trilogy. I absolutely could not have asked for a better Beta and I cannot wait to work on any future stories we may do together. From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU SO MUCH!