Hello Lovies! Welcome back to another chapter of Time for Changes... actually there are only 2 more chapters left. I hope you like this update, and I will be working on Time for Changes and Neighbors until they are complete. After that I will be starting to update my other stories and adding two of the new ones into the rotation. I do not know which ones yet, but I will be picking the two most popular of the new ones.
Anyway, please let me know what you think and I cannot wait for your guys to read the next chapter, because I think its going to be one of my favorites.
ENJOY!
A month later Mal and I were packing up her things at Bargain Castle and moving them over to Auradon castle. A month… wow. It has been a month since the barrier came down and since I asked Mal to marry me… and it has been the best month of my life.
After we got engaged we were swarmed with questions on when we will be getting married, what our plans are, and even if Mal was pregnant. Those questions did not fly too well with our parents, but they also knew that things were bound to be asked… no matter how stupid the question may be. I was back from taking a load over to Auradon and heard Mal talking with someone in her room.
"You're going to live in a bigger castle."
Red's voice came from the room and I stopped in my tracks, because I didn't want to intrude on what they were talking about.
"I am," Mal said. "You gonna miss me?"
"More than you know."
The tone in Red's voice changed and I could tell that she was getting sad.
"What's up?" Mal asked.
Nothing was said for a second, and I was going to walk in, but then I heard Red sigh.
"I'm not going to see you as much."
Her little voice started to crack and my heart broke.
"Hey," I heard Mal say. "You'll still see me. Sure I won't be a 15 minute walk, but I will still come and visit all of the time, and I even bet Ben would let you come and stay at that castle if you wanted to."
I smiled at the thought. Red and Mal were very close and I would never keep Mal away from her. She was welcome at the castle anytime she wanted.
"It won't be the same," Red said. "I see you everyday, and you walk me to school."
"What about the times that I stayed in Auradon with Ben?" Mal asked with a little bit of humor in her voice. "I stay over there for like 2 to 5 days at a time sometimes."
"But this will be longer and you won't walk me to school anymore."
I didn't have to be in the room to know the look on Mal's face. Her eyes were probably swelling up with tears about now, and she was probably consuming Red in a tight hug.
"If I could take you Red, I would," Mal said in a low whisper. "I would take you with me in a heartbeat."
My heart ached for the pair. They were as close as Chip and I were, and I knew I had to make it to where they could see each other more often than a couple of times a month. I just had to figure out how…
A knock on my office door brought me back to reality. I was about to go into a meeting that was going to possibly change my life forever… and to be honest, I was a little nervous.
"Come in," I said as I sat up in my chair and straightened out my tie.
The door opened and 6 older adults walked into the room. Lord Hades, Lady Persephone, my parents, Lady Tremaine, and Anastasia were standing in the doorway, looking at me… and with rather confused looks on their faces. I stood from my seat and smiled at them.
"Hello," I said, holding out my hands to the 6 chairs I had placed around my desk. "Thank you for coming. Please have a seat."
They took their seats without saying a word, and I knew they each felt very uncomfortable, with not knowing what I was holding this meeting about.
"Okay. I know you are all wondering why I have asked you all to meet with me," I said.
I walked around my desk, and braced myself against it, holding onto the edge for dear life.
"You could say that," Hades said as he threw his hands behind his head and looked up at me. "You didn't give us much detail."
No matter how much Hades said he liked me, I was still afraid of him. He may be my fiancé's father, but he is still the god of death.
"I know," I stated. "I was very vague."
I was starting to get even more nervous. My palms were getting sweaty and my heart was racing.
"Okay, well…"
"Are you in trouble?" My mom asked.
I snapped my head at the comment and was confused by it. Why would she think I was in trouble?
"No…" I said, shaking my head. "That's actually the opposite. I wanted to talk to you about Red."
"Red?" Anastasia asked. "What about Red?"
Here we go…
"We all know how close Mal and Red are," I said, gaining nods from everyone in the room. "They are as close as Chip and I are… maybe even closer."
"Is that even possible?" My dad asked with a chuckle.
"I think it is," I said, returning a laugh of my own. "I know. This is going to sound crazy but…"
"You are going to ask us if you and Mal could adopt Red aren't you?" Persephone asked, making me look at her.
My chest sank… but sank in relief. At least I didn't have to make a long speech to them.
I nodded my head, before I looked back at my parents, Mal's father, and the Tremaines. Now, I was just waiting for their reactions… whether that be a blow up or not.
"You want to adopt Red?" Lady Tremaine asked.
I locked eyes with the older woman. Her green eyes growing crocodile tears in them.
"I do," I said. "I know that this is a big decision, but it is one that I think would make the three of us very happy."
There was nothing said for a moment, and the looks on their faces were unreadable.
"Mal and Red have a bond just like Lady Persephone and Mal have," I stated. "I would never want to break that."
"Ben, this is a…"
"I know that this is a lot and a very big decision," I said, cutting my dad off. "I want the best for both of them. I have known Red for just over a year, and seeing how Mal looks at her… makes my heart swell," I told them. "It's the way that a mother looks at her child," I continued. "It's the way you look at Hadie and Mal," I said as I looked at Persephone. "It's the way you look at Anthony and Dizzy, the way you look at Anastasia, and the way you look at me," I said as I looked at my mom. "It's love. A love between a mother and daughter. How could I not want that for them and even myself."
Tears started to well up in my mom and Persephone's eyes. I knew I was going to have to make this a good speech so they would hear me out, and I knew that I was going to have to hear them out too.
"That is very beautiful, Ben," my mom said as she smiled up at me. "I know you are a smart man, and you father and I will stand beside you through anything, but we want to make sure that you are 100 percent sure about this."
"I am," I said. "The only person I have not talked to about this is Mal, but…"
"My Mally would adopt that kid in a heartbeat," Hades said, cutting me off. "I am all for it as long as both of you are ready for the roles of parenthood and can handle your kingdoms."
I nodded my head, before I turned to look at the Tremaines. Now this was up to them. They have been taking care of Red since she was a baby, and they were her guardians.
"We love Red very much," Lady Tremaine said. "We want her to be happy… and I think she will be very happy with you and Mal."
I let out a breath I did not know I was holding. Wow… I was going to be a dad.
"But now comes the hard part about this discussion," my dad said as he stood from his seat. "There are rules to how succession goes, Ben. You and Mal can adopt her, but she cannot take the throne."
"That is understandable," I said, nodding my head. "I know that they have to be my own heir to take my throne."
"But," he said, holding his finger up. "I would bet that if you took it to the council, they would allow you to give her the title of princess."
"So she could be a princess, but not take the throne?" I asked.
I know it was a stupid question, because he just said that it could be a possibility, but I just wanted to make sure.
"That is what I just said," he said with a laugh.
"I know," I said. "I am just really relieved that this conversation went as well as it did."
"Did you think it was going to go horribly wrong?" Hades asked.
"I honestly didn't know how it was going to go, but I am glad it went the way it did," I said as I ran a hand through my hair. "Now, I just have to talk with Mal."
"You got that right, dad," Hades said, making the room laugh.
"That is the last one," Mal said as she flopped onto our bed.
Wow… our bed. That sounds… nice. She kicked her legs up, letting her boots fly onto the floor, before she turned to look at me.
"You're going to get tired of me," she said.
I walked over to the bed and pulled her leg, making her shriek and laugh. I started to kiss her face, letting my stubble tickle her as her laughter got louder.
"Okay okay!" She shouted. "Get your furry face away from me."
I pulled away from her and laid down next to her. This was what life was going to be like… well with the addition of Red… which is something I really needed to talk to Mal about.
"Hey," I said.
I rolled onto my side to face her and she looked at me with her glorious green eyes. God, her eyes made me melt.
"Can I show you a room? I want to get your opinion on it," I said.
Her eyebrow raised and I knew she was hesitant at first. I huffed a small laugh before I pushed myself up and held my hand out to her.
"Come on," I said. "Let's go."
We walked down to the second floor of the castle, where my office was. I was playing with a key in my pocket, hoping she would like this surprise I had for her… well both surprises.
"Where are we going?" She asked as she pulled on my other hand.
"You'll see," I said.
We walked past my office, and I stopped at the door next to it.
"Isn't this an empty room?" She asked, pointing to the closed door. "Or are you expanding your office?"
"Something like that," I said, before I pulled the key out of my pocket and held it out to her.
"What…"
"Open it," I said.
She looked at me with a confused look, before she skeptically took the key from my hand and unlocked the door. The room was dark, and when she walked in I flicked the lights on and saw her jump.
"Oh… it's nice," she said.
The room was bare and I recently had the walls painted white. There was a large window on the back wall that led to a balcony, and the newly polished wood floors were glossy.
"Well, I was thinking you could have a blank canvas," I told her as I wrapped my arms around her and locked my fingers with hers. "You could do anything you wanted…"
"What is this place going to be?" She asked. "If you wanted me to paint something, you could at least give me some restriction, because I will go crazy if you don't."
"Oh," I said with a small laugh. "This is your art room."
I felt her stiffen in my hold… or more of she was in shock.
"I'm sorry," she said as she turned to look up at me. "My what?"
"Your art room," I repeated. "I want you to have a place where you could still feel like you, when we are married. Being king and queen is going to take a big toll on us, and this place could be your escape."
"Ben…"
"You didn't have to do this… blah blah blah… this is too much… blah blah blah…" I said, mocking her and making her laugh. "I know I want to give you the world, but realistically no one could have the world. I want you to have a place where you feel like you, Mal."
She smiled at me, before she pulled me in and our lips crashed together.
"Thank you," she said as she pulled away from me. "I love you."
"I love you too," I said. "But I do have one more thing to show you."
"More?" She asked. "What more could there be?"
"Just one more room," I said as I laced our fingers and guided her out of the room.
I took her back up the stairs to where our room was and led her to a room that was caddy corner to ours. I opened the door and the room was bare with only a bed, a dresser, a television, and a giant mirror leaning against the wall.
"What is this?" She asked. "Don't tell me that you want me to move in here," she said with a laugh. "That would make our marriage a little weird."
"No," I said, shaking my head. "I was thinking… this would be a great room for Red."
She snapped her head to look at me. Yeah, I was hoping to get that expression.
"She would love the view of the forest," I said as I walked toward the small balcony. "Not to mention we could let her pick the color she wants the walls to be," I continued. "We would, obviously, have to buy her some new furniture if she did not like these, but…"
I turned to look at Mal and I could see she was holding back her tears. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and swayed myself back and forth on my heels. Her eyes locked with mine, and I smiled just as her tears started to fall.
"Hey," I said as I walked up to her. "I know how much you love her, Mal. You love her just as much as your mama loves you and Hadie, as much as my mom loves me, and as much as your mom loved you."
The water started to stream down her face even more as her sobs got louder.
"I know that this would be a challenge for us, but I know we could do it," I told her as I pulled her into my arms. "We can do anything as long as we do it together. Even adopting."
She laughed, before she looked up at me. Her eyes were red and her face was stained with tears.
"You want to adopt her?" She asked.
"I want us to adopt her," I stated. "She deserves to have the best life, and what other way to have that than to spend the rest of her life with her mom."
She pulled the lapels of my jacket, before she crushed her lips to mine.
"So, is that a yes?" I asked against her lips.
"Yes!" She said as she started to laugh. "A million times yes!"
She wrapped her arms around my neck, before I picked her up and spun her around. We have a lot to do, but the main thing was that we had to ask Red if we could adopt her.
"We have to talk to the Tremaines first…" she said as I placed her on the ground. "And my parents… and yours…"
Her eyes widened in fear, and I knew she was nervous to hear what everyone was going to think.
"Well, that may be something," I said as I put my lips in a thin line. "But it is a good thing that they already know and they are more than on board."
"What?" She asked in shock. "They know already? When did you ask? When did you talk to them? What?"
I could tell that her mind was going about a thousand miles an hour right now, and it was understandable. She just received the news that she was going to be adopting, and now she is receiving the news that our parents knew before she did. I would be asking questions too.
"Okay," I said as I took her hand and led her to the bed. "When we were packing all of your things in the Isle, I heard you and Red talking," I said as I pulled her into my lap. "I asked to meet with the Tremaines and our parents yesterday, while you were at the Moors. I told them that I wanted to adopt her with you, and they wanted to make sure that this was something we both wanted, and I told them that it was more than what we wanted," I said. "You should have seen how happy our moms were," I said, making her laugh. "My dad did explain a couple of royal things, but other than that, they were very happy."
"They were?" She asked.
"Yeah," I said, nodding my head.
"What did your dad say?"
"He told me that we can adopt her, but she won't be able to take my throne," I said.
"To be honest, I don't think she would want to," Mal said. "She is a very free spirit, and that's coming from me," she said, making me laugh.
"But he did say, if we wanted to talk to the council, he thinks they would allow us to make her a princess of Auradon," I told her.
"I think that would be more up her spread, but I have to ask," she said. "Why do we have to ask for permission? We are going to be king and queen of… everything."
"Are you getting a little power trip?" I asked jokingly.
"Absolutely not, but I was just curious," she said.
"It's more to keep the peace," I said. "I may be in charge of, as you say, everything, but we lean on each other to keep our kingdoms from falling into chaos."
"I guess", she said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, since we are done with the surprise as of now," I said, slightly squeezing her. "All we have to do is talk and ask Red."
"Mal! Ben!"
Red saw us waiting for her as she got out of school. My god, this little girl was amazing just by her sight. I honestly didn't know what I did to deserve her in my life, and with what Ben told me yesterday, she was going to be with me for the rest of our lives.
"Hi!" We exclaimed as Ben and I waved our hands at her.
She was running full force toward us and her smile was from ear to ear. I took a couple of steps, before she leaped into my open arms, consuming me in a hug. Red was very petite for an 8 year old, but that was because of the lack of food on the Isle, and luckily things were changing about that.
"Oh, I missed you," I said as I swung her from side to side. "How was school?"
"I missed you too!" She said as she smiled down at me. "School was fine. What are you doing here?"
"I picked some plants for my mom," I told her as I set her on her feet and we walked toward Ben. "So, Ben and I thought we would pick you up on our way there."
"Can I go?" She asked, before she looked up at Ben and smiled. "Hi, Ben!" She said loudly as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
Ben picked her up and threw her into the air, making her laugh. We were hoping that this conversation was going to be better than we were hoping it would. Plus, we already talked to the school, and they were working on the paperwork so Red could be transferred to Auradon Elementary.
"Of course you can go," Ben said as he put her down. "Here, I'll carry your backpack."
"Okay, thank you."
She gave Ben her backpack and he threw it over his shoulder, before she took both of our hands and the three of us started to walk toward my mom's garden. Red was so happy as we were walking. Her smile never left her face, and when Ben and I looked at each other, the fear we were having was lessening.
"We're here," Red said, before she let go of our hands and rushed over to my mom's plaque.
As soon as my feet hit the grass, the garden started to bloom and glow like it always did. This was my favorite place on the Isle. SWhenever I brought Red with me, she would alway talk to my mom. It was as if she knew her. She would tell her how her day was at school, about her friends, and anything else. I bet my mom would have loved her.
"Hi, Your Majesty," she said as Ben and I walked up behind her. "It's Red. Mal and Ben brought more flowers from the Moors for you, and they are so beautiful."
Ben laced his fingers with mine, making me look at him. He was looking at me with an admired smile, and I still could not believe that we were going to be adopting Red. He nudged her head toward Red, and I nodded my head before we sat on either side of her.
"Hey," I said as I tapped her on the shoulder. "Can we ask you something?"
"Yeah," she said, nodding her head.
"Do you like living on the Isle?" I asked as I pulled her into my lap.
"I mean… it's the only place I know," she said. "I know the barrier is down, but Grammy is trying to get more people to come to the shop, and Aunt Ana is trying to get Dizzy and Hadie to move with Anthony so he doesn't mess up in Auradon," she said with a laugh. "I'm not supposed to say that, but I thought it was funny, because Anthony was shocked that his mom said that."
We laughed at her. She always had the tendency to go off the topic we were on, but it was a cute trait of hers.
"But what would you say about moving to Auradon?"
"Me?" She questioned. "Move to Auradon?"
"Yeah," Ben said, nodding his head. "Would you?"
"By myself?" She asked. "I am way too little to be moving out on my own," she said, making us laugh again.
"No," I said as I squeezed her lightly. "What do you think about moving to the castle with Ben and I?"
Her eyes widened in shock. I bet this was the same reaction I had when Ben told me he wanted to adopt her.
"Me? Live in a castle?" She asked.
"Well, there would be more than that," Ben said as he scooted closer to us. "Mal and I wanted to ask you if we could adopt you."
She snapped her head to him, and I couldn't tell, but I am guessing that her eyes were almost out of her head.
"You want to adopt me?" She asked.
"We do," Ben said with a smile. "You do know what that would mean right?"
She nodded her head, but didn't say anything. I couldn't see her expression, but by the look on Ben's face, I knew she wasn't upset by the idea.
"You would be my dad, and Mal would be my mom," she said.
I could hear her holding back her sobs.
"Would that be something you would like?" I asked.
She turned to me and nodded her head vigorously.
"Yes!" She exclaimed. "I would love that very much!"
She threw herself and me, and I wrapped my arms around her tiny frame. This was some of the best news I ever wanted to hear, and I was so happy that Red wanted to be with Ben and I.
"I love you both so much," she said into my ear.
"We love you too," I said as tears started to form in my eyes. "Now, why don't we go get your stuff? We can start moving you today."
"Okay!" She said as she shot up and started to pull at Ben's arm. "Come on. Come on!"
"Okay," he said with a laugh as he got up. "Let's go."
"I can call you dad right?" She asked as the pair walked toward where we came in.
"Of course you can," he said.
I smiled at them, before I turned to look at my mom's plaque that read…
Maleficent
Queen of the Moors and The Isle of the Lost
Beloved Queen. Beloved Friend. Beloved Mother. Beloved by all.
Rest In Peace.
I stood up and grazed the plaque with my fingers.
"I love you so much, mom," I said. "I could not be the woman I am today if it weren't for you. Thank you for watching over me, and I hope I am making you proud."
I turned around and I swore that the garden was glowing more than ever, but maybe it was because I brought the new plants.
"Mal?"
I turned to look at my fiancé and daughter… Wow, that was weird to say…
"Are you ready, mom?"
Red's voice made me turn to look at them. They were standing just past the garden entry. Red had a smile on her face that could turn anyone's day better. I lifted my hand and the plants Ben and I brought sunk into the ground. Having the barrier down made planting plants much easier. I took in a breath, before I walked after Ben and Red. Things were about to get so much better, minus the crazy wedding planning that was about to happen.
A month later it was Mal's first council meeting as my fiancé, and to say she didn't want to go was an understatement. She and I had been so busy with getting Red settled and getting her enrolled in school that we hardly had time to talk about wedding details, and we were getting married in 5 months. Yeah, it was a quick engagement, but when we went to adopt Red, we were told we could not officially adopt her until we were legally married. Luckily, we were allowed to take her home with us, instead of them putting her into foster care. I guess that is the perks of being the king and future queen of Auradon.
"Okay," Mal said as she rushed the corner to run over to me. "I am here. I am sorry if I am late, I had to get Red settled with her homework first."
"You're not late," I said as I leaned in to kiss her cheek. "You are just on time."
"Okay, good," she said as she fixed her dress. "Let's get this show on the road."
We sat through a bunch of different speeches and situations going on with every kingdom, and I could see the boredom on all of my friends' faces as they sat beside their parents. We had yet to tell anyone besides our parents and the Tramaines that we were adopting Red, and to be honest, we couldn't wait to share the news. And how coincidentally Hades had asked Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Uma to sit in for him and Lady Persephone today.
"Well, I am glad that we had this meeting," I said as I stood from my chair.
"I think you're the only one," Chad said, making the rest of my friends laugh.
"Moving on," I said in a numerous tone. "There is one thing Mal and I would like to bring to your attention."
"Is it about your wedding?" Audrey asked as she clapped her hand vigorously.
"No," Mal said as she stood up. "We will be rushing wedding details next week…"
"What?!" Evie exclaimed, making Mal and I snap our heads to look at her.
"Fittings on Sunday, E," Mal said.
Evie sighed and nodded her head, before relaxing in her seat. I laced my fingers through Mal's and rubbed my thumb across the back of her hand.
"We wanted to talk about succession…"
"Are you pregnant?" Lonnie asked, making Jay choke on his water.
"No," Mal said as she shook her head. "I am not pregnant. But, this does have to do with something about kids."
Everyone looked at us with confused looks on their faces.
"Mal and I are going to be adopting Red," I said. "I know the rules about my heir having to take my throne and we have already talked to Red about it. She is fine with that. All she wants is to be adopted by the both of us," I explained. "But with her becoming my daughter I would, at the very least, like to gain the permission of the council to grant her the title of a Princess of Auradon."
Mal's family was looking at us with wide eyes. Not eyes of shock, but eyes of excitement, along with my friends.
"Well, we aren't…"
"Shouldn't that be our decision?" Audrey asked as she stood up and walked next to her mother. "We are the next to take your thrones and just after Mal and Ben's wedding, we will be getting ready to be crowned."
"I agree," Chad said as he copied Audrey by standing. "We understand that you are all kings and queens now, but by the time Red is crowned a princess, we will be on the thrones."
"Chad…"
"No, dad," he said as he turned to look at his father.
"What is wrong with Red becoming a princess?"
"Chad, sweetheart," Snow said as she stood up from her seat. "I think what we are trying to get at is that, we wouldn't normally do that, but seeing as King Ben and Queen Mal know she cannot take the throne, we have no problem with it."
"Oh," Chad said as he clapped his hands together. "Please proceed."
I loved that my friends were so on board with Mal and my decision.
"You are really going to adopt Red?" Carlos asked as he walked over to Mal and I.
"Yeah, we are," Mal said as the rest of her friends walked over to us.
Carlos was the first to hug Mal, before the rest of her friends consumed her in a group hug. My friend consumed me, taking me by surprise.
"You're going to be a dad," Audrey said as she squeezed my side. "That's so weird."
"You're telling me," I said with a laugh. "We just hoped you guys would be happy."
"Why wouldn't we?" Doug asked.
"To be honest," I said as they broke away and Mal came over and wrapped her arms around my waist. "I'm not sure, but we are so happy that you are all on board. Did you guys want to stay for dinner? I bet Red would love it."
"Absolutely," Uma said, before we all said goodbye to the rest of the council and went to get things ready for the fun night ahead.
"This is itchy," Red said as she scratched her neck. "Evie? Does it have to be so itchy?"
Evie laughed as I stood to look at Red's dress. She was going to be Ben and I's flower girl and she was not used to wearing dresses.
"It's not going to be itchy when I cut off the excess," Evie said as she turned Red to look at herself in the mirror. "But look at this. I added a pair of matching shorts underneath the dress so you can run around and play once the reception starts."
"Thank you!" Red said as she smiled brightly at Evie.
"What about you, M?" Evie asked as she stood to face me. "Want to get your fitting done?"
"How about tomorrow?" I asked, making her look at me with an annoyed look. "I promise to be your doll for as long as you need," I said. "I just wanted to take Red to the Moors today, since she has school tomorrow."
"Okay," she said as she nodded her head. "But would you mind texting the other girls? If I text they are going to ignore me to get out of fitting, but if you text and say you are going to be here they will do it."
"Sure, E," I said with a laugh. "Do you think you'll be able to get 9 dresses and 8 tuxes done in time?"
"Do you remember how fast I made your outfit for the first meeting when we came to Auradon?" She asked as she looked up at me. "I am more than willing to do that, with both of your parents, my parents, and my brother. And I take it as an insult that you are doubting my skills."
"No offense intended, E," I told her. "I just don't want you to over exert yourself."
"I could never," she said. "Now go on, before I make both of you stay to hear Uma complain about wearing a dress."
"Quick, Red! Run!"
We both ran out of the room, before Evie made us stay for more fittings. We were heading out the front door, just as Ben was walking out of the library.
"Where are you two off to?"
"Mom is taking me to the Moors today," Red said as she stopped in front of Ben. "And Auntie Evie is doing dress fittings for the rest of the girls."
"Sounds fun," he said as he looked at me. "When are you two going to be home?"
"If we fly, maybe two hours, but if we drive I want to say by five."
"Okay," Ben said as he leaned down and kissed Red's head. "Be safe and please let me know when you are on your way back."
"You got it, babe," I said with a smile.
He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the lips before he waved at us. I took Red's hand and walked us outside.
"So you want to fly or should I drive?"
"Fly?" She asked excitedly.
"Okay, well wait here and I will let you know when I am ready."
I walked down to the large grass area, and turned to make sure that Red was still standing on the top of the stairs. I have transformed many times, but I didn't want anyone in close proximity when I turned. I took a deep breath, before I consumed myself in smoke. When I first transformed into my dragon form, I felt no different until I saw that I was looking down at my family and they were looking up at me. When the smoke cleared, I saw Red jumping up and down in excitement. This was the first time she had ever seen me in my dragon form, so I knew this was going to be an experience for her. I puffed some smoke out of my nose, letting her know it was okay for her to come over to me.
"Wow, mom!" She said as she stopped in front of me. "This is amazing."
I lowered my head and wing so she could climb onto my back. I was a little nervous to fly with her, but I knew that I would be even more careful knowing she was on my back. Once she was settled and had a good grasp on me, I slowly lifted up into the air and started our joint to the Moors. I heard her laughter as I flew up and down and side to side.
"Is that it over there?" She shouted.
I looked down and could see that barrier glowing slightly. I started to fly lower so we would land just before the barrier. Once I landed on the ground, Red slid down my wing before I consumed myself in smoke again.
"Did you have fun?" I asked as I walked through the smoke to see her looking up at Balthazar. "Oh, hello Balthazar." He must have seen me flying and wanted to greet me once I transformed back. "I wanted to introduce you to someone." I walked over and took Red's hand into mine. "This is Red. She is my daughter. Red, this is Balthazar. He guards the Moors from bad people."
"I thought that was what the barrier was for?" She asked.
"The barrier was put up a long time ago, but before that, Balthazar and his friends guarded the Moors and protected it from the people who wanted to cause harm."
"Oh," she said. "It's nice to meet you."
"I bright Red to visit," I said as I smiled down at her and then looked back up at Balthazar. "Do you mind if we enter?"
He bowed his head, before moving to let us walk through that barrier. As we walked further into the forest, the fairs noticed I was there and started to swarm us, making Red laugh.
"They're beautiful," she said.
"They are," I said, agreeing with her. "Want to see something even more amazing?"
"Yeah."
"Come on then," I said as I took her hand and guided her toward the waterfall.
"This is amazing," Red said as she splashed her feet back and forth in the water. "I never imagined a more beautiful place."
"I think it's pretty great," I said.
I brushed my fingers through her dark brown hair. I still could not believe that Ben and I were going to be adopting Red in 5 months.
"So, I am going to be a princess?" She asked.
"Yeah," I said with a laugh. "You won't be able to be queen, but you will be a princess of Auradon."
"I wouldn't want to be queen," she said as she shook her head. "I heard stories of my mom and her being queen."
"But that doesn't mean you would be a horrible queen," I told her. "Your mother was different, that is for sure, but I do know how much she loved you."
"She did?" She asked.
"Oh yeah," I said. "She would walk around the Isle with you in a stroller that she had Gaston fix up, and she would tell people to stay away because no one was allowed to look upon your beauty."
She laughed at the thought. I know she was little when her mom passed away, but every girl should remember their mother.
"She loved you so much," I said. Any mother loves their child."
"And I am your child."
"And I love you so much," I told her as I pulled her close to my side.
"I love you too."
I looked at my phone and saw that it was almost 4:30.
"We better get going," I said as I got up. "Your dad is probably wondering where we are."
I walked to a clearing where I could transform, before Red got into my back and I started to fly us back home. I guess Ben saw me flying, because he was waiting on the top of the stairs for us. Red slid off my wing, before she ran over to Ben and I turned back into my human form.
"Did you two have fun?" He asked as I jogged up the stairs.
"The Moors are beautiful!" Red exclaimed, making us laugh.
"It is," Ben agreed, before he turned to look at me. "I hope you don't mind, but our entire, and when I say entire I mean entire, family is here for dinner."
I shook my head and laughed, before I looped my arm through his.
"I love when everyone is here," I said.
"I would hold off on saying that because Uma is ready, sword in hand, because you tricked her into a dress fitting."
"I can handle it," I said. "Let's just enjoy the day, before we are swarmed with wedding stuff."
"Mal!"
I was rushing downstairs, and my head was going 100 miles an hour. With everything that has been going on for the past 2 months, I just needed some time to breathe. We were 3 months away from the wedding, but I was getting excited too.
"Mal, honey!"
Mama's voice carried through the castle loudly, and the closer I got to the dining room the louder she was getting. Today Ben and I were going to be picking out our wedding cake and it was something he was really looking forward to.
"Mal…"
"I'm here," I said as I rushed into the room.
Belle, mama, Red, Ben, Evie, and Uma were sitting around the table, and Ben and Red were already sampling a cake.
"I see you two started without me," I said as I walked around the table to sit with them.
"You were taking way too long," Ben said with his cute smile.
"I could tell," I said with a laugh. "What did you try?"
"Chocolate and peanut butter," Ben said.
"We can't serve that."
"Why not?"
"What if someone has a peanut allergy," I said, making him frown.
"They don't have to eat cake," he said as he looked at the cake in front of him.
"Oh okay, Ben," I said, shaking my head. "That's not going to happen, but what if we do cupcakes instead?"
I could see I peaked his interest by the thought.
"We could do multiple flavors and you could have your peanut butter ones too."
"That is why I love you," he said, before he kissed my cheek.
"So, our mom's can pick out the flavors, because I honestly don't care about the cake as much as I care about everything else," I said as I stood from my chair. "Red and I also have to get her room ready for her first sleepover tonight."
"I forgot about that," Ben said with a mouth full of cake. "Who is all coming?"
"Ruby, Ryder's sister, Hannah from school, and two friends from the Isle," Red said as she shot up from her seat. "Mom said we could order pizza and she would put up a sheet so we could watch movies in my room."
"Why not use the TV?" Ben asked as he looked at me.
"I liked how fun it was when Audrey had the sheet up and projected the movie onto it," I said. "She is going to bring me her projector so I can borrow it."
"I see," he said with a smile.
"Do you want to take a small cake for each of you and your friends?" Belle asked. "You can take any of them."
Red walked over and stood between our moms, and the sight made me smile. I never imagined that this was where my life would be at my age. A mom… a queen… and a soon to be wife… wow.
"Can I have these five?" She asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Of course you can," Belle said as she kissed Red's cheek. "Now, why don't you and your mom run upstairs to get things ready for your friends?"
"Okay," Red said as she gave Belle a tight hug. "Thank you, grandma." She turned and wrapped my mamma in a hug, taking her by surprise. "Don't worry. I didn't forget about you, nana."
My mama hugged Red and smiled brightly. Persephone was the mom I grew up with, but always told me stories about my mom. She didn't try to step into her role or disregard her either. She loved my mom just as everyone else did when they met her, and I was proud to be both of their daughters.
"Come on, Red," I said. "Let's get your room ready so you dad and grandmas can clean this big mess."
"Pass the cakes along ladies," Ben said. "I have the perfect place for them."
We all laughed as Belle shook her head and took the cake that was in front of Ben away. There was no way in hell she was going to let him eat all of that cake.
"Okay. You girls are all set, the pizza is on its way, and you guys can go downstairs and get your cakes when you are done eating dinner," I said as I climbed down the latter after setting up the projector above Red's bed.
"Thank you…" Ruby said. "I have a question."
"What's up Ruby?"
"What do we call you?"
I was confused by the question.
"Like, do we call you your majesty? Or Mrs. Anderson? Or Ms. Drakos?"
I laughed now knowing why the question was asked but none of those were necessary.
"You can just call me Mal," I said. "I don't like titles. Plus, Ben and I are not married yet, so my name is not legally Anderson yet."
"Okay!" Ruby said with a smile.
"Okay, I will leave you guys to have fine, but please come find me, Ben, my parents, his parents, Mrs. Potts, Lumier, or anyone else," I told them.
"You got it, Malsy."
I laughed at the nickname. Only CJ ever called me that, but it was nice to hear.
I closed the door on my way out and was on my way to the library. I needed a break from wedding planning and running around the castle. Just 30 minutes of reading would give me the fix I needed to get me through the next hectic three months.
"You have to tell her."
Ben's voice was hushed, from the other side of the door.
"Hell no," I heard Hadie said. "She is your fiancé."
"She is your sister."
"Well, someone has to tell her," I heard my dad say.
"Okay then. You tell her," Ben said.
"Me? Oh no," my dad said. "I am not doing that."
"What are you guys trying to tell me?" I asked as I opened the door just in time to see them freeze in shock.
The three of them were standing there with wide eyes and were pale. Oh, gods. What happened now.
"What's wrong?"
Ben ran a hand through his hair, before he walked over to me and took my hands into his.
"We have a small problem."
"What?" I asked with a groan. "What happened now?"
"The cathedral started their reconstruction today, and now we don't have a place to get married," he said.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
"What are we going to do?"
I started to pace around the room. Where in the hell were we going to be getting married now?
"Do you want to push it back?" Ben asked.
"We already sent out the invitations," I said, throwing my head back. "People have made travel arrangements, and your grandfather is coming tomorrow. We can't have him traveling back and forth."
"Well…"
"We have a solution," mama said as she and Belle walked into the library. "The Moors."
"What about the Moors?"
"You two can get married in the Moors!"
That… that was not a bad idea.
"It would be a great spot if you wanted to bring down the Moors barrier too," Ben said, making me turn to look at him.
"You think?" I asked. "I don't hate the idea, and it would be a great way for my mom to be there in spirit."
"Then it is settled," Ben said. "I will email everyone tomorrow about the venue change."
"You're going to email everyone?"
"Why not?" He asked with a confused look. "Do you think I am incapable of sending a couple emails?"
"A couple?" I asked. "More like 800."
He sighed.
"I can do it," he said with a nod. "I can look at the list and send them out tomorrow."
"Okay," I said with a smile. "But, you'll let me know if you need help?"
"Obviously," he said, before he kissed my cheek.
"Well, now that we have that settled," my mama said as she looked at my dad. "Dear? Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Am I in trouble?"
"No," she said as she shook her head and laughed. "I just want to talk to you about something."
"Can I know?" Hadie asked.
"Absolutely not," mama said as my dad took her hand and led her out of the room.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see that Doug had texted me.
Hey. I need to talk to you? Are you able to meet with me?
I looked at the text with a confused look, before I quickly responded.
Sure. When?
Well… I'm in your art room.
I shook my head and laughed, before responding again.
Alone or do you want Ben there too?
Preferably alone right now. I will talk to him about it later.
Okay. I'll be up in 5.
"I'll be in my art room if you need me," I said as I turned to look up at Ben.
"Okay, Hadie and I are going to be in my game room," he said.
"Benny wants to get his ass kicked again," Hadie said as he cracked his neck and his knuckles.
"Shut your mouth," Ben said as he shoved Hadie's shoulder.
"Don't start wrestling in your mother's library, Ben," Adam said. "You know what happened the last time you and Chad started wrestling in here."
"Yeah, mom never lets me forget it," he said.
"That's what mom's do," Belle said with a shrug.
"Anyway, the girls' pizza is going to be here soon, would you mind taking it to them when it gets here?" I asked.
"Yes," he said.
"Thank you. I'll be upstairs if you need me," I said, before I kissed his cheek and walked out of the room.
I didn't know what Doug wanted to talk about, but I knew it had to be important.
Until next time my Lovies! Xoxo GM
