Chapter Two: Having Your Cake and Eating It To
Audrey looked up from her fabric samples and beamed. "Mal, you came!"
The wicked queen tossed her bag onto the floor as she entered the sewing room, going to stand by Ben. His arm wrapped around her waist, and she leaned into the touch.
Only a few more weeks…
"You told me to be here, remember?"
"Yes, but when I asked you to decide about plate settings and menu options and flower arrangements, you told me to ask, 'the little twerp.'"
"And did you?"
"Yes, Dizzy was much more helpful than you and she's only a junior," Audrey grumbled.
Mal just laughed. "Well, when you said cake, I knew this was one thing I could help with."
"Your sweet tooth is infamous," Ben remarked.
"The three biggest bakeries in the kingdom sent us cakes to sample so let's get started." Audrey ushered them to the back of the room where three covered cakes sat on tiny tables.
She unveiled the first one, a four layered cake topped with an edible roaring dragon sculpture climbing over it. The whole thing was frosted with shades of purple and the sculpted fire seemed to sparkle in the light.
"Is that supposed to be me?" Mal asked, stepping closer.
"I think so," Audrey remarked, handing out forks. "Might be a little over the top."
"Where is Ben supposed to be?"
"I think here." He pointed to a little chocolate beast clawing its way up the back of the cake. "That feels a bit targeted."
Mal giggled. "But maybe it's delicious."
They all took a bit…and promptly spit it into napkins.
"Not good," Mal gagged.
Ben smirked, placing the chocolate beast on top of the dragon's head. "Next cake?"
Audrey uncovered the second one to reveal a large box cake with dark swirls and a curly 'M + B' piped on. Sitting atop it was a huge cake sculpture of Mal and Ben gazing into each other's eyes.
"Whoa." Ben felt his skin crawl, looking at Mal's cake smile.
"You wanted to be on the cake," the real Mal reminded him.
Audrey stuck her fork into the cake, pulling out a chunk of Mal's forehead. "Ooh, delicious. Coconut sponge cake with lemon meringue buttercream. Your guests would faint."
"Try Ben's hair!" Mal suggested, waving her fork around. "They spun honey like cotton candy, so it melts in your mouth."
Ben was already turning to the other cake. "We still have one more."
The final one was three layers with columns between each one, frosted a pale lilac. Black roses sat on top, and the sides were decorated with what seemed like hundreds of strawberries.
"I like this one," Audrey said.
"I love strawberries." Mal was already digging in.
"You brought them on our first date." Ben's voice was soft as he watched her take a bite. "It was the first time I saw you as not just a wicked queen. As…a person."
Mal swallowed as her cheeks pinked. "So its sentimental and delicious."
Audrey flipped over the label. "Cloudberry cake with zephyr vanilla bean from Kronk's Baking Empire."
"It's the best one," Mal and Ben said at the same time.
Audrey beamed at the couple. "Excellent. Now all that's left is the wedding outfits. Speaking of, Mal, I finished your reception dress. Ben, out."
"Why do I have to leave?" he complained. "It's the reception dress."
"It's the principal!" Audrey huffed, gesturing to the door.
Ben sighed and kissed Mal quickly. "Fine. I'm taking some of this cake though. Chad will be mad if we don't save any for him."
He hefted up the second cake with its eerie sculptures and headed out. The minute the door thudded shut, Audrey raced over to the wooden closet that she used to hide secret projects, charmed with a fingerprint lock thanks to Jane.
"Let's see how it looks!"
When Mal emerged from the screen after changing, Audrey smirked. "I'd say I outdid myself but I'm always this good."
The dress was tight, a shimmering cool white with thin straps that barely held the garment up. The ombre purple skirt flared at the hips, covered in sparkle. Overtop, Mal wore one of her favorite purple leather jackets, rivets and all. She spun, a bit self-consciousness.
"It's really nice…but why do I need this?"
"Every bride needs a costume change," Audrey shot back. She walked around Mal, admiring the dress from every angle. "Besides, you need to be able to dance and you won't be able to in your wedding dress."
"Audrey…"
"Speaking of, we really need to discuss it. I have a million ideas."
"That many?" Mal sat down. Her stomach was starting to tie itself into knots.
Audrey pulled out sketches, placing them on the table next to each other. "We could go bold with a short dress, or classic with a long one. Imagine a sweeping skirt made of the softest satin in the kingdom with feathery long sleeves!"
"I'm imagining…"
"I also love this one with the ruffled skirt. It has medium sleeves spun into shimmering chiffon, so they're incorporated into the bodice."
"Interesting."
Audrey raised an eyebrow. "You don't want shimmer."
"I'm not too sure."
"Strapless?"
"I don't know."
"Purple?"
"Maybe."
"Purple's your favorite color!" Audrey exclaimed. "Mal, what's going on?"
"I just," Mal sighed. "Wedding planning is making countless decisions that don't matter but they all matter and even though I delegate it all reflects back on me and my rule. I just want…I just want to be with Ben, really. I don't even care if we have this big fancy wedding. All I really want is to make those vows in the cathedral and start our rule, together. Because we didn't know if it would happen for us. But it did."
"And that's what we're celebrating," Audrey reminded her. She sat next to the frazzled queen and squeezed her hand. "Mal, people may view this wedding as something to be evaluated and scrutinized because you're the queen but that's not what it's about. This day we're planning is a celebration of love and of you and Ben finding each other and choosing each other through every obstacle. Your true friends will know that and not care about every little detail."
Mal sucked in a deep breath and blinked a few times. "Thanks, Audrey."
"How about this? I make your dress and you trust me to work magic."
Mal glared. "If you put me in ruffles…"
Audrey just laughed. "Trust, Mal. It wouldn't hurt to acquire some 'good' traits now that you're marrying an ex-prince."
A week later Mal stood in Audrey's sewing room, hand over her eyes. The seamstress pulled on the corset ties on last time, making sure they were secure. Then she spun Mal over to the mirror.
"Open your eyes."
Mal lowered her hand…and lost her breath.
The bodice had a sweetheart neckline with off the shoulder sparkling chiffon straps. It was tight, hugging her curves, with nearly a hundred tiny amethysts sewn into the ivory fabric. The skirt billowed out from her waist, imitating the princess silhouette with the full skirt. The ivory fabric draped over the underskirt, a royal purple ombre that deepened toward the hemline, so dark it was nearly black, matching her dark elbow length gloves. The entire dress shimmered under the light.
"Oh Audrey." Mal had tears in her eyes.
The expert seamstress smirked. "I know. I'm amazing."
Ben had not been in Audrey's sewing room for weeks. She demanded both secrecy and privacy as she worked on the bride and groom outfits. Jane swore she'd heard her brewing coffee at 3am one night.
But now, with Mal's dress safely stored at the palace, far away from Ben's accidental peaking, he was allowed in to see his own outfit.
"Do I get a reception outfit too?" he asked with a teasing smile.
Audrey just rolled her eyes. "You get one suit. I'm still working on the cape for the coronation, but it's nearly finished. For now, lets just focus on the wedding."
Right, the coronation. First, they would be wed, then Mal would make him King of Auradon.
Ben knew which was the most nerve wracking.
"Try not to rip anything," Audrey instructed, handing over his suit. He made no promises as he ducked behind the privacy screen.
When he emerged, she ushered him over to her large shining mirror, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
"Well?"
The suit was blue, obviously. A dark royal blue with a slim cut coat overtop of a pressed black shirt. His blue pants darkened to black at the hem that dangled over his feet that looked very silly in only socks. But Audrey had added to the dark king aesthetic with golden epaulets at the shoulders and shiny buttons on his suit stamped with the head of a beast. The coat was even lined with dark gold satin.
"It's perfect."