Chapter Seventy Four
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney or the Greek Myths.
Guys, guys, can you believe that we're only 140 reviews away from 2000? I mean no joke, it honestly doesn't seem real! Thank you all so much for your continued support and I hope you continue to enjoy the chapters I put out! :D
Oh, the spell is from Mal's Spell Book II! It's been great to use to supplement my writing! :D
slytherin4thewin: So glad you enjoyed it! :D
Tracie Adams: I promise, Persephone will be coming in about three chapters!
Lauriverfanboy1: That's because it wasn't—they were reacting to chapter seven of LotusQuil's Adventure in Auradon. They'd asked me to have a reacts chapter in here and I was happy to do it!
AmethystDragon14: Yay! I highly recommend reading Quil's work! It's amazing! :D Yeah once the she-demon 2.0 is taken care of, the sibling bond will be okay. LOL yeah I couldn't resist making that an saying for SOB and still tame for Dustin!
Marcus Emrys: Oh yeah I could see Akiho vibing with Reuben lol :D As for my 'Watching Lion King' fanfiction, all I can say is that I did not have the stamina for writing that I do now and pretty much wanted it to be done by the time I got to the second Lion King movie.
OceanBlueSeaEyes: It's definitely coming up! :D
Bluebird: So glad you're enjoying it! And I'll try to see if I can't have more of Audie talking to Audrey!
jedblack1997: I know that Yen Sid is in Descendants but as for the Main Mouse, jury's still out if he'll make an appearance in my fics!
Guest: Oh thank you! Hadie's saying is a modified one from Thomas Sanders' Sanders Sides—Secret Secrets are no fun, tell me now or else we're done! :D
Audrey: Oh thank you! I can promise I am not a writer, nor do I play one on TV. I just write fan fiction for fun :D
danifan3000: So with Ariel, Elle, and Melody, I have the head canon that Elle was supposed to originally have that song but because of her surgeries and trying time after birth, she didn't get to have a public christening. So Melody basically got the 'hand-me-down' with the song.
casss585339: Hope you enjoy! :D
Katt Kiki: Ask and you'll receive! :D
JaclynnM: Yep, we're slowly getting there! And Freddy and Audrey meet in chapter 32 of Choosing Love!
Unknown Person67: Hey, I'm the same way as Mal—I'm not even over 5 feet tall so I definitely support Mal in this!
twilightgirl587: Nope you're right, it's not from Choosing Love—like I said in the Author's Note, it was from LotusQuil's Adventure in Auradon :D Aaron is Quil's OC, he's the brother of Arianna aka Audrey and Phil Jr.'s cousins!
smc-smfan1: Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
BALfan: Anne and Macon are my OCs, they're Phillip's sister and brother-in-law because something has to explain how two only children are able to have a niece (aka Arianna Rose).
LotusQuil: You're so welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Yeah Hadie'll learn tact one day, lol though I can just picture him muttering to himself 'memo to me, memo to me, learn tact'. That's a good point though I'm sure Hades' family can just pile into one of the side rooms if the Fates don't provide individual ones! I know! I'm so looking forward to getting rid of the Nat Bat! :D
jessaminego5134: Hope you enjoy! :D
LOST MUSES: I highly recommend checking out LotusQuil's stories! I tried to put the chapter between the two chapters it fell between so chapters 17 and 18 for Choosing Love!
61394: Um…about that…
BlackWidowAndCapRule: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Hope you like this chapter!
Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
David sighed as he took his scroll. As interesting as it was to get a glimpse into the future, the parent side of him hated hearing about Mal suffering and no one doing anything about it.
Mal sighed as she got ready for class. Lately, she'd been feeling sluggish and lethargic, though she wasn't sure as to why.
"Stress can do that to a person," Fairy Godmother said.
She wasn't using any more magic than she normally did...well she did cast the 'No Rest for the Wicked' spell a few days ago.
"I've never heard that one before," Jane said softly. "How does it go?"
Malinda sighed and pulled out a receipt from her pocket. "Does anyone have a pen?"
"I do," Ben said and handed it to her. Malinda quickly wrote the spell down.
"I think it might be best if someone without magic read it," Persephone said.
Belle nodded. "I'll do it."
"Alright," Malinda said and handed the paper to her mother-in-law.
"To sleep, a sweet release, one I ask for now. Awake! Alive! Revive my senses in my mind. Make light the perception of a continuous day. Keep me up all hours until I say the words of reversal," Belle said, her eyes growing wide as she finished.
"Yeah, we're banning that spell," Hades said, looking over at Mal.
It was probably the only time she'd been thankful to find Maleficent's spell book still in the drawer of her bedside table, the same place she put it all those months ago when she had been searching for the antidote to the love potion she thought she'd put on Ben.
"I'm sorry what?" Sammy asked.
"Oh yeah, Mal tried putting Ben under a love potion cookie to help him finally get out of the contract," Akiho said with a grin at the memory. "But she didn't know that Ben's immune to love spells and potions."
"…the fact that the phrase 'love potion cookie' coming out of your mouth isn't the most concerning thing should alarm me but it just leaves me with more questions."
"Didn't we cover this already?" Evan asked.
"A lot of information's been thrown at everyone, no shame in going over old info especially for people who weren't here for the first round of scrolls," Neal told him.
She had thought she had donated it to the Museum like Evie had done with her mother's mirror.
"Considering the fact that Evie did try to steal something out of the museum, maybe we should hope they upped their security," Celia pointed out.
It had honestly surprised Mal when Evie had done that but it was the first thing the Evil Queen's daughter had done after Ben's coronation.
"Not a bad idea," Audie said. "Helps change people's perception of you and it helps remove a temptation that might aid you cheating on a test or question like in my timeline."
Maybe Evie had thought it would get people's minds off of her actions at the coronation? Not that it had worked of course.
"Because Auradon is made up of a majority of stupids," Emma muttered, shaking her head.
"Come on boy," Mal sighed, shaking her head as she brought herself back into the present and looking over at Estelle. She was going to drop him off at James' dorm and then finally make her way over to class.
"And get yourself something to eat right?" Uma asked.
"Of course," Mal nodded. "I think that goes without saying."
"Well you never know, your scroll self has been leaving meals early after all."
Or at least she would if not for the fact that, at that moment, it felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over Mal's head.
"Like I said during the last scroll…chill attack," Malinda sighed as Benji pulled her close and gently rubbed her back.
Realistically, she knew no one had. She was alone in her dorm room and Estelle couldn't turn into a human. Unfortunately though, logic had no place in her brain at that moment.
"Sounds like your brain got replaced with Emir's there. Logic often has no place in his head either."
"Ashaki," Jasmine warned.
"Just trying to defuse the tension, sorry mom," Ashaki said softly.
You see, the cold was not pleasant for cold blooded creatures...such as dragons.
"The cold isn't pleasant for most people, we can agree there Mal," Anna said.
Add in the fact that Mal was also the daughter of Hades and she was already ill-equipped to handle the cold.
"It's one of the reasons why the Underworld is always warm," Hades said.
It only got worse after her impromptu trip into the Cove back when she was nine, the cold causing violent chills to run down her spine. They made it so she could barely move at times.
A few of the AKs winced in sympathy for Mal and the VKs did too.
I haven't had a chill in ages, not since we got to Auradon, Mal thought as she doubled over, her eyes forcing themselves shut as shivers wracked her body, her arms prickled with goosebumps as she fought to keep herself standing.
"That's interesting," Harriet said, frowning slightly as the 'mother' in her didn't like the idea of a younger VK suffering without her knowing. Even if that younger VK was a fellow captain. "Why do you think that was?"
"Probably because of the heat in all the buildings," Malinda said. "To be honest I never really thought about it."
She clenched her jaw, willing herself not to let her teeth chatter. She didn't feel the heat that came from the vents in her dorm, she didn't feel the slight warmth her dress provided...all she felt was cold.
"Get your jacket on!" Audrey exclaimed and then rolled her eyes as everyone looked at her in shock. "What? I might not want to wear leather myself but even I know that jackets provide extra warmth."
Gingerly crawling back into her bed, Mal pulled the covers up and curled into a ball as if to preserve as much warmth as possible.
Hadie wrapped his arms around himself. If…if he hadn't gotten into that fight with Mal in the previous scroll, she could have reached out to him. He could have helped…
She had a meeting with Natalie later that day anyway, she'd need her strength to put up with whatever diatribe the blonde went on today.
"Cancel it," Uma said. "Sure she might not be reasonable but you need to put yourself first Mal."
She sighed softly as she curled into a tighter ball, the chills continuing to run rampant over her body.
"We should be there," Uma said with a frown as Harry and Jay nodded in agreement.
Had this been the Isle, Uma, Harry, and Jay would have been on the bed in the clubhouse with her; pressing in as tightly as they could to give her enough warmth to make it through the day. If one of them had to leave, it was only to run to her dad's restaurant to get a lukewarm drink—and it was usually Jay who was the one to go as Uma and Harry were firmly glued to her side.
Malinda sighed. "It was also because Jay would claim that, as the eldest of us, he should be the one to go get the drink."
"Hey, I am a year older than you guys," Jay said with a shrug. "Though it doesn't mean much when I know you three can kick my butt with a sword."
Not that Jay wasn't just as glued and usually only spent about fifteen minutes away. If they made a request at her dad's restaurant and said it was for her, the staff got it done right away.
"Of course! They want to keep their jobs don't they?" Hades scoffed.
They knew her as Lord Hades' errand rat but that was still enough for them to fear angering Lord Hades if they made her wait too long. Most of the time, though, her dad was working in the kitchen and would see to getting it made himself.
Hades sighed. "Mal would send a message on the mental link to me, just to let me know that Jay would be on his way," he said.
"I always wondered how you had the drink ready by the time I got into the restaurant," Jay said. "Figured it was a God thing."
"Well…you're not wrong," Hera told him.
Tea would hit the spot right now, Mal thought as a small whimper escaped her lips. Or coffee. Hell I'd drink fire if it meant the chills would stop.
"I wonder if we couldn't make it so that there's a coffee pot or tea kettle in every dorm," Ben said, looking at Fairy Godmother. "I mean, students have late night study session so it wouldn't be unreasonable would it?"
A small lick on her hand brought Mal out of her thoughts and back to the present. Estelle had hopped up onto the bed and was acting almost as her Uma—pressing his body as close to her as possible even as Mal continued to remain curled up in her ball.
"Good boy," everyone in the room muttered and Estelle looked up to give everyone a doggy grin.
And yes, even Carlos had uttered the words though he was shocked when he realized that.
"Okay, five minutes boy and then we'll tough it out. We're from the Isle, they don't make us weak there after all," Mal whispered and wrapped her arms around Estelle the way a small Auradon child might hug a plush toy.
"No one would think you were weak dear," Fairy Godmother said. "In fact, I'm sure your teachers would happily let you have a day off if you let them know what was happening."
However, as the five minutes came and went, Mal found she was in no mood to leave the small pocket of warmth she'd created for herself. Nor was she eager to leave it after an hour went by either.
"After all we've learned about how it affects you, we can't really blame you Mal," Henry said.
In fact, that was how Ben found her three hours after creating her little heat bunker.
"Well if nothing else, I was happy to cuddle with you," Benji whispered to Malinda.
He'd been worried when he didn't see Mal at breakfast but he figured she was running a bit late. She always seemed to have a meeting to get to or class to attend.
Benji shook his head. "I should have looked into that," he whispered
There were times when he honestly wondered if Mal was the royal and he the VK considering she seemed to beat him in terms of how many meetings they'd have in a day.
"And this doesn't bother you or anything? Look into it!" Rose exclaimed, having not heard Benji's whisper.
It wasn't until James called him, asking if Estelle was alright, that the worried feeling returned and it was cemented when Uma pulled him aside after her Safety on the Internet class, which happened to be right before lunch.
"Hold up, I know this is a bit off topic but…why is the King also attending classes?" Henry asked. "I mean I know he's the Crown Prince here but in the scrolls, he's the King. Doesn't that just put too much pressure on his shoulders?"
"Benny, have you seen Mal?" Uma asked. Ben didn't rightly know how that nickname found its way into use but he found he didn't mind it when it was used by the VKs. In all honesty, it felt like he belonged in their group.
Malinda chuckled and gently bumped Benji's shoulder with her's. "You do belong in our group Ben. If you didn't, Uma probably would have called you Beastie Jr."
"She wasn't in class and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, I know you all here in Auradon get worried if people skip."
"Only because we're concerned they might be in trouble," Elle said.
Mal shrugged. "Our teachers at Dragon Hall would be more concerned if we didn't skip classes."
Ben frowned. "No I haven't seen her. I haven't seen her all day in fact. She wasn't at breakfast and normally she's dragging me down to the cafeteria for food."
Akiho shook his head. "Taking my job from me, I'm so proud!"
"…You're very strange," Squirmy said, his voice soft.
"Why thank you!"
"Check the dorm," Uma suggested as she bit her lip slightly in concern. "I'd go but I've got Remedial Goodness 101 after lunch. Fairy Godmother said if we skip, we'd get expelled. I think she was joking but Gil's insistent that she wouldn't lie to us."
"Yeah even if that is a joke, how about we don't make it around an under fifteen?" Henry spoke up.
"Henry's got a point," Harriet nodded. "Not to mention you'd just stress out the other kids too."
Truthfully, Uma was in no hurry to get herself sent back to the Isle, even if it meant she'd be able to be with Celia again. Not with whatever was going on with Mal and her Aunt Steph still on the Isle. She didn't want to bother Hadie with this. He was only eleven and Mal would kill her if she dimmed the little storm cloud's innocence.
Mal shot Uma a small smile as almost a silent thank you. A smile that Uma had no issue returning.
Uma understood of course. She'd do the same thing if someone did anything to remove Celia's innocence anymore than the Isle already had.
Uma nodded. "No one is making my sister grow up before she needs to!"
Though, if Blueberry was any indication, it seemed like Boreadon was just as good at removing someone's innocence as the Isle was. The blue haired girl had been more withdrawn than Uma ever remembered seeing her back when Uma had first arrived in Auradon. Thankfully, she seemed to bounce back a little which made Uma happy a little.
"A sentence we never thought we'd hear," Mal chuckled. "Evie being happy making Uma happy."
She and Mal were the only ones who got to tear down the Princess, thank you!
"You know what? I'll take that," Evie said.
"Uma?" Ben asked, his voice gentle but loud enough to pull Uma out of her thoughts. "Do...do you think Mal's okay?"
"No! No she is not okay!" Uma shook her head.
"I'm sure Mal's fine," Uma nodded, even if she didn't believe it herself. But she had no way to verify it: Jay and DeVil had R.O.A.R practice, and Harry had to be with her in Remedial Goodness 101, same with Gil and Hadie. Not to mention there was no way she was going to ask Blueberry to check on Mal. Plus Ben was really the only one who could skip class to check on Mal. After all, who was going to lecture the King?
"Um…the Queen? Or Queen Mother in this case?" Phil Jr. suggested.
Uma shook her head. "Then go see for yourself if you're worried about Mal! Honestly what is wrong with scroll-me?!"
He'd knocked on the door to Mal's dorm and never got a response. Normally he would have never done this, especially considering it was a dorm room, but he needed to make sure Mal was alright.
"Well I mean…it's a matter of privacy after all," Ben said. "What if the girl in question was changing?"
"Wouldn't she have her door locked if that was the case?" Lonnie asked.
"Mal?" Ben said softly, opening the door and knocking on the doorframe just in case Mal was in the bathroom or something.
"Smart idea," Evan said.
Yet again, he received no response from his girlfriend and he had to admit, he was really getting worried now. No response, Estelle wasn't with James and Uma hadn't seen Mal? Did...did something happen to Mal?
"Mal, really, put the guy out of his misery," Hadie said.
"Yeah cuz," Uma nodded. "You're starting to worry us actually."
Ben sighed softly as he crossed the threshold of Mal's dorm, frowning slightly as he felt the chill of the air conditioning blow over his face. It was an unseasonably warm day but it wasn't so warm to warrant the air conditioning. It was barely sixty five degrees outside!
"Oh dear," Fairy Godmother said, a small frown tugging at her lips. "I'll have to look into that."
"Mal?" Ben called as he approached her bed; the giant ball of blankets the only indication that something was out of the ordinary.
"Gee, I wonder where Mal could be?" CJ asked, shaking her head.
The pit in his stomach that had appeared in his worry seemed to dissipate a little as the pile of blankets groaned softly in response, indicating that Mal was the one under them.
"Yep, she's under there," Harriet nodded.
He couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his lips as Estelle poked his center head up and gave him a small doggy grin.
"Estelle's a good boy," Hadie said with a small grin.
Estelle yipped and wagged his tail as if agreeing with that sentiment.
"Not funny," Mal murmured, and Ben couldn't help but smile slightly at her attempt to still sound tough despite how soft her voice had gotten.
"No, now that I know the backstory, it's not all that funny," Ben nodded.
"Cold. I think Elsa's a liar, how can the cold not bother her?"
"I pretty much have ice in my veins, I'm a bit different," Elsa said with a slight smile.
"Hey, hey," Ben said gently as he shed his suit jacket and draped it over the pile of blankets in an attempt to give her some more warmth.
"See? My wearing suits all the time proves to be a good thing," Ben said, giving a look to Akiho and Emir.
"It's okay. I got you. You feeling okay?"
Malinda shook her head. "…no…no I wasn't," she muttered.
Without thinking, he slipped his shoes off and climbed onto the bed, spooning Mal and holding her close to try to give her some of his warmth.
"Aww!" Dizzy said with a grin.
He softly rubbed where he thought her arm was—it was honestly hard to tell due to the mass of blankets.
Malinda chuckled. "To answer the question I know you're all thinking, yes Ben was rubbing my arm."
"Did you steal some blankets from Evie and Uma?" Ben asked, a small bit of amusement coloring his voice. He didn't think her bed had this many blankets if he was honest.
"Mal's always welcomed to my blankets," Uma said. "If she needs them, they're hers."
Evie nodded. "Blankets are for keeping people warm after all and if we're not under them then we're not using them," she added.
"They weren't using them," Mal muttered as she seemed to curl into his warm embrace, "and I think it was more Estelle's doing. I didn't want to leave this heat bunker I built."
"Hey, like I said, if she needs them, have at it," Uma shrugged.
"I'll talk to Fairy Godmother about why the AC was turned on," he promised her as he went back to rubbing her arm and her back. "It was supposed to be warmer than normal today but not so much that it warranted the air conditioning. I'm so sorry Mal, I didn't realize you didn't handle the cold well."
"Did you?" Malinda asked, looking over at Benji. "Talk to FG I mean?"
Benji nodded. "It's a 300 year old building, something went wrong with the AC/heating on that wing of the school," he said.
"I can turn into a dragon Ben," Mal muttered, her voice still soft as she turned over so that she was facing him. "Dragons, I'm sure you know since you've read every book known to man on the subject, are cold blooded creatures as they are lizards. Meaning…"
"He gets it," Emir said, his voice soft.
"Meaning you by your nature wouldn't welcome the cold," Ben finished for her. Sure it stunk that he probably wouldn't get to enjoy a snowball fight with his girlfriend when the first snow fell but if this meant he'd get to cuddle by a roaring fire with her instead, he felt that was a fair trade.
"A roaring fire, a book in my hands, and my wife using me as a pillow as snow falls outside?" Benji said with a grin. "Sounds perfect if you ask me."
"You sound like this has happened before," Ben said.
"Oh yeah," Benji chuckled. "And I loved every minute of it."
Mal sighed and poked her head out so that she was looking at him. "It's...it's not just the cold Ben."
"…That's ominous," Mr. Smee said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"When...when I was nine, I had an incident where I fell into the water in Pirate Cove," she explained, her voice still soft as chills continued to run up and down her spine.
Ben gritted his teeth in anger, furious at Freddy for doing that to her.
"It was in November so the water was as frigid as possible. I spent about twenty five minutes in that water and even though I'm a Godling, I still get these...these body wracking chills whenever the weather gets colder. Normally Uma, Jay and Harry are here to do what you're doing or get me something warm to drink but…"
"Well I'm happy to step in," Benji said softly.
Ben nodded, gently rubbing circles on her back and fishing out his phone out of his back pocket to text Lumiere to see about getting a cup of tea or coffee sent up for Mal.
Persephone looked over at Benji with a sad smile. "Thank you."
"For future reference…I prefer tea," Malinda said, looking over at Ben.
"I didn't mean to miss class. I...I only meant to stay under the covers for five minutes but the heat was so enticing and...and the chills make it almost next to impossible for me to move sometimes," Mal said and Ben's heart broke as he heard how small her voice had gotten.
"Hey, hey, Mal you really think you're going to get in trouble?" Rowyn asked. "You're sick. It happens."
"Hey, hey," he said gently. "I got you, dragon, it's okay. You're not in trouble, Uma was the one who asked me to check on you. She was worried, that's all."
"Exactly," Rowyn nodded.
Mal grew silent and Ben honestly thought she had fallen asleep. Not that there was anything wrong with that, even though Mal was currently using his arm as a pillow making it so that he couldn't move.
"Wait…how'd you rub Mal's back and fish your phone out of your pocket if Mal was using your arm as a pillow?" Robin asked.
If he had to use his status as King to skip class in order to make sure Mal was warm, he would.
"So now we have Mal and Chip as the only people Ben'll use his status for," Emir chuckled.
Beast looked over at Ben. "What happened with Chip?"
"It's nothing Adam—."
"Chip broke his leg a couple of years ago, goofing off with me, Emir, and Akiho," Ben said. "We rushed him to the emergency room but no one was seeing us and Chip was getting close to passing out because the bone was poking his skin. I had to basically go up and they were the ones who freaked because of my 'Crown Prince' status."
"Doesn't matter, you didn't tell them to stop freaking." Akiho told him.
"That's because Chip mattered more than my discomfort," Ben shrugged.
"...could you not call me 'dragon' anymore?" Mal finally asked, her voice just as small as it'd been before and Ben's heart shattered.
Both Malinda and Benji winced at that.
"I'm so sorry," Malinda muttered into his shoulder.
"It's not your fault," Benji whispered, gently rubbing her back.
"Wha—why?" Ben asked, trying to keep the astonishment out of his voice. He had called her 'dragon' since she turned into one at his coronation and there never seemed to be an issue.
"Because Mal is being manipulated," Macaria muttered.
"I just...you can still do it when we're in private like this but in public, please, just..." Mal said with a small sigh.
"Don't you think people might wonder if they hear Ben stop using that term of endearment all of a sudden?" Emma asked. "They might speculate if there are any issues in your relationship."
She hated it, the little term of endearment was one of the things that came from her relationship with Ben that she loved more than anything.
"Then tell him that Mal! Tell him everything!" Uma urged.
But her connection to dragons connected her to Maleficent in the eyes of the Auradon public. There were still constant articles from The Gazelle making comparisons between her and the Dragon.
"So what about me and Lil Shang? We have a connection to dragons too Mal, it doesn't matter!" Lonnie said.
Hearing Ben of all people call her 'dragon' was probably music to their ears.
"And why should they have an opinion?" Kitty scoffed.
"Okay," Ben said softly. "If...if that's what you want, Mal."
"Trust me…it wasn't," Malinda whispered.
No it's not what I want Ben. It's the last thing that I want! I want to be able to enjoy you calling me 'dragon' without fearing that someone will realize you're dating a villain and rise up against you. I want to be able to wear my jacket without anyone connecting me to the Dragon. I want...I want my mom and I don't know how to ask you if she can leave the Isle early, Mal thought as she curled even more into a ball than she had been previously.
"Ben, prod her, ask her about this! Mal, tell him! Tell him you want your mom, and he'll get her!" Chip said. "It's just the two of you…I mean three of you after all."
"Mal's not pregnant in the scroll though," Lucas said.
"I'm clearly referring to Estelle."
But Mal didn't say that. Instead Mal just nodded softly and Ben bit his lip as he went back to rubbing her back and her arm. He didn't know what was going on with Mal, but she seemed to have changed from how she was when they had met all those months ago in front of his father's statue.
Ben shook his head. "Then why are you not saying something scroll me?"
The worst part was Ben didn't know why Mal had made the change. She didn't need to, she was amazing as she was.
"Tell her that!" Uma exclaimed. "Oh and also fire Nat Bat!"
Had...had Audrey said something to her? But it's Mal. She's so self assured that she wouldn't let Audrey get under her skin. Maybe it's her shoulder? From when we visited the Isle back before my coronation and that kid...Freddy was it? Yeah him. He stabbed her with a dagger.
"He did what?!" Henry exclaimed.
Claudine shook her head. "Honestly Fred, what were you thinking? Oh wait, I know what you were thinking! You most likely weren't."
No, Jay, Harry, or Carlos would have told me if it was that. But it might explain why she's gone without her jacket. If the wound's been giving her trouble, it might be painful for the leather to rub against it. I wonder where her jacket is, I could see about getting a fleece lining put in. Plus that might help keep her warm in the winter months...oh what about a removable lining? That way she could wear it year round! I'll talk to Evie or maybe even Ken, the royal tailor. He might have some ideas.
Evie perked up. "That's not a bad idea honestly. A removable liner would be a great way to make the jacket suitable for all climates! Plus fleece is nice and soft from what I've heard."
"Evie, when we get out of here, I'll introduce you to Ken," Ben promised. "I'm sure he has an apprenticeship or internship for you if you want it."
A slight vibration brought Ben out of his thoughts and he realized his phone was ringing. Quickly grabbing his phone, Ben slid his arm out from under Mal's head and rolled off of Mal's bed, walking a ways away as to not wake her up as he noticed Mal had fallen asleep.
"Wait…wasn't Mal under that spell that basically makes you stay awake until you take the spell off?" Celia asked.
"Yeah she was," Dizzy nodded.
"So how could she have fallen asleep?"
Now, one might have assumed that because of the 'No Rest for the Wicked' spell that Mal had put on herself, that Mal was faking to get out of having that conversation with Ben. Of course, one would be right but Ben had no idea about the spell his girlfriend had cast on herself and therefore had no reason to suspect a fake.
Uma chuckled. "Very sneaky Mal," she said before sobering up. "But still, you should talk to someone. You need to talk to someone."
"Hello?"
"Your highness? I'm sorry to bother you, I just wanted to check and see if Estelle was okay?"
Everyone couldn't help but smile at that.
"Good old James," Malinda said.
"Oh! James! I am so sorry," Ben said, trying to keep his voice down even as embarrassment colored his words. "Estelle is fine. Lady Mal just caught an unexpected bug and needed the comfort only a dog can give."
"To be fair, that really is the best way to describe the chills," Mal said with a small shrug.
"Plus it kinda helps protect your rep amongst the Boreadonians," Uma added.
"Uma, I think that rep is completely sunk by now."
Even though he couldn't see his face, Ben knew the older student was smiling.
"Of course he was," Malinda said with a smile of her own. "James was and still is the best handler for Estelle."
"Estelle still has a handler?" Hadie asked.
Malinda nodded. "With my duties as Queen of Auradon, I don't have time to make sure Estelle gets all his energy out on walks. Though Ben'll take him out on runs and he likes that. But he also likes playing with James."
"I gotta say, being payed to play with a dog all day sounds like a sweet gig," Jay grinned.
"Please let Lady Mal know I hope she recovers. I missed seeing Estelle today but I know Lady Mal needed him more."
"I will pass along your kind wishes, James, and rest assured you'll still get paid for today."
"If I know James, he's going to say it's not necessary," Malinda chuckled. "Just like Dean."
"Your highness, I couldn't...I didn't do anything."
"You still expected to work despite our not letting you know it wasn't needed for the day and not only that, you contacted me with your concerns. You're getting your pay for this shift."
"Why am I not surprised that was Benji's response?" Chip asked, shaking his head.
"Well then...thank you sire. You really don't have to do that but it is appreciated."
"It's my pleasure," Ben assured him. "Is there anything you need by the way? New toys for Estelle? Balls? Chew toys?"
Estelle yipped softly, as if to say that he wanted all of those things if the hoomans didn't mind.
"Some new tennis balls would be handy but those are something I can easily get myself your highness. No need to trouble yourself."
"Let me guess, Ben ran out and got James all the tennis balls he wanted?" Akiho asked with a small chuckle.
"Alright, if you're sure," Ben said even though he was already making a mental note to go online and purchase some tennis balls for Estelle. He never really got a chance to have a pet of his own, his dad's dog Sultan had died two years after Ben was born.
"Sultan was a good dog," Beast said with a sad smile as he remembered the former dog turned ottoman turned back into a dog. "He loved Ben too. Whenever Ben was down on the ground, playing with his toys, Sultan would come and sniff or lick Ben's cheek causing Ben to burst into peels of laughter."
Sure Ben could easily go out and get a pet now that he was King but...he didn't want to do that. He was so busy now with being King, he couldn't give the attention a dog needed.
Malinda smiled sadly as she gently kissed Benji on the cheek. "And that's one of the many reasons I love you. You're always looking out for someone else even if it means sacrificing your own happiness."
Plus, Estelle and Dude would likely get jealous if Ben got a dog of his own.
"Dogs can get jealous?" Squeaky asked.
"They sure can," Malinda nodded.
"I'm positive your highness," James told him and Ben could hear a bit of amusement on the older boy's voice. "But thank you."
"Well then let me know if you do need anything James," Ben said.
"I will."
"He never does," Benji shook his head. "Always insists on paying for Estelle's toys out of his own funds rather than have us provide them."
"Okay then. You have a good rest of your day," Ben said and disconnected his phone after the necessary goodbyes. He would have climbed back into bed to keep Mal warm but it wasn't two seconds after he hung up his phone that Mal's phone was ringing.
Malinda tensed slightly before shaking her head. "It's either Jane or Natalie but Jane would at least text first before calling," she said.
Normally Ben would never think of doing what he had done but Mal was still sleeping and he didn't want to wake her up.
"Oh good! Benny's about to find out how horrible Nat Bat is!" Harry said with a grin.
"Hello?" Ben said, answering Mal's phone.
"Oh! Your highness!" A female voice exclaimed from the other end and Ben could tell that she had not expected to talk to him or for him to be the one to answer the phone. "How can I help you?"
"Wow what a faker!" Celia shook her head. "Bet you anything she doesn't sound like that when talking with Mal."
"Celia, no one would take that bet because we know that's not the case," CJ told her.
"Well um...Natalie," Ben said, quickly checking Mal's caller ID to see who this woman was, "you're the one who called so maybe the better question is how can I help you?"
"You can help her off a cliff is how you can help her!" Rose exclaimed.
Natalie, Natalie…why did that name sound familiar? Oh right! Mal's handler, the one his council had appointed for her! Though if you asked Ben's opinion, she wasn't needed in the slightest.
"You're right, she's not," Harriet nodded. "So fire her!"
"Oh, I was just calling to check on...Lady...Mal your highness," Natalie stated and Ben frowned slightly as he heard the pause on Mal's title. It was almost as if Natalie wasn't used to using it.
Malinda sighed. "She wasn't. Not that I particularly care about my title but yeah, she wasn't used to using it."
"We have a meeting today and she hasn't turned up for it."
"Because she's not feeling well and you're the spawn of Satan!" Harry growled, glaring at the scroll.
"I thought Freddy and Leah were the spawns of Satan?" Henry asked.
"Satan can have multiple spawns!"
"Lady Mal unfortunately caught an unexpected bug and won't be attending your meeting," Ben stated. "She does apologize for not letting you know though it was truly a last minute occurrence."
"Oh no need to be polite to that harpy Ben," Audie shook her head. "Honestly, considering in my timeline she was complicit in putting all my clothes into garbage bags so Leah could force me to wear what she wanted, I feel no sympathy for her!"
"She did what?" Aurora exclaimed.
"Yeah," Audie nodded. "Leah found a leather version of your dress and made it so that it was the only thing I could wear. Natalie had me stand and watch while all my clothes were thrown out. It was part of my 'punishment' for letting Ben slip through my fingers."
"Does Natalie still work as Audrey's handler?" Aurora asked Phillip. She wasn't going to bother asking Leah.
"If she does, she doesn't anymore," Phillip promised. "I'll make the call once we get out of here."
Audrey bit her lip. "But…doesn't it seem rather extreme? To fire Natalie based on something she did in another timeline?"
"Doesn't matter Audrey," Phillip said. "I know we've been saying that people shouldn't be punished for what they do in the future but as a parent, I can not sit back and let someone who's been proven to be abusive have access to my children!"
"Presumably a once a month last minute occurrence?" Natalie asked and Ben rolled his eyes slightly at the implication that Mal was just being dramatic because of cramps.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me? She's one of those people?" Lonnie exclaimed. "Listen lady, it's been proven that cramps rate the same level of pain as a heart attack so if Mal was having cramps and needed to skip your torture session disguised as a meeting, she'd be well within her right to!"
Honestly, with the life Mal had lived before coming to Auradon, Ben would have totally understood if she wanted to be a bit dramatic once a month but she wasn't.
"Because she's learned to push through it…" Harriet said with a small sigh.
Actually, trying to get Mal to admit she needed anything was like pulling teeth.
"Gee, why does that sound familiar?" Chip asked, shaking his head.
"Well, your highness, thank you for letting me know," Natalie stated, pulling Ben out of his thoughts.
"I'll let Lady Mal know you called," Ben promised.
"Better yet don't do that and just fire Natalie instead," Elle said, shaking her head.
"Please do so," Natalie told him and Ben couldn't help but feel a bit of uneasiness regarding her.
"Listen to that feeling!" Chip exclaimed.
He hung up and put Mal's phone on her dresser, making sure to plug it in so that the battery wouldn't die if Mal needed it.
"Always looking out for me," Malinda said with a small smile.
Benji returned the smile and gently kissed her head. "Of course."
Crawling back over the covers, Ben smiled as Mal seemed to curl into him once more, like a moth attracted to the light.
"Aww!" Lucy, Jane, Lonnie, and Robin all said.
"I love you dragon," he whispered, gently kissing the top of her head. He didn't care that she didn't hear it. All he knew was that he truly did love her and wanted to do anything and everything he could to make sure she knew that.
Malinda smiled and rested her head on Benji's shoulder. "I love you too Ben. And I do know that. You show me every day," she said softly.
His eyes closed and he too drifted slowly off to sleep, never seeing Uma walk in a few hours later and smile at the sight.
"It does sound like a cute sight," Rachel said with a small smile.
Nor did he see her take a quick picture of the three of them curled up together, even if all you could really see of Mal was a bit whiff of purple hair.
"Uma still has that picture," Malinda chuckled. "She gave it to us for our first anniversary."
"Nice," Uma smiled.
"That's the end of the scroll," David said. "Who'd like to read next?"
"I'll read next," Sammy said and got up to grab one of the scrolls.