Something had changed with her magic. It was much easier to transform into anything, much easier to make the magic form from her. She barely even had to think about it. It was as if the magic was surging through her unblocked now.
For a brief moment, it frightened her. It was just on the edge of uncontrollable at times. Her mother had never taught her anything like that, and neither had anyone else.
Something had definitely changed.
It was much easier for the magic to flow through her and so much easier to control it. Instead of hiding on the roof as she spied, she was able to sit on the back of her mother's throne as a gnat and hold that form with no issues at all.
"Things have changed," Her mother spoke, sitting on the throne in the destroyed throne room. She was using her cool angry tone again, and trying to keep it all together.
Below her, on one knee, was Anthony Tremaine, in a deep bow, waiting for her next instruction.
"The beast is now a man again," Her mother spoke, low and even, but even just her voice seemed to shake the throne as Mal perched on the back. Even as a gnat, she could feel the high amount of magic in the room, hers, and her mothers, almost seeming to fight for dominance.
She had never been that close to her mother's pure magic. It was strong, there was no doubting that.
"And you failed to tell me that you had a run in with my daughter," Maleficent continued, finally turning it back on him.
Below her, Anthony shook just slightly, Mal could see it, but he mostly kept his composure. He always had been good at hiding things. "I thought you had sent her," Tremaine answered, faking the confidence he usually wore so well. "As an incentive to push me forward in my duties. I had no idea it was the real Mal."
That only infuriated her mother further, his fake show of confidence, his quick answer for everything. "You have failed me, Anthony Tremaine!" She bellowed at him. "Don't you know what can happen now that she's found him and made him human?" Tremaine knew better than to answer. "Do you want another lifetime trapped on that island?"
"No, Dark Mistress of all things Evil!" Tremaine answered, still on his knees and cowering more.
"Then you know what you must do," Maleficent told him. "You know what sacrifice must be made."
"Yes," Tremaine answered. "I must kill the king and anyone else who stands in my way."
"Yes," Maleficent answered him. "It's the only way I can get my daughter back to our side. A thousand years of grief must be paid. I'm just quickening the process." She twisted her fingers evilly. "Now get to it!"
Mal wasn't sure she could fly back to the barrier fast enough. She hadn't expected that.
He had given up searching for her after a few hours. Something had changed in her in the time they had been apart, and while he didn't fully understand it yet, he did respect it. Once he had given up his search, he ended up in the partition that Fairy Godmother had made for her.
Inside, it was totally apparent that Mal lived there, dark, the windows blocked from most sun. Her signature purple all over. It was clean, but just disorganized enough to be hers. It was definitely Mal's and she had made it work for her.
He couldn't help but wonder where she had disappeared to, but ever since he had come back she had disappeared a lot. He couldn't help but wonder if something had changed between them after their encounter in the forest.
Was she avoiding him?
From under the hastily unmade bed, a small scrap of paper stuck out. He knew he shouldn't look too much into things, but he couldn't help it. He pulled it out.
The love notes he had left her when he was busy in the kingdom, before their disasterous kiss. He couldn't believe that she had kept them that long. He ran his fingers over the dragon he had sketched what felt like a lifetime and a half ago.
He smiled as he looked at them, then panicked as he looked up to see Mal looking back at him.
He hadn't noticed it before, but she had changed. She had grown into a more beautiful young woman than before, her hair longer, her face slimmer, her eyes still the same green, but used to more harshness than before, and that was saying something when she had grown up on the isle.
"Ben," she said, her eyes softening, her whole face and body softening at the realization it was him standing there and not someone else.
He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't her crumbling into his embrace, her eyes shimmering with the smallest of tears. "I was sure you would be gone," she said, through the tears shimmering down her cheeks.
Even he had to chuckle darkly at that as he kissed her forehead once, twice, three times gently as possible. "It wasn't for my parents lack of trying," he admitted.
Looking back, it had been almost comical.
"I never would have gone with them," he told her, still holding her close, his lips against her forehead. "This is my kingdom, whatever state it's in, and I want to be with you here to rule it."
Mal laughed. "Technically, it's my kingdom," she reminded him gently. Then as quick as she had laughed, she went stone faced and hard again. "You should have gone with them," she said.
At first, he didn't think he heard her correctly. She had to be joking, right? "What?" He asked, wondering if he had misheard her. "What do you mean?" He looked at her deeply, wondering if he had misheard her, or if she was serious.
He wanted so badly to kiss her and take whatever pain she held, but he knew they weren't in that kind of fairytale anymore. Things were darker than he had been raised to believe, and he could only see it more and more the longer he had been the beast. "You're worried," he said, even though it was obvious by then.
"Of course I'm worried!" She spat back at him. "Just because you're human again doesn't mean anything has changed in the fight against my mother." Tears were fully streaming down her cheeks, but she did nothing to stop them. "You are very human and a very big distraction."
Even though it was more than slightly inappropriate. "No," he said. "It's my turn to save you this time. I'm not the damsel in distress." He had hoped it would make her laugh.
He was right. It did make her laugh, or as much as she could. The corners of her lips turned up and she let out a scoff. He would take it. "And what is your plan against my mother?" She asked him. "A peace treaty and a good talking to? That's not how fae deals work."
"Well," He answered. "Maybe not before, but I'm going to find a way to make it work now. I will do anything to save you, even if it's from yourself when you get all dark."
"Dark?" She asked. "And just how do you plan on doing that now?"
"I might just have to make you scream like I did before in the forest," he said, doing his best impression of Jay and his suaveness.
"Ben!" She shrieked in shock.
"Yeah," he said, "It was something like that, but not quite."
She raised her eyebrows at him then lowered them in a challenge. "I'd like to see you try."
He scooped her up into his arms then and attacked her with all he had, kisses, his hands against her curves, anything he could think of. Slowly, she melted into him and time slipped away.
Mal sighed contentedly against Ben's chest, tracing small circles in what little chest hair he had. That coupling had been so much more intimate, so much more slow and thought out and it had been even better.
Still, her head was heavy with what she had seen in the ballroom.
"What I would give to be a mind reader right now," Ben mumbled under her, still in the same post glow she was feeling, and would be enjoying more if the world wasn't threatening to end all around her. "What's on your mind?"
She hadn't wanted to tell him. She hadn't wanted to bring it up when everything was fresh and new and they had other issues to deal with, but now, it was staring her in the face. He would have to find out eventually.
"The thousand years of grief," She said. Then, knowing he would have no idea what it meant, she continued. "Faeries don't really have fairy tales as much as prophecies of things that will most likely come to pass."
How could he be the king and still not know enough faerie lore to protect himself and his people?
"What is the thousand years of grief?" He asked.
So she told him, even though it hit way too close to home for her to feel any comfort in the familiar fairy tale.
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful fae born of the trees and rocks. Replenished by nature and blessed with all of its beauty, she was promised to live as long as there was shade under the trees and roots planted in the earth. For many years she stayed in her forest, surrounded by the trees and grasses and rocks and the rest of her people.
Then, one day a human man appeared and the fae found herself captivated by him, just as he was captivated by her. The council of the trees warned that it was a bad idea, humans were the most dangerous thing to the forest, it would only cause her pain, but the fae chose not to listen.
They loved each other—
"That doesn't sound so bad," Ben cut in, but he hadn't even heard the whole tale.
They loved each other, but humans can't live as long as there is shade under trees and roots planted in the earth. Humans could only live as long as their frail bodies could allow. The man lived a long life, made young by the purity of her love, but eventually he died, slain too soon by a rival.
The fae vowed her revenge and killed every man she came across, regardless of their involvement with her love. No magic or fury could bring him back. Her magic would not let her harm herself or take her own life, so she roamed the earth and the forests feeling a thousand years of grief, never able to fill the gaping hole he left in her chest.
"You think that will be you if I die?" Ben asked her, fully invested in the story.
Mal nodded once. "Like I said, it's a fairy tale and a prophecy."
Ben ran his hand gently along her spine, his touch warm and light. "I promise I will do anything to stay with you as long as I can," he said, kissing her forehead gently.
"You know you shouldn't make promises to a faerie," she said, but with Ben, always with Ben, it had never seemed too bad to take his promises.