AN: I cannot believe its New Years Eve! Thank you all for loving this story, and continuing to give support!
AmethystDragon14: I'm glad! That's how I hoped it'd come across!
dragonflamefairy: Hi! I'm sorry if the last chapter was confusing. It was all from Maleficent's pov, and her current mental state as she's made her way to Auradon. Her only consistent thought through it all, wonderings and memories, has been Mal.
"Do you promise to govern the people of Tirulia, both over and under the sea, with justice and mercy? To guide them with..."
The spring air was warm and thick in the Tirulia Cathedral, where Fairy Godmother stood with King Eric and Queen Ariel as Melody kneeled before them.
It had been over a month since the Viewing, and life had moved quickly.
After her first chemistry lesson with Honey Lemon, Evie bravely asked to be tutored. The bubbly woman agreed without any hesitation, and Evie went to her sessions twice a week. She had grown close to the hero, as along with learning chemistry she'd also started to create her own makeup, and was planning to have some tutoring done over the summer as well.
Following their spar, Chad had approached Jay about R.O.A.R., which was going to start up in the fall. Considering that it was a sport focused on sword fighting, it didn't take much convincing for Jay to look into it. Since Tourney had ended early this year due to Ben's coronation, something about it being unfair since Auradon Prep would be losing their Captain, many from the team began to train and Jay had already proven to be the most skilled of the lot. There was talk of Coach making him captain in the fall if Ben stepped down, which seemed likely.
With the threat of returning to the Isle behind them, Carlos had begun to really study technology. Half of what he said made no sense to Mal, but he was happier than she'd ever seen him. Part of it may have also been thanks to his new, small, group of Auradon friends. When he wasn't with the other VKs, being dragged off to train with Jay, or in his dorm, he'd be seen with Jane, Karine, and Antonio
As for Mal, she'd spent the month trying to learn as much as she could about Auradon. More articles were coming out every week, though at the moment most were focused on Ben's past relationship and why he chose a villain kid over the perfect princess. She tried to ignore them, but she could admit that she was finding them increasingly annoying. She could only imagine what they were going to come up with now that she was accompanying Ben to events, such as the one they were currently at. Since Ben was now crowned, more heirs were following, beginning with Melody. She was the oldest of the crown heirs, and her coronation was one Auradon had been talking about for years.
Of course, the other VKs were there as well, as Melody wanted to show support to the VK program, but Mal doubted that any articles would mention back. Like Ben's coronation, they were further back, opposed to the spot she and Ben had at the front due to Ben's rank.
While everyone was smiling and seemed relaxed as Melody swore her oath, Mal couldn't help but feel anxious. Ever since she'd woken up that morning, something had just seemed... off. She had been spinning her ring so much that Ben had taken her hand and was rubbing circles on the back of it.
Yes, Ben's coronation had gone okay, but that didn't mean anything. Could they really change fate? Were they really in the clear?
"It's almost over." Ben whispered in her ear. He barely leaned over, and kept a smile on his face. There were cameras in here, broadcasting to all of Auradon and the Isle. "Don't worry."
Easy for him to say. But still, she took a deep breath and schooled her expression.
Anyways, what were the chances, really? No one was going to take Fairy Godmother's wand, and the only other way off the Isle was her father's portal, and Mal knew for a fact that only the gods and their offspring could go through it. Not to mention that even if Maleficent could find a way to get through it, it would just take her to the Underworld. Without a guide, she'd never get out of there.
"I do," Melody declared, reclaiming Mal's attention as her voice echoed through the room. Her dress, the color of sea foam, had an unnatural sparkle to it. Her hair was in an intricate updo, lined with shells, and her crown fit perfectly among them. Near her was a pool of water, which would lead her and her family to a dolphin chariot to be taken to Atlantica so her grandfather could bless her.
Fairy Godmother smiled, holding up her wand. "Then it is my honor to bless the new Queen of Tirulia. All hail Queen Melo-"
A thundering interrupted her, a crack of lightening following. All eyes went to the doors, where a cloud of green smoke was forming.
"No." Ben whispered, letting go of Mal's hand and looking at the cloud in horror. Mal felt sick to her stomach as the smoke thinned.
All around, people started to scream, their cries only growing as Maleficent stepped out of the fog with her head held high. At least, Mal though it was her mother. This woman stood tall, taller than Mal had ever seen her. Her skin was paler than ever, her cheeks hollow. Bags lined her eyes, which were bright with magic. Her head covering was gone, and long brown hair flowed down her back in tangles. Her dress was torn in some spots, caked with mud in others.
And yet, Maleficent didn't seem to notice, or care, standing before them with a crooked grin on her face.
"Well, well." She said, her tone sending chills down Mal's spine. "What do we have here? Royalty, nobility, the gentry, and..." she paused, giggling as she looked at Fairy Godmother. "Even the rabble."
"What are you doing here?" Fairy Godmother asked, still in shock. Mal wanted to scream at her, as she had the wand in her hands, but at the same time she didn't want to pull her mother's attention to it.
"Well you see, I was really quite distressed at not receiving an invitation. After all," she turned to look at Mal and Ben. "I was supposed to be at his."
With her back turned, Fairy Godmother lifted her wand and yelled, "Bibbidi-bobbidi-"
"Boo!" Maleficent interrupted, slamming her staff down. Just as the future-that-wasn't, everyone froze. Mal could only assume that she and her friends were the only ones spared.
Maleficent hummed, looking around. "Now, where did the new queen go?" She asked. Mal only then noticed that Melody wasn't among the frozen, and the pool near the platform was covered in ripples. "I was going to give her a gift." She sighed, shaking her head in mock sadness. "Back in my day, humans begged for a fairy's gift."
Mal highly doubted that. At least, not from fairies like her mother. "How did you get here, mother?" She asked, keeping Maleficent's attention on her.
"What, no hug for Maman?" Maleficent frowned, tilting her head as she looked at Ben. "Gone soft, have we? Oh well, we can fix that." She stalked forward, "I'm sure you didn't mean to forget about me."
It was an opening. An opening to grovel, to beg for forgiveness. An opening to say that she was wrong, that she was sorry, that she was weak and unable to do it. A chance to offer herself up for punishment, and do whatever bidding Maleficent asked of her.
It was the safer option, for it would also give her time to stall. It would give her friends time to get to her side, and for the Kingdom watching to get guards or, considering who the coronation was for, perhaps even the gods to come deal with Maleficent.
But after weeks of nightmares and years of dealing with her mother, Mal was tired. She was tired of trying to be what Maleficent wanted, tired of fearing her. "Go away, Mother." She said, stepping in front of Ben to block as much of him as she could from Maleficent's view.
Her mother's eyes narrowed, "Don't be ridiculous." She spat. "That boy, that human, has brainwashed you. You don't know what you're saying." She turned back around, walking right up to Fairy Godmother and plucking the wand out of her hands. "You betrayed me. I thought about destroying you, you deserve it after all, but I've decided to give you a chance to rectify your mistakes."
Mal ignored her words, taking the chance to glance around the look for her friends. Carlos and Evie were carefully weaving their way through the crowd, ducking around columns in their path to get to her. Jay, on the other hand, was heading to the stage, but not towards Malerficent, towards Melody's children. They were off to the side, frozen next to their father, and Mal prayed that Maleficent wouldn't notice them. Perhaps she didn't even know they existed.
"So?" Maleficent spun back to her daughter. In one hand was her scepter, in the other the wand, and Mal swore that she could see the magic glow under her mother's skin.
"No." Mal said, lifting her chin.
The fury on her mother's face could have killed a man. She towered over Mal as she got closer. "Love is weak, and ridiculous!" Maleficent said venomously. "Nothing good comes from love. It leaves you broken and bruised, and in the end you'll always be alone!"
"You're wrong!" Mal shouted, forcing her words out. Her heart was pounding, screaming at her to run, but instead she looked right in her mother's glowing eyes as she declared, "Love isn't weak, or ridiculous! It's amazing! It's beautiful!"
"You either choose love, or you choose me." Maleficent seethed.
Mal took a shaky breath. She looked in her mother's eyes, and held her hand out. Maleficent tilted her hand, her lips curling up and fury slowly melting away, until her daughter yelled "And now I command wand to my hand!"
It wasn't like what the Fates had shown. This Maleficent was stronger. She'd been exposed to magic for longer than a few minutes. She fought back, and Mal had to repeat the spell in her mind, again and again, pushing as much power as she could into it just to rip the object from her mother's hand and into her own.
The force made her stumble back into Ben, who thankfully didn't fall. The wand was still fighting, this time against her. She could subdue it, of course, but it knew it wasn't hers.
"This is childish." Maleficent hissed, pacing back and forth. "You have one chance to give that back to me."
"Never!"
Her mother's gaze darkened. "You'll regret this."
She spun around, shifting into her dragon form. Only this cathedral was smaller than the one in Auradon City, and while Maleficent could still fit, her tail crashed into columns, causing them to shake and for dust, and what Mal assumed were small bits of stone, to fall.
She worriedly glanced at them, and up at the ceiling, praying that the structure would last a dragon attack. She darted into the aisle, towards the middle of the room, expecting Maleficent to follow her. Instead, the dragon turned to the crowd. To Ben.
"NO!" Mal screamed, holding out the wand, begging it to do something. While she wasn't a wish fairy, it had to do something, it had for others in the past. She had to do something.
While she thought she felt a breeze, it wasn't her that saved the crowd from fire, it was water. A wall of it. A stream from the wall led back to the pool, where Melody was lifted up by a water spout. In her hands was her grandfather's trident.
"Maleficent!" Melody called, gaining the dragon's attention. "I heard you were looking for me?"
Maleficent roared, blasting fire at Melody only for it to b put out again. As the two engaged in a fight, Mal felt herself tugged aside, into the crowd and to the ground. Carlos and Evie looked at her with wide eyes.
"What happened to you mother?" Evie asked, risking a look back at the fight.
"I don't know." Mal admitted, tightening her hold on the wand. The power coming from it gave her a headache, but she couldn't risk letting go of it. "She's stronger, like she's been off the Isle for a while."
"Could others be off?" Carlos asked.
Mal shook her head, wincing at the action. "I don't know, but we can't worry about it right now. We need to get Jay, and get my mom to the middle of the aisle. Maybe we can recreate what the Fate's showed us."
"But you don't know how you cast that spell!" Evie objected, grabbing her wrist. "Not to mention that, like you said, your mother is more powerful. Would it even work?"
"It has to." Mal said.
"What about Marin and Malik?" Carlo asked. "Jay went to protect them because we wouldn't put it past your mother to target them, especially now that Melody is obviously unaffected by her spell. We can't leave them unguarded!"
"We won't." The three gasped, as none other than Hercules approached them. He was hunched down, staying out of Maleficent's sight. Mal tried not to flinch as he clasped her shoulder, tried not to look in her eyes. "Let me help."
"How are you unfrozen?" Carlos asked.
Hercules laughed softly, "Kid, I'm a demigod. So are my kids. Makaria is getting help, and Hyllus is trying to make sure the building doesn't collapse." He nodded to Maleficent, who's tail kept hitting the wall. "He doesn't have my strength, but he has enough to catch whatever falls. With that said, I don't know how fast Makaria will be. So, what's the plan?"
Despite his earnestness, Mal had to bite back a retort about how they didn't need help, because the truth was they did.
Even if that help was from a cousin she really didn't want to be anywhere near.
So, she came up with a more detailed plan, keeping an eye on her mother, who was still distracted by Melody and now trapped as water swirled around her. Judging by the way her scales were smoking and wings were beating, they didn't have long. Maleficent was getting more aggressive, she was going to remember her main goal.
Hercules was the first to leave, grabbing Maleficent's tail once he was close enough too. He spun her around, barely missing a wall, and slammed her into the floor, narrowly missing a fireball.
Before the dragon could think of what to do, Evie called her mirror's light, blinding her. As she did, Hercules grabbed shields from some frozen guards, twisting the edges together and standing in front of the young prince and princess. With them safe, Jay slid around Maleficent, grabbing Evie and pulling them both behind Mal.
Maleficent shot out more fire, catching the tapestries on the wall behind them, and the only reason the fire didn't spread was the rain that began to pour. Melody, however, was shaking with effort. Mal didn't know how much longer she could hold on.
"I have what you want!" Mal shouted at her mother, holding up Fairy Godmother's wand. The dragon moved forward, snorting out smoke.
Mal didn't even think when she raised her free arm, blowing the smoke back with a blast of wind that seemed to knock the air from her lungs.
She could hear Carlos whisper, "Did you know she could do that?" while Maleficent shook her head and blinked her eyes slowly.
"This is between you and me, Mother." Mal said shakily. She could feel her magic bubble under her skin, could see her eyes light up in the reflection of her mother's.
"The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one." She recited. She'd memorized the spell from the future, hoping she'd never have to use it, yet fearing that she would. "THE STRENGTH OF EVIL IS GOOD AS NONE, WHEN TANDS BEFORE FOUR HEARTS AS ONE!" The rain was picking up, pelting her eyes, but she never lost contact. Her mother fought back, her eyes getting brighter. "THE STRENGTH OF EVIL IS GOOD AS NONE, WHEN STANDS BEFORE FOUR HEARTS AS ONE!"
There was a pause. Then, just like the Fates had shown, Maleficent disappeared with a shriek and a cloud of green smoke. All at once, the wind stopped, and Mal watched as Melody collapsed into the pool
"HERCULES!" She screamed, pointing towards the water.
Hercules' head snapped to her, brow furrowed. It took him a moment, but he followed her point, and he didn't hesitate in jumping in after Melody.
After all, everything that just happened crashed into her. Her grip on the wand loosened, her legs felt weak. She could feel Jay grab her waist, holding her up. She'd used more magic than she was expecting, but her mother wasn't what she was expecting. She didn't expect the power her mother weld, nor did she expect her to go after frozen bystanders. Maybe the royal family, but not the ones who had no connection to her goals. Her mother was evil, but even on the Isle she had no interest in tormenting those who couldn't fight back.
She forced herself to walk forward, pulling Jay along, until they got to the spot Maleficent was at. "Oh, mom." She said, looking down at the lizard. The creature just laid there, not even attempting to scurry away.
"I'll find something to trap her in," Carlos said. Mal barely acknowledged him, continuing to look at her mother.
The size of the love in her heart. It was one thing to know that Maleficent would get this small, but another to see it.
"Oh dear!" Mal blinked, and looked up to see Fairy Godmother racing towards them. The woman knelt down, picking Maleficent up, much to Mal's shock. She gently reached out and touched Mal's temple, making Mal flinch when she applied light pressure.
"You're entering magical exhaustion." Fairy Godmother told her with a frown. "We'll need to get you to a bed before you crash."
"I'll be fine." Mal said, flicking her wrist and ignoring the doubtful look from her headmistress. She handed her back her wand, feeling a little better now that the object wasn't fighting against her.
"Melody." She said suddenly, looking back to the pool of water. Her shoulders sagged in relief as Hercules helped the raven haired woman out of the water. Like herself, Melody looked drained, swaying on her feet.
The group approached them as the demigod lowered her to the steps. Every step sent a pounding through Mal's head, and maybe Fairy Godmother was right. A bed sounded heavenly.
Melody looked up at them with a smile. "Mal, are you okay?"
"Am I okay?" Mal questioned. "Are you okay?"
Melody nodded her head slowly. "My grandfather's trident takes a lot of control." She explained, "It took a lot out of me, but I'll recover."
"I am so sorry that my mother crashed your coronation." Mal said, moving forward. She sat next to Melody, her head down.
Melody took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Don't be." She told her, reaching out to lift her chin, blue eyes meeting green. "None of this is on you, Mal. This was all your mother." She looked at the lizard, still in Fairy Godmother's hands. "To be completely honest, I expected it. I went to my great-grandfather, and he gave me a gift to make sure that I wouldn't freeze in the event that Maleficent came back and cast this spell. I wanted to prepared, and I wanted to make sure that you didn't have to face her alone."
Tears pricked at Mal's eyes. "Thank you," she said, "I don't know if I could have stopped her without your help."
"You would have." Melody told her firmly. "You're stronger than you think, Mal. I may have distracted her, but I have no doubt that even if I hadn't, you and your friends would have found a way to defeat her."
At that moment, Carlos came over. In his hands was Evie's purse, which she'd left behind in the chaos. "Its all I could find." He said apologetically, as Fairy Godmother placed Maleficent in it.
Evie sighed, "Well, I was going to make myself a new one anyways." She said, taking the bag from him. She looked into it with a glare, "You better not chew on anything in there." She said to the lizard, before zipping it closed, only leaving a small air hole.
The group all laughed, and with Hercules help, Melody stood up. "Fairy Godmother, if you will?"
Fairy Godmother smiled, "It'll be my pleasure, Your Highness. Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!"
All at once, people unfroze. Some were still screaming, others were disoriented. Mal smiled as Melody's family raced forward, and she caught her children in a hug.
"Mal!" Ben called. She stumbled off the steps and into his arms, melting into him. "Mal," He repeated quietly, tightening his hold. "Your mother, is she?"
"A lizard? Yeah." Mal pulled back, just enough to look in Ben's eyes. "She's in Evie's purse. I don't know how she got off the Isle, she didn't tell me. But she was..." she shook her head with a frown. "She was different."
"I'll have Merlin look into it." Ben promised. "Mal, I am so sorry. I should have listened to you this morning when you said something didn't feel right. I should have had more guards come, or-"
Mal shook her head, "No. No, Ben. None of us could have really predicted this. I've been on edge since your coronation. Today could have gone perfectly well, and I still would have left feeling anxious."
Ben didn't seem convinced. He leaned forward, leaning his head against hers. "Either way, from now on all major events are having more security. At least until we can make sure the Isle is one-hundred percent secure."
She liked the sound of that. Sure, Maleficent was magically the worst of the worst, but she still didn't feel like running into, say, Madam Mim, Morgana, or any of their offspring.
She tucked herself into Ben's side, and together they listened to the cheers as Melody claimed that the threat of Maleficent was gone, for good.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go find Evie?" Ben asked, kneeling in front of Mal. After Melody's speech, the pair had been ushered away from the public so Fairy Godmother could once again look over Mal, and Melody. The older fairy said that both needed rest, and Melody wasted no time in having a room made up for Mal, along with pushing back her own coronation party.
"I highly doubt the kingdom will complain about its saviors getting rest." King Eric had quipped, when Melody hesitantly suggested it.
Of course, the old King and Queen and their daughters still had to mingle, along with the VKs, but Ben managed to slip away with her. He had helped her to the castle, helped her wipe off her makeup and take out all the pins in her hair, but she wasn't going to let him help her change. She already felt too embarrassed at all he had done, even though she was too worn to do it herself.
She tried to smile reassuringly. She was certain she'd had worse on the Isle, of course she always had adrenaline to help, but that was besides the point. "I'll yell if it turns out I need help." She told him. She made a shooing motion, and after kissing her temple, he left.
Once the door shut, Mal sagged backwards, resting her head on the wall behind her. It was over. Maleficent was a lizard, and Merlin was already on top of finding out how she escaped the Isle and if anyone followed. She didn't have to worry about an attack anymore. She didn't have to be on edge every second of every day, waiting for the dragon to appear.
She was free.
"Are you sure I can sleep?" Mal asked a few minutes later as she opened the door, leaning against the doorframe. As it turned out, getting out of a formal dress and into comfy clothes was a lot more difficult when you started to see random colors and could possibly fall asleep standing up.
"Positive." Ben said, coming over and helping her to the bed. "No one, not even the press, will argue with Fairy Godmother."
Mal laughed at that, wondering what happened in the past for even the press to be scared of the woman. She didn't seem like much, but then again, she was one of the most powerful fairies.
Even if she for some reason couldn't let Cinderella stay out past midnight.
She watched Ben as she laid her head on a pillow. He sat on a chair across from her, pulling out his work tablet. She knew that he could go off and meet with the royals that were there, that he probably should, but she also knew that he wasn't going to leave her.
"Ben?"
He hummed, looking up at her. She reached out, and he took her hand. "Thank you."
He smiled, kissing her palm. "You have nothing to thank me for."
She disagreed, but didn't argue, shutting her eyes. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she drifted off into a blissful, nightmare free sleep, with the words "I love you" as her lullaby.
Hercules sat on the steps of his home, looking down at his phone.
It'd been three days since Maleficent's attack. Three days since he helped Mal and her friends.
All it would take was one phone call. He knew that if he worded it right, he'd get the truth. He'd learned some things from Megara over the years.
He had to be imagining it. There was no way, right? Sure, the signs were there. He knew some people thought he was slow, but he knew a demigod when he saw one. He wasn't blind to his family, and over the years he'd become pretty adept at spotting them.
But it was too outrageous. There was no way his uncle could hide that, or would for that matter. Hercules didn't like Hades in the slightest, even though Megara insisted that, despite her own experience with him, he was the better of the gods. With that said, he knew that his uncle loved his wife, he wouldn't cheat on her.
No, it was nothing. He had to have imagined the girls voice in his head. He was too caught up in the battle. And besides, wasn't telepathy one of the Dark Fae's powers? He thought he'd read that once.
"Herc?" Megara sat beside him, leaning forward to look at him clearly. "What are you doing out here? Are you alright?"
He pushed his concerns away, smiling at his wife. "I'm fine." He said, slipping his phone back in his pocket. He wrapped an arm around her, nodding to the sunset. "Just enjoying the view."
He was imagining things, that was all.
AN: Not gonna lie, originally Hercules wasn't going to be as nice towards the end (with the possibility of Mal as his cousin) but then I remembered that I actually really like him XD