After watching the crown prince ask Mal to the coronation, the entire Isle beamed excitedly at the thought of seeing one of their own at such a royal event. Their eagerness grew more when it was revealed that all four would be at the coronation.
That day, Hades ensured his granddaughter was well-rested when she watched the coronation. This was the perfect opportunity for Mallory to see her mother. Mallory has been missing her mother a lot lately, but Hades didn't want to tell Mal for fear that she would give up her new life. The best thing for Mallory was—
"Momma!" Mallory shouted as she pointed at the screen. "Dada!"
Interrupted from his thoughts, Hades jerked his head toward the television set.
On the screen, a horse-drawn carriage was trotting toward the front of a cathedral. His Mali looked beautiful in her light purple dress, her hair in a fancy bun. Her hair seemed awfully pink in the Auradon sunlight. Next to his beloved daughter was Prince Ben, who would soon become king. He wore a royal blue suit that showed off his royalty and handsomeness. Hades never thought he would see Mal look so much like a princess while guests threw flower petals and confetti at them.
But maybe . . . one day . . . she would become a queen.
Once stopped at the steps of the cathedral, Ben jumped out first to offer a helping hand to Mal. The two slowly made their way up the cathedral stairs, the enormous cape of Mal's dress trailing behind them. Trumpets blared as they approached King Beast and Queen Belle.
At the top, Mal respectfully bowed to the royals. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "about yesterday. I over-reacted—"
"You did nothing wrong," Ben reassured. "You had the right to react the way you did. Chad shouldn't have grabbed you."
"Let's not think about that for now," Queen Belle suggested softly, yet forcefully. "It's a special day, after all. We don't want to make this happy day sour."
"We'll meet you inside," King Beast insisted, dragging his wife off, not bothering to listen to the teenagers' response.
When alone, an attendant offered his hand to lead Mal away, but the fairy tensed up. "It's alright," Ben comforted quietly. "He won't do anything to you. I promise."
After receiving a loving kiss on her forehead, Mal took a shallow, shaky breath before allowing the attendant to lead her into the cathedral. Most guests whispered behind as she walked past, gossiping about the fiasco with Chad Charming. Meanwhile, her friends smiled to give her some reassurance. Jay and Carlos jokingly bowed to her, causing the fairy to snicker and uplift her mood.
Once in her position close to the front, Mal patiently waited for the event to begin, hoping it would end quickly. Moments later, a hesitant hand laid on her shoulder. "Mal?"
Perking up, Mal turned, giving the queen a polite smile. "Leah," she greeted with a small curtsy. "You look wonderful today."
"And you, young lady, look like a princess," Queen Leah complimented while reciprocating the smile. "You are so beautiful. It's a shame so many choose to be jealous of your looks instead of appreciating your natural beauty."
Mal's smile became more genuine at the compliments. "You don't know how much I needed to hear that," the fairy claimed with a soft sigh. "Thank you."
"There's no need for that," Leah persisted with a stubbornness to her. "I meant every word."
Before the retired queen could say more, the choir began singing, signaling the event's start. "I better return to my family," Queen Leah insisted. "Though I want to say, his ring looks very fitting on you."
The fairy's smile grew more prominent than ever at hearing such flattery, though she couldn't thank the queen since she melded into the crowd to rejoin her family.
The cathedral doors opened, allowing Prince Ben to stroll down the long aisle. Unlike the moment before, the audience bowed as the young prince walked by. Mal watched her beloved from the front row as he moved further.
Sparing a glance and smile at his girlfriend, Ben approached the stage where Fairy Godmother awaited him with the wand. While Ben knelt, Fairy Godmother lifted the crown from King Beast's head and placed it on his son. Next, King Beast lifted the glass bell jar so Queen Belle could hand the wand to Fairy Godmother.
With the wand in the headmistress's hand, the choir stopped singing. The entire cathedral went silent, anticipating the next few moments.
Holding out the wand, Fairy Godmother questioned for all in the cathedral to hear, "Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of Auradon with justice and mercy as long as you shall reign?"
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Ben proudly declared, "I do solemnly swear."
"Then it is my honor," Fairy Godmother began, motioning her wand like she was knighting Ben, "and my joy to bless our new king—"
Of course, all good things must be ruined.
Someone stole the wand from Fairy Godmother's hand. The power was so overwhelming that sparks emitted from it. Lightning crashed through the cathedral's stained-glass window, unknowingly cracking a hole in the magic barrier.
The 'mystery' person just happened to be Jane, the Fairy Godmother's very own daughter.
"If you won't make me beautiful, I'll do it myself!" Jane defiantly shouted, struggling to gain control as its powers rocked her viciously.
Mal bravely surged forward and pried the wand out of Jane's hands, wielding it like a mighty sword. Frightful of what may happen, Jane hid within the audience to avoid the fairy.
Mal scoffed as the audience cautiously watched. "Don't act so scared," she snapped rudely. "I have no use for the wand because I choose good."
As Mal attempted to return the wand to its rightful owner, a window shattered, causing some to scream. A bright light floated through the broken window, landing just a few feet from Mal.
Mal rolled her eyes dramatically. "Go home, Mother."
Straightening to full height, Maleficent raised a curious eyebrow at her daughter. "Not until I accomplish my goal." She extended her hand expectantly. "Give me the wand."
Instead, Mal tossed the wand toward Fairy Godmother. Instead of the wand magically landing in the headmistress's hand, it stopped mid-air. Like a magnetic pull, the wand surged toward Maleficent's awaiting hand. With a flick of her wrist and swish of the wand, everyone was frozen except for the mother and daughter.
"Don't try to stop me, Baby Girl," Maleficent warned, lowering the wand so it remained at her side. "I'm doing this for you."
"When have you ever done anything for me?" Mal challenged bravely. "You paid me no attention my entire life. Meanwhile, Dad has gone above and beyond the role of a parent. He did everything for me while you barely remembered my birthday. The only thing you've ever done for me is let me live with Dad! Do you even love us?"
"Mali," Maleficent scolded sternly, "don't ask such a ridiculous question. I—"
"No, you don't," Mal interrupted, answering the question for her mother. "You couldn't love us because of whatever plagues your past. You never trusted Dad, and yet he never stopped loving you. Why can't you forgive—"
"Maleficent!" Maleficent chided, silencing her daughter at the use of her full real name. "I can't forgive or forget what happened because I know."
"Know what?"
"I know . . ." Maleficent trailed off, her voice above a quivering whisper, "about your past . . . and Mallory."
Hearing her daughter's name through her mother's mouth, Mal tensed. She couldn't deny it if she wanted because of her reaction. After being so brave, Mal couldn't believe her daughter was what stopped her. "How?" Mal demanded, letting anger burn through her. "Who told you about my little girl? What does any of it have to do with—"
"Because," Maleficent interrupted firmly, her eyes glossing over with tears, "I . . . several years before my tale, I . . . was drugged so I couldn't fight back . . . just like you. My elegant wings, my pride and joy, were ripped from my back by a peasant who wanted to become king. That wasn't enough . . . and so . . ."
The young fairy's skin paled as her eyes widened in horrifying realization. "Mom . . ." Mal trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief because she didn't want to believe it. "You were . . . raped, too?"
"The Fates are cruel," Maleficent declared, a tear dripping down her cheeks. "You should not have had to suffer through the same pain as I had."
"It was traumatic," Mal agreed slowly, "but I was given a beautiful daughter that means the world to me. How do you know about my trauma and Lory?"
"I went to your father to demand answers after learning about your months of 'sickness'," Maleficent informed, gripping the wand tighter at the memory. "Instead, I find him cradling a newborn baby, who looked identical to my little girl when she was born. He told me everything, and I vowed not to say anything until I had the magic wand."
"What are you going to do? Bring down the barrier?"
"No," Maleficent denied sharply. "The barrier just needed to be cracked so magic could seep in and I could escape. I plan on exacting revenge on the pirate that abused you and that peasant king that massacred me. I only needed the wand to freeze this moment in time with you so that you could know my intentions."
The mother paused, narrowing her eyes at her daughter. "But that's not what you want," Maleficent determined knowingly. "You don't want revenge. You want to live your life the way it is."
"I don't want to stay hung up on my past," Mal insisted stubbornly. "I want to move to the future, where I'm raising Mallory in Auradon, surrounded by people who love her no matter how she was created."
"You may not want to take your revenge," Maleficent began slowly, "but I will take mine!"
With a swish of her wrist, Maleficent disappeared, leaving the wand in her place and everyone unfrozen, like no time had passed. Mal sighed inwardly—
Knowing it would be a miracle if she saw her daughter again so soon.