Bal: a King and his queen

Exhibition

*The next day at the art exhibition Ben has to open it, usually the King would pick the best in show but it has been decided that due to his relationship with one of the entrants it wouldn't be fair so all he had to do was cut the ribbon and enjoy the show*
Ben: I now declare this exhibition open
*he steps out of the way as loads of people go in, this was a big event at Auradon prep, he walks over to Mal who had not yet entered and was still stood outside, down the steps just infront of the hall where the exhibition was located*
Ben: I thought you'd be in there getting praise
Mal: I don't do it for the praise, I just like art
Ben: alright, you wanna go just go look around a little
Mal: sure
*she puts his arm around her waist and he puts his arm around her shoulders, they walk in and walk around a bit, occasionally stopping to give praise, eventually they walk back out and sit on a bench nearby*
Ben: they were all really good, I still say yours was better though
Mal: there is no way you can be remotely objective
Ben: why
*she leans in and gives him a slow and gently kiss*
Ben: good point, I do always enjoy getting those but I swear being as objective as I can manage but I really couldn't see one to rival yours
Mal: yeah whatever
Ben: so you are brilliant at art? Any other hobbies you have an extreme talent for that I should know about
Mal: not really, I don't really do the things I used to do anymore, they're not suitable for a person in my current position
*they sit quietly for a second until he comes out of the blue with something that completely shocked her*
Ben: have I ruined
Mal: why on earth would you say that?
Ben: because you always seem so sad when we start talking about you and things you like to do, when we were talking about the isle yesterday you seemed upset, you don't do anything you used to enjoy doing, you always seem so stressed lately, you seem to think you have to do and be certain things because you're with me, you have to go places you don't want to go and be a person I don't think you really want to be, I don't want all that for you
Mal: I'm fine with who I am now, I just get stressed sometimes, it'll stop eventually, I'm just still easing into it all
Ben: why don't you ever talk about your past?
Mal: because I don't want to
Ben: but why?
*she finally snapped and he knew he'd pushed her to far just as she did so*
*do you want to know why I don't want to talk about my past?! Because it was terrible and I'm ashamed of a lot of it! If the people of Auradon ever found out about a lot of what I did they I wouldn't be allowed to be near you! As for the things I used to like to do, most of them I can't really do now and a lot of them I don't want to, I'm okay with that and I wouldn't ever want to go back to the isle, that's not home, Ben, I love you but you can never understand what my life was like before I came here, before I met you, if you'd have known me before I fell in love with you, you'd have run in the other direction and have been right to, you wouldn't want me now, okay? That's why I don't talk about who I used to be and what I used to do, I don't want to be her and I don't want to do those things
*he just sits there and looks at her blankly*
Mal: the cold hard truth, I bet you don't know what to think about me now
*she speaks with almost disappointment*
Ben: I just want to know you and knowing more about you is how I do that
Mal: but you know ME, this is me!
Ben: but it's not ALL of you!
*he starts raising his voice in return as he starts losing his temper*
Mal: IT IS NOW! I left that part of me behind on the isle, I don't want to be mean or evil anymore and that's what I was back there!
*he can see that she is breaking and so tries to be more gentle towards her*
Ben: but it's a part of you
Mal: a part of me that would mean I would lose you if it ever got out what truly happened in the time I was on the isle, I will not risk losing you, EVER
Ben: but surely you miss your friends and some other aspects of your life back then, your childhood?
Mal: YOU JUST DON'T GET IT DO YOU?!
Ben: WHAT DON'T I GET?! HELP ME UNDERSTAND
Mal: we didn't have friends, especially not me, I was the second most feared person on the island, second only to my mother, since I was six years old, my childhood was my mother telling me every single day of my life that I wasn't good enough, to be her heir, or to have her name, I mean didn't think I was really born jut Mal did you? My full name, my real name is Maleficent, I don't want it but it is
Ben: I never knew that
Mal: you wouldn't, no one here other than Evie, Jay and Carlos know, she said I could only have my name when I proved I was truly evil, I never want that name, ever, I never want to be Maleficent, Ben, you never want to keep the old me, you think you do but I promise you you'd regret it the second you did, you wouldn't want me anymore, and I can't do that, I can't have you hate me
Ben: I could never hate you for the past but I feel like you don't trust me because you won't tell me, you won't show me the other side of you, you've seen my temper when it frays I just want to see all of you so you don't have the doubts that are plaguing your mind right now
Mal: I was a horrible person, Evie still has nightmares about things I did to her and she's my best friend, we weren't always so close, I never used to have friends and I can't do the things I used to do because they were all about being evil and cruel, I just wasn't a person I want to be anymore, that person couldn't be with you, she probably couldn't be with anyone, she'd be forever alone, she wasn't a person who had any hope at being your queen, I don't know if I even do but I have a better chance than her
Ben: I didn't know
Mal: because I didn't want you to, I didn't want you to not want me near you.....do you?
Ben: do I what?
Mal: want me to stay away from you?
Ben: of course not, there's nothing you could do that I couldn't forgive
Mal: a younger me would beg to differ
Ben: I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept on at you
Mal: just wanted to know more about me because you care about me
Ben: I do
Mal: it's just that what your asking about isn't the person you see before you now, she's not the girl who fell so desperately in love with you that she had no idea what to do, I'm not the person you were asking about, she's like a completely different person, almost as if she's not me, she was lost and alone but I found myself when I escaped her and I found you along with myself in the process
Ben: I love more than I've ever loved anything, I promise you I will love you, no matter what, until the day I die
Mal: you know I feel the same
*they smile at each other gently until they hear fairy godmother get everyone's attention*
Ben: we'd better go back in now
Mal: yeah I guess
Ben: come on
*he gets up and puts out his hand to help her do the same and upon head in inside they stand there happily, arms wrapped around each other*

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It all about to go down with an anniversary and a birthday so get excited if you like this book xoxo