Finding New Love

Her Definition Of Fun

Mal knew the boys would go along with her plan. And as adamant as she was to let Carlos and Jay participate, she knew she needed them for the plan to go as well as she planned it to go. She also knew that the boys were now scared of her. Although, Harry not as much. He had very much been expecting what she had been going to do. 

She couldn't say the same for Jay and Carlos. 

"You know," Carlos said as they walked back from where they had set up the first "game" as Mal had called it for the king. "I don't know if anyone's ever told you this, Mal, but you really- and I mean really warped. Like, seriously! Are you trying to get us killed in the process?"

Mal only chuckled. "I know. But I'm not sure about that last part. If I were really trying to get you killed, you would already be dead. Of that I'm certain," she said, not bothering to look back at the boys that she had, in fact, almost gotten killed. "I am sorry about not warning you in advance about what we were going to do, but I am not sorry for laughing my ass off at your reactions when you guys figured it out."

"You're also not sorry for actually putting us in that situation," Carlos said, glaring at Mal. 

"No. I'm not. Not even remotely," she said, not bothering to hold back the laugh that had been building up for the past ten minutes. 

Harry could only shake his head. He then turned to the other two boys who were falling behind. He knew the layout of the town better than he knew the back of his hand, so he knew that he wouldn't walk backwards right into a pole. "I would have expected you two to be less...shaken up. After all, you've been following her for almost your entire lives. You should know that her definition of fun is...different," he said, trying to play it safe. 

"And I thought that you would've been more upset, seeing as she's using your father as one of the many 'games' that she has designed."

He turned back around, and found himself almost running into Mal. In all honesty, he was. He had actually been pissed when he realized where they were heading. But being the lovesick fool he knew he was, he didn't really care. That boy had made Mal cry. He knew that the king would take offense to being called a boy, and Harry hoped he did, but a real man wouldn't make any woman or girl cry. Especially the way that he did. 

"Aw, come on, Carlos," Mal said teasingly. "Catching that thing wasn't even that bad." 

Carlos' jaw went slack in surprise before it quickly changed to anger. "No, you're right," he said, shaking his head with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes, the anger stronger than before. "It's the fact that we caught a freaking chimera. And if that's not bad enough, it was one that your mother made, Mal. It's worse than dangerous," he said. 

"Okay," Mal said nonchalantly. "Obviously you're pissed."

"Pissed doesn't even begin to cover it," Jay said for both him and Carlos. He wasn't quite sure about Harry. But he knew that if she pulled something like what she did to him with his father again soon, pissed would be a very light term for what the pirate would be. 

"But you have to admit, it was easier than expected. I mean, even though their a blend of creatures, that one was really stupid," she said shrugging slightly. 

Harry put a hand on Mal's shoulder, forcing her to stop walking. "I think what Carlos and Jay are trying, but failing to say is that we know what Ben did to you, Mal. But do you really want to be risking your- and others' lives to get your revenge on him? Particularly the other people that you care about?" 

Mal considered it. Normally, she would say yes, but in this instance... "No," she said, putting her head down shamefully. She hadn't considered the fact that these boys were putting their own lives on the line to help her with her plan. And not their physical lives, but their futures, and if she kept it up, she could be putting their physical lives on the line. And then she would feel even worse. 

Harry put a finger under her chin, lifting her head up so that she was looking at him in the eye. "Don't put your head down," he said. She studied his face, but couldn't find the anger that he should be feeling towards him. "I am upset that you didn't tell us where we were going, but I'm not angry with you Mal. I love  you. Don't forget that," he said, reassuring her. "But I need you to tell me- tell us what you're planning before we go through with it. That's the wonderful thing about working with other people. We can tell you if what you're doing is stupid or not."

Mal blushed. She liked him as much as he liked her. Maybe even more, but she couldn't tell him that. He had laid himself bare to her- he had told her that he liked her, and she had been a stupid fool and said nothing back. 

She knew that it was not the time, but before she messed anything up, she wanted to tell him. "Harry," she started, looking away for less than a second. She opened her mouth to say something, but by the time that she looked back at Harry, she paused. He was as rigid as she felt. She knew that they were looking at the same thing, and she was frozen in place by the person in front of her. 

He wasn't supposed to arrive yet. She had been expecting a grand parade like the first time anyone from Auradon had arrived on the Isle. She had been expecting some kind of warning. But she hadn't thought it through.

Things would have to happen sooner than she had planned for. Sooner than any of them had planned for. 

Because the king of Auradon was standing in front of them.