Please Don't Leave | Disney Descendants *FINISHED*

The Island Was Our Home

Walking up to the big oak doors of the castle was like a dream. I couldn't believe what was happening. Everything that had happened these last few weeks had led to this moment. I held my breath and lifted a shaking hand before I straightened my shoulders, bucked up, and shoved the doors open with all of my might. Mustering up all of the courage I could, I began to walk into a scene that I couldn't have anticipated. Not in my wildest dreams. Mal stood there, wand in hand, just like we had planned, but instead of turning it on to the prince and his royal family, she was pointing it at... her mother. I had to will my body forward, every instinct in my gut screaming at me to turn my heel and run the other way. But I didn't listen. I couldn't. Instead, I continued forward, my feet shuffling against the plush blue carpet. I took a breath and scanned my surroundings. The hall was filled with people, all in their best dress, waiting with anticipation to see Prince Ben crowned king. But as I shuffled on, I noticed something odd. They weren't moving. No one was. Instead, they stood there, their faces twisted and contorted with unshakable shock. I turned my attention forward. The scene was the same. The royal court was frozen as well, Queen Belle and The Fairy Godmother were flanking The King and Prince Ben as they stood there, their bodies frozen in a stance that could only be described as offensive, and territorial. Their teeth were bared and Ben's crown stood awkwardly tilted on his head as if it had been knocked askew when he pounced. The reception hall was chaos, the energy, and panic were palpable in the air as I moved forward to the center of it all where my best friend was standing toe-to-toe with a giant purple dragon whom I could only assume was her mother, our friends standing guard at her back. Throughout all of the havoc, no one had heard me coming. They didn't have a clue that I was standing there, watching along as Mal took a deep breath and started to speak.

"Leave my friends alone! This is between you and me mother."

I swallowed hard, inching closer as Maleficent growled.

"The strength of evil is good as none when stands between four hearts as one."

I shook my head, watching in disbelief as she repeated her words three more times. She couldn't. She wouldn't. I know that the relationship between Mal and her mother had never been fluffy and easy, but I had never imagined that it would end like this. I watched on with bated breath as Mal stared into her mother's eyes, both glowing a brilliantly bright shade of emerald, green. It happened so fast that if you were to have blinked you would have missed it. All of a sudden there was a large cloud of black smoke emanating from the spot where Maleficent had once stood. When it cleared, she was gone. There was no human, nor a dragon instead, a teeny tiny purple lizard was left in her wake.

Mal looked on in shock as the fairy godmother snapped back into reality and ran forward towards Mal, Jay, Carlos, and Evie as they headed forward towards the lizard to get a better look.

"What happened?"

"Did you, do it?"

"What is that?"

"I don't know."

I could see Mal's shoulders tense the way they always did when she knew that she had made a mistake.

"No, no, no, your mother did."

Fairy Godmother soothed, coming to a stop in front of the group. My group. My friends. I should be up there with them. I lifted my foot, trying to take a step, to will myself forward and stand there with them, in my rightful place, but I couldn't. I physically couldn't move. It was all wrong. For weeks I had schemed and plotted, hoping and dreaming that it would all pay off, that when I was finally standing in the same room as my friends, the worry would subside, and I could melt back in. I would grab Carlos's hand and stand there, shoulder to shoulder with the people who knew me better than I even knew my shelf, that I would finally be home. With my family. But as I stood there, watching this strange lady look at them with warmth and love, talking about how Maleficent had shrunken to the size of her teeny tiny heart and awarding them all with an A+ in something called a goodness class, but when Mal handed her the wand, and she handed Mal Prince Ben's ring, I couldn't take it. Suddenly I realized that I didn't belong here anymore. I looked at the group of people I used to love more than anything and felt nothing but hatred in the pit of my stomach.