When Mal originally told her story she left out a very important detail... Me. My name is Mila Gothel. I am the only daughter of Mother Gothel. I was chosen to go to Auradon with Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos. At first, I didn't want to leave my mother...
I spent about an hour at the cliff. No one came looking. By now they were used to me running into the forest. What finally made me leave was a reminder that Ben and I had a date in a few hours. I spent the majority of my time in the kitchen. Throughout the week I had been preparing a few hors d'oeuvres that Mrs. Potts had prepared for Queen Belle and King Adam when they were in the castle. When I told Mrs. Potts about my plan, she agreed to help me. She gave the recipes of a few simple things and she did a few of the more complex foods.
About an hour before I was done cooking. I went to my room to change into an off-shoulder red dress. I wrapped a gold belt around my waist, slipped on a pair of black flats, and walked to a pavilion on campus to set up. Mrs. Potts had brought me the food from the kitchen and I thanked her.
Ben arrived right on time holding a present.
"What's this?" I asked, nodding to the black box in his hand.
"Just a gift," he said. He handed me the box and waited for me to open it. Inside rest a yellow lily. I brought the flower to my nose and took a small sniff. Under the flower sat a necklace. On the front of the locket was a sun and moon design. I opened the locket to find a picture of Ben and me split in two on each side of the locket.
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"Ben," I gasped. "It's... it's too much. I can't accept this."
"I want to spoil you." He got up and placed the locket around my neck. "I know that the past few weeks have been stressful with planning for Cotillion and... the voice... Please let me spoil you."
I looked into his eyes and saw his concern. I didn't realize how much my disappearing acts were affecting him. "Just this once," I relented. "Would you like a hot hors d'oeuvre?"
He took the bite in his mouth. A moment later he said "Mmm. This is the best thing I've ever had."
"Really?"
He leaned across me and took another one. "Really. Is this beef ragout?"
"Yeah."
He took a bite. "This is amazing."
"Did I surprise you?" I asked, scared that somehow I had screwed it up.
"Yeah, you surprised me. This is every single dish Mrs. Potts made for my parents. What'd it take you? Three days?"
"I must confess, I had help. About a week ago I asked Mrs. Potts if she would help me surprise you. She gave me some easy recipes and she made some of the tougher ones."
"I love it. The fact that you did all this for me... makes everything worth it." A deep heat rose to my cheeks. "Especially with all the craziness you've been put through... I missed you." He reached over and his hand cupped my jaw, his thumb rubbing my cheek.
"I missed you too," I said, leaning into his touch.
"We don't get much time to be just us anymore."
"I know... But that's what happens when you are dating a King."
I looked over his shoulder to see someone with a clipboard walking towards us. I backed away from Ben to face his confused glance.
"Your highness," the man said. "I'm sorry to interrupt but there is an emergency."
Ben looked at me with a guilty expression.
"Go," I whispered. I stood up from my chair and looked at the lake.
I felt a pair of hands resting at my shoulders before they went around my waist. "I'm sorry," Ben whispered.
I turned around in his arms and snuggled into his chest. We backed away and I rubbed my hands up and down my arms. Ben took off his cardigan and placed it over my shoulders. "Save the food and I promise that we will do dinner tonight."
I nodded my head and Ben and the man walked off. I placed all the food into containers and walked to the kitchen. Eve was walking around campus. She walked over to me and asked how it went. I broke down crying and she brought me into her arms. We went to my room and she held me as I cried, letting all the anger and sadness out.
I finally stopped crying a few hours later. Eve left for dinner a few minutes ago. I went down to the kitchen and got the leftovers from today's lunch. I took them to my room and recreated the table setting. One hour turned to two, the food ran cold, and Ben never came.
A knock sounded at my door and I went to answer it. "About time," I said. "I was starting to get worried." I opened the door to find, "Mal? What are you doing here?"
She lifted her head and I could make out the telltale tear marks. "I don't belong here," she sobbed. I brought her into my room and we sat on the couch. I let her cry as long as she needed. "I'm leaving Auradon," she said after she got her sobs under control. "I want you to come with me."
"Mal, I can't," I said, standing up and pacing back and forth. "I have responsibilities and Ben-"
"You said you're drawn to the Isle. We can go and find your brother and when you're ready I'll bring you back. Please, I can't go alone."
"What about Evie? And the others?"
"They love it here. They don't feel the way we feel."
I thought it over and I knew I needed to find my brother or I could spend the rest of my life feeling incomplete. I nodded my head and she perked up. She walked over to my closet and pulled out the most daring outfit she could find. She chose ripped leather pants, a red plaid dress, and a black leather jacket. She gave me a pair of grey fingerless gloves and grey knee-high boots.
I went over to my desk and wrote Ben a note. When I was done I placed his ring on top of the note. I put a few things in a black backpack purse and the two of us left my room. She led me to a purple bike and we drove to the cliffside. She said a spell then drove off the cliff. The bike started bouncing on the waves and soon enough we breached the barrier.
