Bridging the Gap

Chapter 14

The months seemed to fly by as Mal continued her princess prep. Every day seemed to bring more and more duties her way and Mal honestly felt like she was at her breaking point.

Each of her handlers would tell her something different and turn Mal's head. The only thing that even remotely helped was Kitty's princess book. But even that was confusing at times—not to mention one of her handlers had dismissed it as being too 'outdated'.

What I wouldn't give to be back on the Isle right now, Mal sighed as she finished up the mountain of homework she had set to the side. Her teachers, at least, were very understanding about the whole thing. She still had to attend classes but they gave her an extension on her homework.

Plus Fairy Godmother was allowing her to retake tests Mal might have done poorly on due to everything else that was going on. If it hadn't been for the fact that most of the teachers and Fairy Godmother were at the viewing, Mal might have thought it was because she was Ben's girlfriend.

Thankfully, she had been able to take one of the things off her plate—through some research at the library, she had found a recipe for a truth potion that looked like a gummy candy. Mal quickly emailed the recipe to herself which is where she found herself in the kitchen.

"The more things change, the more things stay the same," Mal chuckled as she stirred the potion for Carlos. The only thing really missing was her friends by her side, the way they had been when Mal made the cookie for Ben. Mal wasn't too upset though—she expected the solitude. What she didn't expect, however, was for Ben to slip into the kitchen as well.

Ben brushed the hair out of his eyes and stared fondly at his girlfriend, who didn't seem to notice she was no longer alone. It was clear that Mal had made a mess in the kitchen, with flour coating her blonde hair, making it seem even lighter than it had been. Most princes or kings might have been disappointed or repulsed by their partner not being perfect at something. Ben, however, didn't mind in the slightest.

"What are the odds I'd find you here?" Ben asked, a fond smile on his lips as he looked at his girlfriend. Mal, however, jumped upon hearing his voice and flipped her phone over so he couldn't see the screen.

"Ben!" Mal exclaimed, quickly putting a smile on her lips. The last thing she wanted Ben to know what that she was using magic. Granted this was something Carlos had asked for but still. Magic was magic, and the people of Auradon had retired it.

Now, if it had been for a reason like 'magic had ruined the lives of half of the royals in Auradon' then Mal could understand it. It didn't mean she'd like it but she could understand the reasoning behind it. Never mind the fact that it was magic that bettered the lives of the other half of the royals of Auradon.

After all, if Naveen had never been turned into a frog he would have never met Tiana. If Cinderella's Fairy Godmother hadn't appeared, Cinderella would have never met Kit. If Aladdin hadn't rubbed the Genie's lamp, there's no way he'd be married to Jasmine—mainly because Jasmine would still believe he was dead but semantics.

"What are you doing here?" Mal asked, thankful a bit calmer than she was before.

"I could ask you the same question," Ben asked as he walked over and gave Mal a brief peck on the cheek, the counter separating them. "Busy baking?"

"Umm...yes!" Mal said, reaching for a cook book to act as a prop. Thankfully the kitchen staff happened to have one lying around. "You caught me. I was working on a surprise for you but I guess it's ruined now."

"You didn't have to do anything for me," Ben told her, amazed that she would do that. Ben couldn't believe how easily Mal had been adjusting to the royal life. Granted there were some stumbles but if Ben hadn't known Mal, he would have assumed she had been raised as a royal all her life.