Proposals

Summary: In preparation for her wedding to Ben, Mal comes up with four creative ways to cross one thing off of her 'I Do' to-do list.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Descendants franchise, only this story.

The sun shone brightly over the training grounds of the Auradonian royal army as Uma paced back and forth at the front of the lines, overseeing the experienced knights and newly-recruited cadets going about their rigorous exercises. Ever since the barrier between the Isle of the Lost and Auradon came down, Uma and her crew settled down in their new home. Although they had accepted King Ben's kind job offer to direct the training of his royal army, they declined his invitation to live in some quaint housing on a duchy near the training grounds, opting instead to stay true to their roots by living on their beloved ship just off of the coast of Auradon.

Harry and Gil, who served as lieutenant generals in the King's army, were barking orders at the soldiers before them. Harry roughly tapped his silver hook into the palm of his hand with every word that boomed from his throat. Gil, who was scheduled to depart on a trip with Jay in a week, marched in a line with a sense of purpose befitting of a leader. It was evident that their captain's leadership skills had rubbed off on them over the years and they were definitely putting them to good use.

"I can't hear you soldiers!" Uma yelled, enunciating every word in a teasing manner.

The army's response was increasing the volume of their shouts with every move that they executed.

Uma grinned in satisfaction when the sight of a figure hurrying down a hill towards her caused her to shift her attention away from her trainees. She was surprised to see Gerald, a member of Mal's personal security, approaching her and immediately grew concerned that the Queen-to-be was in immediate danger. Her fears were eased, however, when she saw that he had a box of some sort in his arms.

Gerald came to a sudden halt in front of Uma and saluted her with his arm. "General."

"At ease, soldier," said Uma. "What brings you by?"

"Special delivery from the Lady Mal," said Gerald, holding out a rustic treasure chest made of mahogany out to his superior.

Uma took the chest from the soldier and studied it closely. At first, she thought Mal expected her to bury it somewhere secret, that is, until she noticed that her name had been engraved in cursive in the brass plating that graced the edges of the chest. The chest was not secured with a lock, allowing her to flick open the latch easily.

Harry and Gil, who abandoned their companies of soldiers and joined their captain at her side, peered over her shoulders to see what she had received from Gerald. Gerald, meanwhile, had chosen that moment to take his leave, giving the three pirates some privacy.

Flipping the lid open, Uma raised her eyebrows at the contents that she came across in the chest: an interwoven bracelet of green and purple silk whose ends were knotted together, a leather vest, and a bottle of rum tied at the neck with sparkly ribbons of green and purple swirls. All three gifts rested neatly atop a bed of chocolate coins wrapped in golden foil.

"Ooh, rum!" Harry exclaimed, seizing the glass bottle from the chest.

"Give me that!" Uma snapped, swiping the bottle back from her first mate, only to realize that there was a message printed on the label in black ink where the name of the brand of rum ought to be.

You tied up my King, now will you help me tie the knot?

"What?" Uma questioned with a laugh at the memory of her crew tying up Ben back on the Isle. Looking up from the bottle, she saw that Gil had unfolded the vest from the box and was studying the front of it with a peculiar expression on his face. It looked very similar to her signature vest in terms of size and style, only dark purple.

"I Do Crew?" the son of Gaston read before glancing up at Uma. "You're being invited to join another crew?"

From where she stood, Uma could clearly see the swirly letters at the back of the vest that read 'bridesmaid' in neon green and nodded with a smile. "Yeah, Gil, I am."

Lonnie sighed with relief as she stepped out of her steamy bathroom in a fluffy magenta robe over silk pyjamas and a matching towel around her head. After enduring another exhausting practise as a key member of her kingdom's professional R.O.A.R. team, she returned home and locked herself in the bathroom to soak her aching muscles in the tub and rid herself of the dirt and sweat that had been sticking to her porcelain skin all day.

Jay, who had been haphazardly shoving clothes into a suitcase sitting on the living room couch, looked up at her when he heard her exit the bathroom and asked, "Feeling better?"

"Much," Lonnie answered with a smile. She eyed his messy packing job and said, "You know, you would have more room if you folded everything neatly."

"I'm only going to be gone for a week, babe," Jay explained. "Besides, I'll need room for souvenirs anyway."

"Yeah, but remember that you're going to the jungle," Lonnie pointed out. "I doubt you'll find a lot of washing machines there."

"Then I'll throw on a souvenir shirt and some khaki shorts," said Jay with ease. "Problem solved."

Lonnie just shook her head with a smile as she bent down to pick up a few of Jay's T-shirts that had fallen to the floor. The two of them had started exploring a romantic relationship following the events at the cotillion and had moved into a modest apartment together in Northern Wei shortly after Mal and Ben's engagement party. Since Lonnie was focused on her blossoming career as a professional athlete and Jay was spending his gap year travelling the world, neither were in a hurry to settle down and make things official in the eyes of the law and before their sovereign King. However, they both agreed that it would be the next step for them to take once their lives were more stable.

A knock at the apartment door caused the couple to look up and Lonnie spoke, "I'll get it."

Jay nodded, taking the pile of shirts from her that she had taken the time to fold.

After removing the towel from her head, allowing her damp tresses to fall freely around her face, she draped the towel over a chair to dry and headed for the door. She unlocked and opened it to find a man holding a long box made of tiger maple and walnut, which was tied closed with a magenta silk ribbon. He looked extremely weary as though he had just finished an arduous journey. Considering that he was sporting the Auradon crest on his blue blazer, he probably did.

"Are you Miss Lonnie Li?" the man asked.

"Yes, I am," Lonnie responded politely. "May I help you?"

"This is for you from the Lady Mal of Auradon," said the man as he presented the box to Lonnie.

"Um, thank you," said Lonnie, taking the box into her arms. Seeing that it was wider than the doorway, she rotated and tucked it safely under her right arm. Noting the man's fatigue, she offered, "Can I get you a drink or something?"

"No thank you, Miss," said the man and smiled kindly. "I must be on my way back."

Lonnie nodded understandingly. "Okay, please give Mal my thanks and tell her that Jay and I say hello."

"Certainly," said the man with a bow of his head. "Good day, Miss Li."

Lonnie bid the royal messenger farewell before shutting the door. Once she locked the door, she brought the box over to the couch. She smiled at her name etched across the center of the lid and was curious as to why Mal had gifted her something, especially since there was no occasion for it. She also wondered what was inside a box that was so long in length, yet so shallow in depth and so light in weight.

Jay took a look at the box in Lonnie's hands and groaned, "Crap, did I forget your birthday?"

Lonnie laughed as she sat next to Jay's duffel bag. "No, you didn't. I'm not too sure why Mal gave me a gift. I'm not the one who got engaged, so shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Jay chuckled and said, "She must have a reason. Open it."

Lonnie nodded and undid the elaborate knot. Noticing the hinges on one side of the box, she popped open the lid like she would on her jewelry box and was amazed to see a newly-crafted sword with a shiny golden handle sitting inside a case of red velvet. Also perfectly placed inside the box, just below the sword, was a cashmere zip-up sweater of dark purple and a sealed paper bag of jasmine green tea leaves.

"Wow, is that from the royal swordsmith?" Jay asked in awe of the blade glimmering up at him. "That's tight!"

Smiling at the gifts, Lonnie picked up the bag of tea leaves and laughed at the words on the label that was stuck to it.

I know you can wield a sword, so holding my dress while I pee should be easy.

Speaking of which, will you?

"What's so funny?" Jay inquired, watching his girlfriend tug the sweater out of the box.

"Oh, our soon-to-be Queen just has a funny way of making requests," Lonnie replied.

Jay grinned. "Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah," said Lonnie, grinning at the word 'bridesmaid' that adorned the back of the sweater in neon green thread, "and who am I to deny a request made by our future Queen?"

In a small colonial house not too far from Auradon Prep, Jane was pouring over a desk full of documents and charts in her study. After graduating from Auradon Prep, she and Carlos moved in together. Although they had been together for some time and were still going strong, marriage was not in the cards for them just yet, at least not until after Mal and Ben's wedding, which Jane was hired to coordinate. Given how well she had planned and executed the cotillion, there was no better person for the role.

The sound of the front door opening and closing sounded throughout the house, followed by the voice of her boyfriend calling out, "Jane?"

"In here, Carlos!" Jane hollered without looking up from the reception sketches of the castle ballroom.

Moments later, Carlos appeared in the open doorway, wiping his sweat-covered forehead. As a thank you for his 'many services rendered the Crown', which was a professional way of wording 'saving Auradon on more than one occasion', King Ben granted the son of Cruella the title of Lord, a seat on His Majesty's Privy Council, and his own land on which he resided with his girlfriend, the future Lady DeVil. When he wasn't overseeing the prosperity of his land and collecting rent from the tenants who occupied it, he was teaching information technology classes at Auradon Prep.

"Hey, honey," Jane greeted with a quick glance at her boyfriend.

"Hey, someone came by with something for you," Carlos informed her.

"Ah, finally, it must be those napkin swatches that I requested from Queen Cinderella's mice," said Jane, sounding relieved. "There are so many shades of purple out there, it's crazy. Hopefully, it won't take Mal long to decide on one for her wedding theme."

"Actually, this is from Mal," Carlos pointed out.

At this point, Jane turned away from her desk and realized that Carlos was holding a massive pumpkin out to her, which had a baby blue silk ribbon tied in an elegant knot around the stem. Attached to the end of the ribbon was a sleek tag that had her name on it. Tilting her head slightly, she asked, "Why would Mal bring me a pumpkin?"

"No idea," said Carlos with a shrug of his shoulders. "A royal messenger just dropped it off."

Jane murmured a sound of curiosity as she took the pumpkin and placed it over her notes on the desk. Noting that the pumpkin was fully carved around the top, she took hold of the stem and pulled off the top like she would the lid of a cookie jar. Cushioned inside the pumpkin on a bed of green leaves was a silver analog watch, a folded cardigan of dark purple cotton, and a glass bottle of pumpkin-spiced cider knotted with curly knots of sparkly green and purple ribbons.

"That's thoughtful of Mal," Carlos remarked, sliding the cardigan out of the box.

"I agree," said Jane, plucking the watch out of the box, which was encrusted with baby aquamarines that matched her eyes. "I've been needing a new watch, especially with how busy I am planning the royal wedding."

Carlos, who noticed Jane furrow her brows at the watch, asked, "Something wrong?"

"The back of it feels strange," said Jane, flipping over the watch to find a message engraved on the back of it.

I don't know if you'll be home by midnight, but I do know that I can't tie the knot without you.

Will you help?

"Looks likes Mal wants you to be more involved with the wedding than you already are," said Carlos with a laugh.

Jane looked up to see that Carlos had unfolded the cardigan, so that the neon green cursive lettering of the word 'bridesmaid' embroidered on the back of it flashed in her direction, and she smiled. "I guess she does."

In a quaint little cottage not too far from the castle, Evie was working on Mal's wedding dress that was draped over one of her studio's many mannequins. The dress that Mal ended up selecting from Evie's many proposed designs was, without a doubt, going to be the blue-haired designer's proudest work; it was a white A-line gown with a sweetheart neckline, a pair of off-the-shoulder straps and an applique of little dark purple dragons that coated the entire lace corset and top portions of the skirt.

Evie hummed a merry tune to herself as she toyed with the laces of the gown's corset. Shortly after the barrier between Auradon and the Isle of the Lost came down, Ben thanked Evie for her role in saving Auradon multiple times by reinstating her title as a royal. While she was incredibly appreciative of the King's generosity, Evie knew that the three titles that she held dear to her heart were Founder of Evie's 4 Hearts, Royal Adviser to the King of Auradon and, most importantly, Girlfriend of Doug of Charmington.

A knock at the door caused Evie to glance up from her mannequin. "Come in!"

The door to the studio creaked open and Dizzy, colourful hairpieces and all, popped her head into the room. "Evie, you got a second?"

"For you, Dizzy, two seconds," Evie responded affectionately for the girl whom she viewed as a little sister. After Dizzy permanently relocated to Auradon, she moved in with Evie and, with some financial support from her 'older sister' and the King, launched her own accessory line appropriate titled Designs by Dizzy. "Is this about Mal's wedding tiara? Have you finished the design for it?"

"I have, but that's not why I'm interrupting," said Dizzy. "Someone's here to see you."

"Oh," said Evie, "well they can come in."

Dizzy fully pushed open the door and stepped into the room, allowing a man in a familiar white and bright yellow suit to enter the studio. His hair was peppered with grey specks and he sported the Auradon royal crest on the left sleeve of his jacket.

Spotting Evie, the man immediately bowed before her respectfully, his nose almost touching the apple-shaped wooden box in his hands. "Princess Evie."

"Lumière," Evie greeted the palace herald with an air of surprise. "What can I do for you?"

"The Lady Mal requested that I bring this to you," said Lumière, placing the carefully-crafted box on her desk.

"What is it?" Evie asked, straying away from the mannequin.

"No idea, Your Highness," said Lumière with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm simply the messenger."

Swinging her measuring tape around her neck like a scarf, Evie walked over to her desk to examine the box up close. The custom-made box was painted with a glossy red, so that it resembled an actual apple. Around the stem of the box was a sapphire-blue silk ribbon knotted in an intricate bow that Evie was hesitant to touch and ruin.

Dizzy, who appeared at her side, asked, "What did Mal send you?"

"I don't know," said Evie, fingering the laminated tag with her name on it attached to the end of the ribbon. Gently pinching the ribbon with two of her manicured French tips, she said, "Let's find out."

With a slight tug of the ribbon, the bow came undone and the ribbon slid down the sides of the box. Evie lifted the lid off of the box and smiled brightly at what was inside: a shimmering headband of purple jewels, a jacket of dark purple leather, and a bottle of sparkling apple cider nestled among hundreds of ruby rhinestones.

"How cute!" Dizzy gushed, running her fingers through the rhinestones.

Evie nodded in agreement. She gracefully ran her fingers through the sparkly green and purple ribbons tied at the neck of the bottle before removing the drink from the box to read the label.

Tradition says that brides require something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.

Will you help me with that last one?

Tears welled up in Evie's eyes when she realized what Mal was implying with her message. Her realization was confirmed when she looked back up at a giddy Dizzy who was excitedly waving the box's jacket at her, flashing its neon green letters at the back of it that clearly read 'maid of honour'.

Lumière nearly fell over when the Princess and the daughter of Drizella let out simultaneous squeals that were loud enough to shatter every window within the cottage, but thankfully didn't.

Abandoning her princess-like composure, Evie threw her arms around Dizzy and the two of them started jumping repeatedly on the spot, their eyes alight with pure happiness.

And from the balcony of the castle overlooking her soon-to-be glorious kingdom, Mal smiled.