Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

First time when Mal dreamed of the smiling prince, she thought she might have gotten intoxicated from the little food she had. No matter how used to it you were, eating moldy food filled with flies was still not good for your health in the long run.

First time when Ben dreamed of the purple-haired girl, he thought his conscience was just eating him alive. He had been reading through the Trials of the Lost and they made his stomach churn with guilt even though he wasn’t even born back then.

The second time, Mal was sure something must be wrong with her, maybe she was being poisoned. Ben thought the exhaustion from his new responsibilities was getting to him.

By the tenth time, Mal got so frustrated she screamed at prince sunshine. And Ben heard her.

By the time they quit keeping count of their dreams, Mal and Ben managed to control them fully.

“So, will you ever tell me your name?” he asked with that typical soft smile that made her feel funny things in her chest.

They were laying by a lake, in a forest with leaves so green that Mal couldn’t even imagine beyond the dream world. She could feel the sunshine upon her skin and it was just an odd sensation of warmth. They didn't have sunshine on the Isle.

“Names have power.” she replied, frowning at him. “Didn’t anyone teach you to not just give your name away?”

He leaned his chin on his hand and shrugged. “No, they haven’t. What if I give you my name first?”

Mal sighed in annoyance. She should know better, he was clearly doing this to win her trust, but she usually wouldn’t be giving that away so easily. But there was something about him that just seemed to pull her, like a magnet. It was so ridiculous, so utterly stupid and she was smarter than just to give in to random odd feelings.

“Fine.” she finally huffed out.

If smiles could bring the sun onwards, she thought of watching his reaction. He extended his hand. “I’m Ben.”

She frowned, taking it hesitantly. “Mal.”

“Mal.” he repeated and she got those infuriating odd tingles in her stomach when she heard it. “Enchanted to meet you.”

“You have no idea.” she whispered under her breath in amusement as she shook his hand.

-------

Even in dreams, the Isle of the Lost was a shithole. Mal glared at the everlasting grey and cloudy skies, as the rain began to pour. She was used to it and to the wind chill that you could feel bone-deep. She still hated it. Yet to her surprise, no raindrops came in contact with her body yet.

Mal looked at Ben in surprise. “What are you doing?”

The idiot decided it was a good idea to take his jacket and hoist it over their heads. Well no, he was mostly keeping it above her, so she didn’t get rained on.

“I’m making sure you don’t get wet. You don’t seem warm enough.”

“You are gonna get sick.” she told him, even though this was a stupid dream, and technically nothing should carry on onto the real world.

“Well if you want to share it, I will have to be closer to you. Are you okay with that?”

She wasn’t sure. On the Isle, if you were walking this close to someone it was either some protection pact or you were trying to steal something from them. Well, this one might count as protection. Against the rain. She felt silly for doing it, it isn’t like she wasn’t used to the weather, but Ben had that stupid smile that was showing… some sort of emotion she couldn’t fully grasp. Finally, she moved closer to him. Still no touching besides some accidental brushes as he held the jacket above both their heads, shielding off most of the rain.

Later when they were sitting in a narrow gap in the side of some rocky hill, he wrapped the jacket around her. It was too big on her frame and it smelled like him. Like evergreen trees and some pleasant fragrances, she could not place. Mal frowned, but didn’t complain, she knew it wouldn’t be worth arguing with him. And while any other day she might prove she is more stubborn, she didn’t want to waste their precious dream time on a useless argument.

They were sitting side by side, and Mal knew the closer you were to someone the more body warmth you got, but Ben wasn’t one of hers and you simply didn’t get close to strangers. Unless you wanted to be hurt.

(A small voice in the back of her mind was laughing mockingly. As if he would ever hurt you, silly.)

“Can I?”

She hasn’t realised she zoomed out until Ben’s voice brought her back. His arm was at an odd angle like he wasn’t sure what to do with it.

“What?”

“Can I rub your back? You are still shivering slightly.”

Mal narrowed her eyes, but while her Isle instincts were screaming at her to not be an idiot, the other voice seemed to howl right back about how Ben would never hurt her. She was somehow glad this was just their little made up dream world because he was making her soft and weak. And she wasn’t minding it.

“Yes.”

It was comforting. Maybe. She wasn’t sure. It felt more than comforting, it almost felt… safe. And it was silly, you were never truly safe, but somehow that’s what it felt like. Her body moved by itself. She got close to Ben, leaning her head on his shoulder as she let the warmth engulf her. This felt nice. She couldn’t remember the last time when she felt so nice. Or if she ever did to begin with.

She knew it was just a silly dream and she will wake up back to her horrible reality. But she will enjoy it as much as she can.

--------

“Do I have something on my face?” Mal finally questioned after Ben has been starring at her without blinking for the last ten minutes or so.

“Huh?” His wide eyes seemed to focus again as he looked at her. “Sorry, I zoned out.”

Mal rolled her eyes. “What’s the trouble then?”

“Hm?” he looked surprised at her.

Mal sighed. “What’s troubling you? You looked like you were in deep thought.”

Ben leaned back, drumming his fingers against the grass. When he looked at her again, he seemed almost scared. For once, Mal did not like having someone be afraid of her.

“...could you hate me?”

She frowned. What kind of question was that? And more importantly, what was the reason behind asking it? He was fidgeting, obviously waiting for her answer.

“No, I don’t think I could.”

Hating people could be so easy sometimes and so impossibly complicated other times. But she had a really hard time, imagining herself hating Ben. Another time, she would have berated herself, cause what reason was there to like him?

(He was painfully sweet. And he noticed the little things. And he had the most radiant smile. And truly genuinely cared for her no ulterior motive involved.)

“Let’s see if I can change your mind.” he didn’t allow her to answer before he continued. “I’m a prince.”

Mal huffed. “Oh, please. I figured this out from the moment I set my eyes on you. There is this…” she waved her hand as if that would provide the explanation words couldn’t. “...aura of sunshine and goodness and… something around you.”

Ben smiled at her, that dimpled smile that made her feel warm. And then his shoulders dropped again, and the smile slowly disappeared even though he never ceased the eye contact.

“And one day, soon, I will be the High King of Auradon, after my father.”

Mal liked to pride herself in not showing a lot of emotions, even in critical situations. She failed now though. Her Ben was going to be High King? In all honesty, Mal wasn’t sure what to feel. There was a tangled knot of emotions she has never felt and some which she only felt now and was unable to explain and she couldn’t really think clearly. Was it getting cold? It felt like the sun wasn’t spreading warmth anymore.

“I’m Maleficent’s daughter.” she blurted out if only to stop that buzz in her mind, as if there were one thousand arguing voices in the back of her head.

Ben blinked at her, his mouth falling slightly open in surprise. Mal held his gaze, waiting for the fear or anger. Even just a flinch.

(Maybe she was just hoping he was not that different from most people out there. Just be terrified and act accordingly. It would be easier to forget him that way when that time came.)

He did none of that. Instead, he extended his hand, palm open.

“I do not hate you for that, Mal. I don’t think I’m capable of doing it.”

She reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers and squeezing reassuringly. Ben smiled again and she followed suit. She was honest when she said it. She couldn’t hate him.

The warmth was back.

------

They had food this time around. Mal took a look at the grapes. They looked almost shiny when they weren’t rotten. Mal took a bite and she was surprised how different they tasted. She could eat dozens and not feel like vomiting.

Ben smiled at her. “Not getting lots of these on the Isle?”

Mal stopped chewing and glared at him. “Yeah, and when we get them they tend to be rotten, but hey, gotta make do I guess.”

He frowned at her comment. “What do you mean they are rotten?”

Mal’s glare intensified and he flinched. Good. Was he trying to be funny or what?

“Well, you heroes don’t exactly throw away fresh fruit.”

“Throw away fresh fruit? I don’t understand.”

To his credit, he seemed genuinely confused. He must be an exceptional liar or he truly didn’t know. She didn’t buy it though. How can you be Crown Prince of Auradon and not know what the barges for the Isle contained?

She felt the fire in her throat, wanting to break out and set everything aflame. It will never come out, she knew. She was condemned to be wingless and magicless until the rest of her miserable life. It wasn’t even Ben’s fault, he wasn’t born when they came with the Isle idea. But Mal has never been very rational when she was angry.

“Why don’t you ask daddy dearest?” she spat out, voice full of venom.

She stood up and he followed suit, his features full of concern. Not for himself. The idiot. She was raging, he should be terrified of her, not looking at her like she was some sick, injured bird.

“Why you, the oh-so kind heroes, who could do no wrong, living off your golden perfect pathetic life while the greatest good you bestow us with is your filthy trash. What’s the problem? Not liking the truth?”

“Mal, I’m so–” he tried to reach for her but she reacted first.

“Don’t touch me!” she growled, moving quickly to get out of his reach.

She forgot they were by a lake. Her foot slipped on the wet stones, making her lose her balance. The water wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t making a difference when she didn’t know how to swim. Her lungs were on fire but not the good kind. She heard Ben call her name in the distance, could almost see him through the water, he was reaching for her. It was blurry and before she could even attempt to try to focus the image, her vision went dark.

She woke up with a silent gasp, in her bed back in her mother’s castle. The rain was pouring and the wind was doing its best to break through the windows. Mal took a deep breath. Air. Air was good.

She didn’t notice the wetness on her cheeks.

-----

Mal leaned against one of the tree trunks, watching curiously at the scene unfolding before her. Ben didn’t seem to notice her, too busy hitting a trunk with a fallen branch. His back was tense, and Mal could not see his eyes, but she could bet they were blazing with fury. She wondered how that might look, as she had never seen him angry before. He placed a couple of more hits before the branch snapped in two. Then, he proceeded to throw his head back and roar so fiercely it made Mal gasp. Now that was something she would like to see again. She let out a low appreciative whistle.

Ben turned around and his shoulders dropped slightly at the sight of her. “Hey.”

Mal tilted her head, looking at him curiously. “What angered you so, baby beast?”

“I’m will become High King in a couple of months. I am supposed to pass fair judgement and protect my people. Yet, apparently, it is not worth telling me that the rations the Isle receives are in fact Auradon’s trash.” he turned around again, hitting the tree trunk in frustration.

“You really didn’t know.” Mal’s voice was barely above a whisper. She was surprised he actually heard her.

The heartbroken look on his face made her stomach twist. The realisation hit her harder than she expected. He cared. He actually cared they were eating trash.

“Mal.” he moved towards her, but still kept a reasonable distance. “Tell me about the Isle. Everything. Please.”

He sounded like he was breaking apart. And his fists were still shaking, his fury clearly not diminished. Mal walked to him, her hand reaching for his shoulder.

“You might want to sit down for this one.”

-----

Mal was dreaming they were on the Isle again. This time she was on close to the sea, the waters crashing loudly against the shore. She could feel the energy of the barrier buzzing with magic, but she couldn’t feel the magic itself, not truly. In the distance, Auradon was gleaming in the sun.

“Mal!”

Ben was running towards her as if Hell was on his tail. He stopped just short off crashing into her and sending both of them tumbling in the mud. He took a deep breath and reached for her. There was a moment when he stopped himself, waiting for her reaction. Once she nodded at him, he grabbed her by the shoulders. The look in his eyes was both troubled and yet, full of hope.

“Mal, I know how to do it.” he was whispering as if someone might be hearing their little conversation. “I know how to get you and everyone else off the Isle.”

There were things that Mal did rarely, if at all. Gasping was one of them. But this time, she couldn’t contain herself. She looked at Ben, searching for something anything, suggesting he might be joking. But no, he wasn’t the type to joke about something like this.

“You will be free. All of you will be free.” there was again that dimpled smile that made her warmer than the sun ever could.

She hugged him. Rotten apples, she was not hugging people, but she couldn’t contain herself. She buried her face in his shoulder, her hands squeezing his back. Ben arms wrapped around her, his fingers brushing through her hair gently. He felt so real. He had to be real.

Please, whatever powers above or under there might be, let him be real, Mal thought as she let herself succumb to his warmth.

“I need your help with it,” he mumbled, his voice so full of hope it was intoxicating.

“Anything.”

She didn’t need to think about it. They will be free. Evie could finally eat properly, and Carlos could have all the time in the world for his trinkets and Jay won’t be afraid to go home because he didn’t steal enough and Dizzy could be herself without fearing being taken advantage of and...Mal squeezed her eyes shut.

Maybe she should move away from Ben, planning a great escape wasn’t exactly something that could be done from a hug, not properly anyway. But she really could use a moment more. He had always brought warmth, and light and safety into her dreams. It has been her little escape. But now he was so much more. He was hope.

She finally let go of him. Not entirely though, she was holding his wrists, his hands planted firmly on her shoulders.

“Let’s do it.” she smiled more than she ever had before. “Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it.”

Promises are dangerous for faes. It was one of the first lessons she received. But it was a risk worth taking.

Ben smiled, brilliant as always. "We will do it. Whatever I have to do for you, for the people of the Isle to be free as they deserve, I won't pull any stops."

He took her hands in his, palms flat against each other. "Together?"

Mal intertwined their fingers and squeezed.

“Together.”

Chapter Text

The wind was less harsh than usual, even though they were by the sea. Mal hoped for it to be a good omen. She knew all the eyes were on her, expectingly, but she bid her time. She scanned the surroundings one more time, from the dark sea to her left, to the impatient gang leaders in front of her to the Witchwood to her right. She knew she picked a good spot for the meeting. People were rarely going through the dead forest, and the empty patch of land was claimed by no one. When the tide was high, the low land almost disappeared under the water and having the Witchwood so close by was hardly a good thing. It was bad living, even by Isle standards. No one will be there. It didn’t stop Mal from wanting to make sure only the ones present will ever hear what she had to say.

“What I am about to tell you, stays between us. No words to your gangs until the times come. No word to anyone else.” her voice was only loud enough for them to hear, but it was still firm. It wasn’t a request.

To make her point clear, Mal picked a sharp rock out of her pocket and prickled her thumb, allowing the blood drops to run down her palm. The six exchanged looks. Oaths sworn with blood were rare. There was noise in the forest and unexpected movements. The seconds hidden among the trees were as shocked as their leaders.

Freddie Facilier was the first one to step forward, extending a bloodied palm. She gave Mal a nod. “My word is true.”

Mal almost let a smile slip. Freddie was the only one outside her gang who she would call a friend. Anthony Tremaine followed, solemn as always. Diego De Vil barely looked her in the eye but sworn nonetheless. Bèizhàn was hesitant, at first, but her grip was firm. Harriet gave her a sharp smile as they shook hands. Uma’s eyes seemed to hold a storm, but they both knew blood oaths went beyond whatever rivalry they had going on.

Mal straightened her shoulders. “There is a way off the Isle.”

It created the ruckus she expected. Between incredulous shouts, utter shock, and a lot of cursing, even the seconds came out of the woods, looking at her incredulously. It would be one of the rare events when leaving the post you were assigned to was pardoned.

“Shut it!” she ordered after she let them process the shock a little. She doubted the screams could be heard far enough beyond the Witchwood, but it was not worth risking it. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Why are you telling us?” Bèizhàn watched her curiously if a bit sceptically.

Mal got her point. By all accounts, she had no business telling them. At most, she might have told Freddie. But this type of information was reserved for her own. It was just how the Isle of the Lost worked. Mal liked to tell herself it was because of Ben, who just came crashing into her dreams, and shook the foundations of everything she was raised to believe. The annoying voice from her dreams insisted she wasn’t truly evil. She was just raised that way. But it was not the time for her to go into an existential crisis. They were expecting answers.

“We are stronger together.” she ignored the incredulous, surprised, and sceptical looks she received. “Look. This is not a battle over scraps. Over territory. Over how can we not anger the wrong people and get mutilated at best as a result. If you are with me on this plan, we can get out. All of us, all our gangs and more. Think about it. Freedom, all the food you can eat. Sun. Open seas. Fresh air. Let’s not pretend we don’t want any of that for the sake of being the evilest one here.”

“But will there truly be any freedom?” Uma didn’t even sound like she was trying to argue with her just because it was well, her. “On the run, all the time, hidden, like hunted animals?”

“We won’t be on the run. We won’t have to hide. Because we are not running to Auradon. We are being invited.”

“Are we gonna get welcome cookies as well, Highness?” Harriet was clearly amused by the idea. “Who in their right mind in that damned Kingdom would invite villain children over?”

“Ben. Prince Ben.” she wanted to hit herself over the head for the slip-up, but the others don’t seem to have noticed. it. “There will be a royal proclamation inviting four of us to Auradon. Go to school, soak in Goodness and all that.”

“Four at a time is not a lot. Unless he does one weekly, it will take years before everyone is free.” Anthony crossed his arms, clearly displeased with the idea.

“Good thing that emergency proclamations can go through any moment without voting. Just a few more weeks after the four go and then, voila. It is, of course, not as smooth as I’m making it sound. That’s why we need to establish some details.”

“What’s the catch?” Freddie raised an eyebrow. “There’s always a catch.”

She knew this question was coming. Hopefully, they will accept it. “No revenge. No secret take over Auradon plot. No murder, no pillaging. You know the drill.”

There was a moment of silence. They were weighing their options. Mal just hoped their desire for stability, safety, and proper food will overtake their Isle instincts and all the rules conditioned into them by their parents.

“So what’s the plan?” Diego was still avoiding her gaze, but his voice was clear enough.

“I said there will be four of us picked. It will be me and my main gang.”

The six shared looks again, this time more surprised than anything.

“It will create a power vacuum.” Anthony simply stated, worry clear in his eyes.

It will also tip over the somehow fragile balance of the Isle rule. No one was challenging her mother, not that there haven’t been attempts in the past. They just learned not to, with the time. But among the young, there was another rule. And Mal and her gang were the top of the chain. But they were also regulators, the ones making sure the turf wars didn’t go too far and the ones giving extra scraps of food when the barges were too low and some might die of starvation.

(Not that dying meant much on the Isle. You couldn’t really die.)

“Part my turf and share it. Offer protection to the ones in there.”

If her previous statement created to surprise, this one was bewilderment. One does not simply give their turf away.

“Stop looking at me like that. I’m limiting that power vacuum as much as I can. There’ll be no turf war, if there is no turf to fight over.” she narrowed her eyes. “You better not get greedy.”

Analysing the six, it didn’t seem like any of them was particularly interested in more than she was willing to give them. Good.

“Once we are in Auradon, we’ll scout the scene. See how their power works, see what we need to do to adapt. We will see what resources we can gain to bring everyone off the Isle after the emergency proclamation. Keep an eye out, I’ll find a way to send messages and updates to you.” Mal voice dropped, allowing just a tint of threatening in it. “Do not tell anyone about this yet.” her eyes moved to the edge of the forest, glossing over each figure. They got the message. It applies to them as well. “Wait for my first message. Then tell whoever you trust would be on board. In and out of your crew. Try to draw gangless ones in. And get the kids. All of them. If you think there is someone who might create trouble for the plan or might sell information, do not let a word out. And if push comes to shove...”

Honestly, it wasn’t too much instruction, but it wasn’t really required. “I trust you all haven’t gotten where you are by being idiots. Don’t fuck this one up.”

“Just one question.” Freddie tilted her head. “What makes you think Prince Beast will even put forward an emergency proclamation?”

Mal couldn’t hold her smirk at that. She couldn’t tell them of the dreams, of course. It wasn’t even just a thought, she knew her Ben will do it. It was a fact. “Leave Prince Beast to me.”

She looked them over one more time, as a last reassurance. She spent a long time thinking about who she should share this with. All is left to do is plan and wait. She raised her fist. The gathering was over. One by one the figures began to retreat into the woods, their shapes disappearing in the shadows.

“Uma.”

She stopped by the edge of the forest, but didn’t turn around. “So what is the catch then? Extra work for me for freedom, or are ya just gonna leave me here the last moment?”

“No catch.” Mal took in a deep breath. “I offer some apologies.”

Uma turned around quicker than lightning. She burst out laughing before noticing how serious Mal looked. Straightening her back, she raised an eyebrow. “Is there an insult I missed in there or?”

“I was an idiotic child.” Mal admitted. “You were one of my first allies and I didn’t appreciate it. I was too caught up trying to impress my mother, to win her approval and I gave up on who might have been one of my best allies. And possible friends.”

Friend was not a term commonly used on the island. If at all. But it was the time she said it out loud. Mal might have admitted it to herself a while ago, but her pride never allowed her to say it out loud. But those days were behind now. There was a light in the globe of smoke and clouds and it was something Mal wanted to share. And despite their rivalry and their constant turf wars and pranks and jabs, Mal knew Uma was one of the best and she wouldn’t mess this up in the name of petty revenge. She missed her tentacles as much as Mal missed her wings. And at the end of the day, they both wanted to get off this cursed rock. They could get over their past for it. Mal hoped so at least.

“Truce?” she extended a hand.

Uma stepped close to her, her dark eyes fixing Mal’s hand thoughtfully. Then she grabbed it and shook.

“Truce.”

She could have sworn there was a small smile on Uma’s lips.

------------------

Ben was going through the tenth fitting for the Coronation ceremony and at this point, he was getting really tired of it. He grew up being used to this, but this time it felt just a little excessive, even by royal standards. Stuck in his room, as he was pickled by needles, Ben’s eyes wandered off to his window, and in the distance, towards the Isle of the Lost.

His heart was aching. If it wasn’t for Mal in his dreams every night, he might not have been able to sleep properly ever since he talked with her about the Isle and all its horrors. His eyes searched among the grey clouds in the distance, the Isle of the Lost looking desolate and dark and wrecked. Mal’s words were ringing in his ears, tales of fights for scraps, for survival. Ben clenched his jaw. Children shouldn’t have to fight to be young. The Isle makes them soldiers. Auradon made them soldiers.

Ben wondered where his parents’ generation went so wrong to allow all of that nightmare to happen. And in between trying to find an explanation and remembering the tales of the Isle, Ben felt something clawing inside his chest.

This won’t be my reign, he promised himself, trying to soothe the roaring beast inside. I will make it right.

“How is it possible that you are gonna be crowned High King next month? You are just a baby.”

His father’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. Ben smiled at his parents as they strolled in the room. It was slightly forced, he hasn’t been in the mood for smiling for a while now, but he had to keep the appearances of normal in place. He was still angry at his father for not informing him about the barges and other Isle related issues.

“He’s turning sixteen, dear.” Belle reminded her husband.

Ben allowed his parents to bicker about silly things and his smile softened for a moment. They were so in love, even with the bickering, even after all of these years. Sometimes, Ben wished he will end up like that one day, older and still deeply in love with his spouse.

(For a moment he recalled green eyes with golden flecks and an intoxicating smile.)

“Mom, Dad, I’ve chosen my first official proclamation.” he announced, gaining the interest of his parents instantly.

Ben straightened his back and set his jaw. No turning back now. “I’ve decided that the children on the Isle of the Lost to be given a chance to live here in Auradon.”

He didn’t allow his parents’ shock to stop him. Stepping off the podium the tailor had him on, he continued. “Every time I look out that window and see the Isle, I feel like they’ve been abandoned. We took their childhoods away, I refuse to take their future away as well.”

His mother’s shoulders dropped slightly, but his father tensed up. “The children of our sworn enemies living among us? Do you even hear yourself?”

It was no longer his father talking with him, but King Adam questioning the judgement of his successor. Ben stood tall. “I already drafted the proclamation. We start off with few at first, a group of four, and focus on their integration process and how they handle it. Based on that, we can decide how to further proceed with the others. I have already chosen them. The ones who need our help the most.”

Let them believe that for now. He was not planning to leave anyone on that cursed rock more than necessary. He and Mal have planned it to the last detail they could think of. Pretend the plan is a long-drawl bureaucratic procedure, it should tame the fears of the most. That was step one.

King Adam was fuming until Belle reached for his arm. “I gave you a second chance.” she said pointedly.

Mouth drawn in a thin line, he turned his attention back to Ben. “Who are their parents?”

“Cruella de Vil.”

(Carlos is some sort of genius, you wouldn’t believe the stuff he makes out of trash.)

“Jafar.”

(Jay is my second in command, and more loyal than I had ever deserved. Watch your pockets around him though.)

“Evil Queen.”

(Evie is formidable. Don’t let the looks fool you, she is smarter than most and more lethal than you could ever imagine if she wishes to be.)

“And Maleficent.”

Ben took a deep breath while hell itself unleashed in the room. Between his father screams, the tailor leaving the room abruptly and the guards closing the door… yeah, that still went better than he expected.

“They are guilty of unspeakable crimes.” his father shouted, ending whatever rant he has been on.

Ah, there it was. The traces of his curse, the one he inherited still lingering, letting the beast come through. Ben felt a growl in his chest, but suppressed it.

“Their children are innocent!” he argued. “What was their crime, being born?” Ben tilted his head, his tone softening, almost pleadingly. “Dad.”

He really needed his father now, not King Adam. As tough as he may be, he always has his soft spots and sometimes Ben wondered how they are the same person.

(And hey, a little emotional manipulation goes a long way.)

His parents exchanged a look, his father seeking council. There was a whole silent conversation between them and finally, his mother nodded.

“I supposed the children are innocent.” his father declared.

His mother cupped his face then fixed his already perfectly fit collar. “Good job.” the smile was genuine and she sounded proud.

Ben couldn’t help but smile back.

“Send the proclamation through our joint office. It should come into service by the end of the week. I believe you already had the logistics prepared.”

Ben nodded. There were just some last details which needed to be established and he postponed them until he would know for sure he could go through with this. And while he might not be happy per see about the idea, his father clearly approved of his preparedness.

As his parents took their leave, Ben turned around and walked towards the window. He fidgeted with his ring as he scanned the Isle from the distance. He hoped Mal managed to tone down the possible power vacuum which would be created in her absence and link the network she needed for action on the ground. If not, they will work around it somehow.

Taking his eyes off the window, he pulled a neatly arranged document out of a drawer. He couldn’t suppress his smile.

So, it begins.

Chapter Text

As the limousine began to drive, Mal clutched her mother’s spellbook as if her life depended on it. It was rather ridiculous, given by the time she was nine years old she had every spell in that book memorized to perfection. Because she might have been born and raised in a magicless prison, but she was fae and she won’t be denied her blood inheritance just like that. All the spells in the book and any other spell her mother could remember she learned word by word, each motion that came with them, each ingredient she might need. It was the one thing she could not reproach her mother, no matter how many times she got hit with Maleficent’s staff for forgetting a spell or getting it wrong. The magic was hers and she deserved it, even if she might have never been able to ignite more than just the smallest spark of it.

But all that was in the past. She was leaving the Isle of the Lost. She will be out finally, out of the barrier and she will have access to her magic at its fullest. As they drove through the barrier, Mal felt the power wash over her, aeons of fae magic locked away and finally being set free in her blood as it was meant to be. She felt dizzy, overwhelmed, but she was expecting this. Muttering under her breath, Mal inhaled deeply. It will take a while to get adjusted to this, but the spell she cast should help her keep the overflowing magic stabile until Mal accommodated herself to being surrounded by it all the time.

She glanced at Jay who was busy fighting with Carlos over sweets and Evie who was chewing on a lollipop while checking her make up. They seemed alright. Jay might have not inherited his father djinn powers after all and Evie’s witch powers were not a strong blood inheritance. They won’t end up comatose due to magic overflow. Mal let out a breath of relief as she glanced outside the window. Her eyes scanned the buildings, which seemed to grow bigger with every second.

Somewhere, out there, Ben was waiting for her. She ignored the way her stomach twisted at the thought and her heart began beating faster.

Grabbing one of the candies, Mal smirked. For once, her life didn’t feel like utter hell.

-------------------

Ben fixed his cuffs, even though they were perfectly in place. This was it. A few more minutes and they’ll be here. She’ll be here for real. Was he looking good? Did he have food in his teeth? Mal would probably not care, but still. He wanted to make a good first impression. Well, first in-flesh impression more likely.

Lonnie bumped her shoulder against his. “Worried about the grand history-changing moment?”

Honestly? Yes. This was so much more than him and his infatuation, it was the beginning of something new, for the United States of Auradon, for the Isle of the Lost and all its people. He knew that. But he couldn’t control himself as his heart did leaps just thinking of Mal being here, for real, flesh and bone and fire and wit.

Ben almost jumped out of his skin when he saw the limousine rolling on the road in front of the school. He clapped his hands twice, indicating for Doug and the rest of the marching band to start playing. The few dozens of students were spread around the courtyards, rising welcome banners and waving happily. He might have gone a little bit over the top with the welcome ceremony. And while some of the present students were keen on his proclamation he knew most of the ones present were there out of some sense of responsibility.

(And maybe because, while leaving the invitation to the welcome ceremony open, he might have included a very subtly veiled threat.)

The car stopped and the driver stepped out and went to open the back door. The marching band stopped rather abruptly as the first person stepped out. Ben almost didn’t blame them. The boy was tall and well-built, his sleeve-less jacket allowing his muscled arms to be on sight. He had an easy smirk, but he had an aura of danger around him. And his eyes did a quick scan around as if checking for any impending threats. Jay.

He took a step forward, allowing the next person to come out. The white hair was a little bit of a dead giveaway. Carlos was small and thinner than he should be, especially next to Jay, but he stood his ground, moving to the side. Ben could still see the way his eyes seemed to map his surroundings, almost as if he was looking for something.

Evie stepped out with the grace of a ballerina. She took in the sights before her, before twirling to Jay’s right, her lips formed in a smile. It seemed genuine, but if Mal’s stories were anything to go by, he wouldn’t put his money on it.

There was a moment of pause before the next figure stepped out. Ben’s heart stopped in his chest. She was here. And so much brighter in person, her dream self was almost seen through fog compared to the real one. The marching band parted, allowing Fairy Godmother, him and Lonnie to step through.

Fairy Godmother did a welcome speech, but Ben wasn’t listening. He was busy taking in every little detail from the figure in front of him. Mal’s eyes were on Fairy Godmother, but he could swear she was looking over her shoulder at him. They were so green and there were golden flecks in them. How had he not noticed that before?

Pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Marvellous. All these words just didn’t do any justice to Mal. They were too empty, to generic, it just didn’t fit. He couldn’t just describe her with one of those. She was otherworldly... and vaguely threatening. A storm of fire, bottled up in a small vial, ready to burst any moment and set everything aflame. And he knew there would be no flames as beautiful and enchanting as hers. He wouldn’t mind being swallowed whole by them.

Lonnie nudged him. Ben blinked, realising that Fairy Godmother was walking away followed by the marching band. He stepped forward. Alright, he got this handled.

“I’m Ben. It is so, so good to finally meet you all.”

He knew from Mal not to make sudden moves around them. He stepped forward, slowly and extended a hand towards Evie. She took his hand and fell into a curtsy so perfect that it would put half of the Auradon royalty to shame.

“Your Royal Highness.” she had a way of speaking, almost whispered, and demure.

Silk hiding steel, truly. Ben nodded at her. For a moment his eyes lingered on the wide sleeves of her jacket. There was a dagger hidden there, most likely.

He moved towards Jay. “This is a momentous occasion.”

Ben didn’t manage to shake his hand before he was punched in the shoulder. It hurt. Not a lot, he was sure Jay could do much worse. But Ben recognized a veiled threat when he saw one, even behind the easy-going smirk. Jay was warning him that he was strong and he will use it if it was necessary. He was a protector. Ben nodded and gave what he hoped was an understanding smile.

Mal had a strong grip, but her squeeze was almost reassuring. He couldn’t take his eyes off her nor could he make his mouth work properly to say the words he prepared for so long. He just stared at her in wonder. She was real, and she was here and he was holding her hand. The corner of her mouth went up for a moment and her eyes softened while looking at him. She gave him another reassuring squeeze before pulling her hand out of his grip abruptly and looking to the side.

Realising he lingered too long, Ben moved over to the last member of the group. Carlos was almost hesitant in accepting his handshake. His dark eyes were so focused as if he was trying to decypher Ben the way a hacker would try to decipher a code. It seemed he found what he was looking for, as his shoulders became less tense.

“I hope it will go down in history as the day our two peoples began to heal.”

Ben meant it. He has been working forever on a welcome speech, but he decided, in the end, it is better to keep it short and to the point. And that was so much harder than it seemed.

“Or the day when you showed four people were the toilets are.”

Ah, there was the attitude and sarcasm. Ben turned back to Mal with a smirk. “A little bit over the top?”

“A little bit more than a little bit.”

Their gazes locked and the familiarity just washed over them. Smirks, and sarcasm and witty comments and the sense of comfort. They both chuckled. He found comfort in the clear sound of her laugh. His mind went back to all their little stolen moments, that only they knew about.

Lonnie nudged him. Right. Don’t zoom out thinking about Mal’s reaction when you’ll bring her to the lake for real.

“Lonnie and I will show you around.” he informed them simply pointing between himself and one of his oldest friends.

They began the tour and honestly, he was quite sure they weren’t interested in the history of Auradon Prep, but he had directions to follow and an appearance to keep up.

“This one is cool, be prepared for it.” Lonnie told them casually as they stopped in front of his father's statue.

Ben clapped his hand and the statue changed. “My father wanted his statue to morph from beast to man to show that anything is possible.”

“Does he shed much?” Mal’s questioned while starring at the statue.

“Yeah, mom won’t let him on the couch.”

Ben tried to not jump up and down when he saw the little smile she gave him. He made her smile. He did it. He smiled back without a second thought, while slowly turning away. He really hoped that looked as cool as he pictured it.

They strolled into the main entrance of the school and Ben tried to ignore the questioning look Lonnie gave him. He knew he was failing miserably at being subtle. She will probably grill him later about it. Luckily for him, Doug came down the stairs just then. Ben waved.

“Guys, this is Doug, he is the third member of our little welcoming committee. He has your schedules.”

“Hey everyone!” Doug barely glanced up as he began explaining the schedule. And when he finally did, he almost jumped up. “Heigh-ho.” he blurted out almost breathlessly when his eyes fell on Evie.

She simply smiled, and moved slowly towards him, almost like a cat on the prowl. “Evie. Daughter of the Evil Queen.”

“Right.” he gulped trying to hide the blush from his cheeks as Evie glanced down at the schedule in his hand while twirling her hair.

Ben exchanged a look with Mal. Doug was his friend, but his suffering was maybe just slightly amusing. Luckily, Lonnie decided to save him.

“So, Evie, Mal, I’ll show you your dorm” she grabbed two of the schedules from Doug. ”And Ben and Doug, you can show the boys where their dorm is. Right this way.”

It took the four about ten seconds of silent communication before Evie and Mal followed Lonnie down the hall. For a moment, he could have sworn Mal smiled his way.

Well, if his idea worked it won’t be long before they will see each other again.

-----------------------------

“So what did he give you?” Evie questioned after they closed the curtains of their room. The sun in Auradon was strong and really bothersome.

Mal almost smiled. Of course, she noticed. Jay and Carlos probably did too. She had to give him some credit though, for an untrained eye, it wouldn’t have been noticeable. Mal opened her fist and unfolded the small note.

The dark blue ink spun into beautiful cursive writing forming three simple words. Art Room. Sunset.

“Getting secret messages from your lover already?” Evie teased making Mal roll her eyes.

“He isn’t my lover.”

He was… well, that was a good question. Mal wasn’t actually sure. He was for sure more than an ally. Maybe a friend. Yeah, a friend could be. It was just that… Mal had certain reactions towards him that she did not have towards anyone else in her life yet. She wasn’t sure what that was. But she would rather not focus on it right now. And the dreadful pink of well, everything in the room did a decent job of distracting her.

“Hey, do you think… Evie?”

The shriek of pure joy from the adjacent room made Mal jump.

“There is functioning plumbing!”

Huh, maybe she should take a shower before her meeting.

-----------------------

Mal strutted down the halls of Auradon Prep, frowning. She knew she won’t find the art room by herself.

“Hey, you!”

The student she called on froze on spot. It wasn’t close enough to the curfew nonsense Fairy Godmother told them about, but the hall was still pretty empty and now it was only her and her victim. The guy looked like he was sweating.

“Where can a fae find some paint and brushes in this hole?”

Oh, this was hilarious. On the Isle, installing fear in people’s hearts was a survival mood. In Auradon, it was just for fun. And it was truly hilarious to look at the well-built guy cowering before her in fear and looking one second away from pissing himself.

“The a..ar...art...ro..room.”

Mal rolled her eyes. “Oh, gee, really? Would have never guessed that one. Where, you thickhead, it is directions that I need.”

The guy gulped and pointed to his left with a shaky hand. “Down the hall, turn to the right and third door, the one with the mosaic. ”

He spoke so fast, she barely caught on what he said. She waved her hand dismissively and the guy did nothing short of running down the hall and around the corner. Mal snickered under her breath. She promised no evil-doing, but no one mentioned anything about mischief. And hey, it wasn’t as if she did anything more than talking to the guy, he was the one scared out of his mind by her existence. She just took advantage.

Mal hummed under her breath as she strutted towards the art room. The mosaic had a really nice colour combination, she noted before stepping into the room closing the door behind her.

The setting sun was soaking the room with a comforting orange light. Ben was by the window, looking towards the school grounds. He turned around and smiled at the sight of her. Mal’s stomach twisted oddly. For the first time since she arrived in Auradon, the sun wasn’t bothering her. Now it was rather calming, warm and comforting than burning and irritating.

They moved at the same time, towards the other. For a moment, neither knew how to react once they were in touching distance. This wasn’t a dream, it was their reality now. They were face to face with no charade of not knowing each other to keep up. Mal moved first and Ben followed a moment after. She was craving his touch and the lingering smell of evergreen trees and all the other fragrances she couldn’t quite identify which just reminded her of Ben. His arms welcomed her widely open before wrapping around her and bringing her as close as possible. Mal hid her face in his shoulder, breathing him in and just enjoying the feel of him, here, in her arms, even better than in her dreams and more real than she believed he could be.

Ben chin rested atop her head, his eyes closed. He let out a content sigh. He had been itching to do this since the moment she set a foot out of that limousine. She seemed so small engulfed in his arms, but Ben knew he was holding a firestorm.

The sun’s light was dimming down as they sat on the floor, in comfortable silence, holding onto each other. Ben’s fingers were playing with the tips of Mal’s hair, while she trailed lines across his cheeks and jaw as if trying to memorize each of his features.

As the first shadow began crawling over the room, Mal sighed. “This has to stay secret for a while.”

She wasn’t entirely sure what ‘this’ was referring to because she still didn’t have a word for whatever she and Ben were doing.

He nodded understandingly, but Mal could sense he wasn’t very happy about it. “How did your part of the plan go? Shall we move onto the next phase?”

Mal sobered up. “It is settled, as I thought it would. It is on them for now. I need to keep the ties though. Do you know any way to get messages onto the Isle secretly?”

Ben’s frowned for a moment, thinking. “I believe I might have a trustworthy someone who can act as messenger down there.” he concluded after a while.

Mal was slightly surprised at that, there were very few people who could be characterized as trustworthy on the Isle. She will ask later.

“So…” she cracked her knuckles. “Onto the next phase of planing.”

-------------------------------

The moon was rising as Mal made her way back to her room, on the verge of the curfew. She ignored Evie’s inquiring gaze as she walked towards her desk, in a drunklike state.

(Could you get drunk on people?)

Mal grabbed a new empty sketchbook and a pen and began to draw. By the time she was done and satisfied with her work, the moon was shining brightly in the night sky, bathing the room in a silvery glow. Mal went off to her bed and fell asleep without bothering to change. On her desk, the sketchbook remained open on the page with Ben’s portrait.

On the other side of Auradon Prep, Prince Ben lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling absently. When the tiredness finally managed to make his eyelids drop, a smile formed on his lips. He could only see purple hair, green eyes, and porcelain skin veiled in the dying light of the sun, as sleep stole him away.

Chapter Text

Mal sighed as she arranged the books in her locker. The day started actually well with her and Ben sneaking off before breakfast to send the messages to the Isle. All four of them have been swiping chocolates for the past couple of days and she sent them along with the messages. They will reach the recipients, Ben promised so. Yen Sid had never broken the royal family’s trust. They cannot get into the barges yet, so Mal hoped the sweets were enough of a guarantee for now.

And then the Remedial Goodness class rolled in and it ruined her whole day. She was fine with them taking the class. Whatever, soak in goodness and all that blah blah. She would have prefered if Fairy Godmother actually considered they have some sense of good and evil. The questions were just insulting their intelligence and she was really not appreciating it.

She huffed, slamming a book on top of the others.

“You know, the graffiti on the locker is already considered property damage, you might not want to bend the metal as well.”

Mal couldn’t help but smirk. She closed the locker’s door to reveal Ben, smiling brightly at her while casually leaning against the wall. She gave him a once over. He looked prim and proper as always and Mal really felt the urge to ruffle his hair at least, but there were people around.

“You should really take that talent off the wall and into the art class. I could, uh, sign you up.”

Mal snorted loudly. She wasn’t sure if the flirty tone had to do with the fact that he was bad at pretending he doesn’t have a thing for her or because he genuinely thought that ‘I’ll sign you up for the art class’ was a good way to make her feel those annoying little sensations in her belly.

(It might have worked to some extent because he had this little tone in his voice, almost mischievous but Mal would never admit it out loud.)

“Way to take the fun out of it.” she answered honestly. She was not fancying the idea of being told what to draw, even if the art room had more paint and brushes than she has seen in her whole life.

“How about we clean this one, and then I’ll give you a bigger and better canvas for your work? Not in the art class.”

She raised an eyebrow. Now that was tempting. And hardly a difficult choice.

“Fine. I accept your deal.”

(Later that afternoon, the janitor almost walked into a wall when he saw the Crown Prince and the daughter of the Mistress of All Evil cleaning graffiti off a locker.)

Ah, there was the smile again. It made Mal feel content.

“So, how was…”

Mal reached forward placing her index finger against his lips. She did her best to ignore the way she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. “Hold that thought for our meeting later.” she whispered before turning around and following the blue little faery trying to slither away.

Jane was her name. Fairy Godmother’s daughter as they discovered in the Remedial Goodness class. And probably the only fae around Mal’s own age who she could get some information from. She was really not fancying the idea of discussing her magic with the girl’s mother.

Mal almost rolled her eyes when she saw Jane almost jump up when she entered the bathroom. She took a couple of steps forward. Close enough for a conversation, but she was still blocking the way out.

“Hey. It is Jane, right?” Mal tried to make her voice sound cheery. “I always liked that name… Jane.”

She let out a chuckle, hoping her imitation of average Auradonian small talk with make the younger girl want to stick around for a chat.

“That’s cool.” her voice was almost a squeak. She took a step forward.

“Don’t go!” Mal balled her fist. As if the girl wasn’t jumpy enough, once she heard Mal’s Isle Gang Leader voice, she looked ready to cry.

Mal sighed exasperatedly. “Look, I… I was just kinda hoping to make a friend. One who understands the constant pulse of magic all around. You know, faery solidarity.”

She wasn’t lying. While she had doubts she and Jane would become friends, she was open to an alliance. Her jumpiness was still quizzical though. Mal wondered if she was faking it, the same way Evie faked her lack of intelligence.

“I’m not much of a faery.” she mumbled under her breath, making Mal frown. “I do not even remember the last time when I felt the magic’s pulse properly.”

“But magic is free here in Auradon.” she said it before thinking too much. The girl’s sadness almost reminded Mal of herself. Except that the lack of magic made Mal roar and burn in anger. Jane just looked broken and defeated, even surrounded by it. That won’t do.

“It’s not looked upon with good eyes. Mom supports it, says the real magic is the one we make ourselves and all that. And you know how our magic tends to go crazy if not used in a long time? Faeries take magic subduing potions. I have taken them since I was a child and I… I was never taught how to use my magic besides basic control. Most of the time, I barely feel it.”

Mal felt her fire burst. She was sure her eyes lit up because Jane gasped and backed against the wall.

How dare they?! How dare they do that to the magic users? Back under the dome of the Isle they were all raging, seething, growling for lost parts of oneself. But here in Auradon the magic was thriving, looked down upon or not. Being surrounded by the pulse of it and never being able to use it, having that piece of you forcibly taken away while being bathing in magic itself every moment… no wonder why Jane looked so small and broken. The girl wouldn’t have survived five minutes on the Isle. And even here in Auradon, Mal’s first thought of her was pathetic, scared little thing. And it made so much more sense now knowing the reasons.

Mal knew what empathy was. In theory. There might have been moments in her life when she felt it, she was not sure. But right here right now, she was feeling something resembling empathy quite strongly. Somewhere hidden behind all the anger and fire. She took in a deep breath, closing and opening her fists. The last thing she needed was for her hair to catch fire and open a can of worms she would really prefer not to deal with right now.

“I’ll teach you.”

“Wh...wha...what?” Jane’s voice was barely above a whisper. She was still trying to make herself small in the corner of the bathroom. She was trembling like a leaf in the wind.

“Magic. I will teach you. No more potions and no more suppressing. You do not deserve it.”

The younger girl looked hesitant but there was a spark in her eyes. “Why? Honestly, there is nothing in for you if you help me. I’m not popular, others make fun of me all the time. And people around here already look bad upon you guys, hanging with a loser like me won’t do you any favours.”

“Good thing that I and my gang don’t care about what people think.” Mal rolled her eyes. As if a bunch of prissy princesses' opinions were worth anything to her. “Come on. I know you want to, your magic is part of you.”

Jane bit her lip. “Why?”

Mal raised an eyebrow at her insistence. Well, she had some smarts it seems. Good. She could work with that. “Honestly? The goodness of my heart. Or whatever you call it. And no, I’m not kidding.”

Jane’s eyebrows disappeared in her hairline. With a sigh, Mal took a few steps forward and dropped on the floor next to her.

“I grew up magicless because of the barrier. The moment when we got out and I felt all of it rush through my veins was one of the best moments of my life.” she confessed, tapping her fingers against her knee. She turned to Jane. “You don’t deserve to take this abuse and yes, it is abuse. They might have as well cut one limb off you. It would have probably been less damaging than subduing your magic. I just know the feeling of being helpless and I loathe it with my every fibre. As I said, faery solidarity.”

Mal extended a gloved hand towards the younger girl. “What do you say?”

Jane's lip was trembling, but there was something in her eyes, something Mal had rarely seen, but could easily recognize. Hope. She raised a trembling hand and took Mal’s.

“Yes. Count me in.”

Mal grinned, before getting up and pulling Jane with her. She was about to drag both of them out but the grip on her hand stopped her.

“Are you sure you want to be seen with me in public? It has always been Jane the loser, Jane with the ugly hair and ugly face, Jane the chubby clumsy idiot. They will get extra mean to you if we hang out. And I know you said you don’t care, but you are having it hard enough as it is. I don’t want to be a burden.”

Mal was about to roll her eyes when an idea hit her. She began to smirk.

“Beware forswear, replace the old with new hair.” she flicked her fingers in accordance with the spell, moving Jane’s head along. And voilà, there it was.

Jane gasped loudly when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. She toucher her new fair hesitantly, almost afraid it might disappear. Mal’s put her arms on her shoulders and guide her to the mirror.

“What was that about ugly hair?”

“Can you do my nose?” she asked hopefully, propping Mal to roll her eyes.

“No. The hair looked shitty indeed. The rest of you is perfectly fine.”

And that was the truth. Honestly, with a proper haircut, Jane was quite beautiful. Now if only they could get her some decent clothes instead of those matronly dresses…

“You don’t have to say it, really, I know the truth.”

Mal made a mental note to plummet those self-esteem issues while magic training her. “How about a check? We are blunt.”

Before Jane could figure out what she meant, Mal grabbed her wrist and dragged her out and through the hall. The break was almost over and her gang will be waiting by her locker to walk to the next class.

As they approached, Jay let out a low whistle while smirking at Jane. She didn’t seem to register it was for her until he spoke up.

“Wicked new haircut.”

Jane fidgeted nervously while Mal gestured to her. “Well? Other opinions?”

Evie set her hands on her hips, giving Jane a once over, her eyes scanning for any defect the way her mother taught her. Carlos just shrugged.

“So you gave her a haircut that doesn’t look like it was done in the dark. She just went from a 9 to a 10.”

Jane’s face turned red in a matter of seconds.

“The wardrobe just won’t do.” Evie lamented out loud finally. “If you want some clothes that actually look good on you, drop by my room and I might be able to help.”

Mal saw the surprise on Jane’s face. She knew that look. She was not used to people complimenting her, or being kind to her. And when you think that's what Auradon is priding themselves in. The hypocrites.

“Thank you.” Jane whispered, finally looking up.

“So, little bluebell, are you our newest gang member?” Jay questioned while casually stretching.

“She’s my protege now.” Mal answered when Jane kept silent for long enough to figure out she didn’t really know what to say. “I’ll teach her all I know.”

She was half-joking, simply because people were walking by and she wasn’t about to announce to the whole school they are breaking the law.

Carlos patted Jane on the shoulder pitifully. “Best of luck. If you ever need saving, holler.”

Mal punched him in the arm and glared while Jane was busy blushing again.

“Alright, so I’ll get a message to you and we can work on our first hangout. Don’t know when yet, but we will.” Mal slapped Jane’s shoulder gently. “Head up when you walk.”

With that, she turned around and began strolling towards the next class, while her gang following closely. Mal smirked as people moved out of their way. This day might not look so bad after all.

------------------------

Ben yawned as he moved slowly towards his bedroom. Today has been a full day in between his classes, the kingly duties he was in charge of for a while now and cleaning graffiti off a locker with Mal. He hasn’t seen her since that afternoon and he felt that needy achy feeling in his chest that has been a constant presence since their first dream. But now it was past curfew and she was probably either working on her art in her own dorm or fast asleep. Ben turned the lights in the office room of his dorm off and was about to head towards his bed.

And then there was a knock at the door.

Ben raised an eyebrow in surprise. Given the time that could only be a palace emergency. He rushed to the door and threw it open. His jaw hit the floor when he saw Mal on the other side.

She strutted in, easy as you please while smirking at him. Ben closed the door quickly. He was incredibly happy to see her, but he didn’t feel like alerting any of the night guards about the bunch of rules they were currently breaking.

“You know it is past curfew, right?” he asked amusedly as he turned the lights back on.

“You know that means nothing to me, right?” Mal bit back. She crossed her arms giving him a once over. “Nice pyjama pants. I especially love the little crowns.”

Ben was slightly embarrassed. “They are comfortable.” he muttered under his breath.

Mal was busy looking around his office curiously, so he began walking alongside her. “So what brings you here at this late time?”

Mal turned to him, as she jumped up and sat on his desk. “You promised me a canvas, remember?”

Ben nodded. He hasn’t forgotten. He cupped her face slowly, before gently directing her to look over her shoulder.

“That wall over there? All yours to do as you please.”

The respective wall was behind his desk and didn’t host any specific shelf nor decoration. It was quite empty, spar for the little decorative nook. It honestly looked kind of bland but he was sure Mal could make wonders out of it. And it gave her a nonconventional space to splash her talents that won’t get her in trouble with Fairy Godmother.

Mal hummed and nodded, before returning her gaze to him.

“That will do nicely. But that’s not all I’m here for.” she raised a hand tentatively before curling her fingers through his hair. Ben let his shoulders drop, leaning in to allow her easier access.

Her green eyes were fixed on him. “Feel like doing something wicked?”

Ben felt his tiredness disappear. There was something magnetic in Mal’s tone and the mischievous glimmer in her eyes. It just pulled him in. “It doesn’t feel polite to refuse you after all the hassle you went through to get here.”

“Hassle?” Mal snorted. “Your so-called curfew security got nothing on me.”

Ben didn’t doubt it. “So what wicked schemes shall I join you on this fine evening?”

He was being dramatic, he knew, but Mal was finding it amusing and he loved to see her smile.

“How about sneaking out in the forest with me?”

She didn’t need to convince him, it was a yes on his part. But he still wanted to tease her a little.

“My, my, you are kidnapping me, huh? And what shall we do in the dark, grim woods?”

Mal burst out laughing at his tone before she slapped him playfully over the forehead. Ben laughed as well while trying and failing to duck her hand. After a moment silence fell between them and Mal’s expression took more serious note.

“What do you know about magic and magic users?”

Not a lot. The only magic he was truly familiar with was inherited curses because that’s what he had to deal with to some extent. But besides that? He wouldn’t call himself knowledgeable. The magic was forbidden in Auradon, and it was one of the many laws Ben was not necessary a fan of, but as it was, the learning opportunities were limited.

“Most basic things.” he finally answered. “We don’t really have access to magic-related books, though I might have sneaked a read here and there.”

Mal nodded. “I need to use my magic,” she confessed. “All magic users do. If it is bottled for too long, it goes haywire and it can create actual disasters depending on the power of the user. Especially inherited magic.”

Ben nodded. He set his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them gently. She seemed so sad when speaking about magic.
“On the Isle, I could never use it, you know that. It was like a missing limb. And I put myself under a surge spell when we crossed the barrier just because the magic flow was too overwhelming. And I have done some small spells here and there in the past couple of days, but I can’t anymore.” her voice was strained. “I need a proper practice or I might end up blowing the whole place up.”

For a moment Ben wondered if she realised she was more or less confessing a crime to the future High King. Not that he cared if she used magic, she should be free to do so, to begin with. He had a lot of laws to fix after he was crowned.

“Ben?” Mal’s voice was barely a whisper and when he looked at her, she looked vulnerable, one of the very few times when he has seen her in such state. “Want to come with me?”

He was not too sure what possessed him to do it, but he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead. Mal leaned into his touch, her fingers clenching the hem of his shirt.

“Just let me grab a jacket.” he whispered against her hair. “And thank you for trusting me with this.”

-------------------

They were laughing as they run hand in hand across the school grounds towards the forest on the edge of the campus. Ben asked Mal if she was going to use magic to make them get out undetected but she only seemed amused by the idea. There was no fun in that. So they ended being on a quest to avoid the night guards, creeping through the shadows and hiding in little known nooks, bodies pressing against each other. When they finally made it to the garden and just sprinted across the clean-cut grass, they just couldn’t contain their laughter. Well, mostly Ben. Mal just followed through, because his laughter was just intoxicating.

Ben didn’t remember when was the last time he had so much fun. Mal had a strong grip on his hand, guiding them through the trees, even though he was quite sure she didn’t have a clear idea of where they were going.

At some point they stopped in a small meadow, drawing their breath. Mal gave him a look, almost appreciative.

“I wasn’t aware you knew so many secret spots around the school.”

Ben smiled. “I’m full of surprises.”

Mal’s eyes were piercing him. “I’ll remember that. Why don’t you take a seat? This might take a while.”

Ben looked around before he decided to sit down against the trunk of an old tree. Mal made a motion with her finger and whispered something he didn’t hear. Soon enough, green waves of magic surrounded him and before he realised he had a blanket under him and pillows against his beck.

“Thank you!” Mal didn’t reply but smiled at him and that was worth more than words from her.

She stood quite far from him. He could see her and he could see she was saying things, probably chanting spells, but he couldn’t hear the exact words. She began slowly. The grass grew higher on one side of the meadow before beginning to change colour. There were sudden lights in the clearing as if one thousand fireflies appeared at once. The trees’ branches seemed to begin to dance. It was enchanting. And then Mal eased into her magic.

Her eyes lit up, bright green, filled with power. The magic surrounded her almost like an aura. Her feet were off the ground, her purple hair floating around her as if gravity was no more. He could feel the pulse of magic in the air, even though he wasn’t a magical being himself. Still, he could feel the waves of power radiating off her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ben thought it was majestic to see, such ethereal beauty and raw power mixed together. But that was not what he was focused on.

Mal was smiling. Probably the biggest smile he had ever seen on her. And even when filled with magic, her eyes were full of joy. She was spinning around chanting and spelling everything around them, but Ben could barely notice. She was so carefree like he had never seen and incredibly happy. He only wanted to see her this happy from now on. Ben swore under his breath that he will cancel all the magic restriction laws even if it is the last thing he does. Mal’s happiness was palpable, he could almost feel it pull him in along with the green magic filling the meadow.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

It took him a moment longer than it should have to realise that she was talking to him. She was watching him, her head tilted, her eyes still lit with magic.

“Like what?”

“You know. Like that .”

“Like you are the most incredible creation in the history of the universe?” he blurted it out before he could filter it. It was what he thought but he wasn’t sure how Mal would react to hearing it. “Can’t help myself if that’s how I feel.”

She just looked away, trying to bite a smile. It wasn’t quite working. Ben felt warmth spread over him. He loved when he could make her smile.

Mal threw herself back into her magic and he kept admiring it. Until she stopped. The green lights disappeared slowly from the clearing and from her eyes before she fell backwards onto the forest floor. Ben got up dragging the blanket and pillows with him and rearranging them next to her. He lied down and Mal rolled over to be next to him. She had grass in her hair and her eyes were fixed on the night sky.

“I didn’t realise how many stars were up there.” she whispered almost in awe. “We cannot see them on the Isle.”

It was a clear night indeed and away from the lights of the city the star shone brightly. It was a beautiful sight, though Mal’s expression of awe and the light in her eyes when she was watching the stars was outdoing it if he had to be honest.

“Do you know any constellations?” he asked, glancing up.

Mal shook her head. “Astrology is not exactly something we learn.”

Ben reached for her hand and placed it under his. He guided it towards the sky. “See the bright one over there?” he questioned using her index finger as a pointer. “If you follow the line here and there, it takes shape. That’s Ursa Major.”

Next to him Mal frowned but allowed her hand to be guided around to showcase the constellation. “That’s stupid,” she muttered after Ben outlined it. “It doesn’t look like a bear.”

He laughed. “Well, I always liked to think that those are the legs and that’s the tail.”

“Where’s the head?”

“Right, there.” he moved her hand a little to the right. “I think so at least.”

Mal hummed and when Ben looked at her she had a thoughtful look on her face. Then her eyes got a spark in them and he knew she had an idea.

“Airbrushes and colourful dye, allow me to paint the stars in the sky.” she chanted.

She moved her hand on top of his, then slowly guided it towards one of the stars and began drawing shapes with her index finger as if the sky was her canvas. Ben was in awe when he saw the shapes catching colour and form as a painting. Mal was drawing around the constellation using the invisible lines between the stars as guidance as she gave a true shape to Ursa Major.

“You never cease to be amazing, do you?” he whispered as he turned to watch her smile in satisfaction at her work.

“I try.” she said in fake modesty before turning to him and smiling excitedly. “Show me another one.”

Ben smiled at her enthusiasm and guided her hand. “That’s the Aquila.”

By the time the night almost passed Ben’s vision was flooded with beautiful colours from shimmering silvers to rich browns and the sky above him was full of mesmerizing art, the constellations he only knew as points and lines catching incredible forms before his eyes. Mal was cuddled to his side, her eyes dropping slightly as she used his chest as a pillow. They will have to go back, they both knew, but they could linger for a moment longer.

Ben would have prefered the night to never end.

Chapter Text

Ben was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Mal. There was no way around this. He was a romantic at heart, he knew, so that’s why he waited beyond the dreams. Because the dreams were the exact type of thing he read about and loved. He almost expected Mal from outside his dreams to not really have any effect on him. Oh, how wrong he was. And he could finally admit it to himself. He was in love with her.

Lonnie snapped her fingers before his eyes.

Right, maybe going in deep thought about his love for Mal was not the best thing to do when he was trying to catch up on history.

He continued to copy down Lonnie’s notes from the class he missed due to a meeting. Luckily Lonnie had short, clear, and to the point notes so he was almost done copying everything down with 15 minutes left of the break.

“So… care to explain why you and Mal look at each other like long lost lovers who have been separated by fate for half their lives and are now reunited?”

Ben continued to copy down the notes while huffing nonchalantly. Of course, Lonnie would notice. She has been a close friend of his since they were about six and bonded over the last bayberry muffin at a Winter Solstice Celebration. Add her sharp observation skills and Ben should have kept himself more in check around her. Too late for that then. He will just have to play stupid and hope Lonnie doesn’t push too much.

“Thanks for the notes.” he said when he finished copying everything down. “You are a lifesaver.”

“Oh, I know.” she said taking the notebook back from him. “Also, I see you are ignoring my question and I’m letting you off this time, but I will find out eventually.”

Ben didn't doubt she will find out something, mostly because indeed, there was quite a lot to find out about what was happening between him and Mal. He was not that concerned though. As smart as she was, there was no way Lonnie could find out about their dreams or the big plans in regards to the Isle. And Ben will just have to have faith one of his oldest friends won't publically reveal anything about his relationship with Mal. Not until he does it himself at least. Speaking of, he still needed to finish planning that.

--------------------------

Mal had to appreciate Ben’s capability to work on paperwork while she was sitting in his lap. She rested her chin on his shoulder her fingers trailing random shapes on his back. Ben didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that he had to look over her shoulder at his papers or that he had to go around her body to be able to write down anything.

“You know, my mother instructed me to take Fairy Godmother’s wand and bring down the barrier over the Isle to set her free.”

It was the truth, but Mal had no intention of doing it. With all the whirlwind of events and plans, her mother's demands were the last thing on her mind. Yet, she wondered how Ben might react. She hoped for a terrified look and some panic, just so she could make fun of it.

“Mhm.” Ben hummed unbothered. “Let me know if you want the location of the wand and the security deactivated so I can do that for you, okay?”

“That would be great yeah.”

“Please just don’t schedule the great takeover day in the next week, I’m fully booked until the 27th.”

Mal pushed his shoulders back and slapped his chest once she saw the shit-eating grin on his face. “You aren’t fun.”

“We both know that’s a lie.” he kissed her cheek before going back to his work.

Mal pouted. She glanced over at the empty wall in front of her to distract herself. She already had plenty of ideas about what to do with it. She just needed to get her hands on enough painting materials. And enchant a drape in front of the wall or something. She wanted to keep it as a surprise.

She shifted slightly, then lowered her head to rest her cheek against Ben shoulder. He simply kept writing things down, clearly unbothered by it. Mal was happy with that because Ben was comfortable and she really enjoyed using him as her personal armchair. Her eyes glossed over Ben’s neck. He didn’t look half-choked for once, the collar of his shirt open and unarranged.

Mal trailed a finger down his skin. It was so easily exposed. It wouldn’t take much, just one quick slash and he would be bleeding to death in her arms. She wondered if he knew how much trust he was showing her just now, by allowing her so close to such a weak point. Mal appreciated it.

She nuzzled her nose against the soft skin. It was radiating warmth and she found comfort in the constancy of his pulse. She let her lips brush over tentatively. Ben twitched slightly but didn’t protest. Mal hummed contemplatively. Maybe…

She parted her lips and dragged her teeth across his skin, nipping just above the pulse point. She felt Ben’s arms grab her shoulders and the next thing she knew was that she was pushed away. She was still in Ben’s lap, but he was keeping her at arm’s length, his grip iron-strong.

“What are you doing?” Ben’s voice was strained as if he was having trouble breathing.

Mal tilted her head. His jaw was tense, his hands on her shoulders were slightly shaking and his eyes, there was something in his eyes. Not fear not anger, but desire. She smirked.

“Did I touch a soft spot?” she teased.

“Mal…” Ben’s tone was something between a warning and a prayer.

His grip on her shoulders lessened as she leaned forward. She let her lips linger on the side of his throat just for a moment before she bit. And the next thing she knew was that she was pushed onto Ben’s desk, piles of documents being scattered to the floor in the haste.

Mal gasped as his fingers gripped her hair and pulled her head back, allowing better access to her neck. She felt his teeth scrape her skin. There was a moment of pause, his lips still lingering against her skin, and then a low guttural growl slipped through his gritted teeth. Mal bit her lip. Now that was something she really needed to hear again.

She reached for his shoulder, but Ben pulled himself away in a hasty rush. Mal frowned, watching him move back and proceed to trip over his chair in the process. It would have been hilarious if it wasn’t for the look on his face. Ben looked like he was at war with himself, his fists clenching and unclenching and his eyes shut tight.

“I’m sorry.” he finally opened his eyes and they were begging, pleading with her to accept the apology.

Mal scoffed as she hopped off the desk. She kneeled next to Ben grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her.

“Believe me, if I didn’t want you to do any of that, you’d know.” It was an honest answer.

Ben still looked slightly conflicted, more with himself than with her words. “Are you sure?”

She placed her index finger over his lips before leaning forward, dragging her teeth across his jawline. Mal allowed herself to smile against his skin as his arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer. It seemed to be enough of an answer.

-----------------------------------

Mal narrowed her eyes at the piece of paper in front of her. This wasn’t really coming out right and it was annoying her. With a huff, she began shading the sketch she was working on. Across from her, Evie was busy sewing a dress while humming peacefully. On Evie’s bed, Jane was trying to grow a flower. Mal watched her from the corner of her eye. It was a simple exercise, meant for Jane to learn how to draw on the magic and channel her power into a spell. Since she quit drinking the suppressing potions, her numbness to magic began to diminish, but her reach was still weak after years of poisoning.

Jane’s features were set in a deep frown as her hands were lingering above the little flower seed in her lap. She was muttering a spell under her breath, clearly putting an effort into trying to make the plant grow. She has been trying for the better part of an hour now, unsuccessfully, but Mal appreciated her determination.

Their little peaceful gathering was broken when someone knocked on the door. Jane almost jumped out of her skin while Mal and Evie exchanged a look.

“Who is it?” Mal called out, setting her pencil aside.

“Just me.”

“Alright, come in.”

Lonnie moved in quickly, closing the door behind her and waved at them. In all honesty, Mal didn’t hate her. She was extremely bubbly and energetic, and it was still a mystery to Mal where she got all that energy from. She was good at noticing things, little details. And she seemed to honestly want to help them settle in Auradon. She kind of reminded her of Ben, to some extent. But there was something else about Lonnie, that Mal couldn’t quite put her finger on, as if there was a side of her which was hidden.

“What’s up guys, all good?” she didn’t seem to be too affected by the lack of response. “How’s your magic coming along, Jane?”

Mal’s shoulders tensed. As she set her sketchbook aside she locked eyes with Evie. She stopped working on the dress, but her fingers were firmly set on a needle. She was the closest to Lonnie after all. In the meantime, Jane looked scared out of her mind. She was fidgeting on the verge of the bed not sure if to run or just stay frozen in place.

“I didn’t tell, I swear.” she finally squeaked out, looking at Mal pleadingly.

“Jane, we are roommates. You didn’t need to tell me anything.” Lonnie shrugged as if they were discussing the weather and not illegal activities.

“So you won’t tell?” Jane’s voice was barely audible.

“Of course not.”

She was honest. Evie set the needle aside and Jane slumped back on the bad with a breath of relief. Mal decided she liked Lonnie.

“Anyway, Mal, I absolutely love what you did with Jane’s hair. And I know we are not yet in the stage of friendship where we do favours for each other for free, so I’ll pay you fifty dollars to do my hair as well.”

“Deal!” Evie snatched the bag from Lonnie instantly.

Mal simply raised an eyebrow at the girl as she got up, leaning against the frame of her bed. “Did no one teach you the dangers of doing deals with faeries?”

Evie gave her a look of exasperation while Lonnie simply shrugged.

“Not really. I mean I’m paying for a service, it is quite forward. Unless I’m giving my soul away, then I’d like all the contract clauses. I’d still consider it though, cause this haircut is just bleagh.”

“Mhm, we all can agree with that.” Evie whispered while counting the coins from the little satchel.

Mal nodded. She definitely liked Lonnie. She was blunt, unlike most Auradonians she had to deal with so far.

“Souls are not a great trading currency. Can’t really do anything with them after.” And the only person who might deal in souls was stuck on the Isle of the Lost anyway.

“Exactly fifty.” Evie approved and closed the bag.

Mal stepped in front of Lonnie. “Beware, forswear, replace the old with cool hair.” Her favourite part of the spell was certainly moving people's heads around. It was funny.

Lonnie gasped as that terribly cut bob grew into beautiful long dark locks. She grabbed onto a strand of hair as if to check if it was real, before she jumped up in excitement.

“Thank you, thank you.”

“Really, it was…”

Mal froze when Lonnie hugged her. That was... unexpected. Why was she hugging her anyway, it was a deal this for that, thanks don’t go with it. And neither do hugs.

The little moment was interrupted by Jane’s shriek. Mal and Lonnie jumped apart turning to Jane ready to attack whatever might have caused that reaction. Behind them, Evie stood up abruptly scissors and needle prepared.

“I did it, I did it, I can’t believe it!” the younger girl was jumping up and down excitedly making Mal, Lonnie and Evie relax. “Look!”

Mal raised an eyebrow as Jane extended her hands. In the cush of her palms, the flower seed was sprouting a little green bud. She was cradling it as if it was her most prized possession, her eyes gleaming with happiness.

Mal actually smiled. She didn’t know Jane for long, but this was the happiest she had ever seen her. She squeezed her shoulder. “Great job, kiddo.”

Jane beamed and went back to the bag of seeds on the bed and picked another one, clearly ready to try again. Lonnie bumped shoulders with Mal.

“I’m glad you guys befriended her. It is a good influence. And if you ever need cover-ups or back up in case of trouble with your extracurriculars, just give me a call.” Lonnie winked. “See you around!”

Mal looked as she turned and left. As the door closed behind her, Mal locked eyes with Evie. She simply smiled and nodded, her dark eyes gleaming with approval.

Mal stared at the door thoughtfully. It almost felt like she was growing her gang again.

Chapter Text

Mal was still not sure if the printer was already in the boys’ dorm or if Jay somehow managed to steal it from somewhere. She tapped her fingers on the table as they waited in comfortable silence for the map to be printed. Mal took the chance to take a good look at her gang.

Evie was leaning on her elbow, chin rested in her palm and a content smile spread across her lips. She seemed deep in thought, her eyes far away. Mal wondered what complicated theories might be going through her head. She had nights when she was coming back to their dorm smelling like chemicals and she went on on rants about how the old potions her mother taught her to brew could be rebrewed with modern chemicals. She kept two binders which were growing with every day, one with fashion sketches and one with notes on potions and chemistry equations Mal couldn’t quite wrap her head around. Sometimes she was ranting of and Mal might not understand everything Evie was explaining, but she listened nonetheless. There was this honest smile on her face whenever she was going off about the science class, the variety of materials she could find in the Auradonian shops for the clothes and whatever she and Doug worked on in the chemistry lab after hours. Mal didn’t miss the way Evie’s eyes lit up when she mentioned how Doug was really rule-oriented but he would still sneak ingredients out of the teacher’s lab for her.

Jay was toying around with a random pen and he still refused to sit properly in any chair, not that Mal could blame him. He was putting all his energy in tourney since the trial he had about two weeks ago. He enjoyed it greatly and the team loved him if his stories were anything to go by. He did his best to keep himself from stealing everything that was not nailed down, but he still had times when his hands were acting almost on instinctively, swapping things away. Mal offered to spell him, but he declined. He was getting help from Aziz with it, who also had problems with sticky fingers. Mal was happy there was no bad blood between the two of them despite their parents' history. Aziz was also on the tourney team and him, Jay and Tyrone have been hanging out a lot. Jay has never been academics inclined, much like her, but he keeps himself busy with learning Arabic properly, beyond the bits and phrases his father taught him while growing up. He was less tense than Mal ever remembered him.

Carlos was by the printer, tapping his foot impatiently. Mal was shocked when she saw him with a dog, but she heard the story from both Ben and him. She was glad he got over the fear his mother conditioned in him. Dude was sleeping peacefully on Carlos bed at the moment, the only place on Carlos side of the room that didn’t have various trinkets or books lying around. He has been playing around with technology again, but this time he had much better access to up to date things, rather than the broken outdated pieces they sometimes found in the barges. His desk was littered with all kinds of scribbles and notes. He had been spending most of his time in the library. Mal noticed the excitement when he was talking about how many and diverse books Auradnon Prep’s library hosted and the way he smiled softly as he mentioned how Jane was with helping him find his way around there and how they had study sessions together.

Mal leaned back. They were happy and they were safe and that’s what mattered most. Carlos no longer had cigarette burn marks on his skin and Jay’s back was no longer scarred from whip lashes and Evie’s haunted look rarely came to surface nowadays. And the food, Mal couldn’t even start on that. She never even imagined so much food could exist in the whole world, all unspoiled and perfectly fresh. She still had to catch herself not sneaking some in her pocket just because there was no certainty about when the next meal will be.

“Here it is.” Carlos laid the map on the table, snapping Mal out of her thoughts.

She glanced at the map of the Isle that Carlos put it together through satellite view. It was still slightly unclear because the magic barrier interfered with the picture taking but it was the best they were gonna get at this point. Mal grabbed a pencil and outlined a spot on the map.

“Goblin Warf.” she pointed out.

Evie, Jay and Carlos each picked a pencil and began highlighting different places. It was not the easiest task given the blurriness of the map, but they knew the Isle like the back of their hand, so in the end, it was manageable.

“The pick-up points have to be on the Northern side of the Isle. Otherwise, we will be in the sight area of the city and that’s the last thing we want. Plus the more distance is between the main living areas and the escape points, the better. Less chance of someone stumbling over.” she put to marks on the map, the maximum distance where they could go.

“Some will have to be closer.” Evie pointed out. “The reports from the gangs say there are so many children, toddlers and babies. They will need help walking or they will need to be carried. They cannot cross the Witchwood just like that.” she snapped her fingers for emphasis.

“Have the better-trained gangs closer to the limit points.” Jay suggested. “Bèizhàn’s gang could surely manage an attack.”

“I’d prefer if there was no attack. Period.” Mal grumbled under her breath.

Carlos tapped his fingers on the map, his eyes moving analytically from one point to another.

“Spit it out.” Mal nodded his way. He had certain times when he clearly had something to say, but he would bite his tongue. It was more of a rare phenomenon now than when he first joined the gang, but it still happened.

“We will need to mix up the gangs.” his eyes were still fixed on the map, but his voice was loud and clear. “If there are only four pick up points, one for each of us, then thee’s no other option. Diego’s strays will have to go with other groups, they can’t be alone, for example.”

Mal slumped in her chair with a heavy sigh. “You are right. They will hate it, but there’s no other way.”

Her eyes lingered on the map thinking about how she might need to separate the magic users from everyone else and do that pick up herself. Now that would be another whole can of worms she didn’t feel like opening right now. She lifted the pencil again.

About one hour later they had the pick up points plus a couple of alternatives selected. Mal declared the planning done for the night, but they decided to still hang around.

Carlos was excitedly showing them a mini model of a robot which he built for one of his classes. Mal, for one, couldn’t understand much from what he was saying, but she paid attention. Carlos hasn’t been happy in a very long time and she wasn’t about to cut his excitement now. But Mal noticed something else. He was motioning wildly. The way he did when he was restless. Her eyes moved onto Jay. He was smiling at Carlos, but he was fidgeting with the pencil still in his hands and his muscles were tense. Next to her, Evie opened and closed her fists, almost trying to reach for something missing. Mal understood. The boys at least had tourney to let the steam out. Her and Evie? Not so much. Mal honestly believed if it wasn’t for the magic exercises she was doing by night she might have gone in a fit. She was not missing the Isle, but she sure missed the sparring matches they had and apparently so did the others.

When Carlos was done talking, she cleared her throat.

“Say, guys, how do you feel about some sneaking around?”

-----------------

There were night guards patrolling the grounds of Auradon Prep. Which was ridiculous and slightly laughable in her opinion. Mostly because they were terrible at their job. Or maybe she and her gang were too good at sneaking around.

“I’m telling you, they have some sort of swords in there.” Jay whispered as Carlos picked the lock to the gym. “We can use them.”

The main hall of the building was dark as they strolled in, closing the door silently behind then. The great high windows did little to help, as the moon was covered by clouds that night, not allowing for much light to filter in. Jay seemed to know the way even in the dark though, as he confidently walked along the length of the gym, seemingly searching for something

“Should be in here.” he muttered, opening a door to the side.

They didn’t expect a figure to run out of the room and by them. Jay was the first to react, chasing after them and managing to catch them before they could escape. In the dark, Mal couldn’t really make out who the other person was. She could see Jay’s figure in the dark caught in an intense hand to hand combat with the mysterious person, stalling them. If they were caught, they were in deep trouble.

Mal took in a deep breath. “Light by day, dark by night, make it silent and out of sight.”

The magic flew from her hands and dissolved into the walls of the gym. That should at least keep any other outsider from finding them out. Now they only needed to deal with the mysterious shadow. Mal had to give it to them, they were impressive. The whooshing of the fight never stopped, if anything it only got more intense. Whoever could keep up with Jay deserved some level of respect on her part. Next to her, Evie was tense, not sure if she should intervene or not. Their eyes followed the two dark figures. It was only when the fight finally stagnated, that Mal decided to approach. They were breathing heavily and the only thing that could be distinguished in the dark was an upstanding tangle of limbs.

And then the lights in the gym came on. Mal’s jaw dropped in surprise.

“Lonnie?”

“Oh.” she seemed surprised to see them. “Hey, guys!”

She seemed quite casual although she was currently holding Jay’s off from strangling her while also being caught just before she could kick him in the neck.

“Sorry about that.” she told Jay. He simply blinked at her while realising her ankle from his grip. She let go of his wrist and dusted herself off awkwardly.

“So...come here often?” Carlos asked from next to the now opened electricity panel.

“Something like that. So uh…”

“What exactly are you up to?” Mal was curious. She didn’t expect an AK to sneak around and break-in at night. Though Lonnie was not such a surprising one after all.

Her shoulders dropped. “You know, girls can’t play tourney. Or swords and shields. But I still love it, especially swords and shields and if I go without it for a long time it just feels...like...like…”

“Like an itch you just cannot scratch.” Evie supplemented for her.

Lonnie nodded in Evie’s direction. There was a silent understanding between them.

“Swords and shields, huh? So I really saw some in there. Why don’t we get to play that one yet?”

“Next semester, instead of tourney.” Lonnie explained to Jay. “The swords are quite real, but they are blunt-ended. They are good enough for training around though.”

There was a quick exchange of looks among the four of them. Jay patted Lonnie on the shoulder as Evie stepped forward.

“How about some sparring partners?”

Lonnie was so bubbly in general, Mal didn’t ever remember seeing her as anything but happy. But she also couldn’t remember her ever smiling so brightly.

---------------------------------------------

Mal didn’t take long to locate their table. It was in one of the corners of the cafeteria and the two tables around it were empty. Theirs certainly grew since the day they came though. At first, it was just the four of them, squeezed together while most of the other students either glared or looked at them in fear. And when Ben saw it, he began sitting together with them. It just had a ripple effect since.

Mal took a seat between Evie and Jane. On instinct, she moved a bowl of pudding on Evie’s tray, just in case. She had a huge piece of lasagna on her plate and she was actually eating it, but Mal could never be too sure. She was chewing while nodding towards Aziz who was telling her about some Agrabiahn cashmere’ production process and how he could get some for her if she wished. Next to her, Doug was engaged in an argument with Jay and Tyrone about the physics of tourney. Across from Mal, Carlos was eagerly explaininG to Lonnie and Jane something about possible robotic prosthetics while showing them a small piece of paper.

Mal frowned. Ben was nowhere to be seen and it worried her. He tended to be quite early to lunch. Mal herself was late because she decided to go and sign up for that art class after all and the fact that he still wasn’t there concerned her.

“Hey, Mal.” Jane’s voice broke her out of her thoughts. “Are we having tutoring tonight?”

She managed a smile seeing Jane’s enthusiasm. “Yeah. Hey, E, is it okay with you if Jane will be in our dorms this evening?”

Evie shrugged. “All yours. I and Doug are having a study session tonight to recap for the chemistry quiz on Friday.”

There was a general groan of pain around the table.

“Don’t remind me of that.” Aziz winched. “Can I like bribe you guys for your notes or something?”

“We can always have a tutoring session with you all if you need. “ Doug looked at Evie for approval and she gave him a smile and a nod.

“Sign me into that as well.” Mal muttered biting into her cheese rolls almost remorsefully. She hated that class, it was headache-inducing.

“Oh, rotten apples, am I grateful I don’t have that until next year.” Tyrone, Doug and Aziz seemed slightly taken aback by her choice of words, but Jane didn’t seem to care as she scrunched up her nose at the thought of chemistry.

Carlos bumped shoulders with her. “I can help you with that when you’ll need it.”

Jane’s expression morphed into a genuine smile and her cheeks became just slightly redder. Mal and Lonnie exchanged knowing smirks.

“By the way, have you guys seen Ben?” she finally asked, frowning at her food as if it was the reason why Ben was absent.

The ones around the table exchanged looks and there was a collective answer of negative responses.

“We had Virtues and Values together this morning and he wasn’t there.” Aziz shrugged. “I’ll probably pass by and lend him my notes later.”

“Wanna bet he is in his office?” Tyrone asked no one in particular, prompting Jay to mutter something about not talking bets he knows he will lose. “That dude is just gonna overwork himself to an early grave.”

Mal’s grip on her fork tightened. She was really not a fan of the words ‘Ben’ and ‘grave’ in the same sentence. Carlos tapped her foot under the table in a familiar comfort sign. Mal snapped out of it. She will have words with Ben after she finished eating.

“Can someone grab the notes from Grammar for me?” she asked, looking between Tyrone and Lonnie, as it was their shared class, right after lunch and Mal’s schedule just took a different turn. They both nodded.

Jay groaned. “Can someone remind me why we need that class? It is seriously useless. And I say that as someone taking Remedial Goodness 101.”

There was a general agreement around the table and the conversations resumed their course. Aziz asked her about the art class and it was enough to distract her for now, but there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her chest.

------------------

Mal didn’t bother to knock before entering Ben’s office.

“You weren’t at lunch.” she pointed out while closing the door. “You have all this great food and you are missing on it.”

Ben looked up from his desk and a smile spread over his lips at the sight of her. But it was doing little to hide his tiredness. He had dark bags under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped. His usually clean and well-arranged work desk was a mess of papers, manila folders and binders.

“What happened?” Mal was in front of the desk in a few quick steps.

Ben’s smile vanished for a moment but he did his best to cover it. “Just kingly duties I’m taking care of early. Nothing you should worry about.”

“Does this bullshit usually works on people? Because sure as hell I’m not taking it. Ben.” her voice softened considerably. “What’s going on?”

He finally allowed himself to cave in, dropping his head in his palms.

“There was a serious drought the past summer.” he rubbed his eyes and sighed. Mal moved around the desk and run her fingers through his hair comfortingly with her free hand. Ben leaned into her touch. “It created some problems, but we managed for the most part. The new irrigation systems were in place and it saved quite a lot of the harvest. But there’s Camelot.”

Mal simply continued playing with his hair and waited for him to continue. He leaned his head against her and sighed again. “They are very traditionalist when it comes to the way the kingdom lives. And by that I mean they have been stuck in the Middle Ages and refuse to modernize. And their agriculture methods go with it. The rest of Auradon managed to have almost no significant loss with the usage of the irrigation system and the greenhouses. Camelot on the other hand… they lost almost all their harvest. And going into winter, they won’t have enough.”

Mal hummed thoughtfully. “Are you brainstorming solutions?”

Ben nodded, closing his eyes. “I’m stuck. Auradon has a harvest reserve which all kingdoms contribute to with a certain percentage of theirs. It is an emergency vault and if it isn’t used it is redistributed by spring.”

“It’s not enough, is it?”

Ben shook his head. “One kingdom can get a maximum of fifty per cent of the goods in the vault in one year. The rest have to be saved up in case other emergencies happen. Even if I give them fifty per cent of the reserve and with what they manage to salvage, it won’t last them through winter. I tried to ration it and it won’t be enough. I… I don’t know what to do.”

Mal nodded understandingly, before she tilted his chin upwards, forcing him to lock eyes with her. “You will go sit down on that comfortable armchair and eat.”

Ben looked at her incredulously. “But…”

The steely look she gave him left no place for protests. “I was not asking. When was the last time you had food?”

“Yesterday.” he answered sheepishly.

Mal tapped her foot impatiently as he took the plate from her hand and went around the table. She sat down in his chair with a huff and set most of the documents aside, clearing a little bit of space.

“Do you have a list of their population? You know like this many kids and this many adults.”

“A census.” Ben nodded while taking a bite from his salmon. “It is the green folder to your left.”

She opened it with a critical eye. “How long since it has been made?”

“It is from last year.”

Ben watched curiously as Mal began scribbling notes down on a blank piece of paper. Her brows were set in a frown while her pink lips were pursed in concentration. It was adorable. Ben took another bite and leaned against the cushioned back of the armchair. He really needed this break, he knew. But he was so focused on the current issue, draining his brain for a solution that he simply refused himself any kind of break. He was sure that if Mal didn’t come in to kick him off his desk he would have probably stayed there until he fainted from exhaustion. He took another bite from his food. The food at Auradon Prep was always good, but the lunch today tasted extra delicious. He wondered if it was because he was so hungry or because Mal brought it to him and her presence made everything better.

When he was finally done eating, he set his plate aside and wandered over to the table, curious about what Mal has been up to until now. A couple of minutes ago she was typing so furiously on his laptop, he thought she might break the keyboard.

“I’m well fed, thank you for that. Can I have my chair back now, please?”

Mal snorted, but got up nonetheless. “Here’s your chair. And here are all the calculations for the rations. There won’t be any feast soon, but it should pull them through winter.”

Ben took the bunch of papers, carefully held together by an office pin, his mouth slightly agape. He was more impressed than shocked. “What was I doing wrong with my calculations?” he was genuinely curious.

Mal shrugged. “Technically, nothing. You were just using Auradonian standards of ‘meal’ to calculate those. And in case you haven’t noticed, you people waste a lot of food.” She pointed at the hand-drawn table. “Same way I used to do it on the Isle. It is separated based on age, level of health and so on. It is all the survival basics and then some surplus. And I left a little bit off, just in case of the changes in demographics since the time the census was taken.”

Ben carefully put the papers back on his desk, before he grabbed Mal and spun her around. She made an indignant noise once he set her back down and began showering her face with kisses.

“You are incredible.” he whispered against her hair.

“I know, I know. All in a day of work.” she giggled, pressing a kiss under his jaw. “I was thinking…”

“Yes?”

“Kindness is a big pride here right?”

Ben frowned. It felt like a trick question. “Yes?”

“What if you add a call for donations? Like just people all around donating food for the ones in Camelot. A little bit here, a little bit there and the overall might be quite impressive actually.”

Ben caressed her cheek. “Right now, I am really lacking the words to describe how amazing you are.”

Mal snorted while wrapping her arms against his waist. Ben pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “I will include all of this in the emergency draft that will be presented at the next Council meeting. Do you want to be there to explain it?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell them it is from me. The priority is to get resources for these people.” her expression darkened. “I have a feeling they will not take kindly to the proposal if they know it is coming from Maleficent's daughter.”

Ben pulled her closer and squeezed her shoulders almsot protectively. She was right. He knew it and he hated it with his whole heart. Part of him wanted to bring her there and show the royals on the Council what the evil villain children do: ration food for Auradon and save lives, that’s what. But Mal was making a very good point. The people were the number one priority here. Breaking stereotypes will have to wait a while.

“Let’s go on a date.”

Mal looked up from his chest with a frown. “But we are keeping this secret.”

Ben shook his head. “It will be somewhere with no people around. It is a really beautiful place.”

When there was a lack of response from her, Ben put on his best rained-on puppy face and Mal caved in. He was making her so weak.

“Fine!” she growled, half exasperated, half amused. “Let’s go on a date.”

She shrieked in indignation as he picked her up and spun her around again, but in the end, she joined Ben laughing.

Chapter Text

It was one of the days when she was actually grateful she didn’t take Evie’s fashion advice. Walking far into the woods along dirt paths and the uneven ground was far easier in boots than in heels.

“Here we are.” Ben announced helping her down. “You can open your eyes now.”

She genuinely didn’t know what to expect. Ben’s surprises were so over the top half of the time that she couldn’t predict them even if she wanted to. But she certainly didn’t expect this.

It was real.

She should have known, of course. The Isle was real too, but she just assumed the dreams took place there because it was all she has ever known. The green trees and the lake and the warm sun filtering through the canopy seemed like such intangible place she almost assumed it was just in Ben’s head. But it was very much real and right before her eyes.

She turned to Ben, her mouth still agape. She just needed a confirmation she didn’t end up putting both of them in a hallucination by mistake. His warm smile and the way he stroke her arm comfortingly was enough of an answer.

“Go ahead.”

Mal stepped down the rocks, pulling Ben along by the hand.

As she lied down on the blanket, she wondered if the autumn sun was usually this warm. There was a cool breeze wheezing by. Most leaves began to catch colour, but the greenery was still dominating most of the landscape. Sitting up Mal chewed on the last bit of doughnut and let a sigh as she swallowed. She wondered what was the possibility of overdosing on sugar.

Ben didn’t seem concerned about that, he just sat across from her and smiled fondly. When his eyes fell on her lips he reached forward.

“You have something here, let me just…” he tried to wipe the crumbs off with his thumb but judging by his expression it proved rather unsuccessful.

She licked her lips, then looked at Ben amusedly. “Guess you can’t take me anywhere.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that.” he smiled at her and evilness, it was making her melt.

She decided to focus on what food should she attack next and her eyes fixed a bowl of red, oddly shaped things. They were called strawberries, as far as she could remember. She saw them on desserts in the cafeteria, but never got the chance to try them.

(Auradon had so much food she was convinced it would take a lifetime to try everything.)

Gods had abrosia. She remembered her d... Hades mentioning it once. The food of the Gods, more divine and better than anything else the mortal realms could offer. The fools clearly never tried strawberries.

She was too caught up trying to figure out how many of them she could fit in her mouth at once, to notice Ben got up. But he didn’t give her much choice when he started taking his clothes off. Mal stopped midbite and raised an eyebrow. Ben didn’t notice or he really didn’t care as he continued.

“Does all your underwear have little crowns on it?”

“Sure. I get them tailored and each has exactly 15 crowns, otherwise, they are unlucky.” when he finally turned around his expression went from amused to confused. “What? Why are you staring?”

Staring was a polite term. Mal was perfectly aware she was ogling him and she didn’t regret it in the slightest. She absently bit from the strawberry she was holding while giving him a once over. Now those were really nice muscles.

“Should I make a pirouette?” he was smirking but his cheeks were slightly redder.

“Yeah, actually. I didn’t get the chance to check out your back properly. Bent a little too, while you are at it.”

He just rolled his eyes at her antics and stretched. Mal licked her lips. She knew Ben was quite athletic but damn. She needed another strawberry before she decided to take a bite of him.

“So I am going for a swim,” he said unbothered as if he didn’t just do that stretch on purpose. “Do you want to join me?”

Mal froze. She never had the opportunity to learn how to swim, to begin with, and while the lake looked much more inviting than the waters surrounding the Isle, she still had a lingering memory of falling into it. And that sensation of burn in her lungs was all wrong and she truly didn’t feel the need to experience it again.

“You go. I will stay here and finish this.” she lifted the bowl of strawberries.

“Careful not to get sick.”

She simply rolled her eyes as he disappeared from sight, only to reappear atop a rock above the lake minutes later. Mal got up from her place. The idiot better not get hurt while jumping off that thing or she will heal him only to kick his ass herself. Ben waved at her with a huge smile.

She leaned against a pillar and waved back. He motioned for her to pay attention and then proceeded to give a deep roar before jumping into the water. In hindsight, it might have been hilarious, but Mal felt a warm tingle in her belly. There was something rather captivating about Ben’s little beastly rages. She wondered if she will ever see him go rampant for real. Now that would be something.

About ten minutes later, Mal decided she will have strawberries for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of her life. And if she died, well, it would be a good death. She kept a couple of them for Ben just in case. Whipping her hands on a napkin and got up. Where was he anyway?

“Ben?” she looked across the lake. How long could swimming take? “Ben?”

There was no movement. The waters of the lake were still.

Mal’s heartbeat accelerated. Where was he? The lake was big, but she could still see most of it. She looked around frenetically. On the far end, beyond the rock edge, the lake became darker and expanded into a cave-like formation. If Ben went in there and injured himself… oh no.

She needed a spell. She raked her brain quickly and found something that might be useful. Trying to take in a calming breath she waved her hand and whispered the words. She felt her stomach drop as the water reflected off her spell. An enchanted lake. Fantastic. Just what she needed.

Mal gritted her teeth and took her boots off. She will get him out of there herself. She saw him swim. She saw the pirates swim. She should be able to reproduce it. She got into the water and tried to rush through it, but it was slowing down her movements. She pushed further. Mal needed to reach him. Oh hells, what happened to him? She as getting nauseous just thinking about the possibility of him being injured or worse. She couldn’t even bring herself to think about the possibility of him being dead.

The water was getting deeper, her feet barely reaching the bottom of the lake now. She moved her hands and legs trying to mimick swimming movements she has seen. For a moment, it felt like it was working. Then her weight began to drag her body down under. She kicked around more forcefully, clenching her jaw to not allow water to enter her mouth. She needed to stay afloat. She needed to get Ben. She…

Mal gasped as a pair of arms grab her from underneath and moved her back to the shallow water. She wrapped her hands around him and leaned her cheek against his chest as he lifted her out of the lake. She could feel Ben’s quick heartbeat and she sighed, not remembering if she ever felt such relief in her life.

“You can’t swim?” he asked as he set her on the stone pillar.

Of course, he didn’t know. It never really came up. “No!”

Now that the dread of him being injured or dead passed, Mal’s emotion shifted to anger.

“You live on an island.” Ben pointed out as if that was supposed to mean something.

Mal glared. “Yeah, with a barrier around it and toxic water!” she hit his chest and shoulders in anger. “You scared me!”

He didn’t seem to be phased by her hits, simply starring at her with a soft smile. “And you tried to save me.”

“Of course I did.” she pushed his shoulder and growled.

Ben grabbed her hands gently and kissed her knuckles. “I am sorry.”

Mal's shoulders dropped. He was making it unbearably hard to stay mad at him. But she was not going to let him get away this easily.

“You should be. And do you thank me for trying to save you? No. All I get is soaking wet.” she pointed to her dress to emphasis her point.

“And this fancy rock.”

Mal frowned as he showed her a glowing, flower-shaped rock. She frowned at it. It must have some connection with the healing and disenchanting powers of the lake.

“Make a wish and throw it back in.” Ben suggested sheepily.

With a huff, she threw it back in anger and got up. She could hear and feel Ben right behind her, but she was still pissed at him. She rubbed her arms for a moment, trying to get some heat back in her body. Outside was sunny enough, but it felt much colder to her. She let her hands drop as Ben wrapped his jacket around her. It was warm and it smelled like him. Mal relaxed as the familiarity filled her senses. He was alright and more importantly alive. But she was still angry at him accidentally faking his own death and scaring the living daylights out of her.

She reached for the bowl of strawberries almost instinctively. It felt like a needed comfort.

Living on the Isle of the Lost, you took life for granted. No one could die under the magic dome. You could be killed, but you will always come back. With more scars, burns, robbed of everything you held or worse. It left your body vulnerable for the hours it took for the soul to return and it was one of the worst things that could happen to you on the Isle. But you came back nonetheless. Off the Isle, she was aware of everyone’s mortality, even her own. But it never really hit her until now, when she thought she lost Ben. For a moment, she tried to imagine what it would be like if he was truly dead. She felt as if her heart shattered to pieces at the thought of it. How ironical, given she doubted she even had one just months prior.

“I can teach you how to swim.” he offered, bringing her attention back to reality.

Mal looked up at him while biting vindictively into a strawberry. Yes, she was still pissed off. Ben tried to hide his amused smile. He ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, I totally get it, you are too scared to try.” he shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s totally understandab... oi !”

He barely ducked in time to avoid one of Mal’s shoes hitting him right in the face. He couldn’t help but grin widely.

“Afraid?” Mal basically growled at him.

He laughed as he caught the second boot thrown at him. “You know, you should be careful, if you hate being wet so much, throwing your shoes in the lake will certainly be unpleasant.”

“I’m gonna show you who is afraid.” she ranted on, ignoring his comment entirely, as she stood up. She let his jacket fall and pushed the straps of her dress off her shoulders, letting it pool at her feet.

He really tried not to laugh when she proceeded to stomp over to the lake and get into the shallow water. He really, really failed to do so, when she crossed her arms and scrunched up her nose.

“Well? What now?” she questioned glaring at the lake as if it personally insulted her.

Still laughing, he joined her in the water. Mal took a look at him and splashed him in annoyance. It only made him laugh more. He couldn’t help it, she looked absolutely adorable with that big pout.

“Well, first thing, you have to relax.” he grabbed her arms and gently pulled her forward. She was still keeping the charade up. With a fond eye roll, he reached through the water and tickled her stomach, making her shriek.

She huffed and began splashing him again. And then she proceeded to trip and fall into him. Luckily for them both, he had enough of a balance to keep them from tumbling into the water. He could feel Mal’s chest rumble.

“Don’t make me laugh.” she slapped his shoulder, but still had a huge smile on. “I’m still angry at you.”

“Well, how should I apologise further? Do you want me to fall at your feet and beg your forgiveness? Serenade you a song about how deep my apologies are?”

Mal rolled her eyes at him. Mostly because he would absolutely serenade her a silly song about how sorry he is. “Not doing it again would work fine.”

“Deal.” he pulled her further into the water. “Now relax.”

About one hour later, Mal concluded she hated water, but it was just another reason why she will absolutely learn to swim today. She won’t let herself be defeated by a pit of dirt filled with sky piss out of all things.

“Alright. Now come to me.” Ben raised his hands, motioning for her to move. “Remember, don’t fight the water, let it carry you.”

Mal took a deep breath and lunged forward. She moved her arms and legs in circular motions as Ben instructed and tried to not think about the sinking sensation. She could do it. She needed to regulate her breath but she could do it.

“Well, it seems you managed.”

Mal opened her eyes to meet with Ben’s radiant smile. She hasn’t realised she closed them. She did it. She swam.

“I did it.” she whispered out loud, mostly to convince herself. She looked at Ben and he nodded, beaming.

Without much thought Mal jumped in his arms best she could in the water and buried her face in his shoulder.

“Thank you.” she whispered pulling away just enough to look him in the eyes. She wanted him to see she was sincere.

Ben said nothing, just lifted a hand and began twirling a lock of purple hair in between his fingers. He looked at her like he always did with warmth and something else she couldn’t quite place.

“Mal… I love you.”

Thunder would have been less striking. She was grateful they were in the shallows now, because she really needed her footing when she heard that. It almost felt like her heart stopped in her chest. Was he kidding? No, Ben would never joke with something like this and she could feel it. He was just beaming and the way he said her name as if she was the most precious being in the whole Universe, felt so warm.

She wanted to say it back to him. She wanted to say it back so much it physically hurt. But she couldn’t. What she felt for Ben, she couldn’t put into words, not properly anyway. Maybe it was love. She wanted it to be love, more than she wanted anything in her life. But she wouldn’t know.

“I don’t know what love feels like.” it was a short breath when she let the words out. It was better if he knew the truth.

She never thought about what he might say to it. She watched as he kept smiling at her. Slowly, he moved his hand to her face and stroked her cheek.

“Maybe I can teach you.” Mal has never seen eyes so sincere.

She felt an impulse. She and Ben have kissed so many times at this point that she lost the count. But never on the lips. In the back of her mind, she knew such a kiss meant sealing a deal, even if it shouldn’t. But this was not the Isle of the Lost and Mal was so tired of letting her past shadow her every present action. So she leaned in.

The kiss was magic. Not poetically so, it was literally magic. Mal could feel the buzz as she captured Ben’s lips, she could feel the air around them electrified by the magic pulse, so strong not even the lake’s enchantment could hold it. Ben’s breath was warm, his lips soft and he tasted sweet. He pulled her closer, one arm wrapped tightly around her waist while the other cupped the back of her head. She was running out of breath, but she didn’t care. There was something inside of her that felt complete, something that she didn’t even know she was missing, until now when she finally found it.

They parted for just a moment, enough to draw in their breaths but it felt like an eternity of solitude. When they leaned in again, the warmth stayed, but the softness dissipated among their fire.

Ben’s arms tightened around her pulling her as close as possible. Her fingers pulled at his hair, no longer gently. They couldn’t get any closer but she felt they should be able to. Their breaths were much more uneven as they kissed with a sense of need she didn’t even know she was capable of. The world could burst in flames around them, she wouldn’t notice. Not when all her senses were overcome with Ben. She didn’t want to let go and he didn’t either, but they had to. How infuriating that breathing was a necessity.

She didn’t bother to open her eyes as Ben pulled her in a hug, their bodies almost melting into each other. They no longer cared for the cold breeze or any other surrounding. The world could cat fire around them but they were just fine wrapped around each other, their hearts beating in harmony.

Mal didn’t know what love was supposed to feel like but she thought it might feel a lot like Ben.

Chapter Text

Uma tapped her fingers against the old woodwork. It was calling her again. The waters surrounding the Isle of the Lost were nothing short of disgusting, murky, filled with dirt and trash and smelling like rot. But it was still sea and there was something inside of her wanting to jump in so bad. She won’t, of course, she was not a moron, but the pull was still there. She clenched her fists as she starred in the distance. Beyond the barrier, the water was shining bright and blue and Uma could only dream of the breeze upon the waves and the depths of the seas, lively and thriving. The storm inside her didn’t settle, it only raged worse.

“Uma.”

She unclenched her fists. She might actually appreciate Gill showing up now, otherwise, she would have gone in a rage about the Isle, Auradon, and everything else that made her life so miserable.

“What is it?” she didn’t mean to sound so snappy, but Gill didn’t seem to notice.

He walked to her and leaned against the side of the ship. Taking a quick look around, as if checking for spies, he leaned in conspiratorially.

“You are not taking them, right?”

It was no need to mention who ‘them’ was referring to. Gill’s voice only got that slight tint of awareness and weariness when it came to his brothers or his father.

“Told ya already, of course I’m not.” it wasn’t really up to her either, they were not roaming around her turf, but she doubted Tremaine would take them. He was many things, but idiot was not one of them.

Gill seemed assured enough and Uma slapped him on the shoulder in a camaraderie way for good measure.

“Thanks, Uma!”

She nodded, but her gaze already slipped somewhere else. Her eyes locked on the red shadow sneaking on board and disappearing under the deck in one swift and fluid movement. If you wouldn’t pay attention, it would have almost been unnoticeable, with the crew shifting across the deck. Uma muttered to Gill to get back to work and began walking towards the hatch that led to The Lost Revenge’s hold.

Having legs felt unnatural. It has ever since Uma could remember and it made walking pain and every step felt like she was walking on shards of glass. The pain never got easier, she just learned to ignore it. But today was one of those days when it felt impossible to ignore, especially with the excess of longing for the sea that she felt since waking up. She appreciated the general darkness of the hold, she didn’t need her crew to see her holding onto the rail to keep her balance. She jumped atop a slightly rotten empty barrel and leaned against the wall.
“Well?” she raised an eyebrow expectantly.

Ginny stepped out of the shadows, coming towards the patches of light offered by the hold’s round windows. The dirty hem of her oversized cape dragged behind her like a tail.

“All in clear around the turf. Maleficent went rampant in the market square again and there might be knuckleheads patrols more often outside her turf’s borders. I heard something about the Coachman going on a search again.”

Uma gritted her teeth. She will need to put the crew on turf patrols again.

“Spread word for everyone to keep the young ones inside during nightfall, I don’t care what business they have.”

Uma reached inside her pocket and pulled the last small chocolate piece she got with the last barge. She threw it to Ginny, before getting off the barrel and back on above deck.

………………………………..

Freddie crossed her arms while looking expectantly at her sister. She was busy playing around with her set of tarot cards, but it didn’t take much to realise she was distracted. Freddie tapped her fingers on the old scratched wood, making Celia finally put her cards away. They exchanged a look, before simultaneously glancing at their father. He was busy putting up something for dinner while humming and tapping his feet with dancelike rhythm.

“I want to tell him.” Celia mouthed, looking at her sister expectantly.

Freddie crossed her arms while taking a seat on the two-legged chair. This was harder than she imagined.

Freddie knew how lucky she got with her father. All things considering on the Isle of the Lost, having a parent who cared about you was already a miracle onto itself among the greater villains. But their father, he tucked them in bed, and hugged them and taught them tarot and how to dance. He fed them and took care of them and never once hurt them. Her mind wandered to Claudine

She looked at Celia. Her little sister was fixating her with a subtle glare. Celia has always been closer to their father. Maybe it was cause she was still young or maybe it was because their father was not exactly exhilarated about Freddie being a gang leader. It did not matter. Freddie had to be pragmatic about this, no matter how much she loved her father. There was too much at stake for a mistake right now.

“If you don’t tell him, I will.” Celia mouthed, frowning.

It was not an empty threat and Freddie knew it. Sometimes she wondered when did her baby sister grow so much. Or grow so clever. She has been quick-witted since Freddie could remember, but she grew to be her own kind of clever and cunning. It took some, to put yourself under the protection of both Mal and Hades. For a moment, she glanced down at Celia’s wrist. She still wore the purple and red leather strap even though Mal has been gone for a while now and her protection mark meant nothing anymore. Under was her own, which Celia accepted rather reluctantly. And just above it was a burning blue leather strap that she has seen only one other person on the Isle wearing.

Celia raised an eyebrow and tapped her fingers on the table impatiently.

Freddie almost sighed, but she didn’t want to let her father know something was not right. She had to be realistic about this. Technically, she knew her father won’t tell anyone. That was not what worried her. Freddie was worried if she would let them go, to begin with. She didn’t know what to expect from Auradon. Mal sent them goods and a very vague message about starting to gather the kids for the crossing. She didn’t know if it was dangerous. She didn’t know how they will be received. And hell knew their father would rather let himself be consumed by the shadows ten times over than let her and Celia become anyone’s prisoners, which might as well happen.

(Mal was powerful on the Isle, but how powerful was she in Auradon?)

Her mind wandered, to possible scenarios. She knew if they went, the chance to see their father again will be very much nonexistent. She was still in doubt that Auradon will take in villain kids, let alone any of their parents. If they went, it will be goodbye. For good.

“Here it is!” her father’s voice snapped her back to reality. He placed the old chipped bowl on their small table and sighed. “It is not the same with canned food, but the cajun the little fae sent us makes it much better. Come on little rascals, better dig into it before it gets cold.”

It smelled better than any food they ever had before. She could understand why her father’s eyes lit up when he saw the little packages of spice that Freddie got from the barge. She took a spoonful of the gumbo, but her stomach churned uneasily.

“Dad.” Freddie’s voice cut through the comfortable silence of the room. “We need to talk.”

Dr Facilier simply raised an eyebrow but set his spoon aside, waiting expectantly. Freddie sighed and Celia couldn’t meet his eyes.

“There is something we need to tell you.” she finally said.

Her mind was a mess at the moment. She couldn’t condemn her gang and her sister to the Isle forever, not when getting out was an option. It isn’t like Auradon could be any worse than this garbage floating rock. But she also couldn’t just disappear in the night along with Celia and not let their father know what became of them.

“Does it have to do with the grand scheme you kids have been planing these days?”

Freddie’s jaw dropped at the casualty in his tone. She looked at Celia, almost accusingly before she saw her sister looked just as shocked.

Their father simply rolled his eyes. “You are my daughters. I notice things. Doubt anyone else has. So, what exactly is it about?”

Freddie cracked her fingers reflexively. “It is about Auradon. I… there is a way out. For me, for the gang, for Celia. For most of the kids on the Isle.”

She guessed her father hasn’t expected that one, by the way his eyebrows arched. He leaned back in his chair and tipped his hat.

“You sure of that, red rascal?”

Freddie dropped her shoulders. It has been years since he has used that nickname of hers. “Yes.” this was one thing she could be sure of.

He nodded thoughtfully. “Auradon huh?”

“I don’t want to go!” Celia suddenly burst. She jumped off her chair and went to hug her father. “Daddy, I don’t want to leave you behind.”

He gathered her in his arms and patted her head comforting. Celia sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “You will go to Auradon.” his voice was comforting. “I want you to go. You can see the sun, eat good food. Get to finally see the Bayou I keep telling you stories about. Your sister will take care of you.”

He locked eyes with Freddie and she nodded. They might have had their differences but this was one thing they could agree on.

“We will get you out.” Celia said, her brow set in a stubborn frown now. “I’ll blackmail he king myself if I have to, but we will.”

Their father laughed fondly and Freddie spared a smile. “Don’t start with that, little rascal, I don’t want you back on this rock.” Celia hugged him again.

He returned the hug but his eyes were on Freddie. “If you need my help, I’ll do what I can.”

She nodded and gave her father an honest smile. She knew he will. It felt like a rock was lifted off her chest.

“Come on now, you two.” he gently pushed Celia back towards her chair. “I didn’t make the damn gumbo so you eat it cold.”

-----------------------------------------

Harriet Hook had her feet propped on a piece of cracked wood which might have been a beautiful stool once upon a time. Her chair was by no means comfortable but it had a tall back which made it look slightly like a throne. She liked that well enough, even though she would have traded it for a captain desk any day. Not that she could ever have that, not since that wretched bastard that contributed to her birth decided to disown her. No hook, no Jolly Roger and no pirate life for her. She just had to make do with a turf north of the docks and do she made.

Her headquarters was a rather surprisingly well-maintained rock house and the little corner she used as her cabin was separated by a rattling wooden door. It was one of those days when she would just lock herself in, close her eyes and dream of the grandness of the sea, the salty winds and her steering a beautiful ship through it all.

Her door slammed open and Harriet gave an annoyed growl. “Who the hell… lassie!”

Quinn strolled in with a pointed smile and no care in the world. She was the only one who could run in Harriet’s quarters like that and not end up hurt.

“Captain, my captain. You are asked for an audience.”

Harriet raised an eyebrow in slight curiosity. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let ‘em in.”

Quinn motion for someone behind her as she slid further into the room, leaning against Harriet’s chair. A short man with white hair appeared in the doorway, holding a red bean in his hands almost politely.

Harriet almost cackled. “And what brings you here, Mr Smee?”

He nodded at her and took a step forward. “I… want to talk about the tide.”

Harriet exchanged a look with Quinn. When they began making lists of who to round up for the great escape, they established no adults should get wind of this unless absolutely necessary, not the big names anyway. Though he might have been a sidekick, Mr Smee was never a big name. Not enough to ward off protection alone.

“What about it?”

“My sons.” he began nervously. “I would hope they will get to see it.”

“They will.” Harriet waved a hand dismissively. The Smee twins were about nine if she remembered correctly and as non-threatening as they came. “What does it have to do with me?”

He was not part of her turf. If he had requests to make he should go to that pirate wannabe witch.

“I would lie to request protection for them. During it.”

Harriet raised an eyebrow. “And why ain’t you asking for it from my dearest brother?”

The goddamned brat who got the hook, the ship and couldn’t even make good use of them because he was too busy licking the ground where that damned sea witch was walking. It wasn’t like he will say no to taking the twins anyway. It wasn’t any of her business.

Mr Smee’s shoulders slumped. “I already did.”

Harriett growled. Next to her Quinn shifted, one hand tapping her shoulder, the other reaching for the sword attached to her belt. “Off with his head?” she whispered conspiratively.

Harriet shook her head. As much as she loved Quinn do her sharp-edged dance, it wasn’t necessary this time, just because she got angry.

“What, he said no and now you came to the leftover option out of desperation?”

“No. He accepted to look over them. But I wanted to ask you too. Two is better than one.”

Two is better than one. He used to tell that to her and Harry when they were kids and he visited their father. Once upon a time, when she was still small and their father was not down in his cups every moment of the day, she might have agreed. Back when she and Harry were inseparable and everything seemed less horrid than it was. Before that cursed blonde brat was born, momma dearest was gone, and life spiralled to shit.

Harriet gritted her teeth, glaring at nothing in particular. Reminescenting about her shitty family life was for another time, one which preferably had alcohol in reaching distance. Her eyes moved to Mr Smee. He was watching her patiently, something akin to nostalgia. She paid the life debt to him years ago, she owed him nothing.

“You have my word.”

“Thank you.” he nodded.

Harriet waved her hand, telling him to scram off before his smile got any bigger. Next to her, Quinn sighed dramatically.

“There’s a problem, Queenie?”

She simply slipped on the chair’s side, half-sitting in Harriet’s lap as there were no armrests. “Do you think we will have to hang out with them?”
It didn’t take much to guess who them was referring to. Harriet simply frowned, her fingers playing with Quinn’s black hair almost on reflex.

“This the time of changes, lassie.”

Quinn huffed. “We don’t have to do shit. It makes you extra angry. I don’t like it.”

Harriet almost smiled. “I hate that sea witch.” For taking my little brother away went unsaid. “But to get off this trash and shit pile? I’d even share my rum stock with her.”

Quinn simply laughed, though it didn’t sound amused. “Do you think the new message is coming anytime soon? I’m getting itchy.”

Harriet simply shrugged. “Gotta wait and see. Should be before the royal brat gets crowned.”

Quinn groaned, overdramatic as she tended to be, moving off the chair. “The agony of waiting.”

“How about you make yourself useful and go sharpen the sword inventory then.”

“I hate you sometimes, cap.”

Harriet laugh followed as she left the room.

----------------------------

She was toying around with some old vials and a pink sticky solution when Diego came in.

“Is that poison?”

Yzla rolled her eyes. “Hilarious. It is just something to clean the rust off things.” There was a moment of silence and then she shrugged. “It does work as poison as well, though. Why? Someone might spit something?”

Diego shook his head. “It is settled as of right now. On your part?”
Yzla simply waved her hand, which meant there was no trouble. She returned her attention to the vials, sealing one and putting it in a small box on the table.

“Have you thought about Zevon?” Diego knew he shouldn’t bring the topic up but it was vital information.

“I did, which was dreadful into itself. We are not taking him. He will want revenge, he is always so…”

Yzla’s voice trailed off, her gaze stuck on an invisible spot in front of her. But her thoughts were miles away and years ago Diego moved slowly, tapping her shoulder two times. It took a moment and a sharp intake of breath before she came back to herself.

“Do you think I could bring my guitar?” he hoped the question will distract her enough.

“I thought the rule was to bring only the most important stuff we needed.” she finally said, her voice shaky.

“Well, I need it. And you should bring your drum sticks. I bet Auradon has seen no band like the Bad Apples.”

Yzla simply snorted at the thought. “What you dream of fame in the land of gold and sun?”

He shrugged. “Can’t hurt. We were no even dreaming of leaving and now…”

The sentence hung over them as silence fell over the room. Truth to be told, Diego was not entirely sure how he ended up in this mix. The ones involved were the big players, the gang leaders. He didn’t have one. At first, he thought Mal brought him in because Carlos was his cousin, but a blood connection was useless. Yzla insisted it was his spy networks, but he thought it was absolutely ridiculous to think of his connections as such. But then again he was not the one to complain when a golden opportunity was served to him as such.

“Wanna exercise Call You Never?” Yzla toyed with one of the drum sticks. “For when the Bad Apples will be famous in Auradon.”

“You are on.”

----------------------------

Anthony Tremaine was raised to value the sophisticated things in life. Well, if his grandmother catty remarks could be counted as raising and if anything on the Isle of the Lost counted as sophisticated. The cushion he was currently sitting in was by far one of the most sophisticated things in the ratchet hellhole they were stuck in.

One of the never-ending storms of the Isle beat annoyingly against his window, as he ran through the possible escape routes. They haven’t gotten any information about the departure point yet, but he could take a wild guess and assume it was going to be by the sea. Which made his job so much more complicated. His turf was covering a good chunk of the town, if the slums they lived in could even be deserved.

Thinking only about getting his family out was already giving him a headache. Between him, his younger four siblings and his five cousins, this was already a challenge to even more along unnoticed in town. Adding his gang and all the ones under his protection? No doable.

Even with the fact that Bèizhàn offered to take over some of his people given her conditions allowed for a greater number of people to move at once, it was still too much. He needed to develop various routes so they could move in smaller groups. And different times. Hell, if this was not headache-inducing.
There must be a time when people were not roaming about. Or a time when so many people were roaming about that a slightly odd group won’t stand out. He began to trace routes in his mind map, wondering if they should take the long way through the Troll Town. It might be safer, but he had so many children and babies to carry out of the turf that it might not be possible.

“Anthony?”

Dizzy’s voice seemed quite loud in the empty room. He simply hummed thoughtfully, indicating she was not bothering him.

“Do you think we can fix the TV downstairs? The Coronation will be in less than a month and we wanna see it.”

Anthony rolled his eyes but nodded. He will strike a deal with someone. That’s how the Tremaine clan maintained their influence and power on the Isle. Deals and favours, he could do, he did since he was a kid. His mother, who was way too sweet to be on the Isle, did not like it at first but Anthony insisted. He was the oldest. It was his responsibility and the Tremaines were guilty of many things, but family was family and they stuck together. A mantra that meant nothing on the Isle, where siblings fought each other and parents sold their children, but it meant something for them.

“Go off now, Dizzy, otherwise Grandma will have a fit again.”

His little cousin simply nodded and got out of his room. Anthony gritted his teeth.

When he was a young boy he dreamed of saving his family somehow. Find a magic escape or something and bring them all away to a beautiful mansion, with all the food they ever wanted and good clothes. He wanted to see his mom be able to sleep without fearing someone might attack them.

He had been an awful son, he knew that. But you need to be harsh, and bad, and cruel to do more than survive on the Isle and his mother was not. And he knew if she had to become such it will hurt her more than anything else. So Anthony did it. And he was regretting no haunting memory when his mother was still allowed her soft moments and the younger Tremaine children were allowed another day of their childhood.

He took in a deep breath. Soon. Soon they will be free. And all the hells above and under knew, he didn’t want to leave his mother behind. But it was a trade that needed to be done. She will understand. She always did.

Closing his eyes, Anthony leaned back against the wall and thought. The routes had to be planned to the last detail.

--------------------

Bèizhàn scanned the small encampment around her. Round the firepit about eight of her gang were making stretchers out of scratch, tying together all the somehow usable materials they could gather. The amount of children and babies that would need to be carried off was too much for simply carrying them along. The stretchers were more practical.

“Move it inside the huts.” she ordered.

There was a storm coming, again. She turned her back on the camp and scanned the surroundings. From the uneven line where the slums of the city ended until the tree line of the Witchwood was a wasteland field, with remains of what might have been dead grass a very long time ago.

Bèizhàn chose it specifically for her encampment. She could see all around it, from the field. There was no possibility for any sneak attack whatsoever. Above, the thunder rumbled loudly. She moved quickly into the main hut. Winter was coming and the rain just got dirtier. The main hut was circular, tall sky, a fire spot in the middle and it could host most of her gang. She ignored the sound of raindrops hitting on the roof as she glanced into nothing.

She wondered what Auradon might hold for them. Wondered if they will actually manage to pull this off. If she would ever see a falcon. For a moment her thoughts drifted of to her father. Would he miss her?

(For a moment she remembered her short childhood when he fed her, taught her to swordfight, archery and then kicked her out and let her fend for herself since)

Probably not.

The wind picked up and thunder rumbled again before a blinding flash of lightning came. The waves rose high and crashed deafeningly against the shore. It was just another storm on the Isle, one like all the other thousands they have seen so far. But there was another buzz in the air.

Change was coming.

-----------------------

There was no moon tonight. The woods were dark and lonely, spare for the occasional hoot of an owl. It was peaceful. It was perfect for letting your magic out. Mal allowed herself to inhale deeply the smell of the forest, autumn and fresh air as magic was buzzing all around her. She moved her hands, calling for a reverse spell. She didn't even need to say it out loud in moments like this when she let so much of her magic run amok. And as much as Mal loved these moments, it was time to go for now.

She took a step forward, only to find herself falling to her knees. She frowned, unsure what triggered the reaction. But Mal didn't have time to think it through, not before and unbearable shot through her back. Now, she had good endurance, but this pain was something like she never experienced before, not even in her worst nightmares.

She screamed, her fingers digging into the ground trying to find something, anything to grab onto as if that might stop the pain. It felt like she was being cut from the inside out. Mal racked her brain, trying to think of a spell that might help, but she could not even think properly, not when it felt like she was being torn apart. She could feel her own skin slowly rip as she fell bowed her head further down, her fingers almost bleeding from the futile attempt of holding onto something.

As Mal got lower, her forehead touching the grass, two great dark wings rose above her.

Chapter Text

You could cut the tension in the room with a sword. Mal and Ben had had an argument about fifteen minutes ago and retracted in silent arguing for the past ten. Evie, Jay, and Carlos were looking from one to another every other fifteen seconds, almost as if following a tennis match.

It was getting tiring, to be honest, but none of them felt like dragging Mal out of her moods, especially not when her eyes were glowing. They were also somehow fascinated by how well Ben was holding himself up. They couldn’t remember the last time when someone has been so… unaffected by Mal’s anger. He was either completely stupid or insanely brave.

(Or utterly in love.)

When they were narrowing the twenty minutes mark and they seemed nowhere near done with their silent argument, Evie has had enough.

“Alright, guys, break it. Come on.”

Mal’s eyes turned back to their normal shade of green and Ben unclenched his jaw. But any other semblance of willingness to stop their fighting simply disappeared.

“You aren’t coming.” Mal was the first to break the silence.

“Yes, I am.”

Jay groaned silently. Here were they going again, as if this wasn’t what they have been arguing for the last half an hour.

“Ben!”

“Mal...”

“Oh, come on. Just let him come with us. It will mean one additional transport and you can have a separate boat for the magic users as you wanted.”

Mal glared at Carlos, clearly not appreciating his argument in the current situation. While the logic was in place, the variables were missing. Ben didn't know the Isle, Ben didn’t know these people.

(And she was worried for him.)

The pickup points were chosen, it was now they needed distribution of people for each pickup point. Mal knew boats were not a problem. The problem was how big a group could be before anyone noticed something was amiss. An additional transport was extremely useful, especially when Mal wanted a separate one for the magic users. And she was not willing to bend on that.
She remembered how she felt when they passed through the barrier and hell knows if she was not prepared with a spell, she would have been knocked out because of the magic in the air. They had all kinds of magic users being born and grown powerless. She didn’t know how they would react to it and she would prefer to avoid any incidents. Because, knowing the ones coming, accidents were bound to happen.

Mal glared at nothing in particular.

“Fine.”

Jay, Evie and Carlos were obviously relieved and Ben simply smiled, satisfied with being able to help further. Mal simply growled and changed some notes on the map.

She tried to push the bad feeling out of her mind.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ben was absolutely not trying to make Mal less angry at him by bringing her strawberries. It has been two days now and she was still throwing a glare his way from time to time. He understood where her perspective was coming from, but he took an engagement to help the kids off the Isle and if it meant he had to go there himself, he will do so. And when it came to Mal, well concern mixed with annoyance for losing an argument was never a very smooth combination for her.

He supposed she was in a good mood today because she was the one who told him to meet in his office. Ben has been balancing so many more responsibilities as the coronation was getting closer that he didn’t get to see Mal a lot since their meeting. They both could use some time together that was not planning related.

Ben bit the inside of his cheek. It was becoming more impossible to hide their relationship with every moment. The way he and Mal were around each other just didn’t help. He stopped counting the times when he reached to hold her hand, only to stop himself the last moment or how he had to use all his force of will to not kiss her when he was seeing her for the first time during the day. They decided they will make it public before the coronation, but they didn’t decide on the date yet.

But if everything goes accordingly to his plans, it will be sooner than later.

He put that thought behind as he entered his office. Mal was sitting casually on his desk going over some papers. If he had to be honest, he might not have been able to handle all his work properly if it wasn’t for Mal. At this point, he was having almost all of the King’s duties, it just needed to be formalised at the coronation. And he couldn’t even begin to explain how grateful he was to her for advising him.

“You know, Cinderllasburg sure wouldn’t have so many problems with trash management if they were actually bothered to watch what they are throwing away.” she commented with a frown before setting the paperback in atop a small folder. “Hey.”

Her expression softened as she looked at him before her eyes got comically big at the sight of the strawberries box in his hands.

“Hey.” he said simply as he closed the door behind him.

Mal jumped off his desk and hightailed to him, snatching the strawberries box from him and opening it.

“It is nice to see you too.” he said amusedly, kissing her forehead. She leaned into his touch while shoving thee strawberries at once in her mouth. “Careful or you’ll choke.” she, of course, didn’t listen to him.

Ben rolled his eyes fondly before wrapping his arms around her waist. “So, you wanted to see me because you foresaw that I will bring you strawberries or?”

Mal elbowed him in the stomach. “I actually wanted to show you the final product. Remember when you let me paint the back wall?”

Ben looked behind his office desk. The red curtains were still up. If he had to be entirely honest, he almost forgot she still had the painting for that ongoing. Between kingly duties, school and everything else, it slipped his mind. And Mal was never working on that when he was around.

“I remember when I told you.” that was not a lie. He recalled the conversation perfectly. “So, the curtains are still up for dramatic effect.

“Yeah.” she inhaled another strawberry. “Do you want the classic slow reveal or can I just snap it open?”

“Let’s go for a slow dramatic reveal.”

Mal rolled her eyes and shoved the empty box in the nearest trash bin. Before Ben could wonder more about the possibility of dying from a strawberry overdose, Mal clapped her hands and pulled on the curtains’ string. The moved to the sides, revealing the wall behind them slowly.

Ben’s jaws hit the floor. He walked slowly towards the wall, unable to take his eyes off it and trying to process every detail. He barely heard Mal’s almost sarcastic ta-da.

A forest, descending from dark to light. It was painted in such a way it created a real-life effect and the amount of details Mal put into it made him believe he could step into it. Towards the light centre, there was a small meadow, lit by a rising sun. A figure stood in the middle of it, half-turned, eyes to the sky.

Ben was unable to articulate a sentence. He doubted there were words out there that could describe just how incredible the mural was. The amount of details on it was insane, he couldn’t even imagine how patient Mal had to be to get every and each one of them in. His eyes went across the trees, the dark forest floor, the shades of the sun and to the figure in blue standing in the middle of the meadow.

“What paint did you use for this?”

She shrugged. “Sprays.”

Ben choked on his breath. She managed to do all of this with graffiti spray paint? All those details and shading?

“Mal.” he finally managed to pull his thought together enough to say something about it.

“You don’t like it?” she interrupted before he could voice them.

Ben whipped his head to her. “Don’t like it?” he laughed incredulously. “I am still trying to grasp a way to try to tell you that I genuinely do not believe there are words in English to describe how amazing this is or how talented you are.”

She crossed her arms and looked away. “Don’t exaggerate. It is just a painting. Nothing useful.”

“It doesn’t have to be useful.” he made air quotes to emphasis his point. “To deserve credit. You are an artist like I’ve never seen. This is not something people could do even after decades of practice. And I love every bit of it. Not only because it is beautiful but because you made it.”

He pulled her to him and hugged her. Ben remembered she mentioned her mom was not the biggest fan of her art, saying it was as useless as her. He hoped she was starting to see past it since she came to Auradon.

“You know, you could have drawn a dick on here and I would have still liked it, right?” he joked hoping to help her detense.

Her laugh made him smile. “Don’t tempt me.”

“I won’t push my luck.” he said rubbing her arms comfortingly. He glanced back at the mural. “How did you know red tulips were my favourite flowers.”

She began playing with the hem of his shirt. “I asked Lonnie.”

Ben frowned. He looked down at her. She seemed distracted. Before he could inquire about her well-being or do any move to attempt to comfort her in silence, she extracted herself from his arms.

“Meet me at the edge of the woods, by Residence 3. Tonight, at midnight.”

Before Ben could do or say anything, she sprinted out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

------------------------

“I need to show you something.”

Those were the only words she has told him since they meet each other. Ben couldn’t help but wonder what could it be, as Mal pulled him forward, through the woods, much further than they usually went on foot.

They came to an abrupt stop and Mal turned to him. “Wait here.”

Ben felt the warmth disappear as Mal let go of his hand. She moved further ahead in the relatively small opening among the trees. The moon was shining brightly tonight but the woods were tall and dark and most of the surroundings were cloaked in shadows. Ben watched curiously as Mal took in a deep breath.

He couldn’t really process what happened further. A green mist began surrounding Mal, getting thicker and thicker. The shape of her form began morphing behind the bright green smoke curtain.

Before Ben could even think of what she was doing, a huge dragon with purple scales and bright green eyes stood before him. The moonshine made her scaled seem brighter, shine as if they were polished. Her wings spread wide and the next thing Ben knew was that he was flying.

He didn’t scream. He had no reason too, not when Mal’s grip around his body was tight enough to make him feel secure. The sensation of flight, like this, was amazing and Ben found he was quite enjoying himself, as Mal flew over the thick tree canopy. The stars in the sky seemed closer and Ben fought the strong wind to keep his eyes open and enjoy the view.

When the descending began, he observed the forests were another world seen from the top of the trees. He didn’t have much time to admire them though. Mal flew cross to the ground and dropped him unceremoniously on the forest floor.

Ben rolled forward on instinct and groaned. The fall was not high nor dangerous, but he didn’t expect to do gymnastics in the middle of the night. He stood up, watching in amazement as Mal flew Tabovehead. Her purple scales, the wings, the intense green eyes on the background of a dark night sky with a full moon and clear stars, they were making for such an enchanting and beautiful sight Ben couldn’t take his eyes off her. The green smoke began surrounding her again as she slowly lowered herself to the ground, her shape becoming smaller and smaller.

By the time the green smoke disappeared, Mal was back to her human form. The clearing where they were in wasn’t necessarily big, but she seemed to have crossed it in five steps. Ben watched the way she walked, forceful, assured, sending of danger signals. Her face was set in a deep glare. For a moment Ben remembered the Mal from their first shared dream.

“Well?” she barked out.

“It was amazing!” he said with a smile. “When did you shift for the first time? Your flying is great, you are either a natural or you kept this secret for a while, but I understand. Your scales match your hair. And your eyes are their natural colour, the green they get when you are not trying to hide the magic. You looked really beautiful up there, in the sky, along with the moon. I wish I had your artistic talent, then I could paint it.”

“What?” Mal’s expression went from the guarded anger to confusion. “I just turned into a dragon!”

“Yes!” Honestly, Ben wasn’t really understanding where she was going with this. “A beautiful, mesmerising one, if I have to say so myself.”

“You aren’t scared of me?” she glared at him as if she was daring him to lie.

Oh. So that’s what this about.

“Mal.” Ben measured his words carefully, his voice going from the loud admiration to a soft tenderness. “I know not to be scared of you.”

She looked at him, and even though they learned to read each other at this point, he couldn’t quite pinpoint what she was feeling right now.

“ I am not scared of you because of who your mother is or your magic or your fae blood. I am not scared you are from the Isle of the Lost. And I am not scared of you being evil, because you aren’t. I look into your eyes, and I can tell it.” he reached for her hands and run his fingers over her knuckles, reassuringly. “Am I supposed to be scared of the fact that you can turn into a dragon?” he didn’t wait for an answer. “Mal, that’s part of you and honestly, you looked so enchanting I could barely believe my eyes. Honestly, it had the opposite effect.”

She looked up at him, lips slightly agape. A storm of emotions was crossing through her eyes. She managed to make a sound that resembled a gasp. Then she swallowed thickly and said out loud clearly.

“I love you.”

***

Her voice was soft and Ben couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He tugged at her hands, wishing to pull her forward for a hug, but Mal had other ideas. She jumped in his arms, their lips crushing together. He could barely kiss her properly because the smile beaming on his face, but Mal didn’t seem to care much, given she was in a similar situation. They tumbled in the grass, refusing to let go of each other. They laughed breathlessly at their own silliness as they pulled apart from their kiss.

Mal propped herself on her knees and trailed a finger across his face. Her laugh slowly died out, as her features morphed into a contemplating look. Ben reached for her waist almost on instinct, his fingers running over the worn purple leather. Her finger on his skin seemed suddenly much hotter as she slipped it past his jaw and dawns the side of his neck. Her fingers reached the top of his shirt, wrapping around the material. And then she kissed him.

They have kissed so many times, but Ben couldn’t quite recall if ever like this. It was harsh and hungry, but he wasn’t complaining. He could feel a sensation of warmth in his chest as nipped at each other’s lips. Mal’s hands on his chest were warm against the slight chill of the night. They stopped kissing for a moment, just enough to breath. He reached forward pulling on her hair and bringing her down to another kiss. He didn’t need to breathe. He needed Mal.

She giggled against his mouth and Ben never thought such a simple gesture could sound so wicked. She pulled away and he groaned in protest. Mal looked amused, as her hands trailed down his chest. He barely acknowledged the way she ripped his shirt, too caught up with how good she looked on top of him. Mal leaned in, smirking, her tongue trailing his bottom lip. Her fingers reached for his hair and pulled not so gently on it, moving his head in an away which allowed her better access to his neck. Her tongue drawled a wet trail across his jaw and down to the side of his neck. Her hot breath stopped above his pulse point, her lips enclosing around the soft skin and sucking. Then with a swift motion, she rolled her hips against his and he almost whatever sense was left in him.

Ben has always been so exemplary at controlling his beastly side. But since Mal came, it became much more of a challenge. He was not sure if it was because of the magic buzz around her or because she had such a strong effect on him, making him feel things he had never felt before. And he might have just tipped over his breaking point.

Ben growled, sharp and loud. It startled her enough to stop her ministrations, but it was exactly the opposite of what he wanted. His hands reached for Mal’s shoulders pushing her off just enough to take the leather jacket off her and throw it aside. He glared at the dark top she was wearing. He clawed the material and ripped it to shreds, managing to drag it off her shoulders in a quick move, before rolling her onto the floor.

A sight for sore eyes was an understatement. Her skin was glowing almost silver in the moonlight, her dark purple hair contrasting with the grass and the small wildflowers still lingering on the forest floor. Her pink lips were partially parted as she gasped for breath. Ben had to stop to take in the sight. She looked otherworldly and ethereal. For a moment, he felt like averting his eyes, feeling almost unworthy of looking at her. But he simply couldn’t. There was something else about her, pulling him towards her. Maybe it was her fae blood. Maybe it was that magic aura of something he couldn’t describe that just radiated off her. The one thing he knew was that he won’t be able to pull away. And as much as he didn’t want to, the beast was clawing at his chest, demanding out. And Ben wanted her, he wanted her so much it hurt, but he couldn’t bring himself to let the beast out roaring, not when the danger of hurting her was always an option.

Mal didn’t seem to care. She grabbed his belt and pulled him back down to her, impatience and mischief sparkling in her eyes. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him as close as possible.

Mal was always told love was weak. She no longer believed that, but no one ever bothered to tell her love could be like this. Harsh, demanding, possessive. All claws and teeth, broken skin and a constant feeling of hunger. How silly of her to think all love is gentle. There was nothing gentle or soft about what they were doing right now and Mal found herself enjoying it greatly. If only she knew Ben’s bruising grip on her hips would feel so good, she would have done this long ago.

She felt the soft skin rip under her teeth and sucked on his bottom lip, licking off the blood there with a quick swipe of her tongue. Ben moaned against her lips, his hands clutching harder at her hips before his grip went slack and his head lowered. Mal frowned, despite the intense pleasant sensation of Ben’s lips on her collarbone. She pushed at his shoulder, enough to make him sit up, worry clear in his eyes.

“You are holding back. Don’t.” her look was determined, her words harsh and really there were a hell lot more things she would prefer to use her mouth on right now. “I’m not made of glass, I won’t break under your fingers.”

Ben’s eyes were full of love and fear. “It isn’t just me it… it....”

“It wants out doesn’t it?” there was comfort in her voice. “The beast. It is clawing, roaring, fighting its way to release. And you are fighting it so much, to keep it locked away. Don’t.”

“If I hurt you…” he didn’t have to say it out loud. She knew the end of the sentence. Mal’s fingers caressed his cheek and temples ending up tangled in his hair.

“Many kinds of hurt out there.” she pulled, making him moan. “Do hurt me.” her lips curled into a smirk, tongue glossing over her teeth, almost predatory. “I might just enjoy it, coming from you.”

Ben understood. Because it hurts when she pulls his hairs or drags her nails across his back, but it is a different kind of pain. Not like when you break a bone or cut yourself by mistake. It was a pleasure-inducing type of hurt, one that you didn’t want to vanquish and when it did you desperately wanted it back.

He let out a growl, low and possessive. Mal’s eyes lit up in delight. She felt the growls rumble in his throat as he bit her lips, roughly and savagely. She could feel her fire running coarse through her veins.

Mine.

There were so few things she could call hers. But Ben? Ben was hers. And she really enjoyed to see him so utterly unleashed. There was something wild in his eyes, his breathing uneven, his teeth bared almost predatory. And the way he looked at her? As if she was the only being in the universe worth looking at? It was making her insides churn in the best way possible.

Mal gasped in both delight and surprise as Ben pushed her down. Her hands went to his hair as he leaned forward, biting and licking across her chest. His mouth reached the edge of her pants and he glanced up at her. His look was as stormy as before but he was waiting patiently his breath hot against her skin.

Mal wanted to laugh. They clearly needed to work on the whole if-I-didn’t-want-you-to-do-it-then-you-will-know-deal, but she could appreciate the consideration. He lifted her hips in response, allowing him more space to pull her pants off. He dragged them down her legs in one swift movement. Ben grabbed her tights pulling her legs apart and burying his face in between them.

Mal moaned, arching her back. Her fingers curled in Ben’s hair pulling him as close as it was imaginably possible, while the other hand dug into the ground, crumbling the grass under her fingers. She glanced at the sky above through her lashes, the full moon shining silver light like a blessing above them. She inhaled deeply, enjoy the smell of the forest, pine resins, wildflowers and cold earth. If there was a paradise, this is what it must feel like. Forest, silence, a sky full of stars, and Ben’s hot mouth on her.

She wrapped her legs tighter around Ben’s head. She could feel the burning need by the way his tongue was lapping quickly at her folds. Her moaning was loud in the silence of the forest, but she didn’t care. Ben’s fingers dug into the soft skin of her thighs, as he sucked on her clitoris. Mal glanced down, her breath becoming even more erratic as she watched him. His rhythm became even more alert and Mal could feel the sensation of pleasure more and more intensely. Then Ben looked up at her his gaze possessive, hungry and needy. That was her undoing.

She moaned even louder, twitching under his mouth as Ben licked off her juices. He was still watching her, something akin to satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. It looked mischievous and hot and it only managed to make her more hot and bothered than before. And determined. She was going to have him wither under her this time.

She pulled his hair forcing him forward. She sat up and met his lips with a frenetic kiss, tasting herself on his tongue. Ben was still gripping her tights hard enough to leave bruises and it made the sensation in the bottom of her stomach resurface instantly. She used her free hand to unbutton his jeans clumsily, too focused on the way his tongue felt against hers.

“Off!” she ordered sharply between two breaths.

Ben’s breath was heavy and he still seemed entrapped in between his animalistic instincts and sheer lust but he followed her command instantly. Mal pulled him back in quickly, fingernails digging into her shoulders. They rolled around the grass, biting and clutching at each other, their breaths more ragged with every moment. Their little tumble ended when Mal pushed him on his back on more time and forced him down with one steady hand. Technically, she knew if he wanted he could overpower her, especially given his current state, but he won’t.

She propped herself on her knees and smirked down at him. Oh, what a sight he made. Licking her lips slowly, she angled her body and dragged her wet folds across his erection. Ben’s fingers dug into her thighs as he moaned loudly. It sounded like a howl.

“Maaaal.”

Oh, hells, the way his raspy voice roared out her name, now that was music to her ears. “Yes?” playing innocent was so not working for her, she sounded just as wicked as she was. She kept moving herself up and down his dick, enjoying the way his face contorted in pleasure.

“Maaaaal… please.” he was begging her now. Oh, sweet music that was, especially when combined with the worshipping look in his eyes.

“Please what?” she said almost nonchalantly, even though she was probably even more eager than him.

“Fuck me. Please. Fuck me till neither of us can walk.”

Mal laughed, even though she was so turned on she could cum from the sound of Ben cursing alone. “Now,” she leaned in and licked his lips in a quick motion before sitting back up. “When you say it like that, I just cannot refuse.”

She sunk onto him, using his chest as leverage for her hands. They moaned together, the sensation being nothing short of blissful. Mal looked down at Ben, enjoying the look in his eyes, the way his features contorted in pleasure. She began moving her hips in a somehow rhythmic motion, before Ben began moving as well, helping her rise and fall back down on his cock. She leaned forward, dragging her teeth across his chest, sucking on the skin above his heart and joying the frenetic thump of his pulse.

Ben curled his finger in her hair and pulled, making her hiss in both pleasure and pain. He rose from the ground maintaining the thrusts of his hips as she looked in her eyes. His lips moved to her collarbone biting and sucking onto her already sensitive skin. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, enjoying the way her walls clutched around his cock and the way his tongue felt when he sucked on her nipples. Their rhythm was getting more and more frenetic and She found herself throwing her head back in pleasure.

“Mal.” his breath was ragged but his voice was clear as he whispered against her chest. It sounded like a prayer.

It threw her over the edge and she came, howling to the skies, her nails scratching across his back. Ben followed her in the ecstasy trip moments later, breath hot against her skin and holding onto her as if she was his lifeline.

They held onto each other, as their bodies relaxed and they tried to regain their breathing. Ben moved some of her hair from her face and caressed her cheek. Mal beamed down at him.

--------------------------------
***

The sun was rising somewhere, beyond the forest, patches of light crossing through the tree canopy. Ben breathe in the crisp morning air and sighed contently. The grass was cold, but it didn’t bother him. On top of him, Mal shifted but didn’t wake up. He unwrapped one arm from around her waist and moved to brush a few strands of hair our of her face. She scrunched up her nose and hid her face in his chest. Ben’s openly smiled, leaning back down.

Ben was wondering if she was dreaming of something. Clearly not him, they haven’t been in each other’s dreams since she came to Auradon. Not the way they used to be. But Ben didn’t mind. Mal in flesh and bone was so much better than her dream self. He could hold her for long without waking up cold and feeling like something was missing. Her laugh was so much clearer in reality and he noticed the golden flecks in her eyes that he had never seen in their dreams. And they had time. They didn’t have to worry about waking up any moment, leaving unsaid words, being taken back to their realities out of a wonderful moment of peace.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a small pinch. Mal’s pink lips were curled in a grin, her green eyes gleaming in amusement. She half hid her face against his chest, but the smirk was still visible.

“What are you thinking about?” her breath was hot against his skin, like the rest of her. The girl was just a walking furnace it seemed.

“You.” Ben was aware of the lovestruck smile he had as he reached to caress her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Mal leaned into his touch, her smirk going soft as she looked at him through her lashes. Ben let his fingers linger before he began stroking her hair. She swatted his hand away playfully and propped herself on her knees. She rose with the sun, a yawn gracing her lips as she stretched, hands high above her head. She was fitting in so perfectly with the dark green background of the forest and the pink, blue, purple and golden hues of the morning sky. Her hair seemed brighter and her skin was glowing almost silver in the soft light that reached their little meadow. For the first time, Ben could see the extensive damage he did to her. The angry red and bluish marks all over her neck and chest, the ones on her hips that were finger-shaped. Her lips were swollen and he could see the way the skin broke and bled and was now scarring.

Ben propped himself on his elbows, reaching forward and drawing one finger down the skin of her neck, his brow frowned. “I’m sorry.”

Mal huffed, looking down at him. “What for?”

“All of this.” his hand splayed over her ribcage, thumb drawing circles comfortingly on her skin.

“Sorry?” Mal laughed and it was music to his ears. “The only thing you should be sorry for is for not doing it earlier.”

She really didn’t seem bothered by it and Ben’s muscles relaxed just slightly. He still felt like he shouldn’t have gone full beast on her.

As if reading his mind, Mal laughed again, before leaning forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders lazily. “Maybe I should be the one apologising, I did a much greater number on you.” her fingers were tracing the scar lines across his back that she scratched into his skin the previous night.

“Don’t.” his answer was instant they locked eyes. “I like them.”

“Mhm.” he leaned forward slowly until they were barely a breath apart. “I like mine too.”

Mal’s green eyes were on his as her tongue brushed his bottom lip, licking off the dried blood there. Her eyes got a glint of mischief as she rolled her hips against his. Ben buried his face in her shoulder and moaned.

“Mal…” he meant to say it as a warning but it sounded more like begging.

“Mm?” amusement was clear in her voice as she kept repeating the motion almost lazily.

“Love… if you keep doing that we are most likely not going to go back today.” he bit onto her shoulder as if that would make him resist the temptation of just letting her ride him for the rest of the day.

“It isn’t like we are going to miss much.”

He had two online meetings, three classes and about twenty pages of paperwork to go through. If he had to be honest, he will be fine with staying deep in the woods, just having sex with Mal for the rest of the week. But that would end up with a disaster on all fronts and he would prefer to avoid that at all costs, especially when the coronation was so close.

Mal looked up at him with a pout. “Believe me, I would prefer we stayed here forever too, but we have duties to get back to.”

She groaned and got off him, proceeding to curse everything that was crossing through her mind, from the flow of time to the scheduling of Auradon Prep’s classes. Ben laughed fondly at the sight of her trying to put her pants on while cursing a storm about morning lessons. He got up as well and started searching around the clearing for the clothes they ripped off each other the previous night.

By the time they were both dressed Mal threw a bunch of black lace at his head. Maybe he shouldn’t have gone so hard on her top, but at least she was still fully decent, besides the additional rips on her pants. Him on the other hand? Yeah, well his shirt lost all its buttons, so there wasn’t much to do here.

Mal looked him up and down, licking her swollen lips. It took all of his force of will to not start undressing again. He looked at the sky, trying to figure out what time it is in order to distract himself. They were probably not late to anything as the sun was still rising. They could probably make it back in time if they…

“Uh, Mal? How are we getting back?”

---------------------------------------

A teleportation spell. The answer was a teleportation spell, given Mal couldn’t exactly fly in daylight. They appeared on the edge of the woods by Auradon Prep and went on separate paths, deciding it is for the best. After all, they couldn’t appear together on campus looking like they did without arising suspicions.

So Ben went first, running for his life more or less, for people to not pay attention to his destroyed shirt. Luckily for him, it was early enough to prop most students to still be in their dorms. Mal on the other hand?

She took her time, strolling through the campus on the way to her room. She was humming a silly tune as she walked around, her march with forceful steps replaced by something lighter. The people in the halls were still getting out of her way, though they were much more subtle now than when the VKs arrived. She couldn’t care less about them or the questioning looks thrown because of her dishevelled state. She had such a good night, why let small thinks spoil the mood. It is not as if they had the guts to inquire about anything.

When she arrived in her dorm, closing the door and leaning against it, Evie almost jumped her.

“Where have you been? Do you know how worried I was? I was about to go get Carlos and Jay and start a tracking mission, Mal, I thought you were kidnapped and… and… “

Evie trailed off, finally noticing the state she was in. From the messy clothes to the grass in her hair, the stupid smile on her face and the marks on her neck.

“No. Fucking. Way.” Evie's lips began curling into a huge smirk.

“Hell yeah. Way. Fucking way, specifically.” Mal laughed at her own idiotic comment before floating to her bad and falling back on the covers.

Hells, she must look like such an idiotic moron right now, but she couldn’t bring herself to care that much.

“You cannot just disappear for a night, come back looking like that, imply what you just did and not tell me what happened!” Evie shrieked turning around and marching to Mal’s bed.

“Come on, E. Use that genius brain of yours. It doesn’t take much to guess what happened.” Mal put her arms under her head and sighed contently, even though her body was not really happy.

“You and Ben. Fucked.”

“Yep. Multiple times.” she ignored Evie’s shriek.

“Judging by the grass in your hair and the dirt on your clothes, I’ll take a guess it was in the forest.”

“That'd be correct.”

She shrieked again and Mal covered her ears in protest. “Damn, E, I still need my hearing, you know.”

Evie ignored her, simply going into a happy rant about hell knows what. Mal kind of tuned her out. She hasn’t got too much sleep and her muscles were killing her, not that she could complain too much as of why.

“Can you tell the teachers this morning that I am sick or something?”

Evie stopped her tirade and gave her a look. “Are you… okay?”

There was something wary in her voice and Mal knew her Isle instincts were kicking in, higher than before. She waved her hand. “I am fine, I just don’t feel like trying to not fall asleep in Goodness 101 while keeping a glamour over my skin.”

“We can use make-up to cover it up. Fairy Godmother is gonna get suspicious if you don’t show up.”

Mal groaned. Of course, the old bat would. And the last thing Mal wanted was to deal with her inquiries or worse, a medical check. Before she could even think of an alternate, Evie was already back next to her bad with a huge box of make-up.

“I think you should take a quick shower before though.”

Mal rolled her eyes. She was fine. Okay, she might have been slightly sticky and dirty, but she really didn’t feel like getting up. She muttered something under her breath and waved her hand.

“You should also change.” Evie said, passing her some clean clothes.

Mal growled but did not protest further, taking off her jacket. Evie dropped the tube of concealer she was holding.

“Ben did this to you?”

Mal snorted. “Nothing I didn’t enjoy. You should see what I did to him.”

Evie was still shocked but began dutifully covering the bite marks, bruises and hickey that were visible with her new blouse on. It took less than Mal expected, but she supposed that’s what happens when you learn how to apply make-up before how to walk.

“Oh, by the way, M, are you ready for the quiz in History of Auradon today?”

Mal buried her face in her pillow and screamed. They should have stayed in the fucking forest.

Chapter Text

“Can I ask for a favour?”

Jay and Carlos exchanged a look from across the room. “Do you need us to help you hide from the rest of the tourney team the fact that the dragon used you as a chew toy again?”

Ben groaned. They both have been teasing him mercilessly since they first saw the scratch marks on his back. But they still helped him hide them from the rest of the tourney team, which was grateful for. But this was not what he was here for. He just hoped they will agree because it was the last details which he needed in place for this to work.

“No, this is more serious.”

Fifteen minutes and about six overly detailed explanations later Jay and Carlos exchanged another look.

“She is gonna kill us.” Carlos stated matter of factly. “If she is in a good mood.”

Jay nodded in agreement, before smirking at Ben. “Count us in.”

-----------------

It took about five seconds for the whole Tourney team to scatter screaming when Mal and Evie entered the locker room.

“We are not that scary anymore, are we?” Evie asked out loud looking at Mal for assurance. She simply shrugged.

“I think it hs more to do with the fact that you just burst unannounced in our locker rooms without any warning.” Carlos explained while fixing his wrist protections.

Mal knocked on the open door with an eye roll. Auradonian people needed to relax about their stiffy conduct rules. Evie didn’t seem deterred in the slightest.

“So, it has been a while, but look what we made for you!”

Jay and Carlos froze instantly looking at the two ribbons Evie was dangling in the air. Freshly cut and brightly painted and much higher quality than anything they had on the Isle.

“Nice. Can you tie one in my hair, E?”

“Any specific requests?” Mal asked Carlos, grabbing one of the ribbons while Evie busied herself with Jay unruly hair.

“Wrist is fine.” Carlos looked thoughtful. “Huh, I don’t think I ever wore one of those but then again I was not usually the one doing the duelling and brawling.”

“Not much brawling this time around.” Mal muttered. “You got this. Use that genius brain of yours and your speed and you’ll show them what you are made of.”

Carlos noded bumping his fist with hers, then nodded his head towards the back of the locker room and knowing look in his eyes. Mal nodded and moved along, round the corner of the lockers line.

“You really need to work on your knocking. Most of the team is hiding in the back at the showers.” Ben didn’t seem phased by her presence as he was fixing last of his armour.

“Ah yes, the true dread of girls possibly seeing them... shirtless.” Mal rolled her eyes, smirking. “So I heard Auradon really sucks at this game and you haven’t won in a while so here, for luck.”

Ben eyed the ribbon, a small smile on his lips. It was really pretty with a dark purple and a flaming green on the edges. “A token of luck?”

“Let’s go with that yeah. On the Isle, there were some official fights. You know a little bit of power showcase. Usually, the players had bets put on them with ribbons. So you could see who is supporting who. I didn’t tend to lose. So don’t disappoint me, will you?”

“Princely honour.” he extended his right ar forward and she tied around his bicep.

“Good luck.” she mouthed before raising her voice. “You can tell your team of scarred squirrels to come out now, we are leaving.”

“Thank you.” he whispered, watching her leave with a smile.

Mal turned gave him a wink over her shoulder the turned corner and disappeared out of sight.

------------------------------

“Excuse me!” Ben said loudly in the microphone while climbing on top of a dragon canon platform. “Can I have your attention please?”

He waited a few moments for everyone to quiet down from their celebration. Even the people from the Sherwood Falcons stopped leaving, watching him curiously.

“There is something I would like to say. I have been keeping in for quite some time now and if I try any longer I might lose my mind. But uh… I might need your help with this. Give me an M!” he raised his hands forming the letter and watching in satisfaction as everyone followed suit. “Give me an A!” his eyes locked on Mal, who was probably the only one not doing the moves along with the crowd. “Give me an L!” he could see the exact moment when realisation drowned on her. “What does that spell?”

“Mal!” the crowd’s scream was loud but Ben didn’t like to settle for average.

“Come on, I can’t hear you!”

“MAL!” the second time around it was deafening and everyone turned around towards the spot where Mal was standing on the bleachers looking curiously at her reaction.

“I love you Mal.” she knew but it was the time for everyone else to know it too. “Did I mention that?”

Only every day most likely, and today was a special occasion. “Give me a beat!” he pointed to the band, giving Doug the signal they agreed on.”

---------

She was going to kill him. Then bring him back from the dead only to kill him again. Mal watched in horror as the whole Tourney team and cheerleading squad joined Ben in that silly dance of his. When they agreed to make their relationship public she expected it to not be in such an over the top way.

“Did I mention that I'm in love with you. And did I mention there's nothing I can do? And did I happen to say I dream of you everyday?”

Mal crossed her arms and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. Okay, that was just slightly endearing. She watched as Carlos and Jay seemed to have a little bit too much fun with the whole situation, Jay looking one step away from falling over from laughing.

Oh, they were so dead when this whole spectacle was over. The goddamn traitors.

“Because my love for you is ridiculous.” Ben sang as he rolled around in the grass field and Mal couldn’t help but cringe.

This whole dance was ridiculous. How the hell did he manage to bribe so many people to join him? Not that she had time to give it any thought as Lonnie and Evie seemed to make their life purpose to have her go deaf before the end of the song. She kept cringing as they shook her and sang loudly.

“Just ridiculous! And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss.”

Her jaw almost hit the floor. She needed to have a word with him about making promises in front of a fae.

“I am not sure if he can actually dance or it is just the hips movements.” Evie gave her a pointed look and grinning.

Mal rolled her eyes before shifting her focus back on the spectacle. Ben was smiling so brightly it was putting the sun to shame. She covered her mouth trying to hide her own smile. Okay, maybe the whole thing was a little bit more than just slightly endearing.

“Alright!” Mal looked in surprise as Ben pulled his jersey off and threw it her way.

She leaned forward just a bit and caught it just in time. “Hah.” she allowed her smile through slip through her feigned indifferent look as she unfolded the jersey. He was so not getting this back. Lonnie and Evie were jumping up and down and squealing in delight and Mal couldn’t help but smile because of the whole situation. It was so… ridiculous.

She looked in surprise as some of the cheer squad lifted Ben up and threw him in the crowd. Mal laughed as the crowd carried him towards the spot where she was standing.

“And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss. C’mon now!” he finished the song and smiled down at her, one of those lovestruck, diabetes-inducing smiles that made her thaw.

He leaned in, almost as if to kiss her but she could not allow it. She wrapped her arms around him and hid her face in his chest. Ben laughed wrapping an arm around her and she looked up still clutching his Tourney jersey.

“I love you Mal, did I mention that?”

“Only eleven times in the past three minutes.” she muttered only for them to hear. Ben gave her a knowing smile before bringing the microphone to his lips again.

“Mal, will you go to the Coronation with me?”

She almost rolled her eyes at the way the whole stadium seemed to freeze instantly, holding their breath. How dramatic. She grabbed the microphone and yelled.

“Yes!”

If she hasn’t gone deaf so far, the last roar of the crowd will certainly do it. Jay jumped along the bleachers and put a hand on Ben’s shoulder.

“Come on, the whole team is waiting for you.” Mal made sure to throw him one of the signature “you are dead meat” looks before squeezing Ben’s hand.

“I will see you later.” he said before being pulled along.

“See you.” The crowd began to dissipate slowly and Mal thought it might not be so hard to make herself disappear in it. And then she turned around to find Evie and Lonnie grinning devilishly at her.

Rotten Apples!
*-----------------------------------

“I forfeit, I forfeit!” Ben screamed, raising his hands defensively as he fell on his back.

“Oh, you lost the right to forfeit anything.” Mal growled before hitting him again.

He kept laughing, leaning against the back of the couch as Mal climbed in his lap and continued hitting him with the biggest pillow she could find.

“Why are you like this?”

Ben raised an eyebrow as she paused the feathery assault on his head. “Madly in love with you? I could spend the whole day listing the reasons and it would still not be enough.”

Mal tried to keep glaring at him but there was a just the slightest hint of blush on her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her forward for a kiss. He did not expect her to push him back, especially not so forcefully.

“Is it something I did?” he asked, brow frowned as he looked at her agitated state. “I am sorry if the whole performance put you off, I just wanted it to be a surprise and…”

“Ben.” she interrupted and he felt a shiver run down his spine. Her tone was glacial and serious. “You have to watch your words around me and especially around another fae.

He blinked in surprise, not sure what to make out of it. Seeing his confusion, Mal continued. “Words have power. Promises hold true, even if you do not mean them. Someone out there might hold you to it and then only the words you say out loud count. I would give my kingdom for just one kiss?” she emphasises every word in the sentence allowing him enough time to realise what he has said. “And three times! Three is a magic enhancing number. And if I was a meaner fae I might hold you to it.”

“I have not thought about it.” he admitted the obvious. It was never something that crossed his mind. It was never something he needed to know. Or at least he was never taught he needed to know it.

Mal stood up and waved her hand. “I free you from your promise.”

Ben felt a warm sensation wash over him before disappearing just as quick as it came. Mal’s shoulder relaxed. “At last.”

The next thing he knew was that she was straddling him and kissing the sense out of him.

“Much better.” she said once they pulled apart.

“You won’t see me argue with that.” he muttered wrapping a lock of Mal’s hair around his index finger and twirling it. He will go back to his paperwork. In a minute.
----------
Being able to be in public with Ben without having to restrain from hand-holding or lingering looks and especially from kissing, was more freeing than Mal expected. The stroll to her locker at eight in the morning had never felt so relaxing, and it probably had to do with Ben’s hand in hers. Everyone in the hallway starred at them and parted like the Red Sea for them to pass. Now Mal was used to people getting out of her way when she was walking but this was taking it to a whole new level.

“Do you think the people are starring because they actually see us officially as a couple?” Ben inquired while leaning against the lockers.

“A little bit.” Mal muttered as she pulled out her notebooks and pencils. “And it might also have to do with that leather jacket you are wearing.”

Ben glanced down at it. “Evie made it a few days ago and she left it for me, threatening note and all. You don’t think I look good in it?”

Mal slammed her locker door shut and gave him a once over. “No.” before Ben could react properly she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss.

“You look hot.” she whispered against his lips. “Now go before I jump you right here.”

“You are making a really weak case for me to leave.” Ben pointed out, caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers

“The consequences are not worth it. We will have time for that later.”

He simply smiled and pressed a kiss on top of her forehead. “I will see you in the history class.”

“See you.” she smiled as she watched him go and as he exited the hall, the corners of her lips dropped slightly.

Mal stayed alert. Things were going so well, she had a feeling they might crash and burn any second now. Better be prepared.

Chapter Text

Anxelin has been friends with Audrey for a long time now and she was used to what they referred to as a crisis mood. And this was the highest level of crisis mood. Her and Arabella were sitting the armchairs at the tea table as Audrey paced around.

“This is what nightmares are made of.” she lamented, running her hands through her hair. “When Grammy gets wind of this, she will be so unhappy with me.”

“I am just a little bit confused.” Anxelin motioned with her hand trying to get Audrey’s attention. “Aren’t you with Chat Charming now?”

She simply rolled her eyes. “Please. Chad is just my partner for official royal events. My heart belongs to Bennyboo.”

“You literally got together with Chad the day of h announcement of your broken betrothal with Ben.” Arabella pointed out earning a glare from Audrey.

“Can we focus on the problem at hand?”

Anxelin frowned, thinking on the whole situation again. “Doesn’t it feel kind of weird to you?” both Audrey and Arabella looked at her curiously. “I mean, the villain kids arrived here less than a month ago right. And suddenly Ben goes on with that declaration of love and she just agrees to date him. It seems a little bit sudden.”

Audrey’s eyes suddenly lit up in realisation. “That’s it!”

Anxelin exchanged a quizzical look with Arabella. “Uh, and what is that exactly?”

Her question fell to deaf ears as Audrey fixed her outfit quickly and rushed out, slamming the door behind her.

“Should we stop her?”

“Nah.”

-----------

Mal hummed as she put her notes from Goodness 101 in her locker. The class was a joke but she did not plan on wasting energy on getting angry about it again.

“HOW DARE YOU?”

Mal set her sketchbook atop her history book, to make sure she brings it to class after lunch. She promptly ignored the ruckus going around her in the hall. Honestly, as long as no one attacked anyone and promptly spilt blood on her, she couldn’t bring herself to care enough.

“Do not attempt to ignore me!”

Curiosity got to her and she glanced from the corner of her eye at the girl who was busy screaming to the high heavens somewhere to her right. She seemed pretty angry and if the screaming wasn’t a dead giveaway already the slightly red tint of her face certainly clarified it. Mal toyed around with some of the pencils in her locker while taking a look to her left, wondering who agitated the girl so much. Curiously enough, no one was paying attention to the girl, besides sporadic glances in passing.

“Are you talking with me?” Mal questioned while closing her locker.

“Of course I am.” The girl approached her and Mal checked her quickly, for any impending threats. Nothing triggered her defences, though all that pink was close enough. What an eyesore. “Don’t attempt to hide what you did. I know the truth. And I know why you did this to me.”

Mal arched an eyebrow, entirely unimpressed. “Am I supposed to know who you are or?”

The girl looked taken aback for a moment before regaining her composure. “I am Princess Audrey.” Mal assumed the pink princess could read expressions well enough to identify an absolute lack of acknowledgement or care as she continued. “I am the daughter of Sleeping Beauty. And as you already know -”

Oh. That.

Mal almost rolled her eyes in the back of her head. Of course, she gets a screeching, pink sparrow while Jay and Evie actually get to befriend the children of their parents’ enemies. Just her luck.

“Look,” Mal interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I do not care about our parents’ history. Nor do I hold any grudge against you or your family. Really.” Mal was being sincere. She was done doing her mother’s bidding and that included taking revenge on her enemies. Unless she was being provoked. She did not take lightly to threats. “So you can quit the overdramatic act you are having going on at the moment.”

The girl’s gaped at her for a moment, before clenching her jaw and glaring. Not half bad for a prissy pink princess. “Do not try to distract me. You know this is not about our parents. This is about Ben.”

Oh.

So this was the broken betrothal Ben mentioned. She has never cared to inquire for details beyond the bare basics. It was the past. The present is now and while Mal might not know the future, she knew hers and Ben’s were intertwined.

And now she had to deal with a hysterical princess who seemed to find Mal guilty of Ben breaking whatever deal their families had. Great, just what was missing from her schedule today.

“What about Ben then?” Mal decided to let her spill her heart out for a moment to see what this was about, then solve it quickly and go to lunch already. Her stomach was grumbling.

“You can pretend all you want, Mal.” the distaste was clear in Audrey’s voice when she said her name but she seemed to perk at the sight of the crowd slowly forming around them. ”But I know your plan and I know what you did. You spelled my Bennyboo to break our betrothal and now you are using him to take over Auradon! You might have everyone fooled but I can see through your trickery.”

It took her a moment to process the words. And then Mal burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it.

“So I spelled Ben while I was on the Isle where there is no magic.” she nodded, her expression mocking. “Makes total sense to me.”

“You can keep denying it, but you will not get away with this. You cannot keep him under your magic forever.” Audrey seemed set on her theory if the confident expression on her face and her straightened shoulders were anything to go by.

“Of course. You might to run off now and break his spell while I am distracted having lunch. You know, I need my daily dose of innocent souls to devour in order to maintain my power and everything.” Mal deadpanned. “See you around. Or not.”

With that, she walked past Audrey and headed for the cafeteria as the crowd parted for her.

----------------------------------------

How. Dared. She?!

That witch dismissing Audrey as if she was just a member of the citizenry and not a princess. The nerve of her. She will show it to her when she will break the spell Ben’s under.

Audrey distrusted these Isle kids since the moment they showed up and for a good reason. They were only bringing trouble. She should have known Ben will be their target. Audrey did her best to maintain her regal composure as she walked towards Ben’s office despite the way her teeth clenched. She will not stomp down to their level of unruliness, not even in times of crisis such as this.

Audrey knew that something was wrong with Ben breaking their betrothal. It made no sense to her back then but now it all came together. Of course, he was under a spell. What other reason was there for him to break it? They were together since they were children and they were meant to rule together.

But Audrey had just the solution for this problem. True love overcame everything after all and she knew Ben and her were in love. She remembered all their dances at the yearly balls, their date dinners at the most upscale restaurants all over Auradon. They always looked so well together and everyone always thought them to be the perfect match. Of course, they were. And Audrey intended to bring that back.

--------

Ben arranged last of the East Riding Reports in their designed folder and placed it carefully atop the pile. It was quite a productive day and he was certainly happy he will have lunch break free. Especially knowing Mal would probably maim him if he forgot to eat again because he drowned himself in work.

Just as he grabbed his phone, there was a knock on the door.

With a sigh, he leaned against his desk. “Come in.”

Audrey was one of the last people he was expecting to see.

“Hello, Bennyboo!” she waved enthusiastically as she entered his office, closing the door behind her.

Ben was taken aback. He and Audrey did not part on best terms after he broke their betrothal last spring. He thought she was getting better. When he asked the cheerleading team if they wanted to join in his surprise song for a girl he liked, she actually seemed enthusiastic but he saw her run off the field at the beginning of the song. Ben was still not entirely sure what to make of her attitude at the moment.

“Hey, Audrey. Is there a problem or an emergency?”

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, thoughtfully then approached him. “Yes, actually there is. But I got just the solution.”

Ben did not get the chance to inquire further. Audrey moved quick and grabbed his shoulders pulling him in a kiss. He was so taken aback he could barely process what was happening. A moment later when he unfroze from shock, he pushed Audrey away. He tried not to be forcefully but this was so wrong it was almost impossible for him to control his body reaction of repulse. Audrey stumbled slightly but regain her footing quickly.

“What in the world was that?” Ben questioned wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

“True Love’s Kiss, of course.” Audrey sounded so hopeful it took him aback. “Is the spell that evil witch had on you gone now?”

“Fae.”

“What?” Audrey’s perfect eyebrows narrowed in a frown.

”She is a fae, not a witch.” he explained calmy. “And she did not spell me.”

Audrey smiled, a smile Ben knew very well from their years growing up. Fake, forced and courtly and usually used to hide discomfort.

“Of course she did. And I saved you. True Love’s Kiss always works.” She was approaching him again but Ben raised a hand and it seemed to work well enough to make her stop.

“Audrey, you are not my true love.” he stated matter of factly.

“Of course I am.” there was a flash of determination in her eyes but Ben also saw desperation even though she was doing a decent job at hiding it. “You know I love you, Ben.”

“No you don’t.” he kept his factual tone. “You love the reputation and power that comes with my title. You love the idea of being High Queen of Auradon. But you do not love me.”

Ben and she grew up together. Their parents pushed them together as they were betrothed since birth and a very long time ago Audrey might have loved him and he might have loved Audrey. But as they grew she turned into something he couldn’t quite recognize from the early days. And growing up was, of course, fine, but she grew up into a person Ben could not bring himself to love no matter how much he tried. And he tried for years.

Audrey laughed forcefully. “Now, you do not mean that.”

“I mean every word of it. And we both know it is true, so I would appreciate if you would stop pretending otherwise.” Ben knew he sounded cold so he attempted to soften his tone. “Audrey, I thought you were better by now.”

He might have never loved her nor will he ever, but Ben still cared for Audrey. They have known each other their whole lives and while he could no longer characterize themselves as friends, he couldn’t simply erase her from his life.

“How could I get better after you did that to me?” her mask of royal dignity was finally cracking as she glared at him, angry tears prickling in the corners of her eyes. “Why did you do it, Ben? We were so happy and you just shattered it!”

He raised an eyebrow. “We had happy moments, but that was not a happy relationship at least not on my part. And you know very well why I broke the betrothal, Audrey. I wrote you a letter about it before I made any official announcement.”

It was one of the worst arguments he ever had with his father. Luckily enough, his mother came through in the beginning and backed him up. Ben knew what responsibilities came with being High King and if he had to have a loveless political marriage for the good of Auradon, he would have done it. But Audrey would not have made a good High Queen and he refused to entertain the possibility of her growing out of it any longer.

“I was trained to be Queen since I was a child!” she argued, straightening her back and blinking away her tears.

“Then maybe you should take this argument to your grandmother and question the royal education she gave you.” Lonnie once said Ben had the patience of a saint, but it was running quite thin at the moment. He did not want to fight Audrey, but he will if it finally make her snap out of her self-induced denial.

She gasped. “What are you even insinuating? My grammy was a Queen herself and she offered me the best education in matter of ruling.”

“The best-outdated education” Ben stated coldly. “Times have long changed since Queen Leah ruled and the responsibilities of the High Queen of Auradon go beyond the traditional roles of the queenly crown.”

“I am well-aware of what…”

“What powers does the High Queen of Auradon have in regards to the military?” he leaned against his office desk and crossed his arms, watching Audrey expectantly.

She looked taken aback. “Why, she has to duty to show up to the parades and other state events and officiating on some of them.”

“We both know the difference between protocol and powers. So you either give another answer or just admit my argument is valid.”

She frowned and gritted her teeth. After what felt like an eternity of silence Ben continued. “Being High Queen of Auradon means so much more than dresses, jewellery and protocol and royal parties. And you never understood that part Audrey, you never tried to either, even when my mother offered to give you some guidance. Please understand, the responsibilities that come with this crown go miles beyond protocol and perks. It is a job and it can be hellish. And frankly, Auradon could not afford an unprepared Queen. I had these thoughts since I was 13, Audrey. I waited years for you, hoping you will finally grow up and understand the gravity of the situation but you haven’t. Whenever I tried to discuss policy with you you were brushing it off or simply ignored it. ”

Something flashed in her eyes as she glared at him. Ben knew that look. It wouldn’t be the first time when he would be at the end of one of Audrey’s verbal lashings.

“And what you think that Mini Mistress of All Evil will make a good queen?” her voice trembled in anger. “Do you actually think people will accept Maleficent’s daughter as Queen instead of me. Don’t try to fool yourself.”

Ben stood his ground. “This is not about Mal. It is about you and me. I already explained my reasoning and I know you understood it. So please, do spare me the tantrum and screaming. You need to get over it, Audrey, it is not healthy to cling to it. It is in the past now and I do not intend to change my stance.”

“What if I change?” her voice was still shaking from anger but there was a glint of hope in her eyes. “What if I start lessons with your mother now?”

“Too little too late.” Ben shrugged. He did not intend to treat her with kid gloves in this argument. It had to end here and now. “I am sorry Audrey, but it is for the best. Now if you’ll excuse me, I would like to get lunch. As should you.”

As he walked past her, Audrey grabbed his arm and dug her nails into the material of his blazer. “Auradon will never accept that evil Isle degenerate as High Queen. You will realise it too and you will be back to me.” she gave him a sweet smile. “I expect an apology when that will happen as well.”

Ben extracted his arm from her grip and walked out the door. “Have a nice day.” he called without bothering to look back.

Chapter Text

Mal lifted the visor of her helmet. The Isle of the Lost was a sore sight on the horizon line, as gloomy and depressing as she remembered it. Gritting her teeth, she double-checked her waterproof backpack, making sure the extra cords were wrapped tightly around her. She pulled her visor down.

“Noble steed, proud and fair, you shall take me anywhere.”

Mal had never driven anything, but she has been on the scooter when Ben drove it. She managed not to crash it until now, so it was a full success in her book. It’s not like Ben was going to miss it when it will inevitably get destroyed. It was just a magic copy of the original, after all.

Driving above the waves, on an enchanted scooter, was not among the things she ever considered doing but desperate times require desperate measures. She switched the handle of the scooter, changing the direction to the left, to the sinking lowlands beyond the Witchwood. It was the safest landing spot.

“Spark and fire, elf and gnome, open up this invisible dome.” she chanted out loud. As a big enough gap to pass through opened in the barrier, Mal increased the speed of the scooter to the maximum.

The magic lasted as long as the opening which closed a few seconds after she passed through it. Mal jumped off the scooter and rolled. As it crashed to pieces behind her, she covered her head to make sure she doesn’t get hit by any debris.

She got up, dusting herself off. The scooter was in pieces and there were one or two that were on fire, but Mal wasn’t concerned. The high tide will come soon and sweep it all away. She had better things to worry about. For one, her magic all but disappeared as the barrier closed behind her. It has been one minute but she wondered how she managed to live like this for sixteen years. It had always felt like there was a fire in her that she could never materialize, and a part of her that was missing. But being outside of the barrier and actually drenching herself in magic and having her wings made it all more difficult to go back behind it. If this wasn’t so important, she would have turned and left just then for that alone.

She resumed cursing under her breath and pulled the cloak and rags out of the backpack. It was nothing special, a washed-out grey brownish cloak with a hood and some additional extra rags out of a multitude of materials for extra effect. She mostly needed to have her face and hair covered, because if anyone, let alone her mother, got wind of the fact that she was back on the Isle… Mal prefered not to think about the possible scenarios. But back under the barrier, the clouds were taking away from the light and it looked like it will rain soon enough. Just what she needed to pull this off.

Checking around one more time to make sure no one was there, Mal headed towards the Witchwood.

----------------------

The smell on the Isle was terrible. It had not been good, back when they used to live here, but they never knew any better. After Auradon, it was almost unbearable. She tried to ignore it as best she could. Walking through the gloomy and dirty streets of the city - if it could even be called that - brought back memories. Some were fine, some were less than pleasant, Mal preferred not to linger much.

It was raining, not a full-blown storm, but enough to keep most people inside if they could afford it. If they couldn’t, they were on the street, but no one cared if you were out. Unless they were planning to attack you. Being here again made her slip back into her old defence mechanisms. She had to watch her step though. She was disguised, she couldn’t just strut around the Isle as if she owned it as she might have done in the past. By the time she reached her destination, her senses were in hyper-alert.

Celia walked out of the cave doors slowly. She made a show of stretching a bit before looking around nonchalantly. It was the cue. Mal walked towards the cave, dropping some candies on the ground in the process. Celia turned around to look at the noise, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the candies. With a quick move, she swiped them off the ground and slid them in one of her pockets. She turned her back long enough for Mal to slip through the open doors into the cave.

She ignored the sound of the doors being locked behind her as she kept walking forward. The sound of the barking Cerberus didn’t deter her in the slightest. As she descended further down the underground tunnel she finally understood why Hades has been so adamant about spending his time there. The deeper you descended the closer the magic felt. Almost as if the fire in her throat could come out. Not quite there, but better than the rest of the Isle.

Hades was laying in his armchair, sunglasses over his eyes and snoring. Mal rolled her eyes. She crept down the stairs, with all the stealth she developed over her miserable years on the Isle. At least that was useful.

“What are you doing here? I gave you all the errands for the day.”

Mal rolled her eyes and pulled the pin of the Cerberus barking record to a stop. It was grinding on her nerves. “You sure have piss poor identification abilities.” she commented as she pulled her hood off, allowing her purple hair to fall free.

Hades didn’t seem rattled in the slightest. He simply lifted his sunglasses and threw them off to the side almost nonchalantly.

“Hi, Dad.”

He waved at her. Then he got up from the wannabe throne and smirked. “Back to the land of the damned, I see. Enjoying your days in the sun?”

Mal fixed him with a glare, ignoring how at ease he seemed with the fact that she was back as if it was nobody's business. He seemed amused. “I feel honoured, you chose to visit me out of all people.”

“One of us had to do it,” she muttered, keeping her glare on him. “Not like you ever bothered.”

“Oh, Mal” Hades chuckled, turning around towards a dusty mirror “Don’t be bitter.”

Mal simply crossed her arms, refusing to be intimidated. In the back of her mind, she was cursing not inheriting at least some of his height. “You abandoned me when I was a baby.”

“No.” he whirled around, his voice growing much darker and threatening. Had she not been raised by Maleficent, she might have flinched. “I left your mother. She’s not the easiest person to get along with.”

Mal rolled her eyes. “You think?”

“Oh, look at that, something we have in common. We both hate your mother.”

“No!” Mal surprised even herself with the forcefulness of her tone. “I do not hate my mother. She might be an evil lunatic, but at least she stuck around.”

It was not a lie. Mal didn’t hate her mother, she tried not to at least. In hindsight, she could have been much, muchworse. She taught Mal about magic, spells and all that came with being a fae (even if just partly). Bruised skin and broken bones came with all the lessons she remembered wrong, but so what? Most kids received only the second part. Bargain Castle was far from its heyday but she at least had a bed in there. Jay and Carlos couldn’t say the same about their pseudo homes. Maleficent might have been a megalomaniac with overdramatic tendencies, who was slipping deeper and deeper into madness and bitterness without her powers, but she at least bothered to raise Mal in some way. Not just abandon her and then preach about how much she cared 16 years later.

“I told you, I did not abandon you.” Hades’ voice brought her out of her thoughts.

“Right, you only left my mom. The baby in the room was just collateral damage.” Mal snarked back.

She took in a deep breath. Not the time for this. Her unsolved issues with her dad could wait. This is not what she came here for. “I didn’t come to fight. I want to strike a deal.”

Her father raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing in the corners of his lips. “Intriguing. But not so quickly, we are not done with our conversation.” he held his index finger up, eyes fixed on Mal. His eyes softened just slightly. “You are stronger with those daddy issues and you know it. My attention would have made you softer.”

And softness was a curse on the Isle of the Lost. She knew. She closed her eyes. For a moment, she was eight again, crawling into a ball in some dark corner of an alley, fighting her hunger. Mother has not given her any food for two days, punishment for messing up the chant for three different spells. She did not recall much besides her sight getting fuzzy and the next thing she knew was waking up in a dark cave and Lord Hades was feeding her some kind of soup. That was one hell of a way to discover he was her father, especially knowing how much her mother loved to remind her of her weak human father and how she shall never be like him if she valued her life.

Mal opened her eyes and clenched her jaw. Reminiscing was for another time when lives weren’t at stake. “Don’t turn this thing around. We shall discuss the deal. Now.”

He looked at her, considering her words for a moment, before chuckling darkly. “I guess you are your father’s daughter. Alright, Mali, hit me. What is it that you want?”

“I want you to summon an Isle gathering and challenge my mother's leadership during it. You don’t have to win. Just keep a show on for as long as possible.”

Hades raised an eyebrow, something akin to incredulity washing over his face. “I gotta say, I didn’t expect that.”

“I’m full of surprises.” Mal replied sardonically.

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why do you want me to do that? Winning is not mandatory, so you just want a distraction.”

Mal gritted her teeth. He was not the worst person that could learn about the plan. But she had trust issues and it was not the kind of information she would simply give up.

“It is needed in the greater scheme of things.” Lying by omission does not count as a lie.

“Mali.” the amusement was back in his voice. “We both know that will not do as an answer.”

Mal chewed the inside of her cheek. “I will tell you after we are done negotiating this deal.”

“Who is turning things around now?” Hades questioned with a smirk. He leaned against the wall of the cave and crossed his arms. “What’s your end of the bargain?”

Mal moved her cloak out of the way and got the backpack off her back. She opened it and showed it to Hades. “I thought you would like it better than canned corn.”

“Ambrosia.” He nodded, pleasantly surprised at the sight. “I will not ask through what means you got that stock. Did you try it?”

Auradon Prep hosted a few godlings and demigods. They won’t even know it was missing. “Too sweet for my taste.” Mal shrugged, uninterested. She prefered strawberries.

His eyes moved from the contents of the bag to her. “A pretty good bargain offer, if I have to say so myself. But it won’t do.”

Mal tightened her grip on the backpack. She knew he noticed her surprise, but it didn’t keep her from straightening her back and giving him a defiant look. “That’s all you are getting.”

He tapped his chin thoughtfully while nodding to her words. “I see, I see. But Mali, shall I remind you? You are the one who came to me with a deal. If I refuse, you will be at a far greater disadvantage. So maybe reconsider your terms.”

Father of the Year, Mal thought bitterly. There was no way around this. “What do you want?”

“A favour I can cash in at a later date.”

The words took a second to register in her mind. And then Mal laughed. Actual, real, and honest laughter. It took her a moment to regain her composure before squaring her shoulders and looking intently at him. “I am half-fae, half-god. And you seriously expect I let you have power over me with an unnamed favour? I am many things, dad. A fucking idiot is not one of them.”

If she didn’t know better, she would have thought that was pride in his eyes.

“When your grand scheme is over then, I want to spend a day with you. Off the Isle. You can show me around town, have dinner. I would even make Galaktoboureko if I didn’t lose my touch completely.

Mal didn’t even bother to pretend she was not shocked this time, as her jaw hit the floor. Yeah, right, she could just see herself and Hades walking around Auradon City eating ice cream. The media will have a field day and that was the least worrisome aspect of the whole thing.

“You must be joking.” she finally managed to say.

“Nope.” he extended his arms almost theatrically. “Take it or leave it, Mali.”

If eyes could kill, he would have been dead thrice over already, God or not. “Fine.”

Mal absolutely hated to admit it, but she needed him for this. It was the safest bet she could make as of right now. She will do damage control on the deal after everyone was off the Isle. One crisis at a time.

Her dad extended his hand and Mal took it and shocked firmly. “Deal.”

“Deal it is.” he was clearly self-satisfied with the whole situation and it made her blood boil.

She shoved the backpack with ambrosia packs in his hands and turned around. “I will send a message through Celia about the exact date.”

She turned on her heel, ready to leave but a hand on her shoulder stopped her from advancing. “Ah, ah, Mali. You are forgetting something. You have to tell me why you need it.”

Buggering hells. She hoped he would forget long enough for her to leave. A stupid thing to hope for, considering who he was. And considering she was the same.

“We are getting the kids off the Isle,” she whispered. They were deep underground and Mal didn't expect external spies to just linger around in her dad’s hideout but you could never be cautious enough on the Isle. “The distraction is to allow them enough time to get to the transports without being intercepted.”

She turned around, feeling quite satisfied that she was the one who shocked him this time around. It was out now and he knew. Now she just had to hope he would not back out of the deal. Mal couldn’t quite read his emotions right now, as they seemed to move from one to another quite quickly in his eyes.

“You want to make up for being a lousy dad for me?” she challenged. “Then for once do something right.”

Mal held her chin high, staring up at him as if daring him to go back on their deal. Then her expression softened, just slightly. “Do not condemn him to the life I had to live, Dad.”

Hades finally seemed to snap out of whatever inner thought he was caught in. “I was not planning to. I keep my deals. Especially when it comes to you.”

Mal tried to ignore the last part. “Good. Keep an ear out for the message.” She turned around again, forcing one foot in front of another.

“Will do.” there were a few seconds of silence, and she truly didn’t expect anything more. “Good luck!”

Mal lingered on the steps for a moment, just slightly taken aback. “See you soon, dad.”

She moved fast, needing to get out of there before her emotions would overcome her. She was almost at the exit when a small figure dropped in front of her, effectively cutting her path. Mal stopped her pace and waited. The boys’ blue eyes were watching her expectantly. Well, scratch that then.

Mal opened her arms wide and he ran towards her. She was glad she had the foresight of digging her heels in the ground to keep them both from falling over. He hugged her tightly. “Mali! I missed you.”

She hugged him back, mussing his hair. “Hey, kiddo. Did you grow taller while I was away?”

“Well,” Hadie looked up at her and smiled. “I am turning eight soon. Can I see you for my birthday?”

If everything went along with the plan, yes he will. Her little brother will get an actual birthday party with fresh food and a real cake. But Mal didn’t want to get too ahead of herself. What-ifs were still in the equation. She will start planning his birthday party when he will be on land in Auradon, safe and sound.

“We shall see.” she pushed him slightly by the shoulders, looking over him with a critical eye for any injury. She doubted there will be any, but it was a reflex at this point. “Are you in the loop?”

Something flashed in Hadie’s eyes, his voice lowering. “Yes. I will go with Celia.”

“Good.” Celia and Freddie will be with her and it made sense for Hadie to be there too. All magic users and non-humans were going on one transport. She felt just slightly more at ease at the thought.

Hadie was hugging her again, seeming content just to be around her. “Hey,” Mal ran a hand through his hair as he glanced up at her. She hesitated. “I have to go. But I will see you soon.”

Hadie deflated but nodded understandingly. He let go of her and moved out of the way. “Bye Mali.”

She smiled. “Take care, little brother.”

She lifted her hood up and walked away, refusing to look back. She knew if she saw Hadie’s sad expression she might just cave in and spend more time. And she was running low on time. Maybe her mother had been right. Maybe Mal was soft all along, under all the Isle grim and rage. She was not so bothered by it anymore.

Gods, she remembered how much she hated Hadie when she got wind of his existence. It was not even the fact that he was born. But their father chose to stay for him. Choose to raise him. And Mal has been absolutely blinded by rage. What did he have better than her that made their father want to actually parent him? She might have been nine, but she was still a force to be reckoned with and she left her marks on the Isle in her fury. It took a few years before she actually met Hadie officially but when she did, well, let’s say that all the anger she might have held disappeared. And she grew up. She will not blame her brother for their father's questionable parenting choices.

As the Auradon shore became visible across the sea, Mal checked around herself once more. Only the high tide, the Witchwood and herself. Pain and Panic lingering in the shadows of a tree did not count. She ignored them as they tailed her since she left the cave and she wasn’t about to change that now. It wouldn’t be the first time when they guarded her from the shadows either.

Mal took her disguise off, dropping the rags down and pulling a barrier remote out of her pocket. She gritted her teeth. She could do this.

The land was sinking. She did not have to jump, which made it better. Just slightly. The waters were so murky and disgustingly smelling that if she almost didn’t enter. Mal mentally slapped herself. It was not the moment to act like a bratty little bitch.

She raised her hands as she got deeper and deeper into the water. Once it reached her chest she put the remote between her teeth and swam.

It was not going terribly. She felt she had an easier time staying afloat than in the lake. Maybe it was the impending threat of possibly dying if she wouldn’t. She was under the barrier, so it wouldn’t necessarily matter, but it didn’t mean she was fancying the idea. The water was indeed disgusting. Mal hated it, even before she saw how water was meant to actually look like. Maybe it was her inclination towards fire that made her hate it. Or maybe it was because of that one time when Uma almost drowned her. It didn’t matter now. That’s what she told herself as she kept going. Mal could feel the buzz of the barrier growing stronger and stronger as she swam closer. Once she was in what she would consider safe distance, she lifted one hand out of the water, getting the remote and opening the barrier. She swam through the opening, as quickly as she could, but this was getting tiring. She was not used to it after all.

Once she was out, she could feel the magic enveloping her, like warmth from a hearth. Mal welcomed it. The barrier closed behind her and she realised that the sea outside the barrier seemed much more tumultuous than inside. She was still staying afloat, but she wasn’t sure for how much longer she could keep it up. At least the dirt off her clothes was rinsed away a little by the clean water.

“Twist of hand, and twist of fate, leave the ground and levitate!”

Now, this was more of her element. Mal breathed a sigh of relief as she was lifted out of the sea. She took in a deep breath and then extended her wings, lifting herself even higher. The further she was from the waves the better. She allowed herself a moment to soak in the magic. It was good to be back. She could barely believe she swam off the Isle. She will have to tank Ben again for teaching her that.

Mal waved her hand, casting a glamour over herself to ensure no one will see her. She glanced at the sun. It has not gone under yet. She batted her wings and began flying towards the shore. Seems like she would be in time for dinner.

-----------

“Thank you for your votes. And we have an absolute majority on the issue of turning one thousand hectares of land in East Riding in a nature conservation area.” Ben joined in with the clapping of the rest of the Great Council’s members, glancing to the side to make sure Nicolette managed to write all his words in the minutes. Then again, she had been the head of the administration of the High King Office since Ben could remember. She probably didn’t need it, but consideration was nice.

“Is there any other new business, which you would like to put forward?” Ben looked around the room expectantly. Some of the councillors exchanged relaxed looks, but no one spoke up. “In this case, I will call this meeting adjourned.”

Finally, it was over. In retrospective, this meeting has been productive and quick compared to the others. Which wasn’t worth much, when one considered just how incredibly long, overdrawn and incredibly bureaucratic they usually were. Maybe it was the fact that they actually met in person. All the ones he attended as King so far have been online, but with the Coronation on Friday and Family Day just before that, it made more sense for this meeting to be in person. All members of the Grand Council had to be at least at one of the two.

Ben allowed some of the other participants to get out of their chairs first. “Thanks for the work, Nicolette.” he turned to her and smiled as he pushed his chair back under the table. “Have a good —”

“I actually do have something to add to new business.”

The shuffling around the room stopped instantly, all the eyes turned to the speaker.

Ben held in a sigh. All he wanted after a four hours meeting was go back to Auradon Prep, in his dorm, review his notes for the history test tomorrow and cuddle Mal while he was doing that. It wasn’t much, was it?

The people who already got up shifted around, not entirely sure if the meeting will begin again. Ben straightened his back but didn’t sit down again, silently indicating to everyone else to do the same.

“The meeting has been officially adjourned and it shall not be reopened, but you can speak. If it is not something we can solve now, we can include it on the agenda for the next meeting.”

Queen Leah’s glacial stare was not something one would wish to find themselves at the end of. But given he had been the sole recipient of it since he broke the betrothal to Audrey, Ben would consider himself immune to it by now.

“I have been informed that you are taking counsel from one of the villains. I would like to inquire as why you would think that is a good idea in any way, shape, or form. ”

Ben saw the unsure and curious glances passed among the council members but ignored them as of right now.

“I believe you are referring to Mal, Queen Leah. And as far as terminology goes, she is a villain’s kid, but not a villain herself.” Ben gave her a well-exercised cordial smile. “As for your inquiry, different perspectives are always welcome.”

She would disagree, as she made it abundantly clear throughout the past few weeks and she wasn’t the only member to think so. Not only in regards to any of the VK related initiatives but in general. He kept being as diplomatic as possible, of course. But today was really not the day to push his buttons. Ben was tired and his cordialness was wearing thin.

No one around the room moved. Of course, they would expect more than the short explanation provided.

“As you very well know from ruling yourself, policy papers have a long and winding road before they are actually brought before this Council. There are the official consultations, of course, but we all know opinions and advice can be sought from whomever we deem trustworthy with the matter the policy is related to. For example, I asked Prince Chad about some input in one of the issues Cinderellasberg put forward.” his eyes moved to Queen Ella for a moment and saw her nod. “I believe you all have done similar things multiple times when it came to your decision-making process. And as we are all aware, the proposals we vote upon in this Council never required an in-depth look at all the people involved in the process to the smallest degree.”

“I would believe we all would like to be informed when a proposal has her fingerprints all over.” Queen Leah replied with an edge to her words.

Ben could see some people in the room nodding along, Queen Ariel most vehemently. However, the majority of people seemed to be on neutral ground. This was his chance.

Ben continued his argument. “I would like to mention that the past proposals which have, as you put it, Mal’s fingerprints all over, passed with well over two-thirds of the votes. Therefore, if the only problem with a proposal is Mal’s possible counsel on it, maybe the issue is not laying there.”

He waited. If they wanted Ben to spell it for them, loud and clear, he would.

“I agree!” All the eyes in the room turned towards Queen Anna. “If the proposals passed with a clear majority when they were brought forward, then there is nothing to worry about. We didn’t find a problem then, I don’t see why it should be a problem now.”

“Seconded.” Queen Rapunzel nodded.

“And I believe as it is said, thirded.” Merlin gave Ben a significant look. It was after all a good decision to inform him who actually devised the emergency plan for Camelot.

Ben’s muscles relaxed just slightly. He wondered for a moment if Queen Anna truly believed there was no malicious intent in whatever counsel Mal might have provided him or she was simply taking advantage of the chance to put Queen Leah in her place. The latter was making no secret of her anti-magic stance and having a magical sister certainly didn’t help Queen Anna to look at her with good eyes. Either way, Ben appreciated someone else besides him speaking up. It made his arguments seem less biased, especially when they were backed up furtherly. Noise took over the room again, as the rest of the members present nodded along. Some were more reluctant than others and there still seemed to be a few unconvinced looks, but the majority was in favour of dropping the matter by the look of it.

Ben ignored Queen Leah’s intensified glare, as he cleared his throat, to regain everyone’s attention. “Would that be all or are there still unsolved matters?”

There were no complaints or arguments. “Then, I wish you all a good evening.”

He bowed his head curtly and turned around exiting the room. He marched straight for the back of the castle, where he knew the car was waiting to take him back to Auradon Prep. As he walked along down the hall, he allowed a small growl past his lips. His fists clenched and unclenched reflexively. He did not like Mal, or anyone else, to be judged solely for who their parents were. It was not fair. Auradon should be better than this. All the morals of goodness and some people still could not see beyond their hypocrisy. Ben growled again.

“Sire.” the driver gave him a court bow, snapping Ben out of his thoughts.

“Good evening to you.” he really tried to keep his calm. Antoine wasn’t the source of his anger and Ben wasn’t about to make him the victim of it. “As you know, to Auradon Prep, please.”

“Right away.”

Ben got in the car and closed his eyes. He needed to calm down, but it seemed all his resources of self-restraint have been consumed for the day. He tried to focus on the familiar road, but it did not help. Then his phone beeped. Ben grabbed it more forcefully than he would and glared, before noticing the name of the screen.

He opened the message. Jay simply wrote “Princess material”. It was two pictures of Mal, sitting across an armchair, her legs resting on the corner of the table. In the first one, she was gulping down a huge slice of pizza. In the second one, she must have noticed Jay taking a picture because she was glaring. It would have been more chilling if her cheeks weren't puffed from all the food and there wasn’t sauce all around her chin.

Ben chuckled. He missed her, even though it has been only half a day since he saw her last. And he missed dinner, but he knew he will go to his dorm and Mal would be there, ready to assault him with a pillow for not eating before shoving a plate of food in his arms. Ben finally relaxed.

He just hoped she didn’t run his scooter off a cliff or something while he was away. He wondered what she needed it for but didn’t question it, given he was in a rush earlier that day. He remembered maybe too late she couldn’t actually drive it. Maybe she just used her magic for it.

“Huh,” Ben thought out loud. Maybe he should get her one. And make it purple. He tapped his fingers against the leather of the seat as a smile began to form. It would make a good anniversary present.

His thoughts wandered off to Family Day and the Coronation. He couldn’t wait to introduce her to his parents. And the rest of Auradon. He was slightly surprised no one got wind of it already, neither in the media nor among other royal families. A school with so many high profile teenagers would know how to keep the information away from the paparazzi’s claws and he appreciated that. He was surprised no one on the Council brought it up. Leah gave them the perfect chance. Maybe they were indeed still unaware, which would mean none of their children told them about Ben’s big musical extravaganza. Which to some extent, he was thankful for. He would like to let the rest of the world know on his own terms.

Ben smirked, just imagining the headlines after the Coronation. Oh, Auradon was in for a big surprise.

Chapter Text

“Bibbidi bobbidi boo!” the books lifted off the floor for a moment but dropped even quicker and Jane’s shoulders with them. It would not be the first time today.

“This is useless. I am useless.” Mal knew Jane whispered the word under her breath out of reflex, not to gain pity points, so she did not linger on them.

(The thought of cursing Fairy Godmother seemed to become more and more prevalent the closer she got to Jane.)

“Breathe.” she instructed in what was hopefully a soft manner. As Jane finally looked up, Mal held her gaze. “This is wish magic, Jane. The words are least important and you’ll remember, so stop focusing on them.”

Jane nodded, unsurely, but still looked at Mal. “Can you feel the magic all around? Pulsating through the air?”

Jane looked down for a moment, her brow frowned in concentration. “Yes.”

Mal never really thought about the troubles one might have when it came to subdued magic, so she was doing her best trying to explain to the other fae how magic should feel and how spells should be cast. “It feels like something right? A sensation? An emotion?”

“It… it feels like spring showers.” Jane’s eyes seemed to glaze over everything in the room, her head lolling forward. “And wildflowers swinging gently in the breeze.”

“Good.” Mal could not relate, her magic felt like fire most of the time, but magic felt different to everyone. Jane could sense it, and that's what mattered. “Reach into it. Take that sensation, feeling, whatever it is, like you could grab it.”

She still looked lost in space, but her fists clenched, so Mal could only assume she was on the right track. “Bring it to yourself, within you. The sensation is still there, smaller, but stronger. Ready to be released.”

Jane’s fingers were twitching. Mal could feel the shift of the magic in the room. “Let it go, Jane. Do the spell.”

“Bibbidi bobbidi boo.” the words sounded almost trancelike coming from her lips, but Mal could hardly care about intonation. The magic shifted, lifting the books and arranging them neatly onto the small shelf on the wall. Jane seemed to finally come back to herself, noticing her successful spell.

Mal was taken aback about how muted the younger fae’s reactions were. Jane wore her heart on her sleeve, by now she should be jumping around happily. Instead, the only chance in her demeanour was that her blue eyes shone with a determination she seldom carried.

“Bibbidi bobbidi boo.” the shelf and books were engulfed by magic, before turning back to the pens Mal enchanted earlier. Instead of falling to the ground, they flew and landed softly and orderly on Evie’s table.

Jane fell slightly back. “I did it.” The words sounded as if it just drowned on her that she was a fae and could use magic.

“That was fantastic, Jane!” Lonnie cheered from the side.

Mal almost forgot she was there. For someone so loud, she sure knew how to turn herself into a fly on the wall when it was needed. She could appreciate that about Lonnie.

“I did it.” Jane said again and this time her voice cracked, tears following softly.

Mal was taken aback. Tears. Of joy, nonetheless. Such a novel thing. Her Isle side sneered in disgust at the display of weakness. Mal ignored it but stayed where she was, unsure of how to react.

“Oh, Jane.” Lonnie said comfortingly and moved over to wrap her friend in a hug.

Mal looked at the whole scene, a sense of happiness bubbling inside of her. And anger, at Auradon and especially Fairy Godmother, who dared to put her daughter through this. So much for goodness. Mal kept her emotions in check, she didn’t want Jane to believe it was directed at her.

“Good job.” she finally said loudly, a proud look in her eyes. “You are getting better and better.”

It was not much, but it was much more than Mal's own mother told her, so she hoped it counted for something, even if she still had no clue how to stop the crying.

After Jane seemed to be done with drenching Lonnie’s shirt in her tears she got up and lunged at Mal. The Isle instincts almost kicked in, but she abstained from hitting Jane in the stomach. Jane clearly didn’t bother to restrict herself in any manner as she hugged the daylights out of Mal, managing to knock them both to the floor.

“Thank you so much.”

Mal patted her on the back awkwardly. She looked at Lonnie, awaiting some sort of silent feedback. She got two thumbs-ups and a huge grin.

“Hug pile!” Lonnie screamed in delight as she wrapped her arms around the two faeries.

Look, Mal really considered she was getting better with the whole affection thing. But this was maybe a tad too much. Her shoulders tensed for a moment when she heard the door opening behind them.

“I am not going to ask.” Evie stated matter of factly while closing the door with her foot. She walked over to her bed and dropped the rolls of material on it rather unceremoniously.

“So ladies,” she called while turning towards the pile of limbs on the floor. “Want to see your Coronation dresses?”

Lonnie and Jane jumped with a surprising amount of speed, allowing Mal to finally breathe properly. She rolled her eyes fondly before sitting up against the frame of her bed and summoning her sketchbook and pen to her hand.

“So, Jane I did yours first.” Evie pulled a hanger out of the closet and lifted it up, showcasing her work. Jane gasped loudly, covering her mouth with her hands.

Seeing as the younger girl was at a loss of words, Evie continued. “I got rid of all the ruffles and that horrible pink bow and collar. The length was so not advantageous to you so I cut it above the ankles and added an extra petticoat for volume. And you don’t have to worry about the bare shoulders because the bolero will cover them.”

Evie took in the reaction, clearly satisfied with the response. Then she nodded her head, prompting for a verbal confirmation. “Well?”

“It is the prettiest dress I had ever seen,” Jane whispered, clearly still in awe. “I don’t think I ever wore anything that nice.”

“Go on, try it.” Evie passed her the hanging rack and Jane ran - literally ran - to the bathroom to change.

“And here’s yours.” Lonnie was clapping her hands excitedly as Evie revealed her improved dress. “Made the sleeves longer and fitted the bodice better. And I took a tiny bit off the skirt because it was too long for you but not long enough to pool in a pretty way, you know. And cut that dangling string from the obi belt, it did the dress no favours.”

“Let us know how much we owe you for the work.” Lonnie said as she trailed her fingers along the new sleeves.

“Yeah,” Jane finally came out, lifting her skirts enough to be able to walk barefoot. “Anything you want.”

Evie waved her hand dismissively. “Not this time. I would say we are in that stage of friendship where we can do favours to each other for free.” she winked, giving Lonnie a significant look.

“Are you sure?”

“Very.” she pushed slightly against Lonnie's shoulder, rushing her over to the bathroom to change as well. “You can always order something when I launch my dressmaking business in the hopefully near future.”

“Can we order in advance?” Lonnie questioned over her shoulder.

“I’ll keep in mind to add that as a feature before I launch it.” Evie nodded, before motioning for Lonnie to go. “Shoo already, I want to see how the dress looks on you.”

Mal focused on the detailing on a bark of a tree, as Evie and Jane conversed in the background. She knew they wouldn’t be returning to Jane’s lessons anytime soon but it was fine. She made enough progress for a day to be let off the claw.

“Ta-da!” Lonnie said, kicking the door open and twirling back in the room. “I think it is a perfect fit. Thanks for salvaging it and whatever is left of my fashion pride, Evie.”

“Hey, Mal,” Jane called as Evie did a small curtsy. “Can we see your coronation dress?”

“Absolutely not.” “Yes, can we?” Despite speaking at the same time, Evie and Lonnie’s tones could not have sounded more different.

“What she said.” Mal replied pointing her pen at Evie.

“It is a surprise. Not even she has seen it and I still need to work in the last details. It has to be historical.”

“Would be more historical if I just went in my normal clothes,” Mal muttered. “Dresses are useless, it isn’t like it would stop a blade in any way.”

She realised a moment too late that Lonnie and Jane were not used to the idea of everyday clothes resembling armour in any practical way. And they might be even more staggered at the idea of anyone in Auradon, or specifically any royal, attempting to stab her. Mal could get a good laugh out of the mental image, but sometimes, especially on unknown ground, it was better to exercise caution.

“Do you want me to stand with you?” Jane offered, almost shyly. “I can be in the front because mom is doing the ceremony.”

Mal stopped sketching and looked over at them. Lonnie and Jane both looked genuinely worried. “Not needed, stick to the original plan.” Carlos has been going on for days about Jane accepting to go to the Coronation with him, and Mal wasn’t about to ruin the plans over something so trivial as the strategic weaknesses of silk dresses.

“Thanks for the offer though.” she added one moment later. Thank yous said out loud were not common on the Isle, especially if they were genuine and she has been really trying to break the habit of never saying it. “Hey, E, why don’t you show them your dress.”

It worked like a charm. Evie didn’t say a word as she disappeared behind a changing screen only to emerge surprisingly quickly and looking impeccable. Lonnie and Jane were clearly delighted.

“Oh, I love the material.” Lonnie remarked as Evie twirled.

“The colour really makes your eyes pop.”

“Oh, I know. Just wait until you see it accessorized.”

“In the meantime,” Lonnie said picking up her phone. “Pre Coronation outfit sneak peek selfie!”

Evie’s eyes lit immediately and she moved behind Lonnie, ready to pose.

“No, wait!” Jane’s tone was panicked as she tried to escape being sandwiched in between the two taller girls. “If my mom sees this she will notice that my dress is different and she will get mad and have it redone in the original form. Or make me wear something else.”

Mal rolled her eyes. “Just tell her that Evie was desperate for a creative outlet and you lent her your dress out of the kindness of your heart.” she turned her body towards them, imitating a meek innocent tone the best she could. “Oh mother, I could not bear to see her sadness, I had to help somehow. And it would be so rude to not wear it after her work.”

Mal dropped her act and picked her pen back up. “Easy peasy.”

Jane nodded, a glint of excitement in her eyes. The girl was really getting a knack out of the little wicked things. Mal was proud.

“Alright, ladies, no more excuses. Say cheesecake.”

Mal rolled her eyes fondly and the sound of the camera. Glancing back, she could see Lonnie typing something down as Jane went to change.

“Is this okay?”

“Oh, love it. But it is actually ‘magic mirror’. Lots of people get this confused.”

Mal tuned out the conversation as she finished her sketch. Setting her pad aside, she picked her phone. They were still getting used to them and everything that came with it. She opened her Pictagram notification and checked Lonnie’s picture.

Lanhua.li: Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the best seamstress of them all? Hint, hint, it’s @Evie.Queen. Ready to take the #Coronation and the fashion world by storm.

Lonnie was smiling brightly at the camera, Jane seemed to try to hide into Lonnie’s shoulder, and Evie was sending a flying kiss. One could barely see the tops of the dresses, just a hint of colour. Mal gave a like to the picture. She wasn’t particularly fond of Pictagram. She posted maybe four pictures since she got it. Evie was having the lead amongst them, with about fifty posts and a number of followers racking into the early thousands. Which came as a surprise to no one who knew her. She didn’t pass Selfishness 101 atop the class for nothing.

“Hey, let’s go grab some snacks.” Lonnie suggested, distracting Mal from her phone.

“Eh, I don’t particularly feel like eating.” Mal shrugged, she was already full from the lunch but she could tag along just for kicks.

“I saw they have strawberries out there.” Evie singsonged, with a knowing look.

“Are you coming or what?” Mal called over her shoulder already halfway through the door. She ignored the others’ laughter as she began strolling towards the kitchens. Nevertheless, the corners of her mouth went up.

-------------------

Preparing packages for the barges was not such a gruelling task. The first one they sent barely contained anything of substance and it was just her and Ben sneaking off in the morning to do it. They became more substantial as time passed, and she enlisted her gang to help. But tonight was the last package before the escape. The Coronation was in three days time and if everything went smoothly - may their luck not be rotten - the evacuation will be in less than a week. They had to pack a lot more this time around. Everyone needed to be in a well enough shape to move to the pickup points, stealthy and quickly. And if push comes to shove, to fight.

It was pretty good they had additional hands to help. Besides the four of them, Ben has already been there, but tonight there was almost a mini party in the kitchens of Auradon Prep. Mal wasn’t even sure how they all found out.

(Jane heard from Carlos, and Lonnie overheard when she asked Mal if she could join, and Doug simply showed up behind Evie as if nothing was out of normal with him breaking the rules. Aziz and Tyrone simply run into Jay and Carlos sneaking out while they were sneaking back in and tagged along.)

“No perishables.” Evie called as everyone entered the fridge room and began picking things.

Gods, Auradon Prep really had a room-sized fridge full of perfectly good food. She will never get over that. What were they even using it for?

“Don’t take too much, it will look suspicious.” Jay added, his heels digging into the floor to keep the large metal door open.

Taking goods out proved to take longer than expected, even with the pre-prepared lists and Mal just magicking things off the higher shelves. By the time they had everything arranged outside of the fridge and began packing, Mal became really grateful for the extra sets of hands. If it was only the five of them, they might have been there the whole night.

She was putting some canned soup in one of the boxes when she heard it. A rhythmic noise of clump, clump, clump.

Mal stopped dead in her tracks. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, sending all her senses in alert. She locked eyes with Ben for a fraction of a second but it was enough. He heard it too. She raised her fist up. Evie, Jay and Carlos quiet down instantly, everyone else following suit one moment later, noticing the instant change of atmosphere in the room. Mal didn’t speak, just tapped her left ear. The steps were getting closer, no magic enhanced hearing needed to hear them.

A few seconds of listening was all it took for everyone to jump into action. The boxes were unceremoniously shoved behind counters and under tables as everyone went out of sight. Mal waited for everyone else to find a hiding spot, before she crouched under the counter herself.

Ben did not have such concerns, still trying to figure out where exactly everyone disappeared so quickly. He was impressed, honestly. Not that he had time to linger on figuring that out.

Mal hit his leg. She was clearly not amused, motioning for him to get down already. Ben simply brought his index to his lips, before leaning forward against the table and taking a bit out of the chocolate he was still holding. He only glanced up, when the door opened.

“Who goes there? You are… oh, Your Majesty. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, hello, Jaque.” Ben feigned surprise, before shrugging. “Just getting some snacks. Uh, I got crowded with work and kind of forgot to eat since morning. And I’m pulling an all-nighter so I thought a snack might be in order.” he rubbed the back of his neck, pulling the best sheepish expression he could muster.

“I see.” Jaque nodded, turning off the lantern in his hand. “You don’t have to worry about the penalties then.”

“Oh, no, no, no.” Ben straightened instantly. “I know I am breaking the rules. It is fine, I don’t want you to make an exception for me, it is not fair.”

Jaque seemed to ponder his words. Before he could enquire further, Ben lifted up one of the milk chocolate bars laying around the counter. “Do you want some chocolate?”

He seemed taken aback by the question. “No, thank you, I don’t eat on the job.”

Ben simply nodded politely. “How are the twins?”

Jaque’s face immediately lit up at the question. “Oh, very well, thank you for asking. We are thinking of putting Laurie in dance classes, she seems to love it. Estelle is more silent and withdrawn, but she has been hoarding and reading advanced books, so we are not too worried.”

“That’s good to hear. I am sure my mother would approve of the reading.” Ben smiled fondly. “If she likes reading, maybe you could bring her to one of the bookclubs hosted by the Auradon Royal Library, they have groups for all ages and it is free.”

It was one of his mother’s pet projects and probably the one she was most fond of, though she would never admit it out loud.

“Oh, absolutely. We shall look into that.” Jaque glanced down at his watch. “I won’t retain you anymore, Your Majesty. And really, do not worry about the penalties.”

Ben sighed, defeated, but still smiled kindly in return. “Thank you, Jaque. I’ll be back in my dorm soon. Have a good evening!”

“You too!”

Once the steps faded in the background, everyone began coming out of their little hideouts.

“Dude, I didn’t know you could lie so smoothly.” Jay said appreciatively as he jumped out of the pantry after Lonnie. Ben wondered how all four of them managed to fit in there. Must be some parkour skills he was not familiar with.

“Pff, yeah, he is. Try growing up with him and being accused of everything that went wrong, even when Ben confessed he was guilty.” Aziz said with an eye roll. “Ouch, dude, get your knee off my spine.”

As Tyrone apologized, Ben took another bite of his chocolate, to hide a smile. His friendship with Aziz went as far as he could remember and half of their shared childhood memories were mischief related.

“The grass that hides the serpent.” Evie remarked as she walked out of the supply closet, pulling Doug by hand.

Ben didn’t think he was very serpent-like if he had to be honest. “Happens when you have to hold a perfect, flawless reputation otherwise the country will fall into chaos.”

“I mean, I get it,” Carlos said, as he pulled Jane from behind the oven. “Ben could probably set the school on fire in front of me and I would not believe it.”
“Makes two of us.” Tyrone called over his shoulder, as he began moving boxes back into the packaging area.

“I don’t like to abuse my power though.” Ben took another bit of chocolate, chewing thoughtfully.

Mal got up from her hiding spot, placing herself in between him and the counter. Ben smiled at her. Whatever remark about being able to handle himself died on his tongue, as he saw the look in Mal’s eyes. They were sparking with an all familiar mischief that promised the good kind of trouble. He forgot to breathe for a moment.

“I am so into you right now.” her voice was barely above a whisper but Ben heard it loud and clear. Gods, the things that smirk did to his senses.

Mal seemed self-satisfied with his reaction, before snatching whatever remained of the chocolate tab in his hand and taking a bite. “Alright, people, let’s speed it up.”

Ben simply shook his head amusedly, before moving over to help Jane fill a box with dried fruits.

------
Mal watched the barge depart with a scrutinizing look. She knew the supplies will reach the gangs. But she couldn’t shake off the unease. Things have been going so smoothly. It felt like the Fates were about to make everything blow in her face anytime now. She might be wrong. She hoped she was wrong. And if she wasn’t… Mal simply glared at the sky. If those old hags had a bone to pick, fine. They could throw whatever they wanted at her. But if they thought of hurting her people, there’ll be hell to pay.

“Hey,” Ben didn’t have magic but his voice almost felt as if someone put a calming spell on her. “We will manage.”

Mal let her shoulders drop as she leaned her head against Ben’s arm. They sent everyone else off to bed and went to the port themselves, levitating boxes in tow. She was really grateful for that now. She just had a visible crack in her armour. Her gang would never judge her for it, but it was better they don’t see it now. It was not the time for diminishing morale.

Ben squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Come on. You need to rest as much as anyone else.”

Mal gave him a pointed look as they began walking back towards the edge of the forest. “So do you. If you even think about picking up another paper off your desk before bed, I’ll set the whole thing on fire.”

Ben chuckled and pulled her in a side hug as they kept walking. “I won’t. Promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

"I don't doubt it."

Despite her tiredness and the earlier jitters, Mal relaxed, allowing Ben's presence to comfort her. Maybe everything will be fine. Maybe it won't. But they'll manage.

Chapter Text

“Is it just me, or do they look stupid?”

Mal snorted at Jay’s comment. Indeed, Ben was leading a little musical show for everyone in the gardens. It was cringeworthy. She wondered if he had a passion for embarrassing himself in public. At least she wasn’t the target of his latest musical extravaganza. She and her gang were on one of the balconies, looking down upon the events unfolding in the gardens.

Family Day sure was… something. The gardens of Auradon Prep were extensively decorated, tables upon tables were filled with appetizing food and snacks and something that looked like chocolate fountains. Who even came up with that?

“Is Doug beatboxing?”

Mal thought they should stay put until the spectacle was over, lest they were sure not to be pulled into the awkward dancing everyone else seemed to be stupidly fond of doing. But apparently, there was so much second-hand embarrassment Evie could take from her boyfriend before deciding too much is too much. People didn’t flinch away when they entered the crowd, walking around. Maybe they were too caught up with the show or maybe the four of them were looking inconspicuous enough.

...okay, probably not the last one. While the clothes Evie made for the occasion certainly had more of an Auradonian flair than usual, they were hardly blending in. They were the only ones not wearing bright pastels, for one.

Mal grabbed a strawberry as they stopped by one of the tables. Close enough to see the show, far enough to not have to be involved in it somehow. It was almost over anyway. Mal dipped the strawberry in the fountain before taking a bite. Oh Gods, she needed more of those. She should magic a chocolate fountain in her dorm. She exchanged a look with Evie, who was now holding Dude, as their boyfriends decided to finally stop being cringeworthy. Jay and Carlos didn’t even notice the singing stopped, given their heads were quite literally in the chocolate fountain. For a moment she wondered if the aide’s bare minimum attempts at stopping them had to do with the fact that they were VKs or something else. She chewed on her strawberry thoughtfully. If the worst offence they could come up against her gang was terrible table manners, she would wager they were safe for now.

“So introductions today?” Evie questioned, as she watched Ben being pulled away by his parents.

“Something like that.” Mal wasn’t nervous. Honestly. She was just terrified of the prospect of being shipped off to the Isle by King Adam on the last day of his reign because she corrupted their poor innocent son. Or something.

Evie bumped her shoulder against Mal in a sign of comfort. “Thanks, E. Also, shouldn’t you go and tell Doug to never beatbox again in his life?”

Evie snorted, something that would have ended up with her locked up without food for a day, had EQ heard her. “Later. He warned me, between his parents, six uncles and a Godmother, he might not have the chance to spend as much time as he wants with me today.”

Mal was about to make a comment about how family dinners must be fun but didn’t get the chance.

“I want to crawl in a hole and die.” Jane muttered, appearing in between the two of them.

“Oh, honey, makes two of us.” Evie seemed ready to cry because of Jane’s look. Mal had to agree. Fairy Godmother should be banned from clothing stores.

“I look like an accountant who had two divorces and is attempting to still look young.” Jane lamented, making both Evie and Mal chuckle.

Her presence at least made Carlos pull his head out of the chocolate fountain and wipe his face clean. “Uh… hey Jane! You know, uh, I think you look great.”

Mal exchanged a look with Evie as Jane spun around and squeaked. And as much as she would like to pay attention to Carlos’ awkward flirtation to use it as blackmail later, there was something that caught her eye. Ben’s parents looking ready to faint, more precisely. She smirked despite her nervousness.

Showtime.

----------------------------

“Thank you for your time, Your Majesties, Your Highness.”

“Thank you as well. Have a nice day.” Ben said as his parents nodded curtly.

It was shorter than he expected. Family Day has always been blood in the water for media sharks, with so many high profile people in one place. That was why they allowed only one reporter on the premises for a quick picture and a few words from Ben and his parents. And it was always The Auradon Times, the only one of the biggest newspapers which did not run a gossip column. Yet, Ben still waited until the reporter was well out of sight and hearing range before breaking the news to his parents. A big scope was a big scope, no matter how reputable a paper might be.

“Mom, dad, I have something to tell you.” Ben clapped his hands together as he turned his full attention to his parents. “I have a new girlfriend.”

His parents exchanged a glance and smiled, their attention back on Ben after a moment, expectantly.

“She is amazing, I am quite sure she is one of the main reasons why I didn’t die from exhaustion and stress in the past month” he said, half-jokingly. He couldn’t help smiling as he thought of Mal. “And I love her.”

He didn’t really plan on telling them the last bit, but it came out naturally. And he was not taking it back. His parents gaped at him in surprise. Ben couldn’t even blame them. It was not something he ever said about Audrey.

His mother moved forward and took his hands in hers, something between relief and joy clear on her expression. “You look happy, dear.”

“She makes me happy.”

His mother squeezed his hands in reassurance “Good. I’m glad.” She looked on the verge of blinking away tears.

Ben wondered if she was recalling that moment when he crashed into her arms and cried tears of relief after his father agreed to break his past betrothal. He squeezed her hands back comfortingly.

Ben glanced at his father, who was beaming. “That’s wonderful news, son! Do we know her?”

Ben’s smile turned to a smirk, if only for a moment. “Sort of.”

He turned around and scanned the crowd. The purple hair was hard to miss. “Mal!” he called, waving his hand, hoping to get her attention. “Over here.”

She raised her hand, signing she saw him, before saying something to Evie and starting to walk their way. Ben heard his parents gasp behind him and he could guess what their expressions must be. The show was on the road. He walked forward and pulled Mal in a hug.

“They don’t look particularly happy with the news.” she muttered against his shoulder.

“It will be fine, trust me.”

Mal pulled away and smiled at him. “I do. Otherwise, we won’t be here.”

“Shall we?” he offered his arm, almost as a joke. Mal rolled her eyes and took his hand in hers.

“Mom, dad, this is Mal. My girlfriend.”

Mal, for the most part, was enjoying seeing them squirm. As far as she was concerned, the only good thing that the two ever did was bring Ben into the world. And as grateful as she was for that, 16 years of Isle living and garbage eating will not just disappear in the blink of an eye.

“Hi!” Belle finally broke the awkward silence, even though she sounded choked at best. No one’s normal voice was so high. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It is nice to finally meet you as well.” Mal didn’t mean the words any more than Ben’s mother did, but well, she wasn’t about to risk the whole plan by being rude to King Beast and her.

“I was thinking Mal could join us for lunch.” Ben suggested, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Honestly, his parents might need that more than her.

“Yes, of course!” King Beast said, sounding exactly like someone who was suddenly wondering how many ways his food could get poisoned. “Any friends of Ben…”

“Actually,” Mal said, deciding to save herself from the awkwardness. “I came with my friends.”

She didn’t look over her shoulder where she pointed, but she hoped the chocolate fountain was no longer under attack.

“You should invite them then!” Queen Belle burst, almost making her jump back in surprise. “The more the merrier!”

As much as Mal didn’t want to, she agreed with her. Though, her saying went more along the lines of ‘there is strength in numbers. And she was particularly fond of the mental image of the High King and Queen having to look in the eye of some of the kids they condemned to a life on the Isle simply for being born.

“Alright, it's set then.” Ben said breaking, the awkward silence.

“How about a game of croquet before lunch?”

“Sure, game on.” Mal tried to not raise an eyebrow at the weird handshake Ben and his father did. “See you in a bit.”

Mal nodded as Ben pulled her away from his parents, his arm wrapping around her shoulder. She laced her fingers through his. “Have you ever played before?”

“No.” Quinn might have, given her mother was obsessed with the thing, but it never interested Mal.

“It’s not that hard. You mostly just have to hit the ball through the hoops. It could be worse.” he added once he saw Mal’s sceptical look.

“How?”

“It could be golf.”

About fifteen minutes later, Mal decided croquet must be some sort of Auradonian torture because there was no way in all the hells that anyone would actually enjoy playing this. She hit the ball, managing to make it go through the hoop and decided enough was enough. She leaned against the mallet, glancing around. Carlos, the lucky bastard, was busy playing around with Dude and thus, excusing himself from the ball-hitting game from hell. Ben was over next to Jay, explaining something about one of his hits. Evie was busy impressing the King and Queen with her perfect courtly manners. It was a good day to appreciate having Evie in her gang.

“Excuse me.” Mal turned to the voice, noticing an old woman looking at her curiously. “Have we met? You look incredibly familiar.”

Something was wrong. Mal was good with identifying threats and this rather frail old woman was by far not one. Mal could think about at least three ways in which she could kill or incapacitate her with the croquet mallet alone. And she could feel no magic on her. But something was wrong, Mal could feel the warning shivers down her spine.

“I don’t think so.” she finally said, attempting her best to channel an Auradonian smile. “I’m kind of like a transfer student.”

“Oh, I see.” the woman turned to look around and Mal almost sighed in relief.

She began moving away from her, and towards Ben and Jay. The two were fist-bumping and laughing. It made Mal smile. Trust didn’t come easy on the Isle, and she has been slightly concerned with how Jay, Carlos, and Evie might react to Ben’s involvement in everything. But it turned out so well it honestly made her happy. She let her guard down, she barely noticed what was going on behind her. Until she heard the scream.

“YOU!”

Mal whirled around, in defensive position. The older woman from earlier was glaring at her, while Audrey was holding her hand, sneaking a smile for just a second. Oh, of course. That’s why she seemed familiar. It appeared screeching to the high heavens was a family trait.

“How are you here?” the elderly Queen questioned, looking at Mal with so much hatred it was almost impressive. “And how have you stayed so young?”

Had the situation not been so serious, Mal might have raised an eyebrow quizzically. She knew she resembled her mother in her young days. Hells, the resemblance was there even now, but surely she did not resemble her enough to be confused for one another. They didn’t even have the same hair color.

Some people were already gathering around them and if this wasn’t Auradon, she might have thought this will end with a ring fight. Her mind went instinctively in strategizing mood, planning in which order she should take them out. Fairy Godmother should be out first, she had magic, even though she clearly sucked at managing her turf, and then the annoying Charming prince, he did Tourney so he might be more inclined to attack first and…

Ben’s arms around her shoulders snapped her out of her thoughts, the alarms in her mind finally stopping. It was fine. It was safe. It won’t be a physical fight. Evie and Jay flanked the two of them immediately and Carlos was approaching the scene too, Dude in tow. Mal relaxed just slightly.

“Queen Leah.” Ben’s tone was cordial, but there was a sharp edge to it that Mal rarely heard. “I see the travel must have been exhausting for you, I apologise. This is Mal. You surely recall my proclamation to give the next generation a chance.”

Queen Leah glared with such hatred, that Mal might have been impressed, has it not been directed at Ben. “A chance to what, Ben? Destroy us?”

Mal had to bit her tongue to keep from growling, as she felt Ben tense next to her. He moved to grab one of her hands, his right arm still wrapped protectively around her.

“Don’t you all remember?” the older woman turned around, addressing the crowd. “The poisoned apples? And the spells?” this time she looked past the five of them, and Mal didn’t need to turn to see she was addressing Ben’s parents. He looked at them over his shoulders but didn’t let go of her. Mal prefered to keep her eyes on the threat.

“The spells.” she repeated more darkly, her eyes set on Mal with disdain. Fairy Godmother holding onto her hand clearly didn’t do much. “My daughter was raised by faeries, because of your mother's curse.”

The sheer disgust and vitriol used when saying the word faeries didn’t escape Mal’s notice.

“Her first words. Her first steps. I missed it all!”

For someone supposedly terrified of everything magic and Maleficent in general, Queen Leah sure seemed to be perfectly fine with screaming at the dragon’s daughter. Admirable enough, to take advantage of the decorum, knowing that anything Mal would do, would just work against her. She elected to ignore the old’s queen remarks about Aurora. Curses could be navigated around if you bothered to try, but it wasn’t the place nor time to bring it up.

Queen Leah, simply sniffed, turning to Fairy Godmother, muttering something about how she shouldn’t trust them.

“Look -” Mal took a step forward, wanting to defuse the situation as soon as possible, but Chad Charming blocked her way.

“Stay away from her.” he said waving his hand as if he was giving her an order.

It took all her willpower not to roll her eyes. Of course, he was here. Chad Charming has been nothing but vocal about his dislike towards the VKs. They have promptly ignored him, running his mouth around wasn’t worth much. He was probably still bitter Evie proved he was getting girls to write his homework for him.

“Chad.” Ben’s tone was hiding a razor-sharp steel, despite his even voice. She didn’t even protest as he placed himself just slightly in front of her, protectively. “Don’t do this.”

The other prince scoffed. “Seriously? You’ve been acting out of it since they got here, what don’t you get? They were raised by their parents. What do you think villains teach their kids? Kindness? Fairplay?”

Mal bit the inside of her cheek to keep from remarking about how some heroes and villains share a lot, given some AKs clearly haven’t been raised knowing about kindness or fair play either.

“You stole another girl’s boyfriend.” he said and Mal didn’t even bother to keep from rolling her eyes this time.

“You enjoy hurting people.” he pointed his finger accusingly at Jay.

“And you,” he scrunched up his nose as his eyes landed on Evie. “Are nothing but a gold-digger and a cheater.”

Had Ben not held her hand in his own, Mal might have clawed Chad’s eyes out. No one attacked the ones who were hers. No one.

The situation was clearly direr than she could imagine because Evie stepped forward. Evie, who has never been anything short of cool and collected, Evie who always had the best diplomatic solution.

“Mirror, mirror in my hand,” Evie said with an edge in her voice. “Who is the biggest jerk in the land?”

Not much of a shocker, seeing who’s face showed on the glass. Chad scoffed, and made a grab for Evie’s mirror, managing to grab her wrist and almost push her down onto the ground in the process. It was all it took.

Jay roared in anger, lunging at Chad and grabbing him by the collar. “Do not touch her!”

Mal exchanged a quick look with Evie as she pulled her mirror back in her bag, ready to reach for her potion perfume. It took just a second for Evie to understand her, before straightening her back and moving closer to Mal, holding her wrist.

“Jay.”

He immediately let go of Chad and fell back in formation. It has been a while since Mal has used that voice. The one which chills you to the bone. The one that warns someone stepped foot on the wrong turf. Even Ben seemed to tense next to her.

She felt her mother’s dark anger wash over her. No, not just her mother’s. Aeons of fae blood burning in her veins, roaring at her, grief, and loss, and anger suffocating her from the inside out. Don’t be stupid, Mal. You are half fae, half god. Are you just going to let the punny little mortals disrespect you? Burn her. Burn them all.

Mal felt the fire rise in her throat, chaotic, destructive. She put the flame out. She could burn them, of course she could. But what use would that have? It was a no return ticket to the Isle for her and her gang and Gods only know not even Ben could get them out of killing almost everyone present. And while it would bring her immense pleasure to see Queen Leah turned to crisp, Mal had to play her cards right.

Killing people was the power play for the Isle. And on the Isle, Mal and hers were top of the food chain. In Auradon? Not even close. They didn’t come this far, to drown ashore. They had to sing by Auradon’s tune. And while Mal was great at breaking every rule, she was even better at manipulating a situation in her favour.

She took a quick scan of the crowd, and could only pinpoint Lonnie, who looked really to storm over and defend them had her father and mother not been trying to hold her back. Mal gave her a look, signalling her to stand down and let her handle it, hoping she got the message. She squeezed Ben’s hand to convey the same message. He will get it, that she knew.

“Evie?”

“It is fine.” she answered from behind Carlos, who placed himself defensively in front of her. “It still hurts, but,” Evie straightened her back, still holding her wrist and gave a half-fake, half-resigned smile. “I had worse.”

There were uncertain looks exchanged in the crowds. Good. Mal stepped forward. The way, everyone else suddenly stepped back would have been amusing, had it not been beyond pathetic. How very… heroic of them. Throw rocks at the dragon and when it finally roars back, you are the victim. But faery laws were for another time.

“You are right.”

That was not what they expected, everyone’s expression turning from hatred to confusion, while the crowd surrounding them let a few whispers fly before going silent again.

“There is not much kindness and fair play going around when you lock all the worst villains in the world on a little island with no resources and cripple a good chunk of them by closing their access to magic.”

She didn’t let her shoulder slump as she thought of her mother’s howls of rage in the night. Didn’t flinch as she recalled her fingers holding onto the Dragon’s Eye until her skin was paler than bone. She didn’t gulp at the thought of her own throat burning most of her life with a fire that was never meant to come out. She didn’t tremble at the memory of phantom limbs, of being utterly powerless, just a shell of what she could become. It wasn’t the place nor time for weakness.

“Maybe there would be some, I don’t think the petty thieves or people sent there because the association really had that much evil in them, especially for their kids. But I guess we won’t know for sure, after you get trampled to death a few times when trying to get to the trash barges to search for some scraps of food, there isn’t much positive emotion left. Of course, death isn’t really a big deal, you do come back. But you know, all that pain you feel in the process kind of messes up with whatever goodness is there, I think.”

She didn’t try to make it sound dramatic. It wasn’t. She just said it casually, as if it was a perfectly normal occurrence. Because on the Isle of the Lost, it was. It has been their daily reality for 16 years.

(And in hindsight, Hells, was it fucked up beyond belief, but it wasn’t the moment for group therapy.)

“I guess we really don’t fit in here.” she said nodding slowly to herself. “Sorry for ruining the part for everyone.”

She pretended to turn away, before looking over her shoulder.

“Oh, by the way, Chad.” despite her soft tone, Mal’s eyes were ice cold. “I think your grandma would be proud of you.”

Chad seemed confused, and for legit reasons for once. “What do you mean? My grandma’s dead.”

“Oh, right, my bad.” she let her words hang for a moment. “I meant step-grandma.”

She sighed and gave a sad smile. “Sorry. We will leave now, we don’t want to interrupt your family time any longer.”

All four of them turned around to leave, but Mal lingered just a moment longer by Ben’s side. “I’ll see you later. I’m so sorry.” She got on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek, before letting go of his hand. That wasn’t really necessary for the pity party but she could hear both Audrey and her grandmonster’s blood boiling because of it. Was it petty? Of course, but a little bit of pettiness was good for your nervous system.

She waited until they were well out of the reserved garden sector and on a simple bench before she asked anything.

“Evie?”

“It’s fine.” she shrugged, finally letting go of her wrist. “I don’t even think it will bruise.”

“Good.” it took a lot more than some pampered prince’s grip to hurt an Isle-born, but the rest of Auradon didn’t need to know that.

“Jay?”

He simply shrugged. “I’m fine. I just wish I could have gotten to punch the prick, give him a real reason to complain.”

“Another time.” she offered, even though she wasn’t sure when that time would be. “Carlos?”

He shrugged as he petted Dude. “I’m fine. He didn’t even say anything about me.”

“Because there is nothing bad to say about you. You clearly aren’t as evil as the rest of us.” Jay punched his shoulder fondly.

Carlos simply snorted. “It’s called being subtle. Not that you three ever heard of it.”

Chuckles went around the small table and Mal felt the weight lift off her chest just slightly. They weren’t on a ship back to the Isle, and that was the greatest win she could take. Her pride was not doing very well though. She knew the pity party was needed to get them out of there unscathed. But for someone who was used to using fright, threats and brute strength, putting herself in the position of asking people to feel sorry for her didn’t sit right.

“Do you… do you think we will be fine?” surprisingly enough it was Jay who asked.

“Yeah.” Mal nodded. With the information she gave everyone about the Isle, as it wasn’t common knowledge, it should be enough of a distraction. Ben will be able to use it to incline some opinions in favour of Isle-born children.

A silence fell around the table as everyone retreated into their own thoughts. Maybe she should have felt some sort of satisfaction about being right regarding the glaring imperfections hidden behind Auradon’s gold and shine. At the moment, she just felt angry and tired at the same time. She decided not to linger on her anger now, she barely got everything in check, and scorching the patch of the garden now, won’t to them any further favours.

A pair of quick steps snapped her out of her thoughts. Doug was running towards them, absolutely out of breath. He dropped next to Evie, not even on the bench, but on the grass and started speaking in a total frenzy.

“I’m so, so, sorry, I should have been there, I shouldn’t have left you alone, but when the whole thing broke out I was on the other end of the garden and I couldn’t get close before the crowd gathered and I’m so sorry, I should have been there, Evie, God, your wrist, we need to get you something for that, medicine or ice or…”

“Doug?”

“Yes?”

“Please breathe.”

It wasn’t an order but Doug seemed to take it as such. Evie smiled at him, running a hand through his hair and messing it up just slightly. “It is fine, see? There won’t even be a bruise.”

His shoulders dropped in relief, but he kept frowning. “It doesn’t make it any better! He shouldn’t have done that.”

“I know.” she pulled his hand. “Come here, sit by me.”

“We should do something about that.” he said while sitting by Evie. “He can’t just get away with it.”

“I mean if you know a way I can smash his face into the ground without getting in trouble, I’m in.” Jay declared.

“Uh no… but I was thinking.” Doug hesitated for a moment, looking to the four of them. “Maybe if we sneak some laxatives in his breakfast, it would take him down a notch.”

Mal found herself snorting at the idea. Not exactly her modus operandi, but it seemed innocent enough to not get them in serious trouble.

“I’m in!” Jay and Carlos said at the same time.

The planning for the great plot against Chad did get interrupted pretty soon though, as Lonnie, Aziz and Tyrone rushed towards them, arms full of small containers of food.

“Hey, guys.” Lonnie’s voice was less enthusiastic than usual. “We weren’t sure if you managed to grab lunch, so we brought some food over. Mind if we join you?”

There was an exchange of looks between the Rotten Four.

“You don’t have to.” Evie was the one who spoke out, her eyes moving from Lonnie, Aziz and Tyrone to Doug. “We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” Carlos nodded. “You guys should go spend time with your families.”

Tyrone was the first one who spoke up. “I mean, my sister is in the year above us and I see my parents pretty frequently, the Bayou is not that far away.”

“Also, we checked with them before disappearing, if that helps.” Aziz added.

Lonnie smiled. “They got it. Family is important, but so is being there for your friends when they need you. Now scoot over.”

Lonnie’s tone didn’t allow place for argument, not that any of them tried to. The five of them moved around to make space for the three newcomers. The food containers were spread along the table and Mal felt almost content. It felt nice to have friends in Auradon, especially when they were proving to be the bad barge day type. It was more than she could have hoped for when they initially arrived from the Isle.

Mal grabbed a fork and dug into a small box as light conversation began to flow around the table. That’s how Ben found them sometime later and his shoulders seemed to drop in relief at the sight.

“Hey guys.” he called out as he approached. “I’m really sorry about this.”

“Not your fault, dude.” Jay waved his hand as if he could kick Ben’s concerns out of the air. Mal sure wished such power existed.

“Are you alright?” he asked once he was next to the table.

‘All good’, ‘Don’t worry, ‘We got them’ went around the table but Mal knew how to read Ben too well not to notice that the reassurances did little to diminish his concerns. He went around the table and placed his hands on her shoulders. She leaned into his touch as he began rubbing her arms comfortingly. He bent over and pressed a kiss against her temple. “Everything will be over tomorrow.” he whispered and that was a promise if she ever heard one.

“Everyone is taking their leave and protocol has me on goodbye duty. But if you want, I can stay.”

Mal tilted her head and smiled at him. “It’s fine, we’re managing. I’ll come to find you later.”

“If you are sure.” he looked around the table and everyone nodded reassuringly. “Alright.”

He placed another kiss on top of her head before he was off. Mal watched him go away weary of the way his back was still tense and his fists were clenching. Knowing Ben, he was blaming himself for the situation. She dived back into the conversation around the table, hoping all those prissy royals will fuck off quickly enough and allow Ben to retreat to his room in peace.

Aziz was in the middle of telling a hilarious story that involved his mother’s tiger, some foreign dignitaries and a pit filled with cloth dye, before a voice interrupted them.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the Isle degenerates. Couldn’t be bothered to face the truth about yourselves?”

Mal glanced up just enough to see Audrey, Chad and a small group of students coming into the small dining area. She exchanged a look with Jay, before making a small sign on the table. She knew the other four won’t get it but her gang did. It was enough to prompt Carlos to push Aziz to finish his story.

Audrey clearly didn’t like being ignored, which one could figure out if they breathed the same air as her for more than a minute. “What are your four even doing over here. Considering turning evil?”

Chad and the rest of the student group walked over and occupied some of the other benches. Isolate and divide. The strategy was often used on the Isle too, isolating certain people publicly to either undermine their power or paint them as a target.

Good luck trying to make that work here, Mal thought with a huff. The four of them have been isolated since day one, though now they were making a blatant show of it. She knew it won’t work on her gang. Their friends on the other hand…

“Doug!” it was Chad who called out.

Identify the weakest link.

“Get over here, what you really want to hang with them?”

Apply pressure.

“Doug…”

Use an ultimatum tone, clearly indicating future consequences.

“What the hell do you want Chad?” Doug finally snapped, to the surprise of the Prince. “I’m perfectly fine where I am right now.”

And… link stays secured. Mal was glad. She wasn’t necessarily close to Doug, but he meant a lot to Evie, so she was grateful he stuck around.

They fell to silence after that. Mal assumed that will happen. It was a battle of wills now, seeing who will break first, who will snap. They all seemed to find their own distractions. Evie and Doug seemed content to just get lost in each other eyes, while Jay and Tyrone were thumb wrestling. In the meantime Aziz and Carlos somehow managed to improvise a game of tic-tac-toe on an empty plate, using leftover dressing. Mal was content with mentally going through all the foods she would like to try. Her go-to was usually spells, but she might end up cursing one of the pricks behind her by accident and they didn’t need that ammo against her.

The silence continued for long enough that Mal almost thought they might crack soon enough. Maybe she shouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating their perseverance, or stupidity, again.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Audrey and another girl with platinum hair walking towards them.

“How long does she think that’s gonna last?” the Aurorian princess asked almost rhetorically, casually strolling behind her. “Mal’s just a bad girl infatuation”

“Yeah.” the other girl added, leaning over, almost speaking in Mal’s ear. “I mean, he’s never gonna make a villain a queen.”

Mal's nails dug into her skin, almost drawing blood. She did not look up, as the two joined the group behind them and burst into a collective fit of giggles. Cruel. Mocking. Mal has barely been mocked in her whole life and the very few who dared to do it had terror tales to tell after it. She knew she was playing the right game, not giving them any ammunition against her or her gang. But it was doing her pride no favours.

And the idea that Ben might not love her, that she might just be a passing infatuation, hurt more than her pride ever could. It wasn’t true. Mal knew it wasn’t. And yet, the idea still hurt like nothing else she could remember.

You are a dragon, Mal reminded herself, and dragons do not weep.

“Really, Audrey, you are just showing everyone how pathetic you are.”

Everyone’s eyes landed on the speaker, Audrey’s head snapping to her so fast it was shocking it didn’t fall off.

“Excuse me?” the princess put a hand on her hip, her lips curled into a snarl.

Jane held her gaze, her eyes burning with a fire no one’s seen before. She took a few steps forward as she talked. “I don’t think I will. You’ve been doing this for years, treating everyone as if they are beneath you. Being Princess of Auroria sure helped, but that wasn’t really it. It was because you’d be High Queen. You thought you were untouchable. The world was spinning around you. Everyone was either your personal entertainment, your devout admirers, your loyal subjects who could fault you for nothing ever. And the rubble under your feet that you can just strut over.”

Jane moved a few steps forward, narrowing the gap between her and the crowd, her eyes still on Audrey. “But then Ben broke the betrothal and there goes a good chunk of your leverage, doesn’t it?” there was an edge in Jane’s voice. Firm and unmoving. Neither her voice nor her body was shaking. “Poor pitiful little Audrey. What shall she do without the shiniest crown there is? Without the most important throne, she always assumed was hers? Run around creating schemes to prop herself up, clearly.”

At this point Jane walked past the table they were sitting at, standing almost defensively in front of them.

“It makes you feel better about yourself, doesn’t it? Leveraging whatever power you have left, over some weak spirited idiots who will still follow you because that’s what will make their lives easy. Makes you feel better attacking Mal, Carlos, Evie and Jay? Or are you just enjoying the fact that they can’t hit back because it will get them in trouble? The latter, of course. It’s not even pitiful. It’s just pathetic.”

Audrey scoffed mockingly. “And what will you do about it Plain Piggy Jane? Try to spell me?”

The younger girl glared at her but said nothing. Audrey was too busy basking in her perceived victory to notice the way Jane’s hand clenched and unclenched. The silence was almost deafening, the tension between the two thick enough to be cut with a sword.

“She might not.” Mal’s voice was ice-cold as she stood up and walked next to Jane. “But I will.”

The little crowd seemed slightly concerned at that, even Audrey. The screeching bluebird clearly inherited her grandparents’ lack of common sense though. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Mal let her eyes flash, her glare unmoving. “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

Maybe she shouldn’t revel in the small screams as much as she did, but she sure enjoyed seeing the little gang of pampered fools scatter for the hills, fear clear in their eyes.

The noise died down as Jane turned to Mal and extended a hand. “Faery solidarity right?”

Mal actually laughed, feeling relaxed for the first time in hours, as she took Jane’s hand and pulled her towards the table.

“You were brilliant!” Carlos exclaimed and that’s all it took for everyone to start praising her. She was smiling, her cheeks flushed, but she kept her head up. Mal smiled, patting her shoulder.

“I’m proud of you.” she said as they sat down. And she was honest. Jane has come a long way since they met.

“Thank you. I kind of wish I could have spelled them somehow, but nothing useful came to my mind. And I didn’t want to get you in trouble.”

“It’s fine.” Mal was about to brush off her concern when an idea came to her mind. “Maybe not spell them… but unspell them.”

She ignored a few confused exchanges shared between the table. Jane caught her drift and so did Lonnie and Evie judging by the look they exchanged. Mal closed her eyes, clear images of the girls in the small group who had their hair done by her.

“Beware forswear, undo their hair.” Mal waved her hand expertly and let the magic flow out.

They were barely audible, but there were quite a few screams of horror in the distance. It prompted everyone around the table to burst out laughing.

“Well, they never mentioned how long the spell on the hair should last when they paid you for the job.” Lonnie remarked casually.

In another life, the girl could make a pretty decent fae.

“How terrible.” Evie gasped whipping away a non-existent tear.

“And so close to the Coronation when no salons have openings anymore.” Jane placed a hand over her heart dramatically. “Imagine having your terrible hair day being forever immortalized in historical pictures.”

Tyrone snorted. “Ain’t karma a bitch.”

“Nah,” Jay leaned on his shoulder. “That’s just Mal.”

“Cheers,” Mal said raising her soda can. “I’ll drink to that.”

A drop of revenge in strawberry soda really made it so much sweeter.

-----

When Mal entered Ben’s office, she had to pause, if only for just a moment.

Wreck did not do the scene justice. Curtains were thorn and shredded, furniture was overthrown and scratched, and everything glass sans the windows was shattered. The only thing left untouched seemed to be her painting on the back wall. And in the middle of all, Ben crouched on the floor, his head resting against his knees and his arms covered in blood.

Mal made it to him in a few quick steps, the broken items crunching under her boots. Once she reached Ben, she kneeled in front of him, ignoring the broken glass laying around. Her Isle clothes were made to withstand much sharper things. She ran her fingers through his hair soothingly. Ben finally looked up at her, his jaw set and his eyes red.

“I’m so sorry.” his voice sounded coarse as if he has been screaming for a long time. “I should have done something.”

“I told you to stand back and let me handle it.” Mal stated, matter of factly as she reached for his hands. “I think it could have gone much, much worse.”

“I know you can handle yourself, that’s not it.” Ben’s breathing was irregular, sharp inhales followed by quick exhales. “They had no right. It is not just.”

**Something in her soared at his words but the warm feeling did not linger. The blood was his. Mal traced across one of the long cuts, glaring at the shards and splinters etched into his skin. “Ben, why are you sitting like this? They will get infected.”

Ben’s shoulders dropped. “It numbs me. I lost my cool and the beast jumped out and the pain seemed to be the only thing making it retreat now. I’ve never been so out of control.” he looked at her, shame and regret clear on his face.

Mal caressed his cheek soothingly. “Don’t ever apologise to me for having feelings. No matter how negative.”

He didn’t argue back. She pressed a quick kiss on his forehead, before gently grabbing his hands.

“Rivers must flow that blood may not. Blood be bound, and blood be clot.”

Ben looked in fascination as the green energy enveloped his arms, glass and splinters being pulled out without him feeling a thing. His wounds closed without a trace as if they hadn’t even been there.**

“Thank you.” Ben smiled, his fingers intertwined with Mal’s before he glanced around the room. “I guess I should get to cleaning, huh?”

Mal rolled her eyes and waved her hand with a few muttered words. Ben blinked as the room was swapped by magic, everything turning to its original form before his fit of rage.

Mal got up, pulling him along. When he glanced down at her, she glared. “Don’t you ever, ever, again hurt yourself over some imbecile people. They are not worth it.”

“But you are.”

Mal felt a wave of warmth engulf her at his words and the lack of hesitation. He really knew what to say to thaw away her iciness. She smiled up at Ben and was almost taken aback by the intense look in his eyes.

“Mal, will you marry me? Will you be my Queen?”

Now that was not something she ever expected to hear. Mal opened and closed her mouth, not sure how to reply. Hells, she wasn’t even sure if she heard it properly. He could not be asking her that for real. “What?”

Ben seemed to finally proper process his earlier words as if just now he realised he said them out loud. “Not right now, of course. Years from now. When I’ll have a proper proposal ready and a ring.”

She was looking at him in bewilderment. He was no taking it back. He was just clarifying it up.

“You cannot be serious.” Mal tried to laugh it off. There was no way in hell he was actually asking her that.

“You don’t have to answer right now.” he insisted. “We have other things to take care of. But consider, for the future.”

Her ears were buzzing. He was serious. Of course he was, Ben wasn’t the one to joke about such things. She needed to process it. Properly. At some point, when they weren’t in the mids of a plan to get all the kids off the Isle. So she simply nodded.

Ben seemed pretty aware he might have just dropped a bucket of ice on top of her head so he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. “Wanna grab some strawberries before we leave?”

Mal’s eyes snapped to him. He simply chuckled as she pulled him out of the room and towards the kitchen.

-----------

Ben wondered if his chest was really making such a good drawing table. He glanced away, from the poem book he was reading, to Mal. She was sticking her tongue out in concentration, as she worked on her sketch.

“What did you mean when you said everything will be over tomorrow?”

The question was rather sudden, considering how focused Mal was just a moment before. Ben closed his book and put it on the nightstand. Truth to be told, he intended to tell her for a while now, but the chance never came up. He couldn’t exactly bring it up during breakfast or something. But it seemed the time has come and there was no reason to keep this from Mal.

“The crown is enchanted.”

She stopped drawing instantly, her eyes snapping to him. Her sketchpad got shoved aside rather carelessly. She had her full attention on him as she was resting her chin in her hand. “In what sense?”

“I do not know the exact spell. Auradon tends to be quite… messy, with so many kingdoms, times, people, views. You never know what could spark a conflict. So the crown is enchanted to keep that from happening.”

Mal raised an eyebrow, the details clearly intriguing her further.

“It does not coerce people to agree with the High King, of course, but it does keep them from you know, starting civil wars, creating trade conflicts and so on.”

Mal smiled wickedly, clinking her tongue in appreciation. “A loyalty spell. Oh, I am impressed. Who would have thought you heroes mess with that? How come your dad agreed to it? Isn’t he big on anti-magic?”

Ben gave her what was meant to be a sheepish look, but she could see the mischievous glint in his eyes. “He… doesn’t know. The spell was my mom’s idea.”

Mal never had any particularly strong opinion about Belle. Her mother has always been focused on cursing King Beast to all the hells and back, she rarely made comments about his Queen. Mal knew the story, of course, but beyond that, she never gave the High Queen of Auradon much thought. Clearly not something she should make a habit out of. Belle just gained a lot of respect points in Mal’s book.

She hummed thoughtfully. “Should I be worried about the meeting she requested with me tomorrow?”

Ben stopped twirling around a lock of her hair and frowned. “When did she do that?”

“Before you materialized through the hidden passage in the wall, one of those fancy butlers of yours showed up with a note on a silver tray. Literally. It had a bow and everything.”

He simply hummed, almost contemplatively. Mal raised an eyebrow. “Should I expect an iron net to fall on top of me or?”

Ben snorted. “No, no such thing. I actually think it is a good sign. Mom is the reasonable one.”

“Yeah, not a particularly stellar accomplishment, considering who your father is.”

Ben chuckled. “Yeah, you can say that again.”

Mal hummed. “I don’t think I will.”

There were more productive ways for her to use her mouth. She leaned forward and kissed Ben, allowing herself to melt in his embrace. A few minutes later, when they were on a break for proper breathing, Mal broke the silence.

“Ready for tomorrow?”

“No. But I have to be.”

She squeezed his hand. “Is there a specific reason for the passing of the crown to happen at sixteen?”

Sixteen was a magic-infused number. Not as strong as others, but important enough, especially age-wise. With the newfound knowledge about the crown, it might make sense a little bit more. And yet, Mal still found it slightly out of place. On the Isle, being a leader at 16 was normal, especially with a parent like hers. You had to prove you were worth something. Auradon didn’t have that kind of political instability.

“Not officially. I have a theory though.”

“Oh?”

Ben fiddled with her hair as he explained. “I think it is to flush incompetent rulers out quicker. One does not have to wait 40 years of the heir to take over the throne to discover they are unfit for the job. Though to be honest, I always felt like it was set up to make me fail specifically.”

Seeing her raised eyebrow, Ben continued. “The rule of succession is very long and goes from family to family. No one has a born heir at 16, so if I fail, then the next one in line gets the ruling right. There is a lot of pressure to be perfect in general and well, I always did my best. I wouldn’t want to disappoint the people of Auradon or my parents. And let’s say I absolutely did not want Auradon in the hands of the next in line.”

“And who is that?”

“Chad.”

Ben laughed at Mal’s expression of horror. “Don’t worry. Once I am crowned, getting rid of me is gonna be a lot more complicated.”

Mal shook her head. “They’d be idiots to try.” her expression softened as she caressed his cheek. “You are a great person, Ben. You’ll be a wonderful king.”

She might not know it, but her words really did have an effect in lifting some of the wights off his heart. He knew Mal would never lie to him about such a thing. And she was a leader in her own right, h trusted she had enough expertise to make a judgement.

“What about you?” he questioned his fingers drawing circled mindlessly across her back.

She hummed against his chest, before lifting her head. “Well, you told me all I have to do is sit there and look beautiful. So I guess I can’t really fuck that one up.”
Ben snorted. “No, I think that’s the least of our worries. What about the signal?”

Mal’s expression turned more serious. “I got that covered. I’ll just need you to pretend to tell me to wave at the cameras on our way there.”

“I think I can manage that.”

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, and Ben realised as he was dozing off that maybe he should go back to his room. But Mal’s weight on top of him provided warmth and comfort and the familiar scent of forest greenery was surrounding him. He was already wearing his pyjamas, surely it won’t be much of a problem to stay five minutes longer. The logical part of his mind was arguing that this wasn’t Auradon Prep. It was much easier to get caught. And for that logical side of his brain, he attempted to get up. Despite being half asleep herself, Mal pushed him back down with a growl, before proceeding to wrap herself around himself even tighter.

Oh, well, I tried , Ben thought as he turned off the lights, despite knowing very well his attempt was half-assed at best.

He wrapped his arms around Mal and pulled the blanket over both of them. It took only seconds from the moment he closed his eyes to fall into a peaceful sleep.

Chapter Text

Mal stepped into the gardens of the palace with caution. Lumiere, who turned out to be surprisingly pleasant to talk with for an Auradonian, led her to the entrance room of the patio and told her to just walk, Queen Belle should be around there somewhere. So Mal did.

The garden was impressive, even more so for someone who was still not used to all the greenery. The plants were still thriving, even outside the orangeries, despite it being autumn. Queen Belle was pretty easy to find, as she was humming a tune, as she was cutting some chrysanthemums from the bushes and gathering them in a basket. The most surprising part was the light blue overalls and cotton blouse the Queen was wearing. It almost made Mal think sticking with her Isle clothing for this meeting was a good idea.

“Your Majesty.”

In all honesty, Mal wasn’t sure what to expect, especially after the mess yesterday. Belle being pleasant and kind towards her was not on top of the list. Or anywhere on the list in general.

“Hello, Mal. Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah. Thanks for asking.” she added after a moment of silence. Oh, will it be one of those conversations full of useless chattering? Trying to bore your enemy enough to make them snap and extract information from them? She despised those.

“I think you’d prefer me to be straight to the point.” she didn’t wait for Mal to answer. “Can I share something with you?”

Mal nodded stiffly. Was it a secret? How stupid were Auradonian royals anyway, just throwing around secrets to a fae?

“When I was young and lived in the village with my father, I used to run errands every other morning. Well, I was saying that mostly as an excuse to go to the library.”

Mal nodded in acknowledgement, as the Queen dropped her shears in the basket. “The villagers had this song, they particularly enjoyed singing when I was around. I guess they assumed I was too deep into my books to pay attention to them. Sorry, do you wish to walk a little?”

“Sure.” Mal offered, moving to her side as Belle picked her basked and began an easy stroll through the gardens

“The song, it used to be something along the lines of very different from the rest of us, she's nothing like the rest of us, yes, different from the rest of us is Belle. She really is a funny girl that Belle.”

Mal had a vague recollection of some of the thugs in Gaston’s group humming a similar tune when he wasn’t around. Where was she…?

“I have a tiny idea about being outcasted by people for not fitting their mould and expectations.”

…oh.

“I won’t pretend I understand perfectly.” the Queen said as she stopped walking. “But I think I have a decent idea of it. I won’t judge you based on the dispute yesterday. But I do have a very strong term I do not back on.”

Oh, she wanted a deal? Okay, Mal could work with deals. Even if it wasn’t advantageous at first, there was always a loophole.

“I haven’t seen Ben so happy in years. And I do not believe it’s a coincidence it’s overlapping with your arrival. So, I think you got that clause of mine covered.”

Mal tried to not let her surprise show. Her clause was… Ben being happy? Huh. She supposed that was what a loving parent would think of.

“And Mal? I don’t ask you to accept it, but for all it’s worth, I truly am sorry about what you children had to deal with on the Isle. It’s probably our gravest mistake.”

Now that was something she did not expect, even in her wildest dreams. But she was right, Mal won’t just accept it with a blink and a wave.

“Acknowledged.” Mal hesitated for a moment. “But thanks for admitting to it.”

Belle smiled, soft and familial and Mal almost stumbled back. So that was where Ben got it from.

“I shall see you at the Coronation then.”

“Yeah. See you there, Your Majesty.”

“Just Belle, please.”

“Belle.” Mal nodded before heading back into the palace.
--------------

“You look so princely.” Mal’s voice came from the top of the stairs.

Ben spun on his heels. “Well, maybe I sho...u...ld...uh.”

He couldn’t remember the last time when he slurred his words like this. He couldn’t remember the last time when he felt the need to breathe. Air sure wasn’t a necessity when Mal was around, to fill all his senses. She moved down the stairs with confident steps, although, much, much slower than her usual speed. Maybe she was careful because of the length of the dress. Which was total nonsense, because the way her lips were curled in a barely-there smirk told another story. He was all too familiar with that look. She was torturing him on purpose.

“Well, well.” she said teasingly finally walking to him. “Dragon got your tongue?”

I wish, he thought stepping forward and grabbing her hands. He lifted them to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Then he pulled her in for another one but was met with Mal's index finger covering his lips instead.

"Now we both know that won't stop with a peck and ruining my hair and makeup is a sure way to get Evie to want to murder you. And not even I can stop that."

Ben snorted. "Alright, I get it. You do look stunning though. Which isn't exactly news."

Mal rolled her eyes. "Should I wear fancy ballgowns more often?"

"Please don't." Mal preferred more casual clothes and he preferred her to be comfortable. "I do think you look nice in lavender though. I especially love the collar."

-----

The Coronation was a big deal. It was also good business, Freddie noted mentally, seeing the crowd gathered around the small TV in her father’s arcade. She knew why she was watching. Why all the other gang leaders were watching. By the spirits, she might even understand why some random people were watching. There wasn’t exactly constant TV entertainment on the Isle and this could provide an outlet to boo at some heroes. It was the closest one was getting to revenge these days anyway. Hell, some people might actually be interested in seeing the future High King of Auradon. Freddie knew she was. Mal was weighting a lot of her plan in the palms of a pampered little prince.

She, for sure, wasn’t the only one who must be interested in more than a chance to throw things at heroes. Even Lord Hades crawled his way out of his cave and brought his son. The young godling was currently on his stomach in front of the TV next to Celia and among other little rats. Maximizing the capability of everyone to see the screen and all. She was on the right side of the crowd, not quite on the margin, but close enough. Her father was at the other end, chatting with Lord Hades, which was possibly one of the most impressive things Freddie has ever seen.

The screen of the TV turned from the blue waiting screen with the Auradonian Royal Family crest to a live transmission.

“At last, here we are, broadcasting live from the coronation where Prince Benjamin will soon be crowned king! I'm Snow White, bringing you, up to the second, coverage of who's the fairest of them all.”

Alright, that was enough perkiness to make one barf. Freddie tuned out all the fashion discussions.

“Oh, and here comes Ben now.”

The screen changed from Snow White to a carriage moving slowly through a cheering crowd. The Prince however was not what made the room explode in talks and questions. Freddie had to keep herself from snorting. So that’s what Mal meant by letting her handle Prince Beastie. Soul where soul was due, it was impressive.

The Facilier Arcade was hardly the only place on the Isle ravaged by shock, surprise and most of all confusion.

“Is that…” Cruella began as Jafar dropped the popcorn bowl he was holding.

“My daughter.” Maleficent noted with narrowed eyes. “Looking like some sort of…”

“Princess!” the walls of the Tremaine residence almost shook as Dizzy exclaimed in delight, immediately beginning to rant about the dress and the hair.

Anthony found himself disagreeing. Mal was never a woman of appearances, despite being the creme de la creme of Isle society. Which was a laughable description of the Isle system but one took what they could get. She was covered in graffiti paint half of the time, her clothes always more practical than stylish. Quinn and Evie, and even some of his sisters and cousins had way more fashion flair than Mal ever did.

But for once, she was dressed according to her status. She looked very much like a queen should.

If one would step out of their abodes and anywhere near Bargain Castle, they would hear Maleficent cackling in delight.

“Smart girl.” she said almost approvingly, her eyes glued to the screen where the cameras were still focusing on the carriage. “Duping the future King? I knew I didn’t raise a complete disappointment.”

The screen cut back to the presenter, but that didn’t diminish Maleficent’s glee.

“Let’s see who this beauty is wearing.” Snow White lifted a small parchment to read the name.

Her cheery expression dropped for just a moment, as the words sunk in, sadness overtaking her features. She took in a deep breath before plastering her smile back on for the camera with expert skill.

“Evie Grimhilde.” Snow said winking at the camera. “Great fashion sense, clearly runs in the family.”

The Evil Queen regarded the screen for a moment, her hand full of popcorn halfway to her mouth. “Not because of you.” she finally muttered out, though there was almost a smile pulling in the corners of her mouth.

Meanwhile, for once Ursula’s fish and chips shop was filled with silence. For all that was worth, Captain Harriet Hook glanced from the screen at her glass of liquor, before lifting it in the light to check for poison. There was none, which did not make any sense. Surely she was hallucinating the sequence on TV.

Uma stared at the screen unmoving before her lips perked up just slightly. “That cunning little bitch.” she said appreciatively breaking the silence in the room and making the present gangs and crowd burst into heated discussions and speculations.

Beizhan did not care for appearances. She did not care if Mal got herself a ridiculous dress and a new hairdo. What she cared about was the plan and she was not intended on missing it.

The Prince leaned towards her and said something before pointing toward the camera nonchalantly. Mal turned slowly towards the direction where he was pointing. The little fae always unnerved Beizhan more than she liked to admit. Specifically because of moments like this, when it felt like despite the distance, Mal was looking into her soul to find a weakness and she succeeded.

She said something to the prince, despite not taking her eyes off the camera. He answered something back. Then Mal, slowly, rose a hand and waved. It was almost neglectable, really, the way her hand clawed before the wave. Unless you knew what you were looking for, and Beizhan had the word dragon claw burned in the back of her memory since she got the last message.

The time has come.

—----

The magic pulse has been intense ever since she stepped into the cathedral. She knew the presence of the wand and thus Fairy Godmother’s magic was responsible for that. But with the ceremony beginning, there was a shift. The magic in the air was almost… electrified. It made the hair on the back of her head stand up.

She looked as Ben kneeled on the dais, his expression more solemn than she had ever seen. King Adam stepped forward and took his crown off.

Mal let her nails dig into her palm. The magic of the crown was at its weakest point now, with one possessor denouncing it and the successor having yet to take it over. If anyone wanted to create instability now, it would have been the perfect time for an attack. She watched as the crown was placed on Ben’s head and gritted her teeth. Almost there.

Fairy Godmother held her wand forward towards Ben.

“Do you solemnly swear to govern the peoples of Auradon with justice and mercy as long as you shall reign?”

Ben extended his hand and held into the wand.

“I do solemnly swear to govern all of my people with justice and mercy as long as I shall reign.”

There was a ripple in the magic, which almost made Mal step back. A magic oath with the fates of all of Auradon connected to it was bound to be powerful. She wondered for a moment if non-magic users could feel it too, but didn’t bother to glance back. Her eyes were on Ben.

“Then it is my honor and my joy to bless our new king.” Fairy Godmother waved the wand in a sealing motion.

The magic in the air shifted just as Mal felt all her muscles detense. It was done. Finally. Ben was now High King of Auradon, no interruptions and no contestations. And a magic seal that strong was almost impossible to break.

Ben stood and turned towards the crowd with a smile, more joy this time around.

“King Benjamin,” the Fairy Godmother announced. “Long may he reign!”

The tall stone walls of the cathedral echoed with the crowd’s ‘Long may he reign’.

“Long may he live.” Mal whispered with a sharp handwave, her words lost in the echoes of the crowd beginning to clap and cheer. This was the closest thing to a faery blessing that she could do without drawing attention to herself. She felt slightly airy. There was a shift in the magic with the change of the Crown. It felt lighter but more intense at the same time. Could static magic react to the High King? She should look into that.

Ben took a few steps forward, stepping off the podium. And then he stopped in front of her. He didn’t budge from his original path in the middle of the cathedral, but he turned his body towards her and extended a hand.

He was breaking the protocol. He sat her through the whole plan of the ceremony multiple times. After the coronation and the oath, he was meant to walk out of the cathedral so the crowd can see him. Prince Ben walked in. King Benjamin will walk out. And a valet will guide her through one of the side exits back to the carriage. But not anymore.

He was making a statement, loud and clear. Because when the cathedral's doors will open, everyone in Auradon will see the new King. The future of the kingdoms. But now, they will see her, the daughter of the worst villain in the land, by his side. He was making a point about their relationship, but it was more than that. It was a point about the future of Auradon. A future where the King welcomed the VKs. This was, as Evie would put it, for the history books.

Unless she didn’t take his hand. Not an option, especially not when her fae blood was singing with delight at the chaos which set over the room.

She smiled in a way that she rarely did as she walked forward and took his hand. Happiness was radiating off Ben as he guided her towards the door. Mal lifted the hems of her skirt with her free hand, to ease her walking. She made a point to not look at the passing faces on the side of the hall as people curtsied when the two of them. The crowd was trained enough to not start chattering, but she knew Ben’s power move rattled them to the bone. She could feel the shock, curiosity and even fear in the air.

As they were passing close to the balcony Mal glanced up. Crowded at the front her gang was grinning from ear to ear. Jane and Lonnie in particular looked one step away from screaming in joy, had it not been for the decorum still left to maintain. They all curtsied as Mal and Ben passed, though it looked half-joking coming from them.

The doors of the Cathedral were opened, and the sudden burst of the sun almost blinded her. She looked at Ben who smiled down at her before they stepped into the light. The crowd exploded in cheers before they were even completely out of the building. There were confused looks among the crowd at seeing Mal along but it hardly made a difference in the air of enthusiasm and joy in the air.

She gave Ben a nudge forward with her hand. Smiling at her, he took a few steps forward and waved. Mal joined in the clapping and cheering of the crowd

There were so very few things one could be sure of in the universe, Mal thought as Ben placed a hand over his heart and bowed to the crowd. But here was one she knew for sure. Ben will be a wonderful king.

—--

The TV stream cut out after King Benjamin was announced now switching to Snow White and another person discussing the aftermath in a crowd.

Freddie already tuned her out. She sneaked a glance at her father, who caught her eye just in time. He heard it too. And so did Lord Hades, but the God seemed more concerned with setting the TV on fire with his eyes than thinking about magic oaths. It was a slight tweak. “All of my subjects”. By all accounts, it was insignificant. Replaceable. A perfectly normal slip one might make in a highly emotional or stressful situation.

But not to the ears of someone who made their living by twisting words and reinterpreting sentences. Every word mattered. The way in which you said it mattered. And Prince Beastie just changed his oath, a magic one at that, on purpose. If only she could figure out to what end.

Something future her can handle. For now, she had a duty to focus on. Three days from now, when the convocation calls began, the waters will carry them to freedom. And Freddie could only work, prepare, and hope the spirits are smiling on them.