Archive of Our Own

“You look gorgeous, M,” Evie beamed over Mal’s shoulder as they looked at each other in the mirror. Mal was always gorgeous, but Evie had really outdone herself with this dress. Seeing her design go from sketch to fabric never got old. The ball gown's skirt was made of flowing white satin, layered with lilac tulle that matches her veil. The bodice was Evie’s favorite part; the dark purple shimmering chiffon curtained perfectly over the skirt. She used the same for the sleeves, though she left the cut over her shoulders and collarbone sheer. It was the perfect blend of the Isle and a Royal Wedding for Mal.

“Thanks, E,” Mal smiled back, trying not to get as teary-eyed as her Maid of Honor was. “So do you!” She added, causing Evie to laugh. Mal’s original plan was to let her bridesmaids wear whatever they want as they stood by her at her wedding, but Jane, Fairy Godmother, Belle, and even Evie decided that wasn’t the best look for a Royal Wedding. Instead, Evie designed these simple, silky lilac dresses that Mal had to admit were excellent for the occasion.

Mal turned around to face the others, Belle, Jane, and Lonnie’s jaws dropping at the sight. Mal twirled and cheered as everyone commented on how stunning she looked. She felt it, too; Evie’s dresses always made her feel like she belonged when her head tried to convince her that she didn’t.

“It’s almost time!” Belle cheered, joining hands with Mal. “I am going to go check on the boys. I’ll see you out there.” She blew Mal a kiss before heading out the door. 

“And I’m gonna go grab some waters. We need to stay hydrated!” Lonnie sang, heading in the same direction as Belle.

“Okay, I’m gonna give you a minute, too,” Evie said, taking a deep breath and drying some happy tears before they fell. Her best friend was getting married. It was a lot to take in. “I have to go get the bouquets anyway!”

She left her friend to prepare for the big day, knowing Jane would be right there until she returned, in case anything went wrong. Jane had basically planned the entire thing, so she knew she could handle any last-minute mishaps.

Evie wandered the large venue’s halls, trying to remember where Jane had said the bouquets were vased. She turned a corner sharply and nearly crashed into another, lighter, shade of blue.

“I’m so sorry!” Evie exclaimed, recognizing Uma’s face. “Maid of Honor duties calling,” she joked.

Usually, Uma would have made some effort at a comeback, but she just huffed in response, with a small excuse of a smile. To be honest, Uma wasn’t really sure why she accepted the invitation to the wedding; she knew it would be a bad idea. But somehow Harry had convinced her that it would be fun, and Gil was going anyway, and a captain should never leave her crew behind, right? So she agreed, and it made sense to act like everything was normal when it was, in fact, not normal. And now Uma was too busy having a pity party to watch where she was going and ran directly into one of the two people she was trying to avoid.

Evie’s cheerful presence was not what she wanted right now; it ruined her plans of sulking through the ceremony. But then she looked up and saw Evie’s face turn from excitement to worry, and she felt bad for maybe being a teensy bit dramatic. Evie probably didn’t even know. Uma doubted she would let this wedding go on if she did.

Evie pondered her demeanor for a moment. “You alright?”

She hadn’t talked to Uma in a few days but would consider her a friend. They had grown relatively close since the closing of the barrier nearly a year ago. Uma had been left out of the wedding prep, though, given the rivals-to-relationship-to-rivals thing she and Mal had going on.

Now, though, Evie considered Uma and Mal to be friends, or at least a few steps above acquaintances. Uma wasn’t a bridesmaid, that would be awkward, but she was part of their friend group enough to have gotten an invite to the wedding. And the bachelorette party, thanks to Evie, which was quite a blast, she must admit.

Uma just smiled and nodded, adding something about Harry Hook. She was probably looking for him; despite their close relationship, he was never far from doing something reckless to upset Uma. Evie was smart enough to know there was more to the story, but she didn’t have time to get to the bottom of it. So she flashed her a smile and patted her arm as she squeezed past her in the hallway, noting that she would find her later at the reception.

What was she looking for again? Right. The bouquets. She ducked into another room and took the fresh flowers out of their vases.

“Hey there,” she heard a familiar voice from behind. She turned to see Ben’s Best Man in a royal blue suit, much like Ben’s without the gold family crest on the chest. Something about seeing him in her favorite color gave her butterflies.

“Well, don’t you look handsome,” she smirked as she sauntered over to him.

“Don’t look so bad yourself,” he countered, wrapping an arm around her waist once he was close enough, leaning in for a quick kiss, but she stopped him.

“I love you, but I cannot mess up this wedding makeup. It took hours .” She groaned, a hand on his shoulder. “I already looked washed out in this dress as it is.”

Mal’s bridesmaid dresses were a lovely shade of lilac, the dress's silk material making it appear even lighter against Evie’s fair skin. She loved the shape of the dress, though, with its thin straps and mid-length seam. She had decided she would make these dresses again in other colors one day soon, like the royal blue she would be wearing to the reception.

“You look incredible, as always,” Doug reassured, causing a slight blush across her cheeks as she smiled.

“Such a charmer,” Evie muttered as she brushed her thumb across his cheek and blew him a kiss into the air. She handed him her bouquet for a moment so she could straighten his tie. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have to get all the flowers to the girls.”

“Do you need any help?” He knew she must be overwhelmed with all the planning that had gone into this day, now that it was finally here.

“Nope!” Evie called as she turned to make her way back to where she had been getting ready.

“Save me a dance?” He asked her as she walked off.

"I'll think about it!"

"Okay, okay, watch your step," Jane cautioned as she and Evie guided Mal through the hallways.

"Evie, I love this dress, but maybe you should consider making ones that allow me to see my step..." Mal added, wobbling as she tried not to trip over the fabric.

"That's what we're here for," Evie responded lightly, holding Mal's arm in one hand and the train of her dress in another. 

As they rounded the corner, the boys who were lined up outside the large doors rushed over to help. Soon enough, Mal was ready to walk down the aisle, standing by Hades' side.

"Oh man, I really didn't want to cry today," Carlos piped from his spot at the front of the line, looking back at Mal and getting a little teary-eyed. Jane rubbed his arm in support.

"We all knew you were going to cry," Jay admitted, Lonnie nodding ferociously beside him. 

Doug could tell Jay was holding back some emotions, too. He patted his shoulder. "For the record, we all knew you were going to cry too."

The group laughed. "Shut up," Jay scoffed lightly.

"You guys..." Mal croaked, getting emotional as well, everything beginning to feel real. "Thank you all for being here..."

"Are you kidding?" Carlos chimed. "We wouldn't miss it for the world." Jane, Lonnie, and Jay echoed Carlos' sentiments, while Evie squeezed her best friend in a hug, careful not to wrinkle her creation. 

"I love you, M," Evie squealed as Mal hugged her back. 

"60 seconds!" Someone called from around the corner, warning them to get back to their spots.

Evie stood back to admire Mal once again. She cupped her chin and grinned, "Now, you've got this!"

"For the record, we all know you're going to cry more than her on your wedding day," Jay whispered to Doug in a mocking tone, grinning at the shade of red that started to appear on his friend's face. He received an elbow nudging him back to his placement in response.

"Oh no," Evie worried, tapping her fingers under her eyes to catch any leaking tears before they stained her face. "Did I ruin my makeup?!" She turned to Doug for his approval.

"Not even a little bit," He smiled, offering her his arm and sneaking a kiss to her head as she snaked her arm through his. 

The large double doors flew open and organ music started bouncing off the castle walls as the group slowly began stepping to the slow-paced beat. 

“Ben, where do I even start?” Doug laughed, beginning his speech to the crowd. “I feel like I’ve known you for way too long…”

Uma started to zone out, no offense to the Best Man. She was sure he was going to add life back into this party after Evie’s teary-eyed speech about the bride. It was sweet, sure, but what felt like a complete retelling of Mal and Ben’s entire relationship brought Uma’s mind back to a dark place.

She had been so angry when Ben brought those original four over from the Isle. And then, to top it off, Mal ended up falling in love with him. At the time, it seemed like such a twisted revenge plan to get back at her.

Uma knew better than that now, of course. Things had shaped up just fine once she stepped in, and now Auradon and the Isle of the Lost were one. And Mal was going to be queen, which she had ultimately come to terms with. She’d spent enough time around Mal and Ben this past year to know that they were actually kind of fun to hang out with. The same goes for all of the other Auradon folk that Uma once despised.

But, yeah, she had totally gotten over the whole Mal thing… until the bachelorette party. She tried not to think about it; now was not the time or place. She rubbed her temples, trying to get rid of the headache she knew was forming, opening her eyes just in time to notice Mal looking in her direction. 

Uma quickly looked away, back towards the speaker, which was now actually Ben’s dad. She straightened her posture and decided she was going to do a better job of pretending to listen. Next to her, Harry Hook seemed to be getting a kick out of the speeches, not even noticing Uma being completely lost in her thoughts a moment earlier. She hoped Mal hadn’t noticed either.

But Mal noticed, alright. She hadn’t been able to stop noticing Uma all day. It was like everywhere she turned, Uma was right there. She passed her in the venue's hallway multiple times when she lined up to walk down the aisle. Her teal blue braids even caught Mal’s eye while she was standing at the damn altar. And now, she couldn’t even listen to the speeches about her husband because Uma had her attention yet again.

This was her wedding, Mal had to keep reminding herself. She did not need to be preoccupied with anything but Ben. Sweet King Ben. She turned back to see his goofy smile plastered to his face as his father spoke so highly of his time as King. Mal knew it meant a lot to him.

She wanted to blame it all on Evie, forcing them to set aside their differences to become friends again. And, well, they did set aside their differences, perhaps a bit too much. Nevertheless, she knew it wasn't fair to blame it on Evie, her wide grin ever present when she gave a teary-eyed speech about how much Mal meant to her. Evie was truly trying to do what was best for Mal with this one, but somehow it felt like it had ruined everything. Or, well, that she herself had ruined everything. She sure hoped she hadn't.

“Don’t you just love love?” Evie sighed as she watched her best friend have her first dance as the official Queen of Auradon. It was crazy to think about how far they had come.

Uma scoffed from her spot sitting next to Evie. “You are something else, princess.” Uma still found it weird to be at her Ex’s wedding, but she and Mal had come a long way until, you know, recently. What Evie didn’t know wouldn’t kill her.

Evie lightheartedly rolled her eyes at Uma’s condescending use of the word princess. Evie knew she cared more than she ever let on.

“May I steal the Maid of Honor for a dance?”

Evie turned to see her favorite familiar face behind her, offering out his hand. She’d been running all over that place that she hadn’t really seen him since she slid into line next to him just in time to walk down the aisle.

“Well, I was actually saving a dance for somebody else, but I suppose I could squeeze one in with the Best Man...” Evie teased as she accepted his hand, ignoring Uma’s rolling eyes again as she followed a chuckling Doug onto the dance floor.

He bent his elbow holding her hand upward as they swayed to the soft music, placing his other hand on her back. Evie snuck her free hand behind his neck, twisting a few pieces of his freshly-cut hair between her fingers as others began to dance around them.

“I think you win the award for best speech of the night,” Doug flattered, knowing Evie had a way with words. “Not a dry eye in the crowd.”

Evie laughed. “Please, everyone was laughing when you told those stories about Ben as a kid.”

Doug chuckled at Evie’s comment. His speech did have a fair bit of humor for the audience. “I still think I need more practice if I want to out-speech you in front of our own friends and family one day.”

“Oh, you definitely do,” Evie agreed with a slight blush and a smile. “I was just being nice; my speeches are pretty hard to beat.”

Doug blushed as well, realizing what they were really saying. They had talked about their future before, but he still wasn’t trying to rush anything. However, he would’ve been surprised if it hadn’t come up at their friend’s wedding.

Looking at Evie, he was so much more than content. Her blue hair was still in the wedding updo, reminding him of that crazed cotillion a few years ago. They had barely started dating, and nerves consumed his entire body that night as he mustered up the courage to ask her to dance. Amid eternal chaos, might he add. 

“I love you.” He blurted like it was the first time.

Evie’s wide grin spread across her face, wondering what he had been thinking, wrapped up in all the emotions of the day. “I love you,” she repeated, sliding her arm around his neck further to close the small distance between them. Her wedding makeup didn’t matter anymore. She pressed a kiss to his lips before moving her head next to his, their cheeks brushing together as they swayed back and forth. Doug kissed her collarbone in response, holding her close without any intention of letting go.

“Whatcha doin’?” Celia asked as she approached Dizzy, who was sitting alone at one of the extravagantly-decorated tables.

Dizzy had her elbows on the table, propping up her head as she watched the dance floor fill. She had a good view of Evie, watching her smile widely at something Doug had said. Evie looked happy, Dizzy noticed; It wasn’t an emotion she saw a lot from Evie on the Isle.

Still, though, all the couples on the dance floor reminded her of her lack of a love life. “Waiting for my prince to come, as some would say.”

Celia snorted. “Haven’t you spent enough time with Evie to learn that you don’t need a prince? I swear she turns everything into a life lesson... oh and now look at me, I’m doing it too.”

Dizzy laughed, thankful to have Celia as a buddy. It made her transition to Auradon Prep much easier.

“What do you say we just go dance?” Celia asked, trying to hide the few nerves that formed butterflies in her stomach.

“Just the two of us?” Dizzy clarified, and Celia nodded. “Sure,” she smiled, getting up and following Celia to the dance floor.

“Well would you look at that,” Harry remarked next to Uma and Gil, watching Celia and Dizzy dance from afar. “Kids got game.”

Uma and Gil nodded in agreement as Jay approached the three of them.

“What? Why aren’t you guys dancing?” He exclaimed over the music that had switched to some more upbeat tunes.

“I don’t dance,” Uma remarked. Harry had looked excited about Jay’s request until she said so.

“Well, you’re missing out then,” Gil noted, getting up from his seat and walking towards Jay. “Jay’s a great dancer.”

“Thanks, man,” Jay blushed, tossing an arm around Gil and turning him towards the dance floor. “Feel free to join us!” He called behind him to Uma and Harry.

Harry let out a laugh as he watched the two head towards the dance floor. They had just returned from traveling the world together not that long ago. Gil swears they're not official, but they sure seem to be, and Harry is beyond happy for them, really. He is just glad to have Gil back; it hadn’t been the same without him.

Just as Jay and Gil disappeared in the crowd, he saw Audrey appear, looking at him from afar. She flashed him a knowing smile, and he couldn't help but smile back. He turned towards Uma, noticing the still sour look on her face.

“Are you planning on joining in on the fun, or am I gonna have to leave you here to sulk?’ Harry questioned, earning an eye roll from Uma.

“You know I don’t dance, Harry.”

“Just think it would be fun,” Harry shrugged, beginning to get up from his seat. “Mal’s not gonna notice you from way over here,” he smirked, heading to the dance floor before Uma had the chance to kill him. She kind of regretted telling him about the bachelorette party after it happened.

It’s not like she had any intentions of something happening between her and Mal that night. When Evie invited her, she thought it would be fine. Just a fun night with the girls, nothing special. Honestly, she was just happy to be included.

But, a few drinks later, Uma and Mal were giggling about old Isle memories on the balcony of their hotel room, where Jane, Lonnie, and Evie were already passed out in the beds. After their reminiscent laughter had died down, Mal added that sometimes she missed the lack of responsibility and getting into the mischief that the Isle had to offer.

It was a nice sentiment, but somehow it led to Mal tearily spilling her guts about how unsure she was about being a Queen and marriage at such a young age, and she hadn’t even known Ben that long and the next thing Uma knew, Mal was kissing her. Like really kissing her, and for a moment, it was like they were back on the Isle, ducking between alleyways to meet up without anyone knowing. 

Neither of them stopped it from happening, but as soon as Mal pulled away, she started apologizing and cursing, mostly cursing, blaming it on everything she had drunk that night (which really wasn't too much). Before Uma even had a chance to form thoughts or words, Mal had fled the room.

She waited up for a little, to see when Mal would return, but she eventually fell asleep. By morning, Mal had returned and was cuddled up next to Evie, like she had been there the whole time. 

Mal avoided Uma's eye contact that morning, and the few times they saw each other in the months following until now, and well, Uma wasn't planning on bringing that night up any time soon.

Uma was silently grateful for Evie plopping down in the seat next to her, wanting her trip down memory lane to disappear. Doug followed close behind, tossing an arm over her shoulder as he sat beside her.

“My feet are killing meeeeee,” Evie groaned.

Somewhere between the dancing, they must’ve downed some more drinks, as evidenced by Evie’s hiccups and giggly behavior. They were both slightly more exaggerated versions of themselves when drunk, Uma noticed. Evie was an emotional drunk, which she had witnessed many times before this; whether the tears be happy or sad, there were always tears. Doug seemed to be a happy-go-lucky drunk; his wide grin and loving stare at Evie was way more obvious than usual, which she didn’t even know was possible.

“I need whatever you guys had,”  Uma remarked, chuckling genuinely for the first time all night.

“Coming right up!” Doug cheered, heading towards the bar to grab her one.

“It’s strong,” Evie added, grimacing at the thought. “You’ll like it.”

Evie was right, whatever it was was strong, and it did just the trick. Uma was talking and laughing and forgetting that she was at her-ex-who-she-might-still-have-feelings-for’s wedding. 

Uma hated to admit that hanging out with Evie and Doug out of all people cheered her up, but laughing with Evie as they people-watched from afar was a blast. She was a little meaner under the influence, a side to her Uma hadn’t seen since they were part of a turf-war on the Isle. They critiqued outfits of the stuffy royal guests left and right, and when that got old, Evie started talking about what she would do differently at her wedding, which of course, caused Doug to blush. Though she could have done without their mushy-gushy commentary at times, her drink was strong enough to stomach it, and it was exactly what she needed to take her mind off Mal.

The dance floor started to clear out a bit, the overall vibe in the room slowing down with the music. Uma watched the dance floor closely for their next victim, but instead, her eyes wandered back to Mal, who swapped her now-husband out for her father, Hades. 

Uma wasn’t the only one watching them this time, however, as she noticed Evie fixated on Mal and her dad as well. Evie let out a sigh, her head falling onto Doug’s shoulder, who somehow seemed to know already it was coming. She continued to keep her eyes on the dance floor, but she listened closely to hear what was on Evie’s mind.

Evie huffed from her position, laying on Doug’s shoulder, hoping the tears she felt welling would fall back into her eyes. She hated feeling like this, but the talk of her own wedding earlier and seeing Mal with her dad and the number of times she had traveled to the open bar and just sheer exhaustion from wedding preparation was the perfect recipe for all her overwhelming emotions. 

She liked Hades, and of course, she’d do anything for Mal, and Mal deserves to know and have a good relationship with her father. It’s just that sometimes, Evie remembers that she deserves it too.

Doug kissed the top of her head, rubbing her arm in support. He knew what she was thinking, based on the direction of her stare and conversations they’d had before. Evie never talked about her father. There wasn’t much to talk about; she didn’t know who he was, so there wasn’t anything more to discuss. But on the rare occasion she did bring up her father, or lack thereof, Doug was always ready to listen.

Uma couldn’t make out what Doug whispered in Evie’s blue hair, but she heard what followed.

“It just sucks, you know?” Doug nodded in agreement with her words, causing a few pieces of Evie’s hair to loosen from its updo.

It was then that Uma finally connected the dots, and she fully understood what Evie was feeling. Just, without the thoughts of her own marriage. “Dads are overrated, Evie,” Uma added, seemingly shocking the both of them. “We don’t need ‘em.” Uma raised her near-empty glass towards Evie when she finally looked up.

Evie cracked a smile, taking her once-full glass and mimicking Uma’s toast before trying to get the last remaining drop in her cup. Uma returned the smile with one of her own, knowing Evie appreciated her attempt to cheer her up.

And Evie did feel better for a moment, swallowing what was left of her drink and the bitter emotions she was feeling. Now wasn’t the time. Were these feelings going to resurface when she returned home? Probably. But Uma was right. They’re overrated.

“Mind if I…” Ben started, gesturing for Mal’s hand when he noticed she had stopped dancing with Hades. 

“She’s all yours,” Hades smirked, his smile turning into a warning glare when Mal looked away. He never got tired of making King Ben squirm.

Mal chuckled as she resumed her slow-dancing position with Ben. “I don’t think I’ve ever danced this much in my entire life,” she recalled as they swayed back and forth. It was probably true, though she wasn’t quite sure, and she had somehow ended up at plenty of fancy balls since she moved to Auradon. At the moment, she was extremely grateful for Evie designing a shorter, lighter dress for the reception. She couldn’t imagine dancing in the large gown she was wearing earlier.

“Better start getting used to it, My Queen,” Ben cooed, causing Mal to scrunch up her nose but blush nonetheless.

“Dancing with you, I can get used to,” she admitted. “But being called Queen might take some more time…”

Goosebumps traveled up Mal’s spine from the vibration of Ben’s chuckle against her neck. She closed her eyes as they slowly spun around. When she opened them again, she was facing the guest tables, at which Evie, Doug, and Uma were seemingly having a lot of fun. She smiled, though she wasn't sure they would see it from afar. Once again, she felt a slight pang in her chest looking at Uma, her bright smile contrasting her gorgeous dark skin.

She hoped Ben didn't notice the literal shake of her head from her trying to make the thoughts go away. If he did, he didn't have time to comment on it before she pressed her lips to his, pulling herself back into the moment. He whispered an “I love you” against her lips.

She rested her head on his chest now, hiding from the world. One thing she loved about Ben was the comfort he provided her. And she did love him, she was sure of that. Unfortunately, she was also sure that things between them and her time as Queen were going to be a lot more complex than she originally thought.

The rest of the night was uneventful, after the sparkling sendoff celebrating the newlyweds. Doug dried Evie's happy tears as she waved off her best friend, now Queen of Auradon. Gil and Jay cheered loudly before sneaking off to see what was left at the bar. Dizzy and Celia helped "clean up" what was left of the dessert table. Harry and Audrey snuck out the back before the crowd had dispersed. Chad slapped the king on the back as he ducked into the limo, pulling his wife's hand behind him. Mal waved to all of the guests she cared for so deeply. When she accidentally made eye contact with Uma in the back of the crowd, however, she couldn't help but wonder what could have been.