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Chapter Text

Mal's frustration and bitterness simmered within her as she scrubbed at the remnants of her latest project in Remedial Goodness. Although it had been two days since the encounter on Parent's Day, everything about Auradon was grating on Mal's nerves like it had never been before. The pressure her mother had put on her to get the Fairy Godmother's magic wand mounted by the day and the snippy attitudes of the supposedly heroic royals at the school were making her start to miss the Isle. 

Here the facade of civility in Auradon only exacerbated her sense of isolation and alienation, contrasting sharply with the raw honesty of the Isle. At least these people were honest about their nastiness. 

Either way, her anger, and frustration had most of the school even Evie, Jay, and Carlos quick to get away from her lest they attract her ire.

Audrey's condescending attitude grated on her nerves, a constant reminder of the prejudice and disdain she faced from those who deemed themselves superior. The title of "Princess" felt like a mockery, a hollow designation that failed to acknowledge her true heritage and the power that flowed through her veins. Especially since where half of Audrey's family's holdings belonged to Maleficent and the other Faerie people by right) but to encounter and be humiliated by that withered old crone that Stephan had sired Aurora with? 

But that was too far. She had had enough. Enough of the taunting. Enough of the teasing. Enough of the hatred literally because of where she was born, in which they are “supposedly heroes and royals”. The disdainful glances and whispers of the others only served to fuel Mal's resentment, a reminder of the unrelenting hostility she faced simply for being born on the Isle.

As she sat in the room, Mal's thoughts turned to her mother, consumed by her quest for revenge against those who had wronged her. The toll it had taken on Maleficent, once a formidable force of darkness, now reduced to a shadow of her former self, haunted Mal's thoughts. The weight of watching her mother's bitterness, despair, and anger turn to obsessing on how to get revenge against these fools that she was becoming more of a caricature of herself every day. Every villain but her father said that her mother was not fit to be her mother, it was painful to see. Mal wondered if her father would say her mother was a fit parent.

Well her father would never speak to her, when she would see him in the street he would turn the other way, and walk away from her. Persephone would do the same. And her half-brother Hadie would just run away back to her father's restaurant, or back into the underworld. But Mal had to guess that her father did think Maleficent was a good parent. He was the one to leave her with the dragon.

But as Mal, her mind was wandering as she sat in the room she did not notice her hands start to glow. Glow like a faint fire, one very small so the smoke alarms wouldn't go off but still enough so she could feel the heat.

Mal took her hands and held them so the magic would not release out. She was surrounded by adversaries, but she refused to become a villain due to her emotions getting out of control. The fire that burned within her was a testament to her strength and resilience, a reminder that she was more than the sum of her past and her lineage. As she started to calm down, feeling the heat simmer down. But it didn’t stop her thoughts from taking over her.

Did Aurora, and Phillip have any idea what she had done sending Maleficent to a place that bound her mother's magic? An urbanized slum almost totally cut off from nature as a whole? What kind of torture that would be for an all-but-immortal faerie sorceress? Things only got worse when Mal's father Hades left her and when Mal’s uncle, Diaval, passed away stuck as he was in his human form. The rightful Queen of the Moors did not take things like loss and betrayal very well. 

Her mental musings were cut short as she heard someone clear her throat and a voice stated, "I saw Jane. She's rather... upset," the Fairy Godmother commented neutrally. Mal turned with a cynical scowl to face Jane's mother and the Remedial Goodness instructor, who was more of a faculty adviser than anything, for the villain children at Auradon Prep. 

"If she had any concept of her ability as a Fae she should be able to do her hair all on her own," Mal snorted disdainfully. In her first days at the school, she used her magic to improve the other fae girl's mousy pageboy haircut and make her look glamorous as part of her attempts to get information and ingratiate herself with the other students at the school. 

It hadn't hurt that it had horrified Mal to see another child of powerful Faerie kept ignorant of her heritage at the insistence of Jane's mother, either. Not that Jane's mother would teach her anything about her heritage. If Fairy Godmother her daughter told anything about her heritage then Jane would no what her mother did to her. On how her mother stripped the chance to have wings, and the majority of her powers away from her line forever. Mal wanted to tell the girl but, Jane had run away from her. 

It had taken no time at all for Audrey to get Jane acting just like the rest of the so-called "heroic" children there despite Mal's efforts. Only Ben, maybe Lonnie, and Doug if Evie was involved were the only ones who treated the kids from the Isle of the Lost like actual people. Even some teachers treated them with so much distrust.

The Fairy Godmother nodded stiffly as she responded, "I know." 

"Do you?" Mal snarled, inside herself, she could feel the fire was almost beyond the breaking point. "Do you?! Do you know what it's like to see a fae girl my age walk around like a scolded puppy afraid of everything around her because she thinks she's too plain? That I needed to bother to do such a simple glamour to make her feel like she belonged here? But then she doesn't belong here, does she?" Mal spat.

"And what does that mean, young lady?" The Fairy Godmother asked, although the sadness in her eyes betrayed her exactly what Mal meant she looked at Mal's hands and Mal saw the glow return and she had to force the flames within. 

"You have the nerve to ask me that as you stand here like some powerless human in a human kingdom, while your wand, the focus of your powers, is locked in some museum instead of being in your hands where it belongs?" Mal demanded. 

"I didn't need it with the peace the uniting the kingdoms into Auradon created," the Fairy Godmother replied with a sideways glance. 

"It's not about needing it. It's about the fact that it's yours," Mal hissed. "But I guess they won't even trust the Fae on their side to have enough power to defend themselves. Nice to see Aurora following in her father and grandfather's footsteps, and that Phillip joined the party." 

"They are both crowned Royals still," the Fairy Godmother replied neutrally. "Your mother declared the King, and Queen of the Moors in her stead long before you were born." 

"And in return they banished my mother based on lies and assumptions, then gave away a kingdom and people both of them had no right to sign away, betraying us ALL twice over!" Mal raged. "Aurora broke my mother's heart, whatever that was still there after,  her father before her, just to join and appease these sycophants that look at me and my friends like we're diseased because of where we were born after THEY put us there in the first place." 

"Her Majesty... that is, Maleficent did not look that bad during your video call with her on parent's day. Well, besides her making comments over my weight," the Fairy Godmother noted wryly. But Fairy Godmother knew that was the wrong thing to say as she saw the young Fae's sorrowful face.

"You haven't seen her decline. Especially after my father left us he could not watch my mother be in pain from living away from nature, and when my uncle died..." Mal noted with a look of painted sorrow. Her uncle was amazing from the little memories she had of him. But her father left her and her mother, not even a year after Mal herself was born, so she had no memories of him. But still, her uncle and cousin were the best.

"I must admit that has been a matter of speculation around the faculty, and the Faire Folk, residing here. Who was he?" the Fair Godmother inquired softly, knowing this was a painful subject for her charge. 

"I don’t know my mother doesn't talk about it. All I ever got was from my uncle telling him that he is alive and left because seeing the mother in pain hurt him too much.”  Mal lied she knew her dad was Hades but didn’t want any of her father's family to reach out to her. 

“Who is your uncle then?” Fairy Godmother asked. 

“Divial is my uncle,” Mal replied sadly. 

"Her familiar?" the Fairy Godmother asked.

 "He was in human form when he was banished and could never return to his natural form as a raven because of the anti-magic barrier around the island. And well, familiars are not so resilient as fae. Especially in a form not truly their own. He's been gone for a while since I was 4. He left his son, who is like an older brother to me since there is a four-year difference.." Mal admitted. 

"I'm sorry," the Fairy Godmother replied as she moved to place a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder only to be shaken off violently. 

"You should be," Mal snapped. She stood up with such force the chair she was pervious sitting on fell "Conforming to the whims of these humans to make you act like them. Letting your daughter feel like she's something lesser among them. I was raised with my magic bound around me by the island and its barrier but I at least knew what it is to be proud of my bloodline. Jane has no idea of the power in her veins. She thinks of herself as a commoner even among humans, while you are one of the most powerful of the Faire Folk in this wretched place." 

"And if I tried to act like it, where would I be?" Jane's mother asked sadly. 

Mal thought for a moment before deflating as she replied, "Your powers were stripped and shipped off to Isle just like Mother." 

"We must do what we can to protect our own, Mal. King Adam and Queen Belle did not exactly have positive encounters with magic or Fairy sorceresses. Or did you forget it was one of us who cursed him into the form of a Beast for his lack of hospitality? Even if they don’t know it was your mother who sent Belle’s father the invitation to the contest so he could get into the castle to help King Adam meet Queen Belle or the fact his cures should have been forever but Maleficent was the one who got Agatha Harkness to allow King Adam to have another chance to learn from his mistakes and the families of his servants at the time should not die without seeing their loved ones again. Or the fact it was your mother that helped me find out that Queen Cinderella required help, or that she told the Blue Fairy to make Pinocchio into a real boy, and the fact that the thing to help the heroes and royals was because of your mother. They don’t know that,” the Fairy Godmother sighed as she paused, and looked at the girl before her. She could see the faint glow in her palms must be her trying to control her powers.

The Fairy Godmother reached out to Mal’s hands to help Mal down.

Mal thought about Agatha Harkness, she was one of the most powerful witches that were on the Isle. And here Mal thought she was sent to the Isle for all the crimes she had done to other witches who she stole their powers/life from. But now knowing that she was the one to curse Beast, well.... it made sense, she would have been pardoned from any of her crimes done to the other witches by her mother. But Aurora and Phillip despite being the rulers of the Moors would see what Agatha had done as evil things and not understand the ways of witches, and most likely added the charges of killing witches and the 'supposed' crimes against Wanda Maximoff. But it did now make sense why Agatha was one of the first villains caught and sent to the Isle.

Mal was startled as FG reached out to Mal’s hands to help Mal down. Mal relented slightly as the Fairy Godmother's hands stroked hers as she continued to speak, “They won’t know the truth as long as Aurora and Phillip are the crowd rulers of the Moors none of us can say a thing. I would get called out for treason. Do you think Jane could survive here without me? Or survive on the Isle of the Lost if she was banished alongside me for my insolence?" the Fairy Godmother replied evenly. 

"It might have done her some good. She would have developed some spine there. And we DO take care of our own," Mal sneered as she felt the elder fairy’s magic calm hers. 

"Yes, because Evie looked so much like she could take care of herself letting Chad Charming manipulate her into doing his homework before trying to humiliate her when she stopped helping him cheat," the Fairy Godmother noted the recent plight of the Evil Queen's daughter with sarcasm as she raised her left eyebrow in challenge. She honestly didn't know where her little Cinderella boy got his manipulative streak from, but there were days she wanted to turn him into a toad or a rat for an afternoon to try to break him of his habits. 

Mal grunted and looked away as she conceded, "In her ways, Evie has always been starved for attention. It doesn't help that the four of us grew up almost as siblings, all being the same ages as the kids of the more prominent residents of the Isle. She couldn't exactly look to my cousin, Jay, nor Carlos to reinforce her mother's puerile need to be 'pretty' once she started growing into a woman because they could never see her that way. Nor do the others around our age group see her in anything other than family. Nor could she expect them to fulfill Grimhilda's ridiculous idea of her daughter finding a rich and handsome prince to care for them both as if any such thing existed there. All she was allowed to learn was to ensnare men and keep house." 

The Fairy Godmother's expression softened as she noted, "At least Ben takes more after his parents than Chad ever did. He does like you, you know." 

Mal looked away in what she hoped would pass for embarrassment. The last thing she needed was for the meddling excuse for Faerie to realize Mal had given Ben a potion to make him take an interest in her as part of her mother's plot to obtain the wand of the woman before her. What they were building together wasn't real. No matter how much she wanted it to be. But thoughts of taking after parents made her think of that cow Audrey and raised her ire all over again. "Some people here take too much after their parents, if you ask me," Mal muttered darkly. 

"Despite your little introduction your first day, and the friction between you both over the Prince now, Princess Audrey never knew the whole story between her family and yours," the Fairy Godmother pointed out, knowing full well that the source of the purple-haired girl's sour mood. 

"Yes, because a pretty lie is easier to deal with than the truth. I might have had an actual father than a deadbeat, who would want to be a part of my life. And my mother and uncle BOTH would be soaring the skies above our heads right now if it wasn't, and my brother in all but the blood would have his dad again," Mal challenged back. 

"Perhaps," the Fairy Godmother conceded. "But is there anything you can do about it now without putting yourself and your friends at risk?" 

"Does tearing out every hair on my niece's headcount as doing something?" Mal asked. 

"I think that might still get you in trouble," the Fairy Godmother noted as she tried to hold in a smile. 

Mal deflated a bit as she responded, "Then no. There isn't anything I can do. That doesn't make what that family did right, though." 

"No, it doesn't. But unless your mother somehow gets free and challenges her for the right to the throne of the Moors there is not much more you could do," the Fairy Godmother replied resignedly. 

Mal winced a bit as she noted, "That would be... ugly. Like I said before, Mother has not weathered captivity well."  Mal could easily remember all of the beatings, threats, whippings, and other punishments she got for the stupidest reason. Like if she did not come home the second the clock hit 11, and that was disclosing the times her mother wished for her to do evil things. Like hurting animals, killing things, and stuff like that. Thankfully her brother was there to help her complete these tasks. Honestly, if the streets were not filled up with perverts, pedos, rapists, and other such things she and he would have left permanently. But no, they were only able to spend a couple of nights at others' homes before her Mother would demand her home, and threaten anyone she was staying with to kick her out back to her mothers. Her brother would have left years ago if it was not for Mal herself. Maleficent loved her nephew enough that she would not hurt the only thing remaining to Diaval.

"At least she had you there with her," the Fairy Godmother replied with a wince of her own. Just the thought of the true Faerie Queen's likely wrath should she ever get free was terrifying to imagine. It would not be good. She and all of the fairies who sided to create Auradon. She knew that she would be considered a traitor, and her daughter would be told what she did to her, even though it was for her benefit. And Jane would be punished for her own mistakes.

Mal saw no reason to discuss how distant and wrathful her mother had become over the years, especially since Diaval's passing, as she weakly replied, "Yeah, right." 

"Mal, I know it's been hard adjusting here for all of you. But Ben wants this to work. And not just because you have the poor boy smitten. He wants all four of you to truly feel you belong here. To have a home in Auradon. Is that so bad?" the Fairy Godmother asked. 

"No," Mal conceded. "Ben is the best thing about being here by far. And he will make a great king someday." 

"Then trust in him. Don't let your anger and jealousy get the better of you. No matter how justified it may be," the Fairy Godmother advised with a shrewd look. 

Mal's expression was pure innocence as she asked, "Why do you mean Fairy Godmother?"

 "You do realize that I was born in the age when crossing the Faire Folk was still considered a death wish, don't you, child?" Jane's mother asked with a knowing look. "Just because I tried to be better than that doesn't mean I've lost all sense of what it is to be Fae." 

Mal remained silent, unwilling to voice her opinion on how little the woman before her seemed to still BE Fae to her again. If she did there would be no way to control her anger.

"I know you must choose your path. All I ask is that you consider the consequences. Not just for you or your mother, but for your friends. And that includes Ben. Please think it over," the Fairy Godmother advised before turning and taking her leave. 

For her part, Mal could only watch silently, her head a whirl of new thoughts to ponder. Did she want to follow her mother's path? Was there redemption at the end of the tunnel for her and her friends? Would Ben think twice about her without the potion in the cookie she gave him? 

Mal stood alone in the now empty Remedial Goodness classroom, the weight of her thoughts pressing heavily upon her. Despite her outward defiance and sharp tongue, inwardly, she felt a turmoil of conflicting emotions. The Fairy Godmother's words lingered in her mind like a persistent echo, challenging her to confront the complexities of her situation. 

As she pondered her next move, a myriad of doubts and uncertainties flooded her thoughts. Could she truly break away from the path her mother had set before her, one steeped in vengeance and bitterness? Was it possible for her to forge her destiny, independent of the burdensome legacy that weighed upon her shoulders? 

No no, she could not stop the plan. Her brother was still on that cursed Isle.

But Ben's unwavering belief in her, his genuine desire for her to find a sense of belonging in Auradon, tugged at her heartstrings. Despite her initial skepticism, she couldn't deny the sincerity in his actions, nor the depth of her feelings for him. Could she find solace and purpose in embracing the opportunities that Auradon offered, rather than succumbing to the allure of darkness?

The image of Jane, timid and uncertain, resonated within her. Despite their differences, Mal couldn't shake the pang of empathy she felt for the other girl. Jane's struggles mirrored her own in many ways, both bound by the expectations of others and grappling with their identities in a world that often seemed stacked against them. Could she extend a hand of understanding and support to Jane, rather than perpetuating the cycle of animosity and division? 

Above all, Mal grappled with the notion of redemption. Was it possible for her to chart a new course, one defined by compassion and empathy rather than retribution? Could she transcend the shadow of her mother's legacy and carve out a path that honored her values and aspirations? 

As the echoes of her inner turmoil reverberated in the stillness of the classroom, Mal knew that she stood at a crossroads. 

The choices she made in the days to come would shape not only her destiny but also the fates of those she held dear. With determination burning in her eyes, she vowed to confront the challenges ahead with courage and conviction, ready to embrace the journey of self-discovery that lay before her. 

The road ahead might be fraught with obstacles and uncertainties, but Mal was ready to face them head-on. For in the depths of her heart, she knew that true strength lay not in succumbing to darkness, but in embracing the light within herself. And with that newfound resolve burning bright, Mal stepped forward into the unknown, prepared to embark on her journey of redemption and self-realization.

So many questions. 

So little time before the coronation, and they had to get the wand to be free from this popsicle stand. 

Chapter Text

The group made its way down the hall in a quiet but tense, despite the fact they all used to be very good friends. The group who was leaving their last class contained the soon-to-be King Benjamin Florian Le Bête, Lonnie, little Jane who was back to her “ plain” self, Elle the daughter of Eric, and Ariel who was being pushed by Akiho the son of the Iceman and Queen of Arendelle, Emir and Aziz the sons of Aladdin and Jasmine, Chad Charming, and Audrey Rose.

The walk was painfully silent excluding the noise from them walking and in Elle’s point of view being wheeled down the hall until Princess Audrey stopped causing them all to hear voices coming from a classroom that should have been empty. 

Emir and Lonnie being them went to see who was talking. Akiho would have been with the two but he was pushing Elle’s wheelchair for her. Since this way to the dorms was a bit more steep. 

Elle turned to look at Akiho as if permitting him to join Emir and Lonnie in spying on whoever was speaking. And just like that Akiho quality rushed in behind the other two, as the rest stood outside the room.

Ben being the two boys' shadow went to yank them out before they got into trouble and before he went in, he shared a look with Aziz to slightly ask if he wished to help get his younger brother out. Aziz let out a sigh as he went to get his younger brother out before he caused more trouble.

Jane and Elle went in with them to get Lonnie, the two girls knew it would be hard to get her out of the room. Jane would most likely have to shove the troublesome girl onto Elle’s lap as Elle went to roll herself and Lonnie out of the room.

While Chad and Audrey followed since they did not wish to be left alone, they followed along. 

If Akiho and Emir were able to voice their opinions they would wonder why the pair was even in the group. Sure when they were small children they were friends but when they reached 8 Chad and Audrey did their best to ensure Ben didn’t spend time with those who were “lower” than them. Well not Chad, it had only been in the last couple of years he had been very much judgemental and snotty. But the two boys knew never to say that out loud unless Ben would give them his sad puppy eyes, and both boys did not wish for that. 

Either way, they were here and followed the rest of the group.

As they got into the room which could better be called a lecture hall, hid behind the last row of seats. Thankfully for Elle’s sake, they were the ones for those who used wheelchairs.

As they hid the conversation must have been going on for a bit.

The looks the group had was one of intrigue. That was until Audrey and Chad saw it was Mal inside the classroom and rolled their eyes putting a disgusted look on their face, which was not unnoticed by Akiho and Emir.

Ben, being happy to see his love slowly forgetting he had to get his shadows to leave before the two noticed they were snooping but stopped when he noticed that she was distressed.

Audrey meanwhile thought that she had better things to do than watch that... interloper Mal, but why is she talking to Jane’s mother? Oh, how Audrey despised her. With her inhumanly exotic looks, her spells that made plain-looking girls almost as pretty as Audrey herself, and her ability to catch Ben's eye.

That was supposed to be Audrey's place at his side. To be the queen, not the daughter of the woman who tried to kill both her parents! 

As if Lonnie and Elle knew what was in Audrey’s mind had to restrain themselves not to smacking her on the back of her head. 

"I saw Jane. She's rather... upset," the Fairy Godmother commented neutrally. 

Jane unworldly cringed at being reminded of the fact she was back to looking plain. Chad has been a douche but Jane was his family. Distanced family but still family, took Jane's hand and gave her a squeeze in the sense of confrontation. Not that it did anything. Lonnie tapped Jane to get her to look at her, and Jane did and saw the smile as if to say, 'We are here for you', and as Jane saw Elle she gave her the same smile. Not that it had helped. 

Mal turned with a cynical scowl to face Jane's mother, "If she had any concept of her ability as a Fae she should be able to do her hair all on her own," Mal snorted disdainfully.

Ben and his two best friends who were known as his shadows looked confused, about why  Mal had said that about Jane. And why would that cause her to have a scowl on her face? The group looked at the girl in question in confusion but she mouthed “I don’t know.” 

The Fairy Godmother nodded evenly as she responded, "I know." 

"Do you?" Mal snarled. 

Ben was very shocked at Mal’s reply, he would love to know why she was angry.

Aziz was happy seeing how wiped Ben was for Mal. It was good he wouldn't have to hear the many plans his little brother, Chip, Akiho made on how they had to get Ben to see Audrey only wanted the crown. Not that he blamed them, he was in his last year of AP and so happy he wouldn't have to see her or hear her shrieking about how she was going to be queen.

Akiho and Emir looked at each other seeing Ben’s face. The boy was very much in love. If the shadows could, they would say Ben was whipped.

“Do you?! Do you know what it's like to see a fae girl my age walk around like a scolded puppy afraid of everything around her because she thinks she's too plain? That I needed to bother to do such a simple glamor to make her feel like she belonged here? But then she doesn't belong here, does she?" Mal spat. 

Chad whipped to look at Jane causing the girl to to flush in embarrassment at her cousin hearing her most inner thoughts.

Chad on the other hand was very confused, something that was new. He had been feeling foggy for the past 3 years and yeah he wasn’t as close to Jane as he used to be but this, he would have known if Jane had been feeling this way. Would he? 

Ben looked to Azzi, Emir, and Akiho like he was questioning when did this happen. He had been busy for the last year getting ready to take the throne but surely he would have picked up on this.

While the others knew Audrey was very good at ensuring Ben was not able to talk to Jane in depth or see the bullying that was happening.

Audrey rolled her eyes not caring what was being said.

"And what does that mean, young lady?" The Fairy Godmother asked, although the sadness in her eyes

The group could see Mal’s hands were glowing faintly. 

"You have the nerve to ask me that as you stand here like some powerless human in a human kingdom, while your wand, the focus of your powers, is locked in some museum instead of being in your hands where it belongs?" Mal demanded. 

Ben currently looked like a confused puppy. What Mal meant and why she was angry. 

"I didn't need it with the peace the uniting the kingdoms into Auradon created," the Fairy Godmother replied. "It's not about needing it. It's about the fact that it's yours," Mal hissed.

 "But I guess they won't even trust the Fae on their side to have enough power to defend themselves. Nice to see Aurora following in her father and grandfather's footsteps, and that Phillip joined the party." 

Audrey looked at Elle and Lonnie silently asking what did this have to do with them. 

But the two girls said nothing. Audrey… or at least this side of Audrey hadn't talked to them in the last couple of years. The only time she would talk to them was to demand them to follow her, and treat them like trash since she was 'going to be Queen'. 

"They are both crowned Royals still," the Fairy Godmother replied neutrally. "Your mother declared the King, and Queen of the Moors in her stead long before you were born." 

Needless to say, they were all confused to hear the conversation between the two. 

Everyone was taught how rotten Maleficent was. How it had been the Dark Fairy that had caused King Stefan’s death. How anything connected to her was twisted and evil. 

Not that Ben, Aziz, Emir, Jane, Lonnie, Elle, and Akiho thought Mal was evil and twisted. But she was a bit ruff and all but she was good.

Not that Audrey, and her little flock of sheep thought so. In their minds, all of the VK’s were evil, especially Mal.

 "And in return they banished my mother based on lies and assumptions, then gave away a kingdom and people both of them had no right to sign away, betraying us ALL twice over!" Mal raged. "Aurora broke my mother's heart whatever that was still there after, her father before her, just to join and appease these sycophants that look at me and my friends like we're diseased because of where we were born after THEY put us there in the first place." 

Audrey was so confused as to why Mal was talking like her mother and grandfather had betrayed Maleficent's trust. Azzi was so glad that he had a great memory so Ben could look into it later. Well after the coronation, Azzi heard his baby brother and his best friend talk about how much Ben was a workaholic. And how he needed to sleep and eat more.

"Her Majesty... that is, Maleficent did not look that bad during your video call with her on parent's day. Well, besides her making comments over my weight," the Fairy Godmother noted. "You haven't seen her decline. Especially after my Daddy left us he could not watch my mother be in pain from living away from nature, and when my uncle died..." Mal noted with a look of pained sorrow. 

This made Ben’s heart clenched in sorrow for his love. Jane lost a family member, she lost her father in a car accident.

None of the others had lost someone who cared about them and had died on them with the expectation of Jane.

In Lonnie's head, all she could think about was the cookie incident a couple of days ago. Perhaps her dad and uncle were the ones who were kind and loved her, and when they were gone she had no one.

Maybe Mal would want to get together on the weekend for a sleepover at her house to show she wants to be friends. Lonnie knew that her parents were looking to adopt a teenager, maybe Mal could get love from them, or her parents could help find Mal a family. A lot of the heroes and royals were looking to adopt a child. She and Elle can get the girls they know and plan one for the upcoming fall break. 

“I must admit that has been a matter of speculation around the faculty, and the Faire Folk, residing here. Who was he?" the Fair Godmother inquired softly.  

Oh, this is true, many people thought about the other VK’s parents but Mal’s was the one most talked about so they all listened with great interest.

Ben wanted to know so he can ask Ben wanted to know so he could properly court her royals were the ones they wished to marry. He was planning on giving Mal his signet ring tomorrow.

Lonnie wanted to know who her father was for the fact that might cause some hesitation in adopting her.

Jane and Elle were very curious to know who her dad was. There were so many bets going on who Mal's dad was they were delighted to know who he was.

Chad and Aziz both put money into many different pots on who the VK's other parents were. So Aziz quietly took his phone out so he could have this recording as "proof" of who Mal's father was

Not seeing Akiho’s disapproving eyes.

Audrey wanted to know the scoop. But Ben’s shadows can't help but wince, Mal said her dad left…

"I don’t know my mother doesn't talk about it. All I ever got was from my uncle telling him that he is alive and left because seeing the mother in pain hurt him too much.” Mal replied hoarsely. 

Jane felt bad that she had at least known her father before he died. Meanwhile, Lonnie was hurt at the thought Mal only had her uncle as a parental figure.

To Audrey and Chad, the revelation that Mal's father was a deadbeat was an unpleasant discovery as well, although they kept it in their memory for future gossip. 

Emir had seen what his brother was doing by recording this conversation, so gave his brother a look meaning you MIGHT NOT want to use this as gossip, Aziz got that message. But he knew he was not the only person holding the gossip. He did not know what Audrey and Chad were going to do with the information.

He learned from his father and mother it might be okay to gossip about certain things but this information was personal and wouldn't be nice.

While Ben wished to go and hug his love to tell her he was there for her. While Akiho squeezed his left arm to almost pull him back to not let him go and let Mal know they were listening.

“Who is your uncle then?” Fairy Godmother asked. 

Ben slowly started to realize who was the uncle as the other in the group leaned in without realizing to hear the name.

“Divial is my uncle,” Mal replied.

“Her familiar?" the Fairy Godmother asked in shock. 

“He was in human form when he was banished and could never return to his natural form a "He was in human form when he was banished and could never return to his natural form as a raven because of the anti-magic barrier around the island. And well, familiars are not so resilient as fae. Especially in a form not truly their own. He's been gone for a while since I was 4. He left his son, who is like an older brother to me since there is a four-year difference." Mal admitted. 

Ben felt guilty for Mal. He remembered when his father told him about this incident when he was 4. It wasn't his dad’s decision to not let Divial return to his true form or let his son become a raven for at least 5 minutes. His parents felt guilty about it, along with some other royals but the votes were not in their favor. So it did not happen. 

Meanwhile, Elle looked to Jane as if to say ‘this is getting so personal that we should leave’, and before they can grab the others and go...

"I'm sorry," the Fairy Godmother replied as she moved to place a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder only to be shaken off violently. 

“Wow,” Akiho mumbled, all he could think shit just got really. 

"You should be," Mal snapped. 

“Why should she be,”  Chad whispered. 

"Conforming to the whims of these humans to make you act like them. Letting your daughter feel like she's something lesser among them. I was raised with my magic bound around me by the island and its barrier but I at least knew what it is to be proud of my bloodline. Jane has no idea of the power in her veins. She thinks of herself as a commoner even among humans, while you are one of the most powerful of the Faire Folk in this wretched place."

Jane never thought about her magic, she knew she was like her father human. The other half fairies she knew didn't have powers. But when her mother would go to the Moors never took her. Perhaps that was because her mother thought she was a disappointment.

Perhaps.

No, she couldn’t …. but it would solve everything if she was able to try out her mother's wand…

"And if I tried to act like it, where would I be?" Jane's mother asked sadly. 

The others thought, here in Auradon. 

 Mal looked to be thinking before she replied, "Your powers were stripped and shipped off to Isle just like Mother." 

Ben looked at Jane but did not try to say anything knowing it would not be just his vote on that.

"We must do what we can to protect our own, Mal. King Adam and Queen Belle did not exactly have positive encounters with magic or Fairy sorceresses.”

Ben knows this, his dad was very weary around those with magic. It would take him a while before he felt truly comfortable to be around others with magic. Not that anyone had a problem with that, all could understand that. Most thought his dad and the council were very forgiving of magical uses.

There were laws not allowing magic to be used in sports unless said sports require magic, no cheating using magic other such things like that. But magical beings such as fairies and people like Queen Elsa were able to use their magic in their jobs or their day-to-day lives because they needed to. If they didn’t they would get sick and die.

But Ben still knew his father was not happy about him dating a fairy let alone a fairy from the Isle of the Lost. His dad and mother were talking about the subject of him dating Mal on family day while they were in Ben’s room waiting for Chip to arrive and his dad offhandedly said “It would not last, she has magic Ben will get over this phase” after he thought Ben was not listening. 

Let's say Ben and his father had gotten into a small fight as his mom and Chip who had just arrived in the room after an argument started to try to calm them down. It resulted in the fact he has not spoken to his mother or father since after family day, even though his mother and father tried to call him multiple times. 

He texted Chip saying if he tried to get Ben to talk to his parents before he was ready he would not speak to him. Chip wisely said nothing about the fight or Ben’s parents, instead asking about his new girlfriend and how happy he was no longer with Audrey.

Before Ben could think about that he was pulled back into the conversion ahead.

“Or did you forget it was one of us who cursed him into the form of a Beast for his lack of hospitality? Even if they don’t know it was your mother who sent Belle’s father the invitation to the contest so he could get into the castle to help King Adam meet Queen Belle or the fact his cures should have been forever but Maleficent was the one who got Agatha Harkness to allow King Adam to have another chance to learn from his mistakes and the families of his servants at the time should not die without seeing their loved ones again."

This caused the group to look at Ben whose head had whipped to the conversation of the two people talking, shocked him. It took him a few seconds to wrap his head around the person who cured his dad, Agatha 'the Covenless Witch' Harkness. The same witch who had stolen witches' powers before killing them. The same one who tried to kill Wanda Maximoff aka: 'The Scarlet Witch". And... wait the curse should have been permanent!

Akiho and Emir knew they would have to help Ben figure out what was going on otherwise Ben would not sleep or eat. Emir was slipping out his phone so he could text Chip.

 “Or the fact it was your mother that helped me find out that Queen Cinderella required help,” 

Chad had to bite his tongue so he would not yell out he had to thank Maleficent for his mother getting away from her terrible family. 

“Or that she told the Blue Fairy to make Pinocchio into a real boy, and the fact that the thing to help the heroes and royals was because of your mother.” 

The two sons of Aladdin, remembered their dad talking about how when he was on the street someone was watching out for him because there was food where he slept every night for him and Abue, and someone left him clothing every year with a message saying ‘things get better’ until they day he married their mom. But there was a note saying ‘things got better’. But nothing when they were born. 

Lonnie could remember that her mom and dad would say there was a black-winged creature that helped slow the mountain from falling on them. Could that have been due to Mal’s mom?

Elle could remember the arguments her mother and father had about how someone had to use some kind of magic to slow the fire that was on his ship. For some reason, the crew, her father, and Max the sheepdog prevented any serious burns, let alone dying.

“They don’t know that,” the Fairy Godmother sighed as she paused, and looked at the girl before her. She could see the faint glow in her palms must be her trying to control her powers.

Akiho could remember the times his aunt got nervous the room would get very cold until his mother would have to call her down.

Ben, Aziz, Emir, Lonnie, Elle, and even Chad were looking at the faint glow like it was something very beautiful.

While Jane looked envious at the glow.

The Fairy Godmother reached out to Mal’s hands to help Mal down.

While Audrey could care less about Mal’s magic, it just proved that it was unstable and she should be sent back to the Isle. 

While Jane was even more envious and frustrated, her mother was there helping someone who wasn't her daughter again. 

“They won’t know the truth as long as Aurora and Phillip are the crowd rulers of the Moors none of us can say a thing.”

 ‘Why can’t she say anything if this is true? Not that it is but why can’t it,’  Audrey thought. 

The others thought, ‘Why won’t people don’t believe her?’  Or ‘why can't the Fairy Godmother and the other fairies say anything if this was true.’

“I would get called out for treason. Do you think Jane could survive here without me? Or survive on the Isle of the Lost if she was banished alongside me for my insolence?" the Fairy Godmother replied evenly.

Ben looked at Jane and Chad and mouthed to them, “I would never do that ever” Chad knew that was not fully true because Ben might become King but he couldn’t completely take control of the council, due to the fact the councils and house of representatives still had a big say in the laws. Ben could pardon her but FG would still be accused of treason, and she would lose her job due to the school district's strict guidelines for teachers. She would most likely not be able to get any job. In Auradon people who got sent to the Isle of the Lost stayed there. The majority of places didn't like ex-cons. Sure people who were ex-cons before the creation of Auradon, were accepted.

"It might have done her some good. She would have developed some spine there. And we DO take care of our own," Mal sneered. 

‘Oh really what about Evie, she looked like she could take care of herself with Chad’, Lonnie thought, not that she blamed Mal or the other VKs for not helping Evie, Chad was persistent. 

"Yes, because Evie looked so much like she could take care of herself letting Chad Charming manipulate her into doing his homework before trying to humiliate her when she stopped helping him cheat," the Fairy Godmother noted.  

Akiho, Emir, Lonnie, Azzi, and Elle glared at Chad. Meanwhile, Ben gave Chad a look that screamed you just kicked my puppy.

If Chad had to be honest, the look Ben gave him was more hurtful than the others glaring.

Mal grunted and looked away as she conceded, "In her ways, Evie has always been starved for attention. It doesn't help that the four of us grew up almost as siblings, all being the same ages as the kids of the more prominent residents of the Isle. She couldn't exactly look to my cousin, Jay, nor Carlos to reinforce her mother's puerile need to be 'pretty' once she started growing into a woman because they could never see her that way. Nor do the others around our age group see her in anything other than family. Nor could she expect them to fulfill Grimhilda's ridiculous idea of her daughter finding a rich and handsome prince to care for them both as if any such thing existed there. All she was allowed to learn was to ensnare men and keep house." 

All feel bad for how Grimhild treats Evie, and Lonnie starts to think about the cookie incident again.

The Fairy Godmother's expression softened as she noted, "At least Ben takes more after his parents than Chad ever did. He does like you, you know."  As Mal looked away in embarrassment. 

Ben looked so happy that his girlfriend looked embarrassed. While Emir, his brother, and Akiho were happy that Ben had someone who wasn’t just in it for the crown.

"Some people here take too much after their parents, if you ask me," Mal muttered darkly. 

Audrey looked like she insulted that comment she had known an idea that was actually about her. 

"Despite your little introduction on your first day, and the friction between you both over the Prince now, Princess Audrey never knew the whole story between her family and yours," the Fairy Godmother pointed out.  

“What truth?” Audrey mumbled out very quietly that only the others could possibly hear.

“Yes because a pretty lie is easier to deal with than the truth. My father would be a part of my life, my mother and uncle BOTH would be soaring the skies above our heads right now if it wasn't,and my brother would have his dad again, " Mal challenged back.  

“Perhaps," the Fairy Godmother conceded. 

"But is there anything you can do about it now without putting yourself and your friends at risk?" 

"Does tearing out every hair on my would be niece's head count as doing something?" Mal asked. 

‘Besides Mal’s cousin, who would consider Maleficent their mother?’ Azzi thought. 

"I think that might still get you in trouble," the Fairy Godmother noted as she tried to hold in a smile. 

Mal deflated a bit as she responded, "Then no. There isn't anything I can do. That doesn't make what that family did right, though." 

"No, it doesn't. But unless your mother somehow gets free and challenges her for the right to the throne of the Moors there is not much more you could do," the Fairy Godmother replied resignedly. 

Mal winced a bit as she noted, "That would be... ugly. Like I said before, Mother has not weathered captivity well." 

"At least she had you there with her," the Fairy Godmother replied. "Yeah, right." Mal said. 

"Mal, I know it's been hard adjusting here for all of you. But Ben wants this to work. And not just because you have the poor boy smitten. He wants all four of you to truly feel you belong here. To have a home in Auradon. Is that so bad?" the Fairy Godmother asked. 

"No," Mal conceded. 

"Ben is the best thing about being here by far. And he will make a great king someday."  

“Aww she likes you Ben,” Emir mouthed to Ben causing him to blush, the girl who he dreamed about for about a few years liked him back. Akiho rolled his eyes at Ben, the boy never understood why people called him a puppy, while he acted like a puppy, sometime. Or he gave people a look a puppy would give their owner should they want something.

“Then trust in him. Don't let your anger and jealousy get the better of you. No matter how justified it may be," the Fairy Godmother advised with a shrewd look. 

Mal's expression was innocent as she asked, "Why whatever do you mean Fairy Godmother?"  

"You do realize that I was born in the age when crossing the Faire Folk was still considered a death wish, don't you, child?" Jane's mother asked with a knowing look. 

Audrey winced that the Moors never liked anyone that was not the Faire Folk. Ben also winced when he was shadowing his dad at council meetings the Faire Folk would never really come. Aurora and her husband made most of the decisions because the people of the Moors did not care to talk to them or anyone for Auradon.

"Just because I tried to be better than that doesn't mean I've lost all sense of what it is to be Fae." 

“Let's go to mine and Emma’s room to talk about what we heard.” Elle whispered the listen long enough. “Emma is staying with her parents tonight”

As they were back in the hall, Ben said he had to leave, and started to walk to his room.

Emir, and Azzi all decide to split up. Akiho looked to Elle not want to leave her alone, but before Chad, Lonnie, and Jane left as well. Audrey practically ran back to her room as fast as she could in her high heels.

“You know Akiho you don’t have to stay. I know you want to talk about what happened with Ben.” Elle said as they were somewhat walking towards her room. 

“No, I can stay with you if you don't mind.” Akiho replied very flustered at Elle who was looking up at him as pushed her chair.

“Akiho, go I have been able to get myself around since I could remember. I can handle going to my room. Anyway I have a headache so I need to rest.”

“Are you sure?” She nodded at the boy she was very much in love with. “Okay I am going to check on Ben, text me later.”

In Ben’s room he was pacing up and in his room, he could feel the Beast within him wanting to come out in his confusion.

As if his thoughts could summon him, Chip Potts, Ben's brother in all but blood came into the room causing him to stop and stare.

“What are you doing here?”

“Aw here I thought you would have missed me?”

“You know that's not what I meant. But why are you here?”

“Well your Shadows texted saying you guys and some other discovered some information that probably is causing you stress so I came like a bat out of hell to get here. Who else is going to make sure you are good Benji.” Chip said as he closed the door behind him

“I do need you Chip,” Ben said as his shoulders dropped.

“So tell me about it,” as he hugged his baby brother.

“Well that was very enlightening but very confusing.” Azzi walked to Ben’s room as his brother walked into Ben's room.

“No kidding, but I have an idea on learning how to untangle the craziness,” Emir said, causing the group to look at him. “

“How? How in hell l are we going to understand the craziness of what we just learned?” Ben spoke up waiting for Emir to tell us what was going on. 

“Wait, can you tell me what is going on?” Chip said as he was shocked about  Ben cursing. For some other reason why the two brothers were not shocked about Ben cursing.

“Well we overheard Mal Ben’s new girlfriend talking to FG. And how Mal’s mom is a bitch and her dad is a deadbeat, her uncle is dead. And she has a cousin. And somehow Queen Aurora screwed her mother.” Emir said with a nonchalant acceptance.

Chip meanwhile was wondering why Ben was not correcting Emir’s language. And Mal? Mal Ben’s new girlfriend. Maleficent's daughter Mal? He wasn't going to touch the other stuff until he got a better expiation.

“Azzi plays the recording for Chip so he can understand” Akiho says as they all look at him as he walks into the room. 

“Why are you guys not knocking on my door? And what recording?” Ben asked with a bewildered look on his face, not really caring on how Akiho had just walked into his room, like it was nothing.

“Well Azzi might have recorded the conversation on his phone. So we write everything that we learned from the phone call, and everything Auradon teaches us and compares.” Emir stated letting his idea sink in. As Akiho sat next to one of his best friends, Emir, as he went to watch Ben freak out about Azzi recording his girlfriend.

As they all were processing said news Ben was the first to react, “So let me get this Azzi you recorded my girlfriend’s conversation and planning on doing what?”

Azzi quickly responded not wanting to deal with Ben’s stare, “well Chad and I both participated in the betting pool about the new kids' other parent, and I started to record in case my guess was right so I would have proof. Because Chad he wouldn’t be able to back out.”

Seeing Ben start to glare at him at the news of people betting on things that were personal so but before say his thought on how wrong that is.

“I promise you after we can replay it, after it seemed like it would be important and if it was not I would delete it. I would never let it get out, my dad taught us to never use things that could hurt someone as gossip Ben.” Azzi told him to swear to Ben.

Ben nodded that it was probably the best. “Tell me more about this ‘bet’ later.”

‘So let's listen to it first then make a list on what's different” Chip said as the boys planned on putting on their thinking caps. Chip really just wanted to see what could get Ben all angry about it.

Two hours and a very enlightening conversation with their daughter later Aurora, and  Phillip hung up the phone. 

They had done what they could to reassure their little girl without lying to her, which meant telling her very little really. But what else could they do? 

How could they tell Audrey that what Queen Leah and the others had taught her was all a lie? That for all her reputation to the contrary, that Maleficent had truly been Aurora's own fairy godmother? 

And now, to learn what she had heard about the once Faerie Queen's daughter they felt even more conflicted. 

Part of Aurora was happy that the woman that had protected her from the shadows for the first sixteen years of her life had found some kind of happiness with someone, and that Diaval also felt happiness too with someone.  Another part was angry that Maleficent’s husband had left her and her daughter but still happy that she was able to get past that to raise her daughter.

Phillip was happy for the two people that took care of his wife, and that made him feel welcome in their family when he and Aurora got together. 

For both of them, another part of them felt a deep sorrow to hear of Diaval’s passing. Part of Aurora, deep down inside, felt... jealous of Mal for her connection to the both of them, and  Phillip knows this. Phillip knew that Aurora was a bit jealous of Diaval’s son, his son would have been an older sibling to Mal, like the both of them should have been to Mal.

But mostly, Phillip and Aurora both felt a sense of loss at never getting to know the girl that should have seen them as a big sister, and brother. Phillip wished to have a sister, and now he felt that he missed that chance. And by the look on his wifes face she was probably thinking the same.

To her their sister was a girl that was apparently feuding with Audrey quite fiercely over the affections of Belle's son. 

Phillip semi agreed with what Audrey was calling a ‘break’, but what he thought was a break up.  He could tell Ben wasn’t in love with her, and Audrey kept using the fact she will be ‘Queen one day’, something his mother would be shoving down her throat if she was still alive. But he knows her snooty friends and The Old Bat that was Aurora’s mother were spotting off to her all day and night when they were alone.

That is why he, his father, and Aurora were trying to curb.

Aurora had to stop herself from crying when Audrey had told them that Mal equated Aurora with her father. Which was horrific to hear.

Granted, you did not speak ill of the dead, and Stefan was remembered fondly in Auradon today, but her father had honestly been an unfeeling monster with a tenuous grip on reality at best when she met him. Her birth mother was nice enough, if somewhat vapid at the time. But Stephan... no. She would not go down that road. She would not let herself dwell too hard on the past. At least, not now. 

Besides, Ben's coronation was only in a few days and Phillip and Aurora would both be in attendance. 

With any luck they could meet with Mal there and get their own measure of the girl. Yes, that was what they would do. After all, they were practically family. It was time they met face to face. 

What could go wrong with that? 

Chapter Text

In the early hours of the day of Ben's Coronation, Mal looked over the lavender ball gown Evie had made for her in record time with a look that bordered on awe. To be honest she could not understand how Evie was able to make her dress which had to be made to fit Ben’s suit. And still have time to do Carlos and Jay’s suit and Evie’s dress.

"You outdid yourself this time, E. This is right up there with my leather jacket as my favorite of your creations." 

"Don't you look too much like a pink prissy princess, M?" Evie asked with a proud smirk. 

Evie had something up her sleeve, “E what is it? What are you not saying about the dress?”

“Well M, this dress here is navy blue with the dark purple lace. Making it indigo that has eggplant sequences on the dress. But if you look here, it has a slit” Evie said pointing out the slit as she hurried to continue before Mal interrupted her, “but as you stand you don’t see it unless you choose to, and when you sit down you won’t see it. It is purely there so when we run it will be much easier. And last night when you let me borrow your spell book I found a spell that allowed the caster to change their clothes or others clothes. So I picked out clothes for the 4 of us so should we need to fight we can change into them. All you have to do is say the spell over the clothes, say the name of who should wear it, and later say the spell, and all of the people’s clothes who were spelled it will appear as long as it is in a 24 hours.” 

Mal now couldn't object. Not that she wanted to object, but she would never say that out loud as nodded and went to her bed to look at the spell. She had to at least think that she was doing all the magic she could now before it all came to an end. If they got caught her magic would be bound to her which would cause her extremely terrible pain and sent to the Isle where her mother would be.

Her brother Damon would probably be able to save her from her mother should she fail but her friends would be killed. And then her mother would teach her a Lesson . So she couldn’t object to the dress Evie made. 

Probably the best skill Evie’s mother ever taught her was clothes-making. It was the one passion she could share with Queen Grimhilde without fear of being scolded. Creating beautiful garments allowed Evie to express herself and brought a sense of accomplishment and joy that was rare on the Isle. 

It was also something, much like Carlos’s ability to build anything tech-related, which was taught by her brother. Jay's cooking talent, a skill also taught by Grimhilde and Jafar, was a testament to their ingenuity. Cooking good, edible, human food was no small feat with the limited resources available on the Isle, yet Jay had managed to turn it into an art form.

These skills and talents, shared among the four of them, had helped the four of them when Daemon was out doing his things.

Carlos's knack for technology had helped them build makeshift devices that brought a semblance of modernity to their lives. Jay's culinary expertise meant that they could enjoy meals that were not only edible but also the little times even good and edible food for the gang, which is even more rare on the Isle than the tiny amount of simple medical supplies that they have.

Either way these talents were something that only showed how much they enjoyed these hobbies that they could share between the four of them. 

They had always run together like a pack, a family, and watched out for one another. 

As Mal shook herself out of her head Mal started to ask distractedly, "Have Jay and Carlos done anything to that idiot Chad yet?" Evie shook her head as she replied, 

"I think they're waiting to see which way Doug will go. He wanted to defend us on Parent's Day before Chad intimidated him. They probably want to see if he can be trusted before they decide how far to take things." 

"You mean he wanted to defend you," Mal noted with a roll of her eyes. 

Evie smiled sadly as she replied, "Yeah, I suppose. But he was also the only other person here besides Ben who didn't want something from us to be nice." 

"Really?" Mal asked flatly with a skeptical look. 

"Oh, come on, Mal. You can't blame the boy for being attracted to me. But he also believed in me. That I'm more than just a pretty face. That's special. Even on the Isle," Evie noted. 

It was clear Evie was also having serious second thoughts on the plans to take the Fairy Godmother's wand at the coronation. Even if she didn't want to say it. 

Mal was having those thoughts but she couldn’t go back. This was the only way she could get a tiny bit of affection from a family member who wasn’t her brother since her uncle's death.

“Well, dwarves are known for their loyalty. And even if his line is a few generations removed from Nidavellir, at least he's not just a regular human," Mal noted with a shrug. 

"You do remember that I'm technically human, right? Carlos too," Evie asked with a mild glare.

"Pfft. You have blue hair, E. And it's not like we have ridiculous luxuries like hair dye on the Isle for anyone but Cruella. I'd bet hard cash your mom isn't fully human her powers had to come from somewhere too," Mal dismissed as she sat down at the vanity and let Evie start to style her hair. 

"I always suspected Hans could be my father. You know him as a prince. I could see Mom trying to seduce a prince," Evie speculated. Evie knew Hans wasn’t her father, she had overheard one of her mother’s servants arguing with her mother on trying to allow him to tell Evie he was her father when she was 10. Her mother had told Graham `her father` that he would not and then she killed him. Not that Evie was saddened by Graham's death since he had made comments about Mal’s changing body a couple of days before his death. 

Damon and Jay had to be chained so they didn’t kill the man. Though the look her mother had sent to him…. and well when she assumed that her father was asking to meet her because he was already going to die. Her mother hated men who looked, touched, or even thought about children in that way; it was one of the things Grimhilde would challenge Maleficent on should Mal’s mom allowed a person like that in the same house when Mal and Evie were there. 

Mal and Damon would usually spend the night with them so the Grimhilde could remind Maleficent about why letting people like that live is a bad idea.

"Gross," Mal responded with a wince, pulling Evie out of her thoughts.

Mal had barely begun to accept her attraction to Ben. Mal certainly wasn't ready to picture Queen Grimhilde... seducing anyone. Though Mal probably would never be ready to picture Grimhilde like that.

 "Aw, is little M getting uncomfortable with big girl talk?" Evie teased with a wicked little grin as the two of them were waiting for the boys to come in.

"Ugh," Mal grunted as she got up from her bed to put her spell book away, unwilling to take the conversation any further than it had already gone. 

After a few moments of relatively companionable silence, Evie noted, "You never said anything about Carlos."

Mal rolled her eyes as she replied, "He's got a full head of white hair at fifteen. He's got some kind of non-human family in his line. Maybe a jotunn or dark elf." 

"Maybe. I could see Cruella finding a dark elf attractive. And vice-versa" Evie said thoughtfully. 

"I'd be more likely to believe she had one in her line, honestly. Would explain some of her personality quirks," Mal shot back. It was an old game they all played. 

"Who could our other parents be?" Since they all wished their other parents better than their own. Jay loved his mother but always suggested that he wasn’t Jafar's son, not that he wasn't; he just wished he had a better father who deserved his mother before her death.

Carlos knew whoever got with his mother had to be a) crazy, b) drunk, c) crazy and drunk, d) had to be assaulted to be with Cruella in that way, or e) all of the above.

Evie had only told them what she knew about her father after his death, fearing that Mal wouldn’t want to be her friend because of the comment that he made. So her wishing for father Hans to be her father was a common thing.

Mal knew who hers was, but never told the others despite the fact they knew, that when her uncle ranted about said man he would get loud and they were sometimes near him.

Damon knew that his mother was just a whore, his father had plainly stated that he had paid a woman for a month to be his and his only so when she found out she was pregnant he knew it was his. And his mother didn’t want him, and the only reason he was even alive was because Diaval wanted him. 

So when they played this game with the others they all were wishing for a better parent.

There was another lull in the conversation before Evie asked, "After it... you know... over? Will you visit the Moors?" 

"Of course. The only reason I haven't gone there already is because of all the craziness here. And because Mother told me not to lose focus," Mal replied. 

Her expression grew happy as she added, “Plus I promised Damon that we would go together. And stay there for a while, Mother is unleashing her rage.” 

Mal’s face grew sad when she knew what her mother was going to do. But then her expression grew annoyed as she continued, "I'd drag Jane along with me if I could, too. That girl needs some serious lessons in her heritage. Her mother has all but crippled her here." 

"She grew up a Faerie learning to be human. You grew up almost like a human learning to be a Faerie because of the barrier blocking most of our powers," Evie noted. 

“Jane doesn't even have wings, and she doesn't even know she could have had wings if her mother didn’t spell them away.” Mal added.

“Her mother did that?” Evie asked. Scandales as she went to grab her stuff so she could shower. 

“FG would never admit that but there are only two ways an offspring of a Fae not having wings at birth. The first way is what happened to me and my mother. The second way is if the woman who is caring for said child drinks a potion throughout the pregnancy and then after giving birth they have another fairy to do the spell. And we saw Jane’s back. She has no wings. 

To be honest all of the half-fairies don’t have wings, only full fairies and halef-fairies living in the Moors have wings. And I don’t think Jane even knows that her mother stripped her of the majority of her magic and her descendants as well until they were fully human. 

Jane’s kids will never have wings, and so on  until they have no magic. Unless Jane or her descendants marry a full fairy for a couple of generations they might have magic and wings again. 

Mother might let FG and the other fairies who took away their kids wings and the said kids  just so she could tell this to them and to cause adults heartbreak as their offsprings were broken that they might end themselves.

Fairies don’t really like fairies who don't know about the culture so they won’t ever want to marry them let alone sleep with them.” Mal said the Fairies and Fae facts she was taught. 

Evie nodded not knowing how to respond to that. They fell into another loll as they waited for the boys to get in the room. Evie was already done and fully ready to start to get Mal and the other. On the Isle when you need to shower you only have a few minutes before the water turns black. 

And if you needed longer than you had to go to the cove and hope you had no open cuts otherwise it would sting from the salt that was in the water.

"I wonder how long it's going to take Jay to realize since he's only half djinn he can use his magic without fear of being bound to a lamp and would have some serious magic of his own?" Mal asked. 

"Probably a month or so after Jafar gets loose and shows up in all his dark genie glory," Evie noted with a snicker. 

One of Jay's major failings was that he was always living in the moment rather than thinking things through. It was one of the drawbacks of growing up a petty thief and general street rat as he had back home. 

“It is going to be bad. After my mom gets here. After my Mom gets here?" Mal asked hollowly after another pause in the conversation. 

"Probably. She was already kind .. after your dad left is what others said is true. And when your uncle died, she went kinda..." Evie trailed off. 

"I know. It went from just ‘don’t help people’ and ‘be nasty, evil, and cruel’ and ‘Come on Mal stop being a baby and kill this stupid creature’ to  'if you don’t stop being a disappointment I will let one of those creeps outside have their way with you’ and ‘here is a dagger I want you to skin this baby’ and ‘be more like me’,” Mal recalled forlornly. 

"Your Uncle Was the best. He taught us so many cool tricks to keep from getting caught when we wanted to cause trouble," Evie noted wistfully. She didn’t want to touch on what Mal had mentioned, this was not the time. Their gang knew that Damon would kill anything and anyone so Mal would not have to. He would let her take the credit and say she had done said acts to Maleficent. But sometimes Maleficent wanted to watch so Mal did have to do said killings. 

(triggers starting)

And Jay had told them that he had seen Damon selling himself to the perverts, and pedos that their Mother had brought in when Mal was being a ‘disappointment’. But Damon needed sleep so … she and the others knew that Mal wasn’t a virgin even though she didn’t ever want to talk about others getting it on. 

Mal would blush and look away pretending to not know anything about sex, because she never acknowledges that she isn’t a virgin. Not that Evie would blame her. Mal to her dying day will say she was never touched in that way because who wants to think about the few and it was a few times from what Damon said of Mal having people forced on her.

Everyone knows that kids who live on the street are touched every hour of every day. Some kids just fell asleep because they were so tired and could not fight back anymore.

(triggers over)

Mal smiled sadly as she replied, "The best." pulling Evie out of her depressing thoughts. 

"Speaking of getting out of things... Are you sure you want to give Ben the... you know?" Evie asked. 

Mal's mood sobered even more as she replied, "I told you, leaving him in love with me after would be cruel. He was good to us. He deserves better than that." 

“Even if he's human?" Evie asked mischievously. 

Mal snorted in a very unladylike way as she replied, "He got some of his father's Beast form in him. When we were on our date he roared then jumped in the water. No human makes a sound like that." 

Evie's expression grew devilish as she asked, "You had him roaring for you, huh?" 

"E!" Mal exclaimed with a blush.

 "You sure you don't want to see if you can get him to purr too? I could give you some tips," Evie continued. 

Mal growled in frustration as she glared at her friend through her reflection in the vanity's mirror, her eyes glowing green without meaning to, as she snapped, "When are those boys going to get here? So you can start doing my hair and so you can start torturing me with that gunk you call make-up." 

Evie chose to ignore Mal's insult toward her favorite cosmetics as she dutifully started to work on Mal's hair. 

And just as Evie started to work on Mal’s hair there were the boys knocking, with their secret knock as they walked in with their clothes should they need to fight and their suits.

~~~~

As Four Cour was getting ready Aurora and Phillip  were visiting with their daughter in her private dorm room with a very strange request from Audrey's point of view. 

"Why would you possibly want to meet Mal, guys? I mean she's going to be at the coronation anyway so you could just see her there," Audrey asked with a quizzical look. 

"There are few things that me and your Mother need to discuss a few things with her," Phillip hedged. 

"Like what? I mean if you want to talk to her about stealing Ben from me, I'm all for it, but is this the time?" Audrey asked. 

Her expression grew more serious as she noted the look of nervous agitation on her parent’s face as she continued, "Is this about the stuff I told you? The things me and the others overheard her saying to the Fairy Godmother?" 

Phillip flinched as he remembered their soon to be King Benjamin had heard that conversation, he knew that they were going to be questioned about it. He knew that Aurora was still pretending that they didn’t have to tell their daughter the truth.

Adam and Belle’s son had heard that conversation and they would be questioned, all he could hope was that he could still hang on to his title of a prince from his father’s kingdom, he most likely would lose his title of heir and go to one of his cousins, but is he was still a prince, his little girl would be able to be a princess still. They would have to downsize and that would be a shock to Audrey since they did spoil her a bit. But they would still have more money than most, not what they have now but he knew how he and Aurora spoiled Audrey so that she would not survive, no longer being a royal.

While Phillip flinched, Aurora did her best not to flinch as Audrey mentioned the headmistress of the school. To Aurora, she would always be "Cinderella's Fairy Godmother" at best. The only person that could be THE Fairy Godmother in her eyes was Maleficent. But she could not tell her daughter that. 

Not without ruining Audrey's entire image of her family, at any rate. She is not as in denial as Phillip thinks that she is, she knows that Ben overheard the conversation so as soon as he gets the chance this would be setting in motion things that could lead to the council rescinding Phillip and Aurora’s titles as they were obtained through duplicitous means. And not just the titles that Phillip has by marrying her. This would mean his father and family would lose the titles, since her mother in law Queen Ingrith was named as the Queen after marrying Phillip's father and not being named Queen Consort. Ingris’s decisions were as much John’s fault as it was hers. So when John was cursed and not able to rule the will stated that Queen Ingrith was the ruler of Ulstead and would have full control of the kingdom and anything she had done was sanctioned by the Crown (aka King John) until the current King passed and went to the next heir which was Phillip. So Ingrith’s plans of committing genocide against all magical creatures. It was a massacre, not a big one but still enough to be considered a small massacre.

After Phillip and Aurora’s wedding Maleficent was named as Regent to help John to see how much a mess his wife had led the kingdom. So when Maleficent was sent to the Isle for the ‘ crimes’ against her and her family they added the charges of causing the massacre and the dead magical creatures were dark creatures and following Maleficent’s orders.

She, Phillip, and John said nothing in her or Diaval’s defense. John and his family would lose their titles. And it did not matter that Ulstead was now a smaller state under Auroria’s rule or the South Riding Kingdom’s rule. The council of Royals would take the whole Kingdom that Aurora and Phillip ruled would be given to others. Or even Mal, since Maleficent had ‘technically’ been considered as Queen by conquest.  

She and Phillip didn't think Audrey could handle not being a Princess. She was not raised away from Royal life the way Aurora had been. And truthfully neither was Phillip. He was raised being a royal his whole life, and sure his father had made him learn on how to live by using common or less things. But that was for if he had been kidnapped, or if there was a coupe and he had to pretend to be a commoner till he was able to get the throne, he would be a bit better off no longer being a Royal. 

Audrey grew more worried as her parents' thoughts turned inward and prodded, "Mom, Dad?" 

"Sorry, dear. I just got lost in thought. But yes, I do have to speak to Maleficent's daughter about some things that concern her mother, and us. There are some things she deserves to hear firsthand. And I would prefer they be done in private rather than in a room full of gossiping royals and courtiers," Phillip explained as Aurora had to get her head straight after going into an inner monologue.  

"Mom, is there something I should know about all of this? I mean all Grandmother would tell me was that they were both evil and Maleficent had a hand in Grandfather, and Dad’s mother’s death," Audrey replied. 

Aurora looked furious for a moment before Phillip put his hand on his wife’s shoulder so she could compose herself as she conceded, "I suppose you could say that. If you consider not wanting to get run through with a sword as having something to do with it." They didn’t even touch on Ingrith. Phillip had his feeling that Aurora knew he wouldn’t want to tell Audrey, especially since Phillip and his father always got very mad talking about that woman. And this was not the time to have Phillip start a rant on how his mother was an awful person as awful as her father and King Uther Pendragon.

"What?" Audrey asked, confused. 

"Your grandfather had taken hold of Maleficent's ankle as she was trying to fly away after a fight. She shook him off and dropped him on a tower roof to keep from killing him. She warned him to never attack her like that again. He chose instead to try to charge her and run her through. She moved, he missed, and he... fell all on his own. Perhaps your grandmother blames her for not trying to save him," Phillip explained. 

"But. But that sounds like self defense," Audrey noted as her mouth flew to her hand in horror. 

Aurora closed her eyes and swallowed hard before looking at her daughter once more. "You were born in a time of peace and light for all the people of Auradon, Audrey. You've never known war or strife. I was not so fortunate. My father and my grandfather had been fighting against Maleficent and her Faerie kingdom for years. It was an off and on war on our end, and your father’s mother was born into a kingdom which fought with my grandfather. Their kingdom lost their own King, heir, and spare. Ingrith was married off to keep her safe from the war.” 

Aurora needed to take a minute before she could speak once more, “Maleficent was the Queen of the Moors. The rest of the Dark Fae bent to her and proclaimed her as their Queen. And Maleficent would never let my Grandfather and father win. Audrey, it was war. War is not pretty, it isn’t black and white. And the reason for most wars gets lost until there is a winner. And there were actions on both sides where their actions could be justified but then some actions were not … well when the villains were trials some of the charges were war crimes. It is why the Isle was created to  try to stop such things from happening again," she explained. 

"Wait, so Maleficent is a Queen? Does that make Mal a Princess?" Audrey asked, trying to focus on the least disturbing thing her mother had just told her. 

"Maleficent was a queen. She had been the protector of the Moors and the Faire Folk there, since she was a young girl and they named her Queen from a toddler.

And they had named her queen not that she took it until your great-grandfather started his campaign to try to annex them into his kingdom. That was when she took on that title officially of Queen of the Moors, with the full support of the Moors. And later when my mother ” Philip stated as he spat out calling the women who treated him like shit because he wasn’t a bloodthirsty son that would kill anyone who looked at her funny. God, he hated his mother.

Aurora took his hand he continued, “She started the second war with Maleficent she died but the war was considered to be a victory for everyone when Maleficent and the magical people retreated. Maleficent truly wished her dead, so when she died the war in their eyes was done. So the people in the Faerie realm when Maleficent won what in their eyes was the war, pressed her to keep the title of Queen since Maleficent wished to renounce it. It was the other Dark fae who convinced her to hold onto her title as Queen. So she is a Queen while the House of Parliament and Royal Council would say that title was renounced after she was sent to the Isle. And they did do that. And the other Dark fae tried to fight back and they were sent to the Isle.”

“As for Mal, I'm not sure. If you asked any in the Faerie realm, they would say yes. So from a legal standpoint, that would be the Royal Council and the Houses of Parliament to debate. But from where I sit, I would say that yes, she is," Aurora explained the rest for Philip so he could take a break. She certainly left out the part that Maleficent did abdicate her throne shortly after her curse was broken on Aurora herself. And after the issue with Ingith, she gave it back to Maleficent. But her mother had told her no. 

"Oh," Audrey replied, stunned at the pedigree of her rival. "Wait. Aren't you Queen of the Moors now? And Dad, aren't you King of the Moors now?  How would this happen if it was Maleficent's kingdom?" she demanded with a confused expression. 

Aurora's face grew sad as she replied, "That is a tale for another time and another place, honey. For now, I need to speak with my st-... with Mal. There I think in regards to my title as Queen of the Moors that she should be told. It is her birthright, after all." That had been close for Aurora. She had almost called Mal her "step-sister" without meaning to. 

Audrey's face grew more confused, as well as a bit outraged, at her mother's response. It had always bothered her that the handful of times she had joined her mother in visiting the Moors and Aurora's three Pixie guardians as a child, the inhabitants there beyond her three Aunties never showed her any of the respect they showed her mother and her father. 

Even if, looking back on it, that respect for Aurora had been grudging at best. And Phillip well they treated him a step up better than Audrey herself had gotten.

When Audrey had grown too agitated and snapped at a pair of river sprites that her mother was their Queen and that made her their Princess and they should show her respect, they laughed at her and told her she had not and NEVER WOULD BE a princess of the Moors. Their Princess and Heir weren't here and they would wait until their Princess came back.

That had never made sense to Audrey. Plus with what her friends heard this makes no sense. But if the title was only her father and mother’s by non-bloodline means, like some kind of regency, it suddenly made much more sense. 

Of course that meant Mal was who they considered blood-heir to the throne of the Moors instead. 

It was probably what her mother needed to discuss with her. But was Mal aware of her birthright? But why did her father have to come with her mother to talk to Mal? Did her father think Mal would hurt her mother? But he didn’t have his sword on him, it would most likely be in their carriage waiting for him, right? Did Belle and Adam know Mal was a princess? Did they tell Ben so he could ensure the Moors didn’t rebel after her mother and father passed? But Ben never knew about the things that we overheard.  

The thought didn't seem right to Aurora's daughter. Even as Heir to the Throne of Auradaon Bennie-Boo had never been one to put on airs or be overly concerned with status. But the fact that there was more to Mal than just a "bad girl" that might be a passing fancy for Ben was troubling. 

Audrey kept these thoughts to herself as she stood up and told her mother, "Well I suppose I should show you to her and the Evil Queen's daughter's dorm. With Mal having to escort Ben they are probably getting her ready." 

Her parents smiled in thanks as they stood from where they had both been seated on their daughter's bed and straightened clothing and crowns. They had to look her best. 

Phillip and Aurora were going to meet their baby sister.

Chapter Text

Audrey and her parents exchanged anxious glances as they headed to Mal and Evie’s dorm room. 

Aurora would have lied if she had claimed she did not feel supremely nervous as her daughter knocked on the door. 

This was the first time she would see Maleficent's daughter in the flesh. Oh, she had seen a few pictures here and there that the local media had published, highlighting Prince Ben's project to integrate the children of the Isle of the Lost back into the society of Auradon as a whole, of course. And as the pictures were published Phillip with his father, was getting everything ready for her to come live with them.

Sometimes she had to think about this because Phillip always wished to have a little sister and her step-sister would be the closest thing he could have. Was it more of the fact his mother would be in such a state if she was here alive and seeing her son caring for a magical being, a person, and a family? It could be for both reasons. 

But she remembered when they were talking about meeting her, “Briar, Maleficent is more of your mother than your birth mother might have been better than my own. But Maleficent raised you. Those fucking idiot good fairies, who would have let you die over and over. And Mal is your sister, step-sister if she is the kind of person who would want to use the formal title, she is your sister and by that extension my sister. So I will care for her, and if it would piss off my mother from hell…well that is a win-win for me.”

So she understood why Phillip was a mix of nervousness and excitement. But for her, to see her sister in person, to be able to talk to her, maybe even hug her—the butterflies in her stomach multiplied at the thought.

Mal was lying on her bed, waiting for Evie to finish Jay's hair so she could do her hair and makeup. She looked at Evie, who was focused on styling Jay's hair into his signature bun and sighed, impatiently waiting for her turn. Carlos was ensuring his suit was free from any of the dog hair that might have gone on it.

Carlos had left Dude in the office where he stayed before Carlos let him stay with him and Jay. She knew this because Carlos had told them this when he and Jay came to their room.

This caused her to flinch internally, this was another reason why not follow her mother's orders. But if she didn’t get the barrier open then her gang (her family) would get killed. She knew her mother would kill them or torture them until she came to heel and obeyed.

But seeing Carlos so hurt about the fact that as soon as his mother comes to her, he will go back to being her servant and kill the dog that caused Carlos to stand up for himself. Or seeing Jay go back to being a thief and enforcer for his father and not the older brother who got to have a life then spending all his time protecting the younger ones in the group. Mal still thinks when he won the first game of the Tourney season she had never seen him smile at something that was just his. 

Or Evie, here in Auradon she wasn’t being made into a trophy wife and being told how not to use her brain. Here she was reading without the fear of the books being burned or seeing Evie being allowed to eat the foods she has chosen and not having to scarf down food before her mother's sees unless she was forced to vomit it all up.

The knock on the door drew their attention, making them exchange puzzled looks. Who would be bothering them at this early hour?

Carlos got up to answer the door, confusion evident on his face. "I'll get it. You guys stay there. Evie still has to finish Jay’s hair and then paint your face, Mal," Carlos said, heading to the door and ignoring Evie’s scowl, who at Carlos had practically compared the art of applying make-up to something trivial like face paint. 

His confusion only deepened when he saw Audrey, Mal's worst enemy at school, standing there with an older man and woman in elegant outfits. 

"Guys? What are you doing here at 5:00 in the morning?" he asked, glancing at his broken watch, hoping Audrey wasn’t there for a confrontation before the Coronation. He did not need to deal with a confrontation now it was too early and they needed to go over the plan and reassure Mal that her mother wouldn’t kill her should she choose not to follow along. Which was a bald-faced lie but it could at least help with her guilt of not fully being on board with this plan. 

"Hey, Carlos, what are you doing in the girls' dorm room?” Audrey asked, forgetting why she was there. Audrey seems more focused on the fact Carlos was in the girl's dorm room. The Fairy Godmother was very sticky with the rules about boys and girls being in each other's rooms without permission from the Fairy Godmother. The only exceptions were during a set time and siblings, visiting siblings if it was an emergency.

"Oh, Evie is helping me and Jay get ready for today. Anyway, why are you guys here?" Carlos replied, waiting for an answer. 

"Is Mal up yet? My... well, my mom and dad want to talk to her," Audrey interrupted awkwardly, the confrontation from Parent's Day still fresh in her mind.

"Of course, she's up. Evie has to get her ready for the Coronation," Carlos responded automatically, offended at the notion that Evie wouldn’t have Mal looking her best. 

The rest of the statement caught up with him, and he took a more defensive stance in front of the door, eyeing Queen Aurora and King Phillip warily before turning his attention back to Audrey. "What could your parents possibly have to say to Mal?" 

Audrey didn't know exactly how to answer, mostly because her parents had been somewhat evasive when she had asked the same question a few minutes prior. She was saved from trying to come up with something when Phillip interjected, "It's a private matter between Mal, Aurora, and me. Carlos, was it?" 

Carlos's expression grew frostier, prepared to rebuff them outright and slam the door, when Mal called out, "It's okay, Carlos. Let them in."

"M, are you sure?" Evie asked, looking over her shoulder. She had to suppress a flinch at the hardened look in her best friend's eyes. This was the girl known as the Princess of the Isle back home, the leader of their gang of miscreants who could drop Jay in a fistfight if she needed to. Not that she ever had. When Mal did have to drop someone in a fistfight if they got too close to her it was usually Freddy Frollo and his gang of sheep who thought any magical people were sins and deserved to die, or women needed to be beneath them, serving them in all ways.

Still, you didn’t cross Mal when that look was in her eye—not if you could help it. And this was not a time to cross her.

"It's fine. I imagine Aurora, Phillip, and I have a few things to talk about, especially where my mother is concerned," Mal replied frostily. Carlos nodded in acceptance before turning back toward the pair and stepping aside to allow them entrance into the room. Before he went to stand next to Mal.

"Just so you know, she's not drinking anything you give her and she doesn't even have wings of her own. So don't get any funny ideas," Jay hissed at Aurora as she made her way in, causing the Queen of the Moors to pale considerably as she took in the dark glare the Son of Jafar was giving her. Even though Jay was still waiting for Evie to finish pinning up her hair. 

The warning was very clear. Mal was her friend and if Aurora even thought of hurting her these three children would defend her.

Audrey however was extremely confused as she asked, "What is that supposed to mean?" 

"I'll explain later," Aurora hurriedly replied, earning shocked looks from VKs. 

"You never even told her," Evie whispered in shock. 

Looking back at their encounters with Audrey, they had thought she was just a self-entitled little priss rubbing what her mother got away with in Mal's face. But if she was unaware... wow, Aurora and Phillip were more messed up than they gave them credit for. They both might even have what it took to survive on the Isle. Nah, Aurora would have broken down due to the life she had sent Maleficent, Diaval, and their kids to. Phillip would not have survived; he would end up getting himself killed somehow trying to be a so-called hero.

"Sounds like someone's been keeping secrets... Beastie. No children's stories of fairy godmothers and pretty birds to help Audrey sleep when she was younger?" Mal asked, narrowing her eyes at Aurora, counting on Jay to keep an eye on Phillip. 

As she spoke, Aurora took in Mal's full features for the first time. The purple hair was the first thing to catch her attention, although it wasn't much of a shock as unique hair colors were quite common among the Faire Folk. 

As Aurora took in Mal's face, she couldn't help but let out a little gasp. She looked so much like a younger version of her mother. Although it was clear Mal had inherited her father’s less pronounced cheekbones. Since Maleficent’s cheekbones were very pronounced, and if Aurora looked at the young girl, she could see that Mal wasn’t a younger version of her mother, no one would think she was a completely younger version of her mother. Some differences had to be from her father's side of the family.

All in all, Mal seems to look to be an amazing blend of her parents. Seeing her in the flesh was almost painful for Aurora. "You look so much like her," she whispered. 

"Thanks," Mal responded flatly, "Your mother made sure to point that out when she assumed I was my mom a few days ago on Parent's Day." 

Aurora felt ashamed as she replied, "I must apologize for her behavior. She had no excuse to act like that toward you. Toward all of you, children.”.

"Don't even think about it. At this point, I think my family should be fairly used to being hurt one way or another by yours," Mal dismissed with a dark smirk. 

Audrey felt that she was thrown into the deep end. The conversation going on around her was very confusing. "Mom, what is she talking about?" she asked. 

Aurora swallowed nervously before saying, "Audrey, maybe you should head to the dining hall and get some breakfast. Mal, Phillip, and I need some privacy." 

"But Mom—" Audrey protested, only to be cut off with a stern look from her mother. 

"Please, dear. I'll explain later. I promise. But for now, this is between me, your father, and Mal," Aurora implored. 

"Fine," Audrey acquiesced. She wanted to know what this was all about, but she knew what the stubborn expression on her mother's face meant. 

"You want us to stick around, M, or should we get some breakfast too?" Evie asked, only willing to leave Mal's side with her permission.

Mal gave a less venomous smile to her sister in all but blood as she replied, "Go guys ahead and eat. Then E can come and paint me up like a doll after you're done." 

Evie nodded in acceptance of the dismissal before adding, "You need me, you know where I am." 

With that Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Audrey all headed out of the room, closing the door behind them. 

Aurora and Phillip took a seat on one of the chairs that were in the room. It was a bit before Aurora was sighing and looking to the floor in shame as she said, "I suppose it would be pointless to ask how much your mother told you." 

"Not much really. She doesn't talk to anyone about it. Though my uncle wasn't as quiet. Blackbirds rarely are," Mal noted. 

If anything Aurora and Phillip’s expression grew more withdrawn as they nodded in understanding. 

Their reaction made Mal narrow her eyes as she noted, "You're not surprised about who my uncle is. You both already know." 

It was clear to the adults in the room that Mal wanted that information. Phillip and Aurora both winced and little before looking up to meet Mal's gaze and by the gods did she have her mother's eyes. "Audrey, overheard you talking with Cinderella's Fairy Godmother yesterday and called to ask me about some of the things you alluded to," Phillip admitted.

Phillip did not want to tell the girl that more than Audrey heard about that later.

Mal seemed momentarily indifferent before sniffing in dismissal as she responded, "Didn't think she had it in her. If she hadn't been invading my privacy I'd almost feel proud of her." 

Phillip gave a small grin as he weakly joked, "Well she is your niece, from a certain point of view." 

The look Mal gave them was clearer than glass, that it wasn't anything close to the right thing to say to her. 

Akiho and Emir were in their shared dorm room, preparing for the day's events. 

They were dressing in their formal attire, both had a mix of excitement and nerves fluttering in their stomachs. 

Their best friend, Ben, was set to be crowned king, an event that was monumental not only for him but for all of Auradon. This would be Auradons second monarch, since the unification of the kingdoms, this would be their second king.

As they adjusted their ties and straightened their jackets, they couldn't help but talk about the curious situation they found themselves in. The two princes thought this would be happening years away when they were older, not 20 years into King Adam’s reign.

"Can you believe Ben is getting crowned today? It feels like just yesterday we were all freshmen, figuring out this school," Emir said, fastening his cufflinks. Emir hated when he had to dress up for these formal events. He was much like his father in that aspect. 

Thankfully he was the second prince of Agrabah and his father had no lands for him to become heir to. And the provinces in Agrabah were chosen by the people and he had no love for politics. 

He would take the throne if it was needed, but since his brother was alive and healthy he was going to find something he loved to do. And you would need to truly love politics to try to become one of the elected leaders in those provinces. From what he knows the provinces hated each other or was it just one province that was hated by the others? And when the multiverse combined into one planet. Well….. it seemed to put an end to their feud and instead bound them to hate Agrabah and the royal family of Agrabah. Not because they were no longer countries, but more of the fact they now had to follow a fictional realm was how it was put. Since they believed that the royals of Auradon were pretending, and never thought them to be real.

He had to thank the council, who very much dissuaded his grandfather from making them worship one religion in Agrabah like he wished to. If his grandfather had them become Christians he would have made the Muslims and Jews angry, if he picked Judaism the other would have fought back. No, his grandfather had allowed all religion and put into place laws stopping it from being forced onto others. Like in schools, some schools in Agrabah were dedicated to one religion which was less than the rest of the kingdoms, but the majority of the population went to schools that were mixed. Emir still knew that the provinces were still frosty towards each other from how much his mom was nervous when meeting the representatives. 

"Yeah, it’s wild," Akiho agreed, smoothing out the creases in his jacket, knowing if he didn’t speak up, his best friend would have gone into a thought about how he was glad he was a second-born son. On the other hand, as Winter’s Keep better called Arendell he was their only heir, so he was used to dressing up for formal events. "Especially since he just turned sixteen. It’s a lot to take on at such a young age."

Emir nodded thoughtfully after getting out of his head. "Right? He only just turned sixteen three weeks ago, at the start of the school term. It's crazy to think that he's already finishing his last classes and will be graduating by the winter holidays." 

"Yeah, it’s impressive. He’s been so ahead of everyone else. We are still in our junior year. I know that we were the few outside of the Royal Council, the Houses of Parliament, and trusted teachers and staff to be told the real reason why he was starting freshman year while his class was in eighth grade. But still, if he wasn’t ahead of us he would be ahead of us," Akiho mused. 

“When he was just fourteen, he was already in his sophomore year, and by fifteen, he was tackling junior and senior year courses. Now he's practically done with school, all while preparing to take the throne." Emir smiled, a mix of pride and concern on his face. 

"He's always been an overachiever, but I worry about the pressure. Being crowned king at the start of the school year, with everything else he’s juggling, it’s a lot. He is still not eating properly and getting enough sleep, let alone sleeping in bed and not at his desk." 

“I know, but from what mom told me when I shared these concerns, that Belle and Adam would still be doing a lot of the work. It was more for….” Akiho paused to think of the right way to word this. 

Emir paused from attempting to brush out his hair, “More for what dude?”

Akiho stopped tying his dress shoes and looked to the locked door of the dorm, and then he whispered, “Mom said that the reason why they are having Ben take the throne now, with the help of the majority of the Royal Council and the Houses Parliament is due to the fact…. Should King Adam die, Ben would not know how to handle being King on his own. Sure that mom, Queen Belle, your mother, King Kit, Queen Rapunzel, King Ferus, King Eric, and Queen Snow would be the regents until Ben turned 25 when it was the original age of when the Heir to Auradon would be able to take on the throne as King making decisions without going through the regents.

“Wait, King Adam is going to die?” Emir replied quietly as he walked closer to his friend so he wouldn’t be overheard should someone place a bug in their room. It was unlikely but they were royal children and they were taught to do this. 

“Not that I know. The only reason why I know this is because I was on the list of approved people who should have told me that Ben was going to take the throne at 16. Anyway, I am going to continue if you can let me finish,” as Emir nodded Akiho continued, “The only ones who know who was to be the regents in chargers are Belle, Adam, said people who were chosen Chip since he was named second in line and that was more to stop others for trying to become Ben’s heir or force him to have children as a teenager. And from how Mom worded it some of his regents could be people not in the Royal Council or House of Parliament, they could be people like Phoebus. 

They don’t want him to be left not knowing how to cope and to deal with the fact his dad died. From what I am guessing they are going to name him King in name and give him the ability to make the final calls but he would still have the previous Monarchs there alive with no grief holding them back from helping. And that his regents, who he would mostly likely be told of after the ceremony, would be able to take some of the work. And that isn’t much help.”

“Okay, I am very confused about all of this but mainly why Chip is named heir. And if he has regents sure it might be tedious for them to go to Ben with the ideas he has and then go to Ben on what the Council and Parliament want. Then why go through all of this, I get the fact Adam and Belle would want Ben to go through the pains of grieving his father after becoming King after King Adam's death and Belle would most likely be grieving as well, so that would not be that great.”

“Trust me I was too, but mom explained after her grandmother and grandfather died she was 15, and Elsa being 3 years old was 18. But due to the charters of Arendell, she had regents, which she didn’t mind due to her ice powers. Due to the charters stating that the Heir of Arendelle has to be 21 to be crowned officially as Queen since my aunt was technically queen from the moment of her parents' death, her regents had done a lot of work for her. 

Thankfully Grandpa wished to be prepared from the moment grandmother gave birth to Elsa and had chosen her regents and well Mom's regents should have something happen to Elsa as well, where trusted knights, lords, ladies, and a few commanders. They knew the secret of Elsa's powers and like the staff and soldiers were shown to secrecy, and they were true and honest people who would never lead Elsa astray.

And my Aunt is a person who would be led astray by. Although she never was around my mom she did do the royal tours and events even if the ones she went to were filled with people who were extremely loyal towards my family, and the fact those events were small and the tours were very short, Grandfather knew no one would manipulate her.

Now Mom on the other hand. I love her, I do. She is my mom but Grandfather and Grandmother kept her very isolated and did none of the things that she should have done as the second in line and as Elsa's presumed heir. They had her taught about court and some politics but it all is very much in rose-tinted glasses. They never wanted her to know that the court was awful, nor did not teach her about people using her. 

Imagine if Hans was able to my aunt and trick mom into making him a regent he could have done a lot of bad. Not that I think any of the guards would let him live. The only reason why he was even that close to Mom that day was because the guards knew she wanted some fun before Elsa closed the gates again leaving her at home and with no one, and that the guards were trying to ensure Elsa did not let out a reaction.

And they didn’t kill him after Mom went to go find Aunt Elsa. They were trying to find Mom since they didn’t know she left until after the fact. And to this day they have no idea why she went to that one mountain while they were searching in perimeters, due to the snow and how big the forest is. And the guards who went with Hans thought she had killed Anna when Anna’s horse was without her there. 

And when Dad got Mom back to the palace Hans and the little piece of shit from Weselton had taken the castle by force and all the guards, soldiers, noblemen and ladies of the court, and servants were locked in the dungeon. And well Elsa was locked in one that Grandfather made “just” in case a situation called for one. So Mom was the only heir, and they could have taken the throne much easier that way.” Akiho paused for a moment trying to get that image out of his head. When his mother was explaining this to him, they both got upset by thinking of that time, but it did help explain why Adam and Belle were not going to take any chances when it came to their only child. 

“So Aunt Elsa and Mom had people that were loyal, and would be able to help, but that did not stop Hans and the shit face duke from trying to plan a coup. Think about it the kingdoms are united but during the beginning, there were so many problems, mom said Adam wouldn’t but it passed so the people who lost their seats of power thought that just after he died they would let Auradon go into a civil war to get their power back. This way Ben would have more than regents as backing; he would have the one who was chosen by the people to be King, still here and ensuring his son's reign.” Akiho finished up, he had to drink water, and his voice was super dry.

That did make sense to Emir now that he thought about that, “that makes sense and I could see your mom telling you all this since you're the heir to Winter Keep and that you also know about Ben becoming king sooner than the rest of the school, I just have to ask why Chip?”

“Yeah, Mom said that she knew I would have questions since Aunt Elsa was Queen but didn’t get crowned until she was 21, and that you, me, Chip, and Chad were told that he was to be crowned at 16. Not even Audrey knew and if she knew she would have been demanding him to be her boyfriend from eighth grade, and would have not let the chance to become queen sooner go untouched. And for Chip. who else would Adam trust to have the throne, he couldn’t have Lumiere or Cogsworth become his heir due to their age. Nor any of the other royals that would have put too much power in one Kingdom, if he made an heir…. let's say he named your brother. That would put too much power in Agrabah's hand making it uneven for the other kingdoms. And if he made your cousin heir, that would cause a succession crisis with the fact someone who was not the heir of a kingdom next in line to rule the whole of Auradon. And some snakes would have tried to remove you and your family from their seats and make a case that your cousin should not have it because they are not in line to the Agrabah throne and they need to give that to a lord or lady in Agrabah…. plus Chip and his younger siblings all grew up with Adam. He thinks of them as little siblings/cousins”

“Well in that case that makes a lot of sense,” Emir said he knew that none of the nobility or politicians were like him and his friend; most of them are snooty and would not hesitate to backstab their friend for more power. “Well let's continue getting ready so we can eat and meet our parents.”

"Totally. And Emir, if anyone can handle it, it’s Ben, and he has us to help," Akiho said. He paused for a moment, considering their recent conversations with Mal and the Fairy Godmother. 

“We are doing that already by making sure he eats and sleeps, and we are helping with his first proclamation, and then there’s all the stuff with Mal and what she said we are helping him by taking of that”

Emir nodded, a frown creasing his brow, “Yeah and I could see Ben trying to take on more work so he can prove to his parents he doesn't need help. But hey Chip is here we would be able to show him how Ben has been acting regarding his sleep habits, food habits, and lack of breaks. He would take him by the ear to Belle and that would be fixed. Or at least fixed to a point that we are not giving him sandwiches every other day.”

Akiho snorted at that, Emir loved to pick on his love of sandwiches and wraps but they were amazing. The only reason they had not gone to Chip earlier was the two of them thought they could solve it on their own. But nope they couldn't, there was always something in the way. Then something came to his mind, “The history books are kind of all over the place, aren't they?" 

Emir nodded, a frown creasing his brow. "Yeah, there’s something off. Since the world became one with the new places that never existed coming into our world, and then telling our parents they are fictional characters with no proof was weird. Weirder than superheroes who some people thought were movies. Which don’t exist. I remember asking Dad about why the history books are all over the place, and he said it was because some of the writers were the ones who thought we were fictional, and when they tried to write out the story they soon could only remember that there was a story but didn’t know what it was. So all of the history writers wrote their world stories the best they could remember into one collective book. 

The one from the would of people who believed we were fictional characters and magic wasn’t really, to the ones who were superheroes writing their deeds which for some reason they all could remember, to each of the Royals and heroes of our world. And put that into one set of history books. And those history books mainly focus on the Avengers and Guardians and the history of our families. And some background information and history on each former country turned into provinces.” 

Emir stopped for a minute and thanked Allah that the people who thought them and the Avengers/Guardians were fictional were quick to believe that they were real and were more than willing to follow their history books. Sure some of the people in Gaza, Iran, Israel, and the other provinces in Agrabah don’t like following the “character” that was mainly the politicians. But those few also were happy they didn’t have to learn about things like the Bosnian war, the creation of the United States of America (they did but it is mainly what Hamilton talked about so he got away with just watching Hamilton to pass that test). 

And yes they did have to learn about WWII and WWI, the Civil Rights Movement, and things like that but that was it, he did not need to learn about Utah, the history and things in Spain, or Italy in detail like he had to with others. He would have failed history over and over again so many times he still would be in 6th-grade history class. He almost missed what Akiho was saying.

“What Mal mentioned about her mother and how things were different from what we learned... And then the Fairy Godmother's vague responses... It’s like there’s a whole part of history that’s missing or just not talked about," said Akiho as he went back to getting ready since he had adjusted his collar, 

"It’s like there are secrets that nobody wants to address. But why? If it’s about the past and it affects all of us, shouldn’t we know?" Emir asked another boy.

"Agreed," Akiho replied before Emir could speak again Akiho started to talk, "And with Mal being here, it's like there's this new perspective we’re not getting from the official story. Maybe it's time to dig a little deeper and figure out what’s going on. Ben has enough on his plate; the least we can do is try to piece together the truth so he doesn’t have to deal with any hidden surprises." Akiho grinned, feeling a surge of determination. 

"Yeah, we can be the shadows Ben and everyone says we are and actually, working behind the scenes, like spies.”

“Like when we were kids and pretended to be the Avengers, you Hawkeye, me Thor, Ben as Captain America, Chip as the Falcon, Chad as Iron Man, Lonnie as Wanda Maximoff or Yelena Belova whichever one she was in the mood to play as, Jane as Captain Marvel, and Elle as our tech support Jane?” Akiho asked, thinking about those fun times when they were little, they even had a group chat of them all with their superhero names.

“Yes but for real this time, and since Mal is here and has a lot of information she can be our group Black Widow and tell everything she knows, the VKs can join the group chat after today and we can ask Evie, Carlos, and Jay who they want to be since, Mal seems to be a Natasha.”

Both boys took a minute before speaking, Natasha Romanoff disappeared after two years of being created Auradon. One minute she was here, there was an announcement she and Steve Rogers were getting married, and then she was gone. All of the Avengers/Guardians never liked to talk about her. But her name was in the History books, she saved the world. Some say she was sent to the Isle due to her childhood in the Red Room, others say she died with Merlin protecting King Arthur from the villains that were being rounded up. Or it was that she died saving Steve from a villain, others say since she paid for the soul stone to stop Thanos, it didn’t matter that this was a new world she had to go back into that void, or that she died in a mission putting away the criminals that were still in their world.

No one knew but said Royals, Guardians, and Avengers. Either way, it had to be bad because Steve Rogers would still beat the crap out of anyone calling her a Russian whore or spy.

Well anyone in Sokovia, Ukraine, Wakanda, the Schwartzwald (whose biggest province was Russia), anyone from the former States now provinces of the United States of America, and any active or inactive Shield agent. 

Emir broke the silence again, “We’ll get to the bottom of this, whatever it takes. Ben deserves to know the full story, especially if he's going to be king." 

"The Hawkeye and Thor of the future king, uncovering the truth. I like the sound of that. Let’s do it. For Ben." 

“Why Thor?” Emir asked.

“If I could pretend to be a Norse God I would. The people in Winter’s Keep believe in the Norse Gods and I am one of those people, especially since they are real and New Asgard City is in Winter Keep live. And if I am going to pretend to be an Avenger I am going to be the God of Thor himself I will” Akiho stated like it was obvious “Plus Dad would play with me as a kid he would be Loki, so I would be Thor. Why Hawkeye?”

“Dude can nail any target that is someone who could steal very well. And when I was playing with you guys, Azzi would be with his friends so he was open for me to be.”

Akiho nodded to Emir's words, both boys looked at each other to check if they had everything and went to the mirror for a final check. Then they grabbed their jackets and headed out, ready to support their friend on this significant day and determined to unravel the mysteries surrounding their world.

"Don't you EVER say anything like that to me again? You both have no right to claim any kind of kinship to me or my mother. Not after what you've done," Mal hissed as she stood to glare at the adults before her. 

Aurora looked appropriately chastised at the expression on Mal's face. It was like a combination of the horror on Maleficent's face the day she had naively called her Aurora's fairy godmother for the first time combined with unbridled rage and heartbreak, Maleficent had when she was on trial and Aurora and Phillip said nothing.

If Mal was this upset on her mother's behalf, she could only imagine how Maleficent herself must feel. God, how would Diaval, and his son feel?

"I know I have done you and your family a great wrong," Aurora began. 

"Do you? Do you!?" Mal’s cold voice spat out. 

"You have no concept of the hurt you brought upon my family. You were the second person my mother ever allowed herself to love. And she loved you with all the love of a mother for her daughter, despite you being the living representation of your father's bitter betrayal of her trust. She used to help people due to what she thought you could get out of. But after she met you…. mother, instead of helping people without the debt being paid to her. She helped people. She didn’t care about protecting the Moors. She became a healer, a protector of others who don’t live in the Moors. She helped protect girls from people that would hurt them. You broke that.”

Phillip finally spoke, his voice strained and low. "We were afraid. We were young and afraid, and we made terrible choices. But I swear, we never wanted this. We never wanted to cause so much pain."

"Fear doesn't excuse what you did," Mal retorted, her voice cutting like ice. "You condemned an entire people to suffer because it was easier than facing the truth. You may not have built the barrier, but you voted for it.  You stood by that choice. You put her name on the list of villains to hunt down. And you let that all happen. And now you come here, pretending to apologize, to make amends? It's too late for that."

Aurora sobbed softly, "I... I never knew... we…”

“You knew but you chose not to care. The whole world thinks she is a monster before she was sent to the Isle. My God, she helped ensure Aladdin and his monkey were fed, not to mention all of the other children going hungry.  Granted from what my cousin said she only cared about Aladdin due to the fact she thought him tricking the guards in Agrabah was hilarious. But after she met you and started to raise you she started to help others.”

Phillip started to speak again, the tears in his eyes were slowly building up, but Mal interrupted.

“My mother ensured that Queen Anna didn’t die from the cold after falling into a lake in a ball gown during the great snowstorm that Elsa made. My mother also made sure that Anna could find her sister. How else would she have found her sister in all of those mountains? She helped Elsa not kill herself by using that amount of magic for the first time. Nor did any babies die during that winter, she is the reason Elsa didn’t kill anyone during that time. How do you think Kristoff found his way to the rock trolls? Rock Trolls were her people. 

They were people of the Moors. She helped stop Eric, that idiot who went into a burning ship, she had the water fairies and fire fairies ensure the flames did not burn any let alone other people drowned. Ariel dealt with Eric but that was only because Mother could not get there. She saved Mulan and the troops who were there, it would have killed them otherwise.” Mal was saying as she tried to get her anger under control.

“We couldn’t….” Aurora sobbed out.

“You couldn’t. You could. In her eyes you all redeemed humanity. She started to truly help those who were not magical. She saved people from magic and helped them with magic.

That monster that you call father. Stephan, the supposed great King. Stephan had condemned all of humanity in her eyes and that meant all of the fairies were anti-humans, for his ambitions. You are the only reason why fairies didn’t end up slaughtering every human they came across. And then you did the... Exactly. Same. Things.” Mal snarled.

And before the other two adults could try to object. 

Mal started up again, “Oh, you didn't seduce her and maim her first, I'll grant you. You didn't rob a part of her power and body along with her innocence.” Mal spat at Aurora, as she continued, “Do you know she was one of the few members of the Dark Fae that had Black wings? A Black Winged Dark Fae is one of the most powerful and rare types of Fae out there. Your father took them from our inter-family line. Perhaps in several centuries, they might start to come back. I don’t know. The few Dark Fae who lost their wings. And their wings were grey, rainbow and even two of them might have had white things. But they wished to die, because of the pain of not having wings. So they had other members of the Fae to kill them. None of them had Black Wings. None of them had kids. But from what I was told it is most likely I will never get them and neither would my descendants.” Mal ranted at Aurora.

Then Mal turned to Phillip and started up with him. “And you. My mother trusted you with loving the girl she thought of as her daughter. My uncle thought you would take care of her and would not be the same as every other man that he met with. Well, to be fair you did but, you said that you would protect my mother and uncle since they were family but you didn’t.” 

Mal looked at the both of them before continuing. “No, you both just tossed her away to protect your tainted titles as Stephan's daughter and the prince that saved her from the evil fairy and dragon so you could live an easy life here. Hell, even your father, Phillip betrayed her by letting everyone think she killed his wife, and she was a good person.”

Mal broke into a sad laughter, “You robbed her of almost ALL of her power putting her in the urban HELL. She is a Dark Fae. She connected herself to nature making her a Nature Faerie with only a mere tiny drop of magic, that is the only thing that is keeping her and all of the other Dark Fae who connected themselves to nature, even weaker than the other Dark Faes. She was stuck in a city with only her reputation as a monster and my uncle to protect her until the other Dark Faes came. Which you allowed because the two of you and King John were too spineless to correct the people who had no idea of what happened to you.

No, you have no idea of the scope of the wrongs you have done to my family." Mal took a second so she could take a second to get her thoughts together. 

Which was fine because Aurora was sobbing and Phillip was trying to get his own under control as he tried to calm Aurora. But as Mal looked at those two, she just laughed. 

“Of course you didn't. That would have ruined your pretty little lies. Not that it mattered. Mother became everything she was accused of being and more on the Isle. It was the only way to not just survive but to thrive there. She rules through her strength now, and not just on your tainted little rumors. But why should you care? You certainly didn't when you exiled her and my uncle both," Mal interjected hatefully. 

"That isn't true!" Aurora insisted with tears in her eyes. 

Aurora interrupted her step-sister “We can't change the past. I can't undo the hurt we've caused, but please, Mal you are our sister. We are your family now.”

“We can ask for your brother, out as well. And we can try to help your mother…’ Phillip stated but Mal would not let that go.

"Did you know our names before? ”  Mal questioned.

“W…what do you mean?” Aurora asked as the tears were falling slowly, not at the rapid pace they were before.

“Before I came here. Did you care to think about me and my brother? Did you know to check the registry? Did you see our names on the registry? Did you know that Divial had positioned the council to allow him and his son into their true forms for even 5 minutes? You had to know about him if you didn’t know about me?” Mal questioned.

The two adults refused to allow themselves to look at Mal. But where their silence was here was the answer in itself.

“No, you didn’t care. And your daughter even now has no idea of what put you on your throne. On either throne, Queen and King of the Moors. Did the other royal know the truth like King Adam’s cures should have been permitted but my mother said ‘ he was a child and should get a chance to learn from his mistakes and the families of his servants at the time should not die without seeing their loved ones again’.  Or that it was MY MOTHER that sent Fairy Godmother to help Queen Ella or that MY MOTHER told the Blue Fairy to make Pinocchio into a real boy! No, you didn’t tell them!" Mal shot back with a scowl. "Tell me, did you know that my mother all but went mad with grief because of your betrayal? Stephan put her halfway there, I'll grant you, but the both of you took care of most of the rest. I will grant you that when my father left he pushed only one step closer, so she wouldn’t fall over that ledge. My uncle kept her somewhat together for a time. And then he, too, was gone." 

The two said nothing, and even if they wished, didn't know what she could say in the face of this angry young woman before her. 

An angry young woman who was raised in a prison colony because of both was not strong enough to try to stop the lies. Mal had every right to hate them, to hate them all, and they knew it. 

"Know this Aurora of the House of Stephan and Phillip of the House of John and Ingrith," Mal continued bitterly. "That barrier can restrict my mother for a time, but it will never keep her restrained forever. You can't hold back a whirlwind with a simple wall. She's practically immortal and one day that barrier will weaken and just enough for her and the rest of the Dark Fae will figure out a way out of that prison. 

And pray to the Gods, when she does, pray you and your line are no more because you killed whatever goodness rested in her heart long ago. 

I spent my whole life fighting for her to give me any acknowledgment that she loves me. Or that she even cares for me. I saw that go to my brother and even he wasn’t given any true love or affection from her. And that is because of the both of you. She will not be trying to save you Aurora with True Love's Kiss if she ever sees you again. She will kill every single person who has a bit of your blood in them." Mal said, her eyes slightly glowing. 

Aurora tried to speak, but it was Phillip instead, “We were so wrong. But we are family and we still are a family, Mal. Let us be your family.”

Mal looked exhausted, and from what the clock said they have only been talking for only 20 goddamn minutes, “Just... leave… please.”.

It was a clear dismissal. Aurora and Phillip exchanged glances and they looked at their sister, who just had a face of rage, and hurt. And they knew to leave. So they slowly made their way to the door. 

Aurora stopped causing Phillip to look back as well “Mal, you are our family. And no matter what we will not turn our backs again. No matter what, no matter what you do, we will protect you. We won’t fail you again.” Aurora said, looking at Mal, before they left. 

The door was closed, and Mal just sat on her bed, staring at the clock. Watching the hand tick away, and she felt, her body tense with suppressed emotion. And she let out a shaky breath, as the room fell into an oppressive silence.  Mal looked down at her hands that were in fisted, it was clear the two idiots didn’t see the faint purple glow. It was not as bright as it was when she met FG, but she knew why. As she opened her fists, and saw indents from her nails, caused on her palms. Her palms were bloody but stopped when she unclenched her fists, the blood stopped and the wounds were healing up. 

She didn’t truly understand how she always got healed fast even on the Isle she was able to get healed. It didn’t matter now she figured it out now. She had to focus on the plan, if she didn’t get the wand her mother would kill the people she loved and the ones they carried about.

Today was the day when she had to stay strong. She had to focus on the task at hand. They were going to blow this popsicle stick.

Adam and Belle sat together in their private study, the soft golden light of the morning sun streaming through the large windows. The room was filled with an air of warmth and comfort, yet a subtle tension lingered.  The High King and Queen were in their private study taking a moment of semi peace before their son became High King. they still had time before they had to leave. While others were already getting ready for the day, and preparing to get to the cathedral but since they had done most of the work the day before. They had to leave around 5:50 ish, to get to the Cathedral around 6 since it was only 5 they were good.

They were talking about Ben and how he had grown up so fast. The topic of conversation seems to lead to the two of them talking about the conversation they had with Ben 4 days ago on Parents' Day. The conversation was more of a fight between Ben and Adam, about Adam not being happy about him dating a fairy let alone a fairy from the Isle of the Lost. His dad and mother were talking about the subject of him dating Mal on family day while they were in Ben’s room waiting for Chip to arrive and his dad offhandedly said “It would not last, she has magic Ben will get over this phase” after he thought Ben was not listening. 

After the fight Ben has not talked to them, it has been 5 days.

The fight was about her magic and she was the daughter of Maleficent. Belle was trying to get Adam to see she was a good kid and bridge the gap. 

Belle spoke first, her voice thoughtful and gentle, "I can't say I'm entirely surprised, you know. Ben always had a good heart, always seeing the best in people. It's one of his greatest strengths." 

Adam nodded, his expression serious. "I know. And from everything we've heard, Mal seems to be doing well at Auradon Prep. The reports from the Royal Council have been positive—her progress, her integration into the school, it's all been better than expected since she has been at Auradon Prep for 16 days."

Adam sighed and leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "Belle, you know how I feel about magic. Ever since I was cursed, I've been... wary of it. The idea of it being unpredictable or dangerous just makes me uneasy." He paused, looking thoughtful. "But," he continued, "I do understand that not all magic is bad, and certainly, not all magical beings are either. Magic helped people Snow White and David, Rapunzel, and Eugene as examples. But…" 

Belle nodded, her eyes understanding. "I know, Adam. You've come a long way in dealing with your feelings about magic. It's a complicated thing, especially considering what you went through." 

Adam gave a small, rueful smile. "It's true. But when it comes to Mal, she might be a kid. A kid who's been under a magical barrier who seems not fully understood or controlled yet. From everything we've heard, it seems she's not someone who's looking to use magic maliciously." 

Belle leaned forward, her voice gentle as she spoke, "She is a child, Adam. And like any child, she needs guidance and understanding. The reports, especially from Fairy Godmother, show she's struggling with her magic and her place in the world. I think it's important we remember that she's still learning, just like any other young person. And it’s Ben’s choice if her magic is a problem." 

Adam sighed again "You're right. I suppose my concerns come from a place of wanting to protect everyone, including Ben. He's so young to be taking on all these responsibilities, and Mal's presence, with her magical background, just adds another layer of complexity. But I see your point. And I know we can't judge her solely based on her lineage or abilities. She's a person, and from what Fairy Godmother and Ben’s Guards have said, a good person," Adam said as he hung his head, hard for him. 

Belle smiled as she replied, "Exactly. And Ben seems to care about her deeply. We owe it to him, and to Mal, to give her a fair chance. Maybe with the right support and understanding, she can grow into her potential without the stigma of her bloodline." 

Adam nodded in agreement. "Yes, we should focus on letting Ben pick whomever he is going to date.”

“See, I hated Audrey god she is like a mini Leah now and not the sweet girl she was when she was younger. But when she got older and spent time with the snobby kids and their family Leah took her for too. They were less than impressed. But thankfully they only have dates for a few years. I wanted to say something but nope, I didn’t and he dumped her. But if I interfered then he would have pushed back.” Belle pointed out.

Adam nodded his head, which was the best thing to do. He didn’t say that if Belle said her feelings Ben would have dumped her in a heartbeat. Everyone in the castle said, that if Belle made her opinion known then she was mostly right. But Belle couldn't hide her frustration when Audrey came over, or the ranting she would do after. Sure she could put on a smile while being with her but the people who knew the real Belle and not the High Queen Belle then they would know she was not happy. 

Usually, she had that smile when she had to deal with Leah, the Representative from Weasel Town (somewhere in Auradon someone was screaming “It is Weselton, not Weasel Town”), and the usual bigots that had to deal with. 

But Ben, he was oblivious to that. Thankfully Chip, Ben’s Shadows, Queen Elle, Queen Jasmine, and Queen Anna hated her two so they could all rant together and he could agree in the right places. He didn’t like Audrey but, Audrey seemed to purposely do things just to annoy Belle, and he was taught courtly politics so he had a better poker face. And after the curse was broken he had a therapist just to deal with his anger so he would not go all beast in public.

Belle smiled softly, "She seems to be more than her mother's daughter." 

Adam didn’t realize that she started talking again, thankfully he wasn’t too far in his head. 

"I suppose. We've spent our lives trying to ensure that Ben has the best possible future. And while Mal seems to be a good person, the legacy of Maleficent looms large. It's not just about the potential danger, but the prejudices, the expectations... It's a lot for anyone to handle, especially for Ben, who is about to become King”

Belle reached out, placing a comforting hand on Adam's arm. "And we both know that love doesn't always follow the path we expect. Plus Ben will have as Adam,” Belle responded.

Adam looked into Belle's eyes, his gaze softening as he spoke, "I know. And I trust Ben's judgment. It's just... I want to protect him. The thought of him facing the kind of heartbreak or danger we faced... It terrifies me." 

Belle nodded, understanding the depth of his concern. But she was the one who was the voice of reason in the relationship so replied, "We can't shield him from everything, Adam. He's growing up, and part of that means making his own choices, even if they're difficult. All we can do is be there for him, support him, and trust that we've raised him to make the right decisions." 

The room fell silent for a moment, and as they started to get to their carriages both of them lost in thought. Then Adam spoke again, his tone shifting to a more somber note. "There's another reason why I wish to spare Ben from heartbreak, why can't I? He is going to be king, despite the fact he will have us take a lot of the work. But he will still have a lot to deal with things that he will have to do as King." 

Belle's expression became more serious, sensing the gravity of what was coming, "Do the doctors know what is causing it, and how bad it is?" 

Adam shook his head, "They don’t know what it is? They think it might have to do with the fact, that the leftovers of the Beast Enchantment. The doctors have been cautious. But the truth is, I'm not dying. However, the Council agrees that Ben should step into the role of King now, while I'm still here to guide him. It's about ensuring a smooth transition and preparing him for the responsibilities he'll face. We want him to be ready, not just thrust into the role because of a tragedy." 

"That makes sense. We don't want him to face the pressures of being King while also dealing with grief. Having you here, healthy, to support him will make all the difference," Belle squeezed his hand gently, to give him comfort and for herself. "You made sure that he will have a support system. He'll have the title and the authority to make decisions, but we'll be here to help. And the regents we chose for him, they're prepared to assist him with the workload and provide counsel. This way, he won't be overwhelmed, and he'll have the support system he needs." said Belle as was reassuring him.

Belle smiled, seeing Adam start to relax as she continued to speak, "He's going to be a great King, Adam. He's compassionate, wise beyond his years, and has a strong sense of justice.  And as for Mal, we'll just have to trust in him, he is young it might last or not." 

Adam nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. "You're right. It's time to let go of our fears and trust in the future. Ben deserves the benefit of being in this relationship. After the ceremony, I will apologize to him. We can tell him to invite her to lunch or something so I can get to know her better." 

“It seems like your therapy sessions are helping, getting you to this place would usually take a week,” Belle joked.

Adam meanwhile rolled his eyes at her, but she was right, therapy was helping and if he would buy things to go splash in one of his private studies to let his anger and frustration out, he should not stop. It's been helping.

They sat together in quiet contemplation, as they sat in their carriages, the pair were getting bored waiting by the castle so better take their energy to make sure everything was perfect. 

(triggers starting)

But on the ride to the Cathedral Adam spoke up again, his voice heavy with concern. "It's troubling that the reports from the Isle are so inconsistent. Sometimes they arrive, other times they don't, and when they do, they don't always align with what the Fairy Godmother has observed about the children." 

Belle nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, it's quite perplexing. The discrepancies are concerning, especially given the vulnerability of these kids. The reports we receive sometimes make it seem like things are being hidden or not properly communicated." 

Adam sighed, his brow furrowing. "We need to understand why the information isn't consistent. This will have to be done as soon as possible. If the reports don't match what Fairy Godmother has seen, it raises a lot of questions about what might be happening on the Isle that we're not aware of." 

Belle replied, "We can't let this continue unchecked. The children are under 18, which means they are under the school's care. We can get them checked, perhaps this Friday?”

Adam nodded, as he spoke, "Agreed. We need to start a thorough investigation but to do that properly, we need to ensure these kids have proper guardianship. That way, we can officially advocate for their safety and well-being. The only way to get to the truth is to have someone looking out for their best interests who can access the information we need. And the school isn’t the proper guardian for them. Especially since they have to see if they have medical problems. It would be best for them to be a trusted adult." 

Belle added, "We need to find guardians who are capable and trustworthy, people who will put the children first and make sure they are safe and supported. Once we have that in place, we can begin to uncover what's going on and take the necessary steps to protect them." 

Adam looked at Belle with a serious expression. "It's crucial we act quickly. We can't ignore the signs of possible neglect or abuse, especially given the inconsistencies in the reports. These children deserve better, and we have to ensure they get the care and support they need. That is why I and Fairy Godmother have put an idea of the children fostering with trusted adults that will have to go through an extremely vetting process and sign NDAs so they don’t go running to the tabloids." 

Belle agreed, her voice firm. "Did the Council approve of this yet, and if so why hasn’t this been brought up in the meetings? I know that I don’t go to all of them, but I don’t remember hearing this getting brought up. We can't afford to delay any longer. It's time to ensure their safety and uncover the truth." 

“It will, Ben was told about this, a few days ago, but he won’t get involved in the selection of guardians, due to the fact this needs to be handled by adults. And he will be told of the result since he is going to be King. But this information is involving minors.” Adam said, as he paused before speaking again, “And Fairy Godmother had to figure out the level of vetting and who will be allowed to apply to be one since this won’t be like the regular foster care and adoption systems.”

Adam remembered the notes from the Fairy Godmother, his expression troubled. "Fairy Godmother mentioned that Carlos seems to be a year younger than his registered age. He's listed as 15, but she thinks he might be turning 15 soon. That means he could be even younger than we thought."

 Belle frowned. "If that's true, it means Carlos might not be getting the proper care and education suited for his actual age. Or he could be just underweight, which isn’t good and could indicate neglect or something more serious. The inconsistencies in these records are worrying." 

Adam nodded, continuing, "Fairy Godmother also noticed that he might have OCD, ADHD, or other mental health concerns. And he's in junior classes at such a young age, which might be putting additional stress on him." 

Belle sighed, “What about the others?”

Adam sighed, he would need a drink of something after the ceremony, thinking about the reports that he read, made him want to go into his room to throw things. "Then there's Evie. She appears to be turning 15 as well, but that could be due to the fact she’s also underweight. And Fairy Godmother thinks that she might be struggling with possible anorexia or an unhealthy obsession with her weight. She said that Evie is showing all of the signs, some of the other girls at Auradon Prep. And despite being academically smart on paper, she seems to have difficulty applying herself in class." Adam took a break before he added, "It could be perfectionism or something deeper, like ADHD or another issue. We need to find out what's going on so she can get the help she needs. 

Jay is another case. He seems to be a year older than what's registered. He might be underweight as well but looks healthier than the others, but that could be his structure from working out. But if he's turning 17, then he's behind in his grade level, which is concerning. Fairy Godmother suspects he might have dyslexia or another learning difficulty, which could be why his grades in homework aren’t great. In the assignments and quizzes in the short time, he has been at school. And we don’t have their report cards from the school on the island. She said they just had to guess from what they registered. He acts like he doesn't care, but that could be a way of covering up his struggles.

And last up is Mal who is reportedly turning 15, but the Fairy Godmother describes her as looking like a starved animal. She is underweight and seems to have suffered anger issues, and some other issues. There's also the concern about her magic being uncontrolled, which could harm her and others. If she's been having anger issues or issues with her emotions, added to her magical abilities being unstable, she needs immediate support and guidance. Fairy Godmother also noted that she might have some form of mental illness.”

Adam took a break from his memories of the report as he had to take a drink of water before he added, “They all seem to have trauma. Jay is very protective of the girls, which could indicate he's experienced or witnessed something troubling. The possibility of sexual abuse on the Isle can't be ignored, especially given the way they all seem to distrust adults and teachers. The VKs seem to distrust people, especially the girls who seem to distrust men, suggesting major problems. All of the kids have some form of trauma, neglect, emotional problems, mental illness, or all of the above that needs addressing. 

This makes the reports from the Isle we do get inconsistent, it makes it difficult to get a clear picture of their situation. We need to ensure they have guardians who can advocate for their needs and help us get accurate information,” Adam finished. 

(triggers ending)

Belle added, "We need to make sure their guardians are capable of handling any magical issues, especially with Mal. This situation requires delicate handling, which will be done. It's our responsibility to make sure these children are safe and healthy.”

“I know that this should be the most important thing. But I am far more worried about the inconsistencies from the reports we do get when we get them. According to Master Yen Sid, Merlin, and the doctor we've hired for the Isle, the children, including the four VKs, are reportedly at appropriate weights, are placed in the correct grade levels, and supposedly have stable home lives. This is in stark contrast to what the Fairy Godmother has been observing.

Master Yen Sid and Merlin have stated children with magic who are getting taught ways to control it even if they could never access it, can control it.

Mal’s problems with her magic could be due to the fact she is no longer under the barrier and having her magic no longer bound. However, the reports from our magical and medical experts are consistent in their assessments. They all indicate that these children, and others on the Isle, are being cared for adequately. Yet, Fairy Godmother's observations paint a completely different picture.

And the information and reports we get from the Isle of Reformation also seem well-managed. It's said that only the worst offenders are confined there and that those found abusing their children are being relocated for the safety of the kids. It's confusing, to say the least. The reports from the Isle indicate that the necessary resources—funding for doctor visits, medications, food, clothing, hygiene products, and even birth control—are being provided. So why are there these conflicting accounts? The Fairy Godmother said that other teachers have brought up their concerns.” Adam said as rubbed his temples. 

Belle glanced at him, her eyes filled with worry. As she replies, “Hearing this makes me wish Natasha Romanoff were still with us. She had a talent for uncovering the truth in difficult situations. If only we could get accurate, unbiased reports, we could address these concerns properly."

Adam agreed. "We need to understand what's happening. There must be an explanation for these discrepancies. If the reports about the children's well-being are inaccurate, then we have to find out why. The funding and resources are supposed to ensure everyone on the Isle is taken care of. If that's not happening, someone is responsible." 

Belle nodded as Adam continued, “From the reports there has been no need to up the amount of food heading to the Isle of the Lost and Reformation. So there will be an investigation by the FBI and the Council will oversee it.”

Belle took Adam's hands as she spoke, “It will get done, love. Look, we are here at the Cathedral so let's stop talking about politics.” As she kissed Adam their assistants and guards opened the door for them. It was still early but they had to make sure other things were perfect. Adam smiled as he got out and offered up his smile.

Chapter Text

The day after the Rotten 4 Core left the Isle.

Damon knew his baby sister would not steal the wand. That was the only thought in his head as he walked through the back alleys, narrow streets, and unpaved broken roads. He passed Bargain Castle, Dragons Hall, and many other buildings, including Shan Yu and the Queen of Hearts' Salon, until he reached the southeastern part of the Isle, where Merlin, Natasha, and others had their hideout. Approaching the hideout, he took off his jacket and used it to open the barbed wire gate to talk to Merlin.

“What happened?” Merlin asked as soon as Damon entered the hut

“They went to Auradon. God, I spent one night here while Mal was at Evie’s to give her space. The next day, I went to work at the Arcade, and Mal was at the market. That…” Damon gestured to the door, referring to Maleficent, “Woman, has my sister and her best friends, Jay, Carlos, and Evie, in Auradon. They have to get the wand by the time they crown their new king. But…” 

“The others wouldn’t do it unless Mal wishes to. But she won’t,” Merlin said, trailing off. 

“Why wouldn’t she? I know she wouldn’t, but pretend I don’t know why. What are your reasons?” Merlin asked, putting away some dishes.

“When Mal was three, she loved to draw to avoid Maleficent. One time, she kept drawing over and over, and it was Prince Ben of Auradon, who is going to be king soon,” Damon explained. “When she was little, she drew an older Prince Ben, the one who is now on the news for his upcoming coronation. My Pa said he had seen that before. Aurora had drawn Phillip when she was younger. Maleficent dismissed it, but my dad told me to hide Mal’s drawings because her grace would punish her.”

Merlin nodded, understanding Damon’s euphemism for Maleficent. He called her that to avoid calling her a curse word, which could result in Mal getting hurt, as had happened before. Mal had a broken foot that was for a week, for his mistake. And that was when she was 5. Damon never called her a bitch or any curse words about Maleficent. Damon never risked it, even on his side of the Isle. 

“Ah, I get it. Mal would never hurt him. Even if she doesn’t feel anything towards him now, she wouldn’t want her mother to destroy Auradon. The only reason she would comply is to save her friends still on the Isle,” Merlin concluded.

Both did not speak, because they did not want to say what Maleficent would do.

After a few moments of silence, Damon spoke up, “Why are you still here?” 

It was a question Merlin had heard before, but this was the first time Damon asked. Merlin sighed and began explaining the complex history of Auradon and the Isle.

“When Auradon was created there were multiple earths like where one Nazis ruled, one where Mal could have been born a boy, or one where I could have been a girl. They merged due to various reasons. Which I will get into at another time. In the first year, I, along with the knights of Camelot, other Kings and Queens, their armies, members of the military, Avengers, and some FBI agents, formed teams to capture loose villains. Aurora and Phillip listed Maleficent as a top priority. 

The teams were created by Tony Stark's AI, Jarvis and Friday who took into account who would be best for which job. So a team including me, Arthur Pendragon, Natasha Romanoff, King Kit Charming, King Fergus DumBroch, Lieutenant General Shang, Mulan, and members of the BAU worked to stop wars, serial killers, pedophiles, and Nazis. After capturing most villains, we were left with Maleficent.

“We only had Maleficent left,” Merlin continued. “The councils were originally set up as a regular prison. But when Natasha and I took a spell to protect Arthur from it, we ended up stuck in a magical coma for about half a month. When we woke up, we found out about the Isle. We both had reasons why we didn’t like that.” 

Damon looked at Merlin, intrigued. “What do you mean?” 

Merlin sighed, rubbing his temples as he recalled the events. “After we fell into a coma, we were both horrified when we woke up to find out what had been done. Natasha and I were furious. The Isle wasn’t just a prison; it was a complete exile for anyone deemed ‘villainous.’ This included people who were forced to do things, and children of people deemed ‘villainous’ who were innocent in all of this.” 

Damon’s brow furrowed. “So, you didn’t agree with the way things were handled?” 

“Not at all,” Merlin confirmed. “Natasha, with her background, knew what it meant to be judged by your past, and I had seen enough of the world to understand the value of giving people a chance. And the thought of punishing children for the sins of their parents was wrong. And that others like the other Black Widows who were just babes when they were put into the Red Room. And forced to do things by Dreykov were being sent to the Isle despite the fact they helped all of us during the benign of Auradon. That’s why we decided to stay on the Isle—to help in any way we could. Well, some of our reason I have some that are more personal that I will tell when we don’t have this all going on Natasha has more than hers as to why she wouldn’t stand with Auradon, and she can tell you hers if you wish to know but I won’t due to the fact I don’t want to accidentally say something she wishes to keep hers.” 

Damon nodded as Merlin continued. “The barrier was almost up and we knew we wouldn’t break the barrier, Since the barrier was created by the Fairies of Neverland, and those three so-called good fairies, the Genie, Dr. Strange, some of his students, and the Fairy Godmother had done a complex spell to keep magic out. Me, Maleficent, the other Dark fae who were already put on the Isle for resting and causing “trouble”, Hades, and Ursula could have left. Maybe Agatha Harkness if she wanted to but she could have died from the attempt or lost her magic for a while. But Zeus reinforced it making it impossible to leave without severe consequences on our magic, bodies, and minds. So me and Natasha thought we could ensure some semblance of fairness and aid. And we kinda did”

Merlin took a break before continuing, “They were the major reason the barrier's creation was so powerful and why Zeus added his magic onto that. But the methods used—isolating an entire generation—felt extreme. ” 

Damon nodded, understanding now why Merlin and Natasha chose to stay. “But I am not sure why you couldn't stop what was going on in the Isle with your magic?”

“Magical creatures like the Djinn/Genies, Dark Fae, Faiese, gods, and other magical creatures who need magic to live. So it was a very hard thing to do and from what me and Nat thought was when we were capturing the villains, and preventing deaths and wars. They were planning on the Isle as the solution and never told us, and half of the Council now. The spell which they did would keep the people who need magic to live could doing things like this,” Merlin shows his eyes turn gold and a few little flames on the top of his fingers. 

“But people like Jafar can only make their eyes glow. Maleficent can’t do much but make her eyes glow and use the way of the Dark Fae to heal themselves. Ursula and Uma can talk to the sea creatures and use a bit of their magic to pull more fish into the barrier but that usually leaves them drained for a couple of days. I can make little games, heal myself, and glow my eyes but nothing more powerful. Hades only can use his powers when he is in the underworld and actively doing his job. But other than that we are in pain. A lot of pain. Mal, Jay, Uma, and others born underneath the barrier don’t feel it because their magic is locked down. Here Uma, Jay, and Mal could heal faster and the things their parents do but they only had access to 1% of their powers. Mal could have had more when she was on the Isle since her dad is Hades, but I don’t feel confident in saying that for sure, she just could be special. 

But Mal out there is going to have a hard time controlling hers even with the few techniques I helped her with.

“From what I know about the Fae, and what I know is very limited and is from what I got from the books that I have, and from the things I go from Mal when it slipped out. I know their weaknesses and things like that but not how their magic works, nor anything about their wings. From what Mal herself let slip because King Stephan took her mother's wings, Mal won’t get them, and that will most likely her children won’t have wings. But the Fae’s magic is unique and powerful, created by the Fates, Nyx, and Chaos. Dark Fae are incredibly powerful, but their magic is tied to their emotions. Mal, being Maleficent’s daughter, has immense potential but lacks control,” Merlin explained

Damon nodded at what Merlin said and just waited for him to continue and Merlin did, “Evie’s mother had come to me one night after she dealt with young Evie’s sperm donor and said she talked her grace ” Merlin said as he was referring to Maleficent, “and she let her know that your father Daival had told her that the Dark Fae could be hurt by Iron and Iron weapons. From what Grimhild had stated if you, Mal, and even if Evie were in Bargian Castle when men like that were near them she would deal with them,”

“Is that why, Grimhild told me if she had them over more than once a week then to come to her or you?” Damon asked.

“Yes and I know that you did not tell Natasha, Me, Shan Yu, and Bridget about that, no tell Grimhild about that. I know that Shan Yu and Hook have talked about what was going on, so we can talk about that later.” Merlin said seeing Damon blush a bit, “anyway Grimhild had said your father Daivail had told her that Iron is a temporary killer. That if she, Daival, myself, or others stabbed Maleficent with an Iron weapon she would be ‘dead’ in a way until someone pulled it out. Then she would turn into ash and then into a phoenix and back into a person. Same if you poison her with Iron, it would go in. She would immediately spit it out and then ‘die’ and then turn into ash and then into a phoenix.” Merlin said.

“Is that all you know?” Damon said looking a bit disappointed, he was happy to know Jay was going to be safe but worried about his sister. 

“Your father had a journal about all the things about the Fae, I am sure that Maleficent wouldn’t have destroyed it, so if you could sneak in and get that I could read up on that information, in two or three days and tell you and the others what we can do.”

Merlin looked at him seriously. “First, we need to understand Mal’s power and how to help her control it. That journal your father kept could be the key. If we can decipher it, we might be able to teach Mal how to manage her magic safely, especially now that she’s outside the barrier” 

“Right,” Damon agreed. “But what was destroyed?”

“It was your father's; Maleficent would never have destroyed it. And we need to prepare for any eventuality. If Maleficent’s plans are as dangerous as we fear, we must be ready to counter them. That means gathering all the information we can and strategizing with the others. Now the journal looks like…” Merlin said before then Damon interrupted.

“Is it a journal with a Raven buckle on it?” Damon asked, recalling his father’s book. 

“Yes, can you get it?” Merlin asked. 

“Yes, I can get it to you today,” Damon said with a smirk.

 “Then get it fast but safely. I will get the others. Don’t do crazy tricks; we need you alive,” Merlin advised. 

Damon nodded, as he nodded, slipping out of Merlin’s home, and making his way back through the dangerous streets of the Isle. 

His mind raced with thoughts of his sister, the looming threat of Maleficent, and the hope that the journal would provide the answers they needed. He knew time was of the essence, and every moment counted in their fight to protect his sister and the rest of the crew.

Merlin glanced around at the group, all of whom were gathered in the dimly lit hideout. The gravity of the situation was clear on everyone’s faces. Damon sat quietly, trying to steady his nerves, while the others, including Captain Hook, Shan Yu, Natasha Romanoff, Ursula, and Bridget better known as the Queen of Hearts, leaned in to listen. 

Merlin sighed deeply, knowing the weight of the information he was about to share. “Fae magic is unlike anything else. The Fates, Nyx, and Chaos created the Fae, and they didn’t just make them powerful—they made them dangerous, even to themselves.” 

“Why is it bad for Mal?” Hook asked, his voice steady, but his eyes showed concern. He was keenly aware of the burden Damon was carrying, and he wanted to alleviate it however he could.  The boy was still 19, and if they could take some of the responsibility off his shoulder they would. 

Merlin continued to explain, while the group listened intently. “Uma’s magic would be more stable outside the Isle’s barrier because her lineage, though powerful, is diluted by her human side. Her mother, Ursula, is a second-generation god, and that alone gives Uma significant magical potential. However, since her father is human, Uma doesn’t have the same raw, unchecked power that Mal does. Instead, her power is more focused, more refined, and less likely to spiral out of control under pressure.” 

Ursula, who had been quietly observing, chimed in to provide more context. “Merlin’s right. The difference between my magic and Uma’s is that while I was trained by my father and other relatives to harness my powers, Uma’s magic is more stable, especially compared to someone like Mal. From what I can guess Mal’s magic is directly tied to her emotions. Uma, on the other hand, has inherited a mix of human resilience and godly strength, which makes her less volatile.”

She continued, addressing Merlin’s earlier point. “It’s also true that the reason I never got together with Facilier was because of his dependency on magic. He made a deal with the shadows for his powers, and that kind of magic isn’t stable—it’s dangerous and unpredictable. I didn’t want my children to inherit those kinds of powers. Facilier agreed that if he had any children, they would need to be able to live without being consumed by their magic. That’s why Celia, his daughter, has a better chance of controlling her powers if she ever leaves the Isle.” Ursula glanced at the others, her expression serious. 

“Uma’s power comes from both her godly heritage and her human side. While she’s not as powerful as some full gods, she’s still formidable, especially in the water. But her real strength is in her ability to keep her magic under control, even under the barrier’s suppression. If she were to leave the Isle, she would likely be able to use her abilities without the same risks that Mal faces. However, she would still need to learn how to manage her powers, especially in high-stress situations.” 

Shan Yu, always pragmatic, nodded thoughtfully. “So, while Uma has a better chance of controlling her magic, she still needs guidance, especially outside the Isle. We can’t underestimate the challenges she’ll face, but we can help prepare her.” Merlin agreed. “Exactly. Uma’s magic is more stable, but she still needs to be careful. The real challenge for both her and Mal will be learning how to control their powers in a world where they aren’t suppressed. That’s where we come in—to guide them and ensure they don’t fall into the same traps their parents did.” 

“Where is he?” Shan Yu asked if he was mostly studying the map with Natasha since his men and the Widows were watching the orphans they cared for. The two of them were great at planning to take down Maleficent and her goonies. And if the barrier got open for a moment Natasha would be going to Auradon. 

“He is watching Celia, the Smee twins, CJ, Dizzy, and the younger members of the Wharf Rats at the Arcade since I told him we needed to plan something. This needs to be done as soon as possible so that is why we are not doing this in the morning when the children are at school.” Hook answered Shan Yu, “I told the other children who don’t stay with you and Natasha to stay on the ship, and made the rest of my crew ensure no one sneaks out. And Smee is watching them all like a hawk.” 

“No one would leave, I was there Hook, not even our kids who would usually in a heartbeat try to sneak out do not know this is serious,” Ursula said as she nodded at Merlin to let him know to continue talking.

“Now that's clear, from what I read, since the Dark Fae said they were created by the most powerful beings making them very crazy powerful. But that means I was correct in the information, about what Grimhild had told me that Iron is a temporary killer. That if she, Daival, myself, or others stabbed Maleficent with an Iron weapon she would be ‘dead’ in a way until someone pulled it out. Then she would turn into ash and then into a phoenix and back into a person. Same if you poison her with Iron, it would go in. She would immediately spit it out and then ‘die’ and then turn into ash and then into a phoenix.” Merlin said.

“So we could stab her and then put her somewhere so the other Dark Fae wouldn’t get to remove it?” Natasha said, in her mind, this was reminding her of a show pre-Auradon time, it had to do with vampires and the first family of vampires. While the others thought of trapping Maleficent in this state felt reminiscent of ancient tactics or myths where the immortal could be temporarily subdued but never fully destroyed.

Merlin nodded, catching the understanding of where Natasha's mind went; she talked about the pre-Auradon shows during the first couple of years of the Isle’s creation. "Exactly," he confirmed. "If we were to stab her with an iron weapon, it would immobilize her in a sort of death-like state. As long as the iron remains lodged in her, she would stay 'dead,' effectively turning to ash. But the moment the iron is removed, she would regenerate, rising from the ashes into a phoenix and then back into a benign human. 

But this is more of something so they can heal themselves, not a full-time thing to end her. If the Iron weapon moved and was able to get out, she would be back. This is mostly a thing to heal them. Since this would heal every scar and would replace missing limbs. And that also applies to the members of the Fae that were blind or deaf, or both. Should they get stabbed and it removed they would be able to hear and see. This can heal every injury or thing that would kill other fairies and humans. All but their wings. Those will forever be lost should those get taken from them. But the only way a Dark Fae could die is by another Dark Fae.” Merlin said.

The silence in the room was deafening as everyone looked at Merlin in shock. The realization that Mal might be the only one capable of ending her mother's reign of terror hit them like a cold wave. Gaston and Hook turned to look at Damon, whose expression was a mix of disbelief and suppressed fury.

Gaston clenched his fists, preparing himself for what he feared Damon might do next. He knew the young man’s protective instincts over his sister ran deep, and the idea that Merlin was suggesting that Mal had to be the one to kill her mother would make Damon violent. 

Natasha, who must have sensed the tension, quickly intervened. "What do you mean, Merlin? Are you saying that Mal is the only one who could kill her mother permanently?"

Merlin winced. “What I mean is the Dark Fae are bound by a unique magic, one that ties their life force to their kind. Only another Dark Fae can truly end them. If Maleficent is to be stopped for good, it would have to be by Mal’s hand." Merlin seeing the confusion explained a bit more.  “A wooden stake, or any other non-iron weapon, wielded by a human or non-Fae would be ineffective. It might cause some surface-level damage, like bruising, but it wouldn't be enough to truly harm her.” 

 "However," Merlin continued, "if a Dark Fae, even one with minimal power, were to use that same stake, it would be a different story. The magic within them allows them to bypass the natural defenses of another Dark Fae. The weapon, no matter how weak or dull, would break the skin and cause real harm. And yes, if an iron weapon was used by anyone, it would 'kill' her temporarily, as I mentioned before. But if a Dark Fae delivered a fatal blow, such as stabbing her through the heart, there would be no coming back."

The room remained tense as everyone absorbed this information. The implications were clear: Maleficent's death, if it were to happen, would be by the hands of one of her kind, and the burden of that act would likely fall on Mal.

“Are there any other ways to kill Dark Faes?” Damon growled out, Maleficent is one of the most powerful Dark Fae that ever existed. She’s had many challenges and won every single time, making her even more formidable. And that was in the early years of the Isle, and there has not been a challenger since. So how would Mal be the only one who could kill her? 

“Iron can harm them, but it’s not a permanent solution. However, using their blood against them as an example,  Let's say Nat had many bullets, and a gun, if she was able to get Mal’s blood, and soaked the bullets in them and then used them to kill Maleficent. But the majority of the blood would be removed by putting them into the gun. But they had a tiny bit of blood that was still on the blood, to kill her. To get a more guaranteed result of the blood staying on the weapon, any weapon is while the weapon is getting coded in blood drawing runes with the blood will allow the magic of the person putting the blood on would allow it to stay until said person recalled it back. And that would take off all of the blood completely.” 

Merlin took in a breath as he continued, "The reason this works is because the blood of a Dark Fae is imbued with their unique magic

From what Merlin said, Damon relaxed as Bridget asked, “So Iron hurts them, it can cause them to bleed and cause them pain. If we say took arrows, or staffs, or other weapons it would do nothing. But if we got some Dark Fae’s blood and had it covered it could kill them, so Mal doesn't have to kill her?” 

“Yes, if you can get the blood of any Dark Fae and apply it to weapons, that could increase your chances of killing her permanently. However, this plan still comes with risks. The blood needs to be applied correctly and must remain potent until the moment of use. Plus, you’d still need to find a way to get close enough to use these weapons effectively.”

Damon relaxed a lot as the others, considering the new strategy. “Alright. If we can get her blood and prepare the weapons, it might give us a chance.”

Triggers start 

“Yes but there is something we should consider and the only way you can get the blood is from iron. And since iron can make them bleed, whoever is bleeding needs to be careful. But Damon if Mal let's say hurt herself she could permanently die, even though she is half godly from her father she is still a Dark Fae she can die by the ways of the Fae.” Merlin said and started to speak before Damon could flip, “I am not fully sure but the members of the Fae who have married outside or had children with non-Fae partners were usually humans, or regular witches, wizards, druids, and fairies. None but Maleficent had a child with a god. And not just any god, a Greek God from the Pathogen that created them. Hades and his siblings wouldn’t be able to kill Maleficent without them getting harmed themselves. 

The gods, prophets, and angels from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism could kill any Dark Fae. but they never get involved due to the fact they see getting involved as wrong unless the entire universe is going to die by them. But just one planet they won’t help. They won’t even send angles. Since I am Magic’s Child I could stand toe to toe with her, could take her powers maybe but I would be very much weakened and dead for a while. And I will come back since I am immortal.” 

Damon understood, what Merlin was saying Hades might be Mal's father but that might not help her should she get into a depressive episode, since Hades and his siblings can kill Maleficent but it would kill them by doing so, if Merlin could try to kill Maleficent so Mal would not have to it would hurt him, and temporary kill him. 

“Okay so Hook, Shan Yu and his men, Gaston, Natasha, and the rest Black Widows can get weapons. Maybe if Maleficent doesn't get out then we can find the ones who don’t support Maleficent’s rule and get them to give up blood. Under the barrier, we all will be on an even playing field and could kill her. If she gets out Merlin, Natasha, and Damon could go. Natasha can get any weapons needed and Merlin can find a place so he can cover them with magic and be hidden and Damon could get some of Mal's blood. While hiding out.” Ursula said. She felt a bit better knowing they could kill Maleficent. 

Damon and Merlin knew why the other Dark Fae crowned Maleficent and wouldn't go against her unless someone challenged her and won. Even though they wish to, after the first two years of the rest of the Dark Fae seeing how Maleficent treats Mal, a few challenge her and Maleficent kills them. It was a big deterrent to them to try again, to help Damon raise her a bit but they mainly were there to distract Maleficent so Mal and Damon could heal or get out of the house for a while. The only ones who might give them their blood should the kids not get Maleficent off where Connal and Borra are.

Cornnal and Borra were leaders in the pack. And lieutenants to Maleficent and had very much a large say over the rest of the Fae, were very much against Maleficent. Damon knew Connal didn’t like how she became very cruel. That was not the way of the Fae, he wanted revenge long ago but not anymore. He fell in love, he wanted to start a family, just not under Maleficent’s reign. 

While Merlin knew Borra hated the fact how Mal was treated, Mal was the baby out of all the Fae, even the very few who were loyal to Maleficent not out of fear but truly liked how she ran things and hated how Mal was treated. It made sense due to what he read, the Fae children were special and Mal was very much considered a child even though her mother could still be considered a teen in the eyes of the Fae. The Fae could live till they were 30,000 years old. But Maleficent was very powerful even over the much older members of the Fae. Both Cornnal and Borra both were very much not wish to die so they pretended to be loyal.

Triggers over

“Yes that is the plan but now we need to plan, Damon if Maleficent gets out the other members of the Fae will be right behind her, and so will me and Natasha but ensure you get Maleficent to take you too,” Merlin said.

“Damon you should get everything you and Mal need so should this work or you two need to hide you have things to keep you guys calm. And if this works I think you might get to stay in Auradon.” Bridget asked. She had been very quiet until now. She hated Maleficent, when Mal was 5, Maleficent killed her baby girl Red, due to the fact she didn’t agree to something of hers. Red was the only child she was able to have. When she gave birth Facilier was able to help until Melina was able to help. Red was healthy but she couldn’t have any more kids. And that was fine until the bitch killed her child. So she took Mal to try to cause the woman pain, she was never going to kill the girl but she wanted Maleficent to think that. After an hour she saw the girl was being hurt by that witch, and when Natasha and Damon came to get the girl she joined their group. 

“Okay, I will also be grabbing the paperwork that states Hades has no rights to her so should they try to make him her guardian? If I get to stay I will try to get guardianship.” Damon said while the others nodded. They had their feelings about Hades, especially Ursula since he was her uncle, but she loved her uncle despite not being that close and talking often. They now understood at least one of Hades' reasons on why he never helped his kid, but all but Ursula thought he could have taken a bit of her blood, with an Iron Dagger and killed her or threatened Maleficent so Mal could be raised with him. Hades was a coward in his eyes. So Damon's wish to take custody was not that surprising but they knew Merlin or Natasha would get custody since they would want Damon to live for himself since he is 19. 

“So about the others?” Hook asked

“We took the kids, and the members of the crew here and hid them for the next couple of days. Facilier can get the work for the younger members, and Gaston here will be able to get the work for the older kids, and we can sign them out for the week. It would be safe for all of us to be here as we will find a way to get the blood should the barrier not get opened. My men, your men Hook, the Widows, are going to help defend them.” Shan Yu said.

The rest nodded as they started to plan what to do when Merlin, Natasha, and Damon should do.

The night turned to dawn and they left to go into their respective homes until Natasha, Merlin, and Damon were left. 

“Spill it, I can see you have an idea.” Natasha deemed as she raised one of her perfect eyebrows.

“Should she catch us, when we are in Auradon she will destroy the weapons, you all would get taken captured, the other three kids would leave be captured too, and she would find a way to break that spell you made for Mal to cast to hide they royals, as you Merlin, will hide the civilians put them into your frozen dimension thing where they would be frozen and won’t age since she won’t have the power to deal with under that spell, Mal despite being out of the barrier she is still a child? It is like muscles, right? Her magic is raw and powerful, she can do much but if she does much won’t she burn out?” Damon ranted.

“Mal would be able to hold the spell until we get to the Moors, then I will show her to be able to transform it to me so I can undo that spell, and get them out. While me and Mal put the blood on the weapons. Mal would need breaks and the others would be making a place for the royal children and their parents who can’t fight to hide. Nat here will help Jay and maybe Evie use their magic to build that shelter. While Carlos is trying to get our eyes on where Maleficent and the other members of the Fae are. I can do multiple spells and fight off attackers so they will be safe. Mal would need to rest so she doesn't pass out and we will be able to know if she is when she starts to get a nosebleed or become very faint.” Merlin replied.

“So she will be able to handle it?” Natasha asked while Damon was thinking, he knew his baby sister would need to kill the other Dark Fae and her mother. 

Mal doesn't like to kill, she knows how Shan Yu, The Queen of Hearts, Natasha Romanoff, and Hook taught the Gang how to kill people. And Mal always wished to be a Black Widow, and she is that adult's favorite prodigy.  But she won't kill her mother and the other fae. 

Damon started speaking, not answering Natasha's question on how others would. Others would say Mal could handle killing a person. But Damon told them how his sister was able to handle killing her mother.

“She won’t even though you and the others taught her how to kill, but that is her mother, and the Fae are her people.” Natasha and Merlin knew that Damon trusted not to spill his thoughts on his sister to others or Mal, should she not be ready to understand her feelings.  

“Maleficent raised Mal like a baby war elephant with chains all around so it doesn't question a mere rope later on. And despite everything Maleficent has done to her, Mal still holds a bit of hope like a mere spark that she should be able to make her mother proud enough that her mother would tell her she was proud of Mal or even show a bit of love towards herself. Mal would deny that until her last breath but we know…” Damon tried to finish but they understood what he meant. 

“But if Maleficent killed me or one of her crew is killed by her, even if it wasn’t in front of her then Mal would fight her, and maybe even kill her. Maleficent wouldn’t kill the ones on the Isle unless Mal did not find a way to break the barrier for a minute so she and the other fae to get off the Isle, then Maleficent would hunt down every single one she cares about. She would kill one at a time, and find a way to get the bodies to Mal.” Damon finished.

“That is why the crew was now going to be in mine, Merlins, Bridgets, and Shan Yu’s territory,” Natasha said trying to reason with him, Merlin and she could see what he was planning. Damon would sacrifice himself so the others don't get hurt. Natasha and Merlin would and could try to stop him but Damon would still end up dead. And even they might get badly hurt. They need to be at their game. And they would not if they tried to stop the boy. 

Plus they would be hypocrites if they tried to stop him from what they have or tried to do. Merlin had tried to sacrifice himself and she did sacrifice herself. They would let Damon rant while perhaps if they get a chance Natasha and sacrifice herself or Merlin can ‘die’ for a bit and that might get Mal to the point of being able to use her magic to defeat her mother, should she get off the Isle. But that was very unlikely, but if they saw the chance they would take it. Natasha just didn’t like the thought that a boy who was only 19 and barely lived was going to be the one to make the big play. Damon deserved to have a life and see the world that is out there.

“But should Maleficent get out then she would go towards Evie, Jay, Carlos, and myself. Evie is like another sister, she started from a cousin to a sorta step-sister because of Mal. She is Mal’s sister, and best friend tied with Uma. Jay was another brother to Mal and someone I could trust to protect Mal. Jay and I have a bond of camaraderie” In Damon’s mind he said ‘we were the ones who can protect the younger ones, and Jay had seen the bruises and cuts that Mal had affected her for a bit before her Fae side healed her. Now looking back the few scrapes and cuts must have a bit of iron or something. 

Damon could trust Jay to be there when he couldn’t be. The two of them became brothers, and threatened everyone, the guy and girl that came around Mal and later Evie, until they realized the girl thought of them as siblings or friends. Damon remembers the time he and Jay threatened Harry, shitless because he had a crush on Mal. Harry was still scared of them due to the fact he still had a bit of a crush on her. Gil wasn’t a threat, so Mal Gil was the puppy of the family. And Gil liking dudes helped the fact they did not need to warn him of the girls. Uma was Evie and Mal’s sister, and Harreirt they did have to threaten a bit, when it came to Harreit was near Evie. But Evie yelled at both of them and told Harreit she didn’t like girls, only guys. Harriet and Uma would probably be a thing. Anyway getting back on track,  Jay was his brother, a little brother that he never thought he wanted. 

“And Carlos …. he is my baby brother, a smart one. But still my baby brother” Damon said and then proceeded to think about how close in age Carlos and Mal are. Damon taught Carlos how to count and things like that, whenever Cruella came over. He taught Carlos how to handle tech and build things.

“I can’t let them die, but Mal needs to get to the point where she will be able to kill her mother. And that will only help if I die. And nothing you can say is going to change mine.” Damon said he thought Damon knew it would break Mal, he knew Maleficent would have to kill one of the rotten four or a crew member. He would throw his head on the chopping block to save the other. He would die happily knowing Mal would be able to defeat the crazy bitch. He would leave her in good hands, and he would be able to see his father again in whatever afterlife they ended up with. 

Merlin sees the look of resignation about how Damon would throw himself off Maleficent's rage to protect the other. It was something Merlin did for Arthur when they were in Camelot, but he wouldn’t try to stop him. Otherwise, he would be a hypocrite, Merlin was only here on the Isle because he chose to. He didn’t like the idea of a prison colony, so he chose to watch over it, with Natasha and later Master Yen Sid. But after three years and none of their letters getting a response, nor any changes happening, besides the new inmates, that would come on the bridge, they assumed that Auradon didn’t care about the Isle nor its citizens. 

He would have left if he could smack the fucking royals and tell Arthur how much of a part of them were but the barrier dimmed his magic. He could not kill that loony witch that was Maleficent, even if he was able it would kill Maleficent, Mal was only two years old when he saw how that loony witch was treating her kid. Merlin would end up hurting her, so was able to take that anger and frustration out by killing the pedophile, and serial killers that got sent to the Isle, every month. But the number of people getting sent to the Isle was so much that Merlin, Nataha, and others who hate pedophiles and serial killers could kill them and that would get rid of 45% of them on the Isle before the next shipments of prisoners got sent to the Isle.

But it was very annoying not to use his magic to help Mal. He could live with not doing magic he lived in King Uther’s reign before he died and Arthur legalized magic so he was able to do things without magic, and he did have the rare prophetic dreams once in a while, but he would be able to go to Auradon after the barrier was open.

While Merlin thought about how he would Arthur and the knights of the Round Table face. It would be nice to call Arthur a prat again. 

While Natasha nodded thought about how she did the same to get the soul stone, so she would be there for the girl she loves. Plus it would be fun to tear apart the idiots who run this country and hit her ex-finance Steve freaking Captain America Rogers. On the head multiple times, for being an idiot and helping Tony draft the idea of the Isle. Did no one on the team remember the whole Sokovia Accords, and how much of a mess that was? 

Meanwhile, Damon finished with his explanations on why he should die and saw the other two understood and nodded they would help Mal deal with Maleficent. And they would be able to shield her from the aftermath that stupid idiots who ran Auradon would wish to punish her for killing her bitch of a mother and to keep the innocent idiots safe. 

They all said their goodbyes as Damon went to Maleficent and got his and Mal's things, so they could go over the plan again until there were no holes. And soon the kids of the crew would be told. They had 15 more days until the Coronation.

~~~~ Back to the day of the coronation~~~~

As Mal, Phillip, and Aurora were getting somewhat acquainted, the Vks and Audrey were as good as their respective words in going to the dining hall to give them some privacy. 

As the Vks went to get food most people chose their respective foods and most of the student body. Like Evie was daintily picking at a cheese Danish and sipping orange juice. While one would expect an apple turnover or apple juice to be part of her breakfast of choice, (she tended to avoid apple products in general as her mother all but forced what examples of the fruit she could find on her daughter for most of her life). 

Granted more of those were either bitter apples or mealy ones shipped to the island because they were not wanted in Auradon, but Grimhilde had all but ruined the iconic fruit for her. She and the others did their best to ignore Audrey as she sat across from them and gazed intently at them. 

Finally, after a good couple of minutes of being ignored, Audrey let out an exasperated, "Well? Are you going to tell us what all this is about?" 

Jay gave a look of innocent confusion that would have fooled anyone but her friends most days as he replied, "Whatever do you mean?" 

Audrey's expression darkened as she responded, "Quit the innocent act. I haven't been able to get a straight answer from Mother since I asked her what all this was about. But it's pretty clear you know a lot more than I do. What is going on between my Mother and Maleficent? And what was that crack Jay made about drinks and wings before we were sent out of the room like we were asking to sit at the kiddie table?" 

Carlos and Evie looked genuinely confused at the notion of a "kiddie table" but dismissed it as some strange Auradon thing they didn't bother with on the Isle before she asked, "How much DO you know?" 

Audrey's brow furrowed in consternation as she replied, "What did everyone else do? Maleficent tried to kill my parents. She cursed my mom as a baby for not being invited to her Christening when the rest of the kingdom had been. My dad defeated her with the help of my Aunties." 

Evie looked like she was almost amused at what she was being told as she gave the Princess a pitying look and asked, "Anything else?" 

"Maleficent was Queen of the Moors before Aurora and Phillip were given the title,” Audrey spoke. She added ‘‘And from what Mom told me today, my grandfather died attacking her when she tried to spare him and he fell off a castle tower." 

"And do you know why King Stefan was attacking Maleficent?" Jay prodded with a raised brow. 

"Um, because she cursed his daughter?" Audrey asked as if it was obvious. 

Evie chuckled as she replied, "I can't believe how little they told you,” looking at Audrey. 

“Granted, I only know as much as I do because Mal and we have been friends for years and her uncle filled us in, but still. If anyone should know the skeletons in your family's closet it's you. That's just sloppy." Carlos stated 

"What are you talking about?" Audrey demanded. 

"Are you sure you want to know? It sounded like Queen Aurora and King Phillip wanted to keep you all in the dark a while longer, and it's not a happy tale," Evie teased. 

Audrey growled under his breath this was a mystery and he wanted to know what happened as he spat, "Tell me. I'm not some little child that needs to be hidden from the truth." 

"You probably won't believe me," Evie warned. "It doesn't paint Audery grandfather or great-grandfather in very pleasant lights." 

"Just tell me," Audrey insisted. 

"Well, the tale starts with an orphaned Nature Faerie born in the Mysterious Moors. A happy little girl with the most amazing wings like an eagle who spent her whole day frolicking, healing wounded trees, and protecting her homeland from the incursion of humans, who were forbidden to enter the Moors, with the help of her tree golem guardians. And her name was Maleficent..." Evie began. 

Audrey looked like she was going to throw up as the Isle children recounted the tale of Maleficent and Aurora as they had been taught and all the good that Maleficent did. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. King Henry, Audrey’s great-grandfather, a blood-soaked tyrant trying to take the Moors by force? Audrey’s grandfather, a conniving schemer who drugged and mutilated a woman who loved him to gain his throne? 

From the way the Vks told things the only one innocent in the whole mess had been her mother. And if it was true, Audrey could not blame Maleficent for the way she had acted through any of it. Heck, in her version MALEFICENT was the one to save her mother with True Love's Kiss. Granted, it was a kiss with a mother's love, but still. 

But still Maleficent was the one looking out for Azzi, and Emir’s father when he was young. Maleficent was sent to FG to help Chad’s mother. Maleficent was Jane’s mother and her friend was her friend when they were young, same with all the other fairies except as they say ‘those so-called good fairies’. The so-called good fairies are not good, they are mean and spiteful and they don’t have much magic.

"It's a lie. It has to be a lie," Audrey muttered to herself as if hoping to say so would make the words not true. 

Evie shrugged, wholly disinterested in the girl's distress, as she replied, "We just told you the tale as everyone on the Isle heard of from Uncle Diaval. He wanted Mal and his son Damon to know the whole story before he died, and others overheard so it spread. He has a more detailed account of the things Maleficent did who she helped and who owes her ‘debts’ but that is in his journal and what we told you is only the basics we and everyone else on the Isle know.

I'm sure your family has a different take on things. And history is always written by the winners. But if you can get those three traitor Faeries who looked after your mom in the woods to write or swear an oath to tell you the truth. They will have to tell you everything. They know most of this." 

"Why? Why would Maleficent be banished if that's what happened? She was as much a victim as Aurora. It doesn't make sense," Audrey asked. It did not make sense, to say the least. Heck in this messed up version Gaston had been King Addam's best friend but the Fairy sorceress Agatha cursed Addam to forget Gaston’s friendship and cured Gaston to forget it, and a brain tumor caused him to go mad with his obsession with his mother. It was freaking insane. 

Jay gave the princess a critical look as he answered, "Did you pay attention to ANY of your political science lessons growing up? Or is that a non-issue to teach royal kids with all the crowns being united under the United States of Auradon? Because it should be pretty obvious." 

"What are you talking about? What does any of this... horror have to do with political science?" Audrey demanded what the royal of political science had to do with this mess.

"Basic royal politics," Evie explained, as if talking to a small child, she was the only one out of the Rotten 4, who could explain this and not lose her temper. 

Carlos could explain this as well, but Evie was the best one to explain this. "Maleficent had been facing a smear campaign of negative propaganda in the human world dating back to King Henry's reign. The one time she showed up with any people of influence there to see her, beyond those with their secrets to hide like your grandfather, was to curse your infant mother. It's not like she declared to the whole of the Royal Court that it was in retaliation for Stephan betraying and maiming her to get her throne. Or that they would have believed the word of one faerie over that of the sitting King. Now, granted, the throne should never have been his because he was supposed to kill her to get it, and what he did was so much worse than killing her in the eyes of magical creatures/users, but that's neither here nor there. King Henry believed he had completed his task when presented with her wings and gave Stephan the throne, and your grandmother, before his passing and could not take it back. Either way, Maleficent had been painted as a villain regardless of what happened and the only ones who could have contradicted it and cleared her name were your parents and grandfather from your father's side were the only surviving witnesses who were not biased. The Fae couldn’t since Maleficent was their leader. Maleficent tried multiple times to give up the Moors, but your mother had asked her to take it. So the people of the Moors couldn’t help unless your Mother asked them to since Maleficent was on trial and unable to defend herself." 

"But that's my point. Why wouldn't they?" Audrey insisted.

If anything, Carlos looked pitying at her confusion as he remarked, "You were sheltered," Carlos said, shaking his head slightly. "To protect their crowns, of course. If all this came out, it wouldn't just tarnish Stephan's reign—it would obliterate it. The legitimacy of his rule would be questioned, and under the Articles of Unification for Auradon, that would disqualify them from a place among the Council of Royals."

He paused, letting that sink in before continuing. "At best, you might have retained some low-level title connected to your father's line. But even that’s uncertain. Your father's mother did some pretty questionable things, and since she was named Queen, and Maleficent defied her, it’s possible Maleficent could have been considered the Queen by conquest. That means the crown would go to Maleficent, and Mal, as her heir, would inherit everything."

Carlos leaned forward, his voice more serious. "Your mother's kingdom South Ridings (aka how others call it Auroria) would likely be dissolved altogether. It would fall completely under Maleficent’s rule. Maybe History Island could be turned into its state or fall under Maleficent's control. Either way, your family would lose everything. The crown, the power, the land—it would all belong to Maleficent. And since Fae, like her, lived for an extremely long time, nearly immortal, that power would remain with her until she decided otherwise. She could pass it to her children, if she ever wanted them, or name another Fae as her heir."

Evie added to Carlos' explanation, her voice soft yet firm, driving the point home. "And if the truth about Maleficent and Diaval being wrongly exiled came out," she began, "along with the other members of the Fae who protested their banishment, it would have been disastrous. They were sent away after a rigid trial since the Dark Fae couldn’t testify for her and your parents would not let the members of the Moors tell the truth. Your mother, father, and grandfather were the only ones who could have testified on their behalf. And they did not object to any of the charges. And they didn’t object when the court ruled that none of the people from the Moors could testify on your behalf. But they didn’t. They stayed silent, even though Maleficent and Diaval were considered family by yours. That silence didn't exactly make them look like good or heroic people."

Evie’s eyes softened slightly, slightly , but her words remained pointed and sharp as ever. "And let’s not forget Maleficent’s goblin servants, who were also put on the Isle. They’ve been petitioning for release for years, trying to prove they were wrongfully imprisoned. If this truth came out, the best-case scenario would have been the dissolution of your crown, just like what happened to my mother’s. The kingdom would have been stripped from your family, just like that." 

She paused, letting the weight of her words settle before continuing. "At worst, your parents could have ended up on the Isle themselves.”

The 3 VKs didn’t say that Aurora, Phillip, and Phillip’s father were getting sent to the Isle of the Lost, sharing the same fate as those they helped condemn. It would not be pretty. Imagine that—the rulers of South Ridings, exiled and powerless, living among the very people they betrayed. It would not be pretty. But it was best that they didn’t say that.

"No. It had to be more than that. It can't just be to keep their titles. Mom never even cared much about being a Queen," Audrey insisted. 

Jay shrugged as he replied, allowing Evie to eat, "I don't know your family all that well. All I can do is look at it from the outside. But look at it this way, if Maleficent didn't belong there to begin with she certainly does now. And she brought the place to heel so it's not nearly as bad as it could be." 

"What? What do you mean?" Audrey asked, unable to stop herself. 

"Maleficent is called the Queen of the Isle now. All accept that she is the strongest and rules over the rest of us. My mother, Jafar, and Cruella act as her cabinet of advisers. Which really, works out for the best. Maleficent is the power and authority. She knows what it takes to maintain control and prevent constant riots in the streets despite shortages of nearly everything. Not to mention she kinda….. went” Evie said trailing off.

Carlos finished for her, “Maleficent had a psychotic break after getting sent there, then she had one again when Mal’s father left, and then she had a bigger psychotic break after Diaval died. She went from a decent person to a broken shell who wants to kill everyone and hurt even the ones who could be considered family, allies, etc. And then after Diaval, everyone but Diaval’s son Damon wasn’t safe. She let a lot of the master crimes start to happen.”

“My Mother was born and raised into political intrigue, including becoming a Queen in her own right, before her exile. If she hadn't had her psychotic break and became so obsessed with her much younger stepdaughter being prettier than her, I would have probably been going right alongside you all along.” Evie stated she did not want to talk about why her mother had a psychotic break. 

Then Jay started to say  “My Father was a royal Grand Vizier, which includes wearing many hats, including spymaster, and he did all of the nastier things that the Sultan couldn't do without being called a tyrant. He was the Sultan's eyes and ears in Agrabah for years, anyone the Sultan wanted dealt with he dealt with them. He brought the Sultan whores and got rid of them and any bastard they produced when the Sultan wished for them. And that was until the Sultan became, in my father's words, “a whiny little babe” and before Queen/Sultan Jasmine’s, again in my father's words, “if that spoiled little bitch knew how many bastards from the whores her father slept with I had to kill to ensure her rise as the next leader. She acts like I am dirt and a monster. I am the supposed monster when it is her father ordering underage girls to be his playthings for a while before they are sent to others in the court, for a bit to be killed. The things I have done to keep her family in power and I am the vermin.” That is what caused him to allow his ambition to get the better of him and as long as you remember what kind of snake he is, he's the perfect one to keep an eye on the streets to let you know what is going on around you and he is perfect to get things for you.” Jay finished off, it was one of the few things he was truly angry about on behalf of his dad. The Sultan was a terrible and weak ruler. It was his dad who was trying to ensure that Sultan Jasmine was taught and given classes on how to be the next ruler after her father. Yet none of that was allowed at his trial and they only allowed the things he did without context.

Then Carlos started to talk “And my Mother was a ridiculously successful businesswoman in her own right. If she hadn't lost her mind over those dogs and allowed her dark thoughts and actions to get a hold of her mind and body. She'd still be running her company which makes her a good choice to look after and maintain the local economy. Together they bring a bit of stability to the Isle that it would have lacked otherwise. Others bring more stability but they chose to help their own." Carlos did not wish to get into the gangs and Natasha, Merlin, and others like that. He didn’t want to defend his mother, she was a psycho.

"You sound like you respect them," Audrey noted, ignoring what they said about their parents. It was something she could kinda deal with later when she finished processing what she just learned about her parents' tale.

"Of course we do. They're our parents. Granted, we all have completed relationships with them but we do respect them out of fear, love, or some other emotions. I think the only one of the four of them who knows anything about being affectionate was my mother, and that was to try to teach me to find a husband for myself, but they're still our parents, again you have to respect them," Evie replied as if it were obvious. 

The problem for Audrey though, was that she was unsure if she could still respect HER parents if she found out what the Vks had told her was the truth. 

Eventually, Aurora and Phillip found they could no longer take the venom being spat at them by her would-be little sister or would-be little sister-in-law and excused themself only to find Audrey sitting at a table looking as horrified and broken as the both of them felt. 

Carlos, Evie, and Jay take a look at Phillip and Aurora's faces and know that they need to get back to Mal before she becomes too upset. So they quickly excused themself to get back to working on Mal's make-up and left without another glance at the family. Mal would properly be very mad. And from the clock they have been away from Mal for 20 minutes and if the look the adults had Mal was probably pissed. They quickly looked at each other, and they split up—Carlos went to get food, particularly strawberries and other snacks that Mal would appreciate, while Jay and Evie headed back to the dorm to calm her down and prevent any potential outbursts. They knew that keeping Mal grounded was essential to avoid any reckless decisions that could lead to bigger problems later.

"Mommy. Daddy. Please tell me it isn't true," Audrey finally whispered even as she saw the truth of her fears in her mother's eyes. 

It didn't leap deductive reasoning to figure out that the other children from the Isle had told Audrey a more detailed account of Aurora and Philips's life before Auradon. 

Aurora embraced her crying daughter as her tears flowed as she replied, "I wish I could. Or that I could take so much of it back. I should have stood up for her when this all started and Auradon was formed." 

"Mom, what now?" Audrey asked as she tried to compose herself.

 "We do our best, dear. For now, we get cleaned up and attend the Coronation. After that, I don't know. But I will find some way to try to make amends. Mal is... family. And even if she's furious with us for the rest of our lives we won't let her forget that. We won't forget my family a second time," Phillip swore for Aurora, he wasn’t the best with emotions he was good and Aurora would be the best to comfort their daughter  

"I won't have to start calling her Auntie as I do with Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather will I? Because it's creepy to think of the girl that stole your boyfriend like that," Audrey confessed, trying to stop crying. 

Aurora let out a little broken chuckle as she responded, "I don't think you need to go that far." 

After another pause, Audrey asked, "Do you miss her?" 

"My Fairy Godmother?" Aurora clarified as Audrey nodded in agreement. "Every day, my girl. And my Pretty Bird. I imagine he would be as furious with me as Mal's mother. Maybe even more so." "

“Can you both tell me about them? How were they when you knew them?" Audrey asked. 

Aurora and Phillip looked at each other as they smiled sadly. Aurora nodded at Phillip to reply for her, she was not in the best head space so Phillip replied for her. “After the Coronation. We will tell you everything. I promise." 

At 5:00 am on the morning of the Coronation, the soft golden light of dawn filtered through the large windows of Chad Charming's room, casting a warm glow over the disarray. His alarm blared, pulling him from a groggy sleep. Struggling to find his phone, Chad tried to stand but stumbled, nausea rolling through him. After fumbling through the papers and clutter on his bed and desk, he finally silenced the alarm. For the last couple of years, he had been getting a foggy feeling and it was like he was acting very off, but last year he got worse. 

As Chad stood there by his phone in his disheveled room, trying to gather his thoughts, the foggy feeling that had plagued him for years persisted, making everything feel distant and surreal. It was as if he had been on autopilot, going through the motions without truly being present. The scattered papers, marked with grades ranging from failure to success, felt like symbols of his chaotic state of mind. But he had to get it together, today his best friend was going to get crowned king. This was a monumental event. And he had to get his suit on,

As he tried to navigate the chaos of his room—strewn with dirty clothes and the random belongings typical of a teenage boy—he made his way to the closet and began to dress in his suit, moving slowly and carefully to avoid making his nausea worse. The room around him was a mess, reflecting his current state of mind. 

His schoolwork was scattered across the floor, some of it marked with A's, but much of it bore the harsh red marks of failure or accusations of cheating. The sight was a painful reminder of his recent academic struggles and the consequences that were catching up with him

Empty light beer cans littered the floor, along with a few full bottles of regular beer. Small pills—adderall—and bags of weed were carelessly strewn about, adding to the sense of chaos. As Chad looked around, he noticed something even more unsettling—his wallet was open and the wads of cash he had were missing.

He glanced at the clock. It was 5:15 am. His parents would be arriving soon. The realization hit him hard, bringing with it a wave of nausea so intense that he slumped to the floor, trying to hold back the urge to vomit. As he sat there, the reality of the situation began to suffocate him. Today was supposed to be monumental, but all he could feel was the crushing weight of his actions and the inevitable consequences he would have to face.

Meg and Hercules, despite their unique status as Demigods (semi-demigods) with an extended life expectancy, are stepping in as representatives for Olympia better known as Olympus. So with Zeus and the other Olympian gods occupied in a meeting with a different pantheon, Meg and Hercules are tasked to watch the new king get crowned, and be the public show that they had the support of Olympia. 

Zeus had already pledged his allegiance to the soon-to-be new king a month ago since the meeting of the other gods would be on another, planet they were traveling with the few Asgardian Gods, Marc Spector and Layal Abdallah El-Fauoly, and and member other gods (excluding Hades) who live in Auradon are going to this 1,000 annually meeting on how they do stuff which lets a month which is over and now are coming back to Auradon, which now will take a few weeks. 

This is one of the few reasons that they did not accept a chance to be gods, still were given the life expectancy of Demigods (which is why they are considered semi-demigods), they would live a long time but still die eventually, and so will their kids but they didn’t know about the number of years nor they aware of anything the Fates had planned (like Hercules having a heart attack or getting hit by a bus, things, like spontaneously death). 

But they didn’t have to go to things like the Pantheon Conventions. They also didn’t have to go to boring things that are very very boring and no sleep. They still got to do some of the boring work, but that was for them otherwise they would have no nothing to do. 

So they got to serve on several important committees, including one dedicated to uncovering the truth about the Isle and improving the lives of the innocent who live there. They also hold a seat on the Royal Council in the category reserved for heroes who saved the world, rather than rulers. They take these responsibilities seriously, understanding the impact of their actions and decisions on the future of Auradon. 

So they were going to use their unique position as representatives for Olympia or Olympus, to put their request to foster/maybe adopt VKs. They weren’t just taking on the responsibility of helping the Isle just to get a chance of having another child, or to look good. No, they were very serious about helping the kids of the Isle. That is why they were one of the first to jump at the opportunity.  Their dedication of why they are considering fostering because they recognize the importance of providing stable and loving homes for these children.

Meg and Hercules have always wanted more children, and with their two sons now in college, they're revisiting the idea of expanding their family through fostering or adoption. Their eldest, Hyluss, is about to graduate from West Riding University with a degree in Greek History and Culture. Despite entering the university on a sports scholarship, Hyluss has always been more interested in academics, particularly in understanding the history and formation of Auradon. He is preparing to interview for an internship focused on documenting the rise of Auradon, a path that aligns with his intellectual pursuits. 

They understood, while others didn't really know them as real people and not ‘celebrities’ and only knew them as ‘Hercules, the son of Zeus and Hera!!!’, ‘Oh look at his wife she must be so special to end up with him.’, and then the ones towards their kids, ‘Oh look they must be great at sports, they must be as heroic as them’. But those people don’t matter.

Their younger son, Herkie, has just begun his studies at the San Fransokyo Art Institute on a drama scholarship. His passion for drama, much like his father’s, stems from the limitations Hercules faced in sports due to his strength since he wasn't taught his strength until Hercules was 18. Let's just say the couple taught their sons to control their strength from birth, so they could do things like sports or other activities so they wouldn't be limited like Hercules was. Not that Hercules didn’t like acting. Acting became a natural outlet for Hercules to let out his emotions since he didn’t have friends growing up. So the fact Herkie is now following in his father's footsteps, due to the fact he had a choice on doing something else because he had friends. He wasn’t lonely and excluded for not being able to control their strength. He was able to control it and he truly hated sports.

Triggers Starting 

Given their deep desire for more children and their current life stage, Meg and Hercules are seriously considering putting their names forward to foster a VK. especially since Meg and Hercules, had to deal and somewhat still dealing with the heartbreak of not being able to have more children, after the multiple miscarriages they had to deal with. The last miscarriage had been traumatic. Thankfully their kids don’t remember it. They did but they had to live with that so their sons wouldn’t.

It had been a lovely spring day, in the Borderlands, where they were having a camping trip. They were near Belfast, in a large forest. They didn't wish to have the press (gossip rags and a few of the newspapers who wish to hear things about politics), and paparazzi who wanted photos of the kids. Meg had been in the middle of the second trimester, not so far that she couldn’t join the trip when on their 3 days of the trip there was a huge storm. One that they thought they had to leave when the miscarriage occurred. It had been painful and the storm hadn’t allowed Hercules to get the boys away from their mother and to get Meg to the hospital. 

The wind and rain picked up and they had to move into a cave that was thankfully closer than their tent and car. Meg was in so much pain, but she had to tell (deemed) Hercules to get the boys away and keep distracted. Hercules did so but he felt very badly so he started to pray for his brother Apollo to help. To get the sun out and help Meg stay alive until they could get to the hospital. 

But Apollo had been somewhere (having fun with Hermes). He soon started to pray to his other family members, but none answered. It took a couple of hours for the rain to stop, thankfully the boys had fallen asleep. And Meg, barely hanging on, was being picked up and placed in the car by Hercules. He had called for an ambulance which couldn't come due to the weather but the hospital was very close and waiting so he was able to get Meg there in time. And while she was rushed up to surgery he was making sure his boys were okay. And he also was calling his father, mother, and the rest of his family on why the fuck they didn’t hear him call out. 

They said they were doing things in their domain, but Hercules wasn’t taking that. 

He was always calm, nice, and a peacemaker. He never yelled he was always looking for the bright side, and he thought his family was the best, but he was the son of Zeus and Hera and he had a temper. He asked a nurse to watch his boys and took his family into a conference room and lost it. 

When Meg woke up Hercules was calm. The boys were in the room asleep since she had been out for a day. And Hercules had just started his family and he came to an understanding. 

But she doesn't care due to the fact the doctors had come in to tell the couple that Meg couldn’t bring a child successfully to term. After that Meg was a mess blaming herself, while Hercules was trying to keep it together for his family and not to show Meg that he was blaming himself for not being able to help, and asking her to go on the trip. 

Triggers Ending 

After a couple of years in therapy, Hercules still insisted that his family was only allowed to his boys and wife during events and 3 times a year (which included the holidays and boys' birthdays) had to be supervised by him or his wife, which was short since he didn’t like spending more than an hour or two with them. He rarely took their calls, messages, etc. He still was mad, he almost lost his wife and child, and his kids could have been traumatized, so his still being mad was understandable. He also was Zeus's son which meant he was stubborn. 

Even now after years in therapy, as a couple and privately. spending as much time with their two boys, the idea of adopting or fostering until Herkie went to college which he just did. 

This was the first time in years to explore the possibility of adopting or fostering a child. With their sons now in college, they feel ready to open their hearts and homes to a child in need. Their experience, love, and commitment to providing a stable family make them strong candidates for fostering or adopting a VK.

They’re open to adopting if they find a child who feels like the right fit for their family, particularly hoping for a daughter, as they've always envisioned having one. However, they’re also content with waiting for the right child. They were secure with the fact one day they would have another child in their little family. 

And right now they were at the Cathedral hoping to speak with King Adam who was one of the two adults who were heading the committee to find trusted adults. So far the Council hasn’t been told of the regulation, nor where they could put forward their names. Hopefully, they could find out what they could do.

Looking at the time it still was early for Adam and Belle to get here. If they couldn’t get to Adam before the ceremony they would request a meeting.

Elle was bored. 

Her parents Ariel and Eric in her dorm room, where they could greet each other before they had to head to the coronation and greet other nobles and royalty. Before politics, she was the Heir of Atlantic and not her grandfather's kingdom, Atlantica. Atlantica was truly her great-grandfather's kingdom, the Greek God of Poseidon, but he was usually with one of his two sisters, Hestia or Demeter. 

Determined to try to get the amount of oil spills, and things like that to stop, she kind of blocked that out. The Greek side of her family was sorta….. sucky. Either way, her grandfather Triton ruled in his fathers, name but every decision had to be approved by his father. Which was best? Atlantica was…. something. 

But she knew this was going to be a long day since Atlantica hated coming to events like this so her mother would be the representative. 

Truthfully her parents wouldn't do such a favor for Atlantica unless her grandfather ordered her mother to do it. She overheard that something happened to her mother's cousin Hercules and his wife, and Hercules refused to deal with the gods. From what her mother said, his wife was able to get Hercules to allow a few times a year that the godly members could visit. They would do the same but her mother's sisters lived in Atlantica and Atlantis, so from what her father said ‘We have to, go your mother still has a good relationship with them’. 

Her father hated going but would never show that to her mother. 

When she was little and understood why she couldn't run with other children, why she had to be stuck in her wheelchair, and why she could swim but not walk. Her parents were always there. Her father was always trying to help her when he wasn’t doing his duty. From what the servants said in the castle her father's parents took on a lot of the duties after her birth, and even her grandfather Triton had the Atlantica due their jobs so her mother could be with her. 

That was until she was in grade school her parents finally relented and gave her some freedom. And with that freedom, she learned how to read people, go undetected, and overhear things that might be important. She did hang out with her friends that she met when her parents took her to meetings, but her parents kept her close for the first few years of grade school. 

After the first day, she thought she made friends with some courier children who were attending the same school, and who were nice to her. On her second day, she overheard the jokes that were going behind her back from the moment they found out they would have a ‘Cripple’ in the class. She had gone to her friends at school and they told her that they weren't friends, they were benign ‘forced’ to hang out with her due to the fact she was heir. 

Not that they thought that would stay after her parents had a ‘normal’ child. That afternoon she cried her eyes out to her parents and her father called the school and the parents of those kids as her mother comforted her and told her it would be alright. 

The next day she hoped it would be alright, but the kids in her class ignored her telling her that she was a tattle tale. She had to beg the teachers not to tell her parents that she was being bullied knowing it would get worse. Sometimes the other students would be nice to her and then she found out it was a joke. So she had to learn who was truly a friend and who wasn’t, who was using her. 

Now it has helped with trying to understand what was going on with the court and her parents, it didn’t seem that her parents noticed that she no longer wished to go with her parents and that she wanted space. They didn’t even question it. She spent more time at AP, making excuses since her freshman year in high school, on why she had to stay at school during the breaks, “I have a really big project so I can’t come home for Thanksgiving,’, ‘I have to study for my AP English test so I can’t go home during the spring break’, ‘I promised to spend some time with Lonnie for at least a few weeks during the summer holidays, I am going to go there for a week and she will come to me for a week’ and things like that. 

They didn't notice. Especially since the birth of her sister Melody right before her last year of grade school. Right now Melody was being fond of her parents. Which was fine, right now she just needs to focus on school. And if her parents would try to get supper involved like they are doing with her little sister and try to ‘help’ her with college research it would just stress her out.

So right now watching her parents try to not be bossy around her sister's nanny on how to take care of her. She sometimes wished right now that she could be in bed sleeping until it was normal human hours.

“Sweetie, are you okay,” her mother asked. It seemed that she was in her head for a while.

“Uh…..yeah I am fine. And I am just very tired. It is 5 freaking in the morning. I just want to sleep.” Elle said.

“It is okay, sweety, who can take a nap, now if you want, your dad is still on the phone dealing with your grandmother,” Ariel said, as the both of them looked at Eric (Ell’s father) passing back and forth in the room, and hearing him speak. 

“No mother. Melody is allergic to bananas, so you can make her a smoothie to help her throat. Just don’t add in bananas and for dinner chicken noodle soup. It helps her feel better. Mother, I am her father, so I do know what I am saying.” Eric said. As they watch Eric tell his mother how to take care of Melody.

“I thought Dad was talking to Nanny Lilly?” Elle asked.

“Oh no she has this week off. If she was there taking care of Melody, Eric wouldn't have a tizzy.” Ariel said.

Elle nodded along thinking about how Nanny Lilly took care of her the few times her parents left her allow until she was old enough to be home without a babysitter. She remembered what happened yesterday. 

“Mom, why did you and Dad get into arguments about why Dad thinks someone had to use some kind of magic to slow the fire that was on his ship.?” 

“Oh about that. I know someone had to help your father. I am not stupid, but the reason why we argued about that. Is more about ... you know how the people in Atlantica are not very accepting of land people. They are fine with land people, some had even married land people. But they believe the fact, that some of the people in your grandfather and great-grandfather's court and the kingdom are racist and don’t like the idea of one of the princesses of Atlantica marrying just a land person’s prince.

But the people in Atlantica believe that your father was blessed by the sea to allow him and the crew to stay safe until she could get there and help, they stop the fire and save Eric by taking him to land. And it has put the few racist idiots who still wish to make you and Melody basterds in the court and annulled my marriage in the eyes of Atlantica. Or they would petition my father and grandfather to disown me.

They would never undo my marriage unless I wished and Elle and Melody would still be princesses, nor would they disown me. But some people might wish to get rid of your father and hurt him or you and your sister. And that would cause a civil war between Atlantic and Atlantica, which would spread between Auradon and Atlantica. So it is better if they believed he was blessed. So the ones who don’t like the idea of me marrying your father,  have kept their voices down since they think he is blessed.” Ariel said. 

“Uh. That makes sense. But does Dad know this?” Elle asked.

“As your father, I do understand. There is a subsection in Atlantica that believes your mother, as a princess of the granddaughter of Poseidon should have married another prince or lord from one of the other underwater kingdoms. Or a demigod.” Eric said as he put his phone away.

“Oh, that makes sense, weirdly. But why would they accept a demigod marrying mom?” Elle asked her father.

“If I had to marry anyone from the land they would like me to marry someone that wasn’t just a simple land prince. They would think it would be better if I had married a demigod. Which is stupid. But I won’t get into that right now.” Ariel said as Eric held her hand and they smiled at each other.

“Now Elle, is your schedule for this school year good, does anything need to change? Do we need to check in the Fairy Godmother and get anything changed?” Eric asked his daughter. 

Elle shook her head as she thought her parents might be over barring but they are great. And she has been pushing them out lately but they are great.

Lonnie sat in her dorm room, anxiously waiting for her family to arrive. Her roommate, Jane, had been acting strange ever since they, along with Ben, Audrey, Chad, Elle, Azzi, Emir, and Akiho, had eavesdropped on Mal and Jane’s mother, Fairy Godmother. Jane had been unusually quiet, barely saying a word since that day. Staring off into space as if she was planning on doing something. This morning, she had woken Lonnie up early, saying she needed to help her mom at the cathedral. Jane left at 4 am, leaving Lonnie with a sense of unease that she couldn’t shake. 

Now, it was 5:15 am, and Lonnie knew her parents, Mulan and Shang, along with her older brother, Li Shang, would arrive any minute. She tried to distract herself by tidying up her room, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Jane's strange behavior and the conversation they'd overheard. Lonnie couldn't help but worry about what might happen today, especially with the coronation just hours away. The anticipation of seeing her family, coupled with the tension from the past few days, made the wait feel even longer.

She wants to tell her mom about what she found out. And it was even better that her dad was going to be here, otherwise… it would not be good. Her mom would…… well…..

Knock, knock. 

Lonnie was interrupted from her musing by the sound of a knock on her door. She quickly went to open it and was met with the sight of her family. 

“Mom! Dad! Li! I’ve missed you guys!” Lonnie exclaimed as she hugged her mom and dad tightly. Her brother, Li, stood back, smiling warmly at the scene.

“Oh, Lonnie, we missed you too,” Mulan said, her voice full of emotion. “I know the school year just started a few months ago, and we could have come to the first family day, but we were busy with work, and… I’m just sorry we couldn’t make it. And I know that we text and call, but it isn’t the same, so what’s been going on?” Mulan rambled, her strong exterior softening as she spoke to her daughter. Despite being a warrior, Mulan found it hard to be away from her children, especially now that Lonnie had followed her brother’s footsteps and chosen to attend Auradon Prep. Li’s recent graduation and decision to join the Imperial army, just like their parents, had added to Mulan and Shang’s worries.

“Are you going to let me say hello to our daughter?” Shang asked his tone, holding a hint of mock annoyance, but the smile on his face showed he was only teasing.

“Yeah, Mom. You might want to let Lonnie breathe so she can answer us,” Li chimed in, walking over to what he assumed was Lonnie’s bed. “Anyway, sis, no hug for me? Did you even miss me?” 

Mulan let go of Lonnie and playfully smacked Shang on the head, to which he pretended to feel pain. Lonnie laughed and walked over to her brother, giving him a big hug.

“Of course, I missed you, Li. And I missed you too, Dad,” she said, smiling at both of them. 

“And, Mom, I missed you too, but can we Facetime if you get an iPhone instead of a Samsung phone? I have things to tell you guys about,” Lonnie added, her tone light but hopeful. 

“I can call you on my phone, so I don’t need a new one,” Mulan responded, slightly puzzled.

“Mom, on Samsung, you can use apps like Zoom, which is fine for you and Dad because you need it for work. But for me and Lonnie, we hate it. It’s bad enough when our teachers make us use Zoom. So when we have to do that just to call you, it’s a hassle. Facetime would make things easier,” Li explained, trying to convince their mom. 

Shang, sensing the conversation was veering off-topic, gently redirected it. “Lonnie, sweetie, what do you have to tell us?” he asked, knowing the persistent debate over getting an iPhone wasn’t the main issue.

Lonnie took a deep breath, ready to share what had been weighing on her mind. She then recounted what she had overheard, explaining how she believed Mal’s mother, Maleficent, might be abusive. She didn’t know the extent, but she had gathered that Maleficent was once a good queen and close friends with Queen Aurora and King Phillip. Lonnie mentioned that Mal’s father had left after she was born and had never tried to get custody. She also shared that Mal had an uncle, Diaval, who had a son but had since passed away. Diaval had been a good adult figure to both his son and Mal before his death.

As Lonnie finished recounting what she had overheard, the room fell into a tense silence. Mulan’s face hardened with a fierce determination that Lonnie had seen before but rarely directed toward something so personal. 

As Mulun started to pace her mind was racing, imagining what Mal must have endured. The thought of a young girl being hurt by her mother—no matter who that mother was—sparked an overwhelming desire to protect her. “No child should suffer like that,” Mulan muttered, almost to herself. I can’t just stand by. If Mal needs protection, love, and care, then that’s what she’ll get. And if that means I have to… remove the threat… then so be it. “It would be easy to get to the Isle. I am planning on visiting Kit and Ella in the next couple of months…. it would be easy to leave early to say I wanted to sightsee during my time off…. Now how to get the barrier open? I could…. no they would notice if that was gone…. but I could….. Yes, that would work… but how?” 

Lonnie blinked in surprise. “Mom…?” Lonnie didn’t think that her mom even knew she was muttering out loud. This was what she was worried about and looked to her dad silently asking for help.

Mulan, not fully hearing her daughter, continued her train of thought. “Maybe you could invite Mal over, Lonnie. Have her stay with us for a night. Show her what a real family feels like. Shang would be a better father than whoever thought of leaving a baby in the hands of Maleficent.” Uhhh it would have been better if they stuck to the original plan of making regular prisons but no no no the stupid council thought the Isle would work.

“And if any of the other VKs have abusive parents, we’ll invite them too. They need love and care, and if that means taking some drastic measures to ensure they’re safe…” Mulan’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous resolve, “Lonnie how do the kids look, do they look to be underweight or things like that?” 

Before Lonnie could answer her mother, Mulan kept on planning, “Just invite them all and I will find out which of their parents will need to be dealt with… with them over they could give us more names of kids in need….” 

Shang, seeing the look in his wife’s eyes, quickly intervened, before his wife got even farther in her plans. “Mulan, killing is wrong. Even if… even if they deserve it,” he said, choosing his words carefully. He agreed with his wife but someone had to be the voice of reason.

And for things to come to the point he had to be the point of reasons causing him to wish the Yao, Ling, and Chien Po were here they could throughout their ridiculous ideas, and then Mulan and him could be the voices of reasons. But hey he could only thank the ancestors that Mushu wasn’t here to encourage this. 

Truthfully if Natasha was here they could do it and not get caught. When they were on the teams where they had to capture the villains Natasha and Mulan became best friends was terrifying and great at the same time. Natasha taught her many things but he knew that was scratching the surface on how to kill people, ensuring not to get caught. And many more things so if Natasha was still alive and here in Auradon then they could go to the Isle and kill a crazy loony witch, and a sperm donor.

“If you do something like that, it’s not just self-defense; it’s premeditated. And that will get you sent to the Isle. You wouldn’t be able to see Lonnie or Li. We can’t set that kind of example for our kids.” Mulan hesitated the weight of Shang’s words sinking in. She knew he was right, but the thought of being further away from children was unbearable. Hell, she couldn’t even stand that Li was only a few hours away and Lonnie being a plane flight away was even worse. So to be on the Isle without them would suck and if they came with her wasn’t something they deserve.

Meanwhile, Li was already on his phone, half-listening to his parents as he checked if they could hire a top-notch lawyer. He was fairly certain they’d need one if his dad couldn’t stop his mom from acting on her impulse to skin a dragon. “Mom,” Li said, glancing up from his phone, “if you do anything, we’re going to need a really good lawyer. Maybe we should talk to the Emperor about this. If he permits you, then maybe… well, you wouldn’t get sent to the Isle permanently.” 

Lonnie watched the scene unfolding before her, realizing the chaos she had unintentionally unleashed. Her mother was on the verge of becoming a vigilante. Which wasn’t a big surprise she was good friends with Natasha Romanoff during the time they helped round up the villains during the first year. Her mother broke the law by going into the army so her father (Lonnie’s grandfather) wouldn't have to go. Her mother would become a villain if she, her brother, or Shang was harmed. Her father would do the same for her, and her brother, and Mulan was harmed. But her mother and father would become a ‘vigilante’ if they saw children getting hurt. But right now her father was trying to keep her grounded in reality, and her brother was already planning for the worst-case scenario.

All the while, they still had some time before they needed to leave for the cathedral. “Guys,” Lonnie said softly, trying to bring some calm back into the room. “I just wanted to talk about what I heard… I didn’t mean for things to get so intense.” 

Shang took a deep breath and put a hand on Mulan’s shoulder, to help get his wife from pacing. “We’ll help, but we’ll do it the right way. No one’s going to the Isle. Let’s figure out how to help Mal and the other VKs without resorting to… extremes.” Mulan nodded, though her resolve hadn’t completely dissipated. 

“We’ll do it right. But those kids are going to get the love and care they deserve, one way or another.” 

Li, putting his phone away, grinned at Lonnie.  “Looks like you might be getting a new sister… or at least a god-sister if Mom has her way.”

Which was really guaranteed, their dad clearly was in full agreement on taking in Mal, but right now their dad was trying to stop their mom from getting sent to the Isle. Their parents would try to take in all of the Vk but if what some of his friends have texted him about was true his sister might have a crush on one of the Vk boys. Normally he would be overprotective but his sister would be mad at him. Plus his dad and mom would be the ones to play the overprotective ones he could be the friend to whoever his sister brings home.

Lonnie managed a small smile, relieved that the situation was diffusing, even if just a little, and she was happy that she could help Mal and even the other Vks if her parents could.

But they still had to get going soon. If they wished to beat the traffic.

The next day arrived faster than Ben had expected it to. He barely remembered falling asleep, but he must have, as he awoke with his stomach in knots. He glanced around his room at Auradon Prep, noticing the faint impression of someone having slept on the couch. His memory began to return—he, Azzi, Emir, Akiho, and Chip had been up late the previous night, trying to make sense of some troubling things they had overheard.

They had pieced together the information, recording it all, though Ben knew he still needed to have a serious talk with Azzi about why he recorded the conversation in the first place and to get the list of those involved in this mysterious "bet" that surrounded the Isle’s other parents. Because it wasn’t cool to do that. Either way, Chip had created a timeline using information from history books, and the group had worked well into the night. 

Now, as the morning sunlight filtered into his room, Ben felt the weight of the day ahead pressing down on him. Today was his coronation day—the day he had been preparing for his entire life. And since the last few 

He tried to reassure himself, but the nervous energy bubbling up inside him was hard to shake.

He should know this but he was so nervous he couldn’t remember how he fell asleep. Today was the day. It was the day he had been looking forward to and yet dreading for months…his coronation day.

As he looked around his room they saw that his couch was slept on. And as he thought about the couch his memory came back. He, Azzi, Emir, Akiho, and Chip were trying to figure out the things they overheard yesterday. 

It was a long thing to do, and they were able to put the recording (he still had to have words with Azzi about why he recorded that. And how Azzi should give him the list of people involved with this ‘bet’ that surrounded the kids from the Isle’s other parents. But from the look Akiho and Emir gave each other before shooting looks to Azzi it was clear that they would deal with that), and that Chip had taken things from the history books onto a timeline. 

Akiho had run to get food, but they didn’t get far and Chip had handed his laptop and the books to Emir and Akihos room. The shadows as they like to call themselves took the recording before dragging Azzi out.

It was a few moments and it helped him to calm his nerves. So he was able to change into his suit for the day. He knew Chip was most likely getting food but when he came back it would be a ‘fight’ about his suit. And it wasn’t like he wore suits every day. But this was important: he was becoming King…… he was becoming King. 

Okay, nothing to worry about, he thought as he started to get ready. Just getting coronated in front of the entire kingdom. 

Breathe. You've been preparing for this for sixteen years. You can do this. It's just kneeling in front of the Fairy Godmother, my mom, and my dad, saying a few lines. 

There's no way I can mess that up.

He shook his head, trying to stamp down the nerves that were building up inside him. He needed to talk to someone soon otherwise he'd be a jittery mess come Coronation. Okay, so the coronation's not for a few hours. It is only 5 am, you don’t have to get Mal until 30 minutes from now.

Why don't we call Chip and find out where he is?

As if he summoned him Chip was opening his door with boxes of food that was clearly from the cafeteria and was a decent size, not too much that would get too full.

Chip took one look at him and knew what was going on, “Stop it. Stop it right now.”

“What?” Ben asked.

“I know what you are thinking. I know that you are overthinking that you aren’t meant to be king. You are. You were trained for this so sit down and eat, and I won’t comment on you wearing a suit. I understand why but it doesn't make me happy so just eat unless you wish to hear a rant.” Chip said as he shoved his brother in all but blood into the chair that was in front of the little table that was in Ben's dorm room. And put down both of the boxes of food and the silverware on the table.

"Thanks, Chip, I was about to call you to see where you were to alleviate my nerves. Not to be more nervous than I already was," Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Stop with that.” Chip said as he smacked Ben’s hand away and started to his Ben's hair. 

“Now eat. And about this new girlfriend. She is Maleficent's daughter?” Chip asked as he started to style the hair a bit with gel. 

“First I am eating. Stop with the hair, I am going to be putting on my suit shirt and the jacket part of the suit in a minute so I don’t want to get the gel on it.” Ben said.

“Alright, I won’t but tell you about this girl, you haven't said much about her.” Chip said as he watched Ben eat his breakfast.

“Yes she is Maleficent’s daughter but she isn’t like her..” Ben tried to defend her, but Chip interrupted him.

“Dude I get that. I am not your dad, so I know if you like her she won’t be like her mother. But the reason why I am asking is because I remember you telling me about your dream girl. And how you will want to find her and date her after you broke up with Audrey.” Chip said.

Ah, that. Ben had been having similar dreams since he was around twelve or thirteen about a beautiful purple-haired girl with glowing green eyes that had golden flecks in her eyes. The girl looked nothing like anyone in Auradon. The dreams ran in this process. They were on a roof, and he watched her spray paint the wall as the sun was setting. He looked around. It was clearly in an urban city that looked a bit run down. Instead of the surrounding area buildings having people around, it looks like it should. Since the weather was good it was still considered daytime even though the sun was setting. It was clear to him that the place was abandoned. The purple-haired girl was speaking about something. He never paid attention to the words exactly but her voice was like a gift from the Gods. She never said her name but her voice. 

It was a beautiful voice. 

And when this first happened and he told Chip, they were both confused about what it could mean, but now it made sense. 

The dreams had stopped when he met Mal, and now he realized why. She was his soulmate.

That is how the stories told it. You have dreams or things such as that until you meet the person in said dream. He thought she was a made-up person and that is why he and Chip dismissed the idea of him having a soulmate to know she was real and not a figment of his imagination, after Audrey led him away from the VKs on the tour but as soon as Mal was out of his sight he ditched Audrey, he went to his room and had a bit of a freakout.

After that he was already planning on breaking up with Audrey before meeting Mal but, when he saw her close to Jay and Jay being close to her….. he thought Mal and Jay were together. 

Which was stupid. So when she gave him the cookie it was clear that she was into him. The cookie that was spelled had done nothing. He thinks that others would be pissed about it but he didn't think Ben thought it was cute. 

So when he had broken up with Audrey before the game in front of some of the cheerleaders, and some of his team members. He had ignored the people cheering on that news since it was clear that Audrey didn’t care, so he had done the whole song and dance to ask Mal out.

“Mal is the girl from the dream,” Ben admitted, his voice steady. 

Chip nearly choked on his muffin. “Mal is the girl you’ve been dreaming about for years?” 

“Yes,” Ben confirmed. “And I have to get going. Can we talk about this later?” 

Chip blinked, processing this new information. “Okay, okay. You’ve eaten enough. Let’s get you dressed so you can go get your dream girl.” 

As Chip helped Ben into his suit, adjusting the jacket and straightening out any creases, Ben couldn’t shake the nagging question in his mind: Am I ready to become King?

“Stop that.” Chip said to Ben, “You can do this Ben. Now let's get going, I’ll head to the cathedral to help Aunt Belle and Uncle Adam set things up. And you…” Chip said pointing to his brother in all but blood, “Got to get your girlfriend so you guys can get your ass over into the carriage so you two can do the parade that you and the other royals are doing.”

“Uh..” Ben said as he hit his head on his hands. “I completely forgot about that. Mom and Dad are finishing setting things right around now before they get into the carriage as they and any other of the royals who got to the cathedral wait before they go into the parade.”

“And I’ll see you after the ceremony during the dinner and then at the after-party.” Chip said as he walked to the door and held it open for Ben.

Ben stood and just took a deep breath, “Right. I’ll go pick up Mal and get ready for the parade.”

With one last glance in the mirror, Ben stepped out of his dorm room, ready to face the day that would change his life forever.