Thank you! Thank you for everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story the past day that it has been up. I was surprised that I had so many views in such little time.
This chapter is being added as a present and for the event that's happening tonight. It's pretty long because I wanted certain events to be together in one chapter.
I hope you like this chapter! I know most of you won't like the surprise twist at the end.
The limo cruised through the sprawling green campus and came to a stop. An impressive building with a flower garden loomed before them. A group of curious students in blue-and-gold uniforms waited outside the limo, waving welcome flags. A marching band started to play with great gusto. The driver opened the limo door, and Jay and Carlos tumbled out. They were about as undignified as it got.
Jay was yanking at a scarf that Carlos was clutching.
"You got everything else, why do you want this?" Carlos asked.
"'Cause you want it!" Jay insisted, wrestling Carlos to the ground and pinning him there with his foot. In their squabble, they didn't notice the group of students watching them. The students backed away at the sight of them fighting, and the band dribbled to a wheezing stop.
Evie emerged out of the vehicle next, completely ignoring their little fight. She twirled dramatically to get a view of the place and so the students could get a good view of her. By the end of the day, everyone will know who she is.
Mal stepped out next, but her arm was still inside the vehicle. She waited like that for a few seconds until her lovely boyfriend, Ben, appeared with his hand in hers. The students gasped. Was it from seeing the lost prince? Or was it from him holding hands with the most famous villain's daughter?
A smiling woman stepped through a clump of students with her arms outstretched as if she were about to hug someone. She had brown hair pulled back in a loose bun, pearl earrings, and a lavender dress with a pink bow at the neck.
Mal noticed the woman and alerted her friends. "Guys, guys, guys," Mal muttered from the side of her mouth. "We have an audience." Then she put on a fake smile and struck a fetching pose. Evie followed suit, resting her hands on her hips. Of course, Mal's original pose was quickly forgotten when Ben wrapped his arms around her, essentially hugging her from behind. Mal ended up moving her hands to rest on top of his to make herself feel a little more comfortable.
Jay smiled and told his audience, "Just cleaning up." He helped Carlos to his feet.
The woman addressed Jay. "Leave it like you found it!" She grinned. "And by that, I mean just leave it." She gave Jay a pointed look.
Jay reluctantly tossed all his loot back into the limo, including the scarf.
The woman smiled and nodded approvingly.
Then Jay noticed a pretty student with caramel-colored skin and chocolate-brown hair. She wore a blue sweater, a pink dress, and a gleaming gold necklace. He sauntered up to her with a smile, probably scheming to take the necklace. "Hello, foxy. The name's Jay."
The girl laughed, then stopped.
The woman stepped forward and spoke specifically to Ben. "Welcome home, Prince Ben!"
"My 'home' is the Isle of the Lost." Ben corrected without thinking first. Mal squeezed his hands in warning—some would probably see it as something else. He continued, "But Auradon will be like a second home to me, eventually."
The woman's smile faltered slightly. "Of course." She then went on to introduce herself. "If you don't remember, I'm Fairy Godmother. Headmistress." She bowed elegantly.
"The Fairy Godmother?" Mal asked. "As in 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo'?" She pretended to wave a wand for emphasis.
"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-you-know-it!" Fairy Godmother agreed.
Mal gave her a forced good-girl smile. "Yeah, I always wondered what if felt like for Cinderella when you just . . . appeared out of nowhere! With that sparkling wand and warm smile . . . and that sparkling wand." She flashed a bog cheesy smile.
Carlos licked chocolate off his fingers as Mal spoke.
"That was a long time ago," insisted Fairy Godmother. "And as I always say, don't focus on the past or you'll miss the future!" She smiled. "Wherever you wind up!"
Fairy Godmother searched the crowd of students expectantly before a disappointed sigh escaped her. "The former heir was supposed to greet you as well," she revealed. "He was supposed to take you on a tour of the school."
Ben forced a smile. "I've heard a few things about him from the guards that tried to force me to leave a month ago. He's probably not too happy that I'm going to be king instead of him."
"Audrey here will show you around instead," Fairy Godmother decided in a split second to avoid any conflict.
"Princess Audrey," the girl corrected.
"I'm a princess too," Evie said as she stepped forward. "My mom's a queen, which makes me a princess." She started to bow.
"The Evil Queen has no royal status here," Audrey began with a sugar-sweet smile, "and neither do you."
"I'll have Doug lead you to your test, the four of you to your rooms, and then to your parents." Fairy Godmother gave Audrey a look that said to tone it down. "I'll see you all tomorrow. 'The doors of wisdom are never shut!' But the library hours are from eight to eleven, and as you may have heard, I have a little thing about curfews." She smiled, turned away from the new arrivals, and walked toward a building with the marching band following in her footsteps.
Audrey glared at Mal through a smile. "Hey! You're Maleficent's daughter, aren't you?" Then she said in a disingenuous voice, "I totally don't blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff. Oh, my mom's Aurora. Sleeping—"
"Beauty. Yeah, I've heard the name," said Mal, cutting her off. "You know, and I totally don't blame your grandparents for inviting everyone in the world except for my mother to their stupid christening."
Audrey blasted a fake smile. "Water under the bridge!"
"Totes!" Mal agreed, putting on an even bigger fake smile.
Both girls fake laughed and let the laughter fizzle out in unison. Ben placed a sweet kiss on Mal's cheek to sooth her hidden uneasiness. A genuine smile made a way on her face while Audrey's smile faltered.
"Oh!" She exclaimed in surprise. She motioned between the two of them. "Are you two a couple?"
"That's right." Mal's smile grew as her eyes glowed defiantly. "Most of the Isle is jealous of us."
"Well, you probably won't last long here."
"We lasted ten years on the Isle." Mal tilted her head knowingly. "I'm sure we'll last even longer here."
Audrey headed toward the garden as she dropped the subject. It was almost like she knew something that the couple didn't. Anyways, she shared simple facts about the school and its history.
The teens looed up into the face of a fearsome statue that resembled Ben's father in Beast form. Audrey clapped and it came to life and growled. Carlos squealed and jumped into Jay's arms. Audrey gave a quick double clap. The statue magically transformed into the Beast as a young prince. Carlos relaxed a little.
"It's okay," she reassured. "King Beast wanted his statue to morph from beast to man to remind us that anything is possible."
As the tour slowly continued, Mal muttered to Ben, "Do you think he sheds much?"
"Yeah," Ben answered with a serious expression. "Mom probably doesn't let him on the couch."
Mal and he exchanged looks. Mal gave a wry smile and he smiled back. They shared a quick kiss as the continued to focus on the boring tour.
Inside the building, there was a fireplace, dark wood staircases, chandeliers, and stained glass windows that made the place feel warm and sunny.
"So, you guys have a lot of magic here in Auradon?" Mal questioned. "Like wands and things like that?"
"Yes, it exists but it's retired," Audrey said snootily. "Most of us here are kings and queens. Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years."
She noticed a nerdy boy with thick glasses heading down the stairs. The boy was wearing a blue-and-gold marching band uniform and carried a clipboard. "Doug!" Audrey called expectantly. "Doug, come down!"
When he was next to the princess, she announced, "This is Doug. He's going to help you with your class schedules and show you the rest of the dorms. If you need anything at all, ask Doug." She fake laughed before leaving dramatically.
"Hi, guys." Doug waved. "I'm Dopey's son? As in"—he started counting on his fingers—"Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and . . . " Evie caught Doug's eye. "Heigh-ho," he said to her, completely charmed.
Evie went nose to nose with him. "Evie. Evil Queen's daughter." She started to twirl her hair flirtatiously.
Doug snapped out of his daze before speaking directly to Ben, "So about your test. I am to lead you to an office and you're supposed to negotiate with my uncle—who has been elected to represent the dwarfs and sidekicks—about some kind of issue involving their petitions."
"I've been preparing for it," Ben reassured. "Is Mal allowed to be with me in the room? She has helped me with it."
Doug shrugged. "I don't see why not. Follow me."
Ben and Mal led to a room that would eventually be his office when he became king. Doug took Evie, Jay, and Carlos to their dorm rooms so they wouldn't have to wait on the two to finish their meeting. Since this is official business, Mal thought it would be best if she remained standing instead of them doing their usual routine. It felt quite unusual.
After some time, Grumpy finally arrived.
"So you're the missing prince," Grumpy mused when Lumiere ushered him into the conference room. "I would say 'Welcome Home', but I heard you didn't see it as such. I supposed I'll be the first to say 'Welcome to Auradon'."
Ben smiled at the phrase. It had a nice ring to it. 'Welcome Home' sounded like the title of a second story, but he digressed.
Grumpy turned to Mal unexpectantly. "And you are?"
"I'm Mal," she held out a hand in greeting, to which he shook fearlessly. "I'm the daughter of Maleficent, but you don't have to worry. The only thing I have common with my mother is a name."
"She's here to help me control my temper," Ben informed, mainly so she wouldn't be asked to leave. "I found on the Isle that I have a temper that's hard for me to control. When I'm negotiating with someone, I always have a third person to be the mediator so I don't go 'beast', as some would say. Mal helped me with coming up with solutions to your—to our problem."
"That's very 'king' of you," Grumpy complimented. He must be having a good day since he's not acting so grumpy, or the author didn't know how to write his character.
Grumpy took a seat across from the prince, his short legs swinging like a child's. "I hope your solution is better than the last child."
"I heard about what happened," Ben insisted, "and I'd like to apologize for him for his behavior."
"You—What?" Grumpy was caught off guard. "But you don't know him. Why would you do such a thing?"
Ben shrugged. "I understand that it's stressful when trying to come up with ideas that benefits everyone. While on the Isle, it took Mal and I a few tries before we were able to start making their lives better. For a while, I was a joke until the villagers benefited."
Grumpy raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "And how did you do such a thing?"
"We sorted out the food from the shipments that arrive on Saturdays," Mal explained. "Children twelve or younger and villains that were sixty-five or older would get the fresher foods. Those in between would get the rottener food because their immune system could handle it."
"And why do you do such things?"
"Because we are the Queen and King of the Isle." Ben shrugged again. "They gave us the title when we first became a couple. We decided to take it seriously and our reputation is pretty good. We haven't failed them yet. Mal has more of their respect since she was born there."
That surprised the dwarf even more than the apology. "You're a couple? For how long?"
"We've been romantically involved for three years," Mal quickly answered before Ben could. "Ben likes to say we've been together for ten years because that's how long we've known each other. The villains have helped us hide our relationship from my mother. I was the one that found him on the boat when he first arrived on the Isle."
"And we've been inseparable ever since." Ben reached over and squeezed her hand for emphasis.
"Child aren't you going to sit?" Grumpy suddenly asked. It's been bothering him for a while and he finally wanted to say something. "This meeting may take some time and you'll tire quickly if you stay like that."
Mal blushed while Ben cleared his throat uneasily. "We have a certain routine that wouldn't be acceptable for this kind of meeting," he explained. "On the Isle, people were fine with it when we do so during school, but we don't know how they'll react here."
"Go ahead," the dwarf insisted. "I won't judge."
Reluctantly, Mal found herself seated on Ben's lap within a few seconds. His arms were wrapped securely around her waist, making him a little less tense. Although she was embarrassed, Mal wouldn't be afraid to admit that she was more comfortable.
"Anyways," Ben continued on to actually begin the meeting, "we read all one thousand and one pages of your complaint."
"Really? All one thousand?" asked Grumpy, sounding impressed.
"And one." Mal smiled kindly. "Ben's a fast reader, so he took notes on the main points while I tried to catch up. From what we could gather, it appears what you and your colleagues are demanding is to be heard, and to have a voice in your future. Something more than just a seat at the Council."
"It's not that much to ask is it?" Grumpy wondered keenly.
"No, it's not," Ben acknowledged. "And I think we can come to a simple agreement."
"What do you propose?"
Ben smiled. "I propose listening to the people who know best."
Grumpy raised an eyebrow.
Ben consulted their notes, which was a crumpled and water spotted stack of papers. "Let's start with the mermaids. They should charge a silver coin for every undersea tour. And I'll talk to Ariel about giving Flounder's collecting for her a break."
Grumpy nodded. "Sounds reasonable. Continue."
"We've also made a plan to set up a college fund for the Dalmatians—all ninety-nine puppies will be eligible for financial aid through the Puppy Grant." Mal went on, taking a turn. "It may take us a few days to set up the Puppy Grant considering we just arrived in Auradon."
"Pongo will appreciate that," Grumpy insisted. "But what about us miners?"
"Half of everything you mine must still remain the property of the kingdom," said Ben. He figured his father would settle for no less.
"Half?" Grumpy repeated, sounding alarmed. "What about the rest of the diamonds? Where does that go?"
"The other half will go to a 410D Fund," Mal reassured before the dwarf could get a stroke. "A retirement fund for dwarfs, to take care of your families and your children. Tell Bashful not to worry."
"Sounds fair enough," Grumpy nodded. "What about the restriction of magic? Just between you and me, those three fairies make a lot of noise."
"The three good fairies will have to take their complaint up with the Fairy Godmother," Ben commented. "We can't do anything about it, I'm afraid. But I'll get them a meeting with her. That much we can do."
"And Genie's request for unlimited travel within the kingdom?" Grumpy frowned. At this point, he was struggling to find something to be grumpy about. The couple sure knew what they are doing."
"Approved, so long as he clears his itinerary with the palace beforehand." That was a difficult decision to make. They knew people wouldn't want him popping up anywhere without notice, but if the villagers were warned about Genie's arrival, maybe all would be well.
Grumpy folded his arms. "What about the woodland creatures? They're working their paws and hooves to the bone."
"I'll have a team install dishwashers, washer-dryers, and vacuum cleaners in every household."
"Or people could do things by hand," Mal pipped in. "The teens could actually do those things as chores. We have to do so on the Isle, and we didn't die from it."
Although he would deny it later on, Grumpy laughed. "I like your idea, but I'm afraid the children here are quite spoiled. I think our furry friends will appreciate it. It's hard to do dishes by hand, without, you know, hands."
Mal laughed while Ben tried to hold in his. She and Grumpy were getting along better than anyone could imagine. It was quite a surprise to see it himself.
"As for Mary and the mice, from now on, they will be compensated with the finest cheese in the kingdom from the king's own larders." Ben let the last paper drop.
"Fair enough." Grumpy nodded again.
"So we have a deal?"
Grumpy put out his hand. "Deal."
Ben shook it and so did Mal for the heck of it. They were more relieved than they let on. At least, they hoped they weren't letting it on.
"You know what, young man?" huffed Grumpy with a frown.
Ben steeled himself for a grouchy comment, but none came.
"You're going to make a good king," Grumpy said with a smile. He turned to Mal. "And you will be good by his side. I admire both of your problem solving skills. Auradon will benefit from both of you. I am proud to eventually be able to call you 'King and Queen of Auradon'. However, I will settle with 'Queen and King of the Isle' for now."
The couple smiled at the compliment. Ben squeezed Mal a little tighter, pleased by how well the meeting had turned out. Their work was done, at least for today. If this is what being king and queen is all about, then maybe it won't be as hard they thought. And if this not easy to please dwarf approved of their relationship, then maybe everyone else will eventually.
The dwarf picked up his stocking cap and hopped down from his seat, turning toward the council-room door.
Then he paused.
With a sigh, Grumpy turned back to the couple. "I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. "But I feel obligated to tell you this."
Mal tilted her head in curiosity. "Tell us what?"
"Some very bad news."
They waited for him to speak, but they wished they hadn't. The colored drained from their faces as soon as the news was told.
"Ben is planned to be married to Princess Audrey when he becomes king."