A/N: A picture into the daily lives of the Dragon Court after their hostile takeover.
P.S.: Smoking is bad, kids.
• • •
Mal woke up the next morning with a massive hangover. Evie's face was the first thing she saw, and it filled her heart with happiness. She woke up her princess with a soft smile, and judging by the way she gripped her head, Evie had a headache too.
Breakfast was delicious, as usual, and observed religiously by Mal, who loved Jay's cooking. He and Carlos had come over early to make food for the other kids, and somehow got his hands on real, actual coffee, a thousand times better than the swill they'd had in the past. When asked, Jay merely smirked.
"A great thief never reveals his secrets."
He also indicated that this was a rare occasion, and they shouldn't expect good coffee on a regular basis.
After breakfast, Evie went off with a list of what they needed done, and the best people to do it. Mal had other business to attend to, namely sending their little scout Dizzy to round up Michael Medusa to give him the bad news. As it turned out, that wasn't necessary. Mal had claimed the headmaster's office for her own, and Carlos was currently examining the archives of the school library which were housed right across from it. The place was usually off-limits to the public, so Mal held out hope that those archives held something good.
Ginny, who had been given the first patrol, came into the office, breathless and flushed, as if she'd run the whole way in.
"Claudine says there's someone coming. She thinks it's the Medusa boy." Ginny exclaimed. Claudine was given the post of watchman, from the bell tower.
"Just the man I wanted to see." Mal nodded to the girl. "Send him in."
• • •
Evie made her way through the halls of the converted school, housekeeping list in hand. First stop: Clay Clayton. She found the boy at target practice, hacking away at a wooden stump in the graveyard with his machete.
"Hey there, Clay." She grinned at him, and wiping the sweat from his brow, he gave a salute. "How about we put that youthful energy to good use?"
"What did you have in mind?" He smirked, and Evie fluttered her eyelashes at him. Her heart belonged to Mal, and she couldn't even really say she was attracted to boys, but flirting got her favors, and was a skill she wanted to keep sharp.
"We need help breaking down the last of the desks into firewood for winter." Evie smirked. "Sounds like a fine job for a big strong boy, right?"
"I'll get right on it." Clay grinned, and slung his machete over his shoulder. It wasn't really the right tool for chopping wood, but no one she knew had an axe or hatchet.
Next stop on the list: Yen Sid.
When she politely knocked on the office door, Yen Sid answered with the same respect. He had gone home after the bonfire last night, and was assured that he could come back in the morning.
"Come in, Genevieve." The wizard smiled as he held the door for her, and she sat across from him at his desk.
"I've come to let you know you can keep your job here, if you still want it. Were you being paid?" She asked, tentatively. Mal had ordered her to try and keep the teacher's salary as it was, within reason.
"I receive a stipend from the crown, so you needn't worry."
"That's good." Evie breathed a sigh of relief. "We won't have much revenue once we start making kids come to school."
"You're making students... attend classes?" Yen Sid asked, feeling his heart lift with joy.
"More like strongly suggesting. It'll take a few days for things to go back to normal, but we didn't come this far on natural talent, believe it or not." Evie admitted, a bit shyly. Education was never a big deal on the island and Grimmhilde practically forbade Evie to read at home, saying that it would hurt her eyes and limit her chances for a good husband.
"I see..." Yen Sid nodded affirmatively.
"When Mal was ten, her mother gave her a copy of the Art Of War, a treatise from Mulan's country. She still sleeps with it on her nightstand."
"And what about you?" Sid asked. "I know you're more than just a pretty girl, Evie. Where did you get your knowledge?"
"My mother's Grimoire." Evie replied quietly. "It details all the uses of plants, both edible and poisonous. There were some nights, before we got this powerful, that the knowledge in that book was the only thing that kept us alive."
Evie recalled going into the misty forest with Jay and Carlos and Mal, and showing them which roots to pull up and flowers to pick, and explaining how you had to boil dandelions twice, to get the bitterness out.
"Can I tell you a secret?" The girl asked, and Yen Sid nodded solemnly. Due to his knowledge and honesty, he had become quite an impromptu school counselor as of late.
"I think I have magic. Not like Mal's, but witch magic." Evie felt the joy bubbling up inside her. "There are recipes for potions that I know, not just poisons. I've tried a few, and they actually work, even here on the Isle!"
"Well, what do you think this means for you?" The wizard prompted.
"Well... I won't have to be powerless any more. I can be strong, like Mal." Evie explained.
"That's true," Yen Sid nodded. Feeling strong and confident would go a long way in helping Evie break free of her mother's influence. "But you must remember, Evie, you were powerful before you grew into your magic. You are strong and beautiful, even without power."
"Thank you." Evie replied politely. She was not such a villain that she didn't award respect to those who deserved it, and wouldn't think her weak for it.
"So, which classes do you want me to teach, or should things simply go on as usual?" Sid asked, as Evie smiled coyly.
"I'm assuming Auradon hasn't authorized you to teach any magic?"
"Unfortunately, not even students in Auradon learn magic anymore." Yen Sid sighed, thinking about how the actions of a few scared monarchs had condemned an entire school of study. Evie, on the other hand, practically purred. The foolish and weak children on Auradon couldn't even use magic, when the very air outside the barrier was thick with it! If she and the other witches could do this from behind the barrier, just imagine the havoc they would wreak in Auradon?
"Alright then. We'll have to cut the goodness classes, I'm afraid." Evie smirked. "Wouldn't want our troops going soft, now. Everything else stays the same."
"No one ever went to my goodness classes anyway." Yen Sid scoffed. And yet, somehow, here was Mal's second in command, confiding in him and showing polite respect, while Mal herself was doing the best to keep her 'subjects' fed and safe. Someone must have done something right.
"You'll have a lot more students, soon." Evie replied sweetly, as she stood and curtsied.
"Oh?" The wizard asked, mildly amused.
"Yes. Once we deal with the pervert Frollo, Mal plans to go out into the market and announce that any child who wants it, shall be under the protection of the court." Evie's eyes got a little misty as she smiled. "I'm going to teach them everything I know."
• • •
"Michael." Mal nodded to the son of Madam Medusa. "I assume you're here because you heard the bad news?"
"Hardly bad." Michael announced, and pulled out a tin cigarette case. "Mind if I smoke?"
"Only if I can smoke too." Mal replied.
They both lit their cigarettes and blew smoke rings at the ceiling.
"You killed my drunk of a mother." Michael replied. "I owe you a debt of gratitude."
"Well, I have a quick way to make us even." Mal replied. "We have need of a few supplies that are hard for us to make or find. Primarily, we need a stone mortar and pestle, and a pair of binoculars."
"Hmm... The old hag-" presumably his mother "- got a pair of binoculars from Clayton a few years back. The mortar might be harder, but I'll keep an eye out for you." Michael nodded to Mal, tipping his cigarette into the late Facilier's skull-shaped ash-tray.
"Pleasure doing business. If you ever come across something you don't need and can't sell, keep us in mind, alright?" Mal grinned. "We'll get you a better price than those scalpers at the market."
"Will do." The young man nodded, and turned back to Mal before leaving. "I'll send the binoculars before nightfall. Don't shoot my alligators."
"I'll keep that in mind." Mal smirked.
As soon as he left, Ginny entered again, looking even more scared, if that was possible.
"Mal, we have another visitor." The girl called out. "This time, it's Evie's mom."
"Send her in." Mal replied, but tried not to freak out inside. "Oh, and try to make sure she doesn't see any of our projects!"
Whatever they had in the works, the Evil Queen was the second-to-last person that needed to know about it. The first of which was of course, Maleficent. She had to stay calm, Mal told herself, despite the fact that she wanted to tear that witch's throat out, for what she did to Evie. The blue-haired princess may not know it, but Mal knew about the hours of rigorous posture training, and how she took painstakingly long to fix her makeup. Her obsession with perfection was not naturally a part of her, and Mal had a pretty damn good idea who to blame.
"Grimmhilde." Mal nodded, when the old woman entered.
"Still just as disrespectful as your whore of a mother, I see." The Evil Queen snipped, and Mal seethed, her eyes glowing green.
"What are you here for?" The half-faerie asked the displaced regent.
"I came to find my daughter, who hasn't been home in three days. I first went to the junk shop, and that thief wouldn't tell me where she was!" Grimmhilde exclaimed, practically foaming at the mouth. Mal breathed a silent prayer of thanks to Jay, for keeping his mouth shut.
"So how did you think to come here, of all places?" Mal asked, trying to narrow down who the snitch was.
"I saw that little Tremaine brat run out of the shop, and followed her. She led me here, where I overheard talk about Evie, and demanded that Gothel girl let me in!" Grimmhilde snarled, "Imagine! She didn't recognize my authority as a big shot here!"
"That's because you're not." Mal smirked. Oh, how she had waited for this moment. As soon as she was done telling off EQ, the bitch would surely run off to Maleficent, but that was a price Mal was willing to pay, a price for which she had a contingency plan.
"You've been usurped, Grimmhilde." Mal grinned even wider, and her eyes glowed even greener.
"By WHOM!?" The old woman screamed, and Mal only laughed. Oh, how she savored her victory.
"By me." The fae giggled, and merely jumped back, when the queen lunged. "You wanted your daughter to marry royalty, right? Did the gender matter?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"I would, and I shall. Evie will be my queen, to share all of my wealth and power." Mal smirked. "And when I take over Auradon, she will be an Empress."
Suddenly, the Evil Queen stopped fighting. She sat down, stunned, and even mildly impressed.
"Empress..." She murmured quietly.
"Yes. Once things settle down, I am going to marry your daughter, and there isn't a thing you can do about it."
Seeming to snap out of her reverie, Grimmhilde glanced up at Mal with a glare.
"You talk big about conquering the island, and surely you've made some progress with this... stronghold..." The woman spat. "But how, pray tell, will you wrest this island from your mother? The Mistress Of All Evil?"
"If you promise to keep it a secret, I'll show you." Mal smirked, and receiving no answer, she shrugged. This little display of power shouldn't raise too much attention.
With a flick of her wrist, Mal sent the Evil Queen flying into the wall, like a fly stuck to glue-paper.
"I have magic, beyond anything my mother can control behind this Evil-Forsaken barrier." Mal grinned, before she snapped her fingers, and the woman fell. Though she didn't show it, that magic took a lot out of her, and she wouldn't be able to do any fancy parlor tricks for a while.
"And you-" the Evil Queen gasped and croaked. "You want my blessing?"
"I would have done it anyway," Mal quipped. "But as much as I despise you, Evie would want you at the wedding."
Her voice turned dark, and her eyes flashed green.
"And if you wish to keep your invitation, you will keep this little interaction a secret, and you will not harm a single hair on Evie's head, understand?"
The Evil Queen warily nodded, and Mal could only hope that her mother hadn't sensed the magical power surge, and that Carlos' weapon would be ready soon.
• • •
As much as he loved digging through the archives, Carlos didn't really feel like himself until he was back with Jay, tinkering in the garage. Within the next week, the girls would move their things to Dragon Hall, and he could move into their old room. It felt good to have space of his own to sprawl out in.
The Archives had been fascinating. Carlos found a plethora of forgotten tomes that the adults wanted to keep out of children's hands. He found a book on how to rule from Old Corona, and it detailed many strategies for governing with an iron fist. That one was gifted to Mal. Carlos had also found a host of Auradon fashion magazines, and sent them off to Evie. For himself, Carlos had found back issues of a publication called 'popular mechanics' which was frankly fascinating. For Jay, he'd found a publication for an Auradon game called 'Tourney'. Speaking of Jay...
"So, how's the weapon coming along?" Jay asked, as he handed the younger boy a plate, with a sandwich on it.
"Better than expected. I'm calibrating it to handle all of Maleficent's powers, whether she can still use them or not." Carlos explained, before biting into his sandwich, as Jay examined the weapon. It was a long metal staff, which was originally a pipe from the docks. The end of the staff was fixed with two prongs that could be electrified. Based on magical theory, and Mal's personal experience, it seemed like that type of shock could keep Maleficent from turning into a dragon. The part where the staff would be held was insulated by rubber, of course, to keep the metal from shocking the wielder.
The staff had a hidden spray compartment that could squirt one of Evie's poisons like a water-gun or a spray bottle, and Evie had already developed a super-powered potion that would hopefully overpower the dragon metabolism and put Maleficent into a deep sleep. But unlike her mother, Mal would finish the job when the time came to do so. Because she simply had no other choice. If she wanted to maintain her seat of power, her mother would have to go.
"You know, Evie's mom stopped by today, looking for her." Jay commented offhandedly.
"You didn't let her in, did you?" Carlos asked, glancing at his friend warily.
"Well I had to. Shop was already open."
"Jay..." Carlos warned, hoping to all hope that his best friend hadn't done something stupid.
"What!? Dude, I didn't tell her anything, geez!" Jay exclaimed, muttering something under his breath about how no one ever trusted him to keep a secret.
Having heard the noise, young Beelzebub the cat trotted across Carlos' garage to rub against Jay's legs, a bit more slowly than usual. Noticing the change, the boy crept over and picked her up, suddenly realizing how heavy she was.
"Oh-! Dalmatians!" Carlos exclaimed, using his mother's favorite curse. But his face was happy, not angry or sad. "Look, Jay! I think Zelly's pregnant!"
"I wonder if Evie wants some familiars..." Jay commented, rubbing Beelzebub's fur as she purred.
"A what-now?" Carlos asked.
"In the old days, witches used to have pets called 'familiars' that would help them with magic, like Maleficent's raven, or Grimmhilde's vultures. Black cats are traditional." Jay explained.
"I know what a familiar is, Jay. I was just surprised." Carlos retorted, even though he clearly just found out.
"What? I know stuff!" Jay scoffed.
"Yeah, like the weight of your own vanity." Carlos teased back. As soon as Beelzebub was set down, Jay scooped up Carlos into his arms.
"Yep. And my vanity doesn't weigh half as much as you do." The taller boy teased.
"Jahid Jafarson! Put me down!" Carlos exclaimed, though a huge smile covered his face.
"Never." Jay grinned right back.
