Chapter 6: The Confinement Conspiracy
Ben POV
The dream that had felt so real to Ben just moments ago was rapidly fading from his mind. There had been a girl, and an island, and then his father was there. But the details slipped through his fingers like water. There was one point that stuck with him though.
Slipping into a fluffy blue bathrobe and cinching it tight, Ben stepped out of his room and into the chill corridor. Fortunately, in the age of gas heating and carpeting, the fact that he forgot slippers wasn't as much of an issue. With enough natural light streaming in through the windows that he didn't need aid, he made his way towards the west wing without turning on the authentic looking, electric candles.
Though it was still early in the morning there were already servants moving through the corridors, dusting paintings, changing light bulbs. Ben greeted those he knew by name, and those he didn't still nodded politely to, but his pace made it clear their prince wasn't open to chatting.
Even without interruptions, it was still a five-minute walk from one side of the castle to the other. It would have been ten if Ben didn't know the hidden passages so well by now. Afterwards, it took him another five minutes to find the particular record room he was looking for, as he didn't often explore this part of the castle without his father. Not because it was forbidden. That was back in the old castle when his father was still cursed. But because this was were they had the offices, meeting rooms, and most importantly, for Ben at least, royal copies of the public records.
At this point Ben was awake enough to wonder if he was being silly. Maybe the island in his dream was just run down and trashy because he was juxtaposing it with his own life. But now that the idea was in his head, he was committed to solving the mystery.
The Isle of Calignis had its own file cabinet, tucked towards the back of the room. In the top drawer there were the yearly census records, which didn't even take up half the space yet. The bottom drawer was empty and was probably going to be used for spill over from the others. But the middle draw held the quarterly inspections. His Headmistress had to fly out to the island every three months or so to refresh the spells keeping the criminals trapped and unable to use magic. During that time, the barrier was relatively weak, and men were allowed to pass through using charms crafted by Helmine herself. Their job was to make sure that no one had escaped and that conditions remained livable enough to at least be considered humane.
Each report began with a nearly identical heading from Helmine. She listed the runes she carved, the chants she performed, and finished with a statement confirming the strength of the spell. What followed afterwards were description of the Isle and it inhabitants' current status.
The prisoners are wary and keep their distances, but do not cause trouble. Most have a bitter, distrustful look in their eyes, but a hand on the hilt of the sword keeps them from approaching too close…
The homes are remarkably well kept, given the nature of their occupants. The prisoners seem to take great pride in the quality of their work, and the condition of their living spaces. Even the streets are kept clean. Here or there a paving stone is missing, introducing an obstacle to those trading goods from their carts, but the roads are easily navigable…
There is little sign of poverty or want. The prisoners enjoy both the fruits of their own labor and of Auradon's, and the materials supplied by the mainland are more than enough for all to live adequately. Indeed, if not for the magic dome encapsulating the town, one might even forget this was a prison at all.
All of the reports were in a similar vein. The population of the Isle was not happy about where it was located, but they had little to complain about in terms of the quality of their lives. It was certainly a far cry from the trash strewn, ramshackle town he had seen in his dream. Ben sighed, content that the case was closed.
Except…
Something still bothered him. There was something wrong with the reports. Some inconsistency.
Ben pulled more files out of the drawer, going back further and further. It wasn't until he was towards the very back that he finally realized what was bothering him.
It wasn't a lack of consistency. It was too much consistency. There was never any discussion of significant events, no uprisings or rebellions, no complaint filed by prisoners, no talk of slander against the inspectors. The people were always quietly bitter. The buildings always remarkably well kept. The streets always clean. Not only do most of them use very similar phrasing, but some of them even used the same phrasing! Some of the reports were exactly identical.
The end of each report was signed and dated by both the Inspector General of the island and the High King. And on every single report his father has signed and dated the exact same day as the inspector general. Every. Single. One.
His parents were fairly efficient at churning through paperwork, but they often had files sitting on their desks for a week before they got attention. Was Ben to believe that for this one case his father made an exception and always, always, checked the reports the day they came in? For twenty straight years?
There was an obvious explanation. But it was so horrible it took a moment for Ben to even allow it to take root in his mind. Someone was faking the reports and faking his father's signature on them. It wouldn't have been difficult. All but the oldest reports were printed, and it was possible the signature was printed on them from the start. And it was only in those first papers that there was notice of more vocal opposition to the inspectors.
His father probably hadn't even seen these. Someone was forging the king's signature and passing them on.
A bell rang towards the middle of the castle, signaling to the royal family breakfast was served. Proud of himself, and knowing his parents would be too, Ben smiled as he grabbed a file to take with him.
His parents had already begun breakfast when he arrived. He bowed lower than normal to his father in atonement, which the king accepted with a casual nod. "Forgive my tardiness father," Ben said as he took his seat. He set the file on a clear spot on the table and rested his hand on it. "I had a, a hunch about something last night that I wanted to confirm first."
"What about dear?" his mother asked, buttering a slice of toast.
Ben did not immediately answer. He waited until their curiosity gave him their full attention.
"Son, what did you find?"
"There is corruption in Auradon. Someone is lying to us about the conditions on the Isle of Calignis."
His parents shared a mutual look of shock and horror. "That is a very serious accusation Ben. What is your evidence?" Ben slid the file over to his father. Without prompting, Adam handed half to documents to the queen and perused the rest himself.
"What are we looking at?" his mother asked.
"These are the quarterly reports on the living conditions and prisoner status on the island. They are supposed to ensure that the prisoners are not so well off that they do not feel punished but are not so abused as to seem inhumane."
"And that is what the reports suggest."
"But look at the wording father," Ben insisted, grabbing a couple pages at random. "See here, the same descriptions are used over and over. A few are entirely identical. But that is not the worst of it." He turned the page over, pointing to his father's signature at the bottom.
When his father saw what he was pointing to, his jaw dropped open. When Belle looked at the backs of her pages, her hand flew to her mouth with gasp. "These bare my name. But I've never seen these documents before in my life. And the signing dates are the same." He flipped over other pages. "All the dates are the same. And all of them have my name." His brow furrowed, and his hands actually trembled with rage. Ben was half afraid he might rip the evidence apart in his anger.
Fortunately, Belle was there to calm her husband down. "Adam. Adam look at me." She placed a comforting hand on his cheek, and despite her own obvious distress, did her best to reassure him.
Adam took a deep breath, and his furrowed brows relaxed, although his frown didn't entirely disappear. The king turned back towards his son. "Though I wish it had been under different circumstances, I am proud of you Ben. You did well bringing this to my attention." It what appeared to be an effort to relax himself, his father made a halfhearted joke, "It would seem you had a good excuse for your tardiness after all." All three members of the royal family smiled, some more sincerely than others. Ben's father continued, "I suppose it is a good thing you have already decided to step down from the tourney team. Since you discovered the deception, I would like you to head the investigation into this mess. You're clearly enthusiastic to take on more royal responsibilities, and I need someone I can trust."
A bubble of pride swelled up within Ben, and he had to remind himself of the severity of the situation to keep the smile on his face congenial instead of exuberant. "I would be honored to father. I hope I can continue to impress you with my abilities."
Ben began eating and the conversation drifted towards less serious matters. Then a dark thought rose up in the back of his mind, which he couldn't shake, try as he might. Would you be surprised to know a monster has helped you father? Would you still be proud of me if you knew of my corruption? The pain of his faux ring spiked, and the suddenness caused him to fumble his fork. The pain faded to its usual dullness immediately, but the thought lingered.
After breakfast, Ben had some time to himself to work on homework, then reported to his father's office by 9:30. In sharp contrast to the shared library workspace, the official office area was oppressively tidy. The varnished oak desk had a semicircle of paraphernalia across the top. A holder for pens and other miscellaneous office supplies, a glossy landline phone, two pictures of Ben, one as a baby and the other holding a tourney trophy, and in the middle, a large, gold plated plaque proclaiming that the occupant of this desk was the reigning king of France and elected High King of Auradon. The center of the desk told the real story, completely clear except for handful of files his father had stacked in front of him.
The rest of the office had a similar, practical but unused aesthetic. There were three maps adorning the walls, one of France, one of the whole of Auradon, and one showing the whole globe, but there were no pins or other markers like the ones in the library. There were a few potted plants in the corners, fake, but great care had gone into making them look real. And the two file cabinets sat unlabeled and, Ben suspected, completely empty.
Ben took the empty guest seat across the desk from his father and waited expectantly for his lesson to begin. However, his father was appeared preoccupied with his thoughts. The man was running his finger back and forth along the spine of the files, staring intently at the cover as though they held the secrets of the universe. Ben thought if they were in a more open area, his father would be pacing. Finally, King Adam tapped his finger on the files and looked up at his son.
"I had originally planned to talk you through the finer points of England's political landscape: those who have the greatest effect on our own kingdom, those who are most influential on their island, who we can afford to annoy, and whose support we depend on to maintain our own influence across the channel." The king let out a weary sigh. "But it has come to my attention that there is another island we should be discussing. An island where, evidently, none of our existing information can be trusted."
Adam grabbed the stack of files and hurled them at the wastebin by the door. For a moment the king's face was contorted with a mixture of rage and disgust, but this time he was able to get control of himself. Only about half of them actually went in, but Ben kept his focus on his father, who met his eye with an expression of controlled calm. "Tell me son," his father asked, "what do you know about the Isle of the Lost?"
Without further prompting, Ben jumped into the standard spiel taught at Auradon Prep. "The island had been sparsely inhabited before the Great War, and, in its aftermath, was converted into a prison by the decision of the First Council of Auradon. The prison was constructed by the fairies, especially then Fairy Godmother Helmine, to prevent anyone within from using magic to escape. The majority of the prisoners are officers or spies from Maleficent's army, although in recent years other magic-using criminals not directly connected to the dark fairy have been incarcerated there."
"That is the textbook response, Benjamin. In fact, I think I might have read the very same phrasing in one of your essays." Adam's face was tense, but a small, reassuring smile was allowed to break through for a moment. "What do you know about the island?"
"The creation of the island was a political move, as much as it was a practical one. Half of the prisoners have no significant magical talents to speak of, unless one considers traits such as sadism or charisma magical. Most of them were aligned with Maleficent and a few were acting as spies of sorts. But the evidence of the purpose of their incarceration lies in the names of their sworn enemies. For example, the former Lady Tremaine, who had retained a diminished position prior to the war, was exiled, not for her treason against the kingdom of Charmington as a whole, but for her repeated betrayal of the trust of current Queen Ella. Shan Yu was a ruthless military leader, to be feared and respected. But an ordinary iron prison would hold him as well as the Isle, so his presence on the Isle is a good faith agreement with the Emperor of China. And Gaston may be a scumbag, but if you tell me he's trapped there because he terrorized France, not because he terrorized Mother, Father, then I would have to call you a liar." Ben paused a moment. "Not that I blame you. I might have done worse if I was in your place."
Some of the tension in his father's face disappeared and shoulders slumped forward. "Then you understand the importance of Calignis. It is a constant reminder that, despite all of our bickering, all of our differences, we can stand together in opposition to the tyranny that would be life under Maleficent's rule. Some call it Mutually Assured Destruction. No one kingdom dare push another too far, because the party at loss may decide to retaliate by releasing those villains of Calignis back into the world at large.
"And by the same token, we dare not mistreat those imprisoned too harshly. We are all, unfortunately, entangled in familial relations with those on the Isle. There were traitors in nearly every royal family who were seduced by the dark fairy's promises of greater power. And not every member of every monstrous race follow the magical mistress to her prison. In this way as well we are unified.
"I tell you this, son, because you have a difficult task ahead of you. It is essential that we discover the source of the deception before any others on the Council. If they discovered there was corruption in the system…" The king rose from his chair and walked over to the window. As he looked down at the grounds, Ben tried to see his father's expression, but Adam's face was turned away from him. "I would trust any on the Council with my life. I have trusted many with it in the past. But while I may consider some, like Prince Phillip, close personal friends, I also know those same men are prone to rash decisions, to act without thinking. And there are some few who I have no doubt would see this as an opportunity to gain more power for themselves." He turned back to fix his son with piercing stare. "You must find out who is responsible for this, and you must do so quickly, and quietly. Keep the investigation, keep it in house, as much as possible."
Ben knew his father well enough to read between the lines. He stood to face him. It was only now that they were standing half a meter apart that he realize they were nearly the same height. He looked the king in the eye and said, "Father, I promise, you can trust me with this. I will find out who betrayed our trust and see them brought to justice, and I will prove that it was through no fault of our own that this deception occured."
Adam smiled, a genuine, warm smile, and Ben though he might have seen a tear in his father's eye. Without warning, the man pulled the boy into a tremendous bear hug, which Ben, a little surprised, nevertheless returned. After a minute, Adam patted his son on the shoulder to break the hug and returned to the desk, pulling a fresh, albeit much smaller, stack of files out of one of the drawers.
"These are members of other investigative teams working for the kingdom. Each of these men and women I would trust my deepest secrets to with my dying breath. I want you to pick two or three for your own team. Look them over, and tell me your choices at dinner tonight."
"Of course," Ben complied, taking the papers and heading towards the door. With his hand on the door knob, a thought struck him. "Father, once the traitors are found, there may be doubt as to whether any information about the island has ever been accurate. I would like to volunteer to investigate Calignis personally, to quash any rumors ahead of time."
His father didn't immediately respond and, when Ben looked at him, he saw the king's eyebrows were drawn in. "That is an option, Benjamin. I will consider it. For now, I would like to focus on the investigation at hand."
"Yes father," Ben bowed slightly, then left the office. He was some way down the hall when he heard a dull thump coming from behind him. He thought it might have been from his father's office, and was tempted to investigate, but when the noise didn't repeat, he decided he must have imagined it.
The prince thought he had had enough surprises for the day, but when he arrived at his room he found one of the staff was just closing the door behind her. She was about the same age as him, and must have been new because he didn't recognize her, and would have remembered someone with such shockingly blue eyes. She looked just as startled to see him as he her, and curtsied so low her knees almost touched the ground. "I'm sorry Your Highness. There was a package for you in the post, and I was asked to deliver it to your room. The door was unlocked, so I thought it would be best to leave it inside."
"Thank you," he said with a smile, calming her obvious fears at having overstepped her boundaries. "I appreciate you bringing it in. Did you leave it on my desk?"
"Yes, Your Highness," she answered with another curtsy.
"Excellent," he said, politely moving past her to get to his door. She curtsied a third time and left. Shaking his head a little at the new girl's unnecessary formality, Ben stepped into his room and tossed his father's files on his desk. Then he examined the package the servant had left.
It was a large, roughly rectangular object wrapped in unmarked brown paper. Curious, Ben turned it over, but there wasn't anything on the other side either. He poked his head out to ask how the package had arrived, but the girl was already gone. He frowned slightly as he ripped the paper open, to find a large book tumbling out onto his desk. It was a thick, heavy tome bound in dark brown leather. The title was etched into the front cover in curving, glittering letters. In Our Own Skin: Hada Henkano Folk Stories and Lore.
Ben's breath caught in his throat. He knew who the book was from. Or, at least he hoped he did. Because if it wasn't the Headmistress, then it was a sign from someone else that they knew his secret. Hardly daring to breath, he cracked open the cover to find an index card had been placed inside. He breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized his teacher's handwriting.
Benjamin -
I remembered last night that I had this book in my collection, and thought it would do you more good than me. Consider it a gift, to make up for my earlier lapse in judgment. All I ask is that you treat it well, as it is far older than you are.
Humbly Yours -
Professor Helmine
After making a mental note to himself that he would need to stop sometime before dinner to look over his father's files, Ben propped himself on his bed and began reading.
Look at that. Actually posted a chapter exactly when I intended to. Who would have thought.
For those of you wondering what prompted this side plot, I have an answer. It doesn't really make sense for the reigning king of a sovereign nation to suddenly change its policy about international criminals and their children just because the prince asked him to. It would require some significant event to force his hand and make him let the kids go. I know in the movie they just needed a quick excuse, some vaguely plausible cause to get the plot started. But I'm trying to make this as realistic as a story about Disney Princes and Fairies can be, and realistically, King Adam wouldn't just role over and accept things just because Belle gave him a tummy rub or whatever.
Hope that explains things a bit. I have something a little different planned for next chapter. There are a few characters whose perspectives we've been ignoring. Three of them in fact.
