Legacy of Evil

by psychic.refugee99

Crown Prince Ben had declared that children of villains be given a second chance and invites the four children of the most notorious villains. Mal, Carlos, Evie, and Jay try to navigate Auradon Prep with the burden of an Evil Legacy.

10. Chapter 10

*** indicate a scene with adult situations. If you prefer not to read that, that's where to stop and pick up at the next three asterisks.

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Starting the last weeks of November, Auradon Prep was in a flurry of activity. The school was preparing for Winter Recital, a time where parents visited and could see their children's achievement in the arts.

The tourney team had made it to the semi-finals, the talk of Auradon had their odds at winning the championship that year.

The Isle Four had seemingly found a balance between school and their personal lives. The poor test score was a distant memory and they looked forward to a long winter break.

Auradon Prep took the last week of December off until the last week of January. The Four looked forward to an empty campus, they'd have much more free time to be together and to practice magic; which had been put on the back burner for the sake of their academic studies.

Jay and Carlos geared up for Tourney practice, both had been running plays as either a charger or a defender; their method of switching out when needed was a successful tactic and the coach was running them through the plays at both positions.

Both teens made sure they had their bands on them, the girls were in the dorms or library studying and doing homework; the almost winter air too cold to watch from the stands any longer.

"Jay, Carlos, please stay behind," Coach Jenkins asked them as the team had prepared to leave for the field.

They looked at each other, wondering why they would be asked to stay behind. Neither knew, they then looked to their teammates who seemed just as clueless.

"See you guys on the field," Ben told them, trying to be encouraging; he figured it wasn't anything too serious otherwise he should have heard about it beforehand.

They both nodded to the Crown Prince, hoping they would see them soon on the field and that whatever the Coach wanted was a trifling matter not to get anxious over.

Still, they were weary of adults in Auradon. Most had still looked at them with suspicion, thinking it was just a matter of time before they had broken the rules and proved unworthy of their place. Things had gotten better since joining the team and winning games, although both saw it for the farce it was. It shouldn't matter if they were good at sports and brought glory to the school. They shouldn't have to be school champions just to get a baseline of respect that other students got from just existing.

"Boys, sit," Coach directed them and their anxiety started to rise. They obeyed and waited for him to speak.

"There's no easy way to put this so I'll be blunt. Sherwood Forest has filed a complaint with the UKSAA: The United Kingdom's Student Athletic Association. They are accusing us of using players with 'unfair magical advantage.'"

Coach had all but spit the last part of, infuriated that anyone would accuse him or his players of cheating.

It took a few minutes for the news to sink in, they were unsure of what that meant and what it had to do with them. Slowly they realized that the other school was accusing them of cheating, essentially. That their athletic ability was somehow tainted because of their magical heritage. They remained silent, what could they do? They would readily admit, even if it wasn't common knowledge, that they had at least one magical parent. It was no secret that Jafar had turned djinn and retained his magical status although his powers bound. Before that, he was a powerful sorcerer. Everyone knew Carlos was not Fisher de Vil's son, but the progeny of some unknown violent magical being. He had heard students tittering and gossiping, all speculating what his inheritance was. He didn't know who exactly had leaked that information as he had only told the school doctor, but it was never something he would ever deny.

Mal had been researching but still, nothing had come of it yet.

They couldn't very well tell the coach that they had never used magic on the field and took measures to prevent it, both wanting to win on their own merit.

All they had was their word that their athletic abilities were their own, and not products of unnatural enchantments.

But what good was the word of an Isle child? The offspring of villains?

In Auradon, they were guilty until they could prove themselves innocent.

"Are we kicked off the team?" Carlos asked lowly, all but resigned to his fate. He put his hand over Jay's, the other teen fuming and trying to keep his anger and disappointment in. Everything they had done, all that they had worked for was for naught with a few words. The long haired teen had keep his bearings, glad to have Carlos with him otherwise he might have punched a locker by then.

"No, at least not yet and not if I can help it. You are suspended from the team for now, but we have called an emergency arbitration. We have an appointment with the representatives from Sherwood and the UKSAA's Arbitrator on Saturday. Until then, you will see the school's legal rep."

"What for?" Carlos asked, wondering why they would need legal counsel.

"As part of the process, Sherwood and the Arbitrator will probably ask you uncomfortable questions about your heritage, abilities and…your family. We don't want you to go in blind and unprepared, so the rep will go over some questions they are likely to ask and coach you through how to answer."

Coach went over a few more things, such as when to meet the rep and how they aren't to talk to the team.

Over the week, they went through several meetings with the rep; told to be honest but to only answer the question asked and no more.

"Let them work for the information they want."

Thankfully they had professional business suits made by Evie already. They were already bespoke and fit perfectly, they lacked all the typical flair of her designs but that's what they wanted. They wanted to look serious and not like they were trying to win a fashion show.

"It was smart of Mal to ask for these last month, we did end up needing them," Evie commented as she fixed Carlos' tie and made sure everything was impeccable.

"Right, I knew we'd need something plainer…foresight," Mal mumbled from behind her as she also got ready for the arbitration.

Carlos remained silent as he blushed, hoping Evie didn't notice and ask why. He didn't think he could answer her and get rid of his flush if his quasi sister found out exactly why Mal had wanted the suits.

He also had to remind himself that they were wearing the suits for a real purpose and not for fun.

Jay noticed Carlos' shifty eyes and looked at him suspiciously, he had an inkling of why and under normal circumstances would have asked loudly and obnoxiously, but with a hard look from Mal he shut up instantly and thought to save it for after the meeting.

While Evie and Carlos were distracted with going over prep questions, Jay smiled at Mal and raised his hand for a high-five.

She huffed and rolled her eyes, but then thought about it and decided she deserved one and their hands met mid-air to congratulate her on her sexual exploits to which Jay was extremely proud to call her his best friend.

Both made sure neither their significant others saw what transpired as they knew both of them would be scolded.

Coach Jenkins waited for the boys outside the castle dorms, pleased to see they were punctual as they walked out. He nodded his approval of their wardrobe choices, perfectly acceptable for the situation. He was a little less pleased by the presence of the girls. They weren't on the team and it was supposed to be a closed arbitration. But neither boy would budge and Headmistress FéeMarraine agreed that the girls wouldn't be a distraction. If anything, they helped calm the boys down and without parents Coach could see that they needed someone familiar with them.

Besides holding hands, none of the teens were doing anything untoward or inappropriate, so he let it slide. He had made sure to let the girls know they were not to interfere in the arbitration, and to not speak unless asked a direct question which should not be the case.

Jenkins made the mistake of looking the fae directly in the eyes. It was only for a second, but those intense soul searing eyes ran a chill through his body. He knew it was only an old wives' tale, but he couldn't help but worry for a second that the girl might make some unholy deal to spare the boys from the whole mess or curse him for failing to protect them from the malice of other adults.

He didn't know how else to describe Ms. Lefay other than as hawkish. She was short and slim, but she looked ready for battle and could stand up against full grown adults twice her size. He had never come across any teen that didn't at least have some fearful respect for adults.

Although her cheekbones and ears were not as sharp as he had seen in pictures of full blooded fae, they were still higher and pointer than a regular human's. She was just enough fae to be a daunting and unnerving beauty.

Gods, I hope I'm not ever on her bad side.

Jenkins had to remind himself that Dr. FéeMarraine had assured him that the accusations from Sherwood were baseless; that with no magical training, none of them would be able to cheat as Sherwood accused. Even if they had powers and used them to cheat on the field, she would have noticed and stopped it immediately. Any powers that manifested, which they hadn't during games she repeatedly said, would be accidental.

Homecoming dance aside, none of them had shown any unintentional magic other than a few glowing eyes when they were upset; which weren't even bouts of magic, just something fae did by nature.

He subconsciously inched towards the star fae, knowing that if the four teens were magical and got violent, they would not be able to go against a fully grown and studied fae adult.

The Isle teens were surprised to see Headmistress FéeMarraine there. She wore her usual lavender suit sans the large ornamental bow. As always, she had a smile on her face and spoke as if they weren't about to be put on the stand for simply being born by magical parents.

"Morning everyone," she said in her usual sing song cadence and took a moment to observe them. "You all look so smart in your suits."

"Thank you Headmistress," Mal spoke for them. "Evie made them."

The magical history teacher gushed over the blue haired girl's talent.

The Four were even more surprised when the tourney team showed up to wish them luck.

"We know you guys aren't cheaters," Chad said, speaking as if the whole thing was stupid and beneath them. "Those asshats are just angry we made it to the semi-finals, and will kick their ass at championship."

"Hemmm, hemmm," Professor FéeMarraine cleared her throat, letting the Cinderellaberg heir know his language was not becoming of a student of Auradon Prep, much less a prince. There was no real heat, and she was glad that the students were so supportive of their teammates.

The other team members all agreed.

"You guys have nothing to worry about," Lonnie encouraged. "Chad's right, this is some pathetic attempt to knock us out of the championship and get revenge for Homecoming. Sherwood always plays dirty."

"You guys will be fine, I'm sure this will all be sorted out," Ben also gave encouragement. He wished he could go, as Crown Prince of Auradon City he was technically their guardian. But the legal reps thought his presence would give Sherwood cause to say they were being biased; they had to appear as neutral as possible.

Neither Isle boy knew what to say, but both were touched at the solidarity. They nodded their thanks and even clasped hands with a few that offered theirs in unity.

A limo similar to the one that picked them up from the Isle pulled up to the driveway, sans the Auradon standard. When the teens and their adult guardians all got in, they saw that it was empty of all the sweets and confections Ben had previously provided. Again, Mal was in the front seat to avoid her motion sickness, she forewent any medication as she wanted to be fully awake to be there for her friends.

The ride was tense and silent, Headmistress FéeMarraine tried to make small talk but the rest were too nervous to partake. The ride into the city seemed to take twice as long as any of them could remember.

Although they wished the ride would be over with, when they got to their destination they weren't ready to get out. They were let out in front of a towering sky scraper, all straining their necks to try to see to the top. They had never seen such a tall building, all glass and metal and more imposing than any turret from a castle they had ever seen.

Mal took note of the placard on the outside of the building, burnished brass against a black background:

Hautecourt, Szalinski, & Matthews LLP

It all eerily reminded her of Auradon Prep, everything so formal and staunch.

The legal reps from Auradon Prep were outside the building, waiting to usher them inside. Besides a few different color schemes, it seemed there was some sort of uniform for going to a legal office; business suits in tame colors. Mal took note that many of the females working in the office also sported tight buns or braids that kept their hair out of their faces. All of them walking so tall and confident, their heels clicking with their every step as they strode assertively to their destination.

Mal felt a certain kinship to this new environment. She certainly was interested in the rows of books that lined the waiting room. She didn't really hear the assistant telling them to wait and that they would be shown the room momentarily. She went to peruse the shelves, and continued to do so when no one tried to stop her.

She felt like she was in a more crowded and brighter library, Auradon at large seemed to have a penchant for marble and dark wood furniture; all materials used to show off wealth and intimidate.

The books were all leather bound and deep forest green, the letters gilded. She tilted her head to read softly out loud,

"United Kingdom Codes."

She found it fascinating that they would put rules and laws into books. On the Isle, the law was whatever Maleficent said it was, and it could change on her whim. In Auradon, the law was written down. It was the same for everyone and people could point to it if ever challenged.

Whether or not the law was the same for everyone in practice was a different matter, but she could respect the idea behind writing them down.

She stopped at one particular volume. She wasn't sure why, but that green book among many looked more interesting to her.

United Kingdom Codes
Title 7
Chapter 54
§§ 2131-2159

Before she could pull the tome from its place, the assistant had told them their conference room was ready. Her interest in the book was immediately forgotten as nerves started to set in. She grabbed Carlos' hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, that while she was relegated to a seat behind him, she was there for him.

The boys, the legal reps, Coach Jenkins, and Professor FéeMarraine were sat at a long mahogany conference table. A bronze and black carafe filled with water sat in the middle, plastic cups beside it. The table was lined with rows of black swivel chairs, along the wall were similar stationary chairs. The girls were guided to sit there, both wishing they could sit next to their boyfriends but they were barely allowed to attend at all so they kept quiet.

Next the Sherwood Forest group came in. Mal didn't recognize any of them, but Coach Jenkins had called at least one of them Coach Miller, and he had introduced the others as their own legal representatives.

Mal couldn't help but notice that there wasn't a fae or magical person among them. She internally scoffed, wondering how they were going to comment on the boys' magical heritage with no one familiar with magic.

The adults exchanged pleasantries, although their tone was tense and formal.

Jay and Carlos refused to be made small, they looked directly into the eyes of the Sherwood coaches and reps even as they looked them up and down.

The group then stood at attention when an older man had come into the room. He wore a pristine navy blue business suit with matching tie and carried a leather folder.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am Gerald Ducksworth – senior counsel – and I will be arbitrating this process. You will address me as 'Arbitrator.'"

Everyone had responded respectfully, the Auradon Prep team introduced themselves and the boys.

The Sherwood Forest team did the same.

"Alright, lets sit down," the Arbitrator commanded.

The Arbitrator had taken a seat at the head of the table, and opened his folder and went over some notes. Behind him a discreet woman with what looked to be an odd keyboard started to set up a computer.

"Arbitrator, I am ready," she said softly to him and he nodded his acknowledgement.

"Please let the record show that we are here today to discuss a grievance involving magical students playing in the UKSAA sanctioned sport of tourney, is that right?"

"Yes," the Sherwood rep had succinctly responded.

The other counsel had also agreed.

"Alright, so what is the issue?"

"Arbitrator, we are here because we suspect that given students Jay al-Jina and Carlos de Vil's peculiar heritage, that it is unfair to have them play with the normal…"

"I must interject, Arbitrator. Can counsel please refrain from referring to non-magical students as 'normal,' it's prejudicial," Ms. Hogarth, the Auradon Prep counsel interrupted him.

"I agree, sustained." Mr. Ducksworth immediately conceded.

"My apologies," Although everyone doubted Mr. Labarthe, Sherwood Forest's rep's sincerity. "Non-magical students. We are simply asking that the playing field remain fair and not allow any school, not just Auradon Prep, to have the advantage of magically endowed players on their roster."

"Auradon Prep, your response?"

"First off, we'd like to point out that it's not illegal, in Auradon or in any USKAA bylaws, to have magical parents. Secondly, the students in question have never used magic as they grew up on the Isle of the Lost. An island that is surrounded by a barrier that binds magic of any sort. We have an expert on magic and magic use ready to testify that not only have these players, or any student at Auradon Prep, never used magic during an event, but could not even if they wanted to," Ms. Hogarth motioned towards Dr. FéeMarraine.

"And you are? Please state your full name and credentials." the Arbitrator asked to get it on record.

"I am Doctor Nadine FéeMarraine. I have a triple MagD in magical history, magical theory, and phosphotransfiguration from the Merlin Institute of Magic. I teach magical history as well as magical safety at Auradon Preparatory, and have been there the past ten years and have been headmistress the past four. I am a member of the Royal Order of Benevolent Fae. I also have a license for benign magical use in case of emergencies and teaching purposes."

"Does Sherwood wish to raise a Daubert motion?"

"No, Arbitrator."

"Alright, this process accepts Dr. FéeMarraine's expert testimony should the need arise. Mr. Labarthe, the floor is yours."

"Thank you Arbitrator. While Ms. Hogarth is correct that there is no UKSAA by-law preventing a student with magical inheritance from playing, Rule 7, section 2, subparagraph B—however— does state they must disclose the name and magical status of their parents."

"It's no secret who their parents are, I would say it's rather notorious," Ms. Hogarth responded.

"Yes, one parent of each is…infamous in Auradon. But last I checked, it generally takes at least two to create a child…unless I am unaware of some fae or wizardry asexual reproduction? Which is what neither Misters al-Jina nor de Vil have claimed to be descended from."

If looks could kill, Mal was certain the normally perky and happy professor FéeMarraine would have slaughtered him.

"So," ignoring the death glares, "lets start with Jay ibn Jafar al-Jina, number 8 on the roster. Is Mr. al-Jina present?"

"Yes, I am Jay al-Jina," Jay volunteered after his legal rep had motioned for him to speak.

"On your behalf, Coach Jenkins had disclosed your magical parent as Jafar ibn Mustara al-Vazier, is that correct?"

"Yes," Jay answered succinctly as he was coached to do.

"Now the paperwork states that Mr. al-Vazier's magical status is as a desert sorcerer. A rather powerful one, was he not? First and only one to be able to combine lithomancy, the divination through precious gems including diamonds and amathomancy, divination through sand. Combined with the energy of a lightning bolt, with a storm creating apparatus he invited himself, he was able to divine with absolute pinpoint accuracy the Cave of Wonders, a cave no other person—magical or not—has been able to relocate."

"We all know the story of Sultana Jasmine and Prince Consort Aladdin, what is the question?" Ms. Hogarth asked.

"I'm laying the foundation that Mr. al-Jina comes from a rather impressive legacy. I find it hard to believe Mr. al-Vizier had passed on nothing to his son, magic barrier or not."

Jay was ready to state that Jafar had done no such thing. Whatever magic prowess Jafar had in Agrabah, he had never taught his son as he was too busy either drinking or trying to find a magic lamp.

But the Auradon Prep counsel was not having it.

"Arbitrator, knowing magic is not the same as practicing magic. Even if Mr. al-Vizier had taught his son, which are not admitting he did, then it wouldn't matter because he could not practice magic on the Isle. The scant months these children have been in Auradon would not be enough time to ably wield any kind of magic. And even in the event they somehow were able to learn and practice magic enough to be even close to be competent, there has been no sign or proof of any magic was used on the field."

"I would like to point out that Sherwood has not accused anyone of purposefully wielding magic, but our case is about unfair magical advantage, which I am trying to lay the foundation for."

"Ms. Hogarth, I think we have patiently dealt with your interruptions. Please refrain and let counsel finish," Ducksworth admonished.

Ms. Hogarth wanted to argue but was too professional and yielded.

Mr. Labarthe had made a few notes, and looked over some already made.

"Lets move on. While the paperwork states Mr. al-Vizier's status as a sorcerer, it does not indicate his status as a genie or djinn, that's a rather gross omission, don't you think? To not disclose that a parent had, and I quote, 'phenomenal cosmic power?'"

"As we know from the public records," Ms. Hogarth answered since Jay had no idea there was paperwork involved in the first place, "Sultana Jasmine and Prince Consort Aladdin had defeated Jafar by stealing his lamp and using a wish to cause him to fall into a deep sleep then a second to free him from his djinn shackles. Mr. al-Vizier no longer wields the power of The Wish, and therefore has no 'phenomenal cosmic powers.'"

"But being a djinn is inheritable is it not? There is another student at Auradon Prep, a Ms. Jordan ibnat Nasi Al Algrab? Her status is listed as freed djinn. And her and her famous father's magical status is officially recorded as 'semi-phenomenal, sort of cosmic' power."

"Mr. al-Jina during a routine physical was noted to not have djinn shackles, and therefore showed no signs of the djinn heritage. Furthermore, Mr. al-Vizier's djinn status was from a wish, not inherited."

"Which there is nothing to say it's still not inheritable."

"There is also nothing to say it is. Magical inheritance is complex, and a scantly studied field of research. We, as well as Sherwood, cannot say with any authority how natural born djinn traits are inherited, much less those acquired by wish. We can only go by what we do know and observe, which is that Mr. al-Jina has no shackles and therefore does not wield the power of The Wish."

"Mr. al-Jina, did you ever have djinn shackles?"

"No."

"Could it still be possible that you could still inherit these 'djinn shackles?"

"Objection, speculative."

"Surely he knows something about his own heritage?"

"A heritage no one can affirm with certainty."

"Sustained."

Mr. Labarthe took a second to rethink,

"In your opinion, could you still inherit the shackles?"

"Objection, again speculative."

"I'm merely asking his opinion, not to give a factual answer. There have been plenty of studies that indicate magical children can feel their impending magic, I'm sure Dr. FéeMarraine can attest?"

The court looked towards the professor and once she was given permission from their attorney to answer,

"Yes, there have been cases where magical children knew when they were coming into their magical heritage."

"All right, overruled, Mr. al-Jina may give his opinion."

"I don't know," Jay answered after pretending to contemplate it, it worked as no one seemed to question his ignorance.

It wasn't the answer Mr. Labarthe was hoping for, but he went on.

"Your mother was not listed, what can you tell us about her?"

"Her name was Xia, was a former concubine of Shan Yu's, and died of childbed fever."

They had gone over this question in prep, so Jay was ready for it and said the answers without tripping.

The Sherwood counsel and Arbitrator Ducksworth were visibly shocked, not expecting that answer at all.

Well that explains his features and why he doesn't look Agrabi.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said as an automatic pleasantry but went on. "Is there anything you could tell us about her status?"

"No. I don't know anything else about her."

"Nothing?" he found it hard to believe a boy would know nothing of his own mother, even if she had died when he was born.

"All I know is that she died, a friend of hers dropped me off to Jafar, claimed I was his, and he raised me ever since."

"Dropped you off? Why was her husband not with her?"

"Jafar wasn't her husband. She was working and gave birth in a brothel."

Mr. Labarthe took vigorous notes, not prepared for that answer either. Now he had to wonder if Jay had any magical status at all.

"Do you have reason to doubt that Mr. al-Vizier is your father?"

Mr. Labarthe cursed the Isle's lack of records, he felt completely blindsided and hoped that the boy wasn't completely human.

Jay just shrugged his shoulders.

"Mr. al-Jina, please answer out loud as the transcriber cannot pick up your shrugging," the Arbitrator said gently and hated attorneys like Mr. Labarthe for making such a spectacle.

"The Isle doesn't have any paternity tests and she was a whore…but I doubt Jafar would simply take the woman who dropped me off's word for it. I assumed there was something about me that convinced him I was his son…I'm told I have his eyes, in color if not in shape."

He knew of other attributes he had that linked him to Jafar but he wasn't about to admit to them.

Ms. Hogarth wondered if they could get a DNA test done, figuring it may be well worth following up on Jay's paternity. If Jafar wasn't his father, then he may not have any magical heritage at all would have to be allowed to play.

"And your mother's eyes?" Mr. Labarthe asked, trying to still connect Jay to a potentially magical second parent.

"I was told they were the amber gold and black of her people."

"Yes," Mr. Labarthe recalled his own knowledge of Northern Wei and lands beyond. "The Liè Yīng Jīngshén of the Huns, the so called 'falcon spirited.' They have the ability of warging, putting their conciseness into falcons?"

"I don't know. I wasn't raised by them."

Mr. Labarthe could tell Ducksworth was losing patience and probably about to chide him for his line of questioning and so let it go.

"Thank you, that is all Mr. al-Jina. Mr. Carlos Oscar de Vil, number 10 on the roster. Are you present?

"Yes."

"Your mother is Cruella de Vil?"

"Yes."

"According to last reports, she is still alive?"

"Yes."

Mr. Labarthe noted that Carlos was better prepped to give as little answer as possible, not volunteering anything beyond exactly what was asked.

"And she and all de Vils of London, they are all fully human?"

"I cannot speak to Cruella's family, but as far as I am aware she is fully human."

He wondered why the boy referred to his mother by her first name and referred to them as "her family" but not his own.

"Do you have any reason to believe she has magical status?"

"No."

"And Fisher de Vil née Bach is her husband?"

"Yes."

"And his status is fully human?"

"As far as I am aware."

"But he is not your biological father, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Who is your biological father?"

"I do not know."

Labarthe wondered if Cruella had resorted to prostitution and weighed his options of going down that route. He was certain the optics weren't great, he didn't need to come off as a stereotypical unfeeling lawyer who would ask a seventeen year old if his mother was a whore and Ducksworth had already shown dismay at the line of questioning.

On the other, he was trying to discredit both teens.

"Why do you not know who your father is?"

"Objection, relevance?"

"Let me rephrase," Labarthe offered, but the Arbitrator was not having it.

"No, sustained. And I will further say that line of questioning in general is not relevant, considered them asked and answered.

Labarthe considered himself properly chided and warned, went on.

"What is the magical status of your biological father?"

"I do not know."

He wondered if the boy was lying and tried to think of ways to trap him into admitting his magical status.

"Mr. de Vil's paperwork lists that he has an unidentified magical parent of unknown status, is that still the case?" he directed it to Coach Jenkins and Dr. FéeMarraine.

"That is correct," Dr. FéeMarraine answered, although uncomfortable with the thought but refusing to answer further.

"Mr. de Vil has been reported to have 'red glowing eyes' during matches, this has been reported in papers and on the news…"

"Yes, but glowing eyes is not a sign of wielding magic. It's a sign of heightened emotion in fairkind or Creature biology…much like how humans' skin turn red when embarrassed. Car…Mr. de Vil was probably just excited about the game."

"And you have no clue as to what he is?"

"Watch your tone," Coach Jenkins growled out, not going to let this sleazy lawyer talk about one of his players as if he were some dog or thing. He ignored Ms. Hogarth's attempts to get him to calm down and not speak again out of turn, he would not tolerate such disrespect.

Mr. Labarthe's first instinct was to say something cutting or smart, but then he caught the eye of the little fae girl who had been sitting silently behind the rest. His blood almost froze in his veins, how cold she looked at him.

Clearly she did not appreciate it his tone either, and from his research he could figure that the girl was the daughter of Maleficent. His gut told him she was not a magical being he wanted to cross and relented.

"My apologies, I did not mean offense," and this time they believed his contrition. "What I meant was that it is fully unknown Mr. de Vil's status, is it not?"

"Correct."

"You as a fae and expert in magic, have no clue and cannot let the UKSAA know which is written in the by-laws?"

He wondered if he could get them on violating the disclosure rule, if not unfair magical advantage.

"While I am in an expert in magic, the different fae families and clans, that information is a bit…scattered and incomplete. But we disclosed what we knew and there is nothing in the by-laws that defines how in depth or accurate we must be."

She was trying her hardest not to admit that most fairkind had retreated to their own kingdoms and shut off from the human realm after the Fae Wars or that Auradon Prep's paperwork was woefully inadequate to the point of potentially not adhering to the by-laws. The few fae that remained, they were notoriously tight lipped and refused to submit to any kind of research or testing. There just simply was no information to go on.

"I'm not expecting you to be an expert in all the fairkind types there may be, but as someone close to the Crown and as the one who was the driving factor in creating the Isle of the Lost, was there no census taken? I mean…there was a finite amount of people banished, could we not figure it out by process of elimination?"

Dr. FéeMarraine swallowed hard, feeling Carlos' eyes on her as he wanted answers as badly if not more so than the Sherwood counsel.

"When the villains were gathered up, the Rounders," the name of those who were assigned to hunt and catch villains and their henchmen, "were also given free rein to capture any malevolent entity: human, fae, Creature, or otherwise that had been terrorizing towns and villages. This may have included malicious forest spirits, lesser fae such as brownies and trolls, and potentially unknown beings never recorded before . . .they were not required to submit an itemized list of those they captured."

This was as close as she was going to get to admitting how little oversight there was in creating the Isle of the Lost and those they captured on record.

Mr. Labarthe refrained from asking too much about the Crown's policy on rounding up and exiling the villains. Not only was it not on point, but he didn't need it to get out he was some villain sympathizer. As far as he was concerned, they could round up all magical beings—benign or malicious—and exile them from Auradon no questions asked.

"So, it is completely unknown who Mr. de Vil's father is much less his magical status…and there is no guess?"

"The features Mr. de Vil has shown, matches no known fairkind or magical Creature on record."

"But clearly he is not fully human?"

"Correct."

Not the explicit admittance he wanted but it would be good enough as they have on record that Carlos was something; an unknown magical something, but magical nonetheless.

"Thank you Mr. de Vil, that will be the only questions I have for you. Arbitrator, Sherwood's complaint is about unfair magical advantage. While we respect and can accept that these boys are not cheating via wielding magic, their nature gives them an unfair advantage over the human players who make up the UKSAA. While the by-laws allow for students with disclosed magical status, the truth of the matter is that fae and magical Creatures are rare. Mr. al-Jina and Mr. de Vil are literally the only ones with magical status in the entire association and the first ones ever to join. The spirit of the by-law is to make sure there is a fair and even playing field. Clearly both boys have a physical advantage due to their magic…"

"Objection Arbitrator, counsel is making a conclusion not based in facts."

Hogarth still struggled with whether or not to put Jay's lineage into question. They could at least save one of the boys from being kicked off the team if it were possible to prove that he had no magical parent, much less any magical status.

She eventually decided against it as it would be unlikely that Jafar would willingly submit to testing and she did not want to put that strain on the teen.

"I ask for some leeway here, Arbitrator," Labarthe had pleaded. "This was an emergency arbitration requested by Auradon Prep, we did not have the time, and Auradon Prep apparently does not have the facts anyway, to do full fact finding. And a full investigation would take longer than what is left of the season, potentially causing any defense to be moot as the boys would never get a chance to get back on the team. They are seniors and assuming they graduate, they would be outside the UKSAA jurisdiction. We are asking you to make a decision based on the facts that are in front of us and what you can observe."

"He has a point counsel, you can try to refute what he puts forth but that would require further expert testimony that I don't think Dr. FéeMarraine can attest to. You both have already stated that the boys couldn't do magic and Sherwood has not asserted that they have. Dr. FéeMarraine has not stated if any magical heritage would not affect their physical abilities to the point of unfair advantage. By both your own admissions, fae or magical Creature lineage and hereditary traits has a lack of study. I will sustain your objection if you wish, but know we would probably have to stay the proceedings and continue their suspension until we can get these answers."

"We'd like to make it a standing objection but would like to proceed," Ms. Hogarth asserted, allowing the proceedings to continue but that her objection still stood.

"Alright, Mr. Labarthe…go on."

"Thank you Arbitrator. We are asking you as to expedite a decision and not drag this out, we feel all you need to do is simply look at these boys. Mr. al-Jina is clearly physically imposing. With any other player and the lack of records, we would have at the very least contested his age. He is built like he could be in his early twenties. He's bigger and stronger than what I've seen some college tourney players be. It has been remarked by many other coaches just how quick Mr. de Vil is. Again, he's out pacing even collegiate level tourney players. Mr. al-Jina and Mr. de Vil have a magical heritage and magical status," Labarthe had decided to pretend Jay's paternity was not in question and assumed Jafar was his father. Even if Jay had no djinn heritage, he was still the son of a sorcerer and that was inheritable; by law, all children of witches, wizards, warlocks, and sorcerers were given magical status even if they never went on to practice magic.

"While we do not know for sure what their magical heritages are, from the record we can say they are much heartier and physically well-endowed than any human ever would be given the circumstances."

"What record and circumstances are you speaking of? You have stated Sherwood had no time to do much fact finding. Besides the disclosures of magical status and sign off of their doctor to play at all, you wouldn't have had time to adhere to HIPPA," Ducksworth asked.

"I am talking about Isle of the Lost, Found; the documentary that observed life on the Isle. Including its lack of food and health resources. Have you seen this documentary?"

Mr. Labarthe asked and had a copy in his possession if the Arbitrator had not.

"I have."

"Objection, best evidence?"

"Arbitrator, I would say the video falls under Rule 902 as self-authenticating unless Auradon Prep is asserting that the location is not the Isle of the Lost."

"We would object under the fact that it's a highly edited documentary meant to sell copies. If not, then we would move that it's more prejudicial than probative under Rule 403. Again, edited and there have been no rebuttals or differing viewpoints."

"I am more than willing to question Mr. al-Jina and Mr. de Vil as former residents as to the authenticity and fair portrayal of the documentary."

"I'm going to overrule the objection. Not only to expedite proceedings but I believe I am capable of differentiating between an accurate portrayal or a sensationalized biopic."

Hogarth let it go as she knew neither boy had been prepped for such testimony and given their struck looks, were not willing to give one.

"I would say the documentary is a fair portrayal of the poverty and almost famine they face on a yearly basis. By all accounts, those children are emaciated and would never pass a physical exam in order to play any sport, much less such a physically demanding one such as tourney. I would submit into evidence affidavits from several nutritionists and child development…"

"Objection, this is the first time we're even hearing of this type of evidence. The rules of evidentiary procedure are still in effect despite the time constraints."

"Sustained, counselor I don't want any more of these surprises. We've seen the documentary as it is open to the public, expert opinions of nutritionists and specialists without opportunity of voir dire are not. Get on with it."

"Alright, Arbitrator. We are saying that their magical heritage is what saved them from being as sickly as they could have been; and with their time in Auradon allowed them to heal and grow stronger than any human could have, we do not have access to those specific facts but they would be requested in the course of discovery; they are also clearly far more advanced than any norm…non-magical player reasons previously stated. That is the unfair magical advantage that they have. Even if we cannot prove right here and now because of the expedited nature of emergency arbitration, we believe our argument is at least persuasive enough to warrant full discovery, which Sherwood is willing to petition for. We have video of their games if you would like to see examples."

"I would, I assume Auradon Prep has no objection since they should have knowledge of how their own players have performed?"

"No objection," although Hogarth wanted to grind her teeth in aggravation.

With a laptop, everyone was shown several clips of the Knight's games, some with Sherwood and some of others.

Ducksworth had to admit both boys were mighty fine players and perhaps their abilities were a bit beyond normal human capabilities. He certainly couldn't remember seeing such talent at such a young age. He also took note that this season was the first time these boys have played at all, and agreed that Sherwood's argument was persuasive.

"We have nothing further Arbitrator," once the video was done.

"Auradon Prep? Is there anything further?"

Hogarth was about to ask for a short recess to get their bearings and try to see what their next move could be, but Coach Jenkins had come forward.

"I would like to say something, Arbitrator."

He stood firmly and ignored Ms. Hogarth imploring him to not talk.

"You may, but be warned that it looks like it's against your counsel's advice."

"I understand that and it's not any legal argument. I just want to say that these boys are hard workers. Hardest I have ever seen. They come to every practice, willing to follow orders and put in effort and commitment I have never seen any other player before them. Not only do they excel on the field but off. Their grades are more than exemplary and beyond what's required to stay on the team. That takes a dedication and self-discipline I wish I had myself, even today. I played tourney too, in high school and college and I can admit was never more than a C student. These boys are not only getting A's, they're getting A's in advance classes. They are from the Isle, a harsh place that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. But they're strong, not because of magic but because they're survivors. It's not right or fair for them to dismiss their talent and hard work as something as ignoble as 'that's how they were born, so it's easier for them.'"

"I wish for the record to show that no one is attacking their character. We simply want a fair game, and they have a clear unfair magical advantage," Labarthe asserted.

"Unfair magical advantage," Coach Jenkins scoffed out. "If you're saying simply having a magical parent is 'unfair magical advantage,' then fine. I don't see how it's any different than having two athletic parents, in both instances physical advantage is inherited naturally. But I can and will accept the Arbitrator's decision if that's what he comes to. But while we're talking about 'magical advantages,' lets talk about Fairy Godparents."

That got everyone's attention, wondering where he was going.

"If simply having magical parents, which no one can control, is unfair. Then surely having blessings from a fairy, a being of magic made flesh and their blessings completely voluntary, is also unfair. Now, I'm not royal nor have I ever caught the attention of fairkind. I never got fae blessing, and I don't know any non-royal or non-noble that has. But last I recalled, the royals and the nobility enjoy christenings. These christenings are usually broadcast over RBN. Grand affairs, feasts and ruffled dresses for days. The tradition is to eat off of gold plates and cutlery. During these christenings, fairies come and give their blessings to the new children. Lesser nobles usually one, maybe two Fairy Godparents. Royals have had up to twelve if I'm recalling correctly. I believe these blessings are usually called "gifts." Girls are given grace, beauty, singing ability, guaranteed wealth, all depending on how many fairies they can get to come. Boys are given wisdom, justice, courage, and what else? Dr. FéeMarraine, could you please remind me the other popular 'gifts' are for boys."

"Strength and stamina," she gladly told him, figuring where he was going and it was exactly what she herself and Merryweather had given to prince Chad Charming.

"Strength and stamina, that's right. Now back in the day, princes and boys were expected to be knights. Chivalrous and strong, fight evil and all that. These days, wisdom – which some might call foresight, in combination with strength and stamina might be called athletic prowess. You certainly need to be able to predict plays and make quick decisions. I would say that requires wisdom or foresight. You definitely need strength and stamina to be able to keep up and win. So if magical heritage would give these boys a heartiness that no human ever could have, I'm assuming you mean naturally, then certainly it can be said the same for any royal or noble who has had fae blessings. Who's to say what they'd be good at or what they'd be like or be able to survive if they had not been blessed. And if we're not sure, I'm certain it's 'persuasive enough to warrant full discovery.'"

The entire Sherwood group had remained silent as their words were used against them in an unforeseen way and Mal would say that they had lost quite a bit of their color.

"And Arbitrator, please know that I am a big believer in fairness. So if I have to, I will pull prince Chad, the three sons of dukes, and the one daughter of an earl off my team as I would never want to put anyone on the field with unfair magical advantage, even if that means it would knock my team out of the season."

"And say, doesn't the honorable Robin Loxley IV go to Sherwood, third son of the Archeduke of Loxley? And is on the tourney team?" Hogarth asked Labarthe, playing along.

The attorney was too shocked to say anything, the whole ordeal had gotten vastly out of control.

"And the sons of the Dukes of Nottingham, Yorkshire, and Viscount Beauchamp of Barnsdale on the team?" she went on when he didn't answer. "As a big tourney fan myself I'm rather familiar with the rosters, doesn't every team in the UKSAA have at least some nobles on them, if not royal?"

It was rhetorical; they all knew the answer was yes. If the nobility was pulled from tourney, and potentially every UKSAA sanctioned team, then no school would be able to compete as they wouldn't have enough players. Only Crown Prince Ben had never received fae gifts as King Adam's disdain of magic extended to Fairy Godparents.

Who knew what kind of precedent they would be setting, would professional teams have to answer for this as well?

"And in the spirit of fairness, I'm assuming this would extend to all teams and all sports, not just Auradon Prep and tourney. Isn't that what you said at the beginning Mr. Labarthe? That you want it to be fair for everyone? I'm sure there will be plenty of people who are upset. But as you wish for things to be fair, I'm sure you would rather stand for what's right even if you stand alone against your booster club, the parents in the nobility, parents of commoner children who depend on the sport for a scholarship, sponsors, the school's founding family…"

"Alright," Ducksworth intervened, feeling that Coach Jenkins had made his point and was just mocking Sherwood now. "Lets take an hour for lunch…I assume you all have phone calls to make," he tried not to laugh but he was certain Sherwood would be licking their wounds that evening.

Sherwood had hastily made their way out of the conference and building, all on their phones as they left.

The firm had in house caterers and the Auradon Prep group was invited to eat with them.

Mal had an eerie sense of déjà vu, the private law firm seemed almost like a boarding school. She could overhear some small talk of the attorneys around them, speaking of cots and showers available to those who had stayed late enough where going home wasn't worth the trip.

As she got food, they told her that caterers were hired to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The employees basically lived in the building.

It unsettled her that the firm would volunteer to fulfill all their employees' needs at the expense of them never leaving and working around the clock. But there were so many people there, perhaps it was all worth it. None of them looked or acted as if they were prisoners, but Mal thought it odd nonetheless.

The teens were still too nervous to talk much, they were also afraid to accidently reveal anything. All four much too cautious to even do a simple rune to make their conversations private less professor FéeMarraine see or notice; the star fae had gone on record defending them, stating that they couldn't possibly know how to wield magic. It was to their benefit to keep her ignorant of their true knowledge of the arcane arts. There was no way for her to know that Maleficent had taught Mal magic she could not wield since she was a young girl.

She was just glad that Jay was able to lie so easily, living on the Isle had at least taught them that. None of the adults seemed to be able to pick up on any half-truth or straight lie.

The Sherwood legal team requested and was granted a private room to converse, once the legal assistant closed the door, Coach Miller let his ire me known.

"What the hell was all of that?"

"It seems their Coach has a bit more integrity than we anticipated," Labarthe admitted sardonically.

"You told me this would be an open and shut case. No one wants those…freaks on the field. It's cheating! How can they just scoop up players from that hellhole and have them play?"

"Please calm down, Mr. Miller. This is a private room, not sound proof."

The Sherwood Coach only stared hard at him, wanting to know how everything had gone so wrong.

"We're going to have to dismiss our complaint, unless you want to explain to the Archduke of Loxley why his son is suddenly pulled from the team?"

"Can they really pull out the royals? I mean…they're royal. So what if they have fae blessings? Royals since time immemorial have always had it," asked the secondary legal counsel, one who had remained quiet while Labarthe had taken the lead.

"Perhaps not. I have no idea if those blessings make them magical by extension but that's not a question I want the courts to decide. You'd have every alt-right purist calling for royal blood if they even got a whiff of the idea that they had magic. You know commoners would probably welcome a chance to knock some of the royal and noble competition out of their way."

"So what? This was all a complete waste of time?" Coach angrily asked.

"Not completely. We got on tape them admitting the de Vil kid has an unknown magical parent. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who wouldn't want him near their normal children."

"They're underage, these proceedings will be under seal until they graduate."

"Their records, sure. But ours?" Labarthe looked to his second chair and without a word, produce what looked to be a normal pen. With a click, the room filled with the voice of Mr. Ducksworth,

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am Gerald Ducksworth – senior counsel – and I will be arbitrating this process. You will address me as Arbitrator…

He clicked the pen again and the room went silent.

"Even if we can't get the UKSAA to ban them, I'm certain once this news gets out in the paper that they might get rid of themselves when faced with the harpies of One Million Moms."

The Coach wasn't happy, it didn't seem like a good enough plan. How could they depend on some radical fringe group to take care of it? But it was all they got.

"So, I will make a few calls. You all grab some lunch."

The others had obeyed and left Mr. Labarthe alone, he quickly took out his phone and dialed a number.

"We're going to have to dismiss the complaint…" he waited for the person on the other end to stop whining. "Don't worry, we got what we need to…sway public opinion, which can be a much harsher court..."

---

There was still half an hour before they were due back, Mal took advantage of their free time by pulling the book that she had showed interest in earlier and started to read. The others had opted to fiddle with their phones, Mal wasn't even sure where hers was.

Ms. Hogarth had talked to Coach Jenkins and Dr. FéeMarraine, all three were rather optimistic with how things went although the attorney would have preferred that she had forewarning of the speech. But it seemed it would work out, even the Arbitrator had given indication that Sherwood would cave.

No one, even herself, really expected that Coach Jenkins would have the courage to not only bring up Auradon Royalty's worst kept secret of using magic to their benefit but at the same time all but banish it in every other aspect of life, but to threaten to use the precedence they would create by applying it to everyone equally. She had no doubt that the Sherwood team had thought they could knock out their competition and retain their own roster. She hated that they had faith in their anti-magic bias, she was also ashamed she hadn't thought of bringing up Fairy Godparents because it hadn't occurred to her to think of it as unfair magical advantage.

Those born with magic were seen as different, humans—royalty and the nobility—who obtained blessings were still seen as fully human with no magical status at all. Colleges and corporations always head hunted those with blessing, fae or Creatures were discriminated against. It may be technically against the law to do so, but people always found loopholes or simply covered their tracts enough.

She was glad the boys had done so well under questioning, it couldn't be easy to admit and talk about their dysfunctional family life in front of strangers. It was made even worse when they truthfully couldn't tell much about their non-famous parents as they were either dead or completely unknown.

She felt the worst for Carlos, as not only was his father unknown but during preparation he revealed that Cruella had been raped. Hogarth was thankful for small miracles that the line of questioning didn't come near that topic and Carlos had taken to heart to only answer as succinctly as the question allowed.

She looked towards where the teens were sitting, all lounging in the plush leather chairs of the common area. Three of the four were on their phones, but the purple haired one was actually reading a book. Curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to take a closer look.

Is that a U.K.C. book?

Sensing her presence in her peripheral, Mal looked up and saw their attorney looking at her. Hogarth suppressed a shudder, the fae's gold and green eyes made her hair stand on end.

"So…some light reading at lunch, huh?" she tried to joke, an awkward laugh escaped her lips but soon died when the fae was unresponsive.

"I have a question," Mal stated bluntly, ignoring the adult's attempt at humor.

I'll answer whatever you want, just stop looking at me.

"Sure, what's up?"

"This seems to be a lot of trouble for a silly game of students chasing each other around and beating each other with sticks."

"Hey," Carlos pipped up, offended his sport was being disparaged so.

Hogarth was impressed by his hearing as he was several seats down and the teen girl had not spoken very loudly. She was even more impressed when the fae had actually smiled apologetically, when so far she had only seen her scowl the entire time.

"I'm sorry, this all seems to be a lot of trouble for a nonprofessional level sport."

Carlos was satisfied with that answer, winked at her and went back to his phone.

"Well," the attorney tried to explain in simple terms, "there is a lot of monetary incentives for schools to perform well; sports programs being the biggest draw for funds."

"Money?"

"Yes. The better a school does in any program, the better chances it can draw in more influential and…wealthy," she admitted, "parents who want to send their children to the best school they can afford. The bigger and wealthier pool of parents, the more the school could afford to expand or improve their program which in turn attracts more people with more money. There's also the booster club which is mainly made up of alumni, previous students who want to support their alma mater…the school they went to. So students who go to a well-known school are more likely to get into well-known colleges, then off to better careers. Those previous students want to help current students, so they donate to the school that helped them achieve so much. It's also good for networking. The alumni in good jobs can help students get internships and jobs. The school then gives preference to children of Alumni for admittance to the school that would lead to better universities and good jobs. It basically becomes self-perpetuating. It's not just wealthy parents or alumni they want to attract; some schools also can get sponsor deals from commercial companies. Target sponsors Sherwood, obviously, but Auradon Prep has Under Armor, Gatorade, and several local car dealerships. With this money, they can buy better equipment and lure in the best prospects, all to give them an edge."

"So they're willing to destroy two teenage players' potential careers and put into question their future in order to better their own odds of winning and therefore future profits?"

"More or less."

Hogarth hoped the rumors of fae curses were just that, as she feared the girl would be incensed; not that she would blame her as it was despicable what Sherwood had attempted and would be willing to defend the her court if she lost her temper and did something rash or in violation of regulations against magic use.

But the girl didn't seem angry, didn't even seem offended but pensive.

"Interesting," she talked to herself.

Hogarth wondered what could be interesting but then they were all called back into the conference room.

"Welcome back everyone, please note we are back on record. Sherwood, I assume you have something to say?" Ducksworth started when they were all seated and the transcriber was ready.

Labarthe didn't particularly like that the Arbitrator was all but pointing out, on record, that he was about to retract his the suit but it was their only recourse.

"In light of the evidence before us and the time litigation would take, Sherwood Forest College Preparatory High School would like to voluntarily dismiss the complaint."

"Accepted. The complaint is dismissed with prejudice. Good day everyone," Ducksworth wasted no time in calling an end to arbitration.

Jay and Carlos had let out of relieved breath, glad to still be on the team. Coach Jenkins and Ms. Hogarth had congratulated them for doing so well, all happy that the two wouldn't be unjustly kicked off the team.

Most people had left, but Mal had lingered behind,

"Gentlemen, I wish to have a word."

The Sherwood team all looked at each other nervously, wondering what the fae wanted but felt compelled to listen to her.

---

Carlos and Jay were relieved to have the arbitration behind them. They had no idea that Coach Jenkins had felt so strongly for them, so used to adults either using them or ignoring them. It was the first time they felt an adult was actually on their side.

They were able to join practice again a few days later, everyone glad that they didn't lose their star players and welcomed them back to the team. The Isle teens didn't realize how much tourney really meant to them until it was almost taken away.

To some it may be a silly sport, but to them they got a sense of belonging in Auradon; it was something they worked hard on and succeeded, it was something that was all their own.

They were surprised when Coach wanted to speak to them after practice in his office, they hoped it wouldn't be bad news again.

"Hi boys, sit down," he motioned them towards the two chairs in front of his desk. His office filled with all sorts of sports equipment as he taught other physical education classes at the school.

They obeyed and remained silent, waiting for him to speak.

"How does it feel to be back on the field?" he started off, trying to ease the tension and let them know they were not in trouble nor were there any other issues.

"It's good," Jay spoke on behalf of them both. He wasn't sure how to articulate how relieved they were and glad to remain on the team. "If Sherwood makes it to the championship, we'd be more than happy to show them just how none magical our skills are."

That was said with a bit of bite and Coach was glad to hear it, he felt the school deserved to be given the brunt of their frustration. He believed that all competition needed a little heat from a rivalry to really drive the team to succeed.

It would not be forgotten that their rivals had resorted to dirty tricks to try to win.

"I'm glad to hear that. I know it was rough. It wasn't right nor fair to accuse you boys of cheating or to dismiss the hard work and effort you've put in. I want you to know that I and the school is very much aware of the work and dedication you put into not only this program, but school over all…I know you probably don't hear it enough, but we're all very proud of you…all of you."

It was true, they didn't hear it at all and they were grateful for the acknowledgment that their efforts were not going unnoticed.

"I also want you boys to know, I am here for you in case you need to…talk to anyone. I know the school counselor can seem…clinical and she's female. I hope you boys know you can come to me with anything. School, sports…girls."

They were nodding along in agreement until Coach got to "girls." Both were confused as to what he was getting at.

At their befuddled faces, he cleared his throat and fortified himself for what might be an embarrassing conversation.

"It's just that…I know you had some schooling on the Isle, you both are doing exceedingly well with your studies as well as with tourney…but it has come to my attention just how close you are with Ms. Lefay and Ms. Von Weither."

"They're our girlfriends," Carlos clarified, wondering why Coach was bringing them up. He thought it was common knowledge they were dating, ever since homecoming. And yes they probably couldn't have faced arbitration without them, but again they thought that was obvious.

"Right, and I know they are exemplary young ladies…" Coach coughed, trying to get the words out. "I know you two are good looking boys, athletic and charming. And the girls are very pretty…it's just that you all have such bright futures ahead of you. You all are so talented and smart, and I would hate any of you to…jeopardize that future. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Both boys shook their head, they had no idea where the conversation was going.

Of course this couldn't be easy for me.

"I just want you to know that I remember what it's like to be young and in love, that you may have perfectly natural…urges. You weren't here for the sexual education classes, and the Isle may have been lacking such education…"

Both boys looked like deer caught in headlights, both afraid they had been found out with mention of urges and sexual education.

Coach took it to mean they were inexperienced and embarrassed.

"I am also a realist. The school's official policy for students is strict abstinence. But with the internet, I'm sure you could figure a lot on your own. Again, I believe you all have so much potential and bright futures ahead of you. So if you need to talk, I am here. Also…I want you to be careful."

With that last thought, he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a simple black box with gold holographic lettering.

Condoms.

Coach was giving them condoms.

All the boys could do was stare at the box, wondering if it were some sort of trap. Was he trying to get them to admit they were doing anything to need condoms? Should they try to deny they even knew what they were?

"Now I don't want you to think this is some sort of permission to break curfew, or sneak into each other's' rooms. The school rules still stand and if officially asked, I did not give you these. I'm also not going to encourage you to do anything. But I know how clever and resourceful teenagers can be when they want something bad enough and I want you to be prepared. All I ask is that you be careful and…discreet."

The boys finally understood what Coach was ultimately saying. He didn't want them to accidently sire children, which could upend their current trajectory of finishing school and going off to university. The adult was completely unaware that they had already taken care of that issue, all he knew was that there were strict rules and little to no way for them to obtain these condoms or birth control on their own.

Coach revealed to them that some of the adults weren't so oblivious to what teens got up to and also wasn't going to try to strong arm them into the morality restrictions. He acknowledged that there were some things outside of their control, and he'd rather his team be prepared to protect themselves rather than rely on all of them to refrain from sex.

"Ummm, thanks," Jay said as he reached for the box, accepting the gift and neither admitting or denying that they would make use of them.

Jenkins hummed his acceptance, he figured just as much.

Boys will be boys after all.

Carlos and Jay weren't the only players he had had the talk with. He's had several with Chad Charming, who thankfully had not sired a child on anyone yet and had the means to purchase his own condoms.

Crown Prince Ben had actually refused them, stating they weren't needed. For most he would have encouraged him to take them anyway, even if he thought he wouldn't need them. There were always times when teens changed their minds. But given that Ben's girlfriend was princess Audrey, he was certain the teen was sincere in not needing them.

"Do you need me to show you how to use them?" he was still unsure what the Isle taught them if anything.

Both boy's eyebrows shot up, bewildered at the offer.

I don't even want to think about what that demonstration entails.

"No…no thank you…we can figure it out," Carlos finally stumbled out, blushing tomato red with embarrassment and sort of wanting the earth to swallow him whole.

Coach found it amusing.

"I'm sure you will," he said with a teasing wink, and recalled his own days as a youth and exactly how quickly he could go through condoms. "Now if you boys need anymore, you just let me know."

He'd buy out all the Targets in all of Auradon if that meant helping to prevent his star players from ruining their lives.

"Thanks, Coach…" not knowing what else to say.

Jay took and hid the box in his helmet and threw his jersey over it to be extra cautious. They both left the office and headed straight to the dorms.

Mal was surprised, and a little irritated, that there was someone who could have given them condoms when the boys showed them the box.

I guess not all of the adults are that clueless.

"So what are we going to do with them?" Carlos asked the others, knowing they didn't need them but wouldn't be opposed if Mal wanted a third layer of protection besides both of them having the Null rune. He would follow her lead, whatever she wanted he would do.

But Mal had absolutely no desire to use them, thinking the tattoos were more than enough.

"We'll sell them to the band," Mal said without hesitation, thinking it was the obvious course of action. To her, used condoms were just more evidence that could potentially be found. She didn't need the headache.

"Do you think maybe we ought to pass the good gesture on? Give them out for free?"

His three friends looked at him confused, all wearing frowns of misunderstanding; not certain what he was talking about.

"I mean, we got these for free. They are a needed commodity to avoid disastrous situations; maybe we ought to not take monetary advantage?"

They still didn't understand. Carlos sighed, not knowing how else to explain it.

"No one does anything for free…" Mal countered, thinking her boyfriend was being sweet but she felt they ought to take advantage of the situation while they had it. "Even the Coach, he may be giving the condoms themselves for free but he's doing it so his star players wouldn't get kicked out."

Carlos could admit that was part of Jenkins' motivation, but wanted to argue it wasn't his only.

"And we could always use the money. We don't have many ways to earn money, we can't just depend on the Crown's allowance forever or the few jobs we have going on the side."

She had a point there, saving money was smart and now they had a much wanted rare good given to them for free. It was pure profit.

"Everyone in the band, and at school, have parents they can fall back on. We don't. They can afford to shell out a few coins for safe sex. And since we're trying to wean off stealing, this is a good alternative."

Mal definitely had a point there. He was glad they had mostly stopped stealing and selling. Evie was making money from her dresses and designs, he was also making cash fixing computers, phones, and other tech.

Mal and Jay were selling reports, which he was certain against the rules. But Mal had said they weren't full reports but "study aids." If students chose to bulk them up and turn them in, she wasn't responsible for that.

Because of her artistic talent, she also had an aptitude for forging signatures. There were apparently quite a few nobles and even royals (Chad Charming) who needed "proof" that their parents were aware of their slipping grades; some commoner students needed "permission" from their parents to go off campus.

Carlos knew that was definitely against the rules, but it was too lucrative to stop. The students would be just as guilty for accepting their services, so they weren't in danger of being told on.

Overall they had a pretty good income in addition to what the Crown provided; so once they graduated from Auradon Prep and could no longer depend on Ben, they would have a nice nest egg until they could get their own jobs.

"I do want an external hard drive," Carlos relented, thinking of what he wanted with the incoming money.

Mal smiled when Carlos saw reason, she didn't have any clue as to what he wanted was but made sure to put it in the budget whenever they made their next run into town.

---

Audrey naturally awoke with birds chirping sweetly at her window, greeting her as the new day began. She smiled at her woodland friends as the sun started to peak from the horizon. She leisurely got up and stretched, then sang a few dulcet notes back; the birds hopped from side to side with glee. She bounced out of bed, cheerful and motivated to start her morning routine. She gracefully glided over to the window and opened it so her friends could come in from the cold, each knowing what their princess needed of them to help her with her morning ablutions.

A cheerful blue robin and sparrow grasped a porcelain water jug, hovering over a matching basin on her antique washing stand. When she was ready, they carefully tilted the jug so she could wash her face. A soft fluffy squirrel held an equally fluffy towel for her, rushing off to help in other ways when she took it from him to dry her face.

When the princess walked back to her bed, her helpful animal friends had laid out her work out clothes: matching pink geometric print spandex and t-shirt. A couple of nightingales laid a sweatband on her head as if it were a tiara and Audrey moved to the living room of her apartment suite.

An eager badger was already at the TV and as soon as he saw his princess come into view, he started the work out DVD she currently preferred.

It didn't take long for her to work up a sweat, she didn't miss a beat of her cardio routine as her woodland creatures had a water bottle ready for her and for anything else she needed.

After an hour of exercise, she showered and put on makeup expertly, only finished when she felt she was the perfect princess on the outside as she was on the inside. The birds had again laid out several options for her attire,

"You all have the best taste," she told them appreciatively as she decided what she wanted to wear; they all knew her preferred style and had never let her down.

She decided on a light white cotton dress that had spaghetti straps but was made modest by its delicate white and black lace overlay. She put on simple black open strap high heels and grabbed a coordinating black clutch.

She put on a pristine white wool pea coat to fight against the late November chill and was finally ready to leave.

"Thank you all, you're the best," Audrey sang out as she walked out the door, the woodland animals sighing in contentment and leaving her dorm room the same way they came in.

The campus was quiet as most students were not up that early, especially since it was a Saturday. She didn't have much time to appreciate the silence as her limo was waiting for her, her personal body guard greeted her and her assistant had a steaming coffee and muffin waiting for her.

"Good morning princess, you look lovely today," Ophelia the assistant said by rote, "You have volunteer service from eight to twelve, lunch with the Archduke of Seabrook's daughter at twelve-thirty, we made reservations at Lumier's. I have called ahead to make sure no cocktails will be on the menu, we don't want to tempt her."

Audrey grimaced at the thought of dining with the noble's daughter, wishing the girl's father wasn't such good friends with her parents. But she had to play nice and be seen in public with all of her family's staunchest allies, even when their daughters were embarrassing lushes and almost a decade older than her.

"After lunch you have a dedication ceremony for the new arboretum in Auradon City at two. After that, you have dress fittings for: Winter Recital, Yule Ball, Daughter's of Auradon Charity Dinner, and Royal Ascot. Then a quick workout with Wilhelm," Audrey's personal trainer, "until four, a short interview with RBN…"

"What's the topic?"

"Royal Winter Fashion and they'll probably ask about your volunteer work," Ophelia answered once she looked over her notes in her tablet.

The assistant went over a few micro-appointments of other royal duties and finally ended with,

"And you have dinner reservations at Tianna's Palace with His Royal Highness."

Audrey thought about her last "appointment" of the day. It was a regular thing for them to have dates in the city, normally at the latest hot spots, one where it was guaranteed for them to be seen and later on for the news channels to speculate how she was to be the future Lady of the Court.

But she had other plans, ones where she would prefer to have more privacy.

"Cancel that reservation," the princess said firmly.

Normally Ophelia would obey immediately and not question her princess, but it was rather odd that Audrey would cancel a dinner reservation, particularly one so exclusive.

"Are you not in the mood for creole? There is always Harryhausen's if you're in the mood for sushi…"

"No, I want to have a private dinner with Ben, something more intimate…I don't want to compete with a lot of noise," she gave as a flimsy excuse but knew no one would question her.

If Ophelia thought it odd that Audrey would turn down an opportunity to show the world she was dating Crown Prince Ben she didn't show it, she merely tapped on her tablet and did as was asked.

"I sent a message to Cadbury," Ben's personal assistant, "to let him know of the change of plans. I've also alerted the Auradon Prep chefs and valets to prepare a private dinner in his suite."

The Auroria heiress nodded her approval, and put on her best smile as she arrived at the hospital. The paparazzi were already swarming her limousine, the camera men keeping a respectful distance while she got out of the car and her personal body guard was right there to protect her from potential harm.

She made sure to smile brightly and turn her head so the angle was just right for a photo she was certain would make the news in the next few minutes. She and her entourage quickly made their way inside.

Although it was a hospital, where sick people went to convalesce, it was bright and cheery. It was a children's hospital and Audrey's favorite place to volunteer. The children were wide awake and all of them greeted her enthusiastically,

"Good morning Princess Audrey."

"Good morning everyone, I'm so happy to see you."

A gaggle of them had rushed to her, so glad to see her again. Many of them babbled at the same time, not wasting a moment to tell her all the news of what has happened with their lives since she had seen them last.

"My tooth fell out! My mom said the tooth fairy would know, even if I put it under a hospital pillow instead of my pillow at home. I got a whole dollar!"

"I was able to go on the swings yesterday! I was practically flying."

"I had a tea party with all my friends, I got to be 'princess Audrey'…"

She listened avidly to each of their stories of what they've done since she last saw them, oooooing and awwwing at their artwork.

Her favorite part was to gather them all in a cozy den with plush pillows and mats for the children to lay on, she sat with them on the floor and some cuddled with her. She grabbed The Tale of Peter Rabbit as it was next in line to be read, and it was one of her favorites when growing up.

"Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were –Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their Mother…"

The kids loved to hear her read, her voice so soothing and relaxing. They loved that a real live princess would come visit them so often and talk and read to them.

The nursing staffed also loved to have princes Audrey come spend time with the children. The body guards and paparazzi were a pain at first, but once the visits became a regular thing and the Crown Prince stepped in to stop the paps' more invasive behavior, it was smooth sailing.

The paparazzi still came around, but they knew they were not allowed beyond a certain point and most seemed to respect that it was a hospital with sick children.

The children needed the visits as they loved to boast of meeting royalty to anyone who would listen.

Audrey was more than happy to come as she adored children. She saw their happy faces and wished she could take all their sickness away. It seemed all too soon that her visit was over, she apologized to the children when they started to moan that they didn't want her to leave. But as she got up and hugged as many as she could before she left, she placed a bookmark for where they stopped and promised that she would be back next weekend to read them the rest of the story.

If Audrey was honest with herself, she'd rather stay the rest of the day and cancel the endless amount of other appointments she had. She didn't look forward to the dozens of dresses she would have to try on, take pictures of at several different angles, then choose which one she would stand in for hours to pin perfectly to her silhouette. She also didn't care to have meals with people she didn't even really know or like. She didn't want to do a ribbon cutting for another opening for something she wouldn't remember. She didn't want to do another work out to keep fit and trim so no one on the gossip channels could find fault with her body.

She would much rather eat chicken nuggets with the children than at a five star restaurant or any other royal event.

Although she knew she was on a tight schedule, she still took the time to embrace each child and promise she'd be back as soon as she could.

She looked almost jealously at the nurses who would take their little hands and lead them away. For a scant second, she wished she was not the princess of Auroria and not the future Queen of Auradon; she wanted to be a regular person whose life revolved around helping and being around children.

In another life, she saw herself wearing scrubs and working at the hospital. Or maybe she could have been a teacher, reading to children on a daily basis sounded like heaven.

But that was not her life and it wasn't her future. Her future would still involve all sorts of royal events, but maybe with several children no one would blame her for going to fewer.

I can't wait to have children…lots of them. I'm sure Ben wouldn't mind…we've both lamented being an only child.

Besides wearing a grand dress and the Queen's crown, Audrey saw her future with a happy family and several children, maybe even a dozen. The royal nursey would be filled and the halls echoing with their laughter and cries. She saw them all running around the palace gardens, her mother and grandmother spoiling them with kisses and treats. She saw boys who were chivalrous, kind, and protected their sisters fiercely. She saw girls she could teach to be a princess just like she was: kind to animals and twirling in pink dresses.

They would all protect and love each other against anything that came their way.

Their first son would be King of Auradon, their second would be king of Auroria. Their Princesses would marry into the other royal houses and be queens. The younger brothers could become counselors to their kingly brothers or granted other lands to be lords of their own estates and in their own right.

She saw even further into the future, where she was a grandmother herself and held her first grandson. She and Ben would discuss for hours the most suitable princess for their Prince. She'd be the wife, mother, and grandmother of the Great Kings of the 18 Kingdoms.

That was her happily ever after, and she'd protect that dream at all costs.

---

Ben was more than happy to have a private dinner with her, somewhere they could converse without prying eyes and just be Audrey and Ben, instead of princess and Crown Prince. Conversation flowed easily enough, he most enjoyed when she would talk about her volunteer work with the children. Hey eyes lit up and he thought it was the only time she ever seemed relaxed and genuinely happy.

Unfortunately that talk only lasted for a few minutes before she started in on all upcoming royal festivities that never seemed to end to him. He thought all the royal women in his life had to be crazy to stand so still for so long, he hated doing it for a couple suits. He couldn't imagine doing it for every outfit, which where several per event, and going back again and again.

But he also knew they must have patience of the saints because it wasn't like any of them had much of a choice, he knew the pressures of appearing royal at all times.

In those later hours, after they had finished dinner and simply talked were his favorite.

He was surprised when Audrey had chosen to stay later than she normally would have, more so when she initiated deeper kisses than she ever had before.

Audrey understood the warnings against being alone with the opposite sex. They were drilled into her head since little before she even hit puberty, they were explained ad nauseam and were lessons well remembered. But a mad idea had formed inside her head, ever since Homecoming. She had started to become more physical with Ben in the hopes to remind him that while they could not fully share their bodies, she had a body that he would wish to be shared with him.

They warned her that men were physical creatures and could be ruled by their desires.

They did not warn her those desires could be inflamed within her too.

At first she started with lingering kisses, something more than just the chaste pecks at the end of dates when he dropped her off at her suite. She found she rather liked the longer hugs and contact, when before all she allowed, as protocol dictated, where short side hugs and where most could see their hands at all times.

She started to take advantage of the adults who left them in peace because they assumed they would never dream of doing anything inappropriate.

The body guards that always followed them were paid to be discreet and unobtrusive, half the time she forgot they were even there. When they were in the safety of their dorms, they retired to the attached galley apartments to their respective suites.

Perhaps she would have been happy to continue to follow royal protocol if not for Mal. Audrey felt the need to remind Ben she would be more than just his future Queen, but his wife and mother of his heirs.

He was surprised at her new forwardness, but he did not admonish her nor did he turn her away. Her plan seemed to be working as he was more likely to keep their dates rather than work late into the night with Mal or on any of his other princely duties.

Although warned to protect her maidenhead at all costs, she didn't see anything wrong with deeper kisses and letting his hands explore as long as she remained in control and he didn't explore too much further than was decent. After several dates where she allowed him more and more liberty, she found herself in his apartment and on a couch.

This is fine, we're not in his bed.

A couch was innocuous and safe, she had been in his apartment before and sat on his furniture dozens of times. It really was no different. She justified her choices as this was the furthest she had ever gone with anyone.

He is to be my future husband, this is fine.

She started to notice new things about Ben she had never noticed before. Like how soft his hair was as her fingers ran through his locks as they continued to kiss. She found she rather liked the rough stubble that grew on his face late in the day. His cologne was warm and spicy, being so close she was able to smell and inhale deeply; she never knew how intoxicating his scent was. A hot feeling started to emerge all throughout her body; she was dizzy with the new feeling but eager for it to continue. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion, but intense; a hum that vibrated through her whole body and electrified her senses. Too distracted by how good everything felt, she didn't really notice how his hands started to push her body closer to his; even if she did, it had felt amazing and she wanted more of everything that was happening.

It wasn't until he had pulled her to where she was decidedly unladylike on top of him, her legs obscenely open to him and her skirt hiked up. It was when she felt a hardness underneath her that could only be one thing that she started to pull back from her actions; his mouth suctioning at her neck had momentarily re-distracted her and made her eyes roll to the back of her head.

Anything that feels this amazing can't be wrong.

If she could pay attention to anything beyond Ben's mouth on her, she would wonder who was making such scandalous sounds as she had certainly never moaned or whimpered in such a lewd way.

Encouraged by her reactions, his hands then made their way up her skirt and so close to her forbidden area, a place where even she rarely even touched, that she squeaked in alarm and every good feeling came to a halt and she started to panic.

Hearing her in distress, Ben immediately drew back his hands and she had leapt off of him and scurried to the furthest side of the couch from him; all while pulling down her skirt and keeping her hands firmly on her hem as to not allow the clothing to retract.

"I'm sorry," he instinctively and immediately apologized. He was a little confused as to what happened and slightly dazed from what they were doing, but he instantly stopped any offending action.

She blinked a few times and tried to look at anything but him. Her alarm soon turned to embarrassment. She couldn't believe she had let it go that far and the undignified sound she had made.

"It's alright," she told him quickly, although part of her didn't feel that way. But she had to let him know it wasn't something he did, at least not against her will. She was happy that he immediately stopped, she had been warned that if she were indecently alone with a man he could take what he wanted by force. She had also been warned that Ben could ask for access to her body, and as future king she couldn't very well say so; that's why it had been drilled into her head not to be alone with him to even give him the idea.

But she knew her Bennie Boo wasn't like that, and he had proven that by respecting her boundaries even though she had initiated contact.

"I was just surprised…I have never…" she didn't need to finish that thought, they both knew she was the picture perfect princess, but that didn't stop the blush that emerged. While normally she prided herself on her purity, talking about it with Ben made her feel insecure and childish.

"No…I know…it's my fault, I didn't mean…to scare you," he tried to be comforting but found himself turning scarlet at trying to tactfully apologize for his hard on and where his hands went.

She thought it was charming and took it as a sign that he was just as inexperienced as she was, relieved that perhaps she didn't need to worry about Mal after all.

She's a tramp, everyone knows about how she disappears with Carlos during breaks and before dinner. Ben wouldn't want someone so used up and probably has a bastard on the way or soon enough. I don't know why I was so worried. She's nothing but a poorly bred half-breed commoner. She could never be a serious contender for Queen.

The more confident she grew in Ben's desire for her and their mutual inexperience, the more she thought it was so silly of her to ever think Mal or anyone from the Isle could every really be a threat to their relationship.

Both took a moment to calm down, to let their hearts stop racing. Audrey looked at the clock and it was well past curfew. She really ought to get back, even though she knew that most of the adult hall monitors stopped short of the royal wing.

Most didn't bother because not only were royals reared to be virtuous, it wasn't as if the school board would take their words over a prince or princess. No king or queen would hear of their children behavior inappropriately, Chad was living proof of that.

But still, she didn't want to give anyone a shred of doubt about her virtue.

"I'm going to get going," she said primly, acting as if it were the end of any other date.

"Right, let me walk you out," Ben offered courteously.

"No, it's right," she assured, her eyes darting quickly to his crotch where it was clearly obvious he was still having…issues.

Part of her preened that she could elicit such a reaction,

Maybe I'll have that crown sooner than I thought.

Although never said outright, she always suspected that most royals married young, their parents' generation had all married in their mid to late teens, because they couldn't wait to get into the marriage bed. Part of her thought it was rather ingenious of her to figure that out on her own. Not only would Ben see her as a sexual being, she would hold off any real intimacy until marriage and therefore fan his desire for her.

She bet that if she played it right, she would be engaged by the end of the school year. She kept her demure façade and left, smiling when she was out of his eyesight and planned her next few dates, wondering if she ought to show some bare shoulder with her next outfit.

Once Audrey was gone, Ben groaned in frustration. He had no idea what was going on with her. He could admit he liked her newfound forwardness to a point, he assumed her willingness to be more physical as a sign of her growing trust in him and feelings.

He also knew that he probably shouldn't have let his hands wander to such an intimate place, but while she was on top of him he thought perhaps it would be welcomed. It was not so he knew for next time to just keep his hands above clothes and wait for her to let him know when he could explore further.

But he knew that time would not come, at least not anytime soon.

His blood ran hot and unfulfilled still. He had been taught to not defile princesses or shame his house by siring bastards. It was an easy enough role to fulfill as he was under constant watch and until a month or so ago, Audrey had never done anything beyond innocent kisses and hugs.

While he respected her prerogative to only go so far, it didn't stop him from becoming irritable to be left in such a state time and again. It seemed Audrey was willing to go further and further, his body reacting accordingly but never satisfied. He wasn't even irritated at her, just at his body for wanting something and being denied, no matter how justified that denial was.

Even so long after Audrey left, he was still hard and wanting. The memory of her above him would not fade. He sighed deeply and decided to take a long shower. If he were a stronger person, it would have been a cold shower. But he felt he deserved a release, one where it would harm no one and given Audrey was his girlfriend and part of the cause of his predicament, it was alright to have her be the star of his fantasies to relieve him of his ache.

He went to his opulent bathroom, which was as big as some of the dorms of the lesser nobility or commoner students. He had a huge porcelain claw foot tub with gold fixtures as the focal point in the middle of the room. He opted for the spa shower with tile imported from Northern Wei and a frameless glass enclosure at the very back. He adjusted the taps to his preferred temperature, the water running and warm steam started to fill the bathroom. He stripped off his clothes, gently placing them into a nearby hamper; being mindful as he slid down his boxers to not accidently rough up his bobbing erection.

His underwear was slightly damp from his desire; he again thanked the gods that his laundry was not taken care of by human hands who would then blather. He walked into his shower and sighed in contentment under the warm spray, his hair darkening from a brassy brown to almost chestnut. The water ran in rivulets down his toned chest, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander.

He was back on the couch, with Audrey writhing on top of him. He recalled the sounds of pleasure that escaped from her full lips and how her hips moved by their own volition to create a pleasurable friction against him. He remembered the taste of her skin as he suckled at her neck, wondering how his lovebite would look on her caramel skin; the thrill of such a forbidden act inflaming his desires forward.

He was harder than ever, he reached down to grip his cock and used his other hand to stead himself against the shower wall; the running water proving enough slickness and friction as he pumped up and down, alternating pressure as he liked.

He imagined a moment where Audrey did not want to stop, and he let his hands roam upon the soft skin he had been denied. There, he could explore between her silken thighs and coax even more of the lovely moans from her.

There was something about having Audrey, the always composed princess, lose control with want and desire that made his blood burn. He fantasized that she would let him rip the expensive blouse she wore and every other trappings of their station from her body and smile while he did so. Fully and gloriously naked above him, she would smile wickedly as she eased her way onto his hardness; her feeling tight, wet, and divine.

His hand moved faster and faster, his body tensing with his oncoming euphoria. He saw her bouncing up and down upon him, his teeth sinking into her neck as he claimed her.

But when he removed his mouth from her newly red love bite, her skin was no longer a lovely dark honey but fair like moonlight. Her luscious dark locks had turned to silken plum, and her chocolate eyes were deep jade.

It was suddenly Mal who had been on top of him, emitting the moans and whimpers he longed to hear from her strawberry lips. There she was, wild and beautiful, his mark upon her skin;

"Your Majesty," she teased impishly, and rode him with abandon.

"My Queen," he growled back, claiming her lips with a punishing kiss.

At that thought, he came in hot white spurts against the shower tile; shivering his orgasm and still picturing Mal riding him as he pumped himself until he was fully spent.

He leaned against the wall as he felt he couldn't fully stand on his own, he blinked as the water still ran over him, thankful that there was an unlimited supply of hot water. He kept relaying the fantasy, taking in the gravity of what it meant and berating himself for not controlling himself better.

He knew he should have kept fantasizing about his girlfriend, the one he had been with for almost a year. The one he had a date with not even an hour ago. No matter how much anyone told him what he had done was natural or harmless, he couldn't help but feel he had been unfaithful; in mind if not in body.

"Shit," he whispered as he gently hit his head against the tile a few times, hoping that perhaps it would knock some sense into him.

He was in trouble, he couldn't deny that anymore.

---

In the middle of next week, he sought out Mal. He wasn't quite sure where she would be, it wasn't one of their normal meetings and he could admit to himself that he tried to not see her outside of those.

It was easier on him to distance himself, otherwise whatever it was that was growing inside of him would grow bigger.

But he had gotten an interesting call and he needed to talk to her about it immediately.

He had finally gotten ahold of a teacher who had known where she was, he headed towards the arts building and found her working on a massive wall sized canvas.

He had forgotten why he had come to see her, rendered speechless at the stunning painting she was working on.

It was a lush landscape of a place he had never seen before. Small peaks covered with vines and lone trees jutted from swaths of cerulean water that glittered in the sunlight like jewels. The crests so tall there were wisps of clouds that lazily kept them company. There were so many flowers in shapes and colours he had never seen before, he already wanted them for the gardens at Auradon Prep.

Mal had stood to the side, clothed in sweatpants and a long sleeve Auradon Knights t-shirt that was so paint splattered he was certain even goblin magic would never get the stains out.

"Ben?" she asked quietly when he didn't speak when he entered the room and just stared at the wall.

"Wow Mal, this is…" he wasn't even sure what word to use, he felt like his vocabulary was failing him and nothing would do it justice. He had no idea she was so talented, she never mentioned her art outside of small talk of how classes were going.

"Thanks," she saved him from having to finish his sentence. She knew she probably ought to say more, he was giving her a compliment but conversation was never her strong suit.

"Where is this?"

She just shrugged her shoulders, it wasn't any place specific. It wasn't as if she had been to many; the Isle, Auradon Prep, and various parts of Auradon City was the breadth of her travels.

"It's mostly just dreams I've had," she confessed, it was a place she would go to in her sleep. It was the only time she ever really knew peace on the Isle.

Ben froze at the mention of dreams, wondering if perhaps she had dreamt of him too.

"It's a beautiful dream," he said at last, not knowing what else to say.

She just nodded, taking her pallet and adding more details.

"What are you adding?" he knew he should talk about his phone call, but all he wanted was to hear her talk about something she was clearly passionate about.

"Just some details…this cove is filled with diamonds."

"Diamonds?" he couldn't help but smile at the thought of a pool filled with gems, he knew so many princesses, and Chad, who would kill to visit such a place.

"Yeah, I don't know why," she admitted as she had no love for the gems. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, these were just rocks to her but she knew they belonged in the inlet and would paint them there.

"The water is pure and fresh, the cove is filled with diamonds, the land is fertile, the mountains are filled with platinum and gold…sometimes I think this is really Evie's dream land and she wishes for it so hard that I stumble into them while we sleep."

They both laughed, knowing the blue haired girl's love for jewelry. He couldn't speak for a few moments, his heart beating in his chest too quickly when she smiled at him.

"Do you have a showcase?" he asked but knew she must have, there was no way the art teacher would pass up showing off such talent.

She quickly refused to meet his eye and turned to keep painting,

"Yeah, but I'm not doing it," she mumbled and hoped he would drop the subject.

Unfortunately for Mal, Ben had better hearing than most.

"Why wouldn't you do it?" he didn't understand, it was such a great honor.

"Gee, I don't know," she started and the sarcasm so thick even he wanted to roll his eyes, "standing around to be judged by people who hate me? Sounds like the best time ever," her voice taking the high pitch of some of the girls on the cheerleading squad.

"No one hates you," he insisted, and he believed that. He just felt she and the others were misunderstood, but there was no real hate there.

How could anyone hate you?

She chose not to respond, but it was clear she did not believe him.

"Come on, the others I know have a showcase. Carlos has a solo and Jay has a photography exhibit. I know Evie must be on the short list for one too for the fashion class," he recalled her creations from homecoming. "You've worked so hard, you deserved to be honored."

Crown Prince Ben didn't have his own showcase, but as the highest ranking royal and as Prince of Auradon City, he had to make an appearance. It'd be the first time his entire family would be at an event at the same time, his father the founding member of the school and his mother's patronage of the arts.

He felt it would be good to show his father, and by extension the rest of the kingdom, how well the Isle Four were doing and that they belonged there, not some wretched island to pay for the sins of their parents. He also saw it as another opportunity to try to gain patronage for other Isle children to come to Auradon. There were always an abundance of rich nobles, royals, and even wealthy commoners who wanted to spend their exorbitant fortune on the next big artist.

The Winter Recital Showcase wasn't just to show off the students' talents to their parents, it was also to garner potential patrons. There have been students who have been offered scholarships or even commissions. He was confident that Mal could potentially be asked to do a mural for some rec center or even private homes.

He was also fielding offers for Evie to design for big retailers such as Target and Corona Outfitters, it was one thing among many on the next agenda for their weekly meetings.

He could name five noble families off the top of his head who were major donors to all the dance studios across Auradon.

With their grades and talents, basically all four Isle teens could walk onto any university of their choosing.

So it made no sense to Ben while Mal would skip the Winter Recital. Still, she seemed stubborn and unwilling to budge, but he knew her well enough to get her to comply.

"Look, if you don't go then I'm afraid the others would follow suit. They've worked so hard for these showcases, it'd be a shame to have all their work go to waste."

"What's the point of going to show off all that work if they're just going to sneer at us, tell us that we only got showcases because you felt sorry for us or we somehow cheated with magic," she didn't deny that the others would probably follow her lead, but perhaps she was shielding them from a future heartache.

Ben winced, acknowledging that there were a few who probably thought as much and thinking back to the Sherwood fiasco. But he also believed those people were few in number, so he continued on,

"You shouldn't let the possibility of a few assholes stop you from celebrating your talent," he challenged her, insinuating she was being a coward. "It's going to be great, people going are celebrating art, not to pick a fight."

"You severely underestimate people's propensity to hold a grudge and be spiteful."

But part of her was starting to waver, Evie was particularly excited and so was Carlos. She wanted to see both of them shine and wondered if she could just hide in the background somewhere and not be noticed.

"You're just too cynical. It's going to be great, and you're going to have a good time," he insisted and Mal heard a challenge in his voice. "You're going to see how awesome the others have done, be first row at all their showcases, they're going to be front and center at yours. And I'm willing to place a bet on it."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really," he smiled, feeling he was finally getting somewhere. "Name your wager."

"Cars, for all four of us. Mine will be purple, naturally. You can figure out what the others want."

Mal could not resist an easy win, how could Ben be so naïve? She almost felt bad for taking advantage of him, but felt it would be a good lesson. She also had no intention of holding it to him either. He clearly would lose and it was the most ridiculous thing she could think of, and knew no way would be honor that deal.

"Damn Lefay, you go big or go home," he admired and happy he could be so familiar with her, but he would bet whatever it took to get them all to take their rightful place in Auradon.

"When you make it so easy…" she teased.

"Whoa, hold it. What do I get when I win?"

"Right, in the alternate universe where that happens; you can have my first born," she rolled her eyes as she continued to paint and talk.

"Hmmm…" he pretended to contemplate it, "I don't think I'm in the market for purple haired freckled babies…" he was able to hide his dismay as her smile more than made up for the thought of her and Carlos lasting that long and having children. "But I think I'll take that interview you've been avoiding."

"Sure. I'll have Evie create a dress just for the occasion."

Ben was saddened that she had agreed to it so easily because she was so convinced that the Winter Recital would end in disaster. But he also knew when to take a win, even if it was small ones.

"I got an interesting call today," he abruptly changed the subject, remembering why he was there in the first place.

Mal didn't respond as she wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"It was from Sherwood, they are very interested in sponsoring a few students for the Isle to Auradon program…they said they'd be willing to offer a 'sports scholarship.'"

"Oh, that's good, right?" she was glad her suggestion was taken to heart.

"I'm wondering where they got such an idea."

"I suggested it to them after arbitration," she said easily, not thinking it was something she needed to deny.

He didn't know how he felt about Mal making these kinds of suggestions without his input. Although he wasn't all that surprised given her independent nature.

"Mal," he said gently, wanting to be diplomatic but he felt he had to assert that he was not only her friend but Crown Prince and the Isle to Auradon program was his to lead. "Please consult with me before you make decisions like this."

"I saw an opportunity and I took it," she didn't understand what the issue was, her voice edging on being defensive.

"I get that, and I'm glad to see the initiative and your dedication to this program; but these kind of offers and decisions should be weighed carefully before we commit to them. We can't just let Sherwood go to the Isle and start perusing the children as if they were at the grocery store."

Mal reigned in her natural inclination to simply tell him it was too bad, she made a decision and it was clearly getting results. But she hadn't survived as long as she had by losing her temper or speaking too hastily. She had to remember that she was basically nobody in Auradon, her previous position as heiress apparent to the Leadership of the Isle didn't mean anything. She couldn't expect Ben, who was the next King of all 18 Kingdoms plus the Isle, to defer to her in anything.

While it felt unnatural and somewhat grated on her nerves, she capitulated to his authority.

"Alright, so what exactly is wrong?"

Ben was adept to thinking before he spoke and wanted to convey his issues with the plan itself and not that he really thought Mal had a bad idea.

"I question the ethics of allowing schools to choose whom they want to come to Auradon based solely on athletic performance."

"Ethics?"

He struggled to explain as she looked at him confused, as if she had never heard the term.

"Ethics…moral guidance to making decisions."

"Oh…" if that was the issue then she had a simple answer. "Sherwood doesn't have any, so I figure we should take advantage of their greed."

He was dumbstruck, he had never heard anyone so cavalier about the issue.

"Ms. Hogarth explained to me the monetary incentives for a school winning championships. Sherwood had portrayed a willingness to destroy Jay and Carlos' potential chances at a future in order to get the edge."

"I don't think…"

"Ben, don't be naive," she said shortly, irritated that he would think otherwise. "If they had won, Jay and Carlos would have been kicked off the team. It would have set a precedent for anyone to question their integrity and work. We get good grades, who in class would have jumped at the chance to knock us out to place in the top percentile? And not just them, anyone with a magical parent would have been targets."

"I would have stopped that, we would protect you guys."

"You can't protect us forever, and not outside of Auradon City. You're not going to follow us to university, and even if you did being Crown Prince or even King wouldn't stop people from taking advantage of any doubt they can cast on us to make us go away…not everyone is like you Ben, they don't see us as people. They only see danger and now as competition."

"Maybe so," he conceded. "But that doesn't mean we should let them take advantage of desperate children so they can use them to further their sports program."

"I don't see the difference between a 'sports' scholarship or an academic one. Either way, they want to attract people they think will benefit their school. Why only do the smart or artistic get to Auradon? Sometimes strength and athletic ability is all some have."

"Because they deserve more than to just be used as a pawn in some political scheme. There shouldn't be any kind of contingent 'scholarship,' athletic, academic, or for the arts. I didn't invite you guys here because you'd help to win a championship or gain anything for the arts department. It's not fair to take advantage of desperate kids and give them 'scholarships' while they help earn the school millions, millions they never see. Even if you guys weren't doing so well, we'd help you catch up or whatever it took to get you settled and happy. It's not why I started Isle to Auradon."

"Ben, if you're waiting for everyone to offer an Isle child a place in their school or money to sponsor them out of the goodness of their heart, you're going to be waiting forever. The Isle has existed for some twenty odd years, the gods know how long since anyone first found out the villains were having children, or even when they found out how desperate things are there. They don't care."

"I care, and I won't let them be used and later be rejected if it doesn't work out. These kids deserve a chance to choose their own path and make their own life in Auradon. They shouldn't have to be pressured to perform for anything."

"Alright Ben, that's all well and noble of you. But while you wait for everyone to find their inner hero and pat yourself on the back for being a good guy, children are dying."

Mal regretting those words as soon as they passed her lips and Ben stilled as if she slapped him. She wished she were better with her words, and although she still felt the truth in what she said; she wished she had chosen a better way to say them or not at all.

Because in the end, Ben was a good guy; probably too good for this world and he had high hopes that everyone was just as good as he was.

"I'm sorry," she sighed and looked down. "That was really bitchy of me to say…I know you're just trying to help everyone."

"But you're right," he admitted with a defeated breathe. "Children are suffering, even dying as the slow wheels of bureaucracy turn. Maybe we should just take it as a win, let them offer to let kids in on a 'scholarship' and hope for the best."

"Look, I'm sorry for going behind your back and suggesting it to Sherwood…I should have waited…but they still have to get permission to even get to the Isle right? It's still under the Crown's jurisdiction?"

"Yes, it'd be under the King's authority."

"Well, it's not like King Adam is all that eager to let more Isle children to Auradon…that should buy us some time to come up with some contingencies."

"Contingencies?"

"Yeah, like say they can't just dump the kids back to the Isle if it turns out they're not great players. They have to offer them more than just a place at school…some sort of agreement where they are responsible for the kids period…not just if they're on a team."

It was rather weak and patchy plan but it was all they had at the moment. And while not ideal, it was a way to get more kids into Auradon. As much as he hated to admit, she was right. People were not as willing to help these children as he had hoped. Time was a factor and they needed to get these kids into Auradon as soon as they could. He needed to come up with a solid plan to deal with Sherwood, and any other school who wanted to follow in their footsteps.

It was so odd and foreign to Mal, to see someone who desperately wanted to help and didn't want anything in return. Every meeting she has ever had with him, he was always bright eyed and determined. At first, it had annoyed her because for the life of her she could not figure out what his game was. She was so certain that he had wanted something from them, she had waited for months for him to tell them what he expected of them. Perhaps he wanted loyal allies with magic for when he took over. Maybe there had been some sort of scandal that they weren't privy to because gossip never made it to RBN, only celebrations and other royal propaganda, and needed a feel good story to show he had a heart. But no request ever came, he only asked how she and the others were doing and if they needed anything.

After so long, she finally realized he had done everything he had done because he wanted to help them and no more.

She had always thought that good people were the true fairy tale.

While she always saw people who were out to get something, Ben only saw the good in people; he wanted everyone to be as good as he was and for some inexplicable reason, it made her angry that he was finding out that they weren't as good as he had hoped.

Before he left to go about his princely duties or whatever he did, Mal stopped him,

"Ben, wait."

He turned and waited patiently for her to tell him what she wanted, another annoying proof that he was such a good guy. She knew he had an insanely busy schedule, more so than any other student due to his royal status. Despite that, he still made time for her and the other Isle kids.

She really didn't know how to handle someone who was truly good, at least if he were a villain or run of the mill person then she could fight her way through dealing with them.

Trying to repay kindness, she felt clumsy and slow witted.

But she was determined to try.

"I don't think we ever thanked you…for rescuing us from the Isle."

"You don't have to thank me," he said sincerely. It was of his opinion that he owned them nothing less, as they shouldn't have had to endure such horrors to begin with.

"No, we do…I know that you think it's something that any normal person would do…but it's not. You're fighting for kids you don't know and by all accounts have no responsibility for or duty to. You don't owe us anything but you're fighting so hard for us. You're fighting against you father, other nobles and royals at Auradon…we watch TV Ben, we hear people gossiping and complaining…we know what all that you're doing and you're doing it because you're an actual good person. Not just some puffed up prince whose story is all hyperbole. You're rare and…special. No one would have even thought of doing half of what you are doing for us…you saved our…you saved my life."

Ben stood there, seeing how vulnerable she was as she tried to articulate her appreciation. He felt his heart restrict in his chest, wanting to do so much more because he knew she deserved all of it and more.

She grimaced, thinking that she sounded stupid and inelegant. She wished Evie or Carlos were there, they would have better words, more graceful and refined. She started to twist the paintbrush in her hands, hoping she didn't sound like a total idiot and she huffed, thinking that she should just get on with it.

She walked quickly to a portfolio a couple desks away, vigorously rubbed her hands on her paint stained jeans to not get anything dirty. After shuffling through a couple pages from a sketch pad she had grabbed the one she was looking for.

Ben never thought he'd ever see Mal look anything other than confident or aloof, but she stood in front of him unsure and almost shy; she even had some trouble meeting his eyes.

"I know you have like royal artists to make your portrait or you only do photography or something…and it's nowhere near enough to repay you for all that you've done and continued to do…but here."

She handed him an 18" x 24" sketch paper with a breathtaking detailed charcoal portrait of himself. He was wearing his dress uniform, the one he wore to homecoming and most royal ceremonial events. She had captured his easy going smile, something he wished he could have gotten for his own royal portraits but was told was too informal. He also wore the princely royal crown proudly, not as if it held the weight of all of Auradon.

He was no artist by any stretch of the imagination, but he knew from standing for his own and from what others had said; it must have taken her weeks to get this done. And this was all on top of her school work and own art projects.

She had also had done it completely from memory, his heart jumped in his throat thinking that maybe she thinks of him as much as he thinks of her.

It also made his chest fill with pride to see the inscription she put on a decorative scroll at the bottom:

Ben le Bon et Coeur de Lion

He's never had anyone make anything for him, all gifts were always paid for; even the ones from his close family and friends. While he appreciated any gift he ever got, and he could admit he had never made anything for anyone, he felt that it was the most precious gift he had ever gotten because it was made by her hand and done with her heart.

Mal had made it as a token of her appreciation, something she didn't have to do and she put her heart and soul into it.

"You don't have to like put it up anywhere. I know you have official portraits and all that," she said dismissive of it, wondering if it were a mistake to give a prince something so lowly when he could afford a thousand portraits from people with decades of experience and in whatever medium he wanted.

She needed to put space between them, feeling flustered and out of sorts; she went back to painting her dream landscape and gave him a chance to bow out politely.

"No, this is amazing. I'm going to frame it and make sure it's given a place of honor in my suite," he promised.

"OK," she told him, hoping he didn't see her face turn red as she could feel herself get warm. Being appreciated by someone other than her friends was new and she had no idea what to do with herself.

He did see her blush and he couldn't help but think it was the cutest thing he had ever witnessed. He would never dream of teasing her, however, and again thanked her for such a thoughtful gift.

"I'll see you guys at the next meeting," he said with a light heart and left her to her artwork. He did have another appointment he must get to, but he was happy to have made time for Mal.

---

Ben wondered why his mother hung around Auradon Prep more often lately. He knew the library on the grounds was her favorite, but it seemed like he saw her far more often than he ever had any previous year he was there.

It was a small curiosity, he eventually brushed it off as her wanting to be closer to him since it was his last year at Auradon Prep. That certainly seemed like the most likely answer.

It was one of his few free afternoons, and he was more than happy to spend time with her. They had gotten a new shipment of books, he had no idea how they would fit them in the already expansive library, but he dutifully helped her take inventory and place them where she dictated they ought to go.

"Ohhhh, will you look at these beautiful bookmarks?" the Queen cooed over the dozens spread out over a table.

Ben went to look them over after he had dumped an empty box into recycling.

"Yeah, these are gorgeous," appreciating the fine detail of various flowers and others with famous literary quotes done in perfect calligraphy. There was something familiar with the handwriting and strokes, he couldn't place where he had seen them before.

"Where did you get them?" he figured she'd say they were done by a local artisan that she was patronizing and maybe that's why it seemed familiar.

"From Mal Lefay," she said without a second thought. "She didn't even ask for money or anything. She just donated them to the library."

He had never heard his mother speak with such pride about anybody.

"You know Mal?" he was surprised, he didn't think the two would have ever crossed paths. It also explained why he recognized the handwriting, the same beautiful script graced a portrait she did for him.

"Oh yes, such a lovely girl. Has the utmost respect for books. She got detention a bit ago because she sprained the wrist of a boy who had dog eared a library book. It was no less than he deserved, desecrating a book like that. It'd be bad enough if he did that to his own private books, but a library book? Royal property to boot? There are some things that are sacrosanct. She donated these book marks so no one would do that again."

Ben was surprised at the animosity his mother's tone undertook when describing very slight damage to a book, but then so much pride for the Moor fae. He also recalled the incident, the Isle girl owning up to it immediately and accepted her punishment of apologizing to the student and detention gracefully.

If only some royals could do the same.

Ben thought sardonically, recalling how some of his fellow royals would rather receive worse punishments than to admit they were in the wrong and apologize.

"Oh look at this one, she made it for me, I know it," Queen Belle interrupted his thoughts as she showed him the book mark.

Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!

It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night.

Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear,

Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.

The black ink stark against a blue and gold marble background. He didn't think he had ever seen such an interesting effect of paint and gold leaf.

"She hates Romeo and Juliet," she said with far more endearment he thought she'd ever give to someone who disliked her favorite book but she used that reasoning to justify why she thought the bookmark was meant for her.

"Yep, this one is for me. I'm keeping it." She then sequestered the bookmark in question so it wouldn't be among the ones free to anyone who wanted one.

He had no idea what was going on.

"And she is so smart. Insightful that one, she really reads the books she's assigned. And she reads for fun. I don't think I've ever seen another student check out and promptly return books at the rate she does…other than myself and you, of course," she laughed at her own observation. "She doesn't just do the bare minimum to get by."

"Does she come here a lot?" Ben hoped his inquiries were taken as small talk and not his need to know more about Mal.

"Oh yes, she studies here every day. She can't study in her room because her roommate uses the computer, can't stand the sound of typing. Says it's like little knives stabbing her ears. Girl after my own heart," Belle giggled when Mal described the offending sounds and totally agreed.

"Plus the awful glare and light those horrible things give off, terrible for eyesight. Says just being around them gives her headaches, the poor dear."

He didn't think there was anyone else in the world who shared his mother's hatred of the "demon box" as she often called the device.

Part of Ben was so happy to see that his mother liked Mal. His smile started to fall when he really thought of why that made him happy. He knew his mother had never talked about Audrey in such glowing terms or at all unless he brought the princess up.

There was something he wanted to talk about, something that had been on his mind for quite some time but he wasn't sure who he could speak so openly to.

"Mom…can I ask you something?" Ben was a bit shy, unsure if his mom was the one to ask but he wasn't speaking to his father and felt his mother would be more sympathetic and open.

"Of course dear, what is it?"

It took a few moments for him to find his voice, but he finally asked,

"How did you know you loved pops?"

Belle blinked a few times, surprised at such a serious question and honestly wasn't quite prepared for it. She had more or less dreaded the day when her little boy would be old enough to ask about love. Part of her hated to see her little lion grow up, but she was also so proud of the man he was becoming.

She swallowed down the disappointment that it was Audrey that captured his heart, but she more than anyone knew no one could control who they loved.

She would accept the princess for her son's sake.

She sat them both down at the table, leaving their inventory for another day.

"Well, you and everyone knows the story by heart," she started off, thinking of the rough start to meeting Adam. "It certainly did not start in the best circumstances. I was a prisoner, and I certainly resented that for a good long while…justifiably so."

Ben didn't disagree. He didn't particularly care for his parents' "fairy tale" but he listened patiently.

"So the first few weeks were the roughest. We were both unsure of what my 'stay' at his castle meant or how it was supposed to work. I don't think he even knew exactly what he had planned, but we took that time to get used to the idea that we were stuck with each other. We started a routine. I mostly stuck to my rooms, he lurked about in his wing. I don't recall who I complained to, but someone let him know of my love of books and how bored I was. Your father had introduced me to his library."

Belle for a moment was lost in the happy memory, the first time she had ever seen so many books; her poor small town bookmaker's collection had seemed so pitiful in comparison.

Ben wasn't only listening to his mother's story, but took in how she looked and how clear it was to anyone watching how much his mother loved his father and how they fell in love.

"Now before you make any jokes about how I fell in love with his library before I fell in love with him…"

Ben couldn't help but laugh as it was something that crossed his mind and could easily see how some would see it that way.

"The library that was originally in the castle and is now student dorms was impressive by anyone's standards. But to a girl from a tiny village in the heart of the French country side, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The shelves seemed endless and it was literally the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was struck speechless. Now while I joke, that wasn't the day I fell in love with him. It was the first time I stopped seeing him as the 'Beast' and started to see him as Adam. It wasn't the fact that he had shown me a library, I probably would have found it eventually when I got the courage to explore. But it was the first time I heard him tell a joke. I had asked if he had read all those books, thinking it was impossible because there was so many, and he had answered 'No, not all of them…some of them are in Greek.'"

Ben thought his mother's laughter sounded like bells, light and dulcet. Although it was a lame joke, he could clearly picture his father telling it. The thought of him joking around while covered in fur and had horns made it all the more ridiculous.

"After that day, we spent most of our time in the library. I was surprised to learn that he was as a voracious reader as I was. He wasn't just some spoiled prince who had a library to show off his wealth and had it as mere decoration; he really had read all the books except the ones in Greek as he hadn't mastered that language yet. Then without any prompting from me, he offered to teach me Latin and German, knowing I would want to read those books as well. So our days filled with reading, learning a new languages, and so many conversations over the books and even about our lives before I came to the castle. Suddenly months had passed and I wouldn't haven even realized it if not for changing of the seasons. I think I realized I loved him when I recognized he was something I had so desperately wanted all my life …someone I could talk to and understood me."

Ben thought to all the times he had meetings with Mal, working until midnight because he didn't realize how much time had passed. He tried to think of any instance like that with Audrey and nothing came to mind. All he could think about where the times they could squeeze each other into their busy schedules, and never deviating beyond the time they allotted for each other.

Dating Audrey was just another appointment on his schedule, if they had time for each other than great. If not, then they tried again later.

He moved his schedule to fit the meeting with Mal in, not the other way around.

"I had lived in the same village all my life up to that point, I could literally narrate the villagers' routine; they were all so predictable. At nineteen years old, the only thing anyone in town knew about me was that I was beautiful. That's all they saw, that's all they cared to know. That's all they really valued. They thought me as so strange and foreign, my love of books and learning. In their mind, they couldn't reconcile how someone they thought of as beautiful would want to be learned. As if beauty and intelligence were incompatible states of being. You would have thought I spoke an entirely different language and had just moved there, how strange they thought I was. They couldn't see past my face. They couldn't get past my 'oddness.' Your father never saw me as odd or strange, or merely just a beautiful face. He saw past the beauty and treated me like an intelligent person. He respected my opinions and thoughts. He remembered my preferences and took out books he thought I would like. He just did all these small little things that let me know that when I talked, he listened. Then one day while playing in the snow, I fully saw how gentle and fun he could be…and I realized there was something there that wasn't there before. I realized that again when he let me free to go help my father, despite knowing his time for the curse was running out. He had faith that I would keep my word, and even if I didn't he wouldn't hold it against me. And I realized it again when he saw that I came back for him and he fought to live rather than just succumbing to the mob; he defeated Gaston and was willing to grant him mercy and banishment instead of death. And I felt it again when instead of granting me royal jewels, a grand parure as was traditional for an engagement gift, he instead granted me the land this library sat on and the best architect the newly united Auradon had known. And again when I presented him with a pregnancy test and said he didn't care if you were a boy or a girl, he only hoped that you would have my eyes and kind heart. And again when he cried when he first held you and promised to always protect us."

Belle paused, recalling those days in the castle, falling in love, and the family they created. She looked at Ben and while she didn't care for Audrey, she could learn to love her if she made Ben feel the way Adam made her feel and could give him a life filled with love and joy of family.

"So there wasn't just one moment when I realized I was in love with your father. It's many moments, big and small moments where I fall in love with him again and again."

It heartened Ben to hear how much his parents loved each other. He so desperately yearned for the same thing. But the more he listened to his mother, the more he saw that he had not felt anything close to that for Audrey.

With his mother being so honest and open, he felt he could be the same way.

"I think…I think I'm in love with someone…someone who isn't Audrey."

Belle was taken back, she had no idea Ben had been interested in someone else much less potentially in love with them. She had just assumed things were going well with the Princess of Auroria.

"I haven't done anything, I wouldn't do that to Audrey. I know you raised me better than that," he quickly told her, taking her silence as suspicion.

"No, no, no…I know Ben. I know you would never do that, I was just surprised. I didn't think there was another princess that caught your eye." She tried to think of who else Ben had been talking to, trying to remember if he had mentioned anyone in particular.

"She's not a princess…" he confessed, but had a hard to revealing anymore and his eyes wanting to look anywhere else but into hers or else he would just spill everything at once.

"You know you have free choice of whatever bride you want," she assured him, thinking he was afraid she and his father would be upset the girl in question wasn't of royal blood. Adam had been born royal and raised to think royal marriages were a matter of state and not of heart. The only reason he had not been married at the time he was cursed was because his father had died and Adam was enjoying bachelorhood too much to settle down and no one could force it upon him. But he had admitted that if he had not been cursed, he probably would have married a neighboring kingdom's princess in the next couple of years.

It was odd to think that perhaps if not for the Enchantress, Adam might have been married to a princess of Westerly.

Most of the country was of the same opinion, royals married other royals. Cinderella had been the daughter of a minor noble, but it was close enough for most to forgive or overlook. Belle was not the daughter of anyone other than an inventor; she could not claim any diluted royal or noble blood on the distaff side either. Most brushed off her marriage to Adam, thinking it was a rare exception that would never be repeated and that Ben was to make an advantageous marriage for Auradon and not a love match. There were always alliances with other countries like Maldonia or the Pride Lands, Auradon could always use another trade partner or other such perks of marriage unions. If not, then a match between a lesser princess of Auradon was just as acceptable.

But Belle had no intention of allowing anyone to dictate who her son could marry; Adam was of the same belief. True love trumped everything, and no one could convince her otherwise.

"We would never put 'princesses on parade' for you to pick a bride or any other misogynist tradition like that. We would never pressure you to be with anyone you don't want to be with. The same with someone you do want to be with, we would support you no matter what."

Ben was afraid she was speaking too soon, but with her soft loving honey brown eyes he felt he could trust her to at least not freak out or disown him on the spot.

"I think I'm in love with Mal," he finally admitted, his voice almost breaking but so relieved to have finally told someone.

Ben was so full of surprises that day, Belle wasn't sure she could keep up.

"I know I barely know her and I know she is a child of a villain…and she has a boyfriend …there are just so many things…but I can't stop thinking about her. She's smart, fierce, loyal, brave…god they're all so brave…pops would freak out if I even mentioned her…he's already so mad about her being here…but she's amazing…it's so easy to talk to her. She has no expectations of me…she sees past the crown and sees me… she cares so deeply for her friends…she's never afraid to be herself or say what she's truly feeling…she's beautiful…my heart just…thunders in my chest whenever I see her…and I'm just…happy whenever she's around or after I talk to her…I know I'm being stupid…there's Audrey…there's Carlos…they would be so hurt…I don't want to hurt anyone…"

"Oh darling," she sighed and cupped his face. Her little boy was so torn, trying to be a good prince and son, but fighting conflicting emotions and she hated to see him struggle so.

"You're not stupid. You're so young…and I know it's hard. You're only human and being torn doesn't make you a bad person."

"Why do I feel like one? At the very least I feel like an idiot. Mal is off limits for so many more reasons than just being the daughter of one of the most feared villains in all of Auradonian history. She has a boyfriend she's clearly in love with. She's fae, and we both know how pops feels about magical Beings. She's only been here four months. She's not royal, has no idea the multitude of protocols and etiquette and would probably rather go back to the Isle than adhere to them. Audrey is beautiful, she's kind to children and animals, has an impeccable royal lineage, raised to be a queen since birth…she's the perfect princess."

On paper, Audrey was clearly the one he should want. He just wished he felt the same way logic dictated he ought to. Everything would be so much easier if he did.

But still, he didn't feel that way about Audrey. He thought of his mother's love for his father, of all the great love stories of his parent's generation. They had fought dragons and curses to be with each other. Why did he start dating Audrey? Because he couldn't think of a reason not to? They had been together for a year and he still was as ambivalent about his feelings about her as he was when they first started to date.

What kind of love story was that?

"Ben, Audrey is the perfect princess. And she would probably make the perfect Queen…but that doesn't mean she is perfect for you. You are so much more than just the future King of Auradon. You are kind and compassionate, you welcomed in children no one else even thought of. You are brave, you stand by your convictions; even when it may put you in conflict with your own family because you know it's the right thing to do. You are gentle, not wanting to hurt anyone despite your doubts and feelings. There are so many lesser royals and even commoner men who feel they are entitled to anything and anyone they want…who would not hesitate to go after what they want, no matter who is hurt in the process. You are not like that. I am so proud to call you my son."

She leaned into him, gave him a kiss on his fore head. The simple gesture comforted him and he was so glad he confided in his mother, needing to hear her reassurances.

"I know you're conflicted, and I can't give you any magical answer where it all makes sense, everyone involved ends up happy and unhurt. You're right, you haven't known her very long and there are…complications..."

Belle struggled with what to say next. She didn't care for Audrey, but she would never wish any kind of heartache on the girl. Just from this conversation alone, he had spoken more about his feelings for Mal than he ever had about Audrey in the year he had been dating her. And she could recognize the light in his eyes that shown when he spoke of the fae, a similar one could be seen in his father when he looked at Belle. The Queen was glad there were impediments, however. She told the truth when she said she would support Ben no matter what, but Adam was an entirely different story; not to mention the rest of Auradon. She trusted in her husband's love for their son, but that did not mean it would not be a rough and bumpy road to acceptance.

Still, Ben had come to her for help about love and while what she had to say wasn't an easy thing to say, Ben needed some perspective. She turned Ben's head so that he would face her and look her in the eyes,

"You may not know if you love Mal, but I think you know you don't love Audrey. And it is not fair to her, to keep pretending that this relationship will go somewhere when it will not."

There it was, the simple truth he struggled to put into words. Regardless of what he felt for Mal and all the complications that came with her, he knew for sure he didn't love Audrey. His feelings for Mal were vastly stronger and deeper than anything he had ever felt for the princess and couldn't compare.

In that, he knew he was not conflicted.

He couldn't keep stringing Audrey along. It wasn't right and she didn't deserve to be lied to.

He nodded his agreement with his mother, she leaned in to kiss him again. She knew it wasn't easy for anyone, much less a teenage boy, to deal with break ups and relationships. But she knew her son was a good man, and he would do the right thing even if it weren't the easy or popular thing. And he would do it with as much compassion and as kindly as someone could in that situation.

She dreaded the fallout, knowing the media circus that ensued anytime the royals did anything. She just hoped that the princess could accept the break up with grace and aplomb.

---

Ben had tried to think of a way to break up with Audrey for a week. He had wracked his brain, thinking of ways to do it with the least amount of drama and hopefully as gentle as he could as to not hurt Audrey beyond ending the relationship.

He had canceled his weekly meeting with the Isle teens, unable to face Mal and his impending break up. He was lucky that Audrey was busy with school and her own royal duties, so he barely saw her that week.

He had tried to ask his mother, but as she had only ever dated his father she had no practical advice as she had no experience in the matter other than harshly rejecting Gaston Chasseur; although that was mostly the hunter's own fault as he couldn't take a gentle hint when she had tried that route first.

"I'm sorry I'm not much help, but I will say this: there is no 'good' way to break up with someone; especially when she probably doesn't see it coming. You can't do this without hurting her. It doesn't make you a bad guy, but you will be the one to…" she tried to think of any other way to put it other than "break her heart" as she really didn't know Audrey well enough to know if the princess truly loved Ben or if she just aimed for the highest crown in the land.

"…you will be the one to end things."

It was better advice than she thought, at least Ben thought so. He needed to stop trying to figure out ways to somehow make the breakup a "good" thing and just get it over with.

While he agreed with his mother that there was no way to have a "good" break up, he definitely thought some ways where better than others; which was why he would not emulate, or even ask advice of, Chad. The Cinderellaberg prince had never broken up with anyone, for starters. His best friend would simply cheat on girls and when he tired of them, allowed them to catch onto his indiscretions and waited for them to break up with him.

When that had happened between Chad, princess Anxelin (the daughter of Queen Rapunzel and Prince Consort Eugene Fitzherbert of Corona), and several other lesser princesses from across the 18 Kingdoms. It had been a dramatic spectacle in the middle of the mess hall and all anyone could talk about for weeks. The prince had shown to be pretty heartless to the crying girls and it was the first time Ben really questioned why he was friends with him at all.

The prince had later made an apology and promised not to do it again, but Ben had not really seen any change in behavior from Chad. He mostly suspected that Chad had given up the pretense of dating altogether, and had instead just started to casually hook up with anyone who would have him. It was rather unprincely behavior but there wasn't anyone to tell him so. The rules of chastity were unyielding for princesses, for princes it was mostly a suggestion. Most of the other male royals and nobles acted much the same, some even had a natural child or two running around somewhere.

Ben found it all rather abhorrent and dishonorable but guessed it was still Chad keeping his word, it just didn't sit well with him and it made him glad he was an only child.

If he had a sister, he wouldn't want her to be with any of the boys he knew.

Regardless, Ben felt that he was hurting Audrey more if he kept stalling.

So the first weekend in December, he asked Audrey to take a walk with him through the garden. The blue winter roses where in full bloom and were her second favorite flower; there were also several other cold blooming flowers, Auradon Prep one of the few places to house them all in one place. So she was excited to spend the time with him and probably didn't suspect a thing. Most other students were indoors, enjoying the warmth but she took it as another opportunity to wear the latest outdoor fashions from East Riding.

The only other people around were their respective body guards who always followed them like shadows. Both had grown up with them since they could remember, they had learned to live like they weren't there; the bodyguards were also paid handsomely and contracted to never reveal anything they would see unless it was problematic and only to their royal parents.

Ben barely listened when she cooed over the beautiful florae, contemplating which she may like for some charity event or another. She also dropped some not to subtle hints about future Auradon Prep dances such as Cotillion and what she'd do as Lady of the Court.

Hearing her make plans for a position as his official future consort, he knew he could no longer hold things off. They had made their way through the maze of flowers and shrubs, and ended up at a secluded gazebo far away from the school and any prying eyes.

"Hey guys, can you please just stand back a bit? I want to talk to Audrey privately," he asked the body guards, they obeyed and were a respectful distance away but could still come to their aid if anything should happen.

If Audrey suspected anything was wrong, she didn't show it. She merely smiled her perfect princess smile and took his hands as they sat down on the gazebo bench, facing each other.

For an insane moment, Ben almost wished he was as cavalier about relationships and could take a page out of Chad's book. Seeing Audrey smile and knowing he was about to destroy it and probably make her cry, he could see the appeal of acting like a rouge and letting the girls decide the princes weren't worth it instead of being honest.

But he would not be that kind of man and took a deep breath, steeling himself to do the right thing even if it didn't feel like it in the moment.

"Audrey," he started and he kept his hands where they were, in hers. He wanted to try to convey that he was not simply going to cut off all ties with her. "There has been something on my mind…for a while and I've been trying to think of a time and place to tell you."

She listened intently, trying to keep her hope in that perhaps he had decided that he wanted to make her Lady of the Court even earlier than Cotillion. She thought all the small hints and plan to make him see her as desirable were paying off.

If she had been brought up as anything other than a princess, she was certain she would be shaking in excitement and a wider smile than was considered acceptable straining her face.

Part of him wanted to die to see the hope in her eyes, he wasn't for sure what she thought he was going to say but it clearly wasn't what he was about to.

This is for the best, I won't keep lying to her. She will find someone who could love her as she deserves.

"I want you to know that I hold you in the highest esteem…but I want to break up."

There, he said it and he couldn't take it back. He couldn't change his mind and keep it going. He kept it simple and to the point, flowery words would not help his cause.

Audrey blinked for several moments, trying to figure out if he had actually said he wanted to break up or if she was having some sort of auditory hallucination.

"I…I don't understand," she said softly, desperately hoping she had misheard him.

"It's that I've been thinking of our relationship and the future, and I do not see an 'us' in the future."

How could that possibly be? She was princess Audrey of Auroria, the second largest kingdom in Auradon and the only daughter of king Philip and queen Aurora. She was the highest ranking princess of their generation. She had been raised to be Queen since she was born, how could she not be the clear choice for his future?

By her confused face, he felt he needed to explain further,

"I have come to realize that…"

She had stopped listening to his words, her own heartache and suspicion had started to become louder and louder.

He had "come to realize?" What had changed in the past few months that would put their relationship into doubt and would realize anything?

The answer was clear and obvious, she just couldn't believe she thought Ben would be different.

Perhaps I had overestimated his character and he clearly could lower himself to slum it with the fae urchin. He's just another man, future king or not.

She had been warned again and again, that men would be men and it was her duty to put on a brave face and take it with grace and dignity. It was her own folly to believe in Ben's sweet smile that he was any different.

"…and I feel…"

"If this is about Mal," she interrupted him and had to use every ounce of restraint and decorum she had to not spit out the slut's name in utter derision. "…then I want you to know, that I can deal with it. There's no need to break up."

She figured he at least had some sense of decorum and wanted to "play the field" as it were then get back together once he was ready to settle down. She didn't see the need to play such games.

"Pardon?" Ben asked, his tone immediately going from soft and gentle to hard, hoping that she wasn't implying what he thought she was implying.

"Listen," she told him, being as diplomatic as she could without wanting to tear hair out and keep her pride. "I understand that men have…certain needs. Needs I don't fully understand, but that's because I'm a lady. But I understand that they're there. I understand these needs are why I can't always expect you to keep to the marriage bed, especially before we're even married. But I won't throw away our relationship for some…dalliance you wish to have. I trust that you will be discreet, and take care in avoiding…unwanted purple haired accidents. I won't be the first Queen to deal with mistresses and I won't be the last. But our future is worth more than a few encounters with some half breed fae whore…"

Audrey had tried to keep her temper in check but the more she thought about Ben sleeping with Mal, the angrier she got.

How could he want some low born bastard? An evil fairy bastard at that?! After everything I allowed him to do? To go further than is decent? Why am I not enough?

Although her heartache took the form of anger, Ben's own rage started to simmer at the top.

"This has nothing to do with Mal and don't call her that," Ben started after a few moments of keeping his tempter in check, still wanting to break up with her gently though he started to wonder why he even bothered. He dropped her hands and started to scoot back, not wanting to be near her.

How can she think so lowly of me? She "understands men have needs?" What is that supposed to mean? And how could she be ok with cheating?

He knew he wasn't in love with her, but she was proving to him she didn't love him either. True love was faithful; it was not about allowing one of them to do whatever they wanted and staying with them at all costs.

How could she think it was?

The more she talked, the more he was convinced breaking up was the right thing to do.

The fact he was defending Mal's honor only proved in her mind that it was the fae's fault Ben wanted to break up.

"I am not stupid Ben, and neither is everyone else. We can all see the way you look at her and all your late nights trying to help with the 'program,'" the sarcasm so thick it could be cut with a knife. "So please, just do me a favor, whenever you do start cavorting with the harlot, if you haven't already, be a little more subtle."

"That's enough!" he told her, getting upset enough to stand up and walked a little away from her to get some distance. "She does not deserve you speaking about her like that. She doesn't deserve any of the nasty bitchy gossip you and the other princesses subject her to. She has never done anything to even suggest that anything inappropriate has ever gone on. And she certainly has never done anything untoward to me. And you know what? I take offense to the suggestion that I would even stoop so low. The fact that you think I would, and that you would be willing to ignore it, just proves that I was right that this relationship has no future."

What he said stung, how passionately he defended the Isle girl and insinuating Audrey was a bitch for talking to others what they all clearly saw. That he put into question her own feelings for him was beyond the pale.

How could he not see that everything she did, was for them and the future of Auradon?

She refused to cry, she had too much pride. But she was hurt and she wouldn't let him get away with it.

"No, you're right. It's not fair to suggest she would…she's very much in love with Carlos, it's evident by all the times they disappear between classes and during lunch. She would never cheat on him."

Audrey couldn't have hurt him more, even if she had slapped him.

She thinks of all the hurtful things he had done, seeing him be wounded because of the fact that Mal had loved her boyfriend was the worst.

All the righteous anger that had blossomed inside of him escaped in mere seconds, it was a hard truth to swallow but he knew he needed to know and accept it. He pointedly ignored her insinuation of a more intimate relationship between the fae and her de Vil paramour. He wouldn't give her the benefit of acknowledging it and it was also none of his business, he thought savagely.

"You're right," he said softly, the words bitter and sharp in his mouth. "She loves him deeply. Loves him so much that it literally lifted them off the ground. Theirs is a love to aspire to…and I don't feel any of that for you."

He could admit that he wanted to hurt her, and he had succeeded as the tears started to run down her face and her lips started to quake. He wished he could have at least enjoyed that, but he didn't. He just felt empty and shamed. The situation had brought out the worst in him, this wasn't who he wanted to be.

"I'm sorry…" he started but he knew he couldn't take back what he said and how much it hurt. "You deserve to have someone love you that way, someone who thinks you hung the sun and the moon; someone whose kiss could break any curse. That someone isn't me and I'm sorry, but I won't hold you back anymore from finding that love," he tried to salvage the situation as best he could.

She had nothing left to say, how could she defend against his lack of feelings for her? It'd be different if all he wanted was to sow his wild oats, which she desperately wished now that it was the case. But he didn't love her, how could she have a happily ever after with him if he didn't love her?

I'm a princess, he's a prince; he was supposed to be my happily ever after…how could this be happening to me?

After several moments of silence, only the sounds to her tiny hiccups as she tried to control her crying could be heard.

"Let me walk you back," he offered, every the gentleman and trying to extend the olive branch.

"No…thank you," she replied politely, prim and dignified. "I need to be alone for a while."

What anger and sadness she had was gone; in their place was a calm and confident princess that would make Dowager Queen Leah proud.

He nodded, respecting her space and walked away back to the castle with his body guard. Her own, still standing there and looking neutral and ahead; to the casual onlooker, one would never know the princess just had her heart broken from his face.

Eventually, Audrey reigned in her emotions and wiped away her tears with an East Riding embroidered silk handkerchief. She then took out the makeup she never went without and with an expert hand, soon no one would be able to tell she had been crying or heartbroken either.

Even if she would not be the future Queen of Auradon, she was still a princess of Auroria and she would walk proudly and with her head up high to the school. No one would ever see her in a moment of weakness.

She walked with purposeful steps to her dorm, her mind quickly working over the ways she would announce her breakup with Ben and while regrettable, it was a mutual decision that was the best for both of them.

---

Believe it or not, I had cut this portion out thinking I was splitting a chapter up somewhat evenly but it turns out this got way longer than I thought, because I wanted to get all these ideas and scenes done with all the breadth and emotion I thought it deserved. How is the pacing? Am I doing too much for one chapter or is it good? I could try to break it up more so it's more "readable."

Also, I tried to write Audrey as more complex than "spoiled princess" and I hope I did an ok job. At the very least, I didn't give her that super mean break up of Ben declaring his love for Mal in front of everyone like in the movies. I don't care who you are, that sh!t was harsh.

What do you think of Jay's mom?

I was super hoping my last chapter would get people talking and geeking out, but maybe that means I need to calm my ass down. lol I hope I wasn't off putting to anyone.

Thanks for reading!