Here we are folks! Family Day! Once again, it will probably be my longest chapter like it was in 'A Twist in Time', but that may change with the coronation chapter. As I had said in the previous chapter, many things will be added and/or changed.
My idea that involved Gil will develop with this chapter. If people don't like it after this chapter, then I'm sorry, but I have an idea for the sequel that depends on it.
ALSO: As stated in last chapter, a special character makes an appearance! You will find the answer close to the end of the chapter. Someone did guess correctly, so Bonus Chapter 2 will be up on my Wednesday.
I hope you enjoy this dramatic chapter.
The day had started not so well when the five children of the Isle had to wake up a few hours early to sort the shipment that would be going to the Isle. Their mood essentially perked up when they received letters and/or gifts from people on the Isle.
With Carlos, he had a few letters written by those he played tourney with on the Isle. They congratulated him on winning the game and can't wait to see him play more, especially if he's in over Chad Charming.
With Evie, she received a letter from Dizzy, the youngest daughter of Drizella. Dizzy wrote a few things in the letter. She mentioned how much she misses her 'older sister' and how pretty Evie looked at the tourney game, but definitely needed to spice up that jersey. According to Dizzy, it was too bland for a fashionista like Evie.
With Jay, he had also received letters from those he played tourney with and one from his father. In the letter, Jafar wrote how proud he was of Jay for winning the game and giving up the chance to score to Ben so he'd be more respected by the Auradonians. Jafar went on to apologize for not telling him that during the video call and for the fight that occurred amongst him and Cruella. The father's last words were that whatever decision Jay makes tomorrow on the coronation, Jafar would support him one-hundred percent no matter what.
Ben, of course, had his letter from Gil that appeared to be a few pages long. Ben wanted to wait to read what his brother had to say, considering he still had to sort out the shipment and then get ready for Family Day. However, Ben had a letter and a necklace from Gil's father, Gaston.
Now I know what you're thinking: why would Ben get a letter from Gaston?
You see, Gaston is actually the reason Ben survived on the Isle for so long. Once everyone found out who Ben was, Gaston defended him and kept him from getting injured by the other villains. Some villains wanted to use him as leverage to get off the island, insisting that Ben must want to leave since knowing who he truly is. However, Gaston had interjected that Ben didn't want to leave and sort of implied that Mal was the reason.
But you'll see the full incident eventually; perhaps at the coronation.
Anyways, in the letter from Gaston, he explained he was only writing it because Gil was too scared and embarrassed to. Gil had wanted to send him his bronze bull necklace and request that he'd wear it during the coronation so Gil could be with him during the event. Gil had thought against it at the last second, but Gaston decided to do so for him.
Of course, Ben immediately attached the necklace around his neck and made a silent vow not to take it off.
Finally, we have Mal who didn't receive a long drawn out letter. Instead, she had a garment bag from Lady Tremaine. Once she unzipped the bag, she squealed with glee.
Lady Tremaine had sent Mal's dress—a beautiful purple knee length dress with a black lace bodice and a ruffled skirt—and Mal and Ben's crowns, which had been made by Dizzy. Mal's crown was actually a metal rose thorn tiara while Ben's was a more masculine version of it, considering Mal had more power than Ben. There was a note attached to the crowns that read What's a royal without their crown?
Of course, Mal and Ben had to wear their crowns as they were doing the sorting—which took a lot less time since Jay, Evie, and Carlos was helping them.
The group had about an hour to spare with them using that time to get ready for the event. Ben had to leave early to do a last-minute rehearsal for the beginning show. Ben also made a deal with his parents that he would wear a presentable suit for the occasion instead of his usual Isle garb. Luckily there was a loophole for him to wear the necklace and crown, considering they aren't his 'usual' clothes, but the necklace soon would be. Jay, Evie, and Carlos wore their nicest clothes while Mal wore the dress Lady Tremaine sent along with the crown.
Anyways, the sun shone over the rose garden on the breezy Family Day.
On the green lawn, Ben led a choir of students in singing 'Be Our Guest' as a way to kick off the event. A student banner read FAMILY DAY! GOODNESS DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER. Some students and their families danced, while others enjoyed plates of every type of delicious food imaginable from various tables and tents.
Mal grabbed a strawberry from a table as she, Evie, Jay, and Carlos stepped into the throng. Carlos handed off Dude to Evie and ate strawberries he dipped in a lavishly flowing chocolate fountain.
The happy choir dispersed. Mal nibbled her strawberry and watched Ben join Beast and Belle. They stepped under a stone archway and posed for the photographer. Ben was forced to take the crown off his head and hide it behind his back, but he absolutely refused to take off the bull necklace, so it got to stay in the picture.
"Oh!" Ben suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you, my girlfriend is here."
The parents gasped dramatically.
"Well that's wonderful!" Queen Belle cheered. "And you were right about Audrey. I hadn't realized it before, but she is a little self-absorbed. With a fake smile"—Belle flashed a fake smile for the photographer and continued to speak through it—"a kind of kiss-up."
"When do we get to meet her?" King Beast wondered.
"On the count of three," warned the photographer. "One . . . two . . ."
"How about now?" Ben waved at Mal, who meekly waved back. "Mal!" he called to her, beckoning her over.
"Three!" shouted the photographer.
Belle's and Beast's frozen looks of shock were captured in the photo.
"Mal, you look beautiful," Ben complimented his beloved as they walked to each other. Mal helped him place his crown on his head before they shared a quick kiss and comforting hug, giving Ben the perfect opportunity to whisper in Mal's ear, "I wanted to introduce you to my parents."
Once they were within five feet of the married couple, Ben introduced her, "This is Mal, my girlfriend from the Isle for ten years."
Mal blushed as she lightly elbowed her beloved. "Don't listen to him. We've only been romantically together for three years."
"But I wish it were ten," Ben commented sweetly, which earned him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Hi." Queen Belle greeted with an uneasy laugh in her tone while her husband simply waved. "That's a very unique crown you're wearing."
Mal lightly placed a hand on the object with a smile. "Thanks. A girl on the Isle made mine and Ben's after the people started calling us 'Queen and King of the Isle'."
"I was thinking maybe Mal could join us for lunch," Ben suggested.
"Of course," King Beast agreed with a small kind smile. "Did you come here with your friends?"
"Yes, sir." Mal answered as she gestured to them.
"Well," Belle began, "you should . . . invite them."
Belle gazed past Mal at the girl's three friends. Jay was drinking directly from the chocolate fountain as Carlos, his face smeared with chocolate, jumped up and down, giggling, and dipped more strawberries into the fountain. Evie bounced Dude up and down in her arms.
Belle smiled kindly. "The more, the merrier!"
"Okay!" Mal smiled as well. "I'll go grab them." She turned to get her friends.
"How about a game of croquet before lunch?" proposed Beast.
"Of course!" Mal agreed before Ben could say anything.
"Game on!" said Ben, high-fiving his dad.
"Game on," said Beast. He laughed. Belle smiled.
Mal and Ben turned their backs to the royals. "Have you played before?" whispered Ben.
"No," Mal denied.
Ben snorted. "Neither have I."
As Mal and Ben walked away toward the croquet lawn, Queen Belle's and King Beast's smiles vanished. Belle nearly fainted to which Beast caught her.
Mal happily trotted toward her friends. Maybe we will have a nice time after all, she thought positively. She walked onto the lawn, picked up a croquet stick, and hit the ball. Students frolicked around her. Mal smiled at an older woman in a pale pink suit, Queen Leah.
"Hello there," greeted Queen Leah, strolling up to her with a smile.
"Hi," Mal replied with a sweet tone.
"Now," Queen Leah began as circled around Mal like a vulture circles their pray, "have we met?"
"No, I don't think so." Mal denied trying to be polite as possible. "I'm new. I'm sort of like a . . ." she trailed off as she pretended to think of the right word, "transfer student."
Audrey appeared beside them with in a pink dress holding a glass of punch. "Grammy," the princess greeted with a smile.
"Oh, Audrey!" Queen Leah dramatically exclaimed, almost like she wanted everyone to know how loving she is. "Give Grammy a kiss, dear."
Audrey gave the retired queen a kiss on the cheek before she noticed Mal.
"'Grammy'?" The purple-haired repeated in a curious, but worried tone.
"Sleeping Beauty's mother," Audrey informed in a snobbish tone. "Grammy, I don't think you want to be talking to this girl. Unless you feel like taking another hundred-year nap."
Queen Leah stared hard at Mal. "What?" She backed away from Mal in fright, mistaking her for Maleficent. "You!" she cried in recognition, gaining the attention of everyone at the party. "How are you here?" She examined Mal again, but this time a little more mystified. "And how have you stayed so young?"
Everybody in the garden grew quiet and gathered around them
Ben rushed over to them to keep everyone calm. "You're mistaken, your Majesty," he insisted politely. "Maleficent is still on the island. This is her daughter, Mal." He placed an affectionate hand on Mal's shoulder. "Don't you know? I came to Auradon because she agreed to come with me."
Queen Leah tilted her head with curiosity. "And you are?"
"Ben," Audrey muttered. "The prince that went missing from home for ten years. My ex-betrothed."
"We were never engaged," Ben snapped as he felt Mal tense up. "And my home is the Isle. It always will be."
"How can you say that?" Queen Leah wondered in horror. "Do you know what the Isle is compared to Auradon?"
"Do you?" Ben challenged, getting a little riled up. "I have lived on the Isle for ten years. I have seen and experienced so many things that I couldn't in Auradon that has made me who I am."
"Like what?"
"Starvation for one." Ben gestured to the four other Isle children. "We have had to go days without food because Auradon only sends the shipment once a week and the villagers take as much as they can once the ship arrives. I couldn't tell you how many times I had to beg for food. Everyone on the Isle has finally started to get enough food to last the week because we"—he motioned to him and Mal—"started sorting it so everyone gets a fair share. In fact, that's what the five of us did this morning so there would be no chaos on the Isle."
"You should have came home sooner." Queen Leah argued. "That way you didn't have to deal with it."
"The Isle is my home!" Ben shouted, causing Mal to wrap her arms around his sides to calm him down slightly. "How many times do I have to say it before you finally listen? The main reason I came here is because they didn't want the second person in line to become king!"
"Ben," Fairy Godmother chided as she came over to assist. "Control your temper."
"This is nothing," Mal insisted in a small voice, casually flexing her hands. "You should see him when he loses it completely. It takes Gaston and his twins to hold him back."
"Gaston?" Queen Leah repeated in astonishment. "I'm surprised you've survived so long on the Isle with him there."
"Why would you be?" Ben wondered. "His youngest son and I are really close friends, like brothers." He lifted the bronze bull charm that was out of place with his pristine outfit. "Gaston had sent this to me for his son so his son could be with me during my coronation."
"That is outrageous Ben." Queen Leah sigh. "Don't you remember what those villains have done?" She turned to her audience. "The poison apples. And the spells!" Beast, Belle, Fairy Godmother, and the others all stared at her solemnly. Queen Leah glared at Mal vehemently. "The spells . . . My daughter was raised by fairies because of your mother's curse. Her first words, her first steps—I missed it all!" Queen Leah turned away, sobbing quietly.
Mal thought about comforting her, but decided against it at the last minute when she noticed her breathing quicken.
Audrey just happened to notice. "What's wrong Mal?" She taunted, feigning concern in her tone. "Feel like you're about to . . . panic?"
Realization hit Mal like a ton of bricks. She shook her head with a small laugh, unimpressed. "That was your plan?" Mal interrogated slowly as a way to control her breathing. "Trying to make me have a panic attack while making Ben lose his temper so he couldn't help?"
Audrey didn't say anything making Mal laugh again. "Puh-lease!" Mal stated. "In case you haven't heard princess, my panic attacks happen at random. It may look like Ben is the cause, but that's because he's most usually around when I have them. There have been many times where I've had one yet Ben wasn't around. The attacks come and go as they please, yet no one on the Isle used it against me because I am 'Queen of the Isle'."
Chad jumped between them. "Now you—"
"Don't do this Chad," Ben practically ordered.
"What? They were raised by their parents, Ben." Chad insisted. "What do you think villains teach their children? Kindness? Fair play? No way!"
"How would you know?" Ben challenged. "I have lived with them, learned with them, and befriended many of them for ten years, which is far more than you."
"Well your opinion is biased!" Chad argued lamely. He addressed the audience dramatically. "Is there anyone here that can vouch for them?"
Silence. No one spoke up, but that would be expected since not many really trusted the four villain children. Most hadn't even talked to them since the week they've been in Auradon.
Who would stand up for them?
"I can." called an old gruff voice.
Mal smiled at the familiar voice as the crowd to parted to let an old ma-dwarf walk through. The dwarf was none other than Grumpy, the dwarf least liked but a friend to Mal and Ben.
"I can," Grumpy repeated/began, "and will vouch for all four of these children." He adverted his attention to Mal, giving her a slight bow in greeting and respect. "Hello, your Highness."
Mal's smile started to grow. "Hi Grumpy," she greeted happily, bowing in return, except this bow was special. She had one arm over her chest as her other hand was used to raise her skirt slightly with her legs/feet crossed. It was the only thing she could come up with on a short notice.
Grumpy stood back up to his full height to speak directly to Chad. "As I was saying," the dwarf continued, "I will vouch for the children for they have made more of an impact here in Auradon than you ever have. The problems we 'sidekicks' had were resolved mainly from Queen Mal's ideas."
"She's not a queen!" Chad shouted.
"Yes, she is. She is the Queen of the Isle!" Grumpy retorted, speaking louder than the teen. "Hopefully, she'll become Queen of Auradon. She definitely deserves it more than anyone else here. And didn't your parents ever teach you to not yell at your elders? You should learn some respect!"
Chad was dumbfounded, as was everyone else at the event; excluding Mal, of course. She was so happy that the kind dwarf was defending her that her panic attack was slowly fading away. She'll have to remember to talk with him when she feels a small one coming.
"But what about the others?" Chad wondered. "Surely you can't come up with something for them?"
Grumpy laughed sourly, which was strange to hear. "Did you not see the tourney game?" He questioned rhetorically. "The boys won the trophy back after so many years. As for Grimhilde's daughter—"
Behind Mal and Ben, Evie flinched at hearing her mother's real name.
"—I heard from my nephew she excels in her classes and spends her extra time making clothing for herself and her friends. No doubt she'll become a fashion designer within a few weeks of being here."
Evie smiled at the compliment, happy to know the grumpiest dwarf somewhat likes her and that Doug talks about her.
Mal tapped Ben's shoulder twice to get his attention. "I need to leave." She muttered. "It's fading, but I still need to get away from the chaos before it comes back worse."
Ben nodded in understanding. "Go, I'll take care of things here."
With a small nod, she slowly backed away while the prince and the dwarf were still having their argument. She gave Jay a small nudge as well, so he'd go with her to calm her town. As Jay was leading her away, Chad noticed and roughly grabbed Mal's arm. "Now hold on a second—"
The spoiled prince was interrupted when Ben suddenly grabbed the arm that touched his beloved, slammed him on the ground, and forcefully pulled Chad's arm behind his back. If Ben were to tighten his grip any more, Chad would break an arm or dislocate a shoulder.
"You idiot!" Jay shouted at the restricted Chad. "That's the number one rule on the Isle, never touch Mal when Ben's losing his temper!"
Evie leaped in and squirted Chad with the atomizer. He fell unconscious immediately. The garden broke into pandemonium. Mal managed to get Ben off of Chad and his temper under control, however her panic attack came back worse than ever.
Jay quickly rushed Mal away as Evie and Carlos followed behind them.
"Guys!" Ben called after them. He looked around at the chaos. Everything was falling to pieces. Chad finally came to.
"I feared something like this would happen," commented Beast.
"This isn't their fault!" Ben defended his old friends.
"No, Son," Beast agreed, solemnly, "it's yours."
"Now you hold on a second!" Grumpy interjected as he came to the aid of Ben. "Ben didn't cause any of this and neither did those four children. If anyone is to be blamed, it's that Chad Charming and Princess Audrey, not your son!" The dwarf turned to Ben once he regained his composure. "Go to your queen. She is going to need her king."
Ben took off after his beloved and her friends. When lunch rolled around, he finally found them outside at a picnic table. None of them spoke. A ring of empty tables surrounded them, and beyond that sat the others in their cliques, staring them down.
"Hey, guys," Ben greeted trying to be upbeat and happy despite the circumstance that happened less than an hour ago. "How is everyone?"
They didn't respond.
"Hey, listen, forget about today," he insisted. "It was nothing. Forget about it. Let it go." He rested his hands on Mal's shoulders.
Mal kept staring straight ahead, not acknowledging him.
"Tomorrow after the coronation, I promise everything will be okay." Ben promised. "At least Grumpy is on our side."
Mal and her three friends still looked glum.
"I have to go," Ben muttered into his beloved's hair. "I'll see you later." He kissed the top of her head before he walked away.
Doug strolled up to the table. "Hey, listen, Evie, I want to talk—"
"Doug!" shouted Chad from another table.
"It's my fault. I'm so sorry—" Evie whispered to Doug.
"Doug!" Chad barked again.
"No!" Doug turned to the spoiled prince. "I'm talking to her and you can't stop me." He turned back to the astonished princess. "Evie, I'm sorry I didn't help with the situation that happened before; everything was happening so quickly and I didn't know what to do. So, if don't completely hate me, I would still like to take you to the coronation as my date."
Evie smiled at the sweet offer. "Pick me up at my room at nine."
Doug gave a small smile in return before he walked away to speak with his family, more specifically his uncle.
Audrey strolled past with Jane. Audrey talked loudly enough for Mal and her friends to hear. "How long does she think that's going to last? She's the bad-girl infatuation." Audrey shot them a cruel smile.
"Yeah," agreed Jane. "I mean, he's never going to make a villain a queen."
Most of the girls laughed, and Audrey and Jane strolled off.
Mal glowered and flipped through her spell book, waving her finger. "Beware, forswear, undo Jane's hair."
Jane screamed as her short bob replaced the long wavy brown locks. Jane's friends backed away, pointing and laughing at her hairdo. Jane looked mortified.
Lonnie stroked her own hair, making sure it was still long and glamorous.
"In case you don't remember," Mal began as she stood from her seat, "I'm the one that made Ben a king. And there's a lot more where that came from."
"Excuse me, who do you think you are?" asked Audrey, hand on her hip.
"Queen of the Isle!" Mal announced. "And do I look like I'm kidding?"
When the girls kept on staring at her, she opened her spell book again.
The girls and their friends took off.
Mal was angry. She spun around to her friends. "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow." She slammed her book shut. "Let's grab that wand and blow this Popsicle stand."
Evie, Jay, and Carlos looked at Mal and nodded in quiet understanding. They got up from the picnic table and walked fiercely back toward the school in their usual Isle of the Lost gang formation. Their focus was back. It was nearly coronation time—their big moment to steal the wand. The four were rotten to the core after all.
And Ben would forgive them eventually.
There we go! Grumpy was the answer! As I wrote this chapter, I came up with this cute idea for a small side story chapter. If you want to know the idea, review and I'll pm you the idea!
Also, with what happened to Chad, I had written something completely different, but then changed it to this version. I'm kind of glad I did.