Part 34 – Meeting of the Minds
Practically every royal house of Auradon had assembled inside the great hall inside Beast Castle. The few not in attendance were only absent due to the distance needed to travel in a day. There was a steady hum as they spoke amongst themselves, stories of Dagon's past exploits the topic of the early afternoon. The table that everyone was gathered at was a giant circle, larger than the famous Round Table at Camelot, but not as grand.
Seated behind the chair that would be reserved for Ben upon his arrival were two more chairs, one for his advisor and the other, eventually, for his Queen, when he married. Currently, the seat for the Queen was occupied by his mother as she still fulfilled certain duties even with her relinquishing full authority. The advisor's seat was used by his father, but currently occupied by Fairy Godmother in order to talk to Belle until he arrived.
"How much longer do we have to wait?" Chad's father, King Charming, asked in growing impatience.
"Until Ben and Adam arrive," Belle answered. "Which should be only a few more minutes."
"Fairy Godmother?" Snow White spoke up. Fairy Godmother looked up toward the royal. "How are Jane and Mal doing?"
"They're…they're handling this as best they can," she answered sadly.
"Do they need anything?" Snow inquired further.
"To have the past several days not have happened," Fairy Godmother told her.
Before Snow could respond, Ben and his father walked in. Everyone gathered stood while he made his way to his seat. Fairy Godmother relinquished Adam's chair back to him and took her proper seat at the council table. Unknown to those outside of the Council, Fairy Godmother was actually the representative from Neverland since it was the home to all fairies. They also had no formal ruler, and so, back when the Council was being put together, Adam decreed that as The Fairy Godmother, her title afforded enough authority over the island to serve on it.
Once Ben made it to his seat he waved for everyone to sit down.
"Thank you for coming so quickly, everyone," he started. "Obviously this isn't the best of circumstances for us to be meeting under, but –"
"How did this happen?" came King Richard of Camelot's voice. There was a murmuring of voices all requesting the same information.
"I think at the moment, we should focus on how to handle Dagon now that he's custody," Ben replied.
"Well I think it's important to know how he got back here and in human form no less," Richard pushed. "For all we know, the person or persons who turned him human might try again."
"Once he's back on the Isle –," Ben began, only to be cut off.
"Is there something we haven't been told, Your Majesty?" Ariel asked.
Ben remained silent for a moment. He was trying to find some way to move things along without mentioning what happened. Unfortunately, as usually happens in moments of crisis, people's minds begin filling in the blanks when they don't receive the answers they want.
"It was Mal wasn't it?" the Emperor of Northern Wei accused. "She turned her father back didn't she?"
The rest of the Council looked over at Ben. Some had the same accusing stare that the Emperor had. Others looked neutral, waiting for Ben to answer.
"Mal had nothing to with turning Dagon back into a man, or even him being here," Ben defended.
"You're sure about this?" Cinderella asked. "Completely sure? After all, he is her father."
"One hundred percent. She didn't even know he was in Auradon until the day he was turned human. And she didn't learn that he was her father until yesterday along with Jane," he explained.
"Then the questions still beg: how did he get here? And who turned him back?" Richard posed again.
Adam stood up.
"As best as we can hypothesize, Dagon escaped the Isle during the coronation, using the same hole that Maleficent did to get here."
"Thank you again, Jane," Charming muttered under his breath. Fairy Godmother forced herself to remain quiet and not lash out. Cinderella gave her husband nudge to rebuke him.
"Do you have a hypothesis about who returned him to human form?" Richard asked. Ben and Fairy Godmother glanced at each other. "You do, don't you?"
"Then we should all be told," came Florian's voice.
Ben watched Fairy Godmother shake her head and mouth the word "please" to him in a silent plea.
"Your Majesty?" Arthur beseeched.
Ben let out a deep breath that he didn't even realize he was holding. He closed his eyes and wished he didn't have to do what he was about to. "It was…it was Jane."
The murmured hum started again. Fairy Godmother could see the royals talking amongst each other. They were consulting each other as couples, and with their neighbors. She spotted the occasional glance in her direction and became nervous about what was behind those accusing eyes. What must they be thinking of Jane, she thought.
"We believe that Dagon was manipulating her," Adam said in defense of the young girl.
"As a bird?" Mulan asked incredulously from her seat behind the Emperor. "I don't think even he's that good."
"So you'd rather believe that a fourteen year old girl was capable of a feat of magic far beyond her known capabilities than believe that she could be manipulated by one of the worst villains we've ever known?" Snow White posed to her.
"Not just one of the worst," Mulan said. "Her father. His abilities combined with those from her mother, and well…we don't know just what is and is not within her capabilities."
"Jane did not do this intentionally," Fairy Godmother almost yelled. "She…she let herself get sucked in over her head. She didn't know who she was turning. If anything, this is our fault."
"Our fault?" Richard asked, looking like he'd been insulted.
"If we hadn't been so adamant about erasing Dagon from memory, she might have been prepared for this. When she saw him flying around her, she might have had the proper caution. She would have come to me and we'd have caught him then."
"Be that as it may, that doesn't negate the fact that this is the second incident involving Jane and the use, or rather, misuse of magic," King Arthur brought up.
"The first was accidental," Adam countered his argument. "As you all well know."
There was silence for once, but it was clear to Adam, Belle, and Ben, as well as Fairy Godmother, that there was some unspoken doubt being thought now. Oh my God, Fairy Godmother thought, Adam was right. They really are assuming she did it on purpose. All in attendance suddenly heard a loud banging sound. Looking for the source they saw that Ben had used the gavel that sat in front of him, something he rarely did, and disliked doing even more.
"We're getting off topic," he said firmly. "I understand that the question of how he got here is important, but it's not the most pressing matter. Right now Dagon is in custody and sitting in a cell beneath this palace. What needs to be discussed is what is going to be done with him," he continued, his tone and demeanor showing the assembled royalty that he was as much his father's son as he was his mother's.
"I think that's quite clear," Snow said. "We return him to The Isle of the Lost. After all, that's what it was built for."
"I think current situation has proven that the Isle isn't sufficient to the task of holding him," Aladdin pointed out.
"Well unfortunately, Auradon doesn't have another option," Snow countered him.
There were several nods of agreement. A few of them looked defeated at the thought of just sending him back. But King Arthur showed no expression of resignation. Instead, he was leaned back, consulting with Joshua who was speaking into his ear. "I've been reminded that Auradon does in fact have another option. If you all would allow my advisor to speak," he said.
Joshua got up and all attention turned toward him. He cleared his throat and began looking around the room.
"Your gathered Majesty's, it's no secret that l have a personal connection to this matter. I've spent much time wondering if his first punishment was enough. Obviously, it wasn't. We cannot risk him getting loose again. Therefore I've searched through all of Auradon law and found that – in extreme situations – a villain can be sentenced to…death."
"Death? Death!" Cinderella stated ghastly. "No villain or prisoner has ever been sentenced to death in Auradon since its founding. After twenty years, do we really want to start now?" she asked forcefully.
"What good is an option if we don't at least consider it?" Joshua replied. "Especially with someone like Dagon – someone who has proven that our normal punishments are not enough in his case."
"But is this a precedent we want to set? You escape and instead of just being returned to the Isle, we'll kill you that time around. How much more dangerous will they become if know they that's what's awaiting them? What will they do if they conclude, 'hey, I'm dead anyway?'" Aladdin reasoned.
"Your Majesty, didn't you just say that we needed an alternative punishment than the Isle?" Joshua asked him directly.
"Punishment? Yes. I never said execution," Aladdin answered back.
"Then how about we vote on it," Joshua suggested. "The law states that a decision to execute must be made by this Council and that it must be unanimous. If Your Highness would please collect our votes," he said to Ben as he returned to his seat
"If we must," Ben agreed reluctantly. "Considering the nature of Dagon's crimes, we'll start with Camelot. King Arthur?"
Arthur looked back toward Joshua and consulted him for a few seconds. He then turned and spoke. "I vote in favor of execution."
There were stares and hushed whispers between the other royals.
"That's one," Ben tallied. "Next, I feel we should here from the representative of Neverland," he said, turning toward Fairy Godmother. The room fell silent. It was no secret what had transpired between Fairy Godmother and Dagon all those years ago. It was even more known what had happened just yesterday when they faced each other at the museum. The general thought was that like Joshua Merlin, she would be in favor of execution.
So it came as a surprise when she didn't speak right away. Instead they watched as she pulled out her phone and, from their point of view, as she looked at the screen a maudlin look come over her face. What they couldn't see was the photograph she had pulled up. A picture that she'd had saved to phone that was taken years ago, during a happier time. She swiped at the screen and looked at the next photo – one of Jane taken a few months back. Her daughter's hair hadn't been dyed yet, and was still the same dark brown as her own. But one look at those bright blue eyes, those cheeks, her lips, and it was clear that she looked every bit like her father.
"Fairy Godmother?" Ben pressed.
"I vote…I…," she hesitated. She glanced once more at Jane's picture and whispered "forgive me" to herself. "I vote…to have him placed back on the Isle."
There were a few shocked gasps, but mostly, there was stunned silence.
"The Isle? You're voting for the Isle?" Joshua asked almost indignantly. "You? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you try to kill him yourself yesterday?"
"That was a fight. Even so, it was wrong of me to do that," she admitted. "I should have given him the chance to come peacefully first."
"Peacefully? The man was basically Auradon's hired muscle. All he knows how to do is hurt, and maim, and kill. And instead of paying that back in kind, you want to send him back to the Isle to live out the rest of his days?" Joshua argued.
"I'm sorry, but now that I've had time to process it, and despite what he did to me – and to you – I just…I just can't bring myself to condemn him to death. For God's sake, he's the father of my child."
"He's a monster, if the definition ever applied to anyone," Joshua almost shouted at her. He then turned toward Ben. "Your Majesty, I ask that you make her cast another vote," he barked.
"Why? Because she didn't vote the way you wanted?" Snow questioned. "This Council doesn't work that way. And I've got news for you, if you're going to force a re-vote of everyone who votes to send him to the Isle, then you better be willing to challenge me at the very least, because while I can't speak for anyone else here, I'll be voting for the Isle as well."
"So will I," her husband, Florian, said.
"As will we," chimed in King Phillip, speaking for both himself and Aurora.
"Considering we have three confirmed votes for the Isle, continuing the vote seems a moot point," Ben said.
"No," Joshua shouted, standing up and slamming his fist onto the council table. "Your Majesty, I demand that you supersede this Council's authority with own and order Dagon's execution."
"No," Ben told him firmly. "Like Queen Snow stated, you will not challenge the authority of this Council simply because you are not getting the outcome you wanted."
"This is outrageous," Joshua shouted at Ben.
"King Arthur, would please calm your advisor down?" Ben asked.
"I believe he's earned the right to be upset. After all, it was his brother that was killed all those years ago.
"Even so, that issue is not being discussed today. Today we are deciding how to handle his escape, and we have. Now, I'll be bringing in the royal guards to help us discuss his transport back to the Isle. So unless he has input on that, I suggest Mr. Merlin please sit back down," Ben instructed.
Realizing that he had no further recourse, Joshua straightened up, bowed his head, and returned to his seat.
There's not a lot to do when you're stuck in a cell – especially one built specifically for you. With nothing to pass the time Dagon was stuck remembering past memories. He almost laughed when he considered that he was remembering things that happened fifteen years ago as if it had only been a couple of weeks. Then again, for him it was just a couple of weeks. When you're turned into a statue, it's like being put to sleep; time just seems to stop and the next thing you know you're waking up and the whole worlds changed.
Suddenly the patchwork nation you helped protect is a thriving kingdom. The infant prince is now the king. And your daughters have grown into teenagers – and you missed every second of them growing up.
The sound of wind picking up caught his attention. He turned and saw the same billowing smoke from the day before; at least he assumed it was the day before. With the dungeons being located under the castle, it was easy to lose track of time. When the smoke cleared, the hooded figure stood before him again.
"What time is it?" he grumbled.
"I have more pressing matters," the figure said.
"Early evening? Late afternoon? I'm going to keep asking, might as well just tell me that first."
"One-thirty in the morning," the figure answered after a few seconds silence. "I thought it best to wait for the middle of the night." Dagon gestured with his head in agreement. "Joshua Merlin did not get the vote for execution like he wanted – angered him to no end."
Dagon let out a scoff. "I can imagine. So I'm going back to the Isle?"
The hooded figure bowed its head. "In three days. I've already begun formulating a plan to get you out."
"During transport would be best. They'll have less security," Dagon said. The figure cocked its head to the side. "They'll probably have security measures placed in the truck moving me to keep me from using physical force or my magic. They won't want to draw attention, so the guard count will be low. During transport is when you hit it."
"Yes, sir. I'll visit before you move to let you know the final details."
The figure back away from the bars and once again used a potion to dissipate from the cell.
Part 35 – The Bad Girls Club
"You don't think you might've been a little hard on your Mom there, Janey?" Harriet asked as she and Jane were in the same family room as earlier. This time however, Ben had the staff remove the couches and chairs and some sleeping bags brought in. The boys had decided to let the girls be on their own, so it was currently just Harriet, Jane, Mal, Evie, Audrey, Freddie, and Lonnie.
"She lied to me," Jane said coldly.
"And I get that, I really do…but she's still your Mom."
"Are you taking her side?" Jane asked, afraid that even her friend was somehow in her mother's camp.
"No, definitely not," Harriet answered with a shake of her head. "She shouldn't have lied to you. But she did think she was protecting you. That should count for something."
"I have a sister she never told me about," Jane fired back with, her head turning in Mal's direction.
"Not to mention that they were all content to let Jane and me walk around not knowing who we were to each other," Mal added.
"I never said what she – or rather – they did was wrong," Harriet defended herself. "I'm just saying before you go and make Fairy Godmother – or whomever it is you call Mom nowadays Mally – cry, just keep in mind that that they didn't want to hurt you, even if that's what happened."
"And you would know that how, Harriet?" Mal asked. "You're not exactly an expert on how mothers treat their daughters." Almost immediately Mal regretted what she'd just said. She saw Harriet's eyes water just a little bit before the blonde girl blinked them away. "Harriet, I'm… I'm sor –"
Harriet stopped Mal with a raised finger. "You're right Mal, I don't know how mothers treat their daughters. After all, I didn't get to keep mine growing up," she revealed. "So you'll excuse me if I'd like to believe that, even if it hurts sometimes, that a mom just wants to protect her daughter," she added, holding back tears.
The room became quiet. The AK girls were feeling sympathy for the newest arrival from the Isle. Each one of them had their mothers, so it broke their hearts to hear that Harriet had lost hers. For Mal and Evie, the revelation had brought out a side of Harriet they had never seen. They were used to tough and mean girl who ran her gang of pirates with an iron fist. Freddie just looked at Harriet indifferently, trying to not feel the same things she was since she was in almost the same situation as far as mothers were concerned.
"Your Mom's…?" Jane started to ask, not being able to finish the question. Harriet nodded. Jane crawled over to Harriet's sleeping bag and gave her a hug. She heard Harriet whimper, but when she pulled back, Harriet had already forced her tears to stop.
"It's so weird seeing that," came Audrey's voice.
"What now?" Harriet nearly barked at her.
"That…this – you two," Audrey answered.
"Yeah, seeing you two being so chummy is…a little wired," Freddie concurred. "And I'm used to seeing it."
"How'd it happen?" Lonnie questioned.
Jane and Harriet looked at each other and just shrugged. Harriet then motioned for Jane to start explaining. Jane recounted the day they met and everything after that. This time, since everyone in the room was privileged to know Freddie's exact involvement, Jane didn't have to leave details out.
"So you've been hanging out with the Harriet and Freddie this whole time?" Mal asked.
Jane nodded. She saw Lonnie lean over and whisper in Audrey's ear. Audrey shrugged and mouthed "I don't know".
"What?" Jane asked slightly confused.
"Well…," Lonnie started, her face telling that she didn't know if she should say what she was thinking.
"Lonnie was wondering, and I repeat – just wondering," Audrey said, looking at Harriet and feeling a little nervous since she was starting to feel a little afraid of her. "If Jane's dad is a villain, doesn't that technically make her a VK, too?"
Jane immediately looked at Harriet. Then at Mal. She didn't know how to answer, or how she should feel at the realization. Part of her wanted to shake her head and say no, that she was an AK though and through. But lately, after having gotten to know the VKs, and become at ease being around them – something she assumed was the reason she was so comfortable around Harriet – she couldn't deny that maybe that new found ease was because of something already inside her.
"Half at best," Mal answered looking at Evie. "But I think we can overlook the AK half?"
Evie nodded her head, a wicked little smirk on her pretty face. "Sounds about right," she said.
"Works for me," Freddie added with a chuckle.
"I knew there was something about you that made you interesting, Janey," Harriet said with a playful nudge to her newest best friend.
"I guess what we're trying to say Jane…," Mal spoke up, her own playfully evil grin on her face, "…is welcome to the club…Sis."
Soon, all the girls, Audrey and Lonnie included, broke out laughing.