Jay walked back into Mal's room, shoving his anger down as far as it could when he caught sight of a curled-up Mal asleep in Evie's lap. He'd never seen his friend so small…so fragile. Like the lightest touch would shatter her.
"She's only been out a couple of minutes," Evie whispered as she carded her fingers through Mal's hair, eyes shining with unshed tears when they met Jay's. "Ben?"
"His mom went to talk to him."
She glanced down at his knuckles with a frown. "You?"
"I'm fine." Jay was quick to respond, not caring how believable the words sounded.
Evie opened her mouth to speak when Jay's phone began vibrating.
He answered it without looking at the Caller ID. "Hello?"
"It's Belle. I was wondering if…" a shaky breath, "if you could come to Ben's room?"
Dread immediately filled him and he looked over at Evie and Mal, the former's face paling at the look on his. He put his hand over the speaker, "its Belle…something's wrong."
Evie looked down at Mal, "I can't leave her…"
"I'm not askin' you to E, do you know where Carlos is?"
"He said Dude needed some fresh air,"
Jay nodded, removing his hand, "We'll be right there."
"Please hurry."
The call ended.
Jay waited until he'd quietly shut the door before sprinting out the doors. He quickly spotted Carlos and Dude sitting in the grass, running up to them so fast that Carlos squeaked in shock, "Hurry, it's Ben!"
Carlos was quick to gather Dude in his arms as they ran back into the castle, the two slowing down as they approached the door to Ben's room. Jay was the first to enter, hackles rising as he saw the state of the room and the Queen as she sat huddled in a towel on the bed.
She looked like a drowned rat, hair plastered to her face and trails of mascara on her cheeks. There was grieving mother staring back at them instead of a Queen, the woman looking wearier than Jay had ever seen her. "He's in the bathroom."
Carlos set Dude on the bed, the two following her.
The shivering King that was curled into a tight ball on the floor of the shower brought anger rushing back along with the image of a similarly positioned Mal. Maleficent's daughter and Auradon's King, both powerful and strong in their own rights, had been reduced to withered husks with no more than a glamour.
"I can't move him by myself…" Belle swallowed, voice cracking, "can you…?"
Jay nodded, grabbing a towel off the rack and wrapped it around Ben's shoulders. Taking one of the King's arms around his own shoulders, he slowly began to stand. It took every ounce of balance and strength he'd gained on the Isle of the Lost to pull him up without slipping on the wet marble, "Carlos, his other arm?"
Carlos nodded, taking the limp arm around his neck.
With the combined effort, the two lifted Ben. Jay hesitated as his fingers brushed the many lines of stitches in his skin, but held tightly to his friend anyway as they stepped out of the bathroom. Belle cleared the path of as much glass and debris as she could, Ben coming back to himself enough move his feet. Jay was concerned when missed glass cut into his skin, yet he hardly reacted.
Finally settling him on the bed, the boys turned as Belle peeled off the wet clothing and changed him into dry boxers and shorts. She tapped them on the shoulders when she was finished, "Could you watch him for me?"
"Yes." Jay and Carlos said simultaneously.
With a sad smile, she grabbed any dry set of clothes and walked back into the bathroom.
Carlos dark eyes were haunted as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, absently petting Dude as the dog curled in his lap. "I thought we'd left this back on the Isle, Jay. Instead, the abuse, the pain…it just followed us here…like a shadow."
Dude squirmed out of Carlos' hold, burrowing into the shivering King's side and prodding a limp, bloody hand with his nose. The mutt whimpered like he could sense something had happened, his eyes sad as he licked Ben's fingers.
An awareness seemed to come back into his eyes, gathering the dog to his chest and gently ruffling his fur. Ben didn't acknowledge their presence at all, whispering in broken whispers that neither of them could decipher against Dude's fur.
Belle came in, practically swimming in her son's clothes. "Thank you…so much."
Jay nodded, watching as Belle sat with her son and began removing the glass embedded in his feet. Like Ben, her focus was no longer on them. He felt uncomfortable, like this moment between mother and son wasn't for him or Carlos to witness…
The two left quietly, walking in silence.
Jay paused as Carlos went to open the door to Mal's room. He didn't feel comfortable walking back into the room, where Mal lay sleeping and Evie's despondent expression. He couldn't get Ben's vacant stare out of his mind nor the grief in Belle's eyes as she sat next to her son. He couldn't go in another silent, sadness-filled room… Jay was built for action, for doing something.
He and Mal were similar in that regard. Jay couldn't offer silent comfort or reassurances that everything was going to be okay, the rare occurrence being those terrifying moments of seeing Mal laying in a growing pool of her own blood…of watching Ben being held back by his father as she was carried into the castle…
"Jay? You coming?" Carlos' eyebrows pulled together in concern.
"I'm going to go blow off some steam, alright?" He didn't miss Carlos' glance at his bruised and swollen knuckles. He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile, "I won't do anything stupid, okay?"
Carlos was skeptical, but nodded and entered the room.
He made his way to his room, changing into loose workout clothes before running in the direction of Auradon Prep. Jay embraced the burning muscles and the sound of blood rushing in his ears, both giving his mind something else to concentrate on…something he could control.
When he finally reached the tourney field, he stopped to get a well-needed drink from the water fountain and splashed the cool liquid in his face. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to breathe before he set off again.
He ran up and down the bleachers and back and forth on the tourney field until sweat soaked through his clothes and dripped from his skin as he hunched over to breathe. The anger, though, still raged in him like dragon fire. There nothing he could do, no one he could hurt…nothing that would reverse the damage done…
Mal's choked sobs echoing off the walls of her bedroom…
Evie's hopeless expression as she held her broken sister together…
Ben's vacant stare as his mother called his name…
Belle's eyes pleading to help her son…
With a growl, he pushed himself forward once again, ignoring the pain of burning muscles and aching lungs. He ran until his legs collapsed from exhaustion, slamming his hands on the ground again and again. His palms felt like pins and needles, eyes stinging with tears he no longer had the energy to hold back as his nails dug into the ground. "Damn Diablo and Morgan to the deepest pits of Hell!" He spat the words out in Arabic, not caring how much he sounded like his father in that moment…
A shadow fell over him and he froze, seeing pastel heels enter his vision.
Forcing the tears away, he took a deep breath and groaned as he moved his body into a sitting position. With the rage and the pain shoved into the back of his mind once more, he could feel every fiber of muscle protest the movement. "Princess."
With a hand on her hip, Audrey looked displeased. "What are you doing?"
"Takin' a breather…" He used the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat dripping into his eyes and he could've sworn he saw the princess' eyes wander. Jay smirked, "You?"
"Evie sent me to check on you." She pursed her lips. "Said you would do something stupid."
"'m good here." He patted the grass next to him. "Care to join me?"
"Damn Diablo and Morgan to the deepest pits of Hell were your exact words…were they not?"
"How did-?"
"I am a Princess." She smiled at his shocked expression. "I'm fluent in four other languages in case you were wondering, not including English…and yes, I'll join you."
He watched in amusement as she lowered herself to the ground, trying not to smile at her grimace as she sat down on the wet grass and curled her legs underneath her. Jay waited until she adjusted her dress over her thighs. "You good?"
"Yeah." She flicked her hair back over her shoulder.
Jay wondered if all royalty had steel rods in their spines. It couldn't have been comfortable to hold your shoulders that straight or have your back that rigid… "So what are they?"
"What are what?"
He leaned back on his forearms, "The languages that you're fluent in. What are they?"
"Arabic, French, Spanish, and Chinese."
Jay smiled, "You continue to surprise me, Princess."
"Oh?" Audrey played with the thin gold bracelet on her wrist, "In what ways?"
He remembers the moment he'd opened the door to see the princess with bloodshot brown eyes and trembling hands…how Audrey had stared at a sleeping Mal like she'd personally put her there…how she'd straightened her shoulders and spoken with a strength she hadn't looked capable of in that moment. The fear in her eyes when he'd turned on her and how quickly she demanded the truth, her usually soft eyes steely…
"You're smarter…you're stronger than I'd thought you'd be."
She looked up at his serious tone, eyes narrowed, "What were you expecting?"
"Honestly?" Jay sat up with a groan, "A ditzy airhead who only cared about her appearance…" he held up a hand when she opened her mouth, "that's what we were told on the Isle and I obviously know now that that's wrong, your first impression notwithstanding…"
Audrey colored, "I was-"
"Jealousy doesn't look good on anyone…least of all a princess." He smiled, waving off apologies he could see itching to be let out. "I can't begrudge you that…besides, it's all in the past, Audrey."
She frowned, saying nothing.
Jay watched a breeze blow tendrils of hair across her face, seeing a determined set in her jaw and hardness in her eyes that were in such contrast to her soft appearance. He could easily see her as a Queen in her own right…
"The past is often repeated, is it not?" She spoke quietly, absently spinning the gold chain around her wrist. Audrey didn't look at him, instead down at her lap, taking a deep breath. "I always wondered why the villains were even brought back to life in the first place…" She glanced at him, "I didn't-"
"To pay for their crimes was the reason I believe." Jay, Mal, and even Evie had had the discussion before. Their parents' deaths had been brutal and final, the three having heard them rant and rave about the revenge those in Auradon deserved after bringing them back from the humiliation of their deaths. "I think death is a pretty good price for their failures."
She seemed shocked by his blunt response, eyes widening, "But you…you wouldn't exist. Not you, Mal, or Evie…"
"Or half the children on the Isle." He completed with a grim smile. "A gruesome thought, but true nonetheless. It made them worse you know? Coming back from the dead, combined with the isolation…I'm surprised they didn't kill each other."
Audrey stared at him, eyes narrowed just slightly before a small smile curled her lips, "I guess it's good that you four aren't there then."
Jay laughed, "I guess so."