"Jane, dear? We haven't seen you in days, honey." Evie called out into Jane's locked room, where she could hear pages flipping, and a pen scratching.
No answer.
Evie left the bedroom, and went to find Carlos, who always ate breakfast at Dragon Hall with Jay, even though they both lived in Hell Hall now.
"What's up, E?" The young man asked as soon as he saw his friend, who looked awfully disheveled.
"Jane's locked her room, and won't answer me. You know I'm the worst at lockpicking, so I was hoping you or Jay could help me get it open." Evie explained, and the two boys followed her to Jane's room, where the sounds of writing and reading could still be heard from the hallway.
"Alright, just give me a few minutes." Carlos explained, pulling his kit from the inner pocket of his jacket, and going to work on the door.
"You know why she's locked up in there?" Jay asked while they waited.
"No idea. Last night, Mal and I were thinking that we hadn't seen her lately. Earlier this morning, I went to check out a book from the library, and noticed that she'd taken out quite a few, half a week ago." Evie explained.
"So... She's on a weird Auradon study kick?" Jay offered, glancing at the door with distaste.
"No, I know Jane. If she was just distracted, she'd still be able to hear me. She's too polite to just ignore us." Evie muttered. Jane had really come out of her shell since she moved to the Isle, but sometimes her Auradon upbringing shone through.
"Got it!" Carlos smirked, and pushed open the door. What they saw in the room was... Surprising, to say the least.
Jane was hunched over a notebook, writing furiously as various books floated around her in magic. She'd pause in her writing sometimes, to look up, and flip through one book, then another, before writing some more. Diaval, who sat at the window as a raven, held a basket of food in one claw, and sometimes tossed a muffin or other food item to Jane, who caught it in her magic, eating it without stopping her work.
"Jane? What's going on here?" Evie asked kindly, and hoped that it hid the nervous tremor in her voice. As if she finally realized she was being spoken to, Jane started, and all of the books fell from the sky, released from her magic. A light paperback plopped onto her head.
"Ouch!" The young faerie muttered. "What are you guys doing here?"
"You wouldn't talk to me, Jane!" Evie exclaimed. "You locked your door and I had to grab the boys to come open it."
"Oh goodness! I'm so sorry Evie!" The girl exclaimed, glancing back at her work. "Diaval said I was the Secret Keeper, whatever that means, and I was just so busy. I don't know what came over me."
Evie walked over to the pile of books and papers, and glanced at Jane's writing.
"What are the four horsemen?" The blue princess asked, and as she said it, the title resonated deep within her bones.
"They represent the end of the world, Evie." Jane explained. "You, Jay, Carlos, and Mal. The four who will end the world."
"We don't want to destroy the world," Carlos interrupted. "How would we live in it? Or exact our revenge?"
"I don't mean literally, Carlos." The girl explained. "It's more like the end of an era. The end of life as we know it."
"Auradon." Jay confirmed.
"Right. You aren't only the horsemen though. You're also the knight, witch, wizard, and king." Jane explained, and none of them really understood her, but that was alright, because they would, soon. They'd come to terms with it and know the truth, and deep down, the part of Jane that was nothing but magic knew this, as instinctually as breathing.
"How do you know all this, Jane?" Evie asked, perusing the books.
"I just do. The magic tells me." Jane explained, utterly calm in the face of this knowledge. "You're like a goddess, Evie. All four of you are special. You're meant to change things."
The original three glanced from one to another, warily.
"Diaval?" Evie finally spoke, and the raven cawed. "Find Mal. She needs to be informed."
• • •
"Now then, who among you is gifted in magic?" Mal asked, looking among the faces of the Fae army she'd inherited, as they tilted their heads, and quite a few stepped forward. She showed them to the carefully ordered army uniforms Evie had designed for them. They'd taken back the pairs they'd handed out, on the temporary basis for improvement.
"I need armor enchantments." Mal explained, and handed out photocopied spell schematics that she'd designed from pages in her mother's spellbook. "These enchantments simply need to be followed, and they'll make this leather armor as strong as steel, while maintaining ease of movement. I've also incorporated the shadow walking spell, so that even the members of my army who don't use magic can dissolve out of the shadows like my mother did."
The young queen watched, as the best Fae spellcrafters got to work on her specifications. It was sort of heady to have this much power. She loved the idea that her army would be able to fade into the shadows at will by merely getting to a dark place. It was stealthy, and dark, and just gloriously wicked. When the first set of armor was done, Mal beckoned for Daria Tremaine, who'd volunteered to help test the outfits. She left into the tiny, cordoned-off changing room, and emerged, looking like a wonderful nightmare in the black leather.
"Now try and blend with the shadows, Tremaine." Mal ordered. This was the real test, since she didn't have magic, and the Fae queen wasn't really certain it would work. But of course, it did. It worked, and the girl appeared to melt into the shadows. Mal could see her if she really looked closely and tried, but no one in Auradon would be expecting that enough to look for it.
"Excellent work, Daria. It works like a charm." Mal praised, and the girl smirked, before putting on the mask portion of the outfit. With all of her army wearing this, no one would be able to tell how many there were, or where they were coming from. In this manner, a small, highly-trained task force could cause some serious damage against larger numbers.
She looked absolutely terrifying, honestly, with black shadows pouring off of her like ink, and her entire face hidden behind a white plastic mask. Her hair was tucked within a black hood that matched her dark outfit, and she wore the same fingerless gloves that nearly all aisle children wore. When this army came to take Auradon, they wouldn't know what hit them.
When Mal dismissed the girl, still garbed in her new outfit, she turned to face Diaval, who had flown in through the window doing the observation.
"Hello, Diaval. Do you have news?" Mal asked, and the raven became a man again, bowing deeply to his mistress.
"I have found your secret keeper." He explained, and Mal smiled, victoriously.
In their lessons, the raven had explained that in every Fae court, there was a secret keeper, the archivist who detailed the stories of that court and it's inner circle - the struggles, triumphs, and the causes they stood for. Diaval had been her mother's secret keeper, and he had sort of hoped to be Mal's, but it was soon proven that he wasn't. After Maleficent's chapter was written, the black book of the archives was closed to him, forever.
"Who is it?" Mal asked, practically sparking with anticipation as her eyes glowed that dangerous green.
"Jane." Diaval grinned, and he chuckled. "But it seems, sweetling, that your story begins far earlier than we thought."
He became a bird again, and perched upon her shoulder as they rushed to find Jane. In the young faerie's room, the other three were already waiting, and Mal smirked at them, rubbing her hands together excitedly.
"Hey M." Evie smiled warmly, and leaned against Mal as she settled into a chair.
"I have some really exciting news." Jane grinned. "Do you remember what Diaval taught us about the court?"
"Ideally, there should be five. A court is still a court though, as long as there's one ruler, and one advisor, right?" Mal recalled, from their lessons with her mother's familiar.
"Right. The first court - the very first - had five archetypes. The king, the witch, the wizard, the knight, and the secret keeper. Of course, they used different terms, but that's how the humans thought of it." Jane explained. "You four are the perfect examples of the first four archetypes, Mal."
"The queen." Mal smirked to herself, before she turned to Evie. "The witch."
"Jay is the knight, I'm guessing." Evie continued. "And Carlos is the wizard?"
"You catch on quickly." Jane explained. "The wizard doesn't necessarily have to be proficient in magic. That's the witch's job. He just has to be smart."
"The king doesn't have to be male either." Carlos noted, beginning to understand.
"Right. It's just a personality type and the role it plays in the court dynamic." Jane rambled on, and Jay interrupted before she could go on a tangent.
"I get that this is part of Mal's heritage, and I respect that. But why does it matter to us?" The thief murmured, crossing his arms.
"It's not just the Fae. The dynamic is repeated once a century, on the same basis." Jane smiled serenly. "The earliest recorded version was the original Fae court. The latest was King Arthur and his inner circle.
"In every era, four powerful beings emerge, chosen by a higher power to end the era, and usher in a new one. Personally, I'm beginning to believe they're always the original four, reincarnated. I don't have any proof though. It's just a theory." The girl finished, everyone in the room could feel the atmosphere, tense with magic.
"This isn't just a bid for power." Evie murmured, and shook her head in awe. "It's preordained. Destiny."
"What we were always meant to do." Jay whispered, frowning, and he didnt want to believe it, wanted to rail against fate, because it was his choice, dammit! But he knew in his soul that it was true.
"This changes nothing." Mal smirked. Even though it changed everything. "I'm still going to burn it to the fucking ground."
"We'll be right there with you, Mal." Carlos grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Don't think you can get rid of us that easy."
"I want to take that gold crown right off of Ben's pretty little head." Evie smirked, grinning like the evil little minx she was, and Mal thought that the crown wouldn't fit her. It'd fall right down over her eyes, but it was the thought that counted. She'd give Evie anything she wanted, anything her heart desired, and an ill-fitting crown was the least of it.
She was caught up in her own revenge fantasies when Mal realized that Jane was still sitting right there, and they'd never really talked about the whole villain thing, and what they still planned to do to Auradon and all the people Jane grew up with.
"Uh, Jane?" The faerie asked, when she saw that her secret keeper was serene as ever, with that well of inner peace that had been steadily growing since she first embraced her magic.
"It's okay Mal. I know what you're going to do. And I'm okay with that." The girl explained. "The people I care about will survive. It's been foretold already. The people who deserve their fates will get them. That's the best thing about your new order, Mal."
"What is?" The purple queen asked, leaning forward intently, and still not quite sure why Jane wasn't cowering in fear.
"It's fair, Mal. Everyone is going to get what they deserve, and balance will be restored." Jane grinned, more of an Isle smirk than she'd ever shown before. "My magic can't wait for the wrongs to be righted."
"Even if that means people have to die?" Mal asked, and Jane nodded, her face taking on a more solemn expression.
"There's been so much death already. Once the end is complete, and you're in charge, the killing will stop, finally." Jane smiled fondly. "The world will be in baance."
"Excellent." Mal grinned, and her eyes glowed like knowing emeralds.
• • •
"Okay Ben, what's going on?" Doug asked, taking his friend aside, after their meeting with the Dwarves had finally concluded. It had been a long three days, and only ended when Ben finally confessed that he probably wouldn't be able to get the miners what they wanted.
But he knew a nation that would give them a better offer in approximately two months or so.
"What's this other nation you're talking about?" Doug asked, and glanced around to see if they were alone, before he continued. "Didn't your dad tell you to get production started again?"
"It's complicated. A long story." Ben sighed deeply, and Doug raised an eyebrow.
"I've got time." Dopey's son settled against the wall to wait, and Ben sighed, before taking his arm, and dragging him into the room they were sharing for the mission.
"Listen, I need your promise that you won't breathe a word of this to anyone." The young Prince asked, and Doug glanced out the window. He crossed his arms and thought about it.
"What's going on?" Doug finally asked, looking lost, and sat down in the chair across from Ben.
"There's a queen out there, on an Island called Avalon. I'm madly, desperately in love with her." Ben explained, even as he stared out the window and imagined Mal there, smiling at him, encouraging him to continue.
"She wants me to get her the Dwarves. Why? I don't know. But I'm going to do what she wants me to." Ben explained. At Doug's questioning look, he amended: "She really does plan to give them a better offer. It's just that her capital is mostly in military and gems right now. She needs to sell off some phsyical artifacts and stuff before she can pay the Dwarves what they want."
"Dude, you're seriously most over-the-top boyfriend I've ever seen. Most girls get candy on a special occasion. You're giving this chick an entire dwarven mine system." Doug snipped. "Who the heck is this girl?"
"She's an angel, Doug. I loved her from the moment I saw her. She's the best ruler in a century, who turns ashes into gold."
While Ben rambled on about how wonderful his dream girl was, Doug got into his suitcase, and pulled out a bottle of water, which he then dumped on the Prince's head.
"For goodness sakes, Doug! What the actual hell!?" The prince muttered, gasping and sputtering out water. "My good suit is soaked!"
"Enchanted lake water. It breaks minor compulsions and mind-altering enchantments." Doug muttered in way of explanation. "I think you might have been under a love spell."
"How do you know so much about magic?" Ben asked, admittedly a little impressed.
"Dwarves are magical creatures, Ben." Doug sighed. "Even though I know magic is outlawed, I can't just stop enchanting gems, or smelted ore. It's just my nature."
"That's just another reason I love my Queen." Ben smiled. "She loves magic. All magic. She thinks it should be free."
"If you still feel that strongly, I guess I owe you an apology." The son of Dopey shrugged. "It seems you're not under a love spell after all."
"You were just being a good friend, Doug. Thank you." Ben grinned.
"So, what's this dream girl's name?" Doug grinned, and elbowed Ben.
"Mal. Mal Morgana." The prince dreamily replied, and Doug felt the ground drop out from under him.
"That girl who took over the Isle?" The young man asked, in a low voice, as if afraid he'd be overheard.
"She took over so that she could improve the quality of life for those who don't deserve to be there!" Ben exclaimed.
"They're villains, Ben. They all deserve to be there." Doug hissed. "She's trying to take over Auradon!"
"I'm not under a love spell, I'm doing this because it's the right thing. I'm soon-to-be King, Doug, and I'm choosing the winning side." Ben murmured in his most persuasive voice, the kind he used on finicky diplomats and feuding royals. "Don't you want magic to be free, Doug? Aren't you tired of being a second class citizen?"
And Doug thought, seriously thought about that, because he remembered being called a freak, by Chad and other students at school. Some even told him he didn't deserve to be there. He recalled how, as the son of a sidekick, and not a hero, he was relegated to a side table with basic chairs, opposed to the intricately carved mahogany that some of his friends got. He recalled all the times when he was pushed around and bullied, but the perpetrators were never punished because they were 'the good guys' and 'how could such a good kid ever do that?'
"Isn't she married to the daughter of the Evil Queen?" Doug ventured, and Ben got a dreamy expression.
"Evie doesn't mind sharing." He grinned, imagining the two of them kissing in front of him.
"That's not my point, doofus." Doug rolled his eyes. "When the inevitable take-over comes-"
"She's not going to take over, Doug, she just wants to reform the system." Ben interrupted.
"Uh-huh. Reform it like she reformed the Isle." Doug deadpanned.
"Well, when you put it like that..."
"My point is, Ben, when the inevitable hostile invasion takes place... What do I do, to keep my head off the chopping block?" Doug asked with a sigh. He wanted all the things Ben had reminded him of, but he had really hoped it wouldn't result in such bloodshed. He didn't want to have to see people suffer and die (and he didn't know until later that people were suffering. And people were dying. They had been for years on the Isle.)
"Make four crowns, Doug." Ben explained, and Doug found himself nodding, because he'd done smithing work before. It was how he'd paid his tuition for Auradon Prep, having come from a lower-class family. It was something he had a lot of experience with, and would probably enjoy doing.
"Make two for a woman, and two for a man." Ben explained, and Doug pulled out a notebook and began writing details.
"What do you know about them? It needs to be personal." Doug explained, and Ben cast his mind back to the beautiful people he'd met in that first meeting through the magic mirror.
"The first king is from Agrabah, the son of Jafar. He's a fighter, and a thief. He has dark hair and eyes, and his skin is the same color as burned desert sand." Ben explained, and Doug noted that the way he said it was the same awe-filled way he talked about Mal and Evie.
"The second king is the son of Cruella DeVil. He's so slight and pale that you think he might break like porcelain if you touched him. That's not true though. He can kill you with a thought. He sees himself as better than everyone, because he is. He has big, and pretty, dark eyes - the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen on a man, and he has freckles that look like a starry sky."
"And Evie... God, how do I describe Evie?" Ben mused, dreaming of her smile, of her lips, and her hair, and her eyes. "She's an angel, Doug. The most beautiful woman you've ever seen, with hair as blue as sapphires, and lips as red as blood. Not just beautiful either - she's a genius, and she carries herself with grace and power, like an Auradonian queen."
As he described her, Doug felt himself falling in love, just a little, with the ghost description of a girl he'd never met, and the dwarf understood why Ben loved them.
"And Mal is the best of them. She's feminine, but clearly a ruler at the same time. She's dominating, where Auradon girls are demure. She lives, and breathes, and exudes magic in everything she does. She's living magic and sex appeal, and she's like a goddess, but more. She has dark purple hair, and eyes that glow green in a way no human's can."
Doug was scribbling, writing this descriptions as Ben spewed them out like he couldn't help himself, and when he was finally done, he threw his notes to the side, and pulled out his sketch book to work on the designs.
"They're the greatest, Doug. All of them. They're going to remake the world." Ben mused, staring back at the ceiling with dreamy eyes. Doug wasn't quite under the same obligation to trust and believe them like Ben did (although later, when he saw them, he would go back on that sentiment and pledge fealty to Evie). But the son of Dopey wasn't nearly as stupid as his father's namesake implied. He wanted to be on the winning side of the coming war, that was all.
Currently, it seemed that Mal had the upper hand.