(Evie)

"You really are trying to murder me," Mal joked suddenly, her voice set deeper than her usual tone.

Though Evie wanted to laugh she only let her mouth curve upward into a sarcastic smile as she turned around to face the girl walking two steps behind her, giving her an expression that told Mal she wasn't amused. In reality, she was glad it was their earlier conversation that had come back to light instead of something new, the playful banter helping distract her from the tempting lure of Mal's voice, keeping her from finding it seductive – well, for the most part, she was human, after all.

"Maybe I am," Evie mused, arching her eyebrow as a smirk appeared to grace her features. "What everybody will want to know is why you're following me anyway."

"And they will never know," Mal replied without hesitation despite sounding nervous.

Evie would be worried if there was even a sliver of possibility that Mal actually believed she would hurt her, but she was extremely aware that the girl was simply trying to keep conversation flowing between them. Slowing down her stride, Evie extended her hand to Mal, a small smile manipulating her mouth as she wiggled her fingers, her eyes gleaming with mischief. Mal lifted her eyebrow in question, reaching out to slide her fingers through Evie's, the look present in her eyes telling her that she wasn't afraid of her.

"Not afraid of me, huh?" Evie questioned, pulling Mal to her side so they could walk together, hand-in-hand. "I'll have to do something about that."

Mal snorted. "Good luck. I'll never be afraid of a princess."

"I don't see why," Evie replied honestly, thinking of Audrey. "Princesses can be quite frightening."

"Oh, really?" Mal arched her eyebrow, lightly bumping Evie's arm with her shoulder. "Which one are you afraid of?"

"What? I didn't..."

"Sure you didn't," Mal shook her head in amusement, her smirk taunting.

Evie narrowed her gaze at the girl, releasing a conceding huff. "Fine. Audrey scares me a little bit, but only because she's literally insane."

"Audrey?" Mal's lips quirked the slightest bit, and the smug look settling into her features made Evie want to get rid of it; though she wasn't sure if she wanted to do it by smacking, or kissing, her. "Have I met that one?"

"I don't know who you have and haven't met," Evie answered unhelpfully, silently hoping the girl hadn't met the princess, though she found herself wondering how that meeting would play out. "You should really keep track of people yourself, you know."

Mal merely shrugged. "I only care to remember the names of the people who aren't annoying."

Struggling to keep herself from laughing, Evie playfully rolled her eyes, making sure Mal had seen her do so. Mal didn't react to her in any way, and she didn't give her a verbal response, instead focusing her attention on the signs labeling the paths ahead of them, a smile setting into her features when she saw how close they were to their destination.

For the first time in her life, Evie felt like a truly giddy school-girl as she tightened her fingers around Mal's and tugged her off the main pathway into the thick trees. She was unbelievably ecstatic to show Mal the meadow she had spent many hours of various days hiding away in, ignoring the eyes full of hate and looks expressing distrust that had followed her everywhere when she had first arrived in Auradon. Even though it had been less than a year since things had calmed down she had changed miraculously since then. She hadn't been like Carlos and Jay; she hadn't been capable of ignoring what others thought of her, she had strove for everyone's love and envy, and being surrounded by people who expressed the opposite emotions had frightened her, brought her head from the clouds and into reality. The meadow had been a sanctuary for her, a place where she could pretend the hate didn't exist, and the only person she had ever brought to see it was Lonnie, not even Carlos and Jay had been introduced to her hiding place.

But now, she wanted Mal to see it. She wanted Mal to forget about every lie that had poisoned her brain and fooled her into believing she wasn't worth anything; she wanted Mal to breathe in its beauty and realize she deserved everything, the way Evie had realized she deserved to find her own joy instead of her mother's.

Having been lost in her thoughts and too focused on getting to the meadow, Evie hadn't realized that Mal was watching her intently, almost as if she had been saying everything on her mind. Though she knew it was impossible for the girl to have heard her thoughts, she glanced nervously over her shoulder in attempt to postpone meeting the girl's gaze because with only a brief peripheral glance she had been able to tell that Mal was contemplating something; and she felt slightly anxious about figuring out what was going through the other girl's mind. After a minute, she still refused to look at the girl, and she decided to bring up her staring indirectly.

"You're going to run into something if you don't watch where you're going."

Nothing. Mal didn't even look away in embarrassment from being caught staring.

Finally, she looked to her right to meet the girl's gaze. "What?"

"Nothing," Mal replied unconvincingly, shaking her head slightly.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Evie asked curiously, focusing back on the woods stretching in front of them.

"Just trying to remember what your name is," Mal answered with a smirk.

It took her a moment to realize what was happening, but when the ending of their conversation popped back into her mind she let go of the girl's hand and shoved Mal away, incapable of stopping herself from joining in the laughter when Mal's laugh rang through the air. I love this girl.

"I hate you," Evie said, her smile contradicting her words as she stepped away from Mal when the girl attempted to rejoin her.

"Oh, come on," Mal pleaded through her continued laughter, reaching out for Evie's hand again, only managing to grab air when the taller girl moved her hand from her reach another time. "Don't act this way, Evie, I remember your name."

"Clearly," Evie noted, glancing at the girl through her peripheral vision.

Still, Evie stepped away when Mal reached for her again, a smile reshaping her lips when she heard the girl huff in frustration; she enjoyed messing with this girl far too much. Mal fell back to walk behind her again, but she knew better than to believe the girl had given up, well aware that it was an endless loop between them messing with each other. She wouldn't want it any other way. However, she wasn't expecting Mal to lung forward and snake her arms around her waist so quickly that she didn't even have time to release a breath, and she found herself shrieking when she was lifted from the ground.

"What are you doing?" Evie shouted, fingers clasping tightly around Mal's arms, her nails digging into the leather of the girl's jacket in fear.

"You wouldn't let me hold your hand," Mal stated like it explained everything, refusing to relax her hold on Evie and put her down.

"So you pick me up?" Evie exclaimed, attempting to use her height to her advantage by reaching for the ground with her feet, however, Mal seemed to have her held high enough to stop her from succeeding. "How are you even doing this? You're at least five inches shorter than me, I should be able to touch the ground."

"You are not five inches taller than me," Mal scoffed in disbelief, seemingly offended by the statement.

"Put me down and we'll see," Evie retorted, digging her fingers further into the leather when she felt Mal lifting her higher by winding an arm underneath her knees. "You're crazy, M."

"I know," Mal offered her a crooked smile, sticking her tongue out in the process. "But that doesn't mean you're five inches taller than me."

"I'm sorry if you're in denial, but you're kind of short, Mal," Evie squealed when Mal started spinning her around. "Stop it!"

Laughing, Mal finally let her feet touch the ground again, but only after she had spun her around enough times that Evie stumbled the slightest bit when she first stood on her own; she had to reach out and grab hold of Mal's shoulder to steady herself. When she got over her slight dizziness she turned on the girl and smacked her arm.

"Ouch," Mal laughed, bringing her hand up to rub the area she had hit.

"You deserved that," Evie stated, continuing through the trees without the girl, only looking over her shoulder when she realized she wasn't following. "You coming?"

Mal arched her eyebrow, but didn't respond verbally.

"Don't give me that look," Evie pushed her lower lip out in a pout, noting the way sea-green eyes immediately flickered down to watch the movement closely. "You started this. You're always doing things I don't want you to do."

"What can I say? I'm rebellious," Mal shrugged nonchalantly, one corner of her mouth quirking upward.

"Yeah, you're also short," Evie rolled her eyes despite the smile that now tugged at her lips, recalling the conversation they'd had about fighting when the girl was in the infirmary; why is she like this? "Neither of them have anything to do with you following me, so come on."

Mal made her way over to Evie, stopping with only a few inches between them. Evie's breath hitched in her throat, and if it was anyone else she would have cursed herself for allowing her body to react in such a way, having always believed she was the only one in any relationship who could break the other down with ease; I was so wrong. But she didn't mind the way she couldn't control her body with Mal, it was somehow liberating – though not being able to do anything about it contradicted everything.

"Take them off," Mal spoke quietly, almost as if she was afraid someone would overhear them.

"Take what off? My clothes?" Evie questioned with an arched eyebrow, well aware what the girl meant but not wanting to miss the opportunity. "In the middle of the woods, Mal? That's a bit strange, don't you think?"

Like she had expected, Mal's cheeks turned red immediately, however, she found herself surprised when the girl's gaze flickered lower than it usually did, scanning her body briefly before averting completely, her cheeks even more flushed. Someone's imagining, Evie smirked, bringing her hands up to rest on her hips as she raised both her eyebrows this time.

Eventually, Mal seemed recovered enough to clarify. "Your heels."

"Ah, I see," Evie was being dramatic, but that's what made it so amusing to her. "And why do you want me to take off my heels?"

"Are you afraid to see the truth about our heights?" Mal met Evie's gaze again, all nerves washed away by a smirk that screamed a challenge. She crossed her arms over her chest, the action causing her arms to skim Evie as well.

"No," Evie breathed out, knowing she was taller than the girl even without her heels; how much taller, she wasn't sure. "I'm still taller than you. I'm five-foot-five, how tall are you?"

Mal knit her eyebrows together in thought. "Don't know."

"Not as tall as me," Evie teased, reaching up to tuck a wild strand of purple hair behind Mal's ear. "Come on, M, you don't have to be taller than me."

"Oh, I definitely don't mind that you're taller than me," Mal snorted, clearly amused. "You're just not five inches taller than me, not without your heels, Princess."

"You don't mind?" Evie questioned, a smirk reshaping her lips as she quirked an eyebrow. "Enjoy looking up at me, do you?"

Mal's gaze left hers for a moment, but not long enough to clue Evie in on what she had been glancing at. "If that's what you want to believe, then yes."

Despite not knowing exactly what Mal had been glancing at Evie felt as though the girl was still imagining the earlier scenario she had painted, and this time it was her cheeks that heated. Does she mean...? She tried to glance down subtly to see if the girl was anywhere near being lined up with her chest; no, she's short, but not that short. She sighed. This isn't getting any easier, Evie realized as she tore her gaze from Mal's, feeling exposed in an extremely different way than usual; when did everything start seeming so sexual? She figured she needed to get her head on straight. Mal was only seventeen, she didn't even know if the girl even thought about that kind of thing, yet. Her eyes fell shut in disappointment when her mind immediately focused on the last word of that sentence.

However, their entire morning flashed through Evie's mind as if she were watching her own life on a television, and she found herself wondering if she had everything wrong. She couldn't stop wondering, what if? She couldn't stop thinking about everything. The gentle, loving way Mal had caressed her chin to get their eyes connected as she said: You will always be a princess to me, E. The way she had combed through her hair while telling her that nobody was as great as her. The way she had held her close and whispered in her ear: I kind of like it. The way she had only stared at her lips when there had been little space between their bodies. And now; the way Mal had scanned her body after she had made a joke about undressing. What if I'm making a huge mistake by not telling her how I feel? She really didn't know what to think in this moment, but she knew that being confused wasn't the ideal time.

And that's why she took a step away and turned to continue leading Mal to the meadow, however, when a hesitant hand grabbed hold of hers she brought her gaze back to the shorter girl without wasting a moment. She wasn't prepared to see the timid confusion coating Mal's eyes, and she definitely wasn't prepared for the words that spilled from irresistible lips as though it were impossible to keep them from doing so.

"What's going on between us, Evie?" Mal asked quietly, her eyes pleading for a specific answer while presenting her growing hesitation. "Is all of this normal for friends?"

Evie was frozen with disbelief. Did she just...? This was the moment she had been waiting for, the moment where she could admit everything, and yet all she could do was open her mouth in attempt to speak while nothing actually came out. She had never once thought words would fail her when this time came.

"Not..."

But as soon as she got the first word out an unexpected pain seared through her chest, quickly spreading through the rest of her body and stealing everything from inside her. Her knees buckled and she collapsed, the only thing keeping her from colliding harshly with the ground being the arms that wrapped around her in panic. She thought she heard Mal's voice, but she couldn't decipher a single word the girl said, her entire body feeling like it was about to explode, her head throbbing hard enough she swore she could hear her skull cracking with every pulse.

(Mal)

Panicking, Mal's mind completely left her as she felt her stomach turn inside out at the sight of Evie suffering. No, please, she begged, though she wasn't sure who or what she was begging to; please don't do this to her. She doesn't deserve it. Give it to me instead. That last piece echoed in her head multiple times before something dawned on her, her mind slowly returning from the numb state it had descended into the second Evie had collapsed into her.

However, before she could do anything something alarming caught her attention, and – cursing just about everything that existed – she looked up from the girl convulsing in her arms to find several hooded men and women approaching them from where they had hidden themselves in the thick treeline. I'm so fucking stupid! Mal cursed herself for letting her guard break down, well aware that it was the only reason any of this was happening; I'm so sorry, Evie. I'm so sorry for failing you, too. But she hadn't, not yet, and so she forced herself to snap out of it and focus on the situation instead of damning herself for condemning them.

Glancing around frantically, she noticed they were completely surrounded.

"I'll fix this, Princess," Mal spoke through tears as she brought her gaze back to the girl in her arms, praying that Evie would never have to experience this amount of pain again. "I promise."

Holding Evie closer to her body she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, bracing herself for the pain she knew would crash over her in a few seconds. Gritting her teeth, she cried out in pain as she stole every ounce of pain from Evie's body until it swirled around inside of her, shredding her to pieces. How did she not scream?

"Mal?" Evie's voice broke through her senses.

She brought her blurred gaze to meet the red-brown eyes that belonged to the girl she cherished more than anything else in this world. Fingers clasped tightly around her arms, squeezing her as red-brown eyes widened in realization.

"What are you doing?" Evie questioned, searching sea-green eyes full of pain. "Give it back to me!"

Mal shook her head, but she knew she'd have to let go of the girl for a brief moment if she was going to get them out of this. Those unknown words that had often loomed over her, just out of her reach, now flashed in front of her mind, itching the back of her throat in attempt to get her to say them.

"I'm sorry," Mal apologized breathlessly, letting go of Evie.

The second Evie's back arched in pain she wanted to kill herself for letting the pain go back into her, but she pushed passed the overwhelming emotions scorching her to pull the zipper on her jacket so she could shrug it off her shoulders. Lifting Evie, she draped her jacket over her lithe shoulders as she siphoned the pain from the girl's body again, letting it flood through her.

"Get on my back," Mal hissed, gaze settling on the agents approaching at a quicker pace.

"What?" Evie questioned, completely baffled.

"Get on my back!" Mal repeated with more urgency, looking directly into Evie's eyes and pleading with her. "And don't let go."

With only another brief moment of hesitation, Evie moved as quickly as she could with the aftershocks of the pain still traveling through her body, crawling onto Mal's back and wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. Breathing deeply, Mal closed her eyes and focused on the imminent danger surrounding them, forcing herself to ignore Evie's comforting touch as the girl leaned her cheek against the side of her head. It only took a few seconds of telling herself that she knew who was behind this attack to infuriate herself enough for it to work.

"Don't for a second loosen your hold," Mal told Evie as she allowed fury to fill her body along with the pain she continued stealing from the older girl's body.

And within another second they were both surrounded in green smoke as Mal transformed into her dragon form, never once focusing on anything else other than Evie, making sure the girl was still placed safely on her back. She reared up, letting a growl break free from deep within as she finally focused in on the agents – fire escaping through her bared teeth – prepared to do everything it took to save Evie.

The agents all faltered in their steps, looking terrified as they stared up at the large dragon in front of them, seemingly realizing why Head had always kept her obsessively leashed. But she didn't care about anything any of them had done to her, she only cared that they now threatened Evie, that they were here to kill her. As she sprung forward she heard a scream from directly behind her, and she closed her eyes briefly; please hold on, Princess. That's exactly what Evie did, the hold around her neck tightening as the girl flattened her body against her neck and dug her legs into her back, holding on with every ounce of strength inside of her. The reassurance that Evie wouldn't fall was all she needed, and nothing could stop her as she threw her claws into one group of agents, tearing through every one of them with a single swipe.

All she wanted was to fly away, to not let Evie know how many people she had murdered in her life, but she knew that it wasn't an option; if she let them live now they would only keep attacking until one side fell in defeat, and she wasn't about to let that side be hers. It wasn't just her and Evie anymore, it was both Carlos and Jay as well, both of the boys having been drug into her mess because of her careless behavior; and there was nothing in this world that would ever get her to allow any of those three to die for any reason, especially not one that was entirely her fault.

And so she fought, turning on the second group of agents with her claws while she smashed the third with her spiked tail, none of them surviving either blow. Pulling back, she released a breath of fire on the final group that had closed in on them from behind, waiting for the last agent to fall before pushing off the ground. Loading her next breath with magic, Mal breathed her fire over the entire area, the flames erasing any evidence of the gruesome battle instead of scorching the beautiful trees that had hidden it from the rest of Auradon. Without a second thought, she lifted herself into the air, spreading her wings and flying away from the battle she would now have to explain to Evie, knowing she was even less prepared for the fight that would surely come next.