Chapter Fourteen

A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything and everyone else is owned either by Disney or by the Greek myths.

Woo! Thank the Gods for snow days, otherwise I probably wouldn't be getting this chapter out right now! But with the joy of not having anywhere to go, all I could really do is write. This was actually meant to be a few chapters but I combined the ideas simply because on their own, I felt they almost got repetitive.

I would also like to just say this: I regret the day Natalie ever popped into my head. She is probably the most hated OC I've ever written.

Special shout out to AmethystDragon14 for their help on this chapter! You're the best!

.906: Oh I'm so glad that you liked the chapter!

danifan3000: Let's just Leah won't have much need for allies. As for Frollo, well the delusional usually don't realize they're delusional. Plus he thought he was doing what he was doing in the name of God.

TheRanger'sDaughter: You're very welcome, yeah I also thought that Gaston's family tree would be really complicated just based on who he was in BatB. Yep, our Daniel is based on the OUAT Daniel. I am using the OUAT version of Regina in that she truly loves Daniel but after Maleficent kidnapped him, she more than likely turned into herself and started taking the frustrations out on Evie. No it's not bad, it's who I thought of as I was writing this. Uma's dad is Facilier, Evie's dad is Daniel, Jay's mom is Jacquline from OUAT (Jack and the Beanstalk) but she's dead, Carlos' dad is Le Pelt, Gil's mom is Claudette, and Harry's mom is Milah. Yeah France and Germany are fairly close to each other so it's possible the same Enchantress made both mirrors.

twilightgirl587: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! As for Leah, well something tells me she's absolutely miserable. Abdicated basically means he stepped down (think about what Prince Harry did or Queen Elizabeth's uncle).

AmethystDragon14: Oh yay! Yep, Daniel is on the mend and how could I not do an Evie centered chapter? :D I honestly think the gossip chain in Auradon Prep could rival the one at Hogwarts.

OceanBlueSeaEyes: Oh thank you! Yeah, a talk between Uma and Evie is coming-but it won't be for a while. I've got 45 chapters planned for this story (just like its predecessor) so a lot more needs to happen.

AliceCullen3: Oh thank you!

Guest: Thank you so much and you are quite welcome!

Sorceress of Magic: After what I put Evie through in the last story, I had to give her a bit of good in this one. :D

lilyflower101: Honestly, I don't know yet. She probably won't play that big a role considering we're mainly in Auradon here.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think-and cookies for whoever gets the NCIS reference I made in this chapter! :D

Mal rushed down the hall of Auradon Prep, frantically trying to get to her next class before she had another meeting with Natalie. Ever since Leah's exile, her handler had been piling on more and more 'Lady of the Court' lessons.

It was one thing to be a Lady by right, what with her father being a God, but she still needed to know how to act. Gods forbid she accidentally embarrass Ben right?

But it was getting to be a bit too much. She just felt stressed and panicked all the time. And what was worse was she had a feeling those emotions were leaking out through her mental link because she could feel a constant pressure there. As if someone was trying to talk to her.

I know someone's trying to talk to me though, Mal thought, clutching her books to her chest like a shield as she weaved through the crowded hallway; keeping her head down slightly as to avoid detection. It's been about three months since Ben's coronation and I've had the mental link on mute ever since. Mom must be going spare but I just can't talk to her about this. It'd be like admitting defeat—and VKs don't do that.

Not to mention it almost seemed cruel. Her mother was still on the Isle for another three months. Talking to her about everything that was going on would only hurt her since there was nothing Persephone could do.

Quickly cutting through the quad as if to take a shortcut, Mal couldn't help but smile as she felt the sun on her skin. She had lived sixteen years without the sun so whenever she could now, she took the opportunity to feel it on her.

"Mal!"

Mal was startled by an unfamiliar voice calling her name. Whirling around, she could see about seven adults, each one armed with microphones and a few cameras, rushing toward her.

"Mal! How's it feel to be approaching your three month anniversary with King Ben?"

"Mal! Love your dress! Is that one of Evie's designs or did you switch it up this time?"

"Mal!"

"Mal!"

Mal frantically looked around, searching for a break in the chain as to allow her to escape but no luck. The reporters had surrounded her like the hyenas would surround their prey on the Isle.

Shenzi would probably not be happy to hear that comparison now that I think about it, Mal thought as the reporters continued to lobby questions at her without giving her time to answer.

"Mal! Can you address the allegations that Maleficent is truly your mother?"

Mal's eyes flashed. "What proof is there that Maleficent is my mother? A page in a registry that she put there herself? It takes more to be a mother than just a blood connection you know!"

She knew she shouldn't have snapped at that, all it would do would add fuel to the fire but she was honestly fed up with people not realizing that Maleficent was not her mother.

"Well seeing as you have the same shade of green eyes as Maleficent, and both Lord Hades and Lady Persephone have blue eyes—"

"Clearly you need to learn your biology," Mal scoffed. "Green eyes are considered blue on the genetic scale and two blue eyed parents can produce a green eyed child."

"A green eyed child who has the exact same shade as Maleficent?"

Mal's eyes flashed again and she could feel her magic bubble up inside of her, yearning to be let out. She never noticed, in her internal panic, the darkening of the sky above her or the ominous rumble of thunder in the background.

"Alright, break it up!"

The reporters and Mal turned their heads to see Macaria marching toward them, her two brothers flanking her on either side. Mal hadn't expected a rescue from her Olympian cousins but that didn't mean she wasn't thankful for it.

"Don't you lot have anything better to do?" Macaria snapped as she pushed through the mob of reporters. "Honestly, cornering a sixteen year old girl who did nothing but try to get to class! Let's go, Mal."

She gently looped her arm through Mal's and began walking off, Hyllus and Herkie flanking either side and preventing any of the reporters from being able to ask any additional questions. It wasn't until they were safely inside the building that Macaria let go of Mal's arm.

"Thanks," Mal said softly.

"Don't mention it," Macaria said with a small smile. "Hyllus thought maybe those piranhas would get scared off by the darkening sky but when that didn't happen, we thought we'd come give an assist."

An assist you'd know about if you didn't have us all on mute, Macaria thought with a small frown. She'd had her brothers try the mental link as well and sure enough, they were unable to reach Mal.

"Fairy Godmother's not going to be happy to know reporters are on the grounds," Hyllus frowned, bringing Macaria's attention back to the matter at hand. "With how many of the students are the heirs to their kingdom's throne, they have the right to expect privacy. Plus the parents probably expect their kids won't get hounded whenever they go to class."

"Oh Gods! Class!" Mal exclaimed, her fingers tingling due to the build up of magic that was still inside her yearning to be let out. "I'm so late, I got to—"

"Mal, calm down," Macaria said. "What class are you going to?"

"Life Skills Without Magic."

"Wait seriously? They put you in that class when you're a Godling?" Macaria asked before shaking her head slightly, as if to get herself back on track. "Well anyway, Merryweather will understand you being a bit late."

"Especially if she turns on the news," Herkie spoke up, handing his older sister his phone. "Just got an alert. 'Lady Mal freaks out at reporters'."

Mal groaned as Macaria watched the clip. She hated hearing her voice, hated hearing how annoyed and slightly panicked she sounded. On the Isle, she had been the best at keeping her voice cool and calm—the only one who could really tell what she was thinking was Harry, Jay and Uma.

Oh Gods, Ben's going to see that! Mal thought as her heart sank to her stomach. He's going to know how much of an embarrassment I am!

Had Mal been in a calmer frame of mind, she might have realized how ridiculous that line of thinking truly was. After all, this was Ben they were talking about. But with the excitement with the reporters and the build up of her magic, one could excuse Mal for not exactly thinking clearly.

Not to mention there wasn't a single meeting with Natalie where the handler didn't bring up how much of an embarrassment Mal was as a Lady. Honestly at this point it was just better for Mal to keep her head down rather than snap back.

"I have to go," Mal said softly. She couldn't keep watching that but she knew she couldn't go to class at this point either. Her magic was itching to be let out and while it would be ironic if it happened in her Life Skills Without Magic class, Mal didn't want anyone to get hurt because of it.

Ignoring Macaria and Hyllus calling her name, Mal hightailed it back to her dorm. One might say she almost sprinted based on how fast she was going. Tossing her books on her bed, Mal began to pace back and forth, her breathing growing more frantic and ragged as her magic began to bubble and build.

Unable to take it anymore, Mal let loose a fireball—thankfully it only hit a nearby trashcan which would be easy enough to replace. Thankfully Estelle hadn't been in the room but had been with a caretaker Ben had set up—James Porter, an older student who was set to graduate the following year. He had been vetted and interviewed by Ben and Mal.

He was basically Estelle's version of Dean for Ben. Normally Mal would have never agreed to someone else who wasn't Hadie or Uma taking care of Estelle but as her schedule got more and more packed, she knew it wasn't fair for her lovable dog to be cooped up in their dorm room.

Thankfully Estelle took a liking to James right away and, if Mal was honest, so did she. He didn't shy away from asking questions that first day and he was quick to let her know if something happened with Estelle.

But as she looked at herself in the mirror of her vanity, all Mal saw was the same bright green eyes that used to terrorize her as a toddler. The same eyes that allowed people to still make the claim that she was Maleficent's daughter.

This wasn't the first time she had hated her eyes. Ever since she was thirteen, Mal had hated the fact that she shared the same shade of green as the Dragon.

Mal laid down on her bed, curled into a ball. She had just gotten back from her one night a week stay at Casa de Dragon and she hated it. Hated the fact that she had any connection to Maleficent at all. Hated the fact that she saw the same eyes whenever she looked in a mirror.

"Mali?" Persephone said softly as she knocked on the doorframe. "Can I come in?"

"It's your house mom," Mal muttered.

Persephone gave a sad smile at that as she walked into Mal's room. "It may be my home but it's also your home too Mal. I just wanted to check on you, Hadie said you seemed a bit down when you came home. Maleficent didn't…she didn't give you a 'lesson' as you kids call them?"

"No," Mal shook her head. "She's not happy with my level of villainy but for a change she's willing to ignore it this week. I think she's coming up with a new plan for getting off the Isle. Not like it'll work."

"Best to let her find that out herself," Persephone said with a small shake of her head.

"Mom?" Mal said after a few minutes. "Why…when you adopted me, why didn't my eyes change?"

"That's a good question Mal," Persephone said. "Remember I only adopted you magically, meaning biologically you're still Maleficent's. You have some of my powers though and I would assume that would also make you a full God like Hadie, granting you the immortality as well but I'd have to research that."

Mal sighed and flopped back on the bed, having sat up when her mom walked in.

"Did you want your eyes to change?" Persephone asked.

"…kinda," Mal said in a small voice, a voice that didn't really suit her. "I'm just…I'm tired of seeing Maleficent's eyes everywhere I go. It's almost like a reminder that no matter what I do, I can't escape her. She'll always have some claim to me."

Persephone sighed and brushed her fingers through Mal's hair. "Mal honey, you know I love your eyes. I love every bit of you but the last thing I want is for you to be unhappy. If it truly bothers you that much, would you want me to look into some contacts to give you a different eye color the next time I'm in Auradon?"

"You..you can do that? Make your eyes a different color?" Mal asked, her voice soft. "Doesn't that seem more like something you'd do through magic? Which would be blocked by the barrier?"

"There are magical ways to do it sweetie, maybe one day if you get off the Isle you can do it magically, but yes there is a way for you to have different colored eyes without using magic."

"But Maleficent would notice wouldn't she?" Mal asked softly. "She's vain enough that she'd notice if I started sporting a different eye color."

"Mal, honey, how many times does she look at you close enough to get a good look at your eyes?"

Mal shrugged. "Probably never if she even looks at me at all. She's too busy planning her way off the Isle."

"Exactly."

"I…I could really have a way to…no wait, the only way Uma, Harry and Jay have any protection is because everyone knows I'm Maleficent's daughter. Someone would notice the change," Mal sighed. She was stuck.

"…what if we made it so your eyes were still green but they weren't the same shade?" Persephone suggested. "That way, people would still see the green eyes but you wouldn't have the same as Maleficent?"

After all, most if not almost all of the Isle residents were dumber than a sack of potatoes. All they'd see is a pair of green eyes.

"But…neither you nor dad have green eyes. Couldn't someone say—?"

"Blue eyed parents can still produce a green eyed child Mali. It all has to do with genetics and genetically green eyes are still considered to be blue. So? What do you think? You'd still have green eyes but not 'Maleficent' green."

Mal had, at the time, elected to keep her eyes just in case Maleficent ever noticed. Not to mention the fact that contacts seemed like too much work for the Isle. The last thing she would want was to be seen as 'prissy' especially as the co-captain of the largest crew or gang on the Isle.

But now? I mean she was in Auradon after all, and no one seemed to bat an eye at prissiness. Going over to her laptop, which had been a gift from Ben, Mal pulled up a search browser and began searching for colored contacts.

I mean, sure I could do it magically but the spell might wear off then, Mal thought as she searched. And then you've got the stress of reapplying it plus what if it fades when I'm around Ben? Or worse, mom or Hadie? I don't need something super different, maybe just a shade or two darker than my regular color.

Finally, she found a pair that looked like they would be perfect. Unfortunately, like all good plans, there was a snag.

"…since when does Auradon have an optometrist?" Mal muttered to herself as she saw that the contacts were only available through a prescription. "Are there any heroes that even have glasses? Oh wait, Milo Thatch but you'd think Kida would fix his eyes. Glasses don't really seem the most practical."

After all, you never saw any kids with glasses on the Isle. Then again, a crummy medical system and a lack of sun might have prevented those from even being options. Kids might have just grown up thinking they had poor eyesight.

"Great, what am I going to do now?" Mal sighed. "There's no way a doctor will give me a prescription for something just because I want it. Not without mom's or my guardian's permission since I'm under eighteen. Never mind the fact that I'm a Godling and needing a prescription for non prescription colored contacts is stupid…"

Mal trailed off as she began to form an idea and quickly opened a new tab, pulling up the online shopping website used by many a student and beloved by all of Auradon. If they didn't have what Mal was looking for, she would be officially out of luck.

Typing out the search, Mal scanned the pages; looking for the exact item she would need. It didn't take her long before she found them. Enough contacts to last her three months and there was no need for a prescription.

Plus, since Evie had used her laptop to buy new supplies, her expedite account was still logged in. Meaning Mal could get the contacts in about two days.

Moving quickly, as to avoid losing her nerve, Mal added the contacts to her cart. Then, after fishing out her wallet from her pocket (hey, she was desperate not stupid. She knew that Evie would probably get an alert if she used the card attached to the blue haired girl's account) and even if it was only about thirty dollars, Mal did not feel comfortable stealing that from Evie.

Besides, the fewer people who knew the better. As the old saying went: the best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. Second best? Tell one person—if you must. There is no third best.

Evie was great but if she somehow told her father, Daniel might tell Ben. Or her mom. Or both.

Quickly entering in her card information, Mal placed the order and then erased her purchase from Evie's account. Mal relaxed for a split second—until she remembered something.

Crap! Evie's account means Evie would get an email about that delivery! But wait, she's ordered so much stuff for her business, she might just think that it's related to something she ordered. Though note to self, set up an account for yourself so this doesn't happen again.

Mal nodded and went back to deleting her search history. Just on the off chance someone went rifling through her computer.

"Well," she said once she was finished. "I guess I should head to class. After all, Merryweather's going to notice I was gone."

Though what was missing one class really going to hurt? Mal thought After all you've got a meeting with Natalie right after that class. What would you rather do? Be stressed all through class because of how much you've missed and therefore have a horrible time with Natalie or miss one class and have a less than pleasant time with Natalie?

Mal sighed. If she was honest, she knew she'd pick no time at all with Natalie but she wasn't going to make problems for Ben.

"I guess…I could go over some of the decisions that need to be made for Cotillion," Mal said slowly as she reached over to grab one of the many books that were cluttering her nightstand. "Natalie wants to know what sort of progress is being made and then if there's time I could read some of the books she gave me…"

The problem with Natalie piling on her schedule was that there was never any time to do the additional work she wanted Mal to do. As Natalie would often lament during their meetings, if Mal didn't have the hours blocked off for her magic practice it would be likely that there would be time to start the readings or work in their meetings.

I mean, it's not like Natalie respects those hours anyway. How many times has she found a way to cut into that time? Mal thought. It's probably why I've had so many flair ups lately.

Ben had done his part, and lobbied for her three hours a week to be increased to three hours a day after her fireball incident when she learned that the food being sent to the Isle had been purposefully turned rotten. Since Ben was the king, and his council were the ones setting up Mal's schedule, there was nothing Natalie could do outright but accept the change.

That didn't mean Natalie couldn't overload my schedule, Mal sighed. Especially seeing as she has my planner.

The older blonde had….'requested' Mal give her the planner after Leah's council trial. Mal couldn't escape the feeling that Leah had somehow ordered Natalie to get revenge for her behalf but…there was no way she could prove it.

Mal sighed and cracked open the book that she'd taken off her nightstand to read. Honestly—she would have gotten more useful information talking to anyone from the Isle about being a Lady of the Court than she did reading this dribble.

What in the world does it matter what fork I use? It's all going down the same hole anyway and by reducing the number of utensils used, you're not washing as many and therefore not using as much in the way of resources! Though multiple forks does mean that you could theoretically stab someone with one fork and keep eating with the other.

Somehow, she didn't think that was what Natalie had in mind when she said that there were some things Mal could learn from this book.

The dulcet tones of her cell phone broke through the silence and Mal scrambled to pick it up.

"Hello? Oh hi Natalie, I was just—no I didn't know I was running late, I thought—no Natalie, I'm not calling you a liar I was just say—yes Natalie I know we've been through this before, I—No you're not wasting your time, I promise. I'll be better," Mal said, wincing a little at that last line.

It reminded her too much of her toddler years and how she used to try to please Maleficent, before she learned that there was no truly pleasing that dragon.

"I'll be right there," Mal said softly. "Yes Natalie, I…I understand that everything's going to overlap now. Trust me, you've made it clear about how you feel about my training hours. Uh huh. We can talk more in person."

Mal hung up and sighed softly. There was only so much of her handler she could take before she felt like she was going to explode.

This is for Ben though. Ben's council believe you need Natalie and I'm not going to make life tougher for Ben. Besides, you're from the Isle. The kids there are facing worse than a snobby instructor, Mal thought as she stood up. Hopefully Natalie hasn't seen the news so she won't know about the reporter incident earlier.

Though, if Mal was being honest to herself, she knew that the likelihood of Natalie actually not knowing about that incident was about as big as Maleficent learning to love and turning back into a human.

"Okay, let's go," Mal sighed to herself before strolling out of her dorm, hoping she at least looked like her regular confident self. Even if that was the last thing she felt like. After all, like the old saying went: fake it till you make it.

Okay just relax, Mal thought as she neared her meeting room with Natalie. You go in there tense, Natalie will know. I swear it's like she can smell strife. You only have three more months until Cotillion anyway and then a huge amount of your duties will be done.

Nodding to herself, Mal sighed softly before pushing open the door to yet another mentally painful few hours.