Collaboration with Xez2003

The consequences of aiding a suspected witch were drastic and immediate.

Ben and Belle were moved into a different, more plush room in the palace since the other was buried in a mini-desert. His feet were shackled and chained to the bed and the door was locked. His mother had been tucked into bed adjacent to him. Ben was free to shuffle back and forth, from the window to the bookcase, and nothing else. For the first time in years, there was nothing to be done. No planning or work or anything.

Still, his mind wasn't clear. He was in danger, Mal could still be in danger, and he had no means of doing anything. He couldn't even talk to Carlos.

So, with a heavy heart and knowing the chances of him dying soon had exponentially increased, Ben pulled up a chair next to his mother's bed and took a seat.

It was hard to tell if she was still breathing. Sometimes he blinked and missed the rise of her chest and started bracing himself for her death, only to watch it fall again and start the grueling process all over.

As far as he knew, it could be like this until one of them died.

The sun began to set in the evening. Ben was starving. He hadn't eaten since the night he'd been shot since his dad and Audrey had interrupted them that morning. Frustrating. But as the sun was about to slither out of the sky and hide away for the night, he heard steps down the hallways outside and the thunk of a lock sliding out of place. Then two more. Wow, they must be really paranoid.

A brown eye peeked inside. Ben didn't dare move as the door opened more to reveal a pink dress. Audrey. She was dressed in a much more regal fashion than she'd been sporting the last few weeks. A day gown with rose prints and white accents and jewels on her neck and in her ears. A fluffy warm shawl with gems in that too. The outfit seemed fit for some sort of gathering or outing or… a meeting. Ben narrowed his eyes.

Audrey was holding a tray with several covered items. He could smell soup and something salty and leaned forward so his stomach didn't churn so much. Just because he was going to accept whatever Audrey offered didn't mean she had to see how much he wanted it.

"Here's food," Audrey said softly. "Are you feeling okay?"

He shrugged. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to Audrey.

"Ben, I'm so sorry. We were only trying to keep you safe."

Ben crossed his feet under his chair. The chains rattled and Audrey inhaled. "Yes… those are just a precaution. I'm sorry - it wasn't really up to me." She held out a metal bowl with a matching lid. Ben took it and removed the lid. Soup. Or a really thick broth. He couldn't tell. It was warm, which was nice.

"What do you feel up to eating?" Audrey asked. "There's rice… vegetables… I didn't bring any meat but we have chicken downstairs."

"This is fine for now," Ben finally said. "I appreciate you bringing it. Thank you."

Audrey smiled and set the tray down on Belle's side. Ben squinted at it. "Is there anything I can give Mom?"

"I wasn't sure what she could have or if she'd wake up. The kitchen said she wasn't always able to take food." Audrey smoothed Belle's face down. "I think it's almost time."

"She's slipping away," Ben whispered. At least she was asleep through most of this instead of in pain. It was awful, watching her grow smaller and weaker while she slept and starved, but at least she wasn't awake to watch it herself.

Audrey hesitated, then reached for Ben's shoulder. When Ben did nothing but glance at her hand, she set it on his arm and rubbed a little circle there. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I really am."

Ben didn't say anything. He couldn't even find the strength to take a deep breath. All this energy was just burning and bubbling and twisting inside of him. He couldn't do anything. Couldn't move. Couldn't think.

"Your dad will be out of office soon," Audrey whispered. "Do you want me to get him so you two can sit together with her?"

Ben furrowed his brow. "He's in office?" he asked. "It's late." Then, he paused. "Whose office?"

"Well, someone has to rule Auradon while you're sick." Audrey hummed. "He's just tying up loose ends. Carlos is helping him."

Wrong, his head screamed at him. Wrong.

"No," Ben said. "I'll be back up to do everything my way tomorrow. I want you to go and tell him to get out."

Audrey puzzled over what to say and Ben felt the dread growing with every flick of her eyes. Left, right, up… that wasn't right either.

Finally, Audrey deflated and decided to go with the truth. "The court met today and it was agreed that you might be under a spell. You won't be back in office until we can prove otherwise."

Ben set the bowl down and put both hands to his forehead. The courts… the courts… the courts… they couldn't suspend the King but they could rule witchcraft and from that point on it would be assumed the King was lying or a danger… that was how they'd managed to chain him and lock him here without breaking a law… he was effectively insane unless he could prove he wasn't under Mal's control.

Truth be told, he was, but it wasn't any spell.

Audrey moved behind him. "Hey, calm down. We'll figure this out. We're going to help you. And now that Mal's gone, things will get better. You'll see."

"I'm not under a spell," Ben whispered. "I'm just going to keep acting the way I have been my entire life - this isn't a safety measure, it's usurpation."

"Why would you think that?" Audrey whispered. "I'm sure that everything will be fine. You'll be back out in a few days."

"Were you in that meeting?"

"I was."

Ben looked up at her. "You were?"

Audrey realized her mistake and took a moment to brace herself. "Carlos was present. I was there beside him and at your dad's request."

"Who else?" Ben demanded, stowing away the information about Carlos for later. Carlos was ten and too young to have any place in the courts. Ben had only been allowed in at ten because he'd been in training to be King. "Who else was there?"

"Everyone," Audrey shrugged and began counting on her fingers. "Your dad, me, Aladdin, Chad, Doug, my parents, everyone."

"Your dad was there?" Ben asked. "He was one of the people in the library. Why is he not in the dungeons?"

Audrey looked astounded. "He… he wasn't."

"He was," Ben said. "Your dad, Jasmine… they were all there, weren't they? None of them were arrested?"

"The dungeons are full-"

"No they aren't. There's never anyone down there." Ben stared at Audrey. His mind hadn't moved this quickly in ages, seaming all the pieces together and flattening them into this giant tapestry of deceit. "Everyone's in on it. All the old people. They all want me dead and now they've decided I'm insane and locked me up for the next time one of them decides to come and finish the job."

"That's not it!" Audrey exclaimed. "Ben, once we get this spell sorted out, everything will be fine."

"One of them shot me," Ben interrupted. He got to his feet and kicked the chain out as he went. "Someone shot me… they must have escaped through one of the top passageways. But no one knew about them except me, my mom, and my dad… they must have figured out the pattern… seen someone else, found it accidentally…" He put his head against the wall and braced his arms by his head. "No one is allowed to stay in the palace! They all go home. Always… they go home… all except-"

He had to shut his mouth off then.

The secret had been staring him in the face all this time.

Someone had let the assassins into the library passageway the first time.

Someone had told them where his bedroom was, because it'd been searched when he'd come back.

Romeo and Juliet may have been one of Belle's fondest plays, but it was also one Audrey knew quite well.

Ben turned around. "We summoned you to help Carlos," He said.

"Yes?" Audrey asked. Her face was quite pale.

"We sent out the order in the afternoon and you arrived that night," Ben whispered. "Auroria is farther than that… you were already here." He put his hands through his hair. "You're the one who attacked Mal. You were hiding in that church… You're in on all this."

"Of course I'm not!" Audrey exclaimed. "Ben… Ben, I love you! I've always loved you!" She threw herself at him, winding her arms around his neck and leaning in to try to kiss him.

Ben snatched the back of her head before she could. "You shot me!" he realized. "The assassins went in through your window - Carlos heard them and interrupted you but you sent him to bed. You ordered the servants away… and when Mal was trying to get your dad to tell us stuff, you knew who he was, so you shot me. I recognized your robe but I didn't realize it until now." He found the ring on her finger and pulled it off, examining the beast crest. He found what he was looking for immediately. "Wax. Sealing wax. You used this ring - our ring - to seal a document stating you would kill anyone magical. A document Mal found and tried to bring to me but you ripped away as many names as you could - you're a traitor! A traitor!"

Ben was so angry he was seeing red. He hurled the ring on the ground and stomped on it before squeezing Audrey's hair tighter. "You're a traitor!" he roared.

Audrey began to scream. "Help!" she wailed. "Help! Help! He's attacking me! Help!"

Thundering footsteps from down the hall. Ben forced himself to let go of Audrey as guards slammed the door down. "Arrest her," he demanded, pointing at her.

Audrey was holding her hair, crying. "He's insane!" she wailed. "Please! Please! Help me! He's under a spell! He was holding me down, feeling up my dress… please, help me!"

"I did no such thing!" Ben bellowed. "She's a traitor! She's lied to us all in the hopes of becoming queen. Take her away!"

"The witch Mal has him under her spell!" Audrey said. "You should have seen him - his eyes were all green just like hers! I walked in on him trying to choke his mother! He's a danger to us all!"

"Rubbish!" Ben declared. "Absolute rubbish. Take her-"

One of the soldiers raised his rifle and stuck him in the head with the butt of it. The world went very fuzzy. His ears rang and then blackness engulfed everything.

"It's a push and pull feeling-" Evie tried to explain, motioning down towards the lake surface. "We use it with the air to make it warmer. Just push anything cold away and pile in the heat. It's very methodical after a while. Most of us do it without noticing.

"And that's what keeps this place warm and helps us breathe," Mal said. She and Evie were laying on their fronts on the edge of a cloud, looking down at the lake and talking. "So… were you here on the day Ben brought me out? And you just didn't say anything?"

Evie snorted. "Hmm… I was out with Doug that day, actually. But I got back and people were-" she waved her hands in astonishment, "shocked that King Benjamin was seeing someone magical. They said purple hair and I just had to sit down and laugh."

Normally, Mal would have responded in equal bite, but she was so tired and worn out that she could hardly do anything but stare down at the lake's rippling surface.

"I can't believe I'm a witch to Auradon now."

"Only to the royals." Evie put a hand on Mal's shoulder. "Everyone in the kingdom likes Ben, remember? They'll like you through extension of him. Ben will get this all figured out and it'll be fine."

But Mal shook her head. "I'm a little worried," she admitted. "There's a couple of people who tried to kill Ben. All in the courts. I know he's popular outside the city and he can take care of himself, but I worry one of them might try something funny again."

"He'll be okay," Evie said. "Jay is going to talk with Carlos to figure out what's going on. He'll report back to us with any news."

Mal nodded and exhaled. Evie tilted her head. They both knew what the next conversation was, but Mal didn't know how to start it and Evie was going to wait for her. Finally, Mal swallowed. "Did you - how much did you know?"

"About Hades and Maleficent?" Evie asked and shrugged. "Never suspected anything. Not until… oh, you'll love this…" She rolled her eyes and Mal caught the side of a sneaky smile. "Ben told Carlos he thought that's who your mom was. He noticed you flinched once or twice. I overheard."

Mal shook her head. "The boy cannot be fooled," she drawled. Evie laughed. Mal watched her friend throw her head back with pink cheeks and decided that maybe it was time Evie got a wake-up call to Ben's genius as well. "He knows about you," she said.

Evie was so startled that she almost rolled off the cloud and onto a cloud-based children's igloo on the next level down. "No, he doesn't," she sputtered. "The only person who knows about me is Doug."

Mal shook her head. Evie fumed. "You told him?" she demanded.

"No! The second time I saw you and he knocked on the door, he saw the cloak on the floor and just knew it was you. He asked me how you were doing. Knew your name and everything." Mal picked off a long string of cloud and watched Evie's face twitch. "He's smart Evie. He sees a thousand things in one detail. I can't even explain it. But he saw the cloak and even pointed out the paper in the pocket. He knew you'd been using magic on Belle somehow. He just… deduced it all."

Evie wrinkled her nose. "Huh," she said finally. "Strange." She rolled over. "And yet he can't even deduce you're head over heels for him."

Mal pinched her lips together and twiddled her thumbs. "He kissed me," she whispered.

Evie snickered. "Scandalous," she said. "How did that go?"

"Well, the first time was an accident - no, really, don't look at me like that." Mal huffed and the cloud thread she'd been playing with went soaring up and over her head. "He was delirious with the pain medicine and I went for his cheek and he turned and I… got his mouth instead. And later, he asked me about it, and we… tried again." She shook her head. "But I don't know, Evie."

"You do too know Evie."

"No, I'm serious." Mal sat up. "Jane killed herself because she realized that her falling in love with Chad had ruined his whole world. Everyone hated him. Ben's already hated. I get to fly mostly under the radar so long as I shut up, but I don't want to put up with what Jane put up with. I don't want to be driven to madness over it. And I don't want more people trying to kill Ben because of me."

Evie's smile faded and she went quiet. It seemed her friend didn't have anything to say that would make Mal feel better. She tugged a bit of cloud off with her fingernails and blew it into the stratosphere around them. On the contrary, Mal had a sinking feeling.

"That's the reason you keep your relationship secret, isn't it? Because you saw Chad and Jane fall and don't want it to happen to you and Doug."

Evie wrapped her arms around her knees. "I get it," she whispered. "We don't live in that world yet."

A bunch of cloud blew into the back of Evie's head and whipped her hair forward. Evie whined and turned to glare behind them. A woman with tall, black horns was grinning behind them, dusting excess white off her hands and patching up the divot in the ground with a few flicks of her hand. "Sorry, Evelyn," she cooed and Evie wrinkled up her nose.

"Ugh," she grumbled. "Sure, you're sorry. Are you coming to steal my friend?"

The woman glanced over at Mal. "I came to see if she was feeling better and if she'd be okay to talk."

Evie turned to Mal. Mal picked a handful of cloud off the ground. It was not as easy as everyone else made it seem. The clouds were packed together so tightly that Mal couldn't dig her fingers in. Almost like it was made of dry ice or something. She scratched at it without saying anything until Evie got to her feet to walk away. "All yours," she said as she headed back towards the house.

Mal ignored the edge of the brown robes as the woman took Evie's seat on the edge of the cloud and took a composing breath. She was wearing the same shade on her mouth. Her hair was brown from a distance, dull purple up close. Mal swallowed and refocused her gaze on the ground.

"Are you… would you like to talk now?"

She still didn't know her answer.

"I can wait, if you like."

Mal turned. "You're… you're real, right? The real person?"

"I am."

"Then who did they kill in Auroria?"

Her mother's lip twitched. "No one died that day. They found my body in my cell. A bit of magic and they couldn't tell I wasn't dead. They buried me out of the city. I wasn't allowed to be buried at the church because I was a 'witch.' I just climbed out that night and went into hiding."

"King Phillip said you were executed," Mal said. "That he did it."

"And Audrey said you'd spelled Ben to make him angry at her. The family has a history of lying." Maleficent took a deep breath. "There was a small community just beside Auroria called the Moorlands. Drought hit Auroria, but we used magic to evade it. I think that created some tense feelings. But we'd always been on good terms before. I went over to help the next spring and the people liked me. And there was this young man, the son of a farmer, who I learned was absolutely in love with the Princess. I believe her name was Leah. He just adored her - his name was Stephan."

Maleficent rolled her eyes. "I introduced him and endorsed him a bit and he became King. Didn't realize he was still angry - apparently his father had died in the drought and I hadn't arrived in time to save him. After he had his daughter with Leah, Princess Aurora, he sent her away and claimed I had cursed her. I'm still not sure how he managed to convince everyone it was me. It was a huge scandal - people hated me. I went back home and when I left, Auroria declared war on us. Word spread, distrust grew, and no matter what I said, I wasn't believed. Even Aurora was convinced she was spelled. I met her once at fifteen - oh, the things she screamed. She worried herself sick for days and happened to fall ill on her sixteenth. Effectively sealed my fate."

Maleficent glanced over at Mal. "I suppose the rest is history. King Adam took the national throne, created the Isle, you were born. We had the opportunity to leave, your dad went first and went missing, I tried to find him and Auroria wasted no time in 'executing' me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mal said. "Why did Dad leave? How did you guys get out? I only ever knew that you went missing."

"What do you mean?" Maleficent asked. "I left you a letter when I left. The Charmingtons were breaking the barrier to let people out, one by one. Your dad slipped out with them. When he went missing, I left you a note. It was only supposed to be a day or so, but I was captured."

"I never got a note," Mal said. It was hard to keep the anger back. "Dad was gone one week. You were gone the next. I was on the streets and then Auradon scooped me up and put me in a fancy institution. Meanwhile you've been here… frolicking."

"You're angry."

"Of course I'm angry! I could have come with you!"

"I wouldn't have been able to get us both out of those cells, Mal."

"Well." Mal threw her hands above her head. "You could have… I don't know... sent a message?"

"I did."

"I never saw anything! It must have blown away or - whatever. It was on the Isle of the Lost, mom. Nothing is ever safe or sacred or… protected." Mal pulled her jacket closer around her. Evie, upon getting to the top of the clouds herself, had made sure to get Mal some clothes. These were odd. Heavy black fabric that clung on top and looked like scales. There was a separate jacket from the top and this is what Mal pulled on as she glared through the cloud onto the unsuspecting roof of someone below.

"I know you're hurt," Maleficent whispered. "But I think there's a miscommunication. I was under the impression, for the longest time, that you weren't interested in connecting. After I escaped, I found your dad. And we went back to the Isle and couldn't find you. We combed it up and down. Nothing. We only stopped looking when we got wind that you'd graduated from Auradon Prep school. Your dad saw it in the paper. I sent a letter. But you never wrote back. I didn't want to show up and ruin whatever you had going for you."

"Going for me?" Mal repeated. "There was no letter, mom. No letter, no note, no indication you were alive. As far as I knew, Dad had died in a ditch somewhere. I had no job, no home, no comrades, no parents. What on earth did you think I had going for me? A calling-in-election while I became a national hero?"

"Well, you graduated top of your class. I figured you'd have a wonderful life and you'd get a marvelous job and you wouldn't want your dead mother dropping in and causing a scandal and…" Maleficent trailed off and Mal could suddenly see where her mom was coming from. She shook her head.

"No one would hire a magical like me, Mom. I found work in a factory until I became a caretaker."

The hurt that crossed her mother's face was so cutting that Mal felt the old hurt welling up all over again. Nothing to do, nowhere to go… it wasn't her fault she was who she was.

"That school did nothing?"

"It's just a piece of paper."

"Well…wasn't there anyone you went to school with? Any friends? Did you get married?"

"Married?" Mal stared at her mom. "Who would marry someone so obviously magical?"

Maleficent looked devastated. She pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her forehead against them, hiding her face. Mal watched her shoulders go up and down with each sobering breath. Finally, her mom looked back over at her.

"You're in the palace, though. So things worked out. I saw you down below… you have a romance with someone. He looked handsome and I thought… you were both dressed so nice… he might be someone important."

Mal scoffed and shook her head. "He's the King of Auradon, Mom."

"The king?" Maleficent perked up. "And you and he-"

"No." Mal covered her face up. "I mean… he is but I'm not and we shouldn't be… I don't know." She bit her lip and tried to gather her thoughts. "I was taking care of his dead mother. He was… throwing laws around and trying to bring magic into the mainstream and I liked how he cared about everyone and wanted things to be better. But I don't… he's the king. And for me, it just wouldn't work."

"Why not?" Maleficent asked. "Why wouldn't it work?"

"Because the court wants him dead," Mal said. "If he had anything with me… he'd be in danger."

"It sounds like he'd be in danger anyway until he gets a new court."

"He would be, but…" Mal waved her hand around her throat. Why was it so tight? "I also don't think… I could survive him."

Maleficent frowned. It was clear she didn't understand. "Is he… violent?" she asked.

"No!" Mal sighed. "He's… perfect, really." Her cheeks burned. "But we'd be public. He would want to be public. And the last magical girl who tried to have something with another man in the courts… it was too much for her. All the loopholes… everyone hated her… she killed herself, Mom. I don't want it to be too much for me."

Maleficent inclined her head.

"Even Evie agreed it wasn't fun. She has something secret with someone important too." Mal wrapped her arms around her legs. "I'm going to waste my life trying to convince the world I'm worthwhile anyway. I don't want to waste my life trying to convince them that… I'm not a fake or a flake or…"

Maleficent cleared her throat. "It's definitely a real danger," she said. "I hear stories all the time. Society doesn't make love look easy. And it's hard when it's outside your circle. I saw Stefan changed from the anxiety."

Mal nodded glumly.

Three warm fingers took her chin and turned her attention towards the seeker. Maleficent smiled and brushed Mal's hair back from behind her eyes. "But I would still say go for it. Every time."

"Why?"

"Because it's safety. It's solace. And that's the key to making it work. There's always going to be a million reasons to leave. Marriage is never easy. But would you rather waste the rest of your life convincing people you're not a fake or a fraud and that you're normal and not dangerous and go home to someone who thinks you're the entire world, or would you rather do all that anyway and wonder if you'll ever find someone who can be accepting?"

Mal pictured it. Ben opening the door for her. His hand steady on her waist. Bare feet and pajamas… hiding a snort at her witty remarks… she could name the men who would do that on one hand. Ben. That was it.

The corner of her mouth flicked up against her will.

"When you have love… it's a personal thing," Maleficent continued. "You can have love for many things, but it's difficult to let more than one person have a romantic place in your heart. So if you have someone and they are the only person who matters romantically, then the rest of the world doesn't matter to your romance. Why take criticism from those who you'd never ask for advice?"

It was a very good point.

"And if it doesn't work out," Maleficent said, "Then you'll know. Live, learn, and let go. That's all."

Mal swallowed and nodded. Maleficent's hand crept around her shoulder and she pulled her snug against her chest. "You'll figure it out," she whispered.

Something cracked behind them. It was Hades, who had snapped off the brack of a little tree while walking past it. He paused a few feet away. "Can I join the conversation?" he asked. "Or do you both need a bit more time?"

"Hey, dad," Mal said. "Long time no see."

"Too long," Hades muttered. He sat down beside her. "It's nice to have you back, runt," he said. Mal rolled her eyes. He poked her side and she flinched away. "How long are you planning on staying?"

Mal looked down at the ground, far, far below. "I don't know," she said. "Jay will be bringing us news. Hopefully Ben will be able to not get shot while he clears up this mess. Then I guess… it's off to the palace until Belle dies and then… I don't know." She twiddled her thumbs. "I have a house that Belle's leaving me. Out in Villeneuve. So I could live there off of what she gave me… or maybe I could stay up here… or whatever."

"We could help you build your own cloud if you wanted," Hades said. "It's a lot safer up here. No silly… collars."

Mal touched her collarbone and laughed. No silly collars. "It'd take a lot of practice for me. I can hardly use my magic at all."

Maleficent and Hades both frowned at her. "What?" Maleficent asked.

"I can light my hand on fire and cast accidental spells. Nothing else. I was never taught." Mal pulled at a strand of her hair and her parents looked up and squinted at each other. Maleficent shook her head. Hades jerked his back to the house. With a nod, Maleficent pulled Mal to her feet. "Woah, where are we going?" Mal asked.

"To the house," Maleficent said. "Well, actually-" she snapped her fingers and the door to the house flew open. A long staff with a glowing green gem on the end came soaring out. Maleficent caught it and held it out to Mal. Mal cautiously brushed her fingertips against it. The wood moved underneath her fingertips until there was a smooth groove to put her hand.

"You are the daughter of a very powerful sorcerer and a very powerful enchantress," Maleficent said. "And it is high time you learned to use your gifts. When you leave here, we're going to make sure you can do far more than just light a fire."

Collaboration with Xez2003