Chapter Twenty Eight
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come to play. Everything else is owned by Disney.
Okay, so I'm going to be completely honest—I had no idea what I was going to write when I started this chapter. It wasn't until I was reading the reviews for the previous chapter asking for a checkin with the other VKs that this was kinda born. Yes I know it focuses on the characters we know but that's just because…my brain likes them more.
Smh guys, we're 38 reviews away from 700! I…I can't…gah you all make my heart so happy! :D
ObsidianDarkArrow: I'm so glad you liked it! Yeah Chad's adorable around Ginny isn't he? :D
Tracie Adams: Glad you liked the chapter!
Anonymous Reader: Wouldn't they? If only they'd realize it!
shortanamx: Well he'd claim that it was just as friends but he's definitely laying the groundwork!
Maybelle Rose: Glad you liked it! I couldn't help but slip in a little 1997 Cinderella Easter egg there!
Katt Kiki: Glad you liked the chapter—I want to say two more chapters until another Isle chapter!
Guest: Thank you—and he really is, isn't he?
AmethystDragon14: Yay! Isn't Bruno the best? Now if only Chad would take the hint lol!
catdoghorselover123: If I'm honest, I'm not the biggest horse person but that's just because I'm tiny!
Urmimala Hazra: I'm so glad!
: Oh I'm so glad you liked that reference! Trust me I was singing 'The Prince is Giving a Ball' all night after writing that bit!
danifan3000: I have no idea how many pairings there are going to be! And I get the reasoning behind it but…no, just no!
twilightgirl587: Aww! I may have also watched the Brandy Cinderella a million times growing up and may have some of the songs memorized! :D
OceanBlueSeaEyes: lol 'No one calls King Christopher—' 'Dear no one has time for your full name.'
smc-smfan1: Glad you liked the chapter—Kit's full name is actually an easter egg to the 1997 Cinderella with Whoopi Goldburg. I highly recommend it—it's one of my favorites! :D
a fan: I can definitely see about bringing them in at some point!
Balfan: He certainly is!
billyandkimfan1994: Dogs just know don't they?
Michiemh: No, they certainly aren't but that's why we love them!
Guest: I'm going to be completely honest, sometimes I'll plan what a chapter's supposed to be and then when I sit down and write the plan goes out the window. For instance, I wanted to have a Hook siblings chapter about five chapters ago. As you can see that didn't happen lol so I'll try to show more of the other VKs.
Kaybugg1: Glad you liked the chapter! Yep, Bruno, there's always next time!
Bananaboat2009: He really is isn't he? And oh, thank you but I don't know if I've got the time right now—I'm preparing to move to a new apartment.
TheGirlofManyFloods: Hey, blame Rodgers and Hammerstein for that one! And oh thank you so much—and you're so welcome! I got the script for D3 from Sublikescripts—trust me, it's the only way I could have gotten it done as quickly as I did. As for a posting schedule, it's whenever my brain wants to get a chapter finished to be honest!
Angel Cauldwell: I'm so glad you're enjoying Chad and Ginny, along with Derek and Audrey! Trust me, I'm slowly coming around to them too!
lilyflower101: It really is isn't it?
Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
It was a beautiful day. A gorgeous day. The kind of day that made you want to go outside and do nothing at all. In fact, that's what most of the VKs were doing—Evie had declared that they all were going to have a VK day over at the Enchanted Lake.
Some were all for it, like Ava and Dizzy, while others turned their noses up at the very thought. Honestly it was probably better for all if Anthony didn't join considering there was a possibility that someone might try to drown him.
Of course the AKs were more than welcome to attend as well, and attend they did—turning the already large group into an almost party.
"You've got to be kidding me?" William shook his head as he looked over at the stone platform, Robin resting her head on his shoulder. Most if not almost all of the VKs were lounging in the lake; Uma and Harry racing each other with laps, Celia, Dizzy, CJ, Hadie, and Alexandria playing some game Alexandria was trying to teach them—Dizzy having gotten swimming lessons from Ariel a few weeks prior.
Of course they still tried to stay in the shallower area to avoid anyone potentially drowning.
Gia was propped up on all the floatation devices they had brought with them and Gil would swim over every few minutes to offer some sunscreen or water. It got to the point that Harriet would swim over and gently tug him away if it got too repetitive.
"It's a day of relaxation and they're nose deep in paperwork," Emir sighed as he followed William's gaze to look at Mal and Ben. "I mean it's better than them being locked in that office of Ben's but come on! Even Chad's joined in!"
Emir wasn't wrong—Chad and Ginny had joined in the day of hooky so to speak, as had Audrey and Derek. Surprisingly it had been Akiho who passed along the invite, or maybe it shouldn't have been that surprising considering how well she actually was with Kari.
Yeah, that hadn't been something anyone expected.
"Is everything okay?" Audrey asked, as she walked into the Arendelle castle. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm honored by the invite but…you don't like me."
"I know," Akiho nodded. "And normally I'd call Mal but…I lost my kazoo and I can't get Kari down for her nap. Agnarr can sleep no matter what now but Kari's got to have the kazoo or else she throws a tantrum and…well with her ice powers…"
"Why didn't you want to call Mal?" Audrey asked.
"She's so busy with the wedding planning that I thought it'd be a good idea to not put another thing on her plate," Akiho told her. "Besides…she told me how well you're doing with the soup kitchen and I figured it might be a good idea if we buried the ice pick so to speak."
Audrey smiled a little as she heard that. "Did Ben ask you to call me?"
"…does it make it any less sweet if I say yes?"
"No, I appreciate the honesty, ice boy," Audrey teased and Akiho had to smile, noting her lack of malice in the nickname. He led her over to the nursery where Kari was standing, screaming her head off.
"Oh, what's the matter?" Audrey asked, going straight for Kari much to Akiho's shock. "Hmm? Did your brother somehow lose his kazoo? A device that no one should actually use to put anyone to sleep with? Let's see if we can't get you to take a nap huh?"
"Good luck," Akiho sighed.
Audrey bit her lip as she picked Kari up, bouncing her slightly. "Have you ever tried singing to her?"
"Audrey, it's me. I can't carry a tune in a bucket remember?"
"Right, right, there was a reason why you weren't in the performance of 'Be Our Guest'." Audrey nodded with a slight sigh. "Okay, okay. Hmm…okay how about this?"
With a small smile, she continued to bounce Kari, but began to do it to the beat of a familiar song. "Health to the Princess, Wealth to the Princess, Long live the Princess Kari. Hail to the King, hail to the Queen. Hail to the Princess Kari."
The screams seemed to stop but it wasn't enough to get Kari to go to sleep. However, Akiho would take it over the eardrum shattering screams.
"Keep going," he mouthed to Audrey who nodded slightly.
"Joyfully now to our princess we come, bringing gifts and all good wishes too. We pledge our loyalty anew. Hail to the Princess Kari, all of her subjects are filled with glee."
Oh that was a nice one. I didn't think Audrey would be able to come up with a rhyme like that on the fly but then again, it makes sense. She was head cheerleader, she'd have to actually come up with the cheers, Akiho thought.
Slowly but surely Kari's eyes began to close until the little Princess had her head resting on Audrey's shoulder.
"Hail to the King, hail to the Queen, hail to the Princess Kari," Audrey whispered as she set Kari back down in her crib; the two older royals sneaking out before Kari woke up.
"What are we all staring at?" Audrey asked as she swam over to them.
"Ben and Mal, buried nose deep in paperwork," Akiho told her.
Audrey shook her head. "Some of that paperwork's for the soup kitchen but I told them Phil said he'd handle it."
"Someone say my name?" Phillip Jr. asked as he swam past with Melody.
"Ben's doing your paperwork again," Audrey told him and Phil sighed.
"I told him Auroria would handle responsibility for the soup kitchen," he said, shaking his head.
Elle swam up to join the little gathering. It was times like this that she was thankful for the gift her grandfather and great-grandfather had given her at her christening. She may not have been able to walk but Triton and Poseidon sure as hell made sure she was able to swim.
"Ben doing paperwork when he should be relaxing again?"
"Uh huh and he's dragged Mal into it now too," Akiho told her.
Elle sighed and looked over at her sister. "You want to go steal that paperwork? I know you're dying to. Go get our cousin relaxing why don't you?"
Melody grinned. "I don't think I need to."
"Why do you say—?"
"Estelle!"
"Oh, that's why," Elle said with a slight chuckle as Estelle, Bruno, and Dude took piles of the paperwork and ran off with them.
"You brought this on yourself you know," Dude said before grabbing his pile and wagged his tail, running after the other two.
"Carlos! Chad! Control your canines!" Mal exclaimed as she made a mental note to find a cure for that truth gummy. The Dalmatians were one thing with their transmission collars. Dude was another thing entirely.
"Oh your dog's the one leading the pack Mal," Carlos said, shaking his head as Diego chuckled from his spot floating on his back in the lake.
Mal sighed. "I'm going to go and get that paperwork back," she muttered as she got up. Ben also stood up but stripped his shirt off.
"You mind if I hop in?"
"Go ahead Ben. Why would I stop you from swimming?"
"I…I don't want you to be out here by yourself," Ben said, gently grabbing one of Mal's hands and giving it a small squeeze.
Mal smiled slightly and kissed his cheek. "I'll be fine. You go and swim, though I think Brooke might have you beat for someone who loves the water."
Sure enough the younger blonde had taken to the water like a duck, though Mal was quick to note that she seemed to prefer to be around the girls or the younger guys—and Audrey seemed to be someone Brooke had especially latched on to.
"Perish the thought," Ben chuckled and ran off, jumping in and splashing Akiho and Emir. Mal couldn't help the slightly sad smile that formed as she walked off to try to get the paperwork from the canines.
She was so intrenched in that task that she didn't notice Uma sneaking up on her.
"Mal?"
"Sweet Athena! We need a cow bell for you Uma!" Mal exclaimed as she whirled around. Uma shook her head, a smirk on her face. "Was there something you needed?"
"Why aren't you joining all the fun?"
"Not really my scene," Mal told her. "You know that Uma."
Uma paused, opening her mouth as if to comment before she closed it; realizing exactly what Mal meant.
"You…you never learned?"
"The day Maleficent takes anyone to get swim lessons is the day Zeus becomes fairly competent," Mal sighed and shook her head. "I didn't even ask Ben to join me in the paperwork, he just sat down and got started."
"So…why not just stay in the shallow end?" Uma asked. "You know, be lifeguard to the kids?"
Mal raised an eyebrow. "Uma, the only people who know what happen when we were nine are you, me, Harry, Jay, Carlos, Evie, my dad, and Ben. I'd rather not have a massive freak out and expose a weakness to the new VKs, the AKs, and Gil."
"…you're afraid of water?"
"You almost drown and there's no therapy on the Isle, of course I'd get a fear of water," Mal muttered. "Ben doesn't exactly know that part either so if possible I'd like to keep it between us."
Uma nodded. "But…didn't Blondie say your first date was here?"
"Ben chose the venue," Mal said with a wry chuckle. "Let's just say I wasn't exactly the most relaxed. And then again at the gazebo, and then again at Cotillion…"
"Auradon sure loves its water," Uma mused. "So why not get the lessons now? I mean you've got a swim suit on, come join us."
"…I'd rather not," Mal muttered with a small sigh. Uma frowned and grabbed Mal's wrist, dragging her over to a more secluded spot of the Lake.
"There. Even if we had that eight year gap, I still know you Mali. You're like me, you're not going to want to have people see you learn but you're going to."
"And who's going to teach me?" Mal asked, yanking her wrist out of Uma's grasp.
"Me," Uma said as Harry and Jay swam over. "And the boys will be here in case something does happen but it won't. Because I won't let it."
Mal bit her lip, glancing between the water and Uma. It seemed to last for an hour but in reality it was only five minutes before Mal answered.
"…okay."
"Okay?"
Mal nodded. "This goes on Auratube, I'm hiding Harry's hook until the video's taken off," she warned as she slid off her shorts. Most of the VK girls had opted for a one piece design for their swimsuits—Evie was the lone exception with a tankini as she called it.
Okay, just one foot…and then another…we're ankle deep and nothing bad's happened.
And nothing will Mal. Just take the plunge, Uma thought to her.
Uma, when you're getting over an almost decade long phobia then you can dictate how you do it, Mal thought, snapping a little. She wasn't exactly crazy about this but…there were things she didn't want to miss because of it.
Ben would need kids as King, that she knew. And Ben loved to swim, he loved it probably as much as he loved to read and definitely more than he loved Tourney. Mal wanted to be able to join him and their child in the water…and if need be, be able to save their child if Gods forbid they go under.
"You got this Mal," Jay told her as Mal inched her way down to knee level.
"Jay's right," Harry nodded. "And I got you Mal."
I know, Mal thought and then paused. "Jay? When did you get swimming lessons?"
"Lonnie," Jay said with a snort. The collegiate athlete was home on another break though Mal had to wonder if Jay actually went to class. "She found out that I didn't know how and we spent probably an entire week in the campus pool learning. I'm no merman or anything but I won't drown."
Mal nodded and slowly lowered herself down so that she was stomach deep in the water. "This is fine."
"Mal, you can't swim while standing," Uma told her.
"You also can't go under," Mal shot back. "I'm perfectly fine standing—."
"Uh huh," Uma said, shaking her head. "You're going to fry that head of yours, Ms. Ultra pale. Imagine, you might actually look like Uncle Hades with your head on fire."
Mal rolled her eyes. "That's what a hat is for Uma, and not all of us can be lucky enough to have skin like yours, Celia's, and Freddie's."
"Hey speaking of Freddie, is she here?"
"Yeah, she's hanging with Ally, Harriet, and Sammy."
Uma couldn't help but smile as she heard that, happy that her sister had her own allies. That didn't mean that Uma wouldn't slice her sword through the stomach of anyone who threatened her sister though!
"Come on Mal," she said. "Just float for a little bit and then you can go back to that paperwork. Though I think you'll find that swimming's much more fun."
Mal rolled her eyes but slowly laid on her back, tensing slightly as the water touched her skin and her hair.
Do not freak out, do not. The only think you'll accomplish is ruining the mood and possibly freaking out the kids, she thought. Give yourself thirty seconds and then you can say you did it, you didn't like it…oh dear Gods it just got in my ear! Nope, can't do this! I can fight against Maleficent and win but water bests me!
"It's okay," Harry muttered, floating next to her; Mal never noticing that Uma had her hands on her back the entire time. "Just talk to me Mal, don't even think about the water."
"Talk to you about what exactly?" Mal muttered. It was funny but despite the eight year span where they were rivals, Mal couldn't help but trust Harry and Uma implicitly. Probably came from being friends since they were five.
"I dunno, whatever you want. Oh wedding prep. That's something inane enough that it should keep your mind off whatever you're thinking about."
Mal couldn't help the small smile that appeared as she started to talk about her wedding; the choices they were making in terms of dress, suit, and of course guests. Mal chatted for so long, she never noticed Uma slowly back away and begin to float next to her. Not did she notice Ben swim up to her.
Of course she did notice Ben's hand brush her's though, not knowing it was his hand, it would suffice to say that she was more than a little startled.
"Whoa, Mal, it's okay," Ben said, trying to steady her. "It was just my hand."
"Don't do that," Mal muttered as she stood up, her nerves settling down as her feet touched the lake floor below.
Ben smiled sheepishly at her. "You having fun?"
Mal sighed and nodded slightly. "I'm not going to say swimming's my new favorite pastime since that's always going to be flying but…I will admit it's rather relaxing when someone's not scaring the pants off me!"
Jay shook his head. "Well, you all enjoy this. I'm going to go spend time with Lonnie."
"You mean make out with Lonnie," Uma corrected.
"Won't I be spending time with her while I do that?"
"This is true."
"Wait, wait, wait," Ben said. "When did this happen?"
"Look up from your paperwork a time or twenty Benny and you won't be surprised," Uma said with a slight smirk. "Now, go on. Have fun your kingship."
"…that's not a word right?"
"Honestly it's hard to tell with Uma," Mal said as she kissed Ben's cheek.
Back on the shore, three tails wagged as they saw all the happy humans. That was all they could ask for for their pets—they were always so stressed out normally.
Sun, good food, and their mate. That's all their pets needed. A dog knew these things, even a young dog.