Legacy of Evil

by psychic.refugee99

Crown Prince Ben had declared that children of villains be given a second chance and invites the four children of the most notorious villains. Mal, Carlos, Evie, and Jay try to navigate Auradon Prep with the burden of an Evil Legacy.

15. Chapter 15

Wow, it's been a while huh? I hope everyone has been healthy this past year, I am grateful that I have been. The delay is all motivation and energy related, not COVID and for that I'm thankful. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, a lot happens.

Trigger Warning: Mention of past rape, blood, broken bones, and torture (not of any main character).

Thank you to everyone that has commented and still is reading. I love you all!

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Bureaucracy took an eternity, but the wheels of justice turned quickly if the Crown had an agenda. Ask anyone currently imprisoned on the Isle.

Bradly and Troy were given a speedy trial the kingdom had not seen since the end of the Fae Wars. The evidence and public opinion were against them, the Justice System did not have a need to stall.

When the boys had been publicly and roughly arrested while at school, they weren't even sure why at first. Getting caught with rigging the iron school bell was the last thing on their minds. They were kept in jail only a few weeks, but it was a world of difference from the comfortable accommodations of their castle dorms and the upper commoner-class life they had outside of school. The cells had no privacy, the walls were exposed concrete with only the bare minimum of beds and a toilet. They were held with the adults as both were eighteen. The food was barely edible, and they were constantly watched with distrust and the guards had no patience for soft pretty boys who went to private school.

Troy couldn't remember details of the trial, only that he begged for mercy. He recalled sobbing at the table, not caring if the public scoffed at his blubbering. He wanted to stay in Auradon and would crawl across broken glass if it meant he would avoid the Isle. He wasn't supposed to be going to the Isle. He was only eighteen, nothing close to a real adult. He hadn't even graduated school yet. He didn't mean to hurt Mal, not really. It was only supposed to be a warning, a joke really. A prank, nothing to be sent to jail over, much less the Isle. He wasn't a killer, but that's the name they hurled at him. He had caught glimpses of the news and his lawyer didn't sugar coat anything. The news was all angry faces as they condemned his actions and called him a terrorist and human supremist. His attorney wasn't much help, his parents couldn't afford anyone who was willing to go against the Crown, which was clearly on Mal's side, and he ended up with a public defender. Troy had the distinct feeling his defense attorney felt he had what was coming to him, but still did the best he could as was required by law.

The jury didn't deliberate more than three hours, the foreman solemn as he dispassionately read a guilty verdict. The judge just as somber as he sentenced them to life on the Isle and denounced their behavior, hoping the two would serve as a warning against anyone else who thought to follow in their footsteps.

The judge might as well have condemned them to death, how could they survive on the Isle? The island prison was for real villains, murderers, and those who sought to overtake the Throne. They were just a couple of kids, how could they be going to the Isle?

They were currently chained to metal chairs with a lone lamp above their heads, barely any life left in it as it gave off a soft glow that only lit the two of them, the rest of the room was complete unpiercing darkness. The lone window too small to allow much light, but they could tell it was still daylight.

What would Maleficent to do them, once she found out what they had been sentenced for? Was their trial and subsequent verdict broadcasted on RBN? She might not have magic, but magical races were preternaturally strong and the dark fae could probably snap his neck as easily as an overboiled chicken bone.

Bradly, the real mastermind behind the attack, remained stone cold and determined to not show fear. He fought till the bitter end, insisting he had done nothing wrong and was a true loyalist of Auradon. His speech did not go over well with the jury, at least from their disapproving and disgusted looks, then the subsequent verdict. Even as he sat chained in dim light on the way to the Isle, he remained furious and defiant. But he couldn't hide the shiver of dread that escaped his body as they got closer and closer to the Isle. He may hate the fae, but that didn't erase the fact that he'd be a puny human that was barely out of boyhood against a full grown fae that ruled the Isle. Maleficent could kill him and the Crown would do nothing, just as they had for twenty years.

The reality of his situation and his probable impending death started to sink in.

For Troy it had been a reality since he was arrested and was told that the Isle was on the table for his judgement. He wanted to plead, wanted to cry out,

How dangerous could we be if we're only being escorted by two guards?

The vessel they were on was manned by one driver, and just one other guard that stood with them. The guard looked bored and seemed slightly affronted he was on such a small errand. They weren't even Royal Guards, they were peons from Charmington who were voluntold for the job. From his bored look, he thought the whole thing was a waste of time.

Troy agreed, the trip was pointless as he and Brad would probably be killed before they took a dozen steps. It would be a mercy if the guard simply shot them in the head and then threw them overboard. The death would be quicker, and the guards had no reason to be vindictive or to prolong their suffering.

The boys were in bright orange prison suits with gunny sacks filled with two changes of plain clothes each, provided to them by the Crown at their feet. Included in the sacks were also two small bars of soap, two toothbrushes, and two tubes of toothpaste each. All generic and the lowest cost the prison could find. That was all they were given to go to the Isle for the rest of their lives. Anything else they were expected to figure out how to survive, just as every other Isle prisoner had.

Their public defender said there were donations of food and goods from the Mainland once a month, he assured they would be fine. The attorney conveniently, or purposefully, forgot the Isle was filled with murderers, magical and human alike.

The trip should have only taken around thirty minutes, but they could have sworn they were on the water for at least an hour. The guard assumed time was just dragging because he was bored. Then the boat had come to a complete stop, so sudden that the guard swayed on his feet and almost fell.

"Butcherson, what the hell was that? Are we at the Isle? Over," the guard spoke into his walkie clipped to his shoulder. He asked again when he received no answer. He started to get worried when there was radio silence and would have gone above deck, but a blue iridescent smoke slithered through the air and wrapped itself around his head. He breathed in a lovely scent that fogged his mind and filled him with a calming peace, he almost floated on air before he crumpled to the floor.

Troy and Bradly heard disturbing feminine laughter from the shadows, Troy shrank into himself and started to shake even harder.

From the darkness came the Isle Four, Evie looking almost ecstatic to be there. The Four stood in front of the imprisoned,

"What the fuck are you…" Bradly spit out angrily but was silenced with a careless flick of Mal's wrist, black thread wove between his lips to silence him. His screams of pain were muffled, no matter how hard he tried to open his mouth the magical thread would not budge.

Through the pain, he felt like everything he had said about the fae were vindicated with Mal's show of magic. They couldn't be trusted and her going to the hospital was probably faked in order to sully his name and send him to the Isle.

"Do I need to silence you too?" she asked Troy, he immediately shook his head and prayed to every god he knew.

Unlike Evie, Mal looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. He would even go as far to say she looked annoyed and inconvenienced.

"I'm just…so tired," she sighed as she walked up to them. "This isn't even personal for me. You're just the last in line of so many others that have tried to kill me. That's what the Isle is, everyone dodging someone or something trying to kill them. I don't have the energy to keep long term grudges. I don't know how my mother does it, it sounds so exhausting. If it were up to me, I'd just snap your neck or drive a dagger right through your heart," she went through the motion with an imagined knife and showed exactly where she'd stab him. "throw you overboard and let the sharks feast. Quick, simple, efficient. I'd be home in time for the Great East Riding Bake Off, but I promised Jay that'd we'd do something special for you. I can't resist my best friend."

She looked to Jay and he smiled in thanks, she gave a little air kiss and all four of them laughed in amusement.

"I do have to give you credit though, you came the closest to actually killing me," she directed her speech to Bradly as she knew Troy was a sniveling follower who made the fatal mistake of following the wrong boy. "And in such an ingenious way, iron school bell. It never would have crossed my mind. Humans can be so…ingeniously ruthless when they want to be." There was an air of almost respect in her voice. "I really thought I was safe in Auradon…well as safe as any child of a famous villain could be, but I only ever worried about mother escaping or being sent back to the Isle. If someone from Auradon was going to attack me, I would have thought it'd be someone our parents actually hurt. Two randos who I literally have not met until this very minute, I didn't consider you at all much less a threat. Now I know better. It's a lesson I should not have forgotten, we're never safe. I'll let Jay thank you for reminding us."

Jay stepped forward as Mal stepped back to stand with Carlos, her boyfriend taking her into his side and she took comfort in his embrace, and Jay pondered the condemned. Like Mal, he knew it was Bradly who was the true perpetrator and with all his strength, he punched him in the jaw. With the violent whip of his head, Troy was certain that not only was Bradly's jaw broken but probably had some sort of neck injury.

Jay turned to Troy,

"Please don't, I'm sorry, I never thought…" Troy blathered but no pleas would sway the Isle teen as he took Troy's right hand and snapped the joint. He took pleasure in hearing Troy's scream, knowing he deserved far worse.

"I just had to get that out of my system. I'm like Mal, normally I just get it over with. I could so easily snap your neck and end you for good."

Jay made his point by gripping Troy where his neck met his shoulder and pressed hard, the bone almost giving way. Again, Troy's screams filled the room and Jay was almost satisfied. When he wanted to talk, he silenced Troy with the same spell Mal had used and his lips were sown shut.

Troy was left pitifully whimpering.

Jay took a moment to gather his thoughts. He had been waiting for this moment for weeks, it wasn't every day when he took righteous vengeance.

"We have so little on the Isle. We were born with nothing but a legacy of evil, and we had to fight for every scrap of food, for every minute to survive. But…I had Mal. At times, she was all I had. Just two kids, starving and bracing each other from the cold. We had each other's back and together we survived the Isle. Why would you take her away from me?"

He looked at them hard, tears almost welling in his eyes. It never occurred to them that someone would actually miss Mal or that she had someone that loved her.

They were staring at three that loved her dearly, and they would find out exactly what love's wrath entailed.

Neither boy could respond, and even if they could, there would never be anything they could say that could justify their attack.

"Unlike Mal, I am taking this personally. On the Isle, it was kill or be killed. We did what we had to do in order to see the next morning. If any survivors or their kin had come at us, still sore from what we had to do, then that's fair. We'd fight like hell, but we'd understand. In Auradon, you're just a racist bigoted piece of shit. I could beat you to death, I've imagined it since the day you hurt her. But Mal is more precious to me than a few minutes of hits that will probably kill you far too quickly than what you truly deserve. So, I'm bringing in a true artist…and it almost makes me feel sorry for you…almost."

Troy didn't know how such a handsome guy could make a smirk look so terrifying.

Evie giggled at the sally, and it sent a shock of alarm down Troy and Bradly's bodies that almost made them forget the pain of Jay's violence.

Evie was one of the most beautiful girls they had ever seen, it seemed incongruent with the gleeful cruel smile that donned her face.

"Hey boys," she greeted cheekily with a wink. "Beautiful day to meet karmic justice, isn't it?"

She stood in front of them, looking at them as she spoke,

"I am honored that Jay trusted me with your punishment. I know it wasn't easy to refrain from taking a hammer and going to town on your skulls. Auradon has had such a good influence on our self-control."

Bradly's broken jaw didn't agree with her.

"Do you know what we'd be doing now, if not for this?"

She didn't wait for them to even think of an answer.

"Mal would have been watching that baking show, making a wish list of what she wanted me to bake. Carlos would have been cuddling up with her or in the computer lab doing…I don't know...clickety clackety computer things," she made a dismissive motion of typing on a computer. "Jay would have been at his driving lesson, and I would have been practicing mastering princess seams. All normal things that I've seen Auradonian born teenagers, commoner, noble, and royal alike, do. Just living life. We have plans to go to university. Carlos got into Wes-Tech, I'm going to the Westerly School of Art and Design just a stone's throw from him. We have summer jobs lined up at a beach resort to save up money. Mal and Jay are going to take a gap year and try to visit all 18 Kingdoms. Jay wants to see the world, Mal wants to try desserts famous to each region."

The friends all smiled indulgently at their sweets obsessed friend, Mal nodded in agreement as that was exactly why she wanted to travel.

"We're not the monsters you think we are," Evie bent at the waist to get close to the imprisoned boys, they could see her long eyelashes were the same blue as her hair and they frame her dark brown eyes, as wide and enchanting as any princess in Auradon. She gently cupped their cheeks, mindful of their injuries,

"But we can be," her voice dropped to a whisper, her smiled disappeared, and her eyes became so cold they carried the promise of harsh retribution.

Evie then popped right back up, the pep back in her step and the delight back in her voice and back away from the two.

"I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. I have an old standby, medusa fern sap. It's this nasty plant that grows on the Isle and funnily enough the school uses them for decorative landscaping. I just pruned some from outside the dorm castle and distilled it in the chem lab. It has the neat property of turning human blood into stone. It's an agonizing death, but it's just so finite and it works quickly if the victim is scared enough. With your heart racing from fear, the sap will pump through your system within minutes. Watching Mal, deathly still in her hospital bed. That didn't take minutes." She lost herself in the unhappy memory, and it gave her more vigor for her current situation. "I continued to rack my brain, I pulled inspiration from our parents. Should I give you a poisoned apple? Maybe skin you for a coat? Have you prick your finger on a spindle and fall into a coma with sepsis? Let your body rot with you none the wiser and doubtful that anyone had any True Love for you to wake you up. Everything seemed to fall short, I wasn't satisfied with any of the ideas I came up with. I needed outside help. Book? Can you come here darling?"

Out of one of the bags the Isle Four brought, a tan suede book floated towards the blue witch.

"We need your darker side sweetness."

The book then flipped, turned and in a puff of iridescent black smoke it became a black leather-bound tome that looked straight from hell. The dragon sigil in a fighting stance spouting fire reminded them of the stories of the Fae Wars, where Maleficent had devastated the land and wiped-out generations of families. Suddenly Bradly and Troy felt foolish thinking they could go against such an ancient and powerful bloodline.

"I wanted your punishment to be more lingering, more fulsome. So, I told Book, 'dazzle me, my darling.'"

With Evie's command, the book opened in front of her, and flipped through its pages. Carlos and Jay walked up behind her to see what the book had to offer, curious. Mal hung back, enjoyed the show as she had Book memorized.

"Book came up with many good ideas: amnesia, bunions, chilblains – I had to look that up, they're painful inflammation of small blood vessels in the skin that occur in response to repeated exposure to cold but not freezing air – and cholera." The Isle teens were intrigued by the detailed engravings depicting all these punishments. "All old school curses that just didn't feel like enough. I said 'we can do better than that.' And Book did not disappoint when it landed on…" the book flipped a couple of chapters later and landed onto the spell that Evie decided upon. "The Sphere of the Infinite Agonies."

"Perfect," Carlos agreed, his smile unnaturally wide and sinister.

Did Carlos always have such big teeth?

Troy started to become hysterical within his mind, still unable to speak and beg for his life.

"Your punishment shall not be to die, but to live forever in an eternal bubble of torture," she savored delivering their judgement, she loved to see the tiny wheels in their head turn as they realized that there were worse punishments than the Isle.

Although his mouth was magically sealed, Troy tried to beg for mercy once more. He was ignored as the Four had no mercy for those who would hurt them.

Evie wasted no more time, she grabbed supplies from the bags and started her spell,

"In a chalice made from wood from the Enchanted Forest, felled under a full moon by virgin hands – we got it from Etsy, free shipping when we bought a set – we pour one gram of malice,"

Mal stepped forward, her eyes turned black as night, she opened her mouth and leaned forward; out slithered a tangible smoke that slithered into Evie's cup.

"A drop of blood, taken by a lover," Evie pulled Jay towards her and kissed him deeply, he pulled her closer. With a quick bite of his lips, he didn't even notice her sharp teeth and continued to revel in her passionate embrace. She pulled away, her lips ruby red from his blood. She brough the chalice to her lips and let the crimson drop fall into the cup. Jay merely smiled, his lip still bleeding but he had no care in the world. Evie gave him a small gentle peck at the tiny wound and gave him a saucy wink.

"The scream of one doomed by fate."

Carlos walked over to Bradly with a large buck knife as long as his forearm, he cut through the imprisoned boy's magical threads and then plunged the knife into Bradly's thigh. The ill-fated teenager's scream came out in orange waves, collecting into the chalice.

"A gust of wind, to fan our hate."

In the brig, a strong frigid wind blew from out of nowhere while Carlos' eyes turned blood red, Troy and Bradly started to pray for death; anything to escape whatever Evie was doing.

"And a lightening bolt, to mix it well."

From the small window, they saw the sky turn inky black and the crack of white-hot lighting struck the cup. Once it was done, the sky returned to a normal blue.

"And now, you shall suffer as you deserve in the Sphere of the Infinite Agonies."

Evie poured the viscous orange potion over Troy and Bradly; it created two translucent blue spherical fields around them. Time stopped, the Isle Four moved in slow motion and all Troy and Bradley could focus on was the pain from their injuries which tripled since being entrapped in the spell. There was no way to tell how much time passed, but Troy was certain it was hours if not days. The heightened pain had caused him to bite down so hard his teeth had cracked, which only added more pain.

"Every moment in the Sphere is a lifetime, the pain you feel will be felt forever," Evie explained, her speech slowed to their ears. "We wanted this to be a special and personal punishment as well. Carlos?"

The two-toned haired teen stepped forward with what looked to be two perfectly square speakers that were no bigger than 1' x 1' that he fetched from their bags.

"I didn't know we had to have like, speeches or little anecdotes prepared so I don't have any cool monologue ready."

The other three snickered and Mal affectionately gave an insulting,

"You're an idiot."

Carlos impishly smiled and blew a kiss to Jay and Evie who had given him twin middle fingers.

"Anyway, science, science, science, and some more science with a dash of ironic vindictiveness," he rattled off, completely indifferent to their pain. He placed one speaker in each Sphere, placing his safety first by pushing them past the magic barrier with a broom that happened to be on board the ship. "We have speakers programed at a comparable decimal Mal had heard and that nearly killed her. And boom, we have eternal punishment that fits the crime. Both powered by my unadulterated hatred for your both. It's a clean and renewable energy."

With a flourish of his hand and a black remote with one button in his hand, he pushed, and the two criminals writhed in torment once the speakers pulsed with sound. The barrier protected everyone outside the Spheres and all anyone would hear was a low buzzing.

All four smirked maliciously, they took the moment of silence to take in their handiwork. It was the first time they opted not to kill, this was pure revenge and it felt good. All of their lives, they had been powerless against that which wanted to hurt them. They had been trapped on the Isle, punished for simply being born. They were at the mercy of their parents. Even in Auradon, they were there at the will of Crown Prince Ben. Their safety was not guaranteed, and they had to make their own justice.

"I think we got to finally admit it…we're villains," the smile didn't leave Evie's face, but she could be honest enough that what they were doing were not "heroic."

They were ok with that, however. The so-called heroes let them rot on an Isle, and there were still people suffering, while Auradon turned a blind eye. Mal didn't see that much of a difference between the Auradonian adults and their parents. She wouldn't lose sleep over it.

"We've got style though," Mal added. The others agreed, and they moved on to the next phase of their plan.

Troy and Bradly were still screaming and writhing, blood dribbling out of their ears and their wrists broken, the skin torn and bleeding from straining to escape their cuffs. The magic of the spell kept the two alive and it would for as long as they were kept in the Spheres. The Isle Four meticulously planned their revenge and accounted for the fact the two prisoners could not be delivered to the Isle. Not only would the Isle residents unlikely keep the Spheres intact, but the island's barrier would also nullify the magic. They wanted the two to be in eternal torment, not just for the reminder of the ride. In addition, they couldn't leave witnesses to their justice. Likely the two would die before they could report to someone that the Four had done magic, they weren't going to take that risk.

Luckily, Jay was descended from a powerful sorcerer who had an affinity with gems. They were further fortunate they were friends with a dwarf who came from a long line of gem miners. Doug regularly got "leftover" gems from his family and was more than happy to give Carlos and Jay a few pieces as "gifts" for their girlfriends.

In a way, they hadn't lied since the gems were for their girlfriends. They just so happen to also be prisons with the right spells from a dark grimoire.

Jay stepped forward, having got his fill of seeing the two suffer and if he ever got the urge to see it again, he could always ask his girlfriend and best friend to produce their jewels and have a good laugh. He held an emerald and sapphire, roughly the size of a large strawberry in his right hand. He vaguely recalled Doug telling him they weighed 45 carats and were flawless. He wasn't sure what all of that meant, other than they were big and pretty. Already cut in their desired designs, all they needed was the final touch of essence of tormented assholes to complete the pieces. With his other hand, he thumbed through the Maledictae Grimoira to get to the right page.

"Arabarius, lokoradets, I command you enter these amulets," his magic manifested in a sandy gold that emanated from him like a halo.

Troy and Bradly started to disintegrate into sand, their essence swirled, and the gems pulled them into their center. The stones glowed as bright as starlight then dimmed. When Jay held the gems to the sunlight, he could see the two in their infinite suffering; Troy in the sapphire and Bradly in the emerald.

He showed his final product to the others, and they were all duly impressed.

"I think that about wraps it up, can you take care of the guards?" Mal moved them along, she felt like they were bordering on suspicious with how long they were taking. Eventually they would be missed from campus.

Jay then took a simple gold pendant set with two chickpea sized rubies, also courtesy of Doug, out of his pocket and pulled the unconscious guard to a sitting up position. Jafar had used hypnotic rubies set in a solid gold staff wrought into a cobra. Jay wasn't as tacky and didn't have the same over dramatic flair as his father, and thought the plain pendant was good enough and not as obviously a "villain artefact." He didn't know how the Sultan had trusted Jafar, his father had all but a nametag of villain pinned on him.

Evie flicked her finger and pushed out a sliver of her blue tinged magic to wake the guard. Before the guard could get his bearing, Jay let the pendant dangle on a leather cord in front of the guard's face. Once the guard's eyes caught sight of the rubies, he fell into a trance and completely relaxed, unable to tear his gaze away from the facets and reflected light. His eyes swirled red and gold with the hypnotic magic and was open to anything Jay would say.

"You will fall asleep in two minutes and wake in twenty minutes. You'll be embarrassed that you fell asleep, but it was a boring and routine drop off. You dropped off the prisoners and they disappeared into the crowd. You do not have high expectations of their survival, and if you never hear or see the prisoners ever again, then you won't be surprised they didn't live long on the Isle."

The guard fell asleep after the instructions and Jay had confidence in his magic. He gave the same treatment to the guard who drove, Jay gave him memories of dropping the prisoners off and headed back towards the Mainland. The Isle Four left on the little dinghy they had rented from Belle Bay Harbor. It had a small outboard motor and Carlos used his own magic to give them an extra boost to get them back in time to the rental place. If anyone asked, they took a leisurely trip to relax and did a joy ride along the coast. It was still rather cold for most, but for the Isle Four it was a beautiful tour, and Carlos especially did not mind the chill.

The guards reported a successful transfer of prisoners, and most were too busy with the death of the Administrator of the Department of Isle Affairs to care.

The next day, Mal and Evie had two beautiful new accessories that got them several compliments throughout the day. They were the envy of every girl at school, whose boyfriends would never think to give them jewelry on a whim. Evie had her sapphire cut into a cushion facet and set into a hair brooch, it was surrounded with seed pearls to resemble a flower. It wasn't her usual style as she tended towards rubies with a crown charm. She loved that the sapphire matched her hair, but the pearls emphasized the stone and made it so it didn't get lost in her own gem blue hair.

Mal had her emerald set into a silver filigree pendant, on a black velvet choker. The emerald was unique in that it had a geometric fantasy cut, rather than the traditional brilliant cut.

Doug came up to them, smiled wide and clapped hands with Jay and Carlos.

"Hey, my dudes. The pieces came out great, I'm so happy you were able to get them set. I've never seen this jeweler's work. Who is it?" He was more than happy to recommend a new jeweler to his family.

"Oh, it's a small business from a refugee from Hollow Bastion. She's new on the scene, she made the designs, but the actual cutting was from a local jeweler" Evie explained as she showed off her new hair piece.

"Oh yeah, Ben and Chad had sponsored some refugees, right? They're doing alright, settling in? I would love to help. Get my volunteer hours in."

Evie rattled off some non-committal platitudes, and didn't really tell Doug anything but he was entranced by the quality craftmanship. He remained a respectful distance since neither girl was voluntarily taking them off for his inspection. Doug thought he might be tired, because in certain angles and in certain light, he thought he might have seen odd movements within the gems.

"I'll be sure to mention it to Ben, we always need more volunteers and it's a new program," Evie finally said when it looked like Doug might have caught sight of their little transgression.

That distracted the dwarf enough as he was behind on volunteer hours, and he needed them in order to graduate.

The conversation shifted away from their new jewelry, and everyone went about their day. None the wiser of what they had done.

---

The following weekend,

Ben and Chad had thankfully figured out a way to integrate Dizzy into Auradon without betraying her true origins. With a few well-placed forged documents and a tragic back story that was close enough to the truth that no one would delve too deeply into, Drizella "Dizzy" Tremaine became Drea "Dizzy" Nisiótis, a refugee who had lost her entire family in an uncontrolled forest fire and needed a loving home.

There were plenty of loyal families that believed in Unification and would readily open their home. Ben and Chad had found one in Rosedale, a suburb of Auradon City. If the family was led to believe that queen Cinderella had a specific fondness for the girl and accepted the generous additional allowance for her upkeep, then neither Chad nor Ben would not dispel them of that notion.

Evie was made a board member of the charity that helped the refugees, and certain allowances were granted to her in review of the homes the refugees went to. It was certainly a charming tale of a former child of the Isle to take such care and interest in helping others less fortunate.

The family had set up an afternoon tea, Evie had captivated them with the graces her mother had instilled in her. If no one had told them, they never would have guessed she had come from an impoverished background. They even promised to attend Isle-to-Auradon's inaugural gala in the late spring. The family allowed Dizzy to show Evie her new room and the special area where she was being homeschooled.

Dizzy's room was a soft creamy yellow, with pictures of lighthouses adorning the walls. The windows had soft northern exposure that lent airy light into the room. Dizzy had a daybed with white linens trimmed with doily lace. Evie had seen the fridge was filled with wholesome food, the neighborhood was safe, and the roof did not leak.

Dizzy would not have a legacy of evil to haunt her, not as the Isle Four and the others that would follow. She would have a privileged life, not as grand as the one that would have been afforded to her if Lady Tremaine and her daughters had not been banished and retained their wealth and title, but it was a comfortable life that above all, was safe.

It was unlikely that Dizzy would ever gain a title and become a lady in truth, but she would be amply provided for, and she was afforded what looked to be a loving and supportive family. It was beyond the wildest dreams of any Isle child, even the Isle Four had entertained such fantasies.

It was the least Evie could do for her and every bit of it Dizzy deserved.

"This is where my tutor, Ms. Wentworth, has our lessons," the young girl motioned towards a white desk in an adjacent area to her room. It was an area especially appointed for her schoolwork. There were notebooks and pencil cups neatly organized on the desk, ready each day for her lessons. "Ms. Wentworth says I'm ghastly behind but thinks I could be caught up in a year with a rigorous course load. Then I could go to Auradon Academy."

Evie didn't miss the proud tone in Dizzy's voice and determination in her eyes, it would be quite the accomplishment as Dizzy had to sneak in lessons to even learn to read. Lady Tremaine and Drizella had always had plans for Dizzy to work in the brothel and didn't see a point to have Dizzy even learn her letters. It was only by Evie's instruction that the younger girl became literate.

Several years ago, the brothels had not been so hostile towards one another. One of Evie's duties had been to babysit the children of popular whores, that didn't include Drizella, but being the granddaughter of a madam did lend itself some clout. Ravenna at the time did not consider Gemma's as competition, and always welcomed the extra food and linens Evie brought in by looking after the children. Evie had become close with Dizzy and had considered her a younger sister. She was more than happy to teach her how to read and even some elementary lessons in math.

"Do they question why you're not familiar with the computer or why you're so far behind?" Evie asked, wondering if they had to bulk up Dizzy's backstory.

"Not really. They know I'm from a poor country, they kind of assume I never had a computer, and my family couldn't bother with making sure I did well in school. The Johnsons basically buy me whatever I want if I tell them I didn't have it 'in my country.'"

From the mischievous smile she sported, Evie knew Dizzy let her new family know exactly how much her poor country didn't have.

"Good job," Evie wondered if she could squeeze more of an allowance from Ben with that tactic. "Do they treat you well? Do you feel safe?" Evie got to the heart of why she was there. While the Johnsons seemed to be a picture-perfect suburban family, the guards that visited the Isle were seen as upright unassailable citizens; looks were deceiving.

"They're really nice so far, I've only been here a couple weeks…" Dizzy shrugged. Sometimes it took a while for people to show their true colours.

Evie nodded in understanding and didn't expect a concrete answer, she had come prepared, however.

"I brought you a cell phone. It's got unlimited everything, so don't be afraid to use it for whatever you want," she gave the device to her.

"I already have one, the Johnsons gave it to me."

"This one will be your secret one. In case you need to get in touch with me or the others and the Johnsons took the other one away. These things can also be tracked, so you need one where they snoop can't on you. It has mine and the others' phone numbers. It's also linked to a credit card. So, you can buy a bus ticket or whatever you may need to get away."

Dizzy took the phone and was grateful, she was so new to Auradon she didn't think of such things.

"Here are a couple of talismans, if you ever feel unsafe just touch it to skin and it'll knock them out."

Again, Dizzy took the charms gratefully.

"Whatever happens, we take of our own."

"I know," she tapped the jewel in Evie's hair, she didn't have to say anything else.

Evie pulled the younger girl into her arms, so happy that she was safe. Dizzy hugged her back just as fiercely, grateful to have been saved and given so much.

Evie didn't have her license yet, she was still a few hours short of supervised driving to qualify for taking the test. With her schoolwork, extra-curricular activities, and helping with Isle-to-Auradon, and other requirements to graduate she didn't have the time.

Chad, in his bid to make up for his mistakes on the Isle, had volunteered to drive Evie to the Johnsons. The family was honored by the visit of the prince, and he made sure to give his name to Isle-to-Auradon. He was certain there'd be plenty of gossip of his charitable work and lure others simply to copy him or want to ingratiate themselves to the future king of Charmington and Cinderellaburg.

The drive was mostly quiet, they passed through woods and suburbs. The scenery was pretty, and Evie was mostly content to listen to the radio. She was still the most affable of the Isle Four and Chad wasn't used to the lack of chatting.

"So, it looks like Dizzy is in a nice place. Auradon Academy is the sister school to Auradon Prep, I went there. It's a really good school, once she's able to catch up."

Evie nodded, willing to be cordial. She knew he had flirted with her at the beginning of school and rumors had been he was a rake. If he had been interested in her, it had been purely physical. She highly doubted if she had a fling with him that he would have been respectful afterwards. There were rumors that he treated his girlfriends horribly, and some of them were even royal. She didn't want to think how badly he'd treat someone from the Isle who had given into his advances.

She didn't know if his newfound respect was due to disinterest because she was with Jay, or if he actually was thankful for her help on the Isle. Either way, she could be friendly enough for a chat.

"The house is nice, and the neighborhood looks safe. There was plenty to eat, it was comforting to see a fridge and pantry full."

Chad chose not to ask why she was most comforted by the amount of food, he figured it had something to do with why the brothels on the Isle took food as payment. He didn't see a lot of the Isle, but he was certain there were no grocery stores. He knew the charity Charmington sponsored included food, but he also knew he had never seen such donations himself. Could it be a lie, something his uncle made up as a cover for his people visiting whores? An inkling of guilt tickled his conscience, as he recalled how rail thin she and Mal had been when they first got to Auradon Prep.

"Maybe once she gets to Auradon Academy, you could visit her if they have Winter Showcases like Auradon Prep has. I'm sure as her cousin…" her random thought was interrupted when Chad sudden pulled the car over to a stop. They weren't driving particularly fast and were in a residential area. He had pulled over to a children's playground and put the car in park.

He normally wore an arrogant smirk or an easy-going smile, it was the first time she had seen him serious.

"Look," he had taken a few deep breaths to control the bubbling anger, he knew she was not the right target for it and that she hadn't really meant anything by it. He turned to her to face her,

"I do owe you and the others a lot. Probably more than I could ever pay in my lifetime. I'm willing to support Dizzy, she deserves to be safe and provided for. She's just a kid…but she is not my cousin. Her mother and grandmother were horrible and abusive to my mother. Druzilla and Anastasia were never sisters to her. I do not care what any piece of paper says, Lady Tremaine was never a mother to her. Besides, grandfather died before Dizzy was born, and Tremaine had been banished and disentitled. There's no familial link and Dizzy, nor anyone else, does not have a right to invoke it."

"Tremaine was going to sell her granddaughter to the highest bidder. You can't blame Dizzy…"

"I don't, but just because her grandmother was just as shitty to her doesn't make her my family. Just because my mother's story isn't as flashy with magic as the others, doesn't make Tremaine less of a villainess."

More irritation bubbled inside of him when Evie didn't seem convinced of that statement and even looked at him askance. Part of him couldn't even blame her when she was the child of a woman who had brought a kingdom to its knees. To the Isle Four, with the exception of Carlos, his mother's story probably seemed trivial and nothing more than family drama.

"My mother checks every year her last will and testament and goes over it with me line by line, to make sure I know exactly what I'm entitled to and that I'll be taken care of after she's gone. She's done this since I was seven. I'm the heir to two kingdoms, do you have any idea how much I'm set to inherit? This is something that takes days. She has monthly physicals and bloodwork because she gets so worried she'll just up and die like her father did. When I was younger, she'd have anxiety so bad that it'd keep her up for literal days, she'd clean the entire castle until her hands bled. She still struggles with insomnia. There's literally no locks on any doors within the castle. I have seen and lived with the results of Tremaine's treatment of my mother…no one of her blood will ever be my family."

Evie took a minute to take in what he was saying. She knew better than most that blood didn't always make family, and neither did marriage. Dizzy was innocent of any wrongdoing, but she could see that Tremaine's evil still lingered within Cinderella and the queen of Cinderellaburg had ghosts she could not escape. Claiming Dizzy as kin was one bridge Chad couldn't cross. He also had a point, Cinderella's father had died and there was no relationship between Cinderella and Lady Tremaine, then were Chad and Dizzy related in any sense?

Evie supposed it depended on if the people in question wanted a relationship and clearly Chad did not. She didn't even think she could blame him. Sometimes she forgot that the villains on the Isle had hurt people in Auradon, Ben had done such a good job at shielding them from the world outside of Auradon Prep. She always thought Cinderella's story was rather tame, and had never really considered Tremaine to be a real villainess. She always thought that Tremaine had been banished because she had hurt the wrong royal's feelings, not that she had done anything really evil. She felt Tremaine was on par with Cruella's crimes. Chad loved his mother dearly, and he was willing to stand up to her even though Evie had plenty of leverage against him. She couldn't really empathize with his protectiveness of his mother as she was certain she would never raise a finger to help Ravenna, but she recalled that it wasn't even a week ago when she had cursed two boys to an eternity of suffering in the jewelry she was currently wearing.

"OK, duly noted," she acquiesced. She wasn't going to fight him over it, and he was relieved that she didn't seem to take offence.

He started up the car again and drove back to Auradon Prep, he thankfully kept silent the rest of the way back.

---

P.H. was aware that it was unseemly for a 40-something year old to be slinking around a high school without a child of his own attending, but he didn't know how else to get ahold of Carlos.

Cecil wasn't returning his calls, and no one in the family knew where he was. P.H. had broken into his cousin's penthouse in Auradon City and couldn't find any contact information for Carlos. There were a couple of the letters from Ben on Carlos' behalf refusing to see the family, but there wasn't a cell number. It looked like the teenager had a Facebook page, but P.H. didn't want to leave a message or anything traceable. Not for the conversation they had to have.

Technically, the school could only allow the official guardian to visit a student. There was probably something in the rules about barring non-guardians the students specifically didn't want to see. But the de Vil Foundation had scholarships to Auradon Prep, which gave him a tenable reason to visit the school. If he were on official Foundation business and then happened to come across Carlos, then hopefully he would have a chance to appeal to him and have an important conversation. He hoped that Carlos would even consent to having a family dinner at their Auradon City home, de Vil House.

So far, no one seemed to question his presence and while it was convenient for him it was a rather alarming dereliction of duty on part of the Auradon Prep staff and security. He assumed his expensive suit and well-groomed features made them feel comfortable and lax. As far as they knew, he was noble himself.

He also recently literally got away with murder, people really ought not to judge a book by its designer suit cover.

Working in academia, P.H. had gotten rather good at blending into a crowd to avoid people he didn't want to talk to. One stratagem was to always walk as if he had somewhere to go in a hurry and look as if the next person to stall him would be sent straight to Hades.

He was a little surprised that no one seemed to pay him much mind, the students were mostly involved with each other or their phones. The teachers were probably all decompressing from having to teach. Although he had been balding, his goatee and eyebrows still had the signature de Vil colouring.

It seemed the only one aware of their surroundings was Carlos, the boy had come from one of the dedicated computer arts buildings. Seeing his cousin in the flesh had taken P.H.'s breath away, suddenly unsure what he was supposed to say when they were within eyesight of each other.

The teen was unsure as well. They had never met and P.H. had no idea the extent anyone told him of his blood family in Auradon, but Carlos seemed to recognize him on some level. If nothing else, his hair colouring was a dead giveaway.

Carlos had been on his way back to the dorms, but he stopped when he saw an adult he had never seen before on campus was in his path. It wasn't an unusual sight to see visitors, they were usually parents or high-profile donors. Commoners were rare, they usually only ever came during school functions and were parents. Royal and noble visitors came and went as they pleased.

This particular adult, however, felt out of place and there was the tell-tale sign of a de Vil with platinum white and pitch-black hair. The fact the man had also suddenly stopped and stared did not bode well in Carlos' mind. The teen looked to the side and mentally noted the many ways he could avoid the man if he needed to. He recalled all the replies to his pleas to meet via Crown Prince Ben, all stated that the de Vils as a family were not ready to meet him and none gave any indication of when they might be. He had taken it as a full rejection and didn't put any hope into a future reunion. He could be content with the family he had made with the other Isle teens, he had no desire or energy to waste on chasing a family that did not want him.

P.H. took in his cousin's features, everything screamed to him who stood before him was his blood. Carlos was lighter than most de Vils, but there was no mistaking his nose or the shape of his jaw. His forehead and texture of his hair were foreign on a de Vil, probably from his sire although P.H. had no idea how Magical Creature inheritance translated into human features. There was so little known about the Big Bad Wolf, for all he knew the Wolf could turn into human. He wouldn't be surprised if there were some link between the Wolf and werewolves.

He stamped down his researcher mind to focus on the present and not on all the possibilities of Magical Creature evolution, no matter how fascinating he may find the subject.

Although perhaps when Carlos was forewarned and they had comfortably covered their tracks, the de Vil Foundation would create a grant to study into such things.

They were still at an uncomfortable standstill, the other occupants of Auradon Prep seemed to heed little to them and walked around the two.

It dawned on Carlos that the man would not be the first to talk and he wanted to get this weird little meeting to go forward.

"Hello?"

That was enough to shake P.H. from his stupor and straightened up,

"Right, my apologies, I'm…" he didn't know he struggled with such a simple formality of introducing himself. "I'm P.H…your cousin." He thought he'd start with his name and how they were related.

"Cousin?" Carlos was a little skeptical as the man was at least in his forties. It was possible Cruella had a much older sibling that had a child when particularly young, and it wasn't like he was familiar with the de Vil family tree. Cruella wasn't forthcoming about the family she left behind. The little he could find on the internet mostly dealt with Cecil and his children as they were more in the public eye.

"Technically a cousin once removed, I'm your mother's first cousin."

That made more sense to Carlos, but he still wasn't sure what the man wanted.

Assuming he was a de Vil, and his hair certainly lent itself to that conclusion, there was always a possibility he was a fake. Hair dye could easily cloak someone in the de Vil colours, and Carlos recalled with a sharp hurt that the family had not wanted to meet him.

He was aware the de Vils were wealthy, even by royal standards. Could this man be trying to use him to get part of that wealth? Growing up on the Isle, he was sensitive to potential devious motives. Ben had also made him and the others aware of less than savory elements trying to get ahold of them from outside the school. Begrudgingly, Carlos could appreciate that Ben and the Crown had done a good job of protecting them while they attended Auradon Prep. They weren't given precise details, but there were people who were still loyal to their parents and had their own agendas.

Was this man pretending to be his family, knowing the de Vils had all rejected him? Did he think Carlos was desperate for anyone to claim him?

P.H. was proud of the caution Carlos exhibited, even if it would be more convenient to him if his cousin was a soft headed and gullible teen that would easily throw himself at the first wealthy relative that showed interest in him.

It was also unfortunate that every plead to come with him and try to explain himself sounded like a potential predator trying to get him to a secondary location. From Carlos' cautious glare, the unfortunate amount of time he was taking to come up with a plausible explanation, and from the obvious distrust of the teen their first meeting was going as swimmingly as a fish in a desert.

"Dr. de Vil?" came a questioning voice that walked up to them. They both saw it was the Crown Prince. P.H. by habit made a bow and greeted him as "Your Royal Highness."

Carlos relaxed slightly, at least he now knew the man was who he said he was.

"What are you doing here?" as Crown Prince, he was the sovereign of Auradon City and its surrounding lands, which included Auradon Prep. He had every right to question a man decades his senior, especially if the man was a commoner.

"I am here on Foundation business," he easily lied to create an alibi. "Aunt Malevola had thought to increase the scholarship, and to potentially fund a new dormitory to house more students."

Ben thought that was a generous offer, P.H. didn't know where that lie had come from but also knew his aunt wouldn't begrudge him the money if it got them into the good graces of their future King and at the same time gave them more access to Carlos.

"That's great, have you two been introduced?" Ben acknowledged Carlos' presence and was glad the teen hadn't taken off when P.H.'s attention had shifted to him. He wouldn't have blamed Carlos if he had wanted to make himself scarce of the family that had so far rejected him. He had hoped that P.H.'s presence and congenial countenance meant that the de Vils were softening their stance.

"We had just run into each other," P.H. kept up the façade that it was all coincidence. "But I'm glad I have, we," he meant the entire de Vil clan, "would love to have a dinner…or lunch," he offered when Carlos had frowned, "whatever is best for your schedule," he tried to keep any pressuring tone out of his offer. He understood Carlos' reluctance to meet them. He doubted he'd give a warm welcome to a family that had abandoned him and his mother to the Isle. He also hoped that offering such in front of the Crown Prince did not make Carlos feel as if he were being forced. "We desperately want to get to know you."

The offer didn't make sense to Carlos when the de Vils had plenty of opportunity to offer him a family meal when he, through Ben, had reached out when he first got there. He wondered if P.H. was merely trying to save face in front of his future King. With Ben's public support of inviting Isle children to Auradon, he wouldn't be surprised if P.H.'s offer had more to do with a superficial show of support rather than he and the de Vil family had a change of heart. He was not about to be used as some prop to further the de Vil's ambitions.

Carlos' demeanor got noticeably chillier, and P.H. braced himself for rejection.

"You had plenty of opportunities for…a 'lunch.' You didn't want to meet with me before, and I'm not going to help you kiss up to Ben. Fund two dormitories, I'm sure that'll make Ben forgive the family that rejected the kid he lifted up from abject poverty."

Ben winced at the sarcasm and the cynicism that money forgave such sins. He thought the snide remarks weren't totally unwarranted, however, as he had heard the rejection replies straight from Cecil, the family's representative.

"What? Wait," P.H. was confused about Carlos' accusation and grabbed the teen's arm to prevent him from leaving.

A chill ran down his body as Carlos looked down at P.H.'s offending hand and the teen's eyes turned blood red. It reminded him that his cousin was the son of a dangerous Magical Creature and even if he was half human, that made him dangerous too. All the stories of the Big Bad Wolf eating people whole or tearing apart a grown man as if he were tissue paper flitted through P.H.'s head. He would not be deterred, he needed Carlos to hear him out.

"There's a misunderstanding, please."

Carlos wasn't interested in hearing his excuses and was about to shake him off.

"We've wanted to meet you since we heard of your release," he released Carlos, but started to follow him.

Ben started to worry that it would turn into a public fight. He was particularly concerned that Carlos' anger would get the better of him, the red eyes did not bode well for his mental state. But P.H.'s claim that the family had wanted to see Carlos was a direct contradiction to what he had been told.

"We were told you didn't want to see us," P.H. almost shouted to Carlos when the teen clearly didn't want to hear it. That had stopped Carlos in his tracks, as Ben had told him the de Vil's weren't "ready."

His first instinct was to think Ben had misrepresented what the de Vils had wanted out of spite. That the Crown Prince was so bitter at Mal being with him, that he sabotaged the relationship he could have with his blood family.

"Whoa, lets calm down," Ben held his hands up in caution. He didn't want another situation where the two would come to blows. He wasn't exactly happy and content that Mal was with Carlos, but he didn't think his one-sided infatuation was worth fighting over. He certainly wouldn't do something as petty and despicable as lying to Carlos and the de Vils to keep them apart.

"I think there is a misunderstanding," he agreed with P.H. "Lets go to my office," he had an official office of state next to his suite in the dorms.

"Please Carlos," Ben appealed, the Isle teen looked to bolt. "Regardless of what's happened," he didn't need to expound on the elephant in the room that followed them wherever they went. "I wouldn't lie about something like this."

Carlos looked into Ben's eyes, which remained the soft brown it usually was. It was probably the first time he'd really been in Ben's company in a while where they hadn't gotten riled up to the point their magic had revealed itself in their eyes. There wasn't even a hint of gold.

He knew he ought to give Ben the benefit of the doubt. Outside of Mal, Ben had been good to him and the others. Ben took them out of the Isle and had even kept his feelings towards Mal to himself. It was only revealed because of a spell put on him by an unscrupulous light fae. In any other situation, Carlos would have felt bad and been angry on Ben's behalf.

He also looked at P.H., the first family member he's met outside of Cruella. He hesitated, he didn't think he would hesitate. He thought he'd be able to just walk away in righteous anger and get on with his life. But the family might actually want him, that it was a misunderstanding and they had wanted him all along was turning out to be a temptation he couldn't resist.

"Fine," was all he could say. If more was said and more was revealed, he wasn't sure what emotion would be let out first and what his magic would do.

They gathered in Ben's office, it was bigger than his dorm and the girls' dorm put together. There was a huge window behind the ornate desk, framed with Auradon blue and gold demask curtains. Ben sat at his desk and motioned for the two to sit in the two brown leather chairs in front.

"Carlos, do you mind if I start?" Ben wanted to respect that this was Carlos' family, but he thought the other teen might be too agitated to articulate what happened. And it had been Ben, not Carlos, to reach out to the de Vils.

Carlos nodded, he wasn't even sure where to even begin. His palms started to sweat, and he worried his magical traits would make an appearance. He didn't know what he wanted to happen. If the de Vils were liars, then he could cut ties and get on with his life. If they were telling the truth, then he might have a new family. He didn't know if he was ready for that.

"Dr. de Vil…I reached out to your family several times since last summer. I was specifically told that you, as a family, did not want to meet with Carlos."

"Cecil told you this?" P.H. was on the verge of exploding, it couldn't be anyone else as Cecil was the executor of Cruella's estate and Carlos' technical guardian.

Ben nodded, he had the emails to prove the exchange, but didn't want to go that far if he didn't have to since they were private conversations so far. But he had this horrible feeling there was a terrible twist to this.

"Cecil," his anger was barely contained, "had told us that you didn't want anything to do with us. He told us Ben revealed to him that you felt you had been abandoned, and that we didn't care about you or Cruella while you were on the Isle. He showed us letters from Your Royal Highness…"

"Letters?" that didn't make sense to Ben.

"Yes, letters. Formal correspondence to tell us that Carlos wasn't ready to meet us, but that you would keep trying to appeal to him."

"I…I never sent any letters. I wouldn't. This is a personal family situation…"

"I think this is less of a misunderstanding, and more of a purposeful deception on my snake of a cousin's part," P.H. got on his phone and made a quick phone call. Within minutes, he had an image on his phone and showed it to the prince.

There, in a perfectly clear picture was Ben's personal badge on the Crown Prince's letterhead. Ben quickly read it and it said what P.H. said it did. It was mostly some platitudes that he would help bring the family together as best to his ability, but it was up to Carlos if he ever wanted to meet them. Ben then returned the favor and showed the email exchange with Cecil.

"The response isn't there because he wanted to talk personally, but he told me the family as a whole were in agreement. They said they weren't ready as what happened to Cruella had hurt them so badly."

He then pulled out a sheet of the letter stock he used. The Crown Prince's badge at the top,

"That's exactly what he showed us. He had left one with Malevola, but there were several for each time we've pressed him to contact Carlos."

"I would need to see the actual letters. I need to know if that's actually my letterhead or a clever forgery. I thought I had misremembered ordering, but now I'm worried someone had somehow broken into my office and stolen my stationary," the thought of his office being violated, that someone would use his name to do something so horrible had filled him with a quiet rage he didn't know what to do with. His eyes gleaned gold and for the first time his anger was not directed at Carlos.

The other teen was in agreement, their eyes the otherworldly colour of their magic.

"I only ever use this stationary for official Crown business. I wouldn't use it for personal correspondence."

"Why?" Carlos finally had something to say. "Why would he do this? He's my uncle, right? Why would he keep me away from my family?"

"Knowing that idiot, it's something as banal as money. You're Cruella's heir and once you turn twenty-one, you get access and executive rights to her estate. Pardon me while I make a quick email," he then sent an emergency email from his cell to Malevola to put eyes on everything Cecil was doing and to audit everything he's done with Cruella's money since she was banished. He had a sneaking suspicion that Cecil was going to such lengths because not only did he not want to give up the money he had with Cruella's estate, but there were also probably inappropriate expenditures that would come to light once the estate was transferred over to Carlos and a full audit done as normal process.

"I would suggest we keep this to ourselves," Ben told them both as it was clear they were upset. "Cecil has possibly committed treason on top of a slew of other felonies and we need to make sure none of us does anything rash."

"Of course, that coward is a flight risk if there ever was one. We still want to meet with you," he told Carlos, the family needed to talk to him. The whole ordeal had gotten bigger than they wanted to, and it was a distraction to what he had originally been sent there to do.

"Wouldn't Cecil think it's suspicious if you met with me? And can I meet with you if he's my guardian and says no?"

"When you first got here and were a minor, yes," Ben explained, it's why he bothered with only Cecil to begin with. "Technically he's now just in charge of your finances, that's what I was made aware of when talking to him and asked if he wanted to set up a trust for you to use or an allowance. He did not, but the Crown was happy to give you one. You're eighteen, an adult, and have privileges to go off campus on the weekends. So, if you wanted to say, go into the city and then you happen to meet up with your family, then there's no reason for me to tell Cecil or for him to find out."

If P.H. had magic, he was certain his eyes would be a different colour. He couldn't believe that his cousin wouldn't even give Carlos an allowance. How miserly and selfish could one person be?

"Carlos," he wanted to make clear the family wanted him. "We would love to have you over. Malevola, your grandmother, and I. I don't know if Cecil had help or who else in the family we can trust not to go to Cecil, and I think too many people might be overwhelming. So, I think just the three of us would be a good start. We have a house in the city, we can send a car to pick you up."

Carlos really didn't think his day would turn out this way. When he first got to Auradon, he had dreamed of meeting his family. Someone who wasn't Cruella and hopefully would want him. When it looked like they didn't, he was ready to let that dream go. Now he was presented with what he wanted, he didn't know what he should do.

"You don't have to make a decision about dinner now…I know this is a lot," P.H. offered, not wanting to overwhelm him.

"Thanks," Carlos muttered, he wanted nothing more to just take a walk and get his head in order.

Ben promised that they'd get to the bottom of it, P.H. left his business card with Carlos which had all his contact information. He even wrote Malevola's cell number down as well.

Carlos went for a walk, and was proud that he had resisted the urge to go back to the laundry. Or to do any type of compulsive cleaning. He did his deep breathing exercises and made mental notes of what he wanted to talk to his therapist about.

He told Mal and the others about what happened. They were pissed on his behalf that Cecil was probably trying to cut him out of the money he had a right to. With the family stuff, they said they'd support anything he wanted to do. None of them had family on the outside and didn't know what they'd do.

"Whatever you decide is the right decision, especially if you follow your gut. If you change your mind later, that's right too," Mal assured him.

"I want to meet them," he had decided. "That they want me around, is leaps and bounds more than Cruella ever wanted from me."

He decided he wanted to meet his family alone. If things went sideways, he didn't want his friends to witness that and what they possibly might do to protect him. He thought he could handle P.H. and his grandmother was probably frail. He had his cell, he could call an Uber back to Auradon Prep if he needed to get away.

He knew logically that the de Vils were wealthy. Cruella had mentioned the family wealth growing up, mostly in a rage when she bitterly lamented her banishment. But it was a different seeing the wealth before him. The brownstone mansion was at the edge of the city, it had a forest that backed the estate. It was in a quiet area where the rich had access to the city's amenities but none of the noise.

P.H. mentioned it was their "city home," and Carlos was aware of the main family home in East Riding, Hell Hall. The fact that someone could own multiple estates that could probably house all the Isle orphans was mind boggling.

The mansion reminded him of the dormitories, with heavy drapery, silver, and portrait art everywhere.

He wore the suit Evie had made him for the Winter Showcase, something bespoke and fashionable.

He was introduced to Malevola, his grandmother who had a regal air about her and he could see their family resemblance. He thought he would flinch to see echoes of Cruella on the old woman, but he could never imagine the woman who birthed him to ever tear up in awe of just looking at him. She wore an intricately beaded black gown that he was certain Evie would love, and a matching lace headband and jewelry. She walked tall and proud with a gold cane and showed him around her mansion.

He didn't realize how much family they had as she named several de Vil ancestors whose portraits graced the silk lined walls, along with currently living members which included a portrait of her and Cruella.

It was odd to see a smile on Cruella's face that wasn't manic or not quite all there. She wasn't quite ecstatic or even happy, but she bore a smile of the privileged who had the world at their feet. She must have been in her late teens, who would have thought in a few odd years all that privilege would be for naught as life before the Isle meant nothing.

They breezed past the portrait and Carlos thought it was because he didn't need an introduction of the woman who was still banished.

P.H. wore a similar suit to his own and was happy to stay a bit back and let his aunt have a moment with her grandson.

The dinner was lovely, it was in the formal dining room, and they served standing rib roast with a horseradish cream sauce. He didn't know if they knew about his more animalistic desires, but he rather liked rare meat once he felt safe that Auradon produced clean food.

Malevola had made a light joke of how happy she was that at least one de Vil would eat their vegetables as Carlos ate everything on his plate while P.H. had shuffled the offending honeyed baby carrots and mashed parsnips. The older man had rolled his eyes and ate the root vegetable to spite her although it was clear it was painful to him, Carlos couldn't help snickering.

They kept the conversation light, Carlos mostly spoke of himself and his life at Auradon Prep, particularly about his dancing and computer skills. He didn't think they wanted to hear the horrors that happened to him on the Isle, at least not on the very first night. He spoke a lot about his friends, and they smiled when he spoke about Mal. He was glad that they didn't seem to have a problem with her magical heritage; he supposed that they would have to since he had his own and he had no idea how to broach that subject if he ought to at all.

He noticed they steered clear of conversation about Cruella, probably another topic that should not be brought up on the first night.

After dinner was finished, they had offered him coffee and dessert in the library.

It was a massive and stately room, just like the rest of the house. P.H. had instructed the servants to retire for the night after they had set up a coffee pot, cups, and a decadent chocolate mousse, whatever they may need they could get themselves. Carlos thought Malevola looked nervous, something he didn't think the almost royal matriarch could feel. When P.H. seemed solemn, he wondered what they wanted to talk about. It was a stark difference from when they were eating dinner.

He sipped coffee and took several spoonsfuls of the delicious chocolate. He wondered why the others seemed so uneasy as he thought for a first dinner it went rather well. The offering was small, and he had finished his quickly and put it back on the table.

They all drifted towards the couches and sat down.

"Carlos…we want you know that we are so happy to have you here…and we want many more dinners and gatherings to follow," P.H. needed to reassure him that he was a welcome member of the family.

"We are your family, despite the action of one, and we want you here with us," Malevola told him while they sat down on the satin couches, and she took his hands in hers. He thought her hands were so soft, even if some of the skin was loose from her advanced age. He noticed that she had Cruella's eyes, but without the hatred or cruelty.

He nodded, to let them know he accepted what they were saying even if he didn't fully realize the extent yet as it was just their first meeting.

"We also want you know that no matter what, you are welcome to our home. That you'll always have a place, that we'll do whatever we can to protect you…we know…you know…that you're magical…at least partly," P.H. took over, thinking he'd be the one able to actually tell Carlos the news he desperately needed to know.

Carlos nodded, unsure where they were going with it. He thought it was known Auradon wide that he was partly magical. They couldn't know he was practicing magic, if they did then he needed to tell the others immediately. It was one thing to know he was passively magical simply because one of his parents were. It was another if they knew he was breaking the law.

"When it was apparent you were magical," P.H. omitted exactly when and how they found out, he didn't want to startle the teen. "We started to do research on your potential magical father…we wanted to know of any potential weaknesses or things that may hurt you. To make sure we knew best on how to protect you."

Carlos' heart sank, and the world became just the three of them and the room they were in. He had a feeling he was about to find out who his sire was, and he felt that his world was about to implode. It was the last thing he thought he would discover that night.

"In our research we found firsthand accounts from the Isle, and we confirmed it with government Rounders who had brought your father to the Isle."

Carlos wasn't that surprised that they had access to the Isle, he had grown up with visitors seeking whores. It wouldn't have been difficult for someone to come under the guise of looking for a good time, then ask questions to the citizens. The citizens would even answer if they had the right incentive.

"Who…what is he?" Carlos needed them to just tell him.

P.H. took a deep breath and met eyes with Malevola, she nodded him to go on.

"The Big Bad Wolf," P.H. whispered, and the knowledge laid heavy in the air as it sunk into Carlos.

The teen let out a harsh breath, feeling as if he had been sucker punched. He knew his sire couldn't have been a good person: banishment to the Isle, then the rape of his mother. He had always thought that his sire would have been a warlock that maybe made a deal with the devil. The Isle had been composed of not only famous villains, but not so famous ones. Magic users that had been wreaking havoc or simply dangerous. He had assumed his sire had been one of them.

It turned out, his sire was one of the worst monsters not only on the Isle but in the history of the world.

His vision tunneled and he felt like he couldn't get a full breath, he staggered when he got up. He wasn't quite aware of where he was or where to even go, but he needed to get out.

"Carlos, please, don't go," P.H. and Malevola begged, but he couldn't really hear them anymore. He felt lost in the maze-like mansion, but eventually made his way outside. He started to run, the woods offering sanctuary from his thoughts and reality.

He didn't know where he was after what felt like an hour of running, he was miles from the city and could be halfway back to Auradon Prep for all he knew. He finally stopped and in any direction, there were just trees.

The shock started to wear off and what replaced it was rage.

It wasn't fair, it wasn't right. He was a good person, and he had the blood of a monster running through his veins. He wasn't just the son of two villains, he was the scion of pure evil.

No. It couldn't be true. They must be mistaken. Someone would have told him, Cruella would have said something. Why wouldn't she say something? How could she keep that she was attacked by a giant monstrous wolf a secret? What would the old and nearly dead Isle villains know? They must have lied to get food. They'd tell a gullible visitor anything in order to get a meal.

He couldn't be the son of the Big Bad Wolf. A beast so old his origins were mired in mystery and hearsay.

The fury started to build inside himself, his breathing becoming deeper and more erratic. His chest heaving with the tempest of rage inside of him.

The de Vils had lied, Cruella had lied, they all had lied. He couldn't be the son of the Big Bad Wolf, he just couldn't. All of his life he had to deal with this shadow of a man they would not name, and now that name was a monster from legend. Cruella should have just told him, he wasn't a small child that needed to be coddled. He had a right to know where he came from, but she was too selfish and self-centered to even contemplate what he might need.

For a mad moment, he was tempted to go back to the Isle and demand the truth from her. It made him even angrier that because of her selfishness that he would need to make such a risk. He needed to know, he needed the truth. But the ugly reality was that it was unlikely Cruella would ever be honest. The fact that he wanted to know, she would prevaricate just to be spiteful.

The anger could not be contained, although he tried his best to keep it in. He had taken several deep breaths, but it was no good. The fury was alive, electric, and needed to get out, it was a force that originated in his chest and he let out an unholy scream, a wintery cold blast of air escaped through his lips and decimated the surrounding woods. Once he was done, he had dropped to his knees as he saw the devastation he caused. The trees were gone, uprooted and several miles away. The ground was torn up, and there was nothing left of the topsoil.

He looked down at his shaking hands, they had become claws and he was certain his eyes were red, and his hair had grown out. There was no denying what he had just done and where he got those powers.

He had huffed and puffed…and blew the forest down.

The anger was gone and in its place was a cold dread.

The story of what probably happened unfurled in his mind, the Big Bad Wolf must have been one of the Darkest Creatures captured and lived in the woods that even Maleficent dared not go. His mother, ever obsessed with furs had caught wind of a huge beast that lurked in the forest. Perhaps they didn't know it was the Big Bad Wolf specifically, but all Cruella had to know was that there was a massive pelt to be had. Fisher too cowardly to hunt the Wolf down, Cruella in her own variety of madness thought to do it herself.

He had heard scant details of his mother's attack, one such element was that she had come out of the woods bloody and her mind broken further. He always thought it was odd she would be leaving the forest, she was not the type to get her hands dirty if she could force Fisher to go. To hunt for a coveted wolf pelt would be the only thing that would motivate her to do such a thing.

"I'm a monster," he whispered as the tears started to fall and he had no choice but to accept the truth in front of him.

---

A little over 12 years ago…

Snow White hadn't been to Tabor Castle in seventeen years. Weither had been a small kingdom tucked inside the mountains and on the edge of the Enchanted Forest. Most had called her father a petty king, royal but just barely. The kingdom paled in comparison to the neighboring Charmington to the east and Westerly to the west.

Of Ravenna's crimes, they only remembered how she tried to kill Snow White and had poisoned her father. No one seemed to fully grasp the full extent of how the aptly called "Evil Queen" had hobbled Snow White's birth right and ruined her life.

Once King Magnus had died, by rights Snow White should have been crowned Queen with a Lord Protector and Regent appointed until she reached her majority. Instead, Ravenna had crowned herself and made Snow White a scullery maid. With her coup, she had executed Magnus' privy council and filled it with her own people. The new queen had legions of thralls under her power to protect her new throne.

Snow White should have gotten an education any princess in the land would have received, even if they were not in line for the throne. As the rightful heiress, she should have been schooled on royal responsibilities and how to take over the kingdom of Weither. Instead, she had been barely lettered and only knew the basic of sums. She did know how to cook, clean, and mend clothing, such as a commoner castle servant would know.

She was a princess in name only, and it seemed very few people while she grew up remembered that. It never occurred to her to ask why she was doing servant's work when she was a princess, and her stepmother was Queen.

When she woke from the curse, she had no one except for the seven commoner dwarves who lived in a small cottage in the nearby woods. While her friends, they were not nobility and the royal representatives that spoke with her afterwards paid them no mind and did not invite them to negotiations.

She was a scared fourteen-year-old girl who didn't know how to be a princess, much less a queen to the kingdom.

Weither's army had been thralls under the power of Ravenna, they had disappeared with her when she had been run off by Prince Ferdinand's army. Weither had no one to defend it, and would the common people rise up for their rightful Queen Snow White who had no education on how to rule and a girl besides? Ravenna had been thorough in her sabotage, as barely anyone remembered that King Magnus had a daughter.

Prince Ferdinand, soon to be King Ferdinand with his father's ill health, had proposed marriage. His advisors had swarmed to her and spoke of all the reasons it was a good match.

Certainly, she could not expect a better marriage offer. Not only was he the heir apparent to a much larger and wealthy kingdom, but he had woken her from her curse with True Love's Kiss. It had to be Fate that he had come across her, and he was able to break her curse.

As the Queen of Weither, although she had never been crowned as such, she had to think of the wellbeing and safety of her people. It would only be a matter of time before another kingdom invaded such a vulnerable land. The entire continent had also been at war with the Fae for the past five years, which now would include the witch Ravenna and her sister the Ice Queen Freya. Because the small kingdom of Weither was now embroiled in the war, Snow White had to act quickly to protect her people.

The worst thing Ravenna had done to her, was to keep her ignorant of the political reality of the neighboring kingdoms. Maleficent had been devastating Auradon and it was the first time she was hearing about it.

She had been ignorant of the fact that True Love's Kiss was one way to break a curse, another could have been a splash of water from any lake or river within the Enchanted Forest. Only Ferdinand knew the truth of whether it was his kiss.

True Love's Kiss certainly made for a romantic story in the eyes of a silly fourteen-year-old and the populace, it was doubly convenient for an ambitious prince.

She was ignorant of the fact that Ferdinand's father had offered his hand in marriage to Ravenna soon after Magnus had died, she did not know that Charmington had been eying Weither for a long time. She did not know that House Charming knew of the vast precious gem mines the seven dwarves had been surveying for the Crown, and had always coveted more land to grow their borders.

She did not know it was not True Love that motivated Ferdinand to accept a bride with only her kingdom as a dowry, but greed. The Charmings wanted to enlarge their kingdom and they wanted the gem mines to add to their wealth.

Marriage was a bloodless way to get what they wanted; she didn't know they were ready to take the kingdom by force if she did not comply. No one could know for certain if something befell an unready young Queen during a larger war of all 18 Kingdoms and the Charmings doubted anyone would fight too hard for a little backwater petty kingdom.

The story ended with a wedding and a kiss, they did not talk of the frightened girl not ready to be the wife of the Crown Prince, then soon after King. Weither had been absorbed and all its newfound riches where property of the Charming's Crown.

The end of the Fae Wars and several years later, True Love's Kiss was not Happily Ever After as the stories told.

Ferdinand had given up his crown, but retained the curtesy title of king, and bent the knee to King Adam in the name of unity and peace. He still had all of his lands and wealth, but that wasn't enough to keep him happy without an heir.

The last five years of the Fae Wars, no one said much when she didn't fall with child. She was continuously pressured to fall pregnant, but with a husband at war and sporadically at home, they blamed the stress. Queen Aurora had been dealing with the same issues, rumor had it. When the war ended and they tried for an heir in earnest, the next five years there was still no child in the royal nursery and people talked.

After a year of trying, they had Snow White meet with doctors and tried everything modern medicine had to offer.

After several failed procedures and countless hormone injections Ferdinand had lost his patience and had told her she would be set aside. It was no small thing to set a consummated royal marriage aside, especially since he still wanted the gem mines that produced 30% of Charmington's wealth.

The process would be long, but Ferdinand spared no expense to move things as fast as they would go. She had no army or powerful relatives to defend her honor, only the law which was not generous to barren royal wives.

She would revert to her title as princess since it was the title she had at birth and no one could take away that she was the daughter of a king. But she was the princess of nothing, as Weither would remain a province within the kingdom of Charmington.

She would live at Tabor Castle after it was renovated to the standard her station demanded. It would take years and millions of francs, but Ferdinand would see it done. She had just got done walking through the neglected estate, taking note to what work needed done and if anything could be salvaged.

No one knew of the proceedings to put her aside other than the barristers and his privy council, but she was sure most people saw it coming. There was nary a king who would be content to let his bloodline die out. He had a brother who was king of his own kingdom, and he had a son. Chad Charming was a bonny lad who was the pride of his parents, and most importantly carried the family name.

Ferdinand was not satisfied to leave his throne to his brother and his nephew after him. Especially since he could still marry another and still father sons of his own.

Snow White was at least grateful she would have a private estate to nurse her bitterness and anger and avoid the press for however long they obsessed over the divorce. She also had to look forward to her husband getting remarried and probably starting the family he thought was worth tossing her aside for. She wouldn't have to face those who agreed that he had made the right decision. There were so many other nobles and royals who would do the same thing.

Ferdinand wasn't going to wait the years the renovations would take, so she was also looking for rental properties. She didn't need to stay in a mansion just to live in while the work was done, but she did need something private and secure. Those tended to be in wealthier gated communities, and she was not satisfied with what she had found so far.

She slipped away from her security and hotel, intent on having some time alone and just not live as queen about to be put aside.

With no bodyguards, no makeup, and in simple jeans and sweater she looked like any commoner off the street. She barely even recognized herself without all the royal regalia she had worn since she married. If the clothes were rattier, she would look like she did at fourteen as Ravenna's servant. She had put some nude lipstick over her famous "lips as red as blood," and she doubted anyone would recognize her. She found the seediest bar, out in the sticks. She doubted any of them had even heard of RBN, much less watched it regularly.

She stepped in and it was almost as dark as it was outside. Everything was a grainy undefinable wood, and looked like it hadn't updated since opening in the 30's. She was invisible to the other patrons of the bar; they were all focused on their own mugs of ale or glasses of stronger stuff. It was the type of bar people went to be alone.

She seated herself at an empty wooden table in the far corner of the bar.

A waitress appeared to her quickly, probably because there were so few other patrons.

"I'll take the hardest cidre you have, and keep them comin'," Snow White ordered over the aged jukebox. The music gave another layer of privacy if she muttered to herself after a few drinks then no one would hear her.

She was well into her fourth drink, and she was mad at so many people. She was angry at her father for being seduced by Ravenna then dying by her hand. She was angry at Ravenna for obvious reasons. She was angry at the old men who told her she had no other choice but to marry Ferdinand, at fourteen-years-old. She was angry at all the doctors that pumped her full of drugs and kept telling her she just needed to keep trying; for keeping the actual odds of conception from her so she kept doing her connubial duties. She was angry at Ferdinand for making her think it was True Love when he only saw her as a way to gain gem mines and an heir. If he had been honest and upfront, she was still in a vulnerable position and wouldn't have had much of a choice but at least she wouldn't have thought herself in love and been so hurt when it was so easy for him to discard her.

He was unnecessarily cruel, telling her he loved her just to gain popularity with her people and paint a pretty picture.

The scowl that marred Snow White's normally fair face had driven away any man that might have approached her, all except one.

The definition of tall, dark, and handsome produced a mug of the cidre she was drinking and placed it in front of her. She wasn't drunk enough to have lost her senses, and when she studied his strong jaw and fathomless eyes, she recognized him. She may have only seen him for a few minutes before he was whisked away, but seeing the Big Bad Wolf turn into a human was not something she could ever forget.

She couldn't help the ugly snort and following laughter that escaped her chest.

Well it looks like Ferdinand won't have to go through the bother of ending our marriage. I'll probably be found in the gutter, or perhaps not at all, and he can wash his hands of me. Just perfect.

"And what is so funny?" the Wolf's voice was gruff, a tenor of amusement leaking out. He never would have thought someone who had been part of his transformation and subsequent exile would be daring enough to laugh right in his face.

"My life is in complete ruins," the alcohol loosening her tongue and general lack of caring any longer. "I'm about to face months, if not years, of humiliation in all the United Kingdoms for being a barren queen, which apparently was my only use to my soon to be ex-husband. I'm financially dependent on said soon-to-be-ex-husband because as a foolish 14-year-old I signed the rights to my father's kingdom, which included very lucrative gem mines, to the Crown of Charmington. I'm about to probably live the rest of my life in seclusion, while my ex will get a young, new, and fertile wife and life happily ever after," she spit out the phase like it was poison on her tongue, "with her. So, you murdering me and leaving me to rot outside some seedy bar is just the cherry on the shit sundae of a year I've been having. Cheers."

She didn't allow him to respond before chugging the entirety of the mug he had just given her. He was quite impressed with her ability to drink without needing to take a breath.

"I'd appreciate several more of these and something stronger," she tapped on the glass's rim, "to get me completely shitfaced before you kill me. It's the gentlemanly thing to do."

The Wolf let out a few small laughs, got the attention of the waitress and put up two fingers asking for more rounds. He sat down beside her, a few moments passed between them as neither of them talked. Snow White was busy giving death glares to her empty glass and muttering about how men were cruel and useless.

The waitress came by with their drinks, and they sat a few more minutes of silence.

"So, you're human now…what's that like?" Snow couldn't stand the silence.

"It's…life. And it's every day."

Wasn't that the truth?

"I'm surprised you're still alive. The whole reason to turn you human was to try to kill you permanently."

"Meh," he carelessly shrugged. "I'm still Wolf enough to have powers. I can still huff and puff…you know how it goes. I was killed…it lasted a few months. I woke up, I was still human, and they found me again. That pain in the ass Huntsman family has a supernatural sense for my presence. Funnily enough he wasn't there for my second capture. I think they didn't tell him I turned human and they didn't trust him enough to come on the hunt for me. He just pointed them in the right direction. They obviously didn't tell anyone else."

"Awesome. So, we turned you human where we can't easily identify you as the Big Bad Wolf and barely anyone knows you've turned human…and you still have your powers to kill us. Fuckin' genius King Adam, you asshole."

Another catastrophe brought on by a terrible idea by a terrible king. Just typical. And those assholes didn't deign to warn me. Fucking fuckers.

"I don't have plans to kill anyone. As when I was the Wolf, I mostly just want to be alone."

"You commit atrocities across millennia: rape, murder, eating children and old ladies, and you get off scot-free? You get to just fuck off into the woods all la de da?"

If she thought it'd do something, she'd smash the glass mug over his head.

"You made me human, or at least you were there. I'm no longer the Big Bad Wolf, at least not most of him. I still feel him inside of me, lurking beneath my skin. But I'm human now, his sins were his own. And the sins I commit now are mine."

"And it's just that easy, huh? You get to say the past is the past, you're a different person, and move on with your life?"

"I'm literally a different person. The King has no desire to try to take me to task for my past, and by what right do humans have to judge a Wolf?"

"I'm pretty sure judging murder, rape, and child eating is universal across species and races. And you murdering me, is that the Wolf getting revenge on those who judged him?"

"I told you, I have no desire to kill anyone. Not even you."

"Then why are you here, talking to me? Buying me drinks?"

"I guess I wanted someone who knew of the Wolf to talk to."

"Oh, the Big Bad Wolf is lonely. Bit ironic, isn't it?"

He smirked, he could see how ridiculous it was.

"I blame the human in me…how did you all do that by the way? That's been bugging me since I turned. And what you had to do with it. I get the King, he wanted me gone for good. Same with Peter, his ancestors have been trying to kill me for hundreds of years. That star faery, she was the magic behind it. What were you doing there?"

Fuck it, I'll tell him

Snow White decided she didn't care if he figured out how to become the Wolf again. Let him create some chaos. She just hoped he'd let her point him towards Ferdinand.

"I was the magic actually…sort of. I was tasked to help, as they thought I could possibly have something of my stepmother's that could help. Her mirror had been confiscated and some odds and ends, but I didn't think it would hurt to look. Being useless during the war, and they treated me like a failure for not falling pregnant immediately on my honeymoon, it felt…validating that King Adam had asked me for an important task. So, I scoured the castle and lo and behold, I find this secret room filled with spell books, potion equipment, and all sorts of magical artefacts. In this collection, I found this knife. Pure gold, all these fae runes on it. Her grimoire says it's the Lycanthropy Stained Athame. It was supposed to turn werewolves back into humans."

"I wasn't a werewolf."

"I figured it was close enough, and what's the worst that could happen?"

"That is such a dangerous and human thing to do. What if that made me more powerful? I would be the Wolf…and a werewolf…maybe."

"It was the best we had, and you were wreaking havoc. We couldn't just let you back out."

Fair enough

But he kept that thought to himself.

"I was killing and raping on the Isle. I'm surprised I wasn't left there. There is no love lost between Auradon and the villains."

"You were weakening the barrier," Snow said that part quietly, and looked around nervously but saw that no one was paying them any mind. "Adam's a piece of shit, but I did agree at the time that we couldn't have the population know that the Faery Godmother's magic was fallible. And we definitely could not have the more powerful villains escape. I doubt we'd win another war."

"So, I guess I should feel special. In a land where the death penalty is outlawed, they were willing to make an exception with me if the spell had worked like you thought it would."

"Here's to nothing turning out like we thought it would."

She brought up her glass and the Wolf thought it polite to clink his against hers.

"So, what happened?" she asked him, "I was told it worked and you were killed. Guess they figured I'd never return to Weither. And probably thought you'd never be dumb enough to approach a queen."

"When they found out I still couldn't be killed, we struck a deal. I'd get this remote farm, out of the way and where no one else lived for miles and miles, if I stayed away and never brought out the Wolf again then the Crown pays the taxes and upkeep, they created a life for me. I got a new name and I've been working this farm ever since. I come here sometimes to get a semblance of company. Human part of me and all that, but you're the first person I've had a real conversation with for two years."

"What are you called now? Bigby?" she snickered at her own joke.

"No," he chuckled at the terrible name. "That's a bit too on the nose and I'm certain if people went snooping about they'd figured that out right away. The whole point is to lay low. I chose Robert."

"Robert?" she had no idea what she was expecting, but nothing as normal as Robert.

"Yeah, I had heard it on the television, and I liked the sound of it. The person on tv was called Bobby. If I had friends, I thought it would be nice. It was just so…human."

She looked him over and despite his rough exterior, she thought he looked lonely.

"So, Bobby Peterson. It's nice to meet you," and he held out his hand to shake hers.

She didn't shake his hand, she was too busy laughing hysterically.

"Really? Peterson…Peterson?"

"I did want at least one 'fuck you.'"

They had a few more rounds, more nursing the drinks rather than trying to get drunk. The cidres she preferred were not that strong, and in a seedy bar she suspected they were watered down as well.

"We didn't have to be enemies," she started to pour her heart out. If for no other reason it was nice to get it off her chest and she doubted he would tell anyone.

He didn't say anything, just waited for her to continue.

"Ravenna and me. My mother died giving birth to me. Ravenna was the only mother I knew. She was the only parent I had growing up, she killed my father when I was one. I didn't know that until after the whole mess. I don't know why she didn't just kill me when she killed my father, if all she wanted was power. At some point, before I became 'fairest of them all' she had to hold some affection for me, right? Or maybe she just didn't feel like it and liked having a dutiful servant. I made really good gooseberry pies, maybe that was it."

Bobby remained silent, but clearly was paying attention so she went on.

"When I went through her magical hoard…some of the spells, they sounded amazing. Shapeshifting, potions, alchemy…she knew how to do incredible things. Weither was a small kingdom, but it was still a kingdom and she ruled it for thirteen years. Whatever can be said about her, she was powerful and competent. I've never been any kind of powerful in my whole life, I would have loved to learn magic…and before she tried to kill me, I loved her too. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if she had just seen me as a daughter and taught me magic…would I be so easily tossed aside? Why is it so easy for everyone to get rid of me?"

She wanted to cry the tears that pooled in her eyes, but she still had enough pride to keep them at bay.

She went on to tell him the whole sordid tale, how Ferdinand tricked her into marriage and how she's left with nothing but what he's willing to grant her which was the least amount curtesy dictated and not a farthing more.

"Ferdinand sounds like a cunt."

"That is an insult to cunts."

"My apologies."

After a few moments of a more comfortable silence, he felt the need to ask her something.

"Did they ever test him?"

"What?" she had spaced out for a minute.

"Did they ever test him? Ferdinand? Did they test him for issues?"

"With having a baby," he clarified when she looked confused.

She blinked a few times and was surprised that it was such a foreign concept to her. It had never occurred to her that he may be the problem. Her education was still lacking, and no one ever thought a royal bride needed to be told anything about sex education beyond what her husband was willing to tell her.

"No, they always said it was me…or maybe they never said it might not be me…" she started to realize she never actually had an in-depth conversation about fertility and her health. All the doctors really knew as that there was no baby in the royal nursery and had just jumped right into treatments for her.

"Well, from what I can tell…heightened senses and all of that, you smell perfectly fertile to me."

It took a few minutes for what he said to sink in. She teetered on whether or not she should believe him, but regardless he brought up a good point that Ferdinand had never been tested. He had never even suggested he could be the problem but had no problem placing all the blame on her. Suddenly, her rage returned, and everything became red. It was just another lie told to her, in order to trick her, use her, and throw her away.

If Snow White had supernatural strength, the glass mug would have been crushed under the pressure of her fury.

She wondered if Ferdinand knew he could be the problem and put her through the torture of fertility treatments to save his pride or was he so arrogant as to think he couldn't possibly be the one with fertility issues.

She found she didn't care, she couldn't wait for the divorce and never see that odious man or live in that toxic court ever again.

She found she didn't care about a lot of things in that moment. She didn't care about the Crown. She didn't care about the people who would call her queen but then took pleasure in her fall from grace. She didn't care about balls, dresses, or to be royal at all. She had lived half her life as a commoner, she could go back to it; she might prefer it. Simple clothes, a small cottage, and a simple life. Being royal had brought nothing to her but pain and heartache.

Every decision she had made since she was fourteen was for other people. For the people of Weither, for the people of Charmington, for Ferdinand and his desperately desired heir.

She looked Bobby up and down and felt a stirring. Ferdinand was a handsome man, with dark features so common in the Charming bloodline. But they had been refined and clean features. She couldn't recall in the twelve years of marriage of ever seeing him with even a 5 o' clock shadow or a hair out of place. Bobby also had dark features, mahogany hair that was brushed but not styled. A beard that probably made its appearance right after a shave, and a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. His hands had long fingers and his palms were callused from his time as a human working on a farm.

The Big Bad Wolf was a handsome man, and Snow White decided that was enough.

The cidres in general were weak compared to other beers and ales, she suspected the bar had watered theirs down as a matter of business. She had several and was only barely buzzed.

Any bad decision she made would be her own.

She was fine with that.

Bobby had said he could smell that she was fertile, he could also probably smell her interest from the way he was eyeing her back.

Ravenna trying to kill her for being the "fairest in the land" might have been shallow, but the mirror had told the Evil Queen true. Snow White had only gotten more beautiful with age. Her features sharpened with the vestiges of babyhood fully melted away. Her lips still red as a rose, and her skin as fair as cream with a light natural blush that was the envy of maidens across the kingdoms. She also had a full figure, with a woman's curves not hidden well with her commoner's clothes.

"Let's get out of here," she told him after she had chugged the last of her cidre. She hadn't waited for his response and had gotten up to leave the bar, she didn't need to turn back to know that Bobby had followed her, admiring the view from behind.

There was plenty of time to change her mind between leaving the bar, getting into his truck, and then driving to his farm several miles away.

She was still technically married and queen of Charmington. She knew Ferdinand had mistresses and visited whores. Obviously, their marriage had meant little to him, and she suspected he hadn't kept to his vows even before their trouble conceiving.

She also barely knew Bobby, and he could very well still have plans to kill her. She had only his word that he was more human than Wolf. But she had made every right and reasonable decision all her life, and it had done nothing for her.

He had said she smelled fertile. Did he mean in general? That she was healthy and nothing wrong with her? Or did he mean she was literally fertile and ovulating? She had purposefully stopped tracking her cycle after years of her life revolving around it.

Snow White decided she was done with making reasonable and appropriate decisions. She would simply feel and do what her body wanted without much thought of the consequences.

---

Four months later…

While her life would get complicated beyond her current understanding, Snow White couldn't help the vindictive glee that radiated from her heart as she saw the positive pregnancy test.

She was back in Charmington, she had given her desired renovation estimates and had even found a proper rental property to stay in while the work was being done. Soon she'd be set aside, but not before telling her husband the good news.

She asked for a private meeting in his office. The guards were well beyond hearing range of their conversation but would be able to spring into action quickly should she turn so bitter that she'd actually attack her soon-to-be-ex-husband. They didn't quite trust the pep in her step or her obviously good mood.

They didn't think it boded well for king Ferdinand for his queen to be anything other than hopeless and resigned to her fate.

King Ferdinand was impeccably dressed in a grey suit that complimented his dark hair. He was clean shaven, and his hair slicked back. While she had asked for this meeting, he seemed to think whatever she wanted didn't warrant his full attention as he sat behind his massive ornate desk and worked on affairs of the kingdom. He may have a lesser crown, but the responsibilities had not gotten lighter.

Her own attire was flawless, the fruit of many hours with a stylist that schooled her on royal fashion and decorum. She had to fit years of royal education into a few months before Ferdinand had deemed her worthy of public appearances.

Her pants were custom made and tailored to fit her perfectly, but still modestly as was right and fit for a queen. Her blouse was a demure cream colour that billowed with the finest silk from Northern Wei, and just so happened to cover her budding waistline.

Ferdinand had expected Snow White to come to him at some point, probably to beg to remain his queen and say she'd do anything. All the doctor's appointments and treatments had resulted in nothing, their next step would be magical intervention and in the current political climate, that just wasn't possible. He would of course calmly tell her it was for the good of the kingdom, as an unbroken chain of succession was what was in the best interest of everyone. Of course, he couldn't blame her for not wanting to be humiliated, but he needed an heir and none of them could afford to be sentimental about the future of the Charmington Crown.

The throne needed an heir and that meant he needed a wife who could provide him one. Snow White had failed, and he thought twelve years of marriage was more than fair to give her a chance to do so.

He wanted to procrastinate the conversation and had focused on finishing his paperwork. Once he had signed the last page and given it his seal, he looked up and was surprised to see her patient and even unbothered by his inattention.

He would have thought Snow White would have been cross and scared in equal measure, any sane royal wife about to be set aside would have been.

Since she had asked for the meeting, he waited for her to start.

"I am with child," she told him as if she were talking of nice weather.

It took a few moments for the news to sink in.

Ferdinand had been waiting for that phrase for over a decade, with "it's a boy" to follow. It should have sent him reeling with joy, to finally have an heir.

But he and Snow White had not shared a bed for nearly a year. He didn't blame her for not wanting to sleep with him while he put into motion setting her aside, although part of him would have thought she would have tried desperately to have a child until the very end. He also felt it was a waste of his seed, and so they had been living separate lives.

If she were with child, the child could not be his.

Snow White could see the wheels turning in his head, from confusion to the delicious rage she had hoped for.

"You filthy whore," he started while his face turned red.

"Tut, tut, tut. That's not a gentlemanly thing to say. And you should know all about whores, you've seen enough of them throughout our marriage," she was too satisfied with herself to take any real offence to his hypocritical anger. "I was not charged for my night of passion. I slept with him because I very much wanted to."

Ferdinand looked like he could flip the desk over, but years of royal repression of his emotions had stayed his hand. If he had been an ordinary man, Snow White probably could have expected him to raise a hand to her, and probably would have needed the guards to come pull him away from her. But he had been raised royal, as he so often liked to remind her, and she was certain he would keep his cool if she had come at him with a knife.

She had been tempted over the years to test that theory, but with twelve years of marriage she could tell his emotions through his little tics and body language.

"So, what did you do?" he demanded. "Pay off some errant faery to bless you with your bastard?"

He would have thought she would be smart enough to not involve magic in their personal business. With the revision of the hierarchy of the kingdoms, magic was essentially outlawed and that included for such things as help with fertility. There were many harsh penalties for breaking those laws, and King Adam didn't care if the person was royal or commoner. Ferdinand would be more than happy to report her to the Ministry of Justice for illegal magic use. If she wanted to play the spiteful scorned woman and whore herself out to embarrass him, then he would play her game.

"No magic involved," she said coolly, a small smile gracing her face as she rubbed her triumph into his. "Just a man and a woman…together…several times one amazing night…and twice in the morning," she really didn't need to wink at him as if she was sharing a juicy secret with her best friend, but it felt right in her heart to do so.

She didn't need to say that far outpaced his own vigor, but from the vein in his forehead she didn't have to.

It also seemed he wasn't quite getting the real point she wanted him to figure out, so she'd help him along.

"And how many 'amazing nights' have you had with those outside our marriage?" she questioned his own infidelity. That had struck him out of his rage for a moment, confused as to why that should matter.

If a king's needs were met outside of the marriage bed, that was not the business of his queen's.

"I was too naïve in my teen and early twenties to see what you had been doing, but I doubt seeing whores is something new. And of course, there are your…paramours that you keep in high fashion and those expensive flats."

Ferdinand had something new to rage about, for she had no business knowing any of that.

"I just think it's interesting that nary a one, in the twelve plus years you've been seeing them, had ever fallen pregnant."

"You stupid bitch, how dare you…" when it was clear to him what she was insinuating, his cool temperament could not be contained.

"That's queen stupid bitch, we are still technically married dear."

Her mock tone and barely concealed chuckling was enough to break him from his normally controlled demeanor and he had swept away a pile of paperwork and office supplies with his hands with one swoop.

"They are smart enough to take birth control, unlike you. If you want to play the harlot, then fine. I will treat you like a harlot. I had been generous…"

Her scoff and laughter only added to his rage.

"In the annulment proceedings, but no more. I'll leave you with nothing."

"You do that," he was shocked at her cavalier shrug.

"I mean it Snow. You'll get nothing. Not one farthing and you'll be out on your ass. A princess of nothing with only a title."

No matter what, he couldn't take her title from her. Tabor Castle and its renovations, as well as any financial support were fair game.

"Again, you do that. You know what I realized after the seventh orgasm?"

She went on when he only spluttered in indignation.

"As you've liked to lord over me in our marriage, I didn't grow up royal. I was a commoner. I know how to cook, clean, mend my own clothes. You see these as things below you, but what it really is that I know how to take care of myself. So, after that night, I started to take care of myself. I have proof of your infidelity, hidden away with loyal friends. I have proof of your bareness growing right here," she gently caressed her growing stomach to emphasize her point. "Even if you do leave me with nothing, I'm not nothing. If I have to get a job as a cook or a maid, I'll do that. If I have to move out of Charmington, I'll do that too. One nice perk of uniting the kingdoms is that I can easily move across the 18 Kingdoms, no passport or immigration paperwork necessary anymore. I think Westerly would be a nice place to settle down. King Eric never quite liked how pushy you were in your border disputes, I'm sure he'll welcome me with open arms."

The rage again was building inside of Ferdinand once he realized he couldn't be as potent in his revenge as he thought he would. He would move heaven and earth to not become a commoner, mostly because he knew he wouldn't be able to survive at all. Growing up royal, there was always the fear of being disowned or disentitled. It was seen as a sentence worse than death and used as a common threat from his father to get in line.

He didn't know how to react to Snow White merely shrugging off the wealth and title.

"And, if I ever do get into dire straights…there's always the book deal waiting in the wings."

"Book deal? What book deal?"

"Oh, just a multi-million-franc offer, as an advance, to publish my memoirs. I have so much to remember. Growing up under Ravenna, getting married at fourteen which for whatever reason you like to glaze over," the sarcasm so thick he could cut it with Excalibur. "Being a set aside queen because I couldn't have your baby…all the interviews I've been offered, they'll see my growing belly...I'm sure that won't raise more questions…"

She trailed off and let the threat hang.

For the first time in his life, he was struck blind by rage that he actually yelled so loud the guards had to have heard him,

"GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Snow White was happy to oblige, and as she walked out, she could hear Ferdinand starting to tear apart his office.

The guards she passed kept their vigil, but they knew there was trouble brewing.

Snow White was surprised to be summoned by Ferdinand a few weeks later, she was certain she would have been exiled out of Charmington, and probably Cinderellaburg out of fraternal loyalty before she even made it home.

She knew threatening Ferdinand with going public was a risky gambit, she didn't really have a plan to do so. Her child would not be made fodder for gossip and further, she didn't want anyone to question too deeply who the father was. She was certain Bobby would not appreciate becoming infamous as a human as he was as the Big Bad Wolf.

She could admit she mostly just wanted to see Ferdinand lose it, and that would be a treasured memory she'd carry with her forever. She also wanted at least to keep Tabor castle. Even if he refused to renovate, she'd get several million just for the property alone. She was honest when she said she'd get a regular job and become a commoner again. She really didn't care about living in a huge castle with just her and the servants. She did, however, want some security for her child and to give them the best start possible. She didn't care to have wealth, but she was not ignorant to its advantages.

Snow White was also not suicidal. Ferdinand was wealthy and powerful, she feared a "car accident." She had immediately moved to Westerly, having already rented a cute cottage that reminded her of the seven dwarf brothers who had housed and protected her. It wouldn't be her permanent home, but it was as good of a place as any while she made her next moves.

Ferdinand was offended to be told to come to her. He had been king for twelve years and heir apparent to the Charmington throne before that. No one told a king to come to them. But Snow White had all the leverage, and as much as it irked him, he had to acquiesce.

He was glad to see her in much humbler accommodations and thought it little better than a hovel, but she seemed perfectly content and he had the urge to burn it down.

Being pregnant was exhausting, and she sat herself down at her kitchen table. If Ferdinand thought it rude, he made no mention.

"No guards?" she questioned when he literally had come alone. She knew she told him as much, but she thought he wouldn't bring a lawyer or some such. She had expected at least a guard as royals were always jealously protected at all times.

"No, I want this to be a…private conversation," he gritted out. He hated that the palace guards had heard his previous outburst, he didn't need more fodder for gossip.

"Well, to let you know I do have a…guard of my own," she tapped her knuckles on the wooden table, and in return a few knocks were heard in reply.

"I would rather this be a completely confidential conversation."

"And I'd like to make sure I'm not murdered. If you can't deal with that, then you are free to leave. I believe I've said all I've had to say."

He had only been there a few minutes and already his blood pressure was sky high.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. He's far enough away he can't hear us if we're speaking civilly. The first instances of shouting in anger, however…" she shrugged and let the threat hang.

Ferdinand considered his position. If he were smart, he'd leave and come back with at least one loyal guard. The problem, he didn't know if any guard was loyal enough to keep this a secret. Even if one was so loyal, the issue of keeping a secret grew tenfold with each person who knew.

The only way two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead

He didn't have a choice, he had to trust Snow White that whomever her guard was, couldn't hear them. He was also running out of time, if he wanted his plan to go forward then he needed her cooperation and to enact his plan before anyone could guess at Snow White's condition.

"If you're here for me to sign divorce papers, you could have sent them through our lawyers. There's no need for this cloak and dagger approach."

He rolled his eyes, frustrated and annoyed with her newfound sarcastic attitude.

"I have been to a discreet doctor, one out of the continent."

That piqued Snow White's interest as that was far to go for a medical opinion.

"There are…issues with my seed," every word was a cut to his pride and he felt every sharp hit. Describing the doctor's diagnosis as an "issue" was also putting it lightly. He had never thought, and was never told, the issue may lie with a man. He had never felt as less than a man when he was told he was all but sterile.

He wondered if his father knew or kept it from him the problems that could arise from mumps, but he'd never know as the doctors in his youth and his father were long dead.

Snow White fought every desire in her body from smirking in triumph. All those years of being made to feel less than or shame at not having given her husband a child, it was not her fault. She refrained as it was clear that Ferdinand was going through the same pain she had when she had thought the problem was with her. She did her best to keep her self-satisfaction to herself. In the end she didn't want to be the type of person who would kick someone when they were down, but with so many years of his abuse she didn't find it in herself to be charitable enough to actually feel sorry for him.

If they had been a happy couple, married for True Love in truth and not just a story he whipped up to make his marriage to a young teen bride more palatable, then they could have comforted each other. They would have said it's no one fault, and that they could be happy with just each other. That's how it should have gone.

"I am exploring treatment options, but the issue still remains that you are pregnant with another man's child."

Snow White quirked an eyebrow, unclear how it was an issue since she was going to be put aside.

"I am willing to stop divorce proceedings, and act as if this…unpleasant business has not happened."

Snow White was prepared to be threatened, she was prepared to get a slightly bigger settlement in order to keep quiet, she was prepared to fight for a portion of what she was due.

She was not prepared to stay married to Ferdinand.

"Pardon my misunderstanding, but what exactly is your plan? To have this child be named yours?"

"Never will a bastard sit my throne," he growled out, offended on behalf of every king before him for such an idea. "Especially not one of my blood."

She wasn't surprised by his vehemence, but she still didn't understand his plan.

"We will remain married. You will hide your…indiscretion and give birth in secret. Give it to another family or keep it hidden, I do not care. We will cite your preferred privacy, the people of Charmington have never quite clamored for your attention anyway."

If he thought that snide comment made any difference to her, he was mistaken.

"I am willing to be quite generous in terms of your jointure and renegotiate the terms of your dowry."

When she said nothing, he went on,

"In addition to Tabor Castle's renovations, Weither will become a duchy. Its profits will go directly into your coffers, minus of course the taxes owed to the Crown of Charmington. Its administration will be under your purview. In addition to your royal title, you will be entitled Duchess of Weither."

That was certainly an improvement from a meaningless princess title and the meagre funds, comparatively, she would have gotten before. He had essentially given back her kingdom in its entirety, only owing Charmington taxes. If he had any sense of decency, he would have offered those terms from the beginning. It would have been a sign that he had at least respected her and her devotion as a loyal wife for all those years.

Instead, he tried to be miserly and spiteful, and give her the bare minimum the law would allow to punish her for not giving him a son.

"Tempting," it was not, "but I think we hate each other enough to not subject ourselves to being married for the rest of our lives. So, I politely decline, and counteroffer," she put up her middle finger.

Ferdinand sighed, he was dealing with a child.

"We need only be married until my medical issues resolve. Once I can sire an heir, we'll get the divorce and you will be just as rich and comfortable as you were as queen."

"So eventually I'll still be completely humiliated, and you come out not looking like a selfish prick…not really seeing the benefit to me here."

"You'd be wealthy and titled," he gritted out, that should be enough for anyone.

"And I've told you, I'm ok with working and making my own way. I don't think your money or title are worth keeping my child some dirty little secret just to save your pride. Also, I thought this was kind of obvious but maybe I need to say it: we hate each other. Like, a lot."

"Then how about this, you'll be saving your child from being a dirty little source of unending gossip. You want to parade around that were you able to get with child and humiliate me? Fine. I'll have every paparazzi from here to the Great Wall hound your bastard child. They can cross the border just as easily as you can. No matter where your bastard steps, there'll be plastered all over every gossip rag in every commoner's store in the 18 Kingdoms. The same goes for your…lover," the disgust clear on his face, "I haven't prodded into who he is as a gesture of good faith, but I can easily look into who you cavorted with and make his life as unpleasant as possible. Then there are your dwarf friends, employed by Charmington owned mines. They can see themselves out on their ass. How many people need to suffer because you want to be a vindictive harpy?"

Ferdinand might have been a womanizing jerk, but he wasn't an idiot, and he was prepared to throw her out with barely anything. Snow White knew he would have no trouble ruining the lives of anyone close to her, simply to lash out for his own hurt pride.

She took a few moments to think through what she wanted. He may have her pinned down, but he was too. Their lives were inextricably intertwined, and both could assure the other's destruction. His offer was generous, but she wouldn't settle for anything less than she ultimately deserved.

"The patent of the title will allow me to name an heir, at my absolute discretion."

Ferdinand gritted his teeth, as he knew she wanted to leave the duchy to her coming bastard. It was also probably wise in foresight as a title on a supposed barren woman was useless and would be extinct within a generation.

"Not only name but have absolute primogeniture. Where my intended heir is male or female—and the heirs after them—they get everything. A seat in the House of Lords, the mining rights, the castle, everything."

"As long as your 'heir' has an impeccable background," she took his meaning that her heir would not be linked to her as her bastard, "then fine."

It almost went without saying since she had to keep up the farce it was her that was barren.

"Given that this new duchy will need to establish itself, I want the taxes lifted for fifteen years. That should give me plenty of time to establish an administration to run it in accordance with its new status."

"Fifteen years?! That is preposterous."

"Not for a loving husband simply trying to honor his heartbroken barren wife," she held one hand to her heart and with the other traced a path of a tear from her eye to her cheek.

If Ferdinand had any magic, she was certain the cute little cottage and herself would be in flames. If Ferdinand meant to weave this ridiculous fantasy of a loving king to his loving queen, then she would make him honor it and be as loving as he could possibly be.

"Ten years and at a reduced rate."

"Ten years at zero, or I'll let the miners unionize."

That had shook him to his core, the very thought of giving the minors worker's rights. The overhead would be astronomically expensive to their bottom line.

"That would severely eat into your own profits," he reminded her. The reduction in taxes went without saying.

"Oh no, I'll be a slightly less multi-millionaire," her mocking worried facial expression grated on his nerves.

"Fine, no taxes for ten years but I want it in writing you nor your heirs will allow the miners to unionize."

"Fine,"

You're such a greedy asshole.

From the unimpressed look on his face, he could read her mind and didn't believe for one second any sincerity in her forced smile.

"I'll have my Clerk of the Crown in Chancery write up the letters patent, and I'll have my barristers write up other parts of our agreement. You should be able to sign in a week, we can meet…"

"Actually, have them send me a copy. I'll have my own lawyers look them over."

"You do understand how this is supposed to be a secret agreement?"

"You do understand I wasn't born yesterday and will not sign my life away…again," she said with a dark undertone. "I'm not fourteen anymore, Ferdinand."

His back straightened but otherwise he did not acknowledge any wrongdoing on his part. He gave a short nod and saw himself out.

Snow White let out a strained breath and relaxed her shoulders. The meeting went nothing how she thought it would, and she murmured an apology to her growing child for the drama she had dragged them into.

Ferdinand was correct, if the child was claimed publicly then they would have a life of publicity she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. She only hoped a life of semi-seclusion was the better option, and that they'd understand why they couldn't ever call her mother in public. She had every intention of living the life of an embarrassed "barren" queen. Let Ferdinand have his pride if it meant she could slink off to the shadows and live a quiet life in the country.

She even sent up a little prayer for Ferdinand's treatments to work and they could get an divorce. She knew the tables had turned in an absurd irony, now she was the one who desperately wanted her freedom from her marriage and Ferdinand was dragging his feet. She had wanted to be free from Ferdinand, she just didn't want to feel like she was being tossed aside.

With Bobby's keen hearing, he knew exactly when king Ferdinand was far enough away for him to safely come down. He had been ready to step in if needed, but Snow White handled herself well.

Dealing with Ferdinand was just one problem among many, he wasn't sure how they would cope. Snow White needed to hide a pregnancy, an average commoner would have issues to do such a thing. A royal with a troubled marriage and a target of the media, how could she disappear?

Then there was the Big Bad Wolf. What part of him, if any, would this child be cursed with?

When he came to the kitchen, Snow still sat at the table and her gaze was kingdoms away. His worries probably paled in comparison to her. He could always disappear, a call to King Adam or Nadine FéeMarraine and they'd create a new life for him. Snow White would always be Snow White. She used to be the princess who had been saved by True Love's Kiss. Then she was the Barren Queen. What would the future hold? Would she be the Queen with a Bastard? The Queen who bore a Villain? A Monster? Would they try to take the child away?

The feeling that twisted his stomach and the rage that took his breath away, he knew he wouldn't let that happen. If he had to defy the King and fight against the most powerful light fae in all of Auradon, he would.

If he had to call back the Wolf, he would for his child.

He knelt before Snow and took her hands in his. He looked into her eyes,

"I know this is hard…there are countless fights yet to come, and most of them are going to unfairly target you. The burden is wrongly mostly on your shoulders. But I am here, I'm in this fight with you. Whatever you need me to be."

Tears fell from her eyes, overwhelmed from such a simple promise. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had ever been on her side, willing to fight for her. It had been her against the world ever since her father died. She had been used by Ravenna, then by Ferdinand. Her stepmother and her husband should have protected her, should have loved her, and wanted the best for her. Bobby probably had the least obligation to stand with her, they barely knew each other and the child that connected them came from a one-night stand. He owed her nothing, yet he was risking a lot to be there for her and the child. Who knew the repercussions if anyone connected him to her, and then to the child. Even if no one ever found out about the Wolf, Bobby's life would completely change as he'd be hounded by the press and he'd never know another moment's peace.

If his past as the Wolf was discovered, exile was just the beginning of their worries. Bobby could escape, and apparently, he couldn't be killed—at least not permanently. But there was no way to know what powers, if any, the child she carried could have. King Adam hated magic; she wouldn't be surprised if he banished her child under the guise of safety. The King would find support from Ferdinand who would be vindictive and punish a child for the hurt of his pride. She knew that Ferdinand would take extra offense that she had an affair with a Magical Being.

Bobby could have walked away, and she wouldn't have blamed him, he didn't sign up for her messed up life. He could have demanded that the child should be brough up by him, and she would have seriously considered it. Her life wasn't something she would wish on her worst enemy, and while it would hurt the child would probably be better off if it didn't know it was part royal and all the garbage that went with it. But Bobby supported her having the baby and with whatever she wanted. She almost didn't know what to say or do, she barely ever had such control over her life.

"Thank you," was all she could muster to say. She didn't know what the future held, but with Bobby in her corner she felt she could conquer the world.

"I never thought I'd ever have a child," he admitted, something she could relate to since she had been made to think she was barren. "There was never a She-Wolf or anything close to my kind…I'm kind of excited."

Again, she was overwhelmed with a flood of unfamiliar emotion. In all her worry, she forgot that she could be happy about her pregnancy. Not the vindictive glee she felt to rub it in Ferdinand's face that she would have a child, one he desperately wanted and it was not his. But she was having a baby, it was hers and Bobby's. They created a life, and even with everything going on she was looking forward to being a mother.

"Me too," glad to have someone to share her pregnancy with.

They would be alright, they had each other and that was enough.

---

Tabor Castle had been fully renovated and Snow White turned it into a girl's boarding school, catering exclusively to commoners and its curriculum emphasized life skills.

During the ribbon cutting, Ferdinand had made an appearance and "fully supported" his queen's endeavor. Snow White knew he was boiling inside that the millions he had forked over for the renovation were "going to waste" on commoners. He was further irked when he found out that she was only living at the castle as its Headmistress part time and did not know where else she was staying.

She had no intention of telling him, but he minded his business as she had done what she had promised, and no one was the wiser that she had given birth. He didn't even know the sex of the child. For all the public knew, Snow White was a generous, childless queen who was filling her time helping other children.

Some whispered she was the Mother of All Charmington.

"I believe girls not only deserve an education fit for a royal, but to also be adept at life skills to be fully independent and self-reliant," she gave a speech at Tabor Preparatory School. In terms of education, Tabor Prep rivaled Auradon Prep and Sherwood. Many praised its emphasis on practical life skills such as cleaning, cooking, home and automobile maintenance, and financial literacy in addition to academia.

Snow White had caused a bit of a stir when she required that all students take a comprehensive sexual health course, which not only included a thorough review of all birth control options but also a rigorous curriculum of all body parts, male and female, that was taught by board certified OB/GYNs. It caused an even greater uproar when she had made those birth control options available to her students.

In an interview of her controversial choices,

"I am a royal and yes, there is a cultural emphasis on chastity and abstinence, but I ultimately live in the real world. We all live in the real world, life is not a faery tale. I have learned this the hard way. I am giving these girls choices and education. They have a right to know what their choices are and how bodies work. They do not have to take birth control. The curriculum is sex neutral. Sex is merely something some people do. If they choose to do it, then I want them going in with as much information as they can to make the best decision for themselves. If they choose not to do it or if they're not interested at all, we support them too. Too often I've seen teenagers coddled and given no choice in anything, then suddenly they're considered adults and they have no idea how to navigate society because their parents kept their world so small. In the end, if parents do not like it then they can pull their children from the school. It's completely scholarship based and voluntary."

And Snow White did not care what Auradon at large had to think about it, she opened several sexual health clinics all over Weither to help her people. She was not interested in what judgmental pearl clutchers' had to say.

Some grumbled and took offense, but there were so many more that praised her progressive policies and there was never a problem with filling the roster.

Snow White was made even more popular with the new benefits she gave to miners and had expanded worker's rights.

When Ferdinand had come storming into her office at Tabor Prep, demanding an explanation and brandishing the contract she had signed,

"I kept my promise. The miners are not unionized. There's no clause barring me from giving them expanded rights and benefits of my own volition," she coolly explained.

Ferdinand wondered if she had any Fae blood, something to make her twist and turn an agreement with malicious compliance. She had met with representatives of all the mines in her control. She asked the workers what they wanted, and then she gave it to them. No union involved, merely a gathering of people who made agreements.

If Snow White agreed they deserved a safe work environment and put in place protocols that guaranteed it, then that was her right. If she agreed they deserved healthcare and generous pensions, that was also her right. If she didn't begrudge them paid time off and vacation well over the national average, who could gainsay Duchess Weither in her own duchy?

There was nothing for him to do about it, not only was she right and there was no way she'd agree to alter the contract, but her policies had proven popular. There was no way to retract the offer to the miners without causing strikes and massive push back. He had to settle for even less revenue coming into the Charmington coffers.

Ferdinand wondered if maybe there was such a thing as karma. The years of pressure he had put on Snow White, all of the medical tests and procedures he had blithely put her through in order to grant him an heir seemed to be coming back to him. Now that he was on the receiving end of it, he thought himself lucky that she hadn't murdered him in his sleep.

Admitting his issues, even to a doctor who was paid handsomely and had an iron clad non-disclosure on top of patient-doctor confidentiality, was difficult and embarrassing. The procedures were painful. The shame that pulsed through him when analysis after analysis had come back the same:

Negligible sperm count, poor mobility, and abnormal morphology.

He didn't even get as far as to choose a surrogate or a replacement queen. When the annulment proceedings had first began, he had several noble women in mind. There were no princesses available to him that were of an appropriate age, he wasn't willing to even broach the possibility of a foreign teen bride. He doubted he could get away with a second True Love.

Of course, none of his mistresses were of appropriate rank. With how things worked out, there was no way Snow White would be convinced to fake a pregnancy if he sired one on a mistress. He also didn't trust his queen to not put a cuckoo in the royal nursery out of spite.

When she alerted him she was having a second child with her lover and they would have to make plans accordingly for her confinement, he had gotten terribly drunk and in another rare show of emotion he had trashed his bedroom.

When the fury had burned out of him, all he had was a bottle of scotch and his regrets.

With feathers drifting around him like snow, broken furniture surrounded him, and moonlight poured through his windows as he sat on the floor and wondered how he had gotten there. Every so often he would take a large swig from the bottle and couldn't even feel the burn any longer as it went down his throat, he went through the memories of the last thirteen years.

He had done his duty to his country. He married a princess, he expanded his borders and gained wealth for the glory of his crown. No one could say he hadn't been a good king. He knew he hadn't been a good husband, but he knew that sometimes being a good king conflicted with being a good husband.

The Crown came first, always. It's what he and every king before him had believed. It's how the monarchy survived and how they kept their wealth and power.

Now he felt as if he failed the Crown as well as being a man.

All of his hopes and dreams for the future of Charmington had died, as well would his bloodline. It'd be his brother's blood that would sit his throne. Of course, it was better than nothing. The Charming name would live on, and he had to settle for that.

He wondered if it would have been easier to live with if he had a True Love in truth, and not the story he created with his ambition.

---

Snow White was surprised that she fell in love with Bobby. Having a child had only been an abstract concept to her. She knew that getting married and having children was what she was supposed to do. Even if she were not royal, she was aware it was a well beaten path that every woman was expected to take. Having children had only ever been a concept related to the Crown, to have an heir and a spare at the very least.

It never occurred to her that sometimes people had children simply to have them.

Her pregnancy had been unexpected, and then continued mostly out of spite. She wasn't proud of it, but she partly needed the pregnancy to prove that she could. That the blame for the empty royal nursery could not be laid at her feet. After years of being told her only use was to have a baby and the failure to have one made her less than, she needed the baby to prove that she could.

Even if she would be the only one who knew, she needed definitive proof she wasn't a failure.

As her stomach grew, she saw the midwives, and heard the heartbeat it all stopped being about her pride and more about the life she carried. If she had been pregnant as the queen of Charmington in truth, then she would be surrounded by the best doctors in all of Auradon and coddled all to protect royal hope.

Because of the nature of secrecy, she saw a midwife that had been living in a commune near Bobby's farm. The woman probably hadn't watched a television since they were in black and white and didn't seem to know that Snow White was her queen.

The midwife made house calls, and Snow White would give birth in the comfort of her own home. She found she rather liked the comforts of familiar surroundings instead of the sterility of a hospital. She was low risk and healthy, if anything went wrong then they'd go to the local country hospital.

Maximillian Robertson was born a healthy 3.5 kilograms, with a robust set of lungs that fortunately did not blow the house down. She had desperately wanted to name him Magnus, after her father and with his surname, but she did not want to court suspicion. He could not have anything of hers, at least not until he inherited the duchy of Weither when she named him the future Duke.

She and Bobby had been casual lovers for her entire pregnancy. Bobby would not shy from his responsibilities, and neither were against keeping a sexual relationship. She was still recovering from her horrendous marriage, and Bobby was still learning how to be human.

But when she saw him with their son, she couldn't help but love him. She loved how he was gentle and playful with Max. She loved how he didn't shy from diapers or feedings. She loved how he didn't complain when she had no interest in sex after the birth and for several months after.

She loved him for giving her Max.

For similar reasons, Bobby had fallen in love with Snow White. He loved how she accepted that he was not the Big Bad Wolf, but also made it clear that if that part of him came back then she'd take Max and he'd never see him again. He loved that she knew the real priority was Max. He loved to see her discovery her self-worth and how strong she was. He loved how she made the best decision she could and let go of her pride. She would not humiliate her husband at the expense of their child. It wasn't a perfect situation, but he had been human long enough to know there was no such thing.

She was still technically married to Ferdinand, but when they professed their love they had exchanged vows under the full moon in their own little ceremony with only their toddler son as witness. They exchanged bracelets instead of rings, whittled by his own hands.

Without the pressure of having to have a child, Snow White had come to the conclusion that she did in fact like children and wanted more. Their family wasn't a conventional one, and perhaps it was selfish to expect more children to have to hide, but it was her family and they loved each other.

They made a life for themselves.

Snow White had kept waiting for Ferdinand to tell her they would finally go through with the divorce. She wasn't privy to his medical treatments but had thought something would work. If not with modern medicine, then surely his reluctance to use magical intervention would not extend to himself.

But twelve years came and went, with more children for her, and Ferdinand had said nothing.

If he had given up on having a child of his own, and his public appearances with his nephew Chad had certainly indicated he saw the boy as his heir, then she thought he couldn't keep up this charade forever.

Doesn't he have a woman he would like to be public with?

Although it caused more of a scandal than Snow White thought warranted, royals did divorce; no matter how often the children's tales told otherwise.

After another charity ball where she had gotten dressed up and they paraded around like a loving couple, she had cornered him in his castle before she left,

"Are we really going to pretend for the rest of our lives?" She didn't mention his lack of heir, her several children and how happy they made her, she had let go of her bitterness and could even feel a modicum of sympathy for him.

Over the years, he too had let go of his rage and had just come to accept his situation.

"Plenty of royals have done the same. We are not the first to live essentially separate lives. Perhaps not for the same reason or the same extent, but for a stable and unified Charmington I will keep this going."

She was baffled that was all he had to say about it.

"Ferdinand…" she struggled to articulate the sheer absurdity of the lengths he was willing to go, all just for appearances. "Certainly, all of this cannot be worth it. Wouldn't you rather be free? To live a true life and not this…faery tale you've weaved? Royals have been estranged, but they have also been divorced. It happens. No one would begrudge us if we simply said we grew apart. I'm willing to say that much. I'll keep my promise, I'll tell the world they're Bobby's children and I can play stepmother."

"Bobby? Is that his name?" it was so common and the furthest anyone could get to a royal name.

She regretted saying her partner's name, but that wasn't her point.

"There's a woman, someone you would rather be with. Even if she can't be queen, it's better to be together, isn't it?"

He rolled his eyes and her clear naiveite, even after all these years he couldn't believe she was so clueless as to how it all worked. And he wouldn't give in to her clear desire to fully be with her lover, the one that gave her children when he could not. If he had to be imprisoned by this lie to secure the Crown, then so should she.

"I do not have a woman. I have some women, but they aren't wives and I have no interest in trying to turn another commoner into a queen. And this is no longer the 1800s, there is no maîtress-en-titre."

Allusions to her less than royal upbringing had not bothered her for years, she didn't know why he thought such a thing would still sting. She also couldn't believe he thought she was suggesting an official royal mistress. He was right, it was no longer the 1800s and adults could have girlfriends or partners. There was no need to keep people in these ridged boxes and give them misogynistic semi-official royal titles.

"You never quite got it, the duties of a royal. What it means to wear the Crown and rule. To be the last link in a five-hundred year old dynasty, and worry about being the one where it ends. Or to be constantly on guard for pretenders to your throne, or usurpers waiting to devour your crown."

"In case you forgot, you were the one that pressured a fourteen-year-old to sign her own dynasty and kingdom away."

"If not me, it would have been Westerly or even Auradon would have made a claim and made Weither a protectorate or absorbed it altogether. Weither was a petty kingdom with only a female child in line for the throne. I wouldn't be surprised if one of your father's previous council members had ambitious plans to marry you and claim the Crown for his own once Ravenna was removed. I doubt Weither would have stood on its own for very long. Royal houses survive by being smart and protecting their interest. If your father hadn't been so foolish by choosing some foreign witch from the gods knew where, he would have chosen a proper princess from a neighboring kingdom or a Weitherian noblewoman, and sired sons. Or he would have made plans for a betrothment as soon as you were born and merged with a larger kingdom. The monarchy can only survive if we protect and plan for the future. Every true royal knows, the Crown comes first. Always. There are no making exceptions for 'True Love' and getting sentimental."

Suddenly it made sense to Snow White, why Ferdinand would go to such lengths to keep up a charade of being a good loving king. It's all he had left, and was taught the Crown was the only thing that mattered. The future of his throne would be left to his brother and his brother's son after that. Ferdinand's line was spent and there was nothing to do about it. She had never asked, but she was certain he consulted with faeries or at the very least witches. If they could do nothing for him, then he wasn't meant to have children, period. If he got remarried or even had a girlfriend, then they'd know he was the one that was barren. It would turn him from a benevolent king who loved his queen no matter her fertility to Snow White being the put-upon spouse.

There were so many things Snow White would have done differently. She wished she had been smarter at fourteen and fought for her Crown. Maybe she could have made a better match with another petty king or even a grand duke. She wished she had waited for the divorce to go through before getting into a relationship with Bobby. Perhaps if Max had been conceived after her official separation, then he wouldn't be as such a prime target for gossip or spite. She wouldn't have needed to protect him from Ferdinand. Perhaps if she hadn't been so angry or bitter, she wouldn't have rubbed her pregnancy in Ferdinand's face in the first place, she could have pretended to accept her fate and even accelerated the divorce proceedings. Perhaps a few would have speculated on the timing of her son's birth, some might even speculate that the child was Ferdinand's, but at least she could insist she had done everything properly and her son wouldn't have to face the consequences of her decisions.

Perhaps she was fooling herself, as Ferdinand would always take exception to any suggestion he wasn't the perfect king. She could all too easily see him accusing her of witchcraft or employing witchcraft to gain her son after their divorce. Or worse, he'd find out Bobby's true origins and her children would be subject to life-long prejudice for being part Magical Being. Or worse yet, they'd be deemed de facto Villains because their father was the Big Bad Wolf. They might not be powerful enough to break through Faery Godmother's barrier, and she'd never risk them being imprisoned on that god's forsaken Isle.

It wasn't ideal or fair, but it was the world they were living in, and she'd protect her children. With the help of two unwitting kings, her children would live as if they were ordinary. No royal duties, no pressure of an ancient dynasty.

Her gift to her children would be that they could be whatever they wanted.

She sighed and accepted that was her life. Her children were well worth keeping up the charade, and if they could never call her mother in public then at least they would know she did everything she could for them to have the best life out of the public eye as possible. They would not know how capricious and soul shattering a crown could be. They'd have a childhood and the world open to them.

Perhaps in the future and a better world, Auradon wouldn't look down on Magical Beings and wouldn't treat them as second-class citizens.

Snow White studied Ferdinand. While still handsome, he was a lonely and miserable person. He used people for his own gains and couldn't see them past whatever he thought he could use them for. Before her was a man who manipulated a young girl for her kingdom and gem mines and was ready to throw her away when he thought she could give him no children. He was willing to hold her hostage to his vindictive whims, all so he could pretend to be a suffering noble king.

"How did you do it?" she couldn't help but ask, after all those years.

She could have meant a number of things, so he merely raised an eyebrow in question.

"How did you wake me? From Ravenna's curse? I don't believe for a second it was True Love's Kiss. What did you do? Get some water from an enchanted lake? An enchanted river? A well? What body of water did you use?"

"You really want to know?" he wasn't even going to try to pretend it was True Love's Kiss either. When she nodded, he confessed, "When I happened upon you in the forest in your glass coffin, there was already someone there. A dwarf, I know not who. But I assume either he used enchanted water or maybe even his own Kiss to wake you. When he saw me, he ran away. When you woke up, I simply…took credit."

She didn't think she could be shocked anymore, but that almost took the wind out of her.

She wasn't surprised Ferdinand would take credit for someone else's deeds; he was a political opportunist if there ever was one. But there was a dwarf out there who had broken her curse. It could have been his True Love or the dwarf was brave enough to chance the Enchanted Forest and seek out its magic negating waters. Was it one of the seven dwarf brothers who broke her curse? Did he love her romantically or like a sister? Or perhaps even like a mother as the brothers had been living in filth and hadn't a decently cooked meal in almost a decade.

Even though the answer had only uncovered more questions, she was willing to let the issue go. She wasn't interested in someone else who saw her as their True Love. She loved Bobby and that was enough for her. They might not have tales written about them, but she was content and secure, that was what she valued above any romantic notion of True Love.

"I guess I'll see you at the next event," she wanted the night to end and for her to get back to her country home. "I'll be working at Tabor Prep if you need me."

"Do get another gown, you wore this one two years ago," was all he had to say, always on guard about the impression they made as a royal couple.

She didn't agree or refuse to do so, she merely walked away from a sad, bitter king.

It was a several hour drive back to Weither and her home with Bobby, but it was worth it as she refused to sleep over at Leverre Castle, the seat of House Charming. There was plenty of room, but it was not her home, if it ever was, and she missed her children.

The gossip rags would note that she was devoted to her school and the kingdom would sigh over Ferdinand and how gallant he was to be so supportive of his barren wife. They'd write about how private she was, but at least now they framed it as she was so down to earth instead of hiding in shame.

She could have lived at Tabor Prep, it would certainly be a better commute to work, but she preferred to spend as much time home as she could.

Snow White had one name, Bobby had another, and their children had a third. Only they would ever know they were a family. The younger children were homeschooled by a nice, retired teacher who had lived on the commune near their farm. Snow White and Bobby paid well, and most in the community thought it nice that they wanted their children to have an alternative education from the strict and standardized methods common among public education.

Until the children were old enough to understand their situation and keep a secret, they grew up carefree otherwise.

The farm was dark as it was well close to midnight when she got in. She stepped quietly through the house and peeked into her children's bedrooms to make sure they were asleep. She was tempted to sneak in for a kiss goodnight, but they had their father's acute senses so she wouldn't risk waking them.

She crept into the master bedroom, Bobby already asleep and snoring softly. She undressed and changed into her pajamas which consisted of an old shirt of his and some shorts. He half woke when she slid into the comforter. He pulled her close, her back to his front and he kissed her cheek, all while not opening his eyes.

Soon, she fell asleep as well, content in his arms.

A few moments later, he had suddenly sat up and his eyes flashed red.

"What's the matter?" Snow asked, concerned that something was wrong. He had keen senses, was there someone outside or further away where she couldn't perceive an intruder.

"I think…I think there's another of my kind," he didn't know how else to explain it. He knew their children were all asleep and was familiar with their magic. What he felt had been more concentrated and primal, powerful. "I felt it."

Snow White gasped, she didn't know what that meant for them or the children.

"What are we going to do?"

It was rare that he ever used his innate magic, he wanted to set a good example to his children to not use magic capriciously. He tried to extend his senses out, to find the source of the power. He didn't know if he was rusty or if the source of the magic was just that far away. The thought of something so powerful being that far away and he still felt it sent a chill down his spine.

Whatever it was, he needed to find it and make sure it would not come to harm him or his family.

Had he been dormant so long that the natural magic of the world created another being as the Wolf? Would he lose his own powers? Would his children lose their powers? He had all sorts of questions that whirled through his head and no answer for any of them before a dozen more popped up.

"I need to find it…East. It came from the East."

Snow White grasped onto him, she needed him close. All of the questions he had, she had as well. Fear for her children being at the forefront. He held onto her and started to pet her hair.

"It'll be alright…I won't let anything happen to you or the children."