With the announcement given by Mal, the atmosphere between the group was tense for the rest of the day. The date Ben practically begged for still happened, but instead of a picnic they opted for stargazing on the school's roof, since they never had the chance to do so before. Although they were back in their respective rooms by eleven, it was still hard for Mal to wake at seven the next morning.

To be fair, the Sea Three also had trouble waking from their pleasant slumber. The moment they laid on their beds, the pirates were out like they had been placed under a sleeping spell. It had been the first time in forever that any of the three had slept on a normal bed, so it should have been no surprise that the Core Four had somewhat trouble waking them.

Still, the Isle Seven managed to make themselves look presentable for their first day of attending Auradon Prep classes. Just outside the dorms, Ben could be seen awaiting the group so he could personally escort them to their first class, which would be Remedial Goodness 101. In all actuality, the prince just wanted to spend some extra time with his princess . . . and to steal a kiss or two here and there.

When the group arrived a few minutes early at the classroom, six of the eight went inside while two stayed outside for a few moments longer, mainly because a certain someone didn't want to let a certain future-queen go.

"I will only be away from you for over an hour at the most," Mal reassured, lightly tugging at her hands that her beloved didn't want to let go of. "You survived a month without me. You can manage for another hour."

"I only survived that long because I was determined to see you again," Ben reminded, squeezing her hands just a little more tightly. "I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again."

"Then find an excuse to ditch class," Mal teased good-naturedly. "Your coronation is less than a month away. You can find something to talk to Fairy Godmother about it."

Sighing softly, the prince reluctantly nodded in defeat. "I guess I can figure something out," Ben agreed, before placing a loving kiss on the fairy's forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too," Mal cooed as she kissed her beloved's cheek adoringly. "Now go before you're late for class. I don't want be too much of a bad influence on you already."

"That was ruined the moment you stepped out of the limo," Ben joked, giving Mal just one more quick peck on the lips, promising, "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Not even twenty minutes later, the Isle children were saved from their boredom when Ben 'suddenly' strolled into the classroom while a shy teenager cowardly lingered behind the door frame.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," Ben apologized insincerely, sitting on a table directly behind his beloved so he could wrap his arms around her, earning him a loving kiss on the cheek. "I wanted to check on how the new students were doing with their first class."

Fairy Godmother raised a curious, yet amused eyebrow at the explanation. "Are you sure you didn't come here to spend a few moments with your new girlfriend? If that is the case, then I will have to give you lunch detention for unreasonably skipping class."

"I do have a good reason," Ben insisted, not too quickly to avoid suspicion, but it didn't help that the seven were trying to hide their snickers at him being caught so easily. "I was going to let Jane handle her business with you first since mine with the students might take longer."

Turning his head toward the entrance, the prince shouted softly, "You can come in. They won't bite."

"Much," Uma added jokingly, which earned her light glares from most of her classmates.

Luckily, the chin-length haired girl didn't hear the daughter of Ursula as she hurried down the aisle with a clipboard hugged tightly to her chest. Immediately perking up at recognizing the girl, Carlos began, "Ja—"

Before he could finish her name, Jay clamped a hand over the younger boy's mouth, interrupting his shout. "You aren't together during this time," Jay reminded by whispering into Carlos's ear. "Right now, she only sees you and us as the scary 'VK'. You need to wait just until Mal spells her hair again before you start flirting with her."

Although he groaned in frustration, Carlos reluctantly nodded in agreement, giving Jay the 'all clear' to move his hand away from the boy.

"Hi," the girl faintly greeted when she finally reached Fairy Godmother. Handing the clipboard to the headmistress, she informed, "You need to sign an early dismissal for Ben's coronation."

Taking the clipboard from the child, Fairy Godmother read through the papers as she absentmindedly introduced, "Everyone, this is my daughter, Jane."

"Mom!" Jane whined in annoyance. A little more quietly, she mumbled, "I don't want them to know . . ."

"It's ok," Fairy Godmother reassured, signing the papers quickly. Placing the pen back on the clipboard, the headmistress handed it back before she pushed her daughter forward. "Jane, these are the new transfer students from the Isle of the Lost."

"H-hi," Jane stuttered with a small, timid wave.

"Hi, Jane," Evie greeted, leaning forward to display her interest. "I love your hairband! You know what would make it cuter? If the bow was on the side instead of on top. It would help your hair from looking so flat."

Instead of thanking the Isle princess for the advice, Jane merely scurried down the aisle like a frightened puppy experiencing her first thunderstorm. Sighing at her daughter's shyness, Fairy Godmother decided to advert her attention to the prince, who spent the last few moments playing with his beloved's purple hair.

"Now, Prince Ben," Fairy Godmother began to get said-prince's attention, "what was it that you needed?"

"Tourney practice is in half an hour," Ben began his explanation. "I talked with Coach Jenkins about having the new boys try-out for the team. I was hoping you could end class a few minutes early so they could go."

Pondering on the idea for a moment or two, Fairy Godmother reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Alright," she relented. "I will do so just this one time, but there will be no more special favors for them after this."

"Uh, Ben?" Gil started to get the prince's attention. "Sorry, but I don't want to try-out. I don't like to play Tourney."

"His older brothers used the sport as an excuse to beat him up as a kid," Uma informed, a saddened gleam in her eye as she remembered the horrifying memory. "The last time Gil played, the twins pummeled him so bad that they broke his arm, sprained his ankle and wrists, gave him a bloody nose, and gave him a couple black eyes."

"Uncle Gaston grounded the twins until Gil's injuries were healed and gave them the chore of cleaning my father's ships every day of their punishment," Harry added. "Those two were completely exhausted when the ten weeks or so were up. They stopped playing Tourney after that because they feared that Uncle Gaston would punish them again if they hurt anyone else."

"I prefer sword fighting," Gil intervened to get the subject changed. "Does Auradon Prep have a team for that?"

"We call it R.O.A.R," Ben answered knowingly. "The season doesn't start for at least six months, but there is an arena you and the others can practice in if you want. My best friend and I used to spar all the time before I became busy with my royal duties. I know she would be more than happy to have a sparring partner again."

" 'She'?" Mal repeated, even though she already knew who her 'boyfriend' was referring to. "What kind of Auradon girl sword fights?"

Although everyone knew—or at least, had a vague idea—knew who the girl was, a group of four couldn't help cautiously watching a thief's reaction. Jay visibly tensed as he adverted his gaze to his desk, glaring in his attempt to stop the tears that were trying to build up.

You see, in their 'future', that particular girl had left Auradon Prep about a week after the seniors graduated to enroll in her mother's army. The girl seriously debated on staying with her friends and had even decided that she would stay if Jay asked her to. And yet, he didn't bother showing up at the train station to tell her 'good-bye'—

Or address the rumors about why she already looked so sad before she left.

Clearing his throat, Jay croaked out in a whisper, "The daughter of Mulan."