WanderlustandFreedom, why are you uploading two chapters in one week? Because it's mah birthday, that's why. Don't expect this to become a regular thing though. I like having time to work on chapters to make sure they're as mistake-free as I can make them. But hey, why don't you take advantage of the extra chapter as my gift to you and leave a review on what you think.
Congratulations also to all those whose semesters are ending. MAJOR HINT - Check all the lines about Maleficent.
The sunlight filtered into his office and the frost from the former night continued melting off of the panes. A pounding headache threatened to cause him permanent brain damage, but he couldn't shut up the window while he had a visitor. "This is ridiculous," Ben complained as he popped open his third soda pop that day. "She's been gone for three days, and I'm back to zero sleep." He leaned against his hand and examined the two women in the room. Fairy Godmother was sitting in front of him while his mother waited anxiously at the door to see what she was going to say.
"It must be a curse thing." The Fairy Godmother nodded sympathetically. "Have you tried coffee instead of soda?" She gestured to his drink of choice.
"Tried. I can't stand the smell of coffee for some reason." Ben groaned running a hand over his face. "I'd rather be exhausted than exhausted and sick."
Belle scrunched up her nose as she listened to the two talk. It was March third, and Mal had returned safely to the moors, much to Ben's chagrin. "We've got to have some solution. He can't just keep working until he passes out and repeat until she returns, can he?" She asked, wincing as she remembered Ben's exasperation when they'd gotten up the day after Mal had left.
The Fairy Godmother took a deep breath. "I mean, technically he can. It's just a horrible idea mental-health-wise." She paused, pursing her lips. "And you're certain Mal does not experience this while she is away?"
Ben shrugged. "She seemed absolutely chipper when she returned last February. Didn't mention being tired at all. If anything, she seemed to have a little more energy than usual." Which had been a bit irritating, but whatever. At least she'd been back. And this time, she wouldn't be away as long.
"Could that be related?" Belle asked. "Could the curse be designed to sap Ben's strength and give it to Mal?"
"Doubtful." The Fairy Godmother considered, twiddling her thumbs together. "If anything, Maleficent would want Mal to be sick while she's away from the palace, so she can stay and continue doing Maleficent's dirty work for her. Of course, she may have considered the consequences of Auradon government marrying Ben to Mal and keeping them in separate locations…." She trailed off, biting her lip. "I'll look into it, of course, but there's still no visible coding in the spell for such a strange occurrence. And it's more likely that Mal was more relaxed after being surrounded with such high rates of magic for so long. If I had the opportunity to visit the moors…" The Fairy Godmother stopped out of respect to the laws abiding magic, but Ben saw her intent on her face. The moors were a safe haven for magical creatures, and he'd seen firsthand the amount of growth, physical, emotional, and magical, that Mal had undergone after two separate months at the moors. He imagined what it would do for all of Auradon's magical citizens if they were allowed to visit the Moors. Most specifically, he imagined the sons and daughters of Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather, and the Fairy Godmother's own daughter Jane, who was only a little older than Mal.
Ben drummed his fingers and made a mental note to send out a separate email to all the fairies, asking what the consequences had been for magical creatures to have not used magic for so long. He expected dramatics from the three good fairies, but he trusted the Fairy Godmother to give him a direct, straightforward answer. He could always ask her here, but his mom might carry messages to his dad, who might try to... advise him on the subject.
Who were others he could ask? The genie, whose two kids were Jordan, one of Ben's old friends, and Jacob, age eight. Queen Clarion at Pixie hollow might be good, but they had continued with the use of their magic throughout the last thirty years due to the fact that Auradon couldn't exactly reach them to enforce the laws. That, and their magic literally made the seasons change. The blue fairy and his own family enchantress would be good to ask, assuming he could reach them. King Triton had control of the seas without his trident, but he could still ask. He could ask Elsa her opinions, though she was so far north and so heavily guarded that she could basically ignore most of Auradon's laws if she wanted, as she had with the laws against magic.
So, Fairy Godmother, Three Good Fairies, Blue Fairy, Enchantress, Genie, Triton, Elsa, and possibly Glinda the good witch, the Russo family, Mary Poppins, and others if he could contact them. Ben wished he could journey to DunBroch to see if he could track down the witch who had given Merida her infamous spell, but he had a feeling that would go much less well than he would hope. On one hand, Merida had been pretty vague about the kind of spell she wanted but given that two people had been turned into bears, he should probably avoid the area.
"Hello?" someone snapped their fingers in his face. "Anyone home?"
"Sorry." Ben shook his head as the Fairy Godmother arched an eyebrow at him.
"You'll need to speak with Mal." Belle filled him in firmly. "The first time, it was a coincidence. Now, it's uncanny. Maybe she will be able to stop the effects with her own magic next time, or something." She sighed and pressed her fingertips to her browline
Ben sighed. He knew it was inevitable, but some part of him was dismayed. Mal still had to go to the moors, to her people, but now she'd feel guilty about it. He nodded to the Fairy Godmother and stood to shake her hand as she left. Then, he opened a document and began work before he could forget his idea and faint dead away from exhaustion.
Ben was barely awake as he filled the stone Mal had given him with water and set it on the counter, peering down into the surface of the water. He felt all around the edge for some sort of engraving. Maybe a rune, or a magic lock. There was none. The basin sat on the bathroom counter for several minutes before Ben prodded it. A little water splashed out that he quickly mopped up with a hand towel. Nothing happened.
Mal had said it would help them communicate. She hadn't exactly explained how.
"Mal?" Ben asked, hoping that it would work.
A bright light appeared on one portion of the stone, at the twelve o'clock position from where he was standing. It traveled counter-clockwise until the entire perimeter of the bowl was lit, and then the surface of the water shimmered, became smooth, and took on a silver-tone so that he couldn't even see the bottom of the bowl. Colors bloomed across the surface of the water, and a picture formed. A water sprite appeared, looking just as surprised as he was.
"It worked?" Ben asked himself, stuck in shock.
The water sprite gurgled in return.
"Can you find Mal?" Ben asked. "Um, er, the queen?"
Ben couldn't quite tell what happened on the other side of the bowl, but through a series of unintelligible grumbles and splashes, the sprite had soon managed to summon Mal. She appeared in a white jacket and blue jeans, smiling serenely as she peered both down and up at him. As she approached the picture, she shoved her hands deep in her pockets.
"Long time no see," She smiled. "How have you been?"
Ben spread his hands, even though he wasn't sure she could see them. "I've been running a kingdom, which I'm sure you can relate to."
Mal scoffed and rolled her eyes as she took a seat on the ground in the moorlands. Ben's reflection seemed to have appeared at the edge of a riverbank. He could see the blue sky behind the white barrier behind her head. Occasionally, little fairies flit by and the breeze blew multi-colored leaves into his field of vision. "You run one kingdom, Ben. I run two." She reminded him.
Ben shrugged. "Yeah, but both of your kingdoms are pretty good at caring for themselves at the moment. Mine is a bit like I'm ruling over thousands of toddlers who need my help twenty-four/seven."
Mal burst into laughter. Ben couldn't stop the dreamy feeling that crept down his spine as he watched her smile. She composed herself and then examined him with a sudden frown. "You look tired again." She commented, leaning forward slightly.
Ben sighed. Time for brutal honesty. He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, about that, Fairy Godmother is making me tell you that… ever since you left, I haven't been able to sleep."
Mal blinked at him. "Since three days ago?" She asked slowly.
Ben shook his head. "No. I was like this last month too. Fairy Godmother thinks it's curse side effects."
Mal's expression turned glasslike. "Well, strictly speaking, we're lucky to have not already run into those." She mumbled. "You just... don't sleep?" She asked.
Ben nodded. "We're trying to figure out what's going on." He sighed. "Mom was actually wondering if there was something you could ask the Moorish people... how to stave it off or something?"
"There's not." Mal shook her head. "Curse side-effects... they'll just go away once we're with each other again. It's like a delayed presence response."
"Do you just know all this?" Ben yawned, turning his head away a little. "Sheesh, the things you just know."
"I asked last time," Mal admitted, turning a little red. "Because the truth is... I haven't exactly remained unscathed either."
"What do you mean?" Ben asked with a frown and a furrowed brow. "You don't look like you haven't been sleeping."
Mal swallowed and pulled her hands out of her pockets. She held them up in his frame of vision and Ben stared in shock. At the tips of her fingers - her middle and index ones especially - there was black... mold underneath her skin. It was less than an inch of black and really only extended to the tips of her nails, but definitely there. Grey tones were right underneath them, alerting Mal where it would next appear. It was solid black in color with little hints of green or brown on her skin. "I have this on my hands and on my feet. It grows slowly but goes away quickly once I'm back around you."
"Does it hurt?" Ben asked, pinching his lips together.
Mal shook her head. "Just makes it hard to move. So long as it doesn't reach my wrists before I have to drive back, I should be fine. It's worse on my feet. Already most of my toes are going black."
Ben put a hand to his head in disbelief. "That's awful." He whispered. "I am... so sorry."
"Not your fault." Mal shook her head. "It's mostly ignorable. I'm sorry about your sleeplessness though." She sighed and bit her cheek a little. "I wish I could fix that."
"I wish I could fix your hands." Ben slumped forward. "This isn't fun."
"It's a curse. It's not meant to be fun." Mal rolled her eyes and pulled her hands out of sight. She cleared her throat. "So, can you sleep at all?"
Ben sighed. "I pass out from exhaustion every so often, but for the most part I'm sluggishly awake and basically dying from sleep deprivation." He leaned his head on his fist as he watched her look down at her hands, twisting them carefully.
"You're sluggish anyway." Mal snickered.
Ben rolled his eyes. "You're the multi-colored one." He protested. This, to his disgrace, made Mal laugh even harder as she picked at her hair. The sunlight hit her hair in a pretty way that made her hair look like it was shining. She exhaled, and her lips formed a natural pout as she looked down at him sympathetically.
Ben was tired, but that didn't mean he was blind. He smiled softly as he looked at her. "Your hair is even longer." He whispered. And it was. It was almost down to her waist. It seemed to be turning a lighter purple color too, and the weight was pulling it straight.
Mal looked back at him in surprise. "Oh. Yeah, it grows way fast whenever I'm here. The more the fairies play with it, the more it grows. It happens to my eyelashes and arm fuzz too. Look." She held up a forearm, which looked like it was lightly stained with purple from all the thin, natural purple hairs. Ben chuckled.
Mal smirked. "Bet that's a real turn-on for you, huh? Purple hair everywhere?" She crossed her arms, and the sunlight on her arms made her look like she was glowing.
Everywhere? The word echoed inside his head, reverberating into his skull. Ben's face went a bit slack. He looked away, then looked back up and met her eyes. "For sure." He confirmed. "You're a real catch, Mal."
She tried to flip her hair a little, but it was a little too long and heavy. "I am, aren't I?" She said sarcastically. "Even with the monstrous mother. But if you think I'm cool, you should meet my friend Evie. She's the fairest of them all."
Ben perked up at the mention of Mal's Isle friends. He wasn't sure if Mal could notice in the water, though. "Evie? Let me guess, daughter of Grimhilde?"
Mal stared. "I don't know that name." She said. "Evie's the daughter of the Evil Queen. She was my best friend on the Isle."
"That's cool," Ben said, filing the information away for later. "What was she like? Did she have colorful hair too?"
"Blue. And she's a fashionista." Mal frowned. "Why?"
Ben wilted. "Just… wondering. I'm always interested in hearing about the Isle." And it was true. Mal didn't talk about her past very much, but when she did Ben was always interested in hearing about the Isle - how it worked and who was who - it was fascinating. "How did you end up best friends with a fashionista?"
"She sort of... adopted us? Or rather she and Carlos were friends, and then I pulled Carlos into my circle after he made this thing - anyways, she came with him." Mal shrugged. "She was cool though. She made me my jacket."
"Who else was there?" Ben asked, leaning forward towards the reflection even more.
Mal thought hard for a few seconds. Then, she gave Ben a strange look. "Do you… have an Isle kink?" She asked slowly.
Ben's face erupted into red. "What?" He sputtered. "No… I don't think so? Why would you say that!" He covered his face with his hands.
"Like, a bad-girl thing!" She defended herself. "You do, don't you! That's why you're so fascinated by me doing magic and being Maleficent's kid." She laughed at how uncomfortable Ben was. "Okay, okay. I've probably given you enough to sleep on." Her smile faltered a tad. "I... wish it wasn't like this. If I hear anything, I swear I'll pass it along."
"Sounds good," Ben said, still covering his face as the last of the blush faded from his cheeks. He straightened up. "Love you."
Mal's exhaled and a shy smile stretched across her face. "Bye Ben. Be home safe soon." She blew him a kiss and closed the connection. The water in Ben's connection bowl turned back into its normal clear substance.
Ben emptied out the bowl. It was pretty impressive, he had to admit. He was definitely glad he had it.
Ericka's head was tilted down as she drew frost patterns with her finger on the dining table. Her bare feet were crossed underneath her chair. Next to her, Abigail was typing away on her phone and occasionally letting out a breathful of giggles and under-her-breath mutters.
As Ericka focused on doodling a large snowflake, there was a crash from outside the room. Down the hall, someone shrieked. "Ericka!" A female shouted. Ericka rolled her eyes and looked sideways at Abigail, who snorted and threw her legs over the armrest of her chair. She and Ericka locked eyes, and then simultaneously rolled them as the door burst open.
Queen Elsa appeared with a fistful of papers in her hand. Dark red sludge was dripping down her shoulders and off her blonde hair, though she appeared to have survived the brunt of the damage. Ericka frowned. She hadn't timed the tripwire well enough, then. And that was one of her favorites. It was how she'd gotten her boyfriend to dump her.
Elsa slapped the papers down on the dining table and slammed her hand down onto the table. A thick layer of solid ice appeared across the entire length of the table, immediately wiping away Ericka's frosty doodles. Ericka slumped her posture and stared up at her mom as Elsa pulled off a fistful of red sludgy dye. She shook her fist at Ericka with a tight lip.
"Don't blame me." Ericka shrugged. "Fool you once, shame on me, but this is like, the ninth time. So, shame on you."
Elsa continued pulling slimy fistfuls of dye off of her dress. Her skin looked like she had burn scars across it. She launched her hand towards Ericka and rubbed the slime into her hair. Ericka shrieked and tried to bat her mom aside as Elsa rubbed her stained hands over Ericka's cheeks and shoulders, covering as much of her as she could. "Mom!" She screamed. Snow started to fall and Ericka could feel control of her powers slipping out of her hands.
A sneeze welled up inside of her nostrils. She took a breath, and then a loud sneeze escaped her like a bullet from a gun. A spontaneous winter wind appeared in front of her, and she was swept backward, knocking her chair into the ground and skidding across the flooring before hitting the wall with a thud.
Abigail leaned out of her chair, looking impressed as Elsa doubled over laughing. "That was a big one." Her cousin snorted. "I think you could outshoot the cavalry."
"Shut up," Ericka grumbled, getting to her feet and rubbing her nose a little.
"Payback." Elsa rolled her eyes and went to help Ericka up. "Oh, snowflake, where are your shoes?"
"I think they're hanging from the roof again," Ericka replied sarcastically, standing up and pulling a bit of goop off of her cheek before dropping it onto Elsa's bare shoulder. "I actually don't know. Abigail, did I even put shoes on today?"
Abigail shrugged and grumbled a little. "Ugh." She complained about something on her phone.
"What?" Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow at her niece as she picked Ericka's chair. "Who's broken up with who now?"
"No one," Abigail replied unhappily. "I just forgot that the queen was gone again this month. Her blog is dead and it's sad." She turned her phone around and Ericka glimpsed the official palace page. A photo of Queen Mal with an arm leading off the photo, presumably holding her phone out, and the other around King Ben's shoulders. He was raising an eyebrow at the camera, but looking at her. Queen Mal's eyes were lit up with something mischevious.
Elsa craned her neck and laughed at the caption attached to the photo. "She's got quite the sense of humor. Not too different from Kristoff." She hesitated, and then picked up the papers that she'd slapped down. "Queen Mal..." she trailed off. "Abigail, have you talked to her at all?"
"Why are you interrogating everyone on the royal couple?" Ericka wrinkled her nose and sat back down.
"A bit." Abigail nodded. "I have her number somewhere. "She's super funny. I like her a lot."
"And what's her stance on magic?" Elsa asked, squinting down at the papers in her hand. Her dress made cracking sounds where the dye was starting to dry.
"She loves it." Abigail shrugged. "To be honest, I think she's performing more than the palace is letting on. I don't think it's a moor-exclusive thing. At least not anymore."
"Why do we care about the royal family?" Ericka groaned, leaning her chair back to balance on two legs. "It's not like we talk to them anyways."
Elsa turned the pages around and handed them to Ericka. "Practice for the future. What do you do when the King of Auradon sends you something like this?"
Ericka took the pages and examined them with a critical eye. They appeared to be prints of a private email that had been received that morning. Ericka skimmed the message and then stared at the page in wonder and confusion. Abigail tried craning over her shoulder.
"King Ben sent this?" Ericka asked her mom, raising an eyebrow at the blonde queen. "Regarding the national laws against magic?" Elsa nodded and took the pages back. Ericka let them slip out of her hands, shock filling her.
Elsa examined the pages and then folded them into fourths. She hummed quietly. "Abigail, did you say you had her number?"
Ericka's mouth dropped open. "You," she began, staring at her mom incredulously, "are going to call the Queen? You?"
"She's in the moorlands." Abigail reminded them. "No service outside Auradon's barrier."
"What about Ben's number?" Elsa asked, tucking her papers under her arm carefully, avoiding the red dye.
"I have... Audrey's. She could probably give me his number." Abigail shrugged. "But... shouldn't his number be in the joint royal database? You should already have him in your contacts."
"I don't keep up with Auradon's social hierarchy." Elsa waved her hand at her niece. "Can you get the number for me, please?"
"Err, I'll do my best." Abigail agreed, nodding carefully. Ericka stared at her mother in shock. She could count the number of times Elsa had spoken to dignitaries outside of the palace, either by phone or travel(the latter being a solid zero). If people wanted to talk to Elsa, they came to her. That was just the way it worked.
Elsa brushed her bangs out of her face and a glob of slime fell to the floor. She examined her daughter's face. "I think it may be time to break the binds of silence," she mumbled and then turned to walk towards the door. Her cane made gentle taps on the floor as she walked. Before she disappeared, she stopped and frowned back at Ericka. "Cancel your trip to Motuni; you're grounded."
Ericka's mouth dropped open as Elsa disappeared. "That's so uncool!" she shouted after her mom.
The smog levels were slowly rising back up into the barrier as the temperature rose. Evie stayed beneath the awning. She wasn't sure if the pollution in the air would turn to scorching levels once the sun started to heat the barrier. It wasn't like the barrier would allow the sun to actually hit the ground, but the particles in the air were still dangerous.
Evie stared across the sea towards Auradon. She couldn't see much. Only the faint outlines of the coast and the hills in the distance. But she could see the sunshine hitting the water from where the barrier crossed into the sea, and she imagined she could see birds and cars and people down on the coastline.
A rock hit the wall beside her head. She snapped her attention across the alley where two short kids with long, unbalanced swords tied clumsily onto their waists were laughing and goading her. "Princess!" They called, and Evie flinched. "Where's your prince?" They yelled. "He coming from Auradon? Or better yet, where's your queen?" They exploded into laughter, clapping each other on the back like they were hilarious. Evie turned and slipped into the shadows. They were pirate wannabe's, nobody important. She couldn't let them know how much the words stung.
Evie shortcut her way through the back alleyways and toward the outskirts of the Isle city. All too soon, she could smell the barrier river that surrounded the concrete structures Auradon had built almost thirty years ago. Behind it was the forest and the formerly abandoned lands.
A sharp cough from her left made her turn again. A boy with black and white hair had appeared out of the shadows of the building. "Gosh." He gasped. "The pollution is way worse this year."
Evie nodded and crossed her arms. "I wonder if this will be the year the death count is enough for Auradon to step in?" She said sarcastically.
Carlos crossed his arms and looked out over the river, and he knew they were both thinking about the same person. She swallowed. "Don't say it." She warned.
"Do you think she might be able to-" Carlos began nonetheless.
"Do you think the palace will let her do anything? She still doesn't even leave the palace unless they're carting her to and from her other kingdom." Evie scoffed. Her stomach twisted. Poor, poor Mal. She chewed on her cheek and then glanced over the bridge. "Where's Jay?" She asked.
"His dad wanted him to find something for him," Carlos mumbled. "He might not be back yet."
At his words, a figure in dark red appeared on the other side of the river. Evie squinted and then exhaled. "Here he is." She mumbled.
Jay crossed the bridge over the river by holding his collar over his mouth. He went straight to them and then uncovered his mouth. Immediately, a hacking cough escaped his throat. "Sorry." He whispered. "Evie, here." He outstretched his hand and dropped a collection of heavy Auradon coins into her palm. "They said that it was some of the best quality they'd ever seen." Evie nodded and swallowed as she tucked the coins away in a secret pocket in her jacket.
She'd crafted a leather jacket to protect one of the workers from the pollution. They'd been trading with the Auradon workers since they'd first arrived, though they tried to keep out of sight and didn't give out their names.
"What are they working on now?" Carlos asked. He looked over Jay's shoulder to the distance where the walls of the city rose up over the woods. Evie frowned as she tried to comprehend what she was looking at. There seemed to be something large and bright rising up over the wall. Something like...
"Is that a building?" She asked.
"They're shooting up buildings." Jay nodded. "Like I told you. I guess... the crown is actually following through on their crazy idea."
"How many?" Carlos asked, glancing cautiously towards the towering buildings.
"Lots," Jay replied. "Nine giant buildings and lots and lots of smaller houses. They all look the same except for the numbers." He pulled on his sleeves a little and swallowed. "They have roads stretching down to the beach and a temporary dock set up on the edge. The walls... they stretch all the way into the ocean, and in two weeks they're going to permanently block off the rest of the Isle."
Evie scoffed. "How do they expect to do that? Everyone knows how to climb walls." And really, that was the big thing Evie didn't understand about this whole excursion. How could Auradon expect all these bright, new, sturdy buildings to stay nice and white when they were being built for villains. People like Maleficent or her mom would just come in and take over.
Jay wrung his hands. "Apparently, Mal, or the palace at least, has... a plan."
"Don't say her name." Evie flinched. "What's the crown going to do to show the Isle goodwill now?"
"They're removing the barrier," Jay admitted. Carlos's mouth dropped open with a pop. Jay swallowed and kept going. "They're going to pop it," he made a popping motion with his hands, "and then reform it with a double layer. Around the old places, no one goes in and no one goes out. Around the new places, no one leaves the area without a paper from the Queen. And where the two places touch, they'll have a system so people in the new place can go back and forth."
Evie blinked. "Wow. They're going to let her issue her own statements?"
"Apparently." Jay breathed. "Maybe they've got King Useless signing off in her name. But either way, that's how it'll work." Jay let out a deep, deep breath. "They're playing her like she's a little puppet up in that palace. Everyone who's gone to work for the builders are convinced that she's coming up with this immaculate plan to heal the Isle and make everyone good. God! They're so blind."
"It's exactly the sort of thing Auradon would do." Evie agreed sadly. "Take her out every once in a while, show her off to the public... then hide her away again until next time."
"They're not the only ones who are blinded." Carlos sniffed. "Maleficent's still loopy. She still thinks Mal's just playing their trust." At their friend's name, Evie closed her eyes in pain.
"Does she?" Evie asked. "She's been rather... tame the last few months. Ever since the moorlands changed crowns. She's just been... quiet."
"I think she's holding out on her daughter doing something." Carlos shook his head. "I don't see why she's holding her breath. Maleficent has always been a bit loopy. But she doesn't come out of her room much anymore, so I think we're... mostly okay."
"At least until she tries to sell the next one of us to Auradon." Jay scoffed. Evie snorted in agreement. Carlos nodded along with them. Jay's nails were curling into his skin as he closed his eyes in pain. Without him saying a word, Evie could imagine what he was thinking. King Ben's iron grip closing on their friend's arm, leading her away into a dark, chain-filled room. Faceless servants putting her in pretty dresses to parade around in front of the royals while faceless soldiers brandished their weapons in case she made the slightest mistake. Mal gasping in pain under his cold, cruel hands. The images were almost too painful to be considered.
"What about the rest of the Isle?" Carlos asked. Evie turned to Jay, who shook his head.
"I don't think they're touching it." He informed them, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "It's either accept Auradon's beta system or remain in squalor. Be a villain or be a hero. What a choice."
"Well, Auradon is all about making fair choices regarding the villains." Carlos rolled his eyes. "They only pull seventeen-year-olds away and force them into positions of power to manipulate us."
Jay fell silent. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, and then Evie glanced at him. "Is there something else?" She whispered.
Jay nodded and Evie heard the rustle of paper in his pocket as he dug his nails into his thighs. He looked up at the thick, dark clouds around the inside of the barrier and exhaled slowly. "They'll be fixing the barrier from the inside. Fairy Godmother will be coming over, and they're going to redo everything from the new place. And when they do it, they'll bring her over to help. Mal's going to come back to the Isle."
"Think she'll make a break for it?" Evie asked. Her heartbeat quickened at the idea.
"Where would she go?" Jay asked. "It's not like she can, you know, leave forever. They'd find her eventually." He paused. "King Useless would have someone haul her back. He wouldn't just let his... trophy go." Jay pulled his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms in defense. As much as it hurt, Evie guessed that Jay was right. But still, maybe if they could see her, maybe she could send them a message or something. Maybe they could help... by slitting the King's throat when his back was turned.
"Well." She whispered. "We'll have to see what happens."
A horrible crash echoed from the buildings behind them and someone screamed as something rock crashed to the ground. The three VK's spun around. Dust was drifting into view, and someone was yelling in agony. Something, presumably part of a building, had fallen. "Let's get out of here," Carlos whispered. Without a single second lost, the three turned and began slipping through the shadows, away towards their hideout.
After about a week, Ben had sent and received several letters from the former magic users he had written to. Unfortunately, the answers were varied. Some of the magic users had simply had difficulty adjusting, but others had suffered severe withdrawals and had been forced to attend several different types of physical therapies to learn to function without the constant flow around. Many people, like Mal, had felt more at peace with the world, and it was hard for them to get over being in touch with everything. The Fairy Godmother was infinitely helpful as she explained the differences in magical creatures and how some literally had withered away or fled Auradon when the laws had gone out.
He consulted Mal in the moors, who communed with the creatures there and helped him garner information on what exactly happened to magical creatures who couldn't use magic. Before long, he had enough to start to outline a public proclamation.
"How does this sound?" Ben asked Mal one night, sitting down on a stool in the bathroom and setting a glass of cognac on the bathroom counter. He didn't dare glance in the mirror. He could only imagine the dark red and blue colors around his eyes. "We here at the palace agree that magic should be considered an individual talent with particular affinity. Those who possess the ability should have the right to express themselves and pursue knowledge on this branch of affinity." He glanced up for her reaction and found her smiling at him, eyes sparkling, and a pretty color appearing in her cheeks.
"It's good." Mal nodded. Then her smile abruptly faded. "But… does the public have any idea you're about to do this? You may shock them. It is your first big proclamation after all."
Ben shrugged, setting down his rough draft on the bathroom counter. "It's time. We need to make these changes. I don't want to wait to do a good thing. But...you're right, I guess. But how can I break it to them any easier than this?"
Mal shrugged. "I dunno. This is really hefty, though. You haven't done anything like this, and you've only been king for a little while. Also…" Mal chewed her lip in thought. "You kind of have a magical wife. You're going to be considered biased."
Ben sighed dejectedly. He looked over all his scribbles, sincerely disheartened. "You're right, of course." He agreed. "And the last thing I want to do is cast you in a bad light or have everyone think you're spelling me."
Mal nodded. "Maybe… we start off small? The kingdom needs to trust both of us as a whole, as a team." She took a deep breath and brushed her bangs out of her face. The tips of her fingers up to the second knuckle were back. "Listen, I'm already a puppet queen of your kingdom, and I don't want more. But I'm still, technically, Auradon's queen. I need to have a good relationship with your people."
"So…" Ben urged, sensing she already had an end goal in mind.
Mal twiddled her thumbs. "I may be spending even less time at the palace." She coughed a little. "I want to be among the people; to help them out. Go to service activities and social gatherings and such. Maybe schools and other places."
Ben blinked. His immediate response was to say: 'no' or remind her that he had his current ailments. Already, he was despairing inside. He missed her. Instead, he swallowed. "Okay." He said.
"Okay?" Mal asked nervously. "You look like you're going to be sick."
"Well…" Ben stopped himself, then continued. "I already miss you a lot, is all. And, you know, my crazy sleeplessness is a problem. I don't think I can do this forever."
Mal swallowed. She twiddled her thumbs. "Listen… I have something to tell you. It's a little… crazy, but I've been practicing." She stood straight. "I think it'll work. I'll show you in person when I get back."
Ben felt a muscle in his jaw tighten without his command. "I can't wait." He told her honestly. "Is it magical?" Mal rolled her eyes.
"Yes, it is." She admitted, smiling at his obvious interest.
Ben couldn't deny he dug his nails into his palms as a large smile strung across his face. "Sweet! Hurry home, then."
Mal smiled. "I'm going to go now." She said. "Bye!"
"Goodbye." Ben waved and the connection fizzled out. He picked up his glass and took a sip as he smiled quietly to himself. Goodness gracious, she was amazing. And he swore the more time she spent around magic, the better looking she got. Maybe it was just her being in her element or an actual magic side effect, but she looked like the goddess of beauty - a physical embodiment of everything beautiful in the world. The kind of beauty she had made his heart pound and his clothes warm and made him want to treat her like some ethereal sort of treasure. A dangerous treasure who was talented with a sword, but a treasure nonetheless. Ben wished she was there so he could thread his fingers through hers and pull her flush against his frame and run his hands across her-
Maybe she was just getting older.
He winced back at the thought and found himself raising his glass to his mouth. Because, of course, that was an equally plausible explanation for her inhuman beauty. Though he couldn't remember ever seeing someone like her, it could always just be that she was getting older, and he was appreciating the view more and more because he was, officially, head over heels for her.
Ben knocked his glass back, berating himself silently. "She's young. She's free. She's not going to be here forever and she doesn't need you thinking anything towards her. So stop, Ben." As he felt the deary drowning feeling wash into his head and over his thoughts, he closed his eyes and allowed himself one last image of her. Purple, smiling, confident, happy. With her short legs curled up underneath her and the sunlight hitting her arms and her clothes falling over her curves and her eyes boring into his soul. Just the way he wished she could be all the time. Just mesmerizing and happy. Because above all, he wanted that carefree smile to stay with her. And the truth was becoming more and more clear - he'd die to keep her happy.
"Hey, Ben." Someone said as they knocked on the open door to his office. Ben looked up to see Doug with a castle servant pushing a dolly behind him.
"Hey, Doug," Ben said, gathering up a questionable report from the far north. One of Zootopia's patrol ships had been randomly pulled into the sea without a trace. No radio call had been sent out, and no wreckage had been found. It had simply vanished. "What are you doing? What's all that stuff?"
"Upgrades," Doug explained as the castle servant wheeled the dolly into the room and tipped his cap at the king. Ben smiled and waved back. "We put in an order for a larger computer for both you and Mal. Hers is much different from yours since I noticed she doesn't like the large-screen concept as much as you and your dad, but you're both getting new upgrades. Guess what that means?"
"What?" Ben asked dubiously as Doug began to cut open the top box on the dolly.
"It means I get your desk for the next four hours while I set this up. You'll have to work elsewhere. Bye." Doug waved at Ben with a proud smile.
Ben laughed. "You're enjoying this way too much, Doug." He told his old friend as he gathered up a few pens and the papers he'd been working on and began to vacate his desk.
Doug shrugged and chuckled. "It's not often I get the opportunity to boss the king out of his office. Let me have my fun." Several large pieces of packaging landed on the floor as he continued work.
Ben laughed and moved out of Doug's way as Doug revealed a larger, sleeker desktop screen. "Fancy." Ben laughed.
"Absolutely." Doug whistled. "This is straight-up fancy stuff." He set to work unplugging Ben's current system and dismantling it.
Ben was going to sit down in a corner of the room to watch and work until he felt his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He fished out the thin screen, and the last remnants of his smile faded into confusion as he glimpsed the name on the phone screen.
"What's up?" Doug asked as he watched Ben stare at his phone.
"Huh. Nothing bad. It's just… Queen Elsa is calling me." Ben explained. Doug paused, and then put down the screen on Ben's desk in confusion. Ben shrugged and answered the call. He held the phone to his cheek, not entirely sure what to expect. "Hello, Benjamin Benson speaking, how can I help you?"
There was an icy laugh and chuckle on the other end that reminded Ben of snow falling off the palace roof. "Well, if that isn't the humblest greeting a king has ever issued," Elsa said. "This is Elsa, queen of Arendelle."
"Hello, Elsa. It's nice to hear from you. How are you doing?" Ben asked as he headed out of his office and into the hallway, so Doug could continue work.
"I'm well, and you? I haven't seen you since before you graduated." Elsa asked.
"Yes, not since Arendelle hosted the Summer Solstice. We're well. Is Arendelle okay? Anything I can help you with?" Ben asked. He stifled a yawn and tried to not sound like he was about to fall over.
"Arendelle is well," Elsa confirmed. "I - actually am calling today about a bit of a curious request."
"Yes?" Ben asked as he wandered down the hall and through the corridors, making sure to pick places with good reception.
"I saw you were married recently, to Queen Mal of course, and that she has two kingdoms of her own, the Isle and the Moors." Elsa started. "And… I was curious, it was mentioned in your interview a few months ago that she can perform magic, and I assumed she would be bound by the same laws as everyone, but then you sent me a letter about a week ago asking what happens when magicals refrain from magic… and I was curious, is the Queen of Auradon being allowed to perform magic?"
"Uhm." Ben stuttered for a second. "It's… a delicate situation. She has to perform magic to sustain her kingdom of the Moors but in Auradon… we haven't decided what to do, um, in Auradon?"
"Will the laws against magic be abdicated?" Elsa asked.
Ben sighed. If only it were that simple. "I hope someday, but she and I agreed that if I release something of that magnitude right now, the kingdom will think she's manipulating me or that I'm biased."
"Smart decision." Elsa sighed, though she seemed disappointed.
Ben laughed. "I don't know why you're so upset, Elsa. I figure the entire kingdom is aware you've been practicing magic since we said not to."
"Worst-kept secret." Elsa agreed cautiously.
"I'm not reprimanding." Ben chuckled. "To be honest, I think that the laws against magic are a serious wrong. Especially since magical items such as enchanted carriages and magical plants and animals are so common. We have lots of magical barriers set up as well. It just seems so silly to have restricted using it when we use enchanted items so much. Not to mention it's about the same idea as saying 'We hereby ban all performing arts or mathematicians. You're no longer allowed to use your skills.'"
"Magic is an aid." Elsa agreed. "It took me many years to learn that. When used wrongly, as in Maleficent's case, it is dangerous, but when used rightfully, an immense tool for good."
"Agreed," Ben confirmed.
"On Mal being over the Isle of the Lost, will she be letting villains into Auradon?" Elsa asked.
"No. I'm still King, so she'd have to ask me, for one. For two, she recognizes the danger it poses, and already has an immense level of love for her citizens in Auradon." Ben smiled to think about Mal puzzling over how to be the best queen she could be.
"You speak of her fondly," Elsa said with a smile.
"I do." Ben agreed. He couldn't bother trying to hide the smile creeping into his tone. Let everyone know he was in love – he didn't care.
"Could I meet her?" Elsa asked softly.
Ben blinked and his mouth fell open a little. Elsa didn't exactly venture out of her kingdom all that often, and he wasn't sure he and Mal had the time at the moment to leave. "What did you have in mind?" He asked cautiously.
"I would be willing to visit, given you and she are busy between the three kingdoms," Elsa said. "There's not been a magical queen like her and me since the time of the villains. I'm eager to converse with her, to see how she plans to shape the Moors and the Isle."
His brain flatlined. Elsa... coming to visit. Outside of Arendelle. Ben took a deep breath and then relaxed. Visits he could do. He could do those just fine. "That would be lovely." He said. "Unfortunately, Mal is at the moors right now, and will return on the first of April."
"Would it be okay if I arrive around April sixth? I promise to not bring any snow with me on the way to your castle." Elsa asked teasingly.
Ben laughed. "I know you wouldn't, not that you wouldn't be able to immediately take it away anyway. I think that Mal would love that, to be honest. I'll expect you on the sixth."
"Alright. Thank you, Ben." Elsa said.
"My pleasure. See you soon." Ben hung up and stared at his phone. He couldn't believe he'd just had that conversation. He took a deep breath and walked back into the room. Doug was unraveling cords beneath the desk.
"What did Elsa say?" He asked as he glimpsed Ben walking past the desk.
"Wanted to ask if she could come and meet Mal," Ben responded as he went to sit in his corner. "How's it coming?"
"Well. She wanted to come and meet Mal?" Doug asked, peeking up long enough to raise an eyebrow at Ben before he returned to uncoiling wires.
"Yeah. Here, at the palace. I think there's a sentimental thing behind it… she doesn't know many other magical people." Ben responded as he started to reread the problem with the missing boat.
"Neither does Mal." Doug reasoned around a grunt. "This is good. Elsa never was a hundred-percent united with the kingdom. Maybe this will help convince her to be a little more proactive in politics?"
"Elsa is proactive in politics." Ben rolled his eyes. "You can't avoid politics as easily as she does by simply ignoring that they exist. I think the fact her daughter and niece are as, ahem, dramatic as they are, helps keep the spotlight off of her."
Doug was silent for a few seconds. The only sounds were of wires rustling and Ben scribbling on his report. Then, Doug coughed and said: "Poor Ericka has always been a news story. It's probably gotten easier for Elsa to ignore the public since they found out about her."
Ben frowned. "That's not very nice to say." He said though it was true. Ericka was one of the few children whose other parent was unknown. Elsa had never said more than a few words on the subject of her father, and the subject was as secretive as Elsa's powers had been as she'd grown up.
Ben couldn't see Doug, but he was sure the older man shrugged. The room faded into silence, and Ben returned to the problem at hand with more than a small headache.
On March thirty-first, Ben was staring across the room in the dark. When he put his hand up in the air in front of him, there was no shadow. It was almost like the darkness made him invisible. He yawned, and examined the ceiling, tracing patterns with his eyes. As he traced the outline of a mess of lines with his eyes, he heard the handle to the door twist open and looked over. The door slid open and two glowing green orbs appeared along with a rush of cool air. Ben said nothing as Mal crept into the room with nothing to guide her through the darkness but the soft green light behind her eyes. Mal set her bag and suitcase beside the door to be unpacked the next day and slipped into the closet to quickly get changed into pajamas. Ben waited without a word, his eyes growing heavier and heavier.
Minutes later, Mal slipped underneath the covers beside him. The first thing he did was reach for her. He rolled over to face her and reached out to brush her face as she smiled.
Her eyes lit up with magic.
Ben pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead. The tips of her ears were black and her hands had black covering them. He twined their fingers together and watched her pale skin quickly reappear. "Missed you." He whispered and yawned.
She patted his head gently and whispered: "Goodnight."
With her command and, it seemed, permission, Ben faded into unconsciousness.