Her Royal Highness

by WanderlustandFreedom

30 years after war ends, King Ben is about to ascend the throne, but there's one major roadblock - a child of Maleficent cursed to become his Queen, or else. Now, the two need to rule an increasing number of kingdoms, including Auradon, in uproar over a new Queen, an Ancient land desperate to survive, an Island severed off Auradon permanently, and war going on over their heads.

19. Chapter 17

Me: This chapter is too short and I know exactly what I need to add.

Me, later: I added so many parts I had to move things out to the chapter NEXT WEEK, and it's still more than double the original length and the now longest chapter. Lovely. PS Maybe expect a long chapter next week too?

---

She was already awake when he opened his eyes. They looked across the pillows at each other for a few seconds and Ben realized she was still being held rather close to him. Not up against him, but still, rather close. He slowly unwrapped his arms, not lingering on her skin at all, and yawned. "How long have you been up?" He whispered, rubbing his eyes and then stretching his shoulders a little bit.

"A while." Mal murmured. "You slept for a long time."

"Got to catch up." Ben chuckled. He examined her features – her vibrant eyes and flawless skin. "You look good." He mumbled, throat a little tight as her beauty twisted his emotions around and made him feel tense.

Mal shrugged and slumped a little deeper into the pillows, closing her eyes. Her long lashes brushed her cheekbones. "It's just the Moorish effect." She yawned. "Being around magic helps me feel better."

Ben nodded and cupped her cheek a little before he found one of her hands buried in the covers and examined it. Her fingers were pale and mobile again. Mal opened an eye at him as he examined her fingers and then sat up. Ben's mouth fell open with a pop as a long curtain of hair came into view around her shoulders. "Wow." He gasped, dropping her hand and reaching out to pull a long, long lock of hair over her shoulder. "That's… wow."

"I know; it's so long." Mal yawned. And it was. Her long, thick hair was piled around her waist, meaning it was now longer than her entire torso. Ben's mouth remained open as he ran his eyes over the length of it all. Then, when Mal shifted a little underneath his gaze, he swallowed and returned his gaze to her hands.

"Do your fingers hurt at all?" He frowned. "I know you said it didn't, but-"

"They're sore now." Mal cut him off with a yawn. "Because I haven't moved them." She pushed the covers back and pulled the leg of her pants up to examine her feet. Ben flinched a little when he saw lingering streaks of grey across her skin. "My feet got it way worse this time around." She yawned. "Went all the way up to my knees. Oh well, it'll be gone before tonight." She brushed her pant leg down and then felt around for her phone on the bedside table. "What do we have today?" She asked.

"Is it too much to agree to take a day off together?" Ben yawned. He watched Mal curl her toes as an experiment. Her nose wrinkled.

"I brought plants that need to go to the Isle." Mal yawned. "So I need to get there myself or get someone to take it for me. And the Fairy Godmother and I have a meeting coming up to discuss restructuring the barrier." She began flipping through her phone calendar with a lazy eye. "It looks like that's on the third, though. Hey – what's this on the sixth?" She leaned over and held her phone out underneath his face. Ben frowned and squinted at the screen.

"Oh." He shrugged and smiled cheekily at Mal. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle is leaving her palace for the first time in over twenty years because she's interested in meeting the new magical queen of Auradon." He elbowed her. Mal's mouth dropped open. Queen Elsa wanted to meet her? That idea seemed… preposterous.

"Oh." She swallowed nervously, and then looked back down at her screen. She looked over her plans for that day and shrugged. "I actually don't have anything but… are you double-booked?"

A cold weight settled into Ben's stomach. He looked over her shoulder at the schedule for that day and then cursed. Mal blinked in shock as he spun to his nightstand and picked up his phone to begin flipping through it. "Shoot!" He exclaimed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I am double-booked. I must have done it while I was sleep deprived. Oh, god, what am I going to do?"

"Just reschedule it." Mal shrugged. "If I were you, I'd move the meeting here to-"

"I can't. The meeting is regarding the upcoming tax day when all the royals have to present proceedings of their finances over the year. It's an annual event. No rescheduling. All of the officials have to have their papers in by nine tonight. The problem is I agreed to go to Auradon Accelerated as part of their fairytale week, where they celebrate all the history that led up to the formation of Auradon. You know, the Hero age." Ben slumped against the headboard and banged his head lightly against the wood. "Oh, what am I going to do?"

Mal drummed her fingers on the sheet. "Are they both events you have to go to?" She asked.

"Member of the royal party." Ben sighed, covering his face with his hands. "And I'm the only person who's a member. My parents don't count anymore since they officially stepped down. And you… actually, you might count." He uncovered his face and stared at her. "You're not on the throne of Auradon but… I think you still qualify because you're the consort queen, linked to me, and I'm coronated." Ben sat up and faced her, sticking his lip out a tad. "Is there any way you'd be willing to cover an event for me?" He asked.

Mal blinked, and her entire frame went tense. "Me?" She asked. "Cover something for Auradon?"

"It won't happen again, I swear." Ben jutted his lips out a little further and softened his eyes. "Please? Just this once?"

"I don't know how to cover for Auradon." Mal stammered, clenching the sheets they were sitting on in her fists. "What would I do? If I mess up, it'll reflect badly on you."

"You won't mess up, and no one would even think more on it," Ben assured her. "You could do the Auradon Accelerated event, and there'll be lots of people there. Didn't you say you wanted to get more acquainted with the people? There's a small speech to be delivered, and then people might ask you questions. It'll kind of be like a meet and greet."

"Speech?" Mal asked. She felt a bit like she might faint.

"I have it typed already," Ben assured her. "Of course, I did it last week when I was dead inside, but it still should be okay. Please, Mal? And I swear I'll do my best to keep you from ever having to cover for my country again."

Mal forced herself to take a deep breath and nodded. "Okay." She whispered softly. "I guess I can do it. But you owe me one."

"Name your price," Ben affirmed, looking relieved. "Oh, goodness, thank you Mal."

Mal snorted at his thanks and sighed. "I don't know what I want yet. But I'll think of something and let you know." She swallowed and climbed off of the bed. Ben mirrored her movements and they quickly straightened out the sheets and pillows a little bit, knowing that the servants would come through anyways, and then Mal fumbled to plug her phone back in while Ben walked to his closet and picked out a blue plaid shirt. He could tell her hands were shaking, even from a distance.

He shut the closet door and pulled his shirt off over his head, buttoned up the blue one, and then found some slacks and dress shoes. When he'd finished getting dressed, he opened the door and took a few steps towards Mal's closet. "Mal?" He asked, and then stopped in his tracks. Her door to the closet hadn't swung shut all the way, and he could see the mark of Maleficent on her shoulder as she was reaching up without a shirt to pull something down from a higher level. Her white skin was even smoother than the surface of milk, and an even paler color. He quickly pulled the door handle shut and then took a deep, slow breath.

"Yeah, Ben?" Mal asked from inside. She didn't sound too concerned. She probably just assumed he hadn't seen anything and was just pulling her door shut out of courtesy. Ben swallowed. His mouth felt dry and he took a little breath.

"Want to walk down to breakfast together?" Ben asked. His voice didn't betray him. He sounded calm and collected.

"Sure." Mal agreed, hidden behind the door. She opened the door, still straightening a dark purple shirt with green applique on her frame. Ben stared at her waistline and caught glimpses of even more flawless skin as she straightened her hemline and then looked up at him.

"You look great." Ben smiled, though he suddenly sounded a bit stifled. He cleared his throat and gestured broadly to the doorway. "Shall we?" He asked. Mal smiled and nodded, and then together they left the room.

---

Auradon Accelerated was Auradon's primary college. It was located in San Fransokyo and was the largest school in the country. While it wasn't the only college, it was certainly the most renowned. They offered hundreds of courses, had an arsenal of staff and students, and the most advanced Science and Technology labs in the country. Which made sense because Hiro Hamada was the dean of the college, and he used the labs in his offtime.

As the limo pulled up to the southside entrance and then onto the campus, students crowded around the car. Technically, you weren't supposed to be driving on the paved walkways, but this was for Fairytale Week, and the palace had been specially approved to take whatever royal member was visiting straight to the center of the grounds. Mal swallowed as a group of college students with Native markings reminiscent of Pocahontas on their faces and arms pointed to the limo in excitement. People were filming. She wondered how the world would react to her being on her own to a public event. And her first public event, really, since she'd been married and coronated as Isle Queen.

A large fountain marked the center of campus. Four walkways spread north, south, east, and west, ready to guide visitors to wherever they needed to do. On the grassy expanse of the section immediately North and West of the fountain was, a large temporary stage had been set up and a couple of news cars were waiting to air the college's live event to the country.

Mal felt the car come to a halt and heard Stewart, her ever-faithful escort, open his door. He walked around the car as people gathered around outside. Mal took a little breath, squeezing her printed speech in her palm and heard her handle click. Stewart opened the door, and Mal stepped out and into the light. Immediately, the world exploded into sound. She tried to gauge the people's reaction to her presence as Stewart shut the door behind her, confirming to everyone Ben's absence. They gave her a wide berth. Some people looked shocked and concerned. Other looked absolutely ecstatic to see her.

Mal smiled and waved a little at the crowds. A black-haired man, whose hair looked a bit like it was made of wispy puffs of smoke, took a few steps forward. "Queen Mal!" He exclaimed, stepping forward and holding his arms out like they were old friends. Mal fumbled her hands. Was she supposed to shake his hand at all? They exchanged a quick hug even though Mal had no idea who she was hugging, and then the man extended her hand and shook it enthusiastically.

"Hiro Hamada." The man introduced himself. "It is absolutely a pleasure to have you here, your highness. Thank you for making the trip out."

Mal's mouth broke into a smile. Oh, of course. "Thank you for having me!" She exclaimed with a laugh. "But, um, it's just Mal. No 'highness' here." She waved her hand above her head a little to draw attention to her height, and then Hiro offered her his arm with a laugh. Mal took it even though she didn't really care to be on his arm. It wasn't like she had too much of a choice. If she walked away, the tabloids would have a field day. "You're my husband's favorite story, after his parents. He's your biggest fanboy!"

Hiro burst into laughter, as did the surrounding crowds. Mal smiled. She could picture Ben's mortification when he got out of his meeting and learned what she'd said. "I'm serious!" She insisted. "He is obsessed with Big Hero Six. I think I've seen that movie nine times already because of him, and I still haven't seen Sleeping Beauty once."

Hiro began to lead her through the crowds. "I'm happy to hear that." He smiled. "He should take a trip out here to see us sometime. We'd be happy to show him around the labs and everything. After all, this is where a lot of it happened!" He spread his arm across the grounds and paused in front of a brown-haired girl. "High five?" He asked, holding his free hand up to her.

She slapped his hand, and so Mal held out her hand across Hiro's chest. "I want one too!" She announced. The girl slapped his hand, looking like she'd struck gold, and Mal let Hiro go to keep giving High-fives to people as they approached the stage. Hiro hopped up and turned to help her up, but Mal climbed past him and then turned back to the crowd. She waved, and college students screamed in return. "I have a joke for you guys!" Mal offered. People edged closer to the stage as Mal cupped her hands beside her mouth.

"You all know the story of Captain Hook, right? With Peter Pan, and the pirates?" The crowd exchanged glances and quieted a little. Mal continued. "I happened to know him quite well on the Isle. His daughter used to be an ally, and his son had a brief thing with me before moving onto my arch nemesis. So I grew up knowing lots about Captain Hook. You know, where he lived, where he liked to hide out, the works. And here's where the joke comes in; can any of you guess where he liked to shop?"

Mal looked out over the crowd, smirking a little as people exchanged glances and mumbled to their friends. She raised her eyebrows, and then announced: "The second-hand store!"

The crowd burst into laughter, nodding and smiling as they realized the pun. Mal straightened up and turned back to Hiro, who was smiling in approval. He handed her a piece of paper with a thin, black pin stuck through it. "Microphone." He explained, and then removed a second one from his pocket. He took the paper off and pinned the mic through his shirt, under his collar. Mal did the same, and then he blew lightly on his mic. The sound echoed around campus. Mal tapped hers, and a sound like a clunking weight echoed behind it.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the twenty-fourth annual streaming of Auradon Accelerated's Fairytale Week event. This is an event where we celebrate the heroes of Auradon that helped to form the country and pay tribute to our leaders who currently work to keep peace in the land. Despite the fact the event is hosted by and is centered on our college here, everyone is Auradon has the opportunity to participate from all over Auradon via streaming services, online participation, and by visiting Auradon Accelerated. This year, on our opening day, we're pleased to be hosting several of our former heroes, including Snow White, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Quasimodo, and others. Notably, we are graced with the head queen of Auradon's presence, and she'll have to forgive me for using her title again so soon after she told me not to, Queen Mal of the Isle and Auradon." Hiro started to gesture to her and then smacked his head. "And the moorlands. Sorry, Queen Mal."

Mal laughed. Her voice echoed. "Well, thanks for having me, Hiro." She laughed. "It's actually pretty cool to be here. I… didn't know I'd be coming until this morning, and I had no idea that this was even a thing." She shrugged and turned back to face Hiro. "So, what do you guys do for the rest of the week. Tell me about the events."

Hiro looked a little startled, probably because she was probably supposed to have been briefed on all this before they put her on National TV, but he started talking. "We do this every year a month before exams to help students relieve stress and celebrate a little. All week long, there with be student and national citizen competitions. Firework shows are every night, a new roller coaster is built by the technology district and donated to the Auradon public plaza, and class by class students will unveil their year projects, resulting in dozens of shows of dance, art, technology, and so much else." He explained, smiling as Mal crossed her arms and nodded.

"So, it's themed exposition." She hummed. "Still, very cool. I approve. This is awesome. Okay, so I have a speech Ben told me I would have to give. Is that a now thing?" She looked over at Hiro, who nodded with mirth in his eyes. "Cool." She proclaimed and unfolded her paper.

She skimmed the page briefly, and her eyes fell almost completely out of focus. She found herself staring at a page of absolutely nothing of value. Ben's words were riddled with repetitions and generalized glorifying statements. She hummed and crumbled it. "My husband gave me absolutely nothing of value, and I refuse to read that." She sighed and clasped her hands together. Hiro looked very, very tense as he watched her shove her speech into her pocket and then exhale.

There had to be at least two-hundred people in front of her, all waiting. Some were exchanging glances and cautious looks. Many didn't trust her, but she'd go to the Underworld and die before she'd ever give a speech on how perfect Auradon was. "This really is an amazing event." She began, casting her eyes around the campus. "And I think it's cool. It's cool to remember history. It's cool to shoot for goals and to get the whole country participating in something this patriotic. Now, to be fair, I didn't grow up in Auradon. I'm not Auradonian." Mal paused to scoff, and then continued, "I don't even hold citizenship here and the palace still has to sponsor my residency. And if anything, I resent you all for starving my friends and my people, locking us all away."

The atmosphere grew very, very tense. Hiro was taking deep, calming breaths and rubbing his hands on his pants. Mal swallowed and continued. "I don't believe in the vision of Auradon much. But let me talk to you about something I do believe in today." She shoved her hands deep into her pockets and sought out the cameras in the crowd. "I believe in progress. I believe in hard work, and I believe in being true to who you are. My mother taught me about all those things as I grew up, and I can't credit her too much, but I do credit her with my persistence. Because I learned how to work hard for other people, and I learned how to make things better around me as I went from her. I believe that each of us has the right, and a divine destiny to make the world better. And it is my personal philosophy that we have the right to demand the best of ourselves, to pull ourselves up out of the darkness and to work towards that over-shining goal of Happily-Ever-After. As individuals, we work to make each other's lives better, to reach out and strengthen each other, and to move forward. People change. Circumstances prevail against experience, but the magic of perseverance that's within each of us helps us continue to keep moving forward, to quote another one of my husband's heroes." She laughed as people smiled, remembering Cornelius Robinson.

Everyone was straightening up, nodding, and looking, overall, really impressed. Mal couldn't spot a single shady glance in the audience. "I believe we all work for a tomorrow that hasn't come yet. I believe we need each other to lift us up and strengthen each other, and I believe, overall, in hope." She clapped her hands together. "Maybe I don't love Auradon for the way they abused me. Maybe I'm the daughter of a villainess, and we have nothing in common, and you hate me for circumstances I had no say in. But we need each other to lift and strengthen each other, to work together. Every one of us is destined to change the future, and every one of us is destined to do it with a group of people by our sides. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a celebration I can get behind. When we celebrate our past, we're really preparing for the future. How many of you guys will one day be called back to this campus on Fairytale Week as the new Heroes of Auradon? So when you gather and you celebrate the people who've come, don't forget to celebrate yourselves. Because when we celebrate our heroes, we celebrate you as well."

Silence reigned and all noise was quashed as people nodded and smiled to themselves. Mal exhaled and saluted the cameras. "That's all I have for you guys. I think I'm here until three."

The crowd exploded into applause. Mal unpinned her microphone and then handed it back to Hiro with a smirk. "You thought I was going to bash Auradon, huh?" She asked.

"I was worried for a second." Hiro exhaled with a smile. "But you did amazing. I'm not even upset."

Mal bowed a little sarcastically and then sat down on the stage as people waved and called her name. "Howdy." She greeted a group of college friends who were dressed in themed outfits. One was a long, dark brown-haired girl with a sheath of swords who held out a fist. Mal fist-bumped her and tilted her head. "I like your eyes." She complimented. They were an almost-perfect almond shape.

"Thanks." She replied. "I'm Lonnie. This is Chad, Aziz, and I think our other friend Audrey was here a while ago, but she left." She looked around the crowd with a careless shrug.

Mal blinked. "Audrey?" She repeated.

"Yeah." Lonnie nodded. "We're all old friends of Ben. Audrey and Ben actually dated before you two got together, did you know that?"

Mal nodded and swallowed thickly. "Yes, I know." She agreed. "We've met."

"Yeah, of course." Lonnie nodded. "Anyways, Ben and I used to do swords together. He was captain at Auradon Prep, and then I took his crown after he had to buckle down and start being king. He mentioned he spars with you sometimes, so I want to try you on for size." Lonnie held aloft the bag of swords.

Mal raised her eyebrows. "Sounds fun." She smiled and pulled a sword out of the bag. She sniffed at it. "I wish I had Ben's sword though."

"His pretty one with the golden guard?" Lonnie laughed. Mal nodded with a forlorn sigh. "Don't we all? What level are you on?"

"I don't know where I stand on an Auradon Level." Mal shrugged. "But I fought pirates on the Isle. The only people I can't beat are my old friend Jay and my husband. I really want the two of them to spar each other…"

"That doesn't help much. No one could beat Ben." Lonnie rolled her eyes. "Here, come on, let's go on the grass over here." She held out a hand and Mal jumped off the stage. The group followed Mal and Lonnie over to the grass, where they both took up fighting stances. A crowd followed and gathered around, with the news trucks wheeling cameras over to watch the action and people holding their phones up to see. Mal examined Lonnie's stance and found she was remarkably well-balanced but too eager to prove herself. She smirked.

"On three!" A tall, blonde-haired boy with a scowl declared. He'd been introduced, but Mal couldn't remember his name. "One, two, three!" And he jumped back.

Lonnie swung first, and Mal caught the blade head-on and dug her toes in. She let Lonnie lock her sword, and faked that she was shaking backward, lowering towards the ground, as Lonnie tensed her entire body and pushed Mal closer to the ground. When her sword and part of her weight was on Mal's sword, Mal jumped up and picked Lonnie up off of the ground using their locked swords and Lonnie's ankle. Lonnie shrieked as she went tumbling over Mal's head and landed on her back. She sat there, heaving for a few seconds, and then got to her feet Even though Mal had technically won the match, she took up a defensive stance to let Lonnie know she was free to try and attack the young queen.

Lonnie came forward and swung towards Mal's left, careful not to lock swords with her again. Mal blocked and ducked under Lonnie's arm as the next swing came. Lonnie spun around, and the two started to exchange blows. Lonnie was good but not as good as, say, Uma or Captain Hook. Mal took a stab towards Lonnie's legs, making her jump back, and then swung her sword straight out of her grasp. The crowd gasped as Lonnie's sword skidded through the grass and hit a tree with a thud. Lonnie gasped and hunched over with sweat pouring down her face. "You're good!" She gasped. "Ugh. Why can't you beat Ben, again?"

"He's too strong for me to use his locks against him," Mal grumbled, helping Lonnie up and shaking her hand. "You're good. And I'm glad we did this because I've been wondering lately if Ben's trying to go easier on me. Guess not."

Lonnie laughed, and Mal passed her sword back. "Where is Ben?" Lonnie asked with a laugh. "I thought he was supposed to be doing today?"

"He was," Mal announced, turning towards the crowds with a roll of her eyes. "He double-booked himself and didn't realize it until we got up today. So right now he's stuck in a meeting and I get to be here."

"Don't you have things you're supposed to be doing?" Lonnie laughed. "I thought you had your own two kingdoms."

"I do, and I'm actually heading to the Isle of the Lost some time this week so we can start mass pollution reconstruction." Mal rolled her eyes. "Really, this just got me out of my office." She shook Lonnie's hand. "Well, thank you very much for the battle. Any more questions?"

"Yeah, actually." Lonnie laughed. "Does Ben snore? He always said he didn't, but we all thought he was lying."

"He doesn't." Mal shook her head. "Or, actually, only when he falls asleep upright. So long as he's lying flat, we're fine." She snorted and began to walk towards the crowds of people who were all anxiously waiting to ask her questions. "Anyways, nice to meet you!" She waved as Lonnie laughed and retrieved her sword. She and her friends walked away. The blonde-haired boy continued scowling over his shoulder at her, and Mal got the feeling he wasn't a huge fan of Maleficent or her daughter.

"Queen Mal!" People shouted as she walked past them. "Queen Mal!"

"Hey." Mal smiled and waved. She couldn't see Stewart, her escort anywhere, but assuming he was keeping an eye on her from a distance. "What's going on, guys? How can I help you?"

"Do you have any jokes for us?" Someone asked. Mal shrugged, digging her hands into her pockets.

"It's hard to come up with jokes on the spot." She complained. "Give me a minute and I'll see if I have any."

"Queen Mal, how does it feel to be the most envied girl in Auradon?" A reporter yelled over the crowds of people.

Mal blinked and leaned closer to an unsuspecting college student. "Is he talking to me?" She whispered loudly. People chuckled, and Mal shrugged. "I didn't know I was the most envied girl in Auradon. I was quite convinced that that was my mother in-law."

"Well, you're married to the King of Auradon." A shorter girl with black hair pointed out. "Who wouldn't want to be you?"

"Anyone who enjoys having free time," Mal responded. "I'm so busy, I barely notice I'm married to Ben anymore." Everyone laughed. Mal raised her eyebrow undauntingly into the camera. Oh boy, was Ben going to have a field day when he got out of that meeting of his.

"What can you tell us about Ben?" someone who was holding a smartphone up to film her asked.

Mal shrugged. "I dunno. What do you want to know about him?"

Immediately, everyone exploded with a million questions. Mal caught things about work, about the moors, about the kingdom, and about her mother. Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Guys, calm down." She called. "Um, okay, five things about Ben, and I've got to make this as embarrassing for him as possible." She tapped her fingers on her chin. Dozens of things came to mind that would be embarrassing, but she felt like it'd be a bit low to say them on camera. For example, she could say he was turned on by the idea of magic, but boy, wouldn't that be a press field day? "Ben can't wear socks to bed because he hates the feel of the sheets through the socks. It's a very specific pet peeve." She began, and people exchanged incredulous looks and laughed. Mal held up a finger and continued thinking. "He only knows five swear words, and he used all of them almost simultaneously once when we were out driving, and a deer ran in front of the car right as a semi-truck was in the oncoming lane on a two-lane road." She put up two fingers as the crowds burst into laughter. She smirked. "I was driving," she added.

She drummed her free fingers against her thigh and hummed. "Ben… has only fallen in love once. He refuses to call a brandy a brandy and insists it's cognac and has an entire lecture memorized to back himself up. Oh! And he sheds! He and his dad, holy crap!" Mal threw her hands up beside her face. "Every single time he uses the shower, he has to clean the drain out because he loses so much freaking hair. It's a miracle any is left on his head!"

The crowd was laughing as Mal shook her head, acting irate. Someone waved a hand near her face, making her flinch back, and then called: "What does Ben think of your mom?"

Mal shrugged. She could only imagine what Ben thought of Maleficent. "We don't talk about my mom very often." She admitted. "But, if I had to guess, he probably…" She trailed off. Ben probably resented Maleficent for cursing her daughter into slavery. He probably thought she was a bad mother, and probably expected Mal to hate her.

Really, Mal should hate Maleficent, right? Maleficent had betrayed her, sold her as a sixteen-year-old to the crown without worrying about her safety, even knowing that the crown prince was older than her. But still, Maleficent was her mom, right?

Mal swallowed. "I honestly have no clue. I bet Ben probably just thinks of her as some sort of distant, crazy relative." She swallowed. "Can someone ask me a funny question now? I like funny questions." She brushed her hair behind her ear and examined everyone around her.

"Trying to be Rapunzel?" Someone asked with a chuckle, pointing to her long hair.

Mal laughed. "So long as Ben isn't stabbed or cut, that's fine." She trailed her fingers through her hair. "Why do you guys keep asking me so many questions about Ben?"

"Because he's the core ruler." Someone shrugged. "But you're interesting too. Can you tell us five unique things about yourself?"

"Gladly." Mal rolled her eyes. "Because it's obvious that I'm the important one." She tried to flip her hair and failed miserably. She sighed. "I didn't mean that statement and I'm ashamed that it ended up on public TV." She confided to the crowd. "But yeah, five interesting things about me. I have purple hair, I have purple hair, I have purple hair, and-"

"Oh, come on!" The crowd exploded, and Mal laughed. She held up five fingers and started counting down as she spoke.

"My favorite royal is Aurora. She was super nice to me when I expected her to hate my guts. I think the worst weather is wind because it's hard to hear things and it's annoying. I adore strawberries and think my father in law is scary." Mal stopped at four and tossed ideas back and forth in her head on what to say for her fifth thing.

"Favorite hobby?" Someone suggested.

Mal wrinkled her nose. "Hobbies? When you're queen? I used to be a wicked artist, but I haven't painted anything since I first came to Auradon." She shrugged. "Whenever we have spare time, we spend it with each other. Ben and I. We just talk for ages and ages and ages." She shrugged.

"Is he a good kisser?" A boy asked, leaning forward and raising his eyebrows delicately.

Mal frowned. "This is about me." She whined. "But, hey, there's my fifth thing. I'm a good kisser." She crossed her arms and dared the crowd to challenge her. Everyone burst into laughter. "And I know," She began tactfully, sniffling a little as she prepared to defend herself, "Because the one boy I've kissed in my life told me so."

The crowd began to laugh and howl. Some people laughed so hard they bent over clutching their stomachs. Mal kept her arms crossed and raised her eyebrow at the camera as the cameraman turned away from his work, laughing along with the rest of the crowd. She brushed her hair aside. She liked how Auradonians thought she was funny. On the Isle, most sarcasm was defensive, and most of her sarcasm just didn't translate in the moorlands. So it was nice for Auradon to be laughing whenever she said something.

"I could honestly talk about that all day, though." She continued as people recovered enough to listen to her. "Here's the thing I've learned though; a kiss has to happen in the proper place and time. In front of Auradon is not the right time or place. But before we leave for work? Yes. When we're out driving together, and we stop on the side of the road? Yes. Right after a stressful meeting or a generally long day? Yes. In front of his parents when they're giving us looks like: 'really'? That generates the feeling of: 'please kill me now'."

The crowds burst into laughter again, and Mal decided that was enough. She waved as she walked away with a proud smile.

Hiro was standing beside an abnormally tall blonde woman and a larger dark-skinned Man. She approached the group. The blonde woman gestured to her as she approached, and the two men turned to see her.

"Hey." She greeted, nodding at everyone. "So, this is a college, right?"

"Right." Hiro nodded. "But you're a mite bit preoccupied to be considering classes, aren't you?"

"I'm not." Mal shook her head. "I'm way too busy. But what do you have?"

Hiro raised an eyebrow. "It's easier to ask what we don't have. We have the widest course selection in all of Auradon, and it gets bigger every five years or so. We're taking on nine new classes next year."

"Wow." Mal raised her eyebrows. "How many do you have now?"

"Three-hundred-and-ninety-four." Hiro drawled. Wasabi snorted.

"That's incredible." Mal commended them, looking around and feeling impressed. "So you'll pass four hundred in, what, less than ten years?"

"Maybe by the end of next year." Hiro nodded, waving to a group of college students as they walked past. "And we only had one-hundred when I first became Dean. Within five years of me taking over, we had two-hundred and were buying up all the land around here. You're not going to come here, right?"

"No." Mal declined. "I just don't have that time."

Hiro shrugged. "Well, let's see. You're seventeen now. Give it twenty or so years, and by the time your children are born and grown up, we'll be well on our way to five-hundred."

Mal's mouth ran a bit dry. She shrugged off-handedly. "How do you have enough space?" She asked.

"An excellent construction and technology course." Hiro shrugged. "We still have about forty acres of unused land to the west, and they build us new buildings."

"Fascinating." Mal nodded. "What are your most popular classes?"

"Science and technology." Hiro decided immediately. "That's what we're renowned for. And after that, probably dance, songwriting, animations, fashion design, and art." He sighed and leaned back. "And we also have things like animal care and mathematics and crafts. And the sports section is really, really big as well."

"That's incredible," Mal repeated. She hesitated and gestured around. "Would it be a terrible problem if I looked around?"

"Of course not." Hiro shook his head. "We have classes going, so I wouldn't wander in and cause a commotion, but you can feel free to look around."

Mal nodded in approval and then outstretched her hand to shake Hiro's. "Thanks for having me here." She smiled.

Hiro's grin spread wide. "Anytime." He replied, and then he and his friends returned to their conversation. Hiro, Honey-Lemon, and Wasabi. Mal turned away and started to walk around.

The campus had dozens of large buildings and many large grassy areas in-between. College students were lounging around, chatting excitedly, many of them in cosplay. It made her smile. She spotted some large buildings in the far distance and decided to make her way over there.

"Queen Maleficent." Someone huffed as they caught up with her. Mal flinched and turned around cautiously. The same blonde-haired boy from before was catching up to her. He kept his hands in his pockets as he glowered down at her a little. Mal frowned and stiffened her shoulders.

"Mal, actually. Just Mal. Remind me of your name?" She crossed her arms and chewed on her lip.

"Chad." The boy introduced himself. "Charming. Another one of Ben's old friends." His eyes roamed her figure as he pinched his lips together.

Mal raised her eyebrows in defense. "I think I saw you in his old photos." She nodded. "Did you, ahem, need me?"

Chad's eyes jumped up from where they'd landed on her hips and snapped onto her eyes like they were lasers he was directing into her head. "How did Ben's parents find you?" He asked.

Mal bit her cheek. "The guards found me on the Isle. Why?"

"Why were they on the Isle?" Chad demanded, taking a step forward and looking down his nose at her. Mal straightened up and glared right back at him.

"National security matters. I happened to cross paths with them. They brought me back, I met Ben, and the rest is history." Mal scoffed. "Why? Do you have a problem with me?"

"Yeah." Chad sneered. "I do. How'd you get him to like you? A love spell?"

"What?" Mal gasped, backing up a little. "Of course not. I didn't even know any spells." She took a step away from him. People were glancing over, but quickly averting their eyes. Mal's mouth felt dry. "Look, I don't know what your problem is with me, but I have done nothing to antagonize you and I don't know what you're trying to insinuate."

"I didn't take Ben to pick girls based on looks alone." Chad scowled.

"He's not," Mal mumbled, frowning. On the far contrary, really. Chad held his hands up at her words in sarcastic defense.

"No, really, I get it, you're gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to slam you? Your body is…" he trailed off, drinking in her figure. "Bewitching. I'd go down on you hard too. Ben had serious standards though. What did you do to make him dump Audrey and agree to marry you just like that?" Chad snapped by her face, and Mal leaned back with her mouth falling open. She sputtered, and no sound came out.

Chad crossed his arms and examined her stance, her body. Mal swallowed and backed up. "No, no, it's not like that." She took a deep breath. "Ben and I – our relationship-"

"God, I don't need to hear about your bed life. It's pretty obvious. You're the kind of pretty people break beds with." Chad interrupted with his face twisting. "You're flawless and hot, not to mention you're a midget. I'm sure he has all sorts of fun on you. But that shouldn't have been enough to convince him to make Maleficent's daughter queen." Chad folded his arms and his gaze started raking up her hips. "Did you blackmail him? Or did your mother do something from the Isle?" Mal flinched back in shock, and then straightened up.

"I beg your pardon but I have done and will do nothing of the sort." She snapped. "What's your issue anyway? Isn't Auradon supposed to be the place of upstanding citizens and heroes?"

"You'd think so, but we apparently have Isle Hookers slipping up through the ranks," Chad argued.

"Just you watch." Mal grit her teeth. "One day, the Isle will be the better place to be. At least there, people don't sneak around to bully other people's spouses." The moment it slipped out of her mouth, Mal flinched. If the Isle had spouses, she reminded herself. If the Isle had spouses.

"Are you talking about Audrey?" Chad asked with a furrowed brow. "Oh, my dear queen, you're severely mistaken. Audrey and Ben were Auradon's dream couple. It was true love. You're the one sneaking around with Ben and bullying Audrey."

"Ben was going to dump Audrey!" Mal exploded. "Long before I ever came into the picture he was frustrated with the way she tried to walk all over everyone."

"Makes sense why he'd go for the power-hungry witch next." Chad hissed.

Mal stuck a finger up into the air and tried to calm her magic behind her eyes. "You have my character severely wrong. I have not manipulated anyone. I haven't used a single spell or charm or anything on anyone. Ben chose me. And I chose Ben. Our 'bed life' had absolutely nothing to do with our decision. Why? Because decent people don't make decisions that hurt others like that. We were thinking of your homeland, Chad."

Chad scoffed loudly and leaned down into her face with smoldering eyes. His cologne was strong and overpowering. Mal wanted to cough. "You honestly expect me to believe," he began with a harsh laugh from the back of his throat, "that Ben, the golden boy of Auradon, who was raised from day one to be King of Auradon, who was dating the most beautiful girl in Auradon and had everything he wanted, slandered his public reputation, threw away everything, and became the youngest of all his friends to settle down all because he chose you? The daughter of Maleficent?"

Mal pushed Chad back firmly with her fingertips. "If you actually know Ben, the harder conclusion to believe is that he did all that so he could, as you say, slam me a couple of times." Her heart twisted in her chest at the violent descriptions and she wanted to be sick as anger prickled at her eyes. "I thought you said you were friends. How many times did he ever manipulate someone like that when you knew him?"

"Things have been different since you showed up." Chad glared at her. "I don't know what you're doing to him, but he leaves the palace less and less. He took Aurora's kingdom away from her to give it to you, gave you control of all our villains and he grows more distant every day. He used to talk about how much he loved Auradon. Now he only talks about how he's going to fix Auradon."

"He is going to fix Auradon!" Fierce tears stabbed her eyes but she forced them away with a steady hand. "He's going to be the greatest King Auradon will ever have and he - he'll prove you wrong!"

"Are you going to make him?" Chad asked, pushing her back a few steps and advancing on her. "You are, aren't you? How are you manipulating him? Is it something your mother gave you? Is it something you came up with?"

"I'm not spelling him." Mal hissed, digging in her heels and bracing her arms into a fighting stance. "I would never-"

"And his parents too! Did you spell them? How did you convince them?" Chad continued, balling his fists up. "You're a tart. A call girl. And there is definitely something fishy going on here. You're lying when you say there isn't. Well, you know what, you can fool all of Auradon with your 'divine rights speech. You can fool Belle and Adam with whatever bull crap you and your mother invented. You can even distract Ben with whatevever his favorite flavors are, but you and your magical looks and clever tongue can't fool me, Maleficent."

A long pause stretched out as the two glared each other down. Oh, she wanted to punch him. She wanted to scream and light him on fire and slam his stupid face into the ground just so she could watch him burn and bleed at the same time. Mutilate the parts of him that he'd insinuated Ben was hurting her with, and string him up just to show Auradon what she thought of the tart-like heirs apparently everyone except Ben had turned out to be.

And like the angels of the good lord himself, she imagined Ben crossing his arms and looking across the room at her. If she killed Chad, it'd reflect badly on Ben. So really, there was only one thing to do. She exhaled and closed her eyes to gather her thoughts.

"I'm not going to hear anything else from you." She demanded. "No more. Not a word. People don't deserve to be treated the way you treat me. Ben's parents arranged most of it, and proceedings that have not been released are under ties of national security. I'm not permitted to discuss it with anyone. If you have a problem with me being in the palace then… I'm sorry?" She took a few more steps back. "And for the record, this conversation is… inappropriate and misinformed. I bet you know Ben wouldn't approve of the things you just said to me."

"Are you going to tell him?" Chad asked, stepping forward and into her personal bubble with narrowing eyes. He reached a finger up and pointed at her. His nail was dangerously near her cheek. "I could hurt you."

Mal snatched his arm in her clenched fist and squeezed. Chad gasped in pain and his tense muscles faltered. She lit her eyes and leaned forward. "Not without my permission, you can't." She released his arm with a fierce look. Chad took several steps back, looking shocked. Mal made a motion for him to turn around and walk away. Then she herself turned to walk out towards the campus.

A hand materialized on her rear and squeezed hard, painfully. Mal gasped and spun around, forming a fist and sending it flying straight into Chad's face. He'd stepped up behind her and seized her with fire in his eyes that was doused with his own dirty blood as the sound of his nose breaking carried over to the camera crews. He released her, hitting his knees with a shout.

"How dare you!" Mal shouted, seizing his arms and lifting him clear off of the ground like he was a book or something. Her muscles were showing through her shirt as she hurled him point-blank away from her. He soared through the air, tumbled on the pathway, and then looked up in shock. His face was covered in scrapes and cuts.

Stewart appeared, weaving through the crowd and unclipping his gun from his hip. "What happened?" He gasped, rushing over as people began to help Chad up. He took Mal's arm, and she tossed off his grip.

"He grabbed me." Mal frowned, letting her piercing stare land on Chad. She could feel her magic threatening to surface in her eyes. "He grabbed my butt when I was walking away from him."

Stewart took her arm carefully. "Let's go." He whispered. "Now."

Mal frowned at Stewart. "You're taking me back to the palace over this? It's his fault!" She threw her arm out towards Chad and her eyes flashed. Her hair felt full of static as it cackled and waved around her shoulders. People screamed and a wide berth formed around her before Mal took a deep breath and her magic stabilized. "You're right." She growled. "Take me back to the palace, now." Stewart nodded with a sigh and put a hand on her arm to lead her away from the scene.

---

The door to their bedroom opened and Mal looked up as Ben dropped his briefcase beside the door. His face was absolutely expressionless as he stared over at her. Mal was sitting cross-legged on top of the covers, which had been straightened out since that morning, and sketching on a blank sheet of artist paper. They locked gazes for a few seconds and then Mal turned her gaze away.

Ben slipped his shoes off and set them inside his closet before he walked over and sat down on his side of the bed. The mattress shifted dramatically towards him as Mal kept her focus. He glanced over her shoulder and found an immaculate, detailed sketch of her mother's spellbook with a grotesque lock in the shape of a skull behind it. He hummed. "Wow. I guess it was a really awful day, huh?"

Mal shrugged. "It didn't start off too bad." She mumbled. Ben reached over and pulled the loose pages out from under her grasp. Mal stilled her hands as he flipped through the pages one by one. One was of the Isle's new buildings from a bird's eye view, with little trees stretching across the way. Another was of the palace crest alongside something that equally resembled a crest though it was unlike any Ben had ever seen, with stone and locks. He guessed Mal was drafting things for the Isle. The final was a quick sketch of three older teens, two boys, and a girl. At the bottom of the page were their names, penciled in. Ben let a flash of a smile slip across his face. He had, not only names, but faces now. He cleared his expression and put them down on the bed, folding his hands in his lap. Mal twisted the edges of her paper in her fingers, and Ben waited for her to say something.

When the silence had reigned long enough, Ben reached over and brushed her long hair back and over the shoulder farthest from him, leaving her neck exposed. He leaned over and pressed a kiss on her jaw, and then a tiny one on her neck. It was the very first time he'd tried doing that, and she seemed to immediately relax as he did. He gauged her reaction carefully and then pressed his mouth back over her pale skin. His tongue skimmed her skin. He rested his hand on her back, and Mal didn't move as he kept his lips against her neck. All she could hear were Chad's words reverberating in her head. Mal sighed. "What did you hear?" She asked Ben.

"I heard you gave a beautiful speech and decimated two of my friends in two very different ways." Ben hummed. Her skin tingled.

"And I'm guessing you want to know why Stewart put me in time-out?" Mal asked sarcastically, picking at a string in her jeans.

"Stewart left you at the gate. You came up here yourself." Ben pointed out, not refuting her question.

Mal shrugged and ripped a tiny tear into the side of the paper. Ben took it out of her hands so she wouldn't ruin it and examined the intricate details. Ben sighed and hooked a hand around his knee as he faced her. "I saw your speech, actually. You did really, really well."

"I still have yours." Mal sighed. "Yours was awful by the way."

Ben chuckled. "I can only imagine." He sighed.

Mal snorted and nodded. "It was." She smiled and twiddled her thumbs together. "Am I in trouble?"

"Well, yeah." Ben nodded, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Mal flinched and looked up at him with a cautious eye. He put an arm around her. "I'm disappointed in you. You should have thrown Chad farther."

Mal snorted, relaxing into his side and wiping her hands on her knees. She swallowed. "I'm sorry about the magic."

"It's fine. The cameras caught his hand slipping off of you, so everyone knew what happened." Ben sighed. He rubbed a little circle on her shoulder. "I'm… really sorry. I knew he and Audrey were a bit worried when we first married but I didn't think he'd assault you like that."

"I don't think anyone heard what he said." Mal blurted out, looking at her hands.

"What he said?" Ben asked, sitting up and looking at her. He set a hand on her chin and dragged his thumb down her jawline. Mal blinked softly, refusing to meet his eyes.

"He said I had a nice bo- that I looked nice." Mal swallowed. She let out a little exhale and her eyes flicked to the ceiling. "Said he understood why you'd agreed to the whole thing. That he could only imagine the fun you have on me. Who wouldn't want to slam me? I'm the kind of pretty people break beds with. And he also said… I'm small and I'm pretty… he'd be happy to go down on me too."

"Chad?" Ben withdrew from around her, looking horrified. "He… he wouldn't… Chad really did that?"

Mal didn't meet his eyes. She didn't know if he believed her as she carefully began to pop her knuckles. Out of habit, she tried searching the locks framing her face for some hair she could chew on, but there weren't any short enough. She hadn't indulged in her habit for so long that all traces of it were gone.

Ben looked away. She traced the slope of his shoulders with his eyes, watching them rise and fall with every heavy breath. He swallowed audibly. "So, he said, his specific words, were 'I can only imagine the fun he has on you. You're small and pretty, and I'd be happy to go down on you too'?"

"He said 'I didn't take Ben to pick girls based on looks alone. I get it, you're gorgeous and your body is bewitching. I'd go down on you hard too. You're flawless and hot, not to mention you're a midget; I'm sure he has all sorts of fun with you.'" Mal sighed. "And I told him you'd be mad, and he started to say: 'I could hurt you', and then I scared him a little before… everything else."

Ben sniffed and nodded. He turned back towards her and put his hand on her knee to squeeze it comfortingly. "I'll take care of it." He whispered. "I'm sorry that it happened. Thank you for covering me, but if people are going to think that's okay when I'm not around, I'm definitely not going to ask you to do it again."

Mal shrugged and nodded. Ben scooted closer to the center of the bed and hugged her. Mal leaned her head on his shoulder for a few short seconds, and then Ben withdrew and poked her. "You're in trouble for real though." He informed her with a stern frown.

Mal's mouth twisted downwards. "For what?" She asked.

Ben turned around and knelt on the edge of the bed, leaning over to look her in the eyes. "I do not shed." He informed her sternly.

Mal processed what he'd said, and then began to laugh. "I'm serious!" Ben frowned. He set a hand on her shoulder as Mal leaned her head back, uncurled her legs, and began to laugh. "And what you said about my swearing and the socks and – and the cognac! – That was a low blow."

"It's so true!" Mal laughed. "Oh, the socks! You hate them! You always give me weird looks when I wear them!"

"Why would you wear socks to bed?" Ben shook his hands irately. "They itch against the covers!"

Mal leaned back into the pillows and Ben laid down on his stomach, trying to hold back laughs as he pinched his lips at her. Mal's stomach was honestly starting to hurt as she kept laughing. "I don't suppose it matters much." He sighed as she started to calm down. "Apparently you don't even notice you've married anymore, so…"

Mal began to laugh even harder. "And all my free time is spent with you!" She laughed. "It's so, so true. Even now!"

"Well, you did draw a bit today." Ben shrugged, looking over at her pages. "And they're amazing, by the way." He sat up a little to pick up the one of her friends again with a mischievous smile.

Mal hummed and calmed down, looking up at the ceiling with a content smile on her face. Ben watched her face relax serenely, and his heart sped up a few beats. He leaned down on his elbows above her and watched her gaze move from the ceiling to him. She smiled a little up at him.

Ben put his hand on her face and leaned down. He could feel her breath on his mouth before a hand appeared in his path. Mal was frowning, looking uncomfortable. "I… I don't want to kiss now, Ben." She told him. "I'm sorry, I don't. It's still too… fresh."

"The memories?" He asked, withdrawing. Mal nodded and looked away. Ben nodded and sat back up. "Alright." He agreed. "I'm sorry. Thank you for telling me."

Mal blinked and glanced back at him, and a tiny warm smile bloomed across her little rosy lips. Ben patted her leg and looked towards the window. "About Chad, I'm going to reach out to his kingdom, and have his coronation put on hold for inappropriate behavior towards the queen. And I'm going to apply for a temporary restraining order, alright?"

"Alright," Mal mumbled, though she knew it wouldn't do much to fix Chad's feelings.

"He wasn't all wrong, you know." Ben hummed, turning back towards you. Mal frowned up at him, and several shades of hurt faded across her face. Ben reached over and took her hand. "You're gorgeous, bewitching, flawless and hot." He smiled with the right side of his mouth crooking up higher than the left. "But I don't pick girls based on looks alone." He squeezed her palm tightly with both hands and brought her fingers up to his mouth to kiss them, one by one. "You are far more beautiful than looks alone would tell."

Mal's mouth crooked up at the side. She sat up and Ben opened his arms. Mal slipped into his embrace and they wrapped their arms around each other. Ben leaned his head on her shoulder as Mal closed her eyes. Suddenly, everything Chad had said seemed very, very far away.

---

Mal stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She couldn't deny that she was incredibly nervous. It wasn't like she was used to meeting royals; she'd done it exactly once in her lifetime. Given that that one time had featured Stewart and another guard holding her like a prisoner while she was dirty from head to toe with a severe case of haven't-brushed-my-hair-in-three-days, it wasn't like she could do much worse.

Now, she was stronger. You couldn't tell her hair was as long as it was because Sophia had braided it back today. She needed to chop it off before she went back to the moors or she'd end up looking like Rapunzel of Corona. Her skin was whiter, and her freckles were fading away to form a perfect, smooth complexion. Mal blamed being in direct contact with the Moor soil, which, like everything else in the moors, had excellent healing powers.

Something that had probably started before Mal went to the Moors but that she only noticed now was that she was much toner and stronger than she'd been on the Isle. It was probably the result of a proper diet and the natural use of her magic. She examined the flow of her muscles under her sleeves, knowing Ben had already been admiring them whenever he saw them. She'd also caught Ben watching the video of her decking Chad and pausing it as she raised him above her head.

Sophia tapped on the open bathroom door, disrupting Mal from her musings. She smiled. "You look great." She told Mal. "Don't worry."

Mal shrugged. She examined herself in the mirror a little more. "Is it terribly cold out?" She asked Sophia as she picked at the dress she had on. It had very wide sleeves and a high neckline. It went down to her knees and was white with purple accents.

"Not at all." Sophia smiled. "I was just out. Her Highness Queen Elsa will be coming down the driveway in a few minutes, and the press has already gathered."

"Hmm." Mal hummed as she thought aloud. "If I stay up here and stall just right, they won't be able to ask any questions before Elsa gets here." She winked at Sophia, who rolled her eyes and then began to follow her friend downstairs.

Mal could hear the chatter of the press outside from the moment she stepped into the entry hall. She let out a deep exhale and then hurried down the stairs. Her purple flats made it easy to run.

She opened the door herself and let Sophia slip through before she pulled it closed. Cameras began to flash as she stepped into the sunlight. She waved and hurried through the crowd. People called her name, but she did not answer. She made her way to where Ben was standing and hovered anxiously beside him until he noticed her and extended his hand. She took it with a soft smile as reporters went crazy behind them.

Ben had been busy addressing a group of reporters in front of him, but once Mal showed up, it was clear who the real prize was.

"Queen Mal!" One hyperactive girl called. "How's construction on the Isle going?"

"Lovely." Mal's eyes sparkled as she spoke. "They've completed the outside walls of the safe city, along with the smaller buildings. I hope soon I'll be able to start helping people move to a better climate."

"How will you help refugees in your own kingdom?" She asked while she scribbled down everything that had just been said.

Mal glanced at Ben. "I'm going to go myself, of course. Ben and I have also talked about opening the mission to Auradon people who would like to make a difference in a broken community. We're going to hammer out a few last details before I speak to the press personally in a few weeks to explain the ideas and thoughts we've been passing around as we've been at work."

Ben smiled and squeezed her hand a little.

"Queen Mal!" A young man shouted. "We notice your hair is much longer than it was before. Have you or have you not performed magic to increase its length?"

Mal tensed up just a little. She hadn't seen the backlash to her eyes going crazy on national TV yet, but she assumed it was there. She smiled shyly. "It is really long, isn't it?" She asked as she ran her fingers down her braid. "No, I haven't performed magic on it. It's just an effect of being in the moors. The fairies like to play with my hair, and their magic makes it super long." She chuckled. "I'm going to have to cut it before I return, otherwise it'll get in the way when I walk."

"What magic have you been performing lately?" The first reporter asked eagerly.

Mal shrugged. "Not much, guys. I mean, I did just get back from the moors and I perform lots of magic there, but other than that, not a lot in Auradon."

"Will the moors and the Isle of the Lost join together as one nation under your rule?" Another question was asked. The reporters, both around and in front of them, were scribbling away so fast Mal almost expected some of their pencils to smoke.

"Probably not." Mal laughed. "One is surrounded by water, and they're sort of on different sides of Auradon. Also, the creatures are different. I intend to keep them separate." She beckoned the reporters closer. "I'll tell you a secret though…" She whispered comically. The reporters inched toward her, which was funny since Mal was a great deal shorter than them. "I brought back several types of magical plants with me, which have already been sent to the Isle, and some moor people will be joining me temporarily on the Isle of the Lost to help clean things up there."

The reporters began to buzz excitedly. Mal held up a finger. "But-" She interjected. "We're currently having problems bringing them into Auradon because many of the creatures would violate Auradon's magical prohibition laws. Ben and I are looking into fair ways to open the Moors to Auradon, and also looking at the old laws to see ways we can create loopholes. We're currently taking suggestions on ways we can improve the law systems, especially the magic ones."

"Specifically, in Mal's case." Ben elbowed her. "Considering she's creating an entire nation from scratch."

The reporters opened their mouths again, but both Ben and Mal held up a hand synchronously, then chuckled at themselves. "That's enough questions for now," Ben said. "Please, clear the way. Queen Elsa is coming."

Down the driveway, a white carriage was approaching. Mal expected it to be made of ice, but it appeared to be iron-wrought. The reporters cleared and took photos of the approaching carriage as it pulled to the head of the driveway and stopped. Ben leaned down and whispered in Mal's ear: "take a deep breath," before he left Mal's side to open the door of the carriage. Once it was open, he held out a hand and smiled brightly as a pale figure took it and stood inside the carriage.

Queen Elsa was six foot two, only two inches shy of Ben, and wore a silver dress made of ice. Recent leg issues required her to carry a cane which she wielded more like a staff than anything else. The blonde was fifty, and her hair had gotten even whiter as she aged. Piercing blue eyes with light grey eyeliner took in everything around her as she descended to the ground. Mal stiffened her spine.

Queen Elsa smiled and shook Ben's hand. As she released him, Ben turned to help four others out of the queen's carriage. Princess Anna had accompanied her sister along with Anna's ten-year-old daughter Kaitlyn and Ericka, Elsa's daughter. Lastly, Ben helped a child of no more than five out.

Elsa turned towards Mal, and Mal felt the ice magic that the queen put out around her. She'd become more sensitive to magic after being in the moors for such extended periods of time and could often tell if a person was magical simply by looking at them. Elsa looked absolutely amazed by Mal as she began to walk toward the young queen. Mal caught flashes of Elsa's legs through the famous slit as the older queen reached out a hand. Mal bent forward to take it as cameras everywhere went off. She and Elsa held onto each other's hands for a few minutes before Elsa let out a breath. "A true magical queen." She said proudly.

Mal smiled and nodded as red tones set into her cheeks. "Of course." She began to laugh. "It is so, so nice to finally meet you."

"Same to you." Elsa relaxed. She turned and gestured to the group behind her. "This is my daughter, Ericka, and my sister, Anna. You may know her from our fairy tale."

Mal smiled. "You'll have to forgive me for not knowing your stories, actually. I've been trying to catch up on everyone, but it's hard when you're so busy. I haven't even watched Sleeping Beauty's fairy tale, and I really need to do that before I embarrass myself." She looked at Ben for help.

"Did you know Hans on the Isle?" He asked, setting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes," Mal said slowly. She'd known a number of Han's children as well. They were charmers, all of them. "Hans mostly keeps to himself, though." She remembered.

Anna gave her a nervous wave. She was wearing a dress with a blue top and purple skirt. "Um, Hans tried to marry me, and then I accidentally sent Elsa into the mountains when I revealed her magic to the kingdom, and then I left Hans in charge of the kingdom when I tried to go save Elsa, and he got the people to trust him, and Elsa froze my heart so we went back to Arendelle and he left me to freeze solid and claimed the monarchy! Elsa got brought back to Auradon and then Hans was about to kill her when I jumped in front of her and his sword broke in between my fingers and I actually have a scar, but everything worked out in the end!" She chuckled uneasily and trailed off, rubbing the area between her index and middle fingers carefully.

Mal blinked, trying to process everything at once. "Okay." She said slowly. "That... totally works. Well, I'm Mal," She gave a quick curtsey. "And… I don't really have a fairy tale yet, but I'm in the middle of one." Ben chuckled behind her as she righted herself with a smirk.

Elsa smiled while Anna came up the stairs to hang excitedly off of her sister's shoulder. "Your hair is fabulous!" She exclaimed. "And so long!"

Mal chuckled. "For real." She said. "I need to chop it. Every time the fairies at the moors play in it, it gets longer."

Anna's daughter Kaitlyn blinked. "Fairies?" She asked excitedly. Kaitlyn wore her blonde hair in two pigtails with lots of wavy curls hanging off her shoulders. She smiled a lot like her mom.

"Yeah," Mal said with a bright smile. Ericka took the youngest child's hands and began leading her up the steps behind Kaitlyn and Anna. "So, you're Ericka?" Mal asked. Ericka was shorter than Elsa, but taller than Mal still. She wore a blue summer dress and had her hair braided over her shoulder, just like her mom's. She wore knee-high lace-up shoes. "Ben's told me a bit about you."

Ericka nodded. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "This is my sister, Jessie." Upon the introduction, Mal immediately bent down and held out a hand to Jessie.

"Hello, Jessie!" She waved. Jessie's white, flyaway hair had little frost pieces in it. It made Mal smile.

"Hi!" Jessie chirped, like a little bird.

"Want to come up here and hold my hand?" Mal invited, holding out her hand and fluttering her fingers.

Jessie nodded and slipped up in between Elsa and Mal, where she took both of their hands. Mal grinned excitedly. Jessie was tinier than the average four-year old, with short white hair that poofed out from her ears. Her eyes were bright blue, the same as her mom's. She was a magical person herself, that Mal knew off of instinct. But something was… different. She had magic like her mom, but with variations.

This told Mal something important that she was sure no one else would be able to tell; Jessie's father had powers similar to Elsa that were coded differently, for lack of a better word. In fact, she could even sense a pattern of differences between Elsa and Jessie, and then Ericka, who was almost completely unlike her mom.

Mal examined the differences between Ericka and her mom. Physically, Ericka was deeper toned. Mal noticed that she was much less willowy and that she was more sturdy-built than her mother was - like she was built of snow. Emotionally, Ericka was obviously less similar to her mother. She was mischievous and playful. Mal had only just seen her climb out of the carriage and knew that this girl was sneaky, the kind to pull pranks and laugh. It was probably part of why they had chosen to not coronate her yet, despite her being Ben's age. She wasn't ready to be responsible for a kingdom. Still, she was caring and loved her people, just like her mom.

The thing that struck Mal the most was how Ericka's powers were so different from Elsa's. They were not an extension of herself, an ability, but fragmented into her person. And whereas Elsa's magical tendencies could be described as weaving into her frame, Ericka's seemed to have the same presence of a large collection of cinderblocks. "I am here." It screamed. Ericka simply wouldn't exist without her magic.

Ben struck up a conversation with Elsa about how the journey was as Mal bent down to be closer to little Jessie. "Did you like the long drive?" She asked.

Jessie looked up with big blue eyes and said, quite firmly, "No!"

Mal laughed. Ben pressed a hand to her back. "We should move inside now." He turned his attention to the press surrounding them. "Thank you all for coming!"

Jessie let go of Elsa's hand as her mom moved ahead with Ben and Kaitlyn trailing behind. Mal watched how Ericka observed the grounds with a playful eye, taking in the entire landscape despite how the people covered most of it. Ben wouldn't notice. Maybe even Elsa and Princess Anna would miss it. But Mal had been raised on villainy, and she knew a scheme in the making when she saw it.

Little Jessie yawned as Mal helped her up the steps of the palace, so Mal bent down and offered her a lift. The little girl curled her arms around Mal's neck and buried her face in Mal's shoulder. Mal kept an arm under the little girl's legs to support her as she lifted her up. Ben, who was holding the door open for everyone, smiled at her as he saw her bring up the tail-end of the group. Little did he know she was making sure Ericka didn't disappear. She and Ben fist-bumped as they disappeared inside, and he pressed a gentle hand to her back to help her over the threshold of the palace.

Elsa smiled as she examined the entrance hall. "I remember this place quite well." She smiled. "You've replaced the flooring since I've been here, though."

Ben raised an eyebrow at the flooring, which was obviously a few years old. "When was the last time you visited outside of Arendelle?" Ben asked curiously.

Elsa laughed. "I haven't left since Ericka was born. I decided my place was far north."

A sudden thought struck Mal. "How far is the coast from you, exactly?"

Elsa smiled. "Very far. We're near the center of the continent. See, behind the mountain, where we're sandwiched in between the northern Wei and what was formerly the territory for the Huns before they were moved to the Isle, we're at the base of those mountains. What you call the Scandinavian mountains, we call the North Mountain, even though it's south of our Kingdom. Symbolism and such, we're ahead of the north. Anyway, that's where I ran to when fleeing my kingdom."

Mal chewed on her lip. "Huh. Okay." She glanced at Ben, who was looking at her with a critical eye. "Well, let's get you in your rooms."

"I'd like to keep Jessie near me, please," Elsa said.

"Of course." Mal nodded. "Ben, how about I handle Elsa and her kids, and you can help Anna and Kaitlyn?"

"Sounds good." Ben nodded as he began to head to the stairs.

Mal led Elsa, Ericka, and Jessie up the stairs behind them. "So, Ericka," She began. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

Elsa let out a short, annoyed breath. Ericka smiled. "Pranks." She said. "I'm really good at them too."

"What kind of pranks?" Mal asked. Jessie sighed into her shoulder, and Mal smiled.

"All sorts!" Ericka said. She looked at Mal. "Aren't you a little young to be queen?"

Mal nodded. "Special case. Hey, there was this one prank me and my friends did once – we used nets and hair dye. See, my friend Jay was really good at knots and my friend Carlos was really good at mechanical things and how to make stuff work, so we strung these cables on the Jolly Roger ship so that if someone touched them, it would string them up by their hands and someone would have to cut them down. We used the hair dye to make it super bright and noticeable so that the first unlucky pirate to walk by would think it was dirty and try to brush it off. It worked great."

Ericka laughed. Mal finally stopped at a door not far from the library. "Anna and Kaitlyn should be on the other side of the library. Go down to the corner and turn right. Ericka, you'll be here, and Elsa, you'll be here. Do you want Jessie in the room with you? We do have another room prepared next door if you'd prefer that."

"Either way," Elsa said, reaching over and gently taking Jessie back, who was beginning to doze off. "Sorry, she was up late." Elsa chuckled. "I think I'll put her in my room for now, and then I would absolutely love to talk with you. Do you have time?"

"Yeah, of course!" Mal smiled. "If you're interested in hearing about the Isle or the Moors at all, since Ben told me you might be, I'd even be happy to take you to my office, so you can see everything we're hoping to put into action."

Elsa's eyes sparkled. "Well, I wouldn't want you to feel like you're talking about work the entire time, but that does sound lovely!"

"Great!" Mal smiled. Elsa opened the door and put Jessie down before she ventured back outside. The two women ventured upstairs with bright smiles, deep in conversation. Behind them, Mal heard Ericka open her door softly, close it as if she'd walked inside, and then walk softly off in the other direction.

---

"Yeah, you got it, the whole thing!" Anna laughed as Ben pulled out her chair for her in the dining room. Mal pulled out her own chair beside him, and King Adam pulled out Elsa's chair for her. He looked very unsure of himself as he helped her into her chair before guiding Belle to sit beside him. Kaitlyn and Jessie were sitting out on the balcony, watching the sunset over the hills and eating their dinner.

They were having barbecue chicken and watermelon, which felt like a very outside sort of meal. Mal was tempted to join the girls outside until Ben sat beside her, kissed her cheek, and put his hand on top of hers. Her heart rate picked up as she smiled at him.

"It looks like Ericka is running late." Elsa sighed. "I'm sorry. She doesn't do well with... plans."

"Spontaneous girl." Mal nodded. She glanced at her phone. "Forgive me, Elsa, but I'm afraid I'm about to teach your daughter a lesson."

Elsa frowned immediately. "I beg your pardon?" She asked.

Mal pointed to the doorway. Everyone - Belle, Ben, Adam, and Elsa - turned around to see what she was pointing at. The door slid open a few inches and Ericka appeared. Her brow was furrowed. "Sorry that I'm-" She began, and then a grinding sound came from above her head. Everyone looked up as a pail of something silvery toppled from on high.

There was a splash, and Ericka was left standing in shock, gaping as glitter-infused silver paint dripped off of her frame. "What?" She gasped for breath. "How did that get here?"

"Well, Ericka," Mal began calmly, reaching for a slice of watermelon and not batting an eye at the glitter-covered girl. "If you leave a pail of paint in my hallway, you'd better believe I will find a way to sabotage you with it." She smirked a little as Ericka's hands dropped to her sides in shock. "And tripwires? You'll have to do a bit better than that to catch an Isle girl off guard."

Ben sank into his chair. "Mal," He sighed. "Please, please don't start a war."

"Why would I start a war?" Mal asked innocently. "Now, imagine if you'd found the paint the hard way, Ben. Then it really would have been war."

"You'd start a war over me?" Ben rolled his eyes. "No. No."

Ericka wiped her face off, still looking absolutely shocked. "How... how did you find it?" She gasped.

Mal smiled. "Find what?" She asked.

"I-I... the paint." Ericka trailed off, picking at her braid.

Mal pointed her fork at Ericka. "Don't try me, darling." She laughed.

Ericka's face twisted. She pinched her lips together and examined Mal, and then let out a brief nod as if she was accepting Mal as an equal partner. "I, um, will be back." She sighed, wiping the paint off her shoulders. "I can't be too mad about this, I guess, but I'm not going to give up!" She pointed at Mal accusingly, who rolled her eyes.

Ericka pushed the door closed and Mal stood up to examine the paint mess on the floor. "Forgive this poor abused space and clean up this entire space." She snapped her fingers at the mess. Green overtook the paint, and the silver vanished from sight. Not even any glitter was left.

Ben squeezed Mal's hand with a tense expression. Mal looked across the table to Elsa, who looked properly stunned. Slowly, everyone's gazes fell on the Snow Queen. Ben, Belle, Adam, and Anna all turned to see how the elder woman would react. Queen Elsa swallowed and brushed her hands on her napkin in her lap. "You're powerful." Elsa sighed. "And, on Ericka, thank you for what you did." She bit her cheek and shook her head. "The pranks… she can't use her magic, and fun and magic are the most important things in this world to her. But she can't ever get magic right, so I never know how to stop the pranks."

"Her magic isn't working correctly." Mal shook her head. "Very different from yours. Is it some sort of mutation?"

"I refuse to comment on that subject, and you know it, Queen Mal," Elsa replied wearily. Mal nodded and glanced towards Ben with a nod. It had been worth a shot.

Twenty minutes later, after showering, a sheepish yet determined Ericka joined them at the table. Mal didn't say anything as she watched the girl's clever eyes take in everything around her. She'd already moved Ericka's next five pranks.

---

Mal shifted her weight from foot to foot as the boat rocked back and forth across the sea. It was windy today, which was good for once. The sun was shining, and the ocean was a beautiful, strong blue. It was the perfect day to make some wrong things right.

"Here comes the barrier!" One of the men on the boat shouted. Mal and Fairy Godmother exchanged weary glances and Mal took hold of a rope that was strung up to the lookout post. The Fairy Godmother, unfortunately, was too sick to do much.

Mal watched the golden barrier approach. Her fingertips shook. Only about thirty meters behind the barrier was the beach. She curled her fingers tightly around the rope as the barrier crossed the front of the ship. It sped up the length of the deck. Mal took a deep breath of the open sea air before she felt the connection with her magic severed as the green barrier once again enclosed her. She exhaled and immediately began to cough as she inhaled a mouthful of smoke, ash, and grime. Whatever was over the ocean, it smelled like motor oil.

"Land Ho!" The sailor announced as Mal regained her breath and turned to the Fairy Godmother, who looked sick as she held a handkerchief to her mouth. It didn't seem like a half-bad idea to Mal. The pollution was definitely worse, but hopefully, everything would go to plan without consequence.

Today was a very important day for Auradon and for the Isle. They had to tread very carefully because the effectivity of Mal's plans all rode on how well she could execute this problem. They were going to restructure the barrier and replace it further out in the ocean, hopefully freeing a majority of the pollution without letting any villains escape.

They landed on the beach and Mal was amazed by what she saw as she descended the gangplank for the first time. The Moorish plants had been planted in intervals on the beach and Isle kids were examining the plants in awe. Around them, the grime and pollution had been removed in a near-perfect circle with a radius of about three feet. One near the beach revealed the natural white-yellow color of the sand. Mal stepped towards the plants to inspect them and took a deep breath. The air tasted fresh. There weren't many plants, but considering they'd been planted only a week before,

Fairy Godmother looked up at the buildings in approval. "They look wonderful." She commended Mal. "But let's not waste time. We need to clear the area."

"People will still try and stay and hide." Mal shook her head. "What I think we should do first is place a spell to prevent any magic users practicing their abilities while we fix the barrier. Then, we can break the top of the barrier and mold the utopia border as we need before we seal the top of the dirty part of the Isle and push everything out into the sea."

"I'll cast the first spell." Fairy Godmother decided. "Now, Mal, I don't know if you're able to see the magic in things yet. Are you?"

"No." Mal shook her head. "I can feel it though."

"Well enough." Fairy Godmother nodded. "Well, feel for my magic and I'll talk you through the barrier's weaving. Are you ready?"

Mal nodded. The Fairy Godmother pulled her wand out of her pocket and waved it with a "Bibbity-bobbity-boo!" Mal felt a heavy curtain of magic descend over the entire Island. She reached out with her subconscious and followed the spell's effects from where they began around her, all the way out to the sea. She smiled and then felt the Fairy Godmother's cool hands wrap around hers.

"For your first time working spell-less, it will probably be easier for you to be looking in the direction you'll be working." The Fairy Godmother advised. "Now, you have a feel for my spell, but can you feel what's above you?"

Mal turned her head skyward as the Fairy Godmother tilted her hands at an angle up to the sky. She searched carefully for something similar to the spell she'd just been examining and felt something strong in the sky. It was like an immense fortress. Like someone had coiled spikes and wire and lethal weapons into yarn and woven that yarn into a net that blockaded all magic and contained all within it. She frowned. "Wow. This thing is really strong."

"You can't break it." Fairy Godmother reminded her. "Not with the barrier blocking your magic. I'll have to do that with just a – bibbidy-bobbity-boo!" Mal felt the top of the barrier crumble away and gasped as she felt the entire opening of the dome split. She opened her eyes and watched something like an air tunnel appear in the sky sucking everything inside up and into the air. The air pressure dropped dramatically, and then cold, sea-smelling air hit her nose. The air began to clear, and Mal could suddenly see even further than before. The air, too, began to clear.

"We have to work quickly." She gasped. "I want a new barrier along the outside of the walls we've built. Everyone already inside will be forced to the outside except for the Auradon Workers who sent their names to Auradon and whom I've cleared. I have their signatures keyed into a magical spell."

"Good." Fairy Godmother nodded approvingly as she raised her wand. The dark, thick smog clouds were growing even thinner. "Feel for the area you want the barrier, and let's build it up together."

Mal outstretched her arms and found the solid presence of the barrier walls. She traced the outline of the new barrier mentally – all around the walls and out into the ocean for a full mile before she paused and heard the Fairy Godmother say her magical words, and then the two women began pumping magic into a spell to enact a new barrier. This barrier would allow anyone in from the sea, and only people with cards in from the Isle. It would allow those inside to go outside, and it allowed breezes and currents from the ocean to filter through the area. Mal glanced over her shoulder and watched in awe as a rosy pink barrier began to appear around them. It started at ground level and rose higher and higher. The kids who had been down on the beach squealed as they were suddenly dragged, slowly, towards the rotten part of the Isle. Other shouts of surprise echoed from everywhere in the utopia as Isle kids still in the area were pulled out and placed on the edge of the utopia. The barrier sealed itself above her head, and Mal collapsed to the ground with her mouth feeling dry and her arms shaking. She hadn't even realized how exhausted she was.

The Fairy Godmother frowned. "You need to watch yourself carefully for signs of magical exhaustion." She told the young queen, kneeling down on the ground beside her and feeling her forehead quickly. "I can't tell if you're wearing yourself out or not. That's your job."

"Got it." Mal gasped. "Wow. That's amazing though." She glanced up at the clouds. "Those should thin out of the barrier just like over Auradon, right?"

"Yes." Fairy Godmother nodded. "Let's hold the barrier open a little longer to give you a rest and let some fresh air circulate." Mal nodded in agreement and one of the sailors from the ship approached her with a bottle of water.

They did the same thing with the second barrier, structuring it to end around the first and to go out into the ocean. Mal hoped that drawing more ocean water would help easy the ground and ocean pollution that the beaches saw so heavily. She and the Fairy Godmother looked briefly for ways to prevent more pollution accumulating, but Mal's magic and her energy were draining fast. She simply didn't have the reserves to be able to go for such long periods of time.

When the second barrier was closed, the spell block was removed, though that didn't mean anything for the villains still on the lower part of the Isle. It didn't do anything for Mal either. As soon as they finished, she collapsed onto her hands and knees with her eyes flashing dangerously. She was shaking so hard that the Fairy Godmother had to help her up to the buildings where the workers waited for the all-clear sign to finish work.

"Is that it?" Her contractor called when he saw her approaching building one with her arm around the Fairy Godmother. Mal raised a fist over her head in triumph before the Fairy Godmother helped her sit down on the cold, hard ground. The workers all threw their hats up in celebration. Mal laughed.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is the beginning of a new era!" One of the workers proclaimed.

Mal threw her head back and laughed. "It is!" She agreed. "Gosh, this is going to be amazing. Just think, in a month or so people will be living here! I don't even know how to react!" She looked around at all the construction crews – the contractors, the safety overseers, the guards and the Isle kids who'd joined the construction crews. "Thank you all. Without you guys, I never would have been able to pull this off."

"Well, it's like you said, right?" One of the Isle kids piped up, rubbing his bare, cracked hands carefully with a bright, proud smile. Tiny tears made little tracks down his cheeks. "Each of us has the right, and a divine destiny to make the world better. We have the right to demand the best of ourselves, to pull ourselves up out of the darkness and to work towards that over-shining goal of Happily-Ever-After. Circumstances prevail against experience, but the magic of perseverance that's within each of us helps us continue to keep moving forward. We all work for a tomorrow that hasn't come yet and we need each other to lift us up and strengthen each other."

Mal's mouth dropped open. "You heard that?" She asked. "I didn't think it was being streamed to Auradon."

The young man shook his head. "It's the only true thing I ever heard the palace say." He announced, and all of the Isle kids nodded, along with several Auradonians.

A girl with large, buff arms and a thick neck reached forward to take Mal's hand. "You's the only royal to stand up for the villains." She sniffled. "I'd die for you, Queen Mal."

Mal's expression softened and she squeezed the girl's hand. "Oh, well, I don't need that. It'd be really nice if you lived for me though. Just live, and be happy, and be proud!" She looked all the way around the group. "We all accomplished something no one else thought we'd be able to do." She looked around and then pointed to an unopened case of water bottles behind one of the crew members. "Can you open that up?" She asked.

He ripped the case open, and everyone laughed as they passed around the plastic bottles, uncapped the lids, and raised them high to the sky. Mal's smile brightened when she saw the clouds, which were still being swept out to sea, part. A bright ray of sunshine fell down to the earth and hit one of the moorland plants down on the beach. A deep sense of pride filled her as she toasted her bottle.

"Here's to Happily-Ever-After!" She announced with a wild laugh. "Now available to Isle and Auradon kids alike!"

Everyone laughed wildly as they toasted their drinks to the sky. Mal tilted the bottle down her parched throat and let it run down into her system. Never before had bottled water tasted so good. Never before had victory been so sweet.

About ten paces outside the barrier, two children of Mother Gothel were conversing excitedly. "There's good air!" one exclaimed to the other with their hands shaking in excitement.

"And water!" The other exclaimed with bright red, rosy cheeks.

"And sand!"

"And sunshine!"

"And food!"

"And homes!"

"I'm going to go." One resolved firmly to the other. "This is our chance!"

"Do you think Mom will be able to go?" The other asked doubtfully.

"I don't know." The first answered. "But… we've got to take this chance. We can always come back and talk to her, right?"

"Right." The second agreed, sounding much more confident. "Let's start finding what we'll bring!"

The two scampered off into the woods, not noticing the dark shadow hanging out in the trees above them. The figure, a he, slumped against the trunk of the tree he'd climbed to see the action happen. And he wasn't quite sure what to think.

That was his best friend there. They were abusing his best friend. They were controlling her.

Mal was powerful. So powerful. So different from the last time he'd seen her. And she'd gotten infinitely more beautiful too. She barely even seemed human anymore. He couldn't understand how the palace could possibly be keeping such a tight hold on her still. Could it be that they had some sort of bribery against her to keep her in line, playing their good little hand puppet?

He swallowed. And the city. The city was white and gleaming above the rest of the Isle. His hands shook as he looked over the walls and watched Mal stand up shakily to take another water bottle, high-fiving those inside the walls and cheering. His heart twisted. How much pain was she covering up? How much heartache? How many times had that stupid prince abused her, stolen her freedom, and forced his hand on her? The thought made his blood absolutely boil.

He climbed down nimbly. He wasn't sure if he and his friends would join the city yet. The less the palace knew about them, the better it would be. So long as things didn't go badly, everything should be fine. Still, Maleficent was growing more and more anxious every day, wondering when her daughter was going to free her when it was so dastardly clear that Mal was being manipulated by the palace and had no true power. She was just a girl – a child. Despite all the strength and the power, she was still a young person being forced into the roles of a politician and a queen and, most regrettably, a wife. And all the duties and burden associated with these tasks at seventeen.

He dug his nails into his hands and bit his tongue until there was blood in his mouth. And he swore in his heart, he would one day rain down every hardship Mal had been forced through down on the head of that stupid, selfish, pedophilic king. So swear he on his father's name.

And so Jay vanished into the words to tell his friends what he'd witnessed.