I do not own Descendants, Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Enchanted, or Mulan.

He must have carried her to bed because she found herself curled up in the sheets, facing the window on the left side. Her side. Her hair had been pulled out of its ponytail and brushed back behind her ear, and her hand was set beside her cheek, just the way she usually kept it. Mal blinked a few times in the sunlight and a smile spread across her face. She was still in her day clothes from yesterday.

Ben's closet door opened, and he stepped out, rolling the cuffs up on a blue long-sleeved shirt until it was elbow length. He picked up a watch that had been set on the bed and put it on before looking over at her and letting a smile spread across his face when he saw her awake and watching him.

"Good morning," He greeted, leaning over and brushing her hair back a little. "You were tired."

"Not really. Just content. Thanks for taking care of me." Mal sat up and stretched her arms above her head. Her shirt and pants were wrinkled and felt stiff against her legs. This felt like a day for capris and her net jacket. She swung her feet over the edge and kissed Ben's cheek as she walked around to her closet. "How did you sleep?" She asked.

"Better than I will when you leave." Ben sighed. "Don't forget; you still need to pack."

Mal closed the door to her closet with a sigh. "I'll throw some things in a suitcase while I'm here in the room." She decided and then heard Ben shuffle around. There was a gentle rolling, and she chuckled when she realized it was him pulling her suitcase out from under the bed. "You didn't need to do that." She told him.

"Might as well. I'm all ready for today." Ben responded.

Mal switched her outfit to something fresh and airy before she opened the door with her foot. "I have something I need to ask you about – I'm kind of nervous about leaving the Isle at the moment." She chewed on her lip a little bit.

"Ask away." Ben invited, unplugging his phone and rolling his eyes at the number of messages he'd received overnight.

"Is there any way you can pass messages from the Isle on to me in the Moorlands?" Mal asked as she dropped a small stack of t-shirts into a heap on top of her suitcase. An extra pair of boots, a collection of jeans, a few pairs of pajamas and some socks followed.

"Every evening." Ben nodded, sitting on the bed, half focusing on typing and half watching her pile grow. "But I won't leave office unless it's urgent."

"Fine by me. It's easier if I know you're calling in the evening anyway. I can hang around the fountain and listen to people's problems there." Mal decided. Ben watched her add a few more necessities, wondering if she'd actually end up needing his second suitcase and then watched Mal shut the door to her closet behind her and kick the side of the suitcase. "Make it easy, make it quick; fold it up so that it fits." She commanded the suitcase. Green light emitted from it, and the clothes began to neatly stack and refold themselves, fitting into the suitcase so impossibly well that Ben wondered if maybe the spell had also enlarged the suitcase. A smile pulled at the side of his mouth. She sat down on the bed beside him with a sigh. "What do you have this month?" She asked.

"Summer Solstice is coming up, so I'll have to start preparing for that. Thankfully the interviews and investigations happen in June, so I won't be wiped out then. Dad's agreed to help double-check everything I schedule. He's can't do much else without me having to leave position a little." Ben shrugged. "Mostly just a full month of sleeplessness. What about you?"

Mal shrugged. "I'm nervous to leave to Isle. I mean, we're so, so close. Soon I'll be able to see all my old friends in the city and we'll be able to start setting up communities. It's in such a… delicate stage." She hummed. "You know, more people have signed up for future city garrison than Auradon has on record. And I think less than forty percent of the Isle has signed up for a card. In fact, we're nearing twice the number that Auradon had on record for Isle residents."

Ben winced. "Oh, dear. How did everyone manage to keep from starving to death?"

"Well, obviously not everyone did." Mal shrugged. "I wish I had an idea of what the death toll is, but oh well." She brushed her hands on her jeans. "After this, I should have a record of every single person in the city. The cards can't be forged without my magic or my permission, and they're dissolved as soon as someone dies. I think I actually managed to create a mostly crime-free system."

"You're amazing." Ben nodded. "Do you have enough cards for everyone?"

"Yeah," Mal affirmed. "I kind of anticipated it would be like this. I mean, thirty years is a long time… I think Gaston has teenaged grandchildren by now. Strangely enough, everyone coming in is single. I haven't had one family or any groups come to me to request a family home. Just lots and lots of apartments and roommates."

"Has anyone you know signed up for cards?" Ben asked.

Mal ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, yeah, strictly speaking. I know lots of people. Just… it's more who hasn't signed up that concerns me."

"Your friends?" Ben prompted.

Mal brushed her hair behind her ear with a huff. "Not one has signed up." She nodded. "It's making me worried. I saw some things when I went to our old hideout and… I wonder what their parents and my mom are saying about me. I kind of thought they'd… want to see me again, I guess."

Ben put an arm around her shoulders. "You'll see them. Maybe they're just waiting to see what's going on." He hesitated. "Do you have any infrastructure going up?"

Mal exhaled. "Most of the people coming in are young adults and teenagers, but many are already picking and choosing things. One man volunteered to teach anyone interested how to make furniture and he's planning on making a business out of it. This one girl had the idea of holding classes in one of the business buildings, and she's going to give me a syllabus. One young lady is teaching self-defense classes, another expressed interest in starting a store, and a young man who you charged with murder wrote me a private letter asking for a plot of land. He's going to grow and sell food in exchange for not having to live with anyone else."

Ben nodded. "When do the last products you ordered from Auradon go over?"

Mal exhaled again. "Next week." She sighed. "I'll already be gone." General items such as tables, chairs, children's toys, and many different food items had been arranged to be shipped to the city. Mal had gone to a young man of twenty and offered to pay him a regular wage to sell or distribute items as new people came in. It was a hefty tax at the moment, but Mal was carefully keeping track of her expenses, and she had faith that her endeavors would pay off.

Ben put his phone down and, with one arm still around her, patted her knee. "I'll keep you updated. Everything will be fine."

"Okay." Mal agreed. "But don't forget Auradon. Remember, it's not really your job to keep up with my kingdom. We both have our places."

"You still mad at me for saying I don't want you covering Auradon anymore?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"No." Mal shook her head. "Sorry. That was some real bad… angst. I really do understand, and it's honestly kind of a relief. I'm just not… trained to handle Auradon like you are." She sighed and patted his leg. "Okay, I'm packed. Is there anything else I need to do while I'm at the Isle today?" She squeezed her eyes shut in thought.

"Barrier good?" Ben asked. "I thought you mentioned something about it at breakfast."

"Oh, right. There's a chink that might let people who have powers of magical transportation out." Mal sighed. "We need to fix it. And go through loopholes. Good thing I know what to look for." She rolled her eyes. It had been years since Carlos had punched that hole in the barrier, but she still knew what she needed to fix to keep it from happening again. With a hum, she laid her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry I have to go again." She mumbled.

"Me too." Ben yawned. "I wish we didn't have to work."

"Maybe one day." Mal shrugged. "Maybe when the Isle is stable, and the moors don't panic whenever I leave…"

"That won't happen." Ben sighed. "Auradon has been stable since I was born, and they still whine and demand things of me." He patted her shoulder. "And what do you mean, one day?"

Mal swallowed. "Well… we could take a vacation, or…" She trailed off and took a deep breath. "Or something. Before the curse is broken."

Silence stretched out between the two. Mal kept her head leaning against Ben's shoulder, but only because she didn't want to hurt him by drawing away. The atmosphere was so tense and awkward that she almost immediately began to gain a headache. Finally, Ben glanced at his watch. "The boat to the Isle will leave soon." He whispered. "Remember to be back by seven. The gates still close at the same time."

"Can you extend that?" Mal sighed. "I think nine is a good time to close gates. It's hard to get off the Isle by five."

"I'll think about it." Ben hummed. "Now, I have to get to my office. Wish me luck?" He stood up, withdrawing his arm from around her, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Mal caught his shoulders and kissed his mouth instead, drawing him close to her as she did.

"Good luck," She whispered, out of breath as she stood up. Ben hugged her, and then he disappeared out the door. Mal sat down on the bed and kicked her suitcase lightly with her toe. She tried to focus on her plans for the city today. They needed to fix the barrier… make sure that the spring they'd cleaned out was still good for piping fresh water from and would remain that way, and… that was it. She was almost done. The barrier was up. The air was in the process of being cleaned. All of the homes were still empty and white, but Mal couldn't wait to see what would happen as soon as she let people inside.

And as soon as she returned from the moorlands, she'd have a nation with recorded citizens. Mal picked up her suitcase and considered what that'd be like as she flipped off the light and walked out the door. She'd have a nation, less than a full year after coming to the palace. Incredible.

There was still so, so much that she needed to do. So many people and things and, really, she needed a partner. Ben was awesome to bounce ideas off of, but he had his own kingdom to worry about. Mal wished she had someone else on the Isle who could help her keep everything working and help her instigate the things she talked about with her husband.

Sophia was finishing braiding her hair back as she walked out of the West Wing and into the Entrance Hall. "Hey!" She called, watching Mal wheel her suitcase beside the door for when she left later that night. "Headed to the Isle?" She asked.

"I am." Mal smiled and watched Sophia hurry down the steps. Her normal work outfit had been modified a little bit. She was wearing a blue blouse with billowy sleeves and brown pants that were tucked neatly into her standard lace-up black boots. A pretty beaded headband was laced through her hair. The two girls exchanged hugs as Sophia hit the base of the stairs.

"Can I come with?" Sophia asked. "Things are slow today for work."

"Sure." Mal nodded. "I'm only going to be in the city today. Poor Ericka didn't know how to react to the rotten part."

"Not a problem." Sophia shook her head. The two girls headed outside, where Stewart was waiting to take Mal to the Isle. His smile grew bright when he recognized both girls.

Mal opened her own door while Sophia and Stewart exchanged a hug. She climbed inside, and Sophia followed. Stewart drove them down to the docks, only opening the window twice to talk. He saw them both up onto the ship that Mal usually frequented to take her over and then waved until the boat disembarked.

"So, what are the plans for today?" Sophia asked, leaning against the ship's barrier and watching the waves roll towards the beach.

"I'm trying to get the Isle prepared for when I leave." Mal sighed. "As soon as I get back, I'm going to try and start handing out cards, so I need to make arrangements for everything I can't finish today to be done while I'm away."

"Do you have anyone in the city to help you out?" Sophia asked with a frown.

"Not really." Mal shook her head. "The city is mostly empty now. Builders are heading home. All Isle residents are out. I have people – volunteer workers from Auradon, mostly, who are bringing things in, but that's it. I'm probably going to be working on the south side of the area. Apparently, the pollution is heavier there and we're having to work a little harder to get the ground restored." She rolled her eyes. "I have moorpeople coming next month to help me out. We'll see how things go."

Sophia nodded in understanding and then leaned over to elbow Mal. "Did you finally figure things out with Ben?" She asked.

Mal blinked. "Figure things out?" She asked. "What were we working on?"

"Just on, you know, being together." Sophia shrugged. "Do you feel like you have a system yet?"

Mal laughed. "I think so. We're pretty good at, like, coexisting and then coming back around to support each other."

"That's great." Sophia smiled. "I think he and his parents finally straightened things out about you too."

Mal processed her words and then turned towards her friend with a frown. Foamy sea spray hit her face. "About me?" She asked. "Were they fighting?"

Sophia shrugged. "It happened over Christmas. Belle… she's very torn over this situation. She asked Ben if he thought you two would have kids by next year, and he snapped at her that you were still sixteen. Since then, they've been trying to find a, well, balance."

Mal hesitated. "The curse still might be broken." She reminded Sophia in a hollow tone, slumping her shoulders a little as she did. The reminder didn't cause her any relief or even echo any wish. What was wrong with her? Did she actually want to stay trapped?

On the other hand, if she stayed, she stayed with Ben, who she was positive she was in love with now. Mal swallowed. "I hadn't heard." She hummed. "What about you and Stewart?"

Sophia sensed Mal didn't want to talk about her jumble of her love life, and so began to talk about her own sweet, sensitive experience. Mal tuned out bits as she watched fish leap out of the water and the Isle draw closer, but she got the gist of it. They were on the same page, accelerating at the same rate, communicating, and falling deeper and deeper into love.

A group of volunteers gathered on the beach as they noticed the ship approaching. The sands were almost entirely a clean, white-yellow color. Bits of clogged grey, brown, and black remained, but they were quickly fading. As Mal jumped off the ship, three of the volunteers broke off the group to come and speak to her. Sophia backed off a little as one raised their hand to signal that they needed her. "Queen Mal!" They called. "We have a problem in apartment two. Do you have any time you could come to see it?"

"I suppose." Mal sighed. "What kind of problem is it?"

"A building error on the third level steps." The speaker, a girl with close-cropped hair, explained with a tight frown.

Mal exhaled. "I can check it out." She nodded and turned to Sophia. "Want to come with? You're free to do whatever you want, but I have to be back at the palace by four so I can leave in time."

"Can I wander a little bit?" Sophia asked, eyeing the large, curved walls and the almost-blue waves rolling up onto the beach. She couldn't believe this place was the same spot she'd seen pictures of in Mal's office. The girl certainly had vision. "This place is pretty incredible."

"Of course." Mal nodded. "The apartments and buildings all have plaques outside. I'll be in number 2. It's that one right there." She pointed to one of the tall, white buildings, and Sophia nodded before she watched Mal turn and be led away by her accomplices. As she left, Sophia heard her start to say: "We really need to get emergency equipment out here while I'm gone. We already have fire safety, but I want to make sure…" before she was gone.

Sophia stuck her hands into her pockets and wandered down to the beach. The ocean smelled odd. It clearly wasn't good yet. However, she could see the place where the wall ended and gave way to the rotten part of the Isle, and the sight of the water there made her queasy. The barrier had sealed out the ocean currents from there, and she could see a thick wall of black, inky water. Everything, even the smell, was kept outside of the inner barrier, but it was still visible. She looked down at the blue-grey waters and decided to keep away until it was fully cleaned.

There was even contrast between the air inside and out of the barrier. Thick smog clouds still hovered above the rotten portion of the Isle while a beautiful blue sky stretched over the white buildings in Mal's territory. Sophia recalled Mal wanting to loosen the outer barrier restrictions so that ocean water and air could filter across the peninsula, but she didn't seem to have completely fixed the problem yet. The 9,000 square kilometers that Mal had claimed for building, however, allowed the elements from the ocean to actively mix, meaning it had a natural ecosystem. It really was fascinating, Sophia thought as she wandered, how everything had lined up just so.

As she scuffed her shoes on the slowly-softening soil to brush it up, whispers brushed her ears. She looked up and realized that she'd wandered straight up to the doorway to the rotten part of the Isle, where a crowd of children and young adults, ages six to almost thirty, were gathered and talking excitedly about the new area.

"Look at the dirt!" Someone exclaimed. "It looks so different in the light! And there's almost no shine to it!"

Sophia brushed her hair back and stepped into the view of the kids. She didn't go under the entrance though. She knew better than to leave the refuge, especially with Mal still nowhere in sight. They stared at her in surprise and wonder. A couple of the older people looked concerned, but no one withdrew as she smiled shyly at them. "I think she was talking about bringing grass seed over." She confided. "But she might not. The moor people she'll be bringing next month are supposed to be talented with plant life. She might just have them fix things."

"Amazing." One kid said in a hushed tone, looking down at the ground where the barrier began. There was an obvious and immediate difference from one inch outside of the barrier to one inch inside. "What color will it be?" He asked.

"Green," Sophia informed him with her throat a little tight. "Most plants grow green. But maybe the moor people will bring blues and purples and pinks. That will happen as you all are coming in."

"When?" a tall, stringy teenager asked, pulling his fingerless, worn gloves up on his hands a little more. His bright blue eyes were probably the lightest thing on his side of the barrier.

"Next month." Sophia smiled. "On the first or the second, when she returns. She'll be handing out cards all day, keeping track of the people who want to come in and informing them of the rules. She or someone with her permission has to give the magical oath to seal the card and allow you entrance."

The effect of her words was sudden. Some people looked confused and suddenly worried as they looked back and forth, but others were still nodding eagerly and looking excited.

"Magical oath?" Someone asked slowly, from the back. Sophia couldn't tell who it was.

"Yes." She nodded. "I don't know the details. Mal talks about it at dinner sometimes, though. I know you all have to promise to give up villainy, and any major infractions will cause you to lose your card and return to the outside, though she'll give second chances within reason."

"When I live in the city, I'm not going to let anyone be bad!" A small girl, maybe ten, jumped up with her hand in the air. "I'm going to help everyone be good so that I don't have to come back!" Sophia laughed at her enthusiasm.

"I think that's a good idea." A tall man with whiskers, but a hopeful expression agreed. "I'm tired of villainy. It'll be nice to not have to fight for food and to be able to learn things. If the villains want to be villains, they can stay here. I want to be there, where I can make things better, and if anyone comes over thinking they can keep bullying us and stealing and plundering, then they'll have two more things coming!" He cracked his knuckles and neck so sharply that Sophia jumped.

"The oath should mostly take care of things." She exhaled. "And it's not like she'll send people back for every small thing. We're talking people who are actively trying to steal, damaging property, threatening or stalking people. And there are other repercussions by degrees. It'll be difficult at first, but we have faith."

Kids were exchanging dark looks though, glancing around at the others who were eagerly hanging onto her words. It occurred to Sophia that maybe not everyone had been planning on giving up villainy, only spreading it to the new place. She swallowed and prayed Mal would know what to do with those who came over thinking they could hack the system. Of course, there would be no stealing, and Mal would know the moment an oath was broken, but it was still very, very risky.

"What about magic?" One young girl in her teens asked. "My dad was an evil fairy – is it possible I got his magic? Can I use it over there?"

"Yes, you can." Sophia nodded with a bright smile. "Mal isn't bringing any of Auradon's laws about magic over. She says they're nonsense. Just remember, she's the queen of the ancient lands, where you all get your magic from, and she rules over you no matter where you go. She's much, much stronger than she lets off, as well. If you're caught trying to mess with her system or break her barrier, she will find you, and not even the King of Auradon will be able to stop her then."

The group exploded into talk. "Magic!" They exclaimed. "There'll be magic!"

Abruptly, people broke off of the group and began to dash away. Others followed, whooping all the way back or slinking back into the shadows, looking unsure. Sophia watched them go with a sense of foreboding. It seemed Mal was still fighting to prove to people how good she was… when they wanted her to be otherwise.

The group dispersed completely. Sophia stood by the gateway for a few seconds, examining the outside. It was dark and gloomy, and though the barrier protected her nose, she could only assume it smelled horrible.

She was about to turn away when one of the shadows moved and a person materialized out of the trees with a perfectly straight face. They moved towards the edge of the barrier and put their hand up to test it, keeping their eyes on her the entire time. Sophia felt an odd feeling come over her. She felt like she should know this person, yet she didn't. She put her hands in her pockets and watched the person spread their palm on the barrier, and then shift their eyes down to the docks, where the ship they'd come over on was being unloaded.

It was a girl. She was in her early twenties and was very tall. She was also surprisingly clean and well-dressed for a villain kid. Her clothes had even seams, no rips, and many, many decorative appliques in the forms of rhinestones, chains, zippers, and paint. She was wearing a black skirt with protective blue leggings underneath leading down her legs into some heels with, strangely, apple charms. A long-sleeved blue shirt protected her arms from the air that Sophia remembered Mal talking about. This was one of the first people Sophia had seen so far to wear makeup. Blue eyelashes, dark black eyeliner and silver eyeshadow, different variations of cream, foundation, and concealer, blush, lipstick, the works. Necklaces and rings decorated her even further, along with an ornate hair comb tucked into her blue hair.

The girl nodded, still stone-faced but intensely beautiful nonetheless, down to the beach. "Did you come with her?" She asked softly.

Sophia nodded. "I did." She confirmed. "I wanted to see the Isle."

"That isn't the Isle." The girl rolled her eyes and shifted her eyes back to Sophia. "But feel free to come over if you really want."

Sophia shrugged. "I'll pass. Maybe later, if her majesty decides she wants to head over." A small smile broke across her lips. "It's kind of strange to say that and be referring to Mal." She laughed.

The girl pursed her lips and crinkled her eyes at Sophia's words as if something there had hurt her. Sophia examined the girl further. She noticed silver embroidery on the corner of her skirt and pointed to it. "What does that say?" She asked.

The girl turned to display her outfit, placing her hands on her hips. Someone somewhere had trained her for modeling. "It says Fairest of Them All." She declared proudly.

"Ah, the Evil Queen." Sophia nodded. "Did you make it?"

"I did," The girl straightened up and a light came into her eyes. "The embroidery was hard because the fabric isn't very flexible, so I had to make sure it wouldn't pucker at all."

"It's very good!" Sophia praised, bending forward a little. "It looks almost professional! Yes, I know all about the maneuverability of those fabrics. It's why I don't work with them all that often. I actually did my own designs here, on my shirt." Sophia gestured to the collar of her blue shirt, which was accentuated with many blue and white flowers. The Isle girl looked impressed.

"Those look really good. Did you come up with the pattern yourself?" She asked.

"My mother taught me how to make the flowers, but I made the pattern." Sophia beamed. "It's nice to talk to someone who knows a bit about sewing."

"It is." The girl nodded. "Have you ever thought of embroidering beads behind the flowers? Some flat silver ones would make them pop out."

"I haven't." Sophia shook her head, trying to imagine the look. "Maybe when you come into the city, you'll have to help me try it out."

The girl shook her head. "I don't know if I'll go into the city." She sighed.

Sophia frowned. "Why not?" She asked, stepping forward and crossing her arms. She was dangerously close to the barrier now.

"I don't want to be trapped by the palace." The Isle girl hummed. "I mean, this is their giant ploy to make us good. By bringing Auradon to our backyards to show us how much better being good is. And once we're in their system, they'll dissolve whatever Mal's throwing up and force us to be like them."

Sophia's mouth dropped open. "Oh, no." She shook her head. "Listen, I work in the palace. There is no talk of that going on at all. Mal isn't going to let King Ben take the Isle back, and King Ben thinks she's done far better than he ever could have anyways. They want to keep the two places separate because they agree that the Isle people were wronged by Auradon. That's why he's been helping her make so many reparations."

"I don't believe that." The Isle girl shook her head. "If you knew what I know, it'd be all too clear to you that the palace is just trying to save their own necks. They never cared about us before. Why would the king be so partial to our cause now?"

"Because now there's a different king, who is married to an islander," Sophia explained. "And she really forced him to see things her way or hit the road. Ever since she came, he's been trying to make all of Auradon better and to do the right thing, rather than the easy thing. He wants to fix things his parents got wrong." Sophia paused and examined the girl. "What makes you think they're just going to throw away everything Mal's done?"

"Because she's a pawn." The girl explained bitterly. "They're using her as a spokesperson, someone the people look up to. They're taking advantage of their own horrible situation and trying to use her to manipulate their outcasts."

"Their own horrible situation?" Sophia repeated. The Isle girl crossed her arms, and a cold feeling settled into Sophia's spine. "You know about the spell?"

The Isle girl took a half-step back, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms. "You know about the spell?" She hissed in a low, breathy tone. "I wasn't aware they were sharing that information with anyone."

"Well, I'm the Queen's best friend, and her personal servant, so I get bits of secret information," Sophia explained.

An abrupt look of pain passed over the Isle Girl's face and she took a step back in something that looked like horror. A hand came up to her chest, clawing a little over her heart, and her eyes were wide as she stared at Sophia. It was the most emotion she'd seen from the young woman so far. Sophia almost stepped out of the barrier to help her and caught herself. "Are you okay?" She asked. "What's wrong?"

"You're the Queen's best friend?" The girl repeated in a quiet tone.

Sophia hesitated. "Well, from Auradon at least. I know she has friends on the Isle that she's hoping to talk to again once they're away from her mother's reach. But I've known her almost as long as King Ben has known her. I helped teach her things about Auradon and helped her get ready for her wedding. I also maintain her wardrobe and we gossip about Ben and my boyfriend together." Sophia let another smile dance across her mouth at the memories.

"Maintain her wardrobe." The Isle girl repeated mournfully. "Help her get ready."

"Yeah." Sophia agreed cautiously, watching the girl's hands shake. A thought occurred to her. "You know her, don't you? That's how you know about the spell."

"I knew her." The girl corrected in a devastated tone. "I think I still know her."

"She hasn't changed much." Sophia tried to console her. "She's fiery and sassy. Being married hasn't really changed her."

"Well, I hope not. The palace is stealing all this time and all her efforts, I hope they don't get the chance to steal her spirit before she gets away." The Isle girl shook her head and adjusted her sleeves.

"She's not planning on leaving." Sophia frowned. "I mean, this is secret stuff I'm telling you, but the curse doesn't allow them to be apart for long anymore."

The Isle Girl's face twisted up. "I see." She frowned. "So that's why she hasn't ditched. What a beautiful excuse to keep her under King Useless's thumb."

"Do you have a problem with Ben?" Sophia asked slowly.

"He stole her from us, forced her to wed him, and has kept her trapped all these months." The Isle girl snapped. "So, yeah, a small problem with the King."

"It's not like that." Sophia shook her head. "The palace has been nothing but fair to Mal. Even she says so. Through everything, we've been trying to make this easier on her."

"I'm sure." The Isle Girl turned away. "It's fair because he gets a beautiful girl in his bed every night, an Isle Villain to show off how benevolent he is, and a spokesperson to reel in the rebellious part of the country. Meanwhile, she gets a phony crown and a bunch of palace guidelines."

"Queen Mal doesn't adhere to the palace guidelines." Sophia disagreed. "She's technically a member of the royal party, but she has her own two thrones, so she ignores the fact she's Auradon's queen. She's her own escort, she doesn't need Ben's arm, and she certainly doesn't need him to tell her what to do or say." She examined the young woman. "I think I know you now. You're… Suzie?"

"My name is Evie. I'm Mal's best friend." She studied Sophia's reaction.

Sophia nodded. "That's right." She nodded. "I remember you now. Mal said you were the fairest of them all." She hesitated, examining Evie. "Why won't you come into the city?"

Evie frowned, staring hard at Sophia. "King Ben stole her from us. And I don't believe the lies they're making her say on TV."

Sophia stared. A sad feeling was welling up in her chest. "I think you're mistaken." She mumbled. "Listen, I can go get Mal. I can get her to talk to you. She'll explain everything, about Ben and his parents and the kingdom. They're not abusing her or manipulating her. In fact, she's happy."

Evie scoffed and turned away. "Whatever. Either you're as blinded by their lies as everyone else or you're lying."

Sophia paused. "Or maybe you're just blinded by the way things were. You realize that coming here would allow you to find out. Get her alone. Ask her anything you can think of. Prove to yourself that it's not all a lie."

She held her hand up to the barrier and took a step forward. "Are you afraid to find out?" She asked.

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Evie disagreed, turning back. "Isle girls never are."

"Evie, I've been there since the beginning." Sophia tried to console her. "When she was first brought to Auradon, I was one of the first people she could talk to, and the only person she could talk to about Ben. I watched her come out of a panic where her face was white, and her eyes weren't focusing, and she couldn't hear us because she was so scared of being there. I'm the girl who moved all their things into one room and who helped her both into and out of Queen Belle's wedding dress. I've seen practically everything. I'm being totally honest here. I think you've been seeing a completely different side than the one Mal has actually been showing of herself."

"I still think you're wrong." Evie shook her head, clenching her fists. "Because that doesn't sound like the Isle girl I know." She turned and vanished dramatically into the shadows and the scraggly trees.

Sophia watched her go with a feeling like ice in her fingertips and a pang of deep sadness in her heart. She stood there, looking for any trace of the blue-clad girl, and then stepped back into the safety of the utopia.

"Sophia!" Someone called from afar. She looked up and spotted the tell-tale wild purple locks as Mal hurried over. "What are you doing near the exit?"

Mal's cheeks were a little red as she reached Sophia and glanced out of the walls. Sophia wondered if Evie would reappear to confront her friend, but it didn't seem like it. "Was someone here?" Mal asked.

"A group of people." Sophia nodded, letting her hands fall to the sides. "I told them about when you're going to open the city, and what the magic is going to be like in here. And then they left and there was a girl. She appeared out of the trees."

"Did you leave the barrier?" Mal frowned, glancing suspiciously at the earth, where several footprints were in the dirt on their side of the barrier. The other side was too hard for any such indentation to have been made.

"No." Sophia shook her head and examined the queen. "The girl… she had blue hair."

Mal's head snapped up and a tiny smile spread across her mouth. "Did she give a name?" She asked eagerly.

"Evie." Sophia nodded with her heart sinking into her chest a little.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe I missed her." Mal put a hand to her mouth and then straightened up. "I wonder if she's any taller than she was before. Did she mention coming to see me at all?"

Sophia frowned. "She says she's not coming to the city. She… doesn't believe that you're doing this yourself."

Mal stared at Sophia, and her shoulders dropped. She squeezed her eyes closed. "I should have risked it." She whispered. "Back when I decided not to send them anything, I should have risked my mom trying to use them to bait me. Now… I don't know how to convince them I'm not lying." She rubbed a hand over her brow and exhaled. "I-I have to focus on the city. As soon as people finish coming in, if they don't come, I'll go back out for them."

"But your mom." Sophia exhaled. "What about her?"

"I have to do it." Mal shook her head. "If I don't, I'll regret it for the rest of my life." She exhaled again. "As soon as I come back from the Isle, I'll set things rolling. Everything will be fine." Mal glanced up at Sophia. "Want to help me fix things in the business buildings? I want to check all the locks and make sure they'll engage properly."

Sophia nodded and followed her friend back to the city. Later that night, Mal left for the moorlands. She wasn't aware that, while she was gone, a different sort of major breakthrough would be reached.

"I don't see why we're still working on this stupid thing." Abraham Gentler complained to the Fairy Godmother in rising tones as he ripped a twenty-page-thick analysis of the Royal Spell in half. Everyone around them winced and looked away. "It's completely infallible, with no weaknesses, broken edges, or wavers. All of the trauncts are so tightly woven together, there are no hinks at all." He slammed the two halves into the trash and pushed his keyboard back into his desk. The poor woman in blue closed her eyes and exhaled.

"Abraham." Thomas Maverik sighed, pinching the bridge of his long nose. "If this spell was on you, you'd want it broken too."

"Yeah, but this won't even change anything with the king and queen." Abraham scoffed. "They're alive, happy, well, in love, the whole she-bang. Aside from his sleeplessness, which shouldn't even happen, the spell isn't even affecting them." Abraham scoffed and rolled his chair away from the computer where he was staring relentlessly at the intense weaving on Maleficent's Master Spell.

"Mal has problems too." Fairy Godmother reminded them. "Rot all up her hands."

"But it goes away the moment she's near him again." Abraham rolled his eyes. "It's not like they'll die if we never break the curse."

Thomas balled his fist and took a deep breath.

"Not you too, Thomas." The Fairy Godmother sighed. "We have to keep trying, don't you two see?"

"We see." Thomas snapped irritably. "But the fact remains that in two months, we will have been staring at this stupid spell for a year with no breakthroughs and no alternatives. You can't honestly expect us to examine this for the rest of our lives."

Fairy Godmother put her head in her hands. "If… nothing can be found, I'll ask the crown for permission to cease trying." She sighed miserably.

Thomas sighed. He felt bad for snapping at the delightful older woman, but for months now he had been seeing this stupid framework whenever he closed his eyes.

Abraham scoffed. "I'm about ready to be done. If nothing can be found by the end of this week, I'm out." He picked up his coat and headed to the door.

"Abraham!" Thomas protested.

"I'm done, Thomas!" Abraham replied as the door swung closed behind them. Around them, other spell-breakers began to pack up and leave.

Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. The Fairy Godmother clasped her hands. "Please Thomas." She pleaded. His heart went out to the poor woman. "You're the best spell-breaker we have. You were in this department before the Isle of the Lost was even formed. Do you have any idea, any leads at all?"

Thomas balled his fists up and stood from his desk. He began to pace. "There's nothing." He admitted. "No one in the entire room can find anything. We've stimulated the effects of everything. Water, fire, nitrous acid, everything. We could even vaporize the queen and king and nothing would change about the curse. I've examined the curse of Aurora forwards, backward, back and forth. They're nothing alike. I have samples of the new queen's magical aura, and despite being similar it resembles nothing I've ever seen before. And Queen Mal's magical counterbalance is off for some reason, probably from living on the Isle, so she can't even break it herself. This spell is, frankly, undefeatable." He sighed and sat back down.

On his computer were several different files, one of which was a graph. He gestured her over. "This is the closest I've come." He said, tracing it with his finger. "Maleficent had a definitive growth of magic over her life. She increased, like every other fae ever. We still have tails on her to track her magic. Anyway, I did notice she gained more…" Thomas rubbed his fingers together as she searched for the right word. "Radioactivity to her magic. Or, like, a netting. That's a better term, actually. Forget radioactivity. Anyway, netting. She made layers of different kinds of magic within her magic. And these layers increased as she got older. Again, like every fae ever. The more you understand your magic and use it, the more complex it grows. However, around the time Stephan first became king in modern-day Auroria, she had a major stunt and then power boost, after which her magic took on more restrictive trauncts and fewer hinks began appearing in her netting across her spells. We know this from the analysis on the historical barrier of thorns that surrounded the moors. It was almost like she figured out how to shrink the netting on her spells. What we're seeing here is like that growth on steroids. Something about this is screaming major psychological trauma to me since we see things like this all the time now that magicals can't use their magic, but this didn't reverse itself. Now, they're only even smaller. These are, by far, the tiniest trauncts I've ever seen in a spell. And not only are they smaller, but they're also interlocked between the layers, which you already know." Thomas sighed. "Her magic style changed dramatically. But since magic changes based on surroundings I can loosen it if I could figure out what happened. Unless I have more specific evidence of what kind of stress her magic was under to form this type of change, I'm stuck on how to lessen its effects."

"So, in short." The Fairy Godmother murmured, "we still need to know what happened to change Maleficent's magic."

Thomas winced. He must have already given her this rundown. He couldn't even remember anymore. The days had been blending into each other for so long he couldn't even remember what it was like to not come into work and stare at this spell.

A younger spellbreaker was standing nearby. Thomas turned to examine him. "Yes?" He asked.

"I, uh." The boy coughed. "I was doing a lot of research today, actually, on Maleficent. And, ahem, have either of you heard of the Twenty-two unspeakable punishments?"

"Of course." The Fairy Godmother said quietly. "That's why the King of Auradon has to be twenty-two to be coronated, not sixteen like before."

Thomas rolled his eyes and muttered fiercely under his breath: "And also because sixteen is a horrible age to become king anyway."

Thomas heard the young man cough awkwardly as the Fairy Godmother chuckled a little. "Yeah, well, anyway, did you know that two of the punishments were Maleficent's? And, I don't know which one or anything, but it might be one of those."

Thomas turned to look at the Fairy Godmother. "Maleficent has two?" He asked. "What did I miss in history class?"

"Malfaisant - Narissa." Fairy Godmother nodded. "It was renamed to alleviate confusion. Malfaisant was Maleficent's French name, which Auroria knew her by before Aurora's curse. That punishment was when they took off both Maleficent and Queen Narissa's left feet and replaced them with each other. Very gruesome. Both almost died."

Thomas pulled a leg up on his knee with an emphatic exhale. "Narissa was who again?" He asked.

"Giselle, Andalusia?" The Fairy Godmother prodded. Thomas nodded.

"Well, she was magical." Thomas exhaled. "Listen, I'm not going to hold my breath much, but if you could find something, anything on Narissa's magic, I'll look into it. Okay?" Thomas stood up and took his coat off the seat.

The Fairy Godmother sighed. "Okay." She said. "I'll look into it. I know off the top of my head though, that her magic was strictly hydrophobic. Most of the times, a bit of water would destroy most of the molding. Hers is usually designed so water runs straight off. " She smiled at the young messenger. "Thank you, young man. Have a wonderful evening."

"No problem." The kid stuttered as he backed away. "I just want to be done too." He backed up quickly to the door and tripped up the stairs on his way out. Thomas rolled his eyes as he shrugged on his coat. He kissed the Fairy Godmother's hand, said goodnight, and headed away from the blasted lab, completely unaware that the next day the lab would have their first real breakthrough in ten months. Queen Narissa had chain interlockages in her magic and had created a new brand upon a forced transmission with Maleficent. The two parts could be unraveled and broken separately. All because a socially awkward young man overheard the conversation of two people with no other options.

Mal returned in June with good, better, and best news. Good news, The Moors wanted to start building a few actual buildings to live in. Better news, donations for the Isle of the Lost had started to come in, and right before the Summer Solstice as well. The best news, three fae people had agreed to journey with her to the Isle of the Lost to help people receive their cards.

Ben met Mal outside in the sunshine as she pulled into the palace circle. Dark sleepless circles were underneath his eyes. She almost tripped getting out of the car to see him because the rot had spread up past her knees this time around. As she kissed her husband and let him hug her a few seconds longer than necessary, she felt something powerful in her chest drawing him closer to her. She closed her eyes and repeated a tiny mantra in her head. "You are in love. You have to tell him. You are in love."

Stewart and Sophia were in love too, which was pretty great even though Mal didn't get to see Sophia as often anymore.

Life was moving onwards and forwards. Mal began to see her life spanned out in front of her as if were a moving picture. She could see the Isle healing and becoming self-sufficient. She could see herself falling in love with Ben over and over, every time she woke up beside him and every time she looked over and caught his gaze. She imagined him with laugh lines and thinning hair and imagined grey streaks appearing in her hair. It didn't seem like a horrible fate. Doug had been right. She cherished this relationship with her husband.

Maybe one day there would be 'I love you's' that they exchanged, and they'd be together the way married couples were supposed to be, and they'd be truly, truly happy together.

"I missed you," Mal told Ben as three fae women stepped out of the car. Each one had pale green skin and thick green hair pulled back. They wore jackets similar to Mal's in shape but made of leaves and moss, and fern skirts. Clearly naturous fae. "This is Myth, May, and Mercy. They're going to help me on the Isle."

"It's nice to meet you all," Ben said, wrapping an arm around Mal's shoulders. "Thank you for coming. I can help show you all to some rooms where you can stay."

May nodded, and Mal stopped only long enough to pull her suitcase and bag out of the car. By now, she was good at it and had learned to wrap her bag around the handle of the suitcase, so she only had to pull one thing. Myth, May, and Mercy picked up their bags out of the car, each made of moss, and chattered to each other in Faesh as they examined the grounds. Mal occasionally would chime in to point things out to them. The three Fae followed Ben and Mal into the palace, where they were shown to three different ground-level rooms that opened into the gardens. The Fae women seemed very pleased.

Ben snuck Mal's bag from her as she closed the last one of the doors and began to lead the way up to their room. "Anything interesting happen?" Ben asked.

"Yes, actually," Mal nodded. "Those three women are planning on taking architectural ideas back to the moors. They're going to break grounds on palaces, huts, and homes. Everyone is very excited."

"Won't that ruin the forests?" Ben asked, interested as always.

"No. We're building it out of the way, in an area of the moors slightly damaged from the wars against Stephan's kingdom, and underground. They didn't want to lose the natural aspect of the land." Mal explained. It would be fascinating to watch. Certain structures would blend right in with the aboveground, and then underground would be a thriving hub of magic, which they could now afford to build since the moorlands weren't warring with anyone and not dying of toxic magic. "A few people are still upset with Auradon. I actually had to put down a war threat this time around. A few of the spirits that are coming back are pretty angry that I'm allied with you."

"That's not good." Ben frowned. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Stay away from them, probably." Mal yawned a little. "I'm going to keep working on them. Really, I'm what's keeping them from falling into disrepair, so they'll follow me even if they don't like who I'm married to."

Ben stumbled on the steps as he started to black out and Mal caught him with her arm. She couldn't move her wrists very well, but her elbows still worked. "I'm fine, I'm fine." He assured her, yawning. "You going to the Isle soon, then?"

"Tomorrow, hopefully." Mal exhaled. "I'm going to be handing out cards. I hope everything is ready."

"You'll be amazing." Ben chuckled. He reached over and clutched her hand tightly. "I missed you." He told her.

Mal pecked his cheek. "Missed you too."

They reached the door to their suite and Mal led Ben inside to their bedroom. He put her suitcase down and sat back on the bed, immediately closing his eyes. "Shoes." Mal reminded him and wandered over to pick at his laces as he made a defeated sound. She slipped hers off beside the bed. Half of his frame was hanging off the bed. He sat up, pried his shoes and socks off, and then examined her as she plugged her phone in and scrolled through all the messages she'd received on the drive back. "Any strange rumors this month?" She asked, turning and facing him.

"Just the usual." Ben reached over and picked up a lock of her hair. "The fairies grew out your hair again."

"They did." Mal sighed. It was back to being shoulder length, and slightly lighter than it had been before. "Give it another three visits and it'll be back to where it was." She leaned over and trailed her blackened fingers through his hair, watching his eyes drift closed as he sank lower and lower into the mattress.

"You know what sounds nice?" She started.

"What?" Ben hummed, yawning a little in his useless endeavor to stay awake.

"Oh, you and me." Mal started with a smile as a pink blush spread across her cheeks. "Strawberries, and a cheesy hero movie. We could watch Mulan or Giselle. I've heard they're really good."

"Giselle's is funny," Ben mumbled. "You'd probably like her a lot."

"Sweet." Mal hummed, even knowing they'd have to wait for later when he wasn't wiped out and she wasn't 50% rot. "It's a date then?" She asked. There was no answer, though. Ben's breathing had evened out and he was fast asleep on top of the covers, still in a dress shirt and slacks. Mal smiled and rolled over, trying to move her hands a little to see if the black streaks would recede faster. Her eyelids, too, were growing a little heavy. She yawned once, curled up on the bed facing him, and drifted away.

He was gone when she woke up, and so she assumed he had a meeting or had gone to see his parents or something. A little note had been left beside her hand, in nice handwriting and folded in half. 'I got your suitcase for you. Set up your movie and let's see if I can survive staying up late.'

Mal put her shoes in the closet and went to shuffle around in the bathroom for a hair tie. Someone had left some strawberries on her nightstand. Maybe Ben, maybe Sophia. Mal snacked on them as she shuffled through the collection of DVD's that had been permanently residing in their room for the last few months. She pulled two thick blankets out and draped them on the back of the couch for when Ben returned and found Giselle's movie in Ben's collection of Auradon Heroes As she inserted it into the player, intending to watch the ads and pause at the beginning for later, the door to their room opened. The sound struck Mal as weird because she'd gotten used to knocking. She looked up and saw Lumiere quietly looking around. When he spotted her purple hair peeking up over the couch, his shoulders slumped.

"Ma chére?" He called softly. "You are needed downstairs in the library."

Mal stood up cautiously. "Thank you, Lumiere." She greeted. "Is Ben down there?" She dusted off her knees from where she'd been kneeling.

"Yes, Mademoiselle," Lumiere confirmed. His eyes flitted over Mal, taking in her ponytail, shoe-less socks, and hovering especially on her face. The poor man looked… devastated.

Mal reached out carefully. She patted his shoulder awkwardly. "Is… everything okay?" She asked.

Lumiere gave her a weak smile. "We shall see." He whispered. He swung the door open broadly, and Mal couldn't help but feel like there was something foreboding about his tone.

Mal walked ahead of Lumiere all the way down to the library. They passed the Fae in the halls, who waved excitedly to Mal and smiled. When they arrived in the library, the doors were already open. Lumiere followed her in.

Conversation hushed as she entered. Inside was Ben, Belle, Adam, and the Fairy Godmother, all sitting around the same table where Ben had taught Mal to make snowflakes, and where Mal had taken her royals exam thingies. The lights were dimmed in the room as if the palace was trying to make the scene as gloomy as possible. It was stifling. She resisted the urge to wring her hands.

"Here she is," Lumiere announced, despite the fact everyone in the room had seen her as soon as she'd walked in. Fairy Godmother sat in an armchair at the head of the coffee table, with Belle and Adam sitting on her benevolent left, and Ben sitting beside an empty seat on her right. Three of them watched her approach, but Ben did not look up.

"Ah, Mal." Adam greeted as she approached. She held onto the arm of the couch for a few seconds and then dropped into the seat beside Ben. Her husband did not reach for her, and she did not reach for him. Lumiere came to stand near the group, where he folded his arms and bowed his head.

The Fairy Godmother smiled at Mal. "It's lovely to see you again, dearie." She whispered.

"You as well, Ma'am," Mal replied. She looked around and the group. Ben's head was bowed, and his arms set stiffly on his knees. Belle and Adam sat with rigid backs, with their hands clasped together, Belle's in her lap and Adam's against his chin like he was praying. "What is it?" She asked the group.

"We have a matter of some, ah – secrecy, at hand." The Fairy Godmother began. She paused. Silence filled the room once again.

"Which is?' Mal prompted.

The Fairy Godmother shifted uncomfortably. Adam unclasped his hands and wiped his sweaty palms on his slacks. "The spell." He snapped angrily, making Mal jump a little. "Your Mother's curse. They finally figured out how to break it."

"It is broken, actually." The Fairy Godmother explained. "Or rather, scattered. Thomas Maverik loosened it this morning. We've been working on a new lead for about two weeks. We realized that the spell wasn't modeled after Maleficent's magic on other curses because her magic changed after the Unspeakable Punishments. It coupled with Queen Narissa. They used a remnant of one of Narissa's spells and Sleeping Beauty's curse, plus a lot of magnetic magic to pull the two parts away from each other. Then they unwound it from there."

Mal wrinkled her brow. "So... the curse is still there?"

"Yes," Fairy Godmother nodded. "But the effects have been nullified." She glanced at the last of the black streaks in Mal's hands. "Your shadows should recede and then never reappear again."

Mal felt like a ton of bricks had hit her. She couldn't comprehend what this meant. She blinked, locked eyes with the Fairy Godmother, and asked: "I'm free?"

Belle bowed her head and bit her lip. "Yes dear." She choked.

Mal flinched at the queen's despair. She looked at her hands as if they could tell her the answers. Mal felt as if there were signs in front of her, telling her where to go, but she couldn't read any of them.

She took a moment to contemplate her future. What now? Where would she go? She could go down to Auradon city, get an apartment nearer the docks. She could be closer to the Isle and wouldn't have to worry about things like when the palace gates would close or if she'd suddenly suffer any random curse effects. The opportunities were limitless but somehow seemed... dim.

How could she be free, and still feel so trapped?

"Oh." Was all she could say.

A sniffling, sobbing sound came from her right, and she flipped around to see Lumiere cover his face as large, pearly tears began to run down his face. "Excuse me." He said with a dry throat. Mal watched him turn and hurry towards the door. He pulled it shut behind him. She slowly turned back to the group.

"What now?" She asked quietly.

Belle swallowed. "Well, anything you want, I suppose. You can live on the Isle now, or down by the docks. We can make arrangements now to take you off of Auradon's throne and you can make your own decisions for the Isle and for the Moors." She stared at the ceiling, blinking back tears. "And, of course, an annulment and an official statement for Auradon."

"Be mindful of those rumors that have been going around." The Fairy Godmother mumbled. "We don't want to smear your name."

Mal nodded, wiping her hands on her pants. "I think… I can fly to the Moors if I'm careful. I don't technically need to stay in Auradon at all anymore." Her heart felt blackened. "What… what do you think I should do?"

"There are also your kingdoms to think of, Mal." Fairy Godmother reminded her. "You have three moor women currently in the palace. You'd have to move them to the Isle for the next month until they go home. And as for the Isle, you can't reach the palace via cell service yet. It will be harder for you to conduct meetings with the King of Auradon when you don't live with him."

"We can make it work." Mal determined with a hollow tone in her voice before falling back into her chair as the situation suddenly became very, very real to her. She didn't have to stay here. She could have a life outside of the palace, and away from her responsibilities. Just like Sophia and Stewart. Just like she'd wanted ever since she was first announced. But at the same time, nothing was going to be the same. "Is that what you want?" She asked.

Adam hid his face from hers and refused to answer her question. Belle wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks while she reached down and took his hand. "We want you to be happy." She told Mal. "That's all that matters to us."

Adam shifted uncomfortably. "We know you didn't come to us under the best circumstances, so we will understand if you want to leave." He said gruffly. He sounded more like his heart was breaking than that he was angry.

Mal turned to Ben, who hadn't said a word on the matter. She opened her mouth but didn't know the question she wanted to ask him. Her heart felt like it was under an awful lot of pressure right now. Her eyes raked over his sandy hair, his tan skin, and her heart clutched in her chest when she saw tears falling from his eyes and onto his legs. She didn't know how to react when people cried around her, especially him, and even more especially now that some unfamiliar heat was scorching her eyes and the back of her throat. Ben had only ever cried around her once, and it had been very bad then. She looked away, back out the doors. "Should I… go start getting things together?" She wondered aloud, and immediately, her heart felt like it tried to jump out of her chest and flee away from the horrible, tense scene.

Mal turned back to Ben and rested a hand on his upper arm. Ben stilled. "I don't think I can do it." Tears filled her eyes. Fire swept down her throat. Mal turned to Belle and Adam with shaking shoulders and trembling hands. "I don't want to leave here." She choked out as the tears in her eyes threatened to spill over.

Ben sniffled and looked up at her. His cheeks were red. "Really?" He asked.

Mal nodded. "Please, don't have me leave." She whispered as the first real tear she'd ever cried fell out of her eye and slid down her cheek. Ben reached up to wipe it away. She stopped his hand and threaded her small fingers through his. "I love you." She told him.

The air seemed to thin in the room. It was like a vacuum chamber. Ben wiped the tears from his eyes. "No way." He replied, disbelievingly. "Really?"

Mal didn't even have to think about it as she began to openly sob. "Yeah, I do." She smiled and hiccuped. "I love you."

Ben started to cry again, and Mal was outright sobbing, feeling ashamed as her face became red. The atmosphere in the room began to lighten, and everyone lifted up like weights were being pulled off their shoulders.

Mal began to laugh as more tears slipped out of her eyes. "I love you." She told Ben. "I love you, I love you, I love you." The words were electric and felt so, so good to hear out loud.

"Stop." Ben chuckled, but there was no heart to his command.

"No." Mal disagreed. "I love you. I want to stay with you. I'm in love with you."

Ben broke down and wrapped his arms around Mal, hugging her frame to him tightly. She put his arms around his neck, sobbing into his chest

"You'll stay?" Belle asked. Adam couldn't say anything. He was too busy watching the scene pan out before his eyes. Mal nodded through tears, and Belle and Adam began to cry on each other. Even the Fairy Godmother was wiping stressful tears of relief out of her eyes.

Ben leaned back and took Mal's face in his hands. "I love you." He croaked out.

Mal kissed both of his cheeks. "I love you." She responded. He hugged her to his chest, threading his fingers through her hair, and Mal spread her palm out on his sternum. She could feel their heartbeats on either side of her palm, and just like the moment she'd first realized she'd fallen for him, she couldn't tell the difference.