Reviews are addicting, and LoveShipper has reviewed every chapter in this story so far. Thank you so much friend! I was inspired to edit and post the next chapter because you saw the same goodness in Ben that I do.
Once again, I only play in the Disney sandbox. If you want cannon compliance, then go watch the movies (they are awesome!).
Royal Confrontation
King Adam's Point of View
I was sitting beside my wife in the library when Ben flung the doors open. He was usually so mild mannered that I was surprised at his actions. He seemed to be taking deep breaths to calm down, and I wondered what had gotten him so riled up. If it was the children of those villains that he brought over, then they were going right back where they came from.
"Ben," Belle exclaimed, "I thought that you were staying on campus tonight. Did something happen?"
"You could say that mom," Ben said. "I had lunch with Mal and Evie, from the Isle, and learned some disturbing things. Did you know that the rations that you send to the Isle each week haven't changed since you raised the barrier? Did you know that the kids now outnumber the adults by at least two to one? Did you know that the children of the Isle are forced to go through our TRASH to find enough food to eat?" Ben's tone of voice kept increasing with his rapid-fire questions, until he was almost shouting.
I stood there with my mouth opening and closing, but nothing came out. I had never thought about the rations for the people of the Isle. I set up a recurring shipment to magically transfer to the Isle each week and, except for one spot check when I was feeling generous three years after we raised the barrier, hadn't thought about it since then. I suppose that I assumed someone was taking care of adjusting the shipment, but realized now that I never assigned that duty to anyone. When Ben was two, our trash system became overwhelmed. Cogsworth, one of my advisers, suggested funneling the trash through the Isle for processing so we could cut down on the flow through our usual channels. I hadn't seen any issues with this, as I didn't care much for the people on the Isle anyway. Now I was faced with my son, who was tenderhearted enough to reach out to the children on the Isle and give them a chance. He was always one to care for other people, so his anger over this perceived injustice was understandable. Now I just had to get him to see things from my point of view.
"Ben," I started, "we had no way of knowing that the villains on the Isle were even having children, and no way of knowing how many there were. I sent a group of soldiers over to the Isle to see if more provisions were needed shortly after you were born, and they said that there were only a handful of children and that things didn't need to changeā¦"
"Well apparently they didn't look hard enough," Ben interrupted me. "How often did you send soldiers for a repeat census?" Ben's eyes skewered me and I started to get angry.
"What did you expect me to do. They are villains, they have hurt so many people. Why should I ensure that they live in comfort when they have so much to atone for? So what if they have to skip dessert or don't get new clothes every season, they deserve it." I knew that my beastly temper was starting to erupt, but Ben wasn't listening to me. "You only hear about their deeds in stories, but your mother and I lived them. Gaston was evil, he tried to steal your mother away to be his bride and tried to kill me."
Surprisingly, Ben stood up to me as his anger matched mine. "So you were hurt by the adults, I'm so sorry. But the kids on the Isle have done nothing to you. They too only know about you from stories, and all they know is that you formed a kingdom that doesn't care about them. If they can't even get enough food to eat, who do you think they blame?"
I grew angrier as Ben refused to see things my way. "Their parents are villains. What kind of values do you think they were taught? This is why I didn't want you to bring those kids over. They are playing the victims and are trying to get you to send them luxuries that they don't deserve."
"Luxuries," Ben shouted, "luxuries? If you call enough food to eat and clothes to wear luxuries then yes, I think that they deserve them. I'm not talking about diamond rings and cars, I'm talking about food and clothing, bedding and towels, shampoo and soap. The basic necessities of life for anyone with human dignity. They have nothing on the Isle, and I have watched the kids from the Isle treat even the pillows on their beds with awe. Their first meal in the lunchroom found them sneaking food out because they didn't know when they would be allowed to eat again. I just thought that they liked to snack, so I showed them the kitchen. Carlos's eyes were so wide that I thought they would pop out. They each savored their food more than anyone I had ever seen, and I should have realized then that something was off. No one should have to go hungry in our kingdom. When I finally learned the truth about the Isle today, I was so sick to my stomach that I could barely eat. It was Mal who told me that I wouldn't be able to change anything if I fainted from hunger. Those words showed me that she trusted me to do the right thing, and I won't let her down." Ben was panting by the time he reached the end of his tirade, and I was starting to understand what had set him off in the first place.
I hated admitting that I might be wrong about anything, and hearing him mention Mal's name as the reason he was shouting at me was the last straw. "You would believe the word of an Isle brat? She probably only came over here to steal your crown. If she could get you to marry her, then she would have complete control and could raze Auradon to the ground." I panted hard and I let my anger take over. "Once you let a few of the brats over, they will start coming in droves and infest our land like vermin. Their parents have only taught them how to be evil, and we can't risk them destroying everything that is good and right in this world."
"Vermin," Ben's voice broke as he repeated my epithet for the Isle's children. "You call them vermin? Their parent's may be villains, but they are not. Everyone should be given the chance to make their own mistakes or reach their own heights of success. By labeling them as vermin, you are valuing them less than the ground you walk on." Ben's voice became sorrowful as he continued. "If you show them no kindness or respect, then you will turn them into the next generation of villains by default. If you give them a chance to shine, then you could find valuable allies to help our kingdom grow."
Belle spoke up at this point. "You forget that you were the original villain in our story. The enchantress turned you into a beast, and you embraced that identity. She made you into a villain, but when you met me you started to change. Our love turned you into a hero instead. One who stood up to the man who wanted to take me against my will, and won back his humanity in the process. Villains and heroes are made, not born."
Ben's anger cooled a bit at his mother's words and he looked at me. "When I showed the Isle kids around the school, Carlos was startled when your statue morphed into a beast. I proudly explained that it was meant to do that, in order to remind us that anything is possible. I was so proud of you when I showed them your statue dad, but now I'm not so sure."
Belle spoke up again, "If we don't give the kids on the Isle a chance to make their own choices, then we are condemning them to repeat their parents' mistakes. You changed, why can't they?"
Belle's words struck me to the core and the thought that my son was no longer proud of me caused my anger to dissipate. I hung my head in shame and said, "you are right, I could be destroying the next generation instead of saving it." To neglect any part of your kingdom was unacceptable for a ruler, and I had failed utterly. How dare I put myself as the supreme ruler of Auradon when I couldn't even follow that basic tenant of royal responsibility. I lowered my eyes and said, "I have no acceptable excuse or explanation for my inaction."
Ben looked at me with determination as he said, "then let's make sure that doesn't happen. Let's take care of all of our subjects and give them a fair chance. The children of the Isle are just that, children."
Ben immediately started putting together a plan for an emergency shipment, using facts he gathered from the Isle's kids and extrapolating numbers based on his statistics and economics lessons. He was truly ready to rule, and I had never been prouder. I stepped forward to help him with the planning and hoped that I would be able to redeem myself in his eyes. When we finished and he gave orders for our plans to be carried out he looked at me with a smile and said, "I am proud of you dad. Because when you became aware of a problem, you overcame your prejudice worked on a solution. That is the kind of king that I want to be." He hugged his mother and I and left the room.
Belle walked up and hugged me saying, "I am proud of both of you. Ben found a problem, and you solved it together. That is why I love you. You may both have beastly tempers, but you also have hearts of gold." All I could do was hold her and smile.
