This was inspired by Xez2003's The Black Arrow; A Tale of Two Kingdoms. I do not own Disney Descendants.

He woke because he realized someone was watching him. Slowly, he levels his head and tries to wipe his chin on his shoulder in case there's any drool on the corners of his mouth. Then, he glances cautiously at the peripherals of his vision and spots the same dark haired, black-eyed man who escorted him here. His face is still covered, but in the light coming from the top, he can tell that the man has tan, olive skin. He's pretty sure that he isn't the only person in the room, though.

"He's awake," A woman says behind him – someone new with a bit of an edge in her tone. The way she says her 'E's is hard.

Ben swallows. "Sorry," He apologizes, shifting his weight a little to try and work some of the stiffness out of his limbs. "Uh, are you E?"

"No, I am," A third woman different from the first two he's interacted with speaks up. Her voice is clear, refined, like she's been raised royalty. "And you are?"

"I'm, uh," Ben stuttered, unsure if he should tell them his name. "I'm a traveler. I was headed to Cinderellasburg."

He could hear footsteps approaching him from behind. The way they step – they're wearing high heels. He'd been with Audrey enough to hear the difference. They crouched down and he could see someone wearing deep blue examining him out of the corner of his eye. "And what is your name?" She asked.

"What's yours?" Ben countered back. In response, he heard someone close to the door draw a blade. "Ben. My name is Ben."

E hummed. "I'm Evie."

He heard a scoff from the front of the teepee. "Why'd you give him your real name? He'll rat you out now." It was the first woman; the one with the light.

"I don't think so," Evie replied. "And besides, he could have just said that he was captured by a woman named E."

"I'm the one who captured him, Evie. They'll come for me first," The light woman declared.

Ben swallowed. "Listen, I'm not going to send anyone after you. Honest. But, I am a bit curious, why are you hiding out in the forest and attacking travelers?"

"We don't attack travelers," Evie declared. "We only got a little concerned when we heard that there were soldiers marching through. You must be someone important for you to be so well protected."

Ben chuckled nervously. "Not especially - I'm only a representative."

"You're lying," Evie declared. "Be careful. M has been lusting after some blood." By the doorway, the woman who had first stopped his party stepped forward. He listened to her criss the teepee, and then felt the cold steel of a blade press against his cheek. M. She was called M. And the last woman, the one with the hard E's, he didn't have a name for. This must be the three.

Ben let out a slow breath. "I, uh, what keeps me alive the longest, then?"

"The truth," Evie replied simply. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Ben," Ben confirmed with another deep breath. "I'm traveling to Cinderellasburg for a meeting. I'm from the high palace."

He felt Evie pause behind him, and then a manicured hand landed on his shoulder. He could see many large and beautiful rings, and dark blue nail polish. "The high palace?" Evie asked. Her mouth was closer to his ear now. "What is your title?"

Ben twisted his hands to keep them from shaking. "I, uh," he swallowed and decided to bite the bullet. "The, uh, King. I'm King Benjamin."

Evie's hand jumped off of him and he felt M withdraw the knife. "Oh my," Evie gasped in horror. "Oh, we're doomed. We're so doomed."

"I'm sorry!" M gasped. "I had no idea who he was!"

"Wait, wait!" Ben laughed uneasily. "I'm not going to, like, send the army after you. I'm just… who are you and why are you hiding in the forest? I want to help you – not hurt you."

There was silence in the room. Ben heard the shifting of weight and felt more than a few confused glances. Then, he heard footsteps and a breathtaking woman stepped into his field of vision with a frown plastered across her face. She was tall with extra height from her high heels, adorned with shiny and sparkly accessories, but still looked absolutely deadly. Her long, blue hair spilled over her shoulders like some sort of tinted waterfall and her eyes were browner than any expensive chocolate or polished wood he'd ever seen. He felt his breath catch in his throat but quickly got himself back together as he continued examining her.

Her clothes had many different pieces of fabric stitched together and pieced into a array of blue, black, and grey. It was striking, but Ben immediately came up with a theory – they didn't have access to much in terms of quantity, so they used the best parts of everything.

Evie sat down on the ground and examined him. "We're refugees," She explained patiently. "We're fleeing oppression."

"Oppression from who?" Ben demanded. "Tell me the name and I'll do everything I can to fix it." He'd never been able to do more than placate people and fill out paperwork – if he could use his title to do something good, then-"

"Oppression from you," Evie explained patiently.

Ben's mouth fell open. He stared at her, trying to figure out what on earth she was saying. From him?

Across the area, the person currently acting as a guard dropped his face covering. He had a long, angular face. Ben skimmed him a little more in his shock and caught something odd – he had a design painted on the scarf he'd used to cover his face. It looked like a genie with words across it. He couldn't read it from that far away, however.

Evie brushed her leg off. She was wearing leggings, so it wasn't at all indecent, but the motion still brought Ben's gaze back to her. She'd brushed off a similar patch with the outline of a woman wearing a crown with her head covered. Across the woman's arms were the words "Long Live Evil."

"Villains," Ben whispered, and everyone in the room tensed. He could feel M getting her knife ready from beside him. "You… support the villains? Is that what this is? You don't seem like you're like them – if I suppressed you for that-"

"We're not villains," The woman with the hard E's sighed. She, too, stepped into view. She was an ethnic woman with dark skin and beautiful plaited braids on top of her head that led down into elegant curls. A sword was strung at her hip. Ben wondered how these people could look so well-put-together in the forest. Her outfit had shells and what looked like seaweed décor sewn into it. Ben searched her for a similar 'Long Live Evil' patch, but couldn't find anything. She did, however, have a little teal blue octopus on her leg.

"If you aren't villains, then who are you?" Ben furrowed his brow.

"We, uh, carry on the heritage," The man on the edge of the teepee spoke up. He held up the little badge which, it could now be confirmed, was a genie.

A genie, a queen, and an octopus. Ben swallowed. "So, uh, Evie? Is that for the, uh, Evil Queen?"

Evie pinched her lips together and nodded with a frown. Ben nodded to the dark-skinned man. "And, uh Jafar. And Ursula?" He swallowed. And then the woman behind him – M – she would have to be…

Well, he had a lot of villains memorized, and a couple of them started with the letter M. Macbeth, Medusa, Madame Mim… she could be the daughter of Marina, Ursula's sister. However, it was the bright green fire from last night – the fire that was still dancing in front of his eyes and making the world seem a little hazy – that gave away her identity.

"And Maleficent?" He asked.

Evie's eyebrow spiked upwards in an attractive arch. If he could have someone build a bridge with the same perfect arch as that brow, it'd become a country landmark. She glanced behind him with a tiny smile pulling at her lips. "You brought back a smart one," She hummed. Ben blushed a little at her pride.

M snorted, and Ben's hair rose up on end. She sounded like she was exhaling fire and he could swear he could smell smoke. These weren't ordinary people – he was dealing with, he assumed, a skilled chemist with a royal exterior, a mage of waters, a dragon-shapeshiftee, and possibly someone with genie powers despite the fact the olive-skinned man seemed to rely much more on his muscles than on magic.

"Let's talk about this," Ben exhaled, shifting his weight a little. "Also, is there any chance I could stretch my legs out? You can keep me tied up, but can I at least stand up so I can get rid of these cramps?"

Evie spiked the other eyebrow, considered, and then nodded behind the pole to M. Ben felt someone take hold of his wrist. Her hand was soft and smooth and made his breath catch. He was surrounded by beautiful people. M sliced through all of the cords binding his feet and Ben carefully moved his legs out from under him and stretched out his limbs. His legs were stiff and tingly as he tensed and relaxed the muscles with a grimace. "Thank you," He exhaled, tilting his head back in the direction of M. He couldn't see her and guessed she didn't want to be seen just yet. That was fine – he wasn't sure he could stand having four flawless people examining him while he was covered in dirt and dried mud.

"So, you're the children of the villains," Ben exhaled, closing his eyes as he tried to wrap his head around that idea. "So… you come from the Isle of the Lost? How did you escape?"

Evie tilted her head and squinted with a tiny smile. "We have our methods," She said simply. "Your barrier is still intact. And we left all our parents to rot."

Ben felt a frown growing on his face as he turned his eyes downcast. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" He sighed.

The olive-skinned man furrowed his brow. "Since when do heroes care about villains?" He asked.

"Since when am I a hero?" Ben muttered miserably. "I've been king since I was sixteen and I've never actually been able to do anything for anyone."

Evie turned to examine Ursula's daughter with a little amusement in her eyes. The daughter of the sea witch looked a little guarded, but it was clear his words had enchanted her. "You could have done something for us," She suggested. "That island is a prison, thanks to your father. No one deserves that."

"Yet you left your parents there," Ben mumbled. Ursula's daughter blinked in surprise and fell silent. Ben continued shaking his head. Every one of her words felt like M had decided to slit his skin with her knife. Ben closed his eyes in pain. "I wish I'd thought of it," he mourned. "I was so concerned with Auradon. Spoiled, selfish, needy Auradon. I should have… I should have thought of you guys." He scuffed the base of his boot in the ground with closed eyes. "I'm a pretty lousy excuse for a king. Is it… is it too late to help you now?"

"We don't need your help," M scoffed behind him. Her voice was like grinding nails.

"Wait," Evie held up a hand. "We… want to have our own place. Here." She gestured to their surroundings, and Ben realized she was referring to the forest area. "You're the King – couldn't you make it so we can live without anyone… hunting us?"

Ursula's daughter and Jafar's son leaned forward in interest. Ben blinked. Could he do that?

He was King; couldn't he do anything?

But this was Chad's kingdom; his inheritance.

"I have a proposal," He declared, straightening up. "I can't – or won't – give you this land because it already belongs to Chad's Kingdom. I don't want to rip away his inheritance. But, further west and past his kingdom and Arendelle, there are some inhabited lands that belong to me. It's part of what I inherited when I took over the kingdom. You can't stay here in Chad's kingdom, but if you move out there then I'll give you your own lands."

"We've already come this far," Ursula's daughter protested. "Our people are tired. We can't walk past another two kingdoms." She looked at Evie. "Can we?"

Evie's eyes were bright. "Why not?" She asked. "We wouldn't have to hide, and if the king sanctions it, it's ours. People might be angry when they find out, but we can defend ourselves well enough. We can elect leaders and have beautiful buildings and pretty things and… a place. A place for us."

"I'll help protect you too," Ben offered, sitting up a little straighter. Gosh, it felt great to have a purpose. "Auradon City has its own army, and I can command other armies if needed. If anyone attacks you, they'll be attacking the high palace. Treason."

Ursula's daughter looked a bit suspicious. "We're not gonna hold you to your word on that," She scoffed. "It's not like the palace has done much for us so far."

She was right, but Ben was determined to prove her wrong. "I'll prove myself," He declared. "I'll help take you guys there personally, and I'll help wherever you need help."

Jafar's son began to laugh hard. "You?" He snorted. "You're not coming untied."

Oh, right, there was still that.

Evie frowned, suddenly looking doubtful. "How do we know you're not just telling us all of these things to get us to let you go? That you won't betray us as soon as we let you help us?"

Ben's shoulders slumped. "I guess… you'll have to leave me tied up then," he decided. "Until I can think of a good way to prove myself."

Ursula's daughter spiked an eyebrow. "He's willing to stay tied up?" She asked.

Evie squinted at him like she was trying to see through him. "Let him go, M," She declared.

"What?" M squawked behind him. "No – we can't trust him!"

"No, we can," Evie nodded. "And anyway, I bet Jay could outrun him."

"I don't know the way back," Ben offered. "And, uh, M, you have magic, yeah? If you know a spell, I'd be willing to submit to that."

Ursula's daughter let a little smile spread across her mouth. "Huh," She hummed. "Humble."

His words had apparently placated M. He felt her cool, smooth hands take his again, part his wrists, and slit all the bindings. Ben pulled his wrists in front of him and rubbed them. They were rubbed raw and had dozens of purple lines across them. He exhaled, leaned back against the pole, and let his eyes flick between the three people who had shown themselves. "Do you, uh, still not want me to know what you look like? It's okay if you're not comfortable."

"Huh, he's also a gentleman," Ursula's daughter hummed. "How refreshing."

"He's certainly not lacking…" Evie hummed, letting her eyes trace over Ben's frame. His mouth went a little dry.

A scoff came from behind Ben. "Don't fall too hard, ladies. You might forget which way is up."

"Better to forget up than down," Ben reasoned. "You can keep stepping forward so long as you don't accidentally step back."

Ursula's daughter gave him a little sort of half smile and then held her hand out. Ben took it, and she helped him to his feet. "Uma," she introduced herself. "Jay is the djinni to your left, and Mal is the sneaky little witch behind you."

"Hey!" Mal snapped. "I didn't give you permission to give him my name?"

"It ain't your full name!" Uma snapped back. "What, you gonna let him call you 'M' for eternities?"

"Yes!" Mal insisted.

"Mal," Ben repeated, pausing their argument. "Short for Maleficent?"

He could suddenly feel Mal fuming behind him as Jay chuckled. Evie rolled her eyes. "Okay guys, let's stop this." She looked up at Ben. "Do you know how far the lands are? Or even what direction?"

"I know they're past Chad's kingdom," Ben rubbed his hands together. "However, I must admit that I am very turned around after marching around in the dark. But if you have a map or something, I could plot out the place for you?"

"We don't," Uma shook her head. "We've been here for about a month, trying to keep everyone together and avoid Auradon."

"I've got to hand it to you – I don't think anyone suspected a thing," Ben shrugged. "I didn't even know that the barrier had been, uh, opened?" He folded his arms. "Well, if you know where Chad's Kingdom is, and the road is relatively straight through the forest, then just draw a direct line from the trail to the castle and walk straight past it and keep going. To the West."

"We know that there's a castle," Evie informed him, "But we've been moving away from it. We could send someone out to find it, but we didn't want to interact with them."

"So, you don't have a map, and you don't know where things are around here?" Ben sighed, shoulders slumping. "I don't expect you to trust me with knowledge of where we are exactly, but I have one last proposal. If you have a compass, or even a needle, some paper and water, and a magnet, then I can find the direction for you that way."

"A needle, paper and water, and a magnet," Mal repeated behind him in a drawl. The urge to turn around and see her was almost overwhelming. "What, are we gonna make a fridge magnet?"

"Get Carlos," Evie requested, nodding to Jay. "He can help us out."

"We'll bring the stuff," Jay nodded as he leaped to his feet and rushed to the door. Ben felt a rush of warmer air and heard a jumble of voices before the flap closed again and all was quiet.

"What are we gonna do with him once we know the direction?" Uma asked, examining Ben's face. "I mean, he's gotta go back to his kingdom, right?"

"I can probably stay away for a little while?" Ben offered with a shrug. After all, it wasn't likely that Audrey would notice he was gone for many weeks. Paperwork would just have to wait.

Actually, the idea of leaving all that behind sounded rather nice.

Evie furrowed her brow at him. "Well… I don't know. We're already committing national treason by kidnapping him. I say… he takes us there, and then we make sure he gets back to his palace safely. Is that okay with you, Ben?"

"You won't need me," Ben assured her. "I'll teach your Carlos how to build the compass. He can guide you."

"It'd probably be best for you to tell us when to stop," Mal drawled. "To make sure we're off of everyone's property."

"Ah," Ben nodded. "Okay, yeah, I'll take you all there." He folded his arms awkwardly and then held his hand out to Evie to shake. She did so with a smile and a nod. Uma, too, stepped forward to receive a handshake before Ben exhaled. He had a feeling Mal wouldn't let him anywhere near him. "Thank you all for your hospitality," He bid them.

Uma snorted. "We captured the King of Auradon from his carriage, hiked him through the woods blindfolded, and tied him to a pole."

"And then trusted me enough to let me help out a little," Ben replied.

The teepee flap opened and Ben had to resist turning around as Jay reappeared with another boy in tow. He had on a thick red, black, and white jacket, long white and black hair, and shorts. Ben supposed that this was Carlos.

Carlos opened his hands and procured everything Ben had asked for – down to a sealed bottle of water. Ben smiled and reached out for the needle and the magnet. He rubbed the needle against the magnet – one end with one side and the other with the flip side – as everyone watched and then poked it through a mostly clean sliver of paper. He opened the water bottle and discovered it was filled to the brim – which was good for his purposes. Ben dropped the needle in, and the paper kept it afloat. Everyone watched the needle spin around to point towards where Uma was standing. Ben smiled. "That's north," He declared, pointing towards it. "The pointy end points north. No matter where you go, it will always point north. You may have to remagnetize the needle or switch the paper, but this is north. Here, walk around. Spin in a circle. It's always going to be north."

He handed the bottle to Carlos, who took a step forward and then a step back before he turned in a little circle and let out a little laugh. Evie, Uma, and Jay all leaned in. Evie looked entranced, Uma impressed, and Jay confused. Ben wondered how Mal had reacted to his meager survival skill. This was, technically, an elementary project, but it was helpful.

"How does it work?" Evie asked, astonished. "How does it know?"

"Well, the world is a big magnet," Ben explained. "So, like this tiny magnet will stick to a fridge, the needle is attracted to the ground. It lines up."

"Woah," Evie mumbled and looked up at him through her long, blue lashes as if he was the most extraordinary person on this side of the planet.

"I don't get it," Jay declared. "Don't magnets also push away?"

"Yes, there's a north and a south end," Ben affirmed. "That's why I had to rub the needle in a specific way. One side pushes away from the north and the other pushes towards it. That's what makes it straight. They're attracted to each other." He clapped his hands together. "So, knowing that that is north, the opposite - that way – is south. And if we go in a little circle with our "Never Enter Santa's Workshop" acronym, then that's east and the way we need to go is-" He paused, coughed a little, and gestured to the door flap. "Through Mal."

"Never enter Santa's workshop?" Mal asked in a drawl. Amusement overshadowed her tone. "What kind of goody-two-shoes are you?"

Ben shrugged as a deep blush crept into his neck and ears. "Well, you can also say 'Never eat soggy waffles' or 'Never eat Sour Worms', or 'Naughty Elephants squirt water.'"

"Ugh," Jay blanched. "I hate soggy waffles. Definitely a perk of leaving the Isle. Sour worms though… it depends on where they come from."

Ben paused and then turned to stare at Jay. "Are you talking about… gummy worms or real worms?"

"Gummy worms?" Jay repeated, confused. Ben felt his stomach turn.

"I have one!" Uma declared. "North, East, South, West. Never entertain sexy women."

Jay burst into laugher and Ben felt his blush grow a little deeper as he nodded. "I suppose I'm making a grievous mistake then," He mumbled. At his words, everyone began to laugh. Even Mal let out a guffaw behind him, which made Ben a little prouder than he should have been.

Jay, Evie, and Carlos began to talk excitedly, coming up with different variations to his acronym and switching the paper out so they could continue to watch the magnetic needle spin. Uma watched them with an air of satisfied indifference. Ben rubbed his still-sore wrists and watched them exchange excitement as they took turns picking up the water bottle and spinning in tiny, careful circles to see it point north.

Something blindingly purple appeared in the corner of Ben's vision before a woman with long, lush violet hair appeared and stepped towards them. Ben's mouth fell open with a pop and he let out a little gasping sound like he was about to start choking on something. Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Uma all turned to see what the matter was as Mal leaned over to take the water bottle for herself.

She was beautiful. More than beautiful. She was so lovely he wanted to get back on his knees in her presence. Grey eyes with little sunspots and black lashes. Her skin was paper-white with little hints of color blooming on top of her cheekbones and across her nose. She was short, delicate, but strong. Ben stared in amazement at the pink color of her mouth and the perfect pout her lips took up before Jay snorted and shook his head. He tore his eyes away, red clouding into his face. "Sorry," He apologized. "I just… realized I really am the ugliest person here."

There was more laughter at his self-depreciation, but he could feel everyone's eyes – Mal's eyes, especially – on him. "You don't look half-bad," Evie replied. "A bit dirty, but there's nothing some water can't fix."

Mal hummed as she turned slowly, examining the needle, and then pulled the tiny craft out so she could take a swig. Ben watched a little trickle run down her chin before she wiped it away and then extended it to him as, he assumed, a peace offering. "Here," She directed. "You asked for water earlier."

He took it, careful to avoid her hands, knowing he'd drop the container now that he knew what ethereal creature that soft skin belonged to. He avoided her gaze as he raised the container to his lips and sipped slowly. He couldn't risk embarrassing himself in front of everyone – in front of her – with any horrible manners.

It occurred to him that he, a married man with a daughter and wife at home, had agreed to basically abandon his country and march across two kingdoms to help three extremely beautiful women resettle their people outside of Auradon. He'd thought Evie and Uma were beautiful(Evie especially, well-kept and gentle as she appeared), but that was before he'd seen Mal. Not that there was anything particularly empowering about Mal – Evie was the one with the bling, the perfectly-kept hair, everything. Ben had a feeling that the two other boys would consider Evie and Uma far more beautiful above Dangerous Mal, but something about her had him feeling for balance and brushing his dirty shirt off.

Mal squinted suspiciously at him as he handed Carlos his water bottle back and he tried to keep a clear head as tiny lines appeared around her eyes. They left little lines around her lashes because her face had a thin, even layer of dust across it that rubbed off when she furrowed her gaze. Her hair was mostly brushed but had little knots here and there from the time she'd spent stopping his carriage and hiking around in the woods last night. Which reminded him…

"Uh, I – ahem – Mal?" He coughed and then cleared his throat. "I said I would submit to a spell if you had one. Something to ensure to you I won't run, or that I'm not lying? I still hold by that."

Mal's gaze immediately flicked over to Evie and Uma. "I think it could be needed," She drawled. "But my comrades seem to have decided you are the most trustworthy person on the planet despite the fact they've known you less than an hour."

"He has that honest look in his eyes," Evie hummed, though she was avoiding Ben's gaze entirely.

"That's how people are cheated, Evie," Mal reprimanded. "That's how my mother made it onto the Isle of the Lost – because she thought she could trust Stefan And they knew each other a lot longer than thirty minutes."

Ben frowned. "Pardon?" He asked. "What are you talking about?"

Mal glared at him, and he held up his hands even as his knees shook. Evie sighed. "Go on, then, Mal. Nothing that will hurt him." She kept her gaze far from Ben as she said this. Uma and Carlos, too, were examining other areas of the tent. Carlos had recreated the magnetic compass in the shallowed canteen and was watching the magnet stay aligned to the north and south.

Ben immediately hit his knees in front of Mal, which wasn't exactly hard as her presence was still intoxicating, and bowed his head as some sort of odd gesture that he really was willing to go through with this.

A green light filled the tent. A few slim fingers appeared in his field of vision, dragged his head up until he had met her eyes, and then she held a flat hand up as if she were about to give him a high-five. It was an oath, he realized. She was demanding an oath.

He held his right hand – the hand of authority – up and took a little breath to prepare himself. "Do you, King Benjamin-"

"Florian," Ben interrupted. His face erupted into red as he admitted this, but he had a feeling she'd need his full name for the spell. "My full name is Benjamin Florian. You can add on the King of Auradon if you want."

Uma laughed. "Florian?" She gasped. "I thought you people were supposed to be good to your children. Were your parents high?"

Ben ducked his shoulders a little and heard Mal snort. "Still not as bad as mine," She declared shortly and then cleared her throat. "Do you, King Benjamin Florian of Auradon, swear that everything you have told us thus far is true and right to the best of your knowledge?"

"I do," Ben affirmed, daring to meet her eyes. Where they had been grey, they were now bright green. He couldn't find any little golden flakes in that swirling forest of magic.

"And will you accompany us westward without attempting to sabotage, mislead, or harm us?" Mal demanded.

"Or even think unkindly to you," Ben added. At this, Mal's face twisted in confusion and she appeared to lose her train of thought.

"And, uh," She stammered, blinking a little. "Will you ensure our safety in our solitude to the best of your abilities when this matter is over, regardless of the terms on which we part?"

"I will," Ben nodded. And then, before the spell could be broken, he began to speak again. "And will you, daughter of Maleficent, promise to me that I can trust you to neither attack nor harass my other people so long as I protect you from them?"

Mal looked shocked at the audacity of his request. She glanced away from him, towards Evie and Uma, and then her face stiffened. "We will neither attack nor harass them, but if they come through your defenses to war, we will rise to defend ourselves."

Ben nodded – this was acceptable to him. "And, will you, when the time comes, allow me to depart when the time comes for me to leave? In other words, can you ensure that I will not forever be your prisoner?"

"I swear it," Mal replied nonchalantly, though a heavy weight fell on the room. A promise made by someone of fae blood was binding. Mal would keep that promise on the price of her own life.

The magic faded and Ben let his hand drop before he got back to his feet, brushing his knees off. Mal, Jay, and Carlos were looking at him curiously, though Evie and Uma had appeared to accept his nature. Mal crossed her arms. "What gave you the thought to demand things of me?" She demanded. Her grey eyes still held hints of green as she glared.

"When did I demand anything?" Ben asked. "I asked if you would promise me. You could have very well have said no, though that would have hurt me greatly."

Mal squinted at him like he was a puzzle and she couldn't tell what he was supposed to be, much less which pieces to begin pushing together. Ben supposed she'd never met a person with good intentions in her life before he.

He closed his eyes and wrenched his gaze away from hers. It wouldn't do to stare so much after the embarrassing reaction he'd had upon seeing her for the first time. He had no idea if Mal was married, promised, tied to another or even committed to a past love, but he couldn't risk leading her on. "Now, I must admit that I am exhausted," He announced, leaning against the pole. "I assume that you have word to spread and plans to make – would you like me to be there? Or is there a chance I could rest for an hour or so more?"

"We won't be leaving anything soon," Uma declared, straightening up. "We're a little low on resources. Give me two more days and I can have enough to take everyone past the first kingdom."

"If I take a group out now, we might be able to catch something in time for your teams to prepare it for the journey," Mal offered.

"I'll tell things to everyone and Carlos can help me arrange people into groups again like we did when we were crossing the water," Evie nodded amicably. "We'll move faster that way."

"Where can I help?" Ben asked, pulling off his coat and rolling up the sleeves of his blue button-up shirt. "I admit I don't have much experience, but I can help with heavy lifting or cooking or organizing-"

"You can cook?" Uma interrupted, staring at him skeptically. "You look like you wouldn't know a ladle from a spoon."

Ben frowned at her. "I actually quite enjoy it," He whispered. "It's a skill I always have possessed."

Uma snorted. "Did you quote my mom on purpose, or did it slip you that that was one of her lines?"

Ben blinked. "I'd forgotten," He mumbled and shoved his hands into his pockets. "But please, don't make me sit around and play prisoner. I want to help. Give me a job, work, a purpose. Please."

Evie and Uma exchanged looks and Uma nodded. "Okay," she agreed. "When the time comes, we'll have you help load and carry things. And I will take you up on that cooking thing you mentioned. But not now, Beasty Boy. You were up all night, remember?"

"Uma's right," Evie agreed. "Besides, word hasn't gotten out about you yet. It'll be easier to convince the others if they don't have you in that shirt behind me."

Ben frowned and picked at his shirt. "What's wrong with this shirt?" He asked.

"The Auradon crest, idiot," Jay rolled his eyes. "The overbearing symbol of our plight. Left to rot for thirty years by the government who works so hard to give their citizens peace and happiness."

"I'll find you something, or I'll make you something myself," Evie declared, sizing him up and letting her eyes hover on his for the first time since he'd glimpsed Mal and lost all semblance of his senses. Even now, his vision was fuzzy, his ears were ringing, and the tips of his fingers were numb in shock. "For now, let's get you something to sleep on, so you can rest before we need your help."

Ben nodded. "I, uh, am good to sleep here," He gestured on the ground. The teepee had no floor covering, so the base was just bits of grass and some dirt patches, but Ben was so tired he didn't find it all that unappealing.

"No," Evie narrowed her eyes. "We've already treated you unkindly as it is. We will find you a proper place to sleep and something proper to wear."

"I've got things in our supplies," Uma declared. "I'll get Gil and we'll bring them over. There might be a spare shirt and some pants he can wear too."

"Let me handle that," Evie shook her head. "You can bring in things for a bed, but leave his clothes to me. I've never made an outfit for an actual royal before."

"Other than yourself?" Ben asked, rubbing his eyes momentarily before yawning.

Evie tilted her head. "The Evil Queen has no royal status in Auradon," She reminded him. "She lost it when she was banished."

Ben shrugged. "The crown doesn't make you a queen," He told her. "I mean, your mother did bad things. She used her power to hurt. She wasn't a true queen. But you're not like her. You get to chose who you're going to be. Uma's mother imprisoned and tricked dozens, your mother attempted murder, Mal's mother is the mistress of all evil, and I've got the poster parents for goodness. But true queens and kings reach inside themselves, use what they've been given, and stick through with good causes until the end. And, if I have my say, I'll crown you myself when this is all over, Evie. None of you are evil. I can look into your eyes and just… know." He let his gaze flicker from Uma, who looked skeptical, to Evie, who looked touched, and to Mal, who looked even more confused.

"Are you always this perky?" Uma drawled, squinting at him as if he was suddenly hard to see.

Ben deflated a little. He'd have to learn to cut back on his speeches a little. "A little bit over the top?" He asked.

"A little more than a little bit," Mal snorted, still looking baffled. "I think you need more sleep than we were originally estimating."

"Well, so much for my first impression," Ben sighed, scuffing his toes into the dirt a little and sighing. He put his hands into his pockets and then glanced around at them all. "I do believe that, though."

No one said anything. They shifted their weight a little, squinted at him, and then slowly let their gazes flick to the ground. Finally, Uma took control of the situation. "We'll be back," She decided, stepping towards the flap. "You hang tight – it should be ten minutes and then we'll be back."

"I'm gonna get a crew together," Mal announced, following her to the door flap without another glance at him. Uma propped the flap open and gestured to it, waiting for Mal to go through.

"Loser, passage for one. Right this way, please." She drawled, raising an eyebrow at Mal.

Mal crossed her arms. "Are you gonna go, then?"

"Guys," Evie rolled her eyes. "You need to stop."

Mal and Uma both sent shifty glances towards Evie, and then Mal ducked out with Uma following her. Jay moved to the exit, and Carlos packed up the magnet and the needle with the utmost concern. The last person in the teepee was Evie, who examined him carefully. She didn't say anything, only examined his features and squinted as if she was trying to see underneath his skin.

"Looking for something?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"Is everyone in Auradon as resistant to beauty as you are?" She asked. "I took your breath away, Uma fascinated you, and with Mal, you reacted hard enough for the boys to notice, but then it was as if you hardly noticed how we looked." She looked almost offended. "Boys from the Isle still take more than a few seconds to begin breathing again around me."

Ben blushed. "I see that you're beautiful, but – uh – beauty isn't everything."

"Are you attracted to danger?" Evie asked, and Ben's cheeks burned even brighter. "You seemed awfully taken with Mal for those first few seconds."

"I wasn't expecting the purple hair," Ben lied. Truth was, his heart was still pumping fast and he felt a bit woozy. "I, uh, am not a masochist."

Evie frowned deeper. Was she offended at his reaction to the three of them? He tilted his head to the side. "You're used to everyone thinking you're prettier than Mal?"

"She's dangerous," Evie replied simply. "Uma's taken and Mal is dangerous. And… I like to think I'm the fairest of them all." She folded her hands together and looked over his shoulder like she was some sort of unseeing statue.

"But you're also smart," Ben proposed. "And resourceful. Again, we had no idea you were even here. That's impressive."

"Yes," Evie nodded. "It's… odd, being away from my mother. For the first time, it's like I'm more than just a pretty face. Knowing I don't have to play dumb to get a guy… that I'm smart."

"I can't imagine living like that," Ben sympathized. "It sounds… horrible. I'm so sorry. I wish I'd thought of you guys years ago."

Evie hummed. "Yeah, my mom's not a barrel of laughs. Just ask Snow White. But, uh, it's over now. We're in Auradon now. This… this is the land of opportunity. We can be whatever we want here."

"Yes, you can be," Ben agreed. "And I'm going to do everything I can to help you guys."

Evie's stare hardened into something indecipherable and unreadable. Ben took his hands out of his pockets and folded his hands together as her eyes bored into his soul. Finally, having not found whatever it was that she was looking for, she spun around and headed to the door. "Uma and Gil will be here soon," She announced. "I'll see you later, Ben."

The flap closed and Ben was left alone. In under an hour, his life had been completely spun on its head. And boy was he exhausted. He sat down and leaned against the center pole. Against his will, his eyes drifted closed. 'Only for a few seconds' he promised himself. 'then I'll wake up when Uma and Gil get here.'