Chapter Five: Obligatory Makeover Montage

Chad was at practice again, so Ben was alone in his dorm as he sobbed into his pillow. He'd just ruined everything, he was sure of it. Mal finally knew that he couldn't be what she wanted, what she needed him to be. And if he couldn't do that, be that…then why was he even here?

Six months ago, he'd chosen to stay in Auradon for Mal. He'd chosen himself and freedom. But every day since then had been constricted and confining and nearly as bad as his father.

"I don't belong here," Ban mumbled, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of his bed. And there on his nightstand was the spiky key that belonged to his motorcycle.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had a plan. He couldn't earn his father's love by being good enough. He'd tried and horribly failed. And he couldn't earn his place at Mal's side, he wasn't evil enough. She would never want him now, anyway.

There was only one place he could go that he might belong. One place he could always be himself.

And that was on the Isle.

Ben dumped a handful of clothes and protein bars into a bag. He pulled out a store of potions Mal had given him and grabbed his motorcycle keys. In one heartbeat he was out the door. In another, outside.

He roared out of the parking lot, nearly hitting several students and teachers. Ben pushed the bike as fast as it would go until he skidded to a stop at the cliffs that overlooked the Isle. The green glittering dome was almost taunting.

Ben reached into his bag and pulled out a transportation potion Mal had given him. Then he pulled another one out, a flight potion.

Praying to whatever gods were left on Olympus, he dumped both on his bike. It began to glow, hot and white. Ben took a deep breath, then floored the gas.

He shot out over the ocean, flying over the waves. He approached the dome…and sailed right through it.

Ben's bike landed on Isle, and he rolled down a nearly deserted alley.

"It worked," he gaped, soaking in the scene and smells of the home he'd always known. The one he'd nearly forgotten.

He turned and that was when he saw the garishly bright poster with his and Mal's faces splashed on it, both of them smirking evilly as if daring anyone to question them.

'Choose Freedom. Choose Yourself. Choose Evil!'

Ben ripped it down before he could stop himself. He wasn't going to be that boy ever again.

Mal's office was paneled with dark black wood, filled with black leather furniture and plush flame embroidered rugs. A fireplace stood across from her desk, green flames roaring, and a painting of her shortly after becoming queen hung over it. Her desk was a bit cluttered, but no more than the average queen's should be. The windows were covered by bolted down purple curtains and towering cabinets sat against another wall, filled with official paperwork.

Mal sat in a tall purple scaley chair, eyes scanning the latest report. Charles had moved into his new school with no complaint and already was testing well in hacking and evil engineering.

But she found no joy in her success. The fight with Ben was still ringing in her ears.

She clicked a button on the phone mounted on her desk. "Panic?"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty?"

"Have Father call me. It's regarding Cotillion."

"Of-of course!"

Mal rolled her eyes at his babbling, just as Audrey stormed in her office. Mal barely had time to jump up from her chair before the dark-haired girl was standing across from her. If Audrey had any dragon blood in her, she would have been breathing smoke.

"This is my office!" Mal snapped, glaring.

"Ben's gone back to the Isle," Audrey shot back.

Mal's body went limp. Somehow, she landed in her chair as her heart threatened to stop beating.

Audrey handed her a note that she nearly tore in her eagerness to read it.

'I don't belong here, and you know it. I'll never be the evil king you need and deserve. I'm going to where I belong, not with you or with my dad, but just with me. I know you'll be the greatest queen in ever after history. And…I'm sorry. – Ben."

"Mal." Audrey held out one more thing. Her golden necklace with the dragon pendent curled around a purple gem.

It'd been a gift from her parents at her christening. The mark of the new High Queen and her lineage. She'd worn it for years.

She'd given it to Ben on her coronation day.

Mal's hands shook as she took it and held against her chest where her heart was still miraculously beating.

"This is my fault," she breathed. Her eyes were damp.

Audrey's anger began to cool as she saw the fearsome queen deflate.

"I blew it. He'd been under so much pressure lately, when I'd promised he could be free from that, when I liked the pressure, and instead of being understanding I just…I shoved my crown in his face. I tried to make him afraid instead of lov-"

Mal looked up at Audrey, her resolve hardening as she stood. "I have to go there and…what is it you guys do? Apologize?"

Audrey's eyes narrowed. "If you hurt him again-"

"Audrey, I won't! You have my word, I love Ben," Mal shot back. "I have to go the Isle and try to make him understand that."

"You'll never find him," Audrey muttered, fiddling with her rings. "You have to know the Isle, how it works…you have to take me with you."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? From my understanding, it isn't the happiest place for you."

"Yeah." Audrey looked past Mal, lost in thought. "He's my best friend, ever since we were kids…"

Audrey began ticking things off on her fingers, pacing rapidly. "And we'll bring Chad and Jane because no one travels alone of there. We'll need a ride and food just in case and…"

She spun back to glare at Mal once more. "And you have to promise me that we will not get stuck there again."

Mal nodded once. "I promise."

Then Audrey smiled for the first time since walking into the office, looking over Mal's purple leather pants and vest ensemble. "And you're not going dressed like that."

Ben had stowed his bike and left his things at his new home, a place where he Audrey, Chad, and Jane had hid from their parents on hard days. But as he walked the Isle streets, his face covered by long shadows and a beanie, he was noticing more stares following him than was normal. It wasn't until he passed a newly cleaned window that he realized what was wrong.

He was wearing a leather. A blue leather coat and pants with too many zippers. No on the Isle hid their face with a hat or had blue tipped bangs for that matter.

He looked like a villain.

Ben had to restrain himself from running (very frowned upon on the Isle) as he headed down crisscrossing alleys. While he'd tried to forget this place, his feet still knew where to go.

He finally arrived at the dreary shop squeezed between others on the main market street. 'Fairest of Them All' had chipping yellow and blue paint on the window frames and door, while the windows that housed dress forms with tattered ballgowns were grimy no matter how often they were cleaned. An apple wearing a crown was painted next to the name, a logo dreamed up by the owner, Snow White. Hanging from the door was a sign reading 'Closed for Nap.' But the door was cracked open…

Ben slipped inside and was met with a rush of memories, mainly of Audrey dragging him to go shopping and Belle helping Snow White patch and repurpose material. The shop was big (for the Isle) and overflowing with clothes. Hanging from racks made of twisted rusting metal were dresses and suits in pastel colors, cleverly positioned so one could almost ignore the patches and let out hem lines. Cracked and crudely assembled mirrors hung on the back wall and a small corner of the shop had an old salon chair with spilling stuffing sitting in front of a vanity filled with every hair care product Snow White could get her hands on. A whole other wall was covered by shelves that held every kind of fabric, ribbon, or button on the Isle, for those who wanted to craft their own clothing.

And, in the center of it all, was Winter White sweeping up the dust and stray threads. She was a young girl, just barely a teenager, with black hair pulled up into two buns. Her deep blue dress was tied up with yellow ribbons and had a pattern of hand painted songbirds along the hem. A thick red belt was tight around her waist, with deep pockets filled with needles and scissors and anything else a seamstress might need. Her ruby red glasses sat on the bridge of her button nose and her eyes were expertly lined with homemade makeup.

She jumped when she noticed Ben, too lost in her own singing to hear him come in. Ben was very surprised to watch her break into a huge grin, showing off her perfectly straight teeth.

"Ben! Is Audrey back too?"

Ben laughed, shaking his head. "As if."

Winter flinched. He'd have to work on reeling in his sarcasm.

"I, um, I forgot you guys break midday for naps." His cheeks flushed. Being back on the Isle, it felt shameful to admit that. This had been his home, once upon a time. "Place looks good."

Winter beamed, turning to admire the rows of bright colored fabric and the weak sunlight dappling in through the windows. She was clearly very proud of her work.

"So," Ben took a step closer, looking sheepish. "What's new? Has your mother given you any clients yet?"

"Just a fairy here and there," Winter sighed. "But I know she just wants me to wait until I'm ready. Plus, it builds character, all the cleaning. And she would know, after all her time with the Evil Queen Grimhilde."

Ben nodded slowly, sincerely hoping he hadn't sounded like that when he'd been under his father's thumb. "You and Audrey though, used to sew together, right?"

"Yeah. We made the coolest dress out of ribbons once. So much fun to twirl in."

"Do you have any ideas for me?"

Winter's eyes narrowed and she slowly walked around Ben, taking in every angle. He tried not to squirm.

Finally, she stepped back, frowning slightly. "Washed out blue tips and tight pants? You look a boyband wannabe, and that's coming from a huge New Pirates on the Ship fan. Don't tell my parents."

She dragged him over to the cracked mirrors and up onto a platform. Her fingers grazed the many rivets on his jacket lapels. "What are these? Are they just to make you look like you hurt yourself getting dressed?"

Ben stifled a laugh and looked at his reflection. Winter was right, he looked ridiculous. A wannabee villain.

"How far can I go?" Winter asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat, a smile she had definitely not inherited from her mother.

Ben shrugged. "The works. Just…whatever makes me feel like me. But, way better, you know?"

"Yay!" Winter ran over and began pulling out bolts of fabric. And Ben felt the knot in his stomach unravel just a bit.

"No, nope, not a chance, definitely not."

"What are you even looking for?" Mal demanded. She'd been watching Audrey pull out dress after dress from her dorm room closet while Jane redid her makeup at a vanity and Chad worked on stuffing his new stronger muscles into his old powder blue Isle blazer.

"The right dress," Audrey replied, sticking her head deeper into her closet.

"We're wasting time!" Mal exclaimed. "Can't you just pick one?"

Jane clucked her tongue and shook her head, spreading extra pink blush onto her cheeks. "Not on the Isle. Your dress, your very look, says everything about you. Your family, what kind of hero you identify as. And your social standing."

"A dress cannot say all that," Mal shot back, flopping onto Audrey's bed.

Jane just shrugged and started scrubbing off her expertly crafted smoky eye.

"Got it!" Chad exclaimed, buttoning his blazer. The sleeves were a little tight and his dress pants were definitely fraying at the hem, but that would fit in just fine on the Isle.

"Here. Try this."

Mal screeched as tulle and silk hit her in the face. She pulled the dress off her and glared at Audrey before going behind the screen to change.

When she emerged, Audrey nodded. The dress was lavender, with a very ruffled skirt that stopped at her knees and dozens of flowers in the same shade were embroidered into the bodice. It would've been strapless but sheer lavender netting finished the high neck collar and kept the dress modest. Audrey pulled Mal's purple hair up into a bun and covered it with a lavender scarf that was tied at the nap of her neck, the excess dangling down her back.

After Mal's black nail polish had been replaced with a pale pink shade, her cheeks were appropriately rosy, and she was wearing a pair of kitten heels, were the other satisfied.

"One last thing." Audrey handed her the dragon necklace, the purple gem winking in the dim dorm lighting.

Mal swallowed hard before she put it on, the pendent hitting her right where her heart was.

"Let's do this."

Winter clipped and stitched and washed and scrubbed and decorated to her hearts content. She forbade Ben to look in mirrors and didn't trust his opinion on fabrics. The sun was long gone by the time she led him up onto the box in front of the mirrors with his eyes covered.

"Ta da!"

Ben opened his eyes and gasped. His hair was all brown again, a bit shorter on the sides but it framed his face in a way that made him look older. Winter had exchanged his zippered pants for navy ones trimmed with golden ribbon the side. No longer was he wearing a leather jacket, but rather a white button up shirt with a blue vest overtop, buttoned with two lines of mismatching golden buttons. Gold trimmed the lapels as well and Winter was busy rolling up his shirt sleeves to the elbow. But what drew his eye most was the crest on the vest pocket on his chest.

A painted golden beast head, the crest of his father.

But Ben didn't look like the son his father had wanted. Nor did he look like the evil king Mal needed.

"I look like me," he gaped. Winter beamed.

He gathered his forgotten clothes (wondering if anyone would notice him burning them) and started to head out. But another figure blocked the door.

"Aren't you going to pay her?"

Ben flinched as Doug entered the store, an old classmate of his. His green sweater had stray holes and his glasses were broken in several places. And his fedora had definitely been run over once before.

"Right!" Ben forced himself to laugh. The smile felt too tight on his face, but he handed Winter some crumpled bills from his old pants pocket. "Thanks Winter. For everything."

She nodded, eyed Doug, and scampered to clean up the vanity station from Ben's haircut. And Ben turned back to face him.

"So, you're back," Doug commented, crossing his arms. "That's a nice surprise."

"Hi Doug."

But the dwarf's son didn't return his smile. "I don't know what your plan is, but Lonnie and the clan have got the Isle covered. We don't need any knight in shining armor's help."

"I'm not here to cause trouble. But if you guys need anything-"

"We don't. But it was nice talking to you." Doug's smile didn't reach his eyes and he strolled past Ben, off to help Winter tidy up.

Out in the alleys, Ben felt something familiar. It could've been the streets he'd grown up in or the smiles people gave him and his new Isle outfit.

But, as Ben headed back to where he was crashing, it wasn't any of that. It wasn't the place that was familiar.

It was who he became when he was here.