A/N: In Wicca, the chalice represents feminine energy and the womb, hence why I called the last chapter "The Chalice", as it was largely about Mal's sexuality. Likewise, the wand symbolizes masculinity, and this chapter ("The Wand") is all about Ben and Auradonian ideas of what it means to be a man. (It doesn't actually have anything to do with Fairy Godmother's wand).

Present Day: 7 Days After Coronation

Ben had never been so afraid in all his life. He was king of Auradon, but he couldn't simply order the descendants he wanted to come over from tdhe Isle. He made his very first proclamation without challenge, but several influential families almost withdrew all together from the tenuous union that made up the United States of Auradon. Notably, the Charmings and Roses were so outraged that they threatened Ben with a court martial the next time he pulled such a thing from under their noses.

No, this time, Ben would have to do things the official way, and get the approval of the council before he summoned the the VKs Mal wanted him to. It was painful enough to think about, that he cooperated with Mal on the list of kids who'd come next instead of jumping right in as he usually would. He knew that he shouldn't feel bad about asking for help, but some part of him trembled at the idea of relying on her. Even though he'd seen Mal in action before and knew that she could kick him three ways to Sunday, it still felt somewhat emasculating to ask for help from a girl the same age as him, a girl who'd had no formal education on how to rule a nation.

(As far as he knew.)

Uma and Harry had to stay - they had the most power after Mal, and someone had to maintain order while the power structure eroded on the Isle with the main four gone and others soon to follow, and Maleficent no longer around to intimidate people. Evie insisted that Dizzy had to come over on the next possible boat, despite being worthless to the coven - she was weak, and without Mal's protection, she was in serious danger. Ben didn't really understand, but Uma wouldn't protect her without Mal there telling her to. Their alliance was shaky at the moment, and the only reason they worked together now that Uma solely ruled the Isle was for convenience only: they wanted the same things, and Mal promised her she'd get them off the Isle. All of them.

Ben thought they could get Ginny. He was pretty certain he could appeal to Rapunzel's guilt and need for family to get her to accept what would tenously be a step-sister at best.

If Ginny came over, she likely wouldn't go without her girlfriend, Hadie, and Ben thought he could probably have her brought over, since Olympus wasn't technically part of the union, and no one knew very much about the gods. Then again, on the other hand, that might translate into fear, since even the magic of gods was still magic, and powerful magic at that. They might see her as dangerous.

The fourth new descendant would definitely be Freddie. Ben felt certain of her because of the things he'd been told by Mal, about how her personality was fierce, but she was a great actor. Unlike many of the others, she also had visible scars on her face, pale and circular, and nearly impossible to hide, even with make-up. It was clear and obvious proof she was being abused by her father, and if it was any Auradon child, King Adam would be knocking down the door at any moment with a legion of guards to apprehend the sick monster who could mutilate his own daughter's face.

If it was any Auradon offender, they'd be sent to the Isle.

But what would they do to someone who'd already suffered the kingdom's harshest punishment? Ben pushed the thought out of his mind, even as a follow-up question plowed forward into his notice, despite his best efforts and his mantra of don't think about it don't think about it don't-

The Isle was possibly the worst thing his father had ever created, and he was expected to continue that legacy. The council would never, ever, let him destroy that, even if it meant that innocent children would be the sacrifice.

Ben shook himself from that line of thought as Mal snapped her fingers in front of his eyes.

"Hello? Earth to Ben?" She asked, tilting her head in question.

"Sorry." He whispered, Adam's Apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed.

"You've got to calm down, babe." Mal whispered. "If you don't look confident in front of your dad, he'll never consider the proposal."

If Ben didn't look entirely sure of himself, she got the feeling Adam would bowl him over like a steam roller. After all, Mal wasn't raised in Auradon, but she knew what it was like to live in a world where pride and bravado was everything - if you didn't stand up to the bullies or become a bully yourself, everyone would walk all over you.

Ben knew that too, of course. He was his mother in everything but gender though, and he'd always been too weak, too shy, too mild mannered to stand up to his father. Just like Belle, he fought with kindness and words and diplomacy, smoothing over conflicts with a smile and a wave.

That was why Evie had fallen for him as soon as she saw him, and why Mal had slowly come to love him as she watched how he was everything she'd expected from Auradon and more. He was so... Pure. And for once, she didn't have a desire to corrupt him, like she planned to corrupt Jane. She wanted him to stay like that forever, innocent and loving, and becoming no more bitter for the weight of the world on his shoulders, and the weight of knowledge as he uncovered the dark spots of his kingdom and resolved to fix them.

"I know." Ben whispered. His mind cast back to a time once, when he'd overheard his father in mid-rant after Ben had gotten into an argument with him over Chad of all things.

"I swear, he should have been born a girl." Adam muttered, not nearly as quietly as he thought, as Ben listened from the stairwell, tucked behind the bars of the polished mahogany banister (he had a lot of good memories on that banister - sliding it when his nanny and tutors weren't watching).

"Now that's hardly fair." Belle had scoffed, and Ben felt a little flush of pride. His mother always stood up for him in matters like this.

"You can't fight his battles forever, Belle." The king insisted, slamming a fist onto the table so loudly that Ben flinched from the other side of the room.

He'd gotten into a fight with Chad Charming that day, when the other boy had called him a sissy, and Ben refused to fight him to prove his superiority. His mother had taught him to be kind and peaceful - after all, his father's selfishness and anger had once cost him nearly everything. He didn't see how fighting Chad proved anything to anyone, and even though he sported a black eye to show for it, he came out feeling victorious, like he'd been the bigger man.

"I don't intend to fight his battles, Adam, but you can be certain I'll step in when our son is in trouble." Belle replied, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"He wasn't in trouble Belle." Adam nearly snarled, glancing away from his wife with a sigh. "He needs to settle school-yard bullies by himself, or they'll just get worse."

"Oh, so now standing up to bullies is your policy?" Belle raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the dining room table. (The small table they used for family meals, not the big one they used for company).

"What do you mean? I stood up to that bully Gaston, didn't I?" The former beast insisted, looking more like his old self than ever as his face flushed red.

"I seem to recall that a victim once stood up to a bully in your household, and taught him a serious lesson."

"Right!" The king preened, wiping his glasses on his sleeve, and Belle resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"... By turning him into a beast and cursing all his servants to be furniture."

"That doesn't count!" Adam practically roared, clenching his glasses mid-rage, and cursing as he heard the sudden crunch and shatter.

"Damn it woman!" The king insisted, throwing aside his crumpled glasses with a glare. "What is your point?"

"My point, is that violence isn't the answer to every problem, Adam." Belle explained, glancing with disdain at the visible symbol of her husband's temper in the form of a pile of crushed plastic and rounded shards of glass (they'd been designed not to break sharply if the lenses were shattered, and she was never more happy for that than in the moments when her husband accidentally broke them).

"Well my point, is that no one will follow a weak willed king!" Adam insisted, turning away from the table. Ben missed what happened next, because he'd scurried away from the stairs to avoid being seen. It came to mind, because he felt the same way now (with his palms sweating and a dread knotted deep in his stomach) as he had that night he eavesdropped on the stairs. He still felt just as woefully incapable of standing up to his father. But there was no helping it now. He couldn't rely on his mother to fight this battle for him, and lives were on the line, not just his pride.

Just before he left, Evie came up to him, and met him alone in the hallway as he left the boys' dorm.

"I know you can do it." She smiled, a little bittersweet, and she adjusted his tie.

"Yeah. I know I can too." Ben joked without a hint of mirth. "The question is, will Dad go along with it?"

"Can I give you a little good luck charm to help move things along?" Evie asked shyly, looking more unsure of herself than Ben had ever seen her.

"Of course." He nodded. She was so beautiful, and as much as he wanted to kiss her, he couldn't do it in the hallway where people might see. They still had the awkward tension of people who couldn't air their feelings, because Ben liked Evie, and Evie liked Ben, (and they both loved Mal with all their strength) but they hadn't had time to talk about it yet. As much as she liked him, the thought of Dizzy being attacked, threatened, or worse back on the Isle was sickening, and Evie insisted that this came first. All their teenage relationship problems could be dealt with later.

Nodding, and taking Ben's hand, she slipped him a tiny spray bottle.

"This is for... Persuasion. I used it so many times on the Isle that I can make it by heart." Evie smiled gently. "If your dad gets a whiff of that, he'll give you anything your heart desires."

Ben swallowed and nodded. It was hard to overcome the lessons that had been crammed into his mind since childhood about how magic was wrong and potions were evil, but part of the whole reason he was doing this, was because he wanted the Isle kids to experience their powers. He wanted all Auradon people to accept and decriminalize magic, because it was an inherent part of so many citizens. He had to get used to it, despite the way that it made him feel guilty, like he was handling drugs or a gun instead of a little cologne bottle that helped his charisma.

"Erm, just to be clear, this won't brainwash my dad or anything?" Ben asked tentatively.

"What if it did?" Evie asked, raising an eyebrow. "If it saved lives, would it matter?"

Ben had to think about that, because part of him said it did matter, that the means couldn't justify the ends. But another part of him said that he was justified. The King's actions could save or condemn innocents, or if not innocents, then good people put into a bad situation. Wasn't anything acceptable to put an end to that situation? Wouldn't anything go if it meant that children weren't being abused in his own kingdom?

(The road to hell is paved with good intentions.)

Somehow reading his mind, Evie smiled softly, and spoke her next words in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"Remember, Ben." She leaned forward, as if to kiss him on the cheek, when instead she whispered in his ear. "Seek not power for power's sake."

She breathed, and as soon as her breath touched Ben's cheek, she was gone, pulling away, and turning back to the dorm, waving goodbye.

"Good luck, King."

Back in the dorm, Evie leaned against the door as soon as she closed it, finally letting her composure fall.

"That was way too intense." The girl breathed out, slumping, and Mal grinned as she walked over to her.

"Did you and Ben get some quality time?" Mal teased, and Evie glared.

"In the hallway where anyone could see? Nice try, Mal. Imagine what would happen if Audrey got hold of such a juicy tidbit of gossip." Evie smirked now, rolling her eyes. "By tomorrow, all the school would know how about how Ben's 'cheating' on you, and how he's been 'seduced' by another Isle girl."

"I'd gladly give up the spotlight to you, princess." Mal noted.

"And throw all our plans out of the window? No way." Evie sighed. "As much as I'd like to be on Ben's arm in public, a regal princess like mama always wanted, it doesn't change the fact that you're Auradon's sweetheart, Mal."

And as much as she hated it, Mal understood that this plan was banking on charisma. She had to win the hearts of the commoners first, and she was already halfway there.

"It's kinda lame that we can't be ourselves now that I think about it." Jay muttered. "Like, here I thought Auradon was this accepting place where we could finally show real emotion."

Carlos rolled his eyes, not a little bitterly. "Yeah, and lollipops grow on trees while bunnies frolick around under rainbows."

"Ew." Mal scrunched up her face at the mental image. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but Auradon isn't what any of us expected it to be."

She'd expected the dumb as fuck royals who believed so much in sweetness and goodness that they'd instantly fall in love with her as soon as she showed any emotion other than rage. Check. She hadn't expected on decades of repressed mental health issues and despite all the signs that had pointed to it (Briar Rose's betrayal, Charmington's widespread anti-magic laws that saw any magic user criminal or not, sent to the Isle without trial) despite all the warnings, she still hadn't expected the blatant, self assured predjudice that bounced around in the echo chamber of the Auradon Council. Everyone agreed with everyone else that magic was Very Bad, without actually offering reasons except that they were scared of it, and from what Ben told her, Queen Elsa was the only ruler who thought otherwise, making her something of a social pariah among the Auradon elite.

(They'd fought so hard to get here, and refused to be thwarted at the finish line just because ignorant people hated them for being born.)

"My mother was out of her mind, but at least she said one thing that's always stayed with me." Carlos began, clearing his throat. He'd said it before, and he'd say it again. It was what all their parents said, like a prayer on the Isle, the only thing that they had to hold onto sometimes when they were sore and freezing and hungry.

"Never get mad. Get even."

As Ben stood outside his father's office, he double-checked his thoughts and gathered his nerves before knocking. A spritz of the cologne that he was mostly sure was a potion as he reminded himself of why he had to do this.

(And he was almost sure it was harmless, but if you asked how much money he'd bet on it, his mind would cast back to his conversation with Evie, and he'd swallow, avoiding the question. It didn't really matter if the potion was harmless or not, because leaving Dizzy on the Isle was anything but.)

Ben raised his hand, heart beating in his chest like a galloping race horse, and knocked on the door.