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The walls of the Queen's Castle were as menacing as they were fascinating. Though Uma only found grimace and mockery in the walls; looking at them as she sat in the leather chair in her room, her lips quirking into a vengeful sneer. The rhythm of tapping from Harry's ridiculous hook banged in her head like a drum, her hand curled into a fist and her eyes did not waver from the particular crack in the wall she had been staring at. It almost looked like a smug grin, it made her blood boil, it was mocking her, taunting her. She didn't know how far gone she was until Gil burst into the room with grandeur, victoriously holding three loafs of bread in his arm and another between his teeth.
"I have returned!" He shouted ceremoniously, his words a bit jumbled because of the bread in his mouth.
"Finally, I'm starved ." Harry hopped down from the desk he was sitting on and snatched away a piece from Gil, quickly taking a harsh bite from it.
They basked in their fairly insignificant victory against the Queen. Uma didn't quite remember what prompted Gil to leave and go steal some food from the kitchen, but she did remember how much she didn't care.
"You guys do realize we could have just asked the servants to get us something, right?" Uma said, not in the mood for their foolishness.
"Well now that's not very fun." Gil pouted.
"Whatever," Uma waved at them absently, "I've got bigger things to worry about."
"But, captain, I got this one special for you." Gil presented a slightly bigger loaf to Uma much like a child presenting an accomplishment.
Uma saw his pleading eyes but they did not affect her; she smacked the bread out of his hand.
"Does it look like I care about bread at the moment?" She asked heartlessly. Sorrow and regret filled his face as he looked down, trying to hide his expression from her.
"Don't worry bout 'er, Gil," Harry spoke up smugly as he sat on the bed, eating his food with a smirk on his face, "she's jus in one of 'er moods."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Her eyes darted up to look at him.
"Oh nothin'," Harry looked about the room innocently, "it's jus ye been in this mood ever since ye spent the night in this devil's castle."
Uma couldn't stop herself from glancing over at the broken mirror on the other side of the room. Her fist throbbed just at the thought of that night.
"Shut up, I'm not in a mood," she crossed her arms defensively, "I'm just not gonna deal with your idiocy right now."
The three of them were asked to arrive at the castle the morning of the ball. Uma had to practically drag Gil and Harry there; they whined and complained the entire way. Neither of them seemed to understand the importance of gaining Evie's trust. All they wanted to do was storm the castle and kill anyone in sight. Uma found no satisfaction in that plan. She longed to see that look of hurt and betrayal on Evie's face when her throne is taken out from under her. Uma smiled wickedly just at the thought.
Suddenly, they all heard a knock at the door. All three stood and Gil quickly hid his bread under his shirt.
"Miss Uma?" A lady's voice could be heard on the other side of the door, "may I come in? Her majesty has asked me to get you ready for the ball tonight."
Uma felt a large breath of air leave her, "yes, come in."
A servant girl dressed in rags entered the room. She had a homemade tape measure around her neck and many assortments of fabrics in her hands.
"I'm afraid I have to ask the boys to leave, Miss," the servant said apologetically, "they must go to the west wing to be fitted and groomed."
"Fitted?" Gil asked while dropped his loaves of bread.
"Groomed?" Harry scratched his ear with his hook.
"Well what did you think you were gonna wear to the ball?" The servant asked.
The two looked at each other with shrugs and confused looks.
Gil finally spoke up, "this?"
The servant let a smile onto her face, "her majesty won't allow that. Now shoo, I have to work with Miss Uma for the time being."
With that, the boys were whisked out of the room, sent off to go find the west wing with no directions. Needless to say, they got lost and some guards had to escort them to their destination.
The servant then turned to look at Uma, the array of fabrics still in her hands, "now, shall we get started?"
Uma took a step back, putting a hand on the arm of the chair, "started with what?"
She let out a light chuckle, "with your fitting of course."
Uma's eye's widen in horror, "oh no, that won't be necessary."
"Miss, her majesty has asked personally that I fit your dress for tonight."
Uma then realized that the fabrics in her hands weren't fabrics at all. They were, in fact, ballgowns for her to try on. She gulped hard and felt her hands begin to sweat. If Mal wasn't, Evie was most definitely going to be the death of her. It was as if she was trying to torture her in the most twisted, vile way she could come up with.
Cool water washed through her hair like a wave, she felt relaxed and content as another bucketful dowsed her hair. The water trickled down off her strands like raindrops, their rhythm was soothing. She let out a sigh of tranquility, for the first time in a long time, peace washed over her. Her problems were forgotten.
"Does her majesty like the temperature?" The young girl with a makeshift comb in one hand and a towel in the other asked.
"You know, Dizzy, I never thought I would be getting ready for a real ball," Evie let her lips curl into a satisfied smile, "no one would think of having them while Maleficent was ruling, and Mal... well you know Mal."
"It really is like a fairy tale!" Dizzy's smile went from ear to ear. Evie had so graciously invited her to come, only if she was the one to style her hair before the big night. Dizzy was extremely glad to get out of the salon for the day; the chemicals and dyes can really get to the head. Seeing the Isle isn't all that bad either. You just have to look past all the thieves and vomiting people on the streets. Dizzy also could never resist a castle.
Evie allowed herself to indulge in a little excitement, "isn't it grand? Although we must not forget; tonight is not just for fancy dresses and beautiful scenery, I must uphold my duty as a Queen before anything else."
"My mom and grandma used to always go on and on about the balls and parties they attended in their time," Dizzy said as she began to comb through Evie's royal blue hair, "Oh my, Evie! What if you meet your true love tonight?"
Evie let out a light bit of laughter, "I can't be thinking about that—"
"But what if you do meet someone? Wouldn't it just be magical?" Dizzy swooned with a dazed look her her eye.
Evie looked down, suppressing her emotions, "I gave up on that a long time ago."
Dizzy frowned in confusion as her brow furrowed, "why? You used to talk all the time about how you would meet the perfect prince and live in a castle."
Evie sighed in grief, "when you're older you'll understand."
Dizzy let out a groan in disgust and anguish, "I've been hearing that more and more lately."
"I might not meet someone, but you could." Evie spoke, a hint of a smile on her lips.
She could practically feel Dizzy's gleeful grin.
"You really think so?" Her voice lifted to the heavens.
"It's like you said: it will be a magical night," Evie's smile grew brighter, "anything can happen."
"It's too tight!"
"Just shut up, okay? I'm working on it."
"I feel like I'm choking!"
Jay readjusted Carlos' bow tie for the millionth time that night. He may be a brilliant inventor, but his skills in the fashion department are solely lacking.
"Where did you even learn how to do this?" Carlos tugged underneath his collar uncomfortably.
"You hang around our queen long enough and eventually you'll learn all about fashion and etiquette." Jay explained as he straightened Carlos' tie once again.
"I don't understand why Evie is throwing this stupid ball," Carlos turned to look at himself in the fractured mirror of Jay's room, "we have much bigger things to worry about."
"You know exactly why she's doing it," Jay slicked back his hair, "if Evie is able to create unity on the Isle then our chances of beating Mal are all the better."
Carlos raised an eyebrow, "since when did you become so political?"
Jay let a warm smile on his face and laughed a little, "guess it's just in my blood."
Carlos adjusted his jacket, looking at himself up and down. Even though Evie was infinitely busy all the time, she still managed to design special outfits for both him and Jay. Carlos wore a historical Victorian suit with patches all over and rusted brass buttons. Though it did fit very comfortably and it came with a palette of black, red, and white; his favorite colors. Jay also wore a traditional Arabic robe, having rusted buttons as well. His favorite colors were also represented, but Jay had always preferred leather over any fancy traditional wear his father had stashed away. Maybe that's why Evie had the pants made from a soft leather. There was no doubt both of these outfits cost a fortune and must have been very difficult to get the materials.
Carlos wondered if this is what the Auradon kids had to do all the time. He had heard stories from more than enough villains over his lifetime about royalty and nobility. How they had to look proper and poise all the time, how they projected power in just the way they dressed. He saw Jay roll his shoulders back and stand up straight to look presentable.
"You think her majesty will like it?" He asked.
Carlos turned to look at him and shrugged, "maybe."
"I wonder what she'll wear." Jay pulled up his collar.
"Who knows?" Carlos ram his fingers through his straightened white hair, "though she has always liked to show off."
Jay laughed a little, "you can say that again, remember when we were seven and she made us watch a fashion show of hers and she just walked around our hideout?"
Carlos snickered, "yeah and most of the stuff she wore was her mom's, man was she pissed off when she found out."
"And then Mal and I had to carry all the clothes back to the Castle Across the Way." Jay said with nostalgia.
Both boys dropped off at the mention of Mal. They stood still in silence, only looking down at the floor.
"I still don't think we did the right thing." Jay said quietly.
"What other choice did we have, Jay?" Carlos said to him, he's had this conversation far too many times.
Jay put a hand on his arm uncomfortably, "I just wish things didn't get so bad."
"I know, Jay, I feel the same way," he said with comfort, "she brought it on herself though. That bitch never deserved the throne."
"Yeah," Jay took a deep breath, "I guess you're right, I just can't stop thinking about what she could be doing right now, you know? What could she possibly be thinking, I just wish I knew. I would feel so much better."
"Well it can't be that hard to guess, she's angry," Carlos told him, "she wants revenge, that's for fucking sure."
"She could also feel lonely, and empty," Jay looked down sympathetically, "she could feel desperate and abandoned..."
"I don't think you should really be worrying about that right now," he said, "we'll have guests to entertain soon."
Jay let out a small laugh, "I still can't believe she invited all those people."
"My mother's coming," Carlos' face quirked into a small smile, "she scoured her closet last night for her best fur coat to wear for tonight."
"Oh that reminds me!" Jay rushed over to the wardrobe he had in his room.
He opened the creaking wooden doors and Carlos could see all the various leather items he had stashed away. Jay dug through his clothes only to pull out what looked like a white fur coat that was a bit smaller in size but looked like it fit Carlos perfectly.
"Whoa..." Carlos breathed out, astonished by the almost flawless features it had.
"It was in a market stall, thought you might like it since... well you know." Jay explained.
Carlos took it from his hands and felt the soft fur as it tickled his hands.
"This is..."
"I know, I know you say you don't like getting nice things but seriously, Carlos, you should indulge yourself at least once." Jay said.
Carlos took off the blazer he was wearing and then slipped the coat on almost effortlessly like he had done it a million times before. The fur felt warm and comforting, wrapping him in a cocoon of coziness. Carlos had only worn a fur coat once before and that was for his mother to see what it would look like on somebody.
"Thanks, Jay, I..." Carlos didn't know what else to say as he hugged the coat tighter, "I really like it."
"Hey, no problem," he smiled, "you should wear that tonight."
"Yeah... I might." Carlos still couldn't really grasp the reality of the situation. He was just so overjoyed at the gesture.
A clatter of various items and a shout of frustration caused one of Maleficent's henchmen to enter Mal's room unannounced to see if there was trouble. He only saw a pile of spellbooks on the floor and the once fearsome queen crumpled up on the floor in disarray. Her hands on her head, frustration written all over her face, and her eyes glowing a terrifying green.
"Mistress, are you alright?" He asked her.
"Get out!" She snapped, looking up at him. Causing him to stumble back in fear. He rushed out of the room, quickly closing the door behind him.
Mal was left there alone, still breathing very heavily, and her eyes glowing bright. She just heard about the ball Evie was throwing for all of the important people on the Isle, and she just heard how she wasn't invited. Though she knew why Evie never wanted to be in the same room as her again, what she didn't know was why Evie was doing such useless things. Was she trying to achieve a childhood dream of hers? Or was she simply rubbing salt into a wound that refused to heal? Whatever the case, Mal was livid. She couldn't believe Evie was using her royal status so pointlessly.
She has spent months trying to plot the perfect plan, trying to find the perfect moment to strike. However, now she realizes that the time may never come and if it does it might be too late. There is no time like the present.
Mal stood straight, her shoulders back, and hands in fists. She marched out of her room and off down the hallway to the Grand Hall. As she walked she saw several henchmen cower in fear, and some whispering about various things like the ball or the fact she was finally out of her room. She marched all the way down the stairs and to the hall where Maleficent's throne stood. She stepped up to it and saw her dark scepter leaning against one of the arms. She swiftly picked it up and examined the crystal closer, caressing it with her other hand. A wicked grin grew on her face as she quickly turned and left. Making her way towards the bustling streets of the Isle. Her sinister smile never leaving her face.