Terrible secrets are revealed

A bead of sweat crested his eyebrow and he quickly whisked it away. He pursed his lips as he worked and delicately dropped a small bit of solution into a test tube. His eyes were stinging. He couldn't look away for even a second, or else a spark of disaster would erupt. He walked a very dangerous and fine line as another drop crashed into the solution. A slow, steady breath escaped his lips. Another drop. It wasn't smart to think about if something could go wrong, it was better to think about when it could go wrong. Another drop. He had to keep a calm mind to steady his hand, the carrier of his instruments and what could be his ultimate demise. One last drop fell into the solution, and the color turned a dark shade.

He brought the solution up to the dinky light hanging from the ceiling and swirled the liquid around. All but a faint bit of color faded from the solution and a momentous grin painted itself on his face.

"I've got it!" He said with surprise as he held it up victoriously, never letting his eyes leave the glass.

"I've got it!" He repeated gleefully. Then in a more sensible moment he put the solution back on the table in a holder and ripped off his gloves. He scanned his notebook then began scribbling in data and chemical equations.

Carlos was well into the fourth day of research on a cure to Evie's poison. Several nights passing out at his desk and not eating accompanied his madness. His hair stuck out all sorts of ways, his eyes were bloodshot with dark bags under them, and he hadn't changed out of his dirty tank top and torn up jeans for days. He was finding a cure, no matter what it would take from him.

Despite his questionable research habits, Carlos never felt more like in his element than when he was in his workshop. The smell of the chemicals, the dim lights, the messy table tops, he loved it all. He did have his own room once, and he suspected it was still around somewhere in the castle, but within the first few months of living there he rarely ever slept in his bed. He fell asleep working on blueprints or tinkering with gadgets. It made sense to him. It was something he was good at. That doesn't go without notice on the Isle.

Out of everyone who lives on the Isle, Carlos was most notoriously known for being: the "gadget guy, the "guy who tinkers", or "that kid who keeps stealing all the parts from my bathtub". Talent doesn't go unnoticed on the Isle. Especially when you're a villain kid.

He still remembers that day when he was six years old and Mal walked up to him like she owned the place.

You're that kid who put a smoke bomb through the Evil Queen's window, right?

He blocked off the memory from coming to the surface. So much has changed since then. They were just kids, stupid kids. He couldn't let the past drag him down.

After finishing the equations he quickly stood and scanned the bottles of chemicals that lined his shelf. A dark blue finger crested each of the bottles. He may have nicked his finger on the knife which happened to still have some poison coated on it. He didn't feel any different, just those same protruding veins came from the wound. He suspected the toxin had a reaction to the blood. He also suspected that a lethal dose of the poison required the blade to enter much deeper into the skin. Mal knew exactly what she was doing. The wound didn't bother him too much, besides it was much better to experiment on rather than on Evie.

Upon reaching the correct bottle, he snatched it off the shelf and brought it back over to the worktable. He opened a few drawers and pulled out a small box which had a dusting of metal shards at the bottom. Carlos flipped a switch, adjusted a dial, and used his lighter to ignite the flame that came from a tube in the table. Using a stick to scrape out a few of the shards, he put them in a new test tube then held it above the flame. He waited several minutes before the shards reacted to the heat and began to melt. Once in a liquid state, Carlos used his pipette to drop in a few drops of his new chemical. The solution turned cloudy and faint gas flowed out of the tube.

Just like he'd always done. He didn't even need to think about any of his actions; they just happened automatically. He brought his attention back to the original solution. Taking both test tubes he dumped the liquid into a flask. Swirling it around, he brought it up to the light and watched the components bond together. A steady breath escaped him as he watched waiting for something to happen.

"Dammit!" He cried out, slamming the flask down and slouching back over the table. The glass rattled and some chemicals spilled. He was so close, he just didn't know how much time he had.

Sitting down on the stool he buried his head into his arms, attempting to calm himself. He could have fallen asleep right there if he hadn't heard a light fizzing sound. He looked up and into the flask to see a dramatic color change and bubbles floating to the top. His spirits soared.

"Oh my god…" he said in disbelief, "oh my… that's it!"

Carefully he used the pipette to collect some of the liquid, then placed a few drops onto his own wound. Each drop fell in and it stung like hell. He bit his lip as his normal coloration came back, and suddenly he could feel his finger again.

"That's it…" he could hardly believe it, he scanned over his notes a thousand times looking for any imperfections, "that's it! I've got the antidote!"

He furiously wrote down some data and then slammed his pen down, stopped up the flask, slipped on his jacket, then rushed out the door flask in hand.

"I've got it!" He screamed down the hallway as he ran as fast as he could amidst his current unhealed injuries.

Evie was sitting up in her bed, her face was returning to a normal coloration and a pleasant smile was on her face as she looked down at Carlos who had fallen asleep at her bedside. His antidote was a success against all the odds. The doctors insisted it wouldn't help. She wasn't completely better but she felt a great bit of strength return to her after the antidote took effect. The doctors still suspect she'll need to rest a couple more days, but she is now strong enough to hold meetings and arrange plans. She patted Carlos' head and ran her fingers through his hair, she'd never been more proud of him.

She knew he hadn't slept in days, even before she was poisoned he couldn't sleep with Mal in the castle again. His body just gave out as they were talking in her room. Before that she was told Mal had escaped, though somehow she already knew. There was a presence about her that Evie could always identify. That didn't mean she was any less disappointed. Mal doesn't fall for the same tricks twice.

She happened to see a glimpse of herself in the mirror across her room. She focused on it seeing herself for the first time in days and frankly she barely recognized herself. It wasn't the lack of make up or hygiene, but she just looked so much older. Not in a withering way, in a more dignified way. As if she was shaped into a new person. Had her eyes always been that dark? Had her lips always had that frown? For the first time in her entire life she saw a resemblance in herself she never thought she'd see: her mother. Before the Isle, before Snow White, before when she was just a queen. Evie couldn't help but fixate on herself even more, leaning closer and almost hearing a beckoning call to the mirror.

Those thoughts were cut short when a wild girl burst through her door.

"Evie!" A frantic Dizzy spurted, slamming the door behind her and looking around the room suspiciously as if they were being watched.

She felt Carlos stir under her hand, "Dizzy!" she whispered to her, motioning to the sleeping boy on her bed.

"Sorry!" Dizzy whispered back and then hopped up onto the other side of her bed, "I couldn't wait any longer!"

"I sure am getting a lot of visitors today." Evie commented.

"Evie…" she said in a very frightful tone, that's what made the queen lookup with concern. She couldn't stand to see Dizzy so scared.

"What is it?" she laughed lightly, trying to calm her down.

"I have to tell you something," Dizzy covered her face with her hands, "it's bad…"

"What is it?" Evie's concern grew immensely.

"Do you remember that servant boy that I told you about? The one from the ball?"

"Yes, of course. He works as an errand boy here in the castle."

"I saw him last night… in his room."

Her heart dropped with dread, "Dizzy if he made you do anything you didn't want to do-"

"No! It's not that!" She became frustrated and Evie felt Carlos stir again in her hand.

"Well then what?"

"I saw him take something out of the floorboards. It was for writing letters. And there was a wax sealer. With a Royal Auradon Crest on the bottom."

That's when Evie's heart really dropped but this time with shock.

"Wha- what do you mean a royal crest? You can't be serious, Dizzy."

"I saw it! I saw it with my own eyes clear as a glass slipper!" She defended fiercely.

"You can't get something like that here, you can't even counterfeit one they're made with a special material that can't be mimicked. No one on the Isle has ever even seen an Auradon wax sealer, let alone have the resources to make one."

"Not unless he had been there himself." A mumbling came from the sleeping boy on the bed who lifted himself up tiredly.

"Since when are you awake?" Evie accused.

"I heard the end of that sentence and found myself more seduced by that than sleep." Carlos stood up straight and adjusted his jacket.

"So you're saying what? He up and left the Isle?" she said sarcastically, "not sure if you're aware but there's a barrier surrounding it."

"True, not even the Mistress of all Evil can penetrate it," he determined, "that means he's potentially more dangerous than we know."

"He's a servant here," Dizzy piped up, "he runs errands in the marketplace."

"Certainly a good enough position to make some connections, or more concerningly he works alone." Carlos speculated as he paced around the room.

"Do you both know how ridiculous you sound?" Evie was exasperated, "we're talking about the impossible here. Are we sure you didn't just see it wrong, dear?"

"I've seen that crest everyday since I was born, I look at it on labels and posters. I see it on the corner of my tv every time the news plays. I've seen it on the uniforms of guards that bring the supply ships. I know what I saw." She told her, deadly serious.

"I'm sorry, Dizzy, but your word isn't good enough against the impossible," she stroked her hair, concerned for the girl, "maybe you're just seeing what you want to see?"

"I saw it." She spoke, growing frustrated. Evie did find that concerning, Dizzy didn't often defend herself so fiercely.

"Let's say he did manage to leave," Carlos spoke up, "why would he come back? Nothing here but broken souls."

"Carlos." Evie warned sternly, hinting to him to drop the subject.

"I'm serious," he replied with the same tone, "even if there's a slight chance that what Dizzy saw was real, it would be a game changer here. Life and death. The fate of the Isle would rest on this information."

Evie then looked back at Dizzy and saw those pleading puppy dog eyes. The girl was still so young. No reason to lie, at least not yet.

"You have to believe me." she squeaked.

She let out a frustrated huff and after a moment she came to a conclusion, "find the boy and question him. And find that wax sealer and bring it to me."

Dizzy's face lit up, "you really believe me?"

"I didn't say that." she told her.

"Best we do this with discretion, no telling what our… enemy would do with information like this. Not to mention any of the villains on this Isle," Carlos concluded, "I'll go alone, if Jay gets back soon I'll have him help with the interrogation."

"Thank you, Carlos." Evie told him with kindness. He nodded and went his way out the door.

Evie looked back at Dizzy who was pulling at the threads of her sheets nervously.

"Thank you." She said shyly.

"Oh, Dizzy…" Evie couldn't help but embrace her lovingly.

A few days pass and the queen walks with her guards either side of her down the hallway. Her hands were folded delicately in front of her and her posture was perfection. She walked with such grace and precision as guards and servants bowed as she passed. She made her way down to the servant's quarters with haste. Reaching a door she stopped in front of it before looking at one of her guards.

"You are dismissed." She ordered, they didn't even say anything, just bowed and left her. Evie has certainly commanded respect among the castle staff. Even if it did take some persuasion at times.

She looked up and down the hallway before sliding into the room, and discreetly closing the door behind her.

She was met with a boy, looking about 16 or 17 years old, with a burning hatred in his eyes. His hands were bound together behind the chair he sat in. His breaths were heavy and spattered, his face was bloodied and bruised, his eye was swollen shut. He was alone in the room.

"This how you treat all your guests?" He spat out some blood on the floor, "your majesty?"

"I don't quite like your tone." She told him, then moving to the other side of the room where curtains covered a window. She carefully peeked outside to see the great blue ocean and the shimmer of the magical barrier.

"You queens are all the same." He commented.

"You'd best keep those thoughts to yourself." She warned with a venomous threat.

"What're you gonna do if I don't? Throw me out on the streets? From what I can tell I'm a pretty high value prisoner right now."

"And do you know why that is?"

"Haven't got the faintest idea, your majesty." he sneered, mocking her title.

"So you've said for these past few days."

"Why'd you come here alone? Your lap dogs busy today?"

"That's not important right now."

"You think you can come in here with your lady charms and get me to tell you what you want to hear, don't you? Ain't happening, your majesty."

"While my lady charms, as you put it, are certainly not off the table I just came here to have a simple conversation. Are you capable of that?"

"Don't see why not."

She then collected her thoughts and situated herself. She walked and met with the boy face to face; eye to eye. Looking for even a whiff of imperfection.

"Your name?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Who are your parents."

"Don't know. They died when I was a kid."

"Any siblings?"

"No, only child."

"Where'd you grow up?"

"On the streets east side of the Isle, by Hell Hall."

"Did you make any friends?"

"A few. Traitors the lot of them. Left me for dead on the docks one night and at the mercy of Uma's crew. But you know all about betrayal don't you, your majesty?"

She couldn't lie to herself. That one stung a bit. But she pressed on.

"When did you start working here?"

"Four years ago. Dragon Queen's first year in reign."

"What did you do?"

"Cleaning duty."

"When were you promoted?"

"6 months ago."

"By who?"

"Mister Samuel, I'm sure you know him. Said a fine strong boy like me should be out fetching the supplies."

"Do you have any friends now?"

"I'm sure you can understand I'm not the most trusting type."

Evie stopped and calmly backed up from him. She never looked away from his eyes that had an underlying disgust in them.

"You certainly have all the answers, don't you?" she pressed

"Like I said before, your majesty, I haven't a clue why I'm here." he sneered back. He definitely had some attitude problems.

She circled around him, analyzing him as if he were an animal in a cage. He was compelling; he didn't act like any Isle kid she knew. The Isle kids knew fear in their hearts, it was practically bred in them. Fear is what chased them in the streets, they knew how to use fear to their advantage, and their eyes always showed their fear. Always something that pulled their strings. Even the baddest among them couldn't escape it. It grew in every corner, seeped into every vein, and it was their greatest weapon.

He didn't have that. He didn't fear nor did he use fear. As if he were above it all.

Evie knelt down in front of him, meeting his eye level.

"Do you remember the day Mal was stripped of her throne?" She asked darkly.

"This is seeming more and more like an interrogation rather than a conversation."

"Answer me." She leaned in closer to him, using that Isle fear and menace in her eyes.

She could practically see his heart skip a beat, "of course I remember. Who wouldn't?"

"Do you remember how she looked at everyone? How she looked at me?" Evie's emphasis on that word only brought more terrorized confusion in him, though he maintained a sensible composure.

"She was… angry, your majesty," the way he said those words weighed down on her deliciously, "she looked like she was going to kill you. As if she was a tiger and you took her food."

"Experience a lot of tigers in your time?"

"I've read about them in books."

"And when you heard of the Dragon Queen falling, what did you do?"

"I don't know, I think I made a bet with a guy over how long she'd live."

"Wrong."

"Wrong? What do you mean?"

"You should have been bowing to me," she hissed and stood up straight, standing over him, "do you pledge your allegiance to me?"

He looked to the side, "of course, your majesty."

"Look me in the eye and tell me." She commanded.

He hesitated, then slowly brought his eyes up to hers. They were spiteful and resilient.

"I… pledge my allegiance to you, Queen Evie." He spoke through his teeth.

"Having trouble?" She teased, "bow to me, scum!"

He bowed his head, "I serve you, your majesty."

"Maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe you are just some dirty gutter rat. Living on the streets, scrounging for food. You live and breathe this castle. I couldn't possibly think you were a traitor to me." She turned away, waiting for a response. She always felt that people revealed more of themselves when no one was looking.

"You don't know anything about me." He spoke in a spiteful tone. His first mistake.

"Did you pledge your allegiance to Mal?" She asked him, turning her head to the side.

"When she ruled the Isle, yes, and now you rule. Nothing else to say."

"Would you again if she were to take back the throne?"

"I suppose I would. Wouldn't have much faith in this Isle though with all the damn leadership changes." Politics. His second mistake.

"Do you believe you are treated fairly here? Working in this castle?"

"All due respect, your majesty, but going out to the marketplace to fetch beans isn't my idea of a good time." He spoke in a tone of disgust. His final mistake. She turned back to face him.

"You are my servant, scum, you do not disrespect my court."

"I'll disrespect whatever I want to disrespect."

"You're asking for a beating aren't you?"

"Looks like I didn't have to ask for one, I've been sitting in my own blood for days now."

"Who are you, really?"

"I'm me, I work in this castle. I get your food and I clean your halls."

"You and I both know that won't suffice. Answer me." She scowled.

"Who do you think you are, ordering me around?" He frowned with disgust.

"Answer your queen!"

"You're no queen to me!" he shouted back in her face. A stunning silence fell upon them.

The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Both in a standoff, eyeing each other waiting for any sudden movements. Endless minutes passed of the both of them just staring into each other's eyes. Evie's full of frustration and bloodlust. His full of defiance and justice. Each waiting for the other to break. He leaned back in his chair, accepting defeat.

That villainous grin she inherited from her mother spread across her face, "explain yourself." she said triumphantly, power surging through her.

He took a deep breath, thought for a moment, then looked her dead in the eye with a different tone. A much more dangerous tone: "don't kill me, I can be an asset to you."

"You are allied with Mal, aren't you?"

"Don't pester me with your childish quarrels, villain," he insulted, "my name is Markus Dumand, I am from Auradon. A spy of the royal court to be exact."

Evie glanced up to see the golden wax sealer on the table behind him. She saw clearly and perfectly, the Auradon Royal Crest.