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"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. One who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."
...
Sleeping in Ben's sheets that night was unnerving to say the least. He had been in a fury when she returned, roaring in fury. Of course, he hadn't known Mal was watching his 'kingly' tantrum from the shadows. She had never seen this part of her fiancé before, and honestly Mal was really scared. Sure she had been afraid before, but this was Ben's storm, one that was almost always hidden by the calm. Audrey was severely weak because of his actions, and Mal wanted to know why.
Rolling out of the bed, the Dragon Girl yawned widely. Her creamy skin glistened in the sunlight as she dressed for the day, choosing a pair of purple leather pants, a black tank top and a purple and green leather jacket for the trip. Lacing up her boots, Mal frowned when she heard Ben yelling from downstairs. Waving a hand, the noises became clear as an audio enhancing spell created an echo chamber in the bedroom.
"...what do you mean you can't find her?" Ben asked, no doubt yelling at the guards who had been watching her the day before, "you idiots, this is serious! Take as many men as you need, I want her back here on her knees, along with her accomplices."
"What will we do once we have her?" One of the guards asked, only to have Ben grunt.
"She's to much trouble to use at this point. Take her to the docks and stick her on the next boat to the Arctic, pay one of the men to throw her overboard. I honestly don't care what you do, just get creative. I want the last Queen of Auroria silenced for good."
"Yessir. What of the accomplices?"
"Kill them outright, whoever they are. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a beautiful woman upstairs in my bed I'd like to get back to."
Gasping and waving away the audio spell, Mal jumped as her phone began to ring. Answering it, Evie was on the other end of the line.
"E? What's up."
"Mal, have you seen the news?"
"No, I just got up —"
"Aurora and Phillip are dead, Mal." Evie sputtered fearfully, "They were killed in some sort of car accident last night."
"Oh, oh god...no." Holding a hand to her mouth, Ben calling Audrey the 'last Queen of Auroria' made sense. Shaking her head, Mal focused on the phone call, "What about Audrey, does she know yet?"
"She's even worse then yesterday, Mal. Her fever is rising by the minute; I think it's an infection. She needs a doctor, now. It's an emergency."
"Ok, ok," pacing back and forth, Mal kept an eye on the door for Ben as she spoke softly, "listen E, Ben is furious that Audrey is gone. You guys need to get out of there."
"Mal, we can't. She's too sick —"
"Then make sure you stay hidden. I'll figure out something." Running a hand through her hair furiously, Mal exhaled deeply in frustration. Glancing up, the doorknob jiggled as the Dragon Girl stifled a fearful gasp, "I gotta go."
Pocketing her phone, Mal slipped it away as Ben entered. He looked like his usual self, crown slightly lopsided as he smiled.
"Morning, beautiful."
"Ben. Hi...sorry, I was going to meet you in the study."
"Nah, nothing too important going on. So," walking to Mal and wrapping his arms around her, Ben smiled sweetly, "what are your plans for today? I thought maybe we could sneak away to the Enchanted Lake later."
"Oh Ben, I would." Kissing the boy as truthfully as possible, Mal avoided eye contact with him as she focused on his tie, "but I was going to head to the Isle with Evie and the gang today. Celia is feeling homesick, so we were going to let her see her dad, see if we can't help with the transition."
"That's so great of you," Ben admitted, resting his chin on the top of Mal's head as they swayed. It was almost like they were back to normal, if not for the cruel conversation which Mal had only just overheard, "take Lumiere, he can drive you through the barrier. When will you be home?"
"Probably not till later," Mal lied smoothly,
"I'm sorry, babe."
"Don't worry about it, I have some work I need to get done today anyway. See you when you get back, yeah?"
"Yeah. Thank you, Ben. I...love you."
"I love you, too."
Kissing again, Ben left the bedroom as Mal sighed heavily in relief. Thank goodness Ben didn't suspect her of anything. It probably wouldn't stay that way for much longer, but at least it would give Mal time to figure out a way to get Audrey to the Isle. Shaking her head, Mal tied her hair up mindlessly and left the room. Galloping downstairs, Lumiere was waiting for her.
"The King has requested that I drive you to your destination."
"That's really ok, Lumiere, I can manage on the moped."
"I think you'll appreciate the comfort of the limousine, Mademoiselle." The steward insisted, following Mal out of the palace, "after all, there will be six of you. Correct?"
Swiveling on the candlestick man, Mal's jaw unhooked slightly as Lumiere gave a subtle nod towards the black royal car, "less suspicion in that, then a group on motorbikes."
"You heard..."
"Yes. Come, will will discuss on the way."
Shallowing thickly, Mal nodded her head as she turned to look back at the palace. Ben was watching from one of the high windows, his smile fake from a distance as he waved. Forcing a smile and waving back at him, Mal got into the limo. When they were on their way, the castle disappearing from sight, Lumiere finally began to speak again. "I have served the royal family for many years; you understand Mademoiselle? But I have noticed change in them over time. When Audrey came across the compendium in Ben's study I tried to protect her, tried to talk her out of confronting the King about his curse but she was too afraid and too stubborn to listen."
"So you know about the secret? About the Tyrant King, I mean."
"I know of it's existence, yes. And I know the Princess was brought to the Palace under false pretenses of murder yesterday eve. I made sure she was fed; little good that did."
"Audrey is really sick, Lumiere," Mal explained to the man, who's expression was grave, "we know a Doctor on the Isle who may be able to help her..."
"You do not have to explain, I will do all in my power to transport you safely to your destination,"
"Thank you. Really, it means a lot."
"Of course, Mademoiselle. I know there is a way to save the young King, somewhere. And if anyone can reverse his future, it's you."
Smiling at her in the rear view mirror, Mal pulled out her phone. Calling Evie up, she answered after the first ring.
"Mal? Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Ben doesn't suspect anything...at least I don't think he does. How's Audrey?"
"Getting worse. We can't rouse her."
"Alright. Just do what you can for now. Listen, I know how to get us to the Isle without getting caught but we need to pick up Celia first. Can you hold out till then?"
"I think so. But please hurry Mal, even Jane's magic can't help Audrey for long."
"We'll be there soon. I love you, E."
"Love you too, M."
Hanging up swiftly, Mal directed Lumiere to Evie's castle as she rung Doug, who then passed the phone to Celia.
"Mal? Why haven't you been back, it's been days."
"Celia, listen. I need your help with something. Remember when you told me you wanted to be part of something big when you came to Auradon?"
"Yep! Like you guys."
"Great. We're going on a mission to the Isle but we need to get into your dads place. Come with us, and you'll be a hero...at least in our eyes."
"Awe, but I just got here!" Folding her arms, Celia pouted a bit as Mal held her arms gently.
"Celia, please, this is really important. A life may be on the line."
"Alright, alright I'll help. When are you coming?"
"Right now."
Pulling up to the Starter Castle, Mal noticed the twins and Dizzy in one of the high windows looking down on them. Hanging up the phone and setting out of the car to greet Doug, he looked worried as he ran to meet the limo.
"Mal, what's going on? Where's Evie?"
"She's someplace safe, Doug, I promise. But you need to keep the kids protected while we're gone. If Ben comes here asking about us, Celia is homesick and we are taking her to help with transitioning."
"I am?"
Glancing down beside Doug, Celia was wide as Mal smiled weakly at her.
"Yes, you are. Think you can handle this mission with us?"
"Yeah. I'm not excited about being on the Isle, but as long as we'll come back here after."
"We will." Reaching out, Mal dropped a hand onto Doug's shoulder. "Doug, Evie will be safe with us. But we need you here."
"Alright. Just, watch my princess for me."
"I will. We," pulling Celia into a side hug, the girl scowled at the affection, "will. Come on, we need to move."
Opening the door for Celia to scramble in, Mal jumped in after her as the limo skidded off down the drive. Shooting Evie a text that they were on their way, Mal sighed shakily. She only hoped Audrey could hold on until they got to the Isle.
...
"Courage is grace under pressure."
...
"Mal."
Embracing in front of Fairy Cottage, Mal clutched Evie tightly, "I'm so glad you're ok."
"I'm fine. But Ben...I've never seen him like this before."
Pulling out of the embrace, Mal felt Evie gently adjust her hair with a hand, "he's so cruel, Evie. I don't even know how...how he can hide it so easily."
"I think truth is a bit hard to come by these days." Evie admitted shallowly, turning as the guys exited the cottage. Jay held Audrey in his arms, her pale head tucked against his chest, and her body draped in a large, woolen quilt. She looked weak, and it made Mal's heart surge with guilt. "she's hanging on," Evie croaked, her normally bright eyes deep and sad, "fighting against that fever is making her incredibly weak. I didn't know she had so much willpower."
"We are definitely learning a lot about one another lately," Mal said, trying to lighten the mood as she watched Jay with Audrey, followed by Carlos, slip into the limo. Jane and Lonnie were the last to exit the cottage, appearing better rested then the day before but still troubled. "Jane, Lonnie." Mal addressed them, "It's to dangerous for you to come with us to the Isle."
"We know." Jane admitted with a gentle nod, "That's why we're staying here. Lonnie said I could crash in the Imperial Palace for a while until this blows over."
"Good. Thank you guys both so much for all of your help. I promise we'll get Audrey someplace where she can be cared for."
"We're counting on it," Lonnie said, the girls exchanging hugs with Mal as they parted ways, "take care of her."
"We will. Stay alert out there!"
Waving, Mal got into the limo and shut the door. Turning to the front seat where Celia was sitting, the Dragon Girl nodded to their driver as Lumiere headed off towards the Isle.
"She's struggling." Evie mumbled, drawing Mal back to the situation at hand. Audrey was laid out across Jay and Carlos's laps, completely comatose. Evie was unbelted, leaning on the floor between the two rows of seats with a hand to Audrey's forehead, "her temperature is so high."
Leaning forward to kneel next to her, Mal touched Audrey's good cheek with her own hand. Focusing on her skin, Mal spread her fingers slowly.
"Cool the fire..."
Her magic curling around the young Princess, a soft sheen of frost formed across Audrey's cheeks, and collected upon her brows and lashes as Evie blinked, "this should keep her cool," Mal told her, "at least for now. It won't last long though."
"I hope it's enough."
"It has to be." Furrowing her brows, Mal sat back on her heels, "Did you guys get a chance to study the map and compendium?"
"A bit," Carlos admitted, "there isn't anything about the actual book on the internet, and the only thing we could find was the Compendium of Wonderland. It's basically a long text detailing all of Ben's past, and possibly his present."
"So the image of the Tyrant King? It can be changed since it hasn't happened yet." Mal asked curiously, leaning on a hand as Evie shook her head.
"Not exactly. According to the compendium, Ben was spelled to this fate by the same Enchantress who spelled his father. I think she was jealous of King Adam's wealth and status; even more so after his curse was broken."
"She came to the palace and cursed the baby to a terrible future as a Tyrant King." Carlos continued, "but...there was a condition to the spell. One you may not like, Mal."
Staring between her friends, all of them looked stricken as Mal frowned deeply.
"Don't stop there!" Celia cried from the front seat, leaning around its edge in curiosity, "what's the rest of the story!"
"When the Enchantress cursed Ben, she made it so that he would only become a Tyrant after discovering his true love..."
"...so that he could either suffer lonely all of his life, or come to harm the one who he loved." Evie finished, her eyes foggy with tears as Mal sat back in shock.
"You mean this is all my fault?" Sitting back weakly, Mal held a hand over her lips, "I'm Ben's true love. When I came, his curse must have come true..."
"Mal, you didn't know Ben was going to fall in love with you," Jay insisted, being sure not to move as Audrey laid carefully on his chest, breathing shallowly, "we didn't even know about this curse. You couldn't have stopped it."
"Jay's right, Mal." Evie said, keeping a hand in Mal's shoulder as the information set in, "we didn't know."
"...Audrey may die because of me," Mal croaked, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt take her, "I never even apologized or anything for how I treated her."
"Actions always speak louder then words." Carlos said, "things will turn out right in the end, you'll see."
Smiling weakly at her friends, Mal nodded as she wiped at the tears which had started to slip down the curves of her cheeks.
"Right. I'm ok." Inhaling deeply, Mal turned to Evie, "you have the Compendium?"
"Yep." Reaching through her bag, the blunette pulled out the leather tome. Taking it, Mal resized it and flipped to the middle of the book. The Tyrant King stared back at her in all of his beastly glory, teeth and fangs dripping with blood. But the picture had changed. Instead of the beast standing over a dead woman, he looked to be on some sort of standing platform...almost like a tombstone. Flipping the page, a new image had been added to the compendium.
"Guys, look at this."
Flipping the book around for the rest of the group to see, Mal felt a shiver run through her. A female figure with long, curled hair stood amongst a forest of thorns. She resembled Maleficent, with a crown on her head and a long dark cloak. In one hand she held Dragon Eye, in the other, a raven of death perched on her finger. Mal couldn't determine who the figure was, and she didn't really want to know as the caption wrote itself out.
"The Queen..." Evie mumbled, feeling the page with a hand, "she doesn't look very friendly, does she?"
"No. Let's hope it's not any of us." Mal grumbled, removing the Isle map from between the middle two pages of the tome she held, "I still don't know why Ben would need a map of the Isle of the Lost."
"We'll have to discuss it later, we're coming up on the Isle now." Evie mumbled, shutting the book and shoving it back into her bag as they approached the barrier. Sighing, Mal glanced back to Audrey worriedly. Her skin was a ghostly pale, and she had melted off the coat of frost Mal had laid across her earlier leaving a damp sheen across her skin. Whatever was ailing her was moving quickly, and the Dragon Girl couldn't help but ponder if it was of darker origins then a regular infection.
Feeling the magic of the barrier pull at her heart as they passed through, Mal shivered once they were inside. Before exiting the limousine, they made sure Audrey was well covered up. Standing outside the doors, Celia looked to Mal as she knelt down to her level.
"Alright, we're counting on you now, Celia. You got this?"
"Course I got this." The girl claimed easily, though the nervous flicker in her eyes betrayed her feelings, "this way. And don't attract to much attention."
Watching the girl scamper off, Mal sighed heavily and nodded her group forward. The hard part was over, now, they just had to pray Celia was as sweet of a talker as she claimed.
...
"There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying."
...
"My, my you lot are in a real mess now, aren't cha?"
Dr. Facilier wasn't an outspoken man by any means. He worked in the shadows, and hung amongst the shady crowd. He gathered his wealth through the young, trapping them mentally in his incredibly addictive arcade — the only 'fun' thing on the Isle of the Lost. In the slender man's office, a desk had been emptied off and Audrey lay across it, stark against the dark wood. "My services aren' free, you always need to pay a price."
Mal didn't even speak, merely tossed a bag to the thin man who caught it easily. Opening its top, his smirk turned into a wry grin.
"We have more," Mal said, leaning against the desk, "just...please, we need your help."
"I can do many things," Facilier said smoothly, dropping the bag into his coat pocket as it vanished, "many great and supposedly impossible things. But why do you want to save the girl who caused you so much trouble, eh?"
Mal fought to keep her face straight as Facilier moved about the room, collecting jars and bottles of things. Evie, Jay and Carlos waited outside with Celia, who was no doubt in the arcade somewhere. Mal wanted to face the shadow man alone. "Is it maybe, guilt, that is causing your sudden softness?" The man asked, setting his supplies on the edge of the desk and working as elegantly as one could. "everything has a price, little bird. And it ain't always you who's payin' your debts to the other side."
"Can you save her?" Mal asked quickly, deflecting Facilier's advances into her feelings as he poured everything into a stoneware bowl and mixed it.
"Course' I can. But lemme tell you, this is dark stuff you're dealin' with."
"Dark Magic?" Mal questioned, leaning over Audrey's prone form as Facilier began to smear a whiteish paste across the bad side of her face, creating a skull like pattern around her eyes across her lips, "what sort?"
"Somethin' older then me, and somethin' older then yer mom. That's how old." Facilier said, gently pulling down Audrey's collar and making marks around her collar, "this potion should draw the ailment out."
"Will it hurt?" Mal asked out of curiosity, blinking as Facilier drew a line of paste down her own forehead, then turned and put a wooden mask over his face. Sure the man was smiling wickedly under that ghoulish face, the Dragon Girl jumped as the lights went out. Facilier's laugher chilled her as lights flashed around her. The glowing skeleton on Audrey's skin seemed to come to life before Mal's eyes, dancing across her torso. Laughter mixed with screams of pain as she braved herself on the side of the desk, her whole world spinning.
The skeleton continued to dance around the room, it's bones rattling from the gestures. Then, waving a hand, a green mist poured from the young Sleeping Beauty's lips. Grabbing it, the little skeleton figure began to pull, dragging the spell out of her chest. Mal could only imagine the discomfort as Audrey's sharp cries of pain reached her ears, and then a scream of her own as that same green mist was pulled from her chest.
When it was done, the lights came back on. Audrey had rolled from the desk to the floor, writhing in her pain. Stumbling away from the desk, Mal herself felt dizzy, as the world went dark around her, Audrey's sobbing the last thing echoing in her ears.