From across the sparkling blue sea, Mal could see the barrier around the Isle of the Lost flickering and shimmering every now and then. The barrier grew to be a constant reminder that the people of the island were prisoners; that they couldn't escape their fate. Yes, they deserved to be there for their crime, but their chi—

"OW!" Mal cried out painfully when rough fabric brushed against her back, knocking her out of her thoughts. "Evie, that hurts!"

"Sorry, M," Evie apologized, brushing the lavender fabric of the cap over the heiress's shoulder. "I keep forgetting about your scars. I can't believe you still feel pain after so many years of it being gone."

"Neither can I," Mal grumbled as she turned to gaze at her back in the mirror.

At the moment, the two princesses were in Mal's bedroom as Evie fitted her for her coronation dress. In just a few short weeks when she turned sixteen, Mal would become the 'Queen of Auradon'. She couldn't wait to prove to everyone that she is worthy of the crown. The only thing that made her hesitant were those two nubs on her upper-back that haunted her. If not covered by a bandage, they cause her tremendous pain when brushed up against anything. Evie has made many beautiful designs for backless dresses, but nothing could work without the potential of Mal getting hurt in some way. They hoped her coronation dress could be an exception, but so far it hasn't turned out that way.

Before their initial discussion could continue, there was a soft knock on the bedroom door followed by a voice calling out, "Mali? Evie? May we come in?"

"Yes, Daddy!" Mal answered while throwing the cap back over her shoulder, wincing slightly when it rubbed against her stubborn injuries. "The door is open!"

At the response, the door slowly opened to give the girls more time to prepare themselves if necessary. When her parents walked into the room, Mal couldn't help holding her breath at their combined beauty. Her mother, Queen Maleficent, looked as radiant as ever with her luscious brown hair cascading pass her waist, her simple dark dress that seem to flow with the wind, and her massive wings that trailed behind her as she walked. Her father, King Hades, looked as handsome as ever with his dark colored suit that contrasted with his pale skin, his short abnormal blue hair that can turn to flames at a moment's notice or change to red when he's angered, and his vibrant blue eyes that seems to glow every time he smiles, laughs, or in the presence of his wife and daughter.

"You have out-done yourself, Evie," Maleficent complimented as she observed the lavender dress. "My Baby Girl is really starting to look like a queen."

"The dress may not be ready in time," Evie cautiously warned while she worked to remove the pinned cape from the future queen's back. "This is basically the 'outline' of the dress, so to speak. I planned on adding many more layers to the dress and the cape is nowhere near the length I wanted. I've debated making a new dress entirely so it can be finished on time."

"Do whatever you think is necessary. We trust your decision," Hades kindly encouraged. "Mali, you wanted to speak to us about something?"

Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, Mal revealed, "I've decided on my first official proclamation as 'queen'."

"Already?" Maleficent questioned in surprise. "Your coronation isn't for a couple more months."

"I know, Momma," Mal insisted, hoping she could get through the conversation without losing her courage completely. "I wanted to start early, that way the people can see the impact of my decree."

"It must be something big," Hades deduced before raising a questioning eyebrow. "I assume it has something to do with the Isle of the Lost. I hope you are not thinking about removing the barrier already."

"Not the barrier," Mal reassured hurriedly. "I want to give the children of the Isle a chance to live in Auradon."

At first, her parents simply stared at her, almost like they were waiting for her to say more. Evie, believing there to be tension in the room, mumbled, "I should go. . ."

"No," Hades denied before the other princess could have the chance to pack her sewing supplies. "Stay. We could use a third-party opinion on this if there's a dispute."

Adverting his attention back to his daughter, the king calmly wondered, "Why do you want the children to come to Auradon?"

"The children are innocent," Mal explained convincingly. "Their parents committed the crimes that caused them to be on the Isle. The children are on the island when they have done nothing. I strongly believe they deserve a chance to live a normal life, free from judgement caused by their parents' decisions. I may have written to Fairy Godmother to get a list of the children."

"Of course." Hades shook his head in amusement. "What did she want in return?"

"Her daughter to be one of the chosen," Mal answered like it wasn't that big of an issue. "I thought the total number of children could be four because of it."

"That's too little," Hades argued. "If you want to make an impact, the number shouldn't be that small."

"Maybe seven?" Maleficent suggested.

"That's too many," Hades denied with a sigh. "And the Isle citizens will argue unfairness if there is an uneven number of boys and girls."

"How about six?" Evie compromised, seeing it would take a while for the family to reach a decision on their own. "Three girls and three boys. King Hades and Queen Maleficent, your daughter has already chosen a child, so you two could each choose a child too. For the remaining three, you can work together to decide. However, you also need to keep in mind that some of the parents are kings, queens, princes, and princesses on the Island. To make it completely fair, three of the six children have to have royal blood."

Maleficent perked up at the potential solution as she turned her husband urgently. "Beasty," she began hurriedly, "she is a princess and has a daughter Mal's age. Beasty wrote to me years ago, promising she would teach her daughter to be kind, sweet, everything that an Isle child isn't. If we approved Mal's decree, would it be alright if I chose that girl?"

"This will take more than simply choosing a few children," Hades reminded logically. "We will have to find them dorm rooms to stay in, create their class schedules, assure that they are all taught to be good—"

"We'll create a class for them," Mal reassured before her father could drone on forever. "The headmaster of Auradon Prep, Dr. Facilier, teaches for half the day. I can negotiate with him to add a 'Remedial Goodness' class to his schedule. He'll agree to anything if the negotiations involve something positive for his daughter."

"He does love to spoil Celia," Hades mused. "But the royal children will want their own room—"

"I'll give up my dorm room!" Mal stubbornly insisted. "Evie doesn't mind if I stay in her room whenever needed. Jay and Carlos agreed to room together so that opens up another room. We'll have to wait until we choose all the candidates to figure out if we need another room."

The king lightly glared at the princess at the information. "I know those boys are your friends, but why did you have to tell them before me and your mother?"

"Fairy Godmother's daughter has a dog that follows her everywhere she goes," Mal claimed before her father could lose his temper. "Fairy Godmother described him as a therapy dog, but a vicious one with no training. He has to go with her daughter, so I thought I could convince Carlos to train the dog and teach the girl how to properly control her dog."

When she saw the reluctance in her parents' eyes, the princess thought about trying a more . . . personal approach. "I trusted you as a child when you took it from me," Mal reminded softly. "I need you to trust me when I take the children off the island."

"Mal," Maleficent warned sadly, "we did what we had to do to protect you."

"And I'm doing what is best for those children," Mal asserted. "You won't change my mind on this."

Pondering on a few scenarios, Hades sighed. "A few years ago, I met a woman while she was in the Underworld," he informed. "She died giving birth to her son. While I was judging her soul, I promise to one day take her son away from his father before he could become too corrupted by him. If he is on the list, then I will approve your proclamation."

Anticipation building inside her, Mal quickly grabbed the list from her nearby desk and handed to her father. It had to be at least fifteen pages thick with at least four children for one page. The list contained names, parents' names, history on the Isle, and the children's pictures. Hades barely glanced at the first page before handing the stack back.

"Once you're done with your fitting, head to my office," Hades requested as a kind smile emerged on his lips. "We have a lot of work to do before we get those kids."