CJ and Dizzy locked Mal in the cell in the dankest and dampest part of the brig. They did not remove the cuffs, sadly. Mal knew it was wishful thinking to hope she would.

"CJ, tell me where Margaret is," Mal ordered. It had not escaped her that Margaret, her fellow prisoner, had not been shoved into a cell with her. They were mere acquaintances, but Mal knew she would not do well on the Isle on her own.

The youngest Hook child shrugged. "Not here. Gil and Harry took her somewhere as soon as we shoved you down here."

"Why did they take her," Mal demanded. She had a terrible feeling about Margaret not being treated like a normal prisoner.

"Gil mentioned that it was a family matter, but he did not elaborate," Dizzy piped in. The young carrot-top girl rubbed the handle of her sword nervously.

"Dizzy, what are you even doing on Uma's crew?" Mal asked.

She smiled a bright smile. "I just earned my place. The captain knew I would do anything to earn my place. So I watched the barrier to see just who would come after you."

"It was you who told the pirates Ben and Margaret were on the Isle!"

"Sorry. I had been trying to earn my place and the loyalty for a long time. It was all Uma needed to let me in," Dizzy said. She was proud she had finally found her place, even if Mal's glare was scaring her.

Mal blew her bangs out of her place. She was annoyed. The two girls were clearly her guards as they had not left yet.

"What is Uma planning? Why is it so important to get to Auradon?"

"We don't know," CJ began.

"And it is none of your business anyways, Mal," Harry finished for his sister. "CJ, Dizzy, scram. There is a meeting on deck, right now."

"Hook," Mal hissed.

"Stop fiddling with the cuffs. There is no lock or key, and not way for you to get out of them." Mal knew it was not possible for that to be true, but she hadn't even found the seam on them yet.

"They are shackles. All shackles can be picked," Mal shot back, even as she felt around the smoot material. "Where is the key hole?"

"I just told you, lass."

"What are you planning, Harry?" Mal grated out.

"Me? I am not planning anything," Harry said. It was dramatic, but Mal expected mothing less. "Enjoy your stay, Mal. If your friends let you down, you'll need to enjoy your last few days alive. Unless you're lucky and Uma is feeling nice enough to let you drown and see if you can swim back to shore." Harry laughed and turned to leave.

"Harry, if it is not your plan, or Uma's at that, whose plan is it?" Mal asked.

"Nice try, Mal. You've lost your touch. You aren't getting anything out of me. "Now I have a meeting as well as an initiation ceremony to attend. If you will excuse me."

Harry vanished up the ladder into the light of the upper deck, before he slammed the door, and left Mal in complete darkness. What could the pirates possibly be up to? There was no way that they simply wanted off the Isle. It was unthinkable. But Mal had to wonder what was really going on here.

King Beast was in shock of his son, and the Fairy Godmother.

"The two of you are really serious about this?" He look up from the letter demanding what were outlandish demands to the king.

"I believe this is giving us a very good opportunity to bring over more kids from the Isle. These are children who are willing to make changes to better their lives, to become good," Fairy Godmother beamed.

"Headmistress, they are using two of your students as hostages," said, the disapproval clear in his tone.

"They are just kids, Dad. I don't fault them for how they are going about this. They do not know how to get what they want, so they demanded it with a bargaining chip. Even if it was ill gained. I have seen the Isle myself, and I cannot blame Captain Uma and her crew for wanting to leave," Ben tried to appeal to his father.

"Ben, they are holding your villainess and the Princess of Arendelle hostage," Beast yelled, he pounded his fist on his desk.

"Excuse me, but what did you just say, Father?" Ben asked in disbelief.

"Margaret, the Princess of Arendelle. She is one of the hostages, or am I wrong?"

"Since when is she a princess? Never once did anyone mention that Margaret was a foreign dignitary! I would have made Mal take her place and not mine!" Ben now was seeing the severity of the situation at hand.

"All six of those exchange students are royals from sovereign nations, and they all have diplomatic immunity," The Fairy Godmother stated. "Your Highness, I don't think we have a choice but to let these kids off the Isle. Otherwise, you may be facing war with Arendelle."

"I agree. They have not done anything wrong. I knew what I was getting into going to the Isle of the Lost, and so did Margaret. We should allow them to come," Ben agreed. "All eighteen of them have signed Captain Uma's declaration and peace treaty. All they want is to be able to live on their ship, and do "as they please if you let them come to Auradon. They are not going to cause too much trouble."

"What if I say no and have soldiers remove Mal and the princess from the Isle?" the king retorted.

"Then they will retaliate and they will kill the hostages."

"Do you see what I mean?" Beast exclaimed.

"Dad, please. It is an opportunity, and yes they do have hostages, but we have the power to change things and try and mend the bridge between villains and heroes. Wouldn't you like to have all of your people proud of our country? Even the ones you would rather pretend if they didn't exist?"

Beast sighed. He was getting annoyed with his son always looking on the bright side of these things. "Fine, but when this all goes to hell, I will send them right back to where they came from without as much as a snap of my fingers."

Ben grinned. "Thank you, Dad, thank you!"