A/N I know I said I was going to put this story on the back burner until Journey to Dwarf Mountain was finished but that is going to be a LONG story so I'm going to try to balance updates on the two. Which may be hard. I'm on the last semester of my senior year of high school so I've been hit hard with college stuff and the rest of my required classes plus theatre after school. I'll do my best post a chapter at least once a week but I make no promises. This is just for fun so this isn't going to overrule real life.

Ben sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at the floor. Shiny black dress shoes were beside his feet, and a new royal suit was laid out beside him.

Today was the day.

He didn't want to do this. It made him sick to even think about the words he would have to utter. If he didn't gag during this "ceremony," he would deserve a metal of honor.

A knock on the door broke the king out of his thoughts.

"Sire, it's nearly time." Lumiere announced from the hallway.

Ben sighed. Might as well get it over with. He quickly dressed and walked out of his bedroom.

"Are you ready?" Daisy quietly asked as she smoothed out the skirt of her dress. She thought it was so stupid that they had to dress up for this event.

Today wasn't a day of celebration, not for anyone with a heart or half a brain.

"That's hardly a question to ask me right now. Of course, I'm not ready. Why would I ever be ready for something like this?" Doug huffed from in from of the mirror. He was already on edge but his fighting with his favorite bowtie wasn't helping his mood. "GRAH! That's it! I'm not going!" He yelled him frustration, throwing his tie on the ground.

Daisy gingerly placed a supportive hand on her brother's shoulder. She picked up the green bowtie and put it back around Doug's neck.

"It's the last time we'll ever see them..." Her voice was barely audible and her eyes couldn't look into his as she finished the bowtie.

The older boy sighed. "I know..."

Her hand slid down to take his. Doug's squeezed his sister's fingers gently. After a moment of silence, the siblings left the dorm room.

Dude lay under Jane's chair, patiently waiting for her to finish her make up so they could leave.

Fairy God Mother had told the girl that bringing Dude would be a bad idea, but Jane planned to take the dog no matter what. She was Dude's master now, and she was going to take care of him just as well as his last master did.

The girl stood up and looked down at the mutt sitting at her feet. "We've been over this: you can come as long as you stay quiet. Whimpers are allowed, but no barking. Understand?"

Dude barked once in response.

Jane smiled fondly at the dog. She picked him up and clipped on his leash, for precaution. "Let's go then."

"Up and at 'em! Today's judgment day for you, scum!" The police officer barked as he entered the cell block.

Mal groaned. This guy was one thing she was damn sure not going to miss when they got back to the island. He was a different kind of cruel. He spoke as if there was a chance she and her siblings wouldn't be sent back to the Isle of the Lost. He talked like they had hope.

There was no hope, no light at the end of this tunnel. That was made blatantly obvious when they were convicted and thrown in these cells.

The officer opened Evie's cell first. The bluenette looked a wreck. She had cried so much. She didn't even care how she looked anymore. This whole experience had truly broken her.

Carlos wasn't much better. He had fried his brain trying to figure out what had caused all this, why they had been charged guilty, and how to maybe get them out of this mess. The youngest of the group twirled a dog tag between his fingers, constantly inspecting the metal piece as he contemplated everything.

Jay was so passive during this whole thing it almost scared Mal. Jay was a fighter. It was in his blood. He never gave up or stopped trying to win. But here he was, silently raising his hands for the officer to cuff him and take him away, submitting to cruel fate.

When the officer came to Mal, she was still lying on her cot. She set a slight glare in the man's direction. "Why do we have to drag this out? Just send us to the island. Why waste everyone's time by making the king speak?"

The man took Mal by the arm and led her out of the cell block. "It's protocol. King Adam had to make the same speech when all the villains were first sent to the Isle of the Lost. Anyone banished to there must be presented to the people of Auradon and made an example of." He explained coldly.

Mal quietly sighed as she was put in the back of a cop car. She didn't understand why they each needed to be in a separate cruiser. It was overkill if you asked her. They were already handcuffed. Mal's and Evie's cuffs were enchanted to keep them from using magic. Even Jay had anti-magic shackles as an extra precaution. What more could they do?

Just get this over with already.