DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN SOME OR ALL ORIGINAL CHARACTERS AND THE MAKING OF THIS STORY. I OWN NOTHING ELSE. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

Chapter 1: Present-Day Auradon

"Once upon a time, long, long ago. Well, more like 20 years ago, Belle married her Beast in front of 6,000 of their closest friends. Big cake. Yeah, so instead of a honeymoon, Beast united all the kingdoms and got himself elected King of the United States Of Auradon. He rounded up all the villains and sidekicks, basically all the really interesting people, and he booted them all off to the Isle Of The Lost with a magical barrier to keep them there. This is my hood. No magic, no Wi-Fi, no way out, or so I thought. Hang on, you're about to meet us, but first, this happened…"

One month. That was it. There was just one month until Beast and Belle would no longer be king and queen of Auradon. Once that month was up, they were done. They would be stepping down from their respective positions and have their 16-year-old son Ben take the throne.

It was all so hard for them to believe, though. It felt as if it was just yesterday when the two got married and were crowned king and queen. Yet, here Beast and Belle were, 20 lightning-quick years later, about to retire from public service and enjoy a nice, long retirement. This royal bloodline of theirs went back centuries. They all dreamt of a world where evil and villains did not exist. But if life and history taught them anything, it was that good could not exist without evil, and evil could not exist without good.

Not if Ben, Beast, Belle, and everyone else in Auradon had their way about it.

At Beast Castle in Auradon City, the capital of Auradon, Ben was having his suit tailored for his upcoming coronation. Even he was amazed by the fact that the official start of his reign was just a month away. While his suit was being tailored, Ben couldn't help but look out the window facing the Isle and think about all the children that were over there, just abandoned.

Ben actually felt bad for them. They didn't ask for a life like this. They deserved so much better. It wasn't their fault that their parents made poor life choices. So why did they have to suffer for things they never did or even had a say in?

Why?

As the tailor went about his work, taking measurements of different parts of Ben's suit, Beast and Belle came into the room. Ben's father eyed him up and down multiple times before speaking to him.

"You know, as I stand here before you, I have to question myself," Beast said. "How is it you're the one who's going to be crowned the new king next month?" Beast took another quick survey of his son. "If I had to guess, I'd say you were barely a teenager."

Ben let out a light laugh at that last sentence his father said. "Uh, gee, thanks, Dad," he said, taking what his father said as both a joke and a compliment.

Belle looked at Beast with a strange expression on her face. "Now dear, you know he's 16," she reminded her husband.

"Well yes, that is true," Beast understood. "It's just… I truly believe that a 16-year-old prince is far too young to be crowned king."

"Hey, I'm standing right here in front of you," Ben snarled in a fake fashion, also faking being insulted. "And besides, if the past few weeks are any indication, I'm confident I'll make good decisions as king."

"Not until you're at least 42."

Belle didn't seem to appreciate that small wise-crack remark from Beast. That's why she turned to give him a dirty look and a piece of her mind. "Do I have to remind you that you made the decision of marrying me when you were 28?"

"Well, I figured if I was going to marry someone, it was going to be either you or Beatrice Potts," Beast joked again.

Ben was trying his best not to burst into laughter from that one. Even the tailor who was tailoring Ben's suit thought it was funny, as he could be heard lightly chuckling. The only one who didn't find any humor in it at all was Belle. She didn't find anything amusing about what Beast said. It actually kind of hurt her feelings and made her a little angry. But Beast assured her that it wasn't meant to be a personal attack.

"Calm yourself, I was just kidding," he said.

It was relieving for Belle to know what her husband said was just a joke, and only a joke, as she nodded and let out a sigh of relief before bringing her attention back to Ben.

"So anyway, Mom, Dad, I have some news I want to share with you," Ben said. "I have chosen my first official proclamation."

His parents looked at each other and shared a nod.

"Very well, son," Belle said, getting herself ready for Ben to continue. She nudged Beast with her elbow, getting him to listen carefully.

"Uh, yes, we're listening," Beast managed to say, though not ready to.

"You have our undivided attention."

Ben felt his cheeks heating up. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck before he announced his proclamation. "All right, listen very carefully. For my first official proclamation, I have decided to give the children of the Isle Of The Lost the opportunity of a lifetime - the chance to live a normal life right here in Auradon."

The tailor, who was measuring Ben's ankles, instantly looked up at him as soon as he said that. Belle's jaw dropped almost immediately. Beast's eyes got big. Nobody could believe what Ben was saying.

"Son, I love you and all, but are you out of your mind?" Beast asked, questioning his son's sanity. "Why would you allow the children of our sworn enemies to live here among us?"

Ben, now realizing the reaction of all of those around him, put his hands out in front of him, hoping to find common ground with his mother and father. It took the combined effort of both Ben and Belle to calm Beast down. When they finally did, Ben explained everything he'd said so far.

"Well, not all of them, of course," he clarified. "Just a few to start out with. The ones who need our help the most. Then we'll see what happens from there. I've already selected five of them."

"You have?" Belle sounded a little alarmed and concerned when she asked her son that.

Beast, having completely calmed back down, slowly and calmly approached Ben. "I'll give you one last chance," he said, Ben slowly nodding. "Now tell me, who are the parents of these five children?"

Ben took a deep breath before revealing the identities of the five villain parents. "Cruella de Vil… Jafar… the Evil Queen… Lady Tremaine…"

Beast and Belle looked at each other, confused about the selection of Lady Tremaine, whose two daughters, Drizella and Anastasia, as well as her son Travis, who people wanted to entirely forget about in the first place, were all grown up. It took some more clarification from Ben to make his parents understand.

"It's one of her grandchildren," he cleared up.

Beast and Belle nodded. Now it made more sense.

"And… Maleficent."

The mention of Maleficent made Belle's jaw drop again. The tailor was just as shocked, if not more so, as he gasped and shuddered before making a run for the door and out of the room, castle guards closing the door behind him once he made his quick exit. Beast, unlike Belle and the tailor, was even angrier than before.

"MALEFICENT?" he erupted.

"Dad, please, just listen to me," Ben pleaded.

"I refuse to hear any more!" Beast waved off Ben and marched for the door, only to be stopped by him halfway there. "You don't understand. People like her are guilty of the worst crimes the world has ever seen committed."

Ben didn't think it would come down to this. He knew what this meant. It meant he was left with no other choice but to try reasoning with his parents one more time.

"Dad, just because their parents are evil doesn't necessarily mean the children themselves are, too. They're innocent, they have to be. Come on. Don't you think they deserve the chance to live a normal life for once? Don't you?"

Ben was going to impressive lengths to persuade his father into his way of thinking. Maybe the children of the Isle Of The Lost were innocent. Or maybe they weren't. Who really knew? Beast had to hand it to his son, though. Ben could see goodness in all people. Good, bad, neutral, the alignment didn't matter to him. Maybe having children from the Isle Of The Lost living in Auradon wouldn't have been such a bad idea after all.

"Well, I suppose you're right," Beast sighed in defeat. "Perhaps the children are innocent."

"Shall we let him proceed with the proclamation?" Belle asked.

Beast turned to his wife to give her a nod. They were going to let Ben have the five children of the villains come over to Auradon.

This was the biggest decision any monarch ever made in Auradon history since Beast had all the kingdoms united as one. What would happen when and after the children arrived? Would they bring in evil of all sorts with them? Or would being in Auradon make them change their ways?

And what about Ben's coronation? How was that going to go? Would he be crowned the new king of Auradon in a peaceful ceremony? Or would it be thrown into chaos? There was one way, and only one way, to find out.