And again three months... Yeah, I wanted to update earlier than this. But hey, at least it's not four months again! School and exams got in the way of that. But I'm on break now and I will have three months of free time, during which I'll try to write as much as I can and, hopefully, finish the story before you'll have to wait for months on end again for an update. Either way, I'm back with the next chapter and we're approaching the climax (also, thank you so much for being so patient with me - next update will be quicker, I promise). Without further ado, here it is! But first, here are my replies to your reviews:

Mustang52: Thanks for reviewing! Don't worry, we'll get to the battle soon (well, pre-battle, but still). Anyway, there'll be some more Bal moments, though not too many. (not very good at romance, but I can always try). But there'll be at least one in the upcoming chapters.

OddDangerSpiritualCyberLover17: Here is the next chapter

RWRF: Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I was a bit busy, but I'm back and updates will (hopefully) be more regular from now on.

Kingson24601: Don't worry, you haven't missed too much. And yes, that's basically it. He does have his worries, though, but they're not too big. Thanks for reviewing!

sleepysadkid: Thanks for reviewing! I don't really have a favorite, but that's a great choice. Let's see how well he does on the battlefield.

Jes: I'm glad you loved it! Thanks for reviewing!

Enjoy!

-Writer207

Two days later, the alliance was set to go out and face Maleficent. As Ben had ordered, only the youngest and oldest stayed in Neverland, as well as everyone who would rather not be on the battlefield. Beast and Belle volunteered to stay behind, to help Alice take care of things. Doug had his medical students divided into two groups, of which one would go out in the field and the other one stayed behind. Evie still remains in her cell, with someone guarding her at all times. Carlos, who had to stay close to Mal – he really hated the 'buddy system', as he calls it – was required to go to the battlefield, too. As an archer, he had to stay in one place for most of the battle. Chad had made it really clear to him that, should he try to run, he would be dead before he hit the ground.

Mal, Philip and other people who had harnessed the magic, brought everyone who wanted to fight to the woods near the field where it would all go down. When the alliance's members started to place themselves within these hordes of civilians, they realized there were way more than a thousand people here. Ben set up a post on the edge of the forest, and asked people not to come too close to them. So far, they respected this request, and Ben could go over the plan again in peace.

Chad skipped the first part of this meeting in favor of walking through the crowds. He wore his father's old armor with the Charming sigil on it and when people approached him, he had a short conversation with them and told them he was already glad to see them, fully aware that some – if not most – of these people would not be going home. Luckily he did not spot too many children in the crowd.

But he didn't just take a stroll so he could talk to the people. No, there was someone he was actively seeking out, someone who was also actively trying to avoid Chad at all costs. He had immediately slipped away upon arrival, making it harder for Chad to find him.

Yet, eventually, he spotted the pale boy with blond hair in the crowd. He stepped right towards Hadrian. Only when Chad was a few steps away, Hadrian noticed the Charming coming closer. But he allowed it. At least he's not running away again.

They stood side by side for some time, with an awkward silence between them. eventually, though, Chad started the conversation.

"There sure are lots of people here, huh?" he said. Hadrian turned his head to Chad, looking genuinely surprised.

"What?"

"I mean, look at this crowd," Chad said, spreading his arms, looking at everyone around him. "It's just way more than we—"

"I'm not sure," Hadrian interrupted after rolling his eyes and looked away again, an annoyed look on his face. Chad frowned.

"What?" Now it was his turn to be confused.

"You never talk to me," Hadrian explained, "But it's something you have to do to get the information only I can provide you, am I correct?"

For a moment, Chad did not say anything. He should've guessed small talk wouldn't work on his least-favorite demigod. Of course he'd see straight through Chas's attempt to get the information he needed, an answer to the question he and probably some others, too, wanted to get an answer for: Will I make it to tomorrow?

"Yes," Chad eventually responded, nodding.

"I'm not sure," Hadrian said, repeating himself. "There's too many people here today. It's always hard to tell who's going to die when the crowd size is this large. But there is one thing I know for sure." The demigod turned his head to Chad.

"After today," he continued, "you will never have to worry about me anymore."

This revelation rendered Chad speechless.

"I'm sorry," Chad said. given the implications of Hadrian's comments, he felt like he needed to say something.

"No you're not," the demigod replied. Chad opened his mouth to say something else, but Hadrian would not allow it.

"No, I can't stop it. Better to embrace it, then and no, I'm not afraid to permanently move in with dad. We don't have a long life-span, anyway." Chad was starting to feel very uncomfortable, with Hadrian still not looking away. He had made it no secret that he would be overjoyed when the demigod would leave, as he had always opposed him staying with them in Neverland. On the other hand, he had just hoped they would just part ways – he never considered that the way to get rid of him was to send him to his death. Even though technically it was him who consciously would be walking to his death.

"Chad!" A voice took him out of his thoughts. When he looked up, he saw how Philip was walking closer to him. For the occasion, his surrogate father chose to wear his quite-recognizable red cloak. There was a concerned look on his face.

Chad frowned. "Philip," he said, "What is it?"

"Have you, by any chance, seen Audrey around?" Philip asked him, and Chad put two and two together. Philip probably had hoped that Audrey had just gone missing after the attack, probably had hoped she heard Ben's message and hoped she would show up here. Maybe she had, but with a crowd like this, it was not easy to find someone.

"Haven't seen her," Chad replied. He now hoped she was here, too, but he was being a bit more realistic and still a voice in the back of his head told him that Audrey may be dead. Philip's concern was affecting him.

"Okay," Philip said. "You stay safe, okay?" He placed a hand on Chad's shoulder, and the teenager nodded in response.

"Yes, sir," he said.

"Good," Philip responded. He let go of Chad's shoulder and then walked away, continuing his search for Audrey. Just as he disappeared between the people, Chad turned his head to Hadrian again. At least, to the place where he'd been standing a minute ago. Hadrian had taken the opportunity to sneak away from him.

Chad wasn't going to follow him. He had his answer, though it wasn't what he hoped it'd be. It was time to go back to Ben, who probably wanted to debrief him again about the strategies they could use for the battle. He made his way through the crowd again, people let him pass quickly and easily and soon, he was back with Ben.

Mal and Carlos were walking to the archers together. There weren't a lot of them, but they were already glad they had this kind of back-up. The alliance had lent Carlos a crossbow. It wasn't exactly the type he was used to work with, but this would definitely do. They had not given him any arrows yet – quite a smart move, even if he would only shoot the people and monsters on Maleficent's side. Nobody here would believe him.

As they passed the people, they whispered and pointed. There were some who did not bother to whisper, but Mal and Carlos ignored them. they knew Ben had sent some people in the crowd, to tell them Mal and Carlos were on their side. Yet, it was up to them to believe the messengers. And if they believed it, it didn't mean they had to agree with it.

After five minutes, they had reached the archer's spot. All archers and bowmen, no matter how skilled they were, had gathered on this place, with good sight of the soon-to-be battlefield. Without saying a word, they stopped walking and Carlos was handed a quiver by an older man, who did not seem to mind the two villain kids' presence too much. Carlos muttered a quick "thank you" to him.

It's almost over, Carlos thought to himself. After these couple of days, he came to realize he did not like staying with the alliance. He certainly did not want to stick with them for one more month before he was 'released' from the buddy-system. Once the battle's done, he could leave. He could run, stay away from trouble and figure out what he wanted to do with his life without being influenced by either 'good' or 'evil'. At least, that was his plan if he lived to see the end of it. Those beasts… Carlos hadn't seen them yet, but rumor spread fast. And it was quite easy for anyone to come up here and tear the bowmen to shreds.

"Carlos? Are you okay?" Mal asked him. He shrugged and turned his head to her.

"I'd rather fight now," he said, "The sooner it's over, the better." The sooner I can leave.

Mal nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too." Carlos didn't really hear her, as he went back to inspecting his weapon for the umpteenth time and counted the amount of arrows they had put in his quiver. When he looked up from them, Mal, still was there, looking at him. To be honest, it kind of annoyed him.

"What is it?" he asked her with an irritating voice.

"What's bothering you?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he responded.

"Yes, there is," Mal said, "Carlos, I know you. What's bothering you?" Carlos sighed. She sure has changed. Only a couple of months ago, she wouldn't have cared at all whether Carlos was bothered by someone or not, even if she probably would notice it. He couldn't believe the change that has been made since she left to get the Fairy Godmother's wand. He did appreciate the concern, but it still felt like Mal's 'good twin' had replaced her.

"I'm here," he eventually said. "They could've just as easily put me behind bars until this is over. Instead, I am here. Doesn't that say a lot about these people?" Doesn't this prove the light can have some shade, which it not too often showcases? Doesn't this prove how much they value villain life?

"It's true," Carlos continued, when it looked like Mal was about to defend the alliance's actions, "They probably just want to get rid of me. I mean, I did kill Henry." As far as he knew, Henry was quite loved by the people of the alliance, despite being born a villain. And if there is one thing he learned about human nature, it's that revenge is a strong motivator. What better way to indirectly execute him than to send him to his death in the battle of the century? How he felt about it did not matter to them – how sorry he may be, someone had to pay. He did not even know for sure if everyone knew he killed Henry, but it was safe to assume they knew.

"Evie stays behind because she's no fighter," Mal said. There were many other things she could've mentioned, but she instead picked the most obvious reason of the bunch.

"And because her mother is willing to do anything to get her back," Carlos added. I may be her son, but her coats are her babies. It's always been about the coats anyway. She only 'loved' Carlos when it was convenient. She never truly cared.

To his big surprise, Mal nodded in agreement.

"We have the worst mothers," she said. Carlos agreed with her. They were just the worst. Not because they were villains, and that definitely played a role, but because of the way they treated their children. Maleficent only ever focused on molding Mal into the obedient heiress she wanted her to be while Cruella De Vil treated Carlos as she would any servant – except during those rare occasions where playing mother was convenient and necessary. Compared to them, the Evil Queen was an okay mother.

Then, another thought crept in his head. It was only distantly related to this train of thoughts, but he couldn't help but agree with what his mind was trying to tell him.

"Crazy…"

"What is?" Mal responded. He quickly turned his head to Mal, as he believed he only thought it. But apparently, he said it out loud. He could just shrug it off and insist it was nothing, but he was not really in the mood to lie to her, especially since he planned to leave.

"We. Our lives." Carlos responded. "Mal, it's just crazy. We've bullied, terrorized, tortured… we've killed, Mal. Or at least, we're going to kill very soon. And not just anyone – we're going to kill hirelings of those who made us do all those things in the first place." He took a pause, a moment to take his breath. He could've stopped there, but he was on fire and didn't feel like stopping just yet.

"We're… how do you say this? we're… screwed up, we're… not insane, just… we're kids, but we never were children. We're not…" It was getting harder to convert his thoughts into words and coherent sentences. Questions related to the topic surfaced. If they weren't raised in this crazy world, would they have been different? Would they have been children, or still as screwed as they were now? It didn't just apply to them, though – Ben and co. probably never had a proper childhood either, being hunted down by their parents.

"I understand," Mal said. Carlos nodded at her and sighed in relief. He was just glad he didn't have to look for the right words anymore. Somehow, that was even more stressful than what they were about to do.

"I gotta go now," Mal said, "Good luck."

"You, too," Carlos replied. And with those words, Mal walked away. He did not speak up. He did not stop her, did not say a proper goodbye. He couldn't do it. He just let her walk away and he went back to counting his arrows, as he had lost count because of the conversation. He then waited impatiently for the fight to start. The sooner it's done, the better.

Let's do this.

The archers weren't too far away from where Ben had set up the post at the edge of the forest. From that position, they had a clear view of the deserted village in the east – no doubt most citizens we're going to fight, too –, on the valley and on the kilometers-long meadow separating the forest and the castle. Storming it was impossible, and they had to exclude the possibility that they had the element of surprise (you never knew who could've warned Maleficent). They just had to hope for the best.

Ben stood there, talking to both Lonnie and Chad. The other council members had already placed themselves within the crowd, ready to take command of a small group of people, if necessary.

As soon as Ben came into view, a smile appeared on her face. she did wipe it off her face almost immediately. They were going to fight, this was no time to smile! She just walked closer, tried to maintain a neutral look on her face. as soon as Ben noticed her, he briefly smiled at her, but it lasted for just a second, too. The closer she came, the easier it became to hear what Ben was telling Lonnie.

"… wait for the signal, okay? And only when they receive the signal. If they ask, tell them they'll know what it is," Ben said. Lonnie nodded in response.

"Yes, sir," she said, and she then walked away from them, spreading the message Ben had just given her. Ben and Chad turned their heads to Mal soon after.

"Hey," Ben said, "You remember what to do?" Mal nodded.

"Get you to Maleficent as quickly as possible," she responded. That was her idea. Since the protection spell, cast by the Fairy Godmother, was specifically meant for magical harm, there was a small chance Maleficent could not harm Ben at all, making him the perfect candidate to get rid of her. Mal, as well as some others including Lonnie and Chad, had volunteered to help him cross the battlefield without being killed.

"Okay," Ben said, in a way of reassuring himself it would be okay, that it would go according to the plan. He was acting quite nervously lately. "Are you ready for this?"

"I don't know," Mal said – she had no idea how things would go, what her mother would do and, to be honest, it kind of scared her. "And you?"

"We're here," Ben said, sighing, "Might as well carry out the plan." This prompted Chad to sigh loudly and roll his eyes.

"Not this again," he said. Ben's lack of response left it open for interpretation. Since Mal spent quite some time with him the past few days and weeks, he was starting to learn what his insecurities and fears were, and so it became easy to figure out what was going on.

"Are you having second thoughts?" she asked him. Ben looked in her eyes and nodded once.

Mal's eyes widened. "But this was your idea!" Without Ben, nobody would be here today. Without Ben calling out to everyone, a rebellion was the last thing on anyone's minds, as something like that would not have happened for some years.

"I know, but…" Ben trailed off, but continued soon after. "I could be sending them to their deaths. I'm responsible for all of them."

"No," Mal said, "You're responsible for the alliance, not for everyone else here."

"I've been trying to tell him that," Chad said, "but he just doesn't want to listen."

Ben briefly glanced at Chad, as if to glare at him. But he didn't go through with it.

"Still, "he said, "Even if we somehow survive this, Maleficent is just going to make more of those beasts. She's just going to continue, she'll always find a way."

"Then we make sure she won't be able to continue," Mal said with determination in her voice. Her mother needed to be stopped. She would not be able to kill her, but there were still people out there who would gladly take the opportunity to get rid of the tyrant.

Loud growls and howls drew everyone's attention. Ben, Mal and Chad turned their heads, the men grabbing their sheaths – Chad was carrying his sword, Ben had a dagger. Twenty of those beasts, if there weren't more hiding somewhere, had walked onto the field, trying to strike fear in the hearts of the people. The beasts were accompanied by some soldiers, no doubt hirelings doing everything Maleficent wanted in return for big sums of money. Finally, Maleficent herself walked onto the field, accompanied by two other soldiers. They were still far away, and it wasn't easy to see who exactly was walking next to her.

"Well, you can't turn back now," Chad said, looking at the people and creatures they would have to fight. When Mal turned her head to Ben again, she noticed it was paler than before. Chad was right – there was no turning back now.