Author's Note: Mild spoiler warning for the English-only players: I'm using Malleus' grandmother's actual canon name. Lilia casually brings it up in the first part of the Diasomnia arc, so it doesn't really impact the story or anything but I figured I should just make everyone aware.

Lilia made his way down one of the impressive halls of Briar Valley's castle for his audience with Queen Maleficia. He'd walked this hallway to the throne room many times by now and his eyes were always drawn to the portraits of the previous rulers lining the walls. There weren't as many as one might expect given how long-lived dragon fae like those in the Draconia line were, but all of them were strikingly regal. It was only a matter of time before Malleus' portrait would be hung here as well.

Upon being announced into the throne room, Lilia walked toward the dais at the far end of the room and dropped to one knee once he reached the throne. "It's good to see you again, Your Majesty." The queen didn't respond right away, prompting Lilia to look up at her. The resemblance to her grandson was unmistakable; the same pale skin, bluish-black hair, and bright green eyes, along with a magnificent pair of horns. Much like Malleus, Maleficia was usually the picture of stoicism and only tended to drop the mask either in the presence of those few beings she trusted or when genuinely caught off guard-a nigh impossible feat for a centuries old being. As such, Lilia noticed the look of concern on the queen's face as she stared at nothing in particular-he wasn't even entirely sure she'd heard the steward announce him. "Is this a bad time?"

The distant look vanished from Maleficia's face as she finally registered his voice. Her eyes met his and she dipped her head slightly in greeting, the corners of her mouth tugging upward into a small smile at the sight of her old friend. "Not at all, General Vanrouge. Pardon me, I've been a bit preoccupied since yesterday."

"Did something happen?" Lilia asked.

Maleficia rose gracefully from her throne, her black royal robes billowing behind her as she stepped down from the dais. She gestured for Lilia to rise as well before she began pacing, a nervous habit that served as a way to calm herself when she got too into her head and one that Lilia had seen plenty of times by now. "It's about this child of man that Malleus has been mooning after. I didn't realize until we had dinner together yesterday just how attached he'd become."

"Isn't that a good thing? I know how hard you've been trying to quash the anti-human sentiment in Briar Valley," Lilia commented, "though whenever I ask you about the sudden interest, you always avoid the question."

Maleficia quirked one elegant eyebrow at the playful teasing. Lilia was one of the only beings in Twisted Wonderland who could get away with doing so, and it was clear he knew that. Still, it made her happy to see him take advantage of the privilege; it was nice not to have to wear the queen mask all the time. "That's on a need-to-know basis, Lilia. And there's no need for you to know. Not yet, at least." Her amused look dropped slightly. "As for Malleus, I have no issue with him befriending a human, despite his apparent thoughts to the contrary."

Lilia blinked, confused. "His thoughts to the contrary?"

"While his anecdotes concerning this person were nothing short of glowing, he took special care not to actually identify this person nor let any identifying information slip that could be used to track them down. Not their name, not where they're from, not even their gender. I can only assume it's because he thinks I won't approve of them, but my real concern is how he's going to cope when time inevitably takes them away from him. Whether they remain friends or become closer, the fact is that he likely has less than a century to spend with them and the closer he gets, the more it will hurt when they go." She sighed. 'Which is something I've had to come to terms with as well…'

Lilia mulled the queen's words over for a moment as he took in her forlorn expression. He had a theory he'd been aching to test since Halloween. All he needed was an opening. "May I speak plainly, Your Majesty?"

Maleficia nodded. "By all means."

"I understand where your concern is coming from and I agree that Malleus will be hurt deeply when he and his friend have to part ways, one way or another," Lilia sympathized, "but doesn't that mean he should make the most of the time he has with her?"

"With her?" Maleficia repeated. "I wasn't aware that Night Raven College had begun accepting female students."

"Oh, they haven't," Lilia confirmed, watching the queen carefully to gauge her reaction to the next part of his sentence, "but Devon's a bit of an unusual case." He smirked inwardly as Maleficia faltered for a moment, a flash of recognition in her eyes at the sound of the name. "That's actually why I requested to speak with you today-"

A quick knock at the door to the throne room interrupted him. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt," the steward said as he opened the door and bowed, "but it would seem you have a delivery, Your Majesty. It appears to be one you were anticipating."

Maleficia's expression brightened instantly and the smile returned to her lips. "Ah yes, of course. Bring it in."

The steward gestured to someone standing just beyond the doorframe and a nervous-looking messenger scuttled into the room, keeping his head bowed in deference to both Maleficia and Lilia. "Y-Your Majesty…," he stammered as he held a red and green envelope out to the queen.

The messenger's nervousness struck Lilia as both amusing and a little suspicious. He understood that the queen could be rather intimidating, but he also knew that this particular servant had been working at the castle for a while now and had never behaved like this when delivering messages to the queen before. It was then that he noticed a smaller white envelope that looked to be carefully tucked underneath the larger, more festive one, almost as if someone were trying to keep it out of sight. 'Ah, so that's what happened,' he realized. 'Seems someone's gotten a bit lax about their duties.'

"You seem quite happy about receiving whatever's in that envelope, my queen," Lilia commented. "Am I safe to assume it's from that mysterious human family from beyond the valley that you've allegedly befriended?"

"You say allegedly, but that cheeky tone of yours tells me you already know the answer," Maleficia retorted. "As a matter of fact, it is. They've sent me a card like this one every year for the past sixteen years and I always look forward to it. It always amazes me how quickly humans grow in such a short span of time, but what's just as impressive," She now turned her gaze toward the messenger, who'd been trying to subtly back away while she'd been speaking, "is how you honestly thought you could slink out of here before I noticed the envelope you tried to hide."

"Ulp…!" The messenger froze in place at the bite in the queen's tone. He risked a glance up and nearly felt his soul leave his body at her expression. It wasn't quite a glare, but it was more than menacing enough to cause him to momentarily forget how to speak.

Maleficia pulled the white envelope out from behind the festive one, her eyes narrowing as she studied it. "This letter was postmarked back in September. Why am I only just receiving it now?"

The messenger continued to wither under Maleficia's deepening glare and the rumbling of thunder in the distance. "P-Please fo-forgive me, my queen. Y-You see, what happened was-"

"I thought I made it clear that the box these letters appear in is to be checked once a week, at minimum. Now I have to wonder how long you've been shirking your duties," Maleficia interrupted as she opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Her expression shifted as she read it, going from angry at the messenger to a more neutral expression with a touch of eagerness to her from her friend, only for it to grow progressively more worried as she continued reading. Once she'd finished, she opened the more festive envelope and pulled out the contents, her brows creasing even further in both frustration and concern as she studied whatever was inside. She sent the messenger another icy glare before refocusing on Lilia. "The girl that enrolled at Night Raven College this year… You said her first name was Devon, correct? Would you happen to know her last name or where she's from?"

"It's Lopez, Your Majesty," Lilia supplied, "and she isn't actually from Twisted Wonderland. My understanding is that she hails from a place called New York. I've traveled all over this world and I've never heard of such a place," He allowed himself a small smirk as he took in the realization in Maleficia's expression, "but I'm starting to get the feeling that you have…Mala."

Maleficia stared at Lilia for a moment as she tried to process the revelation that two of her dearest friends' daughter, a girl she'd basically watched grow up, had been in Twisted Wonderland (and at the same school as her grandson, no less!) for months and she'd been none the wiser. "Explain. Now," she ordered Lilia once she found her voice.

Lilia spent the next several minutes recapping Devon's journey to the best of his ability, though he made sure to offer a disclaimer that he was not a first-hand account for most of it. He could see the sympathy in the queen's eyes when he recounted Devon's homesick breakdown during Halloween Week and his subsequent offer to try and get in contact with 'Mala' to see if said elusive family friend could help her get back home. Maleficia was quite concerned at the number of students that had fallen into Overblot over the past few months and that Devon had somehow managed to get herself involved with each one, though she was also very interested to hear about how Devon's blessing seemed to be growing stronger the more time she spent in Twisted Wonderland. Still, she knew how tight-knit the Lopez family was and although it seemed they were all doing their best to adapt to the separation, she wondered if she might know a way to make things a little easier for them. It was the least she could do, really.

"Come with me, Lilia," Maleficia said as she began walking toward the doors leading out of the throne room, snapping her fingers and sending the letter and card to her private study. She paused to send another glare toward the messenger. "I'll deal with you later."

"So? Will you be able to send Devon back home?" Lilia asked as they continued down the hallway.

Maleficia shook her head. "Unfortunately I can't. The way I move between worlds is far too risky for humans or any other primarily organic being. However, I do have an idea that might help. I'll be giving you something that I'd like you to deliver to Devon as soon as you possibly can. I've got a delivery of my own to make as well. I think I owe that family an explanation." She smiled to herself. "Besides, it's been a while since I visited New York."

Lilia smiled back, glad the queen's mood seemed to have improved somewhat. "Just out of curiosity, is it just the Lopezes that get to call you Mala or…"

"Don't push your luck, Vanrouge," Maleficia retorted playfully.

"Welcome home, Father," Silver greeted as Lilia returned home later that evening with what appeared to be a large bundle of cloth tucked under one arm. "How was your audience with the queen?"

"Oh, you're not going to believe it!" Lilia replied, looking thoroughly amused. "It turns out that Queen Maleficia and Mala are the same person! She's the one that bestowed those blessings on Devon and her brothers. I could sense traces of familiar magic on Devon, but even I wasn't expecting that."

"Yes, that is rather surprising," Silver agreed, despite his usual stoic expression barely changing. "Was she the one who brought Devon here?"

Lilia shook his head. "I don't think so. She seemed just as surprised as anyone when she found out, and more than a little amused at the idea that Malleus is so fond of her. I mentioned that she's taken to calling him 'Horns' since he doesn't want to reveal his true identity to her yet and Maleficia just shook her head and said, "She's Elena's daughter, alright.""

"And how do you think Lord Malleus will react when he finds out about the connection?" Silver asked.

Lilia tapped his chin in thought. "I can only imagine that he'll be taken aback, especially since he seemed concerned that the queen wouldn't approve of how close he's getting with Devon."

Silver hummed in thought as another question rolled around in his head. "…Will the queen be able to send Devon back home?"

"Doesn't seem like it," Lilia replied. "Evidently, Night Raven College's gates and carriages are the only safe way to move between worlds. As far as we know, anyway." He gave his son a teasing look, his eyes gleaming. "You sounded pretty concerned, my boy. If I didn't know better, I'd think you didn't want Devon to leave."

"Of course I don't," Silver admitted easily. "We've spent quite a bit of time with her ever since Diasomnia borrowed Ramshackle for our Halloween venue; I think it's reasonable to assume we've all gotten a bit attached. I have no intention of impeding her from going home if that's what she really wants, of course, but I won't pretend I wouldn't be sad to see her go." He finally noticed the bundle that Lilia was holding. "What is that?"

"Oh this?" Lilia pulled back the cloth to reveal a Sending Stone large enough to be used as a paperweight. "A little something the queen wants delivered to Devon."

Ace flopped back onto his bed before covering his face with a pillow and letting out the loudest groan he could muster. He'd regretted backing out of inviting Devon home for the holidays almost as soon as he'd stepped through the mirror. In addition to his mother's very obvious disappointment at not getting finally meet "the little firecracker that's got my baby boy so smitten", she'd dragged him out to help with some last minute holiday shopping and every place they passed or stopped at, he kept picturing taking Devon to if she'd come home with him. Grabbing some hot cocoa or that peppermint-whatever holiday specialty drink from that coffee shop, walking with her through the snow-covered park and using the cold as an excuse to hold her hand, taking her to see all the holiday decorations set up through his neighborhood since everyone who lived there-his own family included-was petty and competitive and kept trying to outdo each other every year…he knew it would've been wonderful. His older brother was also due home today and he could only imagine the teasing-

"So Mom tells me you chickened out on askin' your little lady friend to come stay with us," came a voice from the doorway. Speak of the devil.

Ace lifted his pillow just enough to uncover his mouth. "Not in the mood, bro."

"For real though, Ace. What gives?" his brother asked, his tone serious now. "I mean, you went as far as askin' Mom and Dad if Devon could stay, so clearly you were serious about it. Why the sudden cold feet?"

"It's complicated," Ace finally muttered as he tossed the pillow aside.

"Yeah. Young love often is," the older Trappola brother replied.

"Whuh-?! Buh-" Ace sputtered as he sat bolt upright, becoming defensive on instinct. "I'm not in- That's not was this-"

"But it is, though," his brother cut him off, "and I think you've known that for a while now. What I don't get is why you're so hesitant to act on it. We Trappolas always go after what we want."

"Why are you so convinced I'm in love with Devon?" Ace demanded. "I'll admit that I've been crushin' on her for a while now, but love?That's a whole different ballgame, bro."

"Because you're not as slick as you think you are," his brother replied. "Whenever you talk about her, you get this fondness in your voice that I've never heard before. Not to mention the fact that she's almost all you talk about whenever me or Mom or Dad ask you about school."

"Well yeah. I mean, we're classmates. What do you expect?" Ace huffed.

"All I'm sayin' is that I never hear you goin' on about whatever cool thing Deuce did on whatever day. Or even that cat monster thing that always hangs around with Devon," his brother pointed out before giving Ace a sly smirk. "That and Mom told me all about that sad puppy-dog look you kept gettin' on your face whenever you passed by any cute couple spots while you guys were out today. And how it got worse if there happened to be an actual couple there."

"Dang it, Mom…," Ace grumbled. He knew his brother was right, though. Ever since the whole Ghost Bride fiasco, he'd been thinking about Devon even more than usual. He could tell there'd been a shift of some kind in his feelings for her and he knew he'd come close to letting the 'L' word slip a couple of times, but maybe now it was time to admit that his mother and brother were right. True, he'd never been in love before but he'd also never felt for anyone else what he felt for Devon. As he thought more about it, he'd realized that what was most disappointed about regarding not inviting her home wasn't not getting to take her around his hometown; it was not getting to watch her integrate herself into his family. They pretty much already loved her-how could they not?-just by virtue of how often he talked about her, so meeting her in person would've just driven it home. He could picture her laughing at his dad's jokes, no matter how awful they were. Or offering to help his mom with cooking or chores around the house-she'd say no, of course, but she'd love Devon even more each time she offered to help. Or going along with his brother's playful attempts at flirting with her just to get a rise out of Ace despite him knowing neither of them were serious. He supposed the fact that he wanted to see her welcomed into his family was proof enough that he was well beyond crush territory now. Even so…

"Talk to me, little bro. What's really got you draggin' your feet here?" his brother asked as he sat down on Ace's bed and nudged him to scoot over, prompting said redhead to grumble again as he moved to make room.

"It's just that…" Ace paused as he tried to find the words. "You know that Dev's from another world, right?"

His brother nodded.

"Well, nobody-not even Dev-knows how she got here," Ace continued. "I mean, one of those carriages brought her to NRC, but nobody seems to know how it managed to cross the divide between our world and hers. She was dropped into Twisted Wonderland without any warning and," His expression grew sadder and his voice smaller, almost nervous, "I can't stop myself from wonderin' what'll happen if whatever decided to bring her here decides to take her away just as suddenly, y'know. And even if that doesn't happen and she does manage to find another way home on her own, what then? I mean, she's got a family and an entire world that she misses. I'm almost positive that there's no way she'd choose me over goin' back home and I don't think it's fair to ask her to."

Ace's brother gave him a sympathetic look. "I getcha. That's definitely a tough spot to be in."

"So what do you think I should do?" Ace asked.

"Sounds to me like you've gotta make a choice," his brother replied. "It'll definitely suck if she gets pulled back to her world with no way to come back, so I can understand why you're hesitant to take the plunge, but you should ask yourself if you'd rather take your chances on a relationship and at least have the memories of what it was like to love and be loved by her, or if you just wanna keep things the way they are now and be left wondering what could've been whether she goes home or not." He patted Ace's shoulder. "It's not an easy decision and I don't think anyone would blame you for playin' it safe. In the end, only you can decide if you think Devon's worth the risk." He gave Ace a playful smirk. "Of course, this is all assumin' that Devon doesn't have a lick of common sense and would actually agree to go out with you."

Ace couldn't help but smirk back, grateful that his brother had lightened the mood. "Ah, shuddup. I'll have you know that-" He was cut off by the sound of a text notification on his phone. He picked it up and saw Devon's name on the screen. "Speakin' of my favorite New Yorker…" He opened the text to read it and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Everything okay?" his brother asked.

"I'm not sure," Ace replied. "She just wrote, "S.O.S. Trapped in Scarabia, no Wisps, can't leave.""

His brother quirked a brow. "What does she mean by "trapped"?"

"Dunno. I didn't even know anybody besides a few members of the fish mafia she somehow managed to make friends with was even stayin' on campus over the break," Ace replied. "She wouldn't be messaging if it wasn't a big deal, though. Somethin' about not interruptin' family time and all that."

His brother blinked. "Fish… Mafia…? You mean those guys that nearly forced you to work for 'em forever because you were too dumb to read the fine print? Didn't one of 'em beat that poor girl to a pulp? How'd she manage to make nice with 'em?"

"Long story," Ace said dismissively. "Hang on. I'm gonna try to call her real quick." He tapped the Call button and a feeling of nervous concern settled into his stomach when he was immediately sent to voicemail. "Okay… I'm startin' to get a bad feeling about this. Devon never turns her phone off. Ever." His phone pinged with another text, this time from Deuce. Ace's feeling of dread only grew when he read his friend slash roommate's message. "Looks like she sent Deuce the same message. He's tried to call her too, but he can't get through either."

"I take it you don't think she's just playin' around?" his brother asked.

Ace shook his head, now kicking himself even harder for leaving Devon on campus. "She wouldn't joke about that. I think she and Grim might actually be in trouble here." He quickly stood up and began throwing things into a nearby duffel bag. "I've gotta go. Do me a favor and tell Mom-"

"Hold on there, loverboy," his brother interjected. "I get that you wanna swoop in there and rescue your lady, but did you forget that the Dark Mirror doesn't work while the school's out for break?"

The question stopped Ace in his tracks. "I…ah… Crud."

"Yep. Looks like you're gonna have to get back to Sage's Isle the old-fashioned and way more expensive way," his brother quipped as he stood up as well. "Don't worry, though, little bro. I'll help you if I need to, but I doubt it'll be too hard to convince Mom and Dad to fund your little rescue mission."

Ace sent his brother a wary look, resigned that he wouldn't be able to leave right away. He'd have to coordinate something with Deuce since he had no doubt he'd want to head back to help Devon and Grim too. "What makes you so sure?"

"Come on, Acey, how often do we get to see you act like a genuine knight in shining armor?" his brother teased before nodded toward the door. "Now come on, let's go convince 'em to help you get your girl."

Ending Notes: Let's be real here, most of you guys probably already figured out what Mala's deal was a long time ago. I'm really happy to finally officially reveal it, though. And don't worry, there will be another chapter coming soon that'll go into more detail about how she met Elena and Angelo and how and why she's able to move between worlds.

I really like writing Maleficia/Mala. The way I imagine her, she has two distinct sides: a more stern and stoic side for when she's acting as queen and a warmer, more jovial side when she's just acting as herself that she reserves for those who are closest to her. (Watch us get a Briar Valley hometown event that officially reveals her and have it prove me totally wrong.)

I can't wait to write Maleficia revealing to Malleus that not only is she well aware of who Devon is, but that she's known her since she was an infant.

Maleficia, seeing Malleus off as he heads back to campus after break: Goodbye, my dear! Oh, and give Devon my regards, won't you?

Malleus, faltering: I… I'm sorry? Grandmother, how do you-?"

Maleficia: There isn't much that stays hidden from me, wyrmling. I've known Devon Lopez far longer than you have. A truly lovely girl from an equally lovely family. If you are intent on courting her, though, it will help to get on her parents' good side. Of the two, Elena is the hardest to impress but that just means that her opinion will carry that much more weight.

Malleus, still confused: You… You know her parents, Grandmother?

Maleficia: Yes, Malleus. Keep up.

The whole exchange ends with Malleus questioning everything and demanding to know how it's possible that Maleficia has known the Lopez family for so long. Maleficia gives him some kind of cheeky response like: "I'd have been more than happy to tell you, but you were so determined to keep your new friend's identity a secret. How was I supposed to know they were one and the same, hm?"

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Geekinthepink, out!