Chapter Seven

A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to Disney or the Greek Myths.

Happy May! :D Best month of the year (weather wise) in my opinion! No humidity, warmth from the sun…no bugs! What could be better? Okay, okay, you guys probably don't want to hear me gush about weather of all things. Just had to get it out of my system is all!

And yes, this is another fluffy chapter though the plot begins to rear its head a little near the end. *Chuckles while looking at my outline for upcoming chapters* Oh you guys are probably going to hate me soon :D

Katt Kiki: So glad you liked it!

BriarEvans: Oh thank you! I'm so glad you liked it! And yep, it was Harry Potter—I was about Mal's age when my parents tried reading me the first book. We couldn't get past the first chapter because I hated the Dursley's. Four years go by, first movie comes out, and the rest is history (as my username and profile pic probably can attest lol)

Isabelly Silva Sousa: So glad you enjoyed it! Trust me, it'll be soon!

AmethystDragon14: Yay! Oh yeah Auradon better brace itself, once Mal's out of the cast, all the chaos will reign down on Auradon lol! And yeah I've no doubt that Steph is working on making it possible for Mal to be with her and not Maleficent—though the scene with Mal curling up with Steph melted my heart!

CyrstalKaouri: As great as that would be, I'm pretty sure that Emir, Jay, Harry, and Akiho together at a young age would probably make it so Auradon wouldn't be standing by the time Ben took the crown lol

danifan3000: Heh yeah 'interesting' is probably the best word for Mal and Audrey's interaction.

JaclynnM: Oh I'm so glad you like it! I can definitely say that there'll be some difference but I'll not spoil anything!

The Christian Dino: Oh thank you! So glad you're enjoying it!

Hufflepuff24: Well of course—it's got dragons! Now imagine what would happen if she and Hagrid ever met lol

IWantColouredRain: Baby Ben and shadows are my favorites to write, I won't lie about that!

Katir2911: Oh I'm so glad that you're liking the story so far. Unfortunately, because the story starts with Mal, Uma, and Harry at four, Harry's mom can not be saved (CJ would be two at this point). However, other parents—like say Mollie Smee—have the possibility of being saved. But to answer your first question, yes there'll still be Hadie!

Flaresouth: So glad you liked the chapter! And Mal'll find out soon, promise!

Anonymous Reader: Oh I'm so glad! I love writing the fluff chapters between Ben and Mal and now Emir and Akiho! They're just so much fun to write! :D

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D

Ben grinned from ear to ear as he saw his guests arrive for his birthday. The only thing he had been upset about was that Mal hadn't been able to have a party of her own.

Chip had done some digging for Ben and had found out that Mal had a birthday really close to his—and Ben didn't think it was fair that Mal didn't get anything on her birthday and had to watch Ben get all his presents, even if it was his birthday. Especially since she had a cast on her leg and couldn't even do any of the fun things his maman and papa had arranged for his party.

And there were so many fun things too! A bouncy castle, pony rides (though they had cardboard wings on them to make it seem like you were flying a dragon), and of course just running around in the grass getting into all sorts of mischief.

At least Elle has a friend to talk to, Ben though as he saw that Ariel's daughter was chatting with Mal, who seemed to welcome the conversation. But still I shouldn't leave Mal out. Plus I have to give her her present!

"Hiya Mal! Hiya Elle!"

"Hi Ben," Elle smiled.

Mal chuckled. "Hi Benny."

"Are you having a good time?" Ben asked, looking at both of them and trying to act like how his dad would act whenever they had grownup parties.

Elle nodded. "Uh huh. Thank you so much for the invite Ben."

"Why wouldn't I invite you? You're my friend!"

"…not many kids invite me to things," Elle said softly, looking down slightly and missing the frown on both Mal's and Ben's faces.

I swear, it's one thing for someone to exclude her on the Isle because of the chair, that's just survival, Mal thought. But here in Boreadon? Where they've got more food than I thought possible? That's just cruel.

"If you want to come over, you can," Mal said, the words leaving her mouth before she could stop them.

"Really?" Elle asked, perking up slightly.

"I mean…it's Benny's castle but he said that you were his ally—."

"Friend."

Mal paused and looked at Elle. "Huh."

"You said 'ally'. Ben said I was his friend," Elle explained and Mal shook her head. What was it with Auradonians correcting her?

"Whatever. Either way, he'd be okay with it. Wouldn't you Benny?

"Uh huh," Ben nodded with a smile that threatened to split his face in two. "Maman and papa say I can always have my friends come over. They just ask that I give them warning first because they want to be able to prepare. For what I'm never sure."

"…you've met your friends right?"

"Yep!"

Mal snorted and shook her head. "Well Benny, you probably want to go have fun at your party. Not here stuck with us."

"Papa always says that a good host makes sure all his guests are having a good time," Ben said. "Plus I have something for you Mal."

"For me?" Mal tilted her head. "But you already gave me that bag of party favors."

"That's for every one though," Ben said but bit his lip as he realized it might seem rude to just give Mal a present in front of Elle.

Elle chuckled softly. "It's fine Ben. Aunt Steph let my mama know so it's not like I'd be jealous."

"Aunt Steph?" Mal asked, looking over at the red haired girl.

"Yeah," Elle nodded. "Well she's really grandfather's aunt but mama calls her aunt to avoid confusion. Mama says she'll explain it more when I'm older."

Maybe then she'll explain it to me too, Mal thought. If Lady Steph is the aunt to some hoity toity Boreadon royal, then why does she spend so much time on the Isle?

"Anyway…here," Ben said and handed Mal a present wrapped in purple wrapping paper and stamped with dragon decals. "Chip has a friend who's good with computers, he made the dragons for the wrapping paper special."

"Appreciated Benny," Mal said as she opened the present. "…what is it?"

"It's a sketchbook," Ben said with a grin. "You were really good with the paint program on the computer the other day so I thought you might like a sketchbook! Oh and there are crayons and colored pencils in there too, they're from Flamey and Abby."

"How thoughtful," Mal said as she unwrapped the smaller package that was taped to the front cover of the sketch book. "I guess it would make the sketchbook useless if there was nothing to draw with."

"That's what Flamey thought too," Ben said, nodding his head. "I'm glad you like it!"

"Ben!" A boy with curly blond hair called, looking rather annoyed at Ben continuing to talk to Mal and Elle.

Ben looked over his shoulder. "Oh! Coming Chad!"

He looked back at Mal. "I'll be right back okay? Maybe in a bit we can play 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey?'"

Mal chuckled slightly. "Sure Benny. But go on, that guy over there looks ready to burst."

"Oh that's Chad, he's been trying to get me to do Tourney Little League and thought we'd be able to do a pick up game," Ben said.

"Sounds…fun?" Mal said. She wasn't sure what Tourney was but she knew that Harry would often make fun of it when they would see it on the Auradon News Network. Though they didn't watch it all that often.

Mal could only take so much of the Auradon Prep Fight Song being stuck in her head before she lost her mind.

"Oh…I have to go real quick Mal," Elle said as Ben walked off. "My mom's waving at me to go over to her."

"Then you should go," Mal said with a shrug, glancing over at the red-haired woman who was clearly pregnant by how big her stomach was. Mal was okay with being on her own. Yeah it wasn't done on the Isle but she'd been on her own for most of her time in Boreadon and nothing bad had happened.

Maybe that was something that could be done in Boreadon? Being on your own and not having to fear being attacked?

"Are you sure? Do you want to come with me? I don't think mom would mind if you did."

"Go on Elle, if your mom wanted me there she would have walked over here herself," Mal said. I don't want you getting in trouble, with how Ursula 'punishes' Uma sometimes and how Hook slaps Harry, I don't want to know what'll happen on this side of the bridge, she thought.

Elle gave Mal a small smile and rolled off on the path that had been laid out for the two wheelchair users to be able to go back and forth on the grass without trouble.

Though Mal had to credit the resident bookworm with making the path look like the yellow brick road. It was one of the books that Ben had lent her and after Lady Steph had finished the story about the boy wizard, they had started that one.

So far it was okay. No dragons but not every story was perfect.

"Excuse me!"

Mal looked up to see a girl around her height, maybe a bit taller, looking at her with her arms crossed over her chest.

Ah, here's the prissy princess I expected from Boreadon, Mal thought. The girl's dress was entirely pink though there were hints of blue that would appear here and there and maybe a spot of green but that could have been a grass stain.

Wait, no, who was Mal kidding? This girl get a grass stain? She'd only heard two words from the girl and Mal could already tell that she'd scream bloody murder if a single speck of dirt got on her dress.

She and Blueberry would get along, now that I think about it, Mal thought.

"Can I help you?" Mal asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You can stay away from Ben!" The girl said and Mal honestly had to admire how high her voice got. That must have taken some serious talent, even if it made Mal's ears hurt. "He's my friend, not yours."

"Oh, okay," Mal said, rolling her eyes. "Then I guess you'd better tell Ben's other friends you've claimed the right to only be his friend. Cause last time I checked Ben was friends with everyone."

Did it feel weird using the word friend? Yes, yes it did. But using the word 'ally' would probably alert this brown haired shrieker that she was from the Isle.

Ben knowing was one thing. Ben's friends knowing was one thing. This girl knowing was something else entirely.

"They're acceptable friends for Ben," the girl sniffed. "My grammy says that you belong on the Isle of the Lost! Ben only invited you because he feels sorry for you. As soon as your cast comes off, he'll be throwing you back on the Isle where you belong!"

"Oh really? You wanna take that up with him? Ben might tell you something different," Mal said, trying to mask the slight worry that this strange yet all knowing girl was right.

Did Ben just feel sorry for her? Was he going to just chuck her back onto the Isle once her ankle healed all the way?

Also, who's this girl's grandmother to say I belong on the Isle? I've never even met this girl before today let alone her grandmother, Mal thought.

"Grammy!" The girl shouted, turning on her heel and tried to make her eyes as big and innocent as possible.

"Audrey? Sweetheart, what happened?" Mal heard a blonde woman ask and watched as she walked over to the brown haired pink demon.

"I was just trying to be nice to that girl over there and…she was mean to me maman!"

"Oh now honey, I bet she didn't mean to be," the blonde woman said. "Do you see the cast on her foot? I'm sure she's in a lot of pain and you just caught her at a bad time. Come on, we'll go to the pony rides and then maybe later we can try talking to that girl again?"

"…okay…" 'Audrey' sniffed, trying to force herself to cry but it clearly wasn't working.

I'm not in pain, and I don't want to talk to you, Mal thought, rolling her chair back a bit so that she was sitting in the shadows.

The shadows were safer, if no one could see you then no one could judge you. However, Mal missed Persephone's look of concern as the Goddess looked over at her charge, now slightly submerged by shadow. She would have made her way over to Mal had someone not beaten her to it.

"Mal!"

Okay, maybe the shadows are good but they don't hide you from Benny, Mal thought as Ben came over. Seriously does he have a tracker for me? He always seems to know where I am.

"Why are you trying to hide?" Ben asked, his usual smile on his face. "Come on, Akiho and Emir said that Chip said it's time for cake. I didn't want you to miss out."

"…that's okay Benny," Mal said, not wanting to give that brown haired annoyance any more ammo to come back and bother her.

"But…you won't get any cake if you just sit here," Ben said, his smile dampening slightly. "Are you okay? Is it your ankle bothering you? Should I get Lady Steph and she can give you more pain medicine?"

Mal sighed. "No…I'm okay. I just…not everyone's happy that I'm here is all."

"Who?" Ben asked. He didn't know anyone who wouldn't be happy that Mal was there.

Well scratch that, he did know one person. After all, he had to stand by his mom while Leah gave a thirty minute lecture on why the 'dangerous criminal' shouldn't have been allowed to be in Auradon at all.

Yeah thank Gods for Chip acting as a buffer. Any time he noticed Leah looking like she was going to confront Mal, even when she was with Elle, he'd go over and talk to her about something.

I need to ask papa to make sure Chip gets a really nice present for his birthday, Ben thought. For the next twelve years too. I don't know why it needs to be that number specifically but Emir says that's what Aziz says every time someone helps him out in someway so that's what's done.

"Well…whoever doesn't want you here is a stupid head and you shouldn't listen to them," Ben said, putting his hands on his hips. "I want you here and it's my birthday so as maman always says, what the birthday boy says goes. And I want all my guests to have cake."

Mal couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the serious look on Ben's face. It didn't seem to fit the normally easy going boy but in an odd way Mal was touched that he was this serious regarding her. "Okay…I guess cake does sound good. Are there strawberries too?"

"Uh huh! After Mrs. Potts saw how much you liked them, she made sure there was a big bowl just for you," Ben said as he went around to the handles of Mal's chair to push her over to the cake.

Hey he could see how hard it was for Mal's arms to push the wheels and if it made it easier for Mal, Ben was happy to do it.

"She didn't have to do that."

"I know. But that's what Mrs. Potts does. She's like a maman to everyone."

Mal couldn't help but smile at that as they made their way to the cake that Belle and Beast were passing out.

"…thank you," Mal said softly as Belle handed her a piece of the blue and gold cake. Ben must have told her how much Mal liked dragons because Mal's piece of cake had one of the decorative frosting dragons on it.

"You're welcome Mal," Belle said, giving Mal a small smile. While she hadn't expected to enjoy having a child from the Isle of the Lost in her home, she had been pleasantly surprised with how well behaved Mal was.

Granted, it was hard to get into mischief with one's ankle in a cast but Adam had said that if anyone was capable of doing so, it'd be a girl from the Isle aided by Chip.

Belle had resisted the urge to whack her thick headed husband with her pillow when she heard that. Even if his tone had suggested that it was merely in jest, it still wasn't appropriate to say.

How was it that the woman who had lived in a village her whole life understood that castle walls had ears better than a man who'd been royal since birth?

And in this case, the ears belonged to their son—a boy who was insistent on everyone being treated fairly no matter what the reason. If you were nice to him, he would be nice to you. If you were loyal to him, he'd defend you until the day he died.

And it was clear that young Mal had gained Ben's loyalty—even if he wasn't thrilled about the fact that they didn't read a lot on the Isle. He had made his complaint about that clear when Belle had tucked him in the night he had met Mal.

A literacy program for the Isle might be a good idea, Belle thought as she looked at the guests and smiled upon seeing them enjoy the cake. Though watching Mal almost inhale it gave her pause. Though…maybe I should talk with Mal about the Isle itself? As much as I love reading and want to share that with the kingdom—all of the kingdom—reading is secondary to needs.

She still remembered Lady Persephone's words at their meeting, though Belle hoped to all the Gods that it was merely an exaggeration.

Even if the pit in her stomach seemed to say otherwise.