Ben waits in anticipation for the limo with the four Isle kids to pull up. He fights the urge to fidget; he needs to keep up appearances, after all, and a prince does not fidget. He mentally runs through the files of the Isle kids, making sure he at least knows their names.
Audrey has her arm looped through his, clutching his arm tightly. It's possessive, almost, the way she's holding into him. He doesn't have the heart to pry her off.
(He supposes she's there to keep up her appearance as his girlfriend, though he's not entirely sure he loves her the same way. But it'd benefit the both of them in the long run, so he sucks it up.)
(He does love her. He really does. But over the past few years, she'd changed so much to the point where Ben feels like he's dating a stranger.)
The sun warms his back as he stands near the circle drive, waiting for the limo with the Isle kids to arrive. He's growing antsy though; his fingers twitch nervously, and he sucks in a breath to calm himself.
The band is set up in an open area nearby, their uniforms clean and ironed and pristine. Their instruments are down, and they're milling about, muttering to each other. Ben can't quite catch what they're saying from this distance.
Audrey's grip on him tightens, and Ben turns his gaze back to the streets. He perks up as the limo comes into view, its sleek surface shining in the sunlight.
The drum major waves her hand, and the band springs into action, raising their instruments and blaring out music for the whole world to hear.
The limo rolls to a stop in the circle drive, and Ben musters up all the courage he has, and smiles. Best to make a good first impression after all.
The door opens, and a worn boot strikes the ground confidently, soon followed by another. The owner, a slender purple-haired teen with crocodile green eyes, slides out of the vehicle, grimacing. She holds a hand up to shield her face from the sunlight.
Ben blinks.
And blinks again.
It—it can't be. His smile falters ever so slightly. There's no way. It's just—just coincidence is all. She just happens to look like the girl from my dreams; no need to think too much into that.
He shakes his head lightly, clearing his mind, as Fairy Godmother beams, "Welcome to Auradon prep! I'm Fairy Godmother, the headmistress."
(The other three have slipped out of the limo silently. Ben notices that the tallest of them bears a worn duffel bag over his shoulder. The blue-haired girl carries what he supposes what was once a fancy bag of some sort on her arm. The smallest of them has nothing at all.)
The girl—who Ben is certain is Maleficent's daughter—blinks. "Fairy Godmother? As in, bibbidi-bobbidi-boo'?" She waves a finger to accentuate her point, still staring at the other fairy.
The older woman chuckles. "Bibbidi-bobbidi, you know it."
"Yeah." The teen's—Mal's—eyes shine. "Y'know, I always wondered what it was like for Cinderella when you appeared, out of nowhere, with that sparkling wand and warm smile."
"Oh. That old thing?" The headmistress hums. "I haven't used it in a while. I've pretty much retired from magic, except for a few occasions where it's necessary, of course. I've found that people clamoring for you to grant them their wishes can get tiring."
"Oh." Mal seems to deflate a bit, but still holds herself confidently. In all honesty, Ben's a little impressed. She's good at keeping up a façade.
"It's nice to finally meet you all," Ben says hurriedly to avoid an awkward silence. He smiles warmly at the four Isle kids. "I'm Ben."
"Prince Benjamin," Audrey corrects. She giggles breathlessly. "Soon-to-be-king!"
"You had me at 'prince'." Evelyn's voice is graceful and smooth, and she smiles flirtatiously at him. She curtsies, and it's almost as if she were just another Auradon girl. "My mother's a queen, which makes me a princess."
Through a smile and clenched teeth, Audrey says coolly, "The Evil Queen has no status here, and neither do you."
"Audrey," Ben hisses through his teeth. And before the situation can get any more tense and awkward, "This is Audrey."
"Princess Audrey. His girlfriend. Right, Bennyboo?"
Ben fights back a wince at the nickname, and Mal seems almost amused by this. Good for her, he guesses.
"Ben and Audrey will show you around." Fairy Godmother beams warmly. "I've got some matters I need to attend to, so if you'll excuse me. It really is very nice to meet you all." And with that, she hurries off, disappearing into the school.
"It's so nice to finally meet you all," he says again once the headmistress is out of sight. "This—this is a momentous occasion, one I hope will go down in history as the day our two peoples began to heal."
"Orrr—" Mal gestures vaguely—"it will be the day you showed four people where the bathrooms are."
The young prince shakes his head lightly, chuckling. "Too much?"
She shrugs, holding up two fingers just barely apart. "Just a bit."
"So much for my first impression."
"Hey," Audrey interjects suddenly, shattering the peaceful atmosphere. "You're Maleficent's daughter, right? Yeah, I totally don't blame your mom for trying to, you know, kill my parents and stuff. Oh, I'm Aurora's daughter. Sleeping—"
"Beauty." A large, fake smile stretches across Mal's face. "Yeah, I've heard the name thrown around a couple of times. And I definitely don't blame your parents for inviting literally everyone in the land except for my mother to their stupid christening."
"Water under the bridge."
"Totes!"
The two girls laugh, loud and fake and oh so tense. Ben chuckles uncomfortably himself, his fingers curling into his palm slightly.
"Okay!" He clasps his hands together, desperate to move along. "How about a tour? Yeah?"
Mal shrugs as the other Isle kids nod in agreement. Before long, the group begins to travel towards the school in silence. As they reach a statue of his dad, he says, "Auradon Prep was originally built 300 years ago, before it was converted into a highschool by my father when he became king."
He claps his hands lightly, and the statue ripples and shifts into the Beast—
Ben's head snaps around at the shrill screaming behind him, and he catches the sight of Jay grappling Carlos' arm as the smaller of the two shoots back so fast he was practically a blur. His eyes are wide and terrified, and he looks just about ready to bolt out of here.
"Oh, for evil's sake, de Vil." Jarin groans. His grasp on Carlos' arm is firm, Ben notices, but gentle in a way. "Get a grip."
Ben's smile falls a bit as it softens. "Carlos, it's okay. My dad—" he gestures to the statue— "he wanted the statue to be able to morph from beast to man to show that anything is possible."
"Does he shed much?" Mal snarks.
"Yeah, mom doesn't let him on the couch," he deadpans in a flat voice. The corners of his mouth twitches up, and he hurriedly continues on, not missing the amused smirk on the purple-haired teen's face.
"So. . . Do you guys, like, have a lot of experience with magic? Like—like wands and stuff?"
Ben hums as he walks through the hallway. "In a way, yes. Though it's pretty much. . . How do I put it? Retired I suppose. Many magic folk reserve their magic for special occasions; most of us are just regular mortals after all."
"Who just happen to be kings and queens," Jarin mutters under his breath.
"That's true!" Audrey quips; the smile is still on her face. "Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years!"
Not all of ours, Ben thinks, his mind wandering to mom, and Sultan Aladdin, and Queen Cinderella, and King Eugene. . . They aren't descended from royalty.
Just as he opens his mouth to correct his girlfriend, he spots Doug descending a nearby staircase. He perks up, waving a hand to signal the other teen to join them.
"Doug! Come down, come join us!" Ben smiles again (this time it's more genuine and warm), and as he nears the group, the young prince says, "Guys, this is Doug. He'll be able to help with your schedules and answer any questions should I not be available. If you ever need anything—"
"Ask Doug," Audrey cuts in.
"Or me." Ben gives Audrey a look, before turning back to the group. "I'm sure anyone would be willing to assist you in any way, should you need it. My office is just down the hall to the left."
Mal hums in acknowledgment, and Ben has just enough time to give her a small smile before he's dragged off by Audrey, off to do gods know what.
As he's pulled down the hall, Ben can't help but glance over his shoulder, trying to catch any last glimpse of the girl who so badly resembles the one from his dreams.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Clingy much? Mal snorts as the two royals disappear down the hall. Honestly, how insecure do you have to be to latch onto your partner like a leech?
She shakes her head slightly, pulling herself out of her thoughts as Doug explains, "I've put in all your required classes already, so all you need to do is pick your electives."
"What about dorms?" Evie smiles sickly sweet at him, and Mal's nose wrinkles at the interaction. Disgusting. "Are we rooming alone, or. . .?"
"I—Uh, n-no." Doug swallows, looking away from Evie. His cheeks flush pink. "Jay and—and Carlos are sharing a dorm, and you and Mal—"
"Excuse me?" Mal flares up, and the half-dwarf flinches at her furious tone. Evie stiffens. "I'm rooming with—with her—?"
"She's just nervous." Jay quickly places a hand over her mouth. His voice is cool and smooth, like dark chocolate. "New school and all, y'know?"
The half-dwarf nods, his smile straining. His hands are clasped nervously in front of him, and he shuffles his feet nervously.
"Why don't you show us where the dorms are?" Jay smiles, his lips curling up to show his teeth. "We should get situated before dinner."
"Oh, uh. Sure." He nods. "Of—of course. Just follow me."
Jay and Mal hang back as the others head off. Doug babbles on about something , Evie has her head held high and she strides forward confidently (Mal knows it's an act. She's seen the other girl fret over the stupidest things in her appearance), and Carlos' eyes remain on the ground, and he seems so small compared to everything else.
"What the hell was that?" Jay removes his hand from her mouth, and glares at her. "Do you want us to get sent back to the Isle?"
"Easy for you to say! You don't have to room with Blueberry!"
"Yeah, well, newsflash, life ain't fucking fair." He snarls lightly. "Suck it up, because if we fail, it'll be our heads. And I think that's a whole lot worse than rooming with her."
Mal's nails dig painfully into her palm, and she bites her tongue to keep herself from lashing out. Every inch of her wants to argue, to fight back, but Jay has a point, even if she hates to admit it.
"I make no promises that I'll play nice," she says at last, her voice low and dangerous. "And this is not forever. The moment we get the wand this alliance is off."
"Is it really an alliance if we didn't have a say in it?" Jay says dryly.
"You want me to end it early? That's what I thought." And with that she stalks off, heading to catch up with the others. Her footsteps are loud and confident and echo through the empty hallway.
As the rest of the group comes into view, Mal can't help but think of what will happen in the unlikely case that they failed.
(Evie probably would get the lightest punishment, Isle-wise at least. Jay may get beat for it, but not be injured enough for him to be unable to walk; Jafar still needs his shelves to be stocked, after all. As for her and Carlos. . . They'd be lucky to see the light of day again.)
Fighting DEMONS to not make things centered around Carlos. Idk if it worked
