Chapter Thirty Three
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney or the Greek Myths.
Smh, guys you know we're 34 reviews away from 900? I can't believe it!
Oh so I changed up the two Audreys—WAL Audrey is now 'Audie' (because my word processor stopped working in terms of the underline function). So Audie=WAL Audrey, Audrey=CF Audrey.
Urmimala Hazra: I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
jedblack1997: Oh I'm pretty sure that there'll be a reaction to Ben's dream!
Tracie Adams: I mean, they had no idea what the Isle was truly like so learning about it, they're guilty as to what they put the kids through.
shortanamx: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Marcus Emrys: lol I definitely agree, there should have been some warning there! Also, thinking of Harry calling Silver 'Uncle Silver' is very sweet—now is it Silver who's an human from Treasure Island or Silver who's a cyborg from Treasure Planet?
Me: Oh I can definitely see CF Audrey blow her top at the dream! Especially since Ben's betrothed to her and he'd dreaming about other girls!
jessaminego5134: Oh I'm so glad you're looking forward to the next chapter! I agree though, telling the others about Leah's other sins should be done when she's awake!
AmethystDragon14: Yay! Agreed, Harry matters! And poor Harriet!
GabrielleMaria: Very true! CF Audrey will be screaming for sure!
TR Lara Croft: Harry really can't stop being stubborn can he? That's just the way he is!
billyandkimfan1994: I agree, Milah would definitely kill Hook!
InuKagLove22: Thank you! Oh it's going to get awkward for Ben!
darkpegasuzz: Glad you liked the chapter!
Guest12345: At the very end? Uma tore up the scroll since it was in related to Harry and feelings she knows he wouldn't want to get out. No worries, I understand! I think you captured Harry's feelings precisely! Glad you liked the chapter!
HufflepuffInDaHealingCoven: Oh that's great point! I hadn't thought about the fact that Hadie had been put down for a nap. That's another good point concerning Harry and CJ! Of course you can get an invite for when Milah tears Hook a new one! Well Aladdin was thinking about himself so he had to refer to a human someone since he had Abu! :D Yeah it could have but Harry wouldn't want those feelings out in the open.
AthenaArtemis25: That's a good point, the VKs would definitely downplay anything that happened to them.
TheGirlofManyFloods: She's just an OC, I just needed a reason to reference Ohana means Family and Lilo always says it so I figured by this point Nani and David would have gotten together and had kids by this point.
danifan3000: Huh I didn't know that! Now I must rewatch the Aladdin tv show! :D
Katt Kiki: Glad you liked it! :D
JaclynnM: Oh please sleep! But thank you, I'm so glad you're enjoying it! :D
Dance love 2007: Oh thank you!
61394: Very true!
AliceCullen3: Oh I'm so glad! :D
lilyflower101: I would have done the same thing!
LOSE MUSES: Because Uma doesn't have a crush on Mal ;D Oh that's really interesting, I didn't know that! :D So glad you enjoyed the chapter!
smc-smfan1: Oh I can definitely have WAL Audrey fill in the blanks of that conversation! :D
FarLongThan4Ever: I hope you know I've had Far Longer than Forever running through my head for the past few days! That's okay though because I love that song!
Anonymous Reader: We know that and the others know that but Harry just needs to get it through his head! Exactly! A hospital doesn't slip through the cracks!
twilightgirl587: Oh probably not unless she thought others knew and it impacted her. Agreed, and I like Harry so I'm very glad that's not the case. Please do! I agree, grief can change someone. Well carrying would ensure Harry got to the Underworld. I think Jasmine and Rapunzel might try to kill Leah if/when they find out. Of course he would!
Guest: Yep, Ben's dream is next! Yeah Mal will definitely be shocked and Audrey will be a screaming loon!
SapphireKiddTaeyeon: You're very welcome! :D
Roxas Itsuka: Agreed, it was an intense chapter! Hopefully the Hook family can solve their drama but I'm glad you like the mother-son talk! Oh I'm sure Hades would do it without needing to be asked. I think WAL Audrey would tell them about that. Maurice has appeared in WAL's universe.
sao-frozen-smc. animefan: It's not out of the realm of possibilities!
Guest: Oh I do like that idea! I'm not sure if I'll make an appearance but it could possibly happen!
benmalfan: Oh thank you! Glad you liked the chapter!
WelcomeToTheShow: Oh I loved this one-shot! Yeah it was a little dark but it was amazingly written! I wanted to read more!
Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
"Are you sure you want to read Audrey?" Aurora asked.
"I'm not reading, she is," Audrey sniffed, pointing to her counterpart.
Audrey shook her head, massaging her temple due to the slight headache that had been building since she arrived. It was almost as if there was a copy of her back in her timeline—after all she could remember the surprise party they had for Evie after she got engaged and she knew that Evie had not been engaged before Audrey arrived at the reading. "I do have to say it's rather confusing having two Audrey's here and calling both of us by our full name. Just go ahead and call me Audie. I honestly should have said that when I arrived."
"That…that was the nickname I gave you when I was five," Phillip Jr. said, his voice soft.
Audie nodded. "Yep, sure is. If it helps avoid confusion though I'm fine being called it again. Oh, and I think we've had enough of her dramatics."
Leaning down by Leah, Audie whispered, "Ben and Mal are engaged in my timeline."
"What?!" Leah exclaimed, jolting up out of her unconscious state.
"Oh shame, she's alive," Mal shook her head.
Audie smirked and took a scroll, unfurling it with a flourish.
Time trickled by, as time often did, and before the kingdom of Auradon knew it twenty years had passed since the creation of their kingdom.
"Gods, it's honestly hard to believe it's been twenty years," Belle said, shaking her head.
Honestly, the citizens didn't know what was harder to believe—that their kingdom was twenty years old or that their prince was now sixteen and of age to take the throne.
Ben sighed as he looked over at his dad. He could still remember the day he made the offer to take the throne and all the responsibilities from him.
"…hey dad?" Ben said as the two of them worked on paperwork. Ever since Ben turned fourteen, Beast had given him 'practice' paperwork to do that they would work on for a couple of hours.
"Yeah Ben?" Beast asked as he rubbed his eyes, his glasses resting on the top of his head.
"You okay?"
"Just needed to rest my eyes. I'm fine."
Ben nodded and bit his lip slightly. "Well anyway….I was thinking…wouldn't it be a good idea if you got a break?"
"I'm not so old that I can't handle a bit of paperwork Ben," Beast said with a small chuckle.
"No, no…I mean…I mean from being King?"
"You can't really take a break from being King, Ben."
"You can if I take up the crown," Ben said quickly, as if he'd lose his nerve if he said it at a normal pace. "Dad…I…I know you never got the chance to mourn Abby."
"…your mother told you about that didn't she?"
Ben nodded. "Dad, that's over ten years of being unable to mourn your own daughter because you think the kingdom needs to see you as a King rather than a father. Let me take the throne. I don't want the power but…you should get the chance to finally mourn."
Beast sighed and shook his head. "That's too much pressure to put on you right now Ben. Enjoy your youth."
"…will I still have a father by the time I do take the crown?" Ben asked and Beast looked at him. "Dad, you're always working. Mom said it's rare for you to come to bed before three in the morning. Your piles of paperwork never seem to get any smaller and Queen Leah's always on your case. Let me take the crown dad. You can tell people it's because you never gave mom a honeymoon or anything you want."
Beast sighed once more. "I'll talk to your mother and get back to you Ben. It's an extremely kind offer."
"You okay Beastie Jr.?" Mal asked, bringing Ben back to the present.
"Just thinking," Ben told her.
"Don't hurt yourself then," Mal said with a slight chuckle.
Said prince, though, wasn't curled up in bed or lounging as one might expect a prince to be at the early morning hours of six am.
"Early workout? A good run is a great way to destress," Hercules said, giving Ben a kind smile.
No, the prince had fallen asleep at his desk located in his office at Auradon Prep; piles of paperwork acting as his pillow.
"Ben? Why are you sleeping at your desk surrounded by paperwork?" Belle asked.
"When isn't he sleeping at his desk surrounded by paperwork?" Emir said.
"Benjamin? What does he mean by that?" Beast asked, looking over at Ben.
Ben looked down at his feet, avoiding his father's eye. "It's nothing dad. Emir and Akiho always exaggerate," he muttered.
"Oh really Ben?" Akiho asked.
"Yes. Really."
"Thirty." Emir said.
"What?"
"That is the number of times Akiho and I have coaxed you to bed in your dorm after finding you asleep at your desk. Otherwise your parents would have found out well before now as you'd be at a doctor's with a neck injury," Emir said firmly.
"See, this is what I mean when I say you exaggerate," Ben said, shaking his head before giving Emir a look. A look Ben hoped gave the message he was trying to give: drop the subject while my parents are here dude!
"No Ben we don't," Akiho said. "Look we understand wanting to make your parents proud. We've all been there. But this has gone on long enough without them knowing! You told us you'd tell both them and Chip about your Tourney injury but have you? I'd say not."
"Honestly?! Are we ever going to finish with this scroll are are we going to focus on where Bennyboo sleeps?" Audrey scoffed, preventing whatever Belle was going to say as she'd opened her mouth.
"Are you saying that your boyfriend's health doesn't matter? Emma snapped at her. Ben quickly motioned for Audie to continue reading.
Wake up Ben. Wake up Ben. Wake up Ben.
"I'll kill them, I'll kill them, I'll kill them," Ben muttered as he reached for his phone.
"Oh Ben you wound us!" Emir and Akiho exclaimed.
"You messed with my alarm," Ben said, giving his friends a look. And interrupted my dream where I'm on the Isle with my mystery girl.
He didn't know how or when but he knew his best friends had been the ones to set that alarm on his phone.
Granted their voices on the alarm were a dead giveaway but still.
"Honestly Ben, keep a better watch on your phone," Emir smirked. "And a better passcode. Honestly, 112291?"
"I will be changing that passcode now that you've just revealed it to everyone in this room," Ben said, rolling his eyes. "But why did you make your voices my alarm?"
"Why not?" Emir and Akiho shrugged.
"Seriously? You had to go off right when I was in the middle of that dream?" Ben sighed as he looked at his phone.
Ben coughed, having swallowed his own spit in surprise. Please…not that dream. Not with a girl who looks almost identical in the room! Audie, if you've got a heart, you'll skip this part!
"Ooh what sort of dream is Beastie Jr. having?" Uma asked with a small smirk.
"It must be good to get his face to be that red," Harry chuckled.
Audrey rolled her eyes. Her Bennyboo wouldn't have one of those dreams that the other girls on the cheer squad talked about.
He had been having the same dream since he was about fourteen or fifteen,
"He went to me after the first time and I swear, I almost directed him to his dad," Chip chuckled.
"Seriously Chip?!"
"Well Benji, when your opening question is 'is it normal to dream about girls', I'm preparing myself for a whole different conversation and not one I want to have with my little brother!"
Emir and Akiho burst out laughing as Ben turned bright red.
"Oh Gods, the rest of the team will be upset they missed that," Chad said, chuckling slightly.
about a beautiful purple haired girl with glowing green eyes on the Isle of the Lost.
Mal froze, looking over at Ben. She had never told anyone, not even Uma, but for the past few years she had been having dreams of a similar nature. Dreams where she was clearly off the Isle, enjoying a beautiful lake surrounded by ruins that could have come from Olympus and sitting with a boy with honey brown hair and hazel green eyes.
A boy who honestly looked like a carbon copy of the boy sitting next to her.
"…what?!"
"Oh wow, I'm surprised I can still hear after that," Harry said as Estelle whimpered, putting his paws over his ears as Audrey continued to go on a rant.
"Welcome to our world," Emir told him, gesturing to himself and Akiho.
"You poor lads."
"Audrey, Ben can't really control what he dreams about," Phillip Jr. pointed out.
"That doesn't matter! We're betrothed! He shouldn't be dreaming about any other girls!"
"Oh so you're just going to go into his head and control what he dreams about?" Emma scoffed. "Didn't realize you had the power of the Gods Audrey."
"I'm sorry, but can we go back to the beautiful purple haired girl with glowing green eyes?" Uma asked with a small smirk as she looked at her cousin.
"Drop it Uma," Mal muttered, glaring at the older girl as Ben flushed. Her cheeks were also a faint pink as Emir and Akiho leaned forward slightly.
That almost sounds like a True Love, Akiho thought with a small smile. He had spent enough time around Audrey to know the signs (she ranted about the subject enough times plus his grandparents were love experts after all). But he kept quiet. He didn't want to risk spooking Mal and chasing her off before Ben had a chance.
She never said her name but her voice…her voice was like a gift from the Gods.
"Well considering she's the daughter of two Gods, it makes sense," Emir chuckled. "How did we not know about this dream before now?"
"Because I knew this is how you'd react," Ben muttered, his cheeks still bright red.
Ben shook his head a little to clear it as he continued to wake up. He was spoken for. He shouldn't even be dreaming about other girls—even fictional ones. He had been 'off the market' so to speak ever since he was three and his parents signed the betrothal contract with the Roses.
"I'm sorry, since he was how old?" Hades spoke up, narrowing his eyes as he looked over at Belle and Beast. Ben and Mal were not going to lie, they were thankful that the focus shifted from them.
Ariel looked over at Leah. "Why did Ben and Audrey need to go into a betrothal contract at three? Audrey was Ben's friend, there was as much of a chance that they'd get together themselves. Were you so insecure that you needed to take away a child's choice?"
"Oh please," Leah scoffed. "Three years old was perfectly old enough to look into a betrothal contract. We put Aurora into one when she was born after all."
"Yes well you are not exactly parent of the year," Hades shot back. "And why am I not surprised you're in favor of this whole mess?"
"I'm not exactly in favor of this either Hades," Hera spoke up, surprising him.
"…you're not?"
"Contracts may be your thing but marriage is mine. Goddess of marriage remember? You really think I would be in favor of putting children in a match for life?"
"Huh, no wonder Mal got you to officiate Chip's wedding," Audie spoke up.
"…we'll touch on that later," Hades said. "But you all are aware that since there was no way Beastie Jr. or the horrid version of Audie over there could consent to the contract, it should be considered void."
"What?!"
"They're under the age of eighteen and more importantly, the contract is in regards to them but I have a feeling their signatures aren't anywhere on it. In fact, give me a copy of the contract and I'll check myself."
"I have it right here Lord Hades!" Emir said, pulling out his phone.
"Why am I not surprised?" Aziz asked, shaking his head.
"I thought it'd come in handy," Emir shrugged as he handed his phone to Hades, the contract pulled up.
Hades nodded and looked at the contract, studying every line. "Just as I thought. No signature from either impacted party. You can't hold either one of them to something they did not agree to."
"But…but…"
"Oh Gods," Audie sighed as Audrey spluttered in shock. "Hey, me with the stick up my butt, this could be a good thing. I mean, I wouldn't know, I didn't have a contract with Ben—."
"But weren't you dating him?!"
"Of course. But you know, without our parents and Leah forcing us to do so," Audie nodded.
Belle nodded. "Ben, dear, I did want to talk to you about that but maybe that could be done during the next break?"
"I agree with Queen Belle," Aurora said. "Audrey, dear, your father and I want to talk to you during the next break. But for now, let's let Audie read."
Sure Audrey had been his best friend at the time
"Yeah okay and how much of that friendship is still there?" Chip muttered as he glanced toward Audrey.
and sure, sometimes it was better to not argue with Leah and just go along with what she wanted, but Ben had to admit it was a little…trying at times, being in the relationship.
"Trying? Trying?! Bennyboo—?"
"Just throwing out a guess but it might be the cutesy nicknames that may be a cause of him feeling like the relationship is 'trying'?" Jay suggested.
"And what do you know about relationships?!" Audrey snapped.
"Audrey!" Aurora scolded. "I know you're upset and shocked that's not a reason to be rude! Apologize!"
"Mother!"
"Now!"
Audrey narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, clearly not moving to do as her mother ordered.
"Very well, you're grounded for a month young lady," Aurora said.
Of course it didn't help that all his friends seemed to hate Audrey, with maybe the exception of Chad.
"Of course they hate me!" Audrey exclaimed. "The little—!"
"Don't even finish that sentence," Audie told her. "Remember, I've been where you are. I know what thoughts might be running through that head of yours. Use the brain I know you have and think before you speak."
There wasn't a day that went by when Emir or Akiho weren't trying to get him to break the contract.
Quickly pulling his phone to him, he shot a quick text to Chip. Nothing major, but Ben figured he should know that he had the dream again considering he'd gone to his surrogate older brother the first time he'd had the dream.
Belle couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her lips. Thank Gods they're so close. At least this way Ben could have a sibling, she thought.
He didn't expect a reply, after all it was six in the morning and if there was one thing Chip loved more than anything it was his sleep. Ben used to joke that maybe he was Akiho's long lost brother, the way he coveted sleep so much.
"He calls me so often he might as well be another one of my brothers," Chip said with a small smile.
"Let's take a look at today's schedule," Ben muttered, pulling out his planner. Thankfully, it was a fairly light day being a Saturday.
"Compared to your usual hell," Emir nodded.
Ben rolled his eyes. "My day's not that bad Emir."
"I see we've changed the definition of 'not that bad'," Emma noted.
"Yeah Ben, there's a betting pool about when you'll collapse from lack of sleep," Lonnie nodded.
"I get enough sleep!"
Emir raised an eyebrow and pulled out a navy blue planner, flipping it open. "On an average weekday, Ben has six hours of school. That's guaranteed, and then either two to three hours of Tourney or R.O.A.R. practice. King Beast then has him shadow his council meetings which can last up to four hours and then finally the dreaded paperwork—which is noted as being done after dinner but we all know that's not true."
"When do you sleep?" Hadie asked, looking at Ben as Belle looked at her son, horrified at that schedule.
"When his body tells him to apparently," Akiho shook his head. "Why else would he be sleeping at his desk and not in his bed?"
"Coronation's coming up, I've got to—."
"Isn't your dad still King?" Mal asked, frowning slightly. "Dump the paperwork onto him. He's still got a month to enjoy it."
Ben sighed. The whole reason why he was taking the crown at sixteen was because his dad had never allowed himself a chance to mourn Abby and had started working himself into an early grave. Of course, the only people who knew the true reason were Emir, Akiho, his mom, Chip, and of course him and his dad.
The public was told the official reason for the abdication was that his mom had never been given a honeymoon.
"…when did you get my planner?" Ben asked, looking at Emir.
"You know I appointed myself the keeper of your schedule after you gave a five minute pep talk in French during one of our practices," Emir told him. "Therefore I know how to get your planner. And no, I'm not giving it back."
"…Dean gave you it didn't he?"
"Yes he did."
Not even a single council meeting, which Ben couldn't help but be surprised by.
"I do enjoy the occasional day off from my council," Beast said, a frown still on his face as he thought about his son's schedule. The whole reason Belle managed to talk him into retiring early after Ben made the offer was because she had said she didn't want to see him work himself into an early grave. But now it was clear that his son was doing the same thing and he wasn't even King yet.
Then again, today was his suit fitting for coronation.
Dad probably thought it'd be more relaxing if I didn't have a lot of stuff today, Ben thought as he put his planner back in his desk drawer.
"I only schedule the council meetings Ben," Beast said as everyone turned to look at him. "I don't know what else is on your schedule."
"Oh so it's like how teachers will overwhelm us with homework and projects, not knowing that all the other teachers do that too?" Kitty asked.
"…should I be worried that's where your brain went?" Kit asked his daughter.
But Ben was so used to a busy schedule that down time was pretty much a foreign concept to him. It happened so rarely after all.
"Achidanza! I think Prince Ben is a bigger workaholic than you Tiana," Naveen muttered to his wife.
"Naveen!" Tiana shushed. "That may be true but you shouldn't say things like that."
Tapping his fingers on his desk, Ben bit his lip as he tried to think of something to fill his time.
I could read…no I don't have anything new.
"Easily fixable," Belle said. "What kind of genre do you want Ben? I know you were reading historical fiction the last time we talked—."
"Mom, it's fine," Ben said. "I've got the paperwork—."
"Benji, when's the last time you read something that wasn't paperwork?" Chip asked, looking over at his brother in all but blood.
Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe…maybe a year?"
"Honestly is it really that much of an issue? A King has paperwork," Leah sniffed.
Mal shook her head. "It was so much more peaceful when she was unconscious," she muttered.
Video games? Nah, that'd just make me risk being late for the fitting.
"And this would be different from everything else you've had to do for the past year how?" Chad asked. "With the exception of Tourney and classes, you're always running late."
Ben sighed. "The teachers are the ones who dismiss us, not the bell and I have to be at practice early. Remember Coach's rule? The captain of the team gets there early to set up, is the last one to leave to help clean, and never leaves early unless it's an emergency."
"But it's the month before your coronation," Emma pointed out. "Surely he would know that you'd be too busy to come to practice early—."
"It's Ben," Emir told her, crossing his arms as he looked at the Crown Prince. "He insisted it was fine and that he could make it work."
"Coach was counting on me, I couldn't—."
"Yes you could've Ben!"
Plus Emir and Akiho are visiting their parents today. All the best games I have are multiplayer anyway. Go for a run? My MP3 player's dead. Forgot to charge it last night.
Uma pursed her lips. You think DeVil could make it so his MP3 thing doesn't die on him?
I mean DeVil blew a hole in the barrier so I think anything's possible, Mal thought back. But since when do you care about the royal family Uma?
Since Prince Beastie Jr. was dreaming about you Mali. Not to mention Hadie and Celia can't get their butts off the Isle if Beastie Boy's burnt out.
Go for a swim? No, same risks as with the video games. The last thing I need is to lose track of time and be late for the suit fitting.
"Shame, you love swimming," Elle said with a small smile.
"Yep, Ben's a fish!" Akiho said with a grin. It's one of the few ways he can relax too.
Suddenly, an idea struck him like a bolt of lightning—he could finalize the kids for the VK initiative he was going to propose to his father later that day.
To everyone's surprise, Chad pinched the bridge of his nose. "You are officially a workaholic Ben. You've got a day off and you spend it working?"
It didn't make sense that they were trapped on an Isle all alone when they were Auradon citizens too. Shouldn't they have the same access everyone else had available to them? What right did Auradon have to forget them?
"He's a teen. A teenager is the one thinking about the kids on the Isle. He could have chosen anything and he chooses to make his first proclamation about something that should have been handled years ago," Eric said with a small sigh.
Quickly booting up his computer, and briefly wondering why his dad didn't just digitize the paperwork needed for coronation, Ben pulled up the digital version of the registry.
Carlos perked up. "Thank Gods! I thought you all were just ignoring all the technology you had available."
It escaped his notice that he had spoken that whole sentence without pausing—but it didn't escape Audie's. She gave the younger boy a small, encouraging smile.
Persephone frowned. "I didn't know there was a digital version of the registry."
It was one of their first ever attempts at going digital, made when Ben was about eight years old. Hephaestus had suggested it, as the God of Technology—plus it was a safer way to keep their records secure.
"Yeah okay until the power goes out and someone gives birth then or something," Rowyn pointed out.
The citizens of the Isle of the Lost couldn't hack into the digital version should they somehow escape, the way they could steal or destroy the physical copy. That was Hephaestus' reasoning and Ben's father had agreed.
"Of course we couldn't hack into it! We have no internet!" Jay scoffed.
However, because Beast wasn't as technologically literate as the kids were, the digital version of the registry didn't get updated as often as the physical version—only updated when a child was born on the Isle, to match their written records.
"King Beast…that better not mean what I think it means," Persephone said, her voice low as she turned to look at Beast.
That wasn't something, though, that was known to the young crown prince so Ben hurriedly looked through the records, trying to find four kids who would need their help the most. After all, four was a nice small number that might reassure anyone who had their doubts.
"Shouldn't the fact that your digital records aren't as updated as your written ones be something that should be made known to the future King?" CJ asked.
Should I start small, maybe bring in the kids of sidekicks? Ben thought as he pursued through the registry and then shook his head. The whole idea was to provide help to the kids who Auradon forgot.
Sammy would love it if her brothers got the chance to get off the Isle, Harriet thought with a small sigh. Unbeknownst to her, Milah gave her daughter a small, knowing smile.
As Lonnie always told him, go big or go home. If the program failed, it may be these kids' only shot to see Auradon.
"So you listen to me when it comes to your work but not when it comes to your health," Lonnie sighed, shaking her head.
Besides, ignoring powerful villains could be dangerous. He had heard of the kingdom of Udrogoth where the king and queen had left to battle the evil that plagued their land, leaving their eldest daughter in charge. Their kingdom was constantly under siege by their resident villain, the Dark Lord Chuckles.
"That's a real kingdom?" Celia asked, raising an eyebrow.
Many people say it was unfortunate that Udrogoth never joined Auradon, otherwise the Dark Lord Chuckles would be trapped behind the barrier with the other villains. Ben's only question was how a pig became a dark lord in the first place.
"…yeah, it's probably a good thing he didn't wind up on the Isle," Mal said.
"A sentient pig is still a pig after all," Uma nodded. "If we didn't get him, the hyenas or big cats would have. But any chance could you shoo him or any of his kids to the Isle? I'm sure Uncle Hades wouldn't mind a new type of meat to work with."
Her attempt at sounding casual didn't work as Alexandria looked at her in shock and horror.
Okay let's focus. We only have so much time before the fitting, Ben thought and brought his attention back to the computer. Hmm…Cruella DeVil's son might be a good pick, a sort of 'weaker' villain as it were. Evil Queen's daughter, I hope Queen Snow won't mind. Jafar's son, that one may be a bit tricker if he's inherited Jafar's genie abilities but nothing we can't work with. Now…who'll be my fourth?
"Did you?" Aladdin asked, looking over at Jay. "Inherit his genie abilities I mean?"
"Considering I've been under a magic barrier my whole life, I have no idea," Jay told him.
Snow looked over and gave Evie a small smile. "Of course I don't mind. I'm happy to get to know my step sister."
If it gets me away from my mother, I'm more than okay with her being considered a 'weaker' villain and therefore getting labeled as weak by association, Carlos thought.
Pursuing the records, Ben couldn't help but sigh. There were so many kids on the Isle, how could he pick just one more kid to come to Auradon? But he knew people would be hesitant to agree to even four kids coming to Auradon—any more and he could potentially kiss the VK initiative goodbye.
Ben looked over at Harry. "I swear, I had no idea what I was leaving you to deal—."
"Don't," Harry shook his head. He knew Ben meant well but the last thing he wanted was anyone's pity.
Ben had to pause though as he reached Maleficent's page. According to the records, she had a daughter.
"…the Dragon has never had a daughter," Hades said firmly. "She may have supplied the egg but that's it."
"Can we please stop providing that image?!" Chip exclaimed.
Her magical abilities would definitely cause others to have concerns since it was a lot more likely Maleficent's daughter would have magic than Jafar's son, but Ben didn't care. He didn't know why, but he knew the daughter of Maleficent would be a good fit.
"Gee Ben, could it be because she looks exactly like your dream girl?" Emir teased.
"This is why I didn't tell you two about the dream," Ben sighed.
Perfect! That way there'll be two girls and two guys, shoulders to lean on so to speak. If they need it of course. I mean I know my friends will be perfectly welcoming but they might want to be around someone from their home to start with.
At least Carlos is a relatively friendly face, considering Mal still hates me and Jay's one of Mal's best friends, Evie thought with a small sigh.
Ben knew his dad wouldn't like the idea of Maleficent's daughter coming to Auradon—after all she was the most evil villain of them all. But her daughter
wasn't.
"You don't know her Ben!" Audrey exclaimed.
"Hate to say it but Audrey's right," Ashaki sighed. "I mean you know you're right now since you met her and got to know her through this reading but the you in the scroll doesn't know anything about Mal."
Her daughter didn't ask to be born to Maleficent just like Ben didn't ask to be born the crown prince. It was a matter of fate.
"I don't think those two things are equal," Uma said.
Ben tilted his head. "How are they not? They were both circumstances of Fate though I must get those records updated."
Giving a small nod, Ben reached for a pad of paper so that he could note down the names of the four kids.
Carlos, Evelyn, Jay, and…Mal.
For some reason, a small shiver went up Ben's spine when he thought the last name. He shook his head once more, he was probably just tired. Or excited that he finally had finalized his idea to propose to his parents.
Jay looked over at Mal with a small smirk. 'Beastie Jr. likes you,' he mouthed as soon as he caught Mal's eye.
If they approved, he could get the invitations sent out within the week!
Considering this was a trial program, and that it would be his proclamation, Ben knew he could get away with not going to the council. This time.
"I don't think you'll have any problems getting more kids off the Isle your highness," Aladdin said. Ben gave him a small smile as his eyes flickered to Leah. Even though she'd been removed from his dad's council, Ben had a sinking suspicion that she'd try to make trouble anyway.
Any more kids would require a council vote, and Ben knew that could get delayed if any particular members of the council disapproved of the idea.
"You would honestly leave children in that environment?!" Milah exclaimed.
"They're villains," Leah sniffed.
Thank Gods she was unconscious for the last scroll. I think Milah, Harriet, or Harry would have killed her, Mal thought to Uma.
…That's a bad thing?
And Ben knew of three who would definitely delay the vote to bring more kids from the Isle, and one person in particular who would make it next to impossible if she so chose.
"Remind me to remove the Duke and Chi-fu from the council when we get back to Auradon," Beast muttered to Belle.
"Of course dear," Belle nodded.
Hence why Ben was sticking through the betrothal contract—well that and it was a promise. Ben wasn't big on breaking promises. A king should stick to his word after all.
Mal and Uma looked at each other, Mal nodding slightly. Ben was going to put himself through hell just so the VKs could have a chance at a better life.
Well then, if he was going to do that, the least Mal could do would be to make sure he actually survived to make it to his coronation. Ben might not have known it but he had officially been put under Warf Rat protection.
Sighing, Ben logged out of the digital registry and went back to work on the paperwork he'd fallen asleep on. He had about an hour to kill before his suit fitting, might as well get as much paperwork done as he could before then. At least then it would be paperwork he wouldn't have to do tonight.
"Or, and this is just a suggestion, you don't do any paperwork since you worked so hard the night before you fell asleep at your desk," Lonnie spoke up.
Ben sighed. "Lonnie, the paperwork had to be done. I couldn't—."
"Ben, do you not remember the time I hid in your office and dragged you out of it at ten in the evening? I'll do it again if you tempt me!"
Looks like he's got a Jay, Mal thought with a small smile. Good. I'm not the fondest of the royal family but Beastie Jr…Ben needs to learn to take breaks and relax. He's still a teen after all.
A buzzing from his phone distracted Ben though and he quickly answered. "Hello?"
"You texted me at six in the morning?!"
"Three guesses who that is," Emir said with a chuckle.
"And if you need the other two, you're Chad," Lucy added.
"Lucy!" Cinderella scolded.
"Hello to you too Chip," Ben chuckled. "I'm doing fine, thanks for asking."
Even though he couldn't see him, Ben knew Chip was rolling his eyes. "You're far too chipper this morning…and really? You texted me because you had that dream again?"
Ben chuckled. "As you can all see, Chip is not a morning person."
"What? Is it normal to have a dream more than once?"
"Well yes, at least according to Aurora. But she also says if you dream something more than once it's sure to come true. Maybe this means you'll finally meet your mystery girl."
"Oh! I guess you could say Ben and Mal met once upon a dream," Phillip Jr. said with a small chuckle.
"Chip, you know I can't. I'm with Audrey."
"You sound so enthused about that too."
"Chip, come on! She's…she's not that bad."
"It might be easier to defend your relationship with her if she put in any effort to be in the relationship," Lonnie said, her voice low.
Ben couldn't help but wince a little at that. It sounded weak even to him. He was supposed to be defending his girlfriend and it sounded like he was half heartedly recommending a restaurant.
"Well you know in his defense, he'd been up since six in the morning," Neal spoke up. "It's hard to think on the fly when you're tired like that."
"I like you!" Ben said instantly.
"That'd mean more if you didn't like everyone Ben," Neal said with a slight chuckle.
"Ben, I love you but I don't know how you can just stay in that relationship."
"Because if I don't, Leah would make all our lives hell?"
"That shouldn't be your worry Ben," Belle said with a sad smile.
"Mom, when I'm the one in the contract, it becomes my worry," Ben said, the same sad smile on his lips.
"Oh. That…that's an excellent point. But it shouldn't be one that you should deal with. You should be out having fun with your friends, enjoying the Tourney season."
Ben sighed. "We've got the championship game coming up. Not much left of the season to enjoy. Besides, I've got to quit the team after that game anyway."
"No, no you don't," Akiho said, shaking his head.
"Akiho, yes I—."
"No! I understand you've made a decision Ben but considering it's a stupid ass decision, the team has elected to ignore it!" Akiho said firmly.
"Akiho's right," Emir nodded. "Until that crown touches your head, you're our captain Ben. And even after that, really."
"Excuse me? Why?"
"Coronation's in a month, Chip. You really think the others teams would be okay playing a team that had a king on it? We'd be disqualified in a heartbeat, or worse we'd get a rep for having the refs side with us because I was on the team. Even if it wasn't true."
"If any rumors or allegations did start, it wouldn't come from Imperial Academy your highness. I promise," Shang said.
Lil Shang nodded. "Yeah, it's more likely to come from the Neverland team. They're so immature."
Chip sighed. "I hate that you're right. But I also hate the fact that you've got to give up Tourney Ben. You love it. Anyone with eyes can see it."
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Emir muttered to Akiho.
"Monthly Tourney pick up games?"
"Oh yeah."
"A king—"
"Don't give me that crap. You're more than just a king you know—not to mention you're not king yet. Besides, if you're going to still be a student then I see no reason why you can't stay on the team."
"And I still think it's dumb you can't play!" Chip stated. "If you're going to be a student after becoming King, you should get to play the sport you love!"
"Chip, have you ever read the biographies of Henry the 8th?" Ben asked with a small sigh. "There's a reason why they don't let kings play sports."
Ben couldn't help the sad smile that formed on his face. His team had given the same speech when he had to tell them he was stepping down from his position as captain. Emir and Akiho had nearly locked him in the art room until he changed his mind. Well that was until Chad talked them down—to everyone's surprise.
"He wouldn't be stepping down as captain if he didn't want to," Chad said with a slight shrug as everyone looked over at him. Even Mal gave him a look that could only be described as asking him 'what's your game?' "Ben didn't need the whole team arguing with him about his decision…even if our next captain has some massive shoes to fill."
Well, everyone's surprise but mine, Ben thought. After all, Chad and I have been friends since infancy—Emir and Akiho may be my closest friends but they're not my oldest friends.
"Yeah and yet he constantly pines over your girlfriend," Lonnie muttered. "I think Chad needs to reread the friendship guidebook."
"You still there Ben?"
"What? Oh yeah, sorry Chip. Just thinking."
"Well don't hurt yourself there," Chip chuckled. "We can catch up after your suit fitting. I'm sure your mom's going to tear up at the sight of you in it. Well, if you wore anything other than suits."
"Bennyboo looks good in suits!" Audrey argued.
Audie shook her head. "I'm not saying that's not true but you've never seen Ben in Isle garb then. Brown shirt, blue jeans, blue beanie that I think he borrowed from Jay…Gods, if he wasn't happily in love with Mal he'd be fighting off girls with a stick!"
Ben flushed as Emir and Akiho chuckled.
"Now this I've got to see," Emma said as Lonnie nodded.
"I own other clothes Chip!"
"Yes. You just don't wear them is the thing. Though maybe that's a good thing—that blue and gold plaid blazer over your orange and blue striped polo that you wore when you were twelve was an eye sore many people want to forget."
Evie shuddered. "I'm…I'm sorry your highness but that sounds horrid."
"It was green and gold in my timeline," Audie said. "And it was horrid considering he paired it with an orange and blue striped polo."
Evie's jaw dropped in horror. "No! I'm sorry but no! Who was your stylist and why did they let you go out—?"
"Well Blueberry's come out of her shell," Uma muttered to Mal who nodded. Ben just smiled. He could take critiques about his wardrobe if it meant the other kids were feeling more comfortable around him.
Audie pulled out her phone and opened the Auratube app. Much to her delight and surprise, she was able to get her timeline's Auratube.
"What are you doing?" Phillip Jr. asked.
"Enacting revenge on Chip for making me think about that monstrosity," Audie said, skipping past Ben's performance at the Championship Tourney game before anyone could ask any questions about it. "Ah here we go. Chip's drunken makeup tutorial from his bachelor party."
"My drunken what from my what now?"
Audie didn't answer but played the clip. Soon, Chip's voice rang through the room.
"I must put on makeup fellow men, join me."
"I…I have questions," Chip said as most of the kids burst out laughing.
"Your brothers apparently gave you alcohol from what I heard," Audie shrugged. "According to Ben, one of your brothers wasn't there for your twenty first for what Ben calls the 'highlighter incident'?"
"Oh yes," Belle nodded, a few chuckles escaping her lips at the memory even though she was still rather worried about Ben. She truly had no idea how much stress he was under though she thought he had changed a bit over the past year. He was normally so vibrant but recently it was almost as if he was trying to put on an act. A very good act but an act. "Chip tried to color Ben's face with highlighter."
'He claimed I was important," Ben said.
"You are Benji!"
"Who filmed that? It's too steady for it to be one of Chip's brothers if they were also drunk," Rachel said.
"The VK girl Chip was fostering from what he told me once he sobered up," Audie told her.
"More kids come from the Isle?" Evie asked, a small smile on her lips as she thought about Dizzy getting her chance.
Audie nodded. "Oh yeah. Lacey loves being with Chip."
"…Lacey LeGume?" Uma asked and Audie nodded again.
"Well Fish for Brains will be happy at least. Lacey's one of his favorite sisters," Harry sighed.
"Ha ha," Ben said dryly. "I'm going to let you go now, unless you've got any other critiques about my clothing?"
"No, that was pretty much it Benji. But I will say this."
"Yes?"
"Stop texting me at six in the morning!"
"The only time I want you texting me at six in the morning is if you're hurt, sick, you're drunk for some reason and you can't drive yourself home, or your wife's in the throws of labor," Chip said, looking at Ben.
Ben chuckled. "Duly noted Chip. I'll text you at five next time."
"Ben!"
"Somehow I don't think that's what he meant," Neal chuckled.
"I kid, I kid! I'll catch you later Chip. Don't do anything strange in the meantime, like say create a megaphone by using string, a squirrel and an already made megaphone."
"That poor squirrel!" Dizzy gasped.
"Why would you tie a squirrel to a megaphone?" Carlos asked as Estelle perked up, looking around for the squirrel. Did he know what a squirrel was? No, but that didn't mean he didn't want to know where it was!
"That was one time! I spent too much time around your grandfather!"
Ben shook his head. "No such thing!"
"Papa does always enjoy spending time with you Chip," Belle said with a fond smile.
Ben chuckled as he hung up the phone. Quickly straightening up his desk, Ben smoothed out his shirt as he stood up. Grabbing his jacket, he buttoned it up before fishing a comb out of his desk drawer and ran it through his hair.
"…you have a comb in your desk drawer?" Rowyn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It can't hurt to fix up your hair," Ruby said.
"Rubes, that's true in your case but Ben's hair is like naturally perfect unless he's got bedhead. For him to have a comb in his office means he's slept at his desk before and tried the fingers as a comb method."
Before he could leave his office, though, his stomach rumbled with the reminder that he'd missed dinner the night before.
Audie sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out a protein cookie. "Eat it," she said, handing it to Ben.
"But I—."
"Did I stutter? I know I'm not your girlfriend but she should have come and gotten you the minute she realized you weren't at dinner."
"I'm not Bennyboo's keeper!"
"That's right, Audrey has many responsibilities—."
"Seriously? If she truly loved Ben like she claims, making sure her boyfriend eats should be a priority!" Audie exclaimed. "Now eat the cookie Benjamin!"
"Okay," Ben said and took a bite. "Hmm, good. Peanut butter?"
Audie nodded while Emir and Akiho grinned at the fact that there'd be someone else looking out for Ben.
"You just had a cookie in your pocket?" Mal asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Queen Rapunzel was trying out a new recipe for the soup kitchen on the Isle but needed tasters," Audie shrugged. "I was going to give it to some of the kids and see how they liked it."
"Did that dress have pockets?!" Evie and Dizzy exclaimed.
I should really grab some breakfast…oh but the suit fitting's in fifteen minutes. There's no time.
"We would have waited for you to get something to eat Ben!" Belle exclaimed.
"You have the resources of Auradon at your fingertips and you're just going to skip meals!" Mal and Uma shouted at the same time, drowning out Belle's exclamation.
"Do you know how many kids would have loved to have the option of skipping a meal?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes at Ben.
Ben sighed. "I didn't mean to skip dinner. Normally I do my paperwork after I eat but there was so much of it, I thought I'd start before dinner that day. I was lucky in that the council meeting only went three hours so I had an hour to kill before the meal. I just…got into the zone and lost track of time."
"Where were you two?" Lonnie asked, looking at Emir and Akiho. "Wasn't it one of your turns for Ben Dinner Duty?"
"I ran late to dinner, thought Emir had taken my shift," Akiho said.
"Same," Emir nodded, looking guilty.
"Your sandwich delivery has arrived!" A familiar voice called from the other side of his door.
"You are a life saver," Ben said as he opened the door to find one of his two best friends.
"I thought you were visiting your parents?" Harry asked, looking at the Arendelle heir. "That was the whole reason why Benny over there said he couldn't play his video games to relax after all."
Akiho shrugged. "I was about to make my way to my car before my 'Ben sense' went off."
"Your what now?"
"They claim they have this sense where they can tell when Ben needs them," Audrey sniffed.
"More like I'm just used to it at this point," Akiho sighed and handed Ben a turkey and ham sandwich. "What's this, the tenth time this year?"
"Why didn't you come to us regarding this Akiho?" Anna asked.
"Didn't think about it," Akiho told her, looking down at the ground at the possibility of disappointing his mom.
"Right, that's it! We're postponing the coronation," Beast said, looking at his son.
"What?! No, dad! You can't!" Ben exclaimed.
"Don't tell me that Benjamin! You've skipped dinner ten times this year?"
"Um…actually…" Audie said, her voice soft.
"I think eleventh but who's counting?"
"Dad you can't just postpone the coronation," Ben said quickly before his dad could say anything. "Think about all the work that's gone into the planning! All the date that've been set! The kingdom's going to be watching for it! Think about why we're doing it! You need this! I'm fine!"
"We can keep going forward with the coronation only after you've had a doctor's appointment confirming you're fine Ben," Belle spoke up. "You missed dinner eleven times and were prepared to miss breakfast as well young man!"
"Perhaps this is a subject better discussed for the next break?" Persephone said. "It should be coming up soon."
"You are apparently," Akiho chuckled as Ben dug into the sandwich. "Ben, ever thought about getting a vending machine for your office? Or even just a mini fridge so we could load it up when you get into your paperwork mania?"
"Oh joy, another conversation I've had fifty times and gotten the same answer," Akiho sighed.
"Akiho, you can see how small my office is," Ben said, gesturing behind him. "I move into dad's office in a month anyway. There's not really any point in getting those things when it'd just be something for someone to move."
Beast sighed and shook his head. "Ben, if you need anything for your office, you know you can always ask."
"As my scroll self says dad, there's no point in calling in workmen to do it when I'm just about to move out. But thank you."
Beast raised an eyebrow. "If you're skipping meals Ben, I'd say there is a point. A mini fridge would barely be any extra effort for the movers."
Mal facepalmed. "Dad, could you…?"
"Way ahead of you Mali," Hades said, conjuring up a turquoise gem and quickly attached it to a chain and handed it to Mal.
"Here. This should allow you to have food instantly arrive when you want it by thinking about it and pushing a button," Mal told Ben. "Use it."
"Mal, how—I mean thank you but how did you do that? That sort of thing defies the laws of magic—."
"Well I didn't but even so I'm a Godling in a room of the Fates. Don't question it."
I don't care if you are dreaming about me Beastie Jr., you're the key to getting my brother off the Isle. I will make sure you take care of yourself!
"Problem with that?"
"…no," Ben said with a small smile.
"Thank you Mal!" Emir said with a grin.
"You know we'll actually need to make sure he uses it right?" Akiho sighed.
"…drat!"
Akiho shook his head. "This happens again Ben, and I'm going to coach. You're our captain, you can't be falling asleep at your desk all the time. Especially not with the game against Sherwood coming up."
"I should have gone to coach the first time it happened," Akiho sighed.
"He would have benched me!" Ben exclaimed.
"After what happened at the Imperial Academy game, he should have!" Emir told him.
"What happened?" Belle spoke up, causing the three boys to freeze.
"Nothing mom…"
Belle raised an eyebrow before looking over at Shang. "Captain, you're the coach over at Imperial Academy. Do you know what my son's referring to?"
"Shang?" Mulan asked, looking at her husband.
"I have a feeling it'll be brought up in the scrolls," Shang said. "I'd rather not cause more stress and reveal something Prince Ben doesn't want to talk about."
Belle nodded. "Fair enough Captain, and Ben I know you love Tourney. But a game is not more important than your health!"
"Your mother's right son," Beast nodded.
"I know how important the Sherwood game is Akiho," Ben sighed. "It's my last game after all."
I appreciate the sacrifice Ben. More than you know. You should have never had to make it, Beast thought.
"I'm happy to do it dad," Ben said softly with a small smile, as if he'd heard Beast's thoughts.
"So you know coach'll bench you if he thinks you're sleep deprived."
"Which I'm not."
"The five minutes you spent ranting in French the other day prove otherwise.
"…was he ranting in French class or in the language?" Evan asked.
"The language," Akiho said. "Ben's taking…what foreign language are you taking?"
"German," Ben said. "Doug's taking French so we're helping each other."
Not to mention that's the same suit you had on yesterday when you disappeared to this here office." Akiho told him. "Of course this could all be solved if you'd—"
"You know why I can't," Ben sighed. "Dude, it's too early for you to go into a 'why I should dump Audrey' rant. I've heard your reasonings. About a hundred times."
"And yet you refuse to listen to me," Akiho sighed.
"Not now okay Akiho? She's in the room," Ben said softly.
Emir shook his head. "We know. We've been nearly deafened at least twice this scroll. I think poor Estelle is still trying to cover his ears and recover from the shriek she made when your dream came up."
"And that's reason number ten as to why Ben should break up with Audrey!"
"You only have ten?" Uma asked.
Audie sighed. "No, they've got plenty more. I think they're just being kind."
"Oh they've got about three hundred reasons as to why Benji should break up with Audrey," Chip said. "I should know, I helped come up with some. We'd recite the whole list but I'm sure you all would like to leave at some point."
"We appreciate that Chip," Aurora said, her voice soft.
Chip winced slightly, having forgotten that he'd said that in front of Audrey's parents. "No offense meant your highnesses. Audrey's actions are her own, and are no reflection on you."
"Okay, okay," Akiho sighed. "All I'm saying Ben is you can do better."
Ben's mind flashed to his mystery purple haired girl and briefly, he couldn't help but hope she was real.
"Looks pretty real to me," Uma snickered as Mal rolled her eyes and Ben flushed slightly at the reminder.
"Yeah well," Ben shook his head before looking at his watch. "Oh man! Sorry Akiho I've got to run!"
"Suit fitting?"
"Yep!"
"Finish the sandwich on the way."
"Did you?" Akiho asked, looking at Ben.
Ben nodded. "Of course I did. You made it for me, even remembered how I hate mayo. I wasn't going to waste your hard work like that."
"Yes mom," Ben teased and dodged the punch Akiho aimed for his shoulder. Ben chuckled and made his way over to Beast Castle where his fitting was scheduled.
"See, told you," Ben said. "The 'mom' friend."
"Sounds like you need several mom friends," Uma told him.
He assumed that it was because there was more of a guarantee there'll be privacy in case either one of his parents wanted to have a word with him.
Ben knew it was more than likely that his friends would eavesdrop if the fitting was done over at the school.
"We're not even going to deny it," Emir, Lonnie, and Akiho said with a grin.
"Oh Gods," Ben shook his head.
"Ah your highness, please come in," the tailor stated, sounding extraordinary cheerful. Though it probably wasn't every day he got to do this sort of thing. Design a coronation outfit, he meant. Ben knew the tailor—the man had made all his suits for all the events Ben had gone to since he was six.
Evie perked up a little as she heard that. It was strange but she kinda wanted to talk to the royal tailor, see what other material there was for making clothes other than things like safety pins and duct tape.
"Hey Ken," Ben smiled as he entered his room. "How've you been?"
"Very well your highness. I hope you've been well yourself?"
Ben nodded and quickly got up on to the stand so that Ken could take his measurements. Honestly, Ben wasn't going to lie—he hated this part. But he'd been through it enough times to know that it was better to just stand still and think of Auradon while it happened.
"Wouldn't he have your measurements already on file?" Evie asked. "Seems like he could just use those and then do a proper fitting once he'd made the suit."
He learned quickly when he was younger—the more you complained, the longer it took.
He couldn't help but turn his head and look out the window toward the Isle. He wondered what the four kids he selected were like. Would they be like their parents or would they be more like the kids in Auradon?
"To answer your past self's ponderings, they're the Isle versions of us!" Emir said.
"No they're not!" Audrey exclaimed.
Emir raised an eyebrow. "Harry's as stubborn as Ben, Akiho and I have been compared to Jay and Harry about five times during these readings—."
"Emir, I don't think we've got time for you to do the whole list," Audie said, giving him a kind smile.
"Sleeve. Head. Ah-ha!" Ken stated, turning Ben's head away from the window as he worked to get the measurements. Ben couldn't help but smile a little as his parents walked in to his room from the patio.
"I hope all your tailors have been given a thorough background check if they're going to be left alone with the future King," Hades said.
Beast shook his head. "Ken's been with us since Ben was six. He's practically family."
"You're telling me Ben starting wearing suits like the one he's wearing when he was six?" Mal asked.
Ben shrugged. "It's not like it's hurting anyone. Besides, a King or Prince needs to look his best at all times right?"
"No prizes for guessing where you got that line from," Mal muttered as she looked over at Audrey.
"After he switched to suits, I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen Ben in 'casual clothing'," Chip added.
"How is it possible you're going to be crowned king next month? You're just a baby," Beast said.
"Dear, would a baby do what Ben offered and take the crown at sixteen?" Belle whispered to her husband, giving him a sad smile.
Beast looked at her as he returned the smile, softly shaking his head.
"He's turning sixteen, dear," Belle corrected him and Ben chuckled.
"Hey pops."
"Sixteen? That's far too young to be crowned king. I didn't make a good decision until I was at least forty two!"
"Ignoring the fact that implies that Beastie ever had a good idea, that means you were fifteen then?" Harriet asked, looking over at Ben.
Ben nodded. "I think my birthday was like a day or so after this."
"Oh yeah!" Akiho nodded. "How many ballrooms of yours are now ice rinks again?"
"Three."
Kristoff and Jasmine sighed as Emir and Akiho high-fived while Aladdin grinned and Anna shook her head.
"Why does Elsa always agree to that?"
"Because it's for Ben's birthday," Akiho said with a grin.
Hades sighed and shook his head. "If you consider it too young then, why is he being crowned?"
"We have our reasons Lord Hades but rest assured, this was completely my choice," Ben said, his voice soft.
"Well I for one think we should know—!"
"Ben said that they have their reasons Leah!" Chip snapped. "You know the reason as well as anyone. If Ben and his family have reason that they want to keep private then that should be respected and as such make them none of your business!"
"Chip…it's fine," Ben said softly. "You don't need to get upset."
Ben fought the urge to roll his eyes—his dad had made that same joke every day for about a year. Though hearing it again only caused the nerves he'd built up to spiral into a ball in his stomach. If his dad hadn't made a good decision until forty two, what did that say about the VK initiative Ben was about to propose?
"Most adults think the decisions they made in their youth were bad ones," Jane spoke up. "In this case Ben, you're making a good decision. Especially after what we read."
"Thanks Jane," Ben said with a small smile.
"Uh, you decided to marry me at twenty eight," Belle stated, breaking into Ben's thoughts.
I hate that joke. Besides, Adam, you couldn't tell that Ben was nervous? Then again, so were you. I know how hard it is to see Ben growing up, Belle thought with a small sigh.
"Ah, it was either you or a teapot. Kidding!"
Ben sighed. It was really now or never to propose his proclamation to his parents.
"Mom, dad…"
Okay, maybe I shouldn't have moved forward there, Ben thought as Ken made a few utterances. Though Ben couldn't help it—when he had an idea, he got antsy.
Emir shook his head in amusement. They forgot the part where he'll completely shut out the world for like a week while he's nailing down every last bit of his idea, he thought.
"I've chosen my first official proclamation," he continued as Belle and Beast looked at Ben to give him their full attention. "I've decided that the children on the Isle of the Lost should be given a chance to live here. In Auradon. Every time I look out to the island…I feel like they've been abandoned. They're Auradon citizens after all yet they're kept separate from us."
"Like King Eric said, Ben's a teenager and he's thinking about this," Rose said, shaking her head.
"We sure Ben's a human and not some puppy turned into a human by Fairy Godmother?" Lucy asked.
"Lucy!" Cinderella and Kit exclaimed.
"The children of our sworn enemies? Living among us?" Beast exclaimed and Ken quickly left the room, closing the door to give the royal family their privacy.
"Why give him the power to make the proclamation if you're just going to reject it?" Meg asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We'll start off with a few at first," Ben said quickly. "Just four, and we can bring more over as the first four acclimate to Auradon. I've…I've already chosen them."
"Have you?"
"And he sounds so thrilled about it too," Uma shook her head.
Belle rested a hand on Beast's arm. "I gave you a second chance," she said gently before turning to Ben. "Who are their parents?"
"Why do we say we're giving the kids a second chance?" Cinderella asked. "From what we've read, it's clear they were never even given a chance."
Ben swallowed softly before speaking. "Cruella DeVil, Jafar, the Evil Queen…and Maleficent."
"I'd like to revise my past statement here as Mal is clearly the daughter of Lady Persephone," Ben said quickly.
Well who didn't see this coming? Ben thought wryly as Beast's face almost seemed to cloud over with rage.
"Ooh sarcasm from Beastie Jr.," Uma smirked.
"It's rare but it does happen at times," Emir nodded. "Usually when one of the other Tourney guys behaves in an idiotic fashion."
Ben knew his father wasn't going to like the idea of Maleficent's child being in Auradon. But Ben was determined now. The children deserved a shot at a life in Auradon.
"Maleficent! She's the worst villain in the land!"
Leah nodded. "Thank you, that's what I've been saying! And you want her daughter—?"
"Mal is not Maleficent's daughter," Esmeralda said, glaring at Leah.
"And personally we might disagree there, your highness," Phoebus spoke up. "Frollo burned half of Paris to the ground and ordered me to kill innocent people."
"Maleficent cursed my daughter!"
"But did she kill anyone?"
"She cursed my daughter to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die!"
"But it was changed to be an enchanted sleep by Merryweather," Hades spoke up. "Therefore Maleficent never killed anyone."
"Dad, just hear me out here!" Ben said.
"I won't hear of it! They are guilty of unspeakable crimes!"
"Really? Because Queen Bat over there seems to only be able to speak of them," Harriet said, gesturing to Leah.
"Harriet, behave," Milah warned.
Harriet looked over at her mom with a raised eyebrow. "I'm a VK mom. Since when do we behave?"
Leah, though, ignored Harriet's comment as she was too busy nodding in agreement to Beast's statement. "Yes thank you your highness! You're absolutely right!"
"Bennyboo, how can you think this is a good idea?! You didn't even discuss it with me! Your girlfriend!" Audrey exclaimed.
"Dad, their children are innocent!" Ben stated. "Don't you think they deserve a shot at a normal life? Dad?"
"If…if that was your goal your highness, you should have picked the younger kids," Harriet spoke up. "The ones under the age of fifteen. They…they have more life to be able to enjoy tasting the sun so to speak."
CJ rolled her eyes. "I know you're talking about me Harriet, and there's no way I'm leaving the Isle!"
"You do in my timeline," Audie said.
"Yeah right," CJ scoffed. "There's no way Ryan would have agreed to leave the Isle."
"Oh he's still on the Isle last I checked."
CJ looked at Audie in shock. "I…I left the Isle without Ryan? But he's my best mate!"
After all, if you hadn't been put in power, I could have wound up a child of the Isle of the Lost. I'm not quite sure kidnapping a man, imprisoning him, imprisoning his daughter in exchange and keeping her hostage really scream 'hero' to the more conservative royals.
"He has a point…how close did Prince Ben come to being born on the Isle?" Persephone asked. I hope he would have ended up at least becoming allies with Mal…I could have kept an eye on him then.
"I suppose…that their children are innocent," Beast said rather reluctantly as if he had heard Ben's thoughts.
Belle smiled and rested a hand on Ben's arm. "Well done," she said softly. "We can get the invitations sent out by week's end."
"Is that really something you should wait on though? With how those kids are living?" Ariel asked.
Belle sighed. "I could see how stressed Ben looked even if he was trying to hide it. I may not have known his schedule but somethings are obvious to a mother. I just…"
"You wanted to take something off his plate," Tiana said, giving the other Queen a kind smile.
Ben gave his mom a small smile. "I appreciated it mom but it's my proclamation. I should be the one to send out the invitations."
"I can take care of that mom," Ben said.
"Are you sure?" Belle asked, brushing some hair out of Ben's face. "You don't look like you're getting enough sleep Ben. The last thing I want is for you to tire yourself out this close to coronation."
"Yes! Ask! Note the tiredness!" Chip nodded, sitting on the edge of his seat. "Make it so Emir and Akiho stop calling me at five in the morning every Sunday!"
"…why are you calling him at five in the morning every Sunday?" Jasmine asked her son.
"Multiple reasons mom but one of them is Ben's sleeping or lack thereof," Emir nodded.
"Championship game's coming up," Ben told her. "Coach has been running us a little bit more ragged than usual. Once the game's done, I'll be fine."
"Oh man it's a good thing Coach isn't here to hear you throw him under the bus like that!" Emir exclaimed.
"More importantly Ben lied! To his mom!" Akiho added.
Ben shook his head. "Coach had been running us more ragged to prepare for the Championship. It just…wasn't the only reason why I was more tired than normal."
Chip shook his head. "Belle, you've got to push harder than that! Getting Ben to admit something like that is like pulling teeth!"
"Well if you're sure dear," Belle said with a small smile. "We can have Lumiere post them as soon as they're ready."
Ben nodded and Belle turned to her husband.
"Shall we?"
"Wha…you…no! You were asking him about his sleep! Keep going! The guilt from lying to you alone would have made him tell you!"
"…I think you broke Chip," Ben said, looking at his mom as Chip continued to rant.
"It's not that hard to do but he's got a point Ben," Belle sighed. "We'll be having a discussion about this during the next break."
"…yes mom."
Ben watched as his parents left the room and he couldn't help but stare back at the window toward the Isle of the Lost. Twisting his signet ring, he sighed.
"What were you thinking?" Chip asked, keeping his voice low as he looked over at his brother.
"How similar those kids were to Abby and that I hoped I…I was making her proud," Ben whispered.
Am I making the right choice here? Maybe different villains…no. Those are the four I want. Dad was just shocked. I'm sure the rest of Auradon will welcome them warmly—they're just kids after all.
Audie smiled even as a bit of guilt wormed its way into her heart. Ben had been so hopeful, and she was sure that her Ben had been as well. Gods I hope he doesn't have that hope destroyed, she thought.
Moving to his desk, as Ken had left the room when his dad had started shouting, Ben pulled out his quill and parchment to start writing the invitations. He had some kids to get off that Isle after all.
"Some kids and your mystery girl you mean," Emir said with a smirk.
"This is why I never told you!" Ben exclaimed.
"Who wants to read next?" Audie asked.
Poseidon shrugged. "I'll give it a go."