Thank you everyone who has waited so patiently for this chapter. I hope you enjoy!
The Four journeyed back to the dorms, all decided to get a little more sleep as they had a long afternoon and evening ahead of them. Since it was Carlos' birthday, they had also planned to do a late dinner in the city. Ben had offered them his personal limo and driver to take them into the heart of Auradon City and to whatever restaurant Carlos wanted. With his royal connections, Ben was able to get them reservations at Tiana's Palace.
They had stopped Ben from paying for their meals as Mal, Jay, and Evie wanted to be the ones to treat Carlos. That didn't stop the Crown Prince from giving him a small chocolate cake at lunch in the mess hall, leading the whole room in a round of "Happy Birthday" with the band being the loudest.
Carlos was rather touched that the band and the tourney team had chipped in to get him presents. Doug had presented him with a ruby and onyx wrist watch—"they're just leftovers from the mines but they're real"—and Ben on behalf of the whole tourney team with a gift card to his favorite electronics store. While Mal didn't particularly care about tourney or the people on it, other than Ben, she was happy that Carlos had found his place and had other friends that cared about him.
The amount of people gathered around them started to put her on edge, it was never a good idea to be completely surrounded on the Isle. She couldn't help but think of all the ways someone could attack them if they were so inclined. She eyed the silverware, thinking the butter knife, steak knife, or even the dinner fork was within arm's reach if anything should happen; it calmed her down to know she had available weapons in order to defend herself or the others.
She scooted closer to Carlos, taking his hand and intertwining their fingers.
He's here, we're safe. We're fine, don't ruin this.
She repeated that mantra in her head, wishing the others would go away and leave them to their lunch, but Carlos was clearly having a good time. She knew it was selfish to wish that it was just the four them, like it had always been. But she couldn't blame the others for finally seeing his pure soul and wanting to be his friend.
She eyed Jay as his hand seemingly nonchalantly ghosted over a fork, he too was ready to fight at a moment's notice. Years of friendship had taught her to see the tension in his shoulders, they met eyes for mere seconds, but the understanding flowed between them.
They would always be ready to protect the ones they loved, Evie and Carlos could relax and be social; it was never meant to be their burden to worry about being attacked.
But Evie and Carlos knew their loves well too. He squeezed Mal's hand, and without needing to be asked,
"Hey guys, can you back up a little? All of your 'love' is making me claustrophobic," Carlos asked those gathered around them with an award-winning smile. All the other students giggled at his hyperbole but respected his space and backed up.
"Yeah, plus all your moist breathing is going to ruin my hair, I didn't spend all morning straightening it for your swamp breath to give me frizzies," Evie told the rest who didn't quite get the hint, the band's loud "ohhhhs" and laughter covering any hint that either Jay or Mal were uncomfortable.
Evie and Carlos still didn't say anything or acknowledge what they did, they simply took their beaus' hands that were intertwined with theirs and softly kissed their knuckles.
Carlos heard their heart rates slow down and the scent of anxiety dissipated, he didn't want anyone unhappy on his birthday.
Each showcase had a dedicated space within the gymnasium, concourse, auditoriums, or halls within the school. It was considered an honor to be chosen to have their artwork shown or to have a solo in one of the two dance performances—one each for the lower and upper grades.
Besides the dedicated space, there were plaques next to the exhibits with a short bio of the student, the name of the piece, and times they would be around to answer any questions. Most of the time the students wanted to see other Showcases, so they set aside a specific time so they wouldn't be required to stand next to their art all night. The scheduling took into account that the Isle Four all wanted to see each other's exhibitions.
Mal was still convinced that Winter Recital would end badly, so she opted for the latest block of time. She figured that most people would have gone home by then, and it worked out since Carlos' dance performance was later since he was a senior.
All four were dressed in what some might call "Sunday Best." It was halfway between what they wore to Arbitration and Homecoming. Something sophisticated and professional, but with a little bit of flair.
Evie forewent her normal royal blue and opted for a cocktail dress with vertical waves of teal, spring green, and black with a sheer black mesh bolero. Her accessories were a simple ruby heart topped with a crown necklace.
Mal surprisingly matched her friend with an asymmetrical bleu de France skirt with a purple wrap and a double lapel jacket.
The boys' attire was rather simple. Evie had taken a varsity jacket and dyed it Jay's signature oxblood red, his pants were a simple black and he wore a standard white oxford shirt. Carlos was dressed similarly, with long black trousers, a white shirt, and a plain black sports jacket with a crimson tie as his lone pop of colour.
Jay was up first for the late afternoon, early evening. He had a series of black and white photos and others in full colour, none of the other Isle kids really knew anything about photography but they liked what he had chosen. They aptly listened to what the adults had to say, all praising his crisp lines, clean silhouettes, and a bunch of other things Mal couldn't quite follow or understand.
"I see you have called this series 'Firsts', what is this in reference to?" an nameless parent asked, curious as to Jay's creative process.
Jay nervously coughed, not really expecting to have a crowd around his exhibit but he remembered his coaching from arbitration. Nothing was on the line, he could answer honestly and seeing his friends smiling at him gave him courage.
"Well, on the Isle we didn't have much…of anything really. Growing up there, we didn't notice what we didn't have so much. It's hard to conceptualize missing or knowing what we're without if we never had it to begin with," he stopped short of admitting that the only thing they really noticed they were without was food, he was certain none of the parents were interested in how they starved. "But coming to Auradon, seeing all its wonders I got to see what we were missing out on and had no idea. Here," he motioned to one photo, "is my first sunrise. The dome and pollution kept us under a haze; seeing all the beautiful colours the sky could be, it took my breath away. It has sister photos of my first sunset and the first time I saw a starry sky."
Mal was glad to notice the parents didn't ask specifically where any of these photos were taken, she couldn't bare it if they knew it was their special field of indigo and the administration forbade them to go out that far. But all seemed charmed and moved by his story, the photographs telling the story of the poor Isle boy's appreciation of Auradon.
"It's not just first experiences," Jay went on as long as the adults were eager to listen. "but the first time realizing certain important events in my life. Here, at the top of the west tower, looking over the gardens and the bay was the first time I felt like Auradon was my home."
Mal was surprised by that admission, wondering how much of it was true or if he was doing it for the parents' benefit. It never hurt to make a show of how much they preferred Auradon over the Isle, it seemed to endear the populace to them; although part of her didn't understand how anyone would be surprised,
Hmmm…abject poverty or life as a commoner in Auradon…such a hard choice.
She stamped down any other negative thought and refocused on Jay, she wanted to be present for her friend's big day.
Jay went photo by photo, explaining each's significance and then he came to the last three. They were of his friends; Mal, Carlos, and Evie were front and center of the crowd, like they were in his life.
The first photo was of Mal, laying against a willow tree and reading a book in one hand and a sketchpad in another. She remembered that day, she had been reading The Importance of Being Earnest and was inspired to sketch out one particular scene. She didn't realize that Jay had caught such a moment, but she found she didn't mind.
"This is Mal Lefay, doing her favorite things: reading, sketching, and not talking to anyone."
The three Islanders, and even a few brave students and parents, had tittered at his joke.
"She's my best friend," Jay went on, "she was my first friend on the Island, my first friend ever. She made the Isle feel less lonely and that maybe it wasn't all bad."
Next to Mal's portrait, there was a photo of Carlos. It was one of their weekend trips around the forests of Auradon Prep. Lake Villeneuve had pristine jade waters against a mountain backdrop that had the first dusting of winter snow. He remembered how fresh and clean the air was in his lungs, even more so than around the school and certainly leaps and bounds better than the Isle. He recalled Jay taking photos of everything, once stopping on him and told him to "smile."
Carlos couldn't help but ham for the photo, he spread his arms wide and looked to the heavens. His two-toned hair hidden under a grey beanie, he wore a grey and red plaid fleece shirt over a grey cable-knit sweater.
He looked so normal, the students weren't sure if it was the same person. They had always believed that villains, and by extension their children, were serious and melancholy—if they weren't maliciously manic—and with Jay's photos he showed that the Isle Four were just regular teens.
"This is Carlos de Vil. He was the first to teach me that family didn't have to just be those you shared blood with. He brought light and laughter to our lives. No matter how dire things got, he could always bring a smile to our faces."
Carlos fought not to blush, he smiled ear to ear; almost like he was in the photo. Jay smiled, part of him enjoying making them feel bashful but he meant all that he was saying.
The last photo was of Evie, she was in the fashion studio and working with pins and measuring tape on a mannequin. She was singularly focused on her task and Jay was pretty certain she had no idea he was there taking the photo. It was one of the many nights she would work late and he would go to keep her company and make sure she had food and whatever else she needed. Some commented that they didn't know how he could stand to wait for hours while she worked; what they didn't understand was that he loved to be around her, even if it was in silence. Simply being around her made him happy. And it wasn't like she didn't reciprocate, he didn't think watching him practice or even the games were all that thrilling for her.
But time went by quickly and everything was made easier with love.
"This is Evie Von Weither, she's the first person I've ever fallen in love with. She showed me ambition and winning with grace; that I can always do better, I can always be better."
Evie could not hold in the burst of love she felt at his confession. She had launched herself from the crowd and into his arms. He was always ready to embrace her and twirled her around, kissing her and neither cared that so many eyes were on them.
The crowd cooed and "aww'd", but there were still a few teachers who had cleared their throat to give the young couple a warning that it was inappropriate behavior for a school function.
Mal thought that perhaps the Winter Recital was worth braving the masses. She looked around and was glad to see that any suspicious look the parents had, had disappeared. She had started to hope that maybe they would stop seeing children of villains and simply see them as children.
Mal was always the forthright type, so her friends would never ask whose showcase she had looked forward to the most. She would honestly and without hesitation say it was Carlos'. Evie and Jay knew better than to ask else their feelings would be hurt.
It wasn't as if she wasn't proud of her other friends, but she had little interest in photography or fashion. She had clapped and supported Evie in her showcase, but she was always proud of everything the witch had created. And she could always see the photographs Jay took whenever she wanted. She had yet to see Carlos perform in a show. There were school dances where he showed off his moves, but it wasn't the same as a performance. The Isle Four had front and center seats in the auditorium, and she tried to ignore everyone who had not too subtly stared at her and the others. This was a completely different crowd than the one that had shown up to either Jay or Evie's exhibits. There was a soft hum across the room, some were minding their own business and excited to see their kids dance. Others couldn't help themselves and speculated about the Isle Four. What were they doing there, how surprised at how talented they were. Mal didn't understand why they couldn't be allowed to live as they wanted, what was it about them that caught everyone's attention after all this time?
The stage crew was still cleaning up from the last performance, a production from the first years and sophomores. She tried to remain inconspicuous by reading the program for the hundredth time. Carlos was apparently in the "Lyrical" dance category. She had no idea what that meant, but it sounded pretty. He was also only one of seven boys in the entire dance program.
The rumbling quieted once the lights dimmed and the curtains parted. The stage was beautifully decorated, Jay smiled with pride and pointed to the pieces that he personally helped make. The stage was an autumn forest, flush with a riot of yellows, browns, deep reds, and fading green.
A gaggle of juniors were at the center of the stage, all dressed in costumes that made them look like fall foliage. At the center of the troupe was Audrey, who wore a crown of red and brown maple leaves and carried a scepter of twisted oak. She led the others and they bounced around the stage, probably telling a silent story that Mal couldn't quite follow.
It made more sense when Carlos finally graced the stage, moving fluidly like water and as if gravity had no hold on him. He was the King of Winter, decked in white faux fur and a crown made of jagged ice. She was impressed with the special effects as the stage started to shift from fall to winter, the forest started to glisten with frost and then turned snow white. As Carlos made his way to the other dancers, they had bowed reverently. As soon as he touched each dancer, they undid some buttons and untied some sashes, their costumes changed into silver and white.
Audrey as the Queen of Autumn had backed away from King of Winter, relinquished her scepter, and then danced off stage. In Carlos' hand, the staff changed to birch and holly.
She had never seen him so happy and confident, his movements strong and perfect. He had even managed to do a few flips and aerials. All the hours he spent on top of every other school curricular was well worth the effort. Once the performance was over, he had earned a standing ovation from the entire crowd.
It took a while for the crowd to disperse from the auditorium, all that were left were parents that wanted to congratulate their kids, all carrying large bouquets of red roses. Mal glanced nervously at her own flowers, hoping that he didn't mind that she didn't go for a traditional arrangement.
A few feet back, Belle observed the Isle Four and wondered if she ought to go over and say "hello." She was only close to Mal, and her showcase wasn't for another twenty minutes. She had always enjoyed the Winter Recital, more than happy to be the royal representative; Adam was too busy in Auradon City and Ben was at another showcase. The Queen couldn't help but be curious about the boy Mal was dating. She knew Carlos was not "in the way" as the dark fae could choose who she wanted to date, but as a mother she was a bit biased and couldn't imagine why anyone would choose someone over her son.
She couldn't deny the de Vil scion was talented, and that he was handsome; but a part of her knew that her Ben was valiant, kind and everything any girl would want. Ben was someone any girl would be lucky and proud to call her own.
So what was it about this boy that Mal preferred over a future king?
Belle observed the teens as Carlos came out to the main area, out of his costume and redressed in his dress outfit with exception of the ice crown. It appeared he liked it too much to part ways with the prop.
Jay and Evie both gave him hugs, the former couldn't help but mess with the crown and laughed when Carlos kept swatting his hand away. Her heart broke for Ben as she saw how tenderly Mal smiled, almost shy when she presented Carlos with a bouquet of star gazer and spotted tiger lilies. She couldn't hear what the fae whispered into his ear, but he gave his own secret smile and he gave her a deep kiss; both were blissfully happy as they gazed into each other's eyes while their foreheads touched.
Carlos was in love with Mal, unequivocally and all-encompassing and the girl returned those feelings. Belle didn't like to throw around "true love," as so many other people did. She also knew it wasn't something restricted to only royals, but seeing how Mal and Carlos looked at each other made a sweet ache bloom in her chest.
It was a beautiful thing to witness, but it was marred by her grief for her son.
Maybe we can have a family vacation to the Southern Isles, somewhere far away and something to get his mind off of things.
She knew it must hurt Ben to know his first love didn't love him back, but he was young still. There was still plenty of time to find his own true love, someone who was free to love him as much as he deserved.
Queen Belle wasn't the only one who was watching the Isle Four.
Queen mother Leah had always been a patron of the arts, particularly the dance program. She had donated and raised so much money that they named the auditorium after her. She was fit to burst with pride at how beautiful her granddaughter was, even prouder that Audrey had a lead part—and had one three years in a row. The princess of Auroria had no equal in terms of grace, until she had seen the boy dance as the King of Winter. There were so few males that joined the dance program, most had looked clunky and unrefined next to the princess, but Carlos had a raw talent not usually seen in someone so young. She thought she had known all of the students worth knowing, but he apparently was a new addition.
When she had read the program, she thought the surname de Vil had seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. The queen mother tended to keep to herself, as had most of the Aurorian court after they had woken up from their 100-year curse. Everything about the modern age seemed too loud and moved too fast for her liking, so news did not travel all that quickly to the Aurorian royal family and if it didn't concern them, they scantly paid attention.
Whoever the boy was, he was clearly talented, and she wished to give her own congratulations for a job well done. She had also wanted to ask if he would be interested in their summer programs and if he planned on going to an arts school after Auradon Prep. She would certainly be more than happy to give her own recommendation, always willing to help an Auradon Prep graduate.
But before Leah could approach the young man, she saw something that sent her back in time and froze her in place. She was no longer in an auditorium, but a castle made of stone and a court filled with nobles in their finest attire—the fashion from lifetimes ago that she no longer saw anywhere. A frightful beauty smiling maliciously with full blood red lips, cheekbones supernaturally high, and eyes that shown hellfire green and gold.
She couldn't help her feet as they walked towards the all too familiar girl.
"How are you here?" she asked with a broken voice, "How have you stayed so young?"
In her heart she knew it had to be some wicked evil spell to keep even a faery so youthful even after a century.
Mal turned to see an old woman in a light pink suit with pearl accents, matching pearl earrings and bracelet. She didn't know who she was and didn't understand the question. She looked around to see if there was anyone or anything that could give her a hint.
"Grammy…" Audrey came over and whispered to her grandmother, wanting to get her away from Mal as she was certain she would do something evil. "We don't want to be talking to this girl, not unless you feel like taking another hundred-year nap."
Mal's back straightened, if the woman in front of her was Audrey's "grammy" then that meant she was Aurora's mother, queen Leah. Maleficent had told her about Stefan's wife, the weak queen who did nothing as her father invaded the Moor; and continued to do nothing when Stefan slid into madness.
"I missed everything because of you," queen Leah went on, not hearing the warnings from her granddaughter.
"Your highness," Ben stepped in, coming from the auditorium next door after the Wind Ensemble had finished playing. He had thought it would be better to sit out the senior dance showcase. Not only did he not want to take any attention away from Audrey with any whispers of their break up, he didn't think he could stomach watching Carlos. He knew his mother had been in attendance, and he was going to collect her before they went to see Mal's artwork. He did not expect to see queen mother Leah confront Mal, he had hoped that all royals from across the 18 Kingdoms would have enough tact to respect his edict but apparently some ghosts could not be reined in. "This is Mal, Maleficent is still on the island," he tried to calmly reason with her.
But it seemed Leah could not hear him,
"My daughter…she was raised by faeries because of you…" angry tears started to gather in her eyes, but she was too proud to let them fall.
"I am not Maleficent," Mal ground out, trying not to cause a scene; she knew that the woman was clearly lost in some long-gone memory and she had too much to lose. Jay, Carlos, and Evie stood by her, not knowing what to do; the realized this was the first adult they had come across that had been directly affected by one of their parents.
Snow White, Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Dearlys were only names to them, Ben had kept them sheltered from their parents' past up until then.
Queen mother Leah blinked, she seemed to have realized that not only could the girl not be Maleficent but also recalled Crown Prince Ben's edict.
"You shouldn't be here," she whispered harshly. She didn't care that Mal wasn't Maleficent, the girl didn't belong in Auradon, no evil faery did. "I see you have more than enough of her evil blood in you."
"Queen mother Leah," Crown Prince Ben had enough, the Aurorian royal had gone too far.
Audrey bristled at the reprimand, she couldn't believe he would dare to talk to her grandmother in such a way.
Leah would not be bowed so easily,
"What do you expect Ben," the crowd that started to gather had gasped, surprised that a lesser royal would be so familiar with their sovereign prince in public. "'Bad blood will out.' These are children of poisoners and spell casters. Spells that tear apart families! My daughter, she was raised by faeries because of your mother's curse," her vitriol was redirected back to Mal. "I missed her first words, her first walk, I missed everything."
Mal remained placid, unable to deny that her mother had cursed Aurora and later the House of Dornröschen and all of the royal court. She stood against the rage of an old woman who lost her daughter, refusing to play into the role of a mad and vindictive faery. The other three had followed her lead, they knew that this type of confrontation would happen sooner or later, they also knew they had to keep their cool. Any lashing out would not be blamed on their parents' victims and they would not risk going back to the Isle.
The danger of the Isle far outweighed the anger of bitter adults.
"I am not Maleficent," Mal repeated, she would not be made to feel ashamed.
Leah only sneered, thinking the lowly girl ought not to even be in her presence much less think she had the right to actually talk back to her.
"You should not associate yourself with filth, if you want to get anywhere in Auradon," she warned Carlos, thinking he was some wayward commoner who didn't know any better.
Carlos did not know this woman and where she thought she had the right to speak to anyone that way, but he wasn't about to let her talk about his girlfriend that way.
"The only filth I see is your attitude, we were having a lovely night before you came over."
So much for her patronage, Leah gasped at the teen's rudeness. Clearly he had to have also been from the Isle as no one raised in Auradon, royally or as a commoner, would ever speak to a dowager queen that way.
"'Bad blood will out' indeed," she said coldly as she looked at the four of them, "Thick as thieves the lot of you. Bastards born out of bad blood and broken promises. Your mother should have drowned you as soon as she whelped such a disrespectful boy."
"If you want someone to blame, then why don't you look in the mirror," Mal could not let Leah's barbs go unanswered. She didn't care if the older woman told her off, but she could not disrespect Carlos. "Maleficent may have cursed Aurora, but she did not send your daughter away. That was Stefan, your 'king,'" Mal scoffed, disdainful that the royal title could even be applied to him. "He lied to gain his crown and you stood by like a prized heifer to be given away. You stood by again as Maleficent cursed your daughter because of his trespasses. Then again when he sent your daughter away, even though the curse would not come to fruition until she turned sixteen and all his plans had been for nothing anyway. Maleficent did not cause you to miss Aurora's childhood, Stefan did, and you did nothing to stop him."
Queen mother Leah was shocked into silence, never had anyone spoken to her or treated her as so. Part of her also flinched at Mal's accusation that part of Aurora's banishment was her fault, hitting closer to the truth than it was not.
"How dare you, you fil…" Audrey incensed that someone would talk to her grandmother in such a way, especially the trampy faery that had stolen her Ben away.
"I think we all need to step away from each other and cool down," Belle stepped in before Audrey could let loose her wickedly sharp tongue, wishing she had done so sooner but harsh words came so quickly out of their mouths before she had the wits to do something.
Everyone in the crowd deferred to the reigning Queen, even queen mother Leah as she was outranked. Both sides stared coldly at each other, angry but knew they could not gainsay Queen Belle without serious consequences.
Audrey looked tempted to ignore her Queen, but her inner princess held her tongue and she merely huffed and tried to calm herself down. She took her grandmother's arm in hers and they walked away with their heads held high and with as much grace as they could muster.
Ben was dumbstruck, he wished he could turn back time and interfere or at least have talked to the Dornröschens before the events started. He didn't think he would have to tell other royals they needed to behave, especially ones so much older than himself, but perhaps Mal was right; he was too naïve and thought it would be easy for everyone to let go of the past.
Thankfully, his mother was there to smooth things over,
"I know that wasn't easy," Queen Belle told the Isle four in a gentle voice they rarely ever heard directed at them. "It certainly could have gone better, from both sides," she wanted to stress. "But it also could have gone a lot worse. Mal, your showcase is starting, and I can't wait to see what you created."
While Mal wanted to be angry, she found it hard to do so when the Queen smiled at her and had such wide begging eyes. It seemed she had a soft spot for warm brown doe eyes,
"Yeah…" she decided she would try to salvage the situation as best she could. She smiled and although it didn't quite reach her eyes, it cued in the others that she didn't want them to do anything rash or lash out. "Let's go, I'm…uh…I'm excited to show you guys."
The three of them all nodded their agreement, following her lead and Carlos had taken her hand, intertwined it with his own and brought her knuckles to his lips in an encouraging kiss. Queen Belle was right, it could have gone leagues worse and he was proud of Mal for the restraint she did show.
While it felt like several daggers to the heart, Ben was relieved that the situation was over and that they could all try to enjoy the rest of the evening. He genuinely looked forward to Mal's piece, having already seen at least a portion of it beforehand. He was certain the finished product would be breathtaking.
Like the royal gentleman he was, he offered his arm to his mother and she gladly took it. If any other royal had any ideas of confronting or causing trouble for the Isle Four, it was quickly quashed as Queen Belle and Crown Prince Ben made it clear they supported them and would not tolerate any further trouble.
Unfortunately, the night would not remain peaceful. It was late and most of the showcases had come and went. Many of the parents and students had cleared out, which was Mal's hope for her showcase to begin with. She specifically chose a late slot to not only be able to see each of her friends' showcases, but she also knew she was the most notorious of the Four; out of them, as queen mother Leah had shown, she would have been the one to cause the most contention and likely to have been confronted. Her best hope was that she basically would only show her finished piece to her friends and Queen Belle.
She never thought she would see former king Stefan staring at her art.
Mal had heard tales of king Stefan growing up, her mother letting her know exactly why they were banished to the Isle and whose fault it was that they were stuck there. The story of Stefan and how he mutilated her mother was drilled into her head ever since she could toddle. Mal always imagined some giant of a man, someone almost monstrous who could hurt the Protector of the Moor in such a way.
She never thought he would be a broken old man in a wheelchair.
The former King had gone almost completely grey, his hair thinned out with age and lines marred his features. She had heard some stories of how he had survived the Fae Wars. While queen mother Leah may resent being cursed for 100 years, the fact they woke up in modern times with advanced medicine was the only reason why Stefan survived such a fall. Maleficent may have broken his body, but Mal thought that was the price he should have paid for cutting off her mother's wings.
Stefan could no longer walk, Maleficent could no longer fly; Mal thought that was a fair trade off. But in the end Stefan got the last laugh as 18 Kingdoms came together under one banner and they defeated the fae armies and banished Maleficent and the others to the Isle.
Mal always wondered what she would do if she ever came face to face with Stefan, the monster from her mother's stories. When she was younger, she promised her mother she would slay the human who dared lay a hand on her. It was the few times Maleficent ever seemed happy or proud of her daughter. But seeing him before her eyes, real and not just in a story had her frozen on the spot.
Kill him, it'd be so easy. There's hardly anyone around. I could easily ward off those body guards and no one knows about my powers. Once well-placed fireball and she'd be so proud of me. I could show her it was no mistake for letting me live. All the pain from the Isle, it could all be worth it if I could end him…
The dark voice whispered in her ear, more tempting than she thought it would be. She thought she had left the Isle behind, ready to live out her life in Auradon and never look back. But when the past lay in front of her, so easy to destroy; small wisps of flame escaped from her hands unnoticed by her.
All I need to do is flick my hand and I can right every wrong…
Carlos noticed, however, and he slipped the fae rune bracelet from his wrist and onto hers. Mal immediately felt the effects of her magic dampening and almost fainted. She was caught by her boyfriend and he murmured that everything would be alright, and she finally regained her senses.
She couldn't believe she had almost used magic in front of the Queen and the Crown Prince. She had almost risked everything and for what?
This is king Stefan. If he could hurt Maleficent, what could he do to me?
There was a tense standoff between the Isle Four and king Stefan, who looked like he was lost and didn't even notice them yet. Crown Prince Ben worried at how frozen the fae girl was, not used to seeing Mal in such a state. The normally confident and standoffish girl looked paralyzed, no one knew what to do.
Mal was right, this was a mistake.
Ben groaned internally, cursing his stupidity. How in all 18 Kingdoms did he think this would go smoothly? He should have had at least a meeting or warned the royals that the Isle Four were going to be there. He felt like a foolish child who didn't deserve a crown he clearly wasn't ready for.
Stefan admired the painting that took up an entire wall, not noticing he had an audience. It didn't quite grasp the beauty of the Moor, but he doubted anything other than the real thing ever could. It had been decades since he had last seen the beautiful fae landscape, technically over a century but he didn't count the years he was asleep during the curse. He never thought he'd ever see the Gem Pool, Wallerbog Bog, or the Pixie Glen again. He remembered a happy childhood, at least happy after he met Maleficent and was granted free access to the Moor. It was a simpler time then, when he and Maleficent were young and had no worries, they played to their hearts' content.
If he were honest with himself, it was the only time he was happy. Honesty wasn't an ambitious man's friend, however. He couldn't quite remember how or why, but having wealth and power became more important than the Moor or his relationship with Maleficent. He started to work in the castle and worked his way to the King's Privy Chamber. Stefan thought he could get a knighthood, maybe even a low peerage such as Viscount, after years of good service. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he could ever get the Throne of Auroria.
He couldn't quite remember when or why he got the mad courage to actually try to kill Maleficent. But he clearly remembered buying the sleeping drought and lacing the sweet wine with it. He spent his life's savings on a pure iron saw chain. They had a beautiful day together, just like when they were children. If he had stopped to think that it'd be the last day he'd ever step foot on the Moor, as well as the last time he'd see his childhood love then maybe he wouldn't have gone through with it.
Maybe he could have been happy with just her love and live permanently in the Moor.
But once she fell asleep, he held the cold iron in his hands, the only thing he could see was the golden crown upon his head, seated on the throne he never thought he would have, and in the castle he had always coveted. In that moment, the crown was worth more than true love ever would.
He had meant to kill Maleficent. That's what the price for the crown was, the death of the "winged creature," the proof he initial sought being her head. But his foolish heart would not allow him to end her life, he somehow convinced himself that simply taking her wings would be enough. In his imprudent arrogance, he thought being wingless would bring Maleficent low enough to never confront him for his crimes, certainly not when he was king and had an army at his disposal.
It certainly worked with the three Pixies, as they paid him his respect due as Sovereign of the Human realm and even offered to give Fae Blessings on his newborn daughter. He felt safe in his kingdom until Maleficent show him how powerful she actually was, wings or not she had terrifying magic.
He had unwisely mistaken her kindness for weakness. She was not some vapid fae that flew around all day painting flowers or bringing in the seasons.
His crimes could not stay hidden forever. Maleficent got her revenge; he lost his legs and his family's claim to the throne would always be in doubt. She may be trapped on the Isle, but he was trapped in a chair and after twenty years he still had to fight for his daughter's, and soon granddaughter's, claim to the Aurorian throne.
There wasn't a night that went by where he wondered if all of it was worth it.
He stared longingly at the painting, enjoying the memories of warm days playing in the streams and the wonderment of magic.
A commotion caught his attention in his peripherals, he saw several young students heading his way and focused on a fae girl with purple hair that reminded him of a chance he foolishly squandered. He had known Maleficent's daughter attended the school, and he figured she would have been the one to paint the Moor. He absently wondered how she would have known to paint the fae lands in such detail as she had never been there. Perhaps Maleficent had told her such vivid stories of her homeland.
"You look just like her," he sighed, not talking to anyone in particular, but there was no mistaking the girl's heritage or her family connections. With a sick ache in his heart, he wondered what a child of his and Maleficent's would have looked like.
Hearing Stefan say that, it shook Mal out of her stupor and unfroze her legs. Whatever desire she had for the showcase, what little she had to begin with, immediately evaporated and she couldn't stand to be there another second. She had no wish to start a shouting match or confront him in any shape or form. She had to get out of there as being in the same room as Stefan was too overwhelming and she feared the magic in the bracelet would succumb to the magic that reacted to her anxiety.
No one tried to stop Mal from leaving, even Queen Belle and Crown Prince Ben understood that it would be best for all involved to get their bearings elsewhere. The night proved that it was too much too soon for anyone to confront the past.
Carlos, Jay, and Evie quickly followed Mal out of the castle and to the deserted garden. They were well within shrubbery that no one would see them if Mal did any accidental magic. Jay had known the fae for most of his life, he knew that she had quite the temper when provoked, and he had no idea what to do with a silent and seemingly calm Mal. When they were younger, her sharp tongue and eagerness to fight would get them into all sorts of trouble on the Isle. He knew that it would get them into even more in Auradon, especially since so many were just aching for an excuse to send them back to the Isle.
But he would have preferred her screaming and her green fire going off like fireworks over her silence and trembling bottom lip. She looked like she filled with some unknown dark emotion that overwhelmed her to the point where her body literally didn't know how to express it. Even though it was the beginning of winter and their breaths crystalized in the air, it seemed she barely noticed; too lost in whatever memory or thought she was having.
Even Carlos was unsure of how to handle Mal at the moment; his first instinct was to pull her into a hug and try to tell her that everything would be alright. But he knew from his own episodes when he was feeling every emotion coming to him at once that the last thing he wanted was physical contact.
"Mal?" he tried to gently coax her into talking, trying to find any hint of what he should do.
"How?" she simply asked, but her voice was strained with trying to keep her emotions in check.
They weren't sure what she was asking and remained silent, all desperately wanted to help her.
Evie bounced nervously around, partly to keep moving and from freezing in the frigid weather but also having no idea what to do. This was Mal, their leader. The girl who always knew what to do and if she didn't, then she was confident she'd find the answer somehow. The witch was at a loss, wishing she was smarter or could use magic to make everything better. She had never felt so useless in her life.
"How could he…how could he get the drop on Maleficent? He's just a human…I was there…I could have ended him…I should have ended him…it's all his fault…" Mal's carefully erected walls started to crack and brake, the more she spoke the more her voice betrayed her fear and anger.
She could have been talking about a number of things. Her mother's banishment to the Isle and all the subsequent atrocities Maleficent laid upon everyone to gather power.
How? How? How? That echoed through her mind. Her mother, powerful even without magic had somehow lost her wings to Stefan. That was always the blank in the story, her mother never revealed exactly how Stefan, some random shepherd boy turned castle servant was able to cut off her wings. Mal had speculated through the years, Stefan turned from villain to monster in her mind.
If Maleficent was the most powerful faery in the Moor, and by extension all of Auradon, then that meant that Stefan had some secret terrible power. Something so awful that even Maleficent wouldn't speak of it.
What kind of power was that? Did he still have it? If he could overpower Maleficent, then what could he do to Mal? What would Maleficent do if she ever found out Mal had the opportunity to kill Stefan and didn't take it?
"I should have killed him," tears started to drip unwilling from her jade eyes, she then started to scratch and tear at her arms and back, her scars aching and itching. "I should have killed him, it's what a good daughter would have done. I have magic, but I just stood there, useless. Useless and wingless, not good for anything…I'm not a proper fae…"
Although it may not have been what Mal wanted, when she started to dig her nails in and break her skin, Carlos had to stop her from hurting herself. She had no energy to fight as he took her hands, and she let him take her into his arms. The only place she ever felt safe was with him and the others. Jay and Evie, both had tears in their eyes for their hurting friend also surrounded her, taking them into their arms. She stopped trying to hold back her pain and her sobs echoed through the icy night.
Although none of them knew what to say to make her feel better, and deep down they knew there was nothing they could say, Mal was able to let out her anguish that had haunted her. The fear and anger had always followed her like a ghost, something no one could see but she could always feel their presence.
Surrounded by her friends, those ghosts didn't feel so close.
Ben had looked around for the Four, he wondered where they had gone. He had seen them exit the school and towards the dorm castle. He wished he could have followed them when they first ran off, but Audrey and her grandmother had come; both had started to cause a commotion, insisting that the Isle Four, Mal specifically, had done something rude. All they had seen was that former king Stefan was near Mal's painting and had been teary eyed. Most spectators were inclined to believe the royals, not even willing to give the Isle Four a chance to defend themselves if they had stayed there. It didn't help that Stefan would refrain from saying anything, even explaining why he had been upset.
He was grateful for his mother who supported him and helped with damage control and keep the teens' name in good standing. He had no idea how much he got through to them, but he did at least say that Mal and the others had done nothing wrong. Again, Stefan remained silent, so most didn't know what to believe.
Ben had checked the teens' rooms first, he hoped he could speak with them, but they were in neither the girls' or the boys' dorm rooms. Thankfully one of the groundskeepers had seen where they went, it wasn't technically past curfew just yet, but it was getting close. He had planned to offer them hot chocolate in his private suite and his sincerest apologies, but once he came towards where they were, he heard Mal's heartbreaking sobs and the four of them in an intimate moment. He sincerely wished he did not push her to participate in the Winter Recital as it went as bad as she had feared it would. With hindsight, he knew that he gave much too much credence to his fellow royals and should have taken her concerns more to heart.
He had never felt more like an outsider, almost profane to witness such a close moment. He remained hidden, and again hated his inconsiderate push to make everyone get along. He shook his head, determined that he would make it up to them. He walked to the dorms and spoke personally to all the hall monitors on duty that night. He gave strict instructions that the Isle Four had his permission to enjoy the gardens and to not give out detentions if they were seen outside their dorms after curfew.
Most had already heard what happened at the Winter Recital and assumed it had something to do with that, so they easily agreed that any break in curfew would be forgiven that one time.
None of them really thought about how they didn't see any of the Isle teens come in, before or after curfew. Most assumed another hall monitor had seen them and let them go, none of them were any the wiser that each teen could sneak into the dorms as easily as they walked in the park.
The next day, Mal and the others were recovered from their ordeal enough to be polite in other company. Mal was glad no one had witnessed her breakdown as she didn't think she could stand the embarrassment. She was even keeled enough to even speak to Ben as if nothing happened, and he knew not to pry as he was woefully aware that they weren't that close for him to even think he could ask.
But he did apologize for not taking her worries more seriously, and further for not having the foresight to really warn anyone that each other were going to show up and what he expected of his fellow royals.
"I dumbly thought that everyone would just magically be OK, and that was inconsiderate of me. I should have listened to you, I'm sorry."
Mal could appreciate that it was hard to apologize, probably more so for royals as most of the time their word was law. She couldn't even recall if she's ever apologized for anything ever while she was considered the heiress of the Leadership.
She also didn't want to harp on it, and in order to move past it (thanks to direction from Dr. Li) then she had to accept apologies.
"Thank you, I accept and appreciate it," she refused to say it was OK as that inferred the behavior was acceptable when it wasn't.
He smiled, glad that she didn't make it harder than it needed to be but Mal's had always been the straightforward type.
"So, if you four will please follow me?" he jovially asked, smiling as he was pretty certain Mal had forgotten their previous conversation.
She wasn't sure what he wanted but all four of them followed him to the front of the dorm castle. They were further confused when four brand new fully electric cars with bows lined the driveway.
"No," Mal scolded him, recalling their bet and she thought he knew that she would never hold him to it.
"Yesssss," Ben replied, grinning like an idiot. "They're already custom painted, I can't take them back."
"Wait, are these for us?" Evie asked, excited about the sapphire beauty with Swarovski crystal license plates that had to be hers.
"Yep, I made a bet with Mal and I lost. I never want it to be said that I'm not a prince of my word."
That was enough for Carlos and Jay, they weren't sure what it was about, but they weren't about to turn down a free ride. They especially appreciated the pearl white and deep cherry they had respectively, the cars were definitely to each of their tastes. Carlos' vehicle had black leather seats with a crimson stripe, Jay's had ochre leather with gold thread. Each were the same model, sleek and sporty.
"You guys, this is too much," Mal wanted them to not get too attached to the idea of having a car. She really didn't expect Ben to drop hundreds and thousands of dollars on them all because of a stupid bet. He had done enough already with giving them free tuition and board.
But her three treacherous friends all pouted their lips and gave her sad puppy eyes.
"But your car is purple, Mal! Sparkly purple," Evie tried to reason with her, reaching out her arms like a car show girl to emphasize the vehicles features.
Damn, it is beautiful.
Mal's resistance didn't last long, and she couldn't resist four sets of puppy eyes when Ben joined the three of them in begging her to let them keep them.
"Well, I guess we don't want to make Ben a liar…"
"That's right, you don't," he cheekily agreed. "But there is a downside."
Now it was Mal's turn to give a sad puppy stare.
"None of you have driver's licenses," he explained, they were bummed they couldn't drive them right away but at least the cars were still theirs. "So, you can't drive them until you do. But I have set up lessons, and once you guys do those and pass the practical then they're all yours. And since Carlos' birthday dinner got ruined, please take my limo and personal driver for an entire weekend in the city. I've already set up hotel rooms for you guys."
"Yeah!" both boys shouted, excited to have such a fun weekend planned.
They all celebrated and took the keys from his hands. Although they could not drive them, that didn't stop them from admiring the cars from within and Carlos went straight to reading the driver's manual.
Only Mal stayed outside with Ben, feeling like the only adult around.
"Thanks Ben, this is great," she smiled at him, and grinned at how happy her friends were.
Ben didn't tell her that the cars were given at a steep discount. Not only because he was the Crown Prince, but he promised to drive his own similar car around in public for the next year. The dealership got great publicity and he honored a bet.
The weekend in Auradon City was the least he could do.
He would never tell her that her smile was more than worth it.
Mal tried not to fidget too much in the new dress Evie had custom made for the occasion. The witch wasted no time after she had found out exactly how talented Jay was with a camera. The Four found themselves in matching outfits, all made from the same material, and rearranging the girls' dorm to accommodate back drops, several photography lights, and ornate chairs they had borrowed from the great room of the castle.
"Mal, many hands make light work," Evie told the fae who didn't seem to be keen on moving the massive four poster beds or anything else.
She wasn't normally one to pout, but since she couldn't intimidate Evie into bending to her will, she was stuck with frowning petulantly and letting it be known she was doing this against her will as she sluggishly got up and started to help move furniture that was clearly not meant to be moved.
I miss having henchmen.
Although the lackies on the Isle were stupid, mean, and smelled bad; they were good for such menial hard labor. She was tempted to call for some goblins but fought the urge as she knew they were paid workers and not there on their whims.
Especially not the whims of a mad teenage witch who got it into her head that they MUST have photos of all of them in coordinating outfits as soon as possible.
"Don't you guys have Tourney practice? The Championship is like a day away," she tried to get out of the impromptu photoshoot.
"Not until later, we'll be done in plenty of time," Jay was loath to betray his best friend, but Evie was quite convincing when she wanted to be.
Mal scoffed, but begrudgingly started to move things around at the witch's direction.
Once the room was to Evie's satisfaction, Jay took over to place them; he used a bunch of phrases from his photography class that Mal didn't understand but she let herself be manipulated for her "best angle" and lighting and whatever else he wanted.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she saw that Beezy had a matching vest, wondering when Evie had the time to make all these clothes and how exactly she got the feline to cooperate.
But she couldn't help it when she said,
"The Book too?"
Evie looked defiantly at her roommate, carrying the aforementioned Book which had a fetching ribbon made of the same material tied into a perfect bow onto its suede corner.
"It's part of the family Mal," she explained determined and as if the fae was simple, hoping the Book wouldn't feel insulted that its mistress didn't think it worthy of a place in the family photo.
Book glowed gold, seemingly responding that it agreed with the witch.
Mal closed her eyes, wondering what was happening and if she were in some insane dream. The boys had kept quiet, more than willing to just go along with Evie's machinations as it made life so much simpler and it wasn't as if she were asking for much. She had made the outfits, they simply had to put them on, show up, and move a few things around.
"These are precious moments Mal, we need family photos to memorialize our time at Auradon Prep."
The dark fae found herself unwillingly softening when her friend referred to the group as family. A hidden part of herself touched and even agreed with the sentiment and thought perhaps there was a method to Evie's madness.
Mal found that less she tried to make sense of it, the happier she was, and she also had a rule about not arguing with crazy people. After a couple hours, two outfit and backdrop changes later she could admit—not out loud, never out loud—that maybe her friend had a point. The pictures turned out nicer than she thought, and they had all looked so smart and happy.
She found all the time and effort to take a handful of photos seemed worth it as she looked at them when she was in their dorm, a sense of home she had never had before would fill her.
Perhaps Evie isn't as crazy as I thought.
"I think we should get a loom for the dorm," Evie suggested later that night as if both of them would have a use for it. Mal's eyes almost jumped out of her head when she saw the 6,589 F price tag and weighed almost 40 stone.
On second thought…
It had been years since he had stepped foot into Hell Hall, but the residence of the de Vil matriarch was still as imposing as P.H. de Vil had remembered it while growing up. The gothic mansion was richly decorated, it stood tall and impressive as a testament of how far the once humble fur traders had come. It was the biggest private residence in all of East Riding, so few had ever graced its halls as the de Vils had gone into semi-seclusion since the fall of Cruella.
While the First Daughter of the family had been banished, most were willing to forgive and forget as they still hungered for the fashion of House de Vil; more so for the inventions of P.H. The family had flourished in the last twenty years, but he knew that it wouldn't have been possible without Cruella laying down the groundwork.
He also wondered how much better it could have been if she had not been banished.
P.H. still wasn't sure how his cousin Cecil managed to become the executor of Cruella's estate, but the bumbling idiot was in charge of all of her money and their point of contact for anything to do with her son.
The boy in question was why he was at Hell Hall, he walked through the deserted galleries; all the riches they held were only shown for ghosts. He found the Malevola sitting in a large ornate armchair covered in Northern Wei brocade; she nursed an old fashioned while watching television in almost complete darkness; the floor to ceiling leaded-glass lattice windows had been shuttered with heavy drapes. P.H. couldn't remember a time in recent memory when sunlight had been allowed to shine in Hell Hall.
On the screen, there was a teenage boy with the familiar platinum and black de Vil hair, gracefully dancing across the stage. He was lighter skinned than the typical de Vil, but there was no mistaking his familial connections when he smiled, the shape of his jawline, or the slope of his nose.
"He has her smile," Malevola commented without turning around, sensing his presence and almost as if she read his mind. "He's graceful too, she was always a graceful dancer. She wanted to go to the East Riding Ballet Theater. I talked her out of it, I pushed going into fashion and business. I warned her that a ballet career was finite, but fashion…fashion could be a dynasty that lasted for decades."
P.H. wondered if Malevola had regretted pushing Cruella into the family business, it wasn't hard to imagine how things could have gone better and romanticize hypotheticals when everything had turned out so horribly.
Maybe if Cruella had been a ballet dancer, she never would have become obsessed with having a spotted fur coat. But P.H. knew mental illness didn't work that way. Maybe if she had been a dancer, she simply would have obsessed over a spotted leotard or tutu. Her career didn't make her sick, it just manifested itself into an obsession she already had.
"How did you get this footage? I thought he wanted nothing to do with us." he asked his aunt, knowing that the de Vils were not welcomed at Auradon Prep.
"We have plenty of loyal employees whose children go to the school, sponsored by the de Vil Foundation."
Of course, money could forgive a multitude of sins.
"Perhaps we could bid him again for a visit, I know he's angry…"
"He's more than angry," Malevola snapped at him. "He hates us, and why shouldn't he? We failed his mother, we failed him. He had to grow up in that gods forsaken island. Starvation, a sick mother, gods know what she told him about us or what he's been through."
All the old wounds were reopening, he was brought back to twenty years ago as the family scrambled to find out what exactly happened and their surprise that Cruella had been banished. He felt it had happened so quickly, the courts moving at a breakneck pace. All he had heard was that Cruella had some sort of episode, sounding too fantastic to be true. But then the next thing he knew, she was being carted off to the Isle with barely any time for their lawyers to get a handle on the situation. Although the de Vils were one of the wealthiest families in Auradon, their money had not been able to save his cousin from exile. Probably their lowest moment was when, as a family, it was decided that they leave Cruella to her fate as they opted to save the family name and businesses.
Somehow, to his greatest shame, stocks and investments became more important than family.
He didn't understand how his own blood could be so disloyal to their own, especially the one which had brought them to the forefront of Auradon society. He had almost gone and rescued Cruella himself, but he had been talked out of it by Malevola; reasoned that all he would do was earn his own banishment.
There are other de Vils besides Cruella, we have to save the family legacy.
So, for the sake of the children, the future de Vils, he had stayed his hand and worked to salvage what was left of their reputation. Now the de Vils were richer than ever, but he wondered if that wealth was even worth it. The family never gathered anymore, the two scions—Diego and Ivy—were spoiled brats who cared more about their social media followers than anything to do with the family or House de Vil.
Now there was Carlos, the de Vil none of them knew about; even Cecil who had sworn he didn't know of the boy's existence despite supposedly getting reports of Cruella's whereabouts and condition every year.
He had almost confronted his cousin, he wanted all the reports and everything he knew about Cruella's time on the island. P.H. had a laundry list of documentation to demand, he wanted to know the Trust's efforts in monitoring her. But then the letter came, by official royal messenger bearing the Crown Prince Crest and letterhead, and told them that Carlos wanted nothing to do with them and that they were to stay away from him, the school, and his mother. The missive stated in no uncertain terms that since they had not cared about his existence before, then they had no right to care when he was in Auradon. The letter was accompanied with apologies and promises by the Crown Prince, to keep imploring him on their behalf to give the family a chance.
While P.H. could petition his cousin, he couldn't very well make demands on the Crown Prince; it was more than enough that Crown Prince Ben had brought Carlos over and gave him a coveted spot in the most exclusive school in all of Auradon. P.H. couldn't very well ask him to order Carlos to meet with them.
Still, while he couldn't deny the letter was from the Crown Prince himself, there was something that bugged him; something that he couldn't shake off and he knew Cecil was a part of it. He could understand Carlos' anger at the family, who wouldn't feel abandoned and betrayed? And from the reports Malevola had gathered on her own, the boy had a harsh upbringing. Being young, P.H. could imagine that Carlos would be angry at the family that had failed him for a while. But he still thought that Carlos would have at least be curious of his only blood relatives. Then there was the money, certainly anyone would be interested in the vast fortune they had a right to.
He turned on a light and thumbed through the most recent reports that Malevola had left sitting on an end table, there were the boy's transcripts and he couldn't help but swell with pride at his good grades.
He takes after me, certainly neither Cruella nor Fisher were as interested in science and technology.
While P.H. never had children, although not for trying on everyone else but him in the family, he thought that maybe he wouldn't have minded a son such as Carlos. Another knot of regret sat heavy in his stomach, he wondered if they had known about him when he was a small child, would the Crown had let them take him? Certainly, the boy was innocent of any wrong doing. Cecil had his own brood and Malevola was near ancient, P.H. thought that naturally Carlos would have gone to him and he would have been more than happy to take in his first cousin once removed.
How could we have not known?
He frowned when he read further into the report.
"He's magical?"
"So it seems, they don't know what though. I have researchers working day and night, they have yet to come up with anything. They are canvassing all the libraries in all 18 Kingdoms…I may even send them abroad."
It didn't deter P.H. in the least bit, he knew some of the family held some anti-magic sentiment; mostly Cecil and his ilk, they all wanted to appear completely human and the family as a whole never could shake off the suspicion of magical heritage due to their unique hair. But P.H. also knew that it meant Fisher was not Carlos' father. Still, he didn't much care. It would certainly scandalize the pearl clutchers in their family, but family was family as far as he was concerned. The boy was a de Vil and P.H. would certainly stand up to anyone who would say otherwise.
"And he's dating the daughter of Maleficent?"
That was a bit more surprising than he thought it would be, he had heard all sorts of rumors about the dark fae, dating Carlos was not one of them.
"Clearly he has the de Vil charm, no one could resist. Not even a powerful dark fae."
Her voice held more pride than he thought it would, but clearly she thought a beautiful Moorish fae from the most powerful bloodline known to Auradon was no less that what a de Vil deserved.
"How has this stayed out of the papers? I would have thought we would have been the last to know given how the paparazzo stalk the school."
"Oh that, I simply bought out all the tabloids," Malevola explained as if it were something as simple and banal as grocery shopping. "We pay the sources and make them sign an NDA and then it is never published."
P.H. never thought he'd be using tactics normally employed by unscrupulous politicians to save their careers from a scandal, but he could admire his Aunt's efficiency.
With their army of attorneys, a de Vil Non-Disclosure Agreement was almost as ironclad as a Faery Deal; the consequences for breaking one almost as severe. So, if someone had credible evidence of a relationship then it was better to take the money and never speak of it again; not even to speculate on social media. If anyone was caught breaking an NDA, their careers would be forfeit and they'd be left in destitution.
While Malevola may have decided to put Cruella's freedom on the back burner to save the rest of the family, she protected her kin and if she had to monopolize the magazine industry to do it then she would without hesitation.
The de Vil matriarch may not have protected Carlos when she should have, but she would protect him from all of Auradon; even if he never acknowledged their blood ties.
She would not fail him again.
After several nights of skipping out on homework and focusing only on finding a spell, Jane had finally found one that was guaranteed to work. What was better, was that it took the form of a cookie and she doubted anyone would think something so innocuous would be magical.
Jane didn't think Audrey could be happier that she had found a spell, even if she had said her mother was about to expel Mal from the school. She had found the spell just in time as well.
"It'll be so romantic. We'll give him the cookie right before the game starts. We'll win for sure, and once Bennie Boo goes up to the podium to accept the championship trophy, I'm sure he'll confess his love for me and we'll get back together," the princess gushed, sighing at the dreamy notion of such a grand gesture.
Jane also sighed and smiled, thinking it would have been perfect for her and Carlos, but she would never infringe on her friend's moment. She started to think of when she would give Carlos his own cookie, slightly put off that the closest romantic moment would be Eros' Day in the middle of February. That was certainly too far into the future, and she couldn't stomach the thought of Carlos remaining with Mal for that long. She couldn't free him from Mal before break, so she would just have to settle for the first opportunity when they got back to school. It would practically be February anyway, and she didn't want to miss out on the most romantic day of the year.
Maybe I could convince mother to let me on campus during the break. It'll be tough, I can't think of a reason I'd come all the way back to school from Cinderellaburg. Maybe Audrey could invite me over…no that's still too far. At least if I do it as soon as we get back from break, we'd be together for Eros' Day.
It wasn't her picture-perfect fantasy, but it was better than nothing. What would be worse would be to witness Carlos and Mal being disgustingly together, doing whatever deviant sexual act the evil fae would force her poor sweet Carlos into doing on the one day a year that everyone decided to rub their relationships in single peoples' faces.
It was after hours, the big game the next day. The castle's kitchen was completely abandoned; Jane was surprised the dorm supervisors didn't do a sweep of the area, but she guessed with domestic goblins, most would see no need to sneak out to the kitchens. She had again convinced her roommates to cover for her in case anyone did drop by, but she was confident the entire school was asleep, not willing to miss out on any rest for the big game.
She had gathered all the supplies, most of it could be found in the cupboards and refrigerator. Whatever she knew the kitchen wouldn't have, luckily Audrey could obtain with her royal connections.
The princess in question finally came to the kitchens,
"Sorry I'm late, I got lost. I've never been here before," she looked around, realizing she had never been in a kitchen of any sort. It was all rather foreign to her, she wondered what was in all the cabinets and how it fit all the food they fed to the students.
"It's alright," she had only been waiting an hour, she'd probably wait forever if it meant she could get Carlos and help Crown Prince Ben. "Do you have the two ingredients?"
"Yep, I have a dozen Aurorian Beauty roses, freshly plucked and from my personal garden. Mother was more than happy to send me a 'reminder of home.'" Audrey giggled at her clever deception. "And one serving platter of pure silver, standard set in my dorm."
Jane was surprised how easily Audrey had something like a pure silver plate just lying around her room; she would have thought the princess would have had to special order it. But either way, she was glad they had the items on hand at the time. She wasn't sure how Audrey would have reacted if they couldn't do the spell in time for the big game.
"OK, well I think we have everything. Let me check things off," she started to recite the needed ingredients from a crumbled list of loose paper.
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
½ Cup Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Large Eggs
2 Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
As Jane crossed things off, she was surprised that Audrey started to grab some items and put them aside. She didn't dare question the princess and went on.
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 ½ Cup Chocolate Chips
Auroria Beauty Rose Petals
Plate of Pure Silver
Tear of True Sadness
Once she was done, Audrey had her pile and a paltry few were left.
"This won't do. Bennie Boo would never eat such a sweet right before a game. And refined sugar is so bad for you. We're going to replace these," she motioned to the ingredients she declared unsuitable, "and instead we're going to use coconut sugar, it has less fructose and healthier, and stevia. For the butter, we're going to replace it with Earth Balance, I think we're going to try going vegan. It's just a healthier lifestyle, I read all about it. So instead of eggs, we'll use apple sauce, and let's cut the flour in half and use oats instead. Instead of an unhealthy cookie, it'll be a health bar. I know my Ben, he'd never eat a cookie before a big game. We don't want him to get a sugar high then get sluggish."
Everything Audrey said went right over Jane's head, she had wanted to protest with every substitution but couldn't make the words leave her lips. Jane thought back to all the times before when the cheerleader didn't get her way, it was never pretty and she knew she could not be on the end of that sharp tongue.
Audrey does know Ben better. I'm sure these substitutions will be fine…it's the spell not the ingredients that matter…I hope…
Jane still wasn't sure, but once Audrey barked out for her to help look for the substitute ingredients, she immediately jumped in surprise and started to search the unfamiliar kitchen. It took another twenty minutes for them to get everything Audrey wanted, but if the princess was happy then Jane was happy.
Still, Jane looked nervously at their new pile of ingredients, basically nothing was the same and she worried what that would do to the spell.
I'm sure it's fine, the message boards would have warned me if changing anything would cause any harm…I'm pretty sure…
It was from a message board, it wasn't like every spell she had come across was tried and true. But she also realized it was after midnight and they had a long day ahead of them. They were already behind because of Audrey's tardiness and then searching for the new items. They still had to put everything together. The message board didn't even tell her how high to set the oven or how long to put the cookies in. She had looked up separately how to make regular cookies and hoped they were the same.
Now she had to hope cooking "health bars" were the same as well. If they were undercooked or burnt, she had no idea how they would get Ben to eat them. But she had to remain optimistic and turned the oven on at 190° C, she guessed that if they couldn't achieve the spell in time for the game, then at least there was Eros' Day to placate Audrey's demanding nature. She was a little put off that she'd have to wait even longer to rescue Carlos, but she told herself she would save him eventually.
She tried not to pout as she mixed everything together while Audrey played on her phone. Once every ingredient had been mixed in, she scooped all the dough onto the silver platter.
"Now what?" Audrey asked as she had no idea how cookies were made but was pretty sure the mixture had to be separated into cookie sized parts.
"We surround the silver plate with the rose petals," Jane told her as she plucked the satiny petals from the flower and sprinkled them around the plate. "Now we just need a Tear of True Sadness."
"Oh, I can do that."
"Really?" Jane was relieved, she wasn't sure if she could think of something suitably sad enough to make her cry right then and there.
"Oh yeah, crying is easy."
Audrey then opened her eyes wide, foregoing any attempt at thinking of something sad. What would she ever be sad about anyway? She was princess Audrey, her life was perfect; or at least soon would be once she righted the wrong of Ben breaking up with her. The kitchen lights were suitably bright enough to irritate her eyes the longer she stared at them without blinking. It was a neat trick she learned when she was younger, crying on demand would get her anything she wanted and was particularly useful against her father, King Philip.
Within a minute, her eyes pooled with tears and with a swipe of her finger she had a rolling droplet ready for the spell.
Jane was quick with the plate, not wanting to lose the tear and with a flick of the princess' finger, a salty drop landed right on the dough.
"Alright, next is the spell," Jane closed her eyes and hovered her hands above and to the side of the plate. She focused all her energy into her hands, willing her magic to go into the mix.
Sweet, sweet thoughts of me
You will think constantly
Let my cries bind your heart to mine
So that our souls be forever entwined
Audrey pivoted on the balls of her feet, so excited that things were working out. The light from Jane's hands had turned a dark pink as she spoke the spell, the petals of the roses lifted into the air and swirled around the plate; in a burst of fuchsia sparkles, where the mound of dough once lay there were a dozen perfectly round cookies.
The princess' mouth dropped open in astonishment, she had never seen such magic done before her eyes. Jane smiled in triumph, despite the substitutes the spell clearly worked, and she was about to burst with pride. She went to turn off the oven and grabbed a Ziplock bag, placing the cookies within.
"OK, you just need to give Ben a cookie…" Jane started to instruct Audrey.
"No, you'll give the cookie."
"What?"
"It'll look too suspicious if I gave him a cookie and suddenly he was in love with me again."
"But he'll fall in love with the first person he sees."
"Which will be me, but you have to be the one to give it to him. Plus, he has a strict rule of not eating sweets before a big game; he knows that I know that. But if you give it to him, he'll think you don't know that and eat it to be nice. Don't worry, I'll be right there to swoop in right as he takes a bite."
Jane felt like she may throw up, not expecting to be the one to give him the cookie. Wasn't it enough that she had risked doing the spell at all? Now she had to risk THE Crown Prince accidently falling in love with her? The thought alone almost had her hyperventilating.
"You'll be fine," Audrey insisted, her patience wearing thin. It was clearly the best route, why was Jane being so difficult?
The half fae winced at Audrey's terse voice, her fear of letting down the princess outweighing her fear of the plan going wrong.
I'll just make sure to look up a counter spell, why didn't I do that earlier?
Jane could kick herself for not thinking of it sooner, of course she should have a counter spell on hand if something went wrong. But she was too tired to think of it anymore, the championship would be in the Summerlands—a neutral arena associated with neither school—which was a several hour drive. They would all have to be on a bus in a few hours.
I'll look it up later. We probably won't even need it. Audrey knows what she's doing, she could definitely get his undivided attention, it'll be fine.
The plan was in place; she would meet up with Ben and hope he was somewhat alone, give him the cookie, before he could take a bite Audrey would swoop into his line of sight. He'll fall in love with who he's supposed to be in love with, declare it in front of the entire school, and eventually they'd get married, have a dozen children, and live happily ever after.
Thankfully Audrey offered a sleepover, it would be easier to escape the chaperones and the princesses wasn't about to let her hard-earned spell be taken away as midnight snack contraband.
The next morning, Jane was pretty certain if she had eaten anything, she would have thrown up. When Audrey described the plan, it seemed righteous and good, easy even.
The benevolent faery used her magic to help the princess and saved the day.
None of the stories included nauseous anxiety, she was pretty sure her mother would never sit on a bench with her leg nervously bobbing up and down or have her nails be bitten down to the stubs. She wasn't even sure if Ben would be alone enough for her to give him the cookie in secret. What would she do if she had to give several people a cookie to avoid raising suspicion?
We can't have several people fall in love in one day!
Luck seemed to be on their side as Ben was running late, he had left a piece of his uniform in his locker and ran towards the back of the school to retrieve it. Audrey had silently nodded her head for Jane to follow him, she would come a little later, at least Jane hoped that's what she meant.
Jane rushed to intercept Ben at the back of the school, most of the other students were on a bus already. They were blessedly alone, she took that as a good sign that what she was doing was approved of by Fate.
"Hi Ben! I have some health cookies. They have oats, coconut sugar—it's lower in fructose and healthier—and all sorts of healthy alternatives. They'll give you energy for the big game."
Ben was flattered that Jane would go through the effort of making the team a snack, it was his usual rule to not eat before a game but it would be a long bus ride, he didn't think eating one healthy cookie would hurt anything and he didn't want to hurt her feelings by refusing such a kind gesture.
"Thanks Jane, that's so nice of you," he graciously accepted the confection and it did look good, as he brought it to his mouth, Audrey had come out of nowhere and said,
"Hi Ben! The busses are about to leave, we couldn't leave our star player."
He nearly choked on the cookie, startled at how unnecessarily loud the princess was which wasn't like her. He chewed and swallowed the treat, not wanting to choke,
"I'm coming, I just had to grab my shin guards. Thank you Jane…" he looked confusedly around, the fae girl nowhere in sight. "Jane?"
"Oh she had to go, giving away health cookies. She's so nice…anyway, how do you feel about the big game?"
"Oh…ummm…nervous I guess. But we have a really good team this year, Carlos and Jay have been instrumental in getting us this far," he made small talk to be polite and took a few more bites. This was the most they had spoken to each other since the breakup, he guess he was glad that she was willing to talk to him but still a part of him thought that every interaction was laced with awkwardness.
Audrey could not care less about the actual game or whether those Isle urchins were to thank for getting them to the championship. She studied his face, wondering when the spell would kick in and if there would be any signs. Jane had created light and sparks, would Ben light up too?
I better stall him for a few seconds, to make sure no one sees any magic.
"That's great, it's good to feel confident in your teammates…how's Lonnie?"
"Lonnie?"
"Yes?"
Audrey didn't know what else to talk about to stall for time.
"She's fine, she's been running us ragged with drills. We haven't been able to get one ball past her, so she's at peak performance. I think we have a really good shot at winning…we should really go, I'm already late and I'm sure coach will give me an earful once I'm on the bus."
"Right! Sorry…yeah we should go…Go Knights!" Audrey had never felt more foolish in her life. Why didn't the spell work?
I give her one lousy spell to do and she can't even do that. I should have looked for a more competent faery.
Ben uneasily waved Audrey goodbye and joined his teammates. All students were finally on the buses and they were on their way to the championship.
Jane felt like she was friendless again, clearly Audrey was not happy with the results and she didn't know why the spell didn't work. She wanted to desperately tell Audrey she was sorry, she'd say anything for her not to be mad.
Perhaps it's just a delayed reaction, the message board didn't go into detail with how the spell would work. I'm sure he'll confess his love for her any moment.
But sneaking glances at Ben, he didn't seem any different. He spoke with Chad, Carlos, and Jay the whole way. Lonnie sometimes made an appearance to talk strategy, but otherwise the Crown Prince seemed his normal jovial self.
While Jane sat alone, Audrey still stewed about the spell not working, she was at least glad Mal and Evie were on a separate bus. She was certain the girls would have taken up all of Carlos' attention. She imagined herself sitting with him, watching a movie on his tablet and snuggling together as some of the other tourney and cheerleader couples were doing.
Although Ben was as talkative as ever, hyped for the game he couldn't help but feel slightly off for some reason. He brushed it off as nerves; it was his senior year and first championship. He was team captain, and everyone was counting on him to lead them to victory. He was certain that what he was feeling was anxiousness, his body just over heating in response to his stress.
He fiddled with the air vent, grateful the bus had climate control and while it was the end of December, he was able to turn the cool air on. He noticed that Carlos had done the same, part of him wondered if the other boy was as nervous as he was.
Another part of him inexplicably angry at his presence, he shook his head to clear his mind. But every time he caught sight of black and platinum blond hair, he had the urge to punch and tear at something. Ben tried to clear his mind, focus on the game, but whenever he wasn't angry at Carlos, he would think of Mal which was just as disastrous. He thought he had made some headway with his crush, accepting that she was happy with Carlos and he would move on eventually.
He was certain that his smiles had turned genuine when they were together, and he was happy for them. But on the bus, all he could think of was Mal's smile, the way dimples would appear and it made his heart race.
"Are you OK?" Chad asked, wondering why Ben seemed so twitchy.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he denied, hoping his princely smile would fool his best friend.
"Are you sure? You seem a little feverish," he noticed Ben's flushed face.
"I said I'm fine," it came out harsher than Ben intended but he didn't need any attention on himself. The Charming prince took the hint and let him be but made a note to himself to keep an eye on him. It would suck if their team captain had come down with something and had to sit out because he was sick, but his friend was more important than some trophy.
Ben was rather famous for his easy-going nature and kind heart. Even before Isle-to-Auradon he had been thoughtful and caring to even their harshest competition. Before every game he would genuinely wish the other side "good luck" and for a good game.
For the championship, Ben had shaken the other captain's hand as was tradition, but Chad noticed the wince of the other boy, the Crown Prince's grip tight enough to cause pain. He didn't even smile once, something was off and it worried Chad.
Since it was the National Championships, there was far more pomp and circumstance than any other game. They had brought in a special musical act to sing the National Anthem, special refs were brought in with commemorative coins for the flip, the two team captains had to shake hands and wish each other luck in front of cameras.
The game finally begun and Chad couldn't concentrate on anything other than winning. It wasn't until Ben had started to call plays that went against what they practiced and initially agreed. At first he thought maybe Ben had just seen an opportunity, that perhaps he had noticed a weakness from the other team and wanted to exploit it. It wasn't until after a few failed plays that he noticed that the calls had more to do with snubbing Carlos than anything else as that was the only thing that had changed.
He wasn't the only one that had noticed the common factor in the plays, Carlos had tried to talk some sense into Ben as he wasn't being utilized. But it seemed like their captain was adamant to do things his way, even if no one else could see his reasoning.
After two more fumbled plays, the coach called a time out and yelled at all of them to get over whatever their issue was and to play the game. He took Ben aside to speak to him personally, not only as captain, but he could sense there was something going on.
"What is with him?" Jay asked Chad, hoping the prince would know and not automatically take his friend's side.
Thankfully Chad was worried enough to not try to pretend nothing was wrong,
"I don't know man, he's been off since before the game started. I think he's sick or something."
"Fuck," Carlos cursed, not wanting to hear that answer. He could sense there was something off about Ben, something not right with his scent but he had no idea what it could be.
Whatever coach said to Ben, it got through to him as he started to call the players more fairly, but the Crown Prince started to play more aggressively than they had ever seen him and totally out of character. It was the first time any of them had seen Ben get warned by the referees with a yellow card.
Unnecessary roughness? Ben? What is going on?
Chad wished they could call another time out as clearly there was something wrong, but it was the fourth quarter and they were all used up.
While their offensive game was falling apart, the defense was holding strong and Lonnie was the only reason they weren't getting a closeout. It was a low scoring close game, but with a few final reasonable calls by Ben, Auradon Prep had won its first Championship in years.
Most forgot Ben's weirdness in the glow of their win, the entire stadium almost drowning in blue and gold confetti and the school's anthem being blasted out by the marching band and every student proudly belting out their glee.
The time for awards were given out, the seniors were given a special commemoration and the MVP was awarded to Lonnie Li. Some thought it might have gone to Jay, but he knew that one year of good playing paled in comparison to her four years of consistent good play. He could also admit that because of his aggression and showboating, the team had more penalties than they ever had in a year, so MVP was definitely out of his reach.
Jay and Carlos clapped raucously, so proud of their goalie and glad that they were able to pull a win for the seniors. It was a fun game they played, but the other team members had been playing and working towards this for years and it was really for them.
Chad stole glances at Ben, hoping his friend was alright but it seemed he was getting worse, his face flush and he was still sweating despite their cool down and the cold weather. The Crown Prince was barely paying attention to the speeches and halfheartedly clapped for the MVP announcement. It was so out of character for Ben and he had no idea what was going on.
Everything was made worse when during Lonnie's acceptance speech, Ben had taken the mic,
"Excuse me. Excuse me. Can I have your attention, please? There's something I'd like to say."
The entire stadium was focused on him, not only for having the mic but because he had grabbed it from Lonnie so rudely. The girl frowning besides him, not knowing what to do.
Part of Ben knew he was acting rashly, if not a bit insanely. But something inside of him would not let him rest until Mal knew his true feelings.
"I love you, Mal! Have I mentioned that?"
There, now it was out in the open and once he started, he couldn't stop.
Mal's jaw dropped in the stands, unseen as she was one among hundreds; aghast he would do a prank like that as it wasn't funny, and she had plans to throttle him and everyone else who was in on it.
Carlos was frozen on the spot as he was certain he heard him wrong. Jay and Chad swallowed harshly, each looking at each other and hoping their best friends did not try to kill each other.
"It's just that I'm in love with you, and there's nothing I can do. I've tried for months to ignore these feelings, but I can't anymore, I just need to shout them out. I dream of you, basically every night now. I just need to let everyone know I love you…did I mention that?...I need to let everyone know how you've rocked my world and I'm just living each day to see you. I never thought it would happen to a guy like me, but I would give up my Kingdom for just one kiss. I know it sounds ridiculous…"
Ben was cut off by an incensed Carlos, who had initially been held back by both Jay and Chad but the two boys could no longer hold him off.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Carlos growled at him, Ben had been pushed over several feet. Everyone around them had back away, scared at the monstrous form the Isle teen had taken. In his rage not only did his eyes glow ruby red, but his hair had grown shaggy and covered his face, claws were extended out, and fangs had protruded from his mouth.
It frightened the crowd even more when a hellish roar echoed through the stadium and reverberated through their bones.
The roar did not come from Carlos.
Ben quickly got up and in the place of a handsome prince stood half a beast. Ben's soft brown eyes replaced with molten gold, horns stood out amongst his bronze hair, and had claws and fangs that looked to be itching to fight Carlos.
"You don't deserve her," Ben cruelly spat out.
Whatever control Carlos might have had was gone, unable to withhold his anger that the prince dare challenge him for Mal.
The two lunged at each other, fury fueled swipes of their claws that scared even the seasoned royal body guards. The two boys probably would have fought until they killed each other if not for the intervention of the Fairy Godmother.
Restreindre!
Before either of them could swipe another claw, they were bound in starlight. Headmistress FéeMarraine floated down on a beam of light, her mouth in a hard line and wondering what had gotten into either of them.
The Royal Family had always worried that some of Adam's curse may have passed down, Ben had always had a penchant for roaring and bearing his teeth when angry when he was younger. They had hoped it was just some childish eccentricity, as he had outgrown it for the most part.
For his inner beast to make itself known so publicly was their worst nightmare, but the Headmistress also knew Ben had been acting out of sorts; she couldn't ignore the possibility that he had been cursed. Both boys were biting at the bit and demanded that she let them go, she ignored them of course but she made sure with a push of her hand to place Carlos further away.
She went up to Ben to see if she could see what was wrong. Most of the hair growth he experienced was mainly on his arms and head, his face was unobscured except for the thick fangs he had grown. His face was red and feverish, his eyes only a thin ring of gold as his pupils had dilated.
"Let me go!" he growled out his displeasure, fighting against his bindings; snapping his teeth like an angry wild animal. "He doesn't love her like I do, and I'll prove it!"
Nadine had a sinking horrible feeling what the culprit to his had behavior was, but she couldn't believe that Mal, or any student, would be foolish enough to do that to anyone, much less the Crown Prince.
The crowd gasped behind her as she started to do a diagnostic spell, a shout of "Look out!" and as she turned she was stunned to see that Carlos had somehow broken out of her bindings and was heading towards Ben, intent on getting back to the fight. She was momentarily stunned that he was able to break out of her magic, as so few creatures had the ability to do so.
Carlos was moving so fast, she may not have had enough time to hurl another spell; one she was loath to cast as it was an aggressive defensive spell that may hurt him, but in the moment she didn't know what else she could do.
But then she saw a flash of purple run between Carlos and Ben, crying out,
"Carlos stop! Please…don't do this," Mal pled with him. She had no magic, as far as anyone knew, and she hoped not to reveal her secret. She went in with blind faith that he wouldn't hurt her, even in his current form and as angry as he was.
Anyone would have called her gambit foolish, but luck favored the brave even if they were being totally idiotic.
"Get out of the way Mal," he commanded her, he wouldn't hurt her but he still wanted his pound of flesh.
"No, Carlos…this isn't you. And that isn't Ben. Clearly he's on drugs or something, and even if he's not I love you…that's all that matters. Please, I don't want to go back to the Isle."
The tears in her eyes and fear in her voice slowed down his rage, enough for him to really see what he was doing. He looked to see Jay, who had his jersey torn and a cut above his eyebrow; he then saw Evie who had tears streaming down her eyes.
He had done this, it was his fault and the guilt packed down his rage enough for his features to return to normal. He fell to his knees and breathed heavily, the realization of what he had done made him feel empty.
He had attacked a member of the royal family. He was going to be sent back to the Isle.
Mal, Evie, and Jay all rushed towards him, wanting to protect him as they also knew what attacking Crown Prince Ben had meant. Mal held onto him, refusing to let go. She wouldn't let them take him away, she couldn't let them.
Jay and Evie stood by him, ready to fight anyone who would dare try.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said into Mal's jacket, holding onto her just as tightly. He knew he was going to be dragged away, and he wouldn't let them be dragged with him. He had to get at least one last hug from her, he knew it was probably going to be his last.
"I'm not going to let them take you away," she promised hysterically, refusing to believe that it could happen. Even as police and the royal body guards started to surround them, she kept promising him that she wouldn't let them take him.
"No Mal," he tried to push her away, willing to go peacefully if it meant the others would be spared. He had to believe the Crown would be fair and only punish him and not the others.
"No!" she refuses to let them take him, she grabs the wrist of the police officer who tries and surprises them with her strength. She easily moves to toss them over and is ready for the next one, but Carlos voluntarily goes with them to be cuffed.
"Mal, you need to stop!" Dr. FéeMarraine yells at her, knowing fighting would only make it worse. She grabbed the young fae and presses upon a mental link to calm her down and subdue her. It was not as strong as if she were her mother or any kind of relation, but with her eyes glowing white and Mal's green and gold, it was enough to get the girl to stop fighting.
"Please, you can't let them take him back to the Isle. My mother will kill him."
Knowing the dark fae as she did, and how scared and hysterical Mal was being she believed her. Although what Carlos did was rash and illegal, there were extenuating circumstances and she believed that sending the boy back to the Isle would not be justice.
"He's not going back to the Isle, I promise. But he needs to be taken into custody so we can know what happened."
Knowing there wasn't much else she could do, Mal calmed and submitted. She couldn't fight the Headmistress and she didn't to save her magical energy if later they needed to break Carlos out and they had to run away.
Mal felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest as she saw Carlos being placed into a police cruiser, cuffed and looking defeated. He looked out of the window, hating to see Mal so upset and all because he couldn't keep his temper. She saw that he mouthed, "I love you" and she wanted to set the entire stadium on fire as he was driven away.
Once the other Isle teens were subdued, Nadine went back to Ben who had also calmed down enough to revert back to his human self. His pallor had turned yellow and sickly, she quickly did a diagnostic spell and saw that it's magic poisoning.
"He has magic poisoning," she told a medic that had come to the scene and had brought a gurney. As they started to strap him in, she gave them instructions on how to treat him.
"He'll need a saline drip made with purified salts blessed by the fae and water from the Enchanted Lake. The hospital should have some on standby, for now you need to give him some low doses of iron to start purifying his blood. The medic nodded, while magic poisoning was rare due to strict regulation, it wasn't unheard of and they had all been trained to deal with magical incidents.
Nadine halted them from loading the Crown Prince into the ambulance, she had a sneaking suspicion as to what caused the poisoning and wanted to see if she were right:
Aphrodite, goddess of love be gone
Hear no more your siren's song
A halo of pink engulfed the royal and his breathing became more even and was knocked out cold as the spell that was poisoning his body had been lifted.
The Headmistress had sighed in relief, the counter spell would give Ben a better chance at recovery, but now she was left with the question as to who would be foolish enough to cast a love spell on a royal?
"I want those responsible gone! They will be expelled from Auradon Prep and banished to the Isle!" Adam raged, slamming a fist down onto the oak desk of his personal office.
Headmistress Nadine, who had been summoned to the royal palace of Rose Hall immediately after she had spoken with the police and left the game, flinched at the sudden crack, the desk giving into the onslaught and splintering. She had no doubt that the only thing that was saving those responsible for Ben's poisoning from death was because the UKA had outlawed it almost a century ago.
Although given the temperament of the current reigning King, perhaps that ruling would be overturned post haste.
"We don't know who is responsible," Nadine tried to calm the King and keep rational. "It is being investigated as we speak. It's possible that it wasn't even someone from Auradon Prep. Crown Prince Ben is under surveillance, but the doctors say he will recover."
"What do you mean we don't know who is responsible? It's clearly that evil fae girl, she had poisoned my son with a love potion. He had admitted it was her."
"I do not think it was Ms. Lefay. Despite Ben's confession, she has no reason to employ a love spell. By all reports, she is happy with Mr. de Vil…"
"Don't be daft FéeMarraine. This is the daughter of Maleficent, this is probably part of some diabolical plot to free the villains from the Isle."
"Your Majesty," the star faery warned him as much as she dared, "As I have said, we are investigating into the issue. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't some wayward student with a misguided idea that they needed a love spell to gain a boyfriend. As far as the tests show, it was a weak spell done poorly. It's possible it isn't even someone from Auradon Prep, this could potentially be a prank by the other school. These things happen, and we have a protocol in place on how to deal with it. We have more to worry about than an errant love spell."
"What could be more important than investigating someone harming a member of the royal family?" he couldn't believe she would even suggest such a thing.
"The fact that Mr. de Vil was able to throw off my magic."
"What does that mean?"
"It means he has a natural immunity to magic, and only a rare few are able to do so with a fully realized fae."
It took Adam a few minutes to realize what she was getting at.
"You mean…?"
"Yes. It seems that he had fathered a child before we were able to smuggle him off the Isle."
"No," he refused to believe what she was implying. "He…the girl…the girl gave him a charm, something that would protect him."
She looked hard at him, she didn't want to believe it either but he was going into full on denial.
"Even if she did, there is no way she could have created anything powerful enough to throw off one of my spells."
"Shit," all colour had drained from Adam's face, the levity of the revelation making him need to sit down.
"Indeed," Nadine replied flatly, grabbing a tumbler from a cart inside the office and pouring herself four fingers worth of brandy. With one swig, she had downed the entire glass.
"Then we need to expel him from the school…we can say it was the girl and they all had part in the plans. We can't let them stay. We have to get him back onto the Isle before anyone realizes…"
"We can't just expel her on made up charges and bring them all down with her. Your son will throw a fit and start asking questions we are not ready to answer."
"Carlos attacked a member of the royal family."
"This isn't the 1600's where that was an automatic death sentence. Carlos didn't attack Crown Prince Ben, he attacked Ben—the boy who had confessed his love to his girlfriend. Boys get into fights."
"He had magical strength, he could have killed him."
"If he had wanted to, I'm sure Carlos could have done it in one swipe. And Ben has his own…strengths," she didn't think King Adam would be able to handle mentions that his son may be magical.
"This isn't 20 years ago, people actually care about transparency with our laws and legal system, I doubt most would see it as fair to banish Carlos when by most metrics it was a fair fight between two hot-headed teenage boys. And I doubt Ben will hold it against him once he recovers, he did make a spectacle of himself and in any other situation, anyone else would have fought him too. Bottom line, Carlos did no real damage."
King Adam sighed in frustration, realizing she was right. They couldn't be rash and they certainly didn't want to do anything suspicious.
"Do you think he has any idea he has a son?"
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Nadine snorted at the thought.
"If he did, I'm pretty sure Auradon Prep would be a pile of sticks and rubble right now. As far as I can tell, Carlos has no idea who his father is, and his father has no clue about anything. Anyway, he's all the way in Charmington and on the edge of the Enchanted Forest, living the simple life on a farm and out of the way and off the grid. That was the deal. I doubt he even knows about the Isle-to-Auradon program, or that Carlos is in Auradon at all. I think our best course of action is to keep Carlos close. If we know where he is, then we know who he has contact with."
"If they're practicing magic, then it's only a matter of time before his powers point to…"
"Like I said, I do not think it is them and they are not practicing magic. I would not allow it in my school."
It was probably the only time he had ever seen the Faery Godmother look serious since the Fae Wars. She had helped herself to another tumbler of brandy, needing the courage to deal with the demons of the past.
King Adam had to trust her, their future was intertwined together.
I need to call Cecil, that sniveling rat will be more than happy to help quash this.
Ben woke up slowly, his eyes heavy and mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. With a few blinks, he could focus enough to see where he was. He realized he was in a hospital bed, with an IV feeding him fluids. A nurse rushed to him, telling him she was so glad that he was finally awake.
He found out that he had magic poisoning, slowly his memory of what had happened came to him. He wished could go back into his dead sleep and never wake up as he could not believe that he had proclaimed his love to Mal in front of two schools and every important adult in his life, and in such a garish way. In fact, if the earth could just open up and swallow him whole then he would appreciate it if Fate could help him out.
It was made even worse when Headmistress FéeMarraine had come in to question him with his mother by his side. He had told them that he thought it was due to something he ate, he tried to keep it vague. He had been offered something before the game, and since eating it how he compulsively felt the need to confess his love for Mal.
"I don't know why Mal," he lied, not wanting to admit his feelings and wanting to try to spare Mal from the knowledge. He thought he had made her life hard enough with the embarrassing proclamation, if he could blame it on the spell then maybe the scandal could die sooner and she wouldn't feel as awkward.
"Some love spells, low level ones, work by falling in love with the first person that comes into your line of sight. More advanced ones use either personal items such as rings or other possessions, other dark ones involve things like hair or blood to have it focus on a specific person. Those are advanced, no student would be able to do those, thank the gods. So, that makes me think it was a student who had gotten a low-level spell. If you accepted something and it was before the game, then it was most certainly an Auradon Prep student. Please Ben, think harder. Do you remember who gave it to you and what exactly it was?"
Ben wanted to forget the whole thing happened, he knew it would embarrass Dr. FéeMarraine, and he was certain Jane didn't mean any real harm from it. He planned on talking to the girl later, try to let her down gently and tell her the obvious dangers of dabbling in magic. And furthermore, she was a lovely girl who didn't need to resort to magic to get a boyfriend.
"I'm sorry, some of the day is just a blur…I really can't remember."
Nadine wasn't totally convinced, but she didn't want to pry any further that night. She knew enough to get a lead, and there were other ways to figure out who had poisoned Ben. She left him with his mother, glad to not have to talk about it anymore.
"Ben…" Belle started, unsure of where to start. "I'm so sorry," she cupped his face and since they were alone he let the tears that had been waiting to be shed. Her poor baby, she couldn't imagine the pain he was in. Someone had betrayed his trust by feeding him a love potion, and the magic had forced his feelings out in the open, to a girl that was not free to love him back and loved another fiercely.
"I just want this to be done with…" his voice cracking and rough.
"I'll see what I can do, maybe you should take the rest of the school year off…be taught by private tutors."
"No," he was adamant. "I won't cower away, and it's winter break. That'll be enough time off. It was a love spell gone wrong, it doesn't need to be more than that."
She was proud of how brave her son wanted to be, but sometimes she thought that there was nothing wrong with taking time to recover. But he would not be swayed from his plan.
The school was on lockdown and under martial law. The administration had hired an entire new staff to do patrols and the police questioned everyone. The investigation went further than interviews, everything was being monitored.
The Isle Four were the prime suspects, not that it took much nudging to get others to jump to conclusions. The four of them had been questioned by the police, and Headmistress FéeMarraine had kept her promise, Carlos had not been banished back to the Isle. While he had to do some community service and had to attend anger management classes, he was in no more trouble for getting into a fight than any other student would have and was allowed to go back to school the next day.
Mal had latched onto him, unwilling to be parted until forced to when they got back to the dorms. Because Ben had been poisoned with magic, the school had heighted all security measures. Both Jay and Carlos had been smart enough to discreetly get rid of their bracelets, the presence of fae runes would have been damning.
Most students resented that they had to stay after winter break started, but they rather stay and be questioned than the alternative which was to surrender their computers and allow their rooms to be searched without them there. At least if they were present, they could defend themselves and explain any contraband they may have.
Several students were in worlds of trouble with their parents once the administration had confiscated all their condoms, pre-written reports, and other contraband they had bought; some was purchased from the Isle Four, some were not. Even more were put on internet probation by the vast amounts of porn found on their computers or in their possession.
The Isle Four appreciated that the students had not tattled on them, the adults placated with the excuse of purchasing all items off the internet or off school grounds through other unknown parties. Although their computers were being reviewed, there were plenty of illicit websites that sold such items discretely and most were tech savvy enough to quickly lie about using privacy tabs.
The Book had enough magical sentience to know when to hide, and as it could get itself to the Isle, it was powerful enough to hide from searches. Their spell work mainly dealt with casting, so no potions or other magical paraphernalia were around. The police were also so anti-magic that they didn't think to use magic to find traces of magic. Mal was certain if Headmistress FéeMarraine helped, a simple spell would have at least found minute traces of magic in their dorms. At the very least she would have found the enchanted shirt and chocolate box Carlos had received for his birthday. The human officers simply overlooked such items as mundane and unassuming.
The police were slightly confused by just how many piles upon piles of fabric samples and sewing equipment Evie could stuff into their room. Thankfully none of it was magic, so they had been deemed free from contraband early on; the boys as well.
After a few days of searches and interviews, Mal was finally free to walk about the campus as all four of them had been cleared. She had gotten a message from Ben to meet her in the library, his mom had reserved a room for them to talk. She wasn't exactly eager to be alone with him, but she did need to talk to him about what happened.
"You didn't eat any questionable food before you got here, did you?" Mal asked sardonically, still couldn't believe he would fall for a love spell.
He wasn't amused by the question, but he wouldn't snark back at her since she was the one embarrassed by the whole ordeal and innocent of having anything to do with it.
"How are you holding up?" he instead inquired.
"Well despite saying all four of us are cleared, everyone keeps looking at us to confess and accusing me of either being a whore or trying to use you in some dastardly plan to free our parents. Why do these assholes keep thinking we want our asshole parents freed? Do they think we were having fun on the isle?"
It was a rhetorical question that he knew not to answer.
"I'm sorry this happened, if there's anything I can do to help…"
"You can help by telling them who put the spell on you."
"I don't know who did."
"OK, Ben. Let's cut the bullshit and promise each other not to treat the other like we're stupid. I don't practice magic," lying to him wasn't treating him like he was stupid, it was just smart of her to not reveal that to anyone. "but I know enough to know that the spell done to you was especially shit-taculare. Not only did it not work as intended, as clearly it misfired and had you fall in love with me, but it also poisoned you. So that tells me it's a low-level eyesight love potion, the shittiest one they have. Meaning they either couldn't get or didn't know they needed your DNA. So, you had to be fed or drank something; otherwise the spell could have been done remotely, and those don't poison anyone. They just go horrible wrong, because that's how love magic works. So that leaves two options. Either it was a prank and your dumbass ate something from an unknown person, which no in Auradon would do because guess what, eating things from unknown sources leads to terrible things. OR you were fed it by someone you did know and trust, and their dumbass didn't keep your attention long enough for the spell to engage. And since I know you're not a dumbass, who gave you the spell Ben?"
Ben huffed, not too happy with her description of how it happened, but also couldn't deny it's almost exactly what happened. He couldn't vouch for the spell's integrity, other than he knew he hadn't seen her since Jane gave him the cookie and when he professed his love. So whatever Jane had done, it simply compelled him to reveal his true feelings. But that wasn't something he was ready to admit to and didn't see a point in doing so. He looked around to anything but Mal, he still believed that it was a misguided attempt and mostly innocent, magic wasn't taught at school and it was easy to be lured away by a quick fix.
"Why are you protecting your would-be rapist?" She couldn't understand why he wouldn't come forward with the person's name, why would he protect someone who had tried to harm him?
"She wouldn't have raped me," he thought she was being over dramatic.
"A-ha! So you do know who it was and that it's a she."
He didn't want to say anymore, afraid he'd give it away.
"Ben, they are out for blood and I'm afraid that if they don't find who really did it, then they'll be happy enough with a scapegoat, and that's us," referring to the Isle Four.
Mal dropped her sarcastic tone, he hated that she was scared of being sent back. Given how badly the Winter Recital went, then her fears probably held more weight that he wished they did. He took a few seconds to think and really try to see it the way she did.
He was the Crown Prince and while he wanted to be treated like a normal student, he knew that for some that was impossible, most notably by his father. He knew his father loved him fiercely and had always been protective of him and his mother. While Auradon City was in his jurisdiction, his father could overrule him and banish the four if he really thought they were a danger.
His father wouldn't see it as a misguided attempt to get a boyfriend, or to have what he was sure would have been a chaste relationship if it came from Mal or the other Isle children.
Either way, the transgression was not something anyone would be willing to take lightly, and part of him knew that it shouldn't, and it wouldn't be fair for anyone besides the guilty party to take the blame.
"It was Jane," he admitted softly, so soft that Mal almost didn't hear him. She also wasn't sure she heard him correctly, as the mousy timid girl was the last person she thought would try a love spell. "She gave me a cookie before I boarded the bus to the game."
"Jane? But she's…" There were so many synonyms to "timid" and "harmless" that flitted through Mal's head but then the conversation she had with the girl months ago came to her mind, sometime before homecoming where Jane had wanted fae favor and things became clear to her. "Oh, that sneaky bitch."
Ben must have been the boy she wanted to impress with glamours to her hair and nose.
"Wait, what?" Ben would have thought Jane would be the last person anyone would ever call a sneaky bitch.
"I should have known it was Jane. She asked me soon after I got here for magic. She said she wanted to impress some 'boy.' I guess that boy was you."
"No, not Jane…at least not the way you're thinking. She's so quiet and…" he didn't want to insult anyone by calling them "plain," but it was the first thing that popped into his head. "and meek. She's wears bows in her hair and volunteers for dance committees."
"And?"
"And I don't think she really meant anything by it. I think she just wanted a boyfriend."
"Right, and boyfriends and girlfriends have sex. Ergo that makes her a would-be rapist."
"No, not Jane. She probably just wanted someone to go to dances with and…go on picnics by the lake with."
Mal cocked her head and silently asked him if he really were that stupid, at least that's what her face told him.
"If that's all she wanted, then she could have chosen someone less high profile. Hell, she probably could have gotten some sexless plain nobody just like her to do all of that without a spell. But no, she wanted you and decided she wanted you so badly that she'd resort to magic to make it happen. You don't go that far for picnics and walking along the beach holdings hands. You do that to people you're trying to entrap. I wouldn't be surprised if she planned to make you fall in love long enough to get her pregnant, then you'd be honor bound to marry her."
"Woah, that is a much dastardlier plan than I think she's capable of."
"Ben wake up, please!" she begged, getting frustrated and couldn't believe he could be this naive.
He was surprised she had started to yell at him, but she had to try to get through to him.
"Good people with good intentions do not resort to love potions. Love magic never works as intended because to use them is the antithesis of what love actually is. Let's pretend she did only want to hold your hand or whatever, the fact she used a love potion on you means that she doesn't care about how you actually feel. She only cares about how she feels and doesn't care or mind that she'd be violating your feel free will and body autonomy. Even if it's just holding hands, they're your hands and she doesn't have the right to force you to hold hers."
Ben hated that he fell just a little more in love with Mal after hearing her so passionate about protecting him, and how important his choices were; and that no matter how benign Jane's intentions may potentially have been, and he can admit that maybe he doesn't know her as well as he thought he did—she did use a love potion after all, she didn't have a right to do that.
No one has a right to use love spells, period.
"You're my friend Ben, I don't want you hurt because you're too nice to see people how they really are," she pleadingly looked into his eyes, she held him by the shoulders and all but begged him to listen to her.
As annoyed as he first was and convinced that Jane was harmless, he had to remember that Mal had come from a not so harmless place. Maybe she was right, Mal seemed to be able to see things clearer than he was able to, especially when it came to people's motivations. If the love spell worked, then Jane could have done whatever she wanted with him and he would have probably gone along. Even if he wasn't infatuated with Jane, the spell did make him feel pretty loopy and he was definitely out of control of his faculties. He could easily imagine how susceptible he could have been to anyone when inevitably Mal had rejected him for Carlos. It could have been disastrous not only for the country with a compromised King, but he would have been stuck in a loveless marriage with a child. Love spells wore off, but marriage to him was forever and he would have felt honor bound to marry the mother of his child; especially if he never figured out he was ever under a spell to begin with.
It started to sink in just how bad it could have been, and he's thankful Jane's plan didn't go through even though he had been humiliated. But almost being violated in such a way made his stomach twist and acid rise up in his throat.
His shoulders sagged and he took a seat at the conference table, sighing deeply and rubbed his face in exhaustion. He had to accept that what Jane did was a serious offense, and they weren't kids and she couldn't be treated like one.
Jane made the decision to put a spell on him, and she would have to live with the consequences.
"You're right," he said after a moment of reflection. The naivetés fell from his eyes, the responsibility of kingship turned his stare hard. "What she did was wrong, and there are consequences to breaking the law…this is now a matter for the Crown. I expect you understand that this conversation needs to remain between us…and that the proper authorities will take it from here."
Mal didn't need to be told that she ought not to do anything rash, such as confront Jane herself. No matter how angry she was, if she would to take things into her own hands would only make things worse.
As long as she and the others were safe, and the proper culprit was detained and brought to justice, then she didn't care how it happened. The stern look in Ben's eyes told her that he was taking things seriously, and she trusted in their friendship that he wouldn't let her or the others pay for crimes they didn't commit.
Normally Ben was so light and jovial, but the burden of ruling made him seem older. Given how young and fit King Adam was, she didn't think it was fair to put so much responsibility on Ben's shoulders at his age. Certainly, the principality and eventual kingship could have waited another five years, to let Ben have a proper childhood and university experience before he became laden with the concerns of the kingdom.
But she knew that if anyone would be a good king, it was him.
"I'm sorry, for what it's worth," she told them as they started to leave.
He turned to her, unsure of what she was apologizing for.
"For Jane, I don't know if she was ever really your 'friend.' But she was clearly someone you trusted without question…and someone you wanted to give the benefit of the doubt. I'm sorry that someone you put your trust in betrayed you…that has to suck a lot."
And that was the heart of the matter, wasn't it? Jane may have been on the peripheral of his social circle, but she had been an acquaintance of his for most of his life. Her choices weren't just going to affect her, but also her mother and the Charming family. They were going to be devastated that she had done something so foolish and illegal. He wasn't sure what the exact punishment for using magic on the royal, but it wouldn't be light. He knew that he would speak on Jane's behalf, no matter how much Mal may protest, as he respected Professor FéeMarraine and he truly believed in second chances. It still wouldn't be an easy decision, but that's part of the burden of rule.
The right decisions weren't always the easy ones.
"Thank you Mal," he genuinely appreciated the sentiment. "Try to enjoy the rest of your winter break. I may not see you before school starts again, and hopefully this mess can be solved without any more involvement from you or the others."
She remained silent but nodded her agreement. She and the others had already been through so much. With Ben coming forward with the real culprit, their names would be fully cleared and hopefully they could go back to normal.
Jane wasn't sure what a panic attack felt like, but it had to be close to what she experienced when Ben had declared his love for Mal.
Although Audrey had been angry about the spell, it seemed the princess had calmed down enough to let Jane still be part of the cheer team. The half-fae girl was relieved, she figured the royal had presumed she had tried her best and they could always try again.
Personally, Jane thought that all of Audrey's substitutions were probably to blame but she would never say so out loud. She did still have the silver platter in her room at the cottage, she could do the spell again (the right way) on her own. She already planned to attempt again as she did the cheer routines.
It won't look so out of place to give out cookies on Eros' Day, I'm sure most will think Ben and Audrey getting back together would be natural. No one would think twice if Carlos fell in love with me then. And if some people accidently ate one, then no one would think anything weird about people hooking up for the holiday. It'll be perfect.
Jane was finally a cheerleader, cheering in the uniform and at the most important game of the year. It was everything she had always wanted, the entire school high on school spirit when the Fighting Knights won the championship.
But then everything went so wrong.
Ben had declared his love for the wrong girl. Jane was probably the only one to look at Audrey, the princess' heart breaking when her prince said he had loved Mal. She knew in her heart that Audrey would never forgive her.
Carlos had flown into a rage and attacked the royal and was then carted away in a police vehicle.
Audrey was eerily quiet on the way home, especially as others couldn't stop talking about what happened. Normally Audrey was the one who would fuel the fires of salacious gossip about Mal, but others were more than willing to speculate why the fae had done it.
Jane remained silent, too afraid she would slip and accidently confess; especially once everyone ventured about all the horrible punishments for someone who would dare put a spell on the Crown Prince.
In the aftermath, Jane realized there were some perks to being invisible, not many but some. One was that while no one paid attention to her when she wanted them to, they also didn't pay attention to her when she didn't want them to. Jane started to believe she was perfectly safe and beyond suspicion in her mother's campus cottage and as the daughter of the Headmistress. Her "boring" and "goody-two-shoes" reputation made it so no one would even think to suspect her of any wrong doing.
When the love confession scandal happened, she had feared that all fingers would point to her as she had been the one to give Ben something to eat before the game. But when no accusations came forward, she thought maybe Ben couldn't remember due to the spell. She had heard whispers that he didn't recall most of the game or even his confession and subsequent fight with Carlos.
It had been hours between giving Ben the cookie and when he confessed his love for Mal. I doubt he or anyone would even connect the two.
It also helped that Mal was the object of his confession, and everyone automatically assumed it was the dark fae's evil work.
She tried not to get sick at the thought of Carlos being jealous enough to fight the Crown Prince. Instead, she vindictively hoped that Mal would be expelled and she could help Carlos as he threw off Mal's evil influence.
She did worry that Carlos would be expelled as well since he got into the fight, but she was certain that somehow, he would be cleared.
If Ben was under a spell, maybe I could drop hints Carlos was under one too. Mal would have to for sure be exiled back to the Isle when both boys tested positive for love spells.
She was seriously put out, however, that Audrey had dropped her so coldly and suddenly. The princess acted as if they hadn't been hanging out the past month, or as if Jane had suddenly become totally useless.
Why won't she give me a chance to fix it? I know I can make the spell work, I just need to do the actual spell as written.
Some part of her knew she ought to be angry at Audrey, that it was the princess that was in the wrong, not her. Not only had Audrey ruined the spell, but her friendship was clearly fair weather and fleeting. She also knew that deep down, the only reason the princess even approached her was probably for her magic and not that she really felt any kind of kinship to the half fae.
But she knew that even a superficial friendship with Audrey was better than nothing. The princess could provide popularity and people actually saw her, a few spells here and there seemed like it was a fair exchange.
Jane had proof that it was Audrey's substitutions that ruined the spell, at least that's what the forum had suggested. When she had posted questions about why her spell didn't work, several people pointed out that magic was precise and finicky. Making substitutions on the fly could make the magic inert at best and deadly at worst.
Thank the stars that he merely got a light case of magic poisoning, I'd never forgive myself if anything worse had happened.
She had tried to explain that to Audrey, being as tactful as she could that it was really her fault but not daring to outright blame her. But she was not willing to hear any excuse. She could only focus on Jane's failure. The star fae privately thought that the princess was madder that Ben had confessed his love for Mal. Before, his attraction to Mal had only been her fear, Ben had never confirmed her accusations. Jane had asked the forum, and while they couldn't say for sure since they didn't witness Ben's confession and they weren't privy to the exact changes she had made, they did suggest it was possible that the spell had turned from a love spell that made the subject fall for the first person they saw, to a heart revealing spell which would cause the subject to confess what was in his heart-which was what happened, at least she was pretty sure.
Jane knew better than to reveal that to Audrey, she was certain the princess would self-combust if Ben's true feelings went deeper than lust.
But maybe Mal's love spell is just that strong. Maybe Audrey would forgive me if she thought my magic wasn't strong enough against Mal's. I probably should have seen it coming, Mal has had years to perfect evil spells. I've only just started. Maybe we ought to do a magic removal spell instead like I wanted to before...I wonder if Ben's treatment to remove my love spell would have removed any and all spells on him...
Jane tried to think of other ways she could get back into Audrey's good graces, but her train of thought was interrupted when her mother had suddenly come into her room with two other people she didn't recognize.
Her mother always tried to keep a happy smile on her face, but it was one of those rare moments when she had been so dour and serious.
Jane's instincts were screaming at her that something was wrong, goosebumps flared up on her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The two strangers had come into the room without Jane's permission and started to look around.
"Mom?"
Nadine ignored her and before Jane could protest and hopefully kick them out, her mother instructed them,
"Her computer is on the desk, it is not password protected..." Nadine hesitated for a moment, grimaced when she realized that maybe her daughter had placed a password on her computer even though she was strictly forbidden from doing so. "If there is a password, then I will get it for you...and if she refuses then you have my permission to use whatever means necessary to get into the laptop."
"Thank you for your cooperation, mam," the officer thanked her, feeling somewhat awkward that the teen in question was just sitting on her bed and had been playing on her phone. From the chilly demeanor of Mrs. FeeMarinne, the girl was in for a rude awakening.
"Mom? What is..."
"Do not talk," she advised her daughter as she was in enough trouble already. While she would not lie to the authorities about her daughter's potential illegal activities, she would try to stop her daughter from incriminating herself. "We must go to the police station..." she almost chocked on those words, never in her life did she ever think she'd have to say them to her daughter. "and we'll speak with our attorney."
Jane immediately stopped talking but wanted to desperate stop the men from searching her room. Not only did she feel totally violated by the invasion, but she was quickly surmising what the issue was and what they were looking for. She could only helplessly stand up at her mother's instruction and leave with her.
Jane never thought she'd ever see a real police station, much less be in one under suspicion of a crime. The only time she had even glanced at one was via television. The car ride over had been silent and tense, she had hoped to whatever power that would listen to her that the trip was for something completely unrelated. She didn't understand how or why someone would connect her to Ben's poisoning. She and Audrey had been so careful, and she had tossed the cookies so there was no physical evidence. She always used incognito tabs when visiting forums about magic, she had done everything possible to cover her steps.
She schooled her features as best she could, she only hoped no one could hear how hard her heart beat in her chest. She prayed that her voice would remain neutral and strong, despite wanting to break down and cry then and there. She was led to a plain room with a simple table and chairs, she couldn't help but feel trapped and ready to run. She sat on one side with her mother, and soon after they were joined by a man in an expensive suit.
"Hello, Mrs. FeeMarine," he greeted her mother cordially. He glanced over Jane, not betraying what he truly thought of her, but he was polite to her as well. "Jane. Well, let's get right down to it," he wasted no time.
"I'm Tybare West, your attorney," he directed his statement to Jane as she had never seen him before.
All colour drained from her face, the gravity of the situation sinking in. She could no longer hope that she had been called for some benign reason, she had to be in a heap load of trouble in order for a lawyer to be involved.
"I'm not going to sugar coat things, this looks bad. The Crown Prince named Jane as the one to give him suspected magical food before the game."
It didn't help her case when she flinched at the revelation that Ben had remembered her giving him the cookie.
"Going off that, the police had combed the web for any evidence of magic research as we know the Auradon Prep library does not hold such books. Cyber forensics found a forum, the entries specifically about a love spell that matches what the Crown Prince told us. While the entries are under a pseudonym, they were able to trace the IP address to your cottage. Further, they had confiscated Jane's laptop and ran forensics on that. They found that she had been using an incognito browser. And interviewing her roommates, there have been several instances where she has snuck out of the dorm and they had covered for her; even going as far as to answering text messages as her."
They basically had irrefutable proof that at the very least Jane had looked up magic spells and circumstantial evidence she snuck away to practice magic. With Ben's testimony, they had enough to probably convict her not only of magic use, but of using it against a member of the royal family. Looking over to her mother, she saw the older woman grow colder and colder with the mounting evidence. She wouldn't describe her mother as angry, although she knew she must be livid, but it hurt worse when she realized her mother was disappointed.
Not just disappointed, but ashamed; maybe even disgusted with Jane.
That was so much worse than being ignored or overlooked. She wanted to beg and plead with her mother, tell her she was sorry and that she didn't mean to hurt anyone. Both adults looked hard at the teen who had tears silently streaming down her eyes.
It was essentially an admission of guilt as far as they were concerned.
"What are our options?" Nadine refused to comfort her obviously distraught daughter. There wasn't any time to coddle the girl, they needed to try to get through this without it completely ruining Jane's life.
The attorney didn't even ask Jane if she had done it, whether or not she was actually guilty was irrelevant, what mattered was what it looked like and what the prosecution could prove.
"Their case is pretty damning and I doubt a jury would be moved, the best we can hope for is a plea deal. Jane will need to throw herself at the mercy of the court, hope that with her total cooperation that they will give her a lighter sentence. Given how young she is with no prior record, I'm sure we can spin this where it's a simple teenage indiscretion."
Which was what he suspected it was, there were plenty of cases of young naive teenagers who dabbled in magic. Most got a slap on the wrist and community service, maybe some mandatory classes about the dangers of magic.
The problem was that the girl was foolish enough to put a spell on royalty, more foolish still it was the Crown Prince of the reigning monarchy. She couldn't have chosen a worse target, and he doubted King Adam would be willing to be all that lenient. Everything made worse because the girl was half fae. The Fae Wars were not too long ago that any whispers of fae wielding magic wouldn't be met with swift consequences. He was more concerned with keeping Jane off the Isle.
The two adults started talking about a battle strategy, going over the best ways they could minimize the damage.
"Of course she will be taken out of Auradon Prep," Nadine assured her counsel, the news shocking Jane out of her stupor.
"Wait, what?" she couldn't be removed from school, it was her senior year. Although she didn't seem to have any real friends, and she definitely wouldn't have any after this all got out, but she had worked hard towards graduation. She didn't want the last four years to be a total waste.
"Jane, you poisoned the Crown Prince over a silly crush. Of course you can't stay in school."
"No mom..." Jane struggled with articulating any kind of counter argument, she knew the rules as well as anyone. Magic was strictly forbidden, and she had been basically caught red handed.
Any loyalty she had to Audrey clearly wasn't worth it, as the princess had not spoken to her since the incident.
I shouldn't be the only one to get in trouble. It's not even really my fault!
Soon, Jane started to babble to the adults about everything that happened. Both shocked that the girl would name princess Audrey as not only an accomplice but accusing her of being the main proponent.
"She came to me, she's the one who wanted the spell."
Jane conveniently left out the detail that she had every intention of using the love spell for herself, but since it wasn't for Crown Prince Ben then it wasn't important.
The attorney was hesitant to go down that road, as all they had to go on was the word of a girl who at the very least misused magic. He started to get a headache from all the paperwork and mental gymnastics they would have to do in order to successfully pin the majority of the poisoning on a princess.
Nadine was shocked and almost wanted to call her daughter a liar, unbelieving someone of the royal family would stoop so low as to use a love potion to get an ex back. While she was close to Ben, she was not privy to such details of his personal life. She had known the two royals had broken up, and she wasn't going to pry into his life about why.
Princess Audrey has suiters breaking down her door. What did she need to stoop for a love potion?
But she also knew her daughter, the dutiful, kind, and unassuming girl who had changed once she started to hang out with the princess. She couldn't ignore how Jane's attitude problems had only been a recent issue.
Over the next couple of days, their attorney had been in talks with the Dornröschen's attorney and it went as well as West thought it would.
"Well, they have lawyered up to the nines. Princess Audrey claims she was being nothing more than a good friend, and says she has no knowledge of 'Jane's plan.'"
"What about the silver plate and roses she gave me?"
"She says you stole them from her room."
Jane scoffed, offended such things would be said about her and a dark anger started to blossom within her. She couldn't believe Audrey would have the audacity to lie so much, but another part of her wasn't all that surprised. The princess's true colours were emerging, and all Jane saw was a spoiled brat who had duped her into committing a crime.
"They have also made it clear that any more 'aspersions' on Audrey's character will be met with the full force of their legal team...given the evidence I think we ought to drop trying to bring the princess into this."
"What? No! That's not fair," she couldn't believe they were willing to give up so easily.
"Jane," her mother's warning fell on deaf ears.
"She's the one that came to me. I didn't even want to do a love spell. I wanted to do a curse removal spell..."
"Jane, you need to be quiet now," Nadine desperately wanted her daughter to stop talking unless she would incriminate herself further. It was bad enough her daughter dabbled in magic, it'd be made worse if anyone thought she had all sorts of plans to use magic illegally.
"Jane, as your attorney we have attorney-client privilege. But that won't work if you tell anyone outside this room any plans you may or may not have had. All you could do to yourself is dig yourself in deeper. So unless you have any proof such as text messages, emails, or even video of her being an accomplice, then all you have is hearsay and that won't hold any water in court."
It was assured that Jane would have this on her permanent record, probably haunting her for the rest of her life. Nadine had hopes of Jane following in her footsteps and getting into the Merlin Institute of Magic when she was older. She had hoped that maybe she could retire from redoing the magic barrier and pass off the responsibility to her daughter, but those dreams wouldn't be realized, as the prestigious school wouldn't accept anyone with a criminal record of magic use, and there would be no point in learning magic she couldn't wield as there was no way the Crown would approve a magic license.
"No, mom, this is such bullshit," Jane couldn't help but lash out. She had angry tears start to well up in her eyes, her face becoming flush with rage.
"Jane Elizabeth FéeMarraine!" her mother couldn't believe she would use such language. Nadine's eyes flashed an electric white, putting an end to her child's outburst.
Pain ripped through Jane's skull, making her whimper; her own eyes flashing the unearthly colour of their bloodline. She kept her head down, submitting to her mother and remained quiet, only whimpering quietly from the ache that remained.
In the end, the Crown (at the behest of Crown Prince Ben) showed mercy. Jane was expelled from Auradon Prep and all but banished from Auradon City. In lieu of any type of prison time in a juvenile facility, she would be remanded to her parents' custody under house arrest until she turned 18.
Jane was crushed to learn that she was banned from learning magic, as she would never receive a license to practice. She dreaded having to move back to Cinderellaburg in disgrace and having to be homeschooled for the rest of the school year in order to get a diploma.
There was no talk about her attending university, she despaired that it would be totally out of her reach. The applications she had turned in were rejected, and she doubted this stain on her record would be forgotten anytime soon. Her mother barely spoke to her after she was sentenced, she was too busy packing up the cottage.
Guilt ate at her because her mother had to resign. Crown Prince Ben hadn't asked for her to quit, but Nadine couldn't see how she could continue working as Headmistress or even a teacher when her own daughter had flouted the rules so heinously.
Nadine knew it would only be a matter of time before parents called for her resignation, worried that a magic wielding fae had roamed the campus.
Ben sighed, sad that he was losing such an excelled teacher and administrator, but he respected her wishes. He could even admit to himself that she was probably doing him a favor, as much as he wanted her to stay; there were so many people calling for her resignation that he doubted he would have been able to fight them off forever. He had so many other fights on the horizon, such as keeping the students with any magical heritage in the school.
A frustrated ball of fury started to grow in the pit of his stomach. The more he thought of Jane's actions, the more he grew to detest them and all the trouble they were causing. It was rare he got to see his father when school was in session, now that King Adam had to defend their claim to the throne, he felt like he didn't have a father.
There had always been factions of Auradon that detested magic users, or anyone with magical heritage. It was in no small part King Adam's fault as he encouraged them. But now that Ben showed he had inherited his father's curse, there was speculation that the spell had rendered him magical as well and questioned their fitness for rule.
Normally he would spend his winter break doing royal duties with a few days of actual vacation, either to the Summerlands or somewhere in the Bald Mountains skiing. But his time was now eaten up trying to do damage control.
He couldn't help but scoff at the hypocrisy of some of the lesser nobles that made up the House of Lords and government. Before most of his decrees had been accepted with little resistance because of Crown Prince of Auradon city, it was well within his rights to pass laws as he deemed fit. Now that he had a touch of Beast in him, they were questioning every decision he's made thus far and were even talking about overruling them.
While he didn't agree with his father about everything, he would stand with his family as a united front and defend their throne.
He wished he could see Nadine off, but given what Jane had done they thought it would be better than the half-fae not be in his presence for the near future. He watched from his private office in the Administrative Building, which was next door to the Headmistress cottage.
Despite all the trouble she caused, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for Jane. She looked like she had been crying all night and hadn't seen a good night's sleep in a week. Her once long lustrous hair had become flat, greasy, and several inches shorter as the extensions had become tattered and needed to be taken out. Peaks of silver blonde roots had started to show, and it was all tied in an unkempt bow. With a heavy heart, he watched them see off the movers and get into the family car and drove off.
He sighed at the mountains of paperwork that awaited him, sad that he had lost a valuable ally especially in the fights yet to come.
Again, thank you everyone who has been patiently waiting. I hope it was worth it, please review!