It was still early in the night; they could hear loud music and the humans were getting rowdy. The border town was small and rarely had tourists, it seemed all there was to do was drink at the pub.
Carlos sat at the foot of his bed, his head in his hands as he languished in his failure.
"Maybe we can throw over a rock with a message tied to it?" Ben was glad to be away from the man killing thicket, but still wanted to keep a positive attitude as he paced the room, trying to think of new ideas. They still had the rest of the week to think of something if they wanted to keep trying.
In that moment it was hard for Carlos to hate Ben because the Crown Prince was so earnest and was really trying.
"Maybe," he didn't want to sour the mood by being pessimistic or totally defeated. "We'd need to hope the thicket isn't miles deep as it is long…maybe with supernatural strength and a sling shot…" he had the beginnings of a possible plan for it to work.
They did a bit more brainstorming, but most plans had already been attempted by fortune seekers or were too impractical for the time and resources they had on hand.
"Would it be offensive if we consulted an ornithologist? Someone who studies birds…" Ben explained. "And whatever the scientists that study horned animals is called?"
"What? Like a vet?" Carlos hated that they were getting desperate enough that it wasn't actually the worst idea, but he knew Mal would be offended.
"No," Ben insisted, but he did have to take a minute to spin it in a more positive light, "A specialist who happens to know wing and horn care…to consult…Mal on how these things are taken care of in nature that hopefully translate to fae biology."
Ben was an honest and forthright kind of guy, but he was still human and royal. He had grown up knowing how to be tactful in the face of pragmatism.
Carlos cocked his head side to side, letting the idea bounce around in his brain and trying to come up with other ways to make the "consultant" more palatable.
Both teens jumped when they heard a rapping on their window.
It was pitch black outside with their bright rooms lights on, so they couldn't see outside their window.
Ben slowly approached as they were on the second floor, and no one should be able to rap on the glass as if they were knocking on a door.
The windows were in the old French style and while not exactly door sized, they were large and swung open rather than slid down.
He opened the window and on the tiny Juliet balcony, awkwardly stood a tall teen.
He was their age and in the darkness against the bright lights of their room, Ben couldn't make out the features well until he walked in the room.
He had to bend down in order to fit through the door, and if his green pallor and green hair weren't enough to identify him as a fae, the impressive dark green wings and black horns would have.
Where Mal's eyes were jade green with veins of gold, the boy's eyes were swamp moss with flecks of iron.
They were more surprised when he was followed by a shorter fae girl with curly hair, and then another tall boy with long green hair and gold streaks.
The first boy and the girl looked solemn, but the last boy was actually smiling at them and did a little wave.
The girl grabbed his hand and eyed him hard, his smile faded away and looked just as somber as his companions.
Carlos stood up as Ben backed away and stood by him.
There were three fae right in front of them, their wings neatly and tightly flushed against their backs. They were clearly comfortable in their bodies and knew how to move about with their wings and horns.
Each had a set of horns, mostly straight but with differing curves. The girl's horns were the shortest, almost hidden by her voluminous curly hair.
"You said the daughter of Maleficent needed our help? Where is she?" the shortest fae almost barked, impatient with the two humans in front of her.
The three fae tried to remain as austere as possible, but their eyes started to burn with how bright the room was.
Mal had a similar issue when they got to Auradon Prep, so Carlos went to dim the lights and the three were grateful.
"She's back at school in Auradon City," Carlos explained, not letting the girl's bad attitude get to him. "I'm Carlos, this is Crown Prince Ben…"
Ben's royal title had put the fae on edge, they backed away a bit and looked ready to fight.
That caused the two boys to also take a defensive stance.
"Prince?" the girl spit out as if she stepped on something foul. "You would bring the son of that Usurper Stefan to the Moor?" she asked Carlos.
"Stefan? No, I am Benvolio of House Bourbon, Royal House of Auradon," Ben tried to explain.
He ignored Carlos' surprised look at his full name, he was used to it as most presumed Ben was short for Benjamin, even Audrey. It was such a common mistake that he simply didn't care to correct anyone.
"Auradon?" they had never heard of such a kingdom.
It dawned on Ben that these fae have been isolated in the Moor for the last twenty years, before King Adam had united all the kingdoms. The only kingdom they were probably aware of was Auroria, previously known as the kingdom of Hesse when it was under King Henry' rule.
Not that it mattered to the fae as they followed no kings.
"A lot has happened since the war…do you want to sit down?" Ben offered the beds and the few chairs the room had.
The fae did not want to sit, so Ben tried to do a quick history of how after the war ended, the kingdoms did a treaty to unify all kingdoms and renamed itself Auradon as a whole.
"So that murderous ass Henry and that sheep fucker Stefan kill thousands of fae to invade the Moor, just to bow to another king?" the girl sneered, unsure if she ought to be angry that it was all for nothing, or to laugh at the proud humans for gaining nothing and losing their crown to boot.
"Eliza," the tallest fae admonished, it was not how he had hoped their first meeting with the humans would go. "I am Zed," he finally realized they had not been introduced. "This is Eliza," who only looked hard at them, not feeling in a cordial mood, "And this is Bonzo," the other male had given a small smile.
"We are the fae of the Southern Bayou…you might have called it New Orleans?" as with all fae, they tended to keep away from humans, but he was aware of the local human town before they were driven out.
"Bayou de Orleans," Ben acknowledged, the town was renamed to give deference to both the fae and human inhabitants, it was further south-west of Auradon City and towards the eastern border of Charmington.
"No titles," Eliza made sure to let them know, "the fae don't need arbitrary and made-up ranks for us to respect each other."
Zed stepped forward and extended his wing to hide Eliza so that they could hopefully have a more productive discussion. The angry fae just rolled her eyes and took the hint to be quiet.
Ben was graceful enough to ignore the barb.
"We heard your call at the barrier…we have never seen it give a warning," Zed was glad that the two outsiders did not make him say that normally the barrier instantly killed any who dared to try to cross. "We are here against the advisement of our elders but could not ignore the possible plea to help the daughter of the Protector of the Moor."
"Those of the Bayou would never turn away the daughter of Maleficent," Eliza stressed, slightly disgusted that some of their people would continue to cower behind the barrier after everything Maleficent had done for them.
"Thank you," Carlos breathed out, relieved that Mal would soon get help.
"Yes, thank you," Ben agreed, which rose his estimation in the swamp fae's eyes as they were told humans would never appreciate their help.
"And you say she is at…Auradon Prep?" Zed thought perhaps it was a strangely named human village.
"It's a school a few hours away from here," Carlos explained. "She wasn't up for travel, her wings make it difficult…" which was a snag in their plans because they had no idea how they would get the three to Auradon Prep. If their wings weren't in the way, then certainly their horns would not fit in an average car.
"We can rent a bus, that should not only fit all of us but accommodate your height," Ben offered, he came with the idea quickly as he was used to all the resources Auradon had to offer while Carlos and the fae did not.
The three fae were even more lost at Ben's words, as they had no idea what a bus was.
Carlos still wasn't used to how quickly things could get done when one had power and money. Ben made a few quick phone calls from his cell, while the fae inspected the room and were surprised at the ingenuity of humans.
They called up for room service while they waited for their rental to come, and the fae avoided the heavy creams and sauces, they did rather enjoy lighter soups and roasted chicken.
They devoured the plates of berries that were ordered for dessert. It seemed it was a fae trait to love fruit.
They were able to fit into the bus, which had plush seating and was meant for parties such as hen and stag nights.
Ben winced when the fae had used their magic to make vines grow into hammocks so that they may sleep.
I doubt I'll get my deposit back.
But he made no complaint, he was just happy that they were willing to come.
While they traveled overnight back to Auradon Prep, Ben explained,
"I have arranged for you to be considered official diplomats of the Moor. This will give you certain political protections and make clear you are expressly invited and protected by the Crown."
The fae nodded, it seemed a bunch of human nonsense to Eliza, but was too eager to meet the daughter of Maleficent.
Carlos approached Mal, who was surprised to see him only a day after he left for East Riding. She sat awkwardly on a stool, the only chair without a back that would accommodate her wings in her dorm.
The school was essentially deserted for Spring Break, Jay and Evie were off doing their own thing to give Mal some space.
He explained how he went to the border of the Moor and asked for help.
"Carlos!" she gasped, knowing full well the danger he put himself in.
"I will do anything to help you, please at least talk with them," he begged her, on his knees and holding her hands. "It's no less than what you would do for me," he reminded her that her own devotion to him would put her in danger.
She still didn't seem sure, there were many reasons why she didn't feel comfortable around other fae.
"We've explained as gently and quickly as we could last night. We didn't delve into Maleficent's abuse," which Mal had only recently been able to even acknowledge was abuse, "But they're aware that she's still on the Isle and that Ben is at least working on bettering relations between the Crown and magical beings. Please, Mal, this isn't just about grooming. I wouldn't care if it was just about how you looked. But your feathers are falling out and your more potent magic can hurt yourself or others."
She took a moment for his words to sink in. She knew he was right, she was feeling all out of sorts and at the very least she needed to know how to take care of herself.
"OK," she agreed, and Carlos sighed in relief. He gave her a quick kiss in appreciation. "Where are they staying?"
"Ben offered them guest rooms in the alumni cottage," a building on campus that housed special visiting alumna, "but they insisted on sleeping out in the woods. I don't think beds are comfortable for them."
"Yeah, I'm not surprised," Mal had issues finding a comfortable position on the mattress, she hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks.
Perhaps I have much more to learn than I originally thought.
It seemed like her whole life was soon to revolve around being a fae, it was not something she could simply ignore any longer.
She wore a simple tunic that wrapped around her torso and had slits in the back. It was the lightest and most comfortable shirt Evie had made for her.
The witch had tried to contain her excitement with the challenge, she was coming up with all sorts of ideas and it gave her an excuse to go on shopping rampages in all her favourite fabric and notions stores.
She didn't understand many of the terms Evie used, as dressmakers seemed to have their own language. Mal most of the time just nodded, wore what Evie gave her, and sometimes threw in a "does it come in black?" to make it seem like she was actually part of the conversation.
Thankfully her bottoms were unimpeded by her wings and so she was able to wear cotton pants.
What Mal saw when she looked at the fae was green. They had a green pallor, their eyes were moss green, and had emerald hair. Their horns were all different lengths but stood mostly straight. She had to stop herself from nervously touching her own horns which spiraled into curls. Her mother's horns were also vertical, she wondered why hers were different.
Their wings were flush against their backs and she desperately wanted to learn how to do that as it would make walking so much easier and also possibly sleeping.
She stood straighter when the lone girl of the group couldn't hide what Mal saw as disappointment. She knew she probably looked a mess, but she still had her pride, and she wasn't about to let anyone look down on her.
Eliza wouldn't call her initial reaction to the daughter of Maleficent a disappointment, but she couldn't say she was pleased. The daughter of the Protector of the Moor, the fae who had saved thousands and sacrificed herself so that the others could live in protection and peace, her daughter was so…human.
The girl had vivid purple hair, rare for the fae and would be the envy of the Moor, but her human features were so blatant. She had a pink hue rather than green, her ears were barely pointed, and she was short.
Even with the wingspan and her horns, the three fae almost dwarfed Mal's height.
She has the Protector's eyes, her eyes are properly fae.
She also took note that Mal had the ethereal beauty of the fae in her cheekbones and full lips. There were plenty of fae features mixed in with the human.
Eliza tried to remind herself of that as they walked towards them, but she couldn't help but wonder why Maleficent would mate with a human. Of course, that led her to believe perhaps it wasn't by choice, the savagery of humans was well taught to all fae in the Moor.
She was torn between her desire to help Maleficent's daughter and to demand answers on what happened to their esteemed heroine.
If Zed was in any way distressed about the situation, he did not show it. Bonzo was all smiles because he always was, Eliza swore there wasn't a unkind thought in his head, ever.
Mal and Carlos finally approached and Zed greeted them warmly,
"I am Zed, this is Eliza, and this is Bonzo, we are of the Southern Bayou" he introduced himself and the others, "We were informed that you were mostly raised human," Mal knew this was a white lie on Ben and Carlos' part. She was mostly ignored other than how to help her mother. Maleficent had no desire to teach her the ways of being fae when her daughter looked so human, "and we are honored to teach the daughter of the Protector the ways of the fae."
Mal couldn't help the surprise scoff at their honorific for Maleficent.
Where was this Protector when she left me to starve or carved a knife in my back?
Carlos looked nervous; he wondered if perhaps he should have spoken more with the fae about Mal's upbringing. But he didn't know how far would be too far as to break Mal's confidence and it had only been one night.
The scoff had startled Zed, but he had recovered quickly and ignored it, Eliza frowned, wondering what the issue was.
"I will be teaching you how to fly and our magic, Eliza will teach you horn and wing care, as well as traditional styles and clothing. Bonzo will go over some fae etiquette and traditions."
"Fell peh, xauvtek ow Maleficent," the jovial fae said, his voice bursting with excitement.
Mal only looked confused, clearly, she didn't understand what he said.
"He's glad to meet you…perhaps a few lessons in faeish are needed," Zed said slowly, not wanting to presume anything, but was surprised and a little saddened that Mal didn't know her own people's language. "Bonzo doesn't speak common…he can understand you though," Zed explained and hoped it would be enough. He didn't know how to explain why the fae only spoke faeish, but he had been that way since he could speak.
Mal wasn't the type to ask personal questions and accepted the explanation at face value.
"I…" her throat seized up a bit, several emotions wanted to leave her body all at once and it was causing a metaphorical traffic jam in her mouth. "Thank you, for coming. I know it must be scary to leave the safety of the Moor."
"We couldn't stay in the Moor knowing you needed our help," Zed's eyes were sincere, and it just baffled Mal how her mother was able to inspire such devotion. At least on the Isle, Maleficent ruled through fear and loyalty was the price for their lives.
Zed, Eliza, and Bonzo were helping her because of her mother, the fae of the Moor hadn't crossed the border in twenty years. For all they knew, the humans were still trying to hunt them to extinction.
Mal only hoped they weren't expecting the same praise to spill out of her lips, as she only had fear and bitterness left for her mother.
Eliza went first, as Mal was in dire need of guidance on her wings which were looking rather sad and pathetic.
They had to bathe in the Enchanted Lake as it was the only water source that was large enough to fit her. Mal had been taking sponge baths, and Ben had promised that there would be outdoor showers installed that would fit her, so that she may have some privacy.
Eliza showed her how to spread her wings and splash about the water so that it would reach each feather and hydrate her skin. She taught her how to preen her feathers and use the oil that secreted from glands that were at the base of her shoulder blade where the wings emerged.
"It's easier to preen with others…normally we do this in groups and it's how we bond…we do this with our mothers, our sisters, and when we take on a mate, pairs will do this as a sign of intimacy," Eliza explained as she spread the oil along Mal's feathers, and showed her ways to reach the gland on her own since there were no other fae around. Luckily Mal was flexible enough to reach.
"Perhaps you could come to the Moor…meet other fae, Zed is unattached," Eliza thought she was being subtle, but it only made Mal tense.
"I already have a mate, Carlos."
Mal tried not to be offended when Eliza had stumbled a bit at the revelation.
"That explains his devotion to you," the green fae tried to recover, she didn't blame Mal for not having a proper fae mate, there weren't any in Auradon. "Not many would brave the barrier," she could at least admit that Carlos was courageous, and at least he was magical.
Mal only smiled, agreeing that Carlos was amazing, and she was lucky to have him. Eliza was a bit disappointed that Mal was so in love with a non-fae, but she held out hope that perhaps once she met other fae, she would see they would be a better match.
"Speaking of mates…how exactly does sex work, with the wings and all?...ouch!" Mal had shocked Eliza to the point the other fae had accidentally pulled too hard a few of her feathers.
"Mating, well…I…that is…I haven't…I've been told, but I haven't…I mean…" she stuttered, not prepared at all for that question.
"Would Zed or Bonzo know?"
That struck Eliza completely speechless, and her cheeks turned a deep green in embarrassment.
"I'll figure it out," and she certainly was going to, "experimenting is half the fun, right?" she couldn't help but tease the obviously virgin fae and gave a wink.
"Now that your wings are clean," Eliza was desperate to switch topics, "Filing your horns is very important. They do not stop growing, and if not properly filed or groomed, they can grow into themselves or become brittle and break at the ends or start to grow into your skin or eyes. In the Moor, we take from the gem pool and scrape them along our horns, like so,"
Eliza had a diamond the length of a hairbrush and would be worth millions of francs to humans. To the fae it was just a grooming tool, and something stirred in Mal's memory, something about a pool of diamonds, but she couldn't quite remember, and she preferred to focus on Eliza's instruction.
"You have curly horns, rare and much desired amongst the fae," Eliza almost sighed, she loved curly horns and wished she had a pair of her own. All of her family always cooed whenever they saw one of the few fae that had them.
"Really?" Mal asked quietly, a bit relieved and slightly shy about it. She had worried there was something wrong with her when she noticed she was the only fae she'd seen with curly horns. It was also something rather novel when she had desired features.
The students at Auradon commented on her cheekbones or full lips, but they always diluted the compliments with "for a fae" or mentioned how she should smile more. Evie had always been the real beauty of the group, and Mal was always told she scowled too much.
"Yes, purple hair and curly horns, those are rare and much sought after features," Eliza was glad to give Maleficent's daughter a needed boost of confidence.
If they were going to retake their lands, they needed a confident leader.
While Mal appreciated the guidance, she wished Eliza would stop talking about Maleficent. Half of the time, she was convinced they were speaking of two different people.
On the Isle and while Mal was growing up, Maleficent was a tyrant who ruled the Isle with an iron fist.
With an island filled with the world's worst villains, most of them magically born with enhanced strength the barrier did not diminish, she didn't really have a choice. Mal understood and respected her mother in that respect.
What she found hard to swallow, was Eliza's romantic idea of the "Protector of the Moor."
In Mal's experience, the Moor and other fae were the only things Maleficent ever really protected. Everything else after that, including Mal, was more conserved for her benefit rather than protected. From henchmen to the lowest of the Isle, people were simply allowed to keep living as long as they were useful.
Mal didn't want Eliza to be offended and leave, at least not until she was done showing her how to care for her wings, horns, and hair, which showed perhaps she was more like her mother than just her looks, so she simply muddled through the conversation and gave half answers.
Zed had said that he would teach her how to fly and Bonzo would teach her traditions and language. She assumed that once Eliza was done, she would find other ways to occupy herself while in Auradon.
Unfortunately, Eliza invited herself to the other lessons.
Bonzo only spoke faeish, and their lessons thankfully went quickly as Mal was able to pick up on the language easily.
"Vkeah soz," Bonzo complimented her.
"Htanr cou," Mal replies, they both smile.
Eliza got a bit too enthusiastic and spoke faeish very quickly to Mal. Her enthusiasm diminished when it was clear that while Mal was picking up on the language, she wasn't quite fluent enough to have a full conversation just yet.
The only real sentence she could speak with confidence was,
"Mleaje vige pe jhkafzekkiej."
Bonzo was patient with her and slowly explains some of their traditions, such as making their own hammock in the trees.
Mal did find that sleeping under the stars in a fae made nest bed, was the best sleep she had ever gotten. She was particularly happy that Carlos also seemed to be comfortable and at home outside.
Nearby, all the swamp fae blushed and had trouble sleeping when they can clearly hear that Mal and Carlos had indeed "figured it out" when it came to making love with her wings.
Zed and Bonzo had a hard time looking Mal in the eye the rest of the week, but Eliza powered through and started to drop heavy hints about freeing Maleficent.
"No, that is not happening," Mal finally put her foot down, any conversation about freeing her mother could lead to an actual treason charge and Ben would have no choice but to send them back.
"What? How can you say that?" Eliza just didn't understand how Maleficent's daughter could just let her mother rot on the Isle while she frolicked with the humans.
"Eliza, perhaps this isn't the best time for that conversation…" Zed tried to reason with his friend.
"If not now, when? When are we ever going to get another chance? We were barely allowed to leave to help her," Eliza pointed out, she feared that if she didn't get Mal's support, then the fae in the Moor would continue to be trapped there while Maleficent was imprisoned on the Isle.
They all stood on the Tourney field; they were supposed to start flying lessons but once again Eliza had pushed her way into attendance. They only had two days left before the school break was over and they would have to head back to the Moor.
"I've been speaking with Prince Ben…" Zed tried to explain.
"Oh, you've been 'speaking' with our oppressor?" Eliza scoffed, "Is he going to give us permission to travel land that is rightfully border free? Before humans, we simply lived. There weren't all these rules of where we could go and where we could live."
Zed's jaw clinched, it was an old argument amongst their people, and he did not want to have it again.
"Hey," Mal felt the need to step in and defend her friend, "Crown Prince Ben is my friend and honestly your only ally outside of the Moor. I suggest some damn respect."
A look of shock and disgust marred Eliza's face, of all the fae to take a human's side, it felt wrong and unnatural that it was Maleficent's daughter.
Is she even Maleficent's daughter?
Eliza was starting to have some doubts. All they had were sketches of Maleficent, hung amongst their homes in the trees, the fae celebrated when the barrier went up and protected them from the invading humans.
Mal certainly looked like Maleficent, but perhaps she was just some pretender.
"The humans invaded the Moor, killed thousands of us, ran every fae from the Beaches of the West and the Mountains of the North to the Moor. They imprisoned your mother. You would have peace with such monsters? Why would you not fight for your people?"
"Because I'm tired of fighting!" Mal could not contain her anger any longer, fire exploded from her fists and created a halo around her head.
The burst of magic had made them all jump and tense in fear.
As soon as the fire had come, it had extinguished and Mal's voice become quiet and small,
"I'm tired," she said with a sigh. "I've been fighting since I could remember. Fighting starvation. Fighting freezing to death. Fighting my mother's neglect at best and fighting the madness of her bitterness and hate at worst. You see her as a hero? Fine, whoever she was before whatever made her so hateful, she was wonderful and that's who you know. The Maleficent I know? She carved a knife down my back, hoping my magic would manifest to protect and heal myself. She stole food out of the mouths of children during a particularly harsh winter and let them die because they were from a weaker family than hers. She had me kill an entire family because their father didn't give a satisfactory tribute one month and she wanted to 'set an example.'"
Eliza wanted to shout to her to shut up, to call Mal a liar, that in no universe was the fae she was describing the same one that had saved them all. But she couldn't make her mouth move, and she looked to Zed, hoping for some support to defend their Protector, but he could only stare coldly at the ground.
While Eliza had busied herself trying to convince Mal into rebellion, he made use of the school's library and reading of the war had been a harsh reality. He knew that the books were biased in some respects, but Maleficent's war crimes were not something he could easily dismiss, and not every fae in the Moor had such an admirable view of her.
"When we got the invitation to Auradon, Maleficent had the same idea. That it was an opportunity to free her, and do you know what she said? What she demanded of me? She said she'd get revenge and become mistress of the universe. Do you think her plan involved talking over tea and crumpets? I'm not going to start a war so my mother can continue a grudge she's had the last 120 years."
"So, what then? You're just going to roll over and let humans continue to devastate the land and harm our people? You said it yourself, you had to fight just to survive on the Isle. That's because they put you there."
"What exactly do you think humans have been doing these past twenty years? Do you think they just stopped worrying about a fae uprising?" Mal switched topics because she couldn't really defend the Crown leaving children to suffer, but at least Ben was trying to correct that. "Or do you think they've been making advanced iron weapons? You're an idiot if you think they haven't come up with new and inventive ways of killing us."
"Which is exactly why we need to fight back now."
"It's not a fight if they outnumber us twenty to one and can kill us with something as simple as ringing a bell. Literally, I nearly died from the ringing of an iron bell. And that was not an attack from their military, it was just some random asshole student. What do you really think the human military will do to us? They've wiped out one race of fae, and now Neverland is closed, and the seasons here are all messed up. They don't care."
The three gasped, horrified that such a thing had happened.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about, savage humans…" Eliza was just getting angrier instead of seeing the true reality of the situation.
"Eliza, stop," Zed commanded which made her flinch. It was rare for her friend got so angry. "She's been here, outside the Moor. She knows better than us the threat of humans and we should not make enemies of the one human in power that could help us."
"I'd rather breath in iron dust than accept his help."
"And what? Keep interbreeding with each other until it poisons our blood? We're all cousins, Eliza," he tried to get her to see reason, there were other reasons the elders allowed them to leave the Moor and finding a peaceful solution to leaving and hopefully getting new blood into their families was one of them.
"Grrrr," she growled, her eyes became burgundy and black veins appeared around her eyes.
Mal merely looked confused, she had never seen fae such as them and didn't know what it meant other than maybe Eliza was throwing a tantrum.
Zed answered her anger in kind, his own eyes turning dark and black veins appearing like a mask.
The two went toe to toe and almost came to blows, but Bonzo was ever the peacemaker and taller than both, stepped between us.
"Mleaje jhom, fe ake noh onlc wkienxj zuh fe ake wapilc," Bonzo implored, reminding them of not only their friendship but their blood ties. That had stopped their fight, but it did not assuage their anger.
Eliza pulled back but was not in the mood to make nice. She spread out her wings, bent her knees in an almost curtsy position, and then shot up into the sky. She flew over to the forest and was out of sight.
"And that is the proper technique for a dead lift into flight," Zed had calmed down and said sarcastically. "Apologies for Eliza, she's always been… adamant about justice."
"Justice and revenge are two different things. I don't know what happened between my mother and Stefan. I don't know why she cursed Aurora and I don't know why it spilled into all out war…at this point I don't care. All I know for sure, is that if Maleficent is released, hundreds of thousands of people-human, fae and otherwise-will die."
"Ften xkavonj wivth, ih'j hte wokejh htah juwwekj," Bonzo said solemnly.
"It's a saying," Zed explained, "It translates roughly to 'When dragons fight, it's the forest that suffers.' We're aware of the damage that the war caused. My own father was part of the council that decided to attack the dwarven mountains. He advised against it since it was home to civilians...he was outvoted because, according to them, the dwarves were making weapons...iron weapons...and dwarves were the ones not only mining the deadly iron, but were the greatest engineers and craftsmen in the land."
"They still are, although she killed many and ended bloodlines…the dwarves endure…they also have a great hatred of me and of all fae. If I were you, I'd keep that tidbit about your grandfather and the council to yourself. I've been pre-exiled from Charmington and one of my few friends I know gets a lot of shit from his family for even speaking to me."
"As I've said, some of us are more aware of the cost of war than others. I don't want to fight anyone, and as much as I respect what Maleficent did for us…most of us are prepared to be pragmatic and sue for peace, even if that means she lives out her punishment from the humans."
"You want peace, because you want to leave the Moor?"
"As much as it is our home, anyplace where you cannot leave is a prison," Zed said wisely. "We have enough space to fly freely, we have enough food to keep us fed…what we do not have is enough people to sustain our population without inbreeding. Maybe a few generations can tolerate cousin marriages, but we're aware of how it can poison the blood eventually. There were so few of the fae to begin with, even fewer after the war. We're aware some fae chose to assimilate with the humans, there's always the chance that we could immigrate to other fae realms…the point is, we know that we cannot keep to the Moor and isolating ourselves forever."
"Ben is definitely the one to speak with, he's…he's a good human," she was hesitant to inject herself too much into Moorian politics or decisions. She may be Maleficent's daughter, but she was not raised in the Moor or fae.
Zed and Bonzo nodded, agreeing. They thought it was a good sign that the Crown Prince not only accompanied Carlos to entreat with them, but he freely offered to speak with them on whatever they needed. They would go back to their elders with reports of how the rest of the outside world was doing, and hopefully convince them that they could at leave the Moor to at least start peace talks.
"So, flying," Zed decided there was enough drama and they needed to get back to the lesson.
Flying lessons were a bit harder for Mal. She had only had her wings for a few weeks, and she simply did not trust them to keep her airborne.
"I'm aware humans are very fond of their sciences, and how they bow to gravity and whatever they've come up with. That doesn't apply to us. It's not just your wings that allow you to fly," Zed patiently tried to tell her. "It's also our magic. We work with the air and sky, with the earth. In your case, also the fire within yourself. Trust not just your wings, but that the air will lift you up, and allow you to move freely in its domain."
Sounds like a bunch of hippie garbage, but perhaps that just the human in me.
Mal kept those thoughts to herself. She kept trying, but her feet seemed to prefer being solidly on the ground.
It wasn't until Carlos joined them that she made any progress.
She might not trust her wings or that she'd get permission from "air" to fly, but she trusted Carlos.
He couldn't quite fly just yet, but he could float very well. He hovered several feet above them and had a mischievous smile that dared her to come get him.
She was never one to back down from a challenge, and so with the proper stance she gently lifted off the ground and ungracefully launched herself into his arms. They did a little dance while laughing at their own awkwardness, but eventually they found their balance and Mal was floating along with him. Although her ability to fly smacked in the face of physics, she still kept herself a few feet above the ground while her wings flapped gently to keep her in the air.
Whenever Carlos smiled, Mal fell in love with him all over again. She pulled him in for a kiss, and they simply enjoyed the beautiful spring day, something they had yet to do in their 18 years.
Now that Mal knew that she could indeed fly, she wanted to have a bit more fun.
"Boop, you're it," she gently tapped his nose and then took off. She still kept rather low so that he had a fighting chance of actually catching her, and she was mindful that flying could be counted as magic and magic was still technically illegal.
The fact that they were in Auradon City and Ben had given them expressed permission was more of a grey area of legality.
As Mal and Carlos chased each other through the air, Bonzo and Zed smiled as if they were witnessing fae children at play.
"Xo fe rnof ftah te ij?" Bonzo asked Zed.
"No, and I don't know how to go about asking what he is," Zed admitted. They hadn't been outside of the Moor since the barrier went up. The land was filled with all sorts of magical creatures and beings. They knew Carlos wasn't fae, and his magic felt different than anything they had ever come across. "The North Wind is in his blood," was the only thing he could say with confidence, they both felt the chill of the Winter Wind, which should have been dormant that time of year.
After Mal and Carlos had their fun, they went to the woods and gathered by the Enchanted Lake to learn more of fae magic.
"Our innate magic is tied to nature. As with flying, we work with the earth, we do not command it."
"Is that why the thorn barrier is still up despite Maleficent being imprisoned behind a nullifying dome?"
"Yes, the barrier endures because it wishes to endure. We protect the Moor just as much as the Moor protects us. Magic is more powerful and sustaining when working in tandem with the natural power of the earth, sky, and fire."
"What about runic, potions, and spell casting?"
"Those are human, specifically witch, traditions that some fae have adapted. We can technically do those types of magics because in the end, magic is an energy that flows through us, what created us, and what we can tap into. Some humans have a spark of magic, but it is nothing compared to the inferno that is within the fae. That is why they have to have…ancillary objects such as runes, crystals, and herbs for their magic to work. It's the difference between this," Zed touched his hand to a nearby broken branch and a green flow of his magic healed the tree. "And relying on the power of letters, words, or ingredients. For example, as a swamp fae, I do not naturally have an affinity with fire. I cannot will it into existence, but with the power of my words: Wikezall," and with the faeish spell, he was able to conjure a small ball of fire in his palm.
As Mal learned more about fae magic, some things started to fall into place in her mind. How Maleficent had cursed Aurora with a spell, and she wondered where she learned witch magic. She would hazard a guess that sometime between losing her wings and her hatred of Stefan growing, she dabbled in darker arts that would allow her revenge as it didn't seem like fae magic had what she wanted. By the time Aurora was born, Maleficent had become proficient, had written the dark side of the grimoire, and had become so powerful that there was no one to stop her getting her vengeance.
As they practiced, Mal did feel a difference between the magic she wielded when doing spells from the grimoire and fae magic. Her natural magic flowed easily, it was peaceful. Witch magic relied on her desires and strength of will. It was the difference between going with the flow of a river and trying to bend it or fighting against the current.
Spring had always been a time of sorrow and death for her and those on the Isle, in Auradon she felt the world bloom around her.
Zed and Bonzo looked on amazed at how the forest responded to her. No fae at the Moor could boast such power, and it put aside any doubt they might have had that she was Maleficent's daughter.
While Mal learned magic, Eliza had sulked in the woods, angrily pacing around the tree line, going in circles from nest to nest. Once she felt she was calm enough, she headed towards what the humans called a library. It was a building dedicated to books. She was one of the few fae that was lettered in the human language as well as spoke it. Her parents always thought it best to know the language of the enemy so that they might not be caught unawares.
The human that guarded the books was aware that there were three Moorian fae there on a "diplomatic" visit, and weren't shocked to see the green haired fae's whose wings towered above them. She was a little hesitant to procure books on Maleficent and the Fae Wars. She did as she was bid, however, and Eliza read quickly through the history from the eyes of humans.
After reading several, she took them despite the protest of the librarian and found Ben's office. He was working diligently, keeping an eye on the clock so that he could meet the others after Mal's lessons so that they would eat together.
He was startled when Eliza had come storming in, his hand instinctively going towards a hidden panic button that would have a guard burst into the room to protect him.
He relaxed his hand when books had been plopped down, and it seemed her anger was more of a scholarly dispute.
"This book is filled with filthy human lies, and I demand it be corrected at once," she huffed, her wings almost shaking with her discontent.
"I am not the kind of prince that tries to dictate what my subjects write about," he said gently, which was news to her because it was her understanding that humans were simple and could barely take care of themselves, much less think for themselves. That's why they had kings in the first place. "I would be interested in a book written by the fae…would you like to sit?" he offered her a backless chair that he had recently purchased. He was mostly thinking of possible future meetings with Mal, but overall he thought it was best to be inclusive.
Eliza looked like she was about to refuse and storm off but decided that she still had a few things to rant about. She sat in a huff and crossed her arms.
"I will not claim to be a scholar on the war," Ben started, "It has left a wound for the people of Auradon, and I hope to start conversations that the war was not black and white, or as simple as good vs. evil. I hope that talks can be with you and the Moorian fae."
"We will never open our borders so that humans can ravage the land for shiny rocks or whatever it is you're obsessed with," Eliza said in no uncertain terms.
"I understand that there will be some things that won't ever be considered. I'm not saying it'll be a walk in the park. The kingdom of Auroria…you might know it as Hesse," he realized that since they had been isolated since before the kingdoms united, she may not know it had gone through a name change.
Eliza scoffed and rolled her eyes, of course the humans would name it after the princess they used as an excuse to exterminate the fae.
"Auroria," Ben went on, "still claims sovereignty to the Moor."
"The Moor has never known a king and we certainly would never bend the knee to that savage sheep fucker Stefan. He mutilated Maleficent under a banner of peace and continued Charles' campaign to invade. If they had just stopped being greedy for one minute, then Maleficent wouldn't have had to curse the child. She only did it so that the monarchy would end without further war."
"Is that what the fae believe?" Ben knew from Mal that Maleficent claimed she was attacked by Stefan first, but she had never told him that she thought Maleficent had been justified in cursing Aurora.
"It's the truth, every fae in the Moor knows this," Eliza was angered that the humans thought anything different, but she wasn't surprised. Humans were liars who would say anything to justify their greed and savagery. "Maleficent was a brilliant tactician. Everyone knew Aurora was going to be Stefan and Leah's only child. Maleficent was kind enough to give them sixteen years with their daughter. She didn't have to do that, but the bloodline and their claim had to end if we were ever to know peace from the humans."
That was certainly a different point of view, and one Ben was curious about. He knew that Stefan and Leah claimed Maleficent had been angry at not being invited to the christening when other fae had been. It never quite made sense to Ben as the dark fae never gave humans gifts, and why would Maleficent expect to be invited in the first place.
Someone was lying, but he expected the truth to be somewhere in between and probably lost to time.
"Peace cannot be achieved in a week…I do hope that when you and the others go home, it won't be forever?"
"Well, if you won't force your people to correct their books, then I shall have to work on my own…" Eliza did not want to waste anymore time, she could begrudgingly admit that Ben was right. Peace would not be achieved in a week, and she knew Zed would explode if she actually suggested Maleficent be freed to Ben. It was one thing to ask Mal, whom she was still bitter with that she wouldn't even entertain the idea to free her own mother, but it was another to ask someone on the opposing side to free a political prisoner.
At least talks were started, and he seemed open to at least hear their side.
That was much more than she really expected from a human.
Spring Break went by in a flash and Mal had learned a lot.
Eliza was still in a bad mood, but at least they accepted Ben's official letter to start talks with the elders of the Moor. Not that they had any desire to speak with other humans, they did give their word that these talks would be kept secret. They understood that Ben was the heir to the throne, not the king and therefore could not offer anything beyond the borders of his principality.
The rules of the monarchy were confusing, but they had always been confusing to the fae.
It was coming down to the wire when it came to the seniors graduating. They all had end of year projects to complete and thesis papers to finish.
With so much work to do, she had an insane moment where she missed the Isle. Besides her mother wanting her enemies taken care of immediately, there weren't due dates. The Isle was only so big, so collecting tributes was done in an afternoon and only once a month. They all had much more free time to do whatever they wanted, albeit that free time was mostly shadowed by being hungry.
Mal was still adjusting but found that in time her wings and horns were just another part of her and once some accommodations were made, she could move about and not have her life disrupted.
Special chairs with lower backs were ordered for her, and she moved towards the back of the class in order to not obstruct others' view of the classroom. She found that other students were polite enough to wait patiently while she slowly and carefully moved through doorways and gave her even more room in the hallways.
Queen Belle was not at the library those days; she was on a press tour with King Adam to assure the people of the commitment of House Bourbon to Auradon and quell any talk of the Beast Curse making them magical creatures. Still, Mal felt her presence when her favorite table at the library were provided with more comfortable chairs and a dedicated computer for her use that had an adjusted screen for her eye comfort and a keyboard that made no noise.
She had a mountain of books that she used as references and henpecked the keyboard as she wrote her thesis.
Ben was also a common guest at the library for the same reasons. Mal didn't know how the boys were keeping up with schoolwork and R.O.A.R. practice. They each had their own preferred way of doing schoolwork and studying.
Evie preferred the comforts of her bed and loads of snacks around her.
Jay…Mal wasn't sure what Jay did. For all she could tell, he kind of bunked off until the last minute and turned in quickly hand written, but correctly structured and well thought out, papers and worksheets. She suspected he preferred the adrenaline rush of panic to get things done.
Carlos preferred his desk in his dorm. He was well read but preferred no clutter. All of his reading materials and books were converted into digital files. He read off his tablet and worked on a computer that he had built himself. He also preferred to listen to music and had noise cancelling headphones that his uncle had gotten him as one of many gifts to make up for all the birthdays and other gift giving holidays the de Vils had missed.
Mal preferred the cool, dim lights of the library. Not only for convenience if she wanted other books, but if she tried to study in her room, she'd end up taking a nap.
Ben had become an unofficial study partner in that he too preferred the library. He was too accustomed to using his office for matters of state, and he didn't like to have to send someone out across campus to get books if he wanted one. It was simpler to have all the resources of the library when he was in the library.
They worked quietly with one another, both prone to reading silently and the most noise they would make was scratching notes on paper or a few clicks on the computer keyboard.
Carlos' invention of a silent keyboard was proving rather popular. With help from his Uncle P.H., they had gotten a patent and were already supplying the libraries across Auradon.
Entrepreneurship and an eye for good investments were in the de Vil blood and ran thick in Carlos. He had been in Auradon in under a year and was already contributing to the family coffers. More so than his parasitic social climbing cousins, who were living off their trust funds, blissfully ignorant of where their father was and seemed to have no concern that he had not contacted them.
The HMRC agents had questioned the family and subpoenaed their travel records for the family jet, but Cecil was nowhere to be found and there was no proof the de Vils were hiding him.
Without Cecil, the investigation would likely peter out, and it pained Ben that there would be no justice forthcoming on that end. Whatever money Cecil stole would be returned to the family, once they found the offshore accounts. The accountant Cecil had used was cooperating with the government so that he could merely get a fine rather than jail time.
Ben invited himself to Mal's table and sat down. He did feel they were at a comfortable friendship where he could sigh dramatically and make a show of how overburdened he was with schoolwork and get a modicum of sympathy.
It was Mal, so a modicum was all he expected.
She did smile slightly vindictively, as she had always encouraged the others to simply quit their extra curriculars.
"Is it hard being an overachieving swot?" she grinned as she continued to write her paper.
He frowned and rolled his eyes,
"It looks good on transcripts," he repeated the party line.
"You're the Crown Prince, were they ever really going to reject you?" she asked, her brow cocked in disbelief.
"But that's why I need better transcripts than anybody. So, they can't accuse me of nepotism."
"Isn't nepotism kind of the whole, defining point of the monarchy?"
Ben automatically tried to argue but shut his mouth when he realized she had a point.
"Shut up," which was his only defense, which only made her smile wider and quietly laugh while trying to still respect the sanctity of a silent library.
"Can you review my conclusion of my thesis?" he then had the gall to ask, which she nodded,
"Yeah, just put it in the pile with the others," she motioned to a stack of papers that held the other Isle teen's end of year papers.
Because Ben was nosey and felt they were good enough friends, he looked at the other's topics:
Evie – The History of Cobalt Blue and its Influence on Textiles in Charmington
Carlos – East Riding: A Study on its Lack of Magic and its Advanced Technological Evolution
Ben thought he might actually want to read Carlos' paper, as East Riding had the most advancements of any kingdom and he never thought to attribute that to the fact that no magical being or creature naturally came from the area. It automatically made him think of Camelot Heights, whose normalization of magic still had it in the Middle Ages.
Jay – Coffee: The Socially Acceptable Addiction and its Vicious Cycle on Cognitive Function
"Why is Jay's thesis on coffee?" Ben couldn't help but ask as it seemed so random and not something he ever thought Jay had an interest in.
Mal snorted, but explained,
"He waited until the last minute to choose a topic and basically bullshitted his way into it because a coffee cup was the first thing he saw on Morisette's desk when he frantically scribbled his idea as she was collecting them."
Ben snorted as Jay wasn't the first to be such a student and it was funny how easily he could imagine the scenario.
"The last laugh's on him because he has to actually read through medical studies and the teacher admitted his topic was the hardest one scholastically."
"What's your topic?" he had never gotten around to asking her.
"Irony and the Use of Fae Magic in Contract Law," she didn't miss a beat as she typed.
Again, Ben thought it was another paper he actually wanted to read as it sounded like an interesting topic.
"What did Morisette have to say?" he referred to the AP Lit teacher.
"She had a lot of things to say on irony," Mal rolled her eyes as if the fae weren't experts on it. "She was excited about my topic and then went into a twenty-minute rant about some song from the 90's. She didn't seem to get the hint I wasn't even born yet and further I was born and raised on the Isle. We didn't have 'grunge rock.'"
Ben laughed and was glad that things seemed to be settling and shifting for him in terms of his feelings for her. Sometimes he was sad when he thought of what could have been, but when they were relaxed and just speaking, he was glad for what he had, which was her friendship.
It also helped that with the advice of his council, and speaking on the troubles his father was going through to keep hold of his throne, Ben could admit that having a fae consort would have just added to the uphill battle.
In the grand scheme of history, twenty years was not a long reign. The Bourbons were a shallowly rooted dynasty, and if someone asked him if he wanted Mal more than he wanted his throne, he would have to be honest and say that his duty to his people and country would have eventually taken precedent.
He could also honestly admit that Mal was not suited for the Queen's Crown, or any crown. She wanted a life of peace, and she wouldn't have found that in Court.
He wouldn't tell her, but he overheard her speaking with the Moorian fae. She was tired of fighting, and she would have to fight to be seen as a Queen. He wouldn't wish that on anyone, for the Crown was not meant for just anyone.
"Do you have enough reference materials? Auradon doesn't use magic in contracts," he was ready to ask other libraries across the kingdom for books if she needed them, he thought they would definitely be in Camelot Heights.
"Auradon doesn't use irony in written contracts because there are no fae lawyers to apply the magic needed to make them binding. They endlessly squabble over what the words 'shall' and 'will' mean, and spend hours if not days and weeks fighting over a contract and its terms, and then they still fight over signed contracts in court, because again, there's nothing making it binding other than because you say it does, which can change from day to day or from human to human. Humans waste so much time over nonsense since their word alone isn't enough and essentially doesn't mean anything," Mal couldn't help but interject some fae bias from her research.
Given how many meetings he's been in with his council, and the work it took just to bring four children from the Isle to Auradon, he could not argue with her.
"Auradon, before it was Auradon, has a rich history of fae verbal contracts, even if they're not called contracts. Rumpelstiltskin is the most famous one. His was a little too straight forward, so fae like to use irony because for some reason humans have a hard time conceptualizing literal and metaphorical options to break them."
"What do you mean?" he hated to distract her from her work, but it was fascinating to him.
"One of my case studies is Una of Stormhold and her entrapment by the witch Ditchwater Sal. She was enslaved using silver slave chain, which is a magical chain that can infinitely lengthen to allow the 'slave' movement but still keep them tethered and self-heals if cut. The only way she'd be freed was when 'the moon lost her daughter, and when two Mondays meet.' She's been quoted as saying she awaited the day when that happened. I don't know why she waited like it was some destined or inevitable occurrence. It wasn't a prophecy, it's just the clause in a fae contract. There's always an escape clause or loophole. I would have created a beauty pageant where the winner was declared the Moon, and awarded a woman with a daughter and kidnapped her for an afternoon. In the same week, I would have found two people named Monday and invited them to lunch. Auradon has like almost 800 million people, a handful are probably named Monday for whatever reason. She did not need to wait the twenty odd years she was enslaved for it to happen by chance."
"And that would have worked?" was it really that simple?
"Why not? There are not a million secret lines of so called 'small print' that define every little thing. That's human nonsense. Use the different meanings, the irony, to your advantage."
Ben privately wondered if that "human nonsense" was simply a defense and reaction to fae loopholes. As she said, humans didn't have magic to enforce contracts, so they had to be as clear as they could so people wouldn't find ways to cheat the agreement.
"Well, it sounds more interesting than my topic," Ben made small talk as he prepared his books and other materials for study on the large table next to where Mal sat.
"What's your paper on?" she didn't mind the small talk with Ben as he wasn't a raging incompetent idiot.
"Advancement of Trade Amongst the Kingdoms, Pre and Post Unification," he drolled out. As Crown Prince, his topic couldn't be too controversial, even if he personally wanted to write about prison reform and use the Isle Four as a real time case study. Trade was normally a safe topic, especially when he would lean it heavily in House Bourbon's favour and Unification.
Mal made a pained face and actually stopped working,
"Ew," she joked with him, but there was a heft bit of truth to her disdain, "I don't to read about that, take it out of the pile."
"Nooooo, I need peer reviewwwww," he playfully begged.
It did take some more begging and some bribery of making sure the kitchens kept her favourite dessert in rotation for the rest of the year, but she finally relented and proof read his conclusion.
AN
Faeish is Entean from The Devil is Part Timer anime. It's a simple substitution cipher where vowels, L, N, and Q keep their original places and the rest are reversed.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
AZYXEWVTISRLPNOMQKJHUGFDCB
I obviously do not have the time or resources to create an actual new language for the fae, so I thought this was a good substitute.
Hope everyone has fun translating for Bonzo, but in general the others do a good job of telling Mal/the readers what he's saying. lol
What do we think of the Swamp fae and the internal politics of the Moor?