A lot of things had changed since Ben had returned as a man, but some things still stayed the same. Ben still cared about his people, even though they technically weren't really his people anymore. They were her people, as the kingdom was hers, but they seemed to trust Ben more than they trusted her, especially since her mother was in charge.

Ben was a better face for everything.

No one said anything out loud, but Mal could read them, their apprehension, their fear. She was sure his father had faced the same too. They weren't ready to fully trust him yet either.

There were few people that hadn't cared at all once he had returned, or looked at him any different. The VKs, Meredith the little she saw of her, and Charlie.

One of the first things Ben did was go see Charlie and have a tea party. Since he had more time, not being king and all technically, they had a tea party every week. That time, he invited her to come along.

Typical to the last time, there were no costumes. Charlie was happy to see her, even though she had used her for most of their relationship without Ben. She had saved her life, so she assumed it was only fair. Still, even though it was terrifying, the thought of her mother, she tried to have some fun while Ben was there. She chose to trust Ben for the time being.

"And how does Princess Featherduster like her tea?" Charlie asked, then she seemed to realize. "Oh!" She said after a brief pause. "I mean, Queen Featherduster." She pulled the tea cup away, but Mal tried to stop her.

She grabbed at the same time, and as she did, Charlie changed. Her eyes rolled back into her head, showing only the whites of her eyes, her head flew back and she started with a low groan that only got louder and deeper.

Then, as soon as it began, it ended and Charlie looked right at her. "The god of death sends his regards," Charlie said, as if nothing had happened at all. "He wanted me to remind you that not all bargains are equal, but this one will be," she gave a wicked smile, much too wicked for a child. "In the end." Then she continued the conversation as if nothing had happened at all.

"Queen Featherduster likes it extra hot, doesn't she, Mr. Stuffington?"

Mal looked to Ben and he looked back at her with the same terrified look.

What the heck had just happened?

After the incident with Charlie, Mal disappeared, off somewhere with the VKs he assumed. She had tried to hide it, but he had seen how scared she had been.

The God of Death? Some kind of bargain?

He had never seen Charlie act that way before. He had never seen so many people change so much since he had last seen them. The one thing, the only thing that had seemed to remain constant was Meredith.

Though even she seemed to keep her distance from Mal. He had never seen such a cat fight before. It made Mal and Audrey look civil and before he had been what he had become, Mal and Audrey had scared him. Mal and Meredith were terrifying, and not much scared him since he had been the beast for so long.

And yet, as he and Meredith walked the narrow street ways of the inside of the barrier, it was as if nothing had changed between them, as if they were old friends as they had become once he was the beast and she the only one who could approach him for months.

"You seem worried," Meredith offered, though Ben thought he had been hiding his emotions well. Meredith had always been able to read him too well, even as the beast. "Like the world scares you now that you're human again."

Ben laughed. "Am I that terrible at hiding it?" He asked, thankful he could still find some humor in the whole situation. Meredith did seem to know him better than almost anyone else there in the barrier.

Meredith didn't pause her steps, didn't pause or hold back in the least. "Yes," she said, then laughed with him. "The head heavy with thoughts wears the crown."

A quote from a dusty tome somewhere. Except…

"I'm not technically king anymore," he said. "The kingdom, or the barrier at least, is Mal's."

Meredith seemed to know that too. "She'll give it back when the time is right," she said. "She's naive and will need your guidance before the end. Weak and misguided as her heart is." Then, Meredith seemed to change. "I'm sure you notice the change in her too?"

"Her magic," Ben realized, though he hadn't solely been focused on that or any one particular detail about her. "It's changed somehow."

Meredith nodded. "That's what happens when you bring someone back from the brink," She explained. Ben pointed to himself. "No, not you."

What had happened since he had been gone?

"What happened?" He asked, using the kingly tone even though he was no longer king, and it never really worked on her anyway. Meredith had always been more immune to his kingly ways, even before he knew Mal. Most likely something to do with Merlin. "Tell me," he asked, more than demanded.

In another time, he was sure she would have been his intended if Audrey had decided to bolt all those years before.

"Charlie," Meredith said. "Mal had the young girl doing her bidding, going out into the glen not far from here to pick her flowers for spells and enchantments."

Ben knew that wasn't even the worst part, even though he knew there were some things that were much worse. Meredith made it sound like it was the worst thing in the world. He knew there had to be more.

"She's allergic to bees," Ben said, the realization hitting him with the weight of the royal limo. "Oh no." It couldn't be true.

"Oh yes," Meredith answered. "She was stung by a bee and died, but after a nasty argument with Evie, and some goading, she brought Charlie back."

Ben stared in awe. He didn't know Mal could do that. "I didn't know—" he started and Meredith stopped him.

"No one did." She stopped walking and turned to face him head on. "None of us know how much she gave, or what she exchanged for Charlie to live, but her magic has changed."

Ben nodded. He knew. He had seen what happened with Charlie. "So that's what the god of death and bargaining was all about."

"Hades came to see her here?" Meredith asked, the shock palpable on her face when she usually kept her emotions in check.

Ben shook his head. "He sent a message through Charlie."

If anything, that seemed to upset Meredith more. "Even the god of death does not dare see her in person." She seemed trapped in her thoughts. "She's too powerful." Then she froze. "Or just powerful enough to defeat her mother." She looked to Ben. "We might have a chance."

Then she left him alone in the middle of the narrow streets.

There was nothing of the God of Death in any of the books she had stolen, even the secret ones she hadn't dared open, the deep dark magical ones. She tore through those in her search too, the magic not as deep or dark as she had previously thought.

Even on the isle, Hades had kept to himself.

Even now that he was free from the isle, he still hadn't wanted to meet with her face to face. He had chosen to channel through Charlie. But what did he want? What did he mean about an equal bargain? Had she missed something? There were too many questions and not enough answers and the more she looked the less she found, the more it infuriated her.

Weren't things supposed to be easier in Auradon?

She threw the forbidden book with a groan and it hit the wall with a satisfying thud.

"Professor Facilier would throw a fit if he knew you were treating his books that way." Mal turned to see Evie standing in the doorway of her and Ben's partition, not that they were seeing each other much anyway. There were too many precious things at stake and now that she knew what her mother was planning, it was too dangerous to sit back and wait for a solution. Ben seemed to realize that too.

"I doubt Professor Facilier even knows they're missing," Mal answered with a wicked smile. "It wasn't like I left a calling card or anything and he's a bit too busy with the other baddies living it up in the rich provinces to miss a few old tomes."

Evie smiled. She knew it to be true. "Any new plans on how we get the kingdom back?" She asked.

Mal shook her head. "I have a feeling that's not the worst of my problems anymore," She admitted.

Then she told Evie everything.

"The God of Death?" Evie asked. "Hades? But isn't he a villain too?" She looked as scared as Mal felt. "What does he want with you?"

Mal didn't know herself, except he was the King of Bargains and never cared to be slighted, but what villain did? "This is why I told you I didn't want to save Charlie. Bad things happen when you slight the God of Death."

Evie nodded along in understanding. "You saved an innocent though, that has to count for something." Then, the more she thought about it. "What did you give up in exchange?" She finally asked.

Everything had a balance. Life and death, magic and normalcy, it was always a balancing act. Yet, she had tipped it.

"I gave Charlie back the memories she had given me," Mal said, thinking it all through. "As soon as we found her, I saw, I felt her emotions and I simply returned them when the time was right." It felt strange, like she was simply reciting something normal, rather than the feat of bringing someone back from the dead.

"Nothing about Ben or true love?" Evie asked.

Mal shook her head. "But there's something else." She realized she hadn't truly told anyone but Ben. "My mother is planning on killing Ben and causing the Thousand Years of Grief."

Evie nodded along in understanding. "But now that everyone knows you love Ben and it is true love, you should be able to bring him back to life with True Love's Kiss."

Mal wasn't so sure.

Ben knew what his heart was telling him. Mal was the daughter of the darkest villain known to Auradon, He also knew he loved her, whatever she was or whatever she would turn out to be. She had been terrified that it had all been a love spell, and from what he had seen with King Arthur he had been scared too, as soon as he had known he had been spelled, but it had washed away in the enchanted lake. He loved her, and it was true love, she had brought him back to human and he knew there was nothing he could ever do to repay her truly.

He could buy her all the things money could ever buy, all the things she could ever need, give her anything and everything she wanted, but it would never be enough. But he would still try.

As he sat in the portion that had been Mal's but that she had invited him into and tried to sleep without her there (he had no idea where she disappeared to most of the time), the idea struck him. He had saved the pendant when he was a beast, he had hidden it away when it had hurt him.

But now he needed it.