"Let's go over what we know," Mal said as the group of them sat in a circle in the field of flowers under the sunshine.
She couldn't remember the last time they had all been willingly outside in the sunshine, outside of the barrier and not caring who knew it. Doug and Evie and Jay and Carlos left willingly, and now she did too, but they rarely spent time together anymore since her mother's hostile takeover. Now, it was time to scheme and make a plan to save Ben. That is if he was still alive.
"Well, we know Ben has to be alive," Evie said, as if she could read her mind. "We know she would rather use him as bait to get you to come to her."
"We know that your mother is expecting you to go and rescue Ben," Jay said next, as if he could read her mind too.
"What we don't know is what's there waiting for us when we get there," Carlos said next. She could read the fear in his voice, even though he had tried to hide it.
"But we do know you have new powers," Doug said next. "New Magic that might rival your mother's if you use it in the right way."
"But we don't have one iota of a plan of how to get there through the cities of villains all around the castle or a plan to find and rescue Ben." Meredith was always such a ray of sunshine. "Unless you want to fight through hoards of villains and evil doers and be out of energy and magic by the time you reach your mother."
Mal realized she did have a point. Even though she was mostly a dark cloud, Meredith did have a point. "I can shapeshift in," Mal realized. "I can get there, which means I need to face my mother alone." The realization struck her hard in the chest. "I have to go alone."
"Mal, no!" Evie practically shouted. "You can't go alone."
"You're going to need us," Jay butt in. "You know you are."
Something in their words made her realize they were right. But it was simply too dangerous. She couldn't risk any of them when Ben was already in enough danger.
If Ben was still alive, like they said. No one knew her mother better than Mal, and something told her there was more to the plan.
"You're right," she said, though it pained her to say it. "It needs to be all four of us, all of us together, and everyone else who can help." She sighed, a bit of theatrics. It had to be convincing. "But how do we get there?" She thought about it more. "I might be able to transport us into the castle if we get close enough, but I have a feeling my mother will be looking for all of us."
A realization struck Carlos then. "The glasses!" He said with a knowing smile. "I've been working on them, tinkering so the effects last longer." He paused, deep in thought. "I'm sure I can get Fairy Godmother to help me make them stronger, maybe even with a little protection added."
Mal knew they didn't have that kind of time. "We'll have to go with what we have." Even though she wished for more protection. Anything to help keep them safe. "We can't waste any more time in saving Ben."
And just like that, they had the start of a plan.
As much as he hated to think about it, he was starting to get comfortable in Maleficent's castle. Almost everything was the same, just darker and dirtier. After his time in the forest, he almost preferred it that way. After spending time with Maleficent and proving himself somewhat trustworthy, she had given him free range. All she asked was that he didn't leave the castle grounds.
He stayed true to his word. He didn't leave the castle grounds, didn't dare venture past the gate, but he could tell there was some kind of magic barrier. Still, he knew better than to push it.
Mostly, he spent time where he felt normal. He had no idea what Maleficent had planned, but he knew it couldn't be good if he was truly her hostage. He had done more research than she realized, learning all about her history as well as the history of other faeries when he and Mal had had the kiss issue. He spent most of his time in the library, alone, seemingly keeping himself occupied, but also coming up with a plan.
After a few days of simply reading at the same table every day, without making any scene or issue, he finally moved toward the secret library he had made for Mal. He wondered if it was still there.
One last glance around to make sure he wasn't being watched and he pulled the secret lever for the library he had made. The floor popped up briefly and he made his way down into the darkness.
Inside, for a brief moment, it was as if nothing had changed. The books were all undisturbed, the place was preserved from the last time he had been there, almost as if by magic. Then, he felt it, the pull of magic. He had always been sensitive to it, but ever since his return to a man, it was much much stronger. He could feel it coursing through him as he walked the small area, feeling the pull from the books on the shelves.
Someone had definitely been there.
He snapped his fingers, hoping it would be enough sound to trigger the mechanism, but not enough sound to alert someone that he was hiding down there. There were plenty of old magic beings that could have been there. Including Maleficent herself.
The lights came to life, illuminating the small space that he had made once for her, but had become lost in the hostile takeover. He wondered if Maleficent even knew it existed, or if it was simply a place that went without notice.
It looked nearly exactly the same as the last time he had seen it, when he had shown Mal his handiwork, and then he noticed that some of the books had been disturbed, looked through, read more thoroughly.
If he focused hard enough he could feel the magic in the room, trace the pattern of whoever had been there. If he focused harder than that, he could practically see her, drenched and sweating and waking in the dark of the small place he had made for her.
Mal had been there. Mal had been there more recently than he had expected, judging by the visions he could see, the imprint her magic had left.
He wondered if he could use that to his advantage.
In a brief moment of courage and bravery and a bit of insanity, he ripped a page from a book and placed it where he knew she would find it if she ever came back. His mother would kill him for destroying a book, but he figured the situation was dire enough that she would understand. He left his handkerchief in another well hidden spot down in the secret library unless she missed the first clue.
Then, he left the secret library and went about his day with a new hope.
"How do we get into the cities to get to the castle?" Carlos asked as the four VKs tinkered with their disguise glasses. The rest of them looked at him. "I mean let's just say that they keep a tight lock on who enters and leaves the provinces. What's our cover?"
"He's right," Jay said next. "The closer we get to the castle, the more dangerous it will be."
Mal thought it through, a million possibilities running through her head all at once. "We'll have the glasses," she said. "We might have to make up covers too." It didn't seem like it was enough. "I might have enough ingredients for a sleeping potion," she said, thinking it through, "but I can't put everyone to sleep. I'm not my mother."
Then, a thought struck her.
"What if there was a way that I could get directly into the castle, then let you in?" She asked. "There's no way I can take all of us there, but I might be able to warp us to the edge of the forest and let you in underground if the tunnels still work."
It was worth a try.
"Then what happens when we get inside?" Evie asked next. "How are we going to take care of your mother?" She asked.
"I'm going to have to kill her," Mal answered, the realization struck her like lightning. "It's either her or me, and I'm going to have to kill her."
"Oh honey," Evie said, once she had made the realization. She tried to reach out to Mal, wrap her arm around her in a show of solidarity, but Mal moved away, closer to the rest of them, her mind made up. Evie was apologetic, but Mal finally knew exactly what she had to do to make everything right.
"What I need you guys to do for me is only one thing," Mal said next. "You make sure you get Ben out safe and as far away from the castle as you can. If it is truly going to be a battle with my mother to the death, then there could be extreme magic blowback and I don't want any of you getting hurt." They all stared at her as if they didn't understand. "Your main job after we get Ben out is to make sure he takes the throne back, even if I-" She stopped. "I will make sure there is room for Ben to take the throne again, whatever it takes."