***Author's note: For anyone who skipped the previous chapter welcome back. :) To my knowledge, there was nothing important that you missed that won't show up/be conveyed later in the story. If anyone who read the last chapter thinks there is something that should be mentioned please let me know. ***
This was a story about sticking his handsome nose into other people's business. He blamed Rapunzel for this. Ever since he'd met her, his tendency to live and let others deal with their own problems was being tested. He loved her; she was his new dream. But she needed to slow down on turning his entire approach to life upside down.
Because here he was waiting to speak with the Crown Prince of Auradon about four kids from the Isle of the Lost. What was his life becoming? Sometimes he missed the days when the only thing he had to worry about was himself.
"Good morning," Ben called and Flynn glanced up, lifting a hand.
"Morning," he smiled back, his Flynn Rider mask fully in place. He wasn't sure Eugene could handle having this talk with the prince. Or explain what he needed to. Eugene "knew" how the VKs might have started. Flynn "knew" how they were now. Besides, being Eugene without Rapunzel around was still out of his comfort zone.
As Ben joined him, Flynn couldn't help but notice that the prince radiated the same energy as Rapunzel. Not an exact match, they'd lived very different lives, but they had the same belief in people and a hope Flynn had thought he'd lost years ago. Maybe that was why he was doing this.
"Walk with me?" Flynn offered and Ben's expression became more serious. That was good. This wasn't any easy topic. Before meeting up with Ben, Flynn had spoken with Rapunzel and she'd offered a few insights of her own. She'd also mentioned asking the VKs to join them for lunch more often. Gods, he loved her.
When Ben nodded, Flynn started down one of many paths that meandered through the various gardens and wooded areas around the campus, needing to move after so many hours already spent holding still. Years of constantly being on the move made it harder to focus and this conversation was too important for him to be distracted. If he was going to get involved, he was going to get involved properly.
"You said you might be able to help me with the students from the Isle?" Ben asked, hope leaking through in every word. This was eating at him far more than Flynn expected. Fantastic. He'd met another person determined to turn his world upside down. Rapunzel didn't need help with that. The two of them would be amazing friends. The question was what that would do to his own peace of mind.
"I think so," Flynn nodded with an easy shrug. Glancing at the prince, he said, "I need to know what you already think is going on and what you're trying. Then I'll tell you how wrong you are and how to fix it."
Ben frowned, idly chewing his thumbnail as they walked. Slowly, he said, "We don't know too much, just what we've observed."
"I can work with that." It'd give him a good reference point on how observant Ben and his friends were and what assumptions they were making. People who always had comfortable lives and safe families often overlooked things that were obvious to people like Flynn. Not a bad thing–sometimes–and not Ben's fault–the prince tried too hard to understand others' perspectives–it was just the reality of it.
"Well, we know that they feel safest when they're together and that they all have their own roles in the group. Mal's the leader, Jay is the guard, Evie gathers information, and Carlos is like a scout," Ben began. A decent start. Flynn nodded and Ben continued, "Jay and Mal have seen a lot of fights and they're all protective of Carlos. Whenever possible, they keep him in the back or middle of their group. None of them have actively picked a fight with anyone, but Mal and Jay are the most outwardly aggressive."
A group of students approached them and Ben greeted them. Flynn flashed them his most charming smile while tucking his hands into his pockets. Like he'd told the Isle kids, his skills were still sharp and so were his old instincts. From the sounds of it, the VKs were staying sharp too, people were losing things all over the first few days back on campus. Of course, he could be wrong and even if he wasn't, he wasn't going to out them. Just because he was dating a princess and her parents welcomed him in with open arms didn't mean he liked nobles and some of them could stand to lose a few small valuables. Besides, if they weren't smart enough to realize they'd been stolen, that was their problem.
After they passed the other students, Ben started speaking again. "Evie is smarter than she acts and is very good at twisting conversations around to get information without giving anything away herself. Honestly, it feels like she's lived in the courts her entire life the way she can play with her words." Charm. It was a perfect disguise and an easy way to lower peoples' guards. Flynn used it a lot. A good smile and the right words could land some of the best scores. "There is some obsession with her appearance. Whenever there's a chance, she's checking the mirror she carries with her…We don't actually know much about Carlos other than he's the exact opposite of his mother when it comes to animals. He's incredibly fond of them and they seem to like him."
"Sounds right. Max definitely prefers him over the other students working in the stables," Flynn commented as he eyed the prince's ring. Solid gold. Well cut sapphire. Small and easy to pawn off. "Rapunzel says Pascal likes him too. Though that's probably just because the frog likes attention."
With a laugh, Ben shrugged. "Either way, it's good to have confirmation from animals with a magical heritage."
"They have good instincts," Flynn agreed. Max and Pascal had kept an eye on him since the moment they met. Max still watched him, just not with the intention of locking him up. More like some obnoxious conscience. Pascal? He still couldn't tell if the frog was encouraging or discouraging his relationship with Rapuzel. Or if the frog just liked messing with him. "Even if they're annoying."
The prince coughed, hiding another laugh, before growing serious again. "What can you tell me about my guests? Are we on the right track?"
A good question. "You're closer to the right track than I thought you'd be," Flynn replied, snagging a yellow flower from one of the bushes and twirling it between two fingers. "But you're only half right on most things and have completely missed some of the really important things." Ben waited patiently, not pushing him for information. Another good sign. Maybe this royal had a chance to reach the VKs. "For one, they're stashing food. You probably didn't notice, but all four of them were tucking food into their clothes at lunch yesterday." With a simple twist of his wrist, Flynn tucked the flower away before slipping it into a bush. "I guarantee they have food hidden away in their room and all across campus."
"But why wou-?" The prince cut himself off. "They were incredibly malnourished when they arrived…"
Exactly. Food was difficult to get. So there was no way to know when they'd eat. Or when the food would no longer be available.
"They're planning for the 'inevitable'," Flynn explained. Ben's face twisted into something almost horrified. "When the food disappears or they lose the privilege to eat. Food means strength and they know what going without it can mean."
"Should I say something?"
Flynn shook his head immediately, making an x with his arms. "No, absolutely not. If they know you've figured it out, they'll get even more nervous. This is something that they'll have to come to terms with on their own. Words aren't going to fix the instinct and drive to survive. Only time and experience can do that. You can't provide them that."
Silence fell between them as they continued between the trees and Flynn didn't intend to break it. Ben was going to need as much time as possible to accept the reality of it and the rest of Flynn's information was going to be harder to hear.
"Okay," Ben finally said, taking a breath. "Okay. Keep going."
"Evie and Carlos aren't just good for gathering information," Flynn replied, picking up a short stick and flourishing it like a sword. "Both of them are capable fighters. They aren't formally trained, but they can definitely fight."
Ben blinked, but he looked more curious than frustrated. "Really? Neither of them seems like the fighting type and Lonnie didn't notice anything in the way they move."
"Like I said, they aren't formally trained. They probably don't fight as often as Mal or Jay either, which could be why Lonnie didn't notice," Flynn explained, jabbing his "sword" at imaginary enemies. "But Carlos's knife is sheathed for easy access in a fight and I'd confidently bet money he has other knives hidden on him at all times. Same with Evie. They aren't brawlers. They're the kind that will use speed and skill to get close. Then strike fast before you can react." Breaking the stick into a dagger, Flynn demonstrated, stick stopping inches from Ben's throat.
Something shifted in Ben's expression and all Flynn knew was that it wasn't fear and it wasn't anger; he had a good poker face when he was trying. "I guess I just assumed that they were weaker. But logically it makes sense," the prince mused. "Jay and Mal couldn't always be with them so…" Shaking himself, he met Flynn's gaze. "What else have you noticed? What else should I know so I can help them?"
A grin tugged at Flynn's lips, the former thief tossed the stick into the bushes, and turned his attention to the path. Now he could see why Rapunzel had been so excited after meeting Ben. "They're scared. All of them. All the time," he said, expression falling a little and out of the corner of his eye he watched Ben's expression do the same. "It isn't your fault. It's how they've lived their entire lives. Fear keeps you alive. And in a place like Auradon, where nothing works the way it should, they're going to be scared as hell. It's hard to tell since they hide it by being angry or being sarcastic, but it's there."
"Nothing works the way it should?" Ben echoed.
"Nothing comes without a price."
Ben stopped walking.
"Nothing comes without a price," Flynn repeated, flipping a coin into the air then rolling it over his knuckles. He faced the other man and caught his gaze. "Kindness is a façade and anyone who helps you has an ulterior motive. No one is good to be good. It's part of the reason they only trust each other and that trust is implicit."
"Like comrades in arms," Ben said slowly. "Lonnie said something about that."
Ah. That would definitely make it easy to misinterpret things.
"Comrades in arms in the sense that if everyone in the army could stab you in the back at any moment," Flynn shook his head. "They aren't an army. They are the only people anywhere that they can trust. The way they interact with each other means they've been together for years which means that the trust they share is deeper than most families. Because there is literally no one else to trust and trust is dangerous. Trust the wrong person for even a second and, well." He snatched the coin out of the air. He'd betrayed and been betrayed countless times. It hadn't cost him his life, but a few times it had come close. And his life was nothing like the Isle of the Lost. Whatever those four had lived through was beyond what he was willing to imagine.
"It's why you should never interact with them while your own group outnumbers them unless they've agreed to it ahead of time," he added, realizing Ben would never think of that on his own
Once more, Ben fell silent. This time, however, there was pain in his eyes, grief. Again, Flynn gave him all the time he needed, watching the flow of emotions. When Ben finally took a deep breath, Flynn straightened from where he'd been leaning against a tree.
"I know it'll be hard. I know it might never happen," Ben began and with each word, each step, his determination grew stronger. "But I want to try." Lifting his gaze, Ben said, "Please tell me what I can do to try to earn their trust. To get to know them."
Hope and determination had to be contagious. He'd spent too much time near this prince and Rapunzel. He was infected. Doomed.
"Each of them will need something different," Flynn warned.
"They're different people. It's to be expected," Ben said, brushing it off as something that he already intended to do. Yes. Flynn was doomed and he was now invested in the future of the VKs. And why did it feel so good?
"Jay will be the least complicated. Just interact with him: spar, be straightforward and give him ways to see that you're honest. He needs to see and feel that you are exactly who you say you are to him and his gang, an ally. Mal will need the same straightforward honesty, but you need to prove that you accept her as who she is and you aren't asking her to change."
"So I should try to make her laugh and have fun with her humor," Ben said.
Impressed, Flynn nodded. "Exactly. With Evie, just let her read you, let her 'wrap you around her finger' and answer her questions honestly. Let her flirt and flirt back a little and let her learn things about you. Do not try to convince her of anything. Trying will only convince her that you're trying to hide something. Evie will need to come to her own conclusions about you and she will only believe her own conclusions. If she decides you're telling the truth, the others will be more willing to believe that too."
He could see Ben filing all the information away, already analyzing and working through it, making sure he understood everything. "What about Carlos? He's the hardest one for any of us to interact with or read."
The youngest. When he'd talked with Rapunzel about the VKs, she'd hesitated to talk about Carlos. Of all of them, de Vil was going to be one of the hardest. "Rapunzel is the one who can probably give you better advice for him than I can," Flynn admitted. "I can't get a good feel for him either. For now, I'd say just be kind and ask him if it's okay for you to join him if he's on his own or off to the side. If you're good with animals, then interact with them while he's nearby. I think Rapunzel is going to try to connect with him. It's something she's good at and the others probably won't see her as a threat. If nothing else, she can help the rest of us get to know him and get him adjusted to us."
Slowly, Ben nodded. There was a hint of concern behind his eyes, but the determination hadn't faded. "Thank you. Truly. I'll make sure Lonnie and Doug know everything you told me and we'll do our best. If we have any questions, can we ask you for help?"
"Sure. I'm already involved. Might as well."
After a few minutes of Ben trying to talk about other things while being completely distracted, the trail returned to the campus and Flynn had mercy on him and told him that he still had some homework to do. As he walked away, he could practically feel Ben thinking.
Yeah. This had been the right decision.