Belle was not royalty.

At least, she hadn't been.

She did not grow up wealthy, with all the extra frills and trappings of nobility. Her father worked hard, and, though they rarely truly struggled to make ends meet, it was still a modest life. In fact, it wasn't until she met her husband and became his prisoner in place of her father that she experienced anything even close to luxury. And things only became more opulent after the curse broke. Adam insisted on courting her properly, taking her to visit other countries and gifting her books, and, when she thought it couldn't become any more grand, they'd gotten married.

Despite all of that, however, there were still days when Belle saw herself as the same commoner girl who lived for the local bookstore she worked at. So she understood, at least in part, how intimidating royalty could seem. And so she meant it when she told her son that she wanted to keep the meeting with the VKs–as the students and staff had taken to calling them–as informal as possible.

Cogsworth, however, was insistent on foiling her attempts to make their guests feel more at ease. Likely because she refused to tell him who their guests were going to be–he'd tell Adam immediately and while Belle did not enjoy keeping secrets from her husband, she also did not want to argue with him about this. It had taken a kind, but firm, order for Cogsworth to compromise, as well as enlisting Beatrice's help. She would have asked Lumiere too, but he was in charge of keeping Adam distracted and away from the palace.

Unfortunately, Beatrice had refused her offer to assist with the actual preparation and presentation of the meal. The kitchen was her domain and Belle trusted her. But she had hoped to try and further limit how many people the kids from the Isle would have to face. Based upon all the information she'd received over the past month, they were severely uncomfortable amongst strangers in every social setting thus far.

And with nothing left for her to do, Belle waited in the foyer of the servants' entrance, a book in one hand and unable to focus. She knew why she was more nervous about this meal than she was about meeting other royals for the first time. She knew exactly what the reason was. But if she dwelled too hard on it…

Closing both her book and her eyes, Belle took a deep breath.

Right now she needed to be centered. Focused.

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes?"

"They've arrived."

"Thank you."

With a final breath, Belle rose, smoothed her dress–one reminiscent of the one she wore for the bookstore–and smiled as the doors opened.

The first to enter is her son, holding the door open for the four young adults following him. As they file past him, giving him a wider berth than she expected, Ben met her gaze and gave her a crooked smile. Anxious, but nothing serious. Relieved, she turned her attention to their guests.

Yesterday, Ben gave her a quick description of each of the VKs so she was able to identify them as they entered. Mal, daughter of Maleficent, was the first one through the door, followed closely by Evelyn–Evie–daughter of Grimhilde, then Carlos, son of Cruella, and finally Jay, son of Jafar. They were at once exactly as she remembered them from their brief introduction and very different.

The clothes were the same, but only now did she realize how thin the four had been that first day. They still stood together the same way they did then: Mal grimacing faintly as if trying to be polite but unable to contain her displeasure, Evie with a demure smile that was picture perfect except for the slightest discomfort, Carlos tucking himself almost entirely behind one of his friends, Jay not bothering to hide his emotions as he surveyed the room with crossed arms. Yet there was something a little more confident in their stances now. Yes, they were still uncomfortable, but less so than if they had this meeting at the beginning of the year. Now, they'd had time to learn and adapt to the mainland.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my mother," Ben smiled, leaving the door to stand in the space between her and the VKs. All four of them watched him. "Mom, these are my guests from the Isle."

"I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to meet properly until now," Belle said, curtseying and watching the VKs quickly scramble to curtsey and bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is ours," Evie replied. "Thank you for inviting us to lunch. It's an honor."

"Not at all," Belle smiled. "We're happy to have you." An awkward silence followed and, while unfortunate, it wasn't unexpected. None of them were comfortable and holding a conversation was never going to be easy. Not with the part she played in their lives. Expression softening, she said, "I understand that it is hard to believe, but I truly am glad you're able to join us. And I'm proud of my son for being strong enough to stand-up for what he believes in. If he hadn't, I wouldn't have had the chance to meet all of you."

And for a split second something changed. Cruella's son flinched, disappearing completely behind Grimhilde's daughter even as Jafar's son froze, head tilting. The grey eyes of Maleficent's daughter turned a sudden and violent shade of green.

And then it was as if nothing happened; the only evidence anything had happened was the way Carlos didn't move away from Evie, who hadn't so much as reacted beyond a polite smile.

"We're grateful to be here," she replied.

Angling her body towards the hall, deciding it best to change the subject entirely, Belle said, "Lunch should be ready. If you'll come right this way, we can get started."

Ben followed, continuing to act as a buffer between her and their unusual guests, and soon they were in the small sitting room Belle had requested be converted into a temporary dining room. After everyone was seated–the table was round to avoid having a head of table and to prevent any of the VKs from having to sit directly across or next to her–Belle selected a slice of bread.

"Please, help yourselves."

Lunch itself was an enlightening and interesting experience and she enjoyed it more than she'd expected. While yes the conversation wasn't particularly smooth, what the VKs did say–and what they didn't–was telling. They avoided any and all topics that could be considered contentious–just like Ben had predicted, they avoided discussing Philosophy completely–but were at least partially willing to talk about what they were enjoying. They didn't give much information, but Belle understood them a bit better.

The boys were the easiest to read of the four. Jafar's son spoke the least–which seemed to surprise her own son–and Belle suspected it was simply because Jay didn't feel the need to add anything to the conversation. Cruella's son didn't say too much more than Jafar's, but when she asked about his Animal Handling class, he opened up just a bit. It was…strange to see so much gentle kindness from the de Vil boy when Belle herself had seen some of Cruella's victims. And the way he lit up when Ben mentioned that the dog's collar was ready made her heart melt.

The young women of the group weren't quite as easy to read, but she still managed to learn some things. Maleficent's daughter was the clear leader. When Belle had asked how they were enjoying the dorms, the other three all looked to Mal first, letting her answer before echoing that it was "fine" and not giving any more detail. They were likely trying to cover up their sleeping arrangements, and while she knew, it was interesting to see them going out of their way to avoid getting in any potential trouble.

Grimhilde's daughter, on the other hand, was their closest thing to a diplomat. As much as Grimhilde was a villain, she'd taught Evie impeccable manners and poise. Some of her teachings were a bit outdated, but if Belle didn't know who Evie was, she'd think she was proper royalty.

Even growing up on the Isle, all four were still young adults just like all her other students. They just had a few jagged edges, much like Adam.

…

But not everything she learned was encouraging.

All of them carried a lot of trauma. Lunch was too short for her to get a good understanding of it, but it was there in their mannerisms. In the way they interacted with her.

Jay kept himself firmly between her and his friends whenever he could and would hold her gaze for only a few moments before looking away. As if acknowledging that she held all the power, but he would fight her if she tried to do anything that could be detrimental to his friends.

Evie's expression never changed from a polite smile and she only maintained even eye contact whenever Belle spoke to her. Otherwise the young woman's gaze never met hers.

Carlos never spoke unless Belle addressed him directly. Unlike the others, he never once made eye contact with her, always keeping his head and eyes lowered. As if looking at her was the worst thing he could do.

Mal was the exact opposite of the rest. She was almost aggressive with maintaining eye contact, and she kept a constant watch of the exits and the few servants helping with lunch. It was a statement. A refusal to be afraid and bow down.

All of it was concerning.

"Mom?"

Blinking, Belle focused just in time to watch the carriage depart before the doors closed. It would take time, but maybe being here could help them heal. In the meantime… "Yes?"

"What did you think?"

"That was a rather pleasant lunch," she observed, and his handsome light brown eyes drifted to focus on her. "I can understand why you enjoy their company."

"Mom-"

"They're all quite attractive as well, aren't they?" Immediately Ben's cheeks flushed, his mouth opening slightly, a mix of embarrassment and unease. Unable to resist, Belle smiled. "Evie is so regal and there's such an elegance to the way she carries herself. Then there's Jay. You can tell he's a hard worker and I can see why he chose Basic Training." Ben ducked his head, mumbling in agreement. "And Carlos has such a keen mind and thoughtful nature. It's no wonder those animals follow him all over campus," Belle continued. "Of course, Mal is impossible to ignore. There's such a powerful confidence about her."

"Mom," Ben protested, hiding his face in his hands. "Please."

Oh. He had it bad didn't he? She should've realized sooner. Ben knowing exactly which foods to request. Predicting how they'd all react to certain things. The way his expression softened each time one of the VKs relaxed for even a second.

If Belle was being honest with herself, she was a bit horrified that her son had become so fascinated by the children of villains. But she also knew that his betrothal to Audrey wasn't helping matters. Ever since his decree to help the children of the Isle, there was a strange tension between the two. If they couldn't get on the same page about things now–or at the very least discuss their differing opinions productively the way she and Adam learned to– it would only get worse when it was time for them to rule together.

Maybe she could help bring them a bit closer together and work out the issues they seemed to be having.

She would have to think more on that later, however. For now, there was a never-ending pile of paperwork on her desk she'd put off for long enough.