AN: Here it is! I hope you all enjoy the first chapter!
It was like nothing had changed.
Just like before, a light surrounded them. Away went the dark theater, the are being traded out for Auradon Prep's lawn.
As Persephone had said, no time passed. The sun was still in the same spot, the staff was setting out lunch, and Mal could faintly hear reporters beyond the school's gates.
The air was heavy as the group thought about what they had seen and the words Persephone had said to them: "What are you going to do now?"
It was a good question, Mal decided. What were they going to do now? They weren't following their parents' plans, they were staying in Auradon, everything was changing.
But our parents can't get to us. She thought to herself. Her mother was locked on the Isle. She wouldn't be getting back.
She looked at her friends. Evie's arm was looped through Jay's and he was whispering something to her, while Evie was observing the group around them. Carlos, on the other hand, turned away from them all, his face breaking into a smile as he shouted "Dude!"
The dog came running, and Carlos caught him with a laugh, breaking the tension. The group disbanded with laughter and smiles. In the midst of it, Ben took Mal's hand and leaned down. "I need to go talk with the council." He told her softly.
"Now?" Mal questioned. She had just begun to feel like she could breathe, but now she was reminded that she and her friends were getting foster parents. Which meant that they were going to be split apart.
The anxiety she had pushed down started to claw at her chest again.
"Spring Break starts Saturday, and preparations need to be made. Since my parents, Fairy Godmother and I are leaving for the Coronation rehearsal soon, we have to deal with this now."
Mal took a deep breath. "Okay." She said, nodding once. "We'll be ready."
"I promise, it won't be long." He said, rubbing circles on the back of her hand. He looked at the other VKs, "Before I go, is there anyone any of you don't want to be fostered by?"
Mal didn't hesitate to say, "Aurora and Phillip." Not because of them, exactly. Mal actually found herself curious about the Auroria Royal Family, especially after Aurora and Pierre had defended them during the Veiwing, but she wanted to stay far away from Queen Leah.
Her words didn't startle Ben at all, and he nodded in understanding. Jay and Evie both seemed to be in thought, but neither said anything. Carlos on the other hand tightened his grip on Dude, while his eyes focused behind Ben. "The Radcliffe's." He told Ben. "I... I'm getting over my fear of dogs, but.."
"You don't need to explain," Ben said. "You don't need an excuse. We just want to make sure all of you are comfortable with where you're going. I'll make sure that neither of you are with those families." He directed his attention back to Mal, "Elsie can take you to our table. Our families always sit next to each other. I'll be back d=soon." With a kiss on her cheek, Ben walked away, heading straight towards his parents.
A hand slipped around her arm, and Evie said. "This is really happening."
"It is." Mal agreed, as both girls watched most of the adults from the Viewing walk towards Auradon Prep's cafeteria entrance.
Thankfully, it looked like the Auroria family wasn't heading that way, but she could feel Evie's grip tighten slightly as the Charmington royals walked in.
"Nervous?"
"A little. You?"
Mal shrugged, "Some. But it can't be worse than my mother, right?" She doubted that an Auradon couple would lock her up for not being bad enough.
"Can't be worse than the Isle," Jay corrected, putting his arms around the girls, while Carlos moved to stand next to Mal. "If we could survive there, we can survive anywhere."
"This will be a walk in the park." Carlos agreed, laughing when Dude barked. "See, Dude agrees!
The girls laughed, and Mal pulled away from the group when Elsie walked forward, smiling wide. "Hey guys, if you're ready, I can lead you to our tables!" She said, waiting for them to agree. Once they did, she began to lead them through the yard and they watched other AK's run around, heading to their own places mostly with their family members.
"So, how exactly does this picnic work?" Evie asked. "Is it a buffet?"
Elsie frowned, "Kind of? This year is a little more complicated. With Ben becoming High King tomorrow, there's still a lot to be done today. Different royals are having different meetings, multiple prince and princesses have last minute fittings, some kids have early dismissal's so they can stay in the city with their families, so a lot of royals and dignitaries are having food brought to their tables family style."
"Family style?" Jay questioned.
"It means that there will be a few big platters of food in the middle of the table, and everyone will be given their own smaller plates. Then, you all take some food from those platters."
So, sharing food. Mal thought. She could do that. She did it on the Isle with her crew, she shared her snacks during the Viewing. It was fine. She'd just follow Ben's lead. Because she was having lunch with his parents.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Doug waving. A second later she heard Evie's name called. Evie's eyes brightened, but she hesitated, looking at Mal.
"Go on." Mal said, making a shooing motion. "We'll be fine."
Evie grinned, squeezing Mal's hand and turning to the boys. "Meet up after lunch?"
"You got it, Princess."
Evie walked off, almost skipping, Mal noticed. She watched her for a moment longer, long enough to see her hug Doug, then continued following Elsie.
Elsie led them to a group of picnic tables. One was empty, one had Elsie's siblings, another had the Arendalle kids, and the last held Jane, Karine, and the younger Charming kids. For a moment, Mal wondered why Chad wasn't with them, but decided not to dwell on it. No Chad meant less drama.
Almost immediatly upon reaching the tables, Carlos was called over to where Karine and Jane sat. He put Dude down, seeming to encourage Emil and his little sister to play with the dog, while Karine pulled out a journal.
After Carlos, Jay left, being called over to a different group of tables a few yards away where Amir and Aziz sat. Lonnie was there as well, along with her older brother.
"Guess I'm alone." Mal commented, heading towards the empty table. She supposed she could sketch while she waited for Ben and his parents. Carlos and Jay were in her sight, and she knew that Evie would be okay.
Elsie stopped her, though. "Unless you'd like to come sit with me and my siblings?"
"Are you sure?" Mal asked. "I mean, it's Family Day. We've already kind of hijacked it."
"You didn't hijack anything." Elsie said, with a tone that implied there would be no arguing. "You don't need to sit alone, and you can switch tables when Ben and his parents come, so?"
Her expression was hopeful, and Mal found herself nodding. She wasn't against it. Despite the walls she'd tried to build before coming to Auradon, she'd found herself becoming friends with Reiner and Elsie over the past few weeks.
Elsie hopped slightly and led Mal to her siblings table. Reiner was ignoring the bench, sitting on the edge of the table instead while he talked to an older boy with dark hair and blue eyes. Next to the boy were two girls Mal recognized, Ruby and Edeline, and on the table in front of Ruby was a little girl with hair a little lighter than her oldest brother's, but with the same blue eyes.
"Mal, you know Ruby and Edeline." Elsie said, gesturing to her sisters. Ruby smiled wide, while Edeline just waved, her eyes never leaving her phone despite her oldest sister nudging her arm. "Then you have our older brother Emery, and our little sister Rosalind!"
"I'm not little!" Rosalind protested, scrunching her nose at Elsie.
Ruby laughed, pulling Rosalind onto her lap and tickling her sides. "You are to us! Mom and dad's little surprise!"
Rosalind shrieked and giggled, play fighting against her sister before sliding off her lap. She ducked under the table, climbing out to sit on the bench in front of Mal and Elsie. "I like your hair!" She told Mal. "It's purple! My favorite color is purple!"
Mal blinked, trying to keep up with how fast Rosalind talked. "Thank you. My favorite color is purple, too."
"I have a chameleon who's purple." Rosalind continued, as if Mal hadn't said a thing. "Her name is Petra! Uncle Varian says it was a muta- a muta-" Her brow furrowed, and she glanced back at her siblings.
"A mutation." Emery said, sounding the word out slowly. "Yeah! That! Is that why your hair is purple?"
The older Fitzherbert's all started to chuckle trying to cover it up because their sister's question was valid, especially as she gave them a look of disappointment. Mal crouched down so she was eye level with the little princess. On the Isle, that was a way to show the younger kids you wouldn't hurt them, vs. just staring down at them. "No." She told her. "My hair is purple because I'm a fairy."
Or because she was a half-god. A Faeling, as the Fate's put it. But she wasn't going to get into that.
Rosalind's face lit up. "Like Jane?" She asked. "And Tinkerbelle!"
"Similar." Mal confirmed. "Jane is a Wish Fairy, and Tinkerbelle is a Never Fairy. I'm a Dark Fae."
Rosalind hummed, though Mal wasn't sure how much she understood.
To her pleasant surprise, she didn't seem that confused. Instead, she brightened and asked, "Does that mean that Queen Aurora's fairy godmother's were Wish Fairies too?"
"Yes!" Mal exclaimed. "And so's Jane mom, Cinderella's fairy godmother."
"There are too many fairy godmothers." Rosalind said with a shake of her head. "Maybe they should have their name names as well."
Mal frowned at those words. She knew Aurora's fairy godmother's names, both the ones Auradon called them and the names they went by in the Moors, thanks to her mother's rants, but now that Rosalind brought it up... What is Fairy Godmother's name? She'd never heard it mentioned. Everyone just said Fairy Godmother.
Seeming to not notice the spiral she'd sent Mal on, Rosalind turned to look at Ruby. "Can I go play with Clementine 'til Mama and Papa come back?"
"Sure Rosie, as long as its okay with her parents. Or Karine," She added, after seeing that the Charming couple and oldest son were still missing.
Rosalind smiled and ran off while Mal stayed in place, still trying to remember if any of the books she'd read mentioned her headmistress' name.
"Mal, are you okay?" Elsie asked, leaning down to shake her shoulder.
Mal looked up at her, standing slowly. "What is Fairy Godmother's name?" She asked. "The one she uses around humans, I mean."
Elsie opened her mouth, then closed it, her own brow furrowing. "Huh. I don't know. Reiner?"
Reiner held out his hands. "Don't ask me. Ruby? Emery?"
The older teens looked at each other, both lifting their shoulders slightly.
"Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard her called anything else." Ruby admitted. "Ever."
"Everyone refers to her as Fairy Godmother." Emery added. "Eddie? You have any ideas?
Edeline was typing away, and Mal would have been convinced that she wasn't listening if it hadn't been the eye roll at the nickname, but she chimed in. "Every article I can see says 'Fairy Godmother.'" She paused for a moment, her eyes widening slightly. "Even her Royalpedia!"
All of them exchanged looks, then Rainer slid off the table, calling for Karine.
Elsie took his spot while Ruby just shook her head. "This is going to continue to bug me now." She muttered, before smiling at Mal. "On a different topic, Mal, I've actually been wanting to ask you something since the Viewing."
"Yeah?" Mal asked cautiously, finally sitting down.
"Where did you learn to draw like that?"
The council meeting took thirty minutes, and for most of it Ruby and Mal talked about art. It was a nice change from the Isle, where very few people were artists. Of course, every gang did tags, and she suspected that some of the pirates were artists, but she'd never really gotten to talk about it with someone.
Elsie listened for a while before Reiner called her over to help the group at the Charming table with something, while Emery had been called over to a small group of the older prince and princesses, and Edeline had gone to sit under a tree with some of her friends.
She'd learn during the talk that Ruby favored painting, much like her mother, but enjoyed experimenting as well. "My favorite things to paint are nature scenes." She said with a bright smile. "I love going around the kingdom and just setting up an easel and painting for hours. The Dark Kingdom has some interesting sites as well."
"What is the Dark Kingdom?" Mal asked. By this time, she could see different older royal's making appearances, including the allusive Charming's, though Chad was still missing. "I don't think we have any villains from there on the Isle."
"You wouldn't." Ruby told her. "There really weren't any to send."
At Mal's dubious expression, Ruby gave her the quick rundown of the Dark Kingdom and moonstone. "Grandpa started rebuilding it after that, especially as more people came home. Dad took over the throne after Auradon came to be. He said that King Beast wanted to have the kingdom merge with Corona, but after everything it's people had been through..."
"It's their home." Mal said. Ruby nodded, "Thankfully it's only an hour away, so dad's still able to live at the Corona castle. Over the summer, though, he likes to spend a week here or there in the Dark Kingdom with Reiner, since he's the heir."
"Not you?"
Ruby laughed, "No. I didn't want it. And besides, I'm dating Pierre. Seriously dating him." She added with a blush. She looked up, just as Mal felt a weight on her shoulders.
Mal tilted her head back to see Ben. "So?" She tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice.
"All good," He assured her, squeezing her shoulders. "As long as you guys are okay with the choices." He then looked at Ruby, bringing one hand up to point behind him. "Your parents wanted you to know that they're having a quick family meeting."
"Thanks Ben." Ruby said as she got up. "I'll talk to you later, Mal!
The couple watched Ruby walk off, and Mal followed Ben to his family's table, though his parents weren't there yet. "They're talking with Evie." He explained before she could ask. "There were two families very interested in fostering her, and they're working it out."
"Oh," Mal said, biting her lip. At least it was too many family's wanting to foster her instead of none. "And me?"
"You were the first one figured out, back during the last break. It just had to be discussed a little further."
Mal's eyes widened. There was no way Ben had just said what he said. "You're joking."
"Nope." He responded, popping the 'p'. Her jaw dropped, and Ben tapped it to close her mouth as he said, "You're going to catch flies."
Mal didn't respond, her mind still focused on her being the first one chosen. Who would want to foster Maleficent's daughter? Between her mother, her magic, and the fact that she had been the most dedicated to stealing the wand, she should have been the last chosen. Evie or Carlos should have been the first.
"Hey," Ben whispered, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. "People care about you, Mal. Try to believe me, okay?"
A lot easier said than done, but Mal still nodded, clearing her throat and pulling back as servers came bringing lunch.
As they started to set platters down, Mal looked around the yard. Carlos had moved away from the Charming table and was walking with Antonio and his cousin Mirabel. Jay was still with his group, but there was a group of adults there as well.
Looking back at the table, she could see Belle and Beast coming, along with Queen Anna and Prince Consort Kristoff.
"Mal," Belle said as she and her husband walked over, stopping to take Mal's hand in her own. "I'm so sorry that we kept you waiting for so long."
"It's alright," Mal told her with a smile. She found that she'd been doing that a lot lately, but unlike on the Isle where smiles had sharp edges and could rarely be trusted by those who weren't in your inner circle, they seemed to be calming to Aurdonians.
Of course, she toned down the sharp edges after a few incidents.
"Hello, Your Highness." Mal greeted as she let go of Belle's hand, dipping her head at King Beast.
He shook his hands and head, "None of that." He told her, "You're my son's girlfriend. Please, call me Adam."
"Adam." Mal repeated, glancing at Ben, who squeezed her shoulder.
The King and Queen settled across from them, and Beast told them to dig in. For a few moments, they were all quiet, putting food on their plates. After all the snacking she'd done, Mal wasn't terribly hungry, just getting herself some salad.
"So Mal, how are you enjoying Auradon?" King Beast asked.
"Its nice." Mal said truthfully. "I haven't been able to see much of it, but I'd like to over the summer."
"Anywhere in particular?" Belle asked.
Knowing who was across from her, she couldn't really say The Moors, so Mal searched her mind, trying to think of anything. "The mountains." She said finally. "Any. I've always thought that they're beautiful."
"They are." Belle agreed softly. "My old village is in the mountains, it's almost magical in the autumn."
"I'll have to take you." Ben told her, "Mom's right, it's the best in the Autumn."
"I'd like that." Mal said with a blush. She turned back to the older couple, shifting the conversation away from her. "So, um, where are you two going for your honeymoon?" She asked, not knowing what else to talk about.
Belle and Beast exchanged grins, and Beast told her that he was taking his wife on a cruise. "Maybe she'll be able to make a dent in her tbr list." He joked, smiling down at his wife.
She rolled her eyes, but Mal could see the fondness on her face. "I hope." She said. "But knowing me for every book I read, five more will be added in its place."
Mal couldn't help but laugh, and listened as the conversation continued, this time with Belle and Ben talking about books. During it, she and Beast exchanged looks of amusement, especially when the mother and son debated a book Mal had never read herself, but had heard Ben mention before.
Lunch ended quickly after that, and Mal was debating excusing herself to find her friends when she heard her name called.
She turned, seeing Rosalind slide off the bench of her table and race over.
"Is something wrong?" She asked the girl, catching her arm when she got there.
Rosalind shook her head and grinned wide, "Mal, will you come to Corona with us?."
"What?" Mal asked, looking up in shock. The entire Fitzherbert family had come over and Rapunzel stepped forward. "I know you don't know us well, but we would love for you to come to Corona with us." She said softly.
"You want to foster me?"
"As long as you're okay with it, kid." Eugene said, stepping forward to place a hand on his wife's shoulder. "As Rapunzel said, we'd love for you to come, but we won't pressure you, it's your choice."
Her choice. Ben had told her that, but honestly she hadn't quite believed it. In some way, she almost felt like she should say no, just to see if it really was up to her. But truthfully? She liked Reiner and Elsie. She enjoyed talking to Ruby. She wouldn't mind being around people that she was comfortable with.
"Okay." She said, watching as the adults grinned. Rosalind squealed and hugged her, quickly followed by Elsie, who began to talk a hundred miles a minute about a festival Corona would be hosting over spring break.
Maybe things would be okay.
A while later, after talking with Rapunzel and Eugene for a little bit and learning when they'd be heading to Corona, Mal finally found herself with her friends. They were away from the royals, in their own world. Carlos was laying on the grass with Dude, petting him every so often. Jay was leaning up against a tree, while she and Evie sat on the grass.
"So, Snow and Florian?" She asked Evie again, "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Evie told her firmly. "When given the option, I realized I really do want to get to know Snow. She's my stepsister, maybe... Maybe she can understand some of what I went through."
Mal nodded, "I get it." She told her. If given the chance to talk with someone who might understand, she'd take it as well.
Evie sighed, "It was hard to say no to Anna and Kristoff." She admitted. "Even after that, they've still invited me to come see Arendalle this summer. I think I might go if Snow says it's alright."
"Klara would love that." Mal told her with a smile, getting Evie to grin as well.
Beside them, Carlos rolled over. "I wonder how far that is from the Encanto." He said.
"If I remember the map correctly, you and Mal will be closer than me or Evie." Jay said from his spot. "Evie will be near here until she goes to Arendalle, and I'll be on an island, which is still closer to Arendalle than Corona or the Encanto."
"Out of everyone who was going to offer to foster you, I did not expect it being Merida." Mal told.
Jay shrugged, "Aladdin wanted to, but my dad apparently still has a lot of enemies in Agrahbah. And apparently, they're okay with sword fighting." He added with a grin. "Merida even said that I could use her brother's training room if I want to, but warned me that I might be pulled into training with his soldiers."
Considering that Merida herself was an archer, and Mal had seen Moira with a sword before, that wasn't shocking At all. But still Scotland. Mal was surprised Jay even agreed to go there.
"Well, when do we all leave?" Evie asked, looking around. She started to fidget with her bracelet, and Mal took her hand.
"Tomorrow." Carlos said. "Mirabel said we'll need to leave right after Ben's party, so I'll be getting Dude and I packed tonight."
Evie said that she was leaving tomorrow as well, only it was going to be a short drive. Mal was leaving Sunday morning, as was Jay. "But I'm leaving early he told Mal. "I can wake you up, but-"
"Don't you dare." She told him with narrowed eyes. She already knew she'd be up late, as Ben's girlfriend she'd be expected to be at the party as long as he was, and she already didn't like mornings.
Jay chuckled, "So we'll all just need to say goodbye after the coronation." He said.
They all nodded, and Mal put her hand in front of her. "We're going to take Auradon by storm." She said. "Cause we're rotten..."
Her friends all grinned, placing their hands on top of her while they finished, "To the core."
Late that night, after Evie had fallen asleep, Mal opened up her dorm window and started to scale the building.
She hadn't done that since the early days in Auradon, when she needed space to breathe. It seemed like no matter where you went in Auradon Prep, someone was always there. The roof became her safe space.
Settling in her usual spot, and looking out at the Isle, Mal brought out the phone Persephone had given her. With a deep breath, she pressed on the second contact, and brought the phone up to ear.
It rang once, twice, and then there was a click, followed by a deep voice asking, "Hello?"
Mal laughed, feeling her eyes fill with tears. "Hadie?"
"...Mal?"
AN: I am sorry for how long this chapter took to get out. I went through some mental and physical health things, but I'm doing better now and so happy to be back at this.