AN: Hey everyone! For all my American readers, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I can't believe Christmas is almost here, and 2025! Hopefully, more chapters will be out before then. But for now, here's the rest of Spring Break.

Being High King wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Ever since he'd said goodbye to his parents, waving them off as they left for their six-month cruise, Ben felt like he hadn't had a moment to himself. If he wasn't in the throne room receiving visitors, he was in his office working. Everyone wanted a meeting or interview with the new King. Legislations, invitations, petitions, he'd lost track of all the papers that had ended up on his desk, or strewn throughout the room when he couldn't stand to sit still any longer.

He had been trained to be king, but somehow his father hadn't prepared him for this. He barely even had time to think about the Isle of the Lost, let alone start an investigation into the shipping logs and birth records.

It wasn't something he could just pass off onto anyone, either. He wasn't usually one to be suspicious of people, but after the Viewing he couldn't help but wonder if there was something more going on. For heaven's sake, there was an entire department dedicated to the Isle of the Lost! And yet, what the Fates had shown, and what the Vks revealed, shocked many of them. So all he could think was that there had to be people who didn't want him, or his parents, to really know what was going on on the Isle.

The thought was still running through his mind as he went to go over yet another document from the Side-Kicks Association when his secretary, Debora, rang to tell him he had a visitor.

"Send them in." He told her, dreading to see who'd walk through his door. His dread turned to relief, however, when a familiar dark haired girl walked in, a large bag swung over her shoulder.

"Jane," He greeted cheerfully, gesturing for her to sit down. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She smiled back, ignoring the chairs and couch and standing in front of his desk instead. "Sadly, it's not all pleasure." She said as she reached into her bag. "While I did want to come check on you, I also brought some papers mom needs signed. Your mom is still the head of the school committee, and with her off at sea and the rest of the members scattered and unreachable with all the celebrations going on, my mom decided that as High King, you can okay the new chemistry teacher."

"Mr. Deley's gone, then?" Ben asked, with Jane nodding in response, as he took the folder from her. He scanned the form, surprise and delight spreading across his face. "Now I wish I hadn't already taken chemistry."

Jane laughed, "I'm so excited!" She told him. "I was dreading Mr. Deley's class, but I might actually pass with her teaching instead. She'll be so much better than he was."

That was an understatement. No one liked Mr. Deley, and he was one of Auradon Prep's worst teachers. Sometimes, Ben wondered how he'd even lasted for as long as he had.

Once he finished signing the papers, he handed the folder back. "Is there something else?" He asked, as he noticed Jane fidgeting with her bag's straps.

She blew out a breath. "You're not going to like it." She warned, before pulling her phone out and showing him an article.

She was right, he didn't like it.

Obviously, he knew that articles were going to be, and already were, being written about him, Audrey, and Mal, but nothing like this. Honestly, he should have expected it, but maybe he naively believed that his status and Audrey's parents would be enough to keep the worst away.

To make it worse, it wasn't even from an op-ed or tabloid. At least those were expected and would be easier to deal with. But no, it was from The Harbor Post, one of the most influential papers in Auradon.

His face darkened as he read the allegations thrown at Mal and Audrey, painting both girls as villains and himself a saint. He grabbed his phone and made a call while Jane watched. While he couldn't personally call the paper, that would just cause even more problems, he could get his press team and lawyers on it. He just hoped that the girls hadn't seen it yet.

"How long was it up?" Ben asked once he was off the call, leaning back and massaging his temple.

"Not long." She assured him. "It was posted while I was on my way here."

He sighed, "Good." Hopefully it was just an online article, otherwise he had a feeling he'd be hearing from the Auroria and Corona families before he had a chance to contact either of them himself. "Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I don't know when I would have seen it otherwise."

"Probably after King Phillip or Queen Rapunzel called you." Jane said with a grim expression.

"Probably." He agreed with a hollow chuckle. He watched Jane as she looked around the room, too tired to care what she thought about the mess. She then looked down at her watch, and back to him.

"Why don't you come have lunch with me?" She asked. "After you make whatever calls you need to to deal with this. Knowing you, you haven't eaten anything since breakfast, if you even had breakfast."

Now that she mentioned it, he hadn't eaten breakfast. He didn't even remember having dinner the night before. Without anyone to drag him to the dining hall, he'd kind of forgotten about eating. "I want to be offended, but I can't." He eyed the paperwork on his desk. Dealing with the press and royal families was going to set him back, and the sooner he finished getting through it all, the sooner he could figure out a game plan for the Isle.

But he was hungry, and being in the castle was driving him nuts, and he could already hear what his friends would say if they found out he wasn't eating properly. "Lunch sounds great." He told her. "You pick a place, and I'll make the calls."

Evie didn't like Snow's castle. In many ways, it reminded her of her mother's. Old, drafty, and full of empty rooms. At least this castle had people in it, but many of them were closed off, watching her carefully.

She could feel the judgement coming off of them, the way they'd eye her when she walked by or interact with the Charming family. Some were old enough to have worked for her mother, and she stuck out like a sore thumb.

She thought that she'd spend time with Snow while she was here, but along with being Queen, her step-sister was busy being a reporter. She was gone for most of the day coming back to have dinner, put Sascha to bed, and retreat to her and Florian's suite.

Florian tried to have conversations with Evie, but it was awkward for both of them. He did his best, she knew he did. However, despite the awkwardness, he was the one who took her around the castle, helped her set up her devices, and even helped her fill out some necessary paperwork to start an actual business, something she didn't even know she wanted until she saw the reaction the public had at Mal's dress.

Only, he was still the King of Charmington, and with the changing of High King's, he had extra work as well. Of course, being left to her own devices wasn't unusual, only this time it was in a place she wasn't familiar with and surrounded by hostiles. In that way, it felt too much like the Isle. It was one reason she ended up spending so much time with the dwarfs, down in their lively village. She enjoyed her time with them, even though they could be a bit much. Some welcomed her, such as Dopey, others she was still trying to win over, like Grumpy's family, and yet even more were indifferent, specifically Sleepy's kids.

When she wasn't there, she found herself in the courtyard with her sketchpad, like she currently was. Sandra joined her once or twice, but spent a lot of her time down in the village, helping the people with whatever they needed.

Evie would have gone down herself, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for the reception she'd receive.

She flipped open her book, turning to a new page to work on sketches for Mal's wardrobe. She doubted that Mal would let her recreate it yet, but she was dating Ben now. She was going to need new clothes sooner or later, whether she liked it or not.

Designing helped to distract her mind, and she easily lost herself in her work. She didn't even notice the setting sun until she heard the clearing of a throat, and looked up to see Snow watching her with a fond smile.

"I heard that you were out here." Snow said as a greeting, coming to sit next to her on the bench.

"I didn't miss dinner, did I?" Evie asked with a frown. She didn't think it was that late yet. She tended to keep good track of meal times.

Snow laughed softly. "No. I just... wanted to come see you." Her step-sister held out her hands, which held a book. "I found this while I was out, and thought you might enjoy it."

Evie took it, reading the title. 'Fashion Through the Ages: From Agrahabah to Atlantica.' She couldn't help but open it right then, flipping through the pages and admiring the outfits. She'd never come across anything like this on the Isle. All her fashion knowledge came from glimpses on the news.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, looking up at Snow with a smile. The older woman smiled back, almost looking relieved. A moment later, though, she looked away with a frown.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been around much this week," Snow said, folding her hands in her lap.

"It's okay." Evie told her as she pulled the book to her chest. "You have two jobs, three really, since you're a mom as well."

"No. Evie, I..." She shook her head. "I didn't know how to act around you. I still don't. I thought, I thought that maybe Grimhilde would treat you better than she ever treated me, and when it became clear that she didn't..." Snow trailed off for a moment, tilting her head back and blinking her eyes. "I felt my heart break. Because while I didn't really know anything about you, I never wanted anyone to go through that. And I wanted, want, you here. I just... don't know how we're supposed to go about this."

Her eyes were glassy when she looked back at Evie, and Evie felt her chest tighten. It was one thing for others on the Isle to know, most of them had horrible parents after all, but this was different.

"We don't have to talk about it," Evie told her, averting her gaze. "We can talk about other things, or pretend it never happened, or-"

"Honey, we can't do that." Snow interrupted, reaching out to squeeze Evie's knee. Evie prided herself on not jumping. "Some things can't be ignored."

She kept her eyes on Snow's hand, the gesture comforting as much as it was nerve wracking. "Can we ignore it for right now?" She asked softly. "I don't know if I'm ready for that, either, and I'll be back this summer."

Snow contemplated it, eventually nodding. "I suppose we could." She said, "Then what should we do now?"

"Can you tell me about Charmington?" Evie asked shyly. "Mom never really talked about the kingdom much, and I'm sure more things than just the name have changed."

Snow's hand moved, reaching for one of Evie's. She gladly held on. "I'd be happy to tell you everything you want to know. "

She still hadn't gotten used to the stars.

It seemed like such a small thing, the ability to see stars. But to Mal it was a whole other world, one that had been withheld from the VKs. Sure, they could see them from afar, but they couldn't just lay down and look up to the endless sky. Not that they hadn't tried. Mal had more than enough memories of climbing to the rooftops, just to look out, to try looking up.

"My dad says that the brightest skies are always the ones in the middle of the ocean, when there's no light for miles n' miles."

She closed her eyes, shaking the voice from her head. This was not the time to be thinking about that. Not when she was on the Corona castle roof waiting to see her brother for the first time in almost seven years.

She blamed Persephone and the Fates. The Viewing made old memories come to the surface, ones she'd rather lock away.

"Mali?"

Mal's eyes shot open with a gasp, and she scrambled to her feet. She'd barely had time to say her brother's name before she was in his arms and lifted off the ground. Her eyes squeezed shut in a failed attempt to hold back tears.

Growing up on the Isle, Hadie was the closest thing she'd had to an adult looking out for her. It wasn't like her mom was doing that, and Hades pretty much abandoned her. But from the moment Hadie revealed that they were siblings, despite them hiding their connection, he'd always been there. And when the time came that he wasn't, it wasn't by his choice.

Even though she'd started to feel safe in Auradon, to feel safe around the adults that were around, she'd forgotten what it felt like to feel completely protected. To know that nothing would happen to her as long as she was with him. She'd witnessed first hand what would happen if someone did try to hurt her, and that was when he wasn't allowed to use his magic.

Hadie set her down, pulling back and towering over her as he placed his hands on her shoulders. It didn't take her but a moment to notice him examining her, looking for any visible injuries, just as he'd done when they were younger.

"I'm fine." She told him, her voice slightly hoarse. "All injuries have healed since being in Auradon."

"I'm not entirely sure if I should believe you." He said, his own voice thick, giving her the look.

She laughed and wiped under her eyes, "That was one time!" She protested. "And it wasn't even that bad of an injury."

"Your shoulder was dislocated."

"And after your two hour lecture, I learned my lesson." She flashed him a grin, and her rolled his eyes.

His hair was a darker blue and shorter than she remembered. His skin was tanned, the same way it always was when he'd visit for the summer, the tell-tale sign that he'd been able to be out in the sun. His eyes, while bleary like her own, were still a vibrant blue.

He looked pretty much like he had the last time she'd seen him, just older and maybe a little taller.

"When did you grow up?" Hadie asked her, shaking his head. He playfully spun her and put an arm around her shoulders as she snorted.

"Mentally or physically?" She asked. They walked over to the ledge and sat down, but neither moved away from each other. "Cause I'd argue that I've been grown up for practically my entire life."

"Fair enough." He said with a short laugh. She didn't even have to look at his face to know that his eye's were dark and jaw tensed. He'd never been shy about his hatred of the Isle and how children were locked up. Especially given that he'd seen the differences between the Isle and Auradon, grew up going between them.

Now, she finally understood just what he'd told her when she was young, whenever he tried to explain Auradon.

"Gods, I can't believe you're here." Hadie said, his hold tightening some. He'd said it multiple times before, during their phone calls over the past few days. They were always brief conversations, but they'd been Mal's favorite parts of the days.

Hearing it again, however, made her frown. Or maybe it was the combination of the words and the memories that were tormenting her. "Would you have tried to get me off the Isle?" She asked quietly, looking up at him. "If Ben hadn't-"

"Yes." He interrupted. "Yes. Mal, I had backup plans for backup plans. Everything from going to Ben and asking nicely to taking you off the Isle myself and hiding you in the Underworld until I could convince you to talk to Uncle Zeus."

Mal's nose wrinkled at the suggestion, while her eyes once more filled with tears. He hadn't been planning to abandon her. Even if Ben hadn't brought them over, she would have gotten off, and with Hadie's help she'd have been able to get more off.

Hadie pulled her closer and kissed her head. "There was no way in Tartarus I was going to leave my baby sister on the Isle." He told her, "Regardless of what the consequences would have been, I'd have gotten you off. Thankfully, it turns out that King Ben is so far nothing like his father."

"He's not." Mal agreed with a soft smile, one Hadie laser focused on.

"Speaking of King Ben..."

Mal groaned, but didn't try to get out of the conversation that followed.

Being able to just sit and talk to Hadie, to catch up, to tease and trade stories, was something she didn't know she needed. For hours they sat there, until the sky started to lighten and Mal knew that they'd have to part soon.

Of course, that was when Hadie decided to ask the question they'd been dancing around.

"What happened to the Never Lost?"

His voice was quiet, gentle. It didn't matter to him that that name was now an Isle taboo. No one mentioned the Never Lost, not even those who were in it. She hadn't uttered that name in four years, and if she could, she'd pretend it never happened. But she couldn't not tell Hadie. He was part of the reason that gang had existed in the first place. He deserved to know why it fell apart.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and started the story. "It was a few years after you left. We were getting ready for a new shipment, and with how cold it was getting, we couldn't afford mistakes. Uma and I were on the same dock, near the front. We were hiding behind some old crates, more exposed than some of our other members, but nothing we hadn't done before. There's a lot I don't remember. Persephone told me it was because of the trauma. All I know is that at one point, the adult Hunter piled in, smoke bombs went off, and I was in the water while hearing laughter."

She could practically feel the freezing water against her skin, the way her lungs burned as she sunk, the muffled chortling. "I almost drowned." She said, grateful not to be looking at him. She kept her focus on the city instead. "I almost died."

"How did you get out of the water?" Hadie asked, voice laced with concern. Mal just shook her head.

"I don't know. I don't remember that part. All I remember is the cold, and waking up on the beach with Jay above me, no Uma or Harry in sight." Jay's terrified look was burned into her brain. He'd been frantic when she'd awoken, and had been wrapping her in whatever extra clothing her could find. "He managed to get me off the beach, even with all the gangs out. I'm still not sure how we weren't spotted sooner."

"Sooner?"

A ghost of smile touched her lips. "Your mom found us. Right before we reached the Clubhouse. Jay was prepared to fight her. To be honest, I think it impressed her." Persephone had done well at not reacting, but Mal could still remember how she treated Jay, as if she wasn't entirely sure what role he played but knew that he wasn't going to intentionally hurt Mal.

"She helped us. She managed to convince Jay to let her help. If it wasn't for her..." She broke off, not wanting to finish that sentence, and felt Hadie flinch.

"What happened next?"

"I poured a bag of shrimp over Uma's head." She said it with a light shrug, as if it wasn't a big deal. Although, considering the Isle of the Lost, it wasn't that out of place.

"You just went and poured shrimp over her head?" Hadie questioned, and Mal huffed.

"Okay, no, not at first. First, I woke up and actually remained awake. Then, Jay and I waited. Neither Uma nor Harry showed up after the incident, and I was upset. We waited days to hear anything from either of them. We even went to them! I thought that something had to have happened! We were going to make them talk, even if it meant having to bring in Harriet to make sure none of us left the room." Her fingers curled into a fist, "But when we got near the pirate village, I saw that our gang signs were defaced. No more 'Ruthless as the tide, cold as the sky.' Just blue waves and a red hook."

Hadie was silent while she continued, telling him about how she dragged Jay back to the Clubhouse, tracked down the spoiled shrimp, poured it over Uma's head, and declared the Never Lost gone.

"The gang split. Most of the pirates went to Uma, the rest stayed with me and Jay. We banned any mention of the old gang, and that was that. Even during the gang wars that followed the disruption never dared to mention the name."

Hadie was quiet for a few minutes, while Mal worked carefully to lock the memories back up. She opened the doors for him, and now she was done.

"Are you sure that Uma and Harry defaced the gang signs?"

She faltered, turning to look at him properly. "Who else would have?" She asked him. "If they hadn't, they'd have had someone working on them. And why didn't they come? Why was it only Jay who was there with me on that beach, there with me for days?"

"I don't know." Hadie told her, holding out his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I'm just saying that from what I remember, the four of you were close. Really close. You and Uma were practically sisters, closer than sisters."

"Apparently not." Mal said defensively, drawing her arms around herself. "She laughed, and left me to drown."

"But Jay didn't pull you out of the water."

"Then she left me to die on that beach!" Mal got up, turning away from him.

"Mal,"

"I don't want to talk about this."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Hadie said. She felt his hand on her shoulder and didn't protest when he turned her around. If it was anyone else she'd have fought, but dang it, she couldn't fight him. It'd been too long. "I'm sorry. I guess, it's just hard for me to understand, but I wasn't there." He looked regretful as he said that. "You were."

"I was." Mal said firmly. "I didn't want the Never Lost to disband." She admitted, looking down. "But that's what happened, and that's how it is now." She looked over his shoulder down at the city. Lights were beginning to come on. It was still too early for most, but they were already risking the guard spotting them.

"I have to go." Mal told him, nodding her head in that direction as explanation.

Hadie nodded, slipping back towards the shadows. The closer he got to them, the more he seemed to blend in. One of the powers she, sadly, didn't inherit.

As she was going to the ledge to climb back down to her room, Hadie called her name. "I love you." He told her, his eyes the only thing she could see.

Her throat was tight as she said, "I love you too."

And a moment later, he was gone.