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Chapter Text

The day Mal found out she and her friends would be shipped off to Auradon was a beautiful day. She was planning an especially evil prank on Uma and her little pirate crew. As soon as Uma left her mom’s shop she’d be doused in concentrated skunk stink. Perhaps today would be the day her mother says it. 

I’m proud of you, Mal.

Mal’s not sure she believes that. Nothing impresses her mother; at least, nothing she’s willing to do. As much as Maleficent encourages true evil behavior in her daughter, Mal’s mother is largely locked away in the house she shares with the Evil Queen, Cruella de Vil, and Jafar. She doesn’t see the people begging for food on the streets or the abandoned children in the makeshift orphanage. These people don’t need more to worry about. So Mal sticks to the simpler things, like embarrassing her friends (and enemies).

She’s just finished assembling her skunk bombs when her mother calls her into the living room. Everyone is gathered around the boxy television including Jay, Evie, and Carlos. The TV shows a boy about Mal’s age surrounded by reporters. His brown hair is short on the sides and slicked back at the top, his crown sitting atop it all. The boy–Prince Benjamin, son of Queen Belle and King Adam–clears his throat to quiet the reporters off camera.

“Hello all. As you know my coronation is swiftly approaching and with it my rule as your king. I’ve given a lot of thought to what my first proclamation should be,” he hesitates, looking off to the side and taking a breath. Looking back at the camera, he says, “We will be inviting a few children from the Isle of the Lost to come to Auradon and attend school here.”

The room erupts with screams and cackles but quiets down as Ben begins speaking again.

“The children I’ve selected are the children of Cruella de Vil, Jafar, the Evil Queen, and Maleficent.”

The room is silent for a second as the words process, then all the adults are shouting at each other, each with a different opinion they must express. Mal looks at her friends. They all seem shell shocked. 

“Carlos won’t survive in Auradon!” Cruella says as she hugs her son close to her chest. Carlos himself looks terrified.

“Oh, he’ll be fine,” Maleficent scowls back.

The Evil Queen turns to Evie and speaks in hushed tones about castles and princes and Jafar has taken to arguing with Cruella about the opportunities Auradon presents.

“Mal,” Maleficent says in a tone that Mal hasn’t heard before. “It’s time to get our revenge.”

Mal nods, already seeing the potential. Magic is suppressed on the Isle, but if she goes to Auradon she’ll have magic.

Maleficent grabs her shoulders, her nails digging in. “You’re going to retrieve Fairy Godmother’s wand and use it to destroy the barrier surrounding the Isle. Don’t let me down.”

Maleficent turns to the others and they quiet down. She’s always had that commanding presence that Mal can only hope to imitate one day. 

“They’re all going, even Carlos.” She gives Cruella a sharp look. “You all will find Fairy Godmother’s wand and take down the barrier for good.”

There’s an unspoken ‘or else’ there that Mal has grown accustomed to. 

The moment is interrupted by a knocking at the window. A white dove with a rolled up paper at its feet pecks impatiently at the window. The window squeals from disuse as Jafar pushes it open and grabs the paper. The dove seems to roll its eyes–as much as a bird can do so–and takes flight. 

Maleficent grabs the paper and reads it aloud:

“His Royal Highness Crown Prince Benjamin formally invites Evelyn, Carlos, Jay, and Mallory to attend the Auradon Preparatory School during this school year. Bla, bla, bla. Please meet the royal limousine at the Isles launch point this Thursday at noon.”

The paper is passed around the room as each adult snatches it from the last. Mal nods her head toward the hall and the children gather in the small kitchen.

“Check in?” Mal says, looking around at wary faces.

“Scared, mostly,” Carlos says, looking at the floor. Jay puts an arm over his shoulders and Carlos buries his face in Jay’s chest.

“We’ll look out for each other,” Evie puts a hand on Carlos’ back and looks at Mal, as if silently asking: what now?

“We have a few days before they arrive, pack up your essentials and say goodbye… I guess.” Mal has never been good at comforting people, especially Carlos. He’s a few years younger than her and seems to jump at his own shadow. Despite this, he turns away from Jay and gives Mal a determined nod. 

In the following days, Mal grabs her favorite leather jackets and boots as well as a few spray cans, for mischief purposes. Evie takes her most recent sketchbook and some of her favorite outfits she’d made recently, as well as a large bag of accessories. Jay and Carlos both take some clothes but not much else.

Before they leave, Maleficent pulls Mal aside and gives her a book which was likely once regal and decadent but has been well used and wears the dust and dirt of a long life.

“My spellbook,” is all Maleficent says before she shoos them all out of the house.

Watching the magical bridge between the Isle and Auradon is like nothing Mal has ever seen. The road itself is a glittering gold that seems to move as you watch, with archways made of the same material placed periodically in a facsimile of structural supports. The limousine is shiny black, and pristine as it pulls up to the awaiting group. The driver gets out and introduces himself before opening the door for the kids to climb in. The inside is all clean black leather and smells sour in a way Mal’s never smelled before. 

“What are those?” Jay asks, looking at a tray toward the back. Mal grabs a brown cube from the tray and it starts melting in her fingers.

“Chocolates, I think.”

Carlos dives in, shoving a few pieces in his mouth. “This is good, I’ve never had chocolate before.” 

“Swallow before you talk Carlos, we don’t want to see chocolate guts in your mouth.” There isn’t any malice in Evie’s voice. She’s always been rather motherly towards the rest of them.

Carlos mutters a sorry through some newly shoved in chocolate and Evie rolls her eyes and resists smiling.

“You kids ready?” The driver has returned to his seat and started up the car. He starts driving before any of them can answer.

The barrier hits Mal like a truck. It’s as if she’s been plunged into freezing water. When she recovers, there’s a hand on her shoulder. Evie is looking at her, a crease between her eyebrows. 

“Are you okay?” Her voice is low.

“Yeah, just recovering from passing through the barrier,” Mal tries to laugh it off but her friends exchange worried glances. “What?”

 Jay won’t stop staring at Mal. “Well… none of us felt the barrier, and it looked like you fainted.”

“What? I’m fine, it’s just a headache.” Mal turns away from the group, dismissing any other comments.

As much as she’d like to ignore it, a pit forms in Mal’s stomach. Her head is still throbbing so she looks out the window at the waves, trying her best to ignore the eyes on her back.

When they arrive at the castle, a crowd is gathered around the road. At the front is Prince Benjamin, smiling diplomatically. As she stands from the limousine, Mal sways violently, bracing on the car behind her. When she finally regains her balance Evie is looking at her with that look again, like she wants to say something. Mal walks forward, decidedly ignoring her friend’s worries, and approaches the prince. He’s quite a bit shorter than she expected, a few inches shorter than herself. His hair is far messier than it had been on the TV and his eyes are a similar warm brown. The crown has been exchanged for a simple circlet. He looks at her for a second before smiling perhaps the broadest smile Mal has ever seen. She resists flinching at the sight.

“Hello and welcome to Auradon. It is an honor to have you all here.”–Jay snorts at that. Ben ignores him–”You’ll be shown to your rooms shortly, if you have any questions please feel free to ask me or one of the staff.”

He ends his brief speech with a slight bow over which Mal sees two women approaching. One looks to be around Mal’s age while the other appears much older. The young one hooks her arm around Benjamin’s. She offers a sickly sweet smile, “I’m Audrey, daughter of Sleeping Beauty.” Her eyes seem to flash as she says it. “I’m Ben’s girlfriend.”

Mal can feel the malice coming off of the girl in waves. She takes a step back as the second woman introduces herself.

“Hello, dears. I’m Fairy Godmother, but you can call me Ms. Judith.” Her eyes rove over the group, searching for something. “I’ll be one of your teachers here at Auradon Prep. Please follow me to your rooms.”

As the group walks through the castle, Fairy Godmother points out the different rooms: entrance hall, cafeteria, ball room, and many more that Mal immediately forgets. By the time they finally reach their rooms, Mal can’t really feel her legs.

“These will be your rooms. This will be Carlos and Jay’s and that will be Evie and Mal’s. I’ll leave you to get settled.” Fairy Godmother scurries off leaving the four to explore their new rooms.

Evie enters their room first and gasps. Mal follows quickly, both out of curiosity and a need to sit down. The room is large to say the least. There are two four poster beds with a large window between. The room domes upwards with wood panel detailing and a large chandelier at the center. Evie looks at Mal with that smile she gets when she’s holding in her excitement.

“This is gorgeous! I call this bed.” She jumps onto the left bed. It has floral detailing on the uppermost blanket and translucent dark blue curtains. The other bed has similar patterning but in a pink scheme.

“Do you think I can get them to change the color?” Mal asks.

“Probably,” Evie laughs.

Chapter Text

The first day of class brings a variety of challenges. The first is the people. Despite Ben’s endless supply of smiles, the sentiment doesn’t seem too popular in the student body. Audrey is particularly eager to sneer at them given the opportunity. During breakfast, after being refused by many largely empty tables they settle on eating outside their first class. It’s here that Prince Ben finds them.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“Who’s asking?” Jay says with a snarl. 

Ben looks around the group, each member sporting a different mixture of wariness and aggression on their face. “Sorry about the students. Some of them are a bit wary about having the children of villains here. But not to worry! I’m sure they’ll see how awesome you guys are soon enough!”

The group stares at Ben.

“That’s funny.” Mal says, returning to her food.

Ben sighs. “Just… tell me if they’re bothering you. I’m kind of in charge around here.”

He smirks and hurries off before any of them can make fun of him. 

“You know,” Evie pauses. “It wouldn’t be a bad thing to get Ben on our side.”

“Seems he’s made the choice for us,” Mal snickers, glancing in the direction the prince went.

“I mean really on our side. Like befriend him. It will make our lives easier and it’ll help us get to Fairy Godmother’s wand.” 

The group ponders this before Mal says, “That’s a good idea. Get close to the people in power, gain power yourself.”

“Besides he seems like a nice guy,” Carlos chimes in.

“Fine,” Jay says.

Soon enough Fairy Godmother finds them and announces their first class: Goodness 101. Jay snorts and Mal elbows him, smiling. They learn the most basic things that any decent human would know. It’s a bit insulting. After all, you have to understand morals to ignore them. Mal recalls lessons with her mother on how to be the most evil she could be. It’s crucial to understand your enemy, to know where to strike to make it hurt. Best to start learning Auradon’s weaknesses now.

Mal answers most of the questions during class. Some she gets wrong on purpose, just to keep things interesting. Jay answers a few, all correct. Evie is surprisingly quiet. Carlos is characteristically so.

“That’s all for right now,” Fairy Godmother says. “I’d like to hear from all of you next time.” She gives Evie and Carlos a meaningful look before beaming at Mal.  “And well done Mallory, I can tell you’re really trying.”

The rest of the day follows a similar pattern. They’re separated from the rest of the students for classes, mostly to help them catch up. Most kids had gone to school before Auradon and received basic education there. Evie remains quiet during classes despite the fact that they all knew her mother taught her much the same as Auradon kids.

 After classes, they retire to their rooms.

“Why don’t you answer Fairy Godmother’s questions?” Mal asks. Her headache has improved since yesterday although it’s still present.

“Didn’t she say to call her Ms. Judith?” Evie is working on one of their worksheets, easily answering questions that Mal knew she would struggle with when she got around to it. 

She scrunches her face at Evie’s response. “Stop avoiding the question.”

“I guess I’m just too bored to answer.” 

“Oh come on. I know that’s a lie.”

Evie glances at Mal, hard ice in her gaze. Sometimes pushing Evie to talk when she doesn’t want to is like poking a stick at a tiger, so Mal backs off and changes the subject. Eventually, the boys join them in their room and they all work on homework together, although Evie is already almost done so she takes to sketching up a new outfit.

The next few days are much the same and Mal begins to wonder if Evie really is just bored in class. After Basic Math she drags Evie up to Fairy Godmother, who, as it turns out, teaches all their classes, and asks if she can take more advanced classes. Fairy Godmother hesitates but agrees, noting Evie’s perfect scores on their homework assignments. And so a test day is arranged to place Evie in class with the rest of the Auradon kids. She still starts and ends her days with her friends in Goodness classes. 

During one particularly boring homework session, a thought occurrs to Mal.

“Jay, Carlos, why don’t we ever do this in your room. I don’t think me and Eves have even seen it.”

“Eves and I,” Jay corrects, looking horribly smug. 

Mal throws one of her harder pillows at him before asking again. “Evie and I have not been in your room. Why?”

“It’s just easier this way. You know Carlos and I aren’t the neatest people.” 

Jay was very obviously lying. Mal raises an eyebrow before getting up and walking toward the door to find out for herself. She throws open Jay and Carlos’ door to a symphony of pleading and begging from both of them. Inside is a room similar to hers with the exception of a huge flat screen TV and a strange glass cylinder in the center of the room.

“What is this?” Mal walks forward poking the cylinder.

“Careful!” Jay pushes her hand off. “It’s a 3D printer. It’s fragile.”

“You guys have a 3D printer in your bedroom…” Evie says from her position leaning on the door frame.

“Fine. Yes we do. You can use it if you want,” Jay sulks. 

“And the TV?”

“It’s for video games.” Carlos walks over, pressing the on button. The TV lights up with some fighting game.

“This is bullshit. Evie and I want a TV.”

“We can all use their TV,” Evie says in a way that’s meant to be placating but only makes the boys sulk.

“Don’t worry losers, we won’t use it often."

Chapter Text

It’s a week into school when Mal’s headaches start getting worse. Mal is awoken by Evie humming as she chooses her outfit for the day. This in itself is normal, Evie spends an hour choosing her clothes and make-up each morning while Mal tends to wake up 15 minutes before they all set off for breakfast and throw on whatever is convenient. This morning, the sunlight shining in seems to carve into Mal’s eyes and Evie’s humming makes her head throb. She puts an arm over her eyes to help the light but the pressure on her head just makes the ache worse. She groans and turns to the clock on her bedside table. It reads 6:30, half an hour before she usually crawls out of bed.

“Evie, can you close the curtains? My head hurts.”

Evie looks over at Mal, who’s curled into the fetal position under her covers. “Are you ok?”

“Fine.”

Evie walks over to Mal and places a hand on her forehead. No fever. She closes the curtains and resigns herself to a basic makeup look for the day. Something she could do with her eyes closed (or in low light). At 7, she sits on the edge of Mal’s bed and brushes some hair away from her face. Mal’s eyebrows knit together and she squints her eyes open.

“It’s time to get up. How are you feeling?” It comes out gently, like a mother consoling her sick child.

“Wonderful.” Mal’s prone to sarcasm when she’s not feeling well. Regardless, she sits up and tries to stand before falling back down. She shakes out her hands, trying to chase away the pins and needles. Trying again results in much the same. “I feel like my legs are weak.” Mal falls back on the bed, looking at the ceiling through the translucent drapes over her bed, and sighs.

Evie ponders this. “Have you been working out the past few days? That can cause muscle fatigue and unsteadiness.”

“No? You know I haven’t.”

“I know. I’m just– trying to think.”

The door crashes open, signalling Jay and Carlos’ entry and causing Mal to wince. Evie quickly shushes the newcomers as they gather around Mal’s bed. Mal pushes her palms into her eyes despite the pain, not wanting to look at her friends' concerned faces.

“Maybe you should stay here, we’ll tell Fairy Godmother that you’re not feeling well.” Evie says gently.

Mal groans. “I said I’m fine. I just need a minute.”
Mal’s friends exchange worried looks. She’s always been a bit stubborn regarding her own wellbeing, with a tendency to push herself too hard then crash when her body inevitably fights back.

“I can tell you’re worrying. Stop it. I’m fine,” Mal says from under her hands.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Evie smirks. “If you can make it from your bed to mine without wobbling or using anything to stabilize yourself, then you can go to class.”

“Easy.” Mal sits up, staring down Evie’s bed. She slowly gets up and takes about two steps before stumbling. Evie is by her side in a second.

“That didn’t count,” Mal counters.

“Yes it did.”

“But I–” Evie’s face holds no room for argument.

“Get some rest. Jay will take notes for you.”

Mal can hear the beginning of a complaint from Jay before Evie shushes him.

After her friends leave for class, Mal tries to sleep more, but rest evades her. Instead she elects to plot their inevitable theft of Fairy Godmother’s wand. This begins with methods for locating it. Evie brought her mother’s magic mirror which may be helpful but it’s with Evie in class, a place Mal has been banned from going for the day. Fairy Godmother’s son also attends Auradon Prep. Mal considers ways of tricking him into asking for the wand. He seems shy and self conscious from what she’d seen from afar. He’s a bit younger, maybe Carlos’ age, and he doesn’t appear to have any close friends and isn’t in any sports. Mal makes a mental list of possible insecurities. Something about all this scheming makes her stomach turn, although perhaps that’s related to her headaches and dizziness. Her mind wanders to Ben. He might be useful, though how exactly remains unclear. Mal’s mind wanders to the smile he always gives them, so genuine. If she didn’t know better she might believe he trusts them.

A knock disturbs Mal’s wanderings. As if summoned by Maleficent herself, Ben pops his head in the room.

“I heard you weren’t feeling well.”

“From who?”

Ben just smiles. “Evie told me when I asked where you were.”

“I didn’t know you cared about my attendance.”

Ben laughs at this, stepping in and leaning against the door frame. “Yes, well, it is part of the agreement that’s keeping you in Auradon. As much as I’d love to set you all on the innocent citizens of my kingdom, that wouldn’t be very kingly.”

Mal hadn’t taken Ben as a sarcastic person, interesting. It’s only common sense that he doesn’t trust them. Mal certainly wouldn’t. But, then again, maybe her opinion is skewed by her own knowledge of their plans…

“Are you ok?” Ben’s brow furrows.

“I’m fine,” Mal lies. Her head still aches and her arms and legs feel weak even as she sits in her bed.

Ben looks Mal up and down, evidently not believing her. “If you’re fine, then shouldn’t you be in class?”

It was bait. Mal’s used to these kinds of questions. But she’s exhausted and maybe a little grumpy. So instead of playing along, she grinds out, “I tried.”

Ben considers this. “Do you know what’s wrong?”

A genuine question.

“If I did, I probably wouldn’t be stuck here.”

Ben smiles again. It almost feels genuine.

“If you need anything just call.” And he’s gone, closing the door silently behind him.

Belatedly, Mal realizes that she could have used this encounter to gain information. She chooses to blame this failing on how awful she feels.

Chapter Text

Goodness class without Mal is… interesting. Jay answers most questions but Carlos has gained some confidence in the past week and has started answering a few of the easier ones. He seems to like it in Auradon. Evie squints at the chalkboard. She can make out a few words but the more she looks the blurrier things get. Most questions are written on the board and Evie can’t bring herself to ask for them to be read out. Realistically, she knows Ms. Judith would understand, but the idea of sharing this flaw makes her freeze up. So she keeps her head down and does her work outside of class. Her mother’s fragment of magic mirror proves helpful when she’s called on, as her English teacher loves to do. She usually only uses it to discreetly zoom in on the board, but every so often there’s a question she doesn’t know and it comes in handy then as well. 

Her classes away from Mal, Jay, and Carlos are lonelier, with most students giving all of them the cold shoulder. However, a few people stand out. The first is Chad Charming, devilishly handsome but not the brightest in the bunch. One of her mother’s wishes is for her to find a prince with a castle and he is number one on the list. Her attempts at getting his attention thus far have been less than successful. Today, she’d pull out all the stops.

“Hi, Chad,” she giggles as she sits down next to him. Step One: appear as non-threatening as possible. Ditzy, bubbly, the whole shebang. 

“Hey, Evie.” He tosses his hair, sandy blond with a loose curl.

“What are you doing after class today?” Evie bats her eyelashes like her mother taught her. This question goes against Step Two: accept his advances but don’t initiate your own, lest you’re seen as pushy. However, she’s getting impatient and maybe she’s not the best at seducing princes. 

“We’ve got Tourney tryouts.”

He really isn’t going to give her anything. “Do you wanna meet up afterward? Hang out?”

There’s a hint of… something in his eye. Chad’s hard to read, ok?

“Meet me under the bleachers beforehand.” He smiles at her.

Yes. This is it. Her prince (and castle) are just around the corner. 

The other notable character is Dianne, daughter of Dopey the Dwarf. She’s a few inches shorter than Evie with thick rimmed square glasses on a roundish face. Her brown hair is almost always tucked into a bun, though never a neat one. Evie likes Dianne. She’s smart, down to Earth, and doesn’t mind talking to the daughter of a villain. In moments of weakness, Evie wishes she could have Dianne’s life, without the stress of being a villain kid and her mother’s expectations. From her stories, Dopey sounds like an understanding and relaxed father. Of course, Evie always comes to her senses; she wouldn’t give up her friends for the world. Dianne and her sit together in most of their classes, and they fend off the loneliness as a team.

When Evie tells her of her plans with Chad, Dianne hesitates. “Are you sure? Chad’s not the… well… I guess I’m just surprised you’re going for him .” 

“Chad is perfect. He’s got exactly what I’m looking for in a prince.”

“And that is?”

“Money, mostly. The family castle doesn’t hurt though.”

Dianne looks over at Chad. He’s sitting across the room flirting with (and being ignored by) Audrey. “What about how you feel?”

Evie sighs. “It hardly matters. I need a wealthy prince. It’s not like I can support myself.”

“Well, why can’t you?”

“Well I- I wouldn’t even know how. I don’t have the skills.”

“Yes you do,” Dianne counters easily. “I’ve known you for a week and you’ve proved to be incredibly intelligent.”

Evie blushes and turns away. “We should focus on class,” she says without looking back at Dianne.

There’s a sigh, but the subject is dropped.

Evie stands under the bleachers waiting for Chad. She’s not sure what she expected, but tardiness isn’t it. 

“Hey.”

She jumps at the voice before putting on her best princess smile. “Hi Chad.”

This close she can see flecks of gold in his brown eyes. They dance in the sunlight filtering through the bleachers. 

“I’m so glad you agreed to meet. I noticed how well you do in class.”

Evie falters. Smarts weren’t supposed to be part of her wooing, but, if he’s interested, she supposed it didn’t hurt.

“So… I was thinking you could do my homework?” He shoves his bag into her arms “Thanks.”

He winks at her and strolls away.

So much for the perfect prince…

Then Dianne is there, sitting backwards in the bleachers head resting on her forearms, “Ouch.” She doesn’t sound particularly upset. “So… are you gonna do his homework in hopes that he falls in love with your free labor?”

Evie drops the backpack, feeling irritation crawling up her spine. “It’s fine. So he wasn’t the one, big deal.” 

“What if you just hold off on the whole prince finding thing. You’ve got enough on your plate already, what with double the homework,” she laughs.

“I’m not doing his homework.” Evie storms off. She meant to stay and support Jay and Carlos at tryouts but she needs to move, ideally away from annoying people.

Chapter Text

Jay’s not quite sure why he’s trying out for Tourney. Maybe because Ben recommended it and they’re trying to be friends with him. Or maybe because Carlos seemed excited by the idea. He could never say no to Carlos, he was like the younger brother Jay never had. So here he was, putting on practice pads on a field with far too many princes. He knows the basics of the game; every once in a while Auradon would air a game for the Isles to watch. Hold the ball with the net stick, get to the other side. Simple enough.

They’re put into temporary teams, Jay doesn’t recognize anyone and they don’t seem to care about him much either. Works for me. He’s always been better off on his own anyways. 

The whistle sounds and he takes off. Running is nice, especially on the manicured field. It reminds him of running through the crowded streets as a kid, probably after he stole something. Eventually he gets the ball and goes for it. His fighting skills from the Isle serve him well as he dodges and shoulders his way through the opposing team. One guy comes a bit too close and gets the butt end of Jay’s stick in his stomach. He makes the goal easily, as well as many enemies based on how the rest of the guys look at him. Shit. They’re supposed to be laying low and making friends. Another whistle cuts through the air and the coach walks up to him. 

“Jay, right?”

“Yeah,” Jay winces, he’s probably gonna be yelled at.

“You’ve got some talent there. Stick around after and let's talk.” 

Jay stares. He ends up making the team. So does Carlos, but only as a reserve. After the results are announced, the coach pulls him aside and hands him a booklet.

“The rules. Read ‘em, will ya?”

He gives Jay a firm pat and walks away. 

The first thing they do back at their rooms is check on Mal, who reacts with the grace one would expect. 

“Leave me alone. I’m fine and you guys stink.”

Jay rolls his eyes. “I’m sure you can deal with us.”

Evie is in the room as well, quietly working on her homework. Although, she does acknowledge them as they enter.

“We made the team,” Jay says in an effort to lift the mood.

“The Tourney team?” Evie asks.

“Did Ben make the team?” Mal interjects.

“Of course he did. Why do you care?” Jay counters.

Mal goes quiet for a moment. “I think he’ll be useful for our plans.”

Right. The plans. Jay sits down next to Mal on her bed, to much protest. 

“Evie.” Mal is sitting up now, “You’re mother’s mirror, it can find things right?”

“Yeah… why?”

“Things like Fairy Godmother’s wand?”

Understanding dawns in Evie’s eyes. The room seems to hold its breath as she pulls the mirror out of her bag. She stands from her own desk and sits on Mal’s other side, where the other three crowd around her.

“Mirror mirror in my hand, where is Fairy Godmother’s wand… in this land?”

The others snicker at the awful rhyme scheme, but it doesn’t matter. The mirror shows the wand resting on a pedestal inside a display. 

“Zoom out,” Evie whispers and the mirror shifts to reveal a building: the Museum of Fairytale Artifacts.

“So that’s where we go,” Mal says resolutely.

“But not tonight,” Evie quickly adds, before Mal gets any ideas. “We want you at your best for this.” 

“Fine. Then everyone better rest up, tomorrow will be a big day.”

As Jay returns to his and Carlos’ room, his thoughts linger on Tourney and what could have been.

Chapter Text

The day of the heist starts fine. Classes go as planned. Ben comes and bothers the group during lunch, something about how proud he is of their progress. It maybe only slightly affects the overall mood. The group sits in Jay and Carlos’ room after class waiting for the museum to close. Jay and Carlos play some racing game. Mal is tempted to make them stop and focus but there isn’t much to focus on. Evie is sketching and Mal keeps zoning out no matter how hard she tries to focus on their upcoming heist. Her head hasn’t quite cleared since yesterday but she’s not about to admit that, much less let it get in the way of her mission.

They wait until far past closing time, hoping to run into as few people as possible. Mal has prepared a temporary sleeping potion for any guards they might run into. This is it.

The museum is eerily quiet. Mal’s brain seems to kick into overtime as they creep along, coming up with everything she hadn’t done and every way this could go disastrously wrong. She thinks of the potential of security cameras and the fact that they didn’t scout out the layout to actually find the wand. They’re essentially running in blind. Fortunately, they find the security guard watching the cameras and give him a solid dose of the potion. Hopefully the footage won’t be looked over. While they did have the foresight to wear clothes and masks that disguise their identities, who knows what kind of technology or magic Auradon has. They only run into one other guard who is efficiently put to sleep. The first hurdle is entirely unexpected. 

Mal nearly screams when she sees her. Her mother. Or what looks like her. The room is titled “The Villain Room” and it holds statues of dozens of villains along its circular walls. Maleficent stands on a podium in the middle, one hand held to the sky as if summoning down lightning from the heavens. Mal freezes. Her head spins. Somewhere in there she knows this isn’t her mother but it doesn’t seem to matter. Her breathing devolves into shallow, gasping breaths. Her mother’s voice echoes around her: “You’re weak.”

Her eyes sting as she tries not to cry. Crying only ever made it worse. 

“What a pathetic use of a daughter.”

Her knees give out and hit the floor hard.

“And to think, you could have been so great.”

Everything blurs together, all she can hear is her heart racing and her mother’s voice.

“What a waste.”

Mal claws at the fabric of her sleeves and pulls the hood of her jacket down over her face. It’s just so much. There are other noises but Mal isn’t listening. Then there’s a hand on her shoulder and Mal can just barely hear Evie’s voice through it all.

“Mal- Mal are you okay?” More noise, indistinguishable. “We have to get out of here. Please get up.”

With Evie’s help Mal manages to get up. At least running distracts from that horrible, choking feeling. Mal vaguely registers Jay saying he handled the security cameras. They make it out of the museum. There are alarms going off. They keep running. There are flashes of trees and leaves under foot but Mal can’t seem to figure out where they are. She’s so dizzy. 

Mal wakes up a few hours later. It’s still dark outside, but it’s blissfully quiet. Evie is sitting next to her drinking something out of a mug. She offers Mal a similar mug when she notices she’s awake. The liquid is leafy and bitter and Mal sputters on it. 

“What is this?”

“Chamomile tea. It’s good for you.”

“It tastes like grass.”

“It helps with sleep. Drink it.”

“How long was I asleep?”

“A few hours.”

“What happened?”

Evie stops. “What do you remember?”

“I remember going in… and the villain room. After that it’s a blur.”

“We didn’t notice you’d stopped right away. When I realized I came back and saw you sitting there. It looked like you were having a panic attack.” 

Mal takes another sip to avoid Evie's concerned eyes. 

“I think Jay and Carlos found the wand and tried to take it. But they set off an alarm. Stupid boys,” she mutters. “Then we ran. Jay apparently did something to the camera system but I didn’t ask what. They didn’t get the wand.”

“I kind of figured.”

“What happened in that room?”

“It was nothing.” Mal turns to set the cup down on her bedside table. “We should get some sleep, we still have class tomorrow.”

“Are we even going?”

Mal considers this. What do they do now? Will they have another chance to steal the wand? Did Mal ruin their only opportunity?

“Mal?” Evie puts a hand on her shoulder.

“I- I don’t know.”

Mal feels like crying. And maybe digging her own grave. 

“How about we get some sleep and reconvene in the morning.” Evie smooths down Mal’s hair and kisses her temple before going to her own bed. Mal looks down to see her pajamas.

“Thank you.” Mal couldn’t imagine her life without Evie. She’s always been there when Mal felt like the world was ending. Always calming her down with her silky voice. How can Mal ever repay her for all that she’s done? How do you repay someone who’s saved your life many times over? These thoughts plague her mind as she drifts off. 

Chapter Text

The peculiarity of Ben’s time as King started long before he assumed the crown. For one, he wasn’t born a prince; he was born Princess Bethany, daughter of Queen Belle and King Adam. Ben never was a very good “girl”, he always ended up playing in the mud and looking for bugs with Lonnie, as opposed to whatever family roleplay Audrey and her friends were doing. He envied Lonnie for the freedom her parents gave her. Ben realized that he was different from Audrey and Lonnie at around 7 years old. His parents found out almost immediately. Ben had never been one to keep his opinions and thoughts to himself. After some hesitation, he began his transition. Thus, the public was only vaguely aware of his transness. He preferred it this way, far less complicated. All of this being said, Ben is no stranger to the unconventional, choosing to embrace it in hopes of starting positive change, specifically surrounding the Isle of the Lost.

When breakfast with his parents is interrupted by news that there was an attempt to steal Fairy Godmother’s wand, his first thought is: I’m fucked.

His parents weren’t exactly rearing at the bit to let the children of villains into Auradon. His trust in those he’d invited was an extension of his parents' trust in him. Ben’s father immediately starts giving orders to apprehend the villain kids for questioning, but at a hand from his wife, he stops.

“This was Ben’s decision. He needs to decide what to do.” The look she gives Ben is a flashing warning sign but all he can feel is relief that he’d have some control over what happens next. 

“Do we have the security camera footage from last night?” Ben asks.

“Whoever it was smashed the computers but we might be able to salvage the memory cards,” Joel, one of the guards who’d informed them of the break in, says.

“Please get them to me as soon as possible.”

He looks back to his mother for feedback. Her face softens slightly; she approves. Good.

While he waits on the memory card retrieval, Ben decides to do a little snooping. It’s technically breakfast time so he decides to go find his prime suspects.

They aren’t outside their first class, where they normally eat breakfast, so he wanders toward the dining hall. With no luck in the hall or at the  outside picnic benches, he decides they must have overslept. He’s surprised to find the door to Mal and Evie’s bedroom ajar. He really should make his presence known, but these are suspects, so he makes an exception and listens in. The first voice he hears surprises him: Dianne.

“I know being here is stressful, what with all the other students’ behavior but I’m here for you. All of you, not just Evie. I know I may have pushed too hard the other day so I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I have been really stressed. I guess we all have. But I know you have my best interest at heart.” This is Evie.

“Always.”

“Ya know Eves,” Mal says, “Dianne is right. Don’t worry about that prince bullshit. You’re probably the smartest, most talented person I know. If the guy you like can’t see that, he’s not worth it.”

“I mean Chad definitely saw something,” Dianne scoffs. This garners a small laugh from Evie.

“You deserve way better than Chad,” Jay says, though it sounds somewhat muffled. Are they eating breakfast here?

At this point, Ben decides to make his presence known.

“Hey guys,” he says cheerily, peeking his head around the door.

Everyone but Dianne seems to freeze.

“Hi Ben,” Dianne says, oblivious to the definitely not guilty behavior of her companions. “What’s up?”

“Not much, just heard chatting and was curious.” The four relax slightly. “Why are you guys eating breakfast in your room?”

Evie and Mal look at each other, some silent conversation passing between them. Mal finally rolls her eyes and Evie addresses Ben, “Mal’s not feeling well, so we’re eating here today.”

“Still?” Ben recalls their conversation two days ago.

“It got better yesterday but I had a… rough night last night.”

“Ok–” They’re definitely guilty. “–Try not to push yourself too hard, ok?” Consider: avoid robbing museums.

“Mal doesn’t know how to do that,” Carlos says. This earns a glare from Mal, which seems to have very little effect on Carlos.

“I’ll be fine. In fact, I’m feeling good enough to go to class today.” Mal sets her plate aside and stands up from where she was sitting on the bed. Everyone seems to hold their breath as she stands there, gaze focussed on Evie’s bed across the room. Noticing the silence, Mal sighs. “I’m really fine. The food helped.” 

Evie continues to glance at Mal worriedly. Even Ben can tell she’s leaning against the side of the mattress, but no one pushes it. Some things are best left alone, he supposes.

“Well, it’s almost time for class, so I’m gonna get going.” Dianne grabs her bag and stands. “See you guys later.” 

“We should go too,” Jay says. 

Taking that as his cue, Ben says his goodbyes and returns to his rooms where one of the assistants is waiting with the acquired memory chips.

Making sure he has privacy for the next few hours, he begins with the entrance footage to isolate a time frame. At 1 am, four figures enter the building, dressed in largely black clothes with masks to cover their faces. They dose the first security guard they saw with some kind of liquid in a vial. Ben sorts through the different poisons he knows. The guards woke up an hour or so later, so nothing lethal. There’s also the possibility of a potion, a subject with which Ben is less familiar. The group travels like they don’t know where they’re going, circling back on themselves multiple times. When the group passes the villain exhibit one of them stops, looking at the center platform. Mal. The figure wears a hood that obscures their face from above, but there’s no doubt in Ben’s mind. After a minute, Ben turns to check that the footage is still rolling. But before he does, they collapse to their knees and start shaking their head and grabbing at their clothes. There’s no sound to the video but Ben can almost hear their choked sobs. Then the alarms sound and another figure runs to the collapsed one. There’s desperation in their movements. His own anxiety stirs in his stomach and he exits the video. He sits, considering. 

He opens the footage of the wand display. The two others arrive around 1:30 in the room. There’s a minute or two of muted deliberation between the two before the larger one tries to grab the wand. Unsurprisingly, he’s jolted back by the magical force field. The alarm sounds and they start running. Ben tracks their route out, if just to buy himself more time to think. When they reach the security room near the entrance the larger one smashes the computers. 

Ben sits, unsure of his next move. He could tell his parents, have the kids sent back to the Isle. He should. But he’s watched them during these weeks. He’s seen them change. If he sends them back, that would be the end of the program. All those kids… trapped on the Isle of the Lost… forever. Then he thinks of Mal. Sending her back. Sending any of them back. 

He shuts the computer and disconnects the memory chip. He’ll say the data was corrupted. No one will question him. Because he’s the King now… He steadies his breath. 

It’s not treason if I’m the one doing it, right? 

He stands, bracing on the desk. It was time to face his parents.

Chapter Text

The day after their failed museum heist is perhaps the worst so far. Mal wakes up with a pounding in her head that just won’t go away. She lets Evie fuss over her and even concedes to breakfast in their room. Jay, Carlos, and—to her surprise—Dianne join them for a quiet breakfast. Dianne doesn’t mention the museum or the break in so it’s safe to assume word hadn’t reached the public. Their peace is, of course, ruined by a certain prince's appearance. Mal can never seem to get a break in this damn castle. The whole group winces as he appears, but he doesn’t mention the break in either. Whether he knows about it is still unclear. 

“Try not to push yourself too hard.” There’s a tilt to his lips that makes Mal’s pulse spike. Does he know? How could he not? But Jay took care of the security footage. But who else would break in and try to steal the wand? Do they even know that’s what they were after? Mal has always taken pride in her poker face but she can safely say she has no clue what Ben sees when he looks at her with that scrutinizing gaze.

Thankfully, he follows when Dianne leaves for class. Mal insists that she attend class that day. The last thing they need is one of their crew suspiciously out sick the day after an attempt to steal the wand. Classes are fine but Mal finds herself continually zoning out, thinking about the day before. She’s sure the news will spread like wildfire throughout the day, likely ending with the four of them re-banished to the Isles. When they get out of their final class to zero upheaval, Mal grows suspicious. There’s no way the security guards didn’t notice the smashed computers and tripped alarm. Someone is covering for them. They weren’t exactly subtle during the break in. Who all knows about it? Is Ben behind this? Is it the King and Queen? How much of the staff are in on it? What if they’re just gathering evidence to convict them on even larger charges and give them a punishment worse than banishment? Mal snaps back as Evie places a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Are you sure you want to go watch the practice? I’m sure Jay and Carlos wouldn’t mind if you stayed and rested.”

“I’m fine. Just distracted,” Mal returns. Her headache hasn’t improved and it’s hard to think like this. “Let’s go.”

Evie pauses before relenting: “Okay.”

The practice is uneventful. Mal wants to pay attention and support the boys but the sun is beating down unabashedly and she can feel her pulse in her head. Ben’s also there, no important royal meetings. Is everything already resolved? Or at least decided? The team runs around for an hour and a half before they finally call it a day and Mal can seek solace in her air conditioned room. Jay and Carlos hang out for a while after they shower, chatting quietly about this and that, as if the break in never even happened. Eventually Mal snaps:

“Why aren’t we talking about it?” It comes out louder than she planned and all three wince.

Evie turns to her, cautiously, “Talk about what?”

Mal can tell none of them want to discuss it, but that only makes her push harder. 

“We failed.” She feels the reality of her words settle around her friends. “We had one chance and we failed.”

Mal sighs. She feels exhausted.

“No one’s said anything… Why?” Carlos asks.

She puts her head in her hands. It’s all too much. 

“We don’t know.” Evie answers, her voice shaky.

“Look,” this is Jay. “No one said we had to get it in one. If no one has said anything, maybe no one noticed?”

Mal barks out a laugh. “You smashed the computers.”

Jay looks a bit guilty at that.

“Okay,” Evie says evenly. She’s going into ‘mom mode’ as Carlos has dubbed it. “If I were a ruler and someone tried to steal the most valuable magical item in the kingdom, I wouldn’t tell my subjects. Listen-” she says at the room’s confusion. “There’s no solid evidence linking us to the crime. Even if they recovered footage, we were masked the whole time. So if I’m a ruler with a mystery villain, I’d keep quiet so as to not cause kingdom wide panic. Panic doesn’t help anyone. I would try to gather more evidence and move the wand, or at least add more protections. Maybe keep an extra eye on my suspects.”

“Us.” Mal interrupts.

“Yes. We are definitely suspects,” Evie’s composure wavers.

“So, we lay low?” Jay asks.

“Yes.”

“We lay low and plan our next move.” A certainness overcomes Mal. This is a plan. She can do plans.

“Do you think they have cameras in our rooms?” Carlos asks, answered by a shocked silence. 

“I hope not.” Evie shudders and looks around.

“We change in these rooms. That’s major perv behavior. I bet Ben likes to look at my ass, I’ve seen the guys glance at it in the changing room. They wish they were me.”

Mal snorts, sensing a change in mood, “Or they wanna bang you.”

“Too bad Jay’s already in a committed relationship with ‘the game,’” Evie laughs.

“It’s true. We make hot and sexy love every night.”

The room bursts into laughter. Jay was never big on relationships, even on the Isles. It’s good to see that some things never change. Mal feels a little lighter as she goes to sleep that night.