Chapter 1: .1
Summary:
Our four main characters get introduced.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"Lady Mother! Lady Mother! You insisted she had no more magic!" The castle was startled by the sounds of their young princess, her voice unmistakable, storming through the halls and pointing a finger at the other girl her age, who stood pouting with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"We never said she had no magic, just that hers isn't as powerful or as wicked as her mother's." That was Queen Aurora's statement every time Audrey brought it up, which was several times a month. Audrey just huffed and stormed off in another direction, Mal following her.
"It's not fair. My parents treat you better just because they're afraid of you. They should be spoiling me!"
"Doesn't it make sense for them to be scared of me? I bet you are too," Mal let her eyes briefly flash green, smirking at Audrey's noticeable flinch.
"That rule was stupid anyway. Why should we have to host the children of villains? They'd be better off being banished somewhere else, far away from us!"
Mal knew exactly the rule Audrey spoke of, and continued to follow the girl outside to the castle's courtyard where colourful roses, the queen's favorite, grew in abundances, even through the stone walls. The rule stated that every villain had to serve time in their realm's respective prison, and if they happened to have a child in the meantime, they would be raised within the realm in the hopes they'd turn out good, or at least more decent than their parent. Mal knew the rule as it governed her life and was supposedly the bane of Audrey's existence. Ever since the two first noticed the other they were at odds, and Mal admitted she did nothing in the way of trying to mend those ties.
Why would she? It was obvious who she was and where she truly belonged. Audrey was dark and carried the famed curls of both her mother and grandmother, wearing pastel pinks and blues that were popular in the kingdom by way of her many gowns. Mal was pale and though her hair had waves, it was purple and she preferred the darker green and purple colours of shorter dresses and tunics. She briefly lit a glowing green fire in her palm before she stifled it, watching Audrey tend to the roses.
"I have other friends, you know," Mal reminded her.
"Yes, your creepy villain ones!" She pulled on a stubborn weed with a dainty gasp.
Technology fluctuated and differed between every United State in Auradon, making communication tricky in most instances. Mal had to make do with letters to her friends, always reliable and accepted in every State. She took special remedial classes alongside many other villainous kids and managed to make a few friends from other distant lands. One was Maddy Mim, granddaughter to a famed witch, and the two easily bonded over their kingdoms being old-fashioned monarchies where magic still prevailed. She also had Evie, Jay, and Carlos de Vil, three whom she has very little in common with but the three just clicked. Every villain liked to keep to their own little groups and that was Mal's.
Audrey finished her gardening and brightened upon Queen Aurora and King Phillip strolling into the garden, running over to them.
"I picked some pesky weeds out of your garden!" She curtsied politely for Aurora.
"Did you? Thank you. I am sure the garden looks even lovelier now," She held out her hand and several birds chirped and rested on it, chirping to her.
"I hope one day I can speak to birds. And all animals, and sing to them too!" Audrey smiled.
"You're a princess, so I don't see why not. Animals are very important to princesses. Speaking of which, I think it's time for your singing lesson," She gently shooed the birds away and led Audrey back inside while Mal sat on one of the seats outside, staring at the roses.
"Something on your mind?" King Phillip asked.
"I'm surprised you care," Mal didn't mean to scoff but did so anyway, her voice biting.
"You're just as much a daughter here as my own daughter, and we have a duty to you," He sat beside her. "I don't like to see you sad,"
"I'm not sad! Audrey is just...Audrey! She's annoying! Every month she complains over my magic!" Her eyes glowed again.
"She'll grow out of it." King Phillip offered her a smile. "You're both so young. She enjoys making fusses over everything,"
Mal couldn't stifle her giggles at that. "You don't have to tell me this though,"
"I want to. Good emotional control is the mark of a hero, or in your case, princess,"
"Blech! I don't want to be a princess! That's Audrey's thing! I could never sing or dance or eat teaspoon drops of soup at every dinner." She rolled her eyes.
"Then you can be a hero. Many more girls are. I'm sure you've heard The Ballad of Hua Mulan?"
"Everyone has,"
"I'm just checking!" He laughed. "You have passion in you. Don't let Audrey, or anyone for that matter, take it away." He then stood up. "I best check on the Lady Wife and my daughter. Last time they sung together, the castle was overrun with birds."
Mal laughed again at the memory; they were pulling birds out of pies for weeks! She just watched King Phillip go before she stared up at the sky. The conversation confused her and she never understood why King Phillip always seemed to go out of his way to talk to her whenever she felt down. She wasn't his daughter, they just shared the same story. He had no obligation to her.
######
Four Years Later
######
"Auradon Prep! I can't believe it! I got accepted!" Audrey cheered and squealed, jumping up and down.
"Congratulations! We both knew you'd get accepted, with your roots and everything," Queen Aurora smiled just as Mal wandered into the main room, blinking as she rubbed her eyes. "Oh! Did you hear? My daughter got accepted to Auradon Prep!"
"That super rich elite school snobby kids go to?" Mal snarked, earning Audrey's evil glare. "As if there'd be any chance of you not getting accepted,"
"I have to start packing instantly!" Audrey twirled out of the room, still holding her letter, while Mal stared at the royal couple seated before her on their thrones, dressed as simply as they could find.
"Don't diss the school before you go there," King Phillip shook his head at her. "It's got a long history and educates its students on everything they need for adulthood,"
"I thought I was just going to continue my studies here. The anti-evil classes and stuff," Mal said. "Auradon Prep is not for me,"
"That's what we thought too, until this letter came," Queen Aurora stood with all of her grace and stature, gently handing a crisp golden envelope to Mal. Stamped on the front was the official royal seal of the USA and her eyes widened.
"What?! No way. This is a mistake!" She pulled open the letter with trembling hands and skimmed through the invitation, picking out the most important bits.
"This year, they're trying to leave no stone unturned. Many kids missed out on getting prime educations due to the school's elite status, but now they're trying to cover their bases," King Phillip smiled and took Queen Aurora's hand.
"We're supportive of it! Everyone deserves a good education," Queen Aurora nodded.
"It's a joke. Me, at Auradon Prep?! With all those perky princesses and shallow princes?" Mal demanded. "I thought I'd finally get a chance to be free of Audrey too,"
"We can always say you declined, but it's a great opportunity!" King Phillip pressed. "Your friends might go!"
Somehow, Mal could see Evie and Jay going at least. Evie would want to score some rich prince and Jay would want to rob real gold and jewels for once. If they were there, she supposed it wouldn't be too bad even if they stuck out like sore thumbs.
"If you're still unsure, you should go ask your own Lady Mother." Queen Aurora put her hand on Mal's shoulder with a dark look in her eyes. "I'm sure she could say something that'd convince you."
"Sure," Mal shrugged and Queen Aurora slipped her the wooden key she always wore around her waist, gathering some guards and leading the girl down a winding stone staircase, a candle in her hand to light their way by.
The guards were silent, their armor clacking, and Mal kept her own head down as the sour mildew stench of the dungeons began to hit her and she tugged her cloak to hopefully keep it out of the muck. They walked past several empty cells barred by iron before they reached the last one, blocked by a door. Queen Aurora slid the key into the lock and let it slowly creak open, revealing a larger cell also barred by iron with a woman sitting in it.
"Talk as long as you need. When you're done, the guards will escort you back up." She left the two alone, and Mal walked over to the cell and stared into the face of the true woman who had birthed her fifteen years ago.
"Mal, my sweet darling. It's been entirely too long since the last time we've chatted, isn't that right?" Her voice was still mature and commanding, the velvety tone not changed by age or poverty. Even with her long hair tangled to the floor and her only attire being a grey overshirt and long black gown, she still radiated dominance and beauty. She was a dark fairy in her entire being and not even decades of imprisonment would change that.
"How have you been, Lady Mother?" Mal smirked at the formality she used, peeking through the bars.
"Lonely, mostly. Bored without my magic. I can feel you have some, with years left to grow into. That's nice, I'm happy I passed that onto you." She ran her hands through her hair, using soft, delicate strokes. "I assume you did not come here to simply catch up, am I correct?"
"Yeah. I got a letter from Auradon Prep and I don't think I should go, but they were insisting that I did. I don't think there's a place for me there, though I definitely want to get away from Audrey. My friends might be there too. Don't you agree? I think I should just stick with my tutoring here," She explained. Maleficent looked over.
"Auradon Prep? I'm surprised. You may be the daughter of a powerful fairy as myself, but that doesn't translate to royalty unfortunately. I think you should go,"
Her heart jumped. "What? You want me to be around annoying rich kids?"
"My dear, it's not the education I'm thinking of, it's the power. Think about it. All your life, you've just lived in this one castle, this one kingdom, never to know of life beyond. You don't even have anyone to train you in your magic, they would never let myself do it for sure. If you go to Auradon, the others will see you as a powerful threat and if you play your timing right, you could make them putty in your hands. You could rule the hub of Auradon and eventually, the rest of the kingdoms!" She laughed. "If you get some other villainous kids with magic to help you, I'm sure your goal will be even easier,"
Mal gripped the bars, wincing a bit at the iron. "You want me to go so I can take over Auradon itself?"
"Yes! Being it to its knees. Do what I was unable to do years ago and rule through your magic!"
It was tempting, to be sure, if only for something to do. She was sure Jay and Evie would once again use their own brands of inherited magic to help her, and Maddy Mim would absolutely help as well. It'd be fun to put Audrey in her place after years of false claims about her magic being bad. Could she do it though? Her magic was limited and she didn't want to cause suspicion and get thrown out on her very first day. Then again, what did she have to lose? She was a Villain Kid, a VK to use a more derogatory abbreviation, she didn't want to play good. She nodded.
"I'll do it."
"That's my girl," Maleficent smiled a cold smile. "I knew I raised you to follow in my footsteps. Send me letters, they do allow me to have them, with any questions you may have. I can try to teach you my magic the best I can though written words."
Mal curtsied to her mother before she stepped out, telling the guards she was ready to leave and watching the door get locked once more. Maleficent's words buzzed through her head that whole night, throughout her own packing session and throughout the dinner, even throughout her announcing she'd go and the couple cheering for her and Audrey gasping out of anger. When she went to bed that night, she had only one thing on her mind.
She needed to make her mother proud of her.
#####
Evie kept close to her stepsister, hiding how nervous she was over the huge crowds of students running through the courtyard, some even pushing others out of their way. She gripped her fake designer bag and looked up at the renovated castle, sighing. There she was, finally at Auradon Prep. It made sense for her, as she had royal blood in her veins even if they were dark, and she wouldn't pass up the chance to break the hearts of better men. Princes, even, if she got lucky.
"We're here! I'm so excited! And nervous! I hope everyone will be good to me," Snowdrop put a hand on her heart, biting her lip. "The birds told me to be calm,"
"We have each other," Evie reminded her, making Snowdrop nod.
"Correct! Family sticks together!" The girl with obvious Caucasian mountain blood smiled sweetly, carrying the famed ebony hair and snowy skin and red lips as her mother. Usually she wore layered heavy gowns of blue back home but wanted to seem more modern, so the previous night she shyly asked if Evie could work some magic to make her a new gown. Evie promised to do her one better and the next morning found herself the new owner of a lacy blue blouse and yellow shorts, a matching ribbon to tie her hair back with. Evie didn't neglect herself either, with a dark grey graphic shirt of a poisoned apple and a matching plaid micromini skirt, the two were ready to make statements at school.
"We should try to find our dorms," Evie suggested, and Snowdrop nodded and followed her sister, steering clear of the chaos. Evie noticed some boys already swordfighting out in the field and offered them a wink as she passed. A solemn girl in a plain buttoned-up black dress and veil walked past, whispering a prayer to herself. One boy rushed past, elbowing others and earning the ire of a small girl he ran into.
"Are you two sisters? Wow! Siblings are rare here!" A perky voice caught Evie off-guard and she glanced up into the brown eyes of a tall tanned girl with defined muscles, a flowery polo shirt and khakis on with a camera around her neck. "Hey, mind if I snap your photo?"
"We're stepsisters," Snowdrop declared. "And Mother warned me of this! I just make a pose just like a portrait, right?"
"You're from one of the older kingdoms!" The girl just laughed. "Those are the best. I've been snapping so much I worry I'm going to run out of film!"
"Sure, we'll take one," Evie humored the girl and smiled while Snowdrop posed with her hands folded neatly next to her face, a favored pose that her mother, Queen Snow White, often adopted in various paintings. The girl stepped back and snapped the two, grinning.
"Family is important, you know. Hope I see you two around!"
"What is your name?" Snowdrop questioned.
"Lilo. Lilo Pelekai. I like hula dancing and photography and really spicy pepperoni on everything, and my pet is an alien. Bye!"
"Wh-" Before Evie could question her further, the girl had run off to look for more people, so she just glanced at Snowdrop who looked confused.
"Aliens....exist?" She pulled on her cheeks.
"Let's just find our dorms," Evie patted her stepsister in an attempt to comfort her as they wandered through the halls. The school was much larger inside with familiar stone walls and heraldry flags everywhere, and there were even less people inside, but Evie still bit her lip from nerves. What was she doing there? What if she was the only one of her friends to accept? Queen Snow White and her king were both very open over Evie attending, and when she asked her mother, she just got told to look for a cute prince with lots of money who'd marry her. A worthy goal, but beaus were only secondary to her friends.
"Do you think your friends will come?" She addressed Snowdrop as they climbed the stairs.
"Yes, there's no way Audrey and Chad wouldn't be accepted. Our parents were the original royals!"
They reached the top and followed the signs through a lush golden sitting room and down a scarlet hallway to two branching corridors, one for boys and one for girls. The two took the left side and looked for their names, finding their doors were across from each other but not together.
"I'm rooming with Audrey, yay! And a girl named Lonnie and another girl named Megan." She called from her side.
Evie set her bag down on a random bed, already realizing what had happened. The school might've accepted them with open arms, but they still intended to segregate them to their own kind using the dorms. Her and Snowdrop were thankfully still very close, but she wondered about others who were and got rooms super apart from each other. She peeked at the nameplates and saw she was rooming with girls named Hannah, Claudine, and Dizzy. At least their parents named them well, she knew some VK parents who just named them the first name they thought of and called it a day. Thank goodness her own mother had the forethought to give her a good name; Eleonora, Evie for short to match her mother's own moniker. She had no idea when she could expect to meet them, so she started to unpack her side with another sigh.
Time to see what Auradon Prep had in store for her.
######
Unpacking was lame and better left to other people who didn't have an entire school to explore, or so Aziz told Jay as they threw their bags down and continued to look around the school, making notes of where everything was. Aziz decided that aside from the dorms, the classroom wings, cafeteria, library, and sports field were the most important to look for and thus they did, Jay starting to rub his hands.
"Oh no, I know that look in your eyes. Don't even think about it," Aziz playfully nudged Jay. "Not here,"
"Everyone here is loaded though! They wouldn't miss a measly bracelet or ring; they have plenty others!" He insisted.
"I get it's tempting, but you promised my folks you'd turn over a new leaf here, and that means no stealing. They could vouch for you back home, but here it's just you,"
Jay grumbled to himself, knowing Aziz was right. Back home in Agrabah, it was an open secret that sometimes the Sultan couldn't resist his old ways and passed that unfortunate trait onto his own son, who worked hard to break it, whereas Jay was allowed to steal minor things to combat his own evil roots. The two were literally thick as thieves and saw each other as brothers, the Sultan seeing Jay as his own son. Here though, stealing was something associated with villainy, and Jay did promise the Sultan and Sultana that he'd be good at the school. Jafar, who was still confined to his lamp and kept under very strict magical surveillance, suggested he remained in Agrabah where his roots were, but the moment Aziz announced his plans to go, Jay agreed to go with him.
"Alright, alright, roommates, who'd you get?" Aziz asked as they headed outside for the field. "Mine are Chad Charming, James Smith, and Herkie,"
"The three Gaston boys," Jay rolled his eyes a bit. "I can bet I won't be sleeping much anymore with how loud they are. Might even have to rough them up myself if they get too annoying."
Aziz just chuckled. "You gonna play a sport? Tourney is popular here but there's a lot of variety. Fencing, discus, track, swimming, basketball, cheerleading, we even have a professional jump rope team! The younger kids love that one,"
"Fencing, probably. Or tourney," Jay shrugged. He was a fast runner but wasn't sure if sports were really his thing. What was his thing though, other than stealing? Jafar always said he had a knack for magic but Jay has trouble tapping into it without guidance, guidance his dad didn't feel like giving him much of. He was always a tad envious of Evie and Mal, the way Evie just needed to memorize spells from a book and the way Mal summoned whatever she needed from her palms. Those were evil traits though, things associated with their villainous parents. Princesses and heroes didn't have magic, and thus neither would he.
"Great choices!" Aziz nodded in approval. There were some boys out on the field fencing already, moving their legs fast and steady. Several girls were out there too, making up makeshift cheers for them. One little girl jump-roped by herself, moving so fast the rope was invisible.
"Watch where you're going!" A girl snarled at a boy who knocked into her, spilling his drink on her front. "You almost ruined my tech!"
"Sorry!" The boy bowed humbly. "Someone was chasing me and-"
"I don't care," She rolled her eyes and walked off as the boy went the other direction of her.
"AKs have problems too?" Jay mused. "She seemed so rude,"
"Jennifer Hawkins, or so one of my former classmates back home told me. They were an exchange student to her realm for a year and got to study at her school. She's an AK but very rebellious and punkish. Definitely not a princess and if you call her Jennifer, she'll punch you," Aziz recited.
"Never heard of her,"
"It'll be interesting for sure to know her better. They said her world was old-fashioned like most of our kingdoms but had technology too."
Jay just stood beside Aziz, mulling over that thought in his head. Maybe Jennifer was cool, but really he just needed Aziz by his side. The others would be nice too for some familiarity, but Aziz was who truly kept him grounded. Nobody else but him.
#####
Carlos was late to arrive and tried to keep his head down, feeling shy over the fact he was a VK with no AK to his story. Yeah, it was so rare and unheard of that most refused to believe him when he said so, including his three good friends of Evie, Jay, and Mal. They had their respective AKs, and he waited years for his only to realize that was not to be. The Radcliffes just didn't want to have kids for whatever reason, leaving him by himself. Sure, he had his brothers Harry and Jace, but that wasn't the same at all because they were still VKs, just of lesser villains, his mother's henchmen to be exact. Even Cruella hadn't been imprisoned the way he was sure so many others had, the way his friends' parents had, she just had to do mandatory community service for several years. When he asked her about attending Auradon Prep, she just waved him away and told him to do whatever he wanted. And so he did and now he was at the school. The famous school for princesses and heroes, the children of famed protagonists in stories every kid knew growing up. How would he ever fit in?
Standing around just thinking about it would do nothing, so Carlos wandered around, thinking he should find someone to give him his schedule and a map. Those two would be great ways to get started and at least seem like he belonged there. He saw many students running around but nobody who resembled a teacher or other staff member. He kept walking the halls, the large space and sparse decorations making him dizzy. Everyone rushed by in swirls of bright colours. His breathing grew sharper and hid heart hammered in his chest. He couldn't do this-
"Are you lost? You look lost. In fact you look ready to puke," A warm hand gloved in leather took his own and led him to a smaller corridor free of people, then put their hands on his face. "Are you okay? Are you having a panic attack? If so, take several deep breaths and try to focus on my face,"
Carlos followed the person's advice and stared at their face, breathing slowly and seeing the person was a blonde short girl with mesmerizing eyes. He took another deep breath as she removed her hands.
"Sorry I touched you. My mother has the same problem so my sister and I learned how to handle panic attacks," She stepped back and Carlos took note of her cropped wavy bob and purple sweater with a black leather skirt and fishnets underneath, thinking they had a similar style. Was she an AK? There was no way.
"It's okay. That usually doesn't happen!" He laughed it off. "I'm just not used to huge places," He held out his hand to her. "Carlos de Vil."
"Anxelin Fitzherbert. Older twin of Ruby Fitzherbert." She shook his hand with a strong grip.
"You're AK!? No way. You dress like a punk!" Carlos blurted out, making her laugh.
"Have you seen my dad? He was a thief. I guess that aspect of him rubbed off on me," She put her hands on her hips. "I don't mind though. I'm the tough punk daughter and my twin is the prim princess with the long hair and everything. That way we can make both of our parents happy,"
"I'm lost, I'll admit it. I haven't seen my friends at all and I don't know where the staff are," He sighed. "School back home was easier,"
"I get it. Ruby ran off to hang out with her princess friends so you can be stuck with me. I'll help you find your way around." She said.
"Great!" He perked up and followed after her, watching her masterfully weave her way through the crowds before finding a random adult and tapping their shoulder, whispering some things and coming back with a rolled-up map and green paper.
"This is the map and your schedule," She tapped the green paper. "You're a freshmen so your paper is green, just an easy way to keep track of things,"
"Um, you're not bothered over the fact I'm a VK? I mean, I don't care about anything, but my mom told me AKs hated people like us," He looked at his schedule, seeing some of it was regular academic stuff he did at his old school, and others were things he had never heard of before, like a chivalry course and several elective options. Well, electives or a sport sounded like fun, those were completely normal school things he could do.
"Why would I be?" Anxelin asked genuinely, staring at him. "Again, my dad is a thief. Was a thief, he reformed, but imagine if he hadn't. I would've been labeled a VK and maybe Ruby world still be born but we'd be AK and VK rivals. To me, there's no difference between us."
"Oh," Carlos hated how he was suddenly so speechless today, around her, when normally he was the jokester of the group, but for some reason he just couldn't talk much. "Do you have a VK?"
"Yeah, Ginny Gothel. The three of us left together but somewhere on the ride, somehow, she bolted and ran off somewhere else. Ruby called her and she said she was going to attend when she felt like it. Chances are she won't even come," Anxelin explained. "Ruby ironically likes her more than me, thinks she can be changed, but I don't see the point. She's so much like her mom, she loves being evil," She started walking again and Carlos followed her, going up the steps of a wide hallway. "Judging by your name, you're the son of Cruella de Vil, right?"
"How'd you know? She's not one of the more famous villains," She was also one of the only human villains, as in someone who couldn't do any sort of magic, she was just a regular person, something Carlos felt ashamed over when he hung out with the other three. He loved them dearly, but they were all born from magical people and clearly carried it in their veins. Cruella was a normal human and thus he felt left-out of many things growing up.
"I did research on my future classmates," Anxelin shrugged. "Thought they'd be interesting, and I was right. You got a great sense of style," She pointed to his pinstriped suit with a red leather jacket and matching gloves. "You're like, mod and also modern,"
The two reached the dorms and she pointed him over in the direction of the boys' side.
"Thanks for showing me around, and on liking my outfit. You're nice," He shook her hand again.
"Hope to see you around!" She waved and walked off, leaving Carlos to check out his dorm. Unlike the others, he just had a small backpack because his mother insisted she'd send over his entire wardrobe herself, so he just brought the essentials. He looked over the nameplates but didn't recognize anyone except for one, Eddie Balthazar. A weird pairing they made the few times they met up, but due to the close proximity of their respective realms they attended the same schools and bonded over their mutual dislike of animals. It was swapped though, Carlos hated dogs and loved cats while Eddie hated cats and loved dogs. They also were a rare pair of VKs where they had no opposing AK, the protagonists of their stories just didn't want to have kids. It was a weird relationship but Carlos liked it, knowing it was important to branch out of your own group once in a while, and Eddie understood that. If the other three weren't there, he was glad at least one familiar face would be, and hey, Anxelin seemed super nice too, so he could even say he made a potential new friend on his first day as well.
Things were working out well for Carlos.
Notes:
So, you're probably wondering how I came up with this idea. Honestly, it came to me because even though I love this whole franchise and the fanfics that resulted from it, the whole idea behind the Isle of the Lost and how every AK aside from like two were snobby rude bullies bothered me. Other fanfics take super dark and realistic approaches on these topics and I do love those fanfics but I thought most issues would be solved if the Isle was taken out entirely. I love Disney and I'm honestly disappointed that Descendents seems to think nobody would get second-chances when their movies are about that, how they seem to think their library is just composed of the Disney Princess movies when in reality they're mostly weird experimental movies that keep going against their fairy-tale image. As someone who's currently three-fourths done with her Disney marathon, I thought I should try my hand at an AU that follows more how I see Disney and their films, set in a brighter, more magical high school.
This story will follow movie, book, and show canon as well as the wider Disney canon as a whole, some sequels are canon while others are not, as well as my own personal thoughts and headcanons. Hope that despite the massive changes you'll still enjoy it!
Chapter 2: .2
Summary:
First days are hard for everyone.
Chapter Text
An entire day without Audrey was a true dream come true. Maybe Auradon Prep really was magical, Mal mused. They didn't even arrive at the same time, not like it mattered, and had rooms far away from each other. Chances were they'd even have different classes. Mal could get used to that. First was breakfast though, a meal she was unused to. Breakfast was just not the norm for royalty back home and since she was raised in the palace she was seen as such, so no breakfast for her. She looked around the room and saw her roommates in various stages of getting ready, her eyes widening at a familiar face.
"Maddy! Mad Maddy!" She greeted the girl with their traditional flick to the forehead.
"Hey girl," Mad Maddy smiled. "So weird to see you here," She flicked Mal's forehead back. She was already fully dressed in a hot pink jacket and pants with fishnet gloves, the colour contrasting her signature dyed green hair with purple streaks. "Can you believe our roomies? Me, you, Yzla, and Freddie,"
"All the sorceresses, huh," Mal mused. Freddie was doing her hair with her small handheld mirror while Yzla was doing her makeup with a bigger full-length mirror.
"Guess so. I'm going to breakfast," Mad Maddy left the room and Yzla smirked.
"Sorceresses is such a plaice term. I'm a chemist, a scientist! I make potions scientifically just like my grandma!" She finished her makeup and Mal noticed she had no hint of purple to her skin, just a dark tan, and she wore a tight red shirt and long white robe with golden jewelry everywhere and her hair tied up in a ponytail. "And I'm not as bad as you guys,"
Freddie huffed. "We weren't made bad; we were just born that way. That's what my daddy would say," She adjusted her hat and closed her mirror.
"Where's your sister?" Being born with magic, Mal made it her duty to keep up on other magic-users like her, so she was always familiar with the two Facilier sisters.
"Some other dorm. It sucks that we weren't kept together but what can you do," Freddie just shrugged. "And just for the record, I'm Freddie, not Frederique. And she's Celia, not Felicity, got it?"
"Yeah, totally," Mal shrugged.
"They're easier to remember anyway!" Yzla laughed and walked off, wanting to get to breakfast early. She met up with her AK the other day and they had a whole day planned that started with breakfast. She headed to the noisy cafeteria and sat at a tiny table by the window, patiently awaiting him.
"Is this seat taken?" Pacha asked, grinning at her. Yzla flashed him her grin and shook her head. "You gonna get us food or what?"
"Of course!" She got two random trays for breakfast and slid one over to him before she started eating hers.
"Pillbug stew, seems too hardy for breakfast," Pacha slurped it slowly. "How was your first day?"
"Boriiiiiing! I saw nobody who I recognized and they put me with evil sorceress girls. No offense, but I'm not evil, and I'm not even a sorceress, I'm a chemist!"
"Darn right you are!" Pacha nodded. He wore a simple red and yellow set of robes, his hair combed neatly to his shoulders. Unlike her, who carried practically no genes of her famous grandma, he looked like the perfect mix of Emperor Kuzco and his Empress. In fact, he was even named after an important friend of the Emperor, a fact that embarrassed him due to it belonging to a peasant.
"I hope they gave me chemistry, I'd knock that out of the park!"
"Heck yeah you would!" The two high-fived and posed, pointing playfully to each other.
"Geezh, how'd I deserve you?" Yzla sipped some of her stew, wincing at the taste. She much preferred vegetarian fare or the simpler peasant dishes Pacha introduced her to that his namesake and godfather excelled at making. This was just too spicy to her.
"We were practically raised together! And you got to inherit your grandmother's lab and do cool stuff there!"
"Oh right!" One of her proudest achievements was when she found a way to make all sorts of candies using Grandma Yzma's potions. Her favorite was bubblegum but her taffy was in high demand, especially with Pacha's tykes. At first Emperor Kuzco was weary over her having access to Yzma's lab, but the Empress convinced him it was the perfect chance to see if Yzla would follow in her footsteps, and it soon became apparent she was more mischievous than malicious.
"Plus we make a great team,"
"Partners-in-crime, baby!"
"Boom baby!" They both high-fived each other.
Meanwhile, near the center of the room, Lilo met up with her group of friends who were all slightly younger due to being born later than some of their peers. As usual, she kept her camera around her neck and her shirt that day was red with white floral prints.
"Morning! I've met so many interesting people already!"
"I bet you took their pictures too," Mike shook his head. He wore a striped blue shirt and khakis with a baseball cap. With his strawberry blonde hair and big doe eyes and last name of Darling, everyone assumed he was one of Wendy's descendants but in reality he was her brother Michael's.
"Of course! I'm not letting the weirdos get away from me!" Lilo dumped some ice-cream and pepperoni into her oatmeal, making the other three grimace in disgust.
"How can you stomach that stuff?" Melody demanded. Daughter of Ariel and Eric, she wore flowery bell-bottoms and a pink hoodie, a seashell scrunchie in her hair. She always wore her swimsuit under her outfits but was never opposed to just swimming in her underwear and loved when Lilo would go out surfing so the two could be together. "It's gross,"
"More weird than gross," Ally stared instead at her model of teacups and spoons, trying to stack it high. She wore the blue high-buttoned dresses of her mother, Alice Liddel of Wonderland fame, though kept her blue-streaked hair pushed back with a black headband. "Sounds fine to me,"
"You'd eat anything though!" Mike playfully reminded her. "Even moreso if it begs you to!"
Lilo just ignored her friends and ate, knowing they'd never fully get it. Nani was a master of just throwing whatever together into something edible and Lilo had gotten used to it after nine years of living with her sister. Sure, the aliens enjoyed helping out, but their tastes were way different compared to human ones. Lilo loved her palette though, it was just one of the many things that made her unique.
####
The four hadn't met up with each other yet, but Mal was completely not nervous over it. If they were there, they'd all meet up eventually, she was sure of it. Firstly, she had to focus on her classes after her simple breakfast of just toast. She was glad the cafeteria seemed to serve whatever and even seemed to know exactly what the person in question wanted even before they said it.
Her first class was Virtues and Values, also known as Princessology, though one student she asked in the hall called it Damsels-in-Distressing which she hoped was just a joke or a mistake because otherwise, yeesh. Even the other two titles sounded princess-y and cute and so not for her. The room itself was decorated in pristine whites and pale pinks and embellished with flowers. The seats were big soft pink chairs she almost got swallowed up by when she sat down and dainty white tables hardly big enough for a saucer.
Looking around, Mal could see nobody but other girls, the vast majority of them dressed their best in pastel gowns that made it easy to pick out their realms of origin. There was one familiar face though who she ran over to, giving her a hug.
"Evie!"
"Mal!"
The two girls smiled at each other.
"Have you seen the boys yet?"
"No," Evie shook her head. "But if we're both here, they must be here too!"
"I don't believe this!" Audrey gasped from the doorway, throwing her things down. "Why did they give you a princess class? Either of you? VKs are not royalty," She marched up to Mal and Evie, a pointed smirk on her face.
"My mother is Queen-" Evie began before Audrey scoffed.
"Your mother is nicknamed the Evil Queen for a reason. She has no claim anymore, not since Queen Snow White took back the throne that was rightfully hers. You are not a princess," She smirked more. "Just a beggar noble desperately clinging onto a title,"
"Stop it!" A younger girl in an embroidered dress stood up. "Don't be so mean!"
"You have no say in this either, your father is a peasant."
The girl sat back down with a hurt expression.
Evie looked at another girl who looked just like Snow White but she kept her eyes down, staring at nothing. Mal just went back to her seat, feeling fire churn inside her stomach. This is exactly why she didn't want to be around Audrey, she was used to her brand of rudeness, but to mock one of her friends like that? Uncalled for. She clenched her fists.
Evie silently slunk back to her own seat while Audrey smirked proudly, seemingly satisfied, going back to pick her things up.
Some first day this was shaping up to be.
Mal could tell the other princesses were ruffled by that outburst, loud voices were likely things they were unused to, as the class hushed into an uncomfortable silence. Audrey seemed reluctant to break it as even though she sat next to Snow White's daughter she didn't say anything to her.
"Good morning, young ladies!" Queen Snow White's cheerful voice chirped as she entered the room, wearing a long striped sweater-dress and red leggings with a small bow in her hair. "I'm so happy to see a full class!"
Mal thought the queen had barely aged a day despite what Evie had told her. The girl who looked just like her had stars in her eyes.
"As you can tell by the name, Princessology is the study of being a princess and everything that entails. AP requires all young ladies to take the class to find the qualities inside makes them princesses! That's why every few months, we switch teachers! Right now, you get me, Frau White, but next month, who knows? Every queen of Auradon has her own definition of what royalty means, so you'll get to learn what it means for yourselves!"
Mal tried to think over her mother's words again, tuning out the lesson to mull over her plan. She was mostly capable of fireballs and transfiguration...what could she do with those? She was a fairy, could she try charming others to her side? Maybe writing letters to her mother would be in her best interest.
"Alright! I know it's just the first day of classes, so I won't burden you all with homework. I'm not the wicked queen after all!" Snow White chirped, making the other princesses in the room laugh. Evie just smiled uncomfortably as a dainty bell summoned the end of that period. The two girls gathered up their things and walked together, looking over their purple schedules together.
"We just have this class, Remedial Goodness, lunch, and art together," Mal noticed.
"Maybe we'll see the boys more!" Evie suggested.
"We have to take Remedial Goodness here too? What a joke," Mal said. "I thought we'd grow out of it or something,"
"They room us with other VKs. They might have invited us but we're still from a totally different world," Evie lowered her eyes and rolled her schedule up again, slipping it into her bag.
"You don't need to remind me. My next class is chemistry. Walk me?"
"Of course!" Evie smiled and the two girls walked together, Mal acutely aware of how their dark clothes were out-of-place with the usual bright colours of the others around them. She never cared but wondered how the more fashion-conscious Evie felt.
The chemistry class was down a flight of stairs and one of the first in the science wing. To Mal's relief, it looked totally normal, she didn't recognize anyone, and she got to sit at a table by herself. Judging by the outfits of the others, most seemed to come from more modern or futuristic realms and were using tiny gadgets Mal didn't even know the name of.
"Hi everyone! I'm so excited to meet everybody!" The teacher bounced in, literal sunshine and all-yellow clothing, the only other colour being her pink glasses. "I'm Miss Lemon, your teacher!"
Mal somehow resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Did every teacher here have to be the embodiment of sunshine goodness? At least chemistry would prove more useful to her than Princessology or whatever. She leaned back in her chair and listened to the woman speak, making mental notes on what seemed to be the most important to her.
####
Evie couldn't believe such an embarrassing incident happened to her on her first day! Someone challenged her mother's royal title, and somehow Snowdrop didn't instantly rush to her defense? Mal was there too and that was good but what could've been an otherwise fun class got ruined by that outburst. Evie scowled just thinking about it despite knowing that was an ugly expression to make. Most of her morning classes flew by unceremoniously and now she found herself in Cooking, taught by Queen Tiana's brother-in-law, being partnered with Chad Charming! A real-life, bona-fide prince! And not just any prince, the son of Prince, now King, Charming and Queen Ella! How lucky could a girl get?
Their directions were to make apple pie, something simple for the day. Evie thought of the warm pies Queen Snow White would make for her and Snowdrop, using the dough to perfectly spell out their names, using whatever fruit was seasonable at the time. Apple, pumpkin, cherry, blueberry....she couldn't wait to try her hand at her own.
"Yo! You're Snowy's weird sorta-sister, right?" Chad stared down at her. She offered him a shy smile, turning on the charms.
"We're stepsisters! I'm Evie!" She fluttered her eyelashes. "Let's get started-"
"No way! Your mom poisoned an apple! You might do the same!" He flipped through the cookbook. "I'll do it myself!"
"But don't you want a princess to cook for you?" She asked sweetly, taking the mixing bowl from him. She poured some ingredients in slowly, eyeing Chad. She could see the urgency in his eyes as he debated what would be worse, poison or actual work. She eyed him as she began slicing an apple, slowly revealing the white inside.
"Stop!" Chad pushed her aside so fast she dropped the knife and it clattered to the ground, barely missing her feet. She winced at the tiny cut on her finger.
"Is that any way to treat a princess?" Evie scolded him. He could've cut her worse! He stirred rapidly, pouring a whole cup of water in.
"You're not a true princess," He shrugged.
"A lady then. All girls are ladies," Her heart hurt at hearing that statement thrown back for the second time that day. Why did they care so much? She rubbed at her cut.
"Snowy's so pretty, how'd you like living with her? I'm split between her and Audrey for my girlfriend this year," He kept talking about his various prior girlfriends, and Evie tittered when needed, but she otherwise tuned him out.
Four others were in the class, two girls in similar high-buttoned dresses carefully spread the filling over the crust and another girl in an embroidered low-cut gown gave a strained smile to a black boy who bared a resemblance to their teacher.
She sighed and sat down on a stool, knowing Chad was just wanting to hear his own voice more than anything. She didn't do anything for the remainder of the period, just stood next to the pie and smiled prettily when the oven dinged.
Tried to.
"Chad, what's this?" Evie winced at the grey, saggy crust, the pie reeking of death and somehow formaldehyde. "What did you do?"
"I baked the pie!" He pointed to it proudly. "No way was I going to risk you slipping poison into it!"
"Do you know how to cook?" Evie's smile felt strained against her cheeks
"Of course not! Princes don't cook, that's for their princesses to do!" Chad scoffed.
The other students noticed the pie and started giggling over it.
"Did she fail because she's a VK?" The ball gown-clad girl snickered the loudest. "Her poison failed!"
"Wait, Hannah, you're-" Evie tried to voice her confusions to her dormmate before she rolled her eyes.
"Princess Hannah! And does it matter? You use magic and Papa says nobody who uses magic can be trusted,"
"Oh my," The teacher winced openly at their pie, making the snickering start up again. "The outside doesn't give me hope." He took his fork and gently took out a piece and put it into his mouth, chewing. Evie's heart hammered in anticipation.
After a few seconds, his face turned every colour in the rainbow as he ran to the open window and upchucked out of it. Evie winced in disgust.
"Ewww!" One of the girls added.
"You two both fail," The teacher shook his head slightly. "Inedible and you didn't follow the directions,"
"Whatever! This isn't where I need to apply myself!" Chad rolled his eyes. Evie hung her head, ignoring the other eyes on her.
Her first failing grade was given on her first day. She knew she accepted to get a good prince and hopefully meet up with her friends again, actually studying was never part of the idea. So why did she feel so bummed by those words?
#####
Carlos' morning was pretty decent, all things considered. Unlike his other friends, his realm was more modernized so he did get to go to a regular school with desks and books and stuff, so he was used to the routine already. During the passing period he spotted a blue-haired girl he was sure was Evie but she went by so fast he didn't get a chance to say anything to her.
Now he was in the first class that left him utterly stumped; Internet and Computer Use. What even were computers, and the Internet for that matter?
Thankfully, he didn't seem to be the only confused one, as his other classmates, both AK and VK alike, were toying with the black boxes in front of them, flipping them open and closed, pressing buttons, some were even attempting to speak to them to get them to work.
"Hello!" The screen in front of them flashed on to reveal a fully rendered, lifelike model of a young man with an even younger face, dressed in a preppy blue suit with a cap and utility belt. "I'm Fred, the son of Fix-It-Felix Jr. and Sergeant Calhoun! I'll be your teacher for today!"
A girl shot her hand into the air and waited patiently to be called on. "Are you our teacher? Pardon me but you look so young!"
"I'm just programmed this way! My old man doesn't look a day over twenty-five and he's been working since 1984!" Fred beamed proudly. "He was worried over me getting the job because us game characters can't exist physically, but we worked some stuff out over the WI-FI, and here I am!"
"What's Wi-Fi?" A boy asked curiously.
"That's what I'm here for!" Fred nodded and began to teach, explaining in very plain terms that the devices in front of them were laptops and how to properly turn them on and access the school Wi-Fi.
"I just don't understand," A girl sitting behind Carlos sighed to herself. Having a sudden memory of Anxelin, he walked over to her and eyed her computer. "Am I connecting to the wrong signal? It keeps prompting me to insert a password,"
"Yeah, you just go to the one that says AP-WIFI60. I think that's some student's thing," Carlos pointed to the proper setting and once she connected, her eyes lit up.
"Wow! You are a natural!"
"Why are you talking to him, Snowdrop?" Another girl strode over, her chin high in the air. "Don't you recognize who he is?"
"I don't mind who he is, he helped me with my laptop," Snowdrop answered in a small voice. The girl smiled more.
"He's the son of Cruella de Vil, you know, that woman who tried to skin a hundred puppies to make a fur coat!"
"No!" Snowdrop gasped, covering her mouth in horror. "Who could ever hurt such innocent little animals?! Animal cruelty is one of the worst crimes one could ever commit!"
"Animals are our friends, yes. You're lucky I warned you, otherwise he might've cooked your beloved birds and rabbits into a stew...alive! And used their skinned pelts for clothes!" Carlos shot the girls a dark look, glaring coldly at them. Snowdrop or whatever her name was had begun to tremble in her seat while the other girl smirked proudly at him. He just skulked back to his seat and idly moved the mouse around the screen, watching it change colour against different backgrounds. Fred was still talking about the Internet and important sites, and Carlos wrote some down just to seem busy, but he otherwise tuned it out. He shouldn't have even bothered with trying to help someone like her. Anxelin proved to be a strange outlier, no other AK girl was like her. Or AK boy, for that matter. Most were prissy and hated him on a rival like those two girls did.
Whatever. He wasn't here to make friends, he had his own group already. He came here to get away from his mom and in that regard, he succeeded. Why did he need to worry over anything else?
#####
Jay was thankful his next period was lunch. He has math and several history classes and there was only so much of that he could take so early in the morning. He hadn't seen Aziz all day either, and same for the other three, so the moment he saw three colourful heads of hair talking excitedly with each other, he grabbed a random tray and walked right over, putting Carlos into a headlock.
"We did it! We reunited! I knew we could!" Evie smiled happily as she took her seat. Jay gave Carlos a good noogie before he let him sit down.
"So, how has everyone's day been?" Mal asked awkwardly, making Jay laugh.
"Boring,"
"Uneventful,"
"Not interesting," They chimed in simultaneously.
"The tech gaps are so weird, how do they expect us to get used to it?" Jay continued. "I also got this," He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a sparkling necklace with a teardrop shape at the bottom. "Snagged it from some random girl in mathematics. Pretty, right?"
"Jay! You're still stealing?" Evie scolded him suddenly.
"Don't you want this? It's pretty and brings out your outfits," He slid it over to her and he saw the desire in her eyes, the urge to just take it and wear it like the villain she was raised to be. After she stared for a few more seconds, she pushed it away and returned to her food.
"Once I get a boyfriend, he can buy me all the jewelry I want!"
"Suit yourself," He shrugged and pocketed the necklace again. He was sure there was some other VK girl he could pawn it off to, or even an unsuspecting AK one, they'd pay more but be harder to trick.
"If you guys get that Internet safety class thing, good luck. It's weird," Carlos offered.
"What's the Internet?" Mal blinked.
"Exactly,"
Jay looked down at the random tray he got for the first time and realized it was completely unrecognizable food. Something triangular, corn, he recognized that at least, milk in a paper carton, and something that smelled sweet but he couldn't figure out either. Was it too much to ask for some kebabs or stew? Maybe they would've given him that if he actually asked and didn't just grab a tray at random. Still, food was food, and he wouldn't turn down something that was likely prepared with the best ingredients and skills.
"Uh, hello, may I please sit with you?" A very accented voice asked shyly and Jay looked up to see the most sternly-dressed girl he had ever seen in his life. Her dress was plain, grey, devoid of shape, and revealed none of her skin but her hands, and her hair was kept hidden by a grey veil. Around her neck she wore a tiny and simple wooden cross. He could tell she had dark skin and eyes as dark as her garb, but that was it.
"My dormmate! Yes, please sit!" Evie politely pulled a chair over and the girl sat awkwardly, playing with her silverware. "We just met last night so I don't know too much about her, but she's a VK like us. Claudine Frollo, everyone!"
"What's up?" He greeted her with a head nod, but she gave him a sour look in return. He just shrugged. He didn't know anything about her family or background so he didn't know if he could or should press her.
"You guys just make friends so easily," Carlos shook his head.
"Are you jealous?" Evie teased.
"No way! I already got you guys, I don't need anyone else. Especially not the preppy people here. They want us to stick together, then that's exactly what we'll do,"
"I don't mind being a Villain Kid, but I don't want to be evil," Claudine spoke up firmly. "I want to be good,"
"Hey, nobody said you couldn't turn over a new leaf," Jay held up his hands. Claudine stirred her soup daintily and sipped it silently. Jay noticed even it was as grey as her and wondered what sort of dull life she was used to living. "Do you know what this is?" He pointed to the triangle on his tray, but she shook her head.
"It's pizza," Carlos answered.
"Is it good?"
"I think it's Heaven,"
Jay grabbed it with his hands and felt how greasy it was, taking a big bite and feeling the flavor erupt in his mouth of grease and salt. It sounded like it should taste bad, but it didn't really.
Carlos laughed. "That tech thing is weird. I still remember trying to explain to you guys what televisions and cars were!"
"What's the next class?" Mal asked, pushing away her empty tray.
"Remedial Goodness," Everyone said at once.
"Why do we have it at the same time?"
"Why do we need it at all?" Jay wondered. "They invited us, you'd think they'd trust us more,"
"They roomed us with our own kind," Evie reminded him. She offered Claudine a supportive smile before she went to put her tray up. Claudine looked at the other three with the biggest 'lost deer' expression Jay had ever seen on anyone.
"So if my thoughts are correct, that means there are no chamber pots at the school, right?"
Carlos burst out laughing.
#####
Jane pouted to herself, it just wasn't fair. Her mother always told her to not use that kind of language, everything was good and fair, but she just couldn't help but think those things to herself sometimes. Before the start of the school year, she tried to get her hair cut into a trendy look, but the shop she went to ruined her hair and gave her a choppy, uneven bob she hated. At first, she tried to wear it with confidence, but the moment she tried to sit with Audrey and the other princesses during breakfast, Audrey laughed right in her face and called her ugly.
Where had she gone so wrong? Bobs were cute and fashionable, Lonnie had one, wait she wasn't a princess so she didn't count, Anxelin had one and she was one of the more popular princesses in the whole school! Theirs looked better though, even when she asked Anxelin she shook her head and joked the barber might've hated her.
Jane tried to ask her mother how to fix it, but her mother was too busy and just offered her a random spell on a piece of paper. Jane recited it to herself all night and tried it in the morning, but she just succeeded in turning her morning pumpkin juice into sparkling water in a crystal goblet.
Normally, she'd be in class like everyone else, but her mother being the headmistress meant technically Jane got out of her studies whenever she wanted but had to run errands to keep it fair. Most of her day had been spent greeting the new and returning staff and making copies of whatever they needed, and her afternoon was to help her mother teach the new class Remedial Goodness, an idea that made her shake and quake.
"Darling, your bow is crooked!" Her mother gasped, gently setting it straight on her head. Jane just pouted. Even the bow seemed lost on her choppy hair, and her powder-blue skirt and blouse hung off her plump figure like bags. Nothing she seemed to do made her as pretty as her female peers, and that's why things just weren't fair.
"Afternoon, everyone!" Her mother perked up and headed over to the chalkboard. Jane snapped out of her thoughts and turned her attention to the desks, trying to smile.
"She's so small and frail!"
"Not too pretty,"
"She'd be so easy to kill..."
She paled at the sight of so many Villain Kids, staring her down with their scary eyes and hungry smiles. She knew they were reacting to her magic she was probably pouring out due to her fright and tried to hide behind her mother.
"I am your teacher for this course, The Fairy Godmother, but for this class you may call me Ms. Goodfairy. This is my daughter Jane Goodfairy, she's to help me get more in touch with you all. Treat her nicely," She put her hands on Jane's shoulders and she smiled awkwardly, wanting everyone to stop staring at her so much. "What is this class? I've been told that back home you all were expected to attend mandatory tutoring sessions on this very subject. Therefore, you all likely have a basic understanding of what this class asks of you. It's for seeing if you are truly straying from the path of evil or embracing it. How good you are at being good. To start us off, I've prepared some worksheets. Jane darling?"
Jane jumped at suddenly being addressed and grabbed the thick stack of papers from her mother, walking down the aisles of long tables and giving everyone four sheets to pass to their deskmates. Most of them she didn't recognize and was very thankful for, but the two rows up front she was surprised and terrified that she had.
One side housed Mal and her friends, Mal, the daughter of the evil fairy, the one fairy every other fairy was told was trouble and to stay away from. As if reading her mind, when Jane handed her the worksheets, Mal smirked slightly and allowed her eyes to flash green.
The other side housed the two Facilier girls, who were busily shuffling a deck of cards between them, Claudine Frollo, who sat stiff and straight as a stick, and Mad Maddy Mim, who was bored and playing with her hair. Jane quickly gave the worksheets to Claudine, figuring she'd be the most reliable, and hurried back to the front of the room, amazed that nobody bothered her.
"First question," Her mother looked over at her and Jane nodded, shyly and quietly reading it.
"Speak up girl, we can't hear you!" Someone shouted, making Jane's face burn.
"The first question is about magic. What do you think about it and how do you use it?" She spoke up louder. Some people got to writing, but one boy with vivid black-and-white hair raised his hand. "Yes?"
"What if we don't have magic?"
"Almost every VK has magic!" Mad Maddy laughed. "It's in our blood!" "I don't! Mom's just a regular person," He shot back.
Mad Maddy laughed harder, almost snorting.
"You can still have an opinion on magic," Jane turned her attention back to the boy. "Whether you think it should be used for good or evil,"
He nodded and got to writing.
"Do you like children? Would you comfort one who was crying?"
"What sort of a question is that?" One of the Facilier sisters demanded, though Jane couldn't tell which one.
"Hating children is a sign you're bad!" A girl pushed her glasses up.
"Sometimes kids are annoying though," Mal said.
"I think you all can take the questions from here! Thank you dear," Jane's mother thanked her. "You have some more errands to run,"
Jane nodded, maybe too eagerly, but she just wanted out of this room filled to the brim with Villain Kids. She took what her mother gave her, curtseying to her mother and leaving, only then sighing in relief.
She usually had less work in the afternoons, but that meant she would get done faster and could go back to her dorm. Her first assignment was giving several new paint sets to the art class, which she did, going down a spiral set of stairs to the arts department and letting herself in.
"Are those my new paints? Great! I've been waiting weeks for replacements! And one is a cool watercolour set!" The teacher, Queen Rapunzel, beamed the moment she spotted Jane. "Set them over on my desk!" If one just saw her on the street, they never would've known that woman with the peasant blouse and paint-stained jeans was the famous princess, especially because she still sported her very short brown hair, but the energy said it all.
Jane nodded and carefully set them down, getting dizzy from the fumes. All around the room were students who were hard at work on large canvases, painting whatever fancy image their minds thought of. Most girls were painting flowery landscapes or ballroom scenes while most boys were painting grand battles or ships out at sea. She spotted Lonnie who painted with soft delicate strokes, using a smaller brush. Jane watched as Lonnie gently brushed her black paint against the paper, moving it rigidly. She recognized her painting as a traditional one of mountains that she said her parents liked to hang in their house.
Next was a letter from Pixie Hollow, a small realm in Neverland, to be delivered to Tinker Bell who taught History of Woodsmen and Pirates. When Jane walked in, Tinker Bell was sitting on her usual stack of books, her sultry dress changed to something longer and professional.
"Letter for you, I think it's from Rani and Silvermist?" She held it out and Tinker Bell jumped up, excited little bells showing her mood. Jane smiled, sad she could never really understand what Tinker Bell had to say, but it made sense. She was a fairy of Neverland and those fairies were made differently, everyone knew that.
She didn't actually have to deliver anything to Belle's Book Club, but she snuck in anyway to listen before it ended as it was one of her favorite classes to have. That afternoon, she sat with four other students, three girls and a boy, who all had small books in their laps.
"What did everyone think of this month's assigned reading? It wasn't too long of a book this time so I trust everyone got through it just fine?" Belle asked nicely, looking around. "Anyone?"
"I love adventures, so I thought this book was perfect. It's nice to have a change of pace from our usual storybook romances," James Smith, the son of Pocahontas and John Smith, said. He had his father's muscles and blue attire but carried his mother's long black hair and dark skin.
Melody giggled next to him. "Almost all of our parents have storybook romances though! But I agree. My favorite part was the climax. When Jim Hawkins uses his intellect and resourcefulness to save the crew!"
Jane recognized the book then, Treasure Planet, a daring novel that was authored by Jim Hawkins himself and told his story about his journey to find the legendary trove and how it fared. She had never read it herself, but Lonnie had and said it was really good.
"Not my thing," Audrey declared. "It's too weird. Although I do appreciate how Silver redeemed himself after he found Jim to care for, I worry it's going to give people the wrong idea. Not every villain can choose to change,"
The last girl in the room, Jennifer, nicknamed Jenny, scoffed, her feline ears raised. "It's surreal to read about your dad,"
Melody laughed again. "I'll say! It's like that time in middle school we read The Little Mermaid, the unabridged edition. Some things I didn't need to know about my mom!"
"Everyone knows my dad's story, but not my mom's," Jenny flipped through her book. "Dad planned to write another about how they met, but everyone deemed it corny,"
"What could be so corny about a traditional love story? That's how dreams come true and stories are made!" Audrey said.
"The story was popular then?" Belle asked, and the others nodded. "Great! It's more unconventional, so I worried about assigning it, but Jim Hawkins is an important man in Auradonian history. He may not rule his own realm, but his story is encouraging for those who feel they've blown every chance they've had to be good. Not so! He shows everyone that it's never too late to change your outlook!" She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a thicker book. "Let's make this our book for next month. Since Treasure Planet was a success, I thought another unconventional pick would work well too, so here's The Hunchback of Notre Dame!"
Jane hadn't read that one either, but she had been meaning to. That was the story Claudine Frollo's father was the villain of, right?
"At last, a story where the villain gets what's coming to him," Audrey ran her hands through her perfect curls, making Jane mimic the action and pout. She walked off into the nearest bathroom and studied herself in the mirror, trying to fix her choppy hair. Somewhere during her errands her bow got crooked again.
"I'm not a princess, but neither is Lonnie and she looks pretty," She pouted further.
"Something on your mind?"
Jane jumped when she found herself staring directly at Mal in all her glory, dressed in a long purple tunic and leather boots with black leggings and matching cloak.
"W-What are you doing in here?" Jane swallowed, her heart pounding.
"It's a bathroom, I'm in here to use it," Mal raised an eyebrow. "I know my kingdom is fond of using chamber pots but I thought I'd try to act more civilized while I'm here,"
"That's not what I meant," Jane offered lamely.
"Who did your hair? It's bad,"
She looked down at the ground.
"Don't you have magic? Why don't you fix it?" Mal pressed. "Your mother made the most famous magical makeover in the whole world!"
"I'm trying, but it's hard to focus, my spells usually mess up. Mother is too busy here to teach me," She admitted.
"I could do it, if you want,"
"How do I know you won't just make it worse?" Jane demanded, grabbing the split ends. It might've been bad, but she'd rather have ugly hair than snakes on her head.
Mal laughed. "I don't think that's possible." The tip of her finger glowed green. "Would you rather it stays short or go long?"
Jane gulped, wondering what she was about to agree to. "A-Audrey has pretty curls, but I can't steal her look. I've always liked Lonnie's and Anxelin's bobs, but mostly I want to look like a princess,"
"So a longer style!" Mal twirled her pointer finger around and Jane felt her head being tugged on and pulled in several different directions before her hair hurt and she grabbed it in a panic. "Now look," Mal brought her over to the mirror and lifted her head up and Jane widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Is...is that really me?" The crooked bow remained, but her hair went to her chest in long, neat, elegant waves. "I look so different,"
Mal just smirked to herself.
"Could you do more? Like change my dress?!" She asked in excitement. "These don't fit me well and the crooked bows make me seem childish. I need to look more like a princess!"
"What if I give you green and black clothes?" Mal asked, but still looked her over. She waved her hand and Jane felt chilly for a second before soft fabric clothed her. She looked down and found herself dressed in a proper white blouse with a dainty pink bow with a lacy pink cardigan and layered skirt. The bow in her hair was replaced with a small jewelry piece on the side.
"I've been in here long enough, I gotta get going," Mal ran from the bathroom, but Jane found herself too busy admiring herself in the mirror, running her hands over her clothes and through her hair. She knew it was still her, but somehow she looked...better. Prettier. A princess. Just like Queen Ella must've felt that faithful night when Jane's own mother gave her a magical makeover.
She smiled to herself in the mirror, it still seemed a bit awkward, but her new look framed it better.
When she came out of the bathroom, she felt lighter and held her head up. For once, when others stared at her, they did so out of admiration and for some, envy. She only wished she had a roommate to tell the experience to.
Perhaps Mal wasn't as bad as Jane initially thought she was.
Chapter 3: .3
Summary:
Ben has a speech, Lonnie has plans.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Evie was shocked that despite the mishaps in Virtues and Values and Cooking, she'd still admit that her first day was pretty good. She reunited with her friends and even though he had some....thoughts, Evie thought Chad had the potential to be perfect Prince Charming material. When she told Dizzy, her dormmate, about it the previous night, the younger girl laughed and rolled her eyes.
"My cousins and siblings grew up with him! He made us clean. He's something," She had said.
Dizzy was still asleep, as due to her younger age her classes started later, but Evie's other dormmates were up and since there was time before breakfast, she greeted them politely.
"Good morning!" Claudine responded cheerfully. She was in the middle of tying up her habit, so Evie caught the sight of her wild black curls, nothing like she assumed Claude Frollo to have. "Did you hear there's going to be an assembly after we break our fast?"
"About what?" Evie asked.
"Likely welcoming us or something," Princess Hannah rolled her eyes. More technically, she'd like to be called Princess Hannah of the Southern Isles, but due to her father getting banished neither of them had the right to that title anymore, but she was one of the few royal VKs and made sure everyone knew it.
"Maybe Prince Ben will welcome us!" Claudine finished tying on her habit and wandered over to the other two, her hands clasped. "He's someone who has a good heart, I can tell,"
"He's going to be king someday, picture that," Hannah had vibrant red hair she kept up in a tight bun and wore an array of low-cut gowns in embroidered patterns that Evie thought came from even further north, further than where Queen Anna ruled. Maybe that's where Hannah's mother hailed from, as she had dark brown eyes and looked Japanese. What did Evie know though, she would've asked Hannah herself but honestly found the girl to be annoyingly pompous and arrogant. The apple really didn't fall far from the tree with that one.
"Someone jealous?" She couldn't help stabbing.
"I don't want to rule Auradon!" Hannah scoffed. "Papa encouraged me to come here because he raised me for one thing. Getting revenge on the royal family of Arendelle! I heard the dumb queen has some brats of her own so I'm going to seduce them and steal their crowns!"
Claudine gasped, and Evie turned her attention to her. "Walk to breakfast with me?"
"What about your other friends? The ones you sat with yesterday?" She asked curiously.
"I like to branch out!"
The two walked to the cafeteria together and while Evie got a fancy breakfast of toasted bread and egg white omelets, Claudine got bread and butter.
"It's not a religious holiday, so I can eat butter," She explained as she buttered her roll.
"Do you wear makeup?" Evie tried to change the subject. "The styles I've seen here make me want to mix up some new looks!"
"No!" Claudine gasped. "Not even something small. Once I was out running errands and a woman gave me this small pot of red for my lips. I tried just a dab but Father caught me and slapped me and broke the pot, saying makeup was for harlots and not good holy girls,"
"Ouch," Evie knew her mom was tough, but due to her imprisonment in the dungeon she couldn't put her hands on her even if she wanted to. Whenever Evie visited she was far more content to talk about makeup and the best ways to attract boys. Queen Snow White was the one who tried to teach both her and Snowdrop about inner-beauty, but she wasn't sure how much either of them listened.
"I don't think it'd look good on my skin though," Claudine continued.
"It depends on the tone," Evie was a light tan and with Snowdrop being pale as snow, she got to experiment with two shades. "Brighter colours would look good on you!"
She just sat there in silence.
"I could help you, if you want? Only if you want to though,"
"I liked the way that red paint looked," Claudine finally said after a while.
"Then we'll start out simple!" Evie gave her a reassuring smile.
####
To say Ben was nervous was a bit of an overstatement, but not inaccurate either. He spent his whole night going over his speech with his parents, and then to Audrey and Snowdrop, who just told him he'd do great. He appreciated their confidence, but he knew he had to get this speech right. The entire student body was counting on him.
"Our very own Prince Benjamin!" The Fairy Godmother introduced him to uproarious applause and he walked out on stage, wearing his best pressed blue suit and crown on his head to keep up appearances. He gazed out at the crowd gathered in the auditorium and noticed the staff standing on either side of the room, looking regal. He caught his mom's eye who gave him a subtle smile. The blue seats were packed with students from all walks of life, representing at least twenty-seven of the realms in the United States of Auradon. Regular commoners and villains, thanks to the school's surprise but welcome decree that everyone in Auradon deserved to have an equal shot at a prestigious education.
But he could think on those things later. Firstly was his speech, which everyone in the room was awaiting. He leaned closer to the microphone.
"Hello and welcome to Auradon Preparatory!" He smiled, and everyone turned their attention over to him. "I'm the heir to the throne, please just call me Ben. I want to be called that because here, I'm your peer and nothing else. I look out on all of you and am glad the staff made the choice to be more inclusive this year. This'll be an interesting year for sure,"
"You're so stiff and boring!" A girl in hot pink shouted at him from her seat. Another girl pretended to gag herself.
"I should cut to the chase. I'm looking forward to a brand-new year, Go Knights! Excited to meet everyone here!" He stepped back and the students clapped proudly, though a select few rolled their eyes.
"Go Knights! Go Auradon Prep!" Others cheered.
He bowed and hurried backstage, hearing his peers beginning to disperse outside. His mom pulled the curtain back and smiled.
"You were great! If only your father could've seen, he would've been so proud too! It's sad he's not here,"
"I'm sure he's watching," Ben reassured her.
Normally his dad, King Lio, would be there to cheer on his son, but he got invited to a negotiation in their neighboring ally, the Republic of Zena. Just that morning Ben got sent a photo on his phone of his dad shaking hands with President Woody and tried to contain his laughter. Despite the two being on good terms and faithful trade partners now, the two had a rocky past and most Auradonians were aware of how eccentric the country was with laws granting toys, bugs, even cars rights! Their own President was a toy! It was silly even to the more open-minded Ben.
Still, Zena was a good ally to the point many of their own citizens traveled across the sea to work or simply live in Auradon, and the two countries had a great foreign exchange student program that was going strong. Ben even received Zena's list of hopefuls for this school year and he just needed to finalize it.
"You did amazing!" Audrey, Chad, and Snowdrop ran over to him, their smiles all polite.
"Thanks," He smiled at his friends, slowly taking Snowdrop's hands. "I'm surprised I didn't once lose my cool,"
"Especially with that mean girl practically booing you!" Audrey gasped in offense. "Who did she think she was?"
"A VK," Chad chuckled. "Only they'd be so rude,"
"I still think we should've sent them off to some island somewhere. Clearly letting them live among us taught them nothing,"
"That's why I love you!" Chad pulled Audrey closer and tried to kiss her, but she shied away.
Ben frowned at the other two. "Not every Villain Kid is bad. Some turned out perfectly nice and....good,"
"Yes! Evie's not bad! Mother made sure of that!" Snowdrop piped up, though her voice trembled.
Audrey scoffed. "You don't like the others though,"
"I don't trust them!"
"And if you like her so much, why didn't you defend her?"
"Enough," Ben frowned, hoping his voice sounded stern enough. "They're our peers and you guys need to get along with them."
"But they have magic! That's unfair dude!" Chad said.
"Some good people have magic...like Princess Eilonwy or Elsa, Protector of the Enchanted Forest," Snowdrop said quietly.
"But they never had kids! So, we're stuck with evil magic-users!"
Ben took Snowdrop's hand and led her away from Audrey and Chad, walking her to their music class together. She pouted as she took her seat.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"I do worry over Evie. She's my stepsister but I'm Audrey's best friend too. I can't pick both,"
"Who says you can't?"
Snowdrop gave him a strained smile and took her flute out of its case and carefully put it together while Ben got out his trumpet. As he did so, Doug walked in, giving Snowdrop a shy wave she returned energetically. Ben couldn't help smiling. Naturally, the daughter of Snow White and the son of Dopey were fast friends growing up. He leaned back in his seat, looking over the random meme posters and golden plaques on the wall. His teacher had only been the school's band teacher for two years but he took his role seriously, bringing home first every year. Speaking of people from Zena, Mr. Gardener was one, and he gave all of his students inspiration. Ben wasn't sure how he did it, he just seemed to know what every student needed to hear.
"Good morning everyone!" Mr. Gardener walked in, and everyone happily greeted back. "Ben, I saw your speech! You'd be a great public speaker!"
Despite himself, Ben felt his face heat up and several of his classmates giggled.
"Now, let's warm-up!" Mr. Gardener waved his hands and everyone got their instruments at the ready.
####
Jane didn't need to participate in gym, but she hung around that day, sitting on the bleachers once she delivered what she needed to the teacher, who was currently in their office on their phone. The girls in every class ooh'ed and aaah'ed over her hair and she wanted to keep the elation she felt going for longer.
"Who did your hair? It's wicked!" Anxelin joked, sitting beside her on the bleachers with her sister Ruby. The two wore the gym uniform of blue shorts and blue-trimmed white T-shirt with a gold crown on the breast, but Anxelin wore her leather gloves.
"Mal," Jane smiled shyly.
"Mal? Really? No way!" Ruby gasped. She had a tight blonde braid she was sitting on, wound through with flowers. "Everyone's wrong! She's turning over a new leaf!"
"Is she open for business? I'd like to commission her," Lonnie grinned, walking over.
"N-No, I think your bob is cute!" Jane blurted out. "It frames your face,"
"You think so? I've wanted something cooler though, something with edge and attitude,"
"Long hair would look weird on you," Anxelin shook her head. "You're someone who can pull short hair off super well,"
"Uh..s-she changed my clothes too! And turned my bow into a better hair piece!" Jane said, pulling her hair apart to show them. "She could do that for you too!"
"Maybe. I think I'd prefer the hair though," Lonnie shrugged.
It was true, at least to Jane's eyes. Some people wore shorter hair better and Lonnie was one of them. She was someone who looked best with her short hair. She didn't need to change the way Jane needed to, she just oozed confidence.
"Are we not doing anything today? Lame," Megan strode in, her high ponytail of brown curls bobbing, making Jane blush beside herself. Megan wore the uniform well with her statuesque body, looking just like the Grecian urns and columns of her homeland. She took a running start and did some flips, jumping into the air and landing perfectly on her hands. The other girls clapped for her. She flipped her ponytail.
"Are you sure you didn't get any super strength? Tourney would be great with you!" Lonnie teased.
"Nope." Megan replied.
"You should try cheerleading! Audrey's starting the try-outs in two weeks and with those moves, you're sure to get in!" Ruby beamed. "Besides, she says it's open to every girl,"
"Maybe. I'm not really the sort of super perky, ra-ra let's go team girl. I'm like, vodka and spice, you know?" Megan did another flip on the floor, landing on her hands again. "I'm just good at this because Dad says both my brother and I gotta be in top physical shape,"
The two continued to talk more, but Jane tuned them out.
The cheer squad!
She'd never openly admit it, but being a cheerleader was something she'd always wanted to do. Her mother said she'd be a natural at cheering from the sidelines and offering her support, and it was something Jane actually agreed with her on. If Audrey was the one hosting auditions though....it'd be tough to get a spot. Audrey would likely fill the team up with princesses she liked, or the ones she thought were the prettiest, and Jane fit none of those categories. At worse, she'd get stuck in the mascot costume, doing demeaning little dances and jumping jacks!
Melody and her cousin Arabella took their seats on the other side of Jane, stretching after their laps. Arabella still wore her pearl headband in her brown pixie cut, the colour inherited from her father.
"Cheer squad! I think I might do it!" Arabella gushed. "I can kick super high so I should put these legs to work!" She kicked her short legs in demonstration with a cheer. Melody rolled her eyes.
"Cheering is totally not for me. When tryouts for swimming open up though, you can bet I'll be first in line,"
"Me too!"
Jane sensed lulls in the conversations, so she politely took her leave, heading to the next classes she needed to run errands for. Most of her jobs that day had been just running around and making copies for other classes, so she was glad gym gave her a little bit of a relaxation period, as ironic as it sounded. She had to deliver new books to the grammar and mathematics teachers, then run around to make even more copies. By the time the school day officially ended and she got to relax in her dorm, she all but collapsed in her bed.
"I'm coming in!" Lonnie announced with her titular knock on the door as she walked in anyway.
"What?"
"Just wanted to check up on you! You seemed busy today,"
Jane remained silent, not having much of a comment on that. Her and Lonnie didn't have the sort of history other students there had, but Lonnie proclaimed herself to be a friend to all so naturally they hung out and Jane never felt like trying to branch out from their friend group.
"This weekend, I thought some of us could hang out with the Villain Kids, maybe take them downtown to go shopping, what do you think?"
Her eyes widened at that and she sat up, staring at Lonnie in disbelief.
"T-Take them shopping? The Villain Kids? Why?"
"Why not? It's probably hard for them to adjust to such a place in such a short amount of time. The technology is weird and there's everyone from all over the country here! I'd be overwhelmed, honestly,"
"You're too good," Jane sighed. "I'm a bit scared of them,"
"You shouldn't be!" Lonnie sat on Jane's bed, all her bracelets clicking together. "They're just like us. I thought extending a friendly hand would be just what they needed,"
"Y-You don't have a Villain Kid." Jane reminded her lamely.
"You don't either! That just makes us unbiased!"
"Who else is coming?"
"Aziz for sure, he's always interested in whatever I'm doing. The Fitzherbert twins, maybe Jenny but that's a huge maybe, I'll even rope Snowdrop and Audrey into it. They can't say no to shopping!" Lonnie grinned. "No matter who it's with,"
"Which Villain Kids are coming?" Jane ran her hands through her hair. Every time she did so she got treated to the tingles of evil magic reacting with her own good magic, buzzing and desperate to break.
"Whoever we want," She shrugged. "I'm thinking of taking one of the Tremaines, they probably know a lot about fashion. Or Yzla. Maybe even Maddy Mim,"
"I guess I'll take whoever,"
"You're coming? Great!" Lonnie bounced on her heels. "Trust me, you're doing a good thing," She left the room and Jane pulled away from her hair, thoughts in her head running a mile a minute.
What did she just agree too?! Shopping with the Villain Kids?! The ones with magic, nonetheless?! Why did anyone think that'd be a good idea?!
And yet...was it truly such a bad one? Mal fixed her hair and clothes, making her look more pretty. That wasn't something an evil person would do, is it? Moreover, what did the Villain Kids actually even do so far? She couldn't recall any of them getting in trouble during class or at mealtimes. The most trouble seemed to come from the rowdy Tourney players who insisted on arm wrestling at every table they saw where-ever they went.
Jane's mother always told her to keep an open heart and an open mind, and if not the latter then always the former, as nothing could ever reopen a heart once it was closed. She had a whole class for teaching them to be good, she clearly saw that in them. What sort of a daughter would Jane be if she denied them that chance?
She ran her hands through her hair again, yelping at the sudden shock. She drew her hand back and saw the tips of her fingers briefly flash green before they returned to their normal color.
Notes:
The Beast's human name here is actually taken from the book Rebel Rose, the first in the Queen's Council series! I know most just use Adam for him but I wanted to do something different. If you're a sucker for Disney books and want to see badass adult Disney Princesses becoming queens then I highly recommend them!
Chapter 4: .4
Summary:
Weekend spent seeing Auradon City.
Chapter Text
At last, the weekend. Frankly, with how slow the week passed, Mal was worried it would never come. If it did, she'd be preoccupied with even more classes, things, but here, the weekends were free days. They were even allowed to go off campus if they wished, which most students took the moment classes ended on Friday, buzzing about the neat places they wished to go downtown. Her first week, she had to admit, was somehow not horrible. Okay, Audrey took every chance she has to be rude, but that was just Audrey being Audrey. Art was a fun class, she'd never forget the look on Madame Fitzherbert's face when she showed off her green canvas of a burning fortress. Chemistry was interesting too, even if Miss Lemon got on her nerves purely for her bright and happy nature.
They were enough to tide her over, but she still remembered her goal for coming in the first place. She had already sent a letter to Lady Mother and was awaiting her reply, asking about how to hone her spells better. She figured her first step should be to gather allies whenever and where-ever possible, but how to tell who'd be willing to help her? And if they'd even be useful?
As she laid on her bed drawing something, Evie knocked on her open door. "Guess what?"
"What?" Mal didn't look up, though she caught the excitement in her voice. "Finally found yourself a prince?"
"No, somehow better! Lonnie and Aziz want to take us shopping in downtown!" She clasped her hands together in excitement. "Isn't that great? I'll finally get to update my wardrobe and see more of the town!"
"They invited us?" Mal asked incredulously, slowing her sketches. "And why? Don't they know who we are?"
"Of course, but does it matter? They want to take this chance to know us better!"
"Who else is going?"
"Not sure. They might bring more VKs or AKs or both! You coming?"
Mal put her pencil down and thought about it. While she still wasn't up for hanging around gossipy princesses, being with Evie would be nice. And if other Villain Kids come, maybe she could try to pull them over onto her side. Besides, nobody said she had to actually buy anything.
Speaking of which...
"How are we expected to pay for all this?" She mused. "I doubt Auradon City accepts copper coins,"
"The school gives us a set amount every month! Lonnie was telling me about it and got ours from the Fairy Godmother already. It's a lot!"
"Fine, I'll go," Mal closed up her sketchbook and followed Evie outside, seeing students bustling around everywhere on the lawn. She spotted several people standing in a group that she recognized, and a few she didn't, and assumed this was the shopping party.
"Hi! Right on time!" Lonnie greeted them. "So, I trust you guys know Carlos and Jay already, right?"
"Yeah, we kinda grew up together," Jay teased.
"Well, I'm Lonnie, this is Anxelin and her twin sister Ruby, Arabella, Snowdrop, Jane, and Aziz! And over there is Claudine, Ginny, and Maddy!"
"I'm surprised you managed to rope so many of us into this," Carlos mused. "But why'd you pick us and Jay?"
"I wanted you two to come! Out of the others, you two seem like you have eyes for fashion, am I right?" Aziz said.
"More like an eye for what's valuable," Evie rolled her eyes.
"In fashion, that's pretty much the same thing," Arabella shrugged. "Let's get going!"
Mal followed the group off the lawn and onto a blue bus that waited patiently outside the school gate, hardly full and pleasant. She just sat at random and watched the scenery go by through the window, taking in the giant trees and silver lamps she never got to see back home. The bus drove steadily until they reached a large town with cobbled roads and colourful buildings and people walking around everywhere. The Auradon girls curtsied politely at the driver as they got off, Lonnie taking the lead again.
"Welcome to downtown! The heart of Auradon City where the magic happens! So, we all split up in groups and go where-ever, meeting back here in...five hours? Sound good?"
Mal watched everyone get into their respective groups and noticed there were too many to properly break off into even groups, so without thinking she ducked into Mad Maddy's group.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere else?" Ginny Gothel sneered. She had thick curly black hair but a red velvet dress and black cloak, clashing with the modern designs of everyone else. "There's too many people here,"
"Lay off my friend! I'm glad I get to see a familiar face!" Mad Maddy sneered right back. She wore a hot pink catsuit with lavender accessories.
"Don't start fighting! We came out here to have fun!" Ruby scolded them. Her braid was tied back with a ribbon and she wore a long matching white sundress. "Speaking of which, where to first?"
"Shouldn't we find a map or something first?" Mal suggested, wearing her usual purple tunic and leggings and black cloak. "I've never been here before and don't fancy getting lost."
"Good idea, then we can decide on something to do easier," Anxelin nodded in approval. Her outfit that day was a distressed leather skirt and white halter top that read 'Ain't Nobody Got Time for Towers' in red. She marched to the center of the square and pointed at a large printed map that detailed the entirety of downtown. "Where to?"
Mal studied the map, making note of locations she thought might be useful for knowing later. Most were themed restaurants and little gift shops for tourists, but a few things stuck out to her, such as an art studio, an observatory, and whatever a movie theater was.
"Let's check out the jousting ring," Mad Maddy smirked. "Some home away from home, you know?"
"Yuck, sweaty muscular men fighting each other with pointy sticks? No thanks," Ginny huffed. "I came here to do some shopping,"
"We can certainly do that! But there's other fun things to do too! We have five hours after all!" Ruby smiled.
Jousting...did not sound remotely interesting to Mal either. It wasn't very fashionable back at home because they realized it was very easy to cause injuries with, so it was actually banned where she came from. Mad Maddy came from an even more primitive kingdom though, so it made sense why it was familiar to her. And if Mad Maddy wanted to do something, Mal would say yes, if only to try and entice her into her scheme.
"Jousting, then we go shopping, then we go see a movie, how does that sound?" Ruby relayed back, and everyone nodded, though Ginny still scoffed.
"Listen to the witch first, I see how it is," She rolled her eyes.
"Best be careful with your tongue, lest I cut it out and boil it in my cauldron!" Mad Maddy cackled as her eyes flashed briefly. "I'm Mad Maddy Mim, just as mad as my old Mam, touch me and I'll go bam!" She laughed harder, nearly doubling over. Her laughs started to sound more like pig snorts.
"Shut up, you old bat!" Ginny shoved her. "Crazy witch!"
"Knock it off, both of you!" Anxelin suddenly shouted. "There's no reason for you two to act like this,"
Mad Maddy dabbed at her eyes and sobered up, sniffling. She held her head up high and walked over to Mal, huffing.
"Who needs you anyway. You're a Villain Kid with no magic!"
Ginny remained by the twins, and Mad Maddy leaned close to Mal. "Who needs her anyway. I swear, since I got here she's been cramping my style, mocking me for being a witch,"
"But witches are cool," Mal teased.
"They sure are! I'm unique and gotta act like it," She flipped her hair just as they entered the jousting area. Mal took a deep breath and sighed at the smells of roasted venison, sweaty armor, and warm horses. Next to her, Mad Maddy smiled a bit and she wondered if she was thinking of her own home back in Camelot.
"Hello! Welcome to Medieval Heights, where anyone in Auradon City can experience the beauty of the Middle Ages but with AC!" The hostess smiled at them, dressed in a pink imitation of the famous gown Princess Eilonwy wore during her story.
"Your dress is so pretty!" Ruby complimented and the hostess smiled. She led the girls to a seat in the third row, close to the action but with plenty of room for spreading out.
"What would you like from the menu?"
"Just the mutton and root beer, thank you," Anxelin politely waved her off.
"Root beer? They serve that gunk and not real beer? What a waste!" Mad Maddy complained.
"It's probably because of school...students can't get drunk," Ruby offered.
"So? It's not authentic. Back home I drank beer every day and never got tipsy once. I'm made of the stuff!"
"Then ask her when she gets back," Ginny rolled her eyes.
Mad Maddy threw her feet up onto the table and Mal moved a bit closer to her.
"So, about your grandma...is she still locked-up...?" She kept her voice low so the two princesses wouldn't overhear.
"Nah. She got off pretty easy because most people don't even think she's much of a threat. She just has to serve Merlin whenever he asks for her," Mad Maddy said.
"She sends you letters?"
"She's not the writing type,"
"My mother...she has a plan, but I need some help enacting it. Because we grew up together, I'm telling you about it. She wants me to take over the school,"
Mad Maddy glanced at her with a wide grin. "Now you're speaking my language. A hostile magical takeover? Count me in,"
"I need more allies first, and time to prepare. Whatever the biggest school event is, that's when we'll do it. I'm still practicing my magic though,"
"With just the two of us, we'll destroy the whole place, no matter the state of your magic." Mad Maddy grinned. "You still got your mother in you, that's for sure!"
"Enjoy the show!" The waitress chirped, giving everyone their plates and walking off.
"Okay, bets. Who'll win this round, green or white?" Anxelin asked, motioning to the two. One seemed more lanky while the other was sturdier. Mal stared hard at them but couldn't determine a probable outcome.
"White!" Ruby said. "What should we bet on?"
"The last ruby in my pocket,"
"Who wants a lousy ruby?" Mad Maddy rolled her eyes.
"Loser treats everyone to a sweet dessert from The Briar Rose," Anxelin said instead, and Ruby gasped.
"I love that place! You're on!"
"I'll compete too. I hate to admit it, but they have good strawberries and cream," Ginny leaned forward. "Green."
"Strawberries?" Mal couldn't help asking about the unfamiliar word.
"Oh, they're wonderful!" Ruby smiled. "So sweet and if you dip them in chocolate, heavenly!"
"Huh. Never got those back home," Mad Maddy kept her feet on the table and took a huge swig of her root beer.
"What the heck, White," Mal found herself smirking.
"I'll go Green too," Just as Anxelin made her choice, the trumpets sounded and the two knights took off, charging at each other.
The audience around them cheered loudly and Mad Maddy whistled too, throwing her drink down on the table.
"Go! Go! You can do it White!" Ruby shouted, waving.
Mal smirked more and took a sip of her drink as the two swords clashed loudly, leading the knights to rush past each other. They picked up their swords and rushed again, the leaner White knight pushing the stockier Green knight's sword down with little difficulty. The crowd cheered more.
"Come on!" Ruby leaned forward slightly in her seat.
The two knights slashed at each other with their swords, White getting a good hit and knocking Green off-balance. He tried to sturdy himself but White hit him again and he leaned back too far, falling right off his horse.
"Winner!" The trumpets blared and half the crowd jumped up to cheer and clap, Ruby included.
"I won! I won!" She cheered.
"Better luck next time," Anxelin just shrugged and shook her head playfully. Ginny pouted too while Mal widened her eyes.
White was just some random bet she said for fun. Did she....?
No, did Mad Maddy...?
She looked over at her, but she was drinking her root beer boredly. Ruby stood up and bounced. "Strawberries, here we come!"
The twins curtsied to their waitress as they walked out, heading down another cobblestone path that led them to an area filled with tiny pink cute shops. Ribbons were tied neatly to the windows, animals ran about happily, and everyone waved to the girls as they walked past. Ruby ran ahead and pointed out the cafe, The Briar Rose.
"It originated in Queen Aurora's kingdom, but it was so popular the owner agreed to allow a small branch to open up here," Anxelin explained as they went inside.
Mal wasn't sure if she wanted to collapse or suddenly burst out into song. Much like Princessology, everything was in pink and cream, ribbons tied into everything, tiny little plates, girls in huge dresses, sweet sugary smells, and birds flying about, tweeting happily. It reminded her too much of home.
"The cool part is you sit where-ever and birds serve you!" Ruby sat by a painting of roses and the others sat with her.
"Barf, what is this place? It looks like Queen Aurora sneezed on everything," Mad Maddy gagged, and Mal laughed before she caught herself.
"I agree, too cheery. I prefer candle-light. Reading by the candles at night with an old worn book in your lap...that's the best," Ginny sighed.
"Meanwhile I'm never myself unless I'm sewing or riding," Anxelin chimed in.
Their food arrived, carried by several dainty white doves with lavender ribbons around their necks. They chirped as they set the dishes down and flew off. Mal looked at her meal; chocolate strawberries and sparkling pumpkin juice. She hesitantly picked one up and took a bite, her eyes lighting up and going wide. She took another bite, then started eating them rapidly. To her, they were the right mix of sweetness and tartness, exploding in her mouth with gooeyness. She ate so fast and washed them down with a drink of her juice, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.
"Great, aren't they?" Ruby smiled, having her own plate.
Mal found herself smiling beside herself.
"Yeah...never thought I'd like something so princess-y, but they're actually really good. I think I could get used to them,"
"Once you try one, you'll never go back!"
Ginny was eating hers slowly, using a fork to gently dip each strawberry in the cream and taking small bites. Anxelin had blueberry tarts and was eating them just fine, whereas Mad Maddy just had sparkling apple cider that she was in the middle of chugging.
"They serve these back at the school, right?" Mal asked. "The others should try them too,"
"Of course! They make whatever you want, you just have to ask for it," Ruby looked like she was about to add some more to that, but before she could start another sentence, she got cut-off by Mad Maddy finishing her chugging session and burping.
"Have you no manners, you crazy witch?!" Ginny groaned.
"Manners aren't my thing. We don't got much of them back home," Mad Maddy smirked at her.
Anxelin took one look at Ginny, gulped her entire cup of sparkling orange juice, waited a second, then burped just as loudly. Ginny offered her a sour look, but Mal stifled her laughter.
"Not so much of a proper princess, are you?"
"I've been told I take more after my dad. I'm totally okay with that though. I've bested him when it comes to horse racing and burping contests!" Anxelin laughed.
"One of us has to be the perfect princess, and I'm glad it's me!" Ruby smiled and sipped her own drink.
"Yeah, you may be cooler than some other Auradon Kids, but you're still an Auradon Kid. All I need is my girl Mal," Mad Maddy pulled Mal closer to her.
"Fair," Anxelin held up her hands.
Once Ginny and Ruby finished their meals, Anxelin left out the money and their tip, making sure it was super shiny and a lot. They stepped back out and she spun around to face the others.
"Where to now?"
"You suggested we could watch a movie! So let's!" Ruby beamed.
"Yeah, I still want to know what those are," Mal followed after the girls, finding the theater to be open but not very busy despite the afternoon hour. Anxelin pointed to the huge posters outside, explaining they showed what was currently playing inside.
"Don't they have like, horror? Or fantasy?" Mal joked, thinking most of the posters just showed perky teenage girls with cell phones; she finally knew what those were now, and cloud-coloured unicorns.
"We could watch Fantasia! Something for everyone in that!" Ruby suggested. "It's got fairies, magic, Greek mythology, even a super dark and scary part where the God of Darkness dances with his demonic minions throughout the night, causing torment and despair!"
"You got me,"
The girls walked in and Anxelin paid for them all, going inside a large but somehow still claustrophobic red room with soft seats and a huge black screen.
"So a movie is fed into the projector and it displays on that screen! It looks real but it really isn't," Ruby explained as they sat down.
"Have you seen this before?" Mal asked.
"Lots of times! My favorite part is the part where the fairies change the seasons!"
The lights dimmed info blackness and a few other people hurried in to take their seats just as the movie began projecting on the screen. It was loud and huge, but Mal found herself leaning forward, wanting to take in every little detail. She had never seen such marvelous explosions of lights and sounds and colours before. Even the music was unfamiliar to her but worked perfectly with the stories they were telling, almost as if they were written just for these scenes. Her fingers tingled and her hair buzzed as they finally reached the part Ruby described earlier, of the demon watching his minions dance. She snuck a peek and saw Mad Maddy's eyes glowing a dark color with an evil smirk on her face as she watched as well, entranced.
Once they walked out, Mal trembled a bit from the sudden disorientation as Anxelin pulled out her phone.
"That movie sapped a huge chunk of our time. We're going to have to forget going shopping today, we're expected back in ten minutes,"
"No shopping? Oh no, whatever will I do? Save me, I needed a new pair of shoes! Oh so badly!" Mad Maddy put her hand on her forehead and pretended to swoon. Mal laughed.
"You seem like you're into fashion though," Ginny tried to stab, motioning to her outfit.
"I don't need to shop though. I can change into whatever I want!" She twirled around and suddenly became taller with longer hair and a very buxom figure, a miniskirt and tank top on her body. She then twirled again and became a small purple cat with a pink collar, meowing. She then jumped up to become herself again and flipped her hair.
Ginny scoffed. "Show off,"
"Let's go!" Anxelin ushered the girls along, walking them down to the main part of downtown again where the bus stop was. As they walked, Mal thought back to the movie they saw and the strawberries she ate. Both were magical experiences she'd never have had back home, and even though the jousting was lame, somehow the company made it more pleasant. She looked over at Mad Maddy, who was playing with her hair out of boredom again.
At least she had fun today. She'd need some good memories to look back on once she finished burning the school to the ground.
.....Right?
####
Carlos had no idea how he ended up with two girls on the total opposite ends of the personality spectrum, but he wondered if he could still swap with Jay or something. How was he supposed to handle Arabella, who kept pulling the other two along to look at whatever she spotted, and Jane, who smiled shyly and hid her face and looked ready to break out into a tremor of shakes at any given moment? And most importantly, how was he even supposed to deal with both of them being AKs, super unfamiliar ones at that?
Seriously, was it too late to trade with Jay? He'd even settle for whatever group Evie had ended up with.
"We gotta go to the accessory store, they just got a new shipment in from Atlantica! And check out the music store and book store and video game store too!" Arabella went on and on. She wore her pearl headband as she always did but coupled it with a teal ruffled cardigan and a slim lavender mermaid-style dress.
"Wait, slow down. Video games? I heard some guys in gym talking about some new ones. Can I play them at school?" He wore bright red pants and a matching jacket over a simple black shirt and dress shoes.
"Are you a tech guy? People who are into tech get into video games more," She asked.
"I do pretty good in that Internet class," He thought back to other instances. Even back home, he liked to think he was savvy over technology, he always knew how to fix the television when it got broke and used the parts of an old car he found to build a faster scooter he used everywhere. At first he thought everyone could, but after he tried to show Eddie some stuff it ended with a rug getting fried. Harry and Jace lacked his tech skills too, they'd watch and give him new parts they found they thought he could use, but otherwise they stood back, letting their brother do whatever it was he was doing. He hadn't done much of that stuff since arriving at Auradon Prep due to how busy he was that week, but he found himself missing it.
It wasn't magic like what his friends had, but it was his own special skill he was proud of.
"Yeah, I'm pretty tech-savvy," He smirked.
"So you will love video games! Let's go!" Arabella ran down the street but Carlos kept his normal pace, not wanting to leave Jane behind. She walked behind him a few steps away, her head down.
"Are you okay?" He tempted fate and asked her that.
"Yeah...just overwhelmed," She nodded. She reminded Carlos of a lost kitten. She still wore the pink bow and golden hair piece but tried to stick to her own wardrobe that day, so she wore a spotted purple dress with a big white bow in the back.
The video game store wasn't anything interesting, just grey paint and several sections of various games. Arabella seemed pretty clueless and had to ask the cashier for help with the different consoles, and then she took to running around the store, picking out games she thought she'd like.
"Where do you hail from?" The cashier asked and Carlos placed their accent.
"Uh, England,"
"What time period?"
"The sixties?"
"You seem like an action sort of guy, am I right?"
Carlos just shrugged. "You're the expert here,"
Jane hung back, looking at a game that requires a huge dancing mat.
"Want to get that? We could play together!" Arabella suggested happily. Jane jumped.
"No....I don't think I'd be good at dancing... I'd just trip over everything," She shook her head.
"If you don't want it, I'll take it," A new voice announced, and Carlos briefly recognized the kid in the baseball cap as one in his mathematics class.
"Mike Darling!" Arabella smiled.
"You two are dating?" Carlos quipped, but she shook her head.
"No, Darling is his last name! My family and his go way back. Some of my cousins and great-aunts are from Neverland!"
"Really?" Jane asked softly. "I never knew that,"
"Yeah! You can't contain a mermaid after all! You got accepted?"
"Why wouldn't I? I may be a civilian but my family has an important story, you know? I'm hanging out this weekend with my close friend though, we wanted to get the newest MickeyStation Portable game," Mike motioned a black-haired boy over.
"Wait, you don't go to our school," Carlos would recognize such a cowlick from the moment he saw it. The boy just grinned.
"I don't go to Auradon Preparatory. Thought about it but my folks thought the high school back home was better for me. Okay, it's their choice," He shrugged in a carefree way. "Not all bad, every weekend Mike and I get to hang out. It's fun, he reminds me of my dad when he was young,"
"Hi Wilbur Robinson!" Arabella curtsied at the newcomer.
The two boys got their game and left, letting the cashier hand some games into Carlos' hands.
"You should have a system in your room already, yes?"
He shrugged. "I think, I didn't really look."
"Every boys' dorm comes with one... while the girls have computers. Mother thought it'd be interesting that way," Jane spoke up.
"Then yeah, guess I do,"
The cashier explained the titles they picked out, saying they were huge open-world fantasies where you could be whatever fantasy class you wanted and fight monsters and villains. Another was a random action shooter game, but sometimes one needed one to unwind. Arabella picked some romance games, while Jane remained by herself, running her hands through her hair.
The three walked out and Arabella took the lead, basically skipping. "Next we should go look at accessories!"
"There's so many people here to keep track of," Carlos blurted out. That was one thing he preferred about home, few people wished to associate with him and his mother, so it was primarily just him and sometimes Eddie and his brothers. Thinking of his mother...the clothes she said she'd send hadn't been sent yet and it was a week by that point. Did she just expect him to get along with a simple backpack's worth? He was suddenly glad he was in town, more outfits just to get through another week were clearly needed.
"I-I know...some people think it's easy for me because I can just look at the list but I'm bad with names," Jane said. "Sometimes f-faces but mostly names. I only remember those I see all the time, like you in Remedial Goodness,"
"Huh." He didn't know what to say to that.
The accessory store neither of them had much interest in, so they stuck around the entryway while Arabella went nuts, her mermaid blood compelling her to grab anything and everything shiny. If he were buying, he'd be worried over his allowance. He looked over at Jane, seeing her adjusting her hair in the reflection of the window. The heck was he even supposed to say to her? She didn't seem to be as mean or judgmental as some of the other AKs he has met, but she was still powerful. If her zap didn't get him, her mom's would, and he wasn't even sure if he did mean magic or just expulsion. Besides, personality aside, she was painfully shy, something Carlos has no idea how to handle. Yet he got the feeling she did wish to talk, she was just as stuck on a starter as he was.
So, he stepped a bit closer to her.
"How do you like school so far?"
She jumped a bit.
"I don't have to take classes, so that's nice...been busy running things everywhere to p-people," She held her hands by her side shyly. "A-And everyone has complimented the hair Mal gave me. I-I really like it, it's pretty,"
Carlos thought her bob was cuter, it just was cut horribly and that was the problem, but for once thought it was better to hold his tongue regarding that. "Yeah, Mal is pretty good at transfiguration stuff,"
"I wondered....maybe I should practice too. I have magic, but I need to be more formally trained but Mother's busy," She sighed. "My spells usually backfire anyway,"
"There's no reason you can't keep trying! If it's truly in your blood, eventually it'll strengthen and using it will become second-nature to you!" Carlos said. "Start small. Like my tinkering,"
"Y-You tinker?"
"A bit..back home I made my own scooter from old television parts. I hope here I can get back to it. But I started out small at first and worked my way to the scooter,"
Arabella dashed back to them, a plump box filled with jewels in her hands. "I got a great haul! All this for twenty! I didn't even have to give up my favorite emerald for it! Look, these are real pearls from Atlantica!"
Carlos just nodded and let her lead the way to the music store next, looking back at Jane. Though she walked behind slowly, her head had picked up a bit and her steps were lighter. He wondered if he did that, somehow.
"Why this place?" It was painted cherry red with instruments from all over the United States hung up as displays on the walls. Carlos even caught some from Republic of Zena that looked more foreign.
"My guitar pick is busted and I need a new one," Arabella grumbled. "I shouldn't have given it to those dolphins...they pluck way too hard!"
"Guitar? What kind of guitar?"
"Any kind!" She laughed. "Mom enjoys the more traditional lute, but I like the modern acoustic one because you can take it anywhere. She says I play it just as good as her!" She walked up to the counter to buy her pick, and Carlos was surprised he didn't see anyone else he recognized there. Oh, there were people there alright, just nobody he recognized. Most looked too old to be students at the school anyway. There were some innocuous animals too like chipmunks that one of the shopkeepers was trying to usher out with a broom, being gentle yet firm.
"Hey, I'm going to a clothing store. My wardrobe never came so I need new ones," He announced to Arabella once she bounced over, then just turned on his heel and left, not awaiting an answer. She just shrugged and followed, staying near Jane that time and trying to have a pleasant conversation with her, but she just responded with one-word answers.
There were plenty of clothing shops back home, so at least that Carlos had experience with. He picked one that had the fanciest aesthetic to it and chose at random, feeling every suit and shoe to be sure it was made of only the very best materials. As expected, the vast majority of his picks were in the signature red, black, and white, but what could he say? He liked those colors and they looked good on him. Everyone had a color they liked the best and tried to wear a lot.
Once he finished, he came out with several full bags to rival Arabella's, something her and even Jane giggled at. Arabella kept laughing but Jane caught herself, covering her mouth.
"Let's start heading back," Arabella suggested once she calmed down.
"Huh? But what about the bookstore?" Jane asked.
"We have ten minutes left, we can't miss the bus!" As usual, she took off running, leaving Carlos to try and catch up with his bags that bounced against his legs and slowed him down.
"Here," Jane took several and ran too, trying to catch up.
"Why'd you take them? I can carry them myself," What even was with these kids? Some seemed helpful and kind, but others were downright rude pricks. How could he ever tell the difference.
"W-We can't miss the bus!" Jane gasped.
Okay, Carlos didn't want to admit it, but seeing her carry his bags with ease was...something. And her giggling was pretty cute too. He never thought he'd be the person to help Jane open up some, but weirder things had happened, right?
####
"Horses? Seriously?" Jay asked incredulously as Lonnie patted the snout of a buttercream mare, smiling at her.
"You've never rode one? They're all the rage here in Auradon City. Pretend you're Prince Charming, riding your steed to save the princess! Or a charming lady atop her horse!" Aziz laughed. "They're like camels but without the hump, so there's less bounce,"
Out of everywhere he expected the two to bring him, a corral with multicolored horses was one of the last spots. Not that Jay had an issue with horses or anything, it was more just....why. Why these two on top of it? Didn't they want to go somewhere with more action?
"Just you three?" The attendant looked them over. "First time?"
"My mom has a horse and I often rode it with her growing up," Lonnie said.
"First time for us two, but we have ridden camels," Aziz raised a hand.
"Okay, good. Not entirely first timers. Just pick a horse and get on,"
Lonnie jumped up onto the saddle of the horse she picked, purposefully sitting astride and making her dress ride up to reveal her leggings. A nearby girl gasped, scandalized, but Lonnie just laughed. Aziz picked a dark brown mare whose coat shined in the sun, tall and broad. He easily eased onto the saddle and patted her head.
Now he just had to pick something. He wandered through the stables, finally settling on a stallion with a braided mane and a coat that sparkled like gold. It reminded him of desert horses back home, gorgeous but wild. He didn't have a saddle on yet but Jay jumped on anyway, not needing one.
"Okay, now lead them out gently," The attendant said. Jay snapped the reins carefully and the horse got the hint, walking out of the stables and onto the trail slowly. Lonnie came up on his left a few seconds later, riding steadily.
"Is there a point?" He finally asked, making her laugh.
"It's just supposed to be fun!"
"I'm thinking this isn't my thing though,"
"You just gotta ride faster! Fly like the wind!" Aziz rode briskly on Jay's right before snapping the reins harder and riding off into the sunset. Not literally, but that would've been a pretty funny image. Lonnie remained by Jay, her horse pausing occasionally to nibble at grass she saw. Lonnie would always pat her horse's mane whenever she stopped.
"Horses are more for princes, and I'm not that sort," Jay continued. The bouncing was giving him a headache.
"In most realms they're used as reliable and fast modes of transportation," Lonnie cited. "Like mine,"
"Not mine. They were wild and nobody wanted to bother them. And here they're just for show,"
Lonnie made her horse trot a bit faster.
"How long is this trail?"
"Not too long," She reassured him but froze suddenly. "Oh no,"
"What?"
"Chad Charming,"
"I can handle some prissy guy-"
"I think Audrey is with him,"
That was a problem. Though weren't the two friends or something? Jay wasn't actually sure, he only ever saw Lonnie in history and gym sometimes. He for sure never asked who her friends were because he didn't care.
"We gotta ride past them super fast so they don't recognize you!" Lonnie tightened her grip on the reins and patted her horse.
"And have me fall off? No way," Jay shook his head.
"Doesn't it beat getting seen by them?" Lonnie shot him an urgent look and he knew they only had a few seconds remaining before they were caught. With a shrug, Jay grabbed the reins and yelled, slapping them just as Aziz had and raced his horse, rushing past several people and getting jostled badly. When he saw the end of the trail, he tried to stop his horse by planting his feet hard into the sides, which made the horse stop too suddenly and throw him right off.
"Jay!" Lonnie yelled as he flew threw the air and landed in the bushes, groaning at the sharp leaves digging into his arms.
"You okay?" Aziz rode over and offered him a hand, which he pushed aside and stood up on his own. "What made you two rush off like crazy people?"
"I think Audrey is out on a date," Lonnie caught up to them.
"Shoot. Maybe it's best we do this some other time,"
Lonnie nodded and jumped off her horse, leading her back to the stables. Jay and Aziz walked together, Aziz taking that time to ask Jay how school had been going.
"Don't know. I'm still waiting for teams to open up. That's where I know I'll be wanted,"
"That's the spirit! You'd be great at Tourney!" Aziz grinned. "Of course, you might surprise us all and be good at fencing. Or swimming,"
"I'll be up for anything,"
They put their horses away and Lonnie rejoined them, suggesting they check out a new place in town that supposedly sold temporary spells, according to the Fitzherbert twins.
"Like, magic? But it's not forever?" Jay asked. "What sense does that make?"
"I think it's neat! It allows Auradonians like us to mess around with stuff we wouldn't normally get to do. I hear there's a cannon that shoots cotton candy!" Lonnie smiled.
Her and Aziz began gushing over the types of magic that'd be there, but Jay kept focusing on the sheer fact that it was magic. Actual magic that anyone could possess, even if it was just for a minute or two. The thing was, he supposedly had magic already. Even disregarding his dad's temporary stint as an all-powerful genie, he was still classified as a sorcerer and used his magic to get people to do his bidding. He just could never tap into it, and his father didn't want to help, so Jay just abandoned those thoughts. He needed some sort of push.
The magic shop was wooden and quant, with crystals and dreamcatchers hanging from the ceiling, wands and crystal balls behind the counter. To Jay's surprise, nobody else was there, and Lonnie and Aziz busied themselves looking through the spellbook catalogue for things to try. Jay remained standing there until a familiar girl walked out of the back, posing in the doorway.
"Can I help you? My dad is busy doing inventory so you got me today,"
Jordan. Daughter of the famed Genie and a woman he met on his travels after being freed. He caught a glimpse at her in school a few times, but here she seemed completely different. A circlet hanged low in her dark wavy hair and she wore cream and gold embroidered robes with a gold belt.
"We're here to try some temp spells," Lonnie said, always straight to the point.
"My girl! I didn't know you worked here!" Aziz jumped in. Jordan went behind the counter.
"Just on weekends part-time, and only if I want to. Dad gets what it's like to work when you don't want to, but I swear I don't mind it. It's a neat idea," She slammed a giant spellbook down. "Okay, let's get serious. What spells?"
"Cotton candy," Aziz grinned. "I want to clap my hands and have a bowl of it appear!"
"Ice. I wave my hands and ice comes out!" Lonnie said.
"That's a popular one, thanks to Elsa. And you?" Jordan stared at Jay, who thought about it.
If his magic needed some push to be used, it surely couldn't be coerced through making ice or candy. Yet he was sure the place didn't have anything that could cause bodily harm to someone.
"Turn something into a small snake," He finally said. Jordan nodded.
"Got it. Thirty dollars,"
Aziz stepped up and dumped out the appropriate amount of jewels, which Jordan looked over and nodded at. "Luckily for you three, we got those spells made already. Just drink these vials and for a minute your wildest dreams will come true," She handed them three crystal bottles that Jay stared at. The liquid inside was clear and sticky almost, and when he took a swig he gagged at how bitter it tasted. His stomach burned and roiled and for a moment he thought he'd just puke it back to or something, but then his fingers tingled and he pointed at a display of crystals at random, watching as a purple one twisted and coiled until it slid off the table as a violet snake, hissing and staring up at Jay with vacant emerald eyes.
"Woohoo!" Lonnie cheered, waving her hands around and moving a flutter of snowflakes. She twirled around and posed, and the snowflakes daintily fell on her sneakers, turning them blue. Aziz clapped his hands and just as he specified, a whole bowl of cotton candy dropped at his feet, pink and sweet.
Jay looked back at the snake, which hissed and slithered over to him. He slowly picked it up and waited, but it never struck or talked or whatever else an evil snake would do. It hissed once more before morphing back into a regular purple crystal. Aziz still had a handful of cotton candy when the bowl disappeared, and Lonnie sighed sadly when her motions didn't call forth another flurry of snowflakes.
"Did you enjoy it?" Jordan grinned, leaning against the doorway.
"Are you kidding?! That was fun as heck! I'm definitely coming back next week! I gotta tell my folks about that!" Aziz cheered.
"You must get a lot of customers, huh?" Jay mused, trying to shake the snake from his mind.
"No, actually. Believe it or not, a lot of Auradonians are distrusting of magic or don't understand it. They see it as a villainous thing,"
Jay couldn't really blame them for thinking that. Very few heroes and princesses had magic. It was something the villains often had and used in their evil plans, and it was hard to find counterarguments.
"But Dad thinks that's unfair. Plenty of good people have used magic, and the powers themselves are neutral. He suggested the idea of a shop like this in order to let everyone experiment with magic and see it's nothing scary," Jordan continued.
"I think that's great," Lonnie smiled. "With more people who trust others, the better the world will be!"
"Yeah, you'd think more would accept it, seeing how important and famous your dad is," Aziz chimed in.
"He's just a sidekick, a device to help your dad. He's not a protagonist," Jordan said. "But with this, we're hoping to change that,"
"Well, you got three loyal customers right here!" He pulled Lonnie and Jay into a giant hug. "We best get going though. I know we didn't do too much but I'm pretty bushed,"
"Nothing saying we can't hang out at the bus stop," Lonnie walked ahead and Jay was the last to leave, sneaking a peek behind him. Jordan disappeared somewhere with a puff of blue smoke, leaving the store empty once more.
He hadn't wanted to admit it, but changing that crystal into a snake felt...good. Right, even. He didn't know what the push was, but maybe he needed an outside force to help him tap into his powers. Like how Evie couldn't actually do anything without her spell book and making things beforehand. Maybe he needed something too, something like....
A staff.
And if he had that, convincing students to hand over their baubles would be easy as pie!
A voice in his head scolded him, telling him that's not what heroes did, it's what villains like his dad did, but he chose to ignore it. He was a kleptomaniac who showed affection roughly. Who ever said he was hero material?
####
Evie had suggested that instead of jumping right into the shopping, the girls get some culture at The Museum of Cultural History. She had honestly never heard of a museum before, and neither had the other two, but it'd surely be a fun time.
They took another blue bus to the museum and the moment Snowdrop smiled her signature smile, the guards were charmed and let them in with a bow. Evie walked into the first room they saw and gasped, amazed and mesmerized.
"Look at all these crowns!" She walked over to a small gold one. "Queen Aurora's from before she became the queen,"
"You know your history!" Snowdrop praised. She forewent her modern academic style and instead wore a long yellow gown with puffed cut sleeves to show the patterned blue underskirt and a matching bow, her hair curled perfectly.
"I only know about them because they're shiny princess crowns, what's not to love?" Evie said, trying to smile. In reality, their first test in Virtues and Values was to be on the history of crowns and she spent the previous night studying in preparation for a test that wasn't even for two more weeks. She found herself fascinated by how different every one was and what was considered to be a crown. The Evil Queen had one, for example, but Snow White did not. Her bow just didn't qualify. She hoped she'd ace it.
"My father doesn't have a crown," Claudine chimed in so she wouldn't be left out. "He wears a particular hat but no crown,"
"What about your mother? I assume you have one?" Snowdrop stiffened a bit as she walked through the exhibit. "I do find it weird that most of the queens don't even have crowns in their own stories,"
"Everyone has one, Snowdrop," Evie reminded her sister. She didn't know why she acted like she was invisible in class but treated her sweetly alone, but Evie was already tired of it. They were stepsisters, nothing should change that. She tightened her grip on her bag and followed her, wearing a blue poncho over a red dress with a yellow underskirt, a color-swapped version of her stepsister's dress. The only modern touch was her blue bag and crimped hair. "Wow, they have all three of Queen Tiana's crowns! Even the one she wore to the costume party!"
"Of course, if she had not worn that, King Naveen wouldn't have thought her to be a princess and tried to kiss her," Snowdrop reminded her. "Where else should we go?"
"Oooh, the Hall of Villains," Evie waved her fingers around. "Unless you're too scared,"
"I have nothing to be afraid of!" Her stepsister's voice got a bit higher as she strode out, heading to the next exhibit. Evie kept an eye on Claudine, who walked slowly and silently. She was so silent Evie was worried they might accidentally leave her behind, and the girl wouldn't say a word about it.
The next room was dimmed in contrast to the bright lights and shiny glass cases of the previous room, with lifelike statues of all the most famous villains in Auradon posed menacingly. Snowdrop hung back, but Evie walked in, curious.
"These are...really impressive," She admitted. "They even made Mother's apples shine and the basket is painstakingly weaved together,"
"And Ursula's shell necklace glows," Snowdrop added. "Who made these? Actually, why are these even here?"
"To remind us of the past?" She shrugged. "Our parents are nothing to fear now, but decades ago, they were. We have these to be sure we never create someone like them again," She looked up at the statute of Mother, looking poised and elegant, the way an Evil Queen should. The way Evie had been taught to stand and pose, bringing out her elegance. The very same teachings Queen Snow White tried to remove by teaching her own brand of kindness and inner-beauty. Who was right? Evie got the chance to go to an elite school and see the world, whereas her mother was stuck in the castle dungeons forever, rotting. Her mother didn't even have an ultimate goal for her, just to snag some prince. Could she do it? If she did, what would the others think of her?
She was brought out of her thoughts by a sudden scream, one that made Snowdrop tremble and bolt for the door. Evie looked around in a panic before she spotted the shaking Claudine, pale and on the floor. She rushed over to her and helped her up, the older girl burying her face in her chest.
"What happened? Hey, are you okay?" Evie asked softly. Claudine simply pointed to the statue behind her and Evie looked, seeing it was one of Judge Claude Frollo. Instead of the proper appearance he normally adopted in stories about him, he looked almost mad there, with a hand raised to strike someone.
"I am sorry. I just...I lost myself for a moment," Claudine took a deep breath and adjusted her habit, composing herself. "I know they're not real, but for a moment, I had doubts,"
"These things are scary," Snowdrop nodded. "Let's go somewhere else,"
Normally Evie would try to protest or bargain, but in this specific case, she agreed with the both of them. The other rooms would just be soured by the experience and a part of her regretted bringing them to the Hall of Villains in the first place. Not everyone was raised like her. Most VKs had horrible parents, how could she forget that?
The three girls walked out of the museum and took the bus back to Auradon City, Claudine still pale throughout the ride. Snowdrop perked up once they got outside and suggested they look for makeup and jewelry.
"I want a necklace.." Claudine said quietly. She looked hesitantly at the cross around her neck. "For special occasions,"
"We'll find you the perfect one!" Evie promised and they went inside the jewelry store. The biggest display was showing off the new set shipped from Atlantica, boasting real pearls in everything, including several pieces made with the rarer black pearls. Snowdrop was trying on several pairs of earrings, holding them up to her ears in the mirror to see which ones fit her, while Evie grabbed a few headbands and circlets she thought fit her. Claudine stayed by the necklaces, looking through each one.
"Just pick the one that speaks to you! What do you normally wear?" Evie suggested.
"This," Claudine ran her hands down her dress. "Grey and loose. It's the proper way to dress,"
"But if you could dress like anything, what color would you pick?"
"Purple," Claudine said immediately. "There's this woman I know...she has the prettiest purple scarf patterned with stars. She ties her hair up with it and when she dances in the candlelight with her ribbons twirling everywhere...it's magic,"
Evie nodded. "What about this one?" She motioned to a long drop necklace with a moon on it, encrusted with purple jewels. "Simple, but I think you'd look good with it!"
Claudine nodded and took the necklace, holding it close to her.
"I'm ready!" Snowdrop practically sung. "I saw the cutest pair shaped like flowers so I had to buy them!"
"Now let's get some cosmetics!" While Evie would say she was getting some for Claudine, in reality she wanted to get a whole new set for herself. She loved the inventions of brushes for everything, it made everything so much more convenient!
The makeup store was just a block away from the jewelry store and while Snowdrop didn't seem too interested, Evie's eyes lit up as she entered her domain. She got several different eyeshadow sets, some darker and others lighter, as well as two tubes of mascara and a whole tray of lip gloss. She had to look her best, after all. She caught Claudine staring at a display of red lipsticks and picked one at random for her.
"This would look good with your skin," She said.
"Could you help me apply it? Apply anything? I don't know how,"
"Of course!" Evie paid for everything, even the lipstick, which Claudine carried close to her chest, by the cross, the second she was handed it, just like she did with the necklace.
"Have you never bought things before? I thought money existed where you're from?" Snowdrop asked as they walked back, and despite the word choice, Evie felt as though Snowdrop wasn't being rude with her statement.
"It exists. Father was just never big on buying things," Claudine said. "We made do with everything we had. It's why I'm good at sewing and baking. I had to make a lot of things,"
"Oh! My mother is the same way!"
Claudine didn't respond, but Evie shot Snowdrop a smile. It wasn't much, and she still hurt from the various cold shoulders she received, but seeing Snowdrop make a genuine effort to talk to another VK was enough. She hoped she could figure out whatever it was that was bothering her stepsister so much and mend their relationship. There was time for that later though. At that moment, all Evie wished to do was go home and start working on new looks with the makeup she got.
All-in-all, she'd say this was a pretty successful weekend.
Chapter 5: .5
Summary:
Some sports they play at AP, and various student struggles.
Chapter Text
A few weeks had passed since the beginning of the school year, and Ben had to admit he didn't expect things to go this smoothly. True, there were some hiccups, but overall the students settled into their new routines and most got along fairly well. He was kept busy as well, trying to keep on top of his schoolwork as well as whatever princely duties were asked of him. That afternoon, he decided to eat lunch outside to enjoy the last bits of the summer air before it cooled into autumn weather. Sitting on the blanket with him were of course Snowdrop on one side with Audrey and Chad sitting across from them.
He sorted through the papers he brought outside with him before looking up. "I got it! Our exchange students are finalized!"
"Who are they?" Snowdrop asked curiously.
"From Auradon to Zena was a tough one because of the technological differences, but I finally settled on a young man named Hiro Hamada. He's younger than most of the student body but I thought with where he's from, he'd fit in super well,"
"Him? Awwww, he's a sweet kid," Audrey sipped from her teacup. "How about for us?"
"Again, hard choice, but I thought Miguel Rivera would be perfect. He even sings with a guitar!"
"Well we do know a thing or two about singing here!" Snowdrop chirped.
"In about a week, the exchange should be complete," Ben smiled but still sighed a bit to himself.
"Dude, you're working yourself too hard! You should take a break and relax!" Chad scolded him. Ben just shook his head.
"Once I come of age, I'll be formally crowned king and made responsible for far more important choices than just what colour I want the school bathrooms painted. People's lives will be depending on what I say or do. I can't relax now, I need to prepare for that!"
"If it ever gets too much, one of us can just take your place," Audrey reminded him.
"I want to show I'm ready for this responsibility," He returned to his meal. "Eating out here is nice though. We should do it more often,"
"Nature is naturally attuned to us princesses!" Snowdrop sung a few notes and several birds and other woodland critters came over instantly, sitting on their picnic blanket. Audrey gently picked up a squirrel and petted its big bushy tail.
"Today's also the first official day of practice for the sports teams, huh? How are you two doing in regards to that?"
"Ecstatic! I picked only the best and prettiest girls to be on the cheerleading squad this year! It was hard work because the princesses this year were just so good!" Audrey boasted.
"Same with Tourney! The guys this year are so good, we'll beat any team super easy!" Chad struck a pose. "I'd be jealous if it weren't my own team,"
"Then I trust you two picked only the best of the best!" Ben gave his friends a smile.
####
Lilo was stoked that the school had a swimming club. While it would never truly compete with surfing in her heart, it was the next best thing. She kept her hair in a low ponytail and wore the team's swimsuit, royal blue with a giant gold crown on the back. She walked in and dipped her feet into the water, grinning when the soaked heads of both Arabella and Melody poked out, their colourful tails visible under the water.
"Hey now, competing against mermaids isn't fair!" She teased, splashing them. Arabella squeaked and ducked under the water, but Melody smirked and splashed Lilo right back.
"They should've thought about that before they let us on the team!"
Arabella swam over and lifted herself out of the water, revealing her green scaly tail.
"I gotta ask, your tail is green but yours is salmon. Why?" Lilo held up her hands. "No offense or anything,"
"It's a mermaid thing," Melody swam away. "Every mermaid has her own unique tail. Mermen. Merpeople. Everyone is different. My aunts are proof enough of that. Mom has a green tail, but I don't,"
"And my mom has a lavender tail, but mine is green. Just because!" Arabella flapped it before she slipped back into the water.
Mad Maddy walked in, her hair still wavy and long. She took one look at the pool, jumped into the air, spun, then turned into a purple fish once she hit the water. She swam around and eventually came up on the other end of the pool as herself, smirking.
"Now who's not being fair?" Melody teased, giving her a huge splash with her tail as she swam past.
"Why'd you join? Aren't you worried about your hair dye?" Lilo asked, genuinely curious. Mad Maddy laughed.
"If it gets messed up, I can fix it easily. It's this way due to my magic, I'm a purplette naturally!" She swam away from the other girls. "Just us, huh?"
"Looks like it," Arabella said.
"Great, that means way less people to pee in the pool!"
"What?! Ewww!" She gasped, scandalized. Melody started to laugh.
"I trust everyone here to not do that!" Lilo declared, jumping in.
"As for why I joined....why not? I had to do a sport but there's barely any for the girls. I'd rather gouge my eyes out than be a cheerleader, so here I am!" Mad Maddy posed.
Their coach walked in then, a blonde named Shelly with a very skimpy swimsuit. Arabella gave her an energetic wave, recognizing her as one of the various Neverland mermaids.
"Everyone here? Yes, no, whatever? Let's just do laps from one end to the other. And try not to drown!" She blew her whistle.
####
Ally wasn't too sure what sport was the perfect fit for her. Her mother was more of the falling sort, not the running sort. She knew swimming was a bad idea and wouldn't be able to memorize every cheer, so she stuck with the jump-roping team. But that was perfectly alright to her! She was on the younger side of the student body, so most of her teachers had been encouraging her to give that sport a try. Most of her other teammates were young like her, such as her friend Mike, who was jumping slowly. Dizzy Tremaine was there too, jumping and skipping with her rope, and finally one of her dormmates she saw lots but didn't know much about. All she knew was she was tall but lanky with dark skin and hair, big round glasses, and high-necked dresses like Ally's own. High-necked...long-necked..just like a giraffe!
They were partners in Cooking too so Ally walked over to her, watching her try to jump with her long skirt.
"You got it..whoops!" Ally gasped when she tripped and fell, twisting the rope up around her ankles.
"My darn dad, his clumsiness is a curse! Smart man but bad at athletics," Marianne Thatch sighed to herself, sitting up and doing her best to untangle the plastic rope from around her legs.
"I think we've got the same problems," Ally joked, picking up her skirt slightly and curtsying politely. "Ally Liddel,"
"I know your name already. We introduced each other our first night here," She kept grumbling to herself as she tried to untie herself from the rope.
Ally stood there, thinking about how the jump-rope was kinda like a worm that kept twisting people up in it. Marianne got herself untangled, but continued to get stuck various times throughout the practice, grumbling when at one point Mike had to untangle her when her arms got caught. Ally wasn't too sure what she said, but she thought she caught something about how that was undignified for one of the oldest students at the school.
Once practice finished for the day, the two walked back to their dorm, finding their other two roommates busy. Princess Anya of Arendelle was hotly debating with her twin brother Alec the best type of reindeer feed while Jenny was rubbing a bronze board down.
"What's that?" Marianne asked, adjusting her glasses.
"None of your business," Jenny snapped.
"Why are you always so rude? You've got a bone to pick with the whole school. I shall never forget that time in History of Woodsmen and Pirates where Miss Tinker Bell almost yanked your hair out, you made her so mad!"
Jenny just scoffed and laid the board out on the floor, running her hands along it. She then pulled out a shimmering gold sail and unfurled it slightly, frowning as she stepped onto the board. She closed the sail up and tightened a rope around it, tying it securely. She completely opened it and grinned to herself, wiping the sweat off her brow. She closed it and stepped off, flipping her ponytail.
"What is it?" Marianne asked again, eyeing it. Ally saw the twinkle in her eye, a twinkle of curiosity and amazement. She knew that look all-too-well.
"Figure it out yourself," Jenny rolled her eyes at her, making Marianne scoff right back.
"It appears to be some sort of transportation device where you sail through the sky rather than the sea. A solar-surfer!"
"And how'd you figure that out?"
"Our realms are neighbors. You're not the only one with advanced technology,"
Jenny's feline ears rolled back, going smooth as she looked away in embarrassment.
"Your dad gave you a solar-surfer, and my dad gave me this," Marianne pulled a book out of her nightstand drawer, carefully closing it and sitting on her bed. She pulled out a shiny crystal from under her blouse and placed it in the center of the cover. The unknown characters glowed a dark blue that surrounded the whole room. Even Anya and Alec paused their debate and walked over to stare in awe. Once the glow faded, Marianne tied the crystal around her neck again and opened the book, revealing unfamiliar characters and illustrations.
"Sprinkles, is that cool!" Ally gasped to herself.
"Fine, I'll bite. What is it?" Jenny crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Mom's diary. And Dad made a few contributions here and there. The goal was to tell the new generation everything the Atlantians had forgotten the two of them worked to recover, so they'd never go back to a dark age again," Marianne traced the letters. "They thought I'd be the best keeper of it in the hopes I'd tell my peers everything,"
"And you can read that?"
"Yes! I'm bilingual! Though Mom got me started on French too before my freshman year here at Auradon." She smiled.
"Okay, that's pretty cool. Your dad went on a huge adventure? Guess we got more in common than I'd like to admit,"
Marianne closed the book and readjusted her skirt and blouse once she stood up again. "Yours just never brought back a princess,"
"Alien is good enough!"
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
"Atlantians aren't aliens!"
"This is boring!" Alec cut in, pouting. "We still need to feed our reindeer. Want to come?"
The question was directed at Ally, who nodded. "Sure! I do love animals!"
"Yay!" Anya cheered, and Ally followed the twins to the school stables. She never really went there herself, she just knew the many large royal pets were kept there and cared by the many animal-loving princesses. Most were horses, but a few were unique, such as the twins' baby reindeer, both children of King Kristoff's own famous Sven.
"We know they're well-fed, but we love doing it ourselves!" Alec ran inside the stable first while Anya kept a slow pace with Ally.
"I still can't believe the nerve of that Audrey...to stab that my dad is a peasant! That it means I have no say!" She huffed, pouting her cute pout. Both carried the Saami roots of their parents with reddish-brown hair and tanned skin, freckles all over. They still wore the embroidered patterns of their homeland, but kept the layers light, and Anya had the same braids her mother had in her own youth.
Ally nodded. "Audrey can speak her mind a lot, sometimes it's not good," She was honestly shocked Audrey didn't seem to have any bones to pick with her, though Ally also tried to stay away from her.
"If it weren't for my 'peasant' dad, Mom would've died trying to bring my aunt back! And what of Anxelin and Ruby, their dad was a thief!" Anya continued. "She had no right to be so mean! We're all princesses at the end of the day!" She grabbed a bucket of hay and carrots and marched into the stables, petting and cooing at a small reindeer with ribbons in her antlers. "Hollybell! It's me! It's time for a snack!"
Ally hung back near the doorway, letting the girl do her thing. Anya pulled out a big juicy carrot and smiled as Hollybell ate it eagerly. The pen also contained another reindeer with holly in his antlers, who was sitting down.
"I sneezed! Now I'm going to cover you with snot!" Alec popped up from the shadows with a runny nose. Anya screamed in disgust and ran through the stables, still clutching the carrots. "I'm the snot monster!"
Yup, those two were thirteen alright. Ally shook her head.
"Stop! Go feed Snowflake!" Anya climbed up a ladder, clutching the bucket close to her chest. "That's why you came here!"
"Yeah....I fed him already. Now I want to get you dirty!" He shook the ladder a bit and Anya gasped as she lost her balance, falling on top of him and making the pile of hay fly everywhere. Ally laughed.
"Get away from me! Stop!" Anya laughed and snorted as Alec began tickling her, grinning as he had her pinned down.
"I'm the winner! I got you!"
Eventually Anya gasped and sat up, catching her breath as Alec scooted away from her. "You may have caught me this time...but next time I'll get you good for sure!"
####
Evie decided to use the empty chemistry class for her studies, partially because it was empty, but also because she thought it'd be the best way to test out her magic. She had a spell book similar to what her mother used, but unlike Mal and some other VKs who kept using their magic even here, she hadn't had much of a chance to use it. Thus, she sought out an empty room, got plenty of vials, and started to read.
"So many spells that are broken by True Love's Kiss.." She mused to herself, turning a page. "But what they don't tell you is most have an easier antidote, but of course the villain won't give it to you!"
Most would be too complex for her to try as an experiment though, but which one would be easy? She flipped some more pages. If only she had a simple transfiguration spell the way Mal did...though...
Evie finally flipped to a page in the middle and read it carefully, smiling. It wouldn't be transfiguration, more of an illusion. Making food look so deliciously enticing, one would be compelled to take a bite no matter what it actually looked like. She giggled to herself at the thought Chad would make good use of a spell like that. She'd need to get some food though...would she be able to sneak into the kitchen for some? Lunch was just an hour ago and she didn't think of saving any then, and dinner was hours away, she knew she couldn't wait that long. If she had to though, then she had to.
"What are you doing?" A vain voice reached her, and she shut her book in alarm, sure Chad had found her, until she looked up and saw it was just Anthony.
"Oh," She opened her book up again.
"I asked what you were doing. Last time I checked, class wasn't in session,"
"I didn't know you were a stickler for the rules," Evie snarked back.
"I am if I can get others in trouble," He ran a hand through his shiny black hair. "So answer,"
"I'm trying to test some spells out, but I need food. Could you please go get me some from the kitchen?" She asked sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes. Anthony scoffed.
"Your honeypot tricks don't work on me. I'm not my dumb stepcousin who chases after anyone female. If I do something, it's because I get something out of it," He walked over to her and stared her down.
"A kiss," She giggled. He slammed his hands on the desk.
"Something that's actually going to be worth my time,"
"Okay, fine, what do you want?" Evie dropped her flirty act and stared at him too.
"Whatever I want. When I ask you to do something, you'll do it,"
Anthony was definitely the least violent of the VKs she heard of, but no less cunning and insidious. Everything about him screamed power and wealth, from his green tailored suit to the gold pocket watch in his vest. Whatever he had planned would no doubt be humiliating at the least.
"Fine." Evie agreed. "Now get some kitchen food,"
"Fine. But you're coming with me. And if we get caught, you take the blame,"
Evie nodded, deciding to leave her book there, thinking it'd be just a quick run to get what she needed. If she were lucky, she wouldn't even get caught.
The two made their way down to the cafeteria, keeping to the shadows despite the large amount of other students in the halls. The cafeteria lay empty and Evie slipped through the door, finding herself in the kitchen. Everything sparkled and glistened and she found herself wondering if everything was an animate object, but now was not the time. Just grab something random from the kitchen and go.
She opened the fridge and found a bowl of chilled fruit inside and grabbed it, taking the first thing she saw. She also took a bottle of milk and started to leave before she slammed right into someone else, making them groan in pain.
"Where you off to in such a rush? Take it slow," The boy winked at her. Evie recognized him as Prince Louis of Maldonia, one of the ace students in Cooking. She instantly smiled sweetly.
"Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here! But I must know, why are you sneaking around, breaking the rules? You're an AK," She teased. Louis smirked right back at her, though the gesture was kind, not like Anthony's cruel look.
"Don't you know who my momma and daddy are? Daddy especially wasn't a stickler for the rules. I was coming in here to get some ingredients for a recipe I'm trying in my dorm. My beignets recipe still needs the right amount of sugar!"
He certainly was much like his parents in that area then. "And will you keep me being here a secret?"
"Sure! I can't upset a beautiful girl. And you're a princess, so that makes it even better," Louis winked.
"Not really. My mother has no claim to her title anymore," Evie couldn't bite back the bitterness in her tone for once. "Audrey said so. And she's right. Queen Snow White is the true ruler of the land."
"Your mom's a queen, that makes you a princess to me. Land or no land," Louis shrugged. "Momma was just a normal gal until she married my dad. Simple as that," He walked past her and Evie felt her cheeks warm from a blush. She pressed the bowl close to her chest as she walked back to the chemistry class, Anthony giving her a strange look. She set the milk and bowl down, sorting through the fruits.
"You don't actually believe what he said, right?" Anthony questioned. "He's a prince, they're great at buttering up gullible damsels,"
Evie paused. "You think I'm gullible?"
"Tch. You were so smitten with his words! One person tells you you're a princess and you're putty to them! So much for being daughter of the Evil Queen," He scoffed.
"I was just playing up the charm to stay out of trouble, and so was he. He probably won't even remember me. He's likely a huge womanizer like his dad," She sorted through the bowl and found a dull, barely-ripe peach. She flipped through her spellbook again and came across the same spell, reciting it deeply and pointing at the peach. "Wicked magic, here in my hands, do as I command! Turn this dull fruit into a feast for the eyes!"
The peach plumped, brightened, and otherwise shone with the image of a plump, juicy, ripe peach. The most delicious fruit that one couldn't resist if they laid eyes on it. Evie picked it up and looked it over, smiling to herself proudly.
"Hey, that's not bad. You should give it to someone," Anthony said.
"Maybe," The thought never even crossed her mind. She was more curious over whether she could do it.
"Anyway, I'm leaving. Don't forget what I said," He sneered at her before he left, and Evie returned to her spellbook.
####
"Dude, I didn't know you'd get hit that hard!" Pacha joked with a wince on his face. "Do you not understand how basketball works?"
"Of course I do! Herkie just doesn't know his own strength," James tried to laugh but groaned in pain, clutching his face. "Oh, please don't tell me my nose is broken,"
"If you want to see true pain, you gotta see the history homework we got assigned tonight,"
"History has never been my forte," James sighed. "Both of my parents weren't good at it either,"
Pacha just nodded, not knowing what to say to that. Chieftain Pocahontas was so busy running her tribe, he was always amazed James turned out as free-spirited as he did. Wait, that made perfect sense. Well, it made sense he never knew much academic stuff. James always described his time at home as being very enriching, filled with harvests, rowing, swimming, and running, as well as spiritual practices of his mother's people. Schoolwork never fit in there.
"How. Are. You. Feeling?" The robotic nurse waddled over, a giant white puff that was the creation of one of the other students, Hiro Hamada. Baymax. Or a replica, anyway. "Your. Nose. Isn't. Broken. But. Still. Be. Careful."
"That's some good news," James stretched and gently rubbed at his nose. "I'd hate for it to heal and get crooked,"
"Then you'd look like you fight, and it'd be ugly," Pacha snickered. "Then maybe I'd have to stop being seen with you,"
"Come on, that's not funny,"
"I was just teasing," Pacha sighed and followed James outside, finding Yzla sitting by herself on a bench, sorting through some vials. Curiosity overtook him and he hurried over there instead, sitting next to her. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure my labels are correct," She responded in a serious tone. "Wouldn't want what happened to your dad happening again, right?"
"Right..." In all honesty, Pacha was secretly happy that whole fiasco happened. It taught his dad to be a much better and less selfish person, and threw the scheming usurper Yzma into jail before she could cause even more harm. Even though it led to him being given an embarrassing name, he thought it otherwise worked out.
"Besides, most aren't even that potent. Most of mine are placebos or sweeteners,"
"Like your killer cotton candy,"
"Boom Baby!" They both shouted and high-fived each other. "I wonder if I should make a batch here...maybe sell it? Or just give it out for free. I think it'd be a hit, but I also feel some kids wouldn't take food from a VK,"
Pacha scoffed. "Nonsense! You got me to vouch for you! Everyone has to trust the son of Emperor Kuzco!"
Yzla laughed. "You got me there. Besides, I'm lucky. Grandma never poisoned food, that's not her claim to fame," She shook the vials and bubbles formed in some of them. "She wanted to do things her own way,"
"And that's a drive I can respect. Now come on, you gotta help me with my homework,"
Yzla rolled her eyes. "What question are you stuck on,"
"'How has your realm or kingdom benefited from open trade with Auradon City and its neighboring areas?' I don't know," He shrugged.
"That's an easy one!" Yzla said. "It's why our empire has so much modern stuff compared to others, like trampolines and restaurants. We make the most use of the trade for that."
"Oh, right. How could I forget?" Pacha grumbled. "A future Emperor should know these things," He might've found it weird that James didn't do schoolwork back home, but to be perfectly frank, neither did Pacha. He had tutors, but he was more into partying and of course his dad never really stopped him. That fell to his Empress, a shrewd woman who kept both her husband and her son on the right path. Pacha learned some stuff from her because she evidently graduated first in her class from Kuzco Academy. Despite her best efforts though, school wasn't Pacha's strong suit. He didn't think he was stupid, just bad at remembering things.
"I can get the confusion, we aren't the only ones," Yzla tried to make him feel better. "Agrabah is a lot like that too," She moved closer to him, keeping her vials in her lap. "Now come on, what's the next question?"
####
Megan just watched as her brother Herkie stretched after a round of discus, waving to the other team members. She decided to not try out for any sport and was currently reading a paper of extracurricular clubs offered instead, thinking those were more her speed.
"Can you believe our man here tried out for nearly every sports team here?!" Aziz laughed. "Crazy!"
"Yeah, how does he find the time?" Jay asked genuinely. He tried out for Tourney on a slight whim and was shocked that Chad picked him. Okay, the coach sorta told him to, but still. Tourney was already a huge chunk out of his schedule though, he couldn't imagine signing up for so many teams the way Herkie had.
"What can I say? It's just in my blood," Herkie ran his hands through his hair, grinning his lady-killer grin. The only two girls there, Megan and Lonnie, just rolled their eyes. "Sports are the most interesting thing to me,"
"Because you're the embodiment of brawn over brains," Megan snarked. "We've gotta be the most mismatched siblings at this whole school,"
"So, you're not into sports, but what club's got your eye?" Lonnie asked nicely as the group headed inside. The sun was beginning to set, painting the field in a nice orange.
"Not sure. Debate would be kinda funny, but unfair. My country basically invented it, you know?"
"At least you've got time to think!"
"What you guys thinking about having for dinner?" Aziz looped his arms around both Jay and Lonnie, leaving Megan and Herkie to run ahead.
"Dumplings and noodles," Lonnie answered instantly. "A classic,"
"Kebabs I guess," Jay shrugged. "I just sorta eat whatever, you know this,"
"Yeah, but here you can have whatever! That's part of the fun!" Aziz said. "You could even have noodles like Lonnie if you wanted!"
"I'll stick to what's familiar." Jay took a random seat and was surprised to see the other four sat down with him. Herkie and Megan still remained a few seats away, wanting to sit together, siblings and all, but Aziz and Lonnie were sitting next to him. Okay, Aziz made sense, they grew up together, but why did Lonnie want to sit by him?
"Megan's got the right idea! I know Tourney is a huge part of your schedule, but if you don't mind giving up weekends we could find a good club for you!" She smiled at him once Aziz left to get their trays.
"I don't know what is be good at. I'm the tough mean one, you know? I steal things and beat people up. That's why I chose sports." Jay shrugged.
"Don't be like that! You'd be surprised by some of the things we have here," She pulled a purple sheet of paper out of her backpack. "Maybe you'd be a good fit for the mock United States of Auradon Council. They choose one student to represent each realm of the country, and they debate to solve issues!"
"No thank you,"
"Oh, what about jewelry-making? It's popular with the kids of the Seven Dwarves, but they're hoping to branch out this year,"
Jay leaned forward and grabbed Lonnie's arm, making her stare at him sternly. "What do you think you're doing, asking me to join a club like that? Don't you know I'll just steal everything?"
Lonnie continued to stare. "A club like that would be the perfect opportunity to show you're changing. I've always said I have faith in you, and I mean it. It's a suggestion, but I think you should take it," She easily wrestled out of his grasp and put her paper away as Aziz returned with their trays. "It looks delicious as always!"
"I'm going to join the jewelry-making club!" Jay blurted out, making Aziz pause. He then set down his silverware and laughed happily.
"That's great! It'll keep your kleptomania under control!"
"I'm not so sure about that. I just want to be around shiny jewels," Though, when was the last time he even stole something? He stole something on his first day there, and some other random pieces of cheap jewelry that went unmissed, but other than that, he didn't really. Sometimes his fingers itched if a pretty girl walked past with shiny jewelry, but he usually slammed his fists on his legs and forced himself to focus on something else.
Was he really, truly, turning over a new leaf? Could he be trusted?
Jay was sure he'd never felt so confused and scared in his entire life.
Chapter 6: .6
Summary:
The four protagonists slowly start to discover the existence of their hearts.
Chapter Text
Mal smiled to herself as she put the finishing touches on her latest art project, a spraypainted image of her mom's old fortress. It was definitely the most 'tame' of her art projects, but what could she say. Sometimes making Madame Fitzherbert pale in fright wasn't always a fun time. Besides, she had to admit, she did run a pretty fun class. She was perky and airy, yes, but knew her way around a paintbrush, and when it came down to it, exhibited some of Anxelin's rebellious demeanor. She could get behind that.
Speaking of class though, she had to get ready for yet another round. She put her art supplies away and looked through her wardrobe. While she still favoured her usual colours, due to having been there for almost a month several of her outfits had begun to turn more modern, no doubt thanks to Mad Maddy and even Anxelin. She was glad at least one Auradon Kid knew her sense of style. Leather gloves were a cool must-have.
After she dressed and ate a simple breakfast, she headed to Princessology, still her least favourite class in her whole schedule. Frau White was all about helping others in return for nothing, and Queen Cinderella, or Ella as she's known as now, talked about strength during hardship and the importance of dreams. Queen Anna was about romance and sisterly love and dreams and all that nonsense. Mal didn't really hate the queens themselves, she just found them to be frivolous and way too happy and the perfect image of royalty. Something Mal knew she'd never be a part of.
She sank into her usual chair and waited until the bell rung, then watched as a young woman dressed in summery tribal clothes walked in, no shoes, and messy hair. She picked a piece of chalk up and wrote some simple characters before she spun back around. "Morning! I am Moana of Motunui. Chieftain of my tribe, the one who helped deliver the heart back to Te Fiti. For the next few weeks, I'll be your Virtues and Vices teacher!"
Some of the girls looked appalled by her attitude and looks, while others stared at her in interest. Mal sat up in her seat and raised an eyebrow.
Things suddenly got interesting.
"I say Virtues and Vices and not Princessology because to me, being a princess isn't the most important thing. It's just a title, one that anyone can possess. What's important is what a person holds deep inside their heart, what values do they honour? That's what I consider to be important." Moana said. "Yes, I am a Chieftain, but that's just what my people call me. To myself, I am just Moana."
"Question!" Anya shot her hand right up. "Why don't you have a child here? All the other queens have them. Did they graduate? Are they still a baby?!"
Moana laughed a bit. "I don't have any."
The class silenced at that.
"And you claim you are a princess? What point is there to being one if there's no happily ever after, no child to raise as an heir?" Audrey sniffed.
"Hey, I'm not the only princess to not have children. Queen Merida has none either, though she's not as opposed to marriage as many might think her to be. As for me, romance wasn't part of my journey. Rather, it was shrugging off the judgements others had about me and learning to believe in myself," She paced in front of the board. "Yeah, that's a great lesson plan for today!"
The class watched as Moana wrote a sentence on the board, spinning back around. "Who are we? In the eyes of society, our families, our peers? And how do we define ourselves? Is it different?"
Ruby raised her hand politely, smiling when Moana pointed at her. "Everyone calls me a proper princess, noble and beautiful. Not just the kingdom but my family too! And I am! I love to paint, have tea parties, make candles, sew dresses, I have so many hobbies! But sometimes my hair really hurts!" She pouted. "Wait, I'm actually happy to be a princess."
Moana laughed. "There's nothing wrong with having things figured out already!"
Ruby tried to adjust her hair, which was up in a ponytail that day and thus spilled all around her. Snowdrop trembled a bit.
"My mother is the fairest of them all, and I'm pretty, but confused. Here I'm a good successor, but I don't think I'm very nice and I'm high-strung." She clasped her hands together. "I don't want to be in just Mother's image, or a perfect princess here. I'm pulled on all sides. I just want to be myself!"
Moana nodded. "And it sounds like you're in the middle of discovering who you truly are."
"Well, I suppose I have a similar thought. Everyone sees me as a perfect princess," Audrey began. "Back home at least. Here, a lot of people think that I can be mean and difficult and bratty,"
Mal just barely managed to choke back her laughter, making everyone stare at her. She cleared her throat. "To most people, I'm just the daughter of one of the most powerful and feared villains ever. I'm making some friends here though, and they see me as that, a friend. Funny and outspoken. The thing is, I did come here originally with the mindset of a villain, but now..." She cut herself off before she got too deep into it, looking down at the ground. What she said was true. She did come to the school with the intent to make her mother proud and destroy everything. While she certainly felt as though she was getting enough loyal followers, there was also another part of her that thought back on the fun times she was having at the school and asked her if she truly could abandon it all.
No way was she going soft.
Once the bell rang, she packed up her things and walked alone to Chemistry, still rolling her eyes at Honey Lemon. No matter how much she changed, she was sure she could never get used to her style of bright perkiness.
"Good morning! You all look so gorgeous!" Miss Lemon twirled into the room with her usual smile. "I have the results of last week's test in, umm..oh! Miss Thatch, please be a dear and pass them out!"
Marianne nodded and stood up, taking the papers and placing them on everyone's desk, walking slow due to her dress. Mal flipped her paper over and stared at the result.
An A. Not an A+ or anything, just an A, but wow. How did she score so highly?
"You all did great!" Miss Lemon smiled. "I'm happy to have such a bright class this year!"
The shock Mal felt over her grade didn't fully subside until lunch, when she got a tray and started to walk over to her usual table when someone tapped her on her shoulder.
"I totally get if you don't want to, but you want to sit with us?" Anxelin offered, pointing to a smaller table by the window that also housed Ruby and surprisingly Ginny and Mad Maddy. Mal looked over at her usual table, finding in surprise the other three weren't there either. She followed Anxelin over in silence, her eyes wide.
"No way we've drifted apart so fast. We grew up together!" She finally blurted out.
"You guys are still friends! The school is such a big and unique place though, so I totally get why they're branching out!" Ruby offered her a smile.
"Yeah," She wasn't sure how much the other three liked their weekend shopping trip from weeks ago, but whatever bonds they must've formed then clearly stuck.
"And all you really need is me anyway," Mad Maddy reminded her with a smirk. "Together we're unstoppable!"
"Any of you guys in Belle's Book Club? We're reading Cinderella and I'm having trouble picking the themes." Anxelin sipped her strawberry milk.
"I went to one of her sessions, decided it wasn't for me. Way too noisy," Ginny responded. "When I read, I want it to be in the shadows."
"Because you're a witch." Mad Maddy smirked and gave her a push, twirling her spaghetti around on her fork. "You might not have powers, but you have everything else down!"
"Do you guys receive letters or anything from your parents?" Mal asked, remembering her letter to Maleficent a few weeks ago. She knew her writing was likely monitored much closer due to her status, but surely it still went through?
"Sometimes! It just depends on how busy they are or how much they want to say!" Ruby said. "Mom loves to soak hers in flowers and write super fancy!"
"What's the point?" Ginny shrugged. "Mother wouldn't listen to what I had to say anyway."
Anxelin sipped more of her milk. "If you're wondering where they go, you might have to ask either The Fairy Godmother or Queen Belle. Both are in charge of administrative stuff like that." She sipped a bit more and tapped her chest, looking around.
"Talk to The Fairy Godmother. That'll go well." Mal rolled her eyes a bit. She truly had no hate or dislike of the woman, she just came off as flighty and wishy-washy to her a lot, especially in Remedial Goodness. She supposed that's what happened when you teach a class with questions everyone has been studying for years prior, but still. She liked it purely because it was the one class she got to sit with the others during.
Mad Maddy laughed hard at her comment, practically slapping her knee. "You're telling me!"
After her classes were over with, Mal headed to the office and knocked on the door despite it being open, thinking that was polite. To her surprise, neither woman was there, but Prince Ben was, who smiled at her.
"Mal, right? Malevolent-"
She cleared her throat. "Just Mal, thank you!"
"Right. Some people loathe nicknames here, so..." He bowed a bit. "What are you doing here?"
"Where's your mom? I want to see if I've received a letter from my mom yet."
"Right now is her book club, so I'm keeping an eye on things for her. And I can check that for you!" He gave her a bright smile that she slightly rolled her eyes at, going behind a desk and sorting through a stack of papers. "Have a last name?"
"Most villains don't." She reminded him, and he pulled out a thick scroll.
"Uh, I hope you don't mind...because of your mother's status, some of the other staff had it checked when it arrived, for spells and stuff," Ben explained awkwardly. "They'd do it to anyone!"
"Sure." She took the parchment from him and thanked him, heading back up to her dorm. She expected to be alone to read, but found Freddie in there, talking to someone on a super old-fashioned phone. She learned about those in her history class. It'd be fine if she didn't bother her.
Mal sat on her bed and slowly unrolled the parchment, recognizing her mother's distinct curls right away. Even the way she wrote resembled claws scratching through the paper, like of a tiger. She began to read:
It's been quite some time since you arrived, I imagine? Letters take their time so by the time you receive mine it could already be wintertime and I would have no way of knowing. You did not write me to catch up, that much is clear. So, I will not waste your time. You still have your powers and access to other magical items. A spellbook would be the most helpful for a beginner, but I must admit I don't know where to get one and I doubt any of your villainous peers would be willing to share. It would be unlikely they'd work with your powers anyway. Your strength lies in transfiguration and curses, much like me. Practice these, hone them the most. You should need nothing else if you do your enchantments right. Don't forget your peers. Normally I would be against teamwork and all that, but I know many powerful people attend alongside you and think they would be valuable assets for you to use as you see as fit. Write to me again in due time, I do look forward to reading what you have to say. You are a cunning little fairy, every bit as evil as me.
She did not sign, but she didn't need to. Mal fell back on her bed and read through the letters again, memorizing them.
She wanted to make Maleficent proud, that was the whole reason she came to Auradon Prep. There was still the part of her that longed to do just that, but there was another part, a newer part, that told her she had more of a purpose there. She was starting to get friends, be liked for more than her mother's legacy. Be liked and not feared. She recalled those days of growing up in the castle with Queen Aurora and King Phillip, the latter harboring genuine care for her. The other subjects trembled at her wherever she went, and the few loyal subjects of her mother that remained hidden worshipped her, hoping she'd retake the throne and lead them to victory like her mother. She remembered summer festivals and birthdays that were often spent alone due to not relating to anyone in the kingdom and having comrades very far away. That didn't need to be her life anymore.
Yet she wanted to still prove herself to her mother. She never used her magic for more than petty tricks growing up and wanted to show she was capable of so much more.
Freddie hung up the phone and glanced at Mal, staring at the letter in particular. "Your realm is positively Medieval," She laughed.
"That's part of the charm." She sat up and took in Freddie and her distinct look. A bright red top hat and suit jacket with a long A-line skirt and tiny heeled shoes with bright green and purple feathers and jewelry to enhance her look further. She couldn't tell if Freddie was dressing how she would back home or was influenced by the modern mix of styles at the school too. "So, you have magic. Want to join me and my plan to rule the school?"
Freddie raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm..maybe ask me another day. I'm not feeling it right now," She glanced back over at the phone.
"Haven't you ever wanted to make your dad proud?"
"Frankly the two of us barely see him. Celia and I, we were raised by our momma. A thousand years of servitude in the Shadow Realm is what he got."
"Ouch."
"The spirits let him visit, sometimes. Rarely. King Naveen and Queen Tiana were usually too busy to pay much attention to us, so we just fended for ourselves," Freddie continued. "So I don't know."
"Take all the time you need," Mal said. Freddie sat at her desk and started to work on an assignment, while Mal went back to her internal conflict. What to do? What to do?
####
"And just like that, you can find thousands of cute pet videos right at your fingertips! Cats, dogs, birds, horses, fish, even the more exotic ones, whatever you want!" Fred beamed after he finished his explanation.
"I want to see if there's any for cute deer!" Snowdrop smiled, typing the word into her laptop.
Carlos didn't really need to see cute animal or pet videos, but he was still impressed with how quickly he got the hang of that Internet thing. Some of his classmates were still slow to grasp it, so he was happy he figured it out. Video games were much more his speed anyway.
When the bell rang, he just gathered up his things and headed to his next class, bumping right into someone who gasped in surprise.
"Sorry-"
"It's my fault! I wasn't watching where I was going!" Jane blushed, then blushed harder when she recognized him. "I'm so sorry Carlos! I really wasn't paying attention!"
"It's fine. Nobody got hurt," He tried to reassure her. "Didn't even drop my books!"
She gave him a weak smile.
"What's your next class? I could walk you there,"
"Oh, ummm..." She trailed off. "Actually, I don't really take classes here...I was delivering papers,"
Carlos just shrugged, unsure of what to say. "Benefits of being the Headmistress's daughter I guess!"
"Y-Yeah!" She ran off and Carlos continued, taking his usual seat in History of Woodsmen and Pirates. The class was considered to be more of a sophomore or junior requirement, but the subject sounded interesting so he signed up after seeing he had a free spot in his schedule.
"Only weird thing about this class is the headphone stuff," Mike Darling commented as he sat beside him, pulling the big black headset on. "You'd think I'd be exempt,"
"Understanding her is different from hearing her," Carlos reminded him, putting his own on when Tinker Bell herself fluttered into the room, or Miss Tinker Bell as she preferred to be called. She wore a long green leaf jacket trimmed with white cotton and a long dress with tights underneath, looking far more professional and modest than the look she was most famous for. She even swapped out her tight bun for a ribboned ponytail. She stepped on her stack of books and began to speak.
"Hi! I guess everyone is here? Full house today! Okay, let's pick up where we left off last time," She sat down on her stack of books. "Neverland is most famous for having pirates, of course, but they're far from the only ones who do."
Carlos continued to listen, deciding he'd never get used to the strange teaching method used specifically for her. He heard bells when she talked, yet in the headphones her words were not only translated but clear and sharp. It was a jarring echo effect for sure.
Mike wrote quickly in his notebook, hanging on her every word. Well, Carlos supposed that made sense. To any descendant of a Darling child, meeting anyone from Neverland must've been a dream come true. He bet they'd even regard the pirates with utter fascination.
"Your homework is to do some research at the library. Pick a pirate you like and write a report on them! That's all for today!" Miss Tinker Bell instantly flew over to one of the mirrors in the class, twirling around and preening herself in it.
"A pirate we like? Is there even anyone other than the Neverland ones?" Carlos mused. His realm for sure had no pirates.
"Yes, lots. Some realms are famous for them, it's just that Neverland gets all the credit," Jenny grumbled in her seat. Carlos stared at her feline ears, surprised he never noticed them before. "Could I do a report on my dad, I wonder?"
"I think most people would choose him just because of how well-known he is outside of ones like Captain Hook." Mike smiled nervously.
"Oh? And are you not doing yours on Captain Hook?" Audrey asked. "Or any of the Neverland ones?"
"That's what is expected of me so it's not as fun! I want to be unpredictable sometimes, you know!"
"Then who will you pick?"
"I guess that'll be a surprise!"
Even Carlos was beginning to wonder who he was meant to pick. He didn't want to seem like everyone else and just do a Neverland pirate, but most other realms didn't have them. Maybe doing some research at the library would be good for him.
Once the bell rang, everyone dispersed in various directions while Carlos headed to the library, wanting to take advantage of his free period. Several others were there too, though most kids just seemed like they were hanging out.
Where to find a book on pirates? Alphabetical order, or sorted by topic? He should ask, but...nah. He was still trying to convince the school he was a well-adjusted individual, and well-adjusted individuals found things on their own.
As he looked through the bookshelves, he became aware of three girls giggling and stealing glances at him, eventually walking up to him themselves.
"Hey, you're Carlos de Vil!" The girl in an orange dress gasped.
"What about it?" He asked wearily.
"I'm Shu-mu! These are my cousins, Yi-min and Li-wei!"
"We heard you're a bit of a tech specialist around here, is that right?" Li-wei asked, hiding her face behind a fan.
"I guess so," He shrugged, wondering why three princess-y AKs decided to just start talking to him at random. Because that's who they most certainly were, princesses.
"My tablet broke and I need it to take notes on! Can you figure out why?" Yi-min stepped forward. She had a large head and even bigger buns on either side of her head and unlike her cousins wore a long pink robe and pants.
"And mine runs very slowly," Li-wei added.
"And why are you asking me? The school has other tech people," Carlos kept staring at them, incredulous.
"Because we heard you're the best!" Shu-mu said. "Plus you wouldn't ask us long questions about why they're broken or need to be upgraded, you'd just...fix them,"
The other two gave him their tablets.
"I'm a VK though, doesn't that bother you?"
"It might bother some people, but I don't see why it should bother us," Li-wei responded in a serious tone. "That is not how we were brought up,"
"Yeah! We were pretty sheltered growing up so here we're just glad to meet everyone we can!" Shu-mu grinned widely.
"I'll need mine in two weeks," Yi-min gestured with her fingers.
"Four for me, but please take your time. I want it to be perfect," Li-wei added.
"Bye! It was super nice meeting you! I hope you do good work with their tablets!" Shu-mu bowed to him before she walked away with her two cousins, leaving Carlos standing there dumbfounded.
Why did they trust him so much? They didn't know him, he didn't even know who they were outside of being princesses. Why didn't they run away or get upset over his status or parent?
He looked down at the tablets, feeling his fingers tingle at the thought of looking them over and repairing them, something he hadn't done very much of here yet. He craved to do it, yet also knew if he messed up, the girls would blame him and say it was because he was a VK. There was still a part of him that wanted to try though, to tinker with electronics and make someone happy with his skills for once. And he was handed that opportunity on a silver platter! He'd be foolish to pass it up.
Keeping the tablets firmly in his arms, he went back to his search for pirate books.
####
Jay walked into the jewelry-making club, not bothering to prepare himself by taking a deep breath or anything. The room was filled with black long tables with chests and boxes set up on a longer silver table that spread through the length of the room. How'd they afford so much? Was this stuff even real? His fingers itched so he took a hurried seat on a random stool somewhere.
Just by looking, he could tell most kids were the children of dwarves, as they were all shorter than average. Or maybe he was just so much taller and towered over everyone. That was a huge possibility too.
"A new member! Welcome! My name is Cheerful!" An apple-cheeked girl curtsied politely to him, dressed in a German folk peasant dress with a red bow tied up in her hair. "I'm the daughter of the dwarf Happy!"
"That's pretty obvious," Jay smirked. "And you're a cute thing too,"
She giggled. "It's nice to have a new face here. Most of my other classmates are my cousins and brother. Hap is nice but I want more company than just dwarves."
"Dwarves are super into jewels, huh?"
"It's in our blood!" Cheerful went back to her spot, a half-finished beaded bracelet laying in front of her.
Cheerful and Hap were the most folksy of their relatives, as the others wore more modern clothes with tons of jewelry. One boy has a big ring on his thumb and he rested his hand on his cheek, trying his hardest to stay awake.
Jay scooted away from the dwarf kids and over to the other two students who looked his height, Arabella and Louis. Arabella was frowning in concentration over a diamond ring while Louis wound up a pocketwatch set in silver.
"So, I just make anything?" He noticed their more pastel outfits. "A princess? You must really love jewels, huh? Gonna give that ring to a special prince?" Jay teased.
"I just really like sparkly things! It's in a mermaid's blood. I have seven others like this in my room!" She blushed.
"Yeah, make whatever. I suggest something small for your first try like using beads. Jewels can be hard to manage," Louis said. "Once you're finished with it you get to decide what to do with it!"
Jay nodded and looked at the selection before him, noticing the piles of sparkling jewels and diamonds. They couldn't seriously be real, could they? A quick swipe of one to take back to his room to check, then he'd put it back. Honest!
He tried to distract himself by taking a simple piece of string and dumping a canister of beads on the table, taking black, red, and yellow ones at random, making sure they were all at least remotely the same size. After tying one end of the string so the beads wouldn't fall off, he got to work.
Arabella hummed a pleasant song under her breath while Louis tapped his foot to an unheard fast rhythm. Some of the dwarf children sang to each other a working song in another language, passing the materials to each other. Jay was surprised that no animals immediately appeared when Arabella hit the high note, twirling around in her seat. He heard that was common when princesses like Audrey sung. Did she only attract fish? Did it only work underwater then?
"Hey, do you sing?" She asked nicely, getting him out of his thoughts.
"Sing? Like songs and stuff?"
Louis laughed. "Duh! What else would she mean? There ain't nothing else you can sing!"
"Nah. That's not my dad's thing. Plenty of other villains sing, I hear, but not mine," He strung more beads.
"You mean you never had moments growing up when your dad or mom would take out some instrument and sing and dance just to get a mood going?" Arabella asked in surprise. "Music was such a big part of my life! Of every mermaid's life!"
Jay thought back to his childhood. Sure, he wasn't forbidden from meeting Jafar or anything, but he wasn't much of a dad to him either. That was all Sultan Aladdin. Yet they didn't do much of singing or dancing even with their own son. Music wasn't a big part of their lives. He strung the beads on faster.
"I just can't imagine such a life," Louis shook his head.
"Well, you guys should know by now we were raised differently from you all. Music and dance are for the heroes and princesses of the world." Jay finished.
"But it doesn't have to be." Arabella said sadly under her breath. "It shouldn't be."
Jay pretended he didn't hear that and returned to his work. Louis finished his pocketwatch and placed it on the teacher's desk, then spent the rest of his time on his phone.
Right, maybe Jay should look into getting one of those. He'd definitely have Carlos, Mal, and Evie on there if they ever got phones, same for Aziz. And he supposed Lonnie would be all-too-eager to give him her number too. Who else? Jay realized he hadn't really branched out much and talked to other people. Even in Tourney he tried to do everything himself, earning the ire of his teammates and the scolding of his coach. Friends were not things he made easily, or felt he needed. Here though, things were different. He could make friends, if he wanted. He stared as he tied his bracelet into a loop, finishing it.
"That looks so cute! The colours make it look unique!" Arabella gasped. "I've never seen one like that before."
"Do you want it?"
"I know just the person to give this to!" She beamed. Jay couldn't help smiling as he watched how happy she was over something he made. Made, not stole. He made something and it in turn made someone else happy.
Maybe Lonnie made the right decision for him after all.
####
Evie sat Claudine down at her vanity, making sure the girl was comfortable and could easily see herself in the mirror. "Are you ready?" She asked in excitement.
"Yes..." Claudine tugged on her habit. "Just please do not remove this,"
"Okay," They were just doing simple makeup looks that day anyway so Evie would have no reason to remove it. She looked through her selection and found a simple powder and red lipstick she thought Claudine would like and be most familiar with. After making sure she was fine yet again, Evie began to gently powder her face, bringing out the natural rosiness of her cheeks. She then twirled the lipstick tube and applied it, telling Claudine to pucker when appropriate. Once she was done, she told the girl to open her eyes, and she gasped when she did so.
"Is that really me?! Oh my...Father would tell me I look like a harlot,"
"But what do you think?" Evie coaxed, smiling.
"I think I look pretty." Claudine said firmly and sat up straight. "I've always wanted to look like this,"
"Red suits you well!" Evie nodded in approval. "Purple would look nice too. If you ever need more fashion advice, you know where I am!"
"Yes, we're dormmates." Claudine blinked. "Now I must head to the library to finish my homework."
Evie waved to her and started to tidy up her vanity when Snowdrop wandered in the moment Claudine had left.
"You're invited!" She slipped her stepsister a piece of paper.
"I'm invited?" Evie held the floral invitation in her hands in disbelief. She had read it several times, committing each word to memory. Snowdrop stood next to her, nodding.
"You are! The rules say any and every princess is allowed to come,"
She definitely was a princess, even if her claim was shaky at best. But Audrey was sure to be there, and what would she say? What would she do?
No, she couldn't spend her whole school year afraid of Audrey. She felt she was doing a good enough job with being nice to the student body. While she'd yet to truly catch the eye of a prince, Dizzy wrote whole fashion notebooks on her and Claudine stood up straighter and enjoyed using lipstick genuinely. She was a good influence for some.
"This afternoon, shortly after lunch." Snowdrop added. "Don't be late!"
"Wait!" Her stepsister's comment in Virtues and Vices had been on her mind since then. "What did you mean earlier? That you feel pulled in two directions? What's going on? Is it why you give me the cold shoulder in public?"
Snowdrop froze and grabbed her arm awkwardly.
"It is!"
Evie waited.
"I can't choose! I can't be both! I want to be friends with everyone!" Snowdrop smiled a strained smile. "That's what a princess is meant to do, especially one who's as fair as me, but it's hard!"
"Are you talking about how Audrey treats me?"
She nodded slowly.
"Here I thought you'd pick family."
"I can! I do!" Snowdrop insisted. "I still love you...!" She turned away and Evie sighed. She knew pressing the issue would cause her sister to panic and she didn't want that. Her sister had obvious neurotic tendencies and she was always surprised nobody else really seemed to catch on. Now wasn't the time for that though. She looked at the invitation in her hand again.
Could she really be accepted there? The idea seemed like a fantasy, yet Auradon City was all about being one, wasn't it? She has to try at least.
After lunch, she headed to where the invitation said, which was a large long table in the cafeteria left out specifically for that. A few girls were sitting there already, dressed pleasantly. Evie suddenly wondered if she had time to change out of her grey argyle sweater and black pleated skirt, but before she could leave the girls waved her over.
"I didn't think you'd actually come!" Ruby said shyly. "I thought you'd be busy! Or think it was a joke."
"Did Prince Louis of Maldonia tell you guys about me?" Evie slowly took a seat.
"Ahhh, Prince Louis! He's so dreamy!"
"No." Marianne responded bluntly. "We heard you were a princess with a title, therefore we figured it'd be best to invite you."
Evie looked around and saw Ruby, Marianne, Anya, and Arabella sitting at various spots, leaving huge empty gaps at the table. "Just us?"
"Most of the others were busy," Anya pouted. "Usually the whole table is full because we like to be lenient on what a princess is. Sometimes Jane and Lonnie come!"
"So, we just have a regular tea party?"
"And gossip! It's fun!" Ruby beamed.
"Audrey always has the best gossip for us, but she had a meeting to go to. Since she's Cheer Captain she has to go to all the official sports heads things," Arabella said. "But we can still have fun!"
Marianne poured everyone's tea and passed them several different types of sweets. Evie felt she was a bit rusty so she just took everything and opted to watch the others.
"It's only been a month and I'm already stressed! I feel I'm failing everything!" Anya cried. "The stuff with numbers is the worst."
"What do you need help with? I might know it." Evie offered before she was fully aware of what she was saying.
"Really?!" Anya smiled a huge grin. "Oh thanks! I need the math and science stuff the most!"
She was sure she could do it. Her first major exams were all As or A+s even. Her teachers praised her smarts, so surely tutoring couldn't be that much harder.
"Cheering is so much fun! I'm glad I decided to try out and make the team!" Ruby gently sipped from her cup.
"Doesn't your hair go everywhere and people step on it?" Anya asked curiously. "When you do big jumps or kicks do you get tangled in your own hair?!"
"I braid it specifically to keep it out of the way!" She ate a biscuit. "I don't want to fall either."
"I couldn't imagine having such long hair,"
Arabella cleared her throat, clearly thinking about her pixie cut. She added some sugar cubes and stirred her tea. "Swimming is good. And I actually got voted to be the Secretary of the Student Council!"
"Oh, congratulations." Marianne nodded. "I trust you know how to make wise financial decisions then,"
"I mostly just like it because the money is shiny and pretty!"
"That's what happens when most people use jewels for currency," Evie said with a giggle. The other three girls stared at her.
"Yes," Marianne finally commented.
Anya stuffed some of the chocolate on her plate into her face, getting some on her mouth.
"I'd say today was pretty fun! We got a tutor for Anya!" Ruby sipped some more tea.
"Yeah, the next time we get together like this, you have to come again, okay?" Anya said to Evie. Evie grimaced at all the chocolate on her mouth, but regained her composure.
"If I'm not busy! And I'll tutor you, just swing by my room any evening you feel like it, okay?"
"No, come to mine! I have cool dormmates like Marianne and Jenny and Ally!"
"Alright," Evie nodded.
She helped the girls clean up, thinking it was only fair that she do so, and headed back to her dorm. Naturally, Snowdrop had left ages ago and her other dormmates were nowhere to be seen. She took a seat at her vanity again and flipped through a notebook she kept in one of the drawers.
"Now to keep working on my recipe for glow-in-the-dark lipstick..."
Chapter 7: .7
Summary:
Weekend again. Mad Maddy goes home to Camelot to see an old friend.
Notes:
This chapter contains a scene of a preteen drinking alcohol. Kids did it back then all the time, however due to modern sensibilities and his age I thought of giving a heads-up.
Chapter Text
Lucille LeFou had foolishly hoped the library would be a quiet place to get some reading done. It was foolish, she realized, when the two Gaston twins seemed completely unable to take a hint and followed her there, each one trying to outcharm the other. She couldn't tell the difference between the two and she didn't care in the slightest. At least Gil was nice, but she barely saw him. Because of course she'd barely see the only good one of the family.
"What could be so cool about this? Wouldn't you much rather watch us?" Gaston Jr. yanked her book right out of her hands, making her stand up in annoyance.
"You know, I don't get it. How'd our dad's wimpy henchmen get a chick as smoking hot as you?" Gaston the Third asked.
Lucille just rolled her eyes. They weren't the first to question her on that, though most didn't phrase it so crudely. Everyone wanted to know how he ended up with a daughter with hair as black as night she kept tied in a ribbon and a more buxom body, tall and slender. Some started a nasty rumor that her mom was Queen Belle, which was just plain incorrect. Her dad got lucky, is all. Even her younger brother Laurie was a bit of a looker back home despite being short. Well, Laurie was his real name, but most just took to calling him LeFou Deux, knowing he wouldn't fight back.
"May I please have my book back?" She held out her hand for it, unamused.
"Maybe if you give me a kiss!" Gaston Jr. waved the book in front of her, deliberately holding it wrong.
"No."
"Yeah, kiss both of us to make it fair!" Gaston the Third puckered his lips at her. Lucille rolled her eyes.
"Oh my, you both are such lady-killers, whatever shall I do?" She took a step back. "Help! I'm a pretty princess in need of rescue!" She shouted, making the library patrons all turn in an instant to look at her.
"I think you need to give this young lady her book back." Of all the people to step in, Lucille was not expecting it to be Prince Ben, and yet there he was. He held his own hand out for it. "Play nice,"
"And why should we listen to you?" Gaston the Third demanded. "Our parents have beef, you know!"
"And by that logic, I should dislike Lucille too, yet I don't. Just give her the book back and I'll forget this whole thing."
Lucille could tell they wanted to argue more, maybe even throw a punch, yet they just grumbled and shoved the book at him, storming off. Ben sighed once they were gone.
"Sorry. I always expect them to have much better behavior than they actually do." He handed it to her politely.
"Gil has ruined that whole family for us," Lucille laughed. "Thank you. I don't usually like to resort to such tactics, but in a pinch they work like magic." She snapped her fingers.
"You're welcome. I'd love to talk more, but I'm busy. Busy busy busy. Classes and royal stuff."
"Glad I'll never have to deal with that." She gave him a curtsy before he walked off and she returned to her seat, continuing to read her book. Ben was sweet, but that was probably just because they grew up together. Everyone knew his Auradon Kid friends, Chad and Audrey and Snowdrop, but Lucille felt as though his bond with her and Laurie was more unguarded. Maybe even more genuine. There just was no bond stronger than that of an Auradon Kid and their respective Villain Kid, for better or for worse.
"Lucille! Lucille!" Laurie ran over in a panic, making her look up from her book. He had her hair but was short and chubby, looking more like their father. "They're picking on me again."
"Who's they?"
"Everyone!" Laurie sighed. "I'm trying my best to be nice but it's not working. Especially not with the twins,"
"The twins are sacks of meat and you know it," They conversed in their elegant French, Lucille using every chance she got at the school to keep her mother tongue.
Laurie said nothing and grabbed a book at random, sitting in the seat across from her.
"Need help with an assignment?"
"No. Just want to hide in here for some time,"
Lucille nodded and returned to her own book. At least the twins would leave her alone...for an hour tops. Still, an hour was an hour. With her there, most kids were less likely to pick on him. Why bother the fat loser when you can just hit on the pretty girl? She was bothered by the thought of constantly having to use her looks to get out of situations, but they worked and she was also smart enough to not question why when the solution speaks for itself.
Still, she wished there was an easier way to protect him from bullies, especially the twins. Even if everyone else stopped, they never would, and Prince Ben was off doing other things so she knew she couldn't rely on him all of the time.
But what could the daughter of a simple villainous sidekick do?
####
It just wasn't a relaxing weekend unless Lonnie got to hang out with Aziz, and barring him, her 'sisters', no actual relation but they grew up so close they might as well have been. She knew her older brother felt no jealousy towards her terminology and she also knew he felt the same. Shu-mu, Li-wei, and Yi-min were as thick as thieves with her due to their fathers being close to her own parents, and even though she ended up having a more Auradonian upbringing and less of a Chinese one, she still cherished the memories the four of them had.
That weekend, she decided to take them to the planetarium in Auradon City, thinking they'd enjoy also getting out of the school for once. The planetarium was likely an odd choice, but Lonnie enjoyed being spontaneous. She even put on her favourite teal skirt and pink Mandarin top with rows of bracelets, wanting to look cuter and more classic. She blew her bob out of her face and grabbed her bag, checking her phone as she got on the bus to be sure the girls got the right location.
"Sister!" The three gasped the moment Lonnie came into view, sweeping her up into a tight hug.
"Oh, I missed you three! I wish we could hang out more!" Lonnie smiled. While it was true the four attended the same school, they had wildly different classes that forced them to run in different circles. Thus, weekends and holidays were the only times they really had to truly hang out.
"Explain to us why you picked a planetarium for us to go to," Li-wei asked as they walked in, a dainty fan at her mouth. She was dressed in a blue and violet flowing gown with her hair done up to match.
"Because it's unexpected! You'd think I'd invite you to watch a fencing match or jousting but nope!" Lonnie answered easily with a grin. The girls paid for their tickets and sat near the middle, looking around and being surprised not many others were there.
"Honestly, I'm excited! I've never been to a place like this before!" Shu-mu bounced in her seat. She wore an orange flowing gown with jewels in her tied-back hair.
"You get excited over everything," Yi-min teased her. As usual, she wore her big buns and a pink top with long pants underneath with a robe over it all that flowed just like the dresses of her cousins. Lonnie nervously played with her bracelets.
"How are those tablet repairs coming?" She asked to be polite.
"Good, I suppose. I haven't gotten mine back yet," Li-wei admitted.
"I did! It ran so much faster. Carlos is a tech wiz." Yi-min nodded in approval.
"He's good, from what I hear," Lonnie said.
A hush suddenly fell over the small audience as the lights dimmed and one of the employees stepped out into the center. They stood next to a giant glowing globe of the world that was currently focused on Auradon.
"Welcome to our presentation for today. You are lucky to be able to experience the wonders of space so close up, so intimately, with none of the fear or danger real space has! Today we will be looking at famous constellations," They pushed a button and the sky above then darkened to reveal many different shimmering stars and galaxies, some Lonnie knew, many she didn't. "How many of you know this one?"
"I do!" Shu-mu raised her hand, bouncing in her seat. "The Crab Constellation!"
"Correct!"
The constellation spun and took on a redder colour before sailing away and getting replaced with another one. Lonnie recognized it on sight; it was her mom's favourite, after all. She would look up at the sky with Lonnie sometimes when she was still growing up and tell her whenever she felt disillusioned and hopeless during the war, she'd look up to find that specific set of stars and tell herself it'd be worth it.
"It's the Phoenix," She surprised herself by saying out loud.
The employee nodded. "Correct. It gets its name due to it first being discovered by Chinese astronomers way back when and thinking the shape resembled that of a bird. They named it after one of the most important birds in their culture,"
The constellation formed into a better image of a bird, flying over everyone's heads with a gold starry trail before it vanished. Lonnie widened her eyes in amazement.
"This is the Pegasus. A self-explanatory name, being named because the Greeks saw the image of a winged horse in the sky." The employee continued.
"I think I'd like to ride a Pegasus," Yi-min said. "Imagine the thrill!"
"No thanks." Li-wei shook her head. "I'm thankful they don't exist in our realm."
"Yeah, the corral downtown doesn't even offer them to ride," Lonnie leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "I hear they're very hard to tame though. They pretty much only listen to those with godly blood in their veins,"
"And that is why we don't need to mess with them." She nodded with a note of finality.
The employee showed several more constellations from all over Auradon, trying to hit the more important cultures and their legends. The show ended with an image of two simple twinkling stars, one slightly bigger than the other, an image that filled the crowd with optimism and hope despite it just being a projection.
The four girls stepped out into the sun, blinking a few times to get adjusted to it.
"That was a strange outing, but I must admit I enjoyed it," Li-wei smiled a bit. "I do like your spontaneity,"
"Can't wait to see what you plan for next week!" Shu-mu laughed.
"I'm probably going to be busy these next few weeks. The first Tourney game of the year is coming up and I wouldn't miss that for the world, then we have Castlecoming a few weeks after. I need to be ready," Lonnie said.
"Awwww, that's lame!" She pouted.
"I might go to the Tourney game. Might be fun, you know? At the very least I get to see sweaty guys beat each other up," Yi-min laughed. "That's pretty hilarious,"
"And one of the guys tosses his jersey at you and it's all romantic..." Lonnie said, half-teasing.
"Okay that is gross. A dude's sweaty jersey that reeks? No thank you!"
Somehow that's all it took to get the four laughing like crazy.
###
"Castlecoming is a month and a half away! And you know what that means! We have to start planning!" Audrey announced to the event planners, a subgroup of the Student Council. "What themes do we have?"
"Oooh, how about Under the Sea?" Arabella suggested instantly. "It'd look so pretty!"
"No."
"I agree. The theme should be more unique and not tied to any of our parents' stories. So no Under the Sea, Wonderland, Agrabah, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Fairy-Tale Wonder, whatever," Anxelin, their Treasurer, spoke up. "They're cute but unoriginal,"
"How about Night at the Movies?" Ruby, their other Secretary, said. "That's a cute idea,"
"Not enough people here get what movies are."
"What about just a colour theme? Like all pink or gold or school colors?" Arabella said.
"We need something with more pizzazz." Audrey declined. "Something memorable! Can't you guys think of something better?"
Jane remained where she was sitting, silent. The last few times she suggested a theme, she was ignored or simply not heard as her voice wasn't loud enough, so for the past few minutes she just sat there in despair. The girls continued to debate, throwing out theme after theme and frustrating Audrey more. She stepped down from the podium and rubbed her head.
"A masquerade ball." Jane finally said at a whisper.
"What?" Audrey looked at her sharply. "Speak up, if you have something actually valuable to contribute,"
"Masquerade!" Jane shouted before she covered her mouth. The girls all looked at each other.
"A masquerade ball theme?" Audrey worked the idea through her head before she smiled slowly. "Jane, that's a brilliant idea! For once, you're helpful."
"Where'd you come up with it?" Ruby asked.
Jane just shrugged. "We have lots of princes and princesses here, and I couldn't think of a time the school did one, so I thought it'd be fitting,"
"It is! I love it!"
"We can dress in costumes too! I'm so excited already!" Arabella squealed.
Audrey wrote the theme down on the board. "All in favour of the theme?" She tallied five marks. "Masquerade it is! It's going to be a long month of preparation, that's for sure." She checked the time. "I declare this meeting to be...adjourned!" She pounded the desk with a white petite hammer and the students went on their way. Ruby and Anxelin headed back to their dorms, having some freetime. Well, it was Anxelin's dorm anyhow. Ruby had another in some other hall, but having been inseparable since birth the two didn't mind some time alone for once. They both collapsed on the colourful glitter beanbags she had, lazing around.
"A masquerade theme. Never thought Jane could come up with something so original," Anxelin mused.
"I'm so excited! I'm totally going to wear purple and gold!" Ruby gushed. "And wear flowers in my hair, of course!"
"You'll look just like our mom when she got to see the Festival of Lanterns," Anxelin ran a hand through her bob. "I wonder if I should cut my hair again. Make it shorter I mean. Like shave the side or something,"
Ruby gasped, scandalized. "No way! It's short enough as is! A shaved head wouldn't look good on you."
"Guess you're right." She slid further into her beanbag. "How are things going with you and Ginny? Getting close?"
Ruby pouted a bit at that, looking away. "Not really. I'm always my nicest to her, but she's chilly. She shies away from most interaction and doesn't even seem interested in people like Mad Maddy Mim. I don't get it! I fought hard for her to come here and have a second chance, but..."
"Honestly I don't even bother with her. She's an enigma." Anxelin remembered when the three of them were growing up together and Ginny stayed away from them no matter what. She barely passed her mandatory goodness classes and kept to the shadows, not even having her own group of villains to hang out with. She would've felt bad if she had any actual idea what Ginny's deal was. The girl was just...strange, no doubt about it. Even among VK terms she was strange. Anxelin was sorta done trying to figure that out though.
"I think she could be a good person, if she tried," Ruby continued with a pout. "I think every VK can change."
"Hey I agree!" She jokingly held up her hands. "I just think she's weird is all. I get not hanging out with us or other AKs, but she doesn't even have her own group of VKs,"
Ruby just sighed. "I remember that time on our tenth birthday when Mom made us that special mushroom soup we all love, and I saved some for Ginny because I knew she felt left-out. She didn't even come to our party! I tried to find her, looked all over the place, and I found her in the tallest room there. She was just by herself, in a room full of candles. I tried to offer the soup to her but she got upset and threw it away. She was lamenting about being powerless."
Anxelin had no idea what her sister was getting at, but she remembered that day. Mostly because it was one of the few birthdays they spent with their parents and grandparents and no other guests.
"Maybe she feels different because she is weird for a VK. No magic..."
"Some VKs don't have magic,"
Ruby kept staring at the ground, silent. Anxelin sighed and placed a gentle hand on her head.
"Don't worry. Both of us did what we could. We should focus on other things. Many other students would benefit from our friendliness,"
She looked up with a smile. "You're right! Like always. This is why you're the older twin!"
"I was born being right," She winked. "Want to watch a romance movie?"
"Oooh yes! I'll go get popcorn!" She squealed and ran out of the room.
###
Spending weekends at the school really cramped Mad Maddy's style sometimes. Normally, she hid out somewhere in town, but it had been a while since she checked in on her home and felt a visit was in order. She arranged for a carriage and quickly changed, putting on a long brown dress and bodice with a grey overcoat and flat shoes underneath. She enchanted her hair to return to its purple hue and stepped outside, sighing once she sat in the carriage. She hated her old-timey fashion and hoped to get rid of it, but it'd do no good to just drop in on Camelot in a catsuit. Actually, wait, that'd be hilarious. She should've just done that!
She waved the driver off once they arrived and looked up at the massive stone castle, flags waving in the breeze that sported the rich colours of King Arthur. Instead of walking through the gate, she spun around and transformed herself into a purple bird, flying through the sky and landing on the sill of a window. She knew instantly who it belonged to and turned back into herself, perching on the windowsill.
Eventually, the boy in question stood up from his bed and shouted in surprise when he saw her, stepping back and almost dropping his book.
"Good afternoon to you!" She smirked, jumping in.
"How'd you get in?" He asked, clutching his book tightly to his chest. She rolled her eyes. Artie was the same as she remembered him being; blond with a pageboy haircut, clad in a simple red tunic and brown leggings and boots, and simultaneously nervous and curious. "You used your magic, didn't you?"
"And what of it? It's easier that way," Mad Maddy wandered around his room, finding it mostly filled with academic items. The most interesting thing was a sheathed sword kept on his desk, which she immediately unsheathed and swung around.
"Don't! That's my special sword!" Artie grabbed it from her and resheathed it with a glare. "Sir Lancelot gave it to me,"
Mad Maddy sat on his bed instead, playing with her hair. "Speaking of him, how are things going here in Camelot? I assume they're dull and boring and make your eyeballs want to melt!"
Artie couldn't control himself any longer and began to giggle. "You're so vulgar!"
"That's why you like me!" She winked.
"Actually, things have been great! I'm still not old enough to apply to Auradon Preparatory but my lessons here are going very well! I mostly do writing and fencing and chivalry."
Mad Maddy thought that all sounded dreadfully boring. She didn't even like her classes at Auradon Prep and just attended in the hopes of seeing hijinks go down. How he could deal with such a stuffy atmosphere was beyond her, but then again they had always been fundamentally different. He was brought up to be the next king while she was the descendant of a witch who was pretty off her rocker and lived in a shack in the woods. It never bothered her, of course, but even a fool would know there was a huge gap in expectations between them.
"I'm really excited to go there though!" Artie continued. "I hear there's things like horses that run without ever tiring! Is that true?"
"Oh yeah. It's a whole other world from here." Mad Maddy grew bored. "Speaking of which, give me some mead! Students can't drink alcohol and I want some so bad!"
"Really?!" His jaw dropped and he was already halfway out the door to the kitchen. She followed him. "Then what do you drink?!"
"Whatever we want, it just can't be alcohol,"
"That's so weird!"
"You're telling me,"
The kitchen was warm and full of bustling servants, but Artie managed to dodge through everyone and picked up two mugs.
"Do you want mead still? We have wine too, fresh from the southern grapes!"
"Whatever you want," Mad Maddy ran her hands through her hair and slipped into the pantry filled with vegetables and grains. She scooted into one of the corners that had a sack full of onions in it. Artie poured her some mead, spilling some as he struggled to balance the jug properly.
"A drink for the fair lady!" He raised his cup in a mock toast before sipping. Mad Maddy chugged hers and wiped her mouth off with her sleeve, enjoying the cool taste and bubbles she missed.
"You sure do take that chivalry stuff super seriously, huh?"
"Of course!" Artie gasped, barely hiding his offense. "It's the most important part of being the king and a knight!"
Mad Maddy kept chugging her drink, refilling her glass when it got too full.
"Tell me more about Auradon City! Is it super advanced like Merlin says? Is that why you don't cover your hair?"
She cringed inwardly and quickly conjured up a long white kerchief to completely cover her hair, adjusting it. "Yeah. At school I wear these super tight catsuits that hug my body..." She scooted closer to him, running her hands down her body. "In hot pink and my hair's a different colour.."
"I get it!" Artie laughed nervously. "Still...to see a new realm...ever since I was born I've lived here. I wish I could have an adventure. Sir Father and Lady Mother tell me my time will come," He sipped more of his drink. "But everywhere else seems so much more interesting!"
Mad Maddy watched him carefully, uninterested in his sob story. Why'd he suddenly share, anyway? Did the drink loosen his tongue? Or was he just more comfortable around her for some reason? She moved closer to him.
"All I've ever known is this place."
She waited to see if he'd say more, but he was done, he just sipped more of his drink. She leaned back and stared at her reflection in the golden liquid. She never had that thought, even though going to Auradon Prep had been her first time actually seeing new things. Camelot was not as archaic as the rest of the country saw it as, thanks to people like Merlin who traveled through time with ease and shared the details on new techs, but they did have their traditions. Growing up, Mad Maddy hadn't even seen much of the castle of the royal family, being raised by her folks in the countryside. Her days were occupied with washing dishes and practicing her magic with her own father, son of the famed witch herself. She heard she had other grandchildren running about but never met them and didn't care to. Ironically, Artie had become more worldly than her even though he was much younger and sheltered.
What would he think of her and Mal's plan, she wondered? Be a killjoy? Or join them to take over Camelot?
Deciding the super deep emotional stuff was enough for her, she chugged the rest of her drink and took a deep breath, waiting a few seconds before she burped loudly.
Artie jumped in surprise and stared at her, shaking from containing his laughter.
"Weren't expecting it, were you?" She smirked and burped again.
"Stop it! It's so improper!" Artie couldn't hold it in any more and laughed hard, spilling some of his drink on the floor. "I can't stop-!"
Mad Maddy surprised herself by laughing with him, both of them collapsing on the floor. Their drinks were completely forgotten as they dropped the mugs and continued to laugh, Mad Maddy's face turning red and tears rolling down her eyes. Artie grabbed his stomach from how much it hurt.
"Who's in here?!" A gruff voice demanded, and the two sat up in silent alarm.
"They won't be very happy if they see you're here!" Artie gasped, gathering up the cups. Mad Maddy snickered and jumped in the air, turning into a purple crow. "They'll see you fly out!"
She just rolled her eyes and bolted out the door the moment it opened, flapping her wings hard. She didn't stop until she reached Artie's room, sitting on the windowsill on her regular form for just a moment to catch her breath. She howled with laughter at a servant she saw down below and transformed into a bigger bird, taking off into the sky.
She was totally still going to blow up the school and hope to rule over something someday, but hey, Artie was a cute kid, she couldn't deny that. She could spare some time for him at least.
###
Mike and Wilbur were hanging out in Mike's room, playing video games with intense expressions on their faces. Mike was close to collecting the key needed to unlock the door to the next level, while Wilbur was still trying to gather the other items needed to get access to the key.
"How's classes?" Wilbur asked boredly.
"Pretty good. Sad there's no video game or other geek club but I live. I really like my class on pirates and my good friend Lilo has the same history class as me because we're both freshmen so that's nice," Mike blew a bubble with his gum. "You?"
"Eh, could be better. My mom is still on my case because I'm failing science. Don't know why it's such a big deal. Not everyone is a super genius, you know?" He took a swig of his soda.
"Sometime you gotta let me visit. Your world sounds cool! You have actual time machines!"
Wilbur chuckled. "Good luck convincing my folks to let you use them. They don't even let me use them after that whole fiasco." He thumbed some buttons. "Come on, where's that cup..."
Mike noticed the key on a high branch and smashed his buttons, making his character jump high and swing, grabbing the key and running for the door. The game chimed and declared him the winner, making him grin. "Aw, better luck next time,"
He shrugged. "Just a game. I'm not good at these types anyway," Wilbur took another swig. "Want to play another?"
"Sure! I got all my homework done for once. I had to write an essay on my favourite pirate and I picked Zarina. I thought my teacher might appreciate that choice," He pulled up the console's main menu and started to scroll idly.
"Even though I'm glad I don't go here, your homework does make me jealous. A bit. Wish mine was that easy,"
"Most of it is just boring stuff, I promise," Mike found an RPG and showed it to Wilbur, who nodded in approval. "Yes! Let's try to get past the dragon level this time..." He blew another bubble with his gum, only for it to pop prematurely and stick to his face. He blinked in surprise as Wilbur laughed.
"Classic!"
###
"No work today?" Aziz asked in surprise as he looked up from his desk to the person who just walked into his dorm.
"Technically, no. Remember? My dad says I only work when I want to, and today I want to do something cool," Out of her work clothes was the Jordan Aziz remembered better. Her hair was pulled back away from her face in the style popularized by Sultana Jasmine, and she wore a long gold dress and sheer robe with matching silver earrings and a necklace. She looked more regal like this.
"Okay, what's your idea?" Aziz should've been studying, but grammar was just so boring most of the time. Who really needed it? Surely not him.
Jordan poofed next to him in a cloud of blue smoke with a grin. "Want to pull little pranks around the school?"
"Won't that go against your goal? I mean, I'd love to, but I know how much portraying magic positively means to you."
"Right..." She hovered in the air and stepped lightly on nothing, staring at him upside-down. "Well, what else are we meant to do? I have all this power inside and it aches to be used!"
He wasn't sure how well such pranks would be taken downtown, though he could sense Jordan's impatience. Genies needed outlets for their magic if they had no master. Aziz studied that back home in his own classes on magic, specifically those of the genie as they were abundant in his desert home. A genie with no outlet often turned antsy or violent in worse cases. It made him wonder and worry about Jay.
"You don't need pranks specifically! Yeah they're fun, but if you want to give magic a more positive connotation, why don't we use yours to brighten up the days of others?" He finally suggested after some thought. Jordan's face lit up.
"I love it!"
The two ran out of his dorm together. "Uh, but where do we start?"
"How about your roommates? Do they need their days brightened up?"
Aziz thought about it. They rarely ever saw each other outside of night and early morning, otherwise they were going on their own schedules. He supposed it made sense; they came from completely different worlds. He and Chad were definitely princes, James' claim was a bit shakier, but he did at least have royal blood, while Herkie was a total regular civilian. What would make them happy?
"I know the big Tourney game is coming up in a few weeks. Maybe Herkie and Chad would like something to relax themselves,"
"Say no more!" She flicked her finger and tasty protein snacks and foot gels appeared on their beds. She jumped over to the last one. "What about him?"
"James? He likes animals, but conjuring one here might be bad," Aziz laughed. "Maybe a new notebook?"
Jordan summoned a bright red one and flipped through the crisp blank pages before gently putting it on his desk. She then poofed out of the room and appeared in the courtyard, using her fingers to brighten the flowers and grass around the school, even the trees seemed to sing. Aziz ran to the window to watch her.
"I still have more!" She hovered upside down in the air again. "What else?"
Aziz looked around and saw some of the cheerleaders practicing in the shade with Audrey watching them carefully. He motioned to her. Quick as a flash, Jordan spun around and transformed into a stock cheerleader, dancing her way into the group. She mimicked the cheers perfectly and every time she jumped or kicked she'd release colourful sparks everywhere, making the other girls 'ooh' and 'aah' in amazement at her. Audrey put her hands on her hips, but Jordan had spun away before she could say anything. She jumped up to the window and grinned at Aziz, turning back to her usual self.
"Okay, that was amazing," He said.
"And fun! Those are my favourite tricks," She flipped her hair.
"Feel better now?"
"Yeah. At least for a while." She climbed through the window and sat at a random desk. "Can't wait for fall break so I can go back home to Agrabah. The store is nice and all but I crave that warm desert sun, the unique smells of spices from the bazaar, the image of your palace overlooking it all..."
"I get it completely," Aziz sat on his bed. "I like it here, but it doesn't compare to back home. I wonder if Jay feels the same?"
"Maybe. I bet even Villain Kids miss where they came from. Home just doesn't compare,"
Since when did they become the longing pair? Aziz shook his head in amusement, not thinking it suited them. Still, only two more months until their fall break, and despite the homesickness settling in, he knew there was still plenty of things to look forward to at the school in the meantime.
"I know I can visit on the weekends, but that's not enough! I want a longer stay," She continued. "Thus, it must be break!"
He shooed her off the desk, realizing then that it was his, and watched her walk on her tiptoes. "Now you can either help me with my grammar, or leave,"
She smiled her mischievous smile and slipped out of the room in her poof of blue smoke. Aziz shook his head.
"I knew she'd do that,"
Chapter 8: .8
Summary:
More classes, some new transfer students. Family Day draws closer.
Chapter Text
Most things didn't get students to turn their heads at Auradon Preparatory. Despite what most might believe, they were perfectly eccentric in their own ways, so they were pretty used to the weird and odd.
That day, however, many heads turned as they beheld a teenage boy dressed in the most generic outfit ever of green and denim gently leading a large yet queenly lion down the halls. Everyone whispered and stared, they knew it wasn't polite, but how could they not? It was a lion in their school! A real lion! It was something strange indeed!
It had only been two hours and Mowgli knew Kiara was exhausted. Not due to the work or even the stares, but more a combination of everything. Prince Ben had been kind enough to organize a sudden assembly to explain the situation, and despite trying to adapt even the princesses were hesitant over it. Princess Kiara was a new transfer student from deep in the African Sahara, the first in a new program that helped sentient animals get equal education as well. The issue was, there were so few of them the school and students weren't properly equipped to handle such a change, and even though Mowgli was one of the best translators of the animal speak to human, it was trying his patience as well.
"I can't even sit down properly! I don't know what made me sign up for this. I don't!" Kiara huffed. "I am a princess in my own right but here I feel so silly."
Mowgli scooted closer to her. The two were sitting in the shade of a gazebo. "You wanted to give opportunities to your people, opportunities they would never have otherwise. They would be proud of you!"
Kiara said nothing.
"You wanted to do this for yourself. Not for attention or praise but simply because you wanted to,"
"You're right. I chose this for myself because this is what I wanted!" She held her head up high. "It's not even about being a princess, it's about showing my responsibility! I can get by in a school like this!"
"Great job!" Mowgli praised her. "Now hurry, it's almost time for lunch and I want to get the good stuff!"
"How did it feel to live amongst humans for the first time?" Kiara asked curiously as they walked together. "Everyone knows you went to the Man Village but your story stops there,"
Mowgli thought about it. "Hard, at first. Shanti was good-natured and let me stay with her family and was the only one who never put up a fuss whenever I messed up. I couldn't sleep on pallets and ate with my head down like an animal. I couldn't even play with other boys my age because I was rougher than usual and could climb higher than them."
"But was it worth it?"
"I think so. It led me to studying animal speak as a serious hobby and now I get to lead you around the school!"
Kiara kept her head up after hearing that story, waiting patiently in line beside him. He carried both of their trays for them and picked a larger table near the doors so she'd have more room to spread out. Much to his surprise, she got a lot of bugs, while he got a lot of fruit like bananas.
"What? It's a family recipe. My dad's. He loves bugs!" She said defensively.
"And I just love bananas! They're simple but filled with a lot of nutrients. The bare necessities."
The two laughed at their own little joke and started to eat their lunches together.
###
Meanwhile, another transfer student, the one from Auradon, arrived without issue in his new temporary home in Zena, a host family he was excited to meet. A super average family, Hiro was told. He could do average. He supposed it would be an issue if something bad were to happen like a crime and he'd have to deal with it in secret, but surely crime was non-existent in Zena? He read they were more progressive in many areas compared to Auradon and one area was having significantly less crime. Even a superhero like him needed a break sometimes.
He got off the bus and knocked politely on the door, being greeted by an average yet smiling family.
"You must be Hiro Hamada, right? Oh, come in! I hope the house is to your liking," Mrs. Parr ushered him inside the house, pausing at the sight of Baymax. "Oh, who is this?"
"Uh, don't mind him. Something to remind me of my late brother. He's a medical robot is all," Hiro reassured her. "Where-ever I go, he goes, so,"
"Whoa, that thing is cool. A real robot?!" Their teenaged son, just a year younger than Hiro, praised.
"Yeah, everyone has them where I'm from." Hiro dragged his suitcase to the room Mrs. Parr led him to, which was a roomy bedroom with a nice desk area that reminded him of his room at home.
"Sorry it's not super decorative but I wasn't sure what you'd want. They didn't tell us much except you were a teenage boy," She explained.
"That's okay. I can just decorate it myself while I'm here!" He tossed his backpack on the bed and left the suitcase next to the desk. "Hey, there's already a computer in here,"
Baymax waddled into the room and looked at everything.
"Dinner's at eight, if you're hungry. And if you need anything, please don't be afraid to ask. We want you to feel as welcomed as if we're your family back home," Mr. Parr smiled at him. Hiro nodded in thanks and sat at the computer, marveling at it.
"Well, this is going to be our home for the school year. What do you think?" He asked Baymax.
"It. Is. Very. Different."
"Yeah," The Parrs were average, but Hiro could tell already they were nice. And they had three kids, one around his age! That was good if he needed someone to talk to about stuff. His year in Zena was off to a great start already.
###
The other transfer student, this one from Zena, also arrived right on time, to a large colourful house in the middle of an enchanted valley. Miguel Rivera was surprisingly unsure about his acceptance, since he thought it'd be best if he just kept attending his own town's high school, but his family told him it was a good opportunity and the paper he got reassured him the host family was a good match. So Miguel agreed to go, knowing he could ask to be sent back at any time, even though he also knew that was rude.
He packed lightly, knowing he should at least bring his guitar, and ended up at their doorstep, knocking nicely just once before the door opened to reveal a big family with bright colours, all gasping and fussing over him.
"Man, already it feels like I'm back at home," He teased, making some of the family laugh.
"Welcome to our home. We are grateful that you chose this exchange program and agreed to have us be your host family. Even if sometimes we clash, we still hope this year is beneficial to you." Alma bowed slightly in greeting, making Mirabel laugh.
"You're being so formal, Abuela! He may be a guest, but he's also part of the family for a year!" She smiled at him. "Mirabel Madrigal. And we are happy to have you here! You will never be alone in a place like this,"
"Yeah, you guys already remind me of my family. Super close and big," He said, making them laugh again.
"We have a room for you made already!" Mirabel took his arm and led him up the stairs, past decorated doors and to one down the hall that didn't glow magically but still had a quick paint job done of his name. "Uh, it's not the best, but Isabela thought you might like it anyway!"
"It's perfect," He assured her, checking out the room. More basic, but it was fine. He had a whole year to make it his own.
"We can't wait to get to know you!" Isabela waved at him, wearing a dress dyed a multitude of clashing bright colours. "We have dinner at seven just so you know."
"You have a guitar? Do you sing?" Dolores asked curiously as he set it down.
"Yeah. Music is a huge part of my family actually! Maybe one day I'll sing something for you," He smiled at them.
"We'd love to hear it! I like to think we're a pretty musical family too," Miguel watched in surprise as Isabela formed a swing out of vines and flowers and gracefully flew down the stairs, jumping off with grace as well.
"Oh, did they not mention? My family has magical powers. There was a whole thing about that, the family still likes to use them, is that scary? I know you don't really have magic in your country so just let me know if that's scary for you." Mirabel rambled.
Miguel laughed. "Magic? I think that's cool! My story was all about me going to the realm of the dead. Magic doesn't scare me,"
"You should tell us that story sometime!" She waved and let him get settled, and Miguel began to unpack.
He was already enjoying his time in Auradon.
###
Jay wasn't one to fuss about his classes, honest, but he couldn't help but to feel his Basic Chivalry class was the most useless of them all. Every day he took it he itched to get out on the field, and cursed whoever decided to have that class right before practice. He was told only the guys took it, and hoped Carlos would be there, but sadly it was also split by grade so he got stuck with a bunch of dudes he wanted nothing to do with. Aside from Aziz. They sat together and he was very helpful with the trickier stuff, but Jay knew sometimes even he got confused.
"Afternoon!" Their teacher stood proudly in the front of the class, dressed in regal kingly robes. Most had trouble recognizing him like that, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. That was the adult version of King Arthur, who's story was told about him as a young kid. "I thought we could try something a bit more...hands-on today. Castlecoming is coming up, I have been informed, correct? Which means there will be a dance. And what is a more perfect way to be a gentleman than that?"
"You saying we'll get to dance with some chicks today?" Jay interrupted him, making some of the others laugh.
"I wouldn't have phrased it like that, but yes, you will. Girls from the Princessology class, in fact. More than just dancing, we shall do a full rundown of how I expect you to treat her the whole night. Open the door for her, offer her your coat, pay for things, and of course lead the dances,"
"There aren't enough people here today though," Aziz looked around the room.
"So we can start simple without being overwhelmed! Okay, Herkie, you help me move these desks..."
Jay stood up and lined up by the board with the others, grinning at Aziz. "Too easy,"
"Dancing?" He asked.
"No, being sweet to girls! That's something I spent my whole life doing,"
Aziz playfully pushed him. "More like sweet on them, not to them,"
Once the desks were stacked up and a huge open space was available, King Arthur left the room to get the girls, who lined up in front of the guys with various expressions on their faces.
"Aren't I lucky? I get to dance with my boyfriend! Just like I will at the dance!" Audrey gushed and held out her hand. Chad kissed it with a grin on his face, and spun Audrey close to him.
"Can't wait for that. Everyone will be so jealous seeing such a beautiful princess like you dance with a charming prince like me,"
"B-Be good to me," Snowdrop smiled shyly, and Ben smiled at her and took her hand, kissing it.
"Of course I will," He took both of her hands then and gently twirled her around.
"You think they'll let us do a super fast dance? Like a hip-hop or jazz one?" Jordan smirked as she took Aziz's hand. "Those are far more my speed,"
"Depends on the music." Aziz walked off with her.
"I don't know how to dance." Lonnie said bluntly.
"Consider me shocked. You're pretty and whatnot," Jay said. "Thought all Auradonian girls knew how."
"Not me. My parents didn't really raise me like that." She held out her hands. "So you'll have to lead me."
"Gotta be honest, I don't dance either," He still took her hands and sidestepped quickly, making sure she kept up to have the illusion of dancing. "You ever see us play on the field? Or fencing, you watch that?"
"I am on the fencing team," She smiled, seemingly knowing what he was suggesting.
"Perfect."
Lonnie spun fast and twirled, staying light on her feet. Jay mimicked her movements, sidestepping while keeping his hands on her waist. She spun around a final time and fell into his arms in a perfect pose, and he stretched his other arm to the sky.
"What the heck was that supposed to be?" Audrey demanded the moment the music stopped. "That wasn't a ballroom dance,"
"He just said we had to dance, not that it had to be ballroom." He helped Lonnie regain her balance as Audrey just rolled her eyes.
"What does this have to do with chivalry?" Herkie immediately asked, having his partner be Hannah, who looked annoyed. "We just danced."
"Leading your lady, making sure she never falters and remains graceful, that's a sign of chivalry." King Arthur smiled. "Now, the dinner part!"
"They serve dinner at the dance?" Snowdrop asked in genuine confusion.
"Just snacks you eat while standing. Nothing deserving of a princess," Hannah said. "And the snacks are usually obscenely gross things like melted cheese on hot dogs, I hear."
Jay helped Lonnie sit down on the provided pillow and she sorted through the cards on the table. "Oh my gosh, they gave me prompt cards. You're meant to react to these," She laughed.
"You're joking." Jay laughed as well as she cleared her throat.
"'My dear Prince, the night is a bit chilly,'"
"Wear more clothes." Jay quipped. Lonnie bit her lip to prevent from laughing harder.
"'I would like more to drink,"'
"Get it yourself,"
"'How is your food?'"
"You tell me," Jay opened his mouth wide as if there was food in it and Lonnie lost it, hitting the table and laughing hard.
"You're awful." She tried to scold in-between her laughs.
"Thank you, my dear, I do try." He mock bowed.
"Seriously, this stuff is pretty stupid. Who is this even for?" She flipped through the cards. "Most princes raise their sons with these lessons from birth so it's pointless,"
"Maybe the girls keep it around. Some like to be treated like princesses, you know," He smirked at her, but she stared blankly. "Why is everyone suddenly losing their minds over Castlecoming though? It's not for another month pretty much,"
"It'll be here before you know it!" Jordan chimed in from the table next to theirs. "They like to keep it roughly the same time they do Family Day."
"And the huge Tourney game," Lonnie added.
"Don't need to remind about that," Jay smirked. "Ever since I've joined I've been told to prep for that game. It's our first official one of the year," They did smaller practice stuff with each other, but this would be the first time it really mattered. Jay was sure they could pull it off though, the team was really good, though most of that was just because he was such a beast out there, if he did say so himself.
He snuck a glance at the other tables to see how they were doing. Aziz and Jordan were sitting normally, having a conversation. Herkie was grinning stupidly over something while Hannah stared off into space. Audrey and Chad were giving each other heart eyes, as was expected. Snowdrop was staring down at her lap while Ben offered her a reassuring smile.
"Everyone is doing wonderful. I cannot wait to see you young men make me proud with your skills at the dance next month," King Arthur praised.
"I feel like we've barely learned anything," Jay whispered, so Lonnie almost laughed before she caught herself at the last second, just sputtering.
"I had more planned, but sadly we must cut it short today."
The girls left the room in smiles and curtsies, except for Hannah who just huffed and left, Jordan who vanished using her magic, and Lonnie, who punched him in the elbow as a joke before she walked out. Jay shook his head as the desks got rearranged and they had to sit back down.
He couldn't wait to tell the others about this.
###
After Carlos' math class, he was surprised to be told to stay after from the teacher, Mrs. Phillip. The other freshmen left while he walked up to her desk. Mrs. Phillip was definitely the weirdest teacher he had, and that was saying a lot. She said she was a princess and even had animals come when she sung, but she wore a professional pink suit-dress and kept pictures all over her desk of some big city she called New York City.
"I'm in trouble." Carlos said flatly. "Am I flunking something?"
"What? Goodness gracious, no!" She gasped, looking scandalized. "You're doing very well!"
"Then why else did you call me up?"
She smiled a perfect smile. "I know it's odd that someone like me is telling you this, but I love my students and want to help them get the most out of their time here! I noticed you like animals-"
"I don't like dogs," Carlos interrupted her.
"Well, you like most animals!" Mrs. Phillip continued to speak happily. "And the animal caretaker club is short a member and is asking around for new members. I thought you'd be the perfect addition!"
Carlos stared at her, unsure. True, he did tolerate most animals, he did love cats but hate dogs, but what was she thinking telling him to join such a club? It'd be filled with perky princesses who sung and would be horrified to see someone like him wander in. He knew no matter how much things changed, his name would remain. A name that belonged to an attempted skinner.
"I can't. I'm Cruella de Vil's son, remember? The princesses there don't want me to join," The memory was a bitter one still. "And besides, what makes you think I'd be good with animals?"
Mrs. Phillip wandered over to the window in the class and opened it up, singing a trill that automatically attracted several various animals to her. "I believe that everyone is a good person deep down, and you're no exception! What better way to show you're nothing like your namesake than to help take care of animals? You might even grow to love dogs!"
She had a point, even Carlos could see that, but what of it? He meant it when he said the club would be anything but welcoming to him. And yet, he couldn't resist the allure of cats. He recalled those nights in his dorm along with Eddie Balthazar, who loves dogs. If only he could join the club too, then they'd get run out together.
"Tell you what. I'll go with you on your first day. Any mean old princesses can't bother you with me there! In fact, I'm even the club's mentor!"
Carlos found flaws with that logic; any day she wasn't there would be the day the princesses picked on him, but he didn't feel like arguing with her. He almost felt he couldn't, somehow, like she just radiated goodness from her very existence.
After Mrs. Phillip packed up her things, she led Carlos to an outside portion of the school, a large open field filled with flowers and animal toys. Princesses of all sizes and colours were spread out with an animal of their choice, brushing, feeding, or playing with them.
"Hello!" She smiled. "I've brought you a new member! Say hi to Carlos, everyone!"
"Hello!" The princesses chirped, though Audrey feigned a smile at him while Snowdrop scooted away in fear.
"He will be your new member from this day on. He loves animals, especially cats, so if anyone has one..."
Despite the friendly greeting, none seemed excited to actually approach him, except for Anya, dressed in a cream summer dress, cradling a fluffy cat in her arms.
"Isn't she pretty? Her name is Petunia. She comes straight from Queen Ella's kingdom," She pet the cat gently before handing her off to Carlos, who held her carefully. The cat stretched out and licked him with her sandpaper tongue.
"So, what do we do here?"
"Take care of pets!" Anya said in excitement. "Some are ours or are being watched by us as their true owners are busy with school. And sometimes we get ones we have to rescue!" She walked away and Carlos noticed then that her twin was there, along with a few other boys. He looked nervously at Mrs. Phillip, who gave him an encouraging smile. He looked around and finally sat next to a dark-skinned boy with long hair pulled into a ponytail.
"You like cats?" He asked in a deep voice, not unkindly.
"Y-Yeah! Mrs. Phillip thinks I can get over my...issue with dogs here, but I'd rather stay away from those. There's tons of other animals here I can be with."
"You're right about that," He was in the middle of feeding berries to sone raccoons out of his hands. "I don't judge, I love all living creatures,"
"What's your name? I've never seen you around,"
"James Smith. I'm one of the older students here," He lowered his head respectfully and Carlos did his best to mimic the gesture. "I'm happy the club sounded good to you. I'm excited to see who else has a way with nature and the lives that inhabit it."
"Again, just no dogs," Carlos looked at the racoons. "I'd rather take my chances with them,"
James laughed heartily. "They're not all bad. Mom has one as her companion. He's a mischievous little scoundrel, but he has heart,"
Carlos pet the cat in his lap, making her stretch out and curl up in another position, meowing. He scratched behind her ears gently and fluffed her tail, earning some purrs. He looked over to see what Mrs. Phillip was doing, only to see her stuck halfway up a tree, climbing on a branch to get a better look at a bird family in a nest. The branch bent from her weight. Some of the students were under the tree, staring at her in worry. He just stared. He wasn't even surprised that that's what she got herself into.
###
"And Atlantica was founded centuries ago, though they switched to the Auradonian calendar twenty years ago to match the others when they unified. Of course, the name should not be confused for the city of Atlantis, they sound similar but are not. That's a lesson for another day,"
The class laughed dryly at Mr. Thatch's awkward humor, most keeping their focus on their notes. Sophomore History did bore Evie too, when they were talking about regular realms. Much like her interest in the famous crowns, she also discovered a huge fascination in the history of the other kingdoms that made up the United States because of how different all of them were. They hadn't talked about her kingdom yet...Snow White's kingdom, she meant, but they had discussed Rapunzel's, Aurora's, and now Ariel's.
"Atlantica is one of the oldest and most magical kingdoms in all of the country. Others may have a more traceable history, and others might have more magic to their names, but you can't top mermaids," Mr. Thatch tried to awkwardly laugh again. "Many believed they'd be an icy ally, or refuse to unify at all, but it was the birth of Queen Ariel's own daughter Melody that bridged the gap between the two worlds. Her and King Eric had plans to unify the land and sea kingdoms prior, so Queen Belle and King Lio's plans to unify everything just helped speed things along!"
The bell chimed and Mr. Thatch held up his hands. "Hold on! Before you bolt, I have one last announcement. Everyone knows Family Day is coming up soon, which means all of our little events prior. In a week and a half we'll have Heritage Day, so be prepared for that!"
Evie instantly shot her hand up and waited to be called on. "What's Heritage Day?"
"It's where you dress up as your, er, famous parent," He nervously wiped his glasses off.
"Oh!" Evie gathered up her things and left, excited at having a chance to dress up already. She wondered how many would simply buy a replica or even just wear their actual old outfit, while she planned to make hers entirely from scratch. And she'd help the others too! Dizzy and Claudine...even Snowdrop if she'd let her. She headed to her next class with a spring in her step, which was Chemistry.
"I graded your tests! I know I'm a bit late, but...uh, let's just say something very unexpected came up!" Miss Lemon smiled as she stood up in the front. "As usual, I couldn't have asked for a better class! You all did amazing!" She passed the tests back, offering Evie a big smile as she handed her hers. Evie flipped it over and her eyes got wide at the score.
An A+. A perfect A+!
"Guessing you never got those kinds of grades back home?" Frederique-Freddie-practically whistled.
"No...schooling was more of an afterthought back home," Evie admitted. There was tutoring, she could obviously read and everything, but that's where it stopped. Queen Snow White spent more time traveling for diplomacy so most of her lessons were about inner beauty. Her king was a bit more logical and gave both girls some kingdom management classes, but even those could only go so far. No grades, no tests, just lots of praises and fruit. She never knew she could be smart, genuinely.
"Right, you're one of those from a more old-fashioned realm. Those are confusing,"
"Are you going to dress as your father for Heritage Day? Oh, what about your sister?"
Freddie shrugged. "Not sure yet. Probably not going to go, but Celia might. She loves parties and dressing up. She's probably in the middle of getting the perfect suit ready,"
"I'm making mine too!"
Once Miss Lemon finished passing every test out, she returned to the board. "Okay! You guys have been doing a lot of studying lately, and lots of tests too. Hard stuff. Chemistry is science, but I don't want you guys to think it's nothing but boredom and hard work. It can be fun too! So today, let's do an experiment where we make taffy!"
"You can do that?!" A boy asked in amazement. Miss Lemon laughed.
"Sure can!"
"So it's like magic!"
"Nope, it's science."
###
Even though Mal appreciated the offer of sitting with the twins again, she knew it had been far too long since she had lunch with her friends. Declining, she sat in their spot and awaited them, and soon the other three rushed over.
"We finally getting together again? Partners in crime? I like it," Jay nodded in approval.
"We just haven't hung out in forever and I want to know what weird or stupid things the school is making you do," Mal laughed, ignoring how it stung. They were just too busy to hang out, nothing more and nothing less.
"Um....I got my test back from Chemistry and..I aced it," Evie began shyly. "I didn't think I would! Miss Lemon says I'm nearly as bright as she is!"
"What?!" Mal asked in disbelief. "That woman is a chemistry super genius!"
"I know!"
"So that knowledge is probably pretty helpful when you're practicing spells, right?" She started to cut a particularly stubborn piece of lettuce.
"From my spellbook? To be honest, I sort of forgot about that," She admitted. "I've been so busy with studying and making cosmetics and dresses that I forgot I could do spells,"
Mal paused in her motions. "What?"
"I practice here and there but not a lot,"
"And I don't really do magic, remember? I tried temp spell stuff but I need to channel it somehow." Jay added.
"We can still take over the school without magic. I just need some backup, you guys can defend me and-"
"You're still on that?" Jay asked in surprise. "I mean, yeah you were super close to your mom I hear, but I thought you gave up on conquering everything,"
Mal dropped her silverware on her tray. "I haven't given it up, I've just been busy," She pushed away the thoughts she had of her peers, the classes she did enjoy, how several students were coming around and being kind to her, not feigned politeness or niceness because they had to, kindness because they wanted to. She needed to focus on her plan. "I mean, how are you three even doing? Do you steal things still? Are you nervous and keep to yourself?"
"My fingers itch but I haven't stolen anything in forever," Jay said. "Aziz says Tourney is a great outlet for that sort of thing,"
"Some of the students ask me for tech stuff," Carlos admitted. "And I want to join some clubs here. Safety in numbers and all,"
Mal stared at them in disbelief. What was wrong with them? They were getting soft, they were settling into school, they were making friends-!
Just like her.
She hid her face and shoved her tray away.
###
After lunch, Mal headed to her next class, Magical History with Merlin of all people. He preferred to be called Mister or Sir Merlin, just like that, and had a long beard with stars and moons on all his robes. Eccentric just like all the other teachers, but at least his class was interesting.
"Afternoon! We'll cut straight to the chase today!" He nodded at everyone. "Where we left off last time, we were discussing the flow of magic throughout the earlier periods. Back in those days, it was a much smaller realm. Auradon wasn't even a thought in the head of a child, and the other realms were kept apart. Most weren't even around. Most scholars do believe that magic can be traced back to Camelot, my realm, in its very purest form."
As Mal wrote her notes, someone sitting behind her poked her.
"What?" She whispered, looking over.
"Everyone still remembers what you did for Jane, you know. Could you do it again? Make gorgeous hair or fashionable clothing?" The girl in question was a non-descript one, wearing pastel pink with golden curls that showed she had some heritage or peerage somewhere. Mal was sure she was likely just some sidekick though.
"Why? You look fine."
"I mean...could you make my curls bouncier? And my shoes higher?!"
Mal looked around and was surprised her conversation hadn't alerted Mister Merlin somehow.
"After class. Meet me in the bathroom,"
The girl nodded gratefully and focused on her work again. Mal had no clue why she was doing this, but it strengthened her magic, right? Which is what her mother wanted. That was good.
"There was also magic in Greece, dating back to the ancient times when gods roamed around with humans more freely. This magic was less noticeable and was often explained away as the gift of the gods, especially if one thought themselves to be a demigod." Mister Merlin was continuing. "Unfortunately, demigods seem to be a dying group of people, as most gods remain up in Mount Olympus and don't mess with affairs anymore. There's rumors Hercules's children are demigods, but those are just that, rumors."
"You kidding? No way! Not with the kind of freakish strength Herkie has!" Chad laughed. "He's a beast in every sport he plays! And don't get me started on his speed!"
"In that case, I suspect pure genetics! His father had godlike strength as a person, so surely it got passed on,"
"His sister is really hot though. Wonder if she's seeing anyone? I've never seen curves like that-"
"Thank you for your contribution, Mr. Chad! Now then," Mister Merlin cleared his throat and went on.
After class, just as she promised, she met the girl in the bathroom. "It might feel weird. Like tingly," She warned her as her finger and eyes glowed green.
"I can handle tingles!" She promised.
Mal studied the girl before she cast the spell, moving her head quickly from the left to the right and then up and down. The girl gasped at the sensation before she looked in the mirror, gasping yet again. "Look how full and springy they are! I don't even need conditioner, I bet!"
Mal flicked her finger again at the shoes, watching as a thick heel grew from under both and made the girl wobble. She clutched the sink to get her balance back.
"You have a real talent with magic! You're so nice,"
"Why? I made you look pretty physically." Mal said.
"I mean, you didn't have to do that. You did it because you wanted to," She gathered up her things and hurried off, leaving Mal to mull over her thoughts once more.
No, she did it to keep honing her power. Though she supposed if she truly wanted to show it was stronger, she'd have to do something bigger than small petty makeovers. Something like...well, she wasn't quite sure yet. The answer would present itself to her, she was sure of it. It always did.
Chapter Text
"Okay, we look amazing!" Lilo nodded in approval on Heritage Day as she looked over her friend group. Not truly having a famous parent in the way her friends did, Lilo just wore a hula dancing outfit like her mom would've, loving dancing and thinking it was perfect.
Heritage Day was a unique day in Auradon Prep's schedule, not just being a day to dress up but also a day without any classes, leaving the students free to do as they wished.
"Our outfits are also the simplest, so it makes sense we got done first and look good," Ally said. She wore her mother's famed blue dress and white pinafore, a simple black bow to replace her usual headband. She kept the blue streaks in her hair.
"Speak for yourselves, I look so embarrassing!" Mike sighed, wearing pink footie pajamas and clutching a brown teddy bear close to him. "Why do I have to be descended from someone who was a literal child in his story?"
"My mother was a child too." Ally stared up at the ceiling.
"She's not in her pajamas though!"
"You look cute!" Lilo reassured him.
"Here I am!" Melody waved as her and Arabella hurried over. Most expected Melody to pick a dress from her mother's repertoire of outfits, but instead wore a long green skirt stylized like a tail and a purple top. "What are we doing today?"
"Let's walk around and get as many photos as we can!" Lilo grinned. "I replaced my film specifically for this moment! I bet everyone will pose for us today!"
"Can we take one right now?" Arabella asked, dressed just like Melody but in lavender. She had a purple hairpiece in her hair. "Will you use a filter?"
"It's her old camera, not a phone." Melody reminded her.
"Oh right,"
"Say 'Legacy!'" Lilo grinned as she gathered the group together. Ally ran her hands through her hair, Mike gave a thumbs-up, and Arabella and Melody made more silly expressions with their tongues out. Lilo snapped the photo and laughed. "Now let's get collecting!"
###
It took the better part of the week to make sure she was up to the task, then she spent her morning perfecting her conjured look. She had to admit, she didn't think she could look so good.
Mal used her magic to make her costume for Heritage Day, forming the whole outfit from scratch. She wore a flowing black and purple robe with green jewels embroidered into the sleeves and waist, a long grey veil attached to her headpiece and around her mouth. Lastly, she carried a makeshift green staff that had a dim glow to it.
"How do I look?" She grinned.
"Truly wicked," Freddie smirked. She decided to not participate so she just wore her regular clothes, lounging on her bed.
"You look just like her!" Mad Maddie nodded in approval. Hers was probably the simplest of a long scarlet skirt, purple bodice, and pink undershirt. She was also cheating somewhat, but so was Yzla and nobody said anything to her.
"Thanks," Mal twirled around. "Almost sucks we have no classes today so I can't properly show off,"
"You could just wander the grounds, give everyone a good spook!"
She couldn't deny, there was at least one person she wished to find, just to see her reaction. Excusing herself, she roamed the halls, peeking through classroom windows. Some people shuddered or jumped when they saw her, but others stared in awe or gave understanding smiles.
Finally, she found her target, descending down a staircase slowly with an enamored look on her face. Chad was by her side, wearing a crisp white suit with golden epaulettes, but Audrey outshone even him. Her pink dress was a perfect replica of her mother's, a golden crown perched perfectly on her curls. Really, every bit of Audrey just screamed who she was related to. Her dark hair and skin made her look like a younger Aurora just like in all those old court portraits.
"Yikes!" Chad shouted when he saw Mal, breaking the spell. "You look too good. That's scary,"
"I could say the same for you," She smirked. "Audrey though...you look just like Queen Aurora. So aren't my looks fitting?"
Audrey just smirked back, her head held high. "As long as you don't curse anyone!" She laughed fakily, pulling Chad away. Mal rolled her eyes back at her. She was surprised Audrey hadn't taken the chance to be meaner, but maybe she was just caught up in the magic of the day. It was just a day off to dress up, yet even she felt exhilarated by it.
She walked the halls a bit more, soon finding the twins hanging out in a sitting room, though they stood up to greet her when she approached.
"You wear it so well," Ruby covered her mouth in surprise. She wore her mother's famed pink and purple dress with her hair braided behind her with flowers, which was a look she tended to favour anyway. She winced a bit. "Being barefoot is the weirdest part, it feels so strange!"
"I'd imagine. Think of all the strange things you're stepping on." She laughed.
She had expected Anxelin to wear a dress too, maybe a wedding dress or country gown, but she instead dressed like her father in his signature vest and trousers. She slung a frying pan over her shoulder, but what surprised Mal the most was the gentle feminine touch of Rapunzel's princess crown on her head, most likely a replica, as a nod to how their parents first met.
"Since we have no classes today...want to watch a movie with us?! We could do it in my room, we won't be bothered!" Ruby suggested.
"There'll be popcorn." Anxelin added, making Mal laugh again.
"Okay, you got me, I couldn't possibly say no to popcorn."
###
Meanwhile, Chad and Audrey met up with Ben and Snowdrop in the library, smiling. Ben wore a rich blue coat and Snowdrop wore her mother's iconic colourful dress, complete with the red bow.
"We good for the mall?" Chad asked them.
"Always!" Snowdrop smiled. "As long as we get back in time for the princess tea party today. It's a special event!"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world! Don't worry, we'll only be there for a few hours. I just want to show everyone my looks!" Audrey smiled. She slipped on her sunglasses.
"Don't you have a potluck to go to though? The whole Tourney team is hosting it." Ben reminded Chad in confusion.
"Oh, they won't miss me! I dropped my dish off earlier. It's just a jug of pumpkin juice with a special kick to it. Grandpa made it for me," he said. "Just a potluck."
"If you're sure," Ben smiled, thinking that wasn't fine at all. Chad was essentially the captain and it wouldn't look good if he skipped a team event like that, to say nothing of making a habit of it! It was a good day though...surely, he'd just go to the other team events to make up for it?
With Audrey's hand in Chad's, the star couple left the room, leading the way, just as they always did.
###
The Tourney team's potluck was the first official huge event Jay had with them, and so far he had to admit it was going swimmingly. He dressed up at the last second, not wanting Aziz to feel left out, and put on long black and red robes to contrast with the simple peasant outfit Aziz had to wear. Much to his surprise, the whole team took the chance to dress up, so Jay got to see the homelands of the others and where they held dear to their hearts. Same with the food. Brendan and William wore knightly emblems and rich liveries of the English kingdoms. Miguel Hernandez-Garcia wore a gold-piped Mariachi suit, looking very formal. Jay figured the outfit shipped straight from Republic of Zena. Tyrone wore a colourful suit and top hat from somewhere down south. Li wore an earthly robe and Akio wore a brown kimono and hakama with a haori jacket over it. Finally, Emir wore red and yellow robes from the deserts Jay himself called home, declaring himself a native of Agrabah too.
"Where's Chad?" Brendan looked around in confusion.
"He's our Captain! We can't do anything without him," Li huffed.
"I wanted to see his outfit!" Miguel added.
"Come on, we don't need our Captain here to eat snacks, do we? Maybe he'll join us later, but for now, more food for us, am I right?" Aziz grinned, and the boys looked at each other before they nodded in agreement and attacked the table. Akio went straight for the brownies, trying to stuff a bunch in his mouth.
"So, you come from Agrabah?" Jay asked Emir casually as they both ate some random finger foods.
"My name wasn't enough of a giveaway?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, you never know in this place." Jay moved a bit closer. "I think I prefer you like this though. You should wear your robes more often."
Emir blushed hotly and stammered before he turned away. Jay grinned to himself. He didn't always get to work his charms on guys, but when he did, he found they were just as effective as they were with the girls.
"Hey boys! You got room for some girls?" Lonnie teased as she wandered into the cafeteria with Jenny and Jane of all people. Lonnie wore a plain green and blue hanfu with a red sash tied around her waist and another ribbon on the side of her hair because it was too short to tie up. Jenny wore a brown set of pants and shirt with a black leather jacket and her own hair pulled back into a ponytail, fully revealing her feline ears. Jane was dressed in a simple periwinkle robe with a large pink bow on the front, but it looked the best on her. Maybe because an older woman wasn't wearing it, Jay mused.
"You want to hang out with a sports team?" Emir asked incredulously, clearly having gotten over his encounter with Jay.
"Why not? It's boring today." Lonnie said.
"I say let them join, we got plenty of food and it's no good to just throw it out," Aziz piped up, and the other boys agreed in their own ways.
"It'll probably be just as boring over here. We're just standing and eating," Jay teased as Lonnie picked up some fruit from a fruit bouquet one of the boys brought. She took a bite of one of the apple slices.
"Yeah, but here there is better company," She teased back.
"Touche."
"I'm just here because most of the other girls are off being busy..." Jane sighed. "And Mother is busy too."
"Oh, this must be Chad's dish," Li noticed, staring at a jar of pumpkin juice. "He knows how much we love this,"
"Chad? Chad Charming? That dude who sucks at cooking?" Jenny asked with mock innocence.
"We're safe because he didn't make this, he just brought it by the looks of it. Like he bought it or something." Still, Miguel looked cautious.
"How about I take the first sip? Royal poison tester and all?" Jay sauntered over and popped the top, pouring the cold drink into a plastic cup.
"I don't think it's poisoned," Jane said in confusion. "C-Chad wouldn't do that,"
Akio grabbed a cup too and downed the whole thing in one sip, staring at the empty bottom with a shrug. "It's fine,"
"Okay, can someone else test it? Akio has the stomach of a garbage disposal." Brendan said. Some of the other boys chuckled.
"Sorry I'm late!" Herkie gasped as he burst through the doors, grinning. Megan tagged along beside him. He was dressed in his father's famous Greek armor while she wore a purple dress and sheer shawl with it. Jay thought out of everyone he had seen so far, they fully embodied their folks. "Look, I brought gyros!"
"I knew we were forgetting someone!" Li smacked his forehead in a rare moment of being undignified.
"He completely forgot he even had them," Megan explained. "But we're here now and I don't feel like leaving."
Herkie smiled the sort of grin that only a boy with curly auburn hair could truly get away with.
"I don't mind...you're cute," William blushed a bit. "Are you thinking about the last text message I sent you?'
"I'm not into boys," Megan responded bluntly. "Never was and never will be."
"Oh, right." William blushed awkwardly and scooted away from her.
Jay finally drank his cup of pumpkin juice, finding it to be quite sweet and tangy. The sweetness was new, normally it had more of a kick, but maybe it was just mixing with all the other tastes in his mouth. He held up his cup. "The drink is safe!"
"You're our hero!" The girls pretended to swoon while the boys cheered overdramatically as a joke.
"We're saved!"
"Hurray!"
"Three cheers for Jay!"
"Wait, where'd this come from?" Herkie asked blankly.
"Chad brought it." Akio was already on his third cup. "Because we love pumpkin juice!"
All of the team members decided to get a drink at that point, and Aziz suggested they have a toast to the upcoming Family Day and the hope it would go well.
"To Family Day!" Brendan and William cheered.
"To our Tourney match!" Miguel offered.
"Go Knights!" They all shouted at the end, clacked the drinks together, and chugged the juice down as was their custom.
Akio got another one and was very elegantly cheered on by Brendan and William shouting 'chug chug chug' at him. The four girls sat at the small table, talking to each other as girls were often wont to do, though Jane mostly just smiled awkwardly and Jenny stared off at something in the window, probably not even paying attention.
Jay took a few more cups of pumpkin juice himself but then stopped, needing a limit. He stared at the plethora of food that was still left and wondered if he even had enough room left in his stomach for that.
"Hm? I feel strange..." Akio asked curiously. He dropped his cup on the ground and smiled in an off-it way. "Hey...wait, what's that? Do you guys see that too?"
"See what?" Miguel asked.
"...Pink elephants...!" Akio hiccupped.
"You are definitely sick. Go to bed," Li scolded.
"No! Uh, I see them too!" Brendan gasped.
Jay spun around to look at where their eyes were and almost fell over in pure shock.
Somehow, they weren't lying. Somehow, giant pink elephants were marching around the cafeteria, floating through the tables and blowing giant bubbles with their trunks.
"They're kinda cute, right?" Lonnie sounded amazed.
"I-I think they're creepy," Jane said, and William nodded.
The elephants lined up to march in a line briefly before growing bored and stretching, forming into huge boats and cars that begun to loudly race each other and ring bells.
*Look at you, a pretty little thing! Pretty little girl!* An elephant cooed at Jane, stretching and squeezing into a veiled lady. She spun around and twirled, moving her hips sensually before she melted into a pool of colours.
*And you're quite handsome!* The pool dripped and splashed, forming into a pair of figure skaters who glided carefully through the air. They appeared to be both solid and translucent, shimmering and not, made from every pink pastel and being grey and white simultaneously.
*But I am not afraid of anything! Specially not some schoolchildren!* The figure skaters melted, their bodies dripping pink sludge as they reached for each other in silent agony, before forming a big clump and twisting into a slithering snake. Jay blinked a few times. The snake slithered on and hissed, bouncing and turning into an elephant again.
*And you are just some schoolchildren so I will not be afraid!* The elephants began to march again, bending and bowing and breaking, melting and twisting, clumping and growing, to all shapes, to all colours. Some were as dull as grey or white while others were whole shimmering rainbows of colour. Some even developed spots, or patchwork, or stripes. They marched faster and faster, the bubbles they blew becoming more frantic and threatening to fill up the room, before they reached the window and they all simultaneously popped at once, letting a hush fall over the room.
"What just happened?" Li demanded. "Am I going mad? Did you all see that?"
"Ugh, what was in that pumpkin juice?" William held his head.
"Alcohol." Jenny answered matter-of-factly. "I don't know how and I don't care, really. But it was spiked or mixed with some kind of alcohol."
"Leave it to the pirate to figure out what's wrong," Aziz meant to tease her, Jay was sure, but the disorientation made him sound more harsh.
"Are you guys okay?" Brendan shook his head, wobbling.
"I'm thinking we should cut this potluck short." Miguel leaned against the wall. "I'm tired."
Jay noticed that despite not drinking as much, the girls seemed pretty disoriented too. Jenny was on her feet just fine, but Lonnie and Jane had their heads down while Megan looked pale and uncomfortable.
"Are you okay? You drank the most of us!" William asked Akio worriedly.
Akio looked at the two boys on either side of him, trembled for a few seconds, then let out a loud and long burp.
"That's disgusting! Dragon's breath much?!" Brendan groaned. "I could smell half the table in there!"
"That sounds like a perfect tactic for our big game. Put Akio out in front. Fill him up before a game and make sure he's able to tackle. When the time is right, he gets the opponent in a chokehold and opens his mouth...they'll be knocked out! Dragon's Breath!" Jay teased. "It's great, isn't it?"
"You guys are utterly disgusting." Megan shook her head.
"Gotta agree with her on that one," Emir said, though Jay caught the small smile twitching at the corner of his lips.
"Everyone get to bed to sleep off...whatever it is we just drank. I'll give this to the Headmistress at once for inspection." Li directed. "Aziz, see to it that the food gets donated somewhere."
Aziz nodded and walked out of the cafeteria. Slowly, the others left as well, still dizzy and confused from the drink. Jay went to his own room, not feeling as sick as the others but not wanting to risk it. The potluck might've been cut short, but he wasn't about to say it wasn't worth it. He loved his teammates and their eccentric natures. He couldn't wait for the game already. Heck, even just getting drunk on accident with them was fun purely because it was them. He was miffed he got all dressed-up for not even half the day, but what could he say. The clothes could come off, but the memories would remain.
###
Freddie got out of her room once that day because Celia needed her help in the library, citing it was a magic-related situation. Never one to ignore her sister, she headed there, finding her with a stack of books and a perfect purple replica of their daddy's suit.
"What's wrong?" Freddie asked.
"Look who's here," Celia pointed over to another table where a boy sat reading with a bored expression. Freddie recognized him on-sight, the newsboy look belonged to many back home, but only one man was famous for dressing like that in his own story. "Feel like making some mischief?"
"Now you're speaking my language!" Freddie smirked. She sat on the table in front of Louis, scooting closer. "Hey there, froggy prince!"
"Long time no see. Didn't know you two enrolled," Louis briefly looked up from his book.
"Why wouldn't I? Lots of people to trick and con...and to scheme with," She made sure her frog necklace was in full view. "And I could do something for you too. Make you sing better, play your trumpet better, read faster, jump higher! Just say the word,"
Celia popped up on the other side of him, hiding her face with her desk of cards.
"Come on, you know I'm not going to play that game," Louis knew exactly what they were doing and was in no mood.
"Don't be so mean. If it weren't for our dear dad, your parents never would've met!" Celia shuffled her cards. "Can't you give us some fun?"
"Yeah. Just for a night?" Freddie practically glowed as she smirked. "We won't turn you into a frog..."
"Oh no!" Their attention was suddenly taken to a small girl who had tripped and fallen, taking a chair with her. Freddie rolled her eyes at the distraction, but Celia put her cards away, curious.
"I'm just not used to this dress," Dizzy very slowly stood up, wearing a yellow and green bustled gown, a huge feather in her hair. "My mom's just too fancy!"
"You okay?" Celia asked nicely. She recognized Dizzy then, as they were some of the youngest students there so they had pretty much every class together.
"Yes!" Dizzy tried to steady herself and adjusted her glasses. "I'm not used to the bustle, but I do like the feather!"
"So do I."
Dizzy blushed a bit at that and Celia thought she looked cute. Not just blushing, but other times too.
"Are you doing anything? I'm not. Aside from making mental notes of anything now that I have no class. This place is huge!" Dizzy continued.
"You're telling me," Freddie jumped off the table, the mood seemingly ruined for her. "I'm going to go, have fun froggy prince,"
"We could explore the school together. I know a secret hallway hidden behind one of the armor suits in the main hall," Celia whispered.
"Really?! Where does it lead to?!" Dizzy asked in amazement.
"Follow me and find out!"
The two girls ran off together, though it was more of a very quick stride in Dizzy's case, even as she picked up her dress to run faster.
###
Anya pressed her face against the big window in one of the study halls, just soaking in the view. She wore her hair in its usual braids but donned the famous blue and pink winter outfit her mother traveled in, having a perfect replica made for her by the seamstresses in her country. She found she suddenly couldn't wait for the winter.
"Let's do something fun, now!" A haughty voice demanded. Anya looked up to see it was Hannah, dressed in a carnation pink kimono patterned with cherry blossoms, sleeves long enough to trail the floor. Her hair was kept up in the usual bun tied with a matching pink ribbon. "Unless you want to stand there and look pensive!"
"Your dress is beautiful! I've never seen one like it before!" Anya gasped, bouncing and practically coming to life. "I thought you were from the Southern Isles? Do all dresses look like that?"
"No. I would never dress like Papa even though I am very proud of that man. I'm dressed like Mother! She comes from a far east land, of cherry blossoms and torii gates," She ran her hands down her kimono.
Anya admitted to herself she had never heard of such a place and felt saddened over that. It sounded beautiful, just as beautiful as her own home in Arendelle was.
"I want to see the forest surrounding the school, it's really nice this time of year," Without waiting for an answer, she turned on her heel and left, forcing Anya to run after her.
"Won't we get in trouble for that?"
"Why? It's still part of school grounds,"
Anya couldn't even fight Hannah on that, that was a good point.
The two girls left the winding path that led to the athletic areas and turned left, almost instantly coming across the forest. Even in the afternoon, the trees cast tall and uneasy shadows, the path was barren and dusty, and the stillness was maddening. Anya involuntarily shivered as she walked through, though whenever she saw a cute animal like a squirrel she would perk back up. Hannah stepped lightly in her kimono, kicking a stone she found every few steps. Birds chirped overhead.
"Wait-!" A sharp clack of metal froze Anya and forced her to turn around in every direction.
"Did you hear that?!" She gasped, moving closer to Hannah.
"Probably nothing."
The metal crashed again and Anya swallowed, trying to keep her head up. Her mother wasn't afraid of anything, and therefore, neither was she! Her mother fought ice golems, the freezing cold, murderous nobles, stone giants, and even her own sister! So she wasn't-!
"Wait up!" The loud crashing grew until it was revealed to be Alec stumbling along in heavy shiny armor, lifting the helmet. "I kept trying to tell you guys to wait but you wouldn't!"
"You look... interesting," Hannah covered her mouth with her sleeve.
"You gave me a terrible fright!" Anya punched his shoulder. "Why are you even dressed like that? We're meant to dress like our parents, so you were supposed to wear Dad's winter outfit," She held out her skirt to demonstrate.
"Ohhhhh, I thought we were meant to dress like anyone from Auradonian history! That's why I'm a knight in shining armor!" He tried his best to pose heroically, but instead nearly fell and crossed his ankles. Hannah rolled her eyes and walked ahead. "Why are you two out in the forest anyway?"
"Princess Hannah wanted to come out here," Anya said. The sun was beginning to set so she kept her eyes on the ground, wanting to see if it revealed anything interesting.
"I thought she was too prissy to like the outside?"
"I love the outside!" Hannah gasped on offense. "I know it might be hard for you two to understand given who raised you, but wilderness isn't all mud and bugs and never taking a bath,"
"You're right! It's snow and playing in it! Dancing with the changing leaves in the wind of the fall! Tasting the dewdrops on flowers in spring! And swimming in the cold blue waters of summer!" Anya agreed.
"Don't mention water!" Alec said. "I didn't think about it before I put this on, but now I realize I have to tinkle!"
Hannah looked absolutely scandalized by that information while Anya couldn't seem to decide whether she wanted to look disgusted or amused.
"Then go!" She said.
"I can't take the armor off!"
Both girls facepalmed.
"Huh?" Anya looked over at a rock that the sun glinted hard on, walking over in curiosity. She noticed it was lighter and smoother and rolled it over, gasping as she pulled out a wand. "What's this doing here?"
"Hey, put that back!" Hannah demanded. "Don't you know what Papa says? Any and all magic is bad! Just look what your uncontrollable aunt did to her own kingdom,"
Anya chose to ignore that and rolled the wand over and over in her hands. It was periwinkle and decorated with vine emblems, but due to having no magic talent or aptitude she couldn't tell if it was real and how much was inside. "Maybe we should take it to the Headmistress." She placed the rock back where she found it but held the wand close to her body. "It's almost like someone was meant to find it,"
"And isn't that inviting trouble?" Hannah asked with fake innocence. "Now you'll end up cursed,"
The trio exited the forest and headed straight for Fairy Godmother's office, sighing in relief when they found her there.
"Ms. Goodfairy!" Anya hurried over.
"Evening, dear! I'm about to pack up for the night, what did you need?" She asked politely, dressed in her own set of periwinkle robes, though more intricate than Jane's.
"We were wandering the grounds and we found this magic wand!" Anya produced it from her sleeve. "Under a false rock,"
"Could it be yours?" Alec asked. "Surely you have spares?"
"No, I just have the one. May I see it?" Fairy Godmother took it from her easily and looked it over carefully. "It seems to be legit, most likely gotten from somewhere downtown...oh, it has a letter engraved on it! Just...M."
"'M'? That could belong to anybody!" Anya said.
"Only two VKs, Mad Maddy Mim, or Malevolent," Hannah chimed in. "Which just proves my earlier point,"
"It's too early to incriminate anyone, you know. Tomorrow morning, I will look into the matter immediately." She pocketed the wand. "Since it was just hiding and neither of them have used magic maliciously, there's no reason to be suspicious, now is there?" Fairy Godmother smiled at the three, and while the twins nodded back, Hannah just stared. She left the room and the three followed after her.
"See? Just a misunderstanding! Maybe it's a prank, or meant to frame them!" Anya suggested.
"I'm going to bed." Hannah walked off in the opposite direction, making Anya gasp.
"The princess tea party! I almost forgot all about it! I have to go get ready!" She started to walk off before remembering Alec. "You should probably get one of the teachers to help you get that suit off. I bet King Arthur could!"
Alec clasped his hands together and gave her a big smile of relief. "I think I'm good...I don't really need to tinkle anymore,"
"Ewww!" Anya pushed him away in disgust before she took off running.
###
Evie made her costume entirely by sewing, and she couldn't be prouder of herself. A week and a half of work and it paid off. She kept her hair tucked up in her mother's trademark hood, wearing rich purple and black gowns that trailed around her, and finally the crown. She even did her makeup precisely as she could remember her mother doing so.
Despite her looks, she mainly spent the whole day in her room, sewing other projects and keeping up on her homework. The only time she emerged was to attend the next princess tea party, determined to not miss it and see everyone's outfits.
"I hope I'm not late!" She smiled as she arrived at the long table. As expected, some girls gasped and drew back, but others looked impressed.
"You VKs really do go above and beyond, don't you?" Anxelin shook her head. Her and Ruby were sitting together, as expected. Marianne sat with them too, wearing some crystal jewelry and a thin bikini with an embroidered sarong around her waist.
"I could say the same for you guys too," Evie took her seat, motioning to Marianne's outfit. She just adjusted her glasses. Anya was there, sitting next to Arabella and Melody. Melody was nibbling on her macarons, eating them in a way where she'd bite them all around the outside in a circle but never eating the actual insides. Lonnie was sitting across from Evie by herself, looking a little green and staring suspiciously at her tea. Evie realized princes like Louis or Ben wouldn't get to participate simply due to their gender and she thought that was unfair. They were every bit princes as these girls were princesses.
"Excuse me?!" Audrey lowered her sunglasses the second she stepped into the room, staring pointedly at Evie. "What is she doing here?!"
"She's a princess so she gets to be here," Anya said. Snowdrop smiled nervously and sat next to Lonnie.
"Yeah, just sit and enjoy your lame tea party." Melody said in a bored tone.
Audrey huffed and indeed took her seat. She sat next to Snowdrop and made a show of loudly but politely making her own cup, constantly clanking the silverware and cup together.
"How's the day going for everyone?" Marianne asked politely. "Can't believe it's almost over..I love Heritage Day,"
"My brother peed on himself," Anya said bluntly, making Melody sputter through her tea as she tried to sip it right then.
"That is not necessary nor appropriate information," Audrey shot her a glare.
"I'm pretty sure Chad spiked the Tourney's sparkling pumpkin juice. I only had two cups but I was seeing pink elephants just like the rest of them," Lonnie rested her head on her hands.
"And neither is that," Audrey turned to look at her. "Does being in the mere presence of a Villain Kid make you all forget your propriety?"
"Well, Marianne asked and they answered her question," Arabella said. "It's just stuff that happened to them,"
Snowdrop stirred her tea rapidly.
"We watched a movie! Anxelin and I. And Mal too!" Ruby chimed in, making Audrey almost choke on her tea.
"Why did you invite her to a movie night? She doesn't even know what those are,"
"Most AKs here don't," Despite her hangover, Lonnie gave Audrey a warning glare Evie had never seen on the girl before she decided she liked. She remained silent, drinking her tea.
"W-Why are you so mean?" Snowdrop spoke up suddenly. "They're just having fun."
Audrey slammed her cup down. "Because, Snowdrop, they have their place in society, and so do we! I grew up my whole life with Mal, I know she has a grudge and is capable of dark magic! Am I not allowed to be cautious? She could curse all of us with just a look!" She looked at Evie. "And I know you've been acing Chemistry. You could just as easily poison us. And besides, I stand by what I said. You aren't a true princess,"
Evie really did not want to deal with her nasty attitude, not ever, but certainly not now. She simply stood. "Fine. I'm not a princess on your eyes? So what."
"Then I am not a princess either!" Evie blinked in surprise when Marianne stood up proudly. "Admit it, all of you even forgot that I was a princess,"
"Same for me." Lonnie raised her hand. "My childhood friends are the true princesses of China, my parents are common folk who were warriors. In fact, maybe you should invite those three here sometime!"
"I knew I shouldn't have come. I don't like these things anyway," Melody gathered up as much of her desserts as she could and left the room, her head held high.
Evie looked to Snowdrop, wondering to see what would happen, almost begging her to take her side or to even speak up. Snowdrop stared down at her lap, aggressively trembling and doing everything in her power to not look at her. Evie bit her lip.
"I'm leaving too. I have had enough," She exited with grace, though the moment she did so, she felt crushed. Her face fell and she promptly ran back to her dorm, collapsing on her bed. She wouldn't cry over this, but it stung. Every step towards getting accepted seemed to drag her back two in their eyes.
She sat up on her bed and sighed, looking over her dress. She had fun making that, at least. There was that.
Dizzy walked in then, looking as giggly and dizzy as her namesake. She still stumbled with her bustle but had clear perk in her step.
"Where did you end up going, to wind up so giggly?" Evie teased.
"I can't say! I promised her," Dizzy put a finger to her lips.
"Her? A new friend? Or girlfriend...?"
"Not the latter!" Dizzy collapsed in her own bed. "Maybe some day, but I think right now we're just friends."
"I'm so happy for you!" Evie said genuinely. When she first met Dizzy, the girl was energetic but very eccentric so she wondered how she'd get along with her peers, especially due to being so young and thus in a completely other part of the school Evie wasn't so she never really knew how she got along with others.
"Today was fun, but I never want to dress like this again!" She jumped back up. "Well, maybe the feather. But the bustle has got to go!"
Evie stood up and turned Dizzy around. "Here, let me get that for you,"
###
Despite the late hour, the staff of Auradon Prep never truly slept, most especially when there was an important event to be arranged such as Family Day. Fairy Godmother as well as Belle and Lio were kept busy in the staff room, making last-minute preparations.
"Thank goodness for my special coffee and cookies!" Giselle Phillip trilled as she held out the tray. "Keeps you alert but also helps you sleep!"
"Thank you, sweetheart," Belle smiled at her.
"I already sent Jane to bed so she can rest up, so how are things looking?" Ms. Goodfairy asked the others.
"Good on our end! I didn't want the decorations to be overly complex, so we'll just do the ever-popular streamers and balloons with lace tablecloths," Rapunzel smiled.
"Joe Gardener and I have been working hard to make the perfect mixtape for the event! Everyone's going to want to dance before and after lunch after all!" Fred, son of Fix-It Felix Jr. nodded.
"We decided the sports should be gentle and pleasant, yet also easy for any children who may be present," King Arthur said. "So we decided on croquet and frisbee golf,"
"Frisbee golf?! That sounds so cool!" Honey Lemon gasped. "I'm going to be the first in line for that!"
"Er, what's frisbee golf?" Prince Ralphie of Maldonia asked in confusion.
Ms. Goodfairy cleared her throat. "Anyone else? There will be plenty of time to go into such details on the actual day!"
"Oh right, the lunch!" Ralphie remembered. "I'm quite proud of it! Big Brother and Sister Tiana stayed up all night with me crafting the perfect menu to satisfy everyone. Most of it is Auradonian favourites naturally, but as most of the offerings are sweets I highly doubt anyone will complain!"
"What kind of sweets?" Giselle asked. "Morgan loves candy, like I think all kids do, but her actual favorite are gummy bears!"
"More gourmet ones, but there'll be some nice stuff like a chocolate fountain there,"
"Everything sounds heavenly," Belle smiled at everyone. "I'm so glad we got everything done in time! One last thing. Did we contact all the parents and families ahead of time to accommodate travel distances and technology gaps?'
Ms. Goodfairy nodded. "I did all that three weeks ago! Nearly everyone is able to come which is exciting. One of the biggest we've had here in years! I'm also compensating for their trips here and giving them hotels in downtown to stay at if they wish,"
"Just a few more days before I can see my beloved Eugene again," Rapunzel smiled happily.
"Since everything seems to be accounted for, I declare this meeting to be adjourned!" Lio announced, and everyone bowed or curtsied to their king and queen before going their separate ways.
Notes:
A lot of people make the Tourney Team be kids of Disney characters but I looked at their names and thought that didn't make much sense, so I decided to do something different with them. You like? Also I originally planned for Chad and Melody to get secretly drunk together but I feel this works better lol
Also also do you guys want my little notes at the end of chapters? I know lots of other Descendants fanfics do it but I don't because I like being an unknown disembodied writer. But if you guys like hearing about my thoughts or drafts I'd be happy to keep this!
Chapter 10: .10
Summary:
Family Day.
Chapter Text
Mal was surprised by their assignment in History, but given that Family Day was coming up it also made sense. Make up your family tree, explain your relations, and some cool facts about them. Mal knew it'd be easy for her and found the idea funny, thinking about how the Auradon Kids would most likely have a much harder time due to how big their trees were. Audrey once said both of her parents had royal lineage spanning three-hundred years. Maybe she'd need a really long scroll.
Once everyone got their projects done, Mr. Thatch told them to meet in the auditorium where they'd go through alphabetical order using first names due to many students not having last names just to keep it fair, which meant that naturally Ally was up first.
The stage and podium were kept empty except for a blank board to put their family trees on, which Ally pinned. She talked briefly about her aunt, who was studious, then brought up her parents.
"She's just as curious as the day she fell down the rabbit hole and owns her own tea parlor! Father is just as odd as her and he's a professional cricket player. Much to everyone's surprise, when they married, he changed his last name of Hargreaves to Liddel to match her! Isn't that positively odd?" Ally curtsied. "They're both absolutely mad about tea!"
"My dad spoke Spanish, I remember. Mom was with him for a few years but they broke up due to her...ways. I'm also half-brothers with Harry and Jace through Cruella." Carlos explained. "I've always been interested in speaking Spanish ever since I learned my dad did,"
Chad stood up proudly and pointed to his chart, using the latest and most glamorous photos of his family he could find. He went into detail about his granddad, his dad, and of course his mom, also mentioning his sister who was an exchange student in the Kingdom of Corona.
"Also, my dad's family is cousins to the Charmings whom Queen Snow White married into, but it's pretty distant. That's very blue though!" He smiled his charming smile. "They're the only ones we have relations with though. If you know of other Charmings, they're not us!"
Celia and Freddie got to go together since they were sisters and explained how their mom was a Cajun woman who was proud of her bayou home and made her money telling fortunes using a crystal ball. Celia also commented how their grandmother was a royal, or so their dad said, but they couldn't really confirm nor deny that.
"My mother was queen of the realm before her throne was taken." Evie began regally, pointing to the formal portrait of her mother. "My father is the father of Queen Snow White, as the two were married at the time, but I never got the chance to meet him, so I don't consider him as such. This makes Snowdrop my niece,"
Some people began to whisper and chatter at that, curious. They knew the Evil Queen had been married to the Good King as he was dubbed after his passing, but to hear he sired a child with her was unexpected indeed. Surely the Evil Queen worked her magic on him to produce an heir, they said. No way he fell in love with her.
Evie curtsied before she went back to her own seat, smiling at Mal because her turn would come up sooner than she realized.
"Uh, I don't know who my mom is, Dad never said," Jay commented when it was his turn, leading to sone gasps and sad sighs in the audience. How could someone not know who their parents were? How could one not know their own mother?! It was unthinkable!
Jenny walked onto the stage and just motioned to her chart. "Yeah, it's self-explanatory. Dad's Jim Hawkins, Mom's Kate. I got a granddad on her side and a grandmom on his side. And some godsiblings who everyone back home thinks I'm related to just because we're feline aliens," She sighed. "Also, I'm not afraid to admit it, my other granddad is John Silver. But he's redeemed so he's probably cool now," She took her paper and just walked off to very confused expressions.
Jordan spun around and shapeshifted herself into each member of her family, telling their story plainly in their own words. She had a younger brother, and while Genie enjoyed taking on a human form most of the time, he still kept his powers and told stories to the people of every land he traveled to. His favourite to spin was of course Aladdin's. Her mom was a woman he met on his travels, a regular human named Dalia, but he loved her all the same. The survey was still out as to whether her brother would be a genie like her or a regular human.
Lucille and Laurie also went together, though Laurie just nervously held the paper while Lucille talked. "Our dear papa is LeFou of course, that's obvious. Our mother is Laura. One of the brunette ladies," Lucille pointed to her and explained that while everyone knew the blonde triplets who fawned over Gaston, less people knew about their very similar cousins, who acted the same but were brunettes and primarily wore pink. They were named Laura, Paula, and Clara, and LeFou and Laura ended up being smitten with each other and eventually went their own ways separate from Gaston and his influence. "They still talk about the dance they shared in the palace after the curse was broken and everything was happy. She smiled at him with love in her eyes..it was truly romantic,"
When Mal's turn did eventually come, she unfolded a basic chart and shrugged. "Not much to tell. There's Lady Mother obviously and my Lord Father, one of her many demon minions. Never found out which one, but they're shapeshifters and can turn into humans, so I guess it doesn't matter." She went back to her seat with polite clapping.
Snowdrop smiled politely and talked very shyly about her family tree. "Since Evie is the daughter of my grandfather, I guess that makes her both my stepsister and my aunt I think?" She tried to get off the stage so fast she almost tripped on the stairs.
Once everyone had gone, Milo stood back up on the stage. "Thank you all! We really heard some fascinating stories today, didn't we? Most are tied to the history of their realms, but others are their own, fully independent from that and free to make their own stories. Uh, I hope you all had fun and learned a lot today!"
Mal just smiled to herself and headed to her classes, knowing it'd be hard for others to focus, and how could she blame them? Tomorrow was Family Day, one of the days the school seemed to look forward to the most. Even though hers wouldn't come, there was no reason why she still couldn't have fun on her own terms. She heard there would be games and a huge dessert feast. How could she pass that up?
###
When Family Day finally arrived, the teachers cancelled classes to give everyone time to finish last-minute preparations such as wearing a casual formal outfit in a pastel. Apparently, casual formal just meant something dressy but not overly so. Mal picked a violet suit-dress she had Evie modify for her she thought would be perfect, inspired by the dresses their math teacher wore. Before the official event, the Fairy Godmother called everyone to her Remedial Goodness class, smiling happily.
"I promise I won't take up too much of your time, I know you all have big things to do! I just wanted to inform you that after thinking it over these past few weeks, the faculty and I have decided to invite your parents here for the event,"
Despite her calm tone, the whole room burst out in anger and frustration and fear and confusion.
"What?!"
"You can't do that!"
"Why?! What made you think that could possibly be a good idea?!"
"They're coming here?!"
"You're crazy!"
"You waited until now to tell us?!"
She cleared her throat and clapped the board to get everyone to settle down. "Calm down! Then you will be happy to know the vast majority of them declined to come, many citing...personal reasons,"
"Now that I don't believe. This is the perfect chance for them to get revenge, why not take it?" Freddie scoffed.
"Maybe they realize they don't have much reason to!" Dizzy suggested.
"Or they know they can't pull anything with so many people around," Carlos said.
"Oh, right, that's probably true too..."
"For the few that did agree, we will be watching them carefully with the utmost security, I promise you all. This is a fun event, and we intend to keep it as such, but we also felt it wasn't fair to keep you from adding your own families. Thus, I hope everything goes well." Fairy Godmother smiled. "We wouldn't have done this if we didn't think it was safe. Now go on!"
###
The lawn outside the school was decorated in peach and gold streamers and balloons, lace tablecloths covering every surface. There were nice seats spread out as well, and a general picnic area off to the side to be used for later.
Ben stepped onto a podium, spreading out his arms in a welcoming gesture. Behind him stood all the children of the famous princesses.
"Welcome to our school!" Ben cheered to the crowd. "We're so happy to have you all here!"
"We greet you with a smile and a song!" Snowdrop trilled, smiling warmly.
"Don't be shy, have some fun! A dream is a wish your heart makes!" Chad grinned.
"I wonder, is every royal family here from every realm of Auradon?" Audrey pretended to scan the crowd.
"Normally you're off in your own worlds, doing your own thing, but now you get to be part of our world!" Melody recited, not hiding how weird she thought this was.
"Be our guest for this party!" Ben laughed, keeping the pattern going.
"We'll show you a whole new world!" Aziz spun around.
"One that's just around the riverbend!" James chimed in.
"We hope we'll bring honor to you all!" Lonnie smiled genuinely.
"We're gonna take you there, down the bayou!" Louis posed.
"I have a dream-"
"And so do I-"
"That you'll have lots of fun today!" Anxelin and Ruby sung together, posing with grins.
"For the first time in forever, it's finally Family Day! For the first time in forever, we can see you all again!" Anya and Alec finished off. The whole group smiled nicely.
The crowd applauded politely as the kids behind him quickly dispersed, everyone running to their own respective family.
"This place looks amazing! You did such a great job with the decorations!" Ruby praised, wearing a plain violet sundress with her hair somehow piled into a bun.
"I hope I did, after all I know a thing or two about art!" Rapunzel laughed. She wore a more traditional gown from her country, longer and fuller with flower stencils as the print. Eugene was by her side, wearing a casual white suit.
"I missed you Dad, you have no idea," Anxelin sighed as she hugged him. He gave her a tight one in return.
"Oh, I think I can guess," He let go of her. "Still besting your classmates in burping contests? How's your riding?"
"Dad!" Anxelin gasped, pretending to be scandalized. Her dress was also a violet sundress but with a colourful wave pattern on it and she had her hair crimped for the occasion. "My riding is as good as ever. Too bad my horse doesn't have as much personality as Maximus though,"
"Captain Maximus!" Ruby playfully reminded her.
"You two are growing up so fast.." Rapunzel covered her mouth. "I'm so happy I got to be here for it,"
"Yeah," Anxelin knew how important family was to her mom, maybe more than other royals. She grew up away from her own parents who missed eighteen whole years of her life. Anxelin and Ruby were just seventeen so the story held more weight for them. She admitted it felt like yesterday when their mom would wake up super early and get them up and spend the morning painting the walls. Ruby favoured butterflies and flowers, of course, just like her mother, but Anxelin drew geometric shapes. They'd laugh and paint and somehow the servants never said a word about it.
"Anxelin may be good at those, but can she best us in frisbee golf?" Ruby asked, bringing Anxelin out of her thoughts. Eugene laughed.
"Only one way to find out!"
"Mom! Dad!" Anya and Alec cheered as they ran towards their parents, both dressed in evergreen summer outfits. Because they were both young, they jumped into Kristoff's arms, wrestling him to the ground and wallowing on him.
"Oof! Alright, come on," He laughed.
Anna laughed too and helped the twins off.
"Did you see us up on the podium? Prince Ben said all the kids of the great ruling queens had to stand up there!" Anya bounced.
"I did!"
Elsa walked over last, making heads turn. She didn't walk so much as glide, still clad in her enchanted dress the river gave her. She radiated an ethereal aura.
"Aunt Elsa! You could come too?!" Alec gasped.
"Yes. This is a family event, and I wouldn't miss time with my family for anything," She smiled.
"Look, a chocolate fountain!" Alec motioned to it on a lacy buffet table surrounded by other sweets. The fountain bubbled pleasantly and smelled sweet and the two raced over to it instead. "Strawberries dipped in chocolate? How about chocolate-dipped chocolate?!" He grabbed a square and dipped it right in the chocolate. Anya took a strawberry and dipped it, eating carefully.
"Hi Mother and Father," Snowdrop smiled sweetly as she approached her parents, who were standing away from the crowds enjoying the nature.
"You look so beautiful!" Snow White gasped, wearing a blue and yellow dress with ribbons everywhere. Her king wore a blue and red suit that came complete with the cloak still. "Where are your friends? Or Eleonora?"
"Around I'm sure," Truthfully, Snowdrop hadn't seen Audrey or Chad outside of when they stood up on the podium together, but there were so many people there now it'd be hard to find them in the crowd. And Evie had wandered off to be with her other friends. "There's lots of pies for dessert, if you want? They even have apple!"
"Nothing beats your mother's though!" The king laughed gently, and Snow White laughed with him.
"Silly, everyone knows my most famous recipe is gooseberry!" She smiled.
"I like gooseberries, just because they have a funny name," Snowdrop said. She adjusted her hair, making sure the ribbon wasn't crooked. She wore a red dress with poofy sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, a matching bow in her hair. Wanting to be a little bit fancy, she wore a gold choker around her neck.
Audrey hugged both of her parents instantly, smiling. "You two don't know how much I've missed you! The letters we send just aren't enough!" She loved the glamorous pink gown her mother wore, similar to her modern version with the puffy skirt, and how the colour looked perfect with her mother's dark skin.
"Where's Mal?" King Phillip asked nicely.
"Who knows? Does it matter? Why do you want to talk to her?" Audrey answered instantly, trying to keep her cool.
"It's Family Day and we've always seen her as a daughter,"
Audrey stepped away and got herself a fruit drink, trying not to pout. It was a happy occasion, for her and so many others, so she'd try her best to not ruin it.
"My mother is here!" Queen Aurora said in shock.
"Really? Maybe I'll go give my greetings to her too then," She gave her parents a smile and walked off.
As Anya and Alec ate from the chocolate fountain, another girl came up, took one look at it, and held her mouth open, drinking the chocolate.
"Yuck," Some kids groaned in disgust and walked away. The twins just smiled at her knowingly.
"I can't resist chocolate," Hannah admitted in a soft tone, looking ashamed. "Especially fondue,"
"Neither can we!" Anya cheered. "And we may be princesses, but who cares about being proper? Let's drink from the fountain!"
"Chocolate is as chocolate does!" Alec nodded.
Anna and Elsa stared at Hannah curiously, realizing she looked very familiar.
"I never thought he'd have a kid. I almost hoped he wouldn't," Elsa scoffed.
"Well, anyone who likes chocolate can't be an enemy of us!" Anna teased.
Lilo took a break from her own family and found Jenny sitting by herself on a bench, looking aloof. She smiled to herself and helped her up, ignoring her protests.
"Come on, you can't be gloomy on a day like today! I know just the thing. Did you know my realm has aliens too?" She pointed to Stitch, Jumba, and Wendell, noticing how Jenny's face subtly lit up at them.
Jay didn't see any of the villains hanging around, which he knew was for the best. Maybe they all did decline, and that would be just fine with him. He didn't really fancy seeing his dad, and he knew the feeling was mutual for the other VKs. Normally he'd just hang out with the Tourney team, but they all raced off to hang out with their families. So Jay sat on a bench, watching Aziz explain dramatically to Aladdin and Jasmine about his time spent at the school so far. His younger siblings, too young to even think about a high school education yet, listened with bated breath, holding onto every word.
"Despite everything, I must say you've done pretty good for yourself,"
The voice was instantly recognized, yet Jay refused to respond. He looked up and found his father wasn't even directing the comment at him but rather Jasmine, who stared at him. A sudden hush fell over the lawn then, waiting to see what would happen.
"What are you doing here, Jafar? Haven't you done enough?" Jasmine asked.
"I was invited to come, and how could I say no? The invitation was quite a gracious one and I just had to show up to see what was going on. I wanted to know if you told him the truth," Jafar spoke with calm grace Jay knew was intentional. If nothing else, he had charisma. How'd he even get out of the lamp in the first place? A human form like Genie had?
"You're not wanted here. You should've been banished long ago," Aladdin said, motioning for security. They arrived within a second and grabbed Jafar on either side, escorting him out.
"Tell them the truth, my dear! That my son is both mine and yours!"
"What?!" Jay asked in disbelief. The lawn erupted into confusion and disgust, glaring at the two.
"And how dare you interrupt this day to remind me?!" Jasmine shot back. "My father was too kind to you,"
Aziz remained silent, the younger siblings behind him. The noise swarmed and swam around Jay, who was trying to process the information he learned. Jasmine had paled and looked at Aladdin for reassurance.
"That's an interesting reveal," Mal mused to herself, knowing she'd likely have to deal with Jay's questions about it later. Audrey caught her eye and smirked, wandering over.
"Isn't it though? It makes perfect sense to me. Jafar is a villain plain and simple. That's why his son's willing to talk up any attractive student he sees," She sipped her drink.
"What are you suggesting about Jay?" Mal frowned.
"Nothing that couldn't be deducted by what we just learned, of course," The former queen Leah chimed in. "I mean, he took that poor woman's innocence away, much like your mother stole my daughter's entire childhood away from me."
"Oooh, you better not anger her, Grandma. Who knows what she's capable of," Audrey smirked. "Maybe she'll just curse us all again," She looked over at Snowdrop. "Isn't that right?"
Snowdrop just gave her an uncomfortable expression, silently pleading with her to stop.
"Why is it so bad to be the child of both good and evil?!" Claudine Frollo surprised everyone by suddenly speaking up. "My father might be Claude Frollo, but my mother is Esmeralda!" She ripped off her habit to reveal wild springy curls that looked just like her mother's. "He's not the only one!"
"And that just proves my point. Villains can never be redeemed. They lie, cheat, steal, curse, and take what they want. Your mother took everything from me with her curse! I don't believe for a moment you people can change!" Leah spat.
"Mal isn't a bad person at all!" Evie came to her defense. "She's nothing like her mother,"
"And why should we believe you? You're vain and shallow!" Chad joined in, pointing to her. "Just like your mother. And you play too roughly! I think you just like hurting people," He pointed to Jay.
"If anyone around here is selfish and vain, it's you Chad." Evie deadpanned. Chad grew frustrated and shoved her back, causing her to lose her balance and stumble, nearly falling. Jay responded by punching Chad in the chest, actually knocking him to the ground. Several gasped and rushed to help him up.
"Everyone-" Rapunzel tried to speak up.
"See? You guys are trouble and can't be trusted! We gave you numerous chances to prove you're good, and here you are, starting an argument and hurting people!" Audrey rushed over to Chad, making sure he was okay.
"Guys, stop!" Anna gave it her all, but both her and Elsa got ignored in the chaos.
"Just shut up!" Mal shouted, feeling a great burning surge of power explode out of her in all directions. Audrey got hit by the blast and promptly crumpled up, unconscious.
The lawn exploded.
"What did you do you my granddaughter?!" Leah demanded.
"Mal?" King Phillip asked as Queen Aurora tried to shake Audrey awake.
"Sweetheart? Darling?" She shook her harder.
Rapunzel was white as paper and started breathing heavily, dropping her glass on the ground.
"Mom?!" Anxelin and Ruby called at once, keeping close to her. Anxelin held out her hands, trying to call her down.
"You killed my girlfriend!" Chad yelled, somehow feeling fine after the punch.
"She's dead?! Oh no! What did you do?! What did you do to my best friend?!" Snowdrop burst into hysterical tears before she vomited on herself and also fell to the ground, having fainted.
Mal just stared at her hands in disbelief, still feeling a burn inside her. It had been a mere accident, she swore! She didn't mean to!
"She's not dead, she's merely under a sleeping spell!" King Phillip announced to everyone, though most continued to argue and chatter angrily.
"Everyone!" Fairy Godmother announced, her presence being so commanding everyone halted. "I am ashamed in this behavior from all of you! You claim to be former princes and princesses? I understand everything is confusing and scary right now but bickering solves nothing! As of now, Family Day is cancelled! Every student, go back to your dorm for the remainder of the day. Lunch will be brought to you, but you may not leave it, your dorms will be magically locked. Every adult, meet me in the castle's council hall. I see now we need to have an intervention about several things,"
Ben looked helplessly at his parents. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I swear!"
"We know," Belle sighed. "It's not your fault,"
"Best you just go to your dorm," Lio said.
Ben didn't want to, he wanted to check on the villain kids and comfort them, he wanted to seek out the others and assure them, he wanted to slap Chad silly, he wanted to put Snowdrop to bed, but he also knew he couldn't risk angering either side, so he just bowed his head in understanding and went on his way.
"It started out so good..." Lonnie sighed to herself, feeling her silk vest-skirt combo was wasted if the event wasn't to continue.
Mal exchanged looks with the others, saying nothing as she went to her dorm.
Somehow, she had cursed Audrey by mistake using her magic to fall into a magic sleep. It was completely fueled by anger so she had no clue if it could even be reversed and how and for how long she'd be under it. She covered her face, groaned, and fell back on her bed.
Lonnie was right, it really did start out so good. But who was she kidding? She was a villain, through-and-through. No amount of art classes, kick-butt princesses, or chocolate strawberries would ever change that aspect of her, and it was foolish to think so.
They were so sure she was a villain? Fine.
They wanted her to be a villain so bad, they got their wish.
###
The council hall was abuzz with anger, confusion, and sadness as all the adults tried to make sense of what had just happened. Ms. Goodfairy asked the staff to be present as well and even the happy-go-lucky Giselle Phillip was somber, her head down. Belle and Lio sat at the head while Ms. Goodfairy stood between them, clearing her throat to settle everyone down.
"I am very saddened and disappointed by everything that happened today. It was very unbecoming of everyone involved on both sides," She began with a sigh.
"What's the meaning of this?! That little display caused my wife to have a panic attack!" Eugene growled, slamming his fist on the table.
"Eugene!" Rapunzel frowned at him.
"What do you expect from villains? We shouldn't have trusted their kids either," General Li Shang shook his head.
"I have to agree. We can all trust our respective Villain Kids, but putting them together in such an environment was a bad idea," Snow White's husband nodded.
"Are you against redemption and second chances?" Elsa asked.
"No, just-"
"If I may interject!" Fred commented. "My dad once saw his villain, Ralph, as just that-a villain. He never considered anything else. But Ralph showed he was more than that, that he could be compassionate and caring. He showed Dad he wasn't a bad guy!"
"But sometimes villains are just that, villains," Honey Lemon said. She leaned against his television set.
"But we're not talking about their parents here, we're talking about the kids themselves!" Jim Hawkins stood up. "They're troubled teenagers, trying to fit in. They deserve the benefit of the doubt,"
"The girl put another to sleep, right? It was a moment of panic. It can be reversed; we just have to figure out how!" Anna put her hands to her heart.
"The VKs weren't the only ones to blame though," Mulan said. "I happen to recall your families being very openly antagonistic. Care to explain?"
Ella and Charming remained silent before she finally cried. "I fear this might be all my fault! I never wanted my children to be unloved..my own father, rest his soul, gave me everything I wanted. I suppose I thought.." She trailed off.
"My own daughter is so high-strung and spooked by everything. All I did was teach her goodness," Snow White sighed.
"I spoiled Audrey too." Aurora admitted bluntly. "I never wanted her to know negativity. I thought letting Mother educate her in my stead would be fine, but I see now that was a mistake,"
"We'll take whatever punishment, we just want Audrey and Malevolent both to be alright," Phillip said.
"Gracious, I'm not punishing any of you!" Ms. Goodfairy gasped. "Wouldn't do anyway for you all made your choices. But the children, there's still time. Chad Charming and Audrey are going to receive very stern talks once they recover from this. We'll look into getting mental health services for Snowdrop White. As for the rest of you, I implore you to better watch your own kids. As those three show, good hearts mean little to unjust kingdoms,"
"Society will always be the most disapproving," Jasmine nodded. "I bet they learned their nastiness around the kingdom or even here at school,"
Ella sighed. "How could he shove a girl like that, even think of putting his hands on a woman to begin with?!"
"He's not much of a Prince Charming then," Naveen couldn't help quipping, earning a stare from Tiana.
"Can you give us those mental health services too?" Ariel spoke up. "I mean, we don't need them, but I've noticed some things too about Melody..."
"And before we disperse, I want everyone to remember this." Belle rose from her seat. "Our stories are about redemption and second-chances. Friendship and strength. My husband and I rule under those themes. I don't want anyone here to feel singled-out, but I also don't wish for us to become hypocrites."
The Tourney coach, who up to that point had stood silently in the back with the coaches of the other teams, stepped forward. "I agree. Had Moana not given me a chance and worked through my selfishness, her land would've been destroyed. I would've been destroyed, in another way." Maui said.
"Yeah, hi, random civilian who got roped into this," Nani raised her hand. "I agree. Everyone should be given the chance to develop and grow as a person. In my town, we don't really subscribe to 'AK' or 'VK' mentality, but I know from my own experience that change is good for anyone." Behind her were Jumba, Wendell, and of course Stitch, dressed their galactic best.
"Well, I just pulled every involved adult from the event, so I apologize for the confusion," Ms. Goodfairy smiled reassuringly.
"I appreciate you all for being diplomatic and resolving issues on both sides. Working through problems and striving to become better is a wonderful and important message for this generation to learn." Chieftan Matoaka nodded her approval. After being titled, she returned to formally using her name, though every retelling still used Pocahontas, and the sparkle in her eyes showed she hadn't fully outgrown the nickname either. "We should always work together, not be separate due to our differences,"
Ms. Goodfairy dismissed everyone and they dispersed, going their own ways.
"If I gotta say one thing, I think the annual game should be postponed. I don't think now's a good time for it," Maui said to Ms. Goodfairy. "Like I get games are fun and all, but..."
"I'll consider it. Right now, I have many other things on my mind right now,"
"Finally! I thought the meeting would never end!" The bratty mermaid from Neverland, Shelly, whined, storming out of the room.
The rest of the staff followed suit, along with the invited adults, who dispersed to their respective hotels.
Aladdin and Jasmine left together, going to the hotel rented for them. Aladdin sat on the bed, watching the children while Jasmine just paced around.
"How could he say that?! How could he bring that up?!" She muttered to herself. "Only we knew, now all of Auradon knows!"
"Jasmine, calm down." Aladdin stood up and put his hands on her shoulders.
"How can I?! What will Jay think of the news? What will Aziz?!" She pulled away but Aladdin just pulled her back, holding her close.
"He's still our son, and they're still brothers. Blood means nothing to them," he said. "And people may talk, but I'm sure they'll get over it soon. Like what happened to Queen Aurora's family? Far more interesting of a topic,"
Jasmine gave him a look of disbelief, but she was also too tired to press the issue. She turned her attention to the kids jumping on the bed and became stern.
"Hey! Anara and Jamil! Get ready for bed!" She put her hands on her hips and her son and daughter obeyed, trying to stifle their giggles as they did so.
Chapter 11: .11
Summary:
After Family Day, the student body struggles with picking the pieces up and finding out where they stand.
Chapter Text
The day after Family Day was maddening for Mal. She skipped breakfast and refused to attend classes, not wishing to see anyone. Freddie and Yzla kept giving her unreadable expressions she just ignored. Once upon a time, she might've considered them possible allies, but they clearly made their choices. They'd be good no matter what. She could live with that, all she really needed was Mad Maddy Mim. Once the other two left the room, Mad Maddy took center, smirking her usual grin.
"So, now you see why being bad is so appealing? Villainy is deep in you, nothing to be ashamed of." She reassured Mal. "Now, we can take over the school just as you promised. I got a group ready and our headquarters are backstage, the stage the band uses. Nobody suspects us," She left then, and Mal eventually gathered herself up and followed, watching Mad Maddy pull the curtain aside and grin at the crowd that had joined.
"Wow, you gathered this many on your own? How?" Mal couldn't help asking, impressed.
"It's amazing who can be tempted through the sheer idea of power and chaos. Plus I rarely go to class, so that makes recruiting people much easier." She clapped her hands and everyone lined up, awaiting Mal's orders. Mad Maddy pointed at each person, going down the line.
"Anthony Tremaine," She introduced a black-haired boy dressed in noble clothing who sneered at Mal. "Ginny Gothel, you two already know each other,"
Mal didn't say anything and neither did Ginny, just crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking away.
"The Gaston twins,"
The two smirked flirtatiously at Mal, but she flashed her green eyes at them and ignored whatever comments they had in response.
"In a similar vein, the LeFou siblings, Laurie and Lucille,"
Mal paused and looked at the two, seeing a nervous boy and a proud girl. Proud, yes, but not in a way that seemed overtly evil. Lucille raised her chin at her.
"Princess Hannah of the Southern Isles, our lovely noble Villain Kid," Mad Maddy posed dramatically to mock her. Hannah glared at her in response. Mad Maddy just posed again. "And of course, you already know me!"
"But what is the plan?" Mal asked, and the group looked expectantly at her. Mad Maddy slipped a wand out from her pocket.
"Got this from the Fairy Godmother. Actually, I used my own magic to steal it!" She laughed. "I have no use for it, but I thought someone with no magic would work it better,"
Mal scanned the kids again, realizing everyone who joined were just regular people with no magic. Her and Mad Maddy were the odd ones out.
"What, are we just supposed to share the wind?" Hannah snapped. "Count me out. I don't need magic anyway,"
"It's wired to temp spells, which means it has a limited usage but probably super powerful spells. Maybe. I don't know, I never tried it," She shrugged and laughed.
"I say we put whatever our plan is into motion during Castlecoming. The whole school will be there so it'll be perfect." Anthony nodded.
"That's so far away! They postponed the dance after everything that happened on Family Day." Ginny reminded him.
"So? That just gives us plenty of time to prepare," Mad Maddy smirked at Mal. "You're our girl, the one who gets final say in everything. What do you think?"
Mal briefly hesitated before she shook the thought away. "Sounds like a great idea," She smirked back.
###
Evie still attended classes, but due to the fiasco of the previous day most were either review or simply not in session. Most students chose to not go and the ones that did languished in an awkward silence. She tried to keep a smile on her face, but it became harder and harder with each passing day and seeing Snowdrop's melancholy. She wasn't even the one at fault yet she felt she shouldn't do anything, not comfort her stepsister, not even go see her.
After a monotonous day of study periods, Evie eventually got up the courage to visit Snowdrop, dropping by her dorm. She expected to see Audrey lying on her bed, perhaps surrounded by flowers or thorns like in those portraits of her mother, fast asleep in gilded bliss, but there was no sign of her outside of some bags on her side. She remembered Snowdrop had dormmates as well, but they weren't there, and that just left Snowdrop herself, sitting at her desk and idly clicking her desk lamp on and off again.
"Snowdrop?" Evie asked slowly.
"Hm."
"I know none of it is my fault, but I still wanted to apologize for what happened the other day. Audrey didn't deserve that. And you didn't deserve any of the fallout either,"
"I'm not mad at you." She sighed, still playing with her lamp. "I've just been thinking."
"About what?"
"Lonnie wore a new dress for the event and she barely got to show it off. Isn't that sad?" Snowdrop said instead, but Evie could tell that was just a distraction.
"Are you okay? You got really sick at Family Day,"
Snowdrop finally turned around, showing her hair was up in pigtails and she wore a simple pair of pajamas. "Mother is still worried I'm sick. She says if I keep acting like this, I could be pulled out of school for a time!"
"But isn't school stressing you out?"
"No!" Snowdrop paced around her room. "Right now I am worried over my friend, but at the same time...I can't help feeling like she's going too far. Growing up, she was a bit spoiled, but now..."
Evie braved a step into the room, like entering the dorm of the AK girls would suddenly smite her and held out her hands.
"All my life, everyone said Mother was good and sweet and kind. They said I looked just like her so surely I must act just like her too!" She tugged on her hair. "And Audrey honestly did go too far! The things she said were uncalled for!"
"So what are you going to do?" Evie stepped closer.
"I don't know..." Snowdrop sighed. "I want to think it over." She took a deep breath. "A-And, I don't hate you. No matter what."
"...Gooseberry,"
Despite her anxiety, Snowdrop began to laugh easily and hard at that simple word, chuckling before she caught herself and stood up straight. "Maybe I'll check in with the children of the dwarves. They're good for advice you know!"
"Good idea," Evie nodded and very slowly pulled her into a hug. "And I hope whatever you're going through, you work through it and become stronger."
"Thanks," She smiled genuinely.
###
Jay just sat on his bed, confused by the revelation. Jasmine was his mother....why did Jafar never tell him? Why did Jasmine never tell him, if she knew? Worst of all though was Aziz. What did he think of everything? Was he betrayed? Disgusted? Would he even be able to look Jay in the eye anymore? Would they no longer be brothers, now that they were biologically? At Family Day he seemed more focused with protecting his siblings, but he hadn't come to see him since. He made his choice.
"Jay? You in there?" A knock at the door got his attention, to which he just shrugged 'whatever' at. He looked over and saw Akio and William wandering in, worried expressions on their faces. "Are you okay?"
Jay just shrugged. "Get out of here," He threw a pillow hard but Akio dodged it easily, letting it smack against the wall.
"No, you don't mean that," William frowned.
"Coach told us to tell you our game's been postponed until further notice. Because you weren't at practice..." Akio trailed off.
"Great." Jay laid back on the bed.
"Uh, we wanted to invite you to get some drinks downtown somewhere. Just us, not as a team. Chad and Aziz won't be with us,"
That did it. Jay marched over to the two, staring them down. "Why? He hates me, doesn't he? Just as well then,"
"What? No! He has to retake a grammar test he failed," William chucked the pillow back. "Come with us or not, but we would like you to,"
He felt his features soften. Aziz could hate him and ignore him all he wished, but the rest of the team...Jay didn't want to admit it, but he liked them. They were good kids and he enjoyed their company. They didn't deserve the cold shoulder, especially not now, not when his other friends were unavailable. Even if it didn't cheer him up, he'd still go. Just for them.
He finally stood and agreed, following the two down the hall. His feet worked on autopilot, so while he avoided running into them, he didn't avoid ramming into someone else, who yelled in surprise.
"Watch where you're going!" Melody gasped. Jay looked down at her, his features softening when he saw the bracelet he made being worn on her wrist, openly. It didn't match her current outfit. "That really hurt."
"Sorry," he said before catching up to the other two and getting on the bus to downtown. He didn't say anything, just let them converse around him, and didn't give any options when they tried to decide what store to go to.
"Let's just go to GlamStar. We can all afford it and they have the best pumpkin juice anyway." Li finally stood in the middle of the group, a stern expression on his face.
"Speak for yourself, I'm running low on my school allowance," Brendan winced.
"Okay, no pumpkin juice for you then," Tyrone grinned.
The group headed inside the cafe, getting a large table and sitting near the back of the store. Jay had never actually been inside any sort of cafe like this, though back home he favoured the cozy coffee shops that were rich with colors and scents. This was...very brown mahogany. And it smelled of oranges. It was weird.
Half of the group took everyone's orders and headed for the counter while the others got comfortable.
"Sorry about Family Day," Emir said. Jay just stared.
"You don't need to apologize for anything, you didn't do anything,"
"No, but friends usually apologize to show sympathy and empathy towards what their other friends are going through," He frowned. "We care about you, Jay."
"Hey, if it makes you feel better, my great uncle is Smee," Tyrone commented.
"Dude, you're related to Smee?! I never knew that about you!" Brendan shouted, making several people look over at them.
"Ssssh! Don't just announce that to everyone!"
The remainder of the team came back, Akio sliding the cups over to everyone.
"Besides, Smee's such a nothing villain. My relation breaks that tree," Jay took his cup but didn't drink from it.
"But you still wouldn't expect someone from Auradon, more specifically New Orleans, to have that in their blood," Tyrone said.
"If that family tree project is anything to go off, many of us have more villainous, or more noble, roots, than one would expect." Li said. "Such as Jennifer Hawkins. Her grandfather's the legendary John Silver, a villainous pirate,"
"He redeemed himself," William reminded him, playing a game on his tablet. "And Jay's right, Smee's a nothing villain,"
"He's Captain Hook's right hand!" Tyrone gasped in offense.
"Literally!" Miguel smirked.
Jay slammed his drink down. "Why do you guys even like me?! I play roughly, Chad's right. Remember my first practice when William got sent to the infirmary because I shoved him too hard? I'm a beast and I don't work well,"
"But Coach Maui adores you!" Emir said. "Aziz vouched for you and you're our best player. We don't care where you come from, you're cool,"
"And I'm fine, it's part of the game." William smiled shyly.
"You're fun." Li nodded.
Jay just kept staring down at the table.
"You going to drink that?" Akio pointed to his cup. Jay slid it over and he drank it, already having five cups around him.
"Soon we're going to have to cut you off," Brendan shook his head.
"Who's the lamest villain, if we can't say Smee anymore?" Miguel teased, looking at Tyrone.
###
Family Day was an experience, Carlos heard. He hadn't seen the fight because he was on the other side of the yard with some of the other freshmen, but he heard all about it. He hated how he wasn't there to stand up for someone. Evie got mocked and shoved, Jay got insulted, and Mal felt so threatened she spelled Audrey by mistake. The whole school was talking about it and he felt useless. Classes bored him and unlike the other three, he didn't branch out enough to find other friends.
Except....just maybe....
"My young man, you seem to be troubled and distracted during classes. What's wrong?" King Arthur asked after a class of Basic Chivalry, seeing how listless Carlos seemed. Mrs. Phillip had made a similar observation of him.
"Nothing." He said both times, not wishing to get into it. It wasn't his issue, he wasn't the one who got offended, but still. King Arthur suggested maybe he'd benefit from going back home but he vehemently declined. He didn't want to be anywhere near his mom.
After several days of nothing happening, he finally wrote out several letters and slipped them under the doors of various dorms, awaiting those people in a lounge. If the others weren't going to keep him updated, he'd do it himself.
"Carlos de Vil?" The first arrival asked in confusion. Carlos looked up to see Anxelin Fitzherbert standing there, wearing baggy black pants with chains hanging off and a tube top with a zipper in the back. He just nodded at her.
"Why did you call us here?" Arabella asked more bluntly, wearing a loose cerulean dress with puffy sleeves. Unlike Anxelin, who chose to remain standing, Arabella sat almost immediately.
"I'll explain when the others get here." Carlos promised.
Eddie Balthazar arrived next, a regal boy dressed in a plain brown suit with black hair, and finally came Jane, trying her best to not tremble, looking perfectly normal in a spotted lavender pencil dress.
"...I have no group of my own to call...my own. The other three do, and for VKs, that's a bad thing. And I know you AKs agree on that, loneliness is bad. You three have been the nicest to me so far," He began.
"Okay, cut the nonsense." Anxelin put her hands on her hips. "That's not your real reason for calling us here."
"I'm worried about my friends," Carlos sighed. "Especially Mal. She's always been... different I guess. Always wanting to prove herself and look for approval. I should've been there to stand up for those three during Family Day, but I wasn't, so now I'm going to try and prevent the fallout."
"But what can we do?" Jane asked shyly. "She doesn't like us."
"She needs time and friends. We have to tell her whatever happened that day was a mistake and try to help Audrey too. And I know you guys have a good chance of getting her back,"
"I'm worried too. She really likes Ruby and I, so surely she can be easy to win back?"
"What if she uses her magic against us?! I'm still in training!" Jane worried.
"And so is she. We can beat her!" Arabella reassured her.
"I'm worried too, about the school in general. E-Ever since Family Day, nobody has felt right. Everyone is on edge and teachers don't want to teach anymore. I just w-want my school back,"
"And where do I feature in this?" Eddie asked. Despite his aggressive posture and snobby voice, Carlos knew he was one of the good ones.
"Well, I had to invite one of my only close friends," Carlos teased, making Eddie shake his head. He then looked at the three. "Sorry for springing this on everyone. I just...needed somewhere to turn,"
"Never feel bad about reaching out to your friends," Anxelin stepped closer and leaned over to look in his eyes. "That's one of the first rules here. Not just in Auradon City but our whole world,"
"Since we're all here...anyone up for some DDR in my room?" Arabella asked. The four looked at each other nervously.
"I'm going to cream you all!" Carlos finally said, and thus it was decided. The four ran back to her dorm, laughing.
###
To a student, one would automatically think they were the ones most affected by Family Day, but to someone as privy to the staff as Jane was, she was ready to argue the opposite. Nobody would expect the staff to be so upset over the events, and yet. Maybe it was due to most of the staff already being major rulers and having to see their kids daily anyway so they never had a chance to get rid of the awkwardness. Jane didn't even do her usual delivery runs due to nobody ordering new supplies or sending letters, so she mostly hung out in every class just because she could, poring over her latest beginner spellbook in an attempt to get better.
She liked the more relaxed classrooms so she had more patience and quiet to concentrate, so she found herself often favouring Queen Rapunzel's classroom the most, as she did her best to have a very chill atmosphere.
"'Most spells are silent and are usually just thought, not said. The passion behind the spell is what matters and what determines the strength.'" Jane recited to herself in Art, sitting atop a stool. "'Transfiguration is one of the easiest ones to begin with, as the spellcaster just has to transform something small into another small object. Illusions are another great beginner spell, and the same could be said for general 'feel-good magic' which just perks people up.'"
One of the students was painting with a deeply concentrated look on their face before they suddenly sneezed, knocking their black paint on their picture. "Shoot!"
"Uh, hang on!" Jane leapt to her feet and almost dashed for a paper towel before she thought better. She slowly raised her finger and flicked it a few times, trying to picture the paint put away and the picture saved. She flicked it a few more times and while the paint just changed direction to spill on the floor, the picture was saved, good as new.
"Whoa, you know magic?!" The student asked in surprise.
"Why is that so shocking? She is the daughter of the Fairy Godmother," Lonnie smirked.
"Yeah, but she's never done anything with it!" A girl shot back.
"Thanks for saving my picture! I owe you one!" The first student gave her a thumbs-up, making her blush.
"T-That won't be necessary!" She cleaned up the dripping paint. "I didn't think it'd work to be honest..." She returned to her spellbook, still blushing but also feeling a bit proud. She did magic! Real magic!
It wasn't the first time she has attempted, far from it, in fact, but it was one of the first times she actually got a spell right. She couldn't wait to tell her mother!
Art was just one class though. Most of the others were dull and awkward. She tried to focus on her book during Cooking, but Alec and Anya somehow turned their mashed potatoes into a science experiment and beckoned everyone to look, which was very noisy. Belle didn't have her book club that day, and gym was a glum affair as well. The only girl who actually seemed active that day was Megan, who found a basketball somewhere and was dribbling and shooting hoops with it.
Jane sat on the bleachers, ignoring the small conversations going on around her as she read. Finally, at the end of the day, she headed to her mother's office instead of her room, trying not to smile so widely.
"Jane dear! I haven't seen you all day today. What's with your face?" She asked nicely.
"I did magic! The spell was a success! I saved someone's art project!" She blushed and bounced in her heels. "It's the first time I've done a successful spell!"
"That is good news. Jane, I think you're starting to finally come into your magic." Her mother gave her a genuine smile and pulled her into a hug. "Soon you'll be sending maids off to the ball in no time!"
"Thanks Mom." Jane smiled back.
###
The sea-green dress was brand new and would likely never be worn again. Melody liked it because it was short and the lace overskirt provided the feminine touch she needed as one of the 'important' princesses of the realm, but she only bought it for Family Day. She also wore it with that cool bracelet Arabella gave her that she said Jay made in the jewelry-making club because it clashed with her gown and that was awesome, she loved that sort of thing. But Audrey's jerk attitude had to ruin the event for everyone, and now Melody had a dress she couldn't get rid of. She just hung it on her wardrobe door and called it a day.
'Important princess.' What nonsense. In middle school she had an assignment on that very topic for her history class, to write an essay about the fourteen women who changed history, who had the most famous stories, who became kind and just queens who ruled with grace and wisdom. Everyone knew their names by heart; Snow White, Cinderella; or Ella, Aurora, Ariel; her mother, Belle; the high ruler, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, Elsa; she abdicated but was still a very important figure, and Moana. All of their children were considered to be just as important as them and raised in the utmost splendor and were essentially celebrity royalty.
Again, nonsense to Melody. So her mom was Queen Ariel, so what? How did that make her more special than Arabella? Or any of her cousins? Or Ally, her mom was very famous even though she wasn't a queen. She just had the fortune to be born into such a family. Yet she still had the same pressures every girl had. Be more girly, make your parents proud, hang out with more princesses...
She didn't want to care, but she also didn't want her parents to be disappointed. That thought was the worst to her.
Melody was alone that day, for once. Her three dormmates were a gaggle of indigenous girls from Arendelle who kept unintentionally secluding her so after a few weeks she just gave up on befriending them. She had her own friend group anyway. They hung out every hour of every day in there though, making it hard to do...things. But they were gone, so without hesitation, Melody pulled out her secret basket from under her bed and looked through it, picking out some random bags. She didn't really care what she ended up eating so long as it was something.
She ripped open the bags of chips and cookies she had and began stuffing them indiscriminately into her mouth, barely registering what was what. Her hands moved automatically, throwing food into her mouth which she chewed and swallowed. She kept eating until she emptied six chip bags and four of the cookie bags, gasping and sliding the basket under her bed again.
Melody very slowly stood up after that, having enough energy to collapse into her bed just as she always did. She still had some of the sweets she took from the princess tea party and a tiny voice in the back of her head told her she needed to eat those already, but she didn't have the strength to push it away or respond back.
She continued to breathe heavily, a hand on her stomach as she buried her face in her pillow.
Oh, she was a disappointment alright. She was sure if her parents ever saw her like this, they would be disheartened and wondered where they went wrong. Who could claim a daughter like her, meant to be one of the most important children, who acted boyish, hung out with civilians, and worst of all, had binge-eating-disorder?
She wasn't the perfect princess, and even though she didn't want to care, maybe that's where her problems stemmed from.
###
It always seemed to rain hardest whenever the school as a whole was going through a tough period. Showers were good for the spring, to help flowers grow, and some kids did enjoy dancing out in it or found it romantic. When things were going poorly though, that's when the rain really poured. Storms grew in strength too, and Lonnie would've found it something humorous to ponder on if the negativity hadn't been affecting her too. Maybe princesses really did have natural powers like that.
Unlike the rest of her peers, Lonnie went outside in the rain, wearing a plastic transparent raincoat patterned with flowers over her clothes. She stepped onto the courtyard and just wandered around, hugging herself.
"The rain can be good, the rain can be inspiring..." Thunder clapped above her, yet she kept walking. Anywhere was better than her dorm room. Audrey wasn't even there, Megan never was even before all this chaos, and she couldn't bear to look at Snowdrop right then. Thus, she walked alone.
"Lonnie!?" Her parents ran over to her, looking surprised and wearing their own coats to keep the rain off.
"We were getting ready to go back home." Her dad began. "Do you want to join us? Maybe it'd be best if-"
"I didn't do anything," She reminded them. "I don't want to go home."
"It's not a punishment! Just..a change of scenery, you know,"
"You're upset you didn't stand up for anyone during Family Day, aren't you?" Mulan asked instead, a soft expression on her face.
Lonnie nodded. Thunder clapped again.
"Maybe you didn't stand up for them then, but it's not too late to stand up for them now. I know you don't see them as bad!" She put her hand on Lonnie's shoulder. "Besides, asking you to return home is silly. Your home is here, with your friends, both your childhood ones and your new ones,"
Lonnie pulled her hood closer to frame her face. "I promise I'll stand up for them more. Family Day...ugh," she sighed.
"That was on your mind this whole time?" Shang asked in surprise, but Mulan laughed.
"I could see it in her eyes. Plus she came out during a heavy storm to think. I used to do the same thing,"
"Did your old army friends show up? I wouldn't mind getting their daughters to hang out with all of us," Lonnie smiled her usual mischievous smile.
"I think Chen-Po and Su did at the very least. So Shu-mu could come," Mulan thought about it.
"We should get them to cook something then! Su makes the best meals!" She laughed, and Mulan smiled back.
"There's our girl!"
###
Audrey got her own special bed in the nurse's office, because of course she did. She was Audrey and Audrey always got what was best for her. She laid in bed with a tense expression on her face, hands folded on her chest, looking very much like her mother did when she fell into her eternal slumber.
Snowdrop found herself wondering what her mother looked like when she temporarily died. Did she still retain her beauty, or did she look shocked as she realized too late what had happened to her?
Audrey laid on a bed of flowers, with fake flowers poised around her, but there were no cards or flowers on the table next to her, and it made Snowdrop sad. Even though she was mean and went too far on Family Day, she still thought she deserved something while she lay comatose.
"She looks creepy. How is that supposed to be beautiful?" Megan asked, breaking the silence as she usually did. "Like you can tell she's a corpse, almost,"
"Don't say such things! She's not dead, she's just asleep!" Snowdrop scolded. She moved closer and placed her bouquet on Audrey's chest, close to where her hands were posed. She wanted to get one of roses, but those were sold out so she settled on lilies. "There's so much I never got about her. Like why she was so mean to everyone. When we were kids she was so sweet..."
Megan tossed her sole lilac on Audrey, watching it land in her hair. "Some people are just rotten." She shrugged.
Snowdrop sighed. "Wish Lonnie could've given her flowers too. She's also her dormmate. Our dormmate."
"I'm outta here," She flipped her ponytail and left the room, but Snowdrop was used to her behavior by then. They said Megan had the heart of her dad but it got overshadowed by her mom's snark. She took another glance at Audrey and went outside of the school, sitting on the steps.
She meant what she said in there. Everyone knew the stories and all four parents had the same formal portrait in their quarters. Snowdrop saw it in her mind perfectly, as if she were staring at it right then. The four of them as children, elegant and sweet. She sat in front with a dainty expression on her face. Next to her was Prince Ben, smiling nicely in his suit. Behind them were Audrey and Chad, Audrey curtsying and Chad posed with a sword. She knew them all for years, they seemed so good, why had Audrey turned so sour?
"What's the problem?"
Snowdrop didn't look up at the voice, but she didn't need to. She'd know it anywhere. Whenever she was sad, the children of the Seven Dwarves just seemed to find their way to her somehow.
"Are you alright? No, you look positively not alright!" Cheerful decided. The kids all sat around her on the steps to the best of their abilities, as there were more of them than there were steps.
"I'm being pulled in every direction! I want to be myself, not Mother, definitely not a snob like Audrey. How did she become like this?" She covered her face. "I want to be myself,"
Cheerful and Hap put their hands on both of her shoulders, trying to gently pat them.
"Maybe Audrey is feeling the same sort of pressures you are." Doc's son suggested. "Since you say she was so nice before,"
"Maybe I need a break from her. Maybe I should go home to my parents...no. Maybe she should. I need to stay here, Evie needs me. I know that at least," Snowdrop rubbed her eyes. "I'm worried over her, but I'm more worried over Evie. Family comes first,"
The kids all nodded at her, pleased with her decisions. Cheerful bounced up and gently helped Snowdrop to her feet too.
"It's not much, but want to hear what I've coordinated for the marching band? It's so complex you'll be thinking of nothing else!" Doug laughed awkwardly, and Snowdrop laughed with him.
"Maybe I could come in and save the day with my flute!" She laughed as she followed him, the rest of the kids running after too.
Chapter 12: .12
Summary:
A scavenger hunt to find potion ingredients.
Chapter Text
"We're having an intervention." Evie said sternly at breakfast. Mal blinked, genuinely wondering why they all thought breakfast was the best time to corner her, a meal most of the school didn't partake in, but she wouldn't question it right then and there. Instead, she smiled lowly.
"An intervention about what? Care to join my evil group? It's not too late, I'm still looking for members,"
"You're not truly evil, don't pretend like you are," Carlos said.
"Yeah!" Anxelin pushed her way to the front of the group. "I know it's sappy and most of you VKs don't do sappy, but it's the truth. I've seen you change these last few months here. You barely think about your mom. You like classes, you like your friends here!"
"She's right. We've all changed." Jay said.
"You're going to throw it away for this?" Ruby's eyes shimmered. "Don't."
"You're not the ones who cursed the most popular girl in school. If she ever wakes up, do you think she'll be thankful towards me?" Mal said. She didn't want them to get through to her. She tried to push through the group to get a tray, but Evie pushed her back, staring her down.
"It was an accident! We all know it was! But you can reverse it, like all accidents," she said.
"And how do you know?"
"All magic is reversible." Jay reminded her.
"Seriously, you're not like you used to be. You're different. You're not an extension of your mother anymore, you don't care about making her proud! You're a good person." Evie continued. "Even if you don't believe it, others do,"
The Fitzherbert twins nodded, but so did Lonnie and Arabella. Some other Villain Kids were there too, the nicer ones, and much to everyone's surprise, Snowdrop walked to the front of the group and took Mal's hands.
"You're good, and what you did was a stress-related accident. You still have more growing to do, but just know, I stand with you. You're my stepsister's close friend and I can't hate or fear someone like that," She trembled and had trouble making eye contact, but her voice remained strong.
Mal looked over the whole group. "Audrey is your best friend,"
"And I do want her back! But it's not right to dislike you for no reason either,"
If she were holding a tray at the moment, Mal was sure she would've dropped it. Not just her friends coming to her defense, but some of the more popular Auradon Kids, including Princess Snowdrop herself? She didn't want to admit it, but they were right. She might've arrived at the school with ulterior motives, but she did actually grow to like it. She enjoyed the classes she had, she was good at them even. She branched out and made friends with the Fitzherbert twins, some of the most princess-y Auradon Kids ever and genuinely liked them. She wasn't even really feared or worshipped here, here, she was...just Mal. Not even Malevolent Bertha, just Mal.
But what of her other group? She longed to make mischief sometimes, and Mad Maddy was another genuine friend of hers, even longer than she had known Evie, Carlos, and Jay. She couldn't just abandon them either, not with everything she promised, not with how much they looked up to her.
Maybe she could play her cards right and please both of them simultaneously.
"Alright, you guys win with your super sappy act." She said, and the girls cheered. "But, we still have to wake Audrey up. She may be a lot to handle, but she doesn't deserve eternal slumber. I don't want her parents to be upset either,"
"That's where I come in!" Evie gasped happily. "Meet me in the chemistry room after school, we'll look through my spellbook! I'm sure there's something in there to help us!"
Mal nodded and the group dispersed, leaving her alone. She didn't have much of an appetite, so she just headed to her first class, sorting her thoughts together in her head of what she was going to do next.
She knew Evie had a spellbook and told her as such the second classes ended, watching her flip through it.
"The spell was mine, not yours or your mother's. Why would it be in there?" Mal asked impatiently as Evie kept flipping.
"If not, there's other options. I'm far from the only one with magic, you know," She stopped at a page about the Sleeping Death and ran her fingers along the text. "Do you think this would work? Close enough, right?"
"We have to try anything," Mal reminded her, and Evie nodded and started gathering the things she needed to brew the antidote.
"I can get the tools but you need to get the ingredients."
"Which are?"
"A pale pink flower petal, singular of course, fresh off the blossom. A perfectly-cut slice of the reddest apple. A lock of black hair. A scream of fright." Evie recited.
"None of that really makes sense. I mean, it does if you're trying to curse someone," Mal said. "But how is any of that supposed to reverse it? And how am I supposed to get that stuff?"
Evie shrugged. "Magic is the way it is. I've never really questioned it," She sorted out the vials and bottles and other tools she needed. "For the first two, I imagine any petal and red apple would do, magic can be bent. For the third, there's plenty of students with black hair here, say you're going to charm it and cut a lock off when they're distracted. And for the fourth...that's when magic gets specific. A scream of pure fright, which means you're going to have to scare somebody really good."
"Why not you?" Mal smirked.
"Funny. But I don't scare easily."
"Alright, I'll find these things. Surely they can't be that hard," She left the room and Evie looked over her things again, awaiting her.
She figured the reddest apple was really up for interpretation and thought it'd be the easiest to find, so she headed into the cafeteria, seeing some students there either having an after-school snack or catching up on their studies, sometimes both. Mal walked around, trying to peek at each and every tray, startling some of the students. She saw plenty of green and yellow apples, even one that was somehow pink, but no red ones.
Huffing, she walked into the kitchen, pulling open every cabinet and throwing open the fridge.
"Hey, where is the rush?" Louis teased as he saw her. "What are you looking for? I could help,"
Mal rolled her eyes. "None of your business,"
He held up his hands. "I can take a hint. I just enjoy helping pretty girls,"
She did need help, but she wasn't about to admit it to him. She didn't want anyone to know about the reversal, because what if it didn't work somehow? What if he tricked her? She went back to her search.
"If you're looking for fruit, the school actually hasn't gotten their shipment in yet." Louis continued, like she asked him to. She stared at him.
"How do you know that?"
"Uncle Ralphie is the teacher for Cooking, remember? I'm privy to tons of stuff thanks to him," He smirked. "We just ran out and won't get them until another week."
"And where might I find a fresh supply on hand? Of any fruit?" Mal tried her best to smile but knew she looked and sounded strained.
"Queen Aurora and Queen Snow White are famous for their apple trees in their respective kingdoms, but if you don't want to make the trip, there's a grocery store downtown that has anything you could think of. Apples too,"
She noticed how he singled out apples specifically and stared at him. "Come with me."
"Huh?"
"Come with me to the store to get the apples. You seem to know a lot about them,"
"Well who doesn't? Especially me," Louis defended.
She walked out of the kitchen and simply left the building itself, shocked that no teachers or other staff tried to stop her. Maybe they were just as uncaring as she felt in that moment towards their students. The two rode the bus together and Louis pointed the store out, a quant red store with flashing lights.
"The reddest apple..." Mal mumbled to herself as she picked through every apple on display. Most were green, and the few that were red didn't have the shine she needed.
"If you don't mind my pryin', why are you so adamant over apples? Need more nutrition?" Louis teased her.
She almost said Evie needed it for a spell before she bit back the comment at the last second. She has to be careful with those kinds of words now. No matter how nice Louis seemed, he was still an Auradon Kid, and she was sure all of them harbored some form of dislike for her after what she did.
"Yes. The brighter the apple, the healthier it is!" Mal forced herself to smile a chipper smile.
"What about this one?" Louis picked one up and tossed it into the air before tossing it to her. Mal caught it perfectly and rolled it over. "So shiny you can see yourself in it. And what a pretty image it is!"
Mal rolled her eyes, still transfixed on the apple. It shined brightly and smelled crisp; the sort of apple one thought only existed in stories. It was the sort Queen Snow White would've longed for in her youth. It was perfect.
"Yeah, it'll do." She nodded and rushed off, not wanting to spend any more time with Louis. She had a mission she needed to fulfill.
She hid the apple under her bed and recalled her next item was a lock of black hair. Sounded easy enough, she would just grab it from the first person she saw whose hair matched. Plenty of the student body had black hair, so all she needed to do was wait. She grabbed a pair of scissors and hid them in her jacket, wandering the halls and lounges as she waited. Some students looked up at her from what they were doing, but she ignored them because they didn't have the proper hair colour.
"Someone with black hair..." She kept looking, wondering why somehow every student with black hair had vanished from her sight.
"What's on your mind?" Lonnie asked suddenly, startling Mal. She caught the scissors at the last second, wincing subtly at grabbing the blades.
"Nothing."
Lonnie just stared at her. Mal realized she hadn't really seen much of Lonnie throughout the whole school year despite her hanging out a lot with Jay. And yet she still vouched for her.
"I need a lock of your hair," She finally admitted. "Just one!"
"Okay, but first I need to ask. You're not going to spell it or me, right? I know once fairies have their hair they can curse you," Her tone was serious, yet Mal caught a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.
"It's to help A....someone. A person. It's a potion that requires a lock of black hair and you're the first one I saw,"
Lonnie ran her hands through her bob. "My hair is so short already though! Actually...I've always admired Jane's hair and the other styles you've done around the school. Don't pretend that wasn't you, we all know! Hair for hair, how about it?"
"Don't you know you shouldn't make offers to fairies?" Mal said halfheartedly.
"My realm doesn't have them, so I think you'll have to enlighten me," Lonnie plopped herself down on a nearby chair and Mal ran her hands through the bob, eventually taking out her scissors and snipping a large strand off. Pocketing it securely, she then took another look at Lonnie, deciding what would look best on her. Maybe something layered?
Not wanting to spend an eternity there, she conjured up something in her mind and waved her finger around, giving Lonnie a mirror and leaving. "Hope you like it, goodbye!"
She didn't see Lonnie running her hands through her hair in awe, gasping at the waves and how her hair piece rested delicately on top. Her hair took the colour of caramel and flowed past her chest. It was amazing.
Jane was right, nobody mean would ever consider doing such a thing.
###
Mal thought the rose would be one of the hardest to get, simply because Queen Aurora was the most famous for her roses, and no way was Mal going home after everything that happened. Evie didn't specify a rose, but they were the most powerful and well-known of flowers, so she figured it'd make the most sense. Who else had roses though? She sat in the library during her whole free period, just aimlessly staring at a textbook about flora.
"What's up?" Ben asked her, making her look up with a jolt. "Obviously something is bothering you,"
"Surprised you want to be around me," She stabbed.
"What happened on Family Day wasn't your fault. It was Queen Leah and her granddaughter and Chad. Nobody else's," He said instantly.
"I cursed her. I couldn't stop myself."
"But you're fixing it, right?" Ben pointed to the book she was looking at. She closed it. "I get it, I'm not here to pry. I trust you. Audrey is...a lot, but she's my childhood friend and I want her to recover from this. And if it's a rose you need, I know where to find them,"
"I need a pale pink one, not a red one,"
"I know," Ben gave her a subtle smile and gestured for her to follow, which she eventually did. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think she'd be following a prep school boy, let alone the future king, out of school on a mission to save the daughter of her mother's worst enemy, and yet she was.
She expected him to take her to the town, but he instead organized a carriage and slipped her a lavender polonaise dress with a sheepish smile. "I know it's not your thing, but you need it for a few minutes."
"Okay, I'll bite. Where are we going." Mal said flatly, not voicing it as a question. "I thought you were taking me to Auradon City to buy something from a shop,"
"Magic is exact and must be used with only the best ingredients," Ben just continued to smile at her. "And pile your hair on top of your head too,"
She did exactly as she was told, doing her hair to the best of her ability and slipping the dress on over her regular clothes. The change took most of the ride, and once she adjusted her shoes Ben gently escorted her out of the carriage in front of a glamorous yellow palace. Her breath caught in her throat. "Don't tell me.."
"Welcome to my humble home, Mademoiselle," He couldn't stop his silly grin from stretching on his face, something Mal tried to fight from forming on her own.
"You took me all the way to your palace just for a rose?" She tried to take everything in. The decorations were white marble angels and the tops were red. Huge flower gardens blossomed both outside and around the entryway, and the sun caught the proper angle of the castle, making it shine.
"We're known for roses." He offered his hand to her, and Mal surprised herself by taking it. He led her up the walkway to the palace and through the door, letting her take in the sweeping staircase and huge ballroom. "Sorry it's so quiet. My dad doesn't have many servants, actually. But that's not what we're here for, you need a rose,"
Mal kept following Ben, afraid of getting lost in the huge castle. Even the stairway gave her motion-sickness. Most of the doors were closed or led to longer hallways, and Ben stopped in front of a smaller wooden door with a polite knock. "Grandfather?"
"Come in! Come in! Don't mind the mess!"
Mal's eyes widened at the sheer mess and cramped space in the room. Half-finished steel and wood messes littered the floor and tables in piles, with steam clocks ticking away overhead merrily. An old man was leaning over what looked like a compact stove, poking it numerous times before it spewed out black smoke. Mal coughed and waved her hand in front of her face.
"Hard at work, I see," Ben teased. The man looked up and gasped, pulling off his glasses and pulling Ben into a hug.
"My dear grandson! It's been so long since the last time you visited! And who's this? A lady friend?"
"Just a friend," Ben looked back at Mal, whose face heated up.
Ben considered her to be a friend of his? The Prince Ben? They hardly ever interacted and here he was, introducing her to a close family member as a friend of his. What had she done to deserve this?
"The name is Maurice, pleasure to meet you too," He shook her hand firmly and left an oil stain on it, which she nearly wiped off on her dress before she thought better of it. "Hope the mess doesn't bother you, I'm in the middle of a breakthrough!"
"We just need a rose from you," Ben said.
"A rose?" Maurice paused in his movements. Now that Mal could see him better, she saw a short man dressed in simple clothes with an oily apron on top and goggles on his head. "Like the flower?"
Ben nodded.
"A pale pink one! Not a red one!" Mal chimed in.
Maurice nodded and left the room, promising to be back in a moment. Mal looked around the room some more.
"He seems very...eccentric," She finally offered. Ben giggled before he caught himself.
"That's a word for it. He'd prefer the word 'visionary' though. Mom says he's always been like this. She was never bothered by it, but the villagers were, no matter where they moved. Eventually, she got tired of it and moved him here in the castle with her," He explained.
"And he was just okay with it? Uprooting his whole life?" Mal tapped the hands on one of the clocks.
"I think he was secretly tired of the backlash too. Once they even tried to throw him in a mental asylum over it. Even if it was a huge change, I don't think he minded,"
Maurice came back into the room then, carefully handing Mal a rose. True to her request, it was so pale pink it was nearly white, with soft silky petals. "Whatever you need it for, I hope it does well by you,"
"Thanks Grandfather!" Ben waved and Mal waved too, keeping a tight grip on the rose. Once they returned to the carriage, she looked it over carefully and saw he even tied a purple ribbon to it. Not lilac or lavender, but the dark purple of her hair.
"Does he grow these?" She asked to kill time.
"Yeah. Inventing is his true passion, but once he moved in he took up painting and gardening. Roses are his favourite, obviously," He smiled again.
"He likes me, even though I'm different. He had to have suspected my true nature," She twirled the rose around in her hands.
"What about it? My family wouldn't judge over that, they're not those types of people. They founded Auradon on those principals," Ben leaned forward to look in her eyes. "It's why from day one I've supported you and knew you were a good person. Now you get to show everyone else what I knew you were capable of,"
She blinked and looked away, glancing out the window.
Once they arrived, Mal threw the dress off, laughing at Ben's scandalized face. "I'm sorry! I'm just not good with huge dresses," She smoothed out her jacket and pants. "Oh, do you know anybody who startles easy?"
Ben stared at her as he folded the dress up, finally sighing. "Is this for the same thing you needed the rose for?"
"Yes,"
"A lot of the dwarf kids do. So does Jane. Snowdrop. Ummm...Edmund."
"Edmund?" Mal raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of him,"
"He's actually not an Auradon Prep student, not yet anyway. But his mom's best friend is a teacher here so he visits a lot and is in the middle of a visit right now." Ben said. "He just startles easy because he's young,"
"Best I go with the person who I'll likely never see again," She decided. "And thanks for the rose!" She then ran off before Ben could say anything and make it weird. She did appreciate him doing that for her, she really did. She liked how he saw her as a friend and always trusted her. She knew she was softening, and it scared her. She didn't know what to do.
She was halfway through the wings before she realized she probably should've asked who Edmund was or where he'd be, knowing she never heard that name before. But surely someone else had to know too, right? She didn't want to walk all the way out for Ben again.
"No no no! Don't scrub the boards so aggressively! Here, let me Edmund!"
Mal stopped in her tracks at the sound of the name, the voice coming from the math class. She hid and peeked inside to see Mrs. Phillip standing on her tiptoes, one leg posed gracefully behind her as she pointed to spots on the chalkboard that needed to be erased. Next to her was quite possibly the most perfect-looking prince Mal had ever seen, and that was saying a lot at a school filled to the brim with perfect princes. He was still young, even younger than Celia, with black hair that fell just right and a shirt with huge puffed sleeves.
"I'm just not used to boards!" He huffed.
"You've cleaned before?" Mrs. Phillip asked in surprise, gently guiding him.
"Yeah! Mom wants us to do a lot of work around the castle. She says she'll never be used to servants...or helpful animals,"
Mrs. Phillip laughed merrily at that.
Mal ducked away, running back to the chemistry lab and grabbing a bottle with a cork, trying to think of the best way to scare him. His realm had evil magic, right? She wasn't sure of the details. She kept hanging around the door, waiting for the right time to strike.
"Alright, I'm going to put these cloths up." The moment she turned her back, Mal struck, jumping in front of Edmund and transforming herself into the image of a large black-green bat, stretching out her arms.
"Boo! I got you!" She laughed wildly.
Edmund screamed loudly and Mal grabbed the bottle, swiping it under his mouth and corking it. She transformed back to herself and fled, still grinning when she came back to Evie.
"Someone had fun," She teased, looking down at her book still.
"I got everything!" Mal laid out all the treasures she got throughout the day, still grinning. "I'm still energetic from the scare,"
Evie assessed everything carefully, nodding. Without a word, she begun to work, Mal watching her. She made a bottle of boiling water, peeling a petal off slowly and tossing it in, turning the water green. She smoothed out the strand from Lonnie's hair, throwing that in too, turning the heat up. She stirred up the mix, churning up bubbles. Next came the apple, which she sliced and mashed, pouring the pieces in. Lastly she pulled the cork off the scream, releasing the shriek into the bottle. She stirred and shook it once again, watching it slowly change from green to black to soft pink.
"You're so good at this, it's almost scary." Mal whistled.
Evie smirked proudly. "We have to let it simmer for a day, then it'll be ready. I can do that in my dorm. For now let's clean this up,"
Mal put the bottles up, pausing at the rose. The trip to Ben's kingdom, getting some new scenery, meeting an Auradonian who didn't judge her...it was nice. And fun. She tucked the rose away, telling herself she'd get rid of it once she went back to her dorm. Her mind was split between Ben, her friends, and her new gang with Mad Maddy.
How had her life suddenly become so complicated?
Chapter 13: .13
Summary:
Audrey goes to the countryside to soul-search and begin her quest to be a better person.
Chapter Text
When Audrey awoke, she awoke to silence and a bed full of fake flowers. She fluttered her eyes a few times, letting the remainder of the spelled sleep leave her, trying to make some sense of her surroundings.
"Are you alright, dear?"
The voice of the Fairy Godmother.
Audrey very slowly sat up and stretched, keeping the flowers in her lap. Waking up in a nurse's office wasn't as glamorous as in the stories, but she could make do.
"What did Mal do? No, I know what she did. I want her suspended and-"
"No!" Fairy Godmother laid Audrey back down with a snap, staring her down. "None of that, not when you've just woken up."
"But she cursed me! Isn't that a bad thing to do? She put me to sleep, just like her mother did. Just like I thought she would!"
"And who do you think woke you up again?"
Audrey froze at that, scanning the room. Close to the foot of her bed stood Evie, clutching a thick book under her arm, and Mal, who had a pink liquid corked in a vial. Her eyes widened as she realized what had happened.
"You...you woke me up? You broke your own curse?" She pointed at Mal, her voice soft.
"Yeah, and it wasn't easy, believe me. Had to wait a whole day for it to simmer," Mal joked. "You got it poured down your throat, don't worry. It's made to counteract my magic and wake you up again,"
"Why did you do it? You're supposed to be Maleficent's daughter. You're supposed to hate me and curse me for years and give me misery. But you didn't. Why?!" Audrey demanded. "You had every right to just leave me asleep!"
"I could've, you're right." Mal stepped closer. "I could've been just like my mother. But I'm not like her, much like you're not like your own mother, am I right?" She smirked.
Audrey felt fire burn up in her, hot anger, as she stared at Mal, trying to think of something to spew at her, but came up with nothing. She could've left her to sleep forever, or done even worse things to her, but she broke her own curse and clearly went through a lot to do so. Magic was not easy and had prices, Audrey knew. But why?
"When you're feeling better, your parents have invited you back home. Actually, it is a demand." Fairy Godmother chimed in. Audrey looked at her instead. A weekend at home could be just the thing she needed to get her mind refreshed.
"Tell them I'm ready when they are."
###
After Audrey got settled into her room, she followed her parents to her mother's favourite place, the cottage she grew up in. Whenever Queen Aurora needed to clear her head and just get away, she would don her simple clothing and come out to the cottage, so Audrey was excited for this trip. A perfect relaxation getaway.
Everything was just as she remembered it, the quaint shutters, the blooming roses, even her simple bed laid out near the kitchen so she could be near the fire. Her mother and father sat on some cushions and bid her to sit across from them, which she did so.
"I'm so happy to see you two again! After all that's happened, I'm in need of a well-deserved break!" Audrey flipped her hair.
"We need to have a talk." Aurora said sternly, folding her hands in her lap. Audrey decided she didn't like the tone.
"Your actions at Family Day were inexcusable, do you understand? Not only that, but we were informed by other staff that that's a regular thing for you. You act snobby and controlling towards everyone," Phillip began. Audrey's face fell.
"Really only to the Villain Kids, and don't they deserve it? Especially Mal? You saw her put a spell on me! She can't be trusted, and neither can the others," she defended herself.
"What we saw was a scared girl who lashed out in panic and anger after you and my mother egged her on. She didn't act out of malice," Aurora said.
"Other students report you being mean and rude to others as well, not just Villain Kids." Phillip said.
"And on the subject of my mother, you are not to see her without my explicit permission, do you understand?"
Audrey looked up at that. "How is that fair?! She's family too!"
"Yes, but I see now she's been a bad influence on you. She told me she'd raise you to be more queenly and I agreed, not having much experience on that. That was a mistake, and one I hope I'm not too late to rectify," Aurora sighed. "As of now, both of us will be keeping a firm eye on you. You were such a good girl growing up and I want that back. I don't know what it'll take to give you your compassion back, but I'm willing to do whatever,"
"So what now? I just never go back to school?"
"Let's start with this weekend. You can spend it thinking about why Mal saved you despite supposedly being a villainous person. Does that sound good?" Phillip said. Audrey grumbled and turned away. "Well?"
"...She saved me because she's never been like her mother. I can't vouch for the others, but she's never been outright evil, just mischievous." She said finally. "When I woke up, she said I'm also nothing like my mother, and that insulted me. I want to be like you, Lady Mother!"
"I do too! Hopefully, this weekend is a step in the right direction," Aurora stood and walked over to her daughter. "Remember, your Lord Father and I don't hate you, even after all this. I realize my mistakes and hope to help you before it's too late,"
"Grandma said I had to be perfect and poised, not a thought in my head," Audrey played with one of her curls. "I can't believe Mal did all that for me. She had every right to let me sleep forever but she didn't,"
"You're right. She didn't," Phillip smiled at her. "Remember that."
###
Audrey pushed open the shutters and rubbed them down, humming to herself. Despite the cold shoulder of her parents, she was still thoroughly enjoying her time at the cottage. She even resigned herself to a simple pink blouse and skirt, her hair tied-up behind her as she cleaned.
"We're expecting visitors today," Aurora told her when she went to put up the broom. She gasped happily.
"Who?! My best friends? My boyfriend?!"
"Princesses Anxelin and Ruby Fitzherbert from Corona,"
"Why? I don't know them very well," She asked in confusion.
"We've been told that you enjoy scoffing at them purely because they're not pureblooded. That's not very proper princess behavior, you know."
Audrey just huffed.
"Did you know that when your Lord Father and I first met, he didn't care that I was a peasant? He was super ready to marry me despite that. Imagine if it happened, you'd have been raised more simply," Aurora said.
"But every story says you first met after he broke the spell!" Audrey said in disbelief. "He always knew who you were,"
"Technically, we first met at my Christening, when he was to bestow gifts on me on behalf of his family, but I hear he wasn't too happy to see me." She giggled.
Audrey had no idea what to expect of the visit so she just kept her plain clothes on, greeting the family with her parents, curtsying.
"This cottage is so small and cute! It's quaint!" Ruby gushed upon stepping inside. She kept her hair braided as usual but wore a purple dress embroidered with flowers. Anxelin wore a matching one in green with an apron, which made Audrey do a double-take. She looked so different out of her element and modern clothes.
"I know, right? I love it!" Rapunzel cheered, running around. "It reminds me of where I grew up!" Even she wore a green country gown embroidered with butterflies with a laced front.
"The tower? Wouldn't you have claustrophobia?" Audrey asked. Sure, her mom preferred the cottage too, but that's because she lived her whole life up to that point there, cared for by the Three Good Fairies. What was not to love? Rapunzel on the other hand was forced to live there, kidnapped by her own villain. How could one be homesick for it?
Rapunzel nodded happily. "I actually prefer the tower...my quarters back home are on the tallest tower of the castle. Old habits die hard,"
"She's never been a 'normal' princess, you know," Eugene joked, dressed in a green tunic.
"Eugene!" Rapunzel jokingly nudged him.
"Why don't you three girls go outside? It's a nice day," Aurora suggested, thrusting a large basket into Anxelin's hands. "Pick some wildflowers and have a picnic." She smiled a coy smile she rarely used, ushering the three outside.
"I suppose the adults want to talk!" Anxelin teased, marching forward, swinging the basket around. Ruby and Audrey remained next to each other, the former looking for flowers with the latter deep in thought.
What was she to do with Mal? Actually, no, scratch Mal. What would she do about the rest of the school? She thought she was just giving helpful advice to everyone, just as Grandmother told her to do, but was it possible she was truly being rude to others? Lady Mother seemed to think so, and Audrey never wished to make her upset. Chad was the same way, but she'd deal with him when she actually returned to school.
"I was a....very not nice girl. The word that rhymes with 'witch'," Audrey said bluntly, making the twins stop in their tracks and look at her. Ruby looked shocked while Anxelin burst out laughing.
"I'd say! You said we had little say in anything because our dad's not a prince," She continued to laugh.
"I know. Is it too late for me to change? What Mal said....I shouldn't care so much about her opinion, but it stung me. I'm nothing like my mother even though I idolize her. Mal's nothing like her mother either. I was so rude to her, my whole life..." Audrey trailed off and stared into the distance. What was she even getting at? Was it even possible for her to change? She was a princess. Those never developed from a negative personality, they were always kind and helpful no matter what.
"Of course you can! Everyone deserves second chances," Ruby smiled at her, running ahead to a clearing where the sunbeams hit the grass perfectly. "This is the perfect spot to have our picnic!" She danced around and took the basket from her sister, setting out the blanket delicately. Anxelin gently set up the dishes and silverware, and finally Audrey slowly laid out the food, feeling like she should help.
Animals scurried out from the forest, surrounding their blanket and watching them, but for once the princesses paid them no mind, not even Audrey. She stared down at her goblet of sparkling grape juice.
"The best way to show everyone you've changed is simply by your attitude. Apologizing is good, but you want people to know you're genuine," Anxelin said. "Apologize to Mal and anybody else you bothered, then keep your good attitude,"
"It'll be hard." Audrey said softly. "I think I could, but it'll be hard,"
"Who said it'll be easy? But you have to keep doing it, for yourself! And everyone else!" Ruby took her hands and offered her a cheerful smile.
"Simple dresses look good on you two,"
"Same for you!"
After the girls ate, Audrey agreed to wander around the forest more, though she still pretended to look for wildflowers. They reached a small stream and the girls walked across a fallen tree, holding out their arms for balance.
"You know what? Forget the tree!" Ruby jumped into the water with a happy gasp, unafraid because it only came up to her ankles. "Let's take our shoes off and wade around!"
"Don't have to tell me twice," Anxelin grinned in approval, tossing them onto the banks and splashing around.
Audrey normally never wore shoes when visiting the cottage, so she very slowly dipped her own toes in, standing up once she felt more comfortable. The water was cool and lapped at her ankles pleasantly.
Ruby grabbed a handful of water into her palms and threw it above her, letting it rain down on her. Anxelin giggled and splashed her, dousing her dress, and got rewarded with a squeal and splash of her own.
"A princess would never do something like that!" Audrey protested. "She'd be poised and walk across the tree,"
"But my mother did it. She's a true princess, she was just so excited to finally see the world for the first time in her life," Ruby said softly.
"Being a princess isn't just about manners, it's about treating others and yourself with kindness," Anxelin put her hands on her hips. "That's why we can be true princesses in spite of everything, same for someone like Anya."
Audrey stared at her reflection in the water, running her hands through her curls. Even now, they were her pride and joy. She thought of the images of her mother, regal and queenly, nobody ever thinking that her life had been spent in a cottage with animals and fairies in the forest. What was it like for her?
She took her hand and splashed a small wave onto the twins, making them giggle.
"You're getting it!" Ruby cheered. She kicked her feet up and jumped, splashing the others with a huge wave. Audrey laughed before she caught herself and splashed them again. The girls ran down the length of the stream, splashing each other and completely forgetting their shoes.
"What a beautiful view," Anxelin gasped after they had calmed down. They reached another clearing, this one near the end of a cliff, and far off in the distance was a grand castle. "Yours?"
"Yes," From so far away, Audrey couldn't really even recognize it as her own and instead saw it as a generic castle in the distance. Right now, she was essentially a peasant girl. "Lady Mother might've come out here every day and just stood here to soak up the view...never knowing where she truly belonged. But sometimes I wonder if it's what she wanted,"
"Huh?" Ruby asked curiously.
"Nothing." Audrey refused to elaborate, stepping away. She didn't want to get so sentimental, not yet anyway. She never wondered that of her mother before, if she was actually happy as a princess or missed her simple life, but now she was. Today was fun and relaxed, and Audrey thought she would miss it too if she was to return to school the next day and never return here.
"Either way, let's start heading back," Ruby stuffed their basket full of wildflowers and walked ahead, wondering if Queen Aurora would be pleased with what they brought her.
"We were gone for so long," Audrey noticed.
Anxelin looked up at the evening sun before she burped loudly. "Too much sparkling cranberry juice!" She laughed before burping again.
"This is what I mean! If your parents were less eccentric, you would be more proper! That's gross!" Audrey blurted out before she could catch herself. She covered her mouth.
"They're eccentric, and proud of it. This is what I mean. You can be annoyed without being rude," Anxelin scolded. "It's due to my upbringing, I can admit, but so is yours!"
Audrey was silent for a minute before she finally sighed and tried to smile. "I am sorry for having an outburst, it won't happen again."
"And I'm sorry I forgot myself there." Anxelin said. "I'm so used to hanging out with other non-conventional people that I can forget my manners,"
"But you're still the burping champion back home!" Ruby laughed.
The three girls arrived back at the cottage, Ruby running over to the adults despite her heavy basket.
"Did you have fun?" Eugene asked sincerely.
"Yeah! The food was great and look at all our wildflowers!" She opened the basket to show them off.
"Oh my! Mind if I take a few to make paints out of? They're just so vibrant!" Rapunzel asked eagerly.
"Sure," Aurora smiled at her. "And how was your day?"
Audrey wanted to have her normal feigned politeness, saying something simple and nice to make everyone happy, but she was working on that. She knew her mother wanted the truth. "Fun, honestly. I liked the food and we splashed each other in a river. I saw the view of our castle from far away! And...Anxelin was a bit vulgar and I yelled at her."
Aurora nodded.
"Sounds like an exciting day!" Phillip smiled at her.
"Do you...miss this life? Genuinely. Was there a time when you never wanted to become a princess and just stay here forever?" Audrey told herself she wouldn't think about it again, but seeing her mother popped the question back into her mind. Aurora looked shocked for a moment.
"Yes." She replied bluntly. "My life up to that point was nothing but this cottage. Simple and rustic. I met a man I loved with all my life and was determined to marry him no matter what. I was going to have a simple but nice birthday party...and my present was being told I was a hidden princess and was to return to the kingdom immediately. I couldn't even tell the man I loved goodbye. The moment we got there, I cried heavily at my dresser. Even after Phillip woke me up and I knew we were destined, I struggled. Palace life was not for me. It's why I thought Mother would be a good teacher for you about court matters. I'm older now and I see I should've helped you more, and now that you're older I hope you realize why this cottage is so important to me."
Audrey blinked as she sat there. Truly, she couldn't picture her proud mother ever being unsure or upset, let alone seriously crying. The stories always left that part out and made her be a fair maiden who did everything dutifully and got rewarded in the end. No emotion or humanity.
"Can I really change as a person? The twins believe so, but I'm a princess! They don't change. I've hurt so many, I can admit it. Does anyone even like me or want to see me change?" She asked after a while.
"Some might not, but most will. You just have to try and show you're serious," Phillip answered.
"The twins said the same thing,"
"Then they're onto something."
Audrey looked away. It would be hard, but she wanted to, needed to change. Mal's words stung and she wanted to put them to rest. She just had to start being nicer to everyone. True kindness, not faked politeness or soft words meant to please everyone, the things she was taught by her grandmother.
She hoped her mother would teach her enough to replace all that in the coming days.
Chapter 14: .14
Summary:
Megan and Herkie go back home to rest from school. Lilo and her group skip school to have fun. Hiro has some thoughts on the Parr family.
Chapter Text
"You know we're home when you can count how many steady potholes we hit," Megan commented as her and Herkie jumped out of the carriage, Megan shading her eyes to take in everything. "You'd think they'd have fixed that by now,"
"They don't call Thebes the City of Problems for no reason!" Herkie laughed.
"Yeah, but surely Dad did something about it?"
"Even for someone with godlike strength, I imagine it's hard to keep up," He took out his phone. "Hold on, let me take a picture of you by that statue!"
Megan wandered over and posed with her hands on her hips, smirking next to the statue of Dionysus. Herkie tilted his phone every way until he frowned.
"Uh, I don't think we get service here,"'
"What?! Let me see that!" Megan pulled out her own phone and tried to look up something on the Internet before she groaned. "You're right! For all the cool stuff we get from Auradon City, you'd think they'd warm up to the idea of the Internet!"
"I can't take my after-workout Selfies," Herkie sighed.
"I can't take any Selfies in general!" She added.
The two grumbled over the loss of technology for a few minutes before they finally gathered themselves up, grabbed their bags, and raced through the city to their grandparents' house, unable to miss it because of the giant addition on the back despite being in the countryside.
"Grandmom! Grandpa!" Herkie announced as he walked in. "We're back from school!"
"Already? It's time for break?" Their grandmom asked nicely.
"No, we're just bored with school and it's crazy there and we want some relaxation," Megan said. "Do you mind?"
"Of course not! We love you kids!" Their grandpa laughed.
"What's going on at the school? Are they still upset over that whole Family Day fiasco?" Megara asked, wandering into the room. "Seriously, you'd think the children of royals would have better things on their mind,"
"You'd think," Megan huffed.
"It brought you two here, and you know what that means?! More training!" Hercules hugged Herkie and Megan at once, easily scooping the two teens into his arms. "How's school? Oh, don't tell me. You're on all the sports teams, aren't you?" He addressed Herkie, who nodded.
"Yup!" He flexed. "My speed and strength really come in handy! My favourite is probably Tourney though. And basketball!"
"And you?" Meg sat Megan down. "Those two will talk for hours on athletics, so tell me about something more interesting,"
"Boys keep hitting on me. I don't see why they don't stop. I get they mean no harm, but it's annoying to constantly tell them I'm not into boys," Megan adjusted her ponytail, retying it high on top of her head.
Meg rolled her eyes in disgust. "What have I told you about men? They think no means yes and-"
"'Get lost' means 'take me I'm yours!' Yeah, I remember," Megan finished for her mom.
She smirked. "I taught you well, I see. How about school?"
"Good. I'm on the basketball team, and I also sing in choir. My favourite songs to do are gospel tracks,"
"Any friends?"
Megan silenced at that, just looking at Meg.
"Megan?"
"I don't need friends. Most of the girls there are perfect pink princesses with shallow heads."
"But sis, you love pink too! And magenta!" Herkie butted in with a surprised gasp.
"So? It doesn't mean anything. I might like those colours, but I'm definitely not shallow or vain."
"Okay, how is choir?" Meg asked instead, thinking she'd get an answer.
"Good. There's not very many people in it which is weird, but whatever. Mostly tons of those princess types like I said. There's one girl Frederique I think or something. She's a VK so I don't go near her but at least she's not stuck-up."
"Dinner!" Alcmene announced, and everyone sat down to it.
"Uh, forgive me if I'm intruding on something personal, but how was Family Day? You two came home very early and I thought you planned to spend a week there." Amphitryon said.
"Nonsense." Meg said. "People having debates and disagreements and whatnot over families. Or so I hear. When it was going down, we were in the gym and got rounded up to attend a meeting with the Headmistress purely because we were adults."
"We didn't say anything and just left. We thought it wasn't our place," Hercules said quickly.
"But now we're together so it's okay!" Herkie smiled.
"Indeed!" Alcmene smiled back.
"It's why I invited them to Thebes and not Mount Olympus. I love my godly parents, but they need some rustic scenery in them too," Hercules continued.
"You flatter us, boy!" Amphitryon laughed.
Megan just smiled, infected by the good cheer.
###
That night, Megan was woken up by Herkie shaking her. "Hm? What? This better be important,"
"Let's sneak out on Dad's Pegasus! We could see the city so much better!" He spoke.
"No." Megan declined flatly. "Pegasus only likes people with godly blood, remember? All of them are like that."
"And our grandparents are Hera and Zeus! What's more godly than that!?" Herkie was already out the door, making her sigh and throw on a sheer wrap and do her hair in a hurry, racing after him. That was Herkie for you, determined to do whatever he wished without any actual sense. She bet that's why her parents had her, because someone needed to keep an eye on Herkie.
She followed Herkie outside and watched him whistle for Pegasus, doing his favoured bird call. "Come here, Pegasus! Come here, boy!"
Much to Megan's surprise, Pegasus did swoop down, mimicking the call and dancing in place.
"Good boy!" He patted his snout. "Let Sis and I ride you real quick? Okay? Just around the city!" He jumped onto Pegasus' back and gently pulled Megan up too, sitting her behind him.
"This is a bad idea," Megan said, just as Pegasus reared up and took to the skies, zooming through the clouds at a fast speed.
"Maybe you're right...I can't even see anything!" Herkie gasped, tightly grabbing Pegasus' mane. Megan screamed as the wind whooshed past her. She buried her face in Herkie's back.
Pegasus just snickered and flipped himself upside-down, spinning around and doing several dives. The siblings gripped each other tighter, screaming. Pegasus snickered more and remained upside-down, throwing the pair off into a marble fountain.
"Ugh...never again," Megan groaned, clutching her stomach. Somewhere, during the ride, her wrap had been lost, and her hair got undone.
"Yeah...that was not fun," Herkie was pale and woozy, stumbling around. The two trudged out of the fountain, groaning over their soaked hair and clothing. "But who tells Dad?"
"Nobody." Megan wrung out her hair. Pegasus had flown off, finding a flock of birds to chase after. "Pegasus probably won't tell him, but we're definitely not going to either."
Herkie nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan!" He then looked around the city. "But how do we get home?"
"Walk I guess," Megan sighed. "Walk that whole distance..."
"We have to hurry back before they wake up!" Herkie raced past her, making her gasp.
"Hey! Come back here! That's not fair!"
###
The next morning, their grandmom and grandpa decided to take the siblings out to make their own pottery at a local place at the market, which both of them perked up at.
"That's a true Greek tradition you can't go wrong with," Megan said. "I can't believe our school doesn't have a class for it,"
"Me neither!" Herkie said. The two ate lightly and dressed before they joined their grandparents outside, eager to get going. Hercules and Meg opted to stay inside that day, not needing anything from the market. The siblings walked beside their grandparents, staying by the cart, until they approached the market and Megan ran ahead.
"It's so busy!" She said in amazement. The shops were open-aired and arranged in a circle, with shoppers bustling around. Some teenagers were running through the square, playing discus. "Where's the pottery shop?"
"Up there," Alcmene pointed it out and they walked inside, finding a man cleaning some of his wares.
"Greetings to you, what brings you here today? Anything catch your eye?" He asked politely.
"We're looking to have the kids make their own vase," Amphitryon said. The man nodded.
"Of course! It's a bit cramped in here, but we still have the tables set out..." He led Megan and Herkie to a long table in the middle of the shop, surrounded on all sides by shelves filled to the brim with pottery. They sat across from each other and got wet clay slapped down in front of themselves messily. "I have a few templates available if you need them!"
Megan began to work on hers, slowly shaping it into a vase. Herkie got a look of sheer concentration on his face as he worked, smoothing out the cracks in the clay. The two were quiet for a bit until Herkie finally grinned over his project.
"Done!" He motioned to it.
"The heck is that supposed to be?"
"One of those vases with a super huge top but thin bottom,"
"It looks like a plate," She deadpanned.
"Oh," Herkie looked at it. "I could still paint something on it,"
Megan etched out a simple scene from the stories she remembered, drawing a scene of Persephone happily sitting in a field of flowers, so flowery herself she almost blended in. She spun the vase around a few times as she did so, shaping the handles and making sure she was satisfied with it. Herkie had already tossed his into the kiln and raced off to play with the boys.
"That brother of yours...he's not an actual troublemaker, but trouble still follows him," The man shook his head.
"Yeah. That's what happens when you inherit Dad's big heart and clumsiness and powers," She motioned to her vase. "I'm ready for this to be fired up,"
"Okay, just come back in half an hour, it'll be ready,"
Megan nodded and wandered through the market, seeing her grandparents buying food. Most of the shops were for weapons or armor or decorations, though she did stop at a shoe store selling an eye-catching pair of violet flats.
"You like? Shipped straight from Auradon City." The shopkeeper bragged. "Most of them are boring sandals, but these are unique,"
"I want them. How much?" Megan asked instantly.
"Hmmm...10,000 Drachma."
Her jaw dropped, unused to the exchange rate. "That much for shoes?!"
"Shoes from Auradon City, the capital! And they're the only pair,"
Megan knew that was a lie, everyone in the capital wore shoes like that, and she knew that there they would be less expensive too. On the other hand, though, she didn't want to wait to get some at school, she wanted them right then and there.
"Fine," She forked over the money and held the shoes close to her chest, wrapping them up in her shawl.
"Look out!" Herkie cried as the discus sailed over her head and slammed into the display, knocking over several pairs. "Uh, sorry!" He winced and picked the discus up.
Megan just shook her head and took her vase when it was ready, wincing at how heavy it was. She handed it off to Herkie when they met back up with their grandparents.
"How was the day?" Amphitryon asked nicely.
"Fun! Except for the fact I kept knocking stuff over by accident. And I messed up on my vase. It turned into a plate," Herkie winced again.
"Just like your old man!"
"I bought a nice pair of shoes, and look at my vase!" Megan said. "I'm going to use it to decorate my dorm at school," Her dormmates might complain, but she really couldn't care less. Part of it was her room too and thus she could do whatever she wished with it. It wasn't taking up that much room.
###
Lilo was saddened that most of her classes had been generic study periods over the past week or so. She knew the teachers were trying their best despite the awkward aura but come on! Somebody talk to somebody already! The only fun she was having was with her swim team, even though she found Coach Shelly to be unbothered and childishly cruel at the best of times.
She sat with her friends during Magical History, paying attention but also swapping notes with them, glad the class was one of the few that wasn't segregated by year but rather just offered in different time slots.
"Now we get to a more modern period of our lessons. Most make the argument that magic no longer exists in some form due to many people being unable to channel it, but that is nonsense I say! A key moment on our lesson today is the power of transfiguration and transformation, one of the most common and powerful that takes on many forms. The most famous example is of course the magic that Cinderella's Fairy Godmother used to create her ball gown and shoes, but there are several other types," Mister Merlin explained. "But I've been doing all the talking up here! Does anyone have any good examples of their own?" He scanned the room once several students put their hands up eagerly. "Yes, you!"
"The magic that Aunt Ariel and Melody used to become mermaids and humans and whatever else!" Arabella answered.
"Correct!"
"Because of her story, many other merpeople and humans wished to see each other's worlds. So Grandfather found a way to recreate the magic used to grant both groups their wishes! It also makes my life far more comfortable, as both of my parents are merpeople..."
"I can't believe there's still people who are confused about that," Melody said. "I can obviously walk; do I look like I have a tail to you?!"
Arabella laughed. "Your dream to become a mermaid is so tied to you though,"
Melody returned to her notes, tapping her pencil against her notebook.
"Anyone else?" Mister Merlin scanned the room again and pointed to someone random. "You!"
"Um, The Blue Fairy with Pinocchio?" Pacha guessed. "She literally transformed him into a real boy, so does that count?"
"Yes, actually! It's not the sort of thing we usually think of when it comes to that type of magic, but it counts and is another important example." He nodded in approval. "The first time, she brought Pinocchio to life but he was a puppet. Once he sacrificed himself, that's when he became a real boy. Transformation."
"Wow, I got that right?! Well, I guess I always had it in me," Pacha grinned.
"I don't know if I would've gotten it right," Lonnie admitted, sitting next to him. "I come from a realm with no magic, so sometimes I can't keep the facts straight,"' She ran her hands through her hair, never tiring of that activity.
"What Dad's old advisor did wasn't magic, that's for sure. It was science, she just made it look like magic. But it was still transformations," he said. "So I get it. I like it that way though. Magic is unpredictable,"
"I think that's a good place to stop for now. You all can just talk amongst yourselves," Mister Merlin adjusted his hat and went back to his desk, making the others talk and close their notebooks.
"I honestly feel so bad for everyone!" Arabella sighed. "With all that's happened,"
"Same! But do the teachers have to be so awkward too?! I miss actual classes!" Lilo complained.
"Hey, we don't even get homework anymore! That's a good thing, right?" Mike tried to soothe her.
"You know what? Let's skip the rest of school and go to the community pool. They just installed a wave pool I want to try,"
"Skipping classes?! Is that a good idea?!" Arabella asked.
"Why not? Lilo's right, most of our classes right now are just study periods, we won't be missing anything," Melody said. "I'm ready when you are!"
"Great! We take our lunch with us!" Lilo decided. The group made no attempt to keep their voices down, yet somehow Mister Merlin didn't hear them or didn't seem to care.
Unlike Melody, Lilo didn't actually wear her swimsuit under her clothes, so once that class let out, she headed back to her dorm to change, putting on a solid green one-piece and tying her hair into a low ponytail. She thought about grabbing her board, just briefly, but then decided against it. It wasn't the beach, just the pool! She did grab her camera though, wearing it around her neck, then slipped her clothes back on and headed out to meet her friends.
"Let's go!" She cheered, and her friends followed her on the bus to the community pool. As she got off the bus though, she was aware of someone staring intensely at her. "Huh?"
"What happened?" Arabella asked nervously, wondering why Lilo stopped.
"Come out! I know you're watching us!" She waved her hands around in a threatening manner, and eventually a tall but lanky girl walked out of the bushes, dressed entirely in grey.
"Who are you, strange girl? Stranger! We've never seen you before," Ally questioned.
"She was at Family Day!" Melody said. "The one who ripped her veil off!"
"Claudine." Claudine said firmly. "Claudine Frollo. I'm sorry to be so direct but I couldn't think of who else to turn to. Even though I am far older and your elder, I want to...dance. Have fun. You five have so much fun, I'm jealous. Show me!"
"But won't your dad be mad at us if we did?" Arabella asked.
"He can't reach me here." Claudine said firmly. "I don't want to be scared. I don't want to live my life for him, I want to live it for my mother!" She clutched her Rosary. "He can never take back the words he said to me, but I can make them meaningless,"
"I like your determination!" Lilo decided. "You came to the right place! Problem is, we're going swimming, and I don't think you're up for that,"
"Hey, why don't Ally and I take her out somewhere? We're bad at swimming anyway, and you three get to enjoy the pool," Mike suggested.
"I see nothing wrong with that!"
Claudine nodded.
"Then it's settled. Let's go!" Mike and Ally gently led Claudine off into the downtown area while the other three waved them off, heading to the community pool. The three paid their way in and changed in the locker room, emerging in their swimsuits. Arabella had a magenta one-piece that had a frilled skirt attached and frills around her neck as well, while Melody wore a white bikini top and bottom with non-descript green gym shorts on top. She also kept her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"Last one in is a rotten egg!" Lilo headed over to the diving board, doing a few jumps before she jumped in gracefully, smiling. Arabella did a backflip that made her skirt fan out, and Melody spun around in the air. Once they came up, they laughed at each other and swam over to the shallow end, their tails visible under the water. "I just wish this was the beach, then we could surf,"
"I always thought surfing was more your sister's thing," Melody said.
"Yeah, but I like it too! It's fun!" Lilo noticed a play area for younger kids and waded over there, spinning around under a fountain showering water onto her. "Too bad you guys can't try this, because you can't stand up!"
"How rude!" Arabella gasped in mock offense, putting her hands on her hips. Melody snickered and shot her cousin a look, then the two dove underwater. Lilo remained under the shower, oblivious until she spotted Arabella's tail and tried to run away from her.
"Got ya!" Melody and Arabella shouted at the same time, grabbing Lilo's legs and pulling her under the water. They then let go, allowing her to float to the surface.
"How unfair!" Lilo quipped back at them, making the three girls giggle.
"Is there anybody here you want to take pictures of?" Arabella asked.
"Hmmm...." Lilo looked around, swimming to different areas of the pool. Not very many were there due to the cooler weather, and the few that were seemed to be nondescript families. "No...they're all normal,"
"Darn," Melody teased.
"Too bad there's no waterslide here or something, I'd love to go down it," Arabella pulled herself up and sat on the ledge of the pool, dipping her tail into the water. "They're fun and not as cumbersome with my tail."
"But you still can't get back out," Lilo reminded her teasingly, getting splashed by her friend's green tail.
"Oh shush!"
Melody dove back underwater and snuck up behind Lilo again, dunking her under the water. "Got you again!"
Lilo just laughed and managed to swim away from her, ducking her head underwater to deter her.
The three girls swam around and splashed each other for several hours before Melody suddenly grew tired and pulled herself out of the pool, rubbing her forehead.
"I think I lost my hair tie!" Lilo gasped, grabbing her hair.
"That's why you cut your hair. I never have to worry!" Arabella boasted.
"But who's ever seen a short-haired mermaid? Her strands can't flow through the water," Melody teased.
"Can we get something to eat? Like crab? I'm hungry,"
"I'm not," Melody slowly stood up and took a few steps once her legs returned, trying to keep herself steady. "Honestly, today was fun but I want to go home."
Lilo thought it was still early in the day and there was still plenty of stuff they could do but hauled herself out of the water in agreement anyway.
"Today was fun!" Arabella echoed. "We should do it again, but next time invite even more people!" Once her legs returned, she ran over to the concession area, her skirt flying behind her.
Melody sat down on a beach chair and played with her ponytail.
"Mermaids eat crabs?" Lilo finally asked, making Melody burst out in laughter.
"Don't you eat livestock? It's like that. We raise special seafood for that purpose."
"I just eat whatever. Except alien food. Tried it once but that was somehow the one thing that didn't agree with me,"
"And yet you put spicy pepperoni and ice cream in your oatmeal!"
The two girls laughed.
"What?!" Arabella asked in horror, holding a small cup of shrimp. Her face just sent the two spiraling into even more giggles.
###
Meanwhile, Mike and Ally treated Claudine with care and took her to the town square which was bustling. She eyed the stone sidewalk and carefree animals and looked back at the two, helpless.
"You've never danced before?" Mike guessed.
"No, but I have watched." She said. "My city has festivals, especially in the weeks leading up to Lent. The whole square comes alive with music and colour and dancing...it's amazing. I've never participated but I'd watch from my high tower. My mother would be down there, amazing everyone with her magic tricks,"
"It sounds positively amazing!" Ally praised.
"I don't know if I could dance here though."
Mike looked around the square, seeing people walk past with no hurry. He took out his phone and scrolled through it, finding a playlist of upbeat folk music to dance to. He placed it on a random bench and held Ally's hands. "We just have to get everyone going!" He tapped his feet and swayed her to the rhythm, starting slow. Claudine just sat on the bench, watching them.
"You know I trip over my feet," Ally said, but Mike spun her around.
"That stuff doesn't matter in country dances!" He grinned and they twirled around more. Some people stopped and watched in interest, a few joining in. Others took out instruments they had on them and began playing.
"Whoo! Now we're getting it!" Mike cheered and widened the circle to grab the hands of more people, stepping in place. Ally kept her steps slow, getting swept up in another crowd.
Claudine toyed with her crucifix, pulling some objects out of her dress folds. One was the crescent necklace she got months ago, and the other was a sheer purple scarf patterned with astronomical shapes. She gulped as she begun to slip the necklace around her neck, letting it entangle with her cross. She frowned and pocketed the crucifix instead, telling herself God would still love her.
The music picked up to a faster pace and the crowd clapped and cheered in response. Mike spun in and out of different groups, tapping his feet on the ground. Ally was picked up and twirled around in the air, dipping down low to the ground. She joined hands with Mike again and the two spun each other around, hooking their arms up.
Claudine jumped in at that point, tripping because she went slow to try and memorize the moves.
"You can do it!" Mike cheered her on. Ally offered her a reassuring smile. Claudine took a deep breath and spun around, allowing strangers to take her hands gently and dance her through the circle.
"I am. I'm doing it!" She gasped in awe as she clapped her hands to the beat, kicking her knees up. She smiled genuinely and grabbed other people to join the circle, spinning around with them. A few times she got to dance with either Mike or Ally or even both again, smiling at them.
When the song ended, everyone posed with their hands in the air, gasping and sweaty but smiling happily. They went along their own ways after that. Claudine collapsed on a bench in exhaustion.
"How was it?" Mike asked.
"Fast." Claudine slowly removed her habit and let her curls fall down her back. "For once, I felt connected to my mother." She retied her hair up with the scarf, fingering her necklace. "Father would say I look like my harlot mother, or even worse words. But I think I look...nice." She struggled with the word.
"Yes, you look positively wonderland-iful! And better for it!" Ally praised her.
###
Hiro was loving his time in Zena so far. While he wasn't much of a social type, he did make a few friends, most notably a cheerful girl named Riley who was super into hockey. He decorated his room and even got along well with the Parrs, who were the most normal family he could ever hope for. Well, he thought, anyway.
Sometimes all of them were late getting home from work and school and sometimes didn't arrive home at all, leaving a note explaining to Hiro what to do for dinner. He'd hear Mr. and Mrs. Parr whispering in the hallways at night sometimes, talking about how 'he has to know' 'he can't know' and he never knew what they meant. He didn't think they were doing anything bad, but he didn't understand the secrecy.
He had a secret of his own though.
Sometimes he'd hear on the news about some trouble brewing and he'd sneak away and put on his outfit, suit up Baymax, and fly off on him to deal with the troublemaker. It never took him very long and he couldn't do much without the rest of the team, but he knew he still had to keep it secret. The Parrs were a normal family who provided for him like he was their own. Superheroes were a foreign concept to them, much like San Fransokyo was the only place in Auradon that had them. He couldn't risk them finding out. Luckily he had Baymax to take care of any injuries he sustained during his fights.
"How's school?" Mrs. Parr asked one particular evening, looking over everyone.
"It's going good. I mean, university is boring overall so I don't have much to say," Violet answered. She wore a green headband to keep her hair out of her eyes.
"I get it. It's just high school but nothing fascinating happens. Except for science. Right now we're doing a robotics unit and I'm so excited! I'm going to make a prototype that analyzes your cravings and gets you something from the fridge," Hiro gushed.
"You think robots are cool?" Dash asked. "I guess they can be, but sometimes we have to fight against-"
Mrs. Parr loudly cleared her throat.
"Sounds like you've settled in well at school," Mr. Parr said. "That's great news. I know how tough it can be to completely uproot and start a new life, even if it's only for a little bit, so I'm happy to hear it,"
"Yeah. Back home I wasn't very popular in school. My friends were just the friends of my older brother. And they're nice and all, but they're so much older than me..they have their own lives," Hiro said. "The only thing we really have in common is s-science. Yeah, they're all scientists in their own ways,"
Violet stabbed at her food.
"I know it's not my business, but where do you guys go most nights? You guys do family game nights or something?"
"Yeah, game nights. We go to the bowling alley," Mr. Parr responded. "Trust me, it's nothing you'd be interested in,"
"I mean, I've never been bowling before, so I wouldn't mind coming once,"
"Bowling! I wanna bowl!" Jack-Jack announced from his high chair. "Bowl with monsters!"
"Huh?"
"It's a movie he saw," Violet said, still moving her food around on her plate.
"I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going to bed," Hiro bowed his head and they sent him off, though Hiro shut his door silently. "I don't know why, I just get the feeling they're hiding something from me...and I'm hiding something from them. But how would they handle knowing I'm a superhero?" He looked up at Baymax.
"You. Should. Tell. Them. The. Truth." Baymax said. "Keeping. A. Lie. Will. Only. Lead. To. Guilt. Which. Can. Affect. Sleeping. And. Eating. Patterns."
"I know! But being a superhero, it's a huge thing to just suddenly spring onto someone!" He looked out the window instead. "Next time. Next time I go out to fight crime, I will tell them," He looked back at Baymax. "I just wish the others could be here, they'd know what to do,"
"Platonic. Friendship. Is. Very. Important." Baymax agreed. He flashed Hiro a picture on his belly of the whole team together, posed for a photo in silly ways. As usual, Hiro was in the middle, Honey Lemon hugging him teasingly.
"I hope they're all doing okay back home,"
Chapter 15: .15
Summary:
Chad receives a wake-up call of his own and wonders if he too, can change.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The atmosphere at school seemed different when Audrey came back from her break, and everyone could feel it. Classes were somewhat back to normal and Audrey actively went out of her way to help everyone in a saccharine sweet way. Most gave her weird or suspicious stares, while others were just scared of her. She apologized to those she insulted in the past, but she kept her distance from Mal. Mal found she really couldn't blame her. There was baggage there she knew neither one was willing to unpack yet, but it'd come sooner or later. Honestly, seeing Audrey so perfectly nice was amusing to Mal. It seemed so fake and like something out of a book.
After class, she headed to the hideout behind the stage, remembering her duty to her other group. It twisted her stomach to work with them, but she did really long for some light mischief. No matter how much she changed, that'd remain the same.
"Mal!" Mad Maddy flashed her a grin. "Our lady of the hour! We were so afraid you flaked out on us!"
"Wouldn't dream of it," Mal smiled.
"Did you hear the good news? The Tourney game is next week!"
"Loud noise and too much energy," Ginny grumbled.
"I thought they postponed it?" Laurie asked softly. "Because of...you know."
"They did, but they bumped it back up to boost morale or something sappy and stupid like that. Oh, we can boost morale alright!" Mad Maddy laughed, spinning around the wand.
"Are we going to do anything juvenile or disgusting? If so I want no part in it." Hannah sniffed.
"We do whatever Mal says,"
Everyone looked to her for advice, and Mal thought on it. "Well, the wand does temp spells stuff, right? Which means nothing huge anyway. Why don't we use it to wreak havoc at the game? Ruin their clothes and hair, dump bugs and frogs on them, make them fight, stuff like that,"
"And this is why you're my best gal. You have the best ideas," Mad Maddy nodded in approval. "Everyone gets their chance with the wand for ten minutes during the game. Don't mess with the other team, just our own. Or do. I don't care."
"I'm sorry, but what kind of plan is this?" Anthony sneered. "It's pointless and juvenile."
"That's the fun of it!" She cackled.
"We can't show our whole hand at the start. If we're going to succeed, we need to start slow and sow panic everywhere," Lucille sighed, covering her face.
Mal just smiled stiffly as the others talked around her. Even though she was excited by the plan, she hated it had to be with this particular group, this group who won't reform for one reason or another. She stared at her palm and lit a small fire in it, her favourite trick to do as a kid. She thought of Maleficent.
Who was she even doing anything for? Herself? Definitely not her mother. Not the group too. Her friends, certainly not.
She stifled the flame.
###
Jay ran his laps harder that day, wanting to block out his thoughts and keep focused for their game that afternoon. It was their first official one of the year, so he didn't want to let anyone down.
"He's a beast even while running!" Brendan whistled.
"Everyone come over here!" Their coach announced and everyone hurried over. "Alright, first official game of the year! Hope you all are excited! Are you?!"
"Yeah!" The team yelled back. "We're excited!"
"Darn right you are! Go Knights!" Coach Maui smiled proudly at them. Most who knew his story wouldn't even recognize him then with his hair pulled out of the way and his muscles and tattoos hidden by a standard blue jersey and shorts, but there was no mistaking his energy.
"First game! I'm nervous," William admitted as they headed to the locker room.
Jay stared over at Aziz as the others talked around them, trying to figure out what was going through his mind. Instead of talking, he stared down at something on his phone, engrossed in whatever it was.
"Nerves, whatever! We're the best team in Auradon, we can beat whoever it is into next Thursday!" Chad boasted.
"We are the only team in Auradon." Li reminded him. "Well, only one that belongs to a major school at any rate."
"Again, whatever! We got this in the bag!"
"I'm nervous too!" Akio chimed in, rapidly eating from a bag of chips. Li tsked at him.
"It's a bad idea to eat before a game!" Herkie gasped innocently. "Otherwise you'll hurl all over the field!"
"I don't get sick,"
Jay toned out the rest of the conversations and marched up to Aziz, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around. "I can't take this silence from you anymore. Tell me! You can't stand the fact we're half-brothers, can you?"
"What?" Aziz blinked in genuine confusion.
"You've been avoiding me ever since Family Day. Ever since...Jafar said that,"
Aziz shifted uncomfortably. "Hey, I like how you're reaching out, but could we maybe talk about this after the game? Just to keep our minds clear." He tried to smile, but Jay shook his head.
"No. We're doing it right here. We have the time." He was fully aware of the other boys staring at them in interest, but he couldn't care less. They weren't occupying the same space as him at that point.
"Fine! I admit it, I was weirded-out!" Aziz admitted as he began to change. "Not because you're Jafar's son, but because...that happened. We share a mom. And it's weird to think we're so close because of that. I guess deep down, somehow, we knew,"
Jay waited.
"I was avoiding you as I tried to figure out my thoughts on the matter, and mine are... we're still brothers Jay. Adopted or blood, doesn't matter. Thick as thieves," Aziz slipped on his jersey and squeezed Jay's shoulder.
"Yeah, uh, thanks," He punched Aziz back, unsure of what to say. "Guess I'm glad you don't hate me, and I didn't do anything wrong,"
"You didn't! I was just being petty,"
The team changed into their uniforms and safety gear, cheering one final time before they headed out into the field. Some students had arrived early and sat in the bleachers, and the cheerleaders were going over their routine.
"Who are we playing?" William asked.
"Atlantica Mermen." Jay noticed on the scoreboard, shrugging. "Don't know anything about them though,"
"Just pass everything to me! If we don't know who we're even playing against, it's sure to be stacked in our favour!" Chad said.
"Sure...if it's your turn to catch." Aziz teased. Chad glared at him while the others laughed.
"Go Knights! Go Knights! Go Auradon Prep! Whoo!" The cheerleaders shouted. Audrey put her hands on her hips and assessed every member, making sure they were in-sync. Arabella was in the front due to her long legs and powerful kick, and Ruby was in the back to minimize the risk of her hair being stepped on. Most of the others were non-descript civilians from around the various realms, but Audrey remembered the names of everyone.
"Yo babe!" Chad strode over with a grin. "Excited for our first game?"
"Sure," Audrey nodded, distracted. "Mei-Mei! Bring your arms in more! Otherwise you'll smack others in the face!"
"Want to give me a kiss for good luck?" He studied her. "How was your time with your folks?"
"Informative." Audrey said. "We can talk after the game, I promise. Why don't you go back to your team and give them some pep talk? It's what Captains are meant to do after all,"
"That's what the coach is for! I'm just there to look good," Chad flashed her another grin. "I'll win this game for them, easy."
"Okay." Audrey offered him a smile but turned her attention back to the cheerleaders. "Aura, Nichola, fix your stances! You're part of the pyramid! Nichola, tie your shoes again before they fly off!"
Chad just stared at the cheerleaders, watching them move. He wanted to keep talking to Audrey and perhaps even get a kiss from her, but even he wasn't dumb enough to think bothering her constantly would work. He walked back over to the Tourney team, who were all disorganized.
Miguel stared at concert videos on his phone. William's eyes followed the cheerleaders, hearts in his eyes. Miguel, Li, and Tyrone were trying to run through possible plays they could try. Emir was reading a book on a bench. Akio somehow snuck a can of spray cheese onto the field and was spraying it directly into his mouth. Herkie was stretching. Aziz and Jay were running laps with each other, while Brendan did jumping jacks. None of them had any structure or order.
He was their team captain! He was the one who had to get them organized! He grinned to himself and clapped his hands.
"Gentlemen! Let's start thinking about what strategies we have!" He said.
"Oh, sure." Li motioned him over to the paper they were using. "Most of these we've practiced, but there's a few surprise tricks I want to run by you..."
"Come on, you guys should join in too!" Chad tried to coax the others.
"I still have to warm up," Brendan declined, running off.
"'Gentlemen'? Why so formal?" Jay teased as he walked over.
"Well, almost all of us are nobles, even princes, minus you, so it seems right!" Chad said.
Jay frowned at being singled out like that and looked at Aziz, who shrugged. Illegitimate son of the Sultana had to count for something, right? And most of them were just random civilians. Aziz and Chad were the only princes on the team, and he assumed Brendan and William had noble blood too because of how they carried themselves, but the others were civilians.
"Look, forget the overly-complex plan. It's like I said earlier, just keep throwing me the ball and we'll win. We're up against mermen, how good could they even be on land?" Chad said.
"My dad says in the olden days the gods used to compete in this game. They'd win against the mortals every time!" Herkie chimed in. "Those games might've been something to watch."
"Yeah, wish we had some godly strength on our side." He looked at each of the players. "Miguel! William! Go get our equipment!"
"I'm Tyrone," He frowned as William ran off to go do that.
Chad frowned back. "I knew that! I was just testing you, you know?"
Tyrone just gave him a doubtful look. Okay, so maybe he couldn't really tell anyone outside from Aziz and Jay apart, but did it really matter? In the heat of the moment, you didn't need to know names, just numbers.
"And now for our pep talk! Our first official game, it'll be easy against mermen. Go Knights and all that!" He threw his fist in the air.
"Yeah, go us!" The team cheered weakly.
"Can I be benched?" Akio blinked, looking as green as the grass on the field.
"Absolutely not! You're our best defender! Get out over to the goal!" Chad gave him a slap on the back, which made him cover his mouth.
Jay shook his head with a chuckle as he headed out himself. "Chad isn't the best with motivational speeches,"
"And you are? What would yours say?" Aziz teased.
"I don't know, I'm not that sort of person. Something about how this is our first official game so we should make it count, but it's also just a game at the end of the day, so we should really just focus on being together as a team and having fun," He shrugged.
"That's good though!" William gasped.
"Yeah, it hits the right emotional beats," Emir nodded.
Chad scoffed a bit at them as he put on his helmet.
Lonnie wandered out into the bleachers, dressed in a vibrant blue-gold belted dress with Yi-min, Shu-mu, and Li-wei by her side, wearing spirit accessories. They sat near the middle. By that point, the event was getting ready to start, so the bleachers were starting to get packed, one side in blue and gold and the other in seafoam and cerulean.
"Everyone, put your helmets on and get in your positions!" Coach Maui shouted, and the boys nodded and did so. Akio and William took their spots next to the goals, while Li ran to the opposing goal to be the goalie. Emir manned the Dragon Canon while Jay, Aziz, and Chad formed a triangle on the field, checking their surroundings. The rest took their spots on the bench, waiting to be swapped out.
Carlos and Evie showed up to show support for Jay, sitting in the first spots they saw. Anxelin was with them but swore she'd leave after the first round because she wasn't into sports. Mal and Mad Maddy took their seats higher up, away from the rest of the group, being rebellious by refusing to wear anything related to school spirit. Mad Maddy kept the wand in her jacket and her eyes open, scanning for the other members of their group.
The whistles blew and the games begun, everyone cheering for their respective school or favourite player. Mal was already growing bored but forced herself to pay attention. Soon she could have her fun.
After the first two rounds, it was time for a break. Coach Maui called the team over. "What the heck are you guys doing? You do so well in practice! We're three points behind!"
"Not to worry, we can turn this around!" Chad grinned, stepping into the circle.
"You kept fumbling." Li reminded him with a frown.
"Does that matter?! It's just a group of dried-up fish people, we can beat them!" He looked over at Audrey and decided his fumbles were all because she denied him his good-luck kiss.
"That's mean," William gasped before the whistle blew and they had to go back to their positions.
Mal finally decided she was done with waiting and nudged Mad Maddy, giving her the signal. She grinned and motioned to the other members of their group who were in hiding, then Mal shifted a bit in her seat.
During the last break, Mal noticed two of the cheerleaders talking and waved her finger around, dropping a huge magic bucket of mud and algae over them.
"Mud?! Cool," Melody nodded in approval. She had only arrived in the last round to support Arabella and their home team and found herself bored by the structure of the game.
"The algae reminds me of home!" Arabella smiled.
"You're a mess! And you reek!" Some of the other cheerleaders protested, moving away from the mermaids.
Mad Maddy pointed her wand at Lonnie and her friends, dumping snakes and bugs on them, the bugs crawling out of their hair.
"Eeek!" Li-wei screamed without thinking, shooing them away with her fan. "Get away!"
The people sitting next to them noticed the bugs and freaked, running off or scooting away.
"Where did they come from?" Shu-mu wondered, looking around instead. Lonnie smiled a bit, finding the event funny. She ran her hands through her hair.
"Winner! The Fighting Knights of Auradon Prep!" The referee shouted, making the crowd erupt in cheers and applause. The group dressed in aquatic colours just sighed and hung their heads.
"Good game!" Coach Maui praised them.
"We did it! We won!" Aziz cheered, pulling Jay close to him.
"We won, thanks to him!" Brendan grinned at Jay. "He's a beast out on the field!"
"What about me?" Chad asked in slight offense. "I helped us win too!"
"You did?" Akio asked innocently, making the boys laugh. Chad huffed. Why did they keep fawning over Jay? He was only on the team because Aziz used his silver tongue to convince Chad to give him a chance, and their first practice he broke William's arm! Did they just forget that?! And Audrey didn't give him a kiss for good luck either...
Still, at least they won. That was something, right? As he continued to walk, he found his mind suddenly getting elated, and filled with thoughts of Audrey, and he couldn't explain how or why, but he just had to say something, anything, to celebrate his love for her and his team. He walked over to the crowd and took a deep breath, making some of the cheerleaders nudge each other.
"Go Knights! None of this would've been possible without my babe, Audrey! Everyone cheer for her! A-U-D-R-E-Y!" He cheered.
The cheerleaders spelled her name in confusion. The audience kept cheering, thinking it was part of the celebration. Anthony tossed the wand to Ginny behind the bleachers, walking away.
"My love for you Audrey just can't be contained! It's crazy how much I love you! No, it's ridiculous how much I love you!" He spun around and did some flips as he sung.
"Is he okay?!" Evie tried to contain her giggles.
"My love for you is ridiculous! It just can't be contained, baby!" Chad grabbed Ruby and pulled her out of formation, twirling her around. "Audrey! Audrey! Yeah! Yeah!"
"Audrey! Audrey! Yeah! Yeah!" The crowd repeated.
"I love you, girl!" He tossed Ruby away and pulled Audrey close to him, dipping her low to the ground. "I love you baby!"
"Yeah." Audrey said when Chad leaned in for a kiss.
"Well, that was something," Aziz mused, making Jay laugh.
"That's an understatement."
###
"What the heck was that?!" Audrey demanded after the game, following Chad to his dorm.
"Uh....I don't know, really." He admitted. His mind was clearer and all he could think of was his annoyance at Jay. Everyone was fawning over him after the game, even his teammates...his own team! The ones he handpicked to join! Didn't they owe that to him?
"It was embarrassing." Audrey scolded. She sat on his bed, her skirts sweeping with her. She had changed out of her cheerleader uniform to something more familiar. "I don't mind being your girlfriend, but I thought we agreed it'd be mostly an image thing. Private. Neither of us really feel that way,"
Chad was hurt by that statement but was more annoyed at her tone. "And? Everyone was so jealous that I loved you enough to sing that song!"
"Honestly, the only jealousy I saw on that field was yours,"
He was aware of his other dormmates hovering around, Aziz trying to stifle his sudden snicker at Audrey's comment, but he was entirely focused on her then.
"Excuse me? I'm not jealous of anyone or anything! I'm the son of Prince Charming, I have everything I could ever want!" He frowned. "Ever since you came back from your parents', you've been super different."
"I did some thinking while I was there. I realized...don't you remember being young? Super young, and we played with Ben and Snowdrop and everything was nice and sweet? We were nice and sweet? But somewhere along the line, we turned rotten? I want to make things right again. I want to be good to my peers...and even apologize to the Villain Kids."
He sputtered at that nonsense. "Mal's spell wrecked your brain! You're not making sense! Just tell me you like my song and move on!"
Audrey stared at him sharply. "You know, maybe you'd have more admirers like Jay does if you actually treated your peers like your actual friends and not just your servants."
"Ouch." Aziz chimed in with a grin. Chad glared at him.
"Those Villain Kids have poisoned your mind! They can't be trusted and you know it!" He insisted. "You're...you're a sellout!"
The room froze. Chad grimaced at what he said, especially when he saw how slowly Audrey rose from the bed. She raised her hand and he braced himself for a slap that never came. The other three boys stared nervously as she took a deep breath.
"Chad Charming, I'm through with you. I'm breaking up as your girlfriend and as your friend. When you start acting like your father, you can come talk to me." She silently left the room, her skirts swishing with her.
He stood there, numb and frozen. His dormmates tried to comfort him despite obviously still agreeing with her, patting him and letting him know it'd be okay, and he felt the envy and pride bubble up and make him lash out.
"Stop! You three don't get it! Of course you'd all agree with her! You're barely nobles! You're the son of a street rat and share blood with an actual villain!" He spat, going down the line. "You have freakish strength and destroy everything, and you're barely a titled prince, with blood of foreigners in your veins!"
"Knock it off!" Aziz said sharply, pushing Chad away from them. "I know you're angry, but there's no reason to take it out on us!" He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Even if what you said was true, we can just spit words back into your face too. Audrey's right, you act nothing like your parents."
"Mother and Father gave me everything I could ask for, and my grandfather handled my royal training..." Chad grumbled, trying to calm himself down. He didn't, he wanted to go out and throw something, but he figured his dormmates would do everything in their power to keep him inside.
"Why don't you take her advice and become less sour? The team doesn't hate you, you know. And plenty of girls still find you attractive. You can be good still,"
"I'm tired." He snapped back. His heart still hurt from Audrey and his fists were clenched and he just wanted to go to bed before anything happened. He hated the sudden outbursts of anger he had, they were a part of him, but his peers growing up just egged it on, telling him it was good for a prince to be competitive. He believed them, even though he felt bad afterwards. He was glad the school shut up about Family Day, because the moment they were sent to their dorms, he screamed and cried into his pillow the remainder of the night, unhappy over how the day went.
James just stared at him, making him stare back. "What? Can't I be tired? You're creepy,"
"I'm just observing you." James said back, blinking.
He rolled his eyes and got ready for bed anyway. He would put Audrey from his mind, and continue on his week, and everyone would forget about that whole fiasco.
###
Except, they didn't. People gave him pitying or upset looks in the halls, nobody sat next to him in class, his teachers treated him like he was invisible, and the final straw came when Audrey walked right past him at lunch to go sit with the twins and Snowdrop. He clutched his tray and picked his food alone, grumbling. Why did this have to happen to him? He was a good person! He was the son of a prince! One of the most famous princes in existence, they can't treat him like that!
Worst, he didn't even have anyone to do his homework for him. Audrey tried to actually work through it with him, but he just stared at her throughout. He tried each and every single princess he could think of in the school, but every single one declined. Snowdrop gave him a strained smile. Audrey pretended she didn't hear anything. Melody called him a spoiled brat and Arabella suggested he find a tutor. Lonnie said she didn't have that kind of time and all three of her friends; he couldn't tell them apart either, had different excuses he didn't remember. Anxelin laughed right in his face and Ruby said he should ask someone else. Anya said she was bad at school. Out of desperation, he asked Marianne, who declined flat-out, and Hannah, who told him he was a jerk.
His grades had never been worse. His social life had never been worse. All because of him flipping out on Audrey. What was he supposed to do? He'd apologize to her, but somehow he knew that wouldn't get him very far.
Out of options, he stayed after class in Basic Chivalry, standing around.
"What may I help you with, my young man?" King Arthur asked nicely. "Your grades here are great!"
"The only class I'm good in and it's just because I'm a prince!" He blurted out. "Uh, keep this between us, but...I...think I might possibly need a tutor. Um, I don't know a good one though."
King Arthur smiled. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing some extra help. There is actually one young lady here who is doing tutoring sessions, though she just has one other pupil. I could let her know you're interested."
"Uh-huh. But keep it a secret from others. I'm serious! My father could ruin your life!"
"What could your father possibly do to someone like me?" He laughed. "Speaking of which, they would like to see you at some point back home. Make haste with their invitation, your lordship."
Now that was more like it. Fencing with his dad? Away from judging peers? Paradise. He had no clue when he'd go, but he already knew it'd be soon. He wanted nothing more than to get away from school already.
###
Ella and her king lived in a picturesque blue-white castle that ironically became the very symbol of Auradon itself, painted onto everything. Everyone could recognize that simple tower and gate, almost always open to greet the townspeople. Chad grinned the moment it came into view, leaving his luggage on the carriage for someone else to deal with and running straight into the palace, bowing at his parents.
"It's been too long." His father said, and Chad nodded.
"You can't believe how happy I am to finally get out of school. Did you know, the whole school is ignoring me?! Just because Audrey broke up with me! So unfair."
"You and Audrey broke up?" Ella asked curiously. "Over what?"
"Like I know or care! We just had a fight and she stormed out and said we were through. All because I called her a sellout for being nice to the VKs."
Both of his parents gasped at that. "Chad Charming! You did not!" Ella snapped. "You used those words to her?"
"Mal's spell ruined her mind! She's different now!"
"Is she? Or are you different?" His dad had a piece of paper in his hands that he cleared his throat and read from. "Arguments with your Tourney team and acting selfish on the field, pushing girls around, making them do your homework, insulting peers especially the VKs, numerous angry outbursts, and that whole fiasco at Family Day."
Chad winced and tried to explain it, only being shut down by his mother's stern glare. He looked at the two of them then, fully, and saw they were dressed in plain brown peasant outfits, while he was wearing epaulets on his suit.
"We raised you much better than this. What happened?" His father continued. His parents walked off and Chad followed them through the palace halls. "I get my father is overbearing, but..."
"I'm just doing what a prince is expected to do! A prince is big and strong and caring towards princesses. He rescues them and always defeats the villain!" He recited. "Everyone growing up told me I had to be just like you. A real Prince Charming." Princes didn't cry or felt confused or lovesick. Princes definitely didn't prefer sushi and salad over steak and cheese. And princes most certainly didn't struggle with school or controlling their tempers.
"Whoever told you that is rotten." Ella said bluntly. "Did you forget everything we taught you? Where I even came from?"
Chad looked at the paintings instead, acting like they were more interesting. Most were of Ella and King Charming, doing practically everything together, but some were of him. One of the bigger ones was a formal photograph of the royal family, one of the only photographs even there. His parents sat regally on chairs while he was positioned on his mother's lap, sausage curls in his hair and a little suit. It was humiliating and he turned away from it. The curls suited his sister much better, and indeed she was wearing them in the photo too, leaning against the chair.
"There's someone here I want you to meet!" Ella called out and knocked on a door near the end of the hall. Chad recognized it as where the higher-end servants lived, basically the more noble ones that were seen far more often. She opened the door and out came Anastasia and her husband. "Sorry for the intrusion! My son is visiting and I thought he'd do with a reminder of where I came from."
"Mother!" Chad didn't like her tone, even though she kept smiling. Anastasia stared at him in confusion before she registered who he was.
"Right, Chad. My child goes to school with you," She gave him an awkward smile.
"Why don't you tell him your story?"
"Mother-"
"I don't mind," Anastasia invited them into her quarters and had them sit at the table. The oven and icebox were in one corner of the room, leaving everything feeling warm and roomy. Her husband returned to his work while Anastasia sat at the table with them, sighing. "I was pretty rotten in my youth. I could've been nice, looking back, I never hated Cinderella-she says I can call her that still-I just did whatever Maman told me to do. I felt bad when her dad died and Maman and Druzilla treated her like a servant, but I couldn't really speak up, otherwise I knew I'd get in trouble too. Cinderella had every right to hate me, but she didn't. She helped me with my crush...now my husband. When Maman tried to ruin her life with magic, Cinderella was still good to me and helped me, telling me I was deserving of love. She gave me a second chance to be redeemed,"
Chad thought Anastasia was incredibly plain and bad at speaking, though for once he kept silent. What was the point of this? Everyone knew her story already, she was the good stepsister, the one who got redeemed because Cinderella saw goodness in her and didn't hold a grudge.
"Do you think she's bad?" His mother asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Do you think I'm bad because of my upbringing?"
"Those are trick questions! You've been good! It's obvious! How can I trust someone like Jay? He's hurt people! And someone like Evie is a stuck-up princess!" He insisted.
"And how do you know any of those things?"
Chad was silent and pounded his fist on the table. "Just ground me or whatever,"
"Grounding won't help." His mother said. "No, I want you to go back to school and make amends with everyone you've hurt. Apologize to them all. Do your own work and stop harassing the Villain Kids. Also, before you go back, we're going to take you to get tested,"
"For what? I'm not sick,"
His father just smiled weirdly. "Trust us."
"You will be confined to your room for the remainder of your visit, however you may visit Anastasia down here whenever you like," His mother smiled.
"Sure, whatever." Why couldn't his parents just ground him like normal parents? He didn't want to waste his time at school apologizing to everyone, and he especially didn't want to be tested for whatever he had. He shouldn't have come home at all.
"It's easier than it looks." Anastasia offered him a reassuring smile.
###
"No way am I going to have a Villain Kid as my tutor! Especially not her! She could poison me!" Chad complained the moment he returned to school and was told to meet with his tutor first thing.
"Young man, did you not just have this talk with your parents? You need to be less judgmental of others and especially young ladies. How do you excel in my class if you cannot even treat her properly?" King Arthur scolded him.
Chad scoffed at him and sat down at the provided desk. The tutoring sessions were held in one of the many lounges the school had used for miscellaneous purposes like that.
"I promise I intend no ill will towards you." Evie smiled. "I want to see you improve on your studies. Now, let's start simple. Let's look at your Grammer!"
He pushed his book over to her and crossed his arms as she looked it over. Anya sat on the other side of the desk, poring over a worksheet from something he couldn't make out.
"Chad...I don't wish to sound...judgmental, but do you know how to do schoolwork?"
"Duh, I'm not stupid!"
"Read this." She pointed to a random paragraph the teacher previously highlighted as wrong. He gave her a smug look and began to do so, speeding through it even as he tripped over the words. "Slower." She then gave him a look he decided he hated. "Chad...I think you might have a disability."
"Shut up!" He lashed out, pushing the book away. There went his temper. "I do not! And I mean, does it really matter if I do anyway?! Princes aren't meant to read and do math stuff, they rescue princesses and fight monsters and save kingdoms and rule! They don't need school!" He sweated.
"Chad." She stared him down, but he'd never say anything more. Who cared if he was bad at school? He didn't need it...none of them did...
"A true prince is honest with himself, even if the truth is ugly." King Arthur put a hand on Chad's shoulder, making him scoff. He should've told him off right then and there and stormed off, never taking a tutor session again. He should've never come back to school at all after his parents gave him the test results and he angrily shoved them under his pillow, determined to never think of them again. He was a perfect, true prince, he didn't have flaws or setbacks or-
"I'm not very smart! Okay?! Does that make you happy to hear?! I've never been smart! I mix up numbers and letters and I write super slow and think even slower. I only made the girls and Audrey do my work because I didn't get it and didn't want to admit it. Everyone told me princes didn't need that stuff and laughed when they saw I was bad. So I never improved. There! Now leave me alone!" It all poured out of him in an instant. "I'm not even bad, I just have anger problems, and worse of all my parents got me tested and they're going to put me in a class for special kids!"
King Arthur patted his back as he pounded his fist into the table again.
"Snowdrop has neurosis." Evie said matter-of-factly.
"What?"
"And bad anxiety. After years of her being like that Queen Snow White and her king got her tested here in the capital and that's what they said. It's because of similar pressures. Everyone is so obsessed with what our parents did and who we are as result that nobody really thinks about you guys," Evie would've taken his hands in reassurance, but she kept them in her lap. "So think about that the next time you suggest a disorder isn't 'princely' or 'becoming of a princess'."
"Can I really change?" His voice cracked and he winced at how pathetic he sounded. "I'm worse than Audrey ever was. At least she never shoved someone to the ground. What I am...isn't me, well some of it is but not all of it,"
Evie gave him the first genuine smile he'd ever seen her give him. "I think you can."
###
Chad nearly walked right back out of his new assigned Resource class until his heart told him to keep going. Curse that good nature of his. He kept his face down for once and chose a random desk, saying nothing and taking his seat.
"Hey there, new kid!" One of the twins greeted him happily. He looked up to see Anxelin standing there, wearing a baggy black set of pants with chains hanging off and a matching tube top that wrapped around her chest. "Whoa, is that Chad?! Small world!"
"You're here? Explains a lot about you. You never behaved like a proper princess," Chad stabbed.
"And you're not a true Prince Charming." Anxelin stabbed back with a wicked grin. "I hear from Ruby you've apologized to the female student body. Good for you!"
It was easier with Evie there, somehow. He wanted to keep being petty and say she had some ulterior motive, but...truthfully, she clearly didn't. During their tutoring, she gushed about her good grades, spoke about one of her friends Claudine and how she looked a lot prettier with the scarf woven through her hair, and treated the much younger Anya with care and patience despite Anya being hyperactive. She was...normal. More than normal, she was a good and kind person. The sort Audrey was clearly starting to see herself as, but for real. The sort Chad knew he used to be, long ago, and maybe still could, but that wasn't princely and he'd never let that part of himself go.
"Don't tell anyone I'm here," He opted to say instead, making Anxelin laugh.
"Nobody cares that you're in Resource, trust me!" She went back to her desk. "It's nothing to be ashamed of,"
"Yes, it's just extra help on assignments and learning social skills and group activities." James added.
Of course James had to be there. Of freaking course that was his luck. James, who stared weirdly and whom he insulted pretty badly a few nights ago. Wait, James had a disorder? He seemed too put-together for that.
"I don't need that stuff," Chad still insisted. "I'm a prince!"
"Mental disorders and disabilities are common here." Anxelin said. "My mom gets anxiety attacks."
"Yeah, but your mom is weird. And was locked up in a tower her whole life."
"And your mom slept in the attic," She kept smirking at him.
"Why are you so adamant over keeping your bad attitude? Nobody truly hates you," James crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Because....someone has to be! You guys wouldn't get it. I have to be just like my dad. Princes aren't like me. You guys don't feel pressured to be just like your parents, knowing you'll never compare because that's not you!" Chad snapped.
"Prince Benjamin is a prince, but he's kind and good," Anxelin sat on top of a desk. "Some of my subjects tell me I'm a man because of how I look and act. They forget Mom befriended thugs at the local tavern."
"Don't tell me your struggles with not fitting in. I've got native and English blood and the hatred of both groups for it. Don't preach that to me." James said sharply.
"None of us are our parents," Anxelin finished.
Chad just turned his back on them, mulling over what they said. He didn't think he had to change, and even if he did, well, who'd believe it?
Notes:
Not sure who to make be the special-ed teacher...any suggestions?
Chapter 16: .16
Summary:
The school gets a new magic class. Melody goes home for her dad's birthday.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"What the heck did you do to him?!" Mal laughed as the group met up again. "He looked spelled!"
"Because he was!" Mad Maddy snorted. "What a riot that was!"
"But who did it?" She looked around curiously.
"Me." Anthony looked away. "I wanted my relative to make a fool of himself, and he did."
It was funny, Mal had to admit. She missed that sort of mischief, but she wished she did it with Evie, Jay, and Carlos, or even Anxelin and Ruby. True friends she could laugh with, not the fake group who were using her.
"Now, let's come up with a plan for Castlecoming." Ginny announced. "It'll be here before we know it."
Mal looked around as the group discussed, eventually sneaking out through one of the backdoors.
###
Much to Mal's surprise, Audrey stopped her in the halls on her way to Princessology.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" She asked in amusement. "We've hated each other as kids, don't be so soft on me."
"You realize most of my hatred was drilled into me from my grandmother, correct? To be frank, I've been fascinated by you. You're a real fairy, and I'm a princess, the stuff of fairy-tales." She pushed up her sunglasses. "Point is, most of the time I was needlessly nasty to you and I'm apologizing for that. Especially for how I treated you on Family Day. That was uncalled for."
"You know what? Apology accepted. Even though your new attitude is scary."
"I learned from the very best." They both smirked and shook hands. Mal knew Audrey still had some ways to go but was genuinely pleased she took her words to heart. Still, there was one more thing...
"Apologize to Evie." Mal directed as they walked to class together. "Our first day, you insulted her and said she's not a princess. I can handle whatever garbage words you throw at me, but hurting my friends is uncalled for."
Audrey winced, then sighed. "Fine."
The two walked in together and Mal sat close to Evie, seeing her writing something.
"Evie!" Audrey got her attention. "I know on our first day I said hurtful and unbecoming things to you, namely saying you're not a princess,"
"But you were right, I'm not," Even though Evie tried to sound innocent, Mal could hear the lingering hurt behind her words.
"No, I was wrong!" She hesitated. "I was made to believe the only princesses who truly mattered were those with pureblood and long noble lines. But even my own roots are...humble."
Evie waited.
"I did some research of my own. You're the daughter of the deceased Good King, right? You're Queen Snow White's half-sister and Snowdrop's aunt. Your mother may have no claim, I'm right there. But you do! You're next in line for Snow White's kingdom," Audrey smiled and curtsied. "Forgive my prior transgressions, Princess Eleonora White."
Evie dropped her pencil in shock, blushing. Mal smirked.
"Nice to meet you too, Your Royal Highness,"
The other girls in the class clapped and cheered for Audrey as she took her seat.
"A real princess..." Anya put her hands on her heart.
"I'm so proud of you!" Snowdrop smiled genuinely. "You're becoming good!"
"Once I got Grandma's stick out of my butt, it was easier than I expected," Audrey responded.
"Hello! Take your seats, everyone!" Their teacher for that session hurried in. Mal rolled her eyes as she remembered she still had to deal with a frilly princess class. "I'm Queen Tiana, your teacher for this class for the next two weeks! Our theme will be on perseverance and hard work, but today I'd like to start with a simple exercise to get you all to communicate. And I love learning about my students!"
Mal rolled her eyes again. Queen Tiana wasn't overbearingly sweet, but she had too much energy. She figured she would never ever get used to these perky princesses and good-hearted queens.
"Before we get started on our official lesson, I want everyone to come up to the board and say their favourite comfort food!" She looked around the room. "We'll start with you five. Come on girls, don't be shy,"
"Clam chowder!" Arabella said, making the class laugh.
"The towers of sweets we have for Yuletide, kransekage. Aunt Elsa traditionally hides even more treats inside and Alec and I get to rip apart the towers to find them! They're very sweet!" Anya gushed.
"Mushroom soup," Ruby said, almost drooling.
"Käsespätzle." Evie's tongue elegantly danced over the foreign pronunciation. "It's pasta coated in cheese and onions! You make several layers of it, then bake it."
"Roasted insects and raisin fries," Jenny grinned, noticing most of the other girls responded in disgust. "Just can't get enough of them."
Queen Tiana kept calling girls up until everyone had their chance, then took her spot at the board again. Mal listened the best she could, but most of it was just disinteresting to her. Hard work was good and all, but much like her other Princessology lessons, she didn't think it was important for her to remember.
After her Chemistry class, an announcement came on that there was a mandatory assembly, so in confusion, Mal gathered up her things and headed to the auditorium, spotting Evie and taking a seat next to her before anyone else could.
"What do you think this assembly is for?"
"No clue," Their peers whispered around them.
Once everyone got settled in, much to their surprise, Fairy Godmother walked onto the stage and not Ben like they had been expecting. She cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry for the sudden announcement, I hope to make this quick so you may continue with your day!" She smiled. The rest of the staff stood behind her, near the curtains. "I am very proud of the people I chose to educate the newer generations. The best of the best, I say! However, as the times change, I feel it becomes necessary to make our own changes here at the school. I've done a lot of thinking and observing the past few weeks. You may think I am not, but I am. I've noticed things. Things I think we should encourage in a healthy manner instead of letting it run rampant. Several have already approached me with this question, and I'm here to finally answer them. My lovely students, I'm pleased to announce the addition of the very first Magic Training and Studies Class in the history of our school!"
Some students applauded nicely, but others looked more confused or downright fearful.
"And I'm pleased to introduce your new teacher for this course, Miss Eilonwy! My dear?"
A new person took the stage, one with fiery red-gold hair and a simple red dress and leather belt, no shoes under it. She kept a dagger at her side and a small floating golden ball. She tapped the microphone a few times curiously. "Hi! I'm Eilonwy! Princess, I guess, but I was never one for fluffy titles like that. I much prefer Sorceress; doesn't that have a much better ring to it? Oh yeah, I'm your new teacher. Never taught before but it seems fun! The school told me to tell you that if you already have magic of some sort, this is a required class for you, but anyone can join to learn! You never know who can channel the power until you try. Even if you have to meditate for sixty hours a week in a volcano and burn your clothes off, you will get it!" She laughed. "Okay, hope to see you next period," Eilonwy stepped away. The room erupted.
"Next period?! So soon?!"
"What's the point of this class?"
"How can you even tell if you have magic?"
"Why do we need to take a class like this? The only people with magic are villains anyway, everyone knows that!"
Mal rolled her eyes at whoever said that. Did they literally not see Princess Eilonwy up there, clearly using magic? Only powerful sorceresses were able to have hair that colour.
"Magic! A class like that could be fun," Evie tried to lighten the mood. "I could learn more about ingredients,"
"Maybe," Mal just nodded. "It gives me vibes of Remedial Goodness, something we don't actually need." From what she could see, everyone handled their magic just fine, whether they were villain or not. It just depended on how much they practiced and not the type they had. Still, she couldn't say no to more time with Evie. Jay would likely be there too and that would be nice, and it was a shame Carlos couldn't but maybe he'd still sign up just to learn.
The magic classroom was cozy and wooden, with a high ceiling and vats of potions and cauldrons in one corner. The desks took the form of podiums and there was plenty of room to spread out and move around. Eliowny sat on a stool near the front, waiting patiently as everyone came in.
"Okay, let me just count to be sure everyone is here...Mal? Evie? Mad Maddy Mim? Freddie Facilier? Audrey? Melody? Marianne Thatch? Jordan? Celia Facilier? Lonnie Fa? Jane Goodfairy? Louis? Arabella? Jay? Lilo? Mike Darling? Aziz? Anya? Jenny Hawkins? Ally? Alec?" She counted everyone's heads, nodding. "Twenty-one....big class! Makes me happy, everyone wants to learn about magic!" She walked around the room, bouncing the gold bauble in her hands. "Magic is both very simple yet hard at the same time. Depending on the sort you have, you can summon things from your palms or transfigure, or create potions. It's something you feel more than think about," She threw the bauble into the air and caught it easily. "Let's start simple. Aptitude test thingy time!"
Basically, everyone had to come over to the huge group of potions and whatnot and either follow the instructions that aligned with their breed of magic or try to channel something through sheer concentration. Jordan went up first and easily summoned a shower of frogs by snapping her fingers.
"Great job! I hope we don't get splattered frog headaches. What is your style?" Miss Eilonwy clapped.
"Genie," Jordan nodded. "Uh, technically I'm a half-human on my mom's side, but I have the powers of Dad, so." She snapped her fingers and the frogs vanished. "I have a lamp for comfort, but I'm not bound to a master. Therefore, my powers are limitless, and I can do whatever I like! Oh, and my dad owns a magic shop downtown."
"I've been there. It smells like paprika," She nodded and motioned for the next student to come up.
"I have no magic of my own, but I'm very curious about it. Wonderland functions using nonsense, which is a form of magic, I suppose." Ally still went up to the table and flipped through the spellbook, attracted to a shrinking spell.
Celia and Freddie tossed a set of cards around, darkening the room and dancing with a pair of shadows, labeled as voodoo practitioners. Mad Maddy snickered and transformed into a huge whale, smashing some desks. She was labeled as a traditional witch. Evie brewed a transfiguration potion that temporarily changed her hair colour to a vivid black and was counted as a witchcraft user, but not a witch in the sense Mad Maddy was. Lonnie, Aziz, and Jay had high magic aptitude, while Jay was labeled as a genie-sorcerer mix. He stayed up at the table, feeling one of the staffs call to him. He looked at Miss Eilonwy hesitatingly before he picked it up.
Instantly, he felt a rush of power surge through him, burning like fire and glowing his eyes. Even his skin shimmered gold. He whispered the foreign word on his tongue and one of the chairs was zapped by his staff, melting away onto the floor.
"You're a sorcerer?!" Lonnie asked in surprise. "Cool!"
Jay swallowed and set the staff down, hurrying back to his seat. He still felt the call and tried to push it down.
Mal got labeled as a fairy type, which didn't surprise her one bit. She lit a green flame in her palm to demonstrate her abilities. Jane did as well, and she very shyly grabbed a wand and transformed the clock on the wall into a pumpkin, which fell and smashed on the floor. Melody and Arabella had mermaid magic, which was vaguer and varied from merperson to merperson, but typically involved transforming when underwater, water and wave manipulation, gorgeous singing, and other stuff. The others were just there out of curiosity, but Miss Eilonwy assured them anyone had the capabilities for magic.
"That's why my class will work differently from your others. Others have a stuffy teacher stand and lecture at you and be oh so dreadfully boring. You learn nothing and cry from boredom. I hate crying, you know, makes my nose feel like melted ice-cream. But I'm fun! And magic varies from person to person. I will watch as you all experiment with the items in this room to either strengthen your powers or hone your aptitude. It's more hands-on because that's how magic is meant to be." She twirled around. "I think that's it! You guys did great for your first day!"
###
Due to it being the weekend, Mike invited Wilbur over to hang out, though Lilo asked to join and he allowed her to because he really couldn't say no to her.
"A magic class! How cool is that?" Lilo grinned. She laid on Mike's bed, flopped on her back. "I think I have a knack for it, I can tell."
"See, that's what I mean. You guys get to do spells and stuff," Wilbur said. "You're a bona fide magic school now!"
"Eh, it's an optional course for non-magic users. I just joined because I like magic." He blew a bubble with his gum.
"But you're from a very magical family!" Lilo said.
"Yeah," Mike pushed some buttons on his iPod. "It's a thing the Darlings have always done. My great-great-grandparents all had kids, and they had kids, and so on, all because Peter Pan needed to play with a new one. Calls it 'spring-cleaning.'"
The other two waited, sensing there was more.
"I love Neverland so much. I love fairies and pirates the most, and flying! When you're soaring in the air, uplifted by the thoughts of winning your favourite video game and sledding down a wintery hill...nothing compares. I wanted to know more about Neverland magic from the class, because...well, I'm fourteen, dudes. I'm old." He glanced out the window with a sigh. "I don't mean to get personal, but I keep wondering when it'll end. When will be the night I wake up and Peter's not rapping on my window to come in? The night when I completely forget the fun and prepare for my own child to be born to continue the cycle. I love it! I don't want it to end,"
"I completely understand!" Lilo chimed in. "Growing up sucks!"
"I know nothing about all that, but if it's a family thing, I think you don't gotta worry about this Peter Pan fellow giving you the cold shoulder. It's history, ya know? Even if you can't go, you'll still see him." Wilbur nodded.
"Last night, I dreamed of flying. I thought I really was..until I woke up." Mike spun around his earbud wire.
"Part of life. But you live in the literal world of fairy tales. I think you're gonna be just fine,"
Mike offered him an unsure smile. "Thanks."
###
Her dad's birthday was just two days away, and that meant dropping everything to head back home to celebrate. Melody was excited, she truly was, but a bigger part of her was nervous. She hadn't seen her parents in a month and was worried over her binging. It'd be harder to hide. She tried to not let it get to her though and followed after Arabella, getting onboard the ship.
Eric and Ariel had a unique kingdom where they were one of the few island kingdoms in the whole United States. There were certainly others, of course, Corona instantly came to mind, but Hispaniola was one of the older and more prominent ones due to its ties with Atlantica. Boats were used to travel there and not the usual carriages the vast majority of the United States used.
The girls left their luggage on the boat and grabbed each other's hands, smiling as they took deep breaths and plunged into the deep water once the boat was miles away from the shore. Melody sighed once her tail appeared and her lungs contracted with sea water, allowing her to breath properly. Arabella swam around with her, swimming ahead to meet their families.
King Triton was famed throughout the sea for his golden palace, and the gates were pulled open for the young mermaid princesses and the locals bowed once they saw them.
"You're back! I trust the ride was smooth?" Queen Aquata greeted her nieces eagerly, pulling them into a hug. King Triton was still alive, being a merman and all, but due to his age he had stepped down and allowed his oldest daughter to take control of the throne. "The others miss you,"
"And I miss them!" Arabella smiled and swam straight to the royal quarters where she knew her cousins were, getting tackled into a giant hug pile.
"And you could've skipped the formalities. You didn't need to come down here!" Aquata teased Melody. "Your parents aren't even here!"
"Not even Mother?" Melody asked in surprise.
"She's here, but you know..." Aquata led Melody over to her other cousins. "I just don't want your father feeling left-out!"
"I think he's used to it by now," Melody teased back and smiled at her cousins. There were so many, she hoped she could remember them all.
Aquata never had kids, but then there was Andrina who had Arabella obviously, Arista who had Aria, Arielle, and Estelle, Attina who had Amelia, Adella who had Elle and Aaron, and Alana who had Arianna. The cousins all sat around the royal quarters on special seats, lounging and looking around.
"So? What should we do now that we're all here? The party isn't for a whole nother day." Amelia asked, the oldest of her cousins. She had orange-red hair like her mother and grandparents but a fiery red tail. She wore long strands of pearls everywhere, not just on her neck but around her arms, tail, and woven through her floor-long hair.
"Treasure hunt!" Melody instantly suggested. "My favourite thing to do in the sea is go out and look for cool treasures, like interesting seashells or jewels! We could even make stuff from what we found!"
"Jewelry from bland hermit shells and snail slime? What kind of a princess are you?" The second-oldest, the same age as Arabella, swam over, her nose up in the air. Melody rolled her eyes at the tone, really hoping she wouldn't have to deal with her. Arianna had the glamour and vanity of her mother with none of the sweetness. She wore a fancy studded crown in her black curls and a high-necked top with a lavender tail. "Wouldn't you much rather have your jewelry be made from real pearls?"
"If you find some, you're more than welcome to make some yourself, Arianna," Melody snapped back.
The other cousins stifled their giggles at that.
"I think it sounds like fun! Let's go!" Arabella swam around. "First one to get ten items and swim back here is the winner!"
Melody grabbed one of the bags from one of the girls and swam off, already diving deeper to get to the best stuff.
"Can we come with you?" Aaron asked shyly. He was younger than Melody and his sister Elle was just a year older than her. He had orange hair but his sister had light brown hair and glasses. "I mean, Elle knows the deeper parts of the ocean like the back of her hand, but me? I don't swim out much..."
"Of course!" She smiled.
Elle swam around, checking out holes and lifting up rocks, unafraid to get her hands dirty. Her tail was mustard-yellow while her brother had a chartreuse one. Her eyes widened as she pulled out a conch shell. "I love it!"
Melody kept diving but remained close to her cousins, picking up anything shiny and observing it closer. She ran her hands over everything and only put very few items in her bag. So far, she had a large conch, a spiral shell, and a golden rock. She thought of her breakfast that morning suddenly and gagged, covering her mouth.
Weird...
She kept swimming, spotting a clam and going over to it. "Excuse me, may I please have your pearl, if you have one, Ms. Clam?" She asked politely. The clam nodded and Melody reached her hand inside, feeling around until she grabbed it and put it in her bag.
Elle and Aaron remained close by, and Melody sighed as she sifted through the sand for more treasures. They had more energy than her and she tried to tell herself it was because they were younger, except Elle was older and Melody actually knew exactly why she was so exhausted and sick, but why would she be open with it?
Once she got her ten, she and the siblings swam back to the palace, where the remainder of the girls were, observing their finds.
"I got so many pearls! What can I say, I love them. Look, even some black pearls!" Arabella gushed as she went through her bag.
"I mostly just found lots of sand and mud," Amelia laughed, unbothered.
"I didn't do it at all. Why should I have to dig through mud and seaweed for some cheap shells? Again, it's all stuff we can have custom-made, or buy," Arianna huffed.
Melody dumped her stuff out before bile suddenly leapt into her throat. She swallowed with a wince and started explaining her finds to everyone. "I mostly just got whatever I thought looked cool,"
"Same! I got lots of rocks," Elle chimed in, making everyone but Arianna laugh.
"Oh, I have enough here to make you a new set of pearl...whatever you want!" Arabella said nicely to Amelia, who nodded.
"I'd like that. Maybe a new set of earrings? Or a ring. Can you make a pearl ring?"
Melody scooped up her treasures and smiled as she left, stowing them in her room she had while visiting Atlantica. She then sighed and laid down in her bed, her tail flopped listlessly to her side. She wanted to go back to where her cousins were and hang out more with them, but she had no energy.
###
When the day of the birthday arrived, Melody couldn't stop wringing her hands in nervousness. She barely ate all day and instead snacked some right before the party was about to start and her servants came in to help her get dressed. She winced a bit at how the dress was tight around her waist but otherwise paid no attention to it. To match her mother, the gown was a deep green with sheer material flowing off her sleeves and waist that would spin around with her. The dress was low-cut and her hair was braided through with ribbons. To complete the look, she wore her favourite golden shell locket even though it clashed with the mature look of the dress. She took a final look at herself in the mirror and sighed.
"Wonder what royal disaster will happen tonight," She grumbled to herself.
"Don't think that way! You'll do great! You already look amazing!" Arabella gushed the moment she walked into Melody's bedroom. She wore a lavender dress with her hair dusted through with glitter, a jeweled diadem on her forehead. Her sleeves were somehow even bigger than Melody's. "Oh, I wish the others at school could see us. Wouldn't they be jealous? Better yet, I wish there was service here so I could take a picture,"
"Bad luck seems to follow me, remember? Every birthday I've had failed. And this isn't my birthday but I just know something bad will happen. I mean, what's Dad thinking with a royal ball anyway?! Why can't we have a nice casual party on the beach?!" Melody took a few wobbling steps, trying to keep herself steady. Her dress still felt tight from bloating and she bit her lip to prevent the acid reflux. "Well, let's go I guess,"
The two were announced with their royal titles, and while Arabella ran off to talk to her parents some more, Melody opted to just hang around at random, trying to maintain her burning reflux and shaking hands. What if someone asked her to dance? She wasn't sure she would remember the steps to do so.
"Oh, I'm surprised to see you here," Some noble kids stared at Melody as they walked by.
"Surprised to see the princess of the king at his birthday party?" Melody snarked. She took a fruity drink from the table nearby and took some sips to calm herself.
"More like, just you in general. You didn't invite your friends?" A black-haired boy asked innocently. "Those odd ones. What were their names..."
"I remember now! Like that girl who fell into Melody's birthday cake last year and exposed her pantaloons to everyone when she fell over!" A blonde girl laughed.
Melody frowned at that. It's true that Ally did indeed go to her thirteenth birthday to make her feel less alone, but the sheer sight of the cake was enough to stun the poor girl and have her jump right into it, toppling the cake and revealing Ally's underwear to everyone there that day. Looking back, she thought it was funny that Ally didn't give a lick, she even spent the whole rest of the party covered in frosting, but now...
"What'd you expect? She's just a commoner." Arianna walked over then, a proud smirk on her face. "She doesn't have proper manners."
Melody took more sips of her drink, her knuckles turning white from grasping the glass so hard.
"My dear cousin, won't you catch us up on how Auradon Prep is? What are your friends like? Surely they can't all be as terrible as that common girl,"
"They're all commoners," She mumbled.
"What?"
"They're all commoners! I'm best friends with a bunch of commoners, because they're actually true to themselves! Unlike you fake, stuffy nobles who don't actually care about anyone's feelings but your own!" She snapped harshly, throwing her drink at the group. It landed just short of the blonde girl, splashing at her feet, but she cowered like she did indeed get hit.
"How dare you?! You're sullying your name!" Arianna shouted loud enough for everyone to hear, and indeed some people turned around to watch what was going down. "You're one of the most important princesses in all of Auradon, and you're ruining your prestige by associating with random classmates! Do you know how lucky you are? Anyone would die to be you!"
"Good!" Melody snapped back. "I didn't want to be an important princess anyway! That stuff is hogwash!"
The nobles gasped at her tongue, and Melody held her head up high, gathered her skirts, and walked to another part of the ballroom. Arianna and her friends whispered to each other, no doubt gossiping about her, but she found she didn't have the energy to care.
"Aww, I'm really sorry about them," A boy comforted her in a soft tone. "Melody, right?"
"Yeah,"
"Alex,"
She remembered the boy as being a nice merman she spent the last two summers with in the ocean and couldn't help staring at his legs.
"You like? It's my first time on land...it's harder than I thought. Want to dance?"
"I don't know the steps," She warned as he took her hand and led her onto the dance floor.
"It's alright, I don't either!"
They danced slowly together, Alex gently spinning her around a few times. She gasped and bit her lip as a sudden wave of nausea overtook her, spinning the room around. Her dress clenched her waist tighter.
"Wow, she can actually dance!" Arianna snickered to herself. "Bet you a diamond that won't last forever..." She said to her friends.
Melody's other cousins were dancing with others their age too, and so were their parents, minus Melody's.
Alex spun her around again and pulled her close, feeling her heartbeat. "See? You're good!"
She nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but instead she burped lowly. She covered her mouth in shock.
"Hey, it just means you have a hearty appetite, right?" Alex teased her, and Melody blushed.
"No, I actually don't eat very much at all, I mean...princesses are never seen eating, you know? Let's dance some more!" She gripped his hands and tried to lead the dance that time, staying light with her steps. He stared at her in confusion but still followed, stumbling and tripping over his feet. Melody tripped once or twice over her dress too, and once the dance was over, she sighed with relief. The room still felt like it was spinning.
"Good evening, everyone!" Ariel and Eric finally made their appearance into the room, descending down the grand staircase. "I thank you all for coming to my party. Lot more of you than I expected, but hey. It's weird for me to even consider doing a fancy ball bash, but first time for everything!"
The crowd cheered politely as the cake was brought out. At Eric's request, it was shaped entirely like one of the ships from his fleet and standing on the deck were sugar models of him, Ariel, and of course Melody, taking in the sun. Melody smiled at the cake. She bet it was shipped straight from Auradon City.
"Let's cut it!" Eric announced, gesturing to the chef. He nodded and took out a huge knife, slicing it right down the middle and making the models wobble. Inside was a gush of chocolate that squirted out like chocolate, making Arista's children laugh in amazement and surprise. There was enough for everyone, and Melody got a big piece with the little sugar model of herself wedged in. The doll smiled happily in a sunny yellow dress. She tried to smile back but sighed instead.
"Come sit with us!" Ariel called her over, and Melody gratefully took a seat with her parents, along with Adella and her husband, Stevie, and Elle and Aaron. Elle was unique in that she was sitting in a motorized wheelchair manufactured somewhere in one of the other realms. "So? How have things been?"
"Good," Melody took small bites out of her cake. Her stomach burned and her head swam and she wanted nothing more than to go to bed and binge. She hoped she still had a stash hidden under her bed still, if not she'd have to get more and that would be a huge hassle-
"We had lots of fun swimming yesterday! We collected shells and whatnot!" Elle chimed in with her bell-like voice.
"Tell us more!" Adella smiled.
Melody had to smile at her cousin and aunt gushing to each other over simple things like shells. Elle and Aaron were the only ones of her cousins to come to Family Day to support her, same with Adella being the only one of her aunts to come. Prince Ben even personally kissed her hand, something Elle wouldn't stop talking about for days afterward.
"Oh, I wish I could've been there. Ever since I was crowned, I have much less time to actually swim, you know, and I feel like Daddy's magic is being wasted on me, and..." Ariel took a deep breath. "But I'm sure you collected enough for both of us, am I right?"
She couldn't really remember what she even collected, but she still nodded. "Yeah! I'm pretty sure I got some pearls. One of them got so many pearls though, you should've seen Amelia's face light up when she saw them!"
Ariel and Eric giggled. "She must've been so happy!"
"I'll say." Melody finished her cake, leaving behind the sugar model. It was almost too cute to eat, and frankly, a bit creepy to eat with how much it matched her likeness. Alex saw her after she ate and asked her for another dance, and she shyly accepted. "For someone who's just got their legs, you sure are enjoying the complex dances,"
"How else am I supposed to learn to move?" Alex laughed.
They moved steadily on the dance floor that time, Melody starting to get the hang of the moves. When she tried to lead the next one though, Arianna walked over.
"Don't you remember? You're only allowed to have three dances with one partner. You're greedy," She feigned politeness. "How about you let me have a dance with him?"
"Because you're rude," Melody admitted. "You don't even know him,"
"I know it's hard for you to grasp, being friends with uncivil commoners, but here, you must follow ballroom etiquette. Wouldn't want your princess-y peers at school to hear of your transgressions, would you?" Arianna gasped. "And is that straining I see around your waist? Are you getting fatter? I guess being a mermaid on the swim team isn't all it's cracked up to be,"
"Shut up."
"Girls-!" Alex tried to stop them, getting in the middle.
"You're a disgrace to your title. You shouldn't have even come back. You barely qualify as a princess. And frankly, if we weren't both mermaids, I'd hold that against you too," Arianna pulled Alex close to her, which resulted in an awkward image because she was vastly taller than him. "You're rude, you hang out with those far below you, you're fat, and you're not girly in the slightest!"
"It's better than being a pretentious snob like you! How dare you share blood with me and Mother!" Melody rushed forward and slapped Arianna hard, resulting in a hush falling over the ballroom. Arianna wobbled back, holding her red cheek in shock. Alex stared at both of them with wide eyes.
"Melody?!" Ariel stood up and started to approach her, but Melody was done with the whole scene. She gathered up her skirts and ran off, leaving the ballroom behind. She didn't start crying until she was safely in the darkness of her room, sighing.
She hated Arianna and would slap her again, but somehow her words stung harder that night. Ever since she begun Auradon Prep, people regurgitated those same things to her. She wasn't a true princess because she was a sporty tomboy. She ate too much. She was a disgrace to her prestigious image. She shouldn't befriend random civilians.
Melody walked over to her dresser and looked at herself in the mirror. She knew someone would be coming for her soon, and she didn't want them to catch her binging or ripping off her gown. Still, she kicked off her heels and untied the dress to the best of her ability, peeling it off and tossing it into a nearby chair. She kept her hair intact and locket on as she pulled out her stash from under her bed and binged again, curling up in bed from exhaustion afterwards.
Maybe she shouldn't have come home. Somehow, she wasn't welcome in Atlantica or Hispaniola anymore.
"Melody?" Ariel and Arabella opened her door, walking over.
"Oh, your dress!" Arabella cried. "You're not going back to the party? Aunt Alana absolutely tore Arianna a new one with her lecture! Even I was embarrassed, and I wasn't getting yelled at!"
"I don't like parties and I want to be left alone," Melody grumbled, holding her necklace tight.
"Oh, sweetheart," Ariel sighed and sat on the bed beside her. "Eric is worried about you too,"
"I don't get why everyone is so mean to me. I don't deserve it,"
"No, you don't." Ariel was silent for a moment. "And if there's anything you need to talk about with me, with anyone, don't be afraid to, okay? Know that we're always here for you,"
"Whatever." Melody shrugged. Her lacy petticoat spread out around her. "Can't I just be alone?"
Ariel hesitated, holding out her hand, before she finally nodded with a sigh. "See you tomorrow...we're going out sailing. Eric's treat." She tried to smile as she left the room.
Arabella remained next to the door, staring Melody down as she played with her necklace.
"Everyone is mean to me. Not just me. I hear what they say about Mother too. Nobody takes her seriously as a queen. They just say she gave up her voice for some man. They don't know anything about her...or me."
Arabella hid her wince at that comment. At school, the few times she was not with Melody, she'd repeat jokes like that to her friends, thinking it was harmless fun. Anxelin and Ruby joined in with tower jokes, and Louis laughed about frog legs. It was them mocking the popular image of their parents as bejeweled, silly rulers. She didn't think there would be people hurt by it.
"I'm going back to the ball. I'll bring you back a swan or something!" She tried to cheer up Melody, but Melody just rolled onto her side, away from the door. The moment it closed, she opened up her locket and hummed along to the melody inside as she fell asleep, her stomach churning.
"You're my beautiful melody..."
###
Melody somehow felt even worse upon awakening, but knew if she stayed in bed, Arianna would twist it and make her seem pathetic. Besides, it was a simple boat ride on the ocean with her parents. She could handle it. She had her hair tied in her usual ponytail and got dressed in a high-necked day dress in an earthly brown and boots. She also wore her locket. She nibbled breakfast and then hurried out to the docks, her spirits instantly lifting at the smell of salt and crash of waves.
"Melody! Morning!" Ariel smiled at her.
"Hi Mother," She gave a weak smile back.
The two walked on deck together and Melody eagerly watched Eric and the sailors work, running around and getting the deck ready. None of her aunts were there, but much to her surprise, Amelia, Arianna, Arabella, and Arista's triplet daughters, Aria, Arielle, and Estelle were. All three had her wavy blonde hair styled differently and wore striped nautical dresses in various pastels, but Melody honestly still couldn't tell them apart. Amelia wore more masculine work clothes and Arabella a poofy dress, and Arianna still dressed similarly to her ball gown from the previous night.
"Heave ho! We're setting sail!" The sailors called. Melody climbed up the deck to get the best view, looking down at the water. She waved to some dolphins that swam by.
The ship set off at a merry pace, and Melody remained above-deck, acutely aware of every bounce and rock that jostled her. Amelia and Arabella were leaning against the railing talking, Arianna looked over her tambourine, and the triplets giggled and danced around. Melody sighed and stared down at the water, feeling the boat rock and sway under her feet. Her food from last night sunk like a heavy rock in her stomach. She bit her lip, feeling acid reflux come up.
No. You're not seasick. You will not throw up. You're a mermaid's daughter and daughter of an esteemed sailor. You do not get seasick.
She swallowed and headed down the stairs to the main part, seeing some sailors getting out instruments and beginning to dance around.
"A party? Oh my," Ariel laughed and pulled over Eric. The sailors laughed and clapped. One played an accordion. Arianna started playing too, keeping in time with everyone, twirling around. Melody opted to just sit and clap and tap her foot, smiling weakly.
"Yeah!" Amelia laughed as she spun around with one of the younger sailors. Arabella hiked up her dress and kicked her legs, incorporating some of her cheers into the dance. The triplets got pulled away by sailors too, who twirled them around as they held the hems of their dresses up.
"You're such good dancers!" Melody praised. She thought of dancing with Alex the previous night and how much fun she had. He wasn't judgmental or cold, he was just as nervous as her. Somehow, that translated into a good time.
"Dance with us!" Eric pulled Melody up, not hearing her protests. The family of three formed a circle and jumped in and out of it in time, but after a few seconds Melody felt the boat rock wildly and pushed her parents away, turning green and rushing to the side to throw up. She watched in horror as she kept going, eventually draining herself and collapsing to her knees.
"Melody!" Ariel yelled in worry, running over. "Melody, what's wrong?!"
"Is she seasick? She can't be seasick. Mermaids can't get seasick, right?" Arabella panicked. The sailors froze in their movements, the music silent.
"Melody, tell us right now." Eric said firmly but gently. "There's no use in lying."
Melody groaned, closing her eyes and hiccupping. Ariel gently wiped her mouth off with a handkerchief.
"I...I got sick..because....I...I have an eating disorder." Melody cringed as the words fell from her lips. She turned away from the others.
"We know." Eric said.
"You do?!" She asked in shock.
"We've known for some time you haven't been yourself. We just didn't know the specifics. And when you get back, you'll be taking therapy sessions."
She covered her face. "I didn't want this to happen! Everyone thinks so little of me though. I thought school would be an escape, but even there I'm told you're stupid because of your story. And people say mean things like I'm an improper princess, I eat too much, I'm friends with commoners...I try to not let it bother me, but.."
Ariel shot a sharp glance at Arianna, who flipped her hair in response.
"I ate to feel better but I just got worse..last night I binged hard and I'm sick today..."
Eric and Ariel both pulled her into a tight hug, making her gasp.
"I am so sorry we weren't there for you when you clearly needed us. And I'm appalled people can say such slander about us both!" Ariel said. "The second we get to shore; we're setting the record straight."
Melody couldn't fight the small smile that appeared on her face at that. "Thanks Mother."
Notes:
There's an amazing Tumblr series that tries to date all the Disney movies like we all do, and their theory is The Little Mermaid is set in Spanish Florida. I love this interpretation and thus I've named Eric's kingdom Hispaniola to reflect this. The outfits and general culture are an unholy hodgepodge of 1830's and 1980's much like the movie.
I'm aware everyone makes Attina the eldest and ruler of the throne, however to my knowledge this is due to Ariel's Beginning which I've never actually seen. Thus I used the assumed birth order from Daughters of Triton, making Aquata the eldest and ruler instead.
I love the idea behind Ariana, however making her Audrey's cousin is....a weird move to say the least. So, I rewrote her into being Melody's horrible cousin instead! But if you like her being related to Audrey, then pretend they just have very similar names. I spelled it like that for a reason ;)
Read The Chronicles of Prydain!! Eilonwy is amazing!!
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