Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, long, long ago, well, more like thirty-four years ago, the heroes started to wed their partners and get started on their happily ever afters. 

However, some villains still had the desire to get revenge on them, and so they waited until the heroes thought everything was perfect to strike. The villains attacked and fought the heroes and their armies. It was an ongoing battle until the heroes all got together to form a plan. 

Snow White and Florian were the ones to pitch the idea of locking all the villains onto a deserted island. Some were hesitant about it, but the vast majority of them agreed, and magic users all got to work on sending the villains to an island they called “Isle of the Lost.”

All villains and sidekicks, even the ones that weren’t involved with the battle, were sent and banished to the Isle of the Lost, with a protective magical barrier to keep them there. The magical barrier prevented magic usage from the inside, only allowing one TV channel and no WiFi. 

Anyways, the whole point was no one can get out, but that’s soon to change with an optimistic boy falling in love with a sarcastic girl.

Chapter Text

Ben stared out at his bedroom window, lost in thought, thinking about his royal proclamation and a beautiful girl named Malinda Bertha. 

Ben has been having these dreams ever since he was five years old, which is kinda crazy, but he quickly grew used to it. In his dreams, he’s always at the Enchanted Lake on a blanket with food surrounding him, but there’s also someone with him, a girl around his age. But she isn’t any kind of girl he’s very seen in Auradon. She has purple and a little bit of blue hair with the most saturated green he’s ever seen that he would gladly stare at for the rest of his life. 

The first time it happened, the dream quickly ended, and it stuck with five-year-old Ben to know who she was. He spent that day trying to find her among the crowds but never found that purple hair. Then he fell asleep, and she was back. And she came back every single night. 

They talked about nothing and everything in their dreams. Every night, it was a different topic, whether it be just about their day, favorite hobbies, friends, family, something they saw that was interesting, or anything really. 

They felt so comfortable around each other and could tell each other anything, even if they didn’t feel comfortable telling anyone in their life during the day. 

Mal was the first person Ben told about his horrible ex-girlfriend. She would always dig her nails into his arm whenever he did something that she didn’t agree with and clearly made offensive comments towards his family’s history, mostly his parents’ love story. Mal was the one that persuaded him to finally tell someone about it. Which also led to telling his family about the dreams he’s been having for years. His family all looked like they knew something he didn’t know, but he let it go. 

Hopefully, if his plan goes all according to plan, he would be able to ask her out in person. 

Ben snapped out of his thoughts as he heard his parents and sister walking into the royal fitting room. 

“I can’t believe my baby boy is going to be king soon,” his mother, Belle, said. 

“Mommm,” Ben groaned. “I’m not a baby.” 

“You would always be my baby,” Belle said. 

“Mom, Dad,” Ben started, clearing his throat to turn the conversation serious.

“Oh, what am I, a roach?” Addy interrupted teasingly. 

“Addison Louise,” Ben added, using her full name. 

She glared and stuck her tongue out at him. Ben did the same; Addy was about to call him by his full name, but their dad stopped them. 

“Ben, please continue what you were going to tell us,” Adam said, stopping his two kids.

“Right. I have chosen my first royal proclamation,” Ben started. His parents were shocked at how Ben had already planned out his proclamation at the age of seventeen, but they were also intrigued by what it could be. “I have decided that the children of the Isle of the Lost should be given the chance to live here in Auradon.” 

Belle, Adam, and Addy weren't that shocked hearing Ben’s proclamation involving the children of the Isle of the Lost since it meant a certain girl would be coming over. 

“I don’t think that’s a bad idea, but you have to know not all the kids would be too thrilled to come here and won’t do anything harmful,” Adam said. 

“I know, Dad. That’s why we start in small groups, and once they learn the ways around, then we bring more, and the previous group could help out and be mentors,” Ben said. 

“Well, have you picked who would be in the first group?” Belle smiled.

“Son of Cruella de Vil, son of Jafar, daughter of Evil Queen… and daughter of Maleficent and Hades,” Ben smiled at the end. Any mention of detail that relates to Mal just gets Ben smiling. 

Addy smirked and held out her hand towards her parents. “Told ya.”

Belle and Adam rolled their eyes at their daughter’s antics and each handed her a ten-dollar bill. 

Ben raised his eyebrow at his family, wondering what they made a bet on. 

“We took a bet on how long it would take for you to mention Mal,” Abby smirked, noticing the face her brother was making. 

Ben rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Belle finally said. 

“Thanks, Mom,” Ben smiled back at Belle. Ben looked at Adam for his entail.

Adam nodded. “It’s a great idea, and it’s time we give the new generation a chance.”

Ben beamed. “Thanks, Dad.” He looked at Abby. 

“It’s about damn time you get your dream girl,” Abby teased. Ben, Belle, and Adam laugh at what she said. 

When they calmed themselves, Adam noticed he got a notification; he and Belle had to go to a meeting. Abby also took that as a leave so she could finish reading her book; the three gave Ben a hug, saying their goodbyes, and walked out of the room. 

Ben had to stay to try on his coronation suit. The suit was a royal blue with gold accents. It was a perfect fit, and once the seamstress said he was good to go, he quickly walked back to his room. He was too excited to walk at a normal pace, and when he got to his room, he immediately got to work on the invitations for the four VKs.

Chapter Text

Mal jolted out of her sleep state when she felt a body land on top of her. She let out a grunt from the impact and turned to her left to get her little sister off her back. Melanie landed on the bed, and Mal went back to lying on her stomach. 

“Maliiii,” Melanie dragged on to wake her sister up.

“I’m going to kill you, Mel,” Mal groggily threatened. 

“You can’t kill me; I can’t kill you. We're immortal, stupid,” Melanie said. 

Mal raised her left hand and flipped her sister off. “Why are you even waking me up this early in the morning anyways?” 

“Cause you got a letter,” Melanie smirked. 

That caught Mal’s interest, as no one on the Isle writes letters but their mom to Aurora. She turned her head to look at her sister. “From who?” 

“Your lover boy,” Melanie teased, wiggling her eyebrows. 

Mal stared into Melanie’s eyes to determine if she was lying but didn’t see anything, so she immediately got out of her bed and ran downstairs. 

Melanie’s laughs and Mal’s footsteps could be heard throughout Bargain Castle. The girls got to the living room where their parents were. 

“Melanie said there’s a letter for me,” Mal said.

“Good morning to you too, Mali,” Hades snarked. 

“Good morning, Dad,” Melanie smiled. 

“Good morning, Mel,” Hades greeted. “See, Mali, it’s not that hard to say good morning to your parents.” 

Mal glared at her dad. 

“Dear, just give her the letter,” Maleficent cut in. 

“Of course, Moonlight,” Hades said, giving the letter to Mal. 

Mal always smiled at her parents’ affection; even though people think they’re the big bad villains, they really aren’t, at least not anymore. She turned her smile to her mom for making Dad give her the letter. Maleficent smiled at Mal, and that was all Mal needed to look at the letter. She opened it and started to read. 

“…I’m going to Auradon,” Mal said in disbelief after finishing reading. 

She couldn’t believe it was actually happening. Her and Ben had this conversation in their later years in the dreams that they would finally meet in person. And it was quite obvious he was holding back on something the last couple of nights, which makes sense now. It’s still nerve-wracking that it’s actually going to happen, but at the same time, she’s sad that she’s going to be away from her family she loves deeply. 

“Duh,” Melanie said, pulling her out of her thoughts. 

Mal looked over to her. “Did you read my letter?” 

“Yup,” Melanie grinned. Mal rolled her eyes. 

“Is it too late to be an only child?” Mal asked her parents. 

“Yes,” Maleficent and Hades said in unison. 

“Darn,” Mal sarcastically said. 

“Why are we ganging up on me today?” Melanie dramatically said. 

“Because it’s how we show love in this household, plus you woke me up before nine,” Mal said, pulling Melanie into a hug. 

“True,” Melanie said. “But it was for a good cause.” 

Mal snorted and kissed her forehead. “Uh-huh, sure.” Just then the front door opens and Evie, Carlos, and Jay come in. 

“We’re going to Auradon,” Jay announced.

“Yes, Jay. I know,” Mal said, rolling her eyes.

“You might want to get packing and dressed, Mali. It says a limo is coming to you four at noon,” Hades said. 

“Oh, right,” Mal said, releasing herself from Melanie and heading up the stairs to her room. She turned to look behind her as she heard footsteps.

“Why are you guys following me?” Mal asked her sister and Evie. 

“You really think I’m not going to help you pick out clothes?” Evie asked, close to snorting at the ridiculous thought, but stopped herself and thought how her mother always says how unlady-like it is. 

“Helping pack some art supplies, plus making sure Evie doesn’t go overboard,” Melanie said. 

The three got to Mal’s room and helped her pack. Mal changed when her stuff that she really needed was packed. Melanie and Evie brought her stuff down as she was changing. When Mal was done, she went downstairs and saw her dad talking to her sister and three of her best friends talking among themselves. She could tell there was definitely something they were hiding, but she’ll let it go for now. 

“Where’s Mom?” Mal asked her dad. 

“She’s getting something for you,” Hades answered. And just like he still had his powers, Maleficent walks in the room with a book in her hands. She hands the book to Mal, and she looks over the cover. 

“What’s this?” she asks. 

“It’s my old spell book. Since you’re going over to Auradon, where you could have access to your magic, I thought this would help you out. It’ll help you get started on learning about your magic and controlling it,” Maleficent answered. 

“Thanks, Mom,” Mal smiled, teary-eyed. Mal hugged her mom, and Maleficent kissed the top of her head. 

The loud sound of a car gained everyone’s attention since cars aren’t common on the Isle. 

“Either that’s Cruella or the limo,” Jay said. Carlos shivered at the thought it was his mother. 

They all looked outside to see that it was the limo. 

“Huh, they’re early,” Hades noted. 

“Wait, I haven’t said goodbye to Uma, let alone tell her that I’m going to Auradon!” Mal said. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell her,” Melanie promised. 

“Well then, let’s get this party started!” Jay whooped, and Carlos and Evie laughed as they followed him outside. 

“Make sure they don’t do anything to get sent back here,” Hades quietly said to Mal. 

Hades and Maleficent knew the kind of parents Jafar, Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil were, and they don’t want Jay, Evie, and Carlos having to go through that kind of abuse anymore. 

“I won’t,” Mal promised. She hugged her dad, then moved to her mom and finally Melanie. Mal gave a final wave at them before putting her stuff into the trunk of the limo and getting in.

Chapter Text

“Alright, what’s up with you three?” Mal asked, crossing her arms. She waited until the driver put the partition up and could hear him play music. 

“Nothing!” Jay, Evie, and Carlos quickly denied.

“Right, that’s not suspicious or anything,” Mal rolled her eyes. “Carlos, tell me what’s going on.”

“Wha- why me!?” Carlos asked.

“Because you aren’t a good liar,” Mal said. 

“True,” Carlos said. He let out a breath and said, “Our parents want us to steal Fairy Godmother’s wand.”

“But Fairy Godmother’s wand can only be handled if you’re genetically fairy,” Mal stated, confused how they would be able to get it since Jay could have genie powers and Evie is part witch. “And none of you are part fairy the last time I checked.” 

“But you are…” Jay said slowly.

“Oh…” Mal knew what they were implying; that’s why they were acting strange earlier. It doesn’t shock her that their parents would plan that as they still lived in vengeance.

“Mal,” Evie said, gaining her attention and grabbing her hands. “We talked it through, and we don’t want to steal the wand and use you like that. You’re our friend, and we never want to hurt you.”

Mal nodded in understanding.

“But we are terrified of what our parents will do if they find out,” Evie added. 

Mal tightened her hold on Evie’s hands. “Your parents aren’t going to find out or do anything to you; you guys are getting far away from them. They won’t be able to hurt you anymore.”

The four hugged to the best of their abilities, being in a car, until they realized how close they were getting to the barrier. They know if you make impact with it, it feels like running into a wall. They continue being huddled up, ready for the painful contact, but it never comes. Instead, a golden bridge appeared that looked like Tinkerbell’s pixie dust. The four relaxed and all looked out the window in amazement; they had never seen magic before, and it looked so beautiful.

“Wow,” Jay said. 

“It’s astounding how just a button could do that,” Carlos said. 

“Of course that’s what you focus on,” Mal teased.

Carlos sheepishly smiled but continued to look at the bridge. 

Soon, they were off the bridge and actually in Auradon. They saw so much green; it was amazing. They also quickly realize how incredibly bright it is in Auradon compared to the Isle. They all squinted their eyes from the sun and eventually leaned away from the window. And finally, they arrived outside of Auradon Prep, where people were outside cheering, a band playing, and three teenagers and an adult. 

The limo came to a stop, and the four started to get out one by one. First, Jay, since he’s always the one to make sure it’s ok for the other three. Carlos got out, then Evie, and finally Mal. 

Ben lost his breath the second Mal came out of the limo. Yes, he’s seen her every night for the past twelve years, completely memorized what she looks like, but seeing her in real life feels completely different. Addy subtly jabbed her elbow into his side to focus. Ben snapped out of his thoughts as Jay walked up to Audrey.

“Hello, foxy,” Jay flirted. “The name’s Jay.”

Audrey awkwardly chuckled, while Ben and Abby full-on snickered, knowing Jay would never beat Audrey’s lifelong crush, and Mal, Evie, and Carlos were close to bursting into laughter at Jay’s failed attempt at flirting. 

“Welcome to Auradon Prep,” Fairy Godmother interfered. Jay stepped back to be with his friends again, ignoring the smirks from them. “I’m Fairy Godmother, headmistress.”

“The Fairy Godmother, as in bibbidi-bobbidi-boo?” Evie asked, 

“Bibbidi-bobbidi, you know it,” Fairy Godmother smiled. “Why do you ask, dear?”

Evie blushed in embarrassment. “Well, it’s just that my mother always said you look way older.”

“That’s because your mother likes to exaggerate every single thing about the human body,” Carlos said.

“Yeah, she thinks smile lines are bad,” Mal added. 

“To be honest, none of our parents are ‘parent of the month”, except for you, Mal,” Jay said. 

The Auradonians looked at each other, feeling bad for Evie, Jay, and Carlos. They hoped their parents weren’t that bad but feared it might actually be. 

“It’s so good to finally meet you four; I’m Ben,” Ben introduced himself, changing the subject since he knew the three might be embarrassed they just told four strangers what their home life is like. 

Mal smiles at Ben and tries not to laugh at his introduction. 

“This is my little sister, Addison,” Ben said.

Addy sends a glare to her brother. “Please just call me Addy.”

Ben looks at her with an innocent face.

Audrey rolled her eyes at the two. “While those two have their typical sibling fight, I’m Audrey.”

“We weren’t having a sibling fight,” Ben rolled his eyes.

“It’s ok. We’re used to sibling fights,” Jay said. Evie and Carlos nodded while Mal tried to look innocent, knowing she’s one of the ones Jay’s talking about.

“Ben, Addy, Audrey, get a move on with this introduction, please,” Fairy Godmother said. 

“Yes, Fairy Godmother,” the three said. 

Fairy Godmother nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, towards the VKs, and walked away. 

“How about a tour then?” Ben asked, even though he would be giving it to them no matter what. Audrey and Addy groaned.

“Auradon Prep, originally built over three hundred years ago and converted into a high school by my father when he became king,” Ben continued, ignoring Audrey and Addy’s groans. Everyone started to follow Ben as he started to walk and stop at the side of King Adam’s statue. Ben and Addy clapped their hands, and the statue turned into a beast. 

Carlos shrieked and jumped, which Jay caught him in his arms. Ben, Addy, and Audrey looked a bit worried. 

“Carlos, it's ok. My father wanted his statue to morph from beast to man to remind us that anything is possible,” Ben reassured, hoping to calm the younger boy down. 

Carlos shakily nodded and got out of Jay’s arms. 

“Does he shed much?” Mal asked, taking the attention off Carlos.

Ben looked over to her and smiled, knowing what she was doing. “Yeah, Mom won’t let him on the couch.”

Mal smirked at Ben’s sarcastic remark, and he continued leading the way with one last smile towards her. Everyone followed, and Carlos gave Mal a grateful smile. 

They made their way inside just in time, with Doug coming down the stairs with everything the four needed. 

“Doug!” Ben smiled. Doug smiled as he reached everyone. 

“Hey, Ben,” Doug said. 

“Guys, this is Doug, and he’ll be giving your class schedules and showing Jay and Carlos to your dorm room,” Ben said. 

Jay and Carlos nodded at Doug. 

“I have to go to a meeting, but I’ll see you later, ok? If you guys need anything at all, don't be afraid to ask,” Ben said, walking away. 

“Are we going to talk about how Ben was definitely talking to Mal about seeing later?” Jay asked, once Ben was out of earshot. 

“Jay!” Mal turned to him and glared. 

“Oh, 100%,” Evie, Addy, and Audrey teased. 

Mal rolled her eyes. 

“Why would Ben be talking about seeing Mal?” Doug asked. 

“Don’t worry about it, Doug,” Audrey said, patting his shoulder. 

“Anyways, I’m Dopey’s son. As in Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and…” Doug listened but got distracted by the blue beauty in front of him. How he didn’t notice her before, he’ll never know, but he couldn’t look away. 

Audrey and Addy smirked at how lovestruck Doug got a sight of Evie. 

“Heigh-ho,” Doug breathed. 

“Evie. Evil Queen’s daughter,” Evie introduced herself to Doug, smirking at the effect she has on him. 

Doug shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Okay. So about your classes, I, uh, put in the requirements already: history of woodsmen and pirates, safety rules for the internet, and, uh, remedial goodness 101.”

“Remedial goodness 101?” Mal asked. 

Doug nodded. “Fairy Godmother is going to teach you guys lessons about being good.”

Mal slightly nodded.

“I think it’s time to show them their dorms,” Audrey said. 

Doug nodded and said, “If you guys would follow me.” He started to walk with Carlos and Jay following to see their dorm room. 

“Let’s go, girls,” Addy said, starting to walk with Audrey, Evie, and Mal following. 

“So, Aunt Mal,” Audrey started to tease.

“That’s an immediate no,” Mal said. 

The other girls laughed. 

“No one is calling me Aunt yet at all,” she continued.

“Fair enough,” Audrey laughed. 

“Wait, do you know about the dreams?” Evie asked Audrey.

“Oh, the ones Mal and Ben share every night,” Audrey smirked. 

“Those are the ones,” Evie grinned.

“Wait, how do you know?” Addy asked Audrey.

“My mom and Maleficent are pen pals, so in one of the letters Maleficent mentioned Mal having shared dreams with Ben, and it’s not that hard to figure out Ben had to be having as well,” Audrey explained.

“Ah, okay,” Addy nodded.

“When did you find out?” Audrey asked Evie. 

“Bestie privileges,” Evie smiled.

"Also, you wouldn’t let go of the fact I was dreaming about a boy,” Mal added.

“That’s because you never seemed interested when I was talking about them!” Evie said.

“I was three!” Mal said.

Addy and Audrey laughed at the friend's interaction. 

“When did you know?” Evie asked Addy. 

“Ben told us when he and Freya were dating since it was Mal that helped him break up with her,” Addy said. 

“Oh, thank all the gods for you,” Audrey said to Mal. 

“My dad is literally a God.” Mal gave her a blank face. 

“Wait, who’s Freya?” Evie asked. 

At that moment, they reached Evie and Mal’s dorm room. Mal opened the door and was greeted with a lot of pink. She tried to hide the disgust, but Addy and Audrey already knew. 

“Don’t worry; you guys can decorate it however you want,” Addy said. 

“Oh, thank the Gods,” Mal let out a breath. 

“Anyways, to answer your question Evie, Freya is the daughter of Snow White and Florian. She thinks she’s going to be queen because Snow basically set up a marriage of convenience, so if Ben isn’t married by the age of thirty, then he and Freya would be wed. But Freya took that as a sign she’s guaranteed to be queen, and she was more horrible in the relationship than usual. She would always dig her nails into his arm and say something about our parents’ love story,” Addy explained.

“Quite honestly, she’s a bitch,” Audrey said. Addy nodded. 

“Wow,” Evie and Mal said. 

“It’s a wonder how her other two kids are so nice,” Audrey said. 

“Snow has other children!?” Mal asked in disbelief, if her daughter was so horrible, then why did she have more?

“Yeah, they have a son named Samuel; he’s twenty-three and obviously the oldest. Then Samantha is fifteen and the youngest,” Audrey said.

“Good thing only one of her children is messed up,” Addy said. 

“Anyways, we’ll let you guys settle in, and if you guys ever need girl advice, don’t be afraid to ask,” Audrey said. 

Mal and Evie smiled, appreciative of having some other girl talk, especially since they wouldn’t be able to talk to Uma for a while. Audrey and Addy left, and Evie and Mal stared around their room. 

“This room definitely needs some Isle touches,” Evie said. 

“100%,” Mal nodded. The two spent hours decorating the room, and they fully experienced a sunset.

Chapter Text

Mal was lying on her new bed, bored out of her mind. She finished decorating her side of the dorm and unpacked her things. She already went to check on the boys to see how they were settling in. Jay was looking over all the things he swiped in the time he's been here, which didn’t surprise Mal one bit since the three knew Jay had a kleptomaniac problem from Jafar raising him to steal so he could resell it in his shop. Carlos was having the time of his life, playing some game on the TV, which again didn’t shock Mal since that boy loves technology. 

“I’m going to go out on a walk,” Mal said, getting up and putting on her leather jacket. 

“At this time?” Evie asked, looking at the clock. 

Mal shrugged. “It’s not like something bad would happen here in Auradon.” 

“Just be careful, please,” Evie pleaded. 

“Yes, Mom,” Mal teased, rolling her eyes. 

“Someone has to make sure you don’t get in trouble,” Evie said. 

Mal dramatically gasped, placed her hand on her heart, and leaned against the door frame. 

Evie rolled her eyes at Mal. “You’re so dramatic.”

“Love you too, E,” Mal smiled, walking out of their dorm. 

Mal walked the hallways of the girls' dorms, noticing the names on each door sign. She thought it was cute how each sign was different and represented the girls living in that room. Her and Evie would probably have to make their sign, so she’ll sketch designs later. Mal made her way to a door that leads out to a garden. She roamed around the grounds, looking at all the different varieties of flowers. She knew if her sister were here, she would spend the entire day in the gardens and never want to leave. 

“It seems like a princess is out past curfew,” a voice said, walking behind her. 

Mal slightly froze, wasn’t expecting anyone to be out here, also a little irritated at them calling her a princess. She turned around to see who it was, and to her shock, it was Ben with a grin on his face.

“Damn you, Ben,” Mal glared, whacking his chest with her hand. Ben chuckled at her as she continued to glare at him. “Also, I’m not a princess.”

“Hmm, you kinda are,” Ben said.

“How?” Mal challenged.

“Your dad is the King of the Underworld, and your mom was the Queen of the Moors,” Ben stated.

“Exactly, my mom was the Queen of the Moors before giving it to Aurora. But you are correct about Dad’s part,” Mal sighed. “But no calling me a princess.”

“As the m’lady wishes,” Ben teased. Mal glared at him, and he stared at her with a grin. 

After a few minutes of their face-off, they started laughing uncontrollably. As their laughter died down, they stared at each other with a smile. 

Mal stepped closer to Ben and finally wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled her closer, as close as humanly possible, and wrapped his arms above her shoulders. Their bodies felt like they let out a huge breath of relief of being in each other’s arms. It felt so much better in person than in their dreams. 

“Wait, we actually have a curfew?” Mal asked, tilting her head up to look at Ben. 

Ben chuckled at how random she asked that but nodded. “Fairy Godmother is headmistress; of course, we have a curfew.”

Mal groaned at the thought of having a curfew but soon gasped. “What would she say then if she caught you, the golden crowned prince, out past curfew? Oh, she's going to think I’ve bewitched you. Think about how scandalous that is,” she said, teasing Ben. 

“Please, I’ve been bewitched by you since I was five,” Ben said, rolling his eyes. Mal’s cheeks got a bit pink, and she quickly rested her head on his chest, hoping he didn’t see it, but alas, he actually did. 

The two standing there hugging and enjoying each other’s company. They also occasionally sway back and forth. 

“So what’s this Remedial Goodness 101 class?” Mal asked. When she heard Doug tell them their classes, that one struck a chord inside her. She’s told lots of stories about her and her friends to Ben that she’s hoping he’s not the one that set the class up for them.

Ben sighed. “Fairy Godmother insisted that it be a requirement class for you guys since we don’t primarily know what your parents taught you.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Mal said. “She’s not wrong, though; many of the villains teach their kids the ropes of being evil, or they manipulate their kids into thinking something that’s not true.”

“...like Cruella, Jafar, and the Evil Queen?” Ben asked, bringing up what the four were talking about earlier. 

Mal sadly nodded and let out a breath. “Cruella treats Carlos as if he’s her slave and taught him, ‘Dogs are rapid pack animals that eat boys who don’t behave.’”

Ben looked at her in horror that a mother would teach her son that!

“Her words, not mine. Jafar is an okay parent; he’s better than Cruella and the Evil Queen combined, at least. He just taught Jay how to steal from a very young age, which resulted in Jay being a kleptomaniac now. Evil Queen taught E that she needs a prince in order to be happy in life. EQ taught her all about beauty and how it’s the most important feature, along with being able to sew, clean, and cook,” Mal said.

“Oh my gosh…” Ben trailed off, feeling bad for Carlos and Evie especially. 

“Yeah… There are some others who have to deal with horrible parents, and they tough it out and rebel against them, which is really remarkable. My parents make sure to somewhat help those who are worthy with what we got. But there are some that actually want to follow in their parents’ footsteps,” Mal said. 

“I would appreciate it if you made a list of those that you think are worthy to come here,” Ben said. 

Mal smiled at him; that’s one of the things that made her fall in love with Ben. He’s always ready to help others, no matter what. “I will.”

“Aziz and Ryker said that exercising, meditating, spending time with friends, and going to therapy helped their dads get over their urge to steal,” Ben said as a suggestion to help Jay with his kleptomania.

“Aziz and Ryker?” Mal asked, wondering who they were.

“Aziz is the son of Aladdin and Jasmine. Ryker is the son of Eugene and Rapunzel,” Ben said.

Mal nodded. “That makes sense now. I’ll suggest it to Jay, but who knows?” She was going to say something else but ended up yawning. 

Ben chuckled. “Am I boring you?”

Mal rolled her eyes and said, “No.” 

Another yawn came out of her, and Ben said, “Ok, I think it’s time for you to go to bed.”

“Aww,” she pouted. 

“You’ll see me tomorrow,” he promised. 

Mal smiled at that fact. She gets to see Ben during the day now instead of only in her dreams. “Fine,” she sighed. 

Ben pecked her forehead and said, “Night, Mal.”

She gave him one last smile and said, “Night, Ben.” 

The two untangled themselves, and Mal walked back to her dorm. Ben made sure to watch her head back before going to his dorm. And for the first time in twelve years, they didn’t have a shared dream with each other.

Chapter Text

“If someone hands you a crying baby, do you? A: Curse it, B: Lock it in a tower, C: Give it a bottle, or D: Crave out its heart?” Fairy Godmother asked the four VKs. 

To say Mal was bored out of her mind would be an understatement. It was their first day at Auradon Prep, and it was definitely something. Her first class was History of Woodsmen and Pirates with Tinkerbell, and she shared it with Jay. It was weird hearing stories of Hook being evil and wanting to try to kill a boy since she and Jay know Hook and are good friends with his kids. Hook was the first mortal to gain Mal’s mom's trust after what happened with Stefan. Her and Hook became best friends, and these stories completely differentiate the man she considers her uncle, along with being good friends with his son, Harry. But at the same time, it was nice hearing stories about Hook and his crew, since they still act the same on the Isle, even if they can’t sail anywhere. All four of them had safety rules for the Internet with Hiro Hamada. Carlos fell in love with that class so quickly since it deals with technology, and honestly the other three liked how cool it was that he and his friends became superheroes while looking amazing, Evie said, while also honoring Hiro’s older brother, Tadashi. Mal then has Life Skills Without Magic, which is stupid in her opinion because magic users need to know how to use their magic, but at the same time, it’s probably a good thing because her mom told her that using too much magic could cause health benefits. But that class was being taught by one of the imbeciles, as her mom likes to call them, Merryweather or Fliitle, which she finds ironic since she’s a fairy. Then she and Evie share Magical History with Blue Fairy; Mal actually finds this class to be interesting so far. Their last class is Remedial Goodness 101, which they’re in right now. And it is so boring; the Fairy Godmother is asking them questions that are so easy and answers that are common sense with a bit of targeting at other villains. Which is why Mal is sketching a dragon in her sketchbook since she has to do something, or she would probably fall asleep. 

Evie raises her hand, and Fairy Godmother calls on her. 

“Evie!” Fairy Godmother smiles.

“What was the second one?” Evie asked. 

Mal turns to look at her. She knows Evil Queen told her that princes don’t like smart girls (which she finds stupid because it makes sense Auradon boys would like a smart girl), but there are literally no princes in the room; actually, the only boys are Jay and Carlos, and they’re like their brothers. 

“Oh… okay,” Fairy Godmother said, a little disappointed. “Mal?”

“C: Give it a bottle,” Mal said, turning back to her drawing. 

“Correct, again.” Fairy Godmother smiled and turned back to the chalkboard for the next question. 

“Whoever gets picked for this next question and answers correctly, we’ll team up and throw paint bombs at the two,” Mal quietly negotiated so only the other three could hear her. The three perked up at what Mal promised. 

“You find a vial of poison, do you? A: put in the king’s wine, B: paint on an apple, or C: turn it over to the proper authorities?” Fairy Godmother asked. 

Zevon and Yzla, the son and daughter of Yzma, popped up in their heads when Fairy Godmother mentioned a vial of poison. Which makes sense; one of the options is linked with their mother, Yzma, and what she did to Kuzco. But they quickly got rid of them because the thought of Yzma having children is disturbing to think about, especially since Zevon is obsessed with Mal. 

Evie, Jay, and Carlos all quickly raised their hands, each hoping to throw paint bombs at the other two. Fairy Godmother smiled at the enthusiasm of the three. 

“Jay!” she called on. Carlos and Evie deflated at not being called. 

“C. You turn it over to the proper authorities,” Jay said smugly that he’s the one that got called on.

“I was going to say that,” Carlos said. 

“But I said it first. Come here!” Jay said, putting him into a headlock. 

“Ow!” Carlos winced as Jay somehow got both of them on top of the desk and still gave him a noogie. 

“Come on, who said it first? Who said it first?” Jay teased the younger boy, who got to be called on.

Mal and Evie rolled their eyes, unimpressed since they’re so used to the boys acting like that. Evie pulled out her compact mirror and made sure her makeup was still looking perfect while Mal went back to her sketch. 

“Ow! Stop! Ah!” Carlos said, trying to pull away from Jay’s grasp.

“Boys,” Fairy Godmother calmly called, trying to gain their attention, but the boys kept fighting. “Boys!” she said louder, tapping her pointer on the podium. That finally gained Jay and Carlos’ attention. “I am going to encourage you to use that energy on the tourney field.”

The boys had never heard of “tourney” and quickly went back to sitting in their seats to avoid whatever that was. 

“Oh, no. That's ok. Whatever that is, we'll pass,” Carlos politely denied. Fairy Godmother was about to say something, but a girl squeaked like a mouse as she walked past the VKs to Fairy Godmother. The girl gained the VKs’ attention since they always assumed the children from Auradon would be outgoing and do-gooders, so seeing someone so timid is surprising. 

“Hello, dear one,” Fairy Godmother greeted the girl. 

“Hi. You need to sign off on an early dismissal for the coronation,” the girl said, handing Fairy Godmother a clipboard. 

She signed the paper and introduced, “Everyone, this is my daughter, Jane.” 

“Mom!” Jane said, turning back to her mom to try and stop her from embarrassing her even more. 

Mal took an interest in the girl; for some reason, she seemed so familiar. Then she thought back to a few times when Ben shared stories about his friends, and Jane was one of them. Jane reminded her so much of Carlos, and she wants to help both come out of their shell. She snapped out of her thoughts when Jane walked back the four with another squeak and didn’t miss Carlos’ gaze on her as well. Mal smirked to herself that maybe she could play matchmaker with those two. 

After a few minutes of Fairy Godmother mostly explaining to Jay and Carlos about detention and how to play tourney, the bell rang. The boys headed to the field while Mal and Evie went back to the dorm.

Ben smiled when he saw Jay and Carlos walking over. “Hey guys, are you here to try out?” 

“Hey. Fairy Godmother said to put our energy on the tourney field and if you don’t, then we get a detention,” Jay said. 

“Ah,” Ben nodded. “Well, I’ll help you guys get set up.”

Ben helped Jay and Carlos get with the basic rules and what to do, along with putting on the gear. He also let Coach Jenkins know about the two arrivals. When they got to the field, Coach was looking over his clipboard and finally got started when he noticed everyone was there. 

“Jay, Ben, offense. Chad, defense. Tryone, you’re the shooter,” Coach Jenkins started giving out everyone’s position. 

“Right, Coach,” the players said, getting into their spots. 

Though Carlos was still confused about how to play and he was not the athletic one in the friend group, that was reserved for Jay, Harry and Gil. Those three are the muscles and the ones that mostly got into trouble, Carlos was more into tech than anything athletic. Though he is a fast runner, which they quickly learned as Freddy, the son of Claude Frollo, made two canines chase after him. 

“Hey. Hey! Hey, you. Lost boy! Put your helmet on. Get out of the kill zone! Come on,” Coach Jenkins called out, breaking Carlos out of his thoughts and trying to move quickly out og the kill zone while putting on his helmet with his hands filled with a stick and a shield. 

“Kill zone?’ Carlos questioned, glancing down at the ground.

“Pick it up. Put it on! Two hands,” Coach Jenkins yelled. Carlos quickly got off the kill zone and managed to put his helmet on. When he saw the players ready, he blew his whistle and the practice game started. 

Coach Jenkins and his assistant watched the boys play and wrote anything that they could work on. When they noticed one of the new guys, Jay, playing and were amazed by strength.

“Ahh!” Jay yelled, running towards a player, who was Carlos under the helmet. 

“Jay, it’s me! It’s Carlos! Wait, stop. Jay, stop! No, no, no, no. No!” Carlos said, started to throw his stick and ended up curled up with the shield covering his body as Jay used the shield for leverage and scored the ball into the net.

“Ahh! Oh, yeah! Come on, let’s go! Oh! Whoo! Whoo, whoo! Oh! Oh!” Jay cheered, happy to score the ball into the net. 

“What just happened? Who is this guy?” Tyrone groaned as all the players were laying on the ground from getting pushed by Jay. 

“You! Get over here!” Coach Jenkins called out to Jay. Jay came over, along with all the other players and wondered what he'd tell the boy. 

“What do you call that? I call that raw talent. Come find me later. I’ll show you something you haven’t seen before. It’s called a rule book. Welcome to the team, son,” he said to Jay. then turned to Carlos, “You ever thought about band?”

Carlos sarcastically laughed while Jay could help but let out a laugh.

“I’ll work with him, Coach,” Ben said. Carlos gave a small smile to Ben, appreciated that he’s willingly to help him out. 

Coach Jenkins nodded and said, “All right. Let’s run that again.”

“Whoo!” Jay said, pumped up to do whatever he just did again. Something about this tourney thing really got him feeling great and wanted to do it until his last breath. 

A blonde boy gave him a look and puffed out his chest to show how he’s better but Jay rolled his eyes at him and roughly hit his shoulder to his as he passed by. 

“Ow!” he quietly let out so no one knew how much that hurt.