Someone was screaming. Well actually there were dozens of people screaming. The unconscious body of their King seemed to get the Auradonians into an understandable panic.
"Mal! Mal, calm down!"
Someone was saying her name. They shouldn't be telling me to calm down, they should be telling whoever's letting loose that soul shattering scream to calm down. Gods I know people love Ben but...I mean...no, he...he's not gone! He can't be gone! I...he doesn't know how much I love him!
But it took Mal a minute to realize that one of the people screaming, the person who was screaming Ben's name, who was almost sinking to her knees in fear and panic...it was her.
"No...Gods, no," Mal muttered, shaking her head. Her eyes remained locked on Ben, as if staring at him would somehow cause him to get up and resume the fight.
"Well, well, well," Freddy smirked and Mal's eyes latched onto him, narrowing in anger and disgust. "He put up a good fight, I must admit. But only one of us had the grace of God on his side and it certainly wasn't Beastie Jr. here."
It was then that Mal realized something else, as Freddy moved to close the distance between himself and Ben as if he was going to finish him off. When she had sank to her knees, she had gotten out of Akiho's grip. Her arms were free.
And she had a dagger.
Springing to her feet, she pulled the dagger out of the hidden pocket and made it fly true. It hit her mark though she was a little disappointed to have caused a hole in Ben's suit. That was the suit Ben had been wearing when he offered to sign Mal up for art class.
Though after tonight, the only thing that suit would be good for would be kindling.
"Karma's a tricky mistress, don't you know?" Mal growled as Freddy grunted in pain, the dagger sticking out of his shoulder. The same shoulder that very dagger had hit when Freddy had fired it at Mal all those months ago.
Mal didn't care that Freddy was in pain, she didn't care that she'd given him another weapon. All she cared about was Ben.
Rushing to his side, Mal knelt down to check to make sure there was no lasting damage. That Ben would be able to walk away from this. That Belle and Beast wouldn't lose another child before their time.
"Please...don't leave me..." Mal whispered as she bent her head down to hear if Ben was breathing.
Oh thank dad! Mal thought as she could feel the faint rising and fall of Ben's chest. Ben was alive. By the grace of Apollo, of Hera, of all the Gods on Olympus, Ben was alive.
Now then...
"I'mma kill him! Give me that sword and let me run him through!" Mal heard Harry exclaim and turned to see the pirate struggling against Jay's grasp. Jay was really lucky he was wearing a jacket or else his arm would probably be severely scarred by Harry's hook as he fought to escape like a ravenous badger.
The last time Harry had fought to escape someone's grasp like that, Freddy had made a rather lewd comment about CJ, Harry's little sister. Let's just say Freddy was lucky that the Rats had been able to restrain Harry then.
It had still taken three Rats to do so—and this time there was only Jay.
"Harry—."
"No Jay! Bad enough Freddy crashed Mal's event. Bad enough he escaped the Isle. But he had the nerve to use one of our smoke bombs to attack Ben?!"
"Really? After everything he's done, that's where you draw the line? Especially after what happened with Ryan?"
Mal couldn't help but agree with Jay but at the same time, seeing Ben still lying there unconscious as if he was dead...rage filled Mal's body. Ben had been innocent in all of this, had only been trying to protect his citizens.
And Freddy might have removed that innocence, that want to see the good in everyone. Who knew what Ben would be like when he recovered?
"Akiho, you might want to move!"
Uma's voice sounded almost muffled, like she was underwater. But Mal wasn't underwater though. She was however surrounded by a cloud of purple smoke that had begun to obscure her vision.
Why does Akiho need to move? Mal thought. It's just smoke. We all survived the red smoke bomb that Freddy deployed.
At first she thought Freddy had let loose another smoke bomb, to try to flee or worse, make it so Ben wouldn't walk away from this fight. She wouldn't have put it past him to be completely honest. But then she realized that the smoke was only surrounding her. A smoke bomb would have surrounded the entire area.
Besides, the purple that would have been from a smoke bomb would have been darker. This purple was lighter, was almost more of a lilac. This was her purple.
Mal knew at that point what was going on. Just as she'd done at Ben's coronation all those months ago, she was now turning into a dragon once more. As the smoke cleared, she raised her head up to look at the night sky, the moon glowing brighter than it had previously.
There you go Freddy, she thought with an inward smirk before pausing. Was this a good idea? Wouldn't it just invite more comparisons to Maleficent with yet another dragon transformation?
It was then, as she looked down at the ship, that Mal caught sight of Ben. He was still lying face down on the deck of the yacht, and her rage returned.
Screw anyone who compares me to Maleficent! Freddy needs to learn that you do not mess with my crew and you do not touch Ben! Mess with me, that's fine. I can fight back and hit you just as hard. A smoke bomb's cute Freddy...but it's nothing compared to a dragon!
Raising her head up once more, she fired a plume of fire into the night sky as the sea became a bit choppy. Unfurling her wings, she lifted herself up before diving down; picking Freddy up in her talons.
Unless she'd been mistaken, it almost looked like there was a bit of fear in Freddy's eyes as she lifted him up and dropped him back to Earth. Good. After everything he did, he deserved to be afraid.
"...yeah I'd say Mal has this," Emir said as he let go of Uma now that there was no danger that the squidling would run into the fray.
"Anyone filming this? Ben would be upset to find out he missed a dragon transformation," Akiho said as Mal dropped Freddy onto the deck before grabbing him with her jaws, tossing him the way a small child might toss a rag doll.
"Mal's having way too much fun with this," Uma smirked. She had debated about jumping into the water and turning into a giant octopus like her mother had. But then she figured it'd be better if she remained as a human. She didn't exactly know how to change back from that form and it was probably better if only one of the Captains of the Lost Revenge was a mythological creature.
"Just a thought," Harry said. "But should we maybe move Ben out of the way so that Mal doesn't accidentally hurt him in her dragon form?"
"That's...a really good idea Harry," Uma nodded and Harry gave her a small smile at the praise. Emir and Akiho scurried over to their unconscious friend and gently picked him up, moving him off to the side while Mal continued to treat Freddy to a free education showing him exactly why it was a bad idea to anger a dragon while off in the distance, thunder rumbled ominously.
"We should have a medical professional on board," Emir said softly as he gently place Ben down on the ground, shrugging off his jacket and folding it up to place under Ben's head. "Does anyone know where they are?"
"Search me," Akiho shrugged. "I'm sure we have someone on board though. With how crazy Cotillion's gotten in the past..."
"Yeah," Emir sighed as Estelle walked up to them, his leash trailing behind him. Akiho could only assume that the Cerberus had tugged his leash free from his attendant's hands since normally either his attendant or Mal would be holding that leash.
The Cerberus laid down next to Ben, the right head giving a gentle lick to Ben's cheek. Estelle whimpered softly and looked over to Akiho.
"He'll be okay boy," Akiho promised.
"We'll make sure of it," Emir nodded as Estelle curled up next to Ben, his left head resting on Ben's chest. It was clear to both boys that if anyone wanted to mess with Ben, they'd have to go through Estelle.
Only a fool would risk angering a Cerberus. Especially with the dog's owner currently in dragon mode.
"I'mma kill him," Harry stated again as the VKs walked over to them. "Freddy, I mean. How many times does Mal have a night all about her? And Freddy had to come and ruin it?"
"I think Mal's having the time of her life right now actually," Uma said, looking up at Mal who was dropping and picking Freddy back up as if he was a rubber ball. In all honesty, Uma had to assume that Freddy was unconscious himself considering the lack of noise coming from the French fanatic.
It was safe to say that Uma felt no sympathy for Freddy at all.
"What're we going to do with him?" Jay asked. "Freddy I mean?"
"Well he'll need to see a doctor—."
"No he won't," Harry scoffed. "If he survives this encounter with Mal, he can deal with his wounds on his own."
"I agree with Harry," Jay nodded. "Besides I have a feeling that after this, Ben won't be the most charitable to Freddy."
Akiho sighed. He had to agree with Jay on that. There wasn't a lot that could anger Ben but messing with Mal was definitely something that would earn Ben's ire toward you. And the fact that Freddy had full stop threatened to kill Mal...
"We'll need to question him," Emir spoke up, his voice soft. "To figure out how he got off the Isle and make sure that we can prevent anyone else from escaping in the future. Especially when we go to get the VKs."
"We're...we're still doing that?" Harry asked and Emir felt his heart break slightly at the astonishment in the pirate's voice.
"I think Ben would probably haul off and punch someone if they suggested we not bring over the VKs who deserved it because one VK escaped the Isle and tried to kill Mal," Akiho stated. "Well he would if he wasn't doing his Snow White impression right now."
"He's going to have a major headache when he wakes up," Jay sighed as he sat down and looked up at the sky. Mal was still going at it but at some point she was going to drop Freddy and sit at Ben's side.
And when that moment came, Jay would be ready to take over teaching Freddy why you don't mess with the Rats.
"Why it looks like Mal's going to give us a little present," Uma smirked as Freddy was dropped down in front of them. To compare him to roadkill would be an insult to roadkill in all honesty. He looked like his body was going to be one giant bruise if or when he recovered.
Mal landed in the center of the deck, a swirl of smoke surrounding her once more. When it cleared, Mal was met with applause as both a brunette and a blue haired God came rushing toward her. Well the blue haired God was more of a Godling but it was the same thing really.
"Mal, that was amazing!" Hadie exclaimed.
"You weren't hurt were you?" Mal asked as she brought him into a hug and Hadie shook his head.
"Gil took me below deck once he saw that Freddy was here," he said. "I wish I could have helped but I think you had everything taken care of."
Persephone nodded as she wrapped her daughter up into her arms. "Gods help us, the next big event Auradon has, you are not to turn into a dragon and fight a big bad entity understand? I don't think my heart could take it."
"It's not like I plan these things mom," Mal said, melting into her embrace. "Gods...is it weird that a small part of me hopes Freddy survived?"
"Yes," Hadie nodded and Mal chuckled.
"It's just...we need to know how he escaped for one. And for another, what if he's holding Chad somewhere? I know he said he didn't know who Chad was but that's just it. Freddy always lies. Plus...Ryan deserves to be the one to give the finishing blow to Freddy."
"...well when you put it like that," Hadie sighed.
"I'm sure he survived," Persephone said and then paused for a moment. "...your father can confirm that he survived his encounter with your dragon form Mal. But just barely. He'll probably be spending time in a holding cell until Auradon can escort him back to the Isle."
"Good," Mal growled. "Make it the smallest cell we can."
"...so are you officially a Lady of the Court now?" Hadie asked. "Do I have to call you my Lady?"
"Do it, and I toss you overboard."
"In your dragon form?"
"Maybe," Mal chuckled as Hadie grinned.
Persephone shook her head. "What am I going to do with you two?"
"Dunno but you've got eternity to figure it out," Mal grinned. That grin faded as she saw Ben still lying still off to the side.
"Uma, Jay, Harry!"
"Yes Mal?"
"Let's wake up our uninvited guest and then we'll...we'll see about Ben," Mal said with a small sigh. "Harry, Jay, hold him still. We don't want him escaping."
"Cap'n, with the damage you caused, I doubt he'd be escaping anytime soon," Harry told her but grinned as he held down Freddy's arm; Jay following his example.
"Mal, you just did a boatload of magic," Uma told her cousin as she held her shell necklace in her hands. "Let me."
Mal nodded and Uma smirked as her shell glowed once more. Persephone sighed but stood off to the side. While she couldn't condone this, she knew an Isle style interrogation was better than the alternative.
"Should we make sure they don't kill him?" Emir whispered to Akiho.
"On the one hand, yes because I don't think Ben would want them to be killers on his account," Akiho whispered back. "On the other...would you really be all that choked up if he were to die?"
Emir sighed and looked over at Ben's still unconscious form. He already knew the answer without needing to say anything.
"Wakey, wakey," Uma sang, an almost feral grin on her face.
Freddy blinked slowly as he regained consciousness. "Uh...wha...Uma! What did you do to me, you little witch?"
"Bit slow on the uptake aren't you Freddy?" Uma smirked. "I didn't do anything to you. However, you got on the wrong side of a dragon."
"And you'll be seeing that side again unless you hush up and only speak when spoken to," Mal growled.
"Unless you'd rather be put back to sleep permanently," Harry snarled.
Freddy looked over at Harry and smirked slightly. "Ah Hook. Why am I not surprised Uma's lap dog is here too?"
"A bit rattled aren't you?" Jay scoffed. "He's been here the whole time."
Harry growled and jabbed Freddy's chest, causing the older boy to wince slightly. "Can't you listen? Mal said no talking unless spoken to. Now...how did you get off the Isle?"
"And I thought it would be obvious Hook," Freddy said, his smirk growing. "By the grace of God, I was able to use the food barge during the stampede."
Mal growled. "You mean the stampede where the sister of one of our own died?"
"The very same." Freddy chuckled slightly. "You know, it couldn't have worked out better if I had planned it."
"Listen Freddy, you're on very thin ice and should consider yourself lucky that Mal had enough self control that you didn't see your precious Hellfire tonight. Now, where did you get the suit? There aren't any tailors on the Isle and I doubt you'd be allowed in my father's shop!" Uma snarled.
"I can tell you where he got it," Mal said, her voice hard and her fists clenched, shaking slightly in rage. "He was in Ben's room."
"I have to say the security around here is so lax. I can't believe I was able to just slip into the King's room," Freddy said with a slight snicker.
"And how did you get in here?" Jay growled. "I know you stole Chad's invite but you still had to get through the doors."
Freddy smirked. "I slipped past Gil when he walked past with his little fling. God, some VK he is. He didn't even notice. I do have to say that his fling is not all that bad looking for a Boreadon Brat."
"Listen Frollo," Harry snarled. "Gil may not be the brightest but he's a better VK and a better man than you'll ever be!"
"And do you really want to risk the wrath of Olympus?" Mal growled. "I may not care much for many of them but I know the Gods won't stand idly by while you insult the granddaughter of Zeus!"
Freddy snickered once more. "Oh Mal. There is but one God. And when my time comes I'll be before St. Peter at the pearly gates."
He paused though as a bolt of lighting crashed down, close enough to potentially have hit Freddy yet far enough away to not hit Mal or the others.
"Keep telling yourself that," Mal spat before looking at the others. "Any chance we can knock him out again before I kill him myself?"
"It'd be my pleasure cap'n," Harry grinned, reaching into his suit jacket. Jay quickly reached out and grabbed his hand.
"We said we didn't want to kill him."
"I can't knock him out with only my hand Jay!"
Jay shook his head. "Use your hook."
"See I was considering that but I thought it didn't have enough punch," Harry said before whacking Freddy over the head with the accessory. Sure enough, the son of Frollo was quickly out like a light.
"Do we need to tell Ryan the bad news that you beat him to the punch?"
"No, he's breathing. Unfortunately."
Mal nodded and turned to Beast and Belle, who had come rushing over to them. Apparently Chip had gone to retrieve the former royals from wherever he had safely stashed them. "Your highnesses, what should we do with him?"
"He should be returned to the Isle," Beast stated.
"Wait, where's Emma?" Emir asked as he walked over. "No offense your highness but Emma is the unofficial heir to the throne right now. With Ben out of commission..."
Beast gave his son's friend a small smile, nor did he blame him for being concerned about his girlfriend. "No offense taken Emir. But with all due respect, I'd like to get this done quickly so that I can see to my son."
"...fair enough."
"We also spoke to young Emma," Belle said softly. "Evie was in the process of whisking her off the yacht when this..."
"Miscreant?" Mal offered.
"That's as polite a word as I can think of," Belle nodded. "When this miscreant arrived."
Uma smiled slightly. "Points for Evie then."
"She was raised as a Princess. If there's anyone who'd know the importance of the Royal Line of Succession, it'd be her," Mal nodded.
Belle smiled but then sighed. "We can't send him to the Isle without having his wounds treated though."
"Oh he'll be fine," Uma rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, no sense in wasting resources on him," Harry nodded. Mal shook her head.
"Ben would want us to treat his wounds," she said softly and the others sighed.
"...she's got a point."
"Does this yacht have a brig?" Uma asked. "We could keep him there while we try to enjoy the rest of the night."
"The room by the engine room would work as one," Akiho stated. "Emir and I could escort our uninvited guest there, your highnesses."
Beast nodded. "Please. And be careful you two."
"They will be," a male voice rang out and Mal smiled as some of the Tourney team stepped forward.
"Will, Brenden, Miguel, Li—."
"We don't have time for a roll call Emir," William said, shaking his head. "Let's go."
"No need to be gentle!" Uma called as they gathered Freddy up and escorted him to his makeshift cell.
"Yes Lady Uma!" Brenden called back and Uma made a face.
Mal chuckled. "You're my cousin and the granddaughter of a God Uma. Get used to it."
She then sighed as she walked over and knelt down next to Ben. Gently scratching Estelle behind the ears with one hand, she softly brushed some of the hair out of Ben's eyes.
"Don't you leave me," she whispered once more and gently kissed his forehead. A few minutes went by before Ben seemed to almost groan as he woke up.
"Wha...Mal?"
"Oh thank Gods!" Mal exclaimed and, not caring about how it looked or her rep or anything, gathered Ben into her arms for the strongest yet most gentle hug she could muster.
Appearances didn't matter. Reputations didn't matter. All that mattered was that Ben was alive and in her arms.