The next day, the students of Auradon Prep arose to the hustle and bustle of people preparing for the coronation. While the actual coronation would be occurring in a replica of Notre Dame, the after party would be held at the school due to Ben's status as a student.
Throughout the school, people seemed to be ecstatic as the time wound closer to the coveted event.
"It's coronation day!" Akiho shouted, wrapping an arm around Ben's shoulders and jumping up and down; startling the future king as he didn't know where his friend and team mate had come from. "Dude, you pumped?"
"As long as you're not going to run around the school singing like your mom did on your aunt's coronation day," Ben told him, peeling himself from his friend's grasp as to not get hurt from his team mate's exuberance. "I've heard you sing. Please don't."
"Ben!"
"Nice one," Emir chuckled as he walked up to the pair of them and gave Ben a high five. "Tourney's not going to be the same without you, dude. We heard from Coach that you dropped from the team."
Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I'm sorry to leave you guys in the lurch but with my new duties, there won't be time for me to be able to attend practices. The last thing I want is for coach to put me in just because of who I am."
"We know," Akiho nodded, removing his arm and turning to look at Ben. "But you've been on the team for so long, it'll be odd. I wonder who Coach will pick to be the new captain."
"Hard to say," Emir said. "As long as it's not Chad, I'll be fine. Knowing him, being captain will result in a massive power trip."
Connor, one of the other members of the team, walked up to them. "So, what'll be your second decree when you're officially crowned king?" He asked, leaning against Emir and cutting off a response from Ben who wanted to defend his friend. Though Ben had to admit, Emir did have a point regarding Chad.
"Clearly he's going to keep the Isle program going," Akiho stated before Ben could say anything. "Honestly, mom's all for it. Ben, she said if you wanted to bring more than four kids, she would foster them if there wasn't a spot for them. Dad said the rock troll are working on setting up shelters for any additional kids as well."
"Yeah, mom and dad said the same thing," Emir nodded, while Conner shot Akiho an odd look at the mention of rock trolls. "Granted, it depended on the kid but I'm sure you'll pair up with Mal to make sure everyone gets the right fit."
Ben chuckled. "As a matter of fact, I will be working with Mal and Evie to make sure the children who deserve to be off the Isle get off the Isle. I'm not saying all the kids are angels, Jane Darling told me about her experiences with Captain Hook and while Mal hasn't told me anything about his kids, it's safe to assume they were involved in Jane's misadventures."
"You never answered the question Ben," Connor told him.
Ben ran a hand through his hair once more, despite the fact that he knew his mom would spend an hour fixing it within the next thirty minutes or so. "Honestly, I haven't given it much thought. Learning about the Isle, what Mal and the others have been through, it's taken up so much of my bandwidth I haven't even thought about other decrees."
"That's fair," Akiho said, nodding. "This was your first. You made it before you were even king. It wouldn't be fair to assume you'd just drop it."
"Besides I don't think Evie and Mal would let you forget about it," Conner chuckled. "I'm sure they've got lists of people they want to help get off the Isle. Or help stay off the Isle in Hadie and Dizzy's case."
Ben nodded. "Our first priority is figuring out what's going on with the food deliveries. I'm still shocked that they haven't been getting to the kids on the isle. Not to mention the clothing drives!"
"Wait, what about the clothing drives?" Akiho asked, standing straight up and knocking Conner off balance.
"Weren't you in the hospital wing when the girls told us about Evie making a dress out of sewing pins and tape?" Ben asked.
"No, I had to see my mom off since she's Queen of Arendelle now and hasn't been feeling too hot from the stress. Or so she tells me," Akiho said. "So the clothing drives aren't getting to the isle either?"
"Not unless Dizzy was lying," Ben told him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Plus, Mal and Evie backed her up. That plus what we saw in the viewing make me believe they're telling the truth."
"In that case, you might want to have an emergency council meeting," Conner told him. "They're the one's who oversaw the clothing drives and the food drives. If anyone would want to know about where that aid is going, it'll be them."
"Honestly, I can let a few newspapers around my kingdom know," Emir said with a smirk. "Nothing worse than bad press for some if not more of those council members."
The boys chuckled but Ben noticed that Akiho had grown quiet. "Dude, what's wrong?"
"I had a thought," Akiho said, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I don't know if I should say it."
"We're all friends here," Conner said and Akiho sighed.
"Isn't Queen Leah on the council?" He asked and the four boys grew quiet as the weight of the words sank in.
"Dude, I mean I know Leah's horrible but I don't think she would stoop to that," Conner said. "After all, one missed delivery would have caused an uproar and instant investigation."
"Except it hasn't been one missed delivery," Ben said, turning to his friends. "Dizzy said during the viewing that there's apparently been a garbage strike for twenty years and Mal said in the hospital wing that good clothes were harder to find than food since we didn't throw out our clothes as often. Evie once made a dress out of safety pins and duct tape."
"You already said that," Conner pointed out.
"It bears repeating."
"Plus we all know that Leah's not the only one on the council that's extremely anti-Isle," Emir added while Akiho and Conner looked on in shock. "After all, there were a fair few who wanted my dad and Evan's dad thrown on the Isle due to the background of thieving."
"What?!" Conner exclaimed while Ben looked over at his friend and teammate in shock. Emir shrugged.
"How'd you find out?" Ben asked.
"Dad got a letter, maybe about three months before I was born," Emir told him. "Mom told me later that the fact that she was pregnant with me was probably the only reason dad's not on the Isle right now. And I'm not the only one. Jamie Hawkins told me it happened with her dad, what with his criminal record. Apparently it took him three months of fighting it before the council backed down. With Evan's dad, I think Rapunzel just threatened them with her frying pan. Plus Evan said that it might have helped that his dad was a royal. The council's more lenient with the royals than the commoners apparently."
"They wanted to chuck Aunt Elsa on the Isle for freezing Arendelle," Akiho added. "In fact, after she stepped down, she got another letter from the council. If it hadn't been for mom, dad, Olaf, and Matthias, I don't know what would have happened."
"Not to mention Alexi Romanov said the same thing happened with his dad," Conner pointed out. "Conman trying to find someone to impersonate royalty? No way the royals on the council would be happy with that."
"I heard that Morgan Stark and Cassie Lang almost went to the media when the council went after their dads," Emir told them. "Though I certainly wouldn't want to go against the Hulk, which is what Morgan and Cassie probably threatened the council with. Plus Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Falcon, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Thor."
"Isn't Loki on the Isle?" Conner asked.
"No, I think he avoided the Isle after he tried to kill Thanos," Akiho said. "The Daily Planet gave a pretty throughout report about all that."
"I still don't know why you get another kingdom's newspaper," Conner shook his head.
"Nathaniel Barton got me hooked on their sports coverage," Akiho shrugged. "How is it weird that I get their newspaper and not the fact that the kids go to school with us?"
Ben frowned and looked away for a split second, causing the banter to stop as Emir, Akiho and Conner noticed Ben's distraction. His friends followed his gaze as it landed on a portrait of his parents on their wedding day, and Akiho rested a hand on Ben's shoulder as if he knew what the future king was thinking about.
"Hey, I doubt you'll have to worry about that with your dad," he said. "After all, King Beast will be the former king of Auradon. There's no way the council will want the bad press of throwing the former king on the Isle."
"Not to mention that's a huge safety concern," Conner added causing Emir to whack him over the head. "What?"
"Dude, tact!"
"What do you mean?" Conner asked and Emir just shook his head.
Ben sighed and looked back at his friends. "I'll have to add this to my list of things to do once I'm king. This is not acceptable—especially if they're going after people again once they've stepped down from the throne."
"We don't know who's behind it though," Akiho pointed out as a frown formed on his face. "Aunt Elsa's letter was just signed 'the Council'."
"Dad's too," Emir nodded. "Mom saved it just in case someone came in the middle of the night and we woke up to Dad gone."
"Paranoid much?" Conner chuckled.
"You really don't know the meaning of tact do you?" Akiho sighed. Before Conner could respond, an interruption appeared by the name of Jane appeared, looking more than slightly frazzled.
"Ben, there you are!" Fairy Godmother's daughter smiled in relief, which seemed to diminish her frazzled appearance. "Your mother's been looking for you. We're due for the cathedral in an hour and she wants to make sure everything's perfect before we leave."
Ben chuckled and shook his head. "Thanks Jane. Do you know where my mom is?"
"Last I saw her, she was on her way to her chambers though she could also be in her library," Jane told him. "She was talking with my mom, who seemed very excited. Then again, my mom's always excited."
"Very true," Ben chuckled and then looked over at his friends. "Sorry guys, but I'd better see what my mom wants."
"Go on," Akiho told him. "We'll see you at the coronation."
"Is he going to sing?" Jane asked Emir, who shrugged.
Akiho sighed. "Guys, I'm not going to run around the school singing like my mom did for Aunt Elsa's coronation day. Sides, Ben already asked me that."
"You know, I never got an answer about that," Ben called out as he turned the corner. Akiho shook his head as Conner and Emir burst out in laughter while Jane hid her giggles behind her hand.
"It's not that we don't want you to be excited," Emir told him. "It's just we've heard you sing. Please don't sing. Your mom, dad and aunt have great singing voices. How did you not inherit the ability?"
"I got it," Akiho told him. "I'm not that bad."
"I think I once heard a dying owl that sounded like your singing," Jane told him, causing Emir and Conner to choke back their laughter.
"Dude, even Jane knows how bad you are at singing," Conner exclaimed.
"Wait, how—"
"Choir, three years ago?" Jane told Akiho. "You were given the triangle to keep time and just told to move your lips."
"Okay, okay," Akiho sighed and shook his head. "I get it, I'm bad at singing."
"Bad wasn't the word I was looking for."
"I get it," Akiho told Jane, who chuckled before looking at her watch.
"I take it it's time to get ready for the coronation?" Emir asked. "Cause I'd like to spend as much time out of the monkey suit as I possibly can."
"No, not yet," Jane told him. "But I should start getting ready. I'll be up there near the wand and I don't want to embarrass anyone."
"How would you embarrass...and she's gone," Akiho sighed and chuckled as Jane turned the corner. "I will never understand women."
"What's to understand?" Mal's voice came from behind Akiho, causing the taller boy to jump in shock. Turning around, the three Tourney players couldn't help but stare at Maleficent's daughter. Mal was wearing a modified version of her dress from the viewing, with sparkles near the edge of the dress. It almost looked like twilight nearing the night sky.
"Wow Mal, you look incredible!" Emir said, once he had regained the power of speech.
"Yeah, you look like a princess," Akiho nodded. "Ben's jaw is going to be on the floor when he sees you."
"Thanks guys," Mal told them. "Have you seen Ben? I'm supposed to meet him by the carriage but I have no idea where it is."
"It'll be out the front door," Emir told her. "But Ben's with his mom and presumably his dad. Though I'm sure he'll be down in a bit."
"Got it," Mal told him. Before anyone could say anything, an interruption came in the form of a small blue haired boy running past them. Mal's hand shot out and grabbed his arm, bringing him closer to her.
"Hadie, what are you doing?" Mal asked, giving her little brother a look. How her brother managed to find a dress shirt, pants and a tie in his size, Mal would never know. Though she suspected Evie.
"I'm going to the coronation," Hadie told her, tugging at the collar of his dress shirt. "Everyone's going to be there, and before you say anything, you know mom will find out sooner or later that I'm here. Why not make it sooner rather than later when she'll be really mad that we kept it from her? Plus she won't be angry when she tells dad and I won't have to deal with two parental lectures at once."
"Kid has a point," Conner nodded, not noticing the glares coming from Emir, Akiho and Mal.
"Hadie, do you remember what happened at the coronation at the viewing?" Mal asked, turning back to her brother.
"Your mom came."
"Right," Mal nodded, glad her brother was at least following along. "Which is why I'd rather you not be there."
"But why? Jane's already said she's not going to grab the wand so the energy won't go off and blast a hole in the barrier so your mom won't appear and steal the wand. So where's the danger?"
Mal groaned and resisted the urge to rub the bridge of her nose. "Hadie, what's the first rule of the Isle?"
"Always prepare for the worst outcome," Hadie said as if it had been preprogrammed into him. Emir and Akiho exchanged a brief glance at that, as it was probably safe to assume that was a lesson the kids on the Isle had to learn fairly early in life.
"Exactly," Mal nodded, having not noticed the glance between the two Tourney players. "My mother is the Mistress of Evil. She cursed Aurora because Stephen and Leah didn't invite her to a party. What do you think she'd do if she found out that the son of her ex-husband was in Auradon?"
"Shit." Hadie uttered and his face paled, as if he didn't consider the lengths Maleficent might go to. Mal sighed and nodded, not commenting on the swear much to the Tourney players' surprise.
"Look, I'm not trying to scare you but Hadie, you're ten. You need to know that the world isn't sunshine and rainbows and whatever else your mom taught you. My mother, to put it as politely as possible, is an extremely jealous woman. She knows that Hades is happy with your mom and that he loves you. Why do you think he doesn't allow you to come anywhere near my home?"
"Because he doesn't want Maleficent to know I'm alive?" Had wagered a guess. Mal bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing in her brother's face. She rested her hands on his shoulders and bent down as much as her dress would allow so she could look Hadie right in the eye.
"Hadie. I don't want to burst your bubble but my mom knows. She's known since you were born. You don't get to rule the Isle like she has without gathering minions. Only the fact that it's dark magic that's banned on the Isle and your mom is terrifying at times has been what's stopping her."
Hadie gulped and Mal sighed. This was not the way she wanted the conversation to go but there was no way she was having her little brother at the coronation if there was a snowball's chance her mother would show up.
"Wait, Mal," Akiho said and Mal looked at the older boy. "My family is going to be near the back, toward the door. Mom hasn't been feeling well lately and so they want to make sure they can make a quick getaway. What if Hadie sits by us? Aunt Elsa would certainly protect him. Plus I heard my mom say that Cinderella's family is going to be by us. Something about not rewarding Chad with his behavior by allowing him to be up front."
"So Dizzy will be there?" Hadie asked, a smile stretching its way on to his face. The guys couldn't help but grin at the sight and even Mal had a slight smirk on her face.
"Yeah, she should be," Akiho chuckled. "The only one who might not be is Alex. Lucy said she had a nasty cold."
Mal still looked unsure but nodded as she straightened up. "The first sign something looks off, you get Hadie out of there," she told Akiho. "A whiff of green smoke, a random appearing crow. A giant dragon, considering my mother's not the most subtle type."
"Queen Leah screaming bloody murder?" Emir offered causing everyone to laugh and broke the tension.
"Nah, she'd do that regardless, probably the moment she saw Mal walk in with Ben," Conner said. "Honestly, I don't know what crawled up Leah's butt but I hope she figures out her issues soon."
"Thanks Conner," Emir sighed, rubbing his temple. "I really wanted to spend my day thinking about some geriatric queen's butt."
"Payback for when you put the image of Captain America's ass in my head!"
"Language!" Akiho exclaimed. "There are children present!"
"Who just said the word 'shit'! I don't think we need to worry about being bad influences on the ten year old!"
Mal chuckled as a clock chimed in the distance. "Well, you guys better start getting ready. Hadie, you hang out with Akiho since you'll be standing with his family."
"You can trust me Mal," Akiho told her. "I'm not going to let anything happen to your brother. I'm pretty sure there'd be a line of people ready to kill me if I went against my word. You. Hades. Persephone. Evie. Carlos. Jay. Ben. Kitty. Lucy. Meg."
"We get it," Emir told him as his friend and team mate continued to drone on about the people who could and would potentially kill him if he didn't protect Hadie.
"Does he think about this a lot?" Mal asked, slightly concerned as the list continued to grow and not noticing that Akiho had mentioned Meg and Hercules. "Also, I didn't think my brother knew that many people."
"Well Akiho's mother is Queen Anna who has been known to ramble a time or two," Emir told her before whacking Akiho over the head with his hand. "Oy, quit it with the rambling already!"
"What was that for?!" Akiho exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. "You could have just told me to stop."
"We did." Mal, Emir and Conner said and Hadie nodded in agreement causing Akiho to flush in embarrassment.
"Oh."
"You said Ben would be at the front gate?" Mal asked, as they all got ready to go.
"Yeah," Akiho nodded. "See that statue of Belle?"
Mal followed Akiho's gesture and nodded as she saw the statue at the end of the hall.
"Once you get to the statue, take a left. You'll see about ten pictures of a young Ben and then a door. That door—"
"What Mr. Mysterious means is: first door on your left is going to be the way to the front gate," Emir cut in, ducking as Akiho tried to whack him over the head. "Come on, dude. We don't have time for this."
Mal shook her head as the four boys walked off; Hadie chuckling as the other three bickered. A pit began to form in her stomach as she thought about Hadie being at the coronation. If her mother saw him, she would stop at nothing to finally get a chance to enact her revenge against Hades for leaving her.
And Mal could only hope that the crowd closest to the door wouldn't be televised to the Isle. Otherwise, her mother would definitely find out.
"He's going to be fine," Mal whispered; blinking away the faint glow of green from her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile onto her face and began to make her way toward the front gate.