Mal slipped into her room at Auradon Prep, ready to get out of the dress she was in and change into the clothes she was going to wear to the celebration. However, that was in a couple of hours. Despite the excitement, it still took a while to set up and Mal was more than happy to slip away for a few minutes to get away from everyone.
Hadie was with his parents, probably getting the lecture of the century for leaving the Isle and not telling them where he was, so Mal felt comfortable finally leaving him alone. There was no use being the over protective sister when the overprotective parents were there. She may hate her father but she couldn't deny that he was trying with Hadie.
The way he didn't try with her.
Shaking her head to clear the thought, Mal grabbed a brush and began brushing her hair. It wouldn't be enough to get the layer of hairspray out but at least she would be able to move her hair and be comfortable.
She looked at her bed, longingly. The amount of magic she had released was more than anything she had done previously, so she was tired. It went all the way down to her bones. Yet she knew she couldn't skip Ben's celebration. Ben was so excited about it, it would be like disappointing Carlos or Hadie or Dizzy.
This would also be the first official celebration as them as a couple and while Mal really didn't care about that sort of stuff, she knew the kingdom would. The last thing Mal wanted was for Ben to get any flack because his girlfriend missed the celebration. A couple cups of coffee and she would be right as rain.
A soft knock came from her doorway and Mal whirled around to see Aurora standing, looking unsure as to whether she could come in. All thought of coffee was driven from Mal's mind as she raced to try to remember protocol. But was there protocol for when a member of a royal family knocked on the door to your bedroom?
"Your highness?" Mal asked, trying to get into a suitable enough curtsey but Aurora quickly shook her head. Honestly, Mal had no idea why Aurora was here, or how she even knew which room was hers. Though Mal assumed that Evie, Jay or Carlos told her or possibly even Ben.
"There's no need for that Mal," Aurora told her, holding up a hand to stop the curtsey attempt. "I'm not here in a royal capacity."
"Oh," Mal said as she straightened up. "Then why—?"
Aurora gave her a small smile. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. I know that was a bit of powerful magic you would have to have done to turn Maleficent into a lizard."
"Apparently, she did that to herself," Mal shrugged and stepped to the side; a non verbal offer for Aurora to come in. Aurora stepped through the door but kept it open; something Mal was relieved about. She was not ready to have closed door meetings with the people of Auradon. Especially the royals of Auradon.
"Fairy Godmother told us. I hope you don't mind," Aurora said, sitting on the edge of Evie's bed; answering the unasked question about how Aurora knew what had happened when she was frozen. "Phillip was rather amused by the whole thing. When he came back into the room that is."
Mal snorted—of course he would be. Then again if she had seen a giant dragon get turned into a lizard, she would have felt amused by it too.
Oh wait, she had.
Yeah, she was a little amused as well. She couldn't lie about that.
"I also wanted to apologize once again for my mother," Aurora said, bringing Mal out of her thoughts. "She was out of line at the coronation, just as she had been at Family Day. I thought she would behave herself today but I was clearly wrong."
Mal shook her head, about to tell Aurora that she didn't need to apologize but Aurora held up a hand again.
"I know what you're about to say but I do owe you the apology, since my mother is too stubborn to admit when she's been wrong," Aurora told her, setting her hand down on her lap. Mal couldn't help but wonder how Aurora was still prim and proper after being attacked by a dragon. "Losing her council position was a blow she didn't see coming and so she'll be nursing her wounded pride for months. If her attitude doesn't change, it will be a long time before she sees either Audrey or Phillip unsupervised again. But of course I never said that."
"Of course not," Mal chuckled; she was surprised at how at ease she felt with Aurora. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the fact that Aurora was in the "Learning to be Royal" club as well. Knowing she wasn't the perfect royal hero everyone built her up to be helped a little.
"Oh," Aurora said, breaking Mal out of her thoughts once more. "Persephone's looking for you. She's back at the cathedral. Would you like me to tell her you're here or would you rather meet her at the cathedral?"
Mal could honestly say she could not think of a time where she had been more confused. "Why is Persephone looking for me?"
"I didn't ask," Aurora said as she got up. "It's entirely up to you Mal. Everyone knows what just happened so I'm sure Persephone would be able to wait a day if you'd rather party with your friends. You do deserve the chance to be young, you know."
Mal thought for a moment. Would it be better to rip the bandage off and find out why Persephone was looking for her, or would it be better to relax for an hour before the party?
Mal had no issues with Persephone; in fact she was rather fond of the woman. Persephone had been in her life since she was eight and was always eager to help the children of the Isle whenever she could. Plus, since Persephone never hid from the Isle during her six months, Mal could go on pretending she didn't have a father while developing the relationship with her step-mother and half brother.
However meeting with Persephone today would likely mean meeting with Hades. One interaction with her father a day would be enough in her book, even if said interaction was him preventing Mal from getting blasted by Maleficent's magic.
"Thank you Aurora," Mal said, realizing that she had been once again lost in thought and turned to the blonde royal. "But I am rather spent from the altercation with my mother. That amount of magic isn't something I'm used to yet. But if you happen to see Hadie?"
Aurora chuckled and nodded her head. "I'll send him your way though I should warn you, Persephone had an iron clad grip on him last I saw. Then again, I don't blame her. I'd be doing the same if Audrey or Phillip had been somewhere without my knowledge and then got attacked by someone who was supposed to be on the Isle. I doubt he'll be sneaking off, at least for today."
Standing up and turning to leave, Aurora paused and looked back at Mal, resting a hand on the doorframe. "We're having a club meeting on Tuesday. Belle's going to need to be acclimated to no longer running the country so it should be casual."
"Oh," Mal frowned. "I think I'm free on Tuesday but I'll have to check my calendar. This isn't a test, is it?"
Aurora shook her head. "It was a super last minute thing so don't worry if you can't make it. I'll send the details through Phillip."
"Son or husband?"
"Son," Aurora chuckled, more than likely amused at the thought of her husband giving Mal the information. "I promise, my husband will not be approaching you with club information."
"Does Ben know?" Mal asked, stopping Aurora in the doorway. "About the club that is?"
Aurora turned back to face Mal. "The club's not a secret so I'm sure Belle has told Ben about it. If she hasn't, you're certainly free to tell him. It doesn't mean he has to attend the meetings; I've found meetings to be a lot less stressful when Phillip doesn't attend."
Mal nodded, showing that she understood. "Thank you Aurora."
"Always here to answer questions," Aurora said with a smile that Mal noticed met her eyes. "After all, you just saved all of our bacon. It's the least I can do."
Mal frowned. "Now I'm going to be craving bacon all day."
Aurora shook her head in amusement as she left the room. Mal quickly crossed the floor and shut the door but kept it unlocked; hoping to prevent any more visitors but knew a closed door wouldn't deter her friends if they were determined to speak to her. Sitting down on the side of her bed, Mal felt her eyes get heavy; as if the rush from the coronation was wearing off.
Coffee would be her best bet right now but the galley was on the other end of the hall and Mal didn't want to stand, let alone walk. She could easily conjure some but that would only add to her tiredness rather than alleviate it.
A five minute nap couldn't possibly hurt, Mal thought as she leaned back, causing her head to hit the pillow. After all, anything artificial will only wear off and then I'll be right back where I started. All thought of setting an alarm died as her breathing became more steady.
The thing about impromptu naps is that you never know when you'll wake up. So what felt like five minutes after Mal had fallen asleep, she was being shaken awake by Evie.
"Mal, come on! You've been sleeping for two hours! Ben's getting worried," her blue haired friend told her as Mal covered a yawn up with the back of her hand. "Oh, why in the world did you decide to nap in your dress? Now it's all wrinkled! Good thing I have the spare dress already made from before the viewing—it's a shame everyone will have seen it though."
Mal blinked, rather annoyed at all the energy Evie seemed to have. "E, calm down. I was only asleep for five minutes. Besides I was going to change anyway. Who cares if it's wrinkled?"
Evie rolled her eyes. "Try two hours, M."
"What?!" Mal exclaimed, shooting up out of the bed as if she had been attached to a rocket; knocking the blanket off the bed and kicking her legs up into the air. "Gee, did no one think to call me?"
Evie shot a look at her friend while hunting for a hairbrush. "All our phones were on silent from the coronation, remember? Carlos thought that you probably hadn't turned your ringer back on, what with everything that happened. Why didn't you set an alarm?"
"It's not like I planned to fall asleep," Mal shot back, ducking the assault to her head with the hairbrush. Evie was always overzealous with brushing and when she was in a hurry it was even worse. "I sat down on my bed and the next thing I know, you're shaking me awake."
Evie flushed and set down the brush, much to Mal's surprise. She didn't think Evie would give up that easily. "Sorry Mal. I didn't realize."
"Don't sweat it," Mal chuckled, turning to Evie and holding her hand out for the brush. While she didn't care about how she looked, she wasn't an animal. "Believe it or not, I was tired after that confrontation with my mom."
"No, really? Turning your mom into a tiny lizard wouldn't be draining at all."
"Sarcasm is not a good look on you," Mal said, using the same words Evie had used on her at the coronation. Quickly running the brush through her hair, Mal then ran a hand through it just to drive Evie crazy. Looking in the mirror, Mal was more than a little surprised to see that her makeup hadn't smudged during her impromptu nap.
"Well here," Evie said, holding out the dress which was the same as the dress Mal wore in the viewing. "Your dress really is super wrinkled. It might be better to just change into this one—and don't think about magicking the wrinkles out! You just used a bunch of magic; the last thing you want to do is pass out at Ben's party."
"But I just had a nap," Mal said but Evie didn't hear her as Evie quickly got her old dress unzipped and held out the new one for Mal to step into. It wasn't the jeans and shirt combo she was longing for but at least there was less fabric to fight in this one.
"Snow was telling me about the reporters she works with and they're going to be all over you within the next couple of days. You and Ben," Evie said, straightening the dress. "The last thing you want is to give them ammo in the interview."
"Okay, stop," Mal said, twisting to look at her friend, who had been getting her into the new dress all this time. "Can we please relax?"
Evie paused and sighed, nodding her head. "Sorry Mal. I got so wrapped up that I didn't think."
"We can worry about image and everything else tomorrow," Mal said, stepping forward as Evie finished zipping her up. "Tonight, I think we earned a celebration."
"Amen to that," Kitty Charming's voice came from the doorway causing Mal and Evie's heads to turn toward the sound. Mal hadn't realized the door had been open all that time. "You guys ready?"
"Where's Carlos and Jay?" Evie asked as Mal grabbed her bag, an accessory Evie insisted on.
"They went to help Ben set up the party," Kitty chuckled. The younger Charming looked stunning in her light blue gown, her light blonde hair done up in a braid similar to the former queen of Arendelle. "Well more like Carlos went to go set up. Jay's there to keep Ben from searching for Mal. Heard you had a little cat nap."
"Heard your brother could keep his mouth shut for once," Mal shot back with a smirk, causing Kitty to chuckle. Mal's smirk turned to a smile, happy that Kitty was someone else she would be able to share snarky comments with and she wouldn't be offended.
"Yeah," the younger Charming nodded. "Mom and dad basically laid down the law with him before we left. Dad said that if Chad pulled anything today, he was going to end up like Naveen did before he matured."
"They were going to cut him off?" Evie gasped. Kitty shook her head, Mal smirking as the end of the braid hit Kitty in the face.
"Not that drastic," Kitty told her, as the three of them walked down the hall. "But Chad would have to either get a summer job with the salary going toward improvements toward the Isle or volunteer somewhere in the kingdom. When he wasn't grounded that is."
"Is it really volunteering if you're forced to do it?" Mal asked and all the girls shared a laugh. Mal looked around, as if realizing that someone wasn't with them. "Hey Kitty, where's your sister? Aren't you two always joined at the hip?"
Kitty shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable. "Lucy had a date to the celebration. Not a lot of people know she's a Charming right off the bat, with her dark hair. Most people seem to equate blonde hair with mom, even though her hair is more strawberry blonde and Aurora is the one with strictly blonde hair. Anyway, with Chad as your brother, you tend to have boys not be all that interested in you."
"You want Jay to go and kick someone's ass?" Mal asked after sharing a glance with Evie. Despite only knowing the younger Charming for a bit, Mal did like her. She wasn't a prissy princess, unafraid to get her hands dirty. Kitty shook her head but smiled, the sad look melting off her face. Mal nodded, happy that the unnaturally sober look was gone.
"Is there a boy you like?" Evie asked, looking at the blonde girl. "After all, you were dancing with a boy in the viewing."
"That didn't mean I went there with the boy," Kitty sighed and then straightened up as they neared the front door, pasting on a smile for the reporters that were sure to be out there hiding in the trees. "Besides, the guy I like is a friend of Chad's. They'd never go for their friend's little sister."
Opening the door, Kitty left the school and thus missing the glance the two Isle girls gave each other. Evie pulled Mal back, causing the door to close.
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm going to say," Evie told her.
"You want to play matchmaker with Kitty."
Evie pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "How do you always know?"
"I've known you since we were six, E," Mal told her, shaking her head in exasperation. "Besides I don't think she'd like it if we meddled in her life. Honestly, from what I remember in the viewing, she gets more outgoing when she tries to piss off Chad."
"So you're saying we need Chad to do something stupid?" Evie asked.
"That'll be easier than we think," Mal chuckled and the two of them left the school, easily catching up with Kitty; the younger girl not even noticing that the other two had fallen behind.
"Okay, one thing I want to know," Evie said as they rounded the corner and saw the stage. "How did Fairy Godmother okay this?"
"When your dad's the king, a yes is pretty much expected," Kitty chuckled. "How Ben didn't turn out like Chad, I'll never know."
"Yes you do," Mal said and Evie and Kitty turned to look at her. "Belle."
Evie and Kitty looked at each other and then nodded.
"That makes sense," Kitty said, giving a wave to Lucy.
"That her date?" Evie asked, looking at the guy Lucy was with. "Wait, isn't that one of Robin Hood's kids?"
Kitty nodded. "Bobby Hood. One of the few people Chad hasn't pissed off yet."
"There aren't reporters here, are there?" Evie asked, thinking of Dizzy. Mal knew two things might happen if that were the case—either the young Charming would end up on the cover of a tabloid or Dizzy would.
"Sometimes they hide in the trees to get a pic," Kitty said, draping her golden braid over her left shoulder. "It's why you always have to look your best around here. I think everyone's had a bad review written about them in some tabloid or another. Trust me, it pretty much ruins your week—even if you don't care about your clothes or makeup. You have to wait for someone else to have a bad article printed about them before everyone stops talking about yours."
"Fun times," Mal muttered and Kitty snorted in amusement.
"Yeah it's a blast," Kitty told her. "Lucy and I have a game to try to annoy the press. The more "casual" you look, the less they can use the photo. So like a hoodie and jeans is less likely to be published than a bikini mishap. Guess what we wear on our way to the beach?"
Mal smirked. "Nice. Do they ever catch on?"
"Not really," Kitty told her. "Some do, like Edward Darling but he's more of a reporter than a photographer. Reporters are the ones with the brains while photographers just mindlessly shoot. Moira usually just tries to aim for their cameras with her arrows but then her mom gets letters demanding a replacement. So we found this way was cheaper."
The red-haired princess strolled up, as if she knew she was being talked about. "You talking about the creeps with cameras?"
"Evie was asking if there were any reporters here," Kitty told her.
"Fairy Godmother warned them that if they showed up, they'd better have a kid here," Moira told them, scanning the trees to see if there were any photographers lurking in them. "It'll be interesting to see how many of them actually listen to her."
"She is pretty powerful," Evie pointed out. "I know I wouldn't risk making her angry."
"You're not getting paid to get a bad photo of one of us," Moira pointed out, looking back at the group. "Paycheck beats Fairy Godmother's anger any day. At least for them. Oh I wish I had my bow."
"Your mom wouldn't let you have it?"
"Dad," Moira told Kitty. "Said we wouldn't be in danger at the coronation so there was no reason for me to have it."
"Ah. Clearly he was right about that."
"Is today sarcasm day and I missed the memo?" Lonnie asked, walking up to the group, having heard Kitty's response to Moira. "Everyone I speak to has been really sarcastic today."
Mal chuckled. "I think I started it. I gave Evie a sarcastic comment during the coronation."
"You? Sarcastic? Perish the thought!"
"Now you're doing it," Mal pointed out and Lonnie shook her head in amusement.
"Guess I am," Lonnie chuckled and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Ben's looking for you, by the way Mal. He's by the punch bowl."
"Why there?" Mal asked.
"Probably to keep Chad from spiking it," Kitty sighed as she hiked up her skirt to go yell at her brother. "I swear, sometimes it's like I'm the older one."
"This should be interesting," Mal told the group and power walked after Kitty, ignoring some of the other kids as she made her way to the punch bowl. True to form, Ben was there dealing with Chad. Only Chad. Where was everyone else? It was a punch bowl after all.
"Ben, come on!" Chad told him.
"No, Chad," Ben said. "You're not spiking the punch bowl."
Before Chad could let out another word, Kitty snapped a picture of Chad holding the bottle of what was clearly alcohol.
"Kitty!"
"Now, how much do you think mom and dad would ground for if they saw this photo?" Kitty asked with a smirk as Mal slid up next to Ben, hoping to avoid Chad's attention and face another rant about villains.
"What do you want?" Chad sighed.
"Leave me and Lucy alone for the rest of the night," Kitty told him. "No over protective brother stuff, no rants about the Isle in our earshot. Nothing. You do that, I'll email you the photo and delete it off my phone."
Chad looked stunned. "Just that?"
"Yeah well you kept your mouth shut during Leah's rant earlier. You earned some leniency," Kitty told him, giving him the first kind smile Mal had seen the younger Charming sibling give the elder. "Don't screw it up."
Kitty nodded to Ben before strolling off to dance with some of the students who were on the dance floor. Chad looked at Ben who just shook his head before Chad walked off.
"Chad!" Ben called. Chad turned but Ben just held out his hand for the alcohol. Chad sighed but handed it over before walking away. Ben dropped the bottle into the nearest trash can.
"Lonnie said you were looking for me?" Mal asked and Ben nodded.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Ben said, taking her hand and Mal couldn't help but appreciate the concern in his eyes. "You disappeared after the mess at the coronation. It wasn't until Jane reminded me about how much magic you would have had to have used against your mother that the pieces fell into place."
"Jane did that?" Mal asked, looking out on the dance floor for the other half fairy. True to form she was on the floor, dancing with Carlos. Mal couldn't help but smile a bit at that. Carlos really did deserve some happiness—though that meant that Mal would have to give Jane the 'Big Sister' speech. You know—hurt him and they'll never find your body sort of a thing.
Or would that be something a villain would do? Was that sort of speech not done off the Isle? Mal thought with an inward frown.
"Yeah," Ben nodded and then looked over at Mal, who was staring out on the dance floor. "If you're looking for Audrey, she's not there. Despite turning over a new leaf, she's still grounded."
"But Chad's not?"
"He's chaperoning," Ben told her with a chuckle. "Besides, Audrey was his date."
Mal stared blankly at Ben. "Chad? Chaperoning?"
"Kitty and Lucy," Ben elaborated. "We're fine to ignore him should we choose. Cinderella's words, not mine."
Mal chuckled and shook her head. She would definitely choose to ignore Chad Charming for the night. Or the rest of her life. Whichever one came first. It was then that a thought popped into her brain and she turned to Ben. "Oh, Evie said something about reporters wanting to talk to us soon? Do you know what that's about?"
To her surprise, Ben groaned. "I forgot about the interview. I knew I was forgetting something. Dad said that when he became king, he had to an interview about his plans for Auradon. I have to pick the reporter."
"And my involvement?" Mal asked, a little wary about giving an interview so soon after facing off against her mother.
"Mom and dad were interviewed together," Ben said. "People kinda know now that we're dating. What with the whole riding together to coronation thing? Plus the viewing."
Ben sighed and looked over at Mal. "You don't have to do it Mal."
"No I'll do it," Mal told him. "Let me check my calendar though. Besides, we're meeting with Tiana on Wednesday and I'm sure you'll be busy with selecting a new council members so it will probably take a while."
"Actually I have a thought for one," Ben told her. "She's been on the Isle, living among the people there. She'd be perfect to help get the kids off who need it."
Mal paused before realizing who Ben was speaking about. "Persephone? Can Gods be on the council?"
"I don't know but I'm willing to fight for it," Ben told her. "Of course, she could say no. Then I'm back to square one."
"So are you guys going to dance or just stand by the punch bowl all night?" Jay asked, appearing behind Mal and almost making her jump. "I swear, Ben. It's your celebration!"
"We haven't been standing here that long," Mal scoffed. Jay gave her a look.
"Half the kids have bets that you'll be here for another hour," Jay told her causing Mal to look at her phone to check the time. When she looked up, she glared at Jay.
"We've only been here for five minutes!"
Jay chuckled. "So? Come on and join the party!"
Mal looked at Ben who shrugged. "It's whatever you want to do Mal—"
"No way, your majesty," Emir said, sliding up next to Jay and grabbing Ben's arm. "This is your party. No getting out of it!"
"Emir!"
"You'll have the rest of your life to talk to people and deal with paperwork. Tonight's the night you have some fun," Emir told him as he led Ben off to the rest of the Tourney team. Jay chuckled as he looked over at Mal.
"I'll get you for this later Jay."
"I'm sure you will," Jay told her as he went to join the Tourney team as well. Mal shook her head but joined Evie on the dance floor.
"Looks like Kitty found a dance partner," Evie told her, pointing out the younger Charming dancing with a blond boy. "Wonder how she got Chad off her back?"
"I'll tell you the story when we're alone," Mal promised as some of the other kids had begun to listen in. Evie chuckled but nodded as the two of them began to dance. Mal had admit, it was nice to have all the stress of the event earlier today wash off her. No one here was going to turn into a giant dragon. No one here was going to hurl balls of magic at her. No one here was going to hurt her family.
She hoped.
"Turn it off," Evie said, looking at Mal as if she could read her thoughts.
"Turn what off?"
"The worry," Evie elaborated. "At least for tonight. Yes, I know your dad's in Auradon. I know you just faced off with your mom. But for tonight will you please relax? We're Auradon girls now."
Mal nodded but knew she couldn't just turn off the worry. She could dampen it, since she knew Hadie was with his parents and Ben's attendant had her mother. Last she heard at least.
After about twenty minutes of dancing, Mal excused herself to get some punch. To her surprise, Ben slid up next to her.
"Thought those guys would never let me leave," Ben sighed, giving Mal a kiss on the cheek. "Realized that I never did that when we talked the first time."
"Your oversight has been forgiven," Mal chuckled. "This is honestly amazing Ben. I'm amazed you got this put together so quickly, considering what happened earlier."
"It was all Jay and Carlos really," Ben told her. "Carlos got the lights and sound hooked up a lot faster than I would have thought and Jay kept us on target. He knew we had a time crunch so he made sure everyone played to their strengths."
"You're having a thought again," Mal told him, noticing the look on his face.
"Oh it's nothing," Ben told her, a small smile on his face. "Just tourney stuff. You'll find out in a week or so."
Mal raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Uh huh."
The skeptical look faded as a thought entered Mal's brain. "Hey, when are Evie and I going to meet with you about the next group of kids from the Isle?"
Ben thought for a minute, as if pulling his calendar ups in his brain. "How about next Tuesday? We're meeting with Tiana on Wednesday and then Thursday I have a meeting with Cinderella. No one really wants to meet on a Friday."
"Next Tuesday should work," Mal cut in, looking bemused at her boyfriend's rambles. "I'll check with Evie and make sure."
Ben slipped his hand in hers and they turned to watch their friends on the dance floor. Resting her head on Ben's shoulder, Mal had to admit. There were worse things in life.