Chapter Text
“Because I want to make sure you four are alright, and you need an ally right now. I don’t intend to let you be punished for trying to protect yourselves.”
All of them glanced at Mal. After all, she’d identified him as her Ancient History professor, Milo Thatch. She had the most information on the man. Eyes narrowed, Mal shook her head. If he was lying, she couldn’t tell and ultimately it didn’t matter.
He couldn’t do anything to actually protect them anyway.
Huddled in the corner furthest from the door, Carlos sorted through their bags again and again, making sure they had the basics for escape: clothes, food, Evie’s potion kit. There was nowhere for them to go. Not if they wanted to find a way to break the barrier, and if they didn’t Maleficent would kill them sooner or later. But the instinct to run could only be suppressed so much and Evie was just grateful he was moving instead of hiding.
With nothing else she could do, Evie turned back where she’d sat Jay on the bed. Blood no longer dripped from his nose and it didn’t look broken, but she wanted to make sure. He grimaced and pulled back from her touch as she dabbed away the blood.
“Is now really the time?” he frowned. “We aren’t exactly safe.”
“Then what do you suggest?” she snapped, giving him a look. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. Someone needed to be calm. “Even if we decided to run, there’s a professor outside our door and too many people outside if we go through the window. We’re trapped here.”
A vicious curse from Mal answered her from across their room where their leader paced. Sparks flickered in her hair and, as Evie watched, Mal forced herself to stop and breathe. Carlos shrank further into the corner. Not exactly afraid, but definitely wary. If she was honest, Evie was too. Mal’s magic…
But now wasn’t the time to bring it up. Mal was too on edge.
An examination reassured her that Jay was fine and no real damage had been done. Satisfied, she nodded towards Mal. After a pause, Jay rose and stretched before moving to lean against the door, dark eyes tracking their leader as she continued to pace.
Throwing the bloody washrag into the bathroom, Evie walked over to join Carlos. Wordlessly, she sat down and opened her arms. Immediately, their pup crawled over and pressed into her side. Silence ruled the room as Mal slowly stopped letting off sparks.
And then there was shouting outside.
Angry shouting.
Eyes wide, Carlos went rigid. Knife drawn, Jay stepped back from the door and braced himself.
Cursing under her breath, Mal crept to the window to peek outside. “Fuck. Guards.”
“Guards?” Carlos breathed.
“Godsdamnit,” Jay spat, hand dropping to his dagger. “Now what?”
Now what? There wasn’t a good answer to that. They all knew it.
They were going to be sent back. They were to die. They were-
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Mal? It’s Milo.”
Silence.
“Do we answer?” Jay hissed, voice low.
“I don’t know!” Mal snarled just as quiet.
“Mal, are you there?” Milo called.
Whirling, Mal stomped over to the door. “What?!”
“Mal, the King and Queen wish to see you. If you don’t come out, the guards will come in for you.” When they didn’t reply, he continued, “Mal, I am on your side. Right now, the other students are accusing you of starting the fight. If you come willingly and provide your side of the story it will make this easier.”
“Just me?”
“I’m sorry,” and Evie was surprised by how genuine he sounded. “They’ve asked for all of you.”
Lip curled, Mal breathed a curse. Evie tightened her hold on Carlos. “You said you’ll help us. How?” Mal demanded.
“Kida and I will be with you the entire time. We witnessed everything and can verify your story.”
“Mal?” Evie whispered. They had to make a decision and they had to do it now.
Run or obey.
For several heartbeats Mal didn’t react. Then, she gestured for Jay to open the door. “We’re coming out,” she called.
Slowly, cautiously, they filed out of their room and Milo relaxed. Giving them a soft smile, he said, “It’s going to be alright.”
None of them gave him an answer and he didn’t push for one, instead leading them outside where two guards and a strange woman with white hair and skin only a couple shades lighter than Uma’s were waiting. When one of the guards stepped forward, opening her mouth, the stranger slid between them with a quiet, “You have gotten what you wanted. Go. We will follow.”
There was a moment of hesitation before the guard sighed, turned on her heel, and began walking. Milo followed first, then Mal, then her and Carlos, with Jay behind them. The strange woman walked behind Jay, between him and the second guard.
The walk was silent.
Evie stared up at the faculty building as they drew closer. She’d never gone inside before, uninterested in the professors’ office hours and wanting to avoid the possibility of running into Queen Belle. As far as she knew, the rest of her pack hadn’t either. What she did know was that none of them would ever choose to go into again if they weren’t sent back to the Isle.
After three flights of stairs, the guard in front stopped in front of a pair of doors with a plaque that said: Belle. Dean of The University of Auradon.
Fingers twitching for her compact mirror that was back in their room, Evie fought the urge to frown. She hadn’t had a chance to check her makeup before they left. What if something was smudged?! She couldn’t see the King and Queen like that! Before she could turn around, Carlos caught her arm, grip trembling.
The doors swung open.
She couldn’t do this. There was no way she could do this.
Beast glared at them from behind the desk with Queen Belle at his side, and while she didn’t look as hostile, she was far from welcoming. Just off to the side, Ben constantly smoothed out his jacket, lower lip caught between his teeth.
As if that wasn’t enough, the gang of students that had challenged them, attacked them, were only a few feet away.
Unable to retreat with a guard and the strange woman behind them, her pack eased into the room. Silent, Jay shifted to place himself between them and the rest of the room, ushering them as far away as possible, while Mal stood braced at his side. Fingers twitching, hands trembling, their leader crossed her arms and lifted her chin. Carlos stayed tucked behind Evie, doing everything possible to stay out of sight. Whether it was because he was terrified–she could feel him shaking as he pressed against her back–or because he was guarding her back–his hands hovered near the sheathes hidden in his pants–she couldn’t be sure. Though it was probably safe to assume it was a mix of both.
Before anyone could speak, the woman stepped forward, arms crossed. “Well, they have come. I still do not believe this is necessary. They have not done anything wrong.”
“Queen Kidagakash,” Beast began, “These accusations are incredibly serious. Especially considering their,” his lip curled slightly as he glanced towards Evie’s pack, “heritage.”
“An investigation is a necessary procedure whether or not the accusations are true,” Queen Belle intervened when Queen Kidagakash–was she the one Professor Milo meant when he said Kida?--straightened. “Their heritage is not why they were brought in.”
“They attacked us!” one of the students interrupted, pointing at Jay.
Mal twitched and Jay’s fist clenched. But neither of them dared speak. One lesson the Isle taught all kids was when to keep your mouth shut. You never antagonized those who have the ability to kill you with no trouble. And while Beast wouldn’t directly kill them–supposedly–he’d send them back to the Isle which would end with the same result.
Bright blue eyes colder than the sky, Queen Kidagakash faced the other gang. “Be silent. You have already told your story.”
“Queen Kidagakash is correct, Sulivan. Your statement is already on record. Now we need the other side of the story.” Queen Belle’s gaze turned to Mal. “Go ahead.”
Evie caught Mal’s eye as her leader glanced towards her. Taking a deep breath, Evie curtsied deeply. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Careful not to look towards the other students, Evie kept her gaze lowered. “We wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and have a picnic. After we were given some food from the dining hall, we took a blanket from our room and found a spot on the grass in the Green. Shortly after we set up, the other group of students approached us. They insulted us and accused us of things unfit to be repeated in Your Majesties’ presence. I asked them to leave.”
This was the more dangerous part. “When they refused, Mal returned the insults. Soon there was shouting and then one of them punched Jay.” She’d cleaned off the blood, but the bruising around Jay’s eyes was evident. “Then…” Voice trailing off, she glanced at Mal. What had happened? Even Mal seemed surprised by her own magic.
“I lost control of my magic,” Mal said, voice tight, eyes locked on something over Queen Belle’s shoulder. “It knocked everyone over.”
Lost control?! The sparks Mal let off whenever her emotions got too strong were new and concerning, but Mal never lost control. Behind her, Evie felt Carlos twitch. Had Mal known there was a chance of her magic acting out? Why hadn’t she told them? Thoughts hidden behind her carefully crafted mask, Evie resumed her statement. “We left our picnic stuff and ran back to our room. We didn’t want to risk someone else attacking us.”
“So you did attack them,” Beast observed and Mal bristled.
“Only after Jay was punched,” Ben protested, speaking for the first time. “Besides, she said she lost control of her magic.”
Beast snorted. “An easy excuse.”
“I’m not lying,” Mal muttered.
“I find that difficult to believe.”
Grey eyes flashing green, Mal straightened and Evie grabbed the back of her shirt to keep her from stepping forward. “I knocked everyone over. Why would I do that to my people if I could control it? Ever since we got here my magic hasn’t been acting right and your fucking Magic Basics class is teaching me shit.”
“A villain does not care about whether or not they hurt their own people.”
Before Mal could answer, Professor Milo stepped into the center of the room. “That is out of line, King Adam. We are not here to judge them for where they were born. We are here to find the truth and judge fairly. Otherwise justice is worthless.”
“King Milo-”
Stunned, Evie stared at the thin and scholarly man facing the Beast head on. King? Mal’s professor was a king ? Could he…Maybe he could help them.
“I witnessed the entire thing,” Professor–King?--Milo interrupted. “As did Kidagakash. These four did nothing to antagonize those students or give them reason to approach. Whether or not Mal’s use of her magic was intentional, changes very little. She did not strike first and she did not injure anyone beyond a few small scratches at worst.” He gestured pointedly towards the other students. “They, however, actively sought out a fight and were the first to turn things physical. The verdict is clear.” Eyes narrowing behind his glasses, he added, “Ignoring it would suggest a dangerous bias, King Adam, and a willingness to allow personal beliefs to interfere with justice.”
The following silence nearly made Evie wonder if she had gone deaf. Ben was staring at Milo, a strange mix of shock and admiration in his eyes, while the Queen’s expression was carefully blank.
Mal angled herself away from the royals, ready to bolt, Jay tense beside her. Carlos slid closer to Evie, hand finding hers.
When the royal professor turned to face them, Evie lowered herself into a curtsey, the rest of her pack too stunned to react.
“Oh, no, you don’t need to bow to me,” King Milo told her with an awkward smile. “Really. I prefer being a professor. Speaking of which, Mal.” Her leader snapped to attention. “Can you tell me a bit more about your troubles with the Magic Basics class?”
“I, um…” For a moment, Mal trailed off before gathering herself. “I can’t do any of the lessons. Like, I can’t even make a rock float. The only thing that dumbass class has taught me is a breathing thing and that works most of the time.” She shrugged.
“I see. Dean Belle,” he glanced over his shoulder, “I believe it may be prudent to speak with Mal’s professor in Magic Basics.”
Slowly, Queen Belle nodded. “Yes. That seems like a reasonable course of action.”
“King Adam,” King Milo continued, “This should be satisfactory, correct? I believe they are free to go?”
Wordlessly, Beast nodded.
That was enough for Mal. Evie allowed herself to be yanked out of the room by their leader, Carlos still clutching her hand.
They could leave.
They were allowed to leave.
If she understood everything correctly, they weren’t even going to be punished.
“Is this real?” Carlos whispered.
Evie wasn’t sure how to answer.
She barely noticed as they rushed past the chairs in the outer room, but the sound of the office doors opening behind them froze them in place.
“Guys,” Ben called. Hand trailing through his hair, he bit his lip before saying, “Go ahead and relax in your room. I’ll come by later with dinner and any more information you’ll want to know.”
Mal just nodded before turning and disappearing down the stairs. Ben offered Evie a faint smile. Then he too disappeared, the office doors closing behind him as he rejoined the other royalty.
Pulse unsteady, Evie followed the boys down the stairs.