Chapter Text
Ben stood on a platform in his room, getting fitted for the suit he would wear at his coronation. His parents were with him, chatting amicably. He was trying to work up the courage to tell them what he had chosen as his first declaration. He knew they wouldn’t like it, especially his dad.
But looking out of his window, he could so clearly see that it was the right choice. Because even now, during a beautiful sunny day, the Isle of the Lost looked stormy and dark. He couldn’t imagine living in a place like that. He had finally gained access to the reports of the few guards who set foot on the Isle a few days a year to help the kingdom feel some kind of control over the cursed island. They described a withered society that was ruled by competing gangs, some of which were seemingly led by the Children of the Isle. Of the greed and violence that ran rampant in every corner and alleyway, of the constant battles for dominance between most of the alphas that lived there. The conclusion was always the same: there is nothing left here for us to save.
The notes of Yen Sid told a slightly different story, but not one much more encouraging. He reported lost, aggressive children who were often too preoccupied with turf wars to go to school. The sorcerer was a beta, so he couldn’t provide much information on whether there was a gender hierarchy or not, but he did mention that not a single one of the kids exhibited normal omega behaviours for their age, so either there weren’t many (likely due to the fact that almost all villains sent were alphas, with the occasional beta and even rarer omega) or the environment was so hostile it wasn’t safe to behave in such a way. Ben suspected it was both.
The teacher tried to keep a record of all the kids, but their attendance was so inconsistent that it was impossible, and so he could only report on the few who were infamous enough to hear from consistently. And so, Ben tried to focus on that and not on the mountains of information he didn’t have. He thought that maybe if he could help one of the most relevant groups of kids, perhaps the others would look at them as proof that they too could have a life outside of the Isle. So, he got to work and read all of Yen Sid’s notes and tried to decide which one would have the greatest impact.
In the end, the group he chose was the one that was mentioned the most times on the reports. Ben was a little ashamed to admit that one of the reasons for the decision was that they were one of the only whose names’ were all on record. There was also the fact that their parents were some of the most infamous among the population and getting their kids to integrate into Auradonian society would help Ben prove that any of the kids in the isle could also be brought onto the mainland.
The first he investigated was the daughter of the Evil Queen, who went by Evie. There was not much on her file, just a mention of a rumor that she allegedly poisoned a rival gang as some sort of payback for something unknown to the sorcerer. Yen Sid, however, mentioned that the school was quieter for a couple of weeks before returning to its normal ruckus. So not a great start, but then again, it was all alleged. The only other thing mentioned was that she likely lived in the run down castle that stood on one of the edges of the Isle, of which there was a photo, depicting towers overtaken by plants and moss.
Next was Carlos de Vil, whose file was the thickest, likely due to the fact that he was the only that could be consistently found by the guards’ annual visits. He was confirmed to live in Hell Hall with Cruella, who could sometimes be heard shouting his name. Finally, there were blurry photos of him hiding behind doorframes and windows, seemingly stalking the guards as they passed through the property. He was one of Yen Sid’s favorites, it seemed, because he wrote wonders of his performance in class, his odd habit of getting exactly 70% in every single test he was handed (Avoids drawing any sort of attention and I’ve barely ever heard him speak, the sorcerer noted) and his remarkable attendance to his class, only occasionally missing for reason unknown or for a particularly bad week of turf war.
Jafar’s son, Jay, was the polar opposite, barely attended school and when he did, spent his time there disrupting class in any manner possible. There was not much information on him besides Yen Sid’s academic notes, but he did mention that Jay seemed to have a reputation of being the “Prince of Thieves" which was almost ironic enough to get a laugh out of him. No photos and only linked to some kind of store his father ran.
Finally, there was Mal, daughter of Maleficent. She had a school record similar to Jay’s with the addition of consistent intimidation of the teachers and students. From what he could gather, it appeared as though she was the next in line to control the Isle, just behind her mother, who, from what he could gather, ruled over a reasonable portion of the land, which included the markets.
Yen Sid maintained that they seemed to be running as a group for at least the last couple of years and that they maintained a tight grip on an important part of the Isle through means unknown to him. They were mostly left to their own devices by the other students, which was nearly unheard of in the social climate endemic to the school building.
They were the best Ben could manage to put together. The group seemed to have some sort of social standing, which would set an important precedent on the Isle, were children to some of the most controversial villains in Auradon’s history and worked well as a group, which would be important when facing such a jarring change in environment.
It was about time to tell his parents, and just in time, they addressed him with proud smiles.
“How is it possible that you are about to be named crowned prince next month?” Said his father jovially, “You are just a baby!”
His mother laughed good-naturedly. “He’s turning eighteen, dear.”
“Eighteen! That’s far too young to have that on his shoulders!” The king replied, only a little serious. “I didn’t have to do anything royalty-related until I was 28!”
“Those were different circumstances, love,” Belle recalled. “Besides! He will not have to do it alone, because both of us will be here, by his side, right, Adam?”
The married couple looked at each other softly. “Right, of course not. We do it together, just like everything else.”
Before Ben spoke, he took a moment to enjoy their smiles, because he knew he was about to wipe them off their faces. He took a moment to breathe and finally announced: “Mom, dad, I’ve chosen my first official proclamation”. He tried to step closer to their considering faces, but was stopped by the tailor’s complaints. No matter, at last this way he could look directly into his father's eyes, and was even a little bit taller than him. He took another breath and fought the urge to wipe his sweaty hands on the not-quite-done dress pants.
“I’ve decided that the Children of the Isle of the Lost be given a chance to live here in Auradon.”
His mother dropped the cup in her hands, sending a crashing noise through the room. His father, on the other hand, looked confused. But he couldn’t stop now, ignoring the tailor’s complaints and promising himself to apologize later, he stepped off the platform and walked towards his parents as he pointed towards the window.
“Every time I look out to the Island, I feel like they've been abandoned,” he paused, “Like we have abandoned them.”
His father no longer looked doubtful, and his expression had turned sour. He took his hands out of his pockets, abandoning his previously relaxed posture. “You are speaking of the children of our sworn enemies living among us, Ben. Be careful with what you say next”, he spoke with a low growl that remained from his time as the Beast.
But the teen took no heed of the warning, marching on, “Well, it won’t be so abrupt, dad. I planned it out already; we’ll start out with a few at first, with the ones who need our help the most”. Or the ones we know for sure exist, Ben didn’t say. He sounded more certain than he felt when he finished, “I’ve already chosen them.”
The King took a step forward “Have you?” he asked almost sarcastically.
His mother, however, put a hand in between them and looked back at her husband “Well, I gave you a second chance” then back at Ben “Who are their parents?”
If I just finished telling the bad part, then up comes the worst part, Ben thought. But he couldn’t stop now that he had finally gained the courage to start.
“Cruella de Vil” He started, because he knew the Radcliffs (Or Anita more specifically) had been against sending her to the Isle in the first place, had tried to use insanity as a way to get her instead to a mental hospital, and so perhaps that would mean his parents would be more open to the idea of her child not deserving to be banished to that cursed land.
His mother gasped but didn’t say anything, unlike his father, who mentioned “Cruella de Vil? Everyone knows that family is cursed with madness. I have little hope that any spawn of hers could be saved from the clutches of their own mind.” And as Ben opened his mouth to argue, his father only waved him off and motioned for him to continue. The teen frowned, but persevered.
“Grimhilde, the Evil Queen,” He continued because perhaps they would understand the dangers of a child growing up with a mother known for trying to kill her own step-child.
The regents looked vaguely pale, but seemed to understand he wasn’t yet finished and would not stop until he was.
“Jafar,” He went on, and as his parents opened their mouths to argue, he barrelled on, “And Maleficent.”
That time, even the tailor gasped.
His father seemed to grow even taller as he shouted, “Maleficent! She is the worst villain in the Land!”
The prince tried to explain “Dad-”
“And Jafar! That disgusting man! Are you out of your mind?!” He demanded.
“Dad, just hear me out-”
“I won’t hear any more of the lunacy! These people are guilty of unspeakable crimes!”
Ben tried to compose himself, but couldn’t help the slight growl in his voice when he replied, “Dad, their children are innocent! They are not guilty of their parents’ crimes!” He shot back.
His father wasn’t deterred. “You don’t know that! You think me so foolish that I would not read the reports sent back every year?! That place and all of the people living there are rotten!”
“And whose fault is that?!”
That seemed to make the King falter.
“We left them there to rot, Dad. To be locked away and never thought of again. Yes, their parents are criminals, but the children there? They are sentenced to life in exile the moment they are born. No trial. No judge. No jury. Simply for the crime of being born. They didn’t get to choose who their parents were, nor the place they would live in. So can we expect them to be anything but resentful?” He asked, even to himself.
His father seemed to deflate a little.
“Don’t you think they deserve a chance at a normal life?” He finished softly, but the king wouldn’t look at him. “Dad…” he tried, moving his head to try and catch his father’s eyes.
But Adam didn’t look at him, instead staring at Belle and seeming to have a silent conversation. The king appeared to be fighting himself, until he finally looked back at his son. He looked uncertain “I suppose the children could be innocent”. He walked away a few paces.
His mother stepped towards him with a warm smile on her face, but still looking somewhat unsure “That was quite the shouting match, honey”. As Ben started to defend himself though, she cut him off “And arguments are necessary sometimes, no matter how much we don’t like them. What you just did was incredibly brave, Ben. I don’t know if you are right, or whether your plan will work. But… I do think we have left the people of the Isle neglected too long. It has weighted on my mind for some time now. I can’t lie and say that I care for the villains that live there, but I can see how we’ve wronged the children”. She fixed lapels on his suit “Your father will give you permission to do a test run, but to make the arrangement permanent, you will have to present evidence to the council that your plan is beneficial to the kingdom”. She looked up at him and paused. Finally, she stated “They will want you to prove that the Children of the Isle are not dangerous.”
“How do you know that?”
His mother chuckled, “I’ve had to deal with them for 20 years, mon chéri.”
He smiled back “Right, thank you mom.”
She grabbed his hands for a moment as she reassured him “Well done.”
Moms had a way of making people feel more confident and hopeful, Ben thought warmly.
He looked back at the window and then down at the ring carved with the family’s sigil in his right hand. He didn’t know if his plan would work, but he knew he needed to at least try.
He set out to write the decree.