Chapter Text
Ben burst into the room the villain kids were studying in. They all jumped and looked ready to fight. Evie was the first to relax and she addressed the king. “Ben, what’s wrong?” Ben realized he must look like a mess. His official garb was disheveled and he was gasping from how fast he tried to get here. He held up a finger as he caught his breath and the rest of the VKs relaxed into their chairs.
“I need you to testify to the council about the food on the Isle so I can convince the other kingdoms to agree to send better food to the Isle.” The group paled. Mal stood and put herself between her crew and Ben.
“Can’t you just make a proclamation?” Ben sighed.
“No, when it comes to the Isle it’s more difficult.” He sat in a nearby chair. Aches sprang from his bones and his head pounded. “I was able to get you here because it was my first proclamation. It sets the tone of my rule and has the ability to do things otherwise not possible.” He pinched his nose. “Besides I need the other kingdoms to agree because I need their food. If everyone gives some then the burden will be lessened on everyone.” Evie nodded in understanding, but the others were still confused.
“What does that have to do with us?” Jay spoke up first.
Ben looked at the four of them. They were so much healthier and had adjusted to the food in Auradon. Carlos has even gained a few inches since first arriving. “It’ll be harder for them to say no if you’re in the room. If they hear you say that the food can literally kill you, then maybe they'll be driven to action.” They all looked thoughtful at his words. Evie lit up as she put the pieces together.
“You want to guilt trip them!” She grinned as if she solved a new equation. Ben nodded and gave Evie a small smile.
“Who is on the council?” Mal asked, hesitation clear in her voice.
Ben opened and closed his mouth. He wasn’t sure how to explain that they’d be telling dozens of people (and technically anyone who requested to see the court recording) from every kingdom in the union. Since it was known they’d be discussing the Isle several rulers may take the place of their typical representative. His head felt like it might explode. “A representative from every kingdom is typical, however since it is not a secret that we are discussing the Isle, many royals will probably.” He tried to give a sympathetic look, but he was not sure it would work.
Every expression was different. Mal had wide eyes, Evie looked anxious, but determined, Jay looked angry and Carlos didn’t meet his eyes. Polite as ever Evie asked that they have time alone to discuss the matter and said they’d tell him the following day. He nodded and let them know that the council session was on the following Monday. He left the VKs and went to his room as soon as his head touched the pillow.
Once Ben left Evie was the first to speak. “We have to do it,” Mal growled and sat.
“I’m not standing there and telling a bunch of prissy shitheads about how I almost died from food poisoning.” She glared at the others.
“Mal it’s for everyone back home! We have to help them any way we can.” Evie was firm in her stance. Mal stood and stepped to Evie. “I-”
Jay cut her off. “She’s right Mal.” Jay stood arms crossed and held the fae’s gaze. She snarled as she glared at Carlos.
“What about you?” Carlos didn’t look at anyone, but his voice was firm as he spoke.
“I hate it too, but Evie is right.” He met Mal’s gaze and spoke almost angrily. “We have to do whatever we can to help the others. I have to help Diego and the others.” He stood his ground as Mal threw a book across the room. She fumed and ranted for a good while before Evie put a hand on her shoulder. Mal was no longer angry and now she was exhausted. She nodded at Evie’s questioning look.
“You are right. I’ll say whatever they need me to.” She gave an apologetic look to her crew, and they all nodded their acceptance. They all piled together that night ignoring the curfew rules and when they woke the next day they prepared to tell Ben they would do it. They entered the office and Mal nearly interrogated him as she pestered him with every question Evie told her to ask. Once they had their answers they confirmed that they’d testify and prepared for the day approaching.
They all were ready to go in formal clothing. Evie had made them all new outfits to help relieve her stress. Ben had the car pick them up and he smiled wearily as they pulled into the private entrance of the council building. They followed Ben to his office and he explained that while they were in session he had to be king and couldn’t help them. They would be in the witness booth with guards outside the door. (He explained it was for their protection as some people disliked them greatly.)
They would be addressed as a group with questions unless one of them was asked by name. Dr. Sweet would also be there towards the end in a separate booth to share the results of their blood tests. Mal tensed at that news, still barely able to allow the sharing of such information. Evie squeezed the girl’s hand and it helped the fae relax a bit. The time came and Ben gave them all a hug and reassured them that everything would be okay.
The gang entered the witness booth and they all felt exposed. The council room was circular and had tons of tables (booths? They couldn’t tell) that all faced towards them. Next to them was a big stand where Ben sat looking regal and firm. On the other side was a matching booth and in front of that was a woman typing on a typewriter-looking thing. Most of the other kingdoms were here and the four of them realized almost all of the nations opted to have their true rulers present. They all huddled together as attendance was taken and their hearts pounded as Ben spoke. His voice was smooth and commanding in a way they never heard before.
“Today as you all know is to be dedicated to the discussion of a proposed bill to give additional surprise to the inhabitants of the Isle of the Lost.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Today we have several witnesses willing to testify to the quality of food and other necessities on the Isle.” Ben had explained that some of the questions would go into the realm of water and medicine, but should never cross into personal questions regarding their parents. “I understand today will be difficult for everyone, but I ask that everyone treat the witnesses and other council members with respect and patience today.” With that, he opened the floor to the procession.
The first part was really boring as they dissected what the bill said and what that would mean for the kingdoms. Then they took a recess to allow everyone time to think of questions to ask and take a break. Evie had followed along with a certain amount of expertise Mal was grateful for. Evie was raised to be a queen someday and it was showing as she explained what certain things meant to the others. Now the floor was open to questioning and the four of them had to vow to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. (Or be sent back to the Isle was the silent message)
Mal shuddered as she said the words, her fae blood boiled at the promise. She looked out at all the people fighting to ask the first question. It was eventually decided that the questions would be asked in an order that was randomly selected, and Ben had a list of orders from the drawing of names. The first to ask questions was Queen Elsa from Arendelle, though her sister Anna was by her side. Elsa exuded power from her intricate gown made of ice and snow. She stood tall and proud. But there was something in her eyes that the gang couldn’t place.
“Do all who live on the Isle have reasonable access to clean water?” Her voice was chilling as she spoke. Her eyes never left them as they responded.
Jay laughed. Like true hysterical laughing, as if he thought the question was the funniest thing in the world. Mal and Carlos tried to get him to shut up as Evie spoke into the microphone. Her voice was sickeningly sweet, a smile never wavering as she spoke. “There is no water on the Isle like there is in Auradon. We had never seen completely clear water until we were brought here.” She paused for a moment and looked to the others as Jay settled down. Mal spoke up next, her voice rough and threatening.
“No, your Majesty, we didn't have clean water. We had filthy water, murky water, and alcohol.” The Queen thanked them for their answer and the next few questions asked them where they acquired water, what defined water as ‘filthy’, and ‘murky’, and what alcohol they were able to produce. There were also some questions about the illnesses that followed consuming dirty water. The four of them answered the best they could and soon there was a short recess. Evie proceeded to explain to the others what was happening and soon they started to piece together the politics of the whole situation. She also helped them with the way they answered questions and gave them more powerful words to use rather than their usual nonchalant response to questions of this nature. Too quickly they resumed the questioning. The next in the order was the kingdom of Charmington. Queen Snow White asked the question, her face betraying nothing as she spoke.
“Are you able to grow food on the Isle?” Mal grimaced. The boys scowled and Evie paled. Technically some plants could be grown on the Isle, but never anything to feed someone. Evie had a small garden near her castle and in the window of their hideout, but it never could grow food. She always grew herbs that helped prevent infections or had other medicinal purposes. The sun rarely was out long enough to grow anything big. Even if it did, there wasn’t enough water to keep people and plants alive. So no they couldn’t grow food on the Isle, but they could grow a handful of herbs. The four of them looked to Evie to answer. Swallowing her fear the princess plastered a kind smile and spoke into the microphone.
“We are unable to grow anything reliably due to the lack of consistent sunshine, and the frequent storms. I have been able to grow a few herbs, but it often took several attempts.” Evie held the gaze from the Queen until the next question was asked. They focused on the prospect of food growth until it was deemed a futile solution. The questioning was surprisingly tame and on topic. The kingdoms asked questions that related to the changes proposed by the bill.
“What do the children of the Isle do to deserve the supplies currently sent to the Isle to be withheld by their parents?” The question echoed throughout the chamber as a silence was ushered as the words were spoken. King Triton was unaffected by the deafening silence. Mal’s eyes glowed with rage. Jay puffed out his chest and stood in front of Carlos blocking him from view. Evie froze with glazed-over eyes. Before Mal was able to rip into the son of Poseidon, Ben spoke over the council.
“King Triton, that question is inappropriate and not relevant to the conversation.” Ben’s voice had an edge to it. The merman seemed not to notice as he pressed on.
“Why is it not relevant? Clearly these children are exaggerating their circumstances. No one on the Isle would be alive if what they said was true. They must have done something to deserve such treatment!” The king was red in the face by the time he finished. His gaze was hard and assured. He opened his mouth to continue but was cut off by Carlos’s voice carrying throughout the room.
“We do die.” Carlos stood at the microphone. His glare dared anyone to challenge him. “I have died.”
King Triton scoffed. “What are you talking about, child? You stand here before us.”
Evie stepped forward and spoke before Ben could. “Dying doesn’t work the same on the Isle as it does here.” She paused and looked at the others. Mal gave her a nod to continue. “When you die on the Isle you fall into a darkness that is all-consuming and endless. Then after what always feels like eternity you wake up.” Evie took a shuddering breath. “You wake up often feeling better than when you died. Your wounds heal and the only scar you get is from what killed you. You don’t stay dead on the Isle.”
The crowd was silent. King Triton looked at her with horror on his face. Crying could be heard just before all hell broke loose. Everyone was shouting and asking new questions. People were accusing each other of treating the children of the Isle with a heartless disregard. Ben roared above the crowd and announced a recess would be taken and everyone should return in an hour. The chaos followed the crowd as they left. Ben sent the Isle kids an apologetic look before leaving the room himself. Alone in the room, the gang was startled as the door opened behind them. Mal recognized Mrs. Potts immediately and told Jay to stand down. The kind-looking woman had a tray of food and water. She smiled as she set it down.
“I wish I could stay children, but I cannot due to witness rules. Is there anything I can fetch for you?” She looked genuinely remorseful and gave them all a soft look. Mal, Jay, and Carlos all shook their heads, but Evie requested a notepad and pencil. Mrs. Potts nodded and soon enough a guard slipped in a small notepad and a pencil (with a sharpener). Mal tilted her head.
“What’s that for E?” Evie was writing furiously on the paper and sighed.
“I need to keep track of what is being asked and who is asking it. This is taking forever and my brain can’t keep it all in order.” Sure enough, Mal could see a list of the kingdoms present and their rulers. A list of topics and questions quickly followed.
“Evie you’re a genius.” Carlos piped up. Evie smiled and gave a small laugh, all without ceasing her writing.
“My mother taught me everything she knew about politics and how to manipulate them to your advantage. We need to remember who seems the most sympathetic to our cause if we are going to get the kids off the Isle.” Her gang nodded and started to share what they thought of certain rulers and filled in the spots Evie left blank. After they had finished they heard people start to return to the room. Soon it was time to resume the questioning, at this point, they had talked about the water, the ability to grow food, the quality of the food, and how sparse it was to come by. Now there was a small amount of time before Dr. Sweet arrived to ask any remaining questions to the Villain kids. Queen Elsa asked the next question and it was a shock to the gang that anyone would ask them this.
“How would you suggest we ensure children of the Isle get the necessities they require?” The queen’s face had softened since the last time they asked a question and she even gave them a small simile. The four of them were speechless and it took a moment for them to gather themselves. With just a look they all choose Evie to speak for them. She was the most passionate about the kids back on the Isle after all.
“Ideally we would want all the kids removed from the Isle.” This wasn't strictly true as some of the spawn on the Isle were adults and truly evil people, but they didn’t want to give the royals anything to use against them. “But in the meantime sending real supplies instead of garbage would help a lot. Even if only the food and water were clean and fresh. To kids on the Isle used items and clothing that haven’t sat in the sun with rotting food would be life-changing.” A murmur rushed throughout the room and only quieted when the queen thanked Evie for her response. The next question was asked by Queen Kida of Atlantis.
“How often does one go through the death of the Isle?” Her face was full of pain and sadness. She looked remorseful as she spoke the words. Mal stepped forward not needing to check with her crew to know she was the one to take point on this question. She hesitated once she opened her mouth, however unsure of how to explain the Isle and the violence.
“It depends on who your parents are. If you have a gang, or how desperate you are for something.” She paused her face screwing up as she recalled her time on the Isle. “If you were useful your parents would probably not kill you themselves. But if you had food and someone hasn’t eaten for weeks, they could jump you for the food.” Mal released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Some of the unclaimed kids would die, wake up and die again. No one would protect or help them. We couldn’t afford to without dying or worse angering our parents.”
Looking up at the queen she steadied her voice and spoke with a deadly calm voice. “It was at least weekly for the weakest and once or twice a year for the strongest.” She had once gone two years without dying, but that was mostly due to the fact her mother didn’t kill her, not her survival skills. Gasps of disgust and horror flooded the room as she spoke the truth. The leaders of the kingdoms weren’t ready to face the consequences of their actions and Mal didn’t think they ever would be. She just hoped they’d try to fix the problem.
Ben quieted the crowd as Dr. Sweet arrived in the other witness booth. He announced a short break so that the doctor would be able to prepare. A screen was brought into the room and the doctor had binders filled with notes to reference ready to answer any questions from the council. The four sat silently as questioning resumed and watched fearfully as they prepared to learn just how broken they were.
“Doctor, can you tell us about the initial state of the children when they arrived?” Queen Ariel asked with a serious voice. The doctor asked that slide 4 be shown on the screen and it held the general problems of the Isle kids when she had examined them.
“Now I saw them about three weeks after they originally arrived, which is important to remember for the weight aspect. They were still an unhealthy weight and showing severe symptoms of malnutrition. With additional testing, it was determined they were deficient in several vital vitamins and had stunted growth. Additionally, they had worms and other signs of inadequate water sources.” Dr. Sweet paused and pursed her lips. “Some of them have bones that have healed incorrectly and other internal damage to their bodies. Your Majesty, I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire career. Their test revealed that they are attuned to live in an environment of constant stress and violence. They score higher than any veteran my colleagues have ever seen.” With that, the doctor sat down signaling that she was finished. Everyone was stunned. Mal and Jay looked at each other with shock.
“Worse than soldiers?” Evie whispered. Carlos nodded and clung to the princess. The questions continued and they learned that they were all nothing like the Auradon kids. They already knew this but learned that they were all stunted and that they’d never be ‘normal’ no matter how hard they tried because their brains were fried from their life on the Isle. By the time they were dismissed, they felt a weight settle over them like a curse. How would they ever make a life in Auradon if they were incapable of fully adjusting to life here?
Exhausted from the day they fell asleep as soon as the door shut to Mal and Evie’s room. They only found out the result of the vote after they woke up. Ben himself informs them that the Isle would now receive only good food and water. However, some kingdoms insisted that the rest of the supplies would be sent from what the kingdoms disregarded. A team of medical professionals would be sent to the Isle with armed guards to assess the medical needs of the Isle. Then it would be decided what to do next. The discussion of bringing any more children over has been tabled until the doctor reports. They all celebrated and when they came down to the commons outside they found that their friends waited with a celebration ready for them. Lonnie, Audrey, Jane, Doug, and Ben stood there with all their favorite foods and games. The core four didn’t know how to react but settled on enjoying the moment. Mal ate nearly all the strawberries and Jay played with Lonnie and Ben tackling them. Evie discussed various things with Doug and Jane, and Carlos lay beside Mal with Dude curled into his side.
This was worth betraying their parents. This was worth the Isle. Gang is life, but maybe they could protect a few more.