It was a naturally sunny day in Auradon on the day the Villain Kids were to arrive. It had been a month since Ben officially announced his proclamation to mixed reviews. Throughout the time, there had been secret videos, debates, headlines, and all-around uproar about the arrival of the children, but Ben stood his ground. With Minnie by his side, they were able to change enough minds to get a decent-sized welcome party, including the Auradon school band.
Minnie stood beside her cousin in a rather uncomfortable outfit and tiara, looking through her mother's binoculars. They had been standing outside for about half an hour now, with Audrey hanging onto Ben and continuously sharing potential horror stories, all of which Ben dismissed. The brunette lowered her binoculars to stretch out the yellow corduroy dress that Belle had given her. It was a short A-line with a collared turtleneck and a belt cinching her waist. While this was normal attire in Auradon, it was quite different from her usual clothing or the traditional attire of Faraway. To top it off, she wore an ornate crown made from golden flowers and leaves, another gift from her Aunt which she was convinced she would break eventually.
Rocking on her uncomfortable heels, she turned to her cousin as Audrey spoke with Fairy Godmother. "Hey, how come I have to wear a tiara and you don't?" she huffed, letting the binoculars fall around her neck as she crossed her arms and slumped to one side.
"We had to do something to make you more presentable," Ben snickered back, a smug smile on his face which soon disappeared as he received a hard shove from Minnie. "You're not King yet," she threatened, to which the boy laughed, pinching her cheek with a faux pout on his face.
"Awh, someone didn't get their beauty sleep," he joked before yelping as the smaller girl started smacking his shoulder. Ben started to retaliate, albeit much softer, before Fairy Godmother and Audrey noticed the two.
"Hey now, children!" the older lady intervened, looking at Ben as she stood between the cousins. "You are to be King; it's time to stop this endless bickering," Godmother spoke softly yet sternly, and Ben tried to keep a straight face as Minnie popped up over the woman's shoulder, sticking out her tongue.
Fairy Godmother turned to Minnie who quickly snapped back to smiling, as if she were innocent, and Audrey pulled Ben towards her, brushing down his hair. "Now Minnie," she paused as she took hold of the younger girl's hands, "please, stay out of trouble." The older woman smiled as Minnie looked over Fairy Godmother's shoulder to see Ben, mimicking her and sticking out his tongue before his face was pulled away by Audrey's hand.
"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" Minnie huffed, blowing some hair out of her face as the older woman fixed the tiara on top of her head. Fairy Godmother returned to her position, waiting for the children of the Isle as Audrey and Ben turned back around. "Because you tend to get into it," Audrey answered, a smile on her face. The brunette slapped her cousin on the shoulder once again - much to his surprise.
"Hey!" Ben moaned, holding his hands out, confused as to why he was hit. "Well, I can't hit her, can I?" Minnie stated, motioning to Audrey. This prompted another playfight between the two before the loud booming of trumpets commenced, signaling the arrival of the four children they had all been awaiting.
The cousins quickly parted, Ben helping Minnie with her tiara once again before the trio of teens stood to attention. As the limousine pulled to a stop, Ben leaned over to the girl, trying to speak over the orchestra while not drawing attention. "You know I'm only joking, right?" A small "huh" was mumbled back to him as Minnie was trying to get a good look at who was coming out. "You're beautiful. Remember that." He smiled sincerely, which prompted Minnie to look back up at him, sharing his smile before jabbing him quickly in the ribs as the music trailed and the crowd dispersed to display Fairy Godmother and the royal trio.
Two girls and two boys emerged from the car (tumbling in the boys' case). Minnie stifled a laugh as they fought over a blanket. The two girls stood in front, the blue-haired one looking around excitedly, even doing a small twirl - something Minnie caught from the corner of her eye.
"Guys, guys, guys! We have an audience," the girl with purple hair said through gritted teeth. The trio followed after Fairy Godmother, approaching the car. "Just cleaning up," the older boy smiled with arms full of technology from the limousine as he pulled the younger boy, whose mouth was covered in chocolate, up with the blanket. Without seeing her face, Minnie had to bite her lip at the thought of Fairy Godmother's face at that moment. So much so that she almost forgot how uncomfortable her outfit was. Almost.
"Leave it like you found it!" the older woman cheerily sang, before adding, "And by that, I mean just leave it." This caused the older boy to throw the items back into the car, along with the blanket he snatched from the younger. Minnie smiled at both the girls, who gave smiles back—one clearly forced, while the other came from a small place of embarrassment. Minnie looked at the girl on the right, wavering a minute before noticing she was staring, thanks to a little nudge from Ben, who wore a knowing smirk.
The older boy started walking forward toward Audrey; now, Minnie started associating them with their parents. The older boy must be the son of Jafar, and the younger (quite obviously) the son of Cruella De Vil. The purple-haired girl she guessed was Maleficent's daughter, meaning the blue-haired girl must be the daughter of the Evil Queen. "Hello, foxy. The name's Jay," he swaggered over to the princess, who was giggling awkwardly at his forwardness—a laugh that was shared by his friends behind him.
"Welcome to Auradon Prep." Fairy Godmother tilted her body to interrupt the pair. "I'm Fairy Godmother, the headmistress." She introduced herself with a flourish of her hands, to which the group's eyes lit up.
"The Fairy Godmother? As in, 'Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo'?" Maleficent's daughter spoke, waving her hand like a magic wand. Minnie and Ben looked at each other, thinking perhaps they were simply interested in magic. Minnie was when she first arrived, magic having only been a story her mother told her. In fact, it wasn't until she met Fairy Godmother that she actually believed it; she thought her Aunt and Uncle were just making up stories for the children. Fairy Godmother smiled, gracious that they knew of her, as if her posters weren't all around the Isle. "Bibbidi-bobbidi. You know it." She cheerfully retorted.
The purple-haired girl stepped forward slightly, a small glimmer in her eye, "Yeah, I always wondered what it felt like for Cinderella when you just appeared, out of nowhere, with that sparkly wand and warm smile." She paused, adding a seemingly redundant, "And that sparkling wand."
The older woman smiled softly, "That was a long time ago. And as I always say, 'Don't focus on the past or you'll miss the future.'" She waved her hands in front of her face; Minnie could tell the teenagers' smiles were forced as she forced a smile of her own.
"It's so good to finally meet you all. I'm Ben." Her cousin proudly smiled, he and Audrey stepping forward in unison. Minnie just a fraction behind, unaware that the trio were going to step forward at all. Audrey smiled widely, an action the English girl knew to be fake, but she was glad that Audrey seemed to be trying. "Prince Benjamin." She interrupted, "Soon to be King." She giddily added, more excited to boast his status than hers.
The blue-haired girl glided forward, "You had me at prince." she spoke dreamily. A funny feeling arose in Minnie; she knew what it was, of course—the girl was beautiful, and she noticed that how could she not? It was just a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, one she was oblivious to at this particular moment. A feeling that made her suddenly speak up: "I'm a princess!" The group turned to her, including the two royals beside her.
Coughing, she started to slouch, trying to look cool, becoming even more uncomfortable in her outfit, but she had gone too far now. "I mean, like, I'm a princess or whatever." Ben held back a chortle, looking towards his cousin and then back to the girl in front of him, whose eyes were now focused on Minnie.
"This is my cousin Minnie. Future Queen of the Kingdom of Faraway," he started, "and my successor, if I were to... well, you know." He tried to joke, earning a small pathetic laugh from the teenagers around him.
"My name is Evie." She introduced herself, curtsying to Minnie in particular, causing the girl to give an awkward bow in return. She was never one to curtsy. "My mom's a queen, which makes me a princess too." She beamed, a smile that was so infectious Minnie started smiling wider, almost certain her lipstick had smudged somehow. Evie looked at the girl, a similar feeling swirling inside her; however, for her, she knew what this feeling was. A feeling her mother had told her in fairy tales; fairy tales that weren't made for her.
Audrey shook her head, a sickly sweet smile on her face. "The Evil Queen has no royal status here, and neither do you." Evie's face dropped as she turned to the girl, her chocolate-brown eyes dimming to an almost black as if all the light had drained from them. Minnie and Ben both turned to Audrey, one having an angry look on her face and the other sharing an embarrassed smile.
"This is Audrey," Ben stated, trying to lighten the mood. "Princess Audrey." The girl continued, reaching out to grab a hold of his hand with her own, which he held gracefully. "His girlfriend. Right, Bennyboo?" The two were holding hands awkwardly in front of Fairy Godmother, who, instead of being left out, joined in and placed her hands on top of theirs.
"His girlfriend. Right, Bennyboo?" The two were holding hands awkwardly in front of the Fairy Godmother, who, instead of being left out, joined in and placed her hands on top of theirs.
The older woman smiled at the teens in front her her, the main girl smiling back. The boys were looking confused and somewhat disgusted by the kind actions. Evie however, looked to Minnie who was once again fiddling with her outfit, scrunching her face as she accidentally pulled the fabric towards the front of her neck. "Ben, Minnie and Audrey are going to show you all around, and I'll see you tomorrow." Fairy Godmother smiled. Pushing through Audrey and Ben's arms, the teenagers jumped back, including Minnie as Ben nearly hit her - which she was convinced was on purpose. "The doors of wisdom are never shut. But the library hours are from 8:00 to 11:00. And as you may have heard, I have a little thing about curfews." Fairy Godmother then glided away from the group, the school band rushing after her.
Ben walked towards the group, holding out his hand to shake each of the kids' hands. "It is so, so, so good to finally me..." He paused as Jay punched his shoulder, winding him a little bit. Minnie stayed put, expecting Audrey to follow on behind Ben. However, once she saw that the princess wasn't moving, she quickly hopped toward them, ready to start shaking hands too. "Meet you all." Ben finished his sentence as Minnie shook Jay's hand, the boy taking her hand and placing a small kiss on her knuckles. She stifled a laugh before muttering "You are barking up the wrong tree there buddy." to which the boy gave an awkward smile, not entirely sure on what she meant but more embarrassed that his attempt failed once again.
Ben continued on, shaking Mal's hands, pausing for a moment. Minnie looked over to her cousin, a look on his face that she hadn't seen since he first came to Faraway. The same look he had as he watched the birds flutter through the treetops, the undeniable sparkle in one's eye the minute they see something they love. Minnie nudged her cousin, not only for holding up his speech but also for the girl behind them. Audrey, luckily hadn't noticed.
Yes, the couple were on and off, and yes, perhaps they weren't each other's sole mates or truly loved one another like they were supposed to. But they were still together and that was enough in Minnie's mind to make sure she cut her cousin out of this until he sorted out his current relationship.
Minnie perhaps nudged him a bit too hard as the girl in front of them smiled wide and Ben glared at his cousin who simply raised her eyebrows at him. They continued down the line, Ben going to shake the young boy's hand as Minnie shook the purple-haired girls, sharing a smile as Ben continued.
"This is a momentous occasion, and one that I hope will go down in history..." Ben tasted the chocolate that smudged onto his hand from the boys. "Is that chocolate?" He asked as he moved onto Evie, Minnie giving the white-haired boy, who was now aware of the sweet treat on his hands, a fist bump. "As the day our two peoples began to heal." Ben shook Evie's hand as she lifted a foot off the floor. Minnie wasn't able to shake the girl's hand before Audrey pulled both of them back, hooking her arms with the both of them, giving the last girl a subtle glare.
"Or the day that you showed four people where the bathrooms are." The main girl crossed her arms. Minnie made a mental note to learn their names at some point. She was almost certain Ben told her their names but couldn't remember them, which was quite hard seeing how easy they were.
Ben looked at the girl again, his eyes lightening, "A little bit over the top?" He asked, scrunching his nose as he spoke.
"A little more than a little bit." the two chuckled, as they looked at one another. Minnie could feel Audrey's grip tighten, causing the girl to lay her hand on her best friend's arm in an attempt to soothe her.
"Well, so much for my first impression." Ben smiled. There was an awkward silence as Audrey saw her shot. Stepping forward she smiled widely in the face of the purple-haired girl.
"Hey! You're Maleficent's daughter, aren't you?" She started, as sinking feeling begun in Minnie's stomach, worried as to where Audrey was going. Before she could even say anything to her friend, the princess continued. "Yeah, you know what? I totally do not blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff." Minnie's eyes widened, the brunette's mouth opened slightly 'subtle Audrey' she thought to herself before the girl beside her continued. "Oh, my mom's Aurora. Sleeping..."
"Beauty!" the girl interrupted, clearly aware of the fairytale as much as the next person. "Yeah, I've heard the name. You know, and I totally do not blame your grandparents for inviting everyone in the whole world but my mother to their stupid christening." The girl crossed her arms, slouching to one side with a slightly smug smile on her face.
"Water under the bridge?" Audrey asked, giggling as the other girl replied, "Totes!" A word Minnie was sure was not in her natural vocabulary. The two girls laughed 'with' one another before trailing off; Minnie and Ben shared a look, the girl looking through furrowed brows.
"Okay! So, how about a tour?" Ben clapped his hands, snapping the two girls out of their staring contest. The children from the Isle perked up, Evie in particular. Ben led the group throughout the gardens of Auradon Prep whilst Minnie stayed behind to trail behind the group - mainly so none of them could see how she walked in heels.
"Auradon prep, originally built over 300 years ago and converted into a high school by my father when he became king." The group stopped in front of the statue of King Beast. The prince looked over to Minnie, knowing this was her favourite part of the tour. Excitingly and overly dramatic, Minnie clapped her hands and the large statue turned from man to beast.
Everyone turned as the smaller boy yelped and jumped into Jay's arms. "Carlos, It's okay." Ben assured, "My father wanted his statue to morph from beast to man to remind us that anything is possible." Finally, Minnie knew 3 out of 4 names, now it was just the main girl she didn't know and she assumed she wouldn't until she asked.
"Does he shed much?" She asked, a sly look in her eye.
Ben turned to her, his face serious, "Yeah, mom won't let him on the couch." He informed before smiling, looking towards his cousin and tilting his head to the side as he joked. "But she also doesn't let Minnie so think of that as you will." The group looked towards the brunette, each chuckling in their own way as she sarcastically smiled at the prince.
"At least I didn't have plastic bed covers until I was 13." She pouted, wiping the smile off Ben's face entirely. The boy nodded his head in acceptance as he lost that battle. He motioned to continue onto the tour as Evie hung back. Whilst she was excited to see the grand Castle that was Auradon Prep, something pulled her towards the girl in the back.
Minnie smiled, as Evie fell into step beside her, deciding now was a time to complete the set of names. "Hey, what's her name?" She asked, pointing at the purple-haired girl, eyes trained and focused on how she interacted with Ben.
Evie frowned slightly, mistaking the way she was staring, "Oh. It's Mal" She spoke softly, a dreamy tone to her voice as she fiddled with her bag.
"I knew it!" Minnie almost yelled, excitingly looking at Evie, only now noticing the look on her face. "Sorry, just now I know all your names." She started. The brunette pointed at the girl, a smirk on her face, "Princess Evie."
She bowed before skipping ahead to catch up with the rest of the group, calling Evie as she did so. The isle girl paused for a moment, a large smile on her face as she bent her knees and squealed.
A princess. That's the same as a prince. Right?
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