Truth Or Fiction

Chapter Fifteen

Mal smiled as she looked around the room. While she wasn't exactly thrilled with the scrolls revealing her secrets to the Auradonians—and making her look cute and adorable—she was happy that most of the AKs seemed to like them.

Okay maybe happy was the wrong word to use. Maybe surprised worked better? Especially since they all seemed to get angry on their behalf, or upset. She had seen the tears when the scrolls talked about Milah or Jacquline.

Oh Gods, if those scrolls talk about what happened to Harry when we were nine...he's probably never going to forgive the Fates for allowing that to be recorded! Mal thought as she gently chewed on her lip in thought.

"Everything okay?"

Mal looked up to see Ben looking at her in slight concern.

"Just thinking. Why?"

"Everyone else is up and about and you were just sitting here. I wanted to make sure you were okay," Ben said with a slight shrug. "Can...can I sit down?"

"You're the future King. You can do whatever you want," Mal shrugged but scooted slightly to allow for some room for Ben to sit next to her.

"Thanks," Ben said as he sat. "Listen Mal, I...I want to know more. About the Isle I mean. I feel terrible that you all have to deal with that—."

Mal scoffed. "You'd be the only one Beastie Jr. Otherwise, why has no one checked in on the Isle before now. You know, I honestly think this whole 'invite VKs to Boreadon' was some press thing you all did for the twentieth anniversary of your kingdom or something."

"Why?" Ben asked with a small frown.

"You've been reading the same scrolls I have," Mal told him. "Twenty years and no one from Auradon even bothered to check in on the Isle. You all are stunned when we mention things like the death count but really? You have an Isle filled with villains and give them low resources of things like food and you all are shocked when some of them die?"

Ben sighed. "You...You have a point Mal. And for what it's worth, I am sorry that no one's checked in on the Isle before now."

"Sorries won't bring back all we've lost," Mal told him. "They're just pretty words."

"I know...but for right now it's all I can do until we get back to Auradon and I can pull the shipment records."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "Didn't your mom say she was going to do that?"

"Mom and dad are working on this coronation, I'd hate to put more on their plates," Ben said with a shrug. "Besides, if I'm going to be King, I should know how to pull things like the shipment records myself or I could..."

"You could what? Beastie Jr.?" Mal asked as Ben trailed off. She followed his gaze toward Akiho and his family. Before Mal could blink or even ask what in the world was going on, Ben sprung up and raced over to his best friend.

"You okay Ben?" Akiho asked.

"Arendelle still provides the security for the docks, right?" Ben asked, bouncing a little from his idea. If he was right, they wouldn't have to wait to leave to get some answers into what was going on with the food.

"Yeah unless something's changed and my parents haven't told me," Akiho told him, looking over at his parents. "Mom? Dad?"

"Nothing's changed Akiho," Anna promised.

Ben grinned. "Great! Can you contact the head of dock security and ask him for any footage relating to the ship that sends the food donations to the Isle? The shipment records are great but we will have to wait to get out of here to actually get them. Meanwhile—."