Truth Or Fiction

Chapter Eighty Three

"How is it you haven't read yet?" Rapunzel asked Eugene as he reached for a scroll.

Eugene shrugged. "Luck of the draw I guess."

Mal sighed as she stood outside Ben's castle.

"This is the second scroll that's started with you sighing," Hadie pointed out. "Why?"

"When I know, Minty, I'll tell you," Mal said with a small chuckle.

She had finally decided to bite the bullet and take up King Kristoff's invitation to attend one of the 'Learning to be Royal' meetings.

"Oh! That's good though right? So why would you be sighing?" Hadie asked.

Malinda gave her brother a small smile. "I was nervous. There weren't any other 'villains' there, everyone was a good guy even if Aladdin and Eugene were former thieves."

In all honesty, she wasn't completely sure what she should expect from the whole thing.

"Insanity mostly," Rapunzel said and Tiana, Snow, and Aurora all nodded.

"Hey!" Eugene, Aladdin, and Kristoff all exclaimed.

"Are we wrong?"

Would this be like one of Ben's council meetings, where they all sat at a table and took turns talking? Would this be like on the Isle, where they all talked over each other? Would this just be complete madness where the guys dressed in drag and did the hula?

"Yeah no, we're not doing that," Kristoff shook his head as Akiho perked up in excitement.

"Aw dad!"

Okay you have officially spent too much time around Ben's shadows, Harry, Jay, Carlos and Gil if that's where your mind went, she thought as she pulled her jacket around herself.

"Is there really such a thing as too much time around Harry and Jay?" Uma asked as Hadie was cheering the fact that Mal still had her jacket on.

Yes she was wearing her pale green dress with the butterfly sleeves, having deemed it good enough to save from the 'donate' pile as it almost reminded her of something her mom would wear, but she wasn't taking her leather jacket off unless it was on fire.

"Good," Uma said firmly. "And it's never coming off. Not so long if I can help it!"

And even then she'd probably debate whether or not it was worth it.

"Yes it would be if the jacket was on fire," Persephone said. "The jacket can be replaced. You can not."

After all, she could turn into a dragon, the likelihood of fire burning her was exceptionally low. Not that she was practically interested in testing that theory if she was honest.

"Neither are we," Hades and Persephone said firmly.

She wasn't particularly attached to the dress in question but she figured it'd be a good idea if she looked reasonably put together when going into a castle filled with royals.

"Actually...you're not the first one to dress up for your first meeting," Tiana said. "Most of us dress up every now and then."

If Family Day was any example, royals were not ones to 'dress down'.

Audie smiled slightly. "The Mal in my timeline told me about one of the Learning to be Royal meetings where they dressed in their 'peasant' garb."

"We should do that!" Rapunzel said.