Once Upon a Dream

The Traitor Prince

Isle of the Lost

This was his new life, and in many ways it was better than before. Ben was still the same. He might have exchanged the fine suits for leather jackets, refined dinners for simple meals, and a childhood fling with a princess for a relationship with Maleficent's daughter, but he was still the same old Benjamin, with the hair falling into his eyes, the awkward manner, and more than three thoughts at a time.

He was different now, and he still didn't know what to say about that difference. He loved how easy it was, how good the days together with Mal were, and not having ten daily worries that he had as heir to the throne, was all the better, if he didn't carry a giant guilt on his shoulders. There was a shadow that reminded him that he was the prince of the kingdom and that he should rule as a just and kind king. An inner voice that he could not control kept speaking that he had traded his crown only to live a rebellious love.

He was "the traitor prince", that's what the looks on those people's faces said when they saw him and it was not possible to escape them. Every time he looked at Auradon and saw what Maleficent had done to the beautiful landscape or watched the witches fly over the Island with their brooms to mock his people a wave of guilt filled his heart.

"Hey, why are you up at this hour?"

His girlfriend asked leaning her chin on his shoulder. It was past two o'clock in the morning when he came out of his hiding place and went up to the roof. That was where she went when she lost sleep.

"I guess I should ask that."

He smiled and kissed the girl. Seeing her made him forget about these dark thoughts that were becoming constant.

"It's still too early Ben." She complained yawning and leaning back against him. "They're not even awake yet." "They" were the people of Auradon and the vast majority of them woke up pretty early in Mal's opinion. "You're not going back to sleep, right?"

"I can buy the coffee today. Evie is sleeping and she's been going all week."

"Carlos can go."

Mal didn't like it when he walked without her. The last few times that happened it wasn't very pleasant.

"No, I'll go. I promise to be careful."

He kissed her forehead and tried to get up, but she was on top of him.

"No, it's still early."

"You're right it is too early." He picked her up on his lap and very carefully tried to climb down from the roof with her hugging him. "Get some more sleep. When you wake up I'll already be here." He gently kissed the girl who quickly closed her eyes.

"Anything, scream and I'll help you."

She said before he left.

Ben took his heavy jacket, zipped it up, put on his cap, and walked off down the island. Really the Island was not as dangerous as it had once been, except for Benjamin who was the most hated person. Why take the risk then? He wasn't an idiot, and he didn't want to die either, but it wasn't for that much.

(...)

"Ereimul."

He said as quietly as he could and knocked slowly on what looked like a wooden door. After less than a minute the 'door' was opened and Ben entered carefully so that no one could see him.

"Good to see you."

The sweet woman cracked a wide smile and hugged him as tight as she could, since, her son was taller than her.

"Hi mom."

He continued in her embrace, wanting to stay there as long as he could.

It was no surprise that if the prince was hated the king and queen who were his parents received the same or greater amount of hate. Belle and Adam were not exactly invited to live together with those they once called subjects and friends, so they isolated themselves in a small space they called home. It had nothing to do with the castle or any other house they once lived in, however it was enough to cover from the cold and hide in.

"What's up, how are you?"

Belle was thinner than usual and her eyes indicated that she hadn't slept in a while.

"Well, coming here Tiana asked me to deliver for you." Not everyone wanted bad for the former king and queen. "Is Dad still sleeping?"

"No, he's just lying down as usual."

"Hi Dad."

With a fuller beard, bigger, unkempt hair and big dark circles under his eyes there stood the former beast, trying to fix his glasses. He nervously failing to do so raised his eyes and saw Ben.

"Hi son."

As a father he couldn't hate his son, he wasn't going to deny that he felt a disappointment and it was hard to look him in the eye for a few months, but now they were almost as they were before.

"Are you in trouble?"

If Adam couldn't understand his current relationship with his son, Benjamin even less so. He tried to talk and joke, but it was hard for both of them.

"No big deal, my glasses broke and I'm trying to fix them, however it's more complicated than it looks."

"I can have Carlos take a look, he's good with that kind of thing."

The answer to why Belle and Adam were living in a terrible place instead of their hideout with their son and friends was only one, they could forgive Ben, but accepting Mal as his girlfriend and living with her was not, as far as they knew her mother was ruling their kingdom and all the destruction had started by her, who's to say the young woman wasn't an accomplice of Maleficent?

"'Okay."

Adam huffed.

"You can't go back today son. Today is delivery day remember?"

"Delivery day," was the day when more people were put on the Island. Usually someone would open the barrier and throw more people in there and when that happened people would hide, out of fear.

"I'll take care of it, Mom."

Ben was no longer a Prince, or maybe he was, but in a different way.

(...)

"Where were you? And please tell the truth."

Mal was sitting on the bed and her countenance was not that of a nervous mother, but of someone upset and saddened by the lie.

* Ereimul: is Lumiere in reverse