Fate's Gift

Prologue

Family Day was a disaster. Mal wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but running away from the AK's wasn't one of them.

She was so stupid. Of course Audrey's family would show up, and of course they wouldn't want to see her. A scene wasn't something that would have been out of the question. But she got comfortable, she believed Ben when he said that everything would be okay.

A tingling in the air made her stop in her tracks, causing Evie and the boys to stop as well.

"M?" Evie asked, frowning.

"Do you feel that?" Mal asked her as she spun around, looking back towards where they came from.

The boys both looked confused, but Evie tilted her head and nodded. "Boys, take our hands." Mal said quickly as the air thickened. As soon as they did, a golden light overtook them, bright enough that they all closed their eyes.

It was over in a flash, and slowly the VK's broke apart and opened their eyes, finding themselves in a dark room. They weren't the only ones there, as it seemed like everyone at Family Day was as well.

"Where are we?" Someone cried, looking all around. Another voice yelled that it must have been Mal, who at the accusation had bristled up.

"You think I did this?" She asked, trying to not show the hurt in her voice as she recognized the girl to be one of Ariel's daughters, who had also been on the receiving end of one of Mal's hair spells.

"Who else would do it?" The girl shot back, shrugging off her twin who tried to pull her back. "You're the only one other than Fairy Godmother and Jane who could pull this off."

Mal didn't know how to respond to that, and thankfully she didn't have to as a loud cackle filled the room along with three loud cackles.

"That baby Faeling didn't do this!" A raspy voice called out. "She's not magically powerful enough."

As they talked, the light in the room grew, revealing a theater-like room with no visible escape. Up in front were three old women, if you could call them that.

"I mean, honestly, the things they're teaching you kids nowadays." The middle-sized one said as she pulled an eyeball from the short one's face, causing multiple royals to blanch. Mal, however, was frozen in place at the sight of the three.

The Fates.

And she wasn't the only one surprised to see them, as an auburn haired woman pushed her way through the crowd, past the Vk's and the King and Queen. "Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos, what are you three doing here?" Megara asked sternly, placing her hands on her hips and giving them unamused looks. "You're not supposed to be meddling."

The middle one, Clotho, crossed her arms. "We are not meddling." She stated, before looking gleeful. "We're helping to meddle!"

"Which we shouldn't be doing!" Lachesis, the tallest, shouted as she attempted to take the eye back from Clotho. She had just managed to get it in her hand before the shortest one of them all, Atropos, snatched it away.

"But we have our reasons!" Atropos yelled, both of her sisters hurumphing at that while Clotho muttered, "Which you won't tell us."

Megara loosened her arms and rubbed her forehead, "And who, I pray tell, are you meddling with."

"That would be me," A beautiful woman appeared from the shadows. Her skin looked like it was glowing, and her dark hair was tied back in a braid.. While everyone around them began to curtsy and bow, Mal just felt her blood run cold. If it wasn't for Evie, she wouldn't have been able to stay in her spot, her instinct wanting her to run away.

"Queen Persephone, to what do we owe the honor?" King Beast asked as he rose from his bow.

Persephone clasped her hands together and smiled, just a bit too sweetly to be true, at the King. "Oh, there are many reasons you're here." She told him, "And I guess, as the Fates said, part of it is meddling, part of it is boredom. I'm not due back in the Underworld for another few months."

The King flinched at the mention of the Underworld, and Persephone's grin grew. "But the main reason the Fates and I brought you all here is to watch your past, present, and future." She said, before pausing. "Well, some of your past, present, and future. If we were to show everyone's past, present, and future's, we'd be here for hundreds of years and of course almost all of you would be dead. And we're not showing all of the past or future, because there need to be some surprises for you. I mean, I know my life would be boring with surprises, so-"

"You're rambling," Lachesis interrupted, dragging Persephone back to the situation.

"Oh, yes, my point. You're all here to watch, and to change things."

"Isn't that forbidden?" Belle asked, thinking of all the myths and legends she'd read.

Persephone, though, just shrugged. "Most of the time," she agreed, "But this is a special case. Now please, all of you, sit, sit! Make sure you're comfortable, we won't have a break for a while."

Slowly, the crowd began to move to their seats. Evie managed to get Mal to move her feet, and they were heading to the back when Persephone called out, "Nuh uh, come here you four."

All eyes were on them as the villain kids cautiously made their way down towards the front, to a group of seats away from the others. Plenty were there, even though no one else was sitting down in that section. "You guys are here," Persephone told them, gentler than she had addressed the others.

Mal purposefully avoided her eyes, and the goddess made her way around the room, adjusting some people and getting things ready.

The Fates stayed where they were, surveying everything. And everyone.

Across the room, Persephone was talking to some of the parents who had younger children, showing them a clear room with toys that she had soundproofed, and a small tv in there as well.

Quickly, kids ran in there, including Clementine Charming and Rosalind Fitzherbert. The parents thanked Persephone, and she smiled at them before disappearing in pink smoke. A moment later, she reappeared by the Fates. "Alright!" Persephone said with a clap of her hands. "We're ready! Let's watch your past."

The lights dimmed, the screen started up, and Mal wished she was anywhere but the theater.