Stained Glass Breaks and So Do Hearts

The Queen of Mean

"Did you know?!" Carlos screamed tackling Mal and Evie with the biggest and tightest hugs.

"The whole time." Mal and Evie said in unison. "You know Ben would never do something so big without consulting the resident Carlos whisperers." Mal cackled giving him a wink. The three raved, already talking about the wedding. Ben goofed around with Jay and Doug.

"Guys... I'm engaged." Ben said the reality of what he was doing settling in. They were the happiest they could possibly be, but not far from them Audrey was livid.

Audrey had her heartbroken by her childhood sweetheart, and now he was going to marry another GUY?! She couldn't wrap her head around it. This whole thing felt wrong to her, her broken heart aside. A VK and the King of Auradon?! This was all too much, paired with her Grammy's verbal berating for letting Ben slip through her fingers.

"What is wrong with all of you." She said frustrated. "You would rather a VK be on the throne than me?!" Everyone was looking at her strangely. The whole United Kingdom of Auradon seemed smitten with the Puppy Prince and The Beastly King. Why wouldn't they, everyone could see the magic and love between them. Audrey felt deflated, no one rallied to her side except Chad and she was tired of him hanging off her.

The VKs and the king loaded into the limo once again. This was such a familiar feeling for them at this point, with all their trips to and from the Isle in preparation for this day. They spent most of their time in the limo. This time Ben and Carlos got to sit together. It was an excited and comfortable silence between the two, just holding hands and basking at this moment, their moment. They were engaged to be wed and they knew this moment would be written about when their fairytale was written.

Everything went smoothly at first. Everyone had shown up and they were in the limo again leaving before Evie screamed. "It's Hades. Stop the car. He's trying to escape!" Everyone turned around but Mal was already getting out of the car.

"I am a god! I don't belong here!" He called, using his ember to stop Ben, Carlos, and Jay from stopping him. Mal had turned into a Dragon when Hades ember started draining her power.

"Come on Mal! Blast him!" Jay called. With a gust of wind, she pushed him back into the barrier and it sealed. When Mal transformed back she clutched her stomach.

"I could feel him draining all my powers." She winced and let Ben and Carlos help her back into the Limo.

The drive back was tense, no one really wanted to talk, but Mal and Evie shared a very intense conversation with their eyes. Carlos watched the two, he had overheard them referring to her Father one time, could Hades be her dad? No, she would have told us, wouldn't she...?

Meanwhile, Auradon was in a panic, but Audrey was not panicking, she was hurt. Her heart was heavy with failed expectations and heartache. She was lamenting to herself, reminiscing about her own failings when the idea came to her like a whisper from a devil on her shoulder. "If Ben likes them bad, maybe I can be bad too." That thought was like the small pebble that started a wave as the sorrow in her turned to rage.

"I'll show him how mean and bad I can be. I'm going to be the queen one way or another, of Auradon or of Mean." She paused. "Queen of Mean, I like the sound of that."

She took a poker from her fireplace and went to the museum, that crown would be hers. She would be the queen. She had to be, it was in her heart and veins. This was who she always knew she would be. The guard dozed off to sleep and Audrey turned to security system off before heading into the Queen's Crown display room. She circled her prey before climbing the steps and using the fire poker she brought to smash the display and take the crown. Emotions took over as she threw the poker away. This, in her hands, was everything she was raised to believe was going to be hers someday. The regrets and betrayal burned deep inside her. She went to smash the crown when she heard it. It froze her blood, but it made all her pain feel... better somehow.

"Audrey..." It called to her, beckoning her towards the scepter of the Mistress of evil. Her body was moving on its own now. She needed the scepter, she had to have it. She came to it and waved her hands, playing with the magic coming off it. The magic seemed to playback, it was putting a fire under her feelings, her pain made her feel pleasure and her desire for revenge flared, like green fire... no not green, pink smoke billowed as she took the scepter and placed the crown on her head. She felt the power take over and it was ecstasy, a raging torrent of power, everything she could want at her very, very bitter fingertips. She knew exactly where to start doling out her pain. The one who first took her love away with magic.

Meanwhile, Ben and Carlos stared at Mal who had just uttered those words, that were like hammers to their glass hearts. " I think we should close the barrier, for good." Carlos felt anger flood him before he could even control it, it bubbled out.

"For good?! Mal! How the hell could you say that? How could you be so selfish? We have been promising those kids for months now that they could have a chance at freedom. I can't believe you. Yes, this is a hiccup but we can't just turn our backs on them!"

"Carlos, what if one of the actual villains gets out. Do you have any idea what kind of destruct-"

"YES!" Carlos cut her off, now screaming at her, "YOU KNOW DAMNED WELL I KNOW WHAT KIND OF SUFFERING ANY OF THOSE VILLAINS COULD CAUSE." The look of immediate pain came to Mal's face, but she touched that scar and she knew it. Ben's rage was starting to raise but the look on Mal's face doused him. Her voice was small.

"I just don't think we would forgive ourselves if anything happened to Auradon. We know villains better than anyone. It's our responsibility to protect them from it." Carlos hesitated at her words, she was right, but the pain took over, tears rushing to his eyes.

"No one protected me from HER, and I'm still here. We can't save people without a risk, Evie knew that when she befriended me. I thought you knew it too." He ran out of the room. No one bothered to go after him, but the silence meant that they believed Mal. The barrier would be closed, possibly forever.