Chapter Text
When the Isle of the Lost was created twenty five years ago, the leaders of Auradon knew that it wouldn’t be a thing they could simply invent and forget about. Trapping so many powerful, clever villains in an open prison, stripped of their magic and left to rot? It would be too easy if that were that.
What they didn’t expect was that the un-magicalness of it all would be the most dangerous part. But really they should have. Magic wasn’t a force that could be contained nor was it something that could just be gotten rid of. It was a thing that existed everywhere— like the very air that they breathed, the very atoms that made up every being in the universe. It was inescapable. Ineradicable.
Inevitable.
When Fairy Godmother lifted her wand and cast the spell that created the dome around the isle, all of the magic that had been previously woven into the land was forced to go somewhere else. And since it couldn’t just disappear, it decided to go downwards. And there it laid for years, the concentration of it continuing to grow every time one of the isle’s villainous residents would attempt the spells that used to be so natural. But, of course, magic never just sat still. It would be too easy if that were that.
The magic underneath the isle began to change, pushing and pulling and undulating through the earth until the metamorphosed underground earned the right to be given a name: the Endless Catacombs of Doom.
As the catacombs continued to stretch, pathing their way underneath the vast ocean all the way to Auradon itself, four powerful talismans appeared within them, manifested from the concentrated dark magic that came from the Isle of the Lost. These talismans carried the traits of the greatest villains who ever lived; they were the Evil Queen’s Fruit of Venom, Jafar’s Golden Cobra, Cruella’s Ring of Venom, and Maleficent’s Dragon Egg— destined to be wielded by them and theirs, and harboring a twisted, darker version of their powers with enough strength to destroy the forces of good forever.
Five years ago, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay had braved the catacombs in search of their parents’ talismans, and once they retrieved and destroyed them, they sealed the catacombs so that no one would ever have to face the trials of it again. Not that they could . The only individuals that could retrieve the talismans were the people they were made for or their descendants, and now that the talismans were gone, the catacombs would lay dormant.
Right?
Well, no. It would be too easy if that were that.
“Mal, you can’t mean—?!” Evie gasped, her hand flying over her mouth as her perfectly groomed eyebrows knit together in shock.
“There are more,” Mal said darkly, looking down at her royal desk in shame.
A few months ago, the people of Auradon began reporting strange weather patterns across the entire land; snow in Agrabah, heatwaves in Arendelle, and heavy clouds in the skies over Corona. At the same time, light earthquakes started showing up everywhere until they slowly became a near-daily occurrence.
The last time strange circumstances like these had plagued Auradon was during the first appearance of the Endless Catacombs, but nobody had been eager to jump to that conclusion. Mal had reallocated all the royal magical resources into discovering what the problem was, desperate for an easily-solvable explanation that’d pacify her nerves, but of course, she’d instead been served with the exact opposite of what she wanted.
“But— but how?!” Carlos stammered, looking at his friends’ faces one by one. “We took the talismans! The magic from the catacombs is gone— Merlin closed it off!”
“We only took the one's belonging to our parents,” Mal corrected him, gesturing for the other three to look at the map laid out in front of her. “Back then, those were the most powerful ones, so they were the only ones Yen Sid the Wizard was able to sense,” she touched the map in four different places, the locations where the talismans used to be lighting up one by one, “but once we got rid of them…” she waved her hand and the dots blinked out, instead showing tens of hundreds of smaller lights, blinking away in locations all across Auradon. “It made way for the catacombs to create new talismans for everyone.”
“Everyone?” Evie breathed out in horror.
“Heroes and villains.” Mal looked up at them, watching the mixed emotions swirling on all of their faces. “Guys, if we don’t do something about this, the talismans are just going to keep increasing their power. The catacombs are gonna spread, it could take over and destroy all of Auradon—!”
“It won't.” Jay, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up now, banging his fist against the table. “We’ll assemble a team, get all the toughest people in the land ready to face them, and get rid of those stupid things before they get rid of us—!”
“Yeah, it's not that easy!” Carlos interjected. “Don't you remember? Every time one of us tried to get another person's talisman we were blocked by magic!” He paused, glancing over at Mal. “Uh, except for yours, for some reason…”
Mal huffed at the memory. “It's because letting you guys help me was part of my challenge… the catacombs wanted to convince me I had to do it all alone, the way I beat it was showing it that it was wrong.” She smiled tightly at them, and they all smiled back.
Evie reached down, taking her hand across the table and squeezing it. “So… what now? What do we do?”
“You’re saying we're gonna need to bring everyone out of retirement to find these talismans?” Jay asked, crossing his arms. “I know a few people who aren't gonna be too happy about that.”
“And for the villains… it'd have to be their kids, right?” Carlos muttered, chewing his lip anxiously. “No offense, but I still don't trust most of them.”
The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Carlos didn't need to explain, they all grew up alongside them. They knew how this sort of knowledge could be taken advantage of by the villains of the isle.
Mal looked down at the map, at the dozens of blinking lights, and felt her heart sink the longer she looked at them. She'd worked so hard to make Auradon a safe place for her people so that no one would have to go through the trials she had to face on her path to queendom. But now? She would have to ask her citizens, some barely older than she was back then, to put their lives on the line for the land.
It's not fair. She felt tears stinging in the back of her eyes.
Evie squeezed her hand again, and she looked up to meet the other girl's concerned look.
“We'll get through this, M.” She insisted. “We always do.”
Mal gave her a shaky smile and nodded, but inside she felt numb.
I know we do. She thought to herself. But what about them?
🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋
News of the catacombs spread gradually.
Ben, of course, was the next person to know after the rest of the VK’s. Mal told him the sullen news after he returned home from business in Agrabah. He held her tightly as the information spilled out of her, along with all of her fears and doubts over sending other people to take care of such a big threat.
“I just wish… I wish I could take care of it all for them. I wish I didn’t have to send anyone else down there!” She hiccuped, burying her face in Ben’s shoulder.
“It’s going to be alright, Mal,” he said firmly, kissing the top of her head in a way that made her believe it. “I’ll go first. As King, it’s my responsibility.”
“No, I’ll go first,” Mal protested. “I got my mom’s talisman, but my dad probably has one down there too—”
“Yeah, sorry, but that’s not happening.” Ben snorted, cutting her off. “You think Hades is gonna let you go down there after he hears about this? He’ll go down himself and lock you in a room with Cerberus to stop you if that’s what it takes.”
Mal pursed her lips in a frown, glaring at Ben with glowing green eyes.
“Ah ah, don’t use the eyes on me!” He laughed, turning his head away from her. “My mind’s been made up! I’m King and I say you're not going!”
“Well I’m Queen and I say I am!”
Mal had lost that fight in the end, but she was glad she did when she saw her father’s face after cluing him in on the situation.
“Huh… And you’re tellin me this… because you trust me to go down there?” He raised a brow at her skeptically. “Like, ya didn’t try to do it alone first, and then failed, and now you’re coming to me as a last resort— you really want me to be the one to do it?”
“Yes , dad.” She huffed, rolling her eyes. Of course, she hadn’t told him how Ben had needed to convince her. He didn’t need to know all the details.
“Huh. Wouldja look at that…” Hades’s eyes shone with an expression Mal didn’t recognize on him. “Well if her royal highness my daughter wants me to go, who am I to say no, amiright?” He rose from his couch with a hup! rubbing his hands together expectantly and causing sparks to fly off his fingertips. “Alright, coach, put me in!”
Mal had worked tirelessly for weeks alongside Merlin, Yen Sid, and Fairy Godmother to figure out exactly where Belle, Beast, and Hades's talismans would be. The catacombs didn’t exactly make it easy with the way they kept twisting, turning, and changing, but, eventually, they were found.
Entrances to the catacombs had begun opening up all across the land, above ground and in plain sight. Mal and the talisman-team, as Jay had dubbed them, did their best to map them down and keep security around so no one would enter by accident. But now, the queen would have to send in two of the people she cared about most. Voluntarily .
“Come back to me,” she whispered into Ben's ear as they embraced outside of one entrance.
“Of course I will. Don't be r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s.” He snickered, kissing her cheek as she groaned and pushed him away.
“Okay, nevermind! Stay down there!” Mal rolled her eyes with a smirk, watching his back as he disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.
Her heart squeezed tightly, telling her to run in after him. To at least take it back and say something nice because it may very well be the last time she saw him. But she refused to move, letting him go until the cave sealed itself behind him and took away the choice.
It won't be the last time . She told herself firmly, almost angry at her thoughts for even coming up with such annoying doubts. He’ll be back in a few hours!
In the end, it'd been more like a full day, but the Enchanted Rose and the Mirror of Truth emerged in his triumphant hands, ready to be destroyed. Ben had stumbled out of the cavern looking ragged but proud, Mal almost thought he’d made it out completely unscathed until he ran towards her and lifted her into a tight hug, spinning her round and round in dizzying circles, which is when she caught sight of the large feathered arrow sticking out from the back of his shoulder.
“Ben!” She choked out, forcing him to put her down and turn his back to her. “You— you got SHOT!”
“I did?” He laughed breathily, sounding like he’d hoped she would miss the giant thing.
“Yes , you did! What happened in there?” She demanded furiously, her heart beating so fast she was sure that it’d force her into her dragon form and make her tear up the stupid cavern before she could do anything about it.
She knew that the mission was dangerous, terrifying, that it tested the bounds of its victims characters and targeted their innermost weaknesses. But being shot at was never on the table when she and her friends had gone down to the catacombs.
They’re evolving… she realized in horror.
“Oh, y’know… stuff.”
“Stuff?!” Mal echoed, glaring at him.
“Look, I’m okay, aren’t I? I did it! A little arrow never killed anybody.” He glanced at her over his shoulder with a crooked smile.
Mal gave him a flat look back. “Ben.”
“It’s okay, Mal. I promise. This was just… a silly mistake!” He insisted, gesturing to his own shoulder and wincing at the movement. “This mission is going to be over before you know it.” He beamed at her, and then whirled around to kiss her until she was too breathless to bring it up again.
The Ember of Souls had come next. Hades had walked in through his entrance cool as a cucumber, hands in his pockets, and feet kicking out in front of him like he was strolling into a park rather than certain doom. He hadn't even turned around when Mal shouted a “Take care of yourself!” at him. He'd just lifted a hand in acknowledgement and then the path closed off behind him.
He'd exited the catacombs a week later, clawing his way out by his nails, the flame on his head gone, and his face so sunken in and darkened that Mal was sure he'd never looked more like a deity of death until now.
“What did you see in there?” Mal asked, lifting him to his feet and holding back all the angry chastisements she wanted to throw at him for scaring her so badly to make way for concern.
Hades coughed, dry and raspy, leaning his full weight into Mal to whisper in her ear. “Your mama.” He laughed breathily, before collapsing straight into her and passing out in her arms.
From there, the system became more methodical.
King Philip and Queen Aurora’s talismans were discovered next, and, surprisingly, Audrey leaped at the chance to volunteer before either of her parents could offer themselves up first.
Still eager to prove that she’s not the Queen of Mean anymore. Mal thought, watching Audrey march her way into the catacombs with her head held high and return in a record five hours later carrying the Shield of Virtue and the Spindle of Sleep in her arms with only a few hairs out of place, the slightest tremble to her form, and one single index finger cut off at the knuckle.
King Phillip and Queen Aurora had nearly fainted on top of each other at the sight, but Audrey had pushed past them before they could fuss over her, thrusting the items over at Mal without looking her in the eye.
“I already faced the worst things I could imagine when I took your mom’s scepter, and you guys never even thought to punish me for what I did.” She muttered in explanation, pressing Mal’s offered handkerchief into the bleeding stump, dying the material a dark red. “This was nothing compared to that. And now we’re even.”
“You did good, Audrey,” Mal told her kindly, feeling her stomach twist in guilt despite herself. Even now, huh? “I’m not sure we are even, though.”
Audrey looked up at her in shock.
“Pretty sure me stealing your boyfriend is the reason you were tough enough to face that, so you still owe me one.”
The other woman snorted, rolling her eyes as she pushed Mal’s shoulder playfully before turning on her heels to accept her parents’ fretful comforts, but Mal could tell that she left the experience feeling much lighter.
That makes one of us.
Uma had gone next. Then Gaston, on his own— he wasn’t a risky villain for this sort of thing, he cared more for the glory of conquering something dangerous than magical weapons he didn’t fully understand. Then Mulan, who had won out in the fight between Shang and her children for the honor of getting her talisman. And more and more and more people willingly braving the catacombs all on their own, all returning from the task glowing with triumph.
As Mal stared at the slowly growing pile of destroyed talismans in front of her, she began to feel her heart grow a little lighter. Maybe E and Ben were right after all… maybe Auradon really would get through this, somehow.
And then, the first death happened.
Jane, against her mother and Carlos’s protests, insisted that she should be the one to go retrieve the Wand of Wishes, standing up for herself in front of the entire talisman committee.
“They need you here to look for the other talismans, Mom!” She insisted. “I can do this, I know I can! I— I’m not the nervous little girl I used to be anymore…” She glanced at Carlos as she said so, beaming at him gratefully. “I’m so much stronger now. I know I can do it.”
“Oh… bibbity-bobbity…” Fairy Godmother had furrowed her brows before relenting with a deep sigh. “Fine. But only if you promise to come back safe and sound by midnight! No funny business, child!”
Jane had laughed, wrapping her mother in a tight hug. “I promise ! Oh, thank you, thankyouthankyouthankyou.” She sighed in relief, looking so proud at being entrusted with something so big.
Carlos had nearly chewed through the strings of his hoodie by the end of the conversation, and as Jane turned to him his face turned green, like he was about to be sick all over the war room floor.
“Jane…” He squeaked out weakly.
Jane took his hands and ran her fingers along his knuckles in reassurance. “I would’ve never had the courage to do something like this before I met you, Carlos. You’ve made my life soso much better, and now I finally have a chance to do something important the way you and your friends always do!”
“But—” He stammered. “Jane, you don’t know how scary it is in there—!”
“Do you think I’m going to fail?” She cut him off, looking at him earnestly. “Because… because if you do, I’ll give up now. I’ll let my mom go instead.”
Carlos’s jaw snapped shut. He glanced at Evie, Jay, and Mal over Jane’s shoulder, and they each gave him a different look that went ‘don’t ask us!’.
He swallowed hard, looking down at the floor. “No, I… I think you can do it.”
Mal had never seen Jane look happier in her entire life. She took her Jarlos necklace off and tied it around Carlos’s neck, telling him that it was a promise she would return. After all, she would never leave her precious necklace behind.
They all knew she meant that she could never leave him behind.
And then she went in.
And never came back.
And from there the death toll kept growing. Harriet Hook, Harry’s older sister. Then one of Doug’s cousins. And more and more and more…
Eventually, a new rule for the catacombs was set: people would only go in in teams of two to help protect each other. Each person would still have to face the challenge of their talisman alone, but at least the trials before could be done together.
That had worked for a while… but it would be too easy if that were that.
Carlos had stopped showing up to the meetings after Jane was lost. Now he spent all his time outside the cave she’d gone into, insisting that she was just taking a while and that she’d be back soon, just like she promised, running his hands along the lettering on her necklace until the figures were practically rubbed away... and, perhaps against his own will, muttering and laughing entire conversations into the pendant too, as if the thing were alive and listening.
Jay also stopped showing up, though he still made appearances near the entrances for send offs and returns. In the times between he set up classes, along with Lonnie and Gil, to help give extra training to those who would have to go down. Mal wasn’t sure how much of a help the training really was, but it made people feel more secure, and these days they could use all the hope they could get.
“We found Drizella’s Bow of Vanity,” Mal said quietly when it was just her and Evie left in the war room.
Evie didn’t reply. She stared down at her hands hollowly, and even though she was just as beautiful as ever, Mal could see that the situation was taking as much a toll on her as everyone else. Her hair wasn’t quite as shiny as it used to be, her cuticles were overgrown, and her eyeliner was slightly uneven. Mal wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around her and take her far away from it all, but they had a responsibility. Neither of them would be able to live with themselves if they abandoned Auradon now.
“Dizzy… She has… other sisters.” Evie finally said, her voice cracking.
They both knew that didn’t matter. Dizzy’s sisters were far from being adventurers, and Dizzy herself was too compassionate to let anyone else take on that role.
“Yeah, she does…” Mal said anyway.
It ended up being her and Celia on a team together. Mal was glad, at least, that the two girls would have each other in all this. They’d been inseparable even back on the isle, and Mal couldn’t help but see herself and Evie in them whenever they’d duck their heads together and whisper-giggle about things no one else understood.
“You make sure you and your friend make it out on the other side,” Celia’s older sister, Freddie, said sternly, shuffling a deck of tarot cards between her hands.
“Course I will, we made a deal didn’t we?” Celia tipped her hat at her and winked.
“WAHAHA! MY BABYYYY!” Dr. Facilier jumped in between them, wrapping his youngest daughter in a crushing hug. “You getchure shadow to do all the dangerous stuff, you hear me, girl?!”
“O kayyy dad!” Celia pushed him away, smoothing down her outfit as he staggered back, making squeaking sobbing sounds the whole time.
Freddie huffed, averting her eyes while giving her father reassuring pats on the back in an effort to not set him off again. “Don’t make me regret letting you go instead of me,” she said to Celia.
“I won’t.” Celia smirked, showing off the spread of cards that she had stolen off her sister when nobody was paying attention. “See? Cards are in my favor today!”
But only for Celia, it seemed.
The youngest Facilier had pulled herself out of the caverns by the ends of her fingers, dragging her shadowless body behind her. It took her family and Mal a moment to realize that it was because she had no feet to stand on. One of her legs was completely gone from the shin down, the haphazardly torn flesh dragging against the ground in a bloody mess, and the other had the skin of her sole ripped clean off.
“Celia?” Freddie choked out in horror, freezing in place.
“Help.” Celia rasped out, her head falling forward senselessly as soon as the words left her.
“My— Celia!” Dr. Facilier slid across the ground to her side at once, scooping her into his arms and holding her against his chest, whispering quiet words of reassurance as he kissed her forehead. “Oh my spirits… Oh, my little girl…!”
“Where’s…?” Mal began quietly, feeling her stomach sink in dread just as a fist connected with her jaw, snapping her head to the side forcefully.
Mal flew to the ground, her hand hovering over her stinging, gasping face. In a flash, a group of guards rushed forward, led by Jay, grabbing Freddie back by the arms as she screamed.
“LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE DONE! YOU HAPPY NOW?! YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A RULER! LOOK AT MY SISTER!”
“HEY! None of this is Mal’s fault!” Jay shot back at her, dodging the woman’s scratching fingers, threatening to claw his eyes out. “If she could’ve gone down there instead, she would’ve! But it’s not up to her!”
“WELL I WISH SHE WOULD’VE! I WISH SHE WOULDA GONE DOWN AND DIED TRYING! MY SISTER—!” Her voice broke as her eyes darted to Celia’s body, still curled up in their father’s arms, looking impossibly small— smaller, even, than she had when Mal had brought her off the Isle the first time, 14 years old and excited to experience all of Auradon. Now what had Auradon done for her…
“Jay, let her go.” Mal ordered, pulling herself up to her feet while biting back tears.
“But—!” Jay protested.
“Just let her go,” she repeated, giving him a meaningful look.
Jay gritted his teeth but nodded all the same, and he and the guards dropped Freddie all at once, letting her stumble over, sobbing, to her sister’s side.
Mal followed behind her, standing over the family with her fists balled at her side. Where was the land they’d envisioned when they dreamt of Auradon during those long, cold nights on the Isle? Where was the better life Mal’d promised them all? Where was the fantasy world her and Jay and Evie and Carlos had sung about, throwing flyers and hanging posters all around their old neighborhood for? She couldn’t see any part of it in the haunted emptiness of Dr. Facilier’s eyes or the shivering form of Freddie, burying her face in her sister's skirts, or the limp body of Celia, who even passed out and cold had wet tears streaming down her face.
“Bag…” Celia coughed out, her voice hardly above a whisper.
At once, Freddie’s hands were on the satchel hanging across Celia’s shoulder, tearing the thing off and casting it aside.
“Is that better?” She asked fretfully.
“No… inside. ”
Mal looked down at the bag on the ground, lifting it up cautiously and turning it over, letting both Bow of Vanity and Shadow Deck tumble to the floor.
“You… you did it,” Mal said in awe.
“We did it…” Celia corrected, burying her head in her father’s chest. “Take em. Get rid of em.”
Mal swallowed hard, forcing herself to ask, even if she already knew the question. “...Dizzy—?”
“What do you THINK?!” Freddie snapped at her, her eyes wild and angry. “Haven’t you done enough?! Her friend’s GONE, stop asking her so many questions!”
Mal reeled back, feeling Jay’s comforting hand find its way to her shoulder.
“I’m… sorry,” she said, the words feeling lame and empty.
“Not sorry enough.” Freddie spat, turning back to her sister in tears.
Jay’s arm came to circle around Mal’s waist, pulling her away from the sight be force. She was grateful for it, she wasn’t sure if she would’ve been able to move on her own.
“It’s not your fault,” he whispered to her, leading her back to the royal carriage as attendants ran past them to tend to Celia’s wounds. “Okay? It’s not.”
Mal wished she could believe him.
Every death felt like a blow straight into her gut, but Dizzy’s was the first to come with a serious consequence.
“None of my grandchildren will be participating in this task anymore.” Lady Tremaine declared into the war room, which consisted of only Mal and Evie on the day when her request for a meeting was granted.
Mal’s eyes widened. “But—!”
“I understand that there will be two other talismans, for myself and my other daughter, and I am aware that only members of our family will be able to retrieve them, but I do not care.” She cut her off coldly, and when Mal locked eyes with her she could see a deep, and profound grief written in every line of her face. “I will not be sacrificing any more children for a country that does not care for us and does not welcome us. We spent decades living in poverty and captivity. Do you not remember how many cold nights were spent on that island? How pervasive the sickness was? How we were fed rotten foods like dogs— WORSE than dogs!”
Mal’s lips trembled at the reminder, but she had nothing to say. Every word Lady Tremaine spoke was true, Auradon was never built with the villains or their descendants in mind. And even though so many of their children showed immeasurable courage in taking on the catacombs, they had no obligation for a land that had condemned them to eternal punishment from before they were born. Even now, they were only free because Mal had decreed it, not because the Auradonians were thrilled with the idea of villains running free.
“I see you understand me.” Lady Tremaine cleared her throat, running her hands over the front of her dress. “I would wish you luck in your endeavors, Your Majesty, but I no longer care what becomes of this land—”
“Lady Tremaine, wait.” Evie spoke up, rising from her seat with tears pooling in her eyes. “I understand where you’re coming from— I swear I do.” She rested a hand over her heart, where a brooch handcrafted by Dizzy was now pinned permanently. “But Dizzy… she— she sacrificed herself for all of us— please don’t let that be in vain—!”
“Do NOT pretend to know what my granddaughter was thinking when she went down to those accursed catacombs!” Lady Tremaine bellowed, her face turning red with rage. “You were not the one who raised her! You were not the one who held her as she cried every night from the moment you left the isle, wondering why she was not the one chosen to be saved— wondering if you would ever return for her! If you must know exactly what Dizzy was thinking, it was that in conquering the catacombs she would be just like you! Finally as great as the girl she idolized from the moment she met you!”
Evie reeled back like she’d been hit, and Mal sort of wished that Lady Tremaine had done that instead. A sob escaped from the back of Evie’s throat, and the older woman was pacified, smoothing her hair back into its updo.
“There is nothing you could say that will make me change my mind,” she said with an air of finality, her voice trembling, and left the room without a second glance back, the ground trembling with the beginnings of a small earthquake as the door slammed behind her.
“E…” Mal said softly, opening her arms up as Evie stumbled over to her. Mal would blame the way her feet lost their balance on the stupid earthquake as her best friend ran straight into her, crying until her throat was raspy and raw, and then crying some more.
As she ran her hands through Evie’s long silky hair, whispering quiet words of reassurance into her ears, Mal’s thoughts raced ahead.
What now?
Everyone else who had died in the past either had a sibling or parent that was able to retrieve the talisman instead of them, or had managed to retrieve it themselves and had it delivered through a partner. But if the Tremaine’s refused to get their talismans, what was she supposed to do? Nobody else’s effort would matter anymore. The catacombs would keep growing as long as there were talismans to be found in them, and Auradon would fall into ruin.
Lady Tremaine was willing to doom everyone for her convictions. And Mal couldn’t even bring herself to fully be mad at her.
“Ch… Chad…” Evie blubbered in her arms.
Without realizing it, Mal had begun speaking her thoughts out loud, mixing her concerns into her comforts, and now Evie was answering them.
“What?” She blinked in confusion, reaching up to wipe a tear from Evie’s cheek. “I mean, I guess beating him up could make us both feel better, but—”
“No, not that!” Evie laughed despite herself, pulling away from Mal’s hug to grab her by the shoulders. “Cinderella and Charming’s talismans still haven’t been found. I unblocked Chad a while back to buy a pair of his mom’s shoes that he was selling on his page, and he’s been talking nonstop about how unfair it is that all the other ‘main heroes’ got to have their glory when his parents’ talismans haven’t been found yet… and, well… I don’t know if it counts, but—”
“Cinderella is Lady Tremaine’s stepdaughter.” Mal breathed out, finishing her sentence, the entire room settling down from the quakes as the realization hit her. “E, you’re a genius!”
Evie gave her a wobbly smile, tossing her hair over her shoulder in faux-vanity. “I know.”
“It has to work— the talismans are more about legacy than they are about blood, plus they’re magical, magic loves technicalities like that!” Mal continued, feeling more sure of herself the more she spoke. “Cinderella and Charming’s talismans are now top priority— we’ll get Chad his stupid glory, and he’ll get us our stupid magic items.”
It was only a week after that that the Charming talismans were found— along with a few others— and from there the news spread rapidly among the council members, jumping from person to relative to friend to hero before finally reaching the ears of one Chloe Charming.