Loki's talk with Elsa had helped to settle his nerves at bit, even if the Second Prince of Asgard was still too upset to bring himself to have Mal and apologize properly yet. Instead, he decided to kill some time until supper teaching Evie to how harness her seidr and cast a few simple illusions. It had taken no effort at all to entice his daughter to learn something new, a trait he shared with her proudly, and her interest piqued further when he told her that what he was showing her could replace the need for the myriad of cosmetics she used at her mother's insistence. (Most of which Loki arranged for Grimhilde to have as they were not something commonly sent to the Isle and he knew his onetime lover valued them greatly.)

"So I won't need to use any words with these spells the way Mal does?" Evie asked as Loki walked her through a few concentration exercises to better find and concentrate her inner magickal reserves.

"You might need a few at first to help you concentrate and direct the flow of your power. You certainly will with higher level spells. But with practice changing your appearance, and even actual shape shifting, should come relatively easily to you. Your natural reserves are sizable and your mother and I both have talents in regards to changing our appearances," Loki explained with a smirk before shifting into a buxom female version of himself that resembled an older Evie a great deal.

"Wow," Evie gushed as she took in Loki's appearance. "So is this the form you used when you had to help Uncle... I mean Thor retrieve Mjolnir from Thrym?"

"It is indeed, although it is the simplest transformation I could conjure as it is simply what I would look like were I born female," Loki explained with a twinkle in his eye.

Evie cocked her head to the side in contemplation for a moment before she noted, "We really look a lot alike, don't we, Papa?"

"You have your mother's eyes, and your hair no doubt comes from her side of the family as mine remains black even in my natural Jotunn state, and most other Jotun share a shade of white for their hair if they have any at all, but other than that you do resemble me quite closely," Loki agreed with a fond grin.

Evie beamed in pride at Loki's declaration before her face became a mask of intense concentration. She held that expression for several moments before she raised and twisted her right hand in a gesture similar to one Loki used when silently casting an illusion. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, then her hair darkened to nearly black and her eyes took on the familiar green hue shared by her sister and her niece both. She took out her magick mirror and checked her appearance before smiling happily and she remarked, "There, now we look like twins."

Loki laughed jovially as he clapped and exclaimed, "Marvelous, my girl, simply marvelous. You are a natural at this."

Evie blushed demurely as she replied, "I don't think I'll ever be as good as Mal. You should see her casting a spell."

Loki's smile diminished only slightly as he thought about the emotional turmoil he had forced on his youngest granddaughter before shaking his head as he responded, "Nonsense. Both of you are quite powerful in your own ways. While Mal may come to equal you in the use of illusions and excel with overt sorcery, you will both find the aspects you best work with in time. Maleficent, for example, takes after me in terms of actual shape shifting and the use of fire. Elsa has my inborn Jotun talents. Ingrid could use no seidr at all, and yet had inherited my silver tongue to the point she could sell ice to a Jotun and convince them they really needed it.

His form returned to normal almost unconsciously, and while Evie's hair remained a darker shade her eyes returned to normal as the God of Mischief said, "Now, are you ready to try something harder?"

Evie's eyes lit up at the notion of a challenge as she asked, "What did you have in mind?"

"Let's see how well you work at creating an illusory double of yourself. Though I should warn you that it is something none of your sisters have managed to achieve," Loki cautioned.

Evie's eyes sparked with a hint of mischief that made Loki want to tear up in pride as she replied, "Sounds interesting. Where do we start?"

The sound of Loki's pleased laugh rang through the halls of the embassy, making Jay and Carlos shudder as Christian and Astrid both pouted as they got the feeling great-grandpa was doing something fun without them.

Back in Auradon Prep, Doug and Ben had been in a quiet conversation with Jane in the Quad as Doug discussed what he had learned talking to his father and his Uncles about Loki during lunch. One interesting thing was that his clan was one of the few that did not appreciate the famous deal that ended up with Loki getting his mouth sewn shut. They did not see the logic in any plot that would have possibly resulted in the death of a Prince of Asgard and the enmity of Realm Eternal in retaliation. In fact Uncle Grumpy has referred to the whole affair as "A stupid pissing contest to try to prove a Dwarf could outsmart one of the sharpest minds in the Nine Realms. One that failed miserably."

"So Mal's grandfather is dangerous then?" Ben asked.

"Yeah. You really don't want to get on his bad side. He holds a grudge and the only ones anyone knows that are more powerful than he is are the Odin, the Allfather, and his Queen, Frigga the Allmother. And maybe his elder brother, Thor, the God of Thunder. But if you need someone to intercede for you, Prince Loki has always been known to be closest to his mother," Doug explained.

"Um..." Jane hemmed with a worried wince.

"What is it Jane?" Ben asked.

"Well, before all this got revealed Mal mentioned to my Mom that her great-grandmother, who I assume now was Queen Frigga, had passed away recently," Jane explained.

"Wow. That's bad," Doug noted with a wince of his own. "But it might explain why he's decided to come here, then."

"What do you mean?" Ben asked with a worried look.

"Well keep in mind that the latest news my family has from the Nine Reals is literally centuries out of date at best, but the only ones Prince Loki was known to be close to were his mother and his older brother. If he just lost his mother it must have been some kind of horrific battle. The Allmother would not die easily, I can promise you that. And if he did lose her, given he's not always well liked on many of the Nine Realms, well coming here to be closer to the family he has that he can actually visit makes a lot of sense," Doug speculated.

"What other family does he have?" Ben asked as he noted the odd way Doug emphasized the family Loki was allowed to visit.

"Three sons and a daughter. All of them either banished by or in service to Odin. The eldest is the eight-legged horse Sleipnir, who Odin rides as his battle steed. Then there is Fenrir, the Fenris Wolf, who is foretold to devour Odin in the Battle of Ragnarok. After that is Jormungandr, the Midgard serpent who is said to encircle the whole of the Realm of Midgard at the bottom of its oceans. Finally there is his eldest daughter, Hela Half-rotted, Goddess of the Dead and Queen of the realms of Helheim and Nifelheim, where those that did not die in honorable battle go after death," Doug explained.

Jane's eyes were wide with shock as she asked, "Wait so Evie has another older sister that's a goddess like her dad?"

Doug nodded in the affirmative as he replied, "Yeah. The stories say she's probably on par with her father in power, if not with Odin himself. She stands opposite of Odin who, along with the goddess Freyja, holds domain over Valhalla, where noble heroes that died in battle go. From what my uncles said her banishment to Nifelheim was one of the things that started the rift between Loki and Odin, although he always remained a dutiful son and heir."

At this Ben winced as he recalled something he had learned from Mal earlier that day. "That's not exactly true anymore. Mal said they had discovered her grandfather was adopted and that the fallout basically had them disowning themselves from any connection to Odin. She said the only one they would still call family was Frigga," Ben recalled.

"Well that explains him calling himself Friggajarson instead of Odinson," Jane noted as pieces started coming together for her.

"I'm just glad Evie and Mal are there to help him through this. And Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. I don't think Chad would have got off so easily if Evie and Mal hadn't stepped in," Ben noted with a wince. He did not want to imagine the kind of turmoil the Trickster Prince might be facing if he felt the need to sever all ties to Odin. Especially given that he had announced Mal and Evie were princesses of Jotunheim as well as Asgard. That implied he might have been a royal hostage rather than simply being adopted.

Doug's expression hardened as he said, "Maybe they should have waited a minute."

Jane's hands flew to her mouth in shock as she said, "Doug!"

"He looked like he was going to hit Evie, Jane. You saw it yourself," Doug noted with a dark look.

Ben's expression was no better as he recalled the incident in question.

Jane, who being the Fairy Godmother's daughter had grown up the closest to Chad out of all of them, did not want to believe that of him even if he was a vapid player that moved from girl to girl as she weakly denied, "He might have just been trying to grab her mirror."

"I don't care if he was trying to mess up her hair, he had no right to try to touch her," Doug replied.

"I have to agree with Doug on this one. All Chad did was make things worse for no reason other than his own jealousy. He had no reason to be egging Queen Leah on. His family didn't even have a quarrel with any of the kids from the Isle. He was just mad that Evie was smart enough that she could pass Chemistry on her own and that he couldn't use her to skate by any more."

"He might have been mad the Chem teacher recommended he be suspended from the team for suspected cheating too. He apparently bombed the last test after he dumped Evie," Jane added fretfully.

"Serves the moron right," Doug huffed with a scowl.

Whatever else the trio might have discussed would have to be tabled as a voice disparaging Mal and Evie, and talking about how they were riling up "dangerous magical forces" to attack them all, rang over the quad as they spied Chad ranting to anyone that would listen. Thankfully most of those watching him were giving him looks of either disbelief or pity as the story of the reason for Queen Leah's hatred for Maleficent had already begun to spread like wildfire.

"Speaking of morons making things worse," Doug noted with a disgusted scoff. He was hardly what one would call a fighter, but seeing Chad acting like that made him want to find a warhammer or an axe and try to knock some sense into the dimwitted Prince of Charmington.

"I better nip that in the bud before he makes things any worse," Ben growled in annoyance.

"Need any help?" Doug asked.

"With Chad? He couldn't even handle Jay bumping into his shoulder after Tourney practice," Ben noted with a roll of his eyes. "He literally whined about it for days. Anxelin is probably tougher than he is. Besides, we're just going to... talk about why it's wrong to spread rumors," Ben replied with a look of determination.

"Too bad," Doug replied as he continued to scowl at Chad.

"Doug," Jane admonished for a second time.

"Evie has been nothing but friendly to me, Jane. I don't care if her mother is Snow White's evil stepmother or her father is someone that is considered a dangerous enemy to most of the Dwarven race. Evie is still my friend. And I don't appreciate that idiot trying to hurt her. With words or his fists," Doug explained as Ben made his way over to Chad.

"But..." Jane tried to interject.

"Have Mal and Evie ever done anything wrong to you?" Doug asked.

"No," Jane guiltily admitted. "I mean, Mal seemed really interested in my Mom and her magick, which is kind of taboo around here, but I get where she's coming from. I wish Mom would teach me some magick someday. It's like I'm just not good enough for her sometimes. Like I'll never match up to Cinderella in her eyes. But Mal and Evie treated me like a friend. And they let me hang around them even looking like I do when they're both so wild and exotic and pretty."

"Jane..." Doug tried to say, only to be cut off be the faerie girl this time.

"Do you know what it's like to be a faerie that can't even use magick, Doug? To literally have girls calling you Plain Jane most of your life when your mother is one of the most powerful spell casters in all the land? Mal did more to help me stop that in five seconds than my Mom did my whole life. And that was just to keep me from running away from her like a frightened mouse. What does it say about me when I need Maleficent's daughter to bribe me with a magickal makeover because I can't even figure out how to cast a spell for myself?" Jane insisted.

"That Mal trusted you enough to look to you to be her friend? I mean, you are both part faerie and part human," Doug replied comfortingly.

"Yeah, and she's also part god. And so is Evie. No wonder I'll never measure up to them. And that Audrey's so jealous. How do you compare yourself to a couple of demigoddeses?" Jane asked frustratedly.

"Maybe you just be happy they're your friends?" Doug suggested.

"I am. But that doesn't mean I want to be some hanger on that doesn't belong around them either," Jane sulked as dark thoughts bounced around in her head. If Mom won't use her powers to make me pretty enough maybe I should learn to take care of myself, she thought mutinously.

As Ben went to try to keep Chad from doing anything dumb(er), reactions to the revelation of Mal's and Evie's pedigrees were spreading ever wider. Including to one Queen of Auroria and her husband.

"How could Father never tell me about this, Phillip? I had a right to know I have a little sister out there," Aurora demanded as she paced her chambers in her castle. Her own duties had ensured she and her husband had not had the time to visit Audrey today but they had sent Aurora's mother in their place as they planned to see their daughter on the day of the Coronation anyway. Needless to say, they were regretting that decision more by the second. Not only had Leah embarrassed the whole of the Royal Family with her waspish behavior, but several of hers and King Stephan's indiscretions had come to light in the most public of ways imaginable.

"You could just ask your father," King Phillip suggested to to agitated blond bride.

"I tried earlier. Honestly, I can't even look at him right now. He's still hiding in his chambers wallowing in his own guilt. All he'll do is mutter how it was all his fault if you ask him anything," Aurora replied, frustrated. "Occasionally, you might hear him mumble Mother's name or Maleficent's and plead about how sorry he is."

"This can't be easy for him," Phillip pointed out.

"Easy enough for him to keep quiet instead of telling me he left his own daughter on that island rather than admit to his own responsibilities. I'm beginning to think he just has an aversion to raising his own children," Aurora hissed.

"Maybe he didn't want to separate, Mal, was it?" Phillip asked for confirmation before continuing when Aurora nodded in response, "Mal from her mother."

"He should have thought of that before thinking with his manhood instead of his brain. Or arranged something with the Royal Council. Shared custody could have been arranged, I'm certain. I mean, you don't think for a moment that Master Yen Sid is really confined to the Isle despite being sent there to teach the children there how to use science in place of sorcery, do you?" Aurora demanded.

"No," Phillip admitted. "And I'm not condoning what your father has done, either, dearest. I'm just saying that there is probably more to the story than we've heard so far. On all sides."

"I know. But this explains why Maleficent was always so bitter toward me, doesn't it?" Aurora asked despondently.

"Somewhat. I think part of it is just her nature as a faerie. Not all of them as are agreeable as your aunties," Phillip reminded her.

At the mention of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather Aurora paused and asked, "Do you think they knew about my father and Maleficent?"

Phillip seemed to pause in a moment of contemplation before he shrugged a bit as he replied, "I don't know. They certainly never said anything about it to me if they did. I suppose you could ask them."

Aurora groaned in frustration as she replied, "I'm not even sure I want to know. I don't know if I can deal with any more of the people I looked up to when I was younger hiding something so important from me."

"There is a bigger question to deal with anyway. And someone I think you want to talk to more than any of them," Phillip pointed out after a small pause.

Aurora seemed to deflate a bit as she sat heavily in the nearest chair and replied, "That's true enough. But what do I even say to her?"

"Well I suppose you can just introduce yourself and go from there," Phillip supplied.

"God, Phillip. All I know about her is what the press and the Royal Council has reported about her, and the fact she apparently stole Ben from Audrey. I mean, can you imagine what she must think of me with Maleficent raising her for her whole life? She probably despises me," Aurora bemoaned.

"I can't imagine it's much worse than you and Audrey heard about Maleficent from your mother. If you're willing to try I would imagine she is too. Although I would clear things with Queen Elsa first," Phillip suggested.

"Oh don't even get me started on that. Half the nobles and courtiers among the united kingdoms are already afraid of Elsa and all of Arendelle because they refused to join the United States of Auradon. Although I suppose I can't blame her now that we know of her family ties," Aurora pointed out.

"I sincerely doubt Queen Elsa agreed with Maleficent about what she has done, dear. She always seemed reasonable, if quietly irked we that rebuffed her offers for aid to be sent to the Isle, whenever we've had cause to meet with her with the rest of the Council. If she supported her... elder aunt I imagine we would all be neck deep in ice and snow by now," Phillip reasoned.

"And the fact she all but declared war on my mother for her own stupidity?" Aurora asked.

"Would you do any less if Audrey was being attacked and belittled in public like that?" Phillip asked.

"No. I'd do the exact same thing. And it didn't help that Cindy's boy was apparently making a bigger mess of things," Aurora admitted. "I can hardly believe little Audrey was willing to stoop to taking him to the Coronation."

"Chad has never been the brightest boy. We all know that," Phillip pointed out.

"I still expected better of my daughter than to use him as arm candy out of spite. She deserves better than that," Aurora argued.

"Audrey is sixteen. She needs to make her own decisions. Look where we were by the time we were her age," Phillip noted.

"I was sleeping under a curse and you were fighting Maleficent to wake me up," Aurora pointed out.

"Exactly. I'd say feuding with her... aunt over the same boy is slightly less perilous," Phillip said optimistically.

"Ask Cindy about her last tangle with Lady Tremaine when the old bat somehow got hold of the Fairy Godmother's wand and then tell me affairs of the heart can't be dangerous,"Aurora warned. "Especially where faerie magick is involved."

"Audrey might be a little head strong but she isn't foolish. I'm sure things will work themselves out once she's had time to think everything over. And in the meantime you can figure out what you want to say to your new-found little sister,"Phillip offered.

"I suppose you're right. I just hope this doesn't all end in heartbreak," Aurora fretted.

And in another part of Auradon proper, the Seven Dwarfs were convening to go over what they had learned.

"Well this is a fine mess. Of all the people your boy had to get twitter-pated about, Doug had to pick the spawn of Grimhilde and the Silvertongue," Grumpy pointed out of a scoff.

"Now Grumpy, I'm sure it's not that bad," Happy argued hopefully.

"Not that bad, could you pick two people that have a bigger bone to pick with the entire Dwarven species? I always said those idiots in Nidavellir were courting trouble trying to get the better of the Silvertongue like that," Grumpy groused.

"Doug said that Miss Evie's father had told her he actually liked Doug," Doc pointed out.

"Wonderful. Loki finds the boy interesting. I'll start planning his funeral," Grumpy shot back.

The argument would have continued were it not for a single utterance from the usually silent brother among the seven. "No," Dopey said with conviction, "he'll be fine." Doug was his son and he would trust in his judgment. The rest of this speculation and arguing was pointless.

"Bah," Grumpy dismissed. "You're going to trust him around a girl raised by Grimhilde?"

Dopey stared soulfully into his brother's eyes for several moments before he shrugged and replied, "So was Snow White."

At that heady observation, Grumpy had nothing else to say.

Yen Sid could not say he enjoyed walking the Hidden Paths from his home dimension to Asgard. It was a convoluted and treacherous journey that gave him a better appreciation for Loki's cunning that he survived it the first time he attempted it without a set destination in mind.

Still it was only a matter of relative moments before the Sorcerer Supreme found himself in the Realm Eternal. Or rather in the independent nation of Nornheim on the outskirts of Asgard where Queen Karnilla made her home. It was a fortified kingdom populated as much by Karnilla's summoned demon servants as it was by Aesir citizens, which made the old man distinctly uneasy. But for now it was his only legitimate option to resolve what was unfolding back home and he hoped his visit would be brief.

He stood tall and took note of his surroundings for a moment before a refined and sultry voice commented from behind him, "Well, well. What an interesting visitor I seem to have here."

Yen Sid showed no reaction to the sudden presence beyond turning and giving a polite bow as he said, "Greetings Queen Karnilla, ruler of Nornheim and best candidate for Sorceress Supreme of Asgard."

"I prefer the title of Enchantress Supreme these days. Reminds those little upstart rapscallions Amora and Lorelei of their place," Karnilla informed him. "But I do not believe I know your name, stranger. Although I do sense in you the mantle of a Sorcerer Supreme."

As he rose from his bow Yen Sid could not help but be struck by the beauty of the dark-tressed woman in her rather revealing royal robes. She had chosen this day robes that were a mix of purple and gold that exposed her shoulders and her rather impressive midriff all while accentuating her perfectly proportioned bust. Had Yen Sid been a younger man he would have likely been stuck dumb by her beauty and grace. Instead he nodded again out of respect as he replied, "Indeed, Your Majesty, my name is Yen Sid and I am the current Sorcerer Supreme of my realm."

"Yes, but not one I am familiar with. You bear no resemblance to Dr Strange of Midgard, that much is certain," Karnilla noted with narrowed eyes. "Which makes we wonder what brings a... colleague from an unknown realm to my doorstep? We do not usually seek each other out for social reasons. And I have chosen to refuse the mantle of rank within my realm formally for my own reasons. So I ask, Sorcerer Yen Sid, what brings you to my Kingdom? What do you seek?" Karnilla asked with detached interest.

"It is not what I seek, Your Highness, that has brought me here. Rather it is what I have found. Or should I say, who I have found within my Realm," Yen Sid informed her.

Karnilla's eyes lit with interest as she asked, "And whom might that be?"

"The only other resident of the Realm Eternal that could claim the seat of Sorcerer Supreme should he desire it. The one currently lost to the Allfather and all of the Nine Realms," Yen Sid replied stoically.

"Loki," Karnilla breathed in shock. "Are you saying Prince Loki is residing within your Realm, sorcerer?"

"I am," Yen Sid confirmed for her.

Karnilla's face broke into a grin that would rival the Cheshire Cat's at his most devious as she purred a bit before she breathed, "What Odin would do for such information. Come, my friend, tell me everything."

Author's Note: Okay, at the suggestion of many of you I added a few more reactions as news spreads. Please feel free to let me know anything else in particular you might all like to see as your feedback does a lot to help me shape the direction of the story. Until next time, I look forward to all of your responses.