Mal woke slowly, so slowly that she truly was not certain when she passed the divide between restfulness and reality. She was surrounded by comforting warmth and softness. Opening her eyes she was grateful that the room's lights seemed to be dimmed, or else they would have stung. The decor was lavish - by far the most lavish thing she had ever seen, which was saying something since she had believed that nothing could trump the beauty of Auradon High.

She was on a bed, a considerably large one if her eyes were to be believed. She didn't for a second though recognise where she was. She felt as if she had slept for a year, but she was not the least bit rested. Indeed her entire body felt sore in a way she had never experienced before, not even after tremendous physical activity. For a moment she had a profound fear that she had done something to truly damage herself permanently. She hoped that that was not the case. The fact that she could barely summon the energy to raise her head off the bed was enough to cause her to worry.

The mere act of turning her head to the side proved to be particularly difficult, but she was gratified, and deeply so that she managed to do the act because she saw that Evie was curled up in a chair beside the bed, asleep. Mal decided that it was best to let her sleep for now.

She continued to take stock of herself. Now that she was focussing on solely her body, she could feel it, like a continuous ripple beneath her skin. Magic. Raw magic of a variety she had never experienced before. She wondered if it was the fact that she exerted herself so much that was responsible for its activeness. It doesn't feel uncomfortable though, just restless, as if it was trying to but failing to fully synthesis within her. She had the feeling though that, with time, it would and all would be right within her again.

She managed to shift slightly - not too much - but she felt it, a movement against the centre of her forehead. Although it took her a while to manage, she eventually found herself fingering what felt to be a pendant on a chain wrapped around her head. She was sure that there was a fancier name for the item of jewellery than she could come up with. She wanted to, but lacked the ability to remove it and examine it further. Her curiosity would wait - she was certain that Evie would show it to her more fully whenever she woke up.

She contemplated sleeping again. What else was there to do in a mostly silent room with an equally unresponsive Evie? But, after a few minutes of trying she gave it up for a lost cause. She was hungry and thirsty as well after all, and, for the moment, it seemed as if Evie was her only respite against it. She called Evie's name, shocked by the fragile raspiness of her tone. It takes a while, she was not even sure how long, but finally Evie's forehead wrinkled adorably and she opened her eyes. She looked around herself, dazed for a moment, before settling on Mal.

"Mal!" she gasped, straightening up immediately. "You're awake?"

"Hey," she returned softly. Any other statement was halted as her friend moved closer and she realised that Evie's hair was no longer pure blue. It was laced with purple. "Evie?"

"Oh that," she said dismissively, flicking a lock over her shoulder. "You should have seen it immediately after. I could have passed for your twin! It's lightening though, so don't worry about it. I mean, purple's definitely your colour, but I can make anything work. It'll be completely gone in a week or so."

"How did you get it?"

"That's your fault," Evie told her with a small grin even as she moved to adjust her position on the bed, leaving her more upright. She poured her a glass of water before she spoke again. "Fairy God Mother says you fed some of your magic to me during the fight. It affected me physically as well. Your magic is slowly bleeding out of me which is why my hair's gradually normalising."

"I made you a Fairy?"

"Temporarily," Evie agreed, "well, unless all your power doesn't leave me which also is a possibility. I've actually been able to do light magic now and the mirror's even more responsive than it's ever been before."

"Wait, how long have I been sleeping?"

"Six days," Evie told her, resuming her sleep, "although Fairy God Mother said you'd be asleep for two weeks minimum giving how much magic you expended. I'm not even sure you're truly awake right now. Your eyes are so glassy."

"How have I been surviving?"

"She left some sort of capsule thing for us to feed you. Apparently it's a regulator of sorts. It's helping to manage all the magics within you."

"Magics? Plural?"

"Yeah."

Mal paused for a moment, considering. "I really turned into a dragon, didn't I?"

"A magnificent dragon," Evie gushed. "They managed to record the entire thing. You were great, Mal, so great."

"We all were."

"Yeah well, we helped too," she agreed. "I'm not the only one whose changed physically though. Look at your hands, Mal."

Mal did, lifting them to the light. She blinked, realising that there were designs running up her hands; faint yet noticeable. They were silver and intricate, and oddly familiar.

"This looks like the wand's pattern," she said, after a moment.

"Exactly," Evie agreed, sitting on the bed besides her and cupping her right hand in both of yours. "Your eyes are rimmed silver as well and your hair is streaked too. It looks good, don't worry."

"How did this happen?"

"You absorbed the wand," Evie told her simply. "The moment you took the wand and it didn't backfire on you like it did with Jane meant that you and the wand were compatible. It started merging with your magic then, and when you transformed, it melded into the process. It's a part of you now."

"So how do we get it out?" Mal demanded, trying and failing to pull her hand from Evie's grasp.

"It's a part of you," Evie repeated, "there is no getting it out. It's why I said you have magics in you. Light and dark magic is melding within you even as we speak Mal. Surely you feel different?"

"I do," she confirmed, recalling her own questioning thoughts to herself when she had first awakened.

Mal leaned back, unable to sit up any longer. "Tell me what happened?

"I don't know much past that Mal. That's all she's really figured out so far. The wand and you were compatible and in your time of greatest need, it leant you the strength you needed. She doubts that now that it's so firmly infused it'd leave you. Perhaps not until it senses its next owner. She even thinks that it may become a hereditary thing, and pass on to your descendants. You're still biologically a half-fairy, by the way, but thanks to the wand, you now have full magical potential."

There was nothing Mal could say to that.

"And the boys?" she asked.

"They're with King-Father Beast on the isle. That's his new title now by the way. Queen Belle can keep her title until Ben is married, but that's the king's."

"They're on the isle?" she gasped.

"She is," Evie confirmed, "We did a good job of getting rid of your mom, but we also landed the isle with a rampaging dragon. She spent enough time here that that barrier didn't immediately sap all her remaining magic, and well, she went on the war path. It took them and half of the King's forces two days to stamp out the violence that erupted, and after that, Ben asked them to stay on."

"Why?"

"To immediately implement some changes. He's sent barges over with real food for one, and he wants a list by the end of the week of all the island's residents. He's going to oversee the crimes of the originals and see if what they've done is truly deserved. As for the descendants, he's sourcing out long term housing to bring all the kids over."

"He's purging the island?"

"Yes," Evie said, an odd quality to her tone, "he's going to give everyone a chance to be good. Does who fail will be sent back for long-term rehabilitation, but Mal, I really think he wants to close the island down entirely."

"That's unbelievable."

"I guess we've proven that all the kids deserve a chance."

"They do," she agreed. "I'm glad Ben can see that. Does the public agree though?"

"The majority do. We've proven ourselves to be heroes. They're going to allow others to prove themselves just as we were allowed the chance too. Would you believe Chad asked me out?"

"Prince Charming? Tell me you said no?"

"Immediately," she said with a grin. "Doug tripped him for good measure."

"That's my girl," Mal praised. "Now, do you think you can get me some food? I'm starving."

Three days had passed since Mal's initial awakening, and she was not afraid to say that she was bored out of her mind. She could not leave the bed for more than a few minutes at a time, and since she was forbidden to participate in any 'stimulating' activities for a while yet, the only source of entertainment she had beyond Evie were books. By her nature, Mal had little patience for the written word. She appreciated their value, but she much preferred to hear the stories of other people, to tease lessons from them than to seek morals from stained pages. Nevertheless, with a lack of other amusements, she had had no choice but to revert to one of her less enjoyable activities.

She was currently seated on one of the huge fluffy couches in the room, mostly thinking if she were entirely honest. She was in the family wing of Ben's castle - Evie had told her that yesterday - and Mal was not at all sure how she interpreted that turn of events. Evie had said that after Ben had thwarted their attempt to escape (although to where none of them could say even to this day) he had brought them all here. Only Mal was in this private wing though, and while Evie gently teased her about that fact, Mal herself was just confused by the entire thing.

Ben's mother had visited her the day before, and Mal had had to deal with the embarrassment of the woman personally assisting her in refreshing herself and even neatening her hair for her. Only Evie had had that privilege previously, and by the time the queen had finally left her, Mal was a red-faced mess. The entire thing, she decided with a mild pout, was the outside of enough, and were it not for the fact that the simplest of spells at this point would immediately return her to the land of sleep, Mal would have spelled herself away from here already.

She would complain to the next person who walked through that door, she decided. Except that that person was Ben.

He seemed as surprised to see her as was she. Mal blushed darkly after a moment, recalling that Evie said that the king visited her every afternoon, and stayed by her side for hours on end. Sometimes he slept in the same chair Evie did. Other times he worked through the paperwork that seemed never-ending now that he actually had that crown on his head. And still, most frequently apparently, he just sat and spoke to her, catching her up on all the things he had accomplished in the day.

"Your majesty," she whispered moving to rise.

That broke him out of his stupor. "No, don't get up Mal," he ordered crossing the room in quick strides to gently press her back against the cushions. "I'll admit I'm surprised to see you awake."

She didn't answer. He sat down beside her, closer than she would have anticipated, and shortly cupped her cheek. Any traces of embarrassment fled her in that moment at the affectionate gesture. Her eyes drifted close as she took in the warmth of his hand, and the gentle way he ran his thumb along her cheek. She never felt more cared for than when he did this.

"Good girl," he whispered, pleased by her actions.

The barest trace of a smile tugged at her lips, and a sound close to a mewl escaped her when she felt his lips press against her forehead. She moved, more on instinct than anything else, and he allowed her. Momentarily, Mal was snuggled into his chest with his arms wrapped securely around her.

"I'm glad you're safe," she said after a moment of just inhaling and memorising his scent.

"You kept me safe," he reminded her. "You have my eternal thanks for that."

"Couldn't very well have left Auradon without a king," she quipped. "But I would not have liked it if you had been hurt."

"Watching you being hurt was the worst thing I have ever experienced," he admitted, and his arms tightened the slightest. "Your shrieks..."

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm not usually so vocal. Auradon weakened me."

Mal felt the king stiffen. "Mal?"

"Hmm?"

"She's done that to you? Before I mean?"

Mal frowned at the hesitancy in his tone, and twisted so that she could look up at him, their eyes inches apart. "How else does a mother punish her recalcitrant child?"

A look of deep sorrow settled in Ben's eyes before he bent and kissed her forehead again before tucking her beneath his chin.

"No wonder you didn't know what love feels like," he lamented. "Mal that is nothing less than abuse what you've experienced."

Mal didn't respond; she really did not want to talk about that, nor her mother. Ben, thankfully, sensed it and did not press the matter.

"All of Auradon is grateful to you," he said instead. "I am grateful to you. What you and your friends accomplished was no easy task. You all will be rewarded justly as soon as everything fully settles down."

"Didn't do it for a reward Bennie-boo."

He laughed at that. "Nevertheless, Mal, good deed bring good rewards, and you four were magnificent. I'm going to restore Evie to her familial heritage. Snow White won't be happy with me because it'd make Evie a contender for queen, but that's not a problem for me to deal with."

"Princess Evie," Mal mulled. "She'll like that."

"And does Princess Mal like her title?" he asked.

"What?" she asked, slightly incredulous.

"I don't think the population will settle for anything less for you, Mal. All four of you will be made royals and all the associated rights bestowed on you."

"I'm no princess, Bennie-boo," she retorted.

Ben chuckled at the venom in her tone, but did not relent. "Consider it practice for your future title," he whispered to her when she pulled back to glare at him. Mal's brow furrowed in confusion, and, when the look didn't pass, Ben snorted, and gave her a next kiss, this time to the temple before snuggling her close again. "You'll understand in time, sweetheart," he said into her scented hair.

"Evie said you gave me this pendant thing," she murmured eventually.

"It's been in my dad's family for generations," he explained, fingering it lightly. "The ring just didn't seem like enough after all you did. It looks good on you."

Mal preened minutely under the praise. Evie was used to it. But for her, compliments, especially about her appearance, were few and far apart. "I'll treasure it always," she promised. "I'll never take it off."

"I'm glad," he returned, "I like seeing it on you and knowing that I put it there."

The edge of possessiveness to his tone curled warmly within her and she relaxed further into his embrace.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

The inactivity lulled her, and soon enough lethargy settled on her and Mal found herself trying and failing to hide her yawns.

"Let's get you to bed my precious girl," Ben told her softly, suiting actions to words by rising and easily lifting her into his arms.

She didn't protest; it was nice to be cradled like this, and she stayed pliant as he deposited her between the sheets before tucking them in tightly around her.

He sat at the edge of the bed, and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "Sleep as long as you like," he told her, "You still have a lot of recovering to do."

"Are you going to stay?" she asked, even as she felt her eyes drift close.

"I will," he promised. "Go to sleep, my precious Mal. I will watch over you; it's my turn to keep you safe."