"We have already faced much of the conflict you mentioned," Ben said, voice firm, shoulders straight, eyes keeping contact. He was doing his best to look kingly. "The only one who wanted me to walk this path, from the start was me. No one in Auradon wanted the villains or their children to be freed of this place to come to Auradon. Resistance started with my own parents. My then girlfriend Audrey, who I had been dating since we were small children was against the idea. She tried to accept it for my sake, to support me, but it was too hard for her. My closest friends at the time. My most trusted advisors. The members of my father's council which became my council soon after when I was coronated. No one saw then what I saw."
He took Mal's hand without looking away. "That even if the villains did deserve to be imprisoned like this... their children did not. They were innocent. It has been a hard battle so far."
A deep breath, but he kept his calm and composure, channeling his mother more than his father. Though he kept some of his father's strength in his spine.
"The compromise was to start with four. The whole thing hinged on the four I chose. And I chose children of four of the worst villains in our history, sure that if I could prove that those four children could learn to embrace good, that there was hope for all the children of the Isle."
"It... took us a while to get there," Mal said, finally speaking herself. "When he said no one wanted us to go to Auradon? Yeah, that included us. We didn't want to go. Horrible as the Isle is, and you haven't seen the half of it... it was still home. We knew who we were here. For me and Jay that who we were was top of the heap. Sure it was a trash heap, but it was our trash heap. We didn't have to worry about offending anyone, except to worry we weren't offending them enough." She smirked a bit, then shrugged. "But where we saw something horrible... Our parents saw opportunity. We weren't given a choice. Go to Auradon, pretend to play along. At least until we could steal what our parents wanted us to steal and bring down the barrier. But..." she glanced back at Ben... "Ben did everything he could. More than anyone ever expected. When people hated us, he stood with us. When people thought the worst, he stood up for us. And the one time we were stealing a boat... he saw that we had good reason and trusted us. And the thing was... we started to want to be worthy of that trust. We came to love Auradon. And the people in it. Annoying as it is, he was right."
"And it started with the four, but didn't end there. While a few came over accidentally... Enough of the VKs, the Villain Kids proved themselves that those like CJ who didn't accept good became the exceptions, not proof of the prejudice."
"We welcomed four more, after that," Mal said. "Including the sister of one of the girls who accidentally wound up in Auradon but was willing to do whatever goodness it took to stay there."
"It's been hard," Ben said.
"A lot of people still hate us," Mal added. "But we're showing time and time again that we stand for Auradon. Auradon, and the Isle."
Ben nodded. "Not terribly long before the events that led to you being here, we instituted a new program. All the children of villains, everyone born on the Isle, they were to be given a chance. They would be watched, and they would have to take the same remedial goodness classes as the other VKs, and they'd have to actually be good, not just mimic it... But if they did that, they could stay."
"A probationary period," Mal added, smiling. "None of us will be watched forever. But enough time that we can keep Auradon safe... as well as keep the VKs safe."
Ben nodded. "And we extended an olive branch to the villains as well. While staying on the Isle prove to us they've reformed. That they are willing to be good and to make reprobations to those they harmed. That they are willing to follow the laws and customs of Auradon if they are allowed to return. We had interest from a few, before all this happened."
"But you can ask the teachers here, if you want to verify with someone other than us," Mal put in. "In your shoes, I would."
no subject
He took Mal's hand without looking away. "That even if the villains did deserve to be imprisoned like this... their children did not. They were innocent. It has been a hard battle so far."
A deep breath, but he kept his calm and composure, channeling his mother more than his father. Though he kept some of his father's strength in his spine.
"The compromise was to start with four. The whole thing hinged on the four I chose. And I chose children of four of the worst villains in our history, sure that if I could prove that those four children could learn to embrace good, that there was hope for all the children of the Isle."
"It... took us a while to get there," Mal said, finally speaking herself. "When he said no one wanted us to go to Auradon? Yeah, that included us. We didn't want to go. Horrible as the Isle is, and you haven't seen the half of it... it was still home. We knew who we were here. For me and Jay that who we were was top of the heap. Sure it was a trash heap, but it was our trash heap. We didn't have to worry about offending anyone, except to worry we weren't offending them enough." She smirked a bit, then shrugged. "But where we saw something horrible... Our parents saw opportunity. We weren't given a choice. Go to Auradon, pretend to play along. At least until we could steal what our parents wanted us to steal and bring down the barrier. But..." she glanced back at Ben... "Ben did everything he could. More than anyone ever expected. When people hated us, he stood with us. When people thought the worst, he stood up for us. And the one time we were stealing a boat... he saw that we had good reason and trusted us. And the thing was... we started to want to be worthy of that trust. We came to love Auradon. And the people in it. Annoying as it is, he was right."
"And it started with the four, but didn't end there. While a few came over accidentally... Enough of the VKs, the Villain Kids proved themselves that those like CJ who didn't accept good became the exceptions, not proof of the prejudice."
"We welcomed four more, after that," Mal said. "Including the sister of one of the girls who accidentally wound up in Auradon but was willing to do whatever goodness it took to stay there."
"It's been hard," Ben said.
"A lot of people still hate us," Mal added. "But we're showing time and time again that we stand for Auradon. Auradon, and the Isle."
Ben nodded. "Not terribly long before the events that led to you being here, we instituted a new program. All the children of villains, everyone born on the Isle, they were to be given a chance. They would be watched, and they would have to take the same remedial goodness classes as the other VKs, and they'd have to actually be good, not just mimic it... But if they did that, they could stay."
"A probationary period," Mal added, smiling. "None of us will be watched forever. But enough time that we can keep Auradon safe... as well as keep the VKs safe."
Ben nodded. "And we extended an olive branch to the villains as well. While staying on the Isle prove to us they've reformed. That they are willing to be good and to make reprobations to those they harmed. That they are willing to follow the laws and customs of Auradon if they are allowed to return. We had interest from a few, before all this happened."
"But you can ask the teachers here, if you want to verify with someone other than us," Mal put in. "In your shoes, I would."