Chapter Text
Ben was stressed, there was no other way of putting it. It had now been almost a year since he had officially become the Roi d’Auradon but his responsibilities had not had a ridiculous increase, as his parents had retained most of their responsibilities. They only agreed to completely abdicate their jobs when he was at least done with college and in a more stable position. And truly, they had tried to help as much as possible, but life rarely worked the way planned… And his parents having a baby later in life was definitely not in the plans. And so, he was stressed because not only did they decide to adopt Carlos, Evie, Jay, and Mal into their small Royal family -with no small amount of complaining from many of the other Princesses and Princes but Ben was Roi and Belle was a force to be reckoned with and what she wanted, she got- but the family was growing from the very beginning. His parents were starting it all anew.
In fact, Ben was sure that the sudden rebirth of magic on Auradon was in big part at fault for this. At least partially, the slight increase in free time his parents had for a while there was also probably to blame too. He really did want to think about what that meant. But really, he was excited for the new baby and he loved the fact that the VKs were now an official part of his family but the stress of it was really getting to him. It was all so overwhelming lately. His mère had to take an extended leave for the complicated pregnancy and his père was constantly distracted by the fear of what could happen, a fear Ben shared. And the kingdom almost fell to pieces quite recently by the second escape attempt by some of the Isle’s villains which proved that they really needed to come up with a better barrier. That whole issue had also strained his relationship with his petite amie, who was not at all pleased that Ben had almost immediately assumed Maleficent was the one responsible for the dragon attacks in Camelot. And to make matters worse, there was the whole mess caused by Arabella trying to use Triton’s trident, although thankfully that thing was now in the museum. He really just needed a break. If only he could actually get one, but maybe if he…
“Votre Majesté?” A heavy Parisian accent asked. Ben held in a sigh, so much for the possibility of an afternoon off with Mal.
“Oui, Lumiére…?” he simply asked, not even bothering to correct the family friend and advisor yet again. Really, like he had not seen both Ben and Adam in diapers.
“Your père just called in, it appears your mère’s water just broke.” The advisor and friend explained calmly, although internally his nerves wreaked havoc. However, he had no wish of scaring the young Roi and so maintained the façade.
Ben immediately froze. The baby was finally going to come after a long and hard pregnancy for his mère, but oh Dieu, what if something went wrong? Seeing the poor garçon’s state, Lumiere sighed softly and went to get Mrs. Potts as fast as possible. She was sure to get through the poor garçon’s shock and calm him down as much as possible.
“Mrs. Potts?” he called into the hallway, he knew she was definitely going to remain nearby given the situation.
“Oh, that poor child,” the motherly, British woman exclaimed, immediately knowing what was going on. Indeed, lately everyone’s nerves had been frayed around the Château, but the young Roi had gotten the worst of the deal, as not only did he have to worry about his mère and new sibling but his responsibilities as Roi had also increased as his parents became increasingly busy with the new additions to the family. Without a second thought, the elderly woman moved onto the study to take care of the young Roi. Knowing the garçon would be taken care of, Lumiére moved on to inform the rest of the Royal broad about the news.
The waiting room was filled with pacing, nervous family members and friends. Carlos, Evie, Jay, Maurice, and Cogsworth -who had extended his usual Christmas visit once he heard the news- were all wearing the carpet thin as they paced in all directions yet somehow managed to never crash into each other. On a corner, Ben sat, still very much in shock and worried. This time Mal kept him company as they remained still, side-by-side, hand-in-hand, both lost in their own thoughts and worries yet mutually grounding the other. On the other side, Lumiére, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Madame de Garderobe all stood, almost huddled together as they feared the worst yet prayed for the best. All other chairs were occupied by close friends of the famille Royale.
“Why is it taking so long?” An exasperated Jay complained. As a VK, he was not prone to caring for others, but when he did, he cared deeply. As such, the idea of losing the only mother-figure he had ever known, even if he was still getting accustomed to the idea, frightened and rattled him.
“Childbirth usually takes a long time and although Reine Belle has gone through the process before -given her age and the time it has been since Ben’s birth- it will probably take as long as the birth of a first baby... It can be a very long process...” Lonnie softly reminded him from her seat beside Jane, Ally, Doug, and Jordan. Ever since the Reine’s pregnancy had been announced, the teenagers had decided that studying all possible outcomes would be a wise idea, so that they could be better prepared for them. However, even as she spewed all of these facts, she could not keep the small tinge of worry out of her voice.
“Well, we’ll be here a while,” Freddie, who stood leaning on a wall, muttered, trying to remain as indifferent as possible. She had only joined Auradon pretty recently, and although she pretended not to, she was touched by the Royal family’s kindness and very glad to renew her friendship with Mal and the others. Additionally, her newly developed relationship with Tiana and Naveen, who had taken to being very parental towards her regardless of their past with her father -who was a way better dad than a villain- made her feel a bit more sentimental towards the Auradonian royals. Although, if seriously pressed, she could admit to missing her father and sister. If only she could visit them somehow.
Nobody else bothered to comment further and the room once more became quiet, the only sound was that of multiple feet pacing the waiting room floor.
It was not until the 8th hour of waiting that the anxious assembly got any news. But it was in fact that as soon as said 8th hour struck the clock, that the former Roi d’Auradon stepped into the waiting room with the best of news. The Princesse Amélie Isabelle had been born and was completely healthy and, thankfully, so was the mother. It was, as this announcement ended that the whole room breathed easily once more and the excited chatter began, only to increase when Adam pronounced that Belle had expressed a wish for the Royal children to meet their newest sister.
Five teenagers ranging from the ages of 15 to 17 all shuffled into the Royal suite of Auradon’s most prominent hospital as they tried to contain a large array of emotions. From anxiety to nervousness to awkwardness and utter joy, all five teenagers seemed to be brimming with emotions yet somehow able to only express the joy felt. However, knowing their broad as they did, Adam and Belle could easily tell that Mal and Jay in particular felt very awkward in their present situation, and although it did not surprise them, they really wished the kids could overcome their self-esteem issues and feelings of worthlessness. However, any thoughts on them were interrupted by her cher Ben.
“Maman,” Ben called out softly, a tinge of anxiety still on his voice as he approached his loving mére, making him sound like the scared little boy he used to be, running to his parents after a terrifying nightmare. The sight of his tired, weary maman really worried the poor boy.
“Oh, mon cher garçon,” Belle proclaimed, her heart breaking slightly as she beckoned him and her other cheris over. They all complied with a slight sense of awkwardness, all moving in a huddle as they supported each other.
“It is all alright mon chers, I am fine, so why not give your chère, vieille maman a hug?” Thankfully, her last comment had the intended result, causing the teens to giggle slightly and Carlos and Evie to exclaim that she wasn’t that old as they all moved to hug her. The stiff hug lasted only a few seconds, as the majority of the teenagers had very little experience with such open displays of affection and felt too uncomfortable.
“Now,” Belle began, desiring to put them at ease and excited about her next words, “Would you all like to meet chére Amy?”
Five colorful heads nodded simultaneously, causing a soft chuckle to escape Adam’s and Belle’s lips. After sharing one last look of amusement with his femme, Adam moved towards the crib on the other side of the room and softly lifted the baby, trying his best not to wake her. In fact, he was surprised he still recalled how to hold a bébé in his arms as he hadn't done so since Ben was one himself yet the action felt entirely natural, like riding a bike. Picking up his belle fille, he handed her off to his wife so that all of their children may meet her. As he saw all of them huddle around Belle, Ben snuggled up by her right, Carlos and Evie staring in awe by her left, Jay and Mal keeping a slight distance, yet still leaning in with obvious curiosity and awe. Making sure to not disturb the wonderful scene, he quietly snapped a picture of the lovely sight before him.
“She’s so tiny,” Evie whispered in awe at the little baby, she couldn't recall ever seeing a human being quite that small before. Then again she spent most of her childhood and formative years in isolation, even from the rest of the Isle.
“She looks exactly like the Reine,” Carlos whispered softly, everyone else nodded in agreement.
“Except she has Adam’s eyes,” Belle whispered back, letting slip the use of her formal title for now. Her comment, however, prompted quite the reaction from all of the teens as they all leaned forward, trying to see the baby’s eyes which she only vaguely opened after a soft caress on her nose from Belle.
“Wow, she really does, they are the same...” Mal whispered in awe as well… She'd also rarely seen such a small human being, and never one as cute as the one before her.
“Thankfully, that appears to be the only thing she got from me,” Adam called out from the back with a slight chuckle, causing them all to chuckle alongside him.
This eased the tension in the room and Adam happily stared at the teens interacting with his wife and baby, silently promising to himself to print the picture he’d taken and put it in his office. And as Belle handed Ben the baby and his dear son held her for the first time, Adam felt this unusual feeling, like he was being given yet another chance to redeem himself. He hoped from the bottom of his heart that he could truly make it right this time around and one more periphery glance at the room told him that maybe he should start by developing better ties with his future daughter-in-law and to aid his son with his duties more, for he could sense this disquiet oozing from them both. Yes, it'd definitely be a lot of hard work, but if this new, fresh start for his family was the result, then it was definitely worth it.
Hours later, mère and bébé quietly slept in their private hospital suite, both exhausted by the efforts of the day. It had been hours now since the children met the new princesse, followed closely by their friends and other family members. And since they had spent most of the day in a hospital, Mrs. Potts decided it was time for the teenagers to return home and rest for the day. Of course, Ben had not felt entirely comfortable with the idea -it appeared the poor boy had gotten it in his head that his mere and soeur would not make it through the night or something just as bad- Adam really needed to speak to him. Mal had stayed behind alongside Ben in effort to try and to be the best petite amie ever and clearly worried herself, not that she'd admit it. But her actions spoke louder than the words she couldn't speak aloud yet. At the moment, said young lady, however, was not in the room, but had offered to bring some snacks and drinks for the long night ahead of them all. However, Ben had already succumbed to sleep on the room’s couch, exhausted by his own worry, excitement, and his kingly duties. Not wishing to wake up any of the other occupants in the room yet unable to sleep himself, Adam rose and left the room. He was just stepping outside of the room and unto the little living room attached when Mal stepped in, two coffees in hand.
“Isn't it a bit late for you to be drinking coffee?” Adam asked, rhetorically, his voice laced with amusement.
If there was one thing that Adam and Mal had learned about each other in the last few months, it was that they were remarkably similar to one another: both extremely self-deprecating, stubborn, loyal, and similarly incapable of having a full night’s sleep, which probably lead to their shared coffee addiction or vice versa. Aware of these facts, Mal just shrugged and rolled her eyes slightly before giving him his own coffee (black, two sugars just as he liked it) and moving to sit on one of the sofas. Adam sighed softly before sitting beside her, careful to leave a reasonable amount of distance between them so as not to stress Mal further, before inhaling the scent of his coffee. The smell slowly soothed his nerves and a sip did wonders to his soul. Beside him, Mal was similarly rejuvenated by her own cup (skim and Splenda just like Belle, who'd introduced her to such preferences). Once Mal seemed remarkably relaxed, Adam decided to start some soft conversation with the teen fairy.
“So, new hair, huh?” He began softly, trying to keep it light to start with. Although in the past six months they had gotten remarkably close he had no wish to startle the teen whose nerves were clearly at an all time high. No wonder really, given her increased pressures as Ben’s petite amie and her clear efforts to fit in. However, if there was one thing the tension both Mal and his son seemed to emit -as well as his surprise at being faced with a now-blonde Mal- indicated was that he and Belle had been particularly neglectful of the kids as of late. This was something that needed to be urgently fixed. They could not go down this road yet again, but damn, had they all had some crazy few months.
“Yeah, gotta look the part of the Roi’s petite amie, you know?”
“That doesn't mean you have to stop being you, Mal,” he replied softly, saddened at the thought of such a genuine girl changing to fit in Auradon's warped ideals of the perfect future Reine.
Mal tensed at the words but simply shrugged in reply, clearly not wishing to speak further on the subject. Beside her, Adam sighed in soft frustration before speaking out again, this time without looking at the girl in question, but rather at the wall in front, the soft light of the room easing the words out of him.
“You know, when I first laid eyes on Amy, all I could do was merci à Dieu and pray that she would grow up to be like her maman, rather than her mess of a papa,” he chuckled self-deprecatingly for a moment, continuing once more just before Mal could speak up in awkward but honest defense of him.
“But then I saw all of you with her and all I could think was that if she takes to such amazing role models and grows up to be half the young lady you and Evie are, then I could not be prouder. But especially, I'd love it if she learned your inner strength and loyalty, as well as your protectiveness. And if ma chérie Belle is right -which she almost always is- then those are traits you and I share. So I guess she would also turn a bit like me… I guess, what I'm trying to say is… I wouldn't mind having another daughter that takes after me…” He finally turned to look at Mal, who sat, tense and short of breath as she processed the words.
Not in the slightest bit dim, Mal understood every implication of the words before her. That this man, the former Roi and pére of her copain, who had pretty much condemned her and her friends to prison from conception and with whom she had the rockiest of starts with, really, truly thought so of her was unbelievable. That he clearly wished to actually be the paternal figure that she had always lacked in her life was even more surprising. Her own Paterás had been a non-entity in her entire childhood and that had created a Pandora's box worth of emotional trauma she was happy to keep closed forever. But it was hard for her to think that maybe it wasn't just Belle that was behind the whole adoption thing. And what was even more astounding was the fact that he had pretty much told her she was someone people should aspire to. No matter how much they’d learn about each other in the last few months, this was really all too much for the stressed teenage mind to process.
“Mallory?” Adam called out softly, worriedly. When no response came, he placed a soft hand on her shoulder.
“It's okay, just sleep on it, alright?” he said softly, guiding her to the larger sofa and grabbing a pillow and blanket for her. Still shell-shocked, Mal moved automatically and laid on the couch, not one protest coming from her lips as she laid down and felt a soft blanket being placed atop of her. Somehow, the warmth of the blanket brought her out of her stupor enough to breathe an awed “Merci.”
To this the former Roi only smiled and replied, “Bonne nuit, ma chère enfant," before moving towards the hall door, in desperate need for some fresh air and a walk.
If he had only remained a bit longer, he would have heard some words that would make his paternal heart soar as in such a haze, Mal involuntarily let her heart speak out softly, whispering a “Bonne nuit, papa” after him before she fell into a fitful slumber.
A slight whine rose Ben from his deep slumber, the noise making him jump to attention, panic clear on his face. Adam, who had just returned to the room from his refreshing walk thanks to the crisp night air, immediately went to his son and placed a soft hand on his shoulder.
“Ben, it's alright, it's just Amy. Babies always wake up in the middle of the night hungry.”
The young Roi slowly registered the words and nodded at his père to show his understanding. However, the slight panic remained as his eyes instinctively roomed looking for the slight figure of his petite amie. His exhausted mind somehow instinctively registered her missing presence before he could even form a coherent thought. Seeing the look in his eyes, Adam instinctively knew it was the same look on his face whenever a nightmare woke him up and he searched for his wife’s comforting presence. He softly told his son, “She’s sleeping in the lounge. Why don't you go check on her?”
Nodding in relief, Ben moved towards the living room as Adam reached into the crib to grab his baby girl.
“Now, someone is hungry, isn't she?” He asked gently, moving to the hand the baby to his stirring wife, also waking up to the sound of their baby’s cries.
“I hope she doesn't have the same appetite Ben inherited from you, I don't think I could cope with that again,” Belle muttered, causing her husband to chuckle softly as he moved to sit on the bed with his exhausted wife to help her with the process. Once Amy was in place and clearly content now that she was being fed, he spoke to his wife as he watched the door that led to the living room.
“Did you see Mal’s hair?” He needed to know if his femme knew something about what the girl was going through.
With a slight frown, Belle replied, “Yes, she actually asked me what I thought she should do with her hair, since I had more expertise in being Royal and all. I told her that it was fine as it was, that if she wanted to let it grow a bit or get a different haircut she was welcome to and that I'd gladly help her choose one… I didn't know at the time she planned on something this extreme and to make matters worse, I'm certain she used Maleficent's spell-book to do it.” She was also worried about the young fairy’s behavior as of late. She seemed too desperate to fit into some ridiculous ideal of a princesse.
Beside her, Adam nodded, it was as he feared, Mal was slowly going into the deep end, he just hoped they could still help her, “I worry about them… I just can't help but wonder if we are doing enough for them.”
Belle turned to look at her husband and what she saw worried her. Now that Adam was sitting up close, Belle could tell by the pinched look on his face and the bags under his eyes that he had yet to sleep at all. This did not sit well with the former Reine as she knew that the poor man barely slept at all and when he did, his dreams were often plagued by nightmares, many from his own past, but now, many in fear of the future and because of the guilt he felt about his actions regarding the life of the VKs. Even if they honestly had never expected much less were prepared for the possibility of villains ever having children, they definitely should have handled it better. It was this reason why she knew that he was correct, they probably were not doing enough to help the children, but could they do everything needed to help them? She felt they were already carrying a bigger load than they could handle. Maybe they could get some of the other Heroes to help? That idea could have some potential. Nonetheless, for now, they would figure it out as they went.
“Maybe, however, it will all be alright, just sleep now, okay?” She whispered back as she scooted over on the large hospital bed, allowing Adam to lay beside her. Now that he had given himself a moment to relax, Adam felt his exhaustion overwhelm him. He simply laid beside his wife, his arm around her waist, his head by her stomach. In her position against the headboard of the bed, Belle sat up straighter before placing the arm that was not holding Amy around Adam's shoulder, her fingers playing in his hair, helping ease him to sleep. As her fingers threaded through the soft curls and looked at the bald head of the baby in her arms, Belle couldn't help but hope that Amy would also inherit the dark curls she loved so much.
Softly, in the lounge of Belle’s hospital suite, Ben moved towards the sofa in which his petite amie laid. Her even breaths and soft snores soothing his wearied spirit and mind. The young Roi was exhausted and terrified but also happy and ecstatic at the day’s results. Furthermore, he was grateful to his petite amie, not only for staying there with him, but for clearly caring so much for his mother as to worry about her well-being and that of his baby sister. That thought suddenly froze him in his place, he was a big brother now. Yes, he did have the VKs, but only Carlos was younger than him, and even then only by a couple of years. He did act like a role model to all of his new siblings, as they were not accustomed to the way things worked in Auradon, but now he finally had a baby sibling he could play with and spoil and be protective of. Not that he wasn't the same way about the VKs, his petite amie especially, when it came to the last two things. However, Ben remained a bit shell-shocked at the surreal feeling of having yet another sibling added to the growing family after so many years of being an only child, and so he moved to sit down by the sofa in which Mal laid, moving his focus onto her so as to allow his mind to focus on the present. After a few minutes of staring at her, he calmed down enough to think more clearly but couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the sight in front of him. Softly, he reached to thread his fingers through her soft hair. He really didn't understand why she felt she needed to change it, to him it was lovely either way and he honestly kind of missed the bright purple that was so her, even if she'd only changed her hair a couple of days ago. Unbeknownst to him, his actions woke up Mal.
Stirring under his soft caress, Mal half-opened her eyes to look at Ben.
“Ben, est tu bien?” She asked softly, sleep still in her voice.
“Oh, sorry, didn't mean to wake you Mal. Everything’s fine, maman’s just feeding Amy right now.” Ben whispered apologetically.
“Why don’t you just go back to sleep?” He continued, knowing that Mal was one of the two resident insomniacs at Château Bête, his père being the other one and clearly, and they'd both lived up to it today.
“Ok, but only if you go to sleep too,” she murmured softly while moving to make space on the sofa for Ben, the exhaustion of days of fitful to no sleep resonating in her voice.
“I will as soon as maman finishes feeding Amy, I promise,” he whispered softly back as he laid beside her, his arms wrapped around her waist.
“Okay,” Mal replied, half asleep already.
Ben smiled and kissed her forehead softly as he closed his own tired eyes, “Bonne nuit, mon amour.”
The strange quietness of the night, like that of the calm before the storm, eased both exhausted teens into sleep as it had done with their parents minutes ago.