If Mal had learned one thing from her time on the Isle of the Lost, it was to be observant. So after Audrey left, Mal kept a very close eye on the way the wind was blowing. Students all around her were starting to whisper about how what had happened. What she hadn't been prepared for was when Ben appeared. His face was contorted with barely controlled rage and everybody could see it. Students moved off to the side and quieted down as he passed. Mal watched as he made his way toward the Tourney Field, then she listened to whispers that followed. All the students seemed to be chatting about some kind of argument between Ben and Audrey.

While Mal didn't normally care about such things as squabbles between lovers, she did recognize a power play to be made. If she could get control of Ben, she would have Auradon in the palm of her hand when the barrier around the Isle fell.

Jay could see the look on Mal's face even before she rose from her seat. It was a look any VK would recognize. There was a power play to be made and Mal was going for it. Jay had heard the whispers too, but he feigned ignorance when Mal took off after Ben and when one of Lonnie friends came to her about the fight between Ben and Audrey in the cafeteria. Jay knew exactly what was going down and couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Mal followed Ben as closely as she dared too. The Tourney Field was mostly empty aside from a couple of students studying in the bleachers, but she decided to it would still be best to go around the outside of the field instead. She watched as Ben crossed the field and went down a path in the trees that was across the field from the school grounds. She rushed to the path entrance the moment she lost sight of him to keep from losing him altogether.

The path was quiet save for the birds and woodland creatures that could be heard moving about. Mal thanked her lucky stars that Ben's suit was bright blue and yellow, causing it to stand out from the surrounding foliage. She watched the boy briskly make his way down the path, trying her best not to let him catch her. One of the key elements of power play is that the other person thinks everything is accidental and genuine. Otherwise, they get suspicious right away. Of course, she wasn't sure how that logic would hold up in Auradon, but she didn't have time to second guess herself now.

The trip took ten minutes, a wooden bridge, and two side paths to finish, but when Ben finally stopped walking; Mal was genuinely surprised at their surroundings. It was a river that cut through the forest. It was calm, peaceful, and surrounded by forest. It was fed by a small waterfall and went out of sight, calm and flat the whole way. The water was so clear that she could see all the plants. At the edge of the river, Prince Ben stood, surrounded by ancient pillars, the ruins of some unknown building from the past. Mal was so taken by the sight that she almost forgot that she hated this kind of beauty in the world.

But the next second reminded her why she had found this site. Ben's voice tore through the peace and tranquility like it was paper, sending the hidden woodland creatures scattering. He roared, yelled, and screamed out in anger. He ran his hands through his hair, threw rocks into the water, and even hit the pillars a couple of times with his bare hands. Mal knew Ben was expressive, but she never realized that the guy could be angry. She watched as Ben burned off his anger and then sat down on the ground, staring across the river. Mal decided it was safe to move in and make her play.

While Ben's fury had subsided, his confusion and annoyance over everything had not. He knew why Audrey was doing what she was doing, but it didn't make things any easier for him. He had thought that bringing the children of villains to Auradon would lead to an understanding between the two people, but the only results had been a couple of small victories shrouded by continuous trouble. He had been forced to all but bribe Carlos out of his shell and had made even less progress with the rest of the VK's. On top of that, the kids had been caught trying to steal Fairy Godmother's Wand. Ben was beginning to wonder if maybe, just maybe, everyone in Auradon had been right about the villains.

"So it is all an act," Mal observed, causing Ben to jump up and turn in surprise. He rubbed the back of his neck and his smile returned.

"Mal, what are you doing here?" Ben asked, curiosity overpowering his earlier thoughts.

"I was exploring the woods when I heard you. Were you roaring?" Mal teased, trying to keep things calm and natural. She leaned against a tree and crossed her arms, smiling at the prince's surprise.

"Um, yeah. Family trait."

"Apparently you got your father's temper too." Mal walked to the edge of the river, pretending to admire the view. "Nice place you got here. So is this your secret hideaway?"

"Yeah. My father says it is inappropriate for royalty to show too much negative emotion in public." Ben explained, stepping up beside Mal to look at the river.

"He would know better than anyone," Mal replied, sitting down at the edge of the river.

"Can't argue with that." Ben took a seat next to Mal. Something about Mal's presence was calming, like the rest of the world began to fade away.

"So want to talk about it? Or are we just going to sit here and pretend you are still the prince everyone else gets to see?" Mal knew that in order to complete the power play, she needed to get to the heart of the matter quickly. She mentally denied the part of her conscience that truly cared about Ben's problems.

"Oh, uh, let's just say that my first royal decree has hit a few road bumps." Ben's smile faltered as his troubles returned to the spotlight.

"Let me guess; this has something to do with Audrey coming up to me during lunch and telling me to stay away from you."

"I am sorry she did that. You see, she was there when Carlos told me about your plot to steal the wand. She didn't agree with my decree in the first place and you guys' actions have reinforced her thinking. She wants the four of you expelled and things to go back to the way they were."

"It sounds to me like all your problems would just go away if you sent us back, so why don't you?"

"Because despite its looks, Auradon isn't perfect. Even with the villains banished to the Isle of the Lost, Auradon still faces trouble. Many of the Sidekicks and Non-Royals have been getting overlooked and overworked by the Royal families of Auradon. My peers are ignorant of the growing divide between them and everyone else. And on top of all of that, there is an entire generation of children on the Isle of the Lost who are being punished for crimes they never committed. They despise us here in Auradon for what we have done to them and I can't say that I blame them."

"So, you are trying to create a true Utopia. No wonder you're stressed." Mal threw a rock into the water, watching the ripples travel across the smooth surface.

Ben laughed at the thought.

"I guess I am. You got any ideas?"

"Yeah, don't." Mal picked up another rock and threw it. Her mouth and thoughts took over any all ideas of why she was there. "It's impossible to create a perfect world. If it were possible, you wouldn't even need the Isle of the Lost in the first place. The whole point of Fairy Godmother and your parents put up the barrier were so that you Royals could live in a perfect world and look how well that is working out for you."

"So what would you suggest we do with the villains of the world? Let them roam free?" Ben's voice held no anger or sarcasm but was instead filled with curiosity. Mal was surprised, to say the least.

Part of her wanted to tell Ben that was exactly what he should do, but her thoughts returned to her current goal. She couldn't afford for Ben to become suspicious of her motive just yet.

"I'm not sure. I just know that there is no way to create a world where no one gets hurt." Having lost her interest in throwing rocks, she turned back to Ben.

"That may be true, but I have to try. It is my duty as king. I must ensure the safety and happiness of all of my subjects, even those on the Isle of the Lost." Ben rose as he spoke, spirit and hope filling his eyes as he thought about the future.

"I think I liked you more when you were roaring," Mal smirked as she made her way back toward the path.

"So you do care?" Ben asked. Mal stopped in her tracks at the question. She was glad that her back was to Ben because the question caused her to blush. She wasn't sure why she couldn't stop herself from having feelings for Prince Ben, but it was important that she get her feelings under control. True villains didn't love or care about people. They kept their eyes on the prize in case someone else tried to steal it first.

"You can think whatever you like. Just remember that your stupid decree brought me here." Mal tried to walk away again but was stopped as Ben grabbed her hand.

"Please don't go. I don't have anyone else to talk to about this whole thing." Mal turned to see a pleading look in Ben's eyes that she couldn't ignore. Her thoughts screamed at her to leave Ben here alone and head back to the school. She knew if she stayed that things would get confusing quickly. She knew she needed to leave.

"You know, I would totally love too, but we got to get back to the school before the next class starts. Otherwise, you are going to be in even more trouble," Mal replied, proud of her own deceit.

Ben pulled out his phone and checked the time. Sure enough, there was just enough time to get to his next class before it started. He dusted himself off, grabbed Mal's hand, and took off for the school. For the first time since arriving at the school, Mal was having fun as she and Ben raced against the clock to get back to school on time.

While Mal and Ben had been chatting in the forest, Audrey had gone to find Chad at the Tourney Field where he was hanging out with some of his fangirls. When Chad had seen Audrey's face, he knew something wasn't right. He politely asked his fans to excuse him and he met up with Audrey. Audrey had just finished explaining things to him and they were making their way back to the school when they saw Ben and Mal come racing out of the forest path, holding hands and smiling. Ben and Mal didn't even notice them as they raced for the school. Audrey fixed Mal with a glare and turned to Chad.

"You see! Not even an hour since my boyfriend ditched me and already she is moving in on him. Those villains are going to turn the entire school into their playground if we don't put them in their place. We Royals are in charge here and those villains are only here because of our goodwill. We, as the Royals of Auradon, need to put things back in order before the villains take over." Audrey spoke in an even tone, but the threat and malice in her voice were clear. Chad nodded.

"You're right. The villains were kicked out of Auradon once, we can do it again. Especially that Jay kid. He needs to be taught a lesson." Chad grimaced as he remembered how Jay had humiliated him at the Tourney Practice.

"But first," Audrey declared, trying to regain Chad's attention, "We need to get some help."

"I can think of some people who would be very glad to help out." Chad grinned as he spoke. Audrey looked towards the school. She couldn't wait to reap her vengeance against the villains for all the trouble they had caused her.