Once they'd all arrived back in Auradon, Ben had been whisked away by Jane in preparations for the Royal Cotilion before he'd had a chance to sit down and talk to Ruby properly. Ruby would be lying if she said that she wasn't somewhat relieved. Having to break up and say goodbye to Ben once was hard enough as it was, she didn't feel the need to go for round two. Especially not after how vulnerable she'd just been with him in the car.

Evie grabbed onto both girls, ready to whisk them away, but Carlos wasn't having it, "No."

Ruby's lips twitched with a proud smile. After growing up with a mother like Cruella, Carlos had always had a hard time putting his foot down and saying no, but here he was, doing exactly that.

Ricky, Rachelle and Lonnie shared a look, feeling uncomfortable, "Yeah, I'm going return the swords. Rachelle, Ricky, wanna help?"

"Definitely," Rachelle rushed to take half and practically sprinted from the scene. Though not without first pressing a sweet kiss to Mal's cheek, which turned a light pink. Ricky shrugged, squeezed Ruby's shoulder, and followed after the two girls.

"No?" Evie repeated, raising a surprised eyebrow at Carlos.

"You guys are always going off in a huddle, whispering your girl-talk stuff or whatever, and Jay and I are tired of it."

Jay immediately shook his head, "I'm not."

Carlos just shot him a look and turned back to the girls, "We're your family too. We've been through a lot. Together. I'm not stopping that now. Okay? Everyone, sit." Carlos sat down on the grass and at the hesitant looks he received he prompted, "Come on."

The other three did as told, but Ruby raised an eyebrow, "If you think I'm sitting down in the grass, you—"

Jay had grabbed her hand and tugged her down into his lap, "There. Who said anything about grass?" He smirked. Ruby elbowed his stomach and got off his lap, sitting down in the grass like the others, who chuckled at the interaction. Ruby had been quiet since she'd woken up in the car, so it was good to see her coming out of her shell again a bit more.

"I don't know how to start girl talk." Carlos commented dryly when everyone kept quiet. Ruby snorted at that. He looked towards Jay, who though for a solid second before saying,

"What up?"

Evie chuckled quietly and Ruby just rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder. Mal, on the other hand, took a breath and decided it was time to open up to all of them, "Well, I'm a mess. I'm such a mess. I mean, nine months ago, I was, you know, stealing candy from babies, and now, everybody expects me to be this perfect good girl from Auradon, and I have no idea how to keep up the act. I mean, if I so much as breath the wrong way, they think I'm my mother but the pressure of being something I'm not it's... It's killing me."

"Then stop trying to be someone you're not," Carlos advised.

"See, this was dumb." Jay was already getting ready to get up, and Ruby was more than ready to follow because she did not want to talk about her issues.

"Maybe it wasn't." Evie stopped them in their tracks. She grabbed onto Mal's hand and looked around their little group of misfits. "We're always gonna be the kids from the Isle. I tried to forget it, I really tried, but those are our roots. And we all did what we had to do to survive, but it made us who we are. And we're never gonna be like anybody else here. And that's okay. That's okay."

"And we can't fake it," Carlos agreed. He then looked at Mal. "Mal, Rachelle knows who you really are, and she loves you for it. We all do. Don't try to change because some princes and princesses have their head stuck up their asses."

Mal snorted out a laugh and nodded, "I suppose."

Silence settled over the group and Ruby thought this was the perfect opportunity to make her escape. She pushed herself up a bit and said, "Well, this was lovely. Great chat." But just as she was halfway to her feet, Jay had once again pulled her down, earning him a glare.

"Nuh-uh. Talk."

"Nothing to talk about." Ruby stubbornly shook her head. She had enough of her secrets revealed and she did not feel like she had to talk much more. Between telling her friends about the scars on her neck and them seeing the effect magic had on her, she really did not feel like divulging much more in how much she struggled. She felt weak enough as it was.

Carlos disagreed, "Rubes, you practically passed out when we crossed the barrier and you regained your magic. We all saw the footage with those reporters, it's everywhere." Ruby winced at that but Carlos continued, "Why didn't you tell us? We could've helped."

"How?!" Ruby snapped. At Carlos' shocked look, she averted her eyes down to her lap and shook her head, "Sorry." She took a breath, knowing Jay would just pull her down again if she tried to leave. They weren't moving from there until she talked and after seeing the determined looks on their faces, she knew there really was no way around it.

A hand grabbed onto hers and squeezed it reassuringly. She looked up to meet the dark brown eyes of Jay as he gave her an encouraging nod. Ruby swallowed and nodded back. She kept holding onto Jay's hand and he didn't let go either as she finally opened up.

"Have I ever told you the story of how my mother went from the Red Queen to the Queen of Hearts?" Her friends shook their heads like she knew they would. "My mother has always been a bit erratic, even as a child, but she wasn't crazy or ruthless like she is now. Perhaps she wasn't always a good or a kind queen, but she was fair. Fair enough, at least. Then she found her magic. I don't know how or why—like she'd ever tell me—and there's no record of it in any of the history books, whether on the Isle or here in Auradon. One day, she just found out she had magic. Chaos magic. That's where everything changed for her. Her erratic behaviour got worse and she lashed out at everyone and everything that dared defy her. She became a tyrant, began executing people, which she'd never done before. At some point, 'off with their heads'," Ruby couldn't hide her wince at those words, but quickly continued, "it became her favourite phrase. And more often than not, she had the hearts ripped out of her victims and fed them to the Jabberwocky. It's where the name Queen of Hearts comes from.

"She was never fully stable or kind, but she wasn't this. She only truly got derailed when she found out she possessed chaos magic." Ruby looked up from the patch of grass she'd been staring at with unfocussed eyes and looked at her friends. "I didn't tell you, because I hoped it'd pass. I don't know, I just hoped that if I pretended it wasn't there, it'd go away. I don't want to become like my mother."

Evie pulled her in for a tight hug and Ruby tried her best to draw strength from it. She didn't want to cry, but she felt like she might. Her voice was already shaky, betraying her, but she didn't need her eyes to do the same.

"You could never." Evie sounded so sure of her words, but Ruby was doubtful.

"Couldn't I?" She muttered bitterly into her shoulder. Her mind immediately went back to all the things she'd done on the Isle. All the times she'd acted exactly like her mother would have. And now she had her magic too, and she'd already proven how dangerous that could be with throwing those reporters back. She was never going to appear in a good light ever again.

Evie pulled back at her words and looked at her with fierce determination. "Of course not. You have something your mother never had."

"And what's that?"

"Us," Evie grinned. "We would never let you go down that road. We'd pull you back."

That drew a genuine smile out of Ruby. "Promise?" She asked, looking around her group of friends. Her family. She felt silly for asking, but she needed this. She needed to know they'd always pull her back if she went down that road.

Carlos smiled and put his fist in the middle, making all of them laugh as they remembered the last time they had, when they'd chosen good over evil. "Promise, Rubes. Always."

Jay and Mal immediately put their fists next to Carlos'.

"Promise."

"Always."

Ruby smiled at them and turned to Evie. Evie pressed a kiss to her forehead and put her fist in the middle. "Of course, Rubes. I promise."

Pushing down the tears as quick as they came, Ruby put her fist in the middle with the others. "Thank you. I love you guys."

The other four immediately cooed at that—Ruby rarely voiced it, showing it through actions instead. "Can you repeat that, so I can record it?" Carlos teased.

"No. Definitely not. You have to do with that one for the next couple of years. Enjoy it," Ruby sniffed dramatically. The five of them burst out in chuckles, the last of the heavy atmosphere dissipating.

Ruby thought that was all of it, but apparently not, because Carlos asked her, "So, what's up with you and Ben?"

"Gosh, you're really not pulling punches today, huh?" Carlos shrugged but didn't take back his question so Ruby blew out and breath and shook her head, "I don't know."

"Do you love him?" Jay asked, which took all of them by surprise.

"Yes." Ruby couldn't deny it. She utterly loved the guy. Ben was caring and kind, but he was also funny and liked to surprise her. He accepted her and looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world, even after he'd found out about her scars. He knew when she needed to talk and when she needed a distraction. He knew her. They'd grown so close to each other in the past couple of months, and Ruby would've been scared of growing attached so quickly to someone if it hadn't been Ben she'd grown attached to. He made it so easy to love him. She could be herself, not the Ruby Princess from the Isle or the perfect princess of Auradon, but just Ruby. Just Ruby was enough for Ben.

And Ben was more than enough for her. Like Ben knew Ruby, Ruby knew Ben. He was charismatic and liked to joke around. He liked playing videogames and never picked up after himself, no matter how much Ruby complained about his clothes lying everywhere in his room. He teased her because he liked it when she got flustered or annoyed. He stole glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. At formal dinners and meetings, he'd hold her hand and have fun, regardless of protocol. If he hadn't been destined to be king, he wished he could've become a teacher or something like it, though he wasn't sure in what subject because he didn't excel enough in any of them in his opinion. When Ruby had, somewhat teasingly, told him he'd be great at Goodness 101, he had actually considered it seriously and mentioned how he actually would've loved to. Ruby could see it, honestly. He was a leader at heart, but most of that came from the fact that he wanted to help people, guide them. He was a great listener, and that's what would make him a fantastic king one day. Ruby wholeheartedly believed that Ben was going to make history.

But for him to reach his potential, he couldn't have someone by his side who he constantly had to worry over. Ruby wanted Ben to do everything he'd ever dreamed of, but she didn't fit into that picture. She'd be an extra worry that he didn't need, a burden, really. She wanted better for Ben. She didn't want for him to constantly have to defend her against the media—which would be inevitable now that she was all over the news with her magic—not when he had so many things that deserved his time and attention much more.

"Then what's the problem?" Jay broke her out of her thoughts. Ruby looked at him like it was obvious, but he genuinely seemed confused. "He clearly loves you. He was heartbroken when you left. He loves you for you, Ruby, and you love him. So, what's the problem?"

Ruby shook her head, "Isn't it obvious?"

"Nope. Tell me."

"If I stay with Ben, I become queen. That's a lot of responsibility and a lot of media and you saw how I was with the media earlier, I snapped. And that was only while I was his girlfriend. Imagine me being Queen of Auradon? Me. I've always been a ticking time bomb, but with magic in the mix? I don't know what I'm capable of anymore. Even now, sitting here with you guys, I feel my magic trying to come out. I have a hard enough time with my self-control as it is, I don't need all that extra attention on me, nor the pressure."

"Ben would help you, you know," Carlos said softly. Ruby looked his way and nodded.

"I know. Believe me, I know. That's the problem. Ben will have his hands full with running a country, but add to that having to constantly worry if I'm doing alright? Constantly having to defend me against those reporters? I can't do that to him. Ben deserves someone who he can rely on, someone who makes it easier, not someone who adds more onto his plate. He's too kind for his own good, he wouldn't break up with me for that, but I couldn't do that to him. I have to let him go." Ruby explained, trying to make them understand. When she saw Carlos nod his head, she thought he finally did.

He gave her a soft smile, "I know you believe that, Ruby, and I know you mean well, but that's not your decision to make."

Ruby blinked. "What?"

Carlos' expression and voice remained gentle as he continued, "Like I told you before in the car, Rubes, you're not a burden. And I know how much you've grown these past few months. I see it, we all do. Nine months ago, you never would've told us any of this. You would've gotten your dagger out already and threatened us to drop it, but you haven't, and I'm—we're so proud of you for that," Carlos corrected when Jay cleared his throat. Evie had grabbed onto her hand and even Mal had sent her a genuine smile to show her they agreed. "But you've got to start letting us help you. Ben will help you in a heartbeat, and that's his decision. We don't get to decide how much we're worth to other people, so, like I said, it's not your decision to make whether Ben spends his time trying to help you. I know you're trying to help, but if this is your only reason for breaking up with him, don't. Give the guy some credit. If he didn't see a future with you or thought it'd be too much, it's up to him to break it off. So, unless you can honestly tell me that being with him doesn't make you happier, then don't break up with him out of fear of what could or couldn't be."

Ruby gave a watery smile, "Hades, when did you become my personal therapist, Carly?" Carlos groaned at the old nickname and the others laughed. Ruby got to her feet—this time without Jay pulling her down—and held a hand out for Carlos to pull him up, since he still had Dude in his lap. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Whether she fully agreed with him, she wasn't sure, but he had made some good points. She wasn't sure if she could just go back to Ben, she wasn't even sure if he'd want to, but Carlos had helped her come to the realization that the least she could do was talk to Ben about this. He was right; Ben was fully capable of making his own decisions, and now with her magic no longer being secret, she could tell him exactly why she'd made the decisions that she had. What would come from that conversation, only time would tell. Unfortunately, Ruby knew this meant she'd have to sit down and talk to Ben properly. As much as she dreaded having a conversation of that kind again, she knew she owed him an explanation at least.

The others had gotten to their feet as well, Mal and Evie going off together—after Evie had told her she had a different idea for her dress—and Jay had gone off to find Lonnie, much to the teasing of his friends.

This left Carlos and Ruby walking back towards the castle together. Ruby had linked her arm through Carlos' silently as they walked. "You know, despite all your great advise, you seem really terrible at following it yourself."

"What do you mean?" Carlos frowned. Ruby smirked.

"I believe Jane still doesn't have a date. Nor do you." She simply raised an eyebrow after that and Carlos knew exactly what she was getting at. He groaned quietly.

"I know. I just... Every time I try to ask her, something comes up."

"You mean you let something come up," Ruby corrected. "Carlos, Jane is wonderful, so go ask her already. The worst she can do is say no, and if that happens than she's not the one. Besides, if you end up alone at Cotillion, I'll personally make sure you won't have a moment without a dance partner."

Carlos chuckled, "Thanks." He took a deep breath and blew it out. "I guess, I should go and ask her right?"

"Well, Cotillion is tonight, so you kinda have to, you procrastinator." Ruby shoved him in the direction Jane had went off in earlier with Ben and Carlos shook his head, raising his hands.

"Alright, alright, I'm going."

"You better."

With that, Carlos walked off with Dude. Ruby shook her head and continued back towards the castle. She was fully prepared to drop onto her bed and sleep until Evie would undoubtedly come knocking to get her ready for Cotillion, but when she reached the main entrance, she spotted a familiar hat.

The boy attached to said hat was looking straight at her, and Ruby remembered him enough to know this wasn't the first time. Now that she took a closer look, she realized that he had red hair peeking out from under his strange top hat and bushy eyebrows. His purple waistcoat was peculiar enough that she knew he didn't much care for current fashion trends. Something about him was familiar though, but she couldn't place it. She knew she'd seen him before, and she knew he'd been watching her a few days back, but she couldn't quite figure out why.

While she'd been taking him in, he'd been watching her just the same, and Ruby was done with the mystery. She approached him with a raised eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"Most people start with 'hello'." He gave her a maddening grin and Ruby rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Most people don't watch me like a stalker."

He laughed and stuck out his hand, "I'm Matt." Ruby took his hand and shook it.

"Stalker like you, I'm sure you know who I am."

"Ruby Hearts, the Red Queen's daughter and technically the heir to Wonderland."

Ruby refrained from correcting him that it was Underland, instead more focussed on the other thing he'd said, "I'm sorry, what? Heir?"

He simply hummed, still grinning. "Of course."

Ruby narrowed her eyes, "Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm Matt. Well, technically Matthew, but I prefer Matt."

"No, really," Ruby wasn't easily distracted and demanded, "Who are you?"

Matt sighed, "Alright, fine. Be a spoilsport. I'm Matthew Hatter, the Mad Hatter's son."

Ruby's eyes widened. She felt so stupid. She really should've known. The stupidly strange hat and that ridiculous waistcoat? Then there was the wild, bushy red hair and those vibrant green eyes. How hadn't she put two and two together? In her defence, she'd been a tad preoccupied lately, but still.

Matt didn't really react to her surprise, instead his grin just grew wider. "Do you wanna see it?"

Just like his father, really. He spoke in riddles. Because of course he did. Ruby narrowed her eyes at him, "See what?"

"Wonderland, of course?"

Ruby drew back, "You're lying. We can visit it?"

"Of course, we can. We're from there. So, what do you say, love?" He held out his hand. "Fancy a trip down the rabbit hole?"

Ruby knew she shouldn't. She had responsibilities and she had Cotillion tonight, but how could she resist? This was a