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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐘

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After Rylee, Harry, and Uma helped Mal get Audrey back to her dorm room, the princess sat between Pete and Harry on one of the couches. Morgan, Robbie, and Gil sat across from them while Jay and Carlos stood nearby. On the other side of the room, Mal and Evie sat beside Audrey's bed while Ban paced back and forth in the middle of the room. Celia, Doug, and Jane sat on the bay window as they watched the scene in front of them while Uma stood with her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned back against the wall. All of them were waiting for the Rose girl to wake up, but none of them knew how to help her.

The Fitzherbert girl watched the worried King of Auradon for another moment before her attention landed on Carlos and Jay. The two boys were looking at the floor and avoiding eye contact with everyone surrounding them. As she stared at their blank faces, the guilt of hiding everything from them returned. It wasn't long after that when Rylee looked over at Morgan, only to find her looking back at her with the same guilty look on her face.

"Hey," the blonde princess called out to them in a voice just loud enough for them to hear. That forced both Jay and Carlos to look away from the floor beneath their feet before their eyes met hers. The three of them just stared at each other for a long moment before Rylee found the courage to continue speaking. "We're really sorry for not telling you about the barrier. We should've told you guys from the beginning."

"We messed up," Morgan added before letting out a long sigh while Robbie placed a comforting hand on her knee, "is there anything we can do to make it up to the three of you?"

Jay and Carlos continued to stare at them for a long silent moment, making a wave of anxiety wash over Rylee. It wasn't long after that when the two boys exchanged a look as their bodies visibly relaxed. Small chuckles erupted from them before they grabbed the princess' wrists and forced them to their feet. The next thing the girls knew, they were being pulled into a small group hug.

"Does this mean we're good?" the redheaded girl asked while the boys continued to crush them in a bear hug.

"We're good," the son of Jafar announced after he and Carlos released them from their grasp, "but if you still feel bad, I wouldn't mind some new Tourney gear."

"Oh, and one of those cool chocolate fountains they always have at Family Day," Carlos said while his eyes filled with joy as he thought back to the dessert dispenser used at all the events at Auradon Prep, "that would be a great addition to Evie's cottage."

"We'll see what we can do. Speaking of Evie, we should probably get her some more fabric from Agrabah the next time we go to visit Aziz. She really liked the ones Jasmine gave us last time," Rylee told Morgan, who simply nodded in response. It wasn't long after that when the Macintosh girl interlocked her hand with Robbie's and turned her attention back to the situation at hand.

A small smile appeared on the Fitzherbert girl's face as she looked back to where Audrey lay, only for her eyes to land on Harry. The son of Captain Hook sat quietly next to her as he examined his hook, not paying much attention to the world around him. An emotion Rylee couldn't quite describe washed over her as she watched the boy next to her. She let another moment pass before gently nudging his arm with her elbow, causing him to look up at her. The two of them just stared at each other in silence until Rylee asked the question floating around in her head. "Are we good?"

The pirate's eyes studied her for what felt like an eternity while his lips stayed sealed shut. But it wasn't long after that when a small smile began to form on his face before placing his arm around her shoulders. "I think we're good."

Before Rylee had a chance to respond, their attention was drawn to Mal after she let out a long sigh. Uncertainty settled on the purple-haired girl's features as she looked around at those surrounding her, as if trying to decide if she wanted to tell them what was going on inside her head. After letting silence fill the room for another moment, a long sigh passed over Mal's lips before finally opening her mouth to speak. "There's only one person in the world who might be able to do something about this, and that's Hades."

"Hades?" Ben questioned with disbelief in his voice as he stared down at the girl who was going to rule Auradon alongside him, "he wouldn't do it. I wouldn't risk it."

"Actually, he might do it for me," Mal retaliated, causing Evie to look up at her best friend with a hint of shock in her eyes. Confusion flowed through Rylee's veins as she looked up at Jay and Carlos, only to find them just as lost as she was. It wasn't long after that when the blonde princess looked back over at the daughter of Maleficent right as she continued speaking. "He's my father."

A shocked silence filled the room as everyone stared at Mal. Even if someone dared to respond, no one knew what to say. That lasted for another moment before Ben cleared his throat and opened his mouth to respond. "Well, I'll have to send guards to get him."

"Maybe I can hitch a ride," Uma said, drawing all attention to her before everyone got to their feet to be closer to the conversation taking place, "the Isle is my home. Someone needs to be there to protect it."

After she fully took in the pirate princess' words, Rylee looked over at Harry. The son of Captain Hook was already staring back at her, taking in every inch of her face. It wasn't long after that when a sad smile appeared on his lips, instantly telling the princess his plans. The Fitzherbert girl was surprised when she found herself returning his smile before sending him a small nod. Even though she didn't agree with his choice, she understood why he wanted to return to the Isle. Like Uma said, it was their home.

"Well, then," Harry sighed after breaking eye contact with Rylee before he and Gil placed their hands on Uma's shoulders, "you'll need your crew by your side."

"The Isle will be in very good hands," Mal announced, causing the pirates to send her large smiles in response.

"Can I go, too?" Celia spoke up after putting down the pillow that was in her lap and moving to stand beside Jay and Carlos. She kept her eyes glued to the purple-haired girl for a moment before she continued speaking. "I wish I could be in both places."

After staring at the younger girl for a long moment, Mal sent her a small nod in response to her request. A small sigh passed over her lips as the future Queen of Auradon slowly got to her feet and turned her attention toward Uma. "I really think that Evie and Morgan were right. And I do think we could've been friends. And I'm really sorry that I lied to all of you guys and asked Morgan and Rylee to not tell you anything. You deserved so much better than that."

"You were just trying to do the right thing," Jay responded while smiling at the three girls.

Everyone's attention soon landed on Evie, who had been silently sitting in her chair this entire time. It wasn't long after that when she slowly got to her feet and turned toward her best friend. The two girls just stared at each other for a long moment with no emotion in their eyes. That lasted for what felt like an eternity before the daughter of the Evil Queen let a small breath pass over her lips. "I get it."

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Guards traveled back to the Isle the following morning to drop off the VKs wanting to return and pick up the former god of the Underworld. Everyone sat in Audrey's room as they waited for them to return with Hades. Rylee and Morgan sat on the couches with Pete, Robbie, Evie, Jay, and Carlos while Mal and Ben stood near Audrey's bed with Adam, Belle, Fairy Godmother, and Leah. Silence was the only thing that filled the room for what felt like an eternity until it was broken by tires screeching in the distance, signaling the arrival of their guest.

Tension mixed with the silence in the dorm room as Robbie took Morgan's hand into his own while Jay, Carlos, and Pete's bodies tensed. It wasn't long before they heard the sound of approaching footsteps making their way down the hall. Rylee soon found herself looking over at Evie, who seemed to be the calmest out of all of them. She was simply sitting on the couch across from the princess with a blank expression on her face. Just as the Fitzherbert girl was about to ask her one of the many questions bouncing around in her head, there was a gentle knock on the door. Everyone in the room froze before Adam walked across the room to open the door, revealing Hades surrounded by a dozen guards.

The former King of Auradon studied the blue-haired man for a moment before stepping aside, allowing Mal to approach her father. The two of them just stared at each other in silence until the daughter of Maleficent opened her mouth to speak. "Thank you for coming."

Hades couldn't help but scoff at his daughter's words. "Didn't have much of a choice."

"Can you wake her?" Ben asked as he hesitantly approached the former god of the Underworld before stopping right behind his fiancée.

"Since when do heroes care about villains?" Hades retaliated as he studied the young king in front of him.

"She's..."

"One of your own," the blue-haired man finished the Beast boy's statement before letting out a chuckle. It wasn't long after that when a condescending smile made its way onto his lips. "When you guys try to destroy the world or aid in kidnapping the king." Hades paused as he looked over at the princesses sitting on the couch, causing their blood to run cold. He just studied them for a long moment before simply shrugging and turning his attention back to Ben. "It's an error in judgment. But when it's one of us...lock them up and throw away the key. Right, Beast?"

After looking over at a very annoyed-looking Adam, Hades lifted his hands in the air. His actions caused the guards to tighten their grip on his wrists while Mal took a step away from her father. The former god of the Underworld looked around the room with boredom in his eyes before this attention landed back on his daughter. "Yeah. I'm gonna need to use my hands."

Everyone's attention soon landed on Ben, who was staring at Mal as he processed Hades' words. It wasn't long after that when he slowly nodded his head at the men surrounding the blue-haired man. The next thing anyone knew, the guards stepped forward to unlock the handcuffs around the former god's wrists before stepping back in line. Hades shook his arms out while keeping his eyes glued to his daughter. Only a second went by before he held his hand out to her, waiting for Mal to return his prized possession. The future Queen of Auradon studied her father for a moment before placing the ember in his hand. The magic coursed through Hades' veins, causing him to shiver before his hair became engulfed in blue flames.

"Haven't lost my touch," the former god of the Underworld announced with a cocky grin on his face. It wasn't long after that when he stepped forward to stand in front of Adam. Shock coursed through Rylee's veins when she heard the inhuman sounds coming from both the men as they had a staredown. That lasted for another moment before Mal cut their exchange short by calling out to her father. Hades simply shrugged in response before walking over to stand at the foot of Audrey's bed.

Everyone watched as Hades circled the hand gripping the stone over Audrey, causing blue light to appear out of nowhere and cover the room. He repeated this a few more times before standing up to his full height once again. Not even a second after that passed when the light disappeared and the daughter of Sleeping Beauty sat up in her bed. Shocked gasps broke the silence that filled the room as the young heroes stared at Audrey, relieved that she was finally back to her normal self. Rylee was the only one who seemed to catch Belle, Adam, and Fairy Godmother staring at Hades with stunned looks on their faces, but she quickly looked back over at Audrey before she was caught.

"Tell me it was all a bad dream," the pink and blue-haired girl whispered just loud enough for them to hear after her eyes landed on Ben.

"I wish I could. But it's over now," the Beast boy responded before hesitantly looking over to Hades, who rolled his eyes and scoffed at him.

Audrey stared at the blue-haired man for a moment before moving to the foot of the bed to be closer to Mal. Her eyes began to fill with tears as the two of them stared at each other in silence. It wasn't long before the daughter of Sleeping Beauty broke the silence and opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to hurt you both," Audrey whispered just loud enough for them to hear as her eyes scanned over Ben and Mal before landing on everyone else in the room, "I wanted to hurt all of you."

Once the girl finished looking at everyone in the room, Mal stepped forward and took Audrey's hand into her own. The two of them had an inaudible conversation before both Ben and Leah added their words to it. But the second their private conversation ended, Adam gestured to the guards behind him, causing Hades to let out another scoff. It wasn't long after that when the men stepped forward and returned the handcuffs to the former god of the Underworld's wrists. The guards checked him over to make sure they were secured before escorting Hades out of the room. Only a second after that passed when Mal followed after them.

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