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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟎
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐌 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄

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Rylee woke up the next morning to find herself buried under the covers of her bed. A small smile appeared on her face when she saw Ruby sound asleep next to her before she looked over to see Morgan and Roland as still as stones. The only movement from the duo was the slow rising and falling of their chests. Her eyes then travel around the room to see everything from last night cleaned up and everyone else gone. The smile on the Fitzherbert girl's face doubled in size as she made a mental note to thank everyone.

A large yawn soon escaped her before she rolled over. Just as she closed her eyes to go back to sleep, Rylee remembered what day it was. Her eyes soon snapped back open and she sat up so fast that Ruby almost fell off the bed.

"What's going on?" the youngest of the Fitzherberts asked through a yawn while rubbing her hands over her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up.

"We gotta get ready. We're already running late," Rylee told her before she grabbed one of her pillows and threw it at the Macintosh siblings, waking them both to wake up before they sent her matching glares, "get up. Get dressed. We only have thirty minutes."

"But it's Sunday," the younger Macintosh whined as he flopped back down on the mattress and placed the pillow Rylee threw at them over his head.

"Exactly. Sunday. Which means..."

Roland continued to grumble into the pillow while Morgan continued to stare at her best friend in confusion. It wasn't long before the redheaded girl's eyes widened in realization as a giant grin appeared on her face. "Family Day!"

Those two words fully woke up the younger teens before everyone got to their feet. Roland instantly picked up his bag before he sprinted out of their dorm and toward Elliot's, leaving the three girls to get ready for the day.

As soon as the door closed behind the youngest Macintosh, Rylee locked the door and rushed to her closet. She dug through her clothes until she finally found what she was looking for. A small smile formed on her face as she pulled out a plain purple floral sundress that stopped mid-thigh and a white belt to go around her waist. When she finished changing into her outfit for the day, the Fitzherbert girl quickly brushed out her hair and put it into a braid. Rylee then slipped on a pair of white Vans then turned around to find Morgan and Ruby ready to go.

The three girls raced out of the room and through the halls of Auradon Prep, bumping into a few of their classmates along the way. They didn't hesitate to sprint down the staircase that led to the lobby before Rylee almost slammed into someone at the bottom of the stairs. After she regained her bearings, the Fitzherbert girl looked up to find her brother smirking down at her. "If you want, I can get you a watch for your birthday. Maybe then you'll show up on time without almost falling down the stairs."

"You and I both know that a watch won't help my punctuality," Rylee responded, only to receive a playful eye roll from Elliot in response.

After letting out another laugh, the eldest Fitzherbert sibling linked his arms with his sisters while Roland did the same with Morgan. The boys then escorted the three girls out to the gardens at the back of the school where Family Day was taking place.

"Are mom and dad here yet?" Rylee asked as soon as the crowd in the distance came into view.

"They got here like five minutes ago with our parents," Roland answered before the boys pulled them toward where their parents waited for them, "we told them we'd grab you guys and meet them out there."

"How did you get ready so quickly anyway?" Morgan questioned her brother as she scanned him up and down in search of an imperfection. When she didn't find anything, her eyes met Roland's once again before she raised an eyebrow at him. "You had just as much time as we did and you usually take longer to get ready than I do."

"I'm just that good, Mo," the brunette boy responded with a smirk before a hint of mischief formed in his eyes, "maybe I can teach you a thing or two someday."

Morgan playfully shoved her younger brother in response before they finally made it to the gardens, where numerous families are socializing. When the group of five eventually finished weaving through the crowd of Auradonians, Rylee's eyes landed on her parents standing near some sunflowers talking with Merida and Ryan Macintosh. Smiles appeared on Rylee and Morgan's faces before they let go of their brothers' arms and rushed toward their parents. As soon as they reached the group of adults, the two girls pulled them into bone-crushing hugs while their laughter filled the air around them.

"I missed you guys so much," Rylee told her parents as they ended their hug while Morgan began to have a conversation with her parents a few feet away.

"We missed you too," Eugene responded then he gently placed a kiss on the top of his daughter's head.

"How has everything been?" Rapunzel asked after managing to pull Rylee out of her husband's grasp to give her another hug, "I bet you've been pretty busy this year with Tourney and being one of Ben's Advisors."

"It's been pretty hectic," the Fitzherbert girl admitted as she thought back to everything that has happened at Auradon Prep so far this year, "but nothing too out of the ordinary except for-"

"Are those the new students?" the brunette man interrupted while keeping his eyes glued to something behind his daughter.

Rylee studied her parents for a long moment before turning around and following their gazes. When she saw what they were looking at, she couldn't help but smile. It didn't surprise her when she found Jay and Carlos freaking out over the chocolate fountain. They were acting as if it was the most magical thing in the world, which to them it probably was. Standing a few feet away from the pair of boys was Evie with Dude in her arms. It didn't take a genius to tell that she was analyzing everyone's outfits to help her plan her future designs.

"They sure are. The boys sticking their tongues in the fountain are Jay and Carlos. They both recently joined the Tourney team. Jay's really good and Carlos...well, Carlos is getting there," Rylee explained, completely unaware of the growing grin on her face as she talked about her friends from the Isle, "and the girl holding Dude is Evie. She's super smart and loves designing her own clothes. She actually offered to design mine and Morgan's dresses for Ben's Coronation! There's also another girl named Mal but she's probably off with Ben and his parents."

After Rylee explained almost everything about the four from the Isle, she turned her attention away from Evie, Jay, and Carlos and back to her family. The first thing she noticed was her parents staring at them with a hint of curiosity on their faces. "Did you guys wanna meet them?"

As soon as they hear their daughter's question, Rapunzel and Eugene's smiles grew even larger than before and they quickly nodded. Rylee let out a small laugh at their actions then turned around and walked over to where three of the four kids from the Isle gathered while Elliot had a proper reunion with their parents. Once the princess got closer to the trio, Evie, Jay, and Carlos turned their attention toward her with a hint of confusion in their eyes.

"Why aren't you with your family?" Evie asked the question they were all thinking as she adjusted her grip around Dude.

"Did you come to try the chocolate?" Jay offered as he gestured toward the fountain behind them, "Carlos and I claimed it but we'll happily share it with you, Goldilocks."

"Speak for yourself," Carlos mumbled before he stuck his finger in the chocolate and placed it in his mouth.

"Actually, my parents wanna meet you guys," Rylee told them after stifling a laugh at Carlos' actions before she watched their confused expressions transform into worried ones. The Fitzherbert girl was now the lost one as she just stared at them for a moment before she figured out the reason for their sudden mood change. Rylee couldn't help but laugh, which only worried them more. It wasn't long after that when the princess calmed herself down enough to continue their conversation. "Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. My dad used to be a thief and my mom blackmailed him to get her way. The only other royals who match their...uniqueness are Morgan's parents."

The only response Rylee received from the trio was forced smiles but they didn't move an inch. After letting out a small sigh, the blonde girl grabbed the boys' wrists and practically dragged them toward hers and Morgan's parents while Evie followed behind them. The four adults instantly greeted the teens with warm smiles before they introduced themselves and began talking with the three from the Isle.

Rylee watched her father and uncle from a short distance away as they talked to Jay and Carlos about Tourney. Not too far from them stood her mother and aunt discussing how Evie liked it in Auradon so far. It wasn't long before their conversation turned to the dress that the blue-haired girl made. It didn't take a genius to see that her family made Evie, Jay, and Carlos feel more welcome than most of the students at Auradon Prep. The only other time Rylee had seen the teens from the Isle this relaxed was last night during their movie night.

"They look happy," Elliot stated after he, Morgan, Ruby, and Roland walked over to stand next to her to watch the scene unfold in front of them.

"Our parents seem to always have that effect on people," Morgan added with a smirk as she watched Eugene and Ryan place their arms around Jay's and Carlos' shoulders.

"How much do you wanna bet that they'll invite them to spend the holidays with us?" Rylee heard Roland whisper to Ruby after they saw Rapunzel and Merida pull Evie in for a hug.

"There is no way I'm taking that bet," Ruby playfully scoffed before crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against her best friend, "I think it's pretty certain that they will."

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