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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐘

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After a long week of preparing Auradon Prep for its new students, the day to bring them over had finally arrived. Rylee and Morgan couldn't hide their excitement to go with Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Ben to pick up the five chosen kids from the Isle. Gabby had been talking nonstop about all the fun she and Hanna were going to have with Ruby and Roland, who arrived just a few hours ago. They already made plans to show Hanna around and serve her and the other new students a feast full of the best foods in Auradon. Even though it wasn't their job to be on the welcoming committee, Rylee, Ben, and Morgan were grateful to have their younger siblings take the new students under their wings.

While Ruby and Roland were finishing helping Gabby move her things into the dorm she'd be sharing with Ruby and Hanna, their two older siblings made their way to Ben's office. The last week had been extremely stressful and they wanted to ensure the king had everything prepared for his plan that was going to take place before they headed to the Isle. However, the moment they entered his office, Rylee and Morgan wished they got there sooner. Ben was pacing around the room with a worried look on his face and his hands shoved into his pockets, completely oblivious to his Royal Advisors standing in the doorway. After the girls exchanged a look, they walked over to the king and grabbed his arms before forcing him to sit on the couch.

"What was that for?" Ben questioned while he looked between his best friends standing in front of him with wide eyes.

"If you don't calm down, you're gonna give everything away," Morgan told him as her attention turned to the purple-haired girl outside on the balcony.

"She's right, Beasty. Mal is pretty perceptive," Rylee added before Ben got to his feet to stand between her and Morgan, "if she senses you're nervous about something, she might think you're having second thoughts about bringing more kids over."

While the Macintosh girl continued to try and get Ben to relax, the blonde princess walked toward the closet to grab one of his suit coats. Just as she opened the door, a certain curly-haired blonde came tumbling out. The three of them just stared at the boy on the floor as he slowly looked up at them with a forced smile on his face.

"What were you doing in there, Chad?" the Fitzherbert girl questioned with her arms crossed over her chest as the son of Cinderella got to his feet, "were you eavesdropping on us again?"

"Hey, guys. Didn't expect to see you here," Chad said with an innocent look on his face, only to receive three unamused looks in return, "you know what, I'm gonna pretend I got a super important text and go somewhere that's not here. So...bye."

Before any of them could say another word, the blonde-haired boy booked it out of Ben's office and down the hall. Rylee sent a confused look her best friends' way before she grabbed Ben's coat and tossed it to the king.

"That boy desperately wants to be your third advisor," Morgan scoffed while trying to hide the smile trying to form on her face as Ben put on his royal blue coat, "too bad he's the least trustworthy student in all of Auradon."

Their laughter soon filled the air before Ben's attention turned back to the balcony where Mal stood. The Beast boy sent his two friends one last smile then he turned around and walked outside to join the daughter of Maleficent. Rylee and Morgan watched as the king of Auradon wrapped his arm around Mal's waist before he lifted her and twirled her around in the air. After watching the couple share a laugh, Rylee and Morgan leave Ben's office to let them have their moment. As they walked through the halls on their journey down to the front gardens of Auradon Prep, they spotted Audrey and her grandmother exiting the princess' dorm. The sight of the two women caused the princesses to pick up their pace to avoid having to converse with either of them.

"You know, even though I'm not her biggest fan and I think Mal is a better fit for Ben, I do feel bad for Audrey. She got dumped in front of the whole school at a Tourney Game by the future king," the Fitzherbert girl confessed as she and Morgan reached the top of the staircase that would take them to the lobby.

"I agree with you. No one deserves that...not even her," the redheaded princess responded while they walked down the steps and out the giant doors to see a large group of people crowded around the front of the school as they waited for Ben and Mal, "but she still needs to learn to respect others. We weren't put on this planet just to serve her."

After Rylee muttered a quick agreement to Morgan, the two princesses spotted their friends on the other side of the courtyard before they made their way toward them. Ruby and Roland immediately pull their older siblings in for hugs. While Morgan and Raiden shared a quick kiss, Rylee took her place between Jay and Pete with Gabby, Ruby, and Roland standing in front of them. Without thinking, the Fitzherbert girl's eyes wandered over to Carlos and Jane before they landed on Doug and Evie. Watching the three couples caused her mind to wander back to the pirate on the Isle. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a gentle elbow in her side before she looked up to see Jay staring down at her with a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Stop thinking about him," the son of Jafar told the blonde princess before he placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side, "you deserve so much more than that dirty pirate."

"Thanks, Jay," the Fitzherbert girl muttered under her breath as she forced a smile onto her face and rested her head on the long-haired boy's shoulder, "you always know just what to say."

Despite the concern he held in his eyes for his blonde friend, a small smile appeared on his lips. "I'll always be here for you, Goldilocks. Just like how you were there for me."

Before their conversation could continue, the band began to play before a smiling Mal and Ben came into view, waving at the cheering crowd as they walked past them. It wasn't long before they stepped onto the small stage in front of the Beast's statue when Fairy Godmother forced them to a stop. The couple continued to wave at the surrounding crowd until their cheers faded away when the band stopped playing and Fairy Godmother brought the golden microphone to her lips.

"Bippity-boppity, one, two, one, two. Can everybody hear me?" the brunette woman spoke into the microphone, causing more cheers to erupt from the crowd before Fairy Godmother handed the golden object over to Ben.

"Thank you, Fairy Godmother. What's up, Auradon?" the king greeted, only to receive even more cheers in response as smiles reappeared on his and Mal's faces, "thank you. Thank you so much for coming out to welcome our new arrivals. They'll be here soon."

Once Gabby heard his last four words, she looked up at Rylee and Morgan with the biggest grin on her face. It wasn't long after that when she shared a smile with Ruby and Roland, who were just as excited as her. Once the cheering grew calm again, the blonde princess' gaze left the raven-haired girl and went back to Ben and Mal.

"It worked out pretty well for the first four and the three who unexpectedly joined us a few months ago," the brunette boy continued before his attention moved away from the surrounding crowd and fell on the purple-haired girl next to him. The two of them stared at each other for a short moment before Ben took Mal's hand into his and proceeded with his speech, "Mal, this is the exact spot we first met not so long ago. I feel like I've known you my whole life. But did I mention, I'm in love with you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Doug stepped forward with a guitar in his hands and started playing while the rest of their friends hummed along. Everyone watched as Ben began to serenade a smiling Mal before he slowly twirled her around in a circle. When he got to the end of his ballad, the King of Auradon handed Carlos the microphone before getting down on one knee. The Beast boy stared up at the girl in front of him for a short moment longer then pulled out the ring that Evie, Rylee, and Morgan helped him pick.

"Mal, it's you and me. It's you and me forever. Will you marry me?" Ben asked with a smile as he opened the case to reveal the gold ring with a purple diamond in the center, "will you be my Queen?"

"Yes!" Mal exclaimed with the biggest grin on her face, causing the crowd to erupt into cheers once again while Rylee and Morgan pulled each other into a tight hug. As soon as they ended their embrace, the Fitzherbert girl saw Carlos attempt to chest bump Adam, only for the former to get thrown back and almost fall to the floor. Rylee let out a small laugh as the son of Cruella De Vil quickly shook it off before pulling Doug into a hug.

"Our little Ben is growing up," Pete joked as he placed his arm around the blonde princess' shoulders, "it's about time."

"Didn't think Beasty would be able to keep it under wraps for much longer," Rylee laughed while keeping her eyes glued to the couple on stage, "he isn't the best at keeping secrets."

After sharing another laugh with the son of Peter Pan, they watched the newly engaged couple share another kiss. It wasn't long after that when Mal and Ben started heading toward them. Pete instantly went to join Ben, Jay, Carlos, and Doug while Rylee moved to stand next to Evie, Jane, and Morgan. Mal didn't hesitate to pull her blue-haired best friend into a hug before turning her attention to everyone surrounding her.

"Did you guys know?" the future Queen of Auradon asked as she shared an embrace with all of them.

"Everything," Jane admitted while keeping a large smile on her face.

"You are gonna rock that crown," Morgan told her as the crowds' cheers continued to fill the air around them.

"I'm so happy for you guys," Rylee added before Evie took Mal's hands into hers once again.

"Okay. So I've only done about a thousand sketches of your wedding dress, Morgan and Rylee found the perfect venue, and Belle's already planned an engagement party next week."

After Evie finished explaining everything, Mal went with Ben to talk to his parents and Fairy Godmother while the rest of them went to rejoin the boys. As soon as they finished talking to the three adults, the group of teens didn't hesitate to walk over to the happy couple.

"All bow to Her Royal Majesty," Jay joked as soon as they stopped in front of Mal and Ben.

"Oh, yes, her Royal Purple-ness," Carlos teased before they all gave a mocking bow to the couple.

"Silence, you annoying peasants," Mal responded with a smile on her face as she mockingly did the royal wave.

Jay and Carlos mumbled retaliations at the purple-haired girl before she wandered off to address other people that surrounded them. After sharing a laugh with those around her, Rylee's eyes landed on Mal having an inaudible conversation with Audrey. Just as she was able to make her way over to the two girls, Mal's purple limo pulled into the courtyard. That caused Jay to sling an arm around Rylee's shoulders before he ushered her toward the vehicle. As soon as they reached the limo, the Fitzherbert girl went upfront with Jay while everyone else sat in the back before they began their journey to the Isle.

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