────── ☼ ☼ ☼ ──────

────── ☼ ☼ ☼ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄

────── ☼ ☼ ☼ ──────

The group of heroes and villains followed Dude through the forest. They climbed over countless small hills where Rylee had to stop herself from tripping over her own feet. Throughout their journey, all the Fitzherbert girl could think about was her conversation with Harry. She couldn't help but glance over at him every now and then before forcing herself to look away. Ever since their argument, the son of Captain Hook didn't have that same arrogant aura surrounding him. That alone was enough to make Rylee wonder what was going on inside his head. However, her thoughts soon ended when they stopped in another clearing in the center of the woods.

Rylee and Morgan kept their eyes peeled for the King of Auradon while Carlos and Jay continued to call out his name. That lasted for what felt like an eternity before the princesses let out long sighs. But just as they were about to continue their journey through the forest, Dude came sprinting back toward them with a hint of panic in his eyes. He kept running until he stopped in front of Carlos and began speaking.

The calls of Ben's name from Carlos and Jay continue to fill the air while Morgan and I keep our eyes peeled for the son of Belle and Adam. Just as we're about to exit the random opening in the woods, Dude comes racing back toward them before he comes to a stop in front of Carlos. "Boy, something stinks. And it wasn't me this time."

Just as the campus mutt finished speaking, a loud growl came from somewhere behind them. Everyone quickly turned around to find a beast standing a few feet away from them. The creature let out another roar, causing Rylee's blood to run cold. Not even a second after that passed when it lunged forward to attack Gil, only for Carlos and Morgan to pull the son of Gaston away. Their actions caused the beast to slam into a tree before lunging at Harry and Jay, who both duck out of the way. The creature soon lost its bearings, making it fall over a log and onto the forest floor.

Everyone slowly backed away as they watched the beast quickly get to its feet before moving to attack Harry again. Just as it was about to land a blow to the Hook boy, Rylee grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the way. It wasn't long after that when Jay stepped in front of them with his hands held out in an attempt to calm the creature down. The group watched in anticipation as the finely dressed beast continued to growl at them while slowly climbing up a small hill. Once it reached the top, his eyes scanned the six of them as if trying to decide who to attack next.

"You need some serious nose adjustments," Harry hissed while tightening his grip around his hook and preparing for another attack.

"Wait, hang on," Morgan told everyone right as the beast let out another roar. Rylee couldn't help but glance over at her best friend with confusion in her eyes, only to find the Macintosh girl still studying the creature. The blonde princess returned her attention to the beast one last time before a wave of realization washed over her.

"Beasty? Did Audrey do that?" Rylee questioned, receiving lost looks from Gil and Harry as the princess continued to stare at the creature in front of her.

"Huh, I thought I recognized those pants," Jay announced, causing the King of Auradon to look down at his pants before his attention focused on his hand.

"Oh, he's gotta boo-boo. That's why he's so cranky," Gil stated after noticing the pain in the child of his father's sworn enemies' eyes, "you know, my dad said that his dad did not handle pain well at all."

Another growl passed over Ben's lips as his eyes zeroed in on the LeGume boy, causing fear to form on the latter's face. It wasn't long after that when Jay began speaking while keeping his eyes glued to the Beast boy. "You're good with animals, Carlos. Do something."

"You are too, Morgan. Go help him," Rylee added, causing the Macintosh girl to send her an irritated look.

It wasn't long after that when Morgan and Carlos began to slowly approach Ben. Rylee continued to watch them before taking a step back without thinking, not wanting to be in the direct line of fire if things went wrong. Everyone watched as Carlos and Morgan began to calmly talk to the cursed king, only for the latter to claw at them in response. Both of the animal whisperers began repeating their names in an attempt to get the beast to relax a bit. After they say a few inaudible words to the Beast boy, the latter slowly holds his hand out toward them. A small smile appeared on Morgan's face as she carefully took it into her own while Carlos reached for the thorn in Ben's palm. The next thing anyone knew, the son of Cruella De Vil ripped the splinter out, causing Ben to let out another roar.

As the King of Auradon began to calm down, a stream of water came out of nowhere and hit the king in the face. Not even a second after that passed when Ben began transforming back to his human form. While Jay went to help the Beast boy down from the hill, Morgan and Carlos sprinted in the direction the water came from with large smiles on their faces. Their actions caused Rylee to turn around to find Jane, Pete, and Raiden standing a few feet away. Without thinking twice, the Fitzherbert girl raced toward the trio before pulling the son of Peter Pan in for a tight hug. A wave of relief washed over the princess knowing that her friend was safe from Audrey's spell.

Their reunion lasted for a moment longer before Rylee pulled herself away to look up at Pete. "Not that I'm complaining but how are you awake right now?"

"We were asleep after Audrey came to Jane's party at first. She was pretty upset about not being invited," the brunette boy explained with a smile on his face while keeping his hands on his friend's shoulders, "but then Jane pushed Raiden and me into the Enchanted Lake and woke us up. After we figured out what was going on, we came looking for you guys."

A small laugh passed over Rylee's lips before she pulled Pete in for another hug. With her head on his shoulder, she was able to see Morgan and Raiden share a kiss, both happy to finally be together again. It wasn't long after that when her attention landed on Gil, only to find him staring at the redheaded girl with sadness in his eyes. Guilt began flowing through Rylee's veins as she watched him for another moment before she met Harry's gaze. The son of Captain Hook was closely studying her and Pete with an unsure look on his face. But as soon as he realized the Fitzherbert girl was watching him, Harry looked away.

Pete and Rylee soon ended their hug just in time to see Jane shoot Ben with her squirt gun again after seeing the beard and small fangs in his mouth. When nothing happened, the raven-haired girl let out a long sigh while a defeated look appeared on her face. "Huh, it's Enchanted Lake water. I guess it can only do so much."

"Oh, uh, by the way. That's Gil, Gaston's son," Rylee said just loud enough for Pete to hear while gesturing toward the blonde boy. It wasn't long after that when she met the piercing blue eyes once again and continued speaking. "And that's Harry...Harry Hook."

The Fitzherbert girl felt her friend tense as he continued to stare at the raven-haired boy. It wasn't long after that when she saw Gil making his way toward her before stopping next to her other side. When Rylee looked up at him, she found him still staring at Morgan, who was having an inaudible conversation with Raiden. "Who's Morgan talking to?"

"That's Raiden Hood. He's Robin Hood's son," the blonde girl explained while trying to hide the pity she felt for the boy standing next to her, "they've been dating for a little over a month."

"Is there any chance of them breaking up soon?" the son of Gaston said a little louder than intended, drawing the attention of both Morgan and Raiden.

"You're kidding, right?" Raiden scoffed while Morgan continued to stare at Gil with no emotion in her eyes, "I'm not gonna break up with her just so you can hurt again."

"I didn't mean it like that," the LeGume boy clarified before his eyes landed on the redhead once again, "I just thought we had...something."

"You chose your crew over whatever we had," Morgan retaliated after leaning into the Hood boy's side as if trying to find some sort of anchor, "what was I supposed to do? Hit pause on my life until you made up your mind?"

"Hold on," Ben said after getting to his feet and gesturing toward Gil and Harry, breaking the awkward tension that was beginning to surround them, "who's side are they on?"

A small laugh passed over Jay's lips as he placed an arm around Ben's shoulders. "They escaped and joined up. And Mal has the ember, which is our only hope to stop Audrey. Details to follow."

"Hades' ember?" Ben questioned after a wave of realization washed over his body, "has Mal gone back to the Isle?"

"Details to follow, Beasty," Rylee announced with a small smile on her face as she continued to take in the Beast boy's new look, "we're meeting up with Mal, Evie, and Uma. Let's go."

"Uma?!" the King of Auradon exclaimed while looking around at his friends and the sons of villains.

"Details to follow," everyone responded in unison, earning an annoyed sigh from Ben.

It wasn't long after that before Jay forced him to start walking in the direction of Evie's cottage. Rylee found herself walking next to Morgan and Raiden while Pete lagged behind with Harry and Gil. A hit of worry flowed through the Fitzherbert girl as she glanced back at the three boys. But after seeing the reassuring smile on the Pan boy's face, Rylee focused her attention back on the trail in front of them. The next thing she knew, a conversation started between two of the boys behind her. A conversation that she knew she wasn't meant to hear. But Pete never knew how to whisper and it turned out Harry didn't know how to either.

"So are you and Rylee...like a thing?" Harry asked the son of Peter Pan, who let out an awkward laugh in response.

"We used to be but that ship has sailed. We're just friends now. Good friends," Pete told the Hook boy before letting a small moment of silence pass between them. It wasn't long after that when the Pan boy found the courage within him to ask the question bouncing around in his head. "Why is what we are important to you? Didn't you only pretend to like her to get information about Auradon?"

Silence surrounded them once again as they continued to make their way toward Evie's cottage. Just as Rylee thought their conversation wouldn't continue, she heard Harry start to speak. "That's how it started and that's what Rylee thinks. But after seeing her again, I don't know how I feel."

A small laugh passed over Pete's lips as he looked over his father's enemy's son. "You'll regret losing the girl who tried so hard to keep you. I know I did."

Chills ran up and down Rylee's spine after hearing the Pan boy's words. It wasn't long after that when she tuned out the rest of their conversation, already feeling bad for what she already overheard. But as they continued their journey toward their destination, her mind filled with more questions she knew she would never get answered.

────── ☼ ☼ ☼ ──────

────── ☼ ☼ ☼ ──────