A Lost Girl in "Rise of the Isle of the Lost"

Again, just a quick reminder!

Before reading this, please read everything in my very first Descendants story, "The Shadow", from the events of the first Descendants movie to its book prequel and sequel. And before those, make sure to read Melissa de la Cruz's Isle of the Lost series to which these oneshots are inspired from! And after, if you've watched Descendants: Wicked World, or are choosing to watch it, read my other story "The Light!"

All of these stories all revolve around Penelope and her contribution in the movies, cartoon, and books! But loyal readers of mine already know that, of course.

Hope you like this one! Enjoy!

The Seaside Festival wasn't my personal favorite daylong occasion, but I did like spending it to commemorate my deal merfolk friends back in Neverland. I chose to spend the day with my good roommate and friend, Lonnie, and my other friend Jane. We toured the Seaside's many attractions and stalls, completely appalled by everything the residents of sea had in store for its tourists.

My friend Arabella, with whom I met before the beginning of the festival, had warmly welcomed me and invited to try everything there. She was going to be attending to Ben and the VKs that day, so I assumed I would catch up with them later on. I was supposed to meet Lonnie and Jane somewhere there, but at some point, I lost track of where I was going, and I couldn't find our chosen meeting place.

So, yes, basically I was lost.

Thankfully for me though, after I'd watched the amazing performance of Sebastian the crustacean, I was feeling hungry and went to look for food. It was lucky because I bumped into Ben, Arabella, and the VKs, who were all stopping by a booth that sold Seaside's famous clam-shaped fried ice cream.

"Penelope!" the King greeted, giving me a quick hug and a "low-five." I hugged the girls (and, um, Carlos) and fist-bumped Jay. "Nice meeting you here!"

"Yeah! I'm so glad to see you all." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "I got lost."

I pouted when everyone seemed to find that amusing. "Girl from Neverland. Lost." Evie teased.

"Oh, shut up."

Arabella laughed. "Anyway~ I was just going to tell which flavors of the clam-shaped ice cream are best."

"Sweet, go shoot."

"Well, plankton is a good choice. It tastes like pistachio."

With my love for anything being green, I decided to go with it. "Sounds good, I'll take it."

It took me a moment to hear Carlos and I had said the same thing at the same time, and we looked at each other, the (also) same stunned look on our faces and evident pink hues on our cheeks when everyone "hooted." Carlos looked away from me, his blush seeming to grow bigger, but we each took our ice creams nonetheless.

"D-do you want me to pay for it? It's my treat?"

"You sure, de Vil?" I stared at the albino.

"Y-yeah! It's no problem!"

I grinned widely as he reached for his wallet. "Thanks! You're the best."

I was so not helping his blush right now.

Jay, who had gotten an anemone-flavored ice cream, smiled in satisfaction. "Wow, how does it keep from melting?"

"Magic," Evie joked. "Kidding. The bread keeps the heat away from the ice cream like a shield. It's simple chemistry."

"A girl with beauty and brains," I smirked. "This is why you're my favorite princess."

"Oh, stop~"

As Mal and Ben were getting their own purple ice creams, I caught a glimpse of Jane and Lonnie in the crowd and immediately brought my hand up to signal my presence. "That's my group! I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"

"Sure!" Ben smiled, clapping a hand over my shoulder. "See ya later!"

I waved bye to the group and went to the duo in the crowd. "Penelope! Finally!" Lonnie sighed in exasperation.

"Sorry, girls, I got lost!" Jane resisted the urge to smile. "Yeah, I heard the joke. Let's just enjoy the rest of this festival!"

So we did. We enjoyed all the booths and food that we could get our hands on, but our fun didn't seem to last long. The mer-games were thrilling, and we were just enjoying them when Jane looked up at the sky and frowned at how dark it was getting. "That's funny…"

"Wait, when was the last time we've had a storm in Auradon?" I blurted out.

Lonnie looked at us warily. "I don't know, but I don't wanna stick around and find out!"

Every one of us began to run to get shade, and the rain began to pour. My friends and I just watched as it got heavier by the minute. We were all walking back to our dorm rooms as we frowned at the sudden change in the weather. "I wonder what that was all about," I mused. We'd arrived at Lonnie's and my dorm, since it was the closest, and began to dry our hair and clothes.

"I know, right?" Jane nodded at the window. "I do hope it'll end soon."

It did, actually, but that wasn't the point. Auradon was always so sunny. Why suddenly change its mind?

The next morning, before I was about to start off for classes, I noticed Lonnie was speaking into her phone by our bedroom window, an anxious gaze in her eyes. I yawned as I sat up, and my roommate ended her call. "Good morning. What's up?"

"Hey, Pen," Lonnie sighed. "Just some commotion by the Imperial Palace. A border dispute with Agrabah."

"Oh, my. Sounds like bad news. You better go deal with it immediately."

"More like, I need to get Ben to deal with it. My father is requesting I send in the king personally. He'll know what to do. But I can't do that now, I have classes!"

"Well, you can't bother Ben at the moment," I sighed, combing my fingers through my hair as I tied it into a ponytail. "He's going to a library event thing again later during the Tourney game against the Seaside Mermen. You can go to him at that event. He won't be busy afterwards, and you can request that you guys start moving immediately."

"Hmm, that'll do, thanks Pen!" I smiled, happy to help, and turned to comb out the tangles in my hair.

Through my vanity mirror, I could see Lonnie place a hand on a sword she held, pausing as if wanting to bring it with her. I frowned. I knew Lonnie in the same way I knew Ben. The three of us grew up together, we were practically siblings. I knew about Mulan's daughter wanting to be just like her mother. And I knew that there were a lot of people that told her that she couldn't do such a thing.

"Hey," I called out, teasing. "Girl power!"

Lonnie laughed as I pumped my fist. "Right! Thanks. I'll see you later, okay?"

I nodded, waving my hand. "Tell Ben I said hello! And good luck with that border dispute thing."

I was screaming along with everyone else in the crowd when Carlos blocked the supposed goal, making the Auradon Fighting Knights win their tourney game by one point. I was laughing as the two villain boys were sweaty, yet still giving enveloping the team into a group victory hug.

I decided to run over there, wanting to congratulate them as well, even though Herky was complimenting Carlos. Actually, he was giving one of his infamous pats on the back, that Carlos surged forward, and bumping into me.

"Oof!" I fell to the floor without even realizing it, and I groaned slightly from the sudden pain.

"Penelope!" The son of Cruella immediately scrambled to help me up. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

I laughed as I stood up, dusting my green tights. "I'm fine! Whew, Herky sure knows how to hit!"

"Aha, yeah!" Carlos gave me a weak smile.

I saw that the boy's hair was a bit messy from his helmet, so I unconsciously smoothed it down, to which he laughed at. Nowadays, Carlos liked to comb it to the side, and as a matter of fact, I thought he looked more mature, and well, cute.

"Good game by the way! The mermen are not having a good week though…"

"Did you get caught in the rain too?"

"Yeah. But Lonnie, Jane, and I were fine. A bit drenched, but fine!"

Carlos smiled, and only then did I realize we were walking. To where, I didn't know. "Glad you guys were alright."

We were passing by the cheerleaders, who were cheering for the team, and I had to smirk at how ridiculous Audrey was looking, clinging to Chad and acting like a totally flirt. "Cheerleaders."

Carlos scoffed. "You should try out."

I deadpanned at him. "Are you kidding me? No way!"

"Aww, why not! I know you told me you're good at the obstacle course in the gym! You must have good moves!"

"Well, perhaps I do, but being a cheerleader is totally going to limit me from wearing pants and leggings whenever I want. Short skirts are never my thing. Besides, I'd stand out too much."

"But you're bad at standing out…"

"Exactly," I beamed. "Glad we're on the same page." Carlos shot me a look. "Haha! Okay, but really, no way I could audition. It's too much for me. Plus, no way could I even make it."

"Come on, don't think that. Look at me, I never thought I'd make the tourney team!" Carlos was staring at the ground now, swinging his paddle absently.

"Oh, yeah, I know."

"Wait, what?"

I laughed, recalling a memory. "I remember! Tryouts were happening, and though Jay was a total pro, you were running away from Dude!"

Carlos seemed totally shocked to hear my story. "How do you know about that? I thought Ben was the only one that knew! Aside from Coach, who saw my running skills and finally decided to put me on the team…"

I smiled nervously and absentmindedly looked away. "Well, I was there, of course… You know that faithful day you first met Dude? I was actually hanging out with the dog before he suddenly began to chase after you. I was…kinda watching you guys get along. Okay, now that totally didn't just make me not sound like a stalker—"

"Wait, you were there? That's insane! Why didn't you approach me?"

"I…" I hesitated. "Well, I really don't know. From the moment you and the others arrived in Auradon…a part of me told me to stay away from you guys somehow. Not because I was scared. No way. But like, I guess I just wanted to keep an eye on you. I didn't want an interaction with you guys interfering with the identities you held with yourselves when you first came." When Carlos still stared, I sighed. "Okay…well you know sometimes I have a big influence on people. I give advice. Sometimes, being with me can also make people lose themselves. I wanted to see your true intentions. I suppose, this is why I didn't want you guys to meet me yet."

The albino didn't really speak for a long time. "I…see…" In a lower voice, he added, "I do wish I had met you earlier, though…"

Upon hearing that, I felt a part of my heart broke a little. I gave him a soft smile and a pat on the shoulder. "Hey. You know me now." Carlos chuckled a bit. "And you know…the team is lucky to have you, you know? And I believe now, you're braver than most people I know."

I felt like he sincerely doubted it, because he paused for a long while again. But slowly and surely, he turned to me, his smile much wider and brighter. "Thanks, Penelope."

I couldn't help smiling back.

I hadn't even realized our faces were that close to each other – and we were staring into each others' eyes for quite a while, whoa – until he coughed violently and looked away. "Uhh, hey! Why don't you show me some of those moves you know? I'll be the judge on whether or not you're cheer material or not!"

I laughed, already stretching my arms. "You wish!"

I did a few cartwheels, backflips, and handstands on the grass, as Carlos cheered me on. He taught me the one-handed cartwheel that he'd learned from the Royal Order of Auradon Regiment training. I also taught him the Auradon cheer, the routine, and my own little dance I swayed to when I shouted it with pride. The dancing reminded Carlos that he wanted to teach me some dance moves he'd picked up, because he said ever since I'd complimented his dancing, he'd been trying to get better (I admit, I blushed a little when he said I was such an inspiration). Now, he was teaching me, though it didn't last long because we both flopped onto the grass, laughing and smiling even though we were both very much tired.

"That was so fun!" I couldn't help giggling.

I saw Carlos smile brightly at me. "You're really good."

"Seriously?" I made a bit of a face. "Well, I'm still not trying out!"

"Aww, you sure? You could be my cheerleader! I heard every jock has one!"

Earlier, I had fixed his hair, but now I ruffled it all up again. "You wish! I'll just cheer you on from the sidelines." The albino pouted, causing me to blush again. Oh, Neverland, why did this boy keep doing this to me… "Seriously! Me being a cheerleader? What a strange little thing."

"Like, villain kids coming to Auradon?"

"That wasn't strange at all," I smiled innocently. "Hmm, did you ever think you guys would end up here?"

He shook his head. "Honestly, it's the last thing we expected. It was a total surprise, and we didn't even want to go."

I blinked. "You didn't, huh?"

"No, I mean, we were raised to believe bad is good, and all we knew was the Isle of the Lost. But our parents were determined to send us here so they could have their revenge."

"Well, thank Neverland that didn't push through huh?" I punched the albino's arm playfully, to which he began to rub and stick his tongue out. "I'm glad you chose good though. Very glad."

"Yeah, me too. It's weird. I never thought I'd be over on this side of the barrier, but it feels really natural now."

"That's cool, Carlos," I gave him another bright smile, to which he returned. We finally stood up and dusted the dirt off our clothes. "What do you want to do when you get out of Auradon Prep and graduate?"

"Hmmm…I don't know. Something with computers, maybe?"

"You could be head of security! Ben's personal bodyguard."

The boy suddenly burst out into fits of laughter. "No way! What about you?"

I hesitated at that. "Hmmm…I don't know myself. I always thought I'd travel the world like my dad. Be an adventurer, see the world. Make big money by being some travelling banker or whatever Dad does. If not, maybe a guidance counselor."

"Oh? How interesting."

"Yeah. I figured I'm really just that good with advice. If I can help a lot of people with what I already do, why not make it my future profession?"

Carlos gave me a small, heart-warming smile. "You'd make a great counselor. You're already so good at helping people."

I felt like hugging the boy. "That's so sweet. Thank you." Before we could stare into each other's eyes again, I turned towards the buildings. "Race you back to the dorms!"

Before I could even count, I broke into a run. "Hey!" I heard him laughing as he chased after me, and I couldn't help doing the same.

I went to take a quick shower and the went to get a bite to eat. I was in the dining hall, checking my phone for a new message from Lonnie: We've landed! :) :) :)

I chuckled a bit, sending a quick thumbs up and smiley face emoji before getting my food. I sat at an empty table, ready to devour my sandwich, when Arabelle sat in front of me. "Pen, I need your help."

My mouth was inches away from my bread when I sighed and set it down. "Who doesn't?"

She vehemently explained to me the story of how she stole her grandfather's trident – what a foolish act, I wanted to tell her! – just so she could "prove herself." She also brought up how she'd involved the VKs in this, hoping they would help her get it back, for she suspects the trident had ended up in the Isle of the Lost's waters. That's when I snapped. "Arabella! They're villain kids! If they do something reckless, they could get caught! Or worse!"

Realizing the mistake, she widened her eyes. "Okay, now you're making me feel terrible!"

I sighed. "Look, thanks for telling me, but what are you trying to get from this?"

"I just wanted help! I was also going to ask if you could, I don't know, watch out for them? I mean, you're a bit closer with them than most now, I noticed. You'd know what to do if things got out of hand."

"Arabella, what do you suppose a girl like me could do?"

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "I'm panicking, Penelope! I'm freaking out!"

"Okay, okay, calm yourself! Chill! Don't get your scales all ruffled up…" Once the mermaid calmed down, I held her hand. "I trust the VKs. I'm sure things will be fine. Do they know you told me?"

"No…"

"Good. I can watch from the sidelines. Don't worry. I have faith in them. They'll be alright."

"I am so wrong."

A little bit later in the day, as Jane and I actually decided to eat together, I noticed Fairy Godmother had the VKs all lined up, and her wand was pressed against Jay's back, who was at the end. I confronted Mal about where they were going before all this, and when she said to keep it a secret that they were going to go past the security gate at Belle's Harbor, I already warned her that the Fairy Godmother was going to be there. She had laughed nervously. "I'm sure she'll make an exception or something? We're…going there on a school project."

Mal was obviously choosing to lie to me, and even if I didn't know what she was really up to, I know there would be no school projects that would task us to go beyond school boundaries.

Now, even though I had warned her, the VKs were all in trouble.

"Mom?" Jane gasped, as the two of us leaped from our seats and ran over. "Mom! What's going on?"

Carlos had opened his mouth to speak, but Fairy Godmother cut him off. "Nothing, dear, get out of the way. This doesn't concern you."

I held Jane, as her mother just easily brushed her away.

Jane had so many questions, but none of the VKs wanted her involved. I, however, had a pretty clear view of what was going on. I went to Evie, my dear friend, even though my heart pained to see her cry so much. "Eve," I tried to say soothingly. "It'll be alright…I promise…"

"Penelope," Carlos began.

I went to the albino next, clutching his hands. "You'll be fine. I swear. I won't let anything happen to you guys. You're not going anywhere, not on my watch."

The boy's brown orbs held a storm in them. "Pen…"

But the headmistress had pulled the four into her office, and they disappeared into it.

"Penelope, what's going on?" I'd forgotten the girl was there, and I whirled around to see the tears brim her eyes.

"Jane," I spoke, as if talking to a child. "I need your phone. I left mine in my room."

Which was a lie, actually. I only knew she had Merlin's number because Merlin knew FG well, and was kind of like Jane's godfather. She handed me the phone, and was relieved to see the old wizard on speed-dial.

"Hello? Jane?"

"Sir Merlin! Do you remember me? It's Penelope, from a few days ago! This is an emergency!"

"What is it my dear?"

"I need Ben over here, immediately! Are you nearby his area!"

"As a matter of fact, I am, but will this not be too much? I'd be transporting him with this grand magic!"

"It would be King Ben's obligation to be transported here right away. Please sir, we need him now!"

There was a bit of a pause. "Alright, young lass! I'll help you out!" His voice after that then seemed distant, as if he were speaking to someone else, and only then did I notice the powerful sounds of what seemed like gusts of wind. "Don't be afraid! Just stay still!"

And just like that, Ben appeared in front of the office. Jane yelped at his sudden appearance, but I had no time to react. "Ben! Thank Neverland!"

"Penelope?!" The young king's eyes widened. "What in the world—"

"No time to explain!" Although, I did, telling him what I knew about the VKs' plans to steal a boat from Belle's Harbor, in order to properly get to the Isle of the Lost. I didn't explain the Arabella and the trident bit, though. I promised to keep that secret. "Please, you have to make up an excuse! Say they were helping you! That you sent them on a secret mission and they can't tell the Fairy Godmother! Please!"

"Alright, Pen! I'll do my best!" He squeezed my hand reassuringly, and stepped into the Headmistress' office with caution.

"Penelope?" Jane squeaked. "What…"

I frowned, putting an arm around Jane's shoulders. This girl deserved to know at least a bit of what was happening. "Come on…"

On the way, I had explained everything I knew as we made our way to Ben's study. She had a hard time taking it all in when she found out. "Whoa…"

"I know, right?"

"It's nice that they'd do that but…didn't they realize having risked doing something like that would get them in trouble?!"

"That's what I said! But, you know…" A smile tugged at my lips. "This just goes to show…they're finally being good."

Even Jane had to smile at that.

After she'd left to go after her mom for later, the five burst into the room, with Jay flopping over to the nearest couch. "Phew! That was close!"

"Too close," Carlos agreed, sitting beside him.

"You guys are okay!" I exclaimed, with Jane sighing a "Thank goodness" as I hugged Evie, whose tears were finally dried.

"I agree," the blunette smiled as she hugged me back. "Thanks for rescuing us, Ben."

"How'd you get back here so fast?" Mal asked.

I could feel Ben's gaze on me as he smiled and patted my shoulder. "Penelope called Merlin and told him to zap me back here immediately. At first, he was worried about using such dramatic magic, but she told him that is would be my wish given the circumstances. That felt weird, I've got to say. Not sure I have all my molecules back. Am I missing any part of me?"

I gave a strained yet wistful laugh. "You dork!"

Mal laughed in relief as well. "You complete to me." She then turned to hug me, which I have to admit was quite unexpected. "You are awesome."

"Thanks," I chuckled, hugging back. "I knew, by the way. I knew what was going on because Arabella told me. I can understand why you guys didn't, you know, again. I just knew, in the moment of all I did, you guys couldn't be sent back to the Isle of the Lost." I glanced over at Carlos, who had beamed.

"Penny, thank you," Evie said breathlessly. "Going back was something I can't handle."

"Did you get your work done, though?" Mal asked Ben. "Were you able to get the villagers on both sides of the wall to agree to the terms of truce?"

"Yes, thanks to Lonnie. We were just about to return to Auradon when I was pulled away. She's taking the jet home in a bit. So fill me in."

"It's my fault, I was the one who suggested we steal it," Jay sighed. "Never again. From now on, I'm going to follow every rule to the letter. I'm walking the straight and narrow path!"

"Nice speech and all, Jay," I cut in. "But you have a trident to get."

"What?" Ben exclaimed. Mal held his arm.

"Ben, we'll fill you in on the way."

"You guys go ahead," I insisted. "I'll stay here. And I'll properly make sure no one meddles again."

"Thanks again, Pen," Carlos gripped my hands. "You saved us."

I smirked. "Like I said, you're not leaving Auradon on my watch."

Just like that, they were gone.

I sighed, praying to Neverland.

It was nearly morning when Ben had texted me to come to his office. I arrived, a bit distressed, because I just received the message upon waking up, and I only had time to put some clothes on. I was huffing as I saw Ben and the VKs. "Am I late?"

The young king only chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm just here to update that everything's safe, sound, and back to normal."

"For now," Jay joked. Though, it really wasn't a joke. Who knows what these four's next big adventure will be?

I sighed in relief. "That's great. Truly. I knew you guys could do it!"

"Thanks for the faith," Carlos beamed.

"You played a big help in this too, Pen," Mal acknowledged. "I swear, we're telling you about all our 'secret missions' from now on."

I smiled smugly at that. "That's good. It's about time you shone some light on this shadow."

Evie then came up to me and twirled a lock of my hair in her finger. "You should really wear your hair down more often! You look more mature."

"Haha," I made her drop her hand and smirked. "I'll consider it. Oh, hey, now that things are back to normal, shouldn't you guys be getting to class?"

That's when all five of them groaned. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember," Mal sighed, and we all laughed.

"Jane!" I exclaimed, almost squealing when my friend ran over to me. "You look amazing! I told you you'd make it in!"

The brunette beamed happily. "Thanks, Pen! I appreciate the support!"

"Hey, Jane, Pen!" I turned and saw Carlos walk over to us. "Wow, nice uniform!"

"Thanks! I still can't believe I made it!"

I gave my friend a quick hug. "Well, believe it~!" I looked at Carlos. "We were about to go meet Ben. Are you heading that way?"

After a quick pause, he said "Yes."

"Everything worked out okay?" Jane inquired as we walked. "With that…secret mission?"

Carlos nodded, glancing at me. "Yeah it did. It all worked out okay."

"Good." Jane smiled.

"I know right?" I beamed at Carlos. "Can't imagine life without those VKs, you know?" The albino returned the smile.

"Jane!" I looked to see Audrey running up to us, carrying a huge box in her arms. "Just the person I was looking for!"

"Hello to you too," I muttered.

"I'm so glad I found you. I need a lot of help."

"What's up?" Carlos said.

In the background, I could've sworn I heard sobbing. "Audrey! Audrey, don't do this!"

"Ignore him, he'll be fine," Audrey rolled her eyes. "Jane, we're really glad to have you on the team, and you're sure you can handle Cotillon duties too?"

"For sure!" the girl promised.

"Great." I was rather disgusted when the brunette then dumped her box in my friend's hands. I had to support the weight with her. "That's all the planning we've done so far. You're going to have to work closely with Mal, since it's her big debut. Although hold on, I don't think Ben's asked her yet, so she probably has no idea she has to do all this."

"She doesn't," I confirmed.

"Okay Pen, you can go remind Ben to formally ask her."

"He's working on it as we speak."

Audrey ignored me, tapping her pen against her forehead. "What else… Oh, and do you guys have a date yet? Just curious."

"No, not yet," Jane responded, and I shook my head simultaneously.

"Oh, it's okay if you don't."

"We know." I huffed. "Need some help with the box, Jane?"

"That'd be great," the girl laughed lightly.

"Carlos?"

The albino, who seemed to have been distracted in the conversation, looked at me with wide brown eyes. "Yes!"

"I'm going to have to help Jane with this. We'll catch you later?"

A smile graced his lips, but I could tell it was a bit pained. Still, he rallied and nodded. "Sure!"

We waved our goodbyes and I helped Jane carry the box to her room.

"Hi Doug!" I called out cheerfully. "On our way to Evie?"

"You bet," the dwarf smiled. I knew him too well. "Do you happen to know where she went the other day? I couldn't find her anywhere."

"I have no clue," I said, completely lying. "Oh hey, once you get to her, please remind her about my dress? The green one?"

That made Doug laugh. "Out of all the dresses I've ever seen Evie make, yours is always just one color and that's green."

"What can I say~ I'm addicted. Hey, maybe you could try helping her out? Dwarves are great accountants right? I feel like she could be stressed out from everyone ordering from her all the time..."

"Hmm...got a point there...you're right." Doug beamed proudly. "If I can't be her knight-in-shining-armor, I'll be her superhero organizer guy!"

I chortled at my friend's silliness. "Oh, believe me. Evie will appreciate you either way." I handed him a bag of coins and patted his shoulder. "Send Evie my love?"

Doug beamed, patting my own. "Will do."

"Hey, Lon," I was walking with Lonnie now, as I made my way over to Ben's study. "I know how much you want to join R.O.A.R.—"

"More than anything," she agreed.

"—So maybe you should join in?"

"How can I? You know what people say…'You're just a girl.'"

"Poppycock! You should try! Maybe, you can show off your skills by pretending to be a guy. Challenge the team captain. Make your mark!"

The girl seemed quite surprised that I'd suggest such a rebellious move but I went on. "You're an amazing, brilliant girl with an extraordinary talent. I want you to show it to the world."

At that, the smile on my friend's face softened, and she leaned forward to give me a hug. "Thank you, Pen. I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't met you."

"Your hair would still be short and straight because you didn't have money to pay Mal. If you know what I mean."

She laughed the moment we stopped in front of Ben's study. "Oh shut up!"

We said our goodbyes, and I entered my old friend's room.

Ben was by the window, gazing out into the land of Auradon solemnly, if not dramatically. He didn't even hear my arrival. Or perhaps he did, because when I walked over to him, he said, unfazed, "Hey, Pen, what's up?"'

I shrugged. "The ceiling. I was just checking up on you. How'd it go with Mal?"

His form did not change, though the smile on his face did. "She accepted, of course."

"That's great! I mean, of course she would!"

"But I guess…I'm a tad worried. What if…this is too much pressure on her?"

"I know Ben…that's why you have to look out for her. Do your best to be there for her. Her mom is a lizard. All the love she deserves to get must be on you. Make her feel as if you can't live every day without her. That's really all a girl would want to feel."

Ben was hesitant for a moment before he put his arm around my shoulders. "You're right, Pen. Thanks."

"I suddenly love hearing the word thanks," I laughed. "I hear it often now."

The king chuckled, and we started to stare out the window together. "Cotillon," Ben breathed.

I nodded. "It's just the start of a new beginning…"

Now I can focus on the Wicked World series again! But please stay tuned for more oneshots! I actually have more ideas up my sleeve!

Hope you liked this story, everyone! Bye for now!