chapter nine
ROWAN

The alarm went off at five. Ben threw his pillow at Rowan's head when Rowan announced it was time to wake up.

"Don't wanna," Ben complained. Rowan groaned tiredly.

"Get your ass out of bed before your father dies of old age," Rowan threatened, never very creative with his insults so early in the morning. A few minutes of pleading later, Ben sat up in bed, blinking rapidly when Rowan turned on the lights. "We have to get you dressed, meet Mal at the carriage ride, and get you both settled and on the way to the castle in ... six hours. Let's move!" Rowan snapped, clapping his hands loudly as Ben groaned.

Five hours later, Ben stood in front of the mirror, trying to fix his tie. Rowan stepped in front of him and begun retying the cloth, absentmindedly humming under his breath. Ben stared at him with a smile. "I've been thinking about something," he admitted.

"Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself," Rowan teased. Ben gently poked him, rolling his eyes fondly.

"No, really," Ben insisted. "You've been really stressed these last few years. It's not normal for someone to start developing grey hairs at fifteen." Rowan scoffed under his breath, unable to hide his smirk. "And I know you were diagnosed with something - something that you won't tell me - a few years ago and it's just making your life harder. I want to give you a break. When you're officially my royal advisor, you're taking a three-month vacation to focus on school," Ben stated. Rowan paused, staring up at him. "You're going to pursue whatever you have going on with Carlos-"

"Whoa, wait, nothing is going on with Carlos," Rowan interrupted, "and I am not taking a break. This job is the only thing holding me together."

"And that's exactly why you're taking a break," Ben declared. "It's sad that an unofficial job is the only thing keeping you from breaking down. You need to get out of your comfort zone and da-"

"If you finish that sentence with 'and date Carlos,' I'm going to kick your teeth in," Rowan warned. Ben closed his mouth, grinning. Rowan rolled his eyes. "Come on. We have to find Mal and get you both to the carriage."

As Rowan made his way to the door, Ben grabbed his arm. "Rowan." Rowan turned toward him, curious. "Seriously. Thank you for everything you've done for me. You're my best friend and an amazing person. But you need to take a break. I'm worried about you. And I'm allowed to be worried about you, I'm your best friend," Ben insisted. "You're my brother. I love you."

"I love you, too," Rowan sighed. He blinked rapidly, rolling his eyes when Ben grinned. "Come on. We can't be late."

"You sound like the White Rabbit," Ben grumbled, stumbling after him.

"And you sound like a grumpy teenager," Rowan shot back. They grinned at each other.

It was nice to know that some things would never change.

[ life waits beyond the doors
now step on through ]

The bells rang through the air as waltz music played through the throne room. Rowan mingled with the passing royalty, offering gentle smiles and praising words to those he encountered, no matter how fake his smiles seemed to be. He kept glancing around the room for Carlos, wondering when he was going to show up. Already his heart was racing, making it hard to breathe. After everything that had happened yesterday, he wondered if things would sail smoothly today.

And he wondered if whatever Mal was planning was going to happen - if she was planning anything at all.

As he passed by Audrey, he couldn't help but stop. Against his better judgment, he turned to look at her as she twirled around, showing off her dress to her mother. "It looks beautiful, Audrey," he complimented. Audrey narrowed her eyes, as if trying to detect if he was making fun of her. When she realized he wasn't, she smiled hesitantly.

"Thank you, Rowan," she said. "You look nice as well."

Aurora clapped her hands together, smiling at them. "Aww, I remember when you two used to be close friends. You would run around the gardens while Rapunzel and I shared tea," she sighed, thinking about the old days. Rowan and Audrey shared a look and smiled hesitantly at each other, each remembering the playdates. Then they both seemed to snap out of it, nodding to each other before Rowan wandered away, still in search of Carlos.

"Ben and Mal just showed up," Belle whispered, coming to stand beside Rowan. "How are you feeling?"

"I wish my parents were here," he admitted. Belle nodded. "But I can't wait. I'm so proud of him."

"Me, too," she sighed, taking his hands into her own. "You'll be standing at the front, I assume?" Rowan shrugged. "Are you looking for someone?"

"My friend," he said vaguely. "But it can wait. We should get into our positions." She nodded. He quickly bowed to her before walking outside and toward the front, standing a little away from the king and queen, next to the current royal advisor, Cogsworth. The older man nodded to him, looking distant; Rowan smiled hesitantly. While they had never spoken to each other, he hoped there was no bad blood between them, considering Rowan was replacing him - but wasn't Ben doing the same with his parents?

He pushed the question away as Ben and Mal arrived.

Mal looked radiant in the dress Evie designed for her. She also looked very unsure as she and Ben walked up the steps toward Belle and Adam. Rowan almost felt sorry for her, but he'd been in her position before - maybe not her exact position, but close enough. He smiled reassuringly at her when she met his eyes; she nodded back, stepping forward to apologize to King Adam about the day before. Rowan tuned out as the royal family talked with each other, the king and queen wishing Ben the best of luck. He only tuned back in when Ben cleared his throat, glancing at Rowan expectantly.

"Right, sorry," Rowan whispered, offering his hand to Mal. She took it hesitantly and he led her away, towards a back entrance that would allow her to get to the front of the room without anyone noticing. "Are you nervous?"

"Hm, a little," she muttered, stepping over a few fallen leaves. "I mean, who wouldn't be?"

"Just keep breathing," he said. "That's the best you can hope for. Breathe." She nodded, taking his advice as they arrived near the front. He bowed to her and took his place at the last step, a few feet away from Fairy Godmother's wand.

The choir began singing as the royal guards opened the doors, revealing Ben. King Adam took Belle's hand and they both stood up, waiting for Ben to join them. Everyone bowed as Ben passed by them, Rowan following suit. He grinned at Ben when he straightened up; Ben grinned back before joining his parents at the top of the stairs.

Ben kneeled in front of Fairy Godmother, who placed a large golden crown on his head. It nearly fell in front of his eyes; already, Rowan made a mental note to get it resized later so it wouldn't actually fall. He watched as King Adam gently took the glass that once covered his dying rose - and now covered Fairy Godmother's wand - off of the wand; Fairy Godmother took the wand into her hands gently, presenting it to Ben.

"Do you solemnly swear to govern the peoples of Auradon," Fairy Godmother begun, sounding close to tears, "with justice and mercy, as long as you shall reign?"

"I do solemnly swear."

"Then it is my honor, and my joy, to bless our new king-"

Rowan gasped at the wand was ripped out of Fairy Godmother's hands. He laid eyes on Jane's small form as she waved the wand a string of blue magic was flung outwards toward the ceiling. "Child, what are you doing!" Fairy Godmother shrieked.

"If you won't make me beautiful, I'll do it myself!" Jane screeched, holding onto the wand tightly. Rowan stumbled backward to avoid being hit by flying sparks as Ben rushed to cover Mal. A moment later, Mal pushed past him and wrestled with Jane for the wand, grabbing it from her hands. Ben took a step back toward the stairs, his hand held out in front of him.

"Mal," he warned softly as Mal held the wand out above her, looking around the room wildly. Rowan glanced up and noticed Jay, Evie, and Carlos running from where they were placed. His heart sunk as he realized their plan. Of course, he had suspected, but he hadn't thought... "Give me the wand."

"Stand back," Mal threatened. Rowan turned his gaze toward the door as the other three burst inside, running up behind Mal.

"Let's go," Carlos said.

"You really want to do this?" Ben asked.

Rowan glanced at Carlos, who wouldn't meet his eyes. "C," he murmured. Surprisingly, Carlos heard him over the voices of Mal and Ben, turning to look at him with regret and sadness. "C," he insisted. "Best friends, remember? You promised."

"I'm sorry," Carlos muttered. His voice was nearly deafening to Rowan, but it was barely above a whisper.

"My heart is telling me are not our parents," Mal said loudly, catching Rowan's attention. She lowered the wand, turning to her friends. "Stealing things doesn't make you happy," she told Jay, "tourney and victory pizza with the team makes you happy." Jay smiled faintly as a few boys cheered behind him. "And you," Mal said, turning to Carlos, "scratching Dude's belly makes you happy. Hanging out with Rowan makes you happy." Carlos grinned sheepishly; Rowan felt the tips of his ears turn red, but he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "And Evie, you do not have to play dumb to get a guy," Mal stated, near tears. "You are so smart."

Rowan allowed himself to smile. And then he frowned, a bad feeling settling in his stomach as he remembered the spell Jane had fired at the ceiling. Dread settled in his stomach despite the scene happening in front of him - even when Carlos pulled him into the group circle and they all put their hands together, he couldn't focus on anything but the bad feeling in his heart.

A bad feeling that was proven right when a cloud of green smoke entered the throne room. A cloud of green that turned into the one and only Maleficent, who declared, "I'M BACK!"

Rowan looked at Carlos, taking his arm. "C," he whispered. Carlos nodded to him, but neither of them moved, too stunned to do anything.

"Go away, mother," Mal complained.

"Aww, you're funny. Here. Wand me, chop-chop," Maleficent ordered. Mal begun to hand over the wand before throwing it toward Fairy Godmother, who caught it and begun waving it.

"Bibbidi-bobbidi-"

"Boo," Maleficent said. She raised her scepter.

And everything froze.

[ the time has come ]

As Rowan would come to learn when everything unfroze and the celebration began, Mal was one scary woman.

Defeating Maleficent when said witch was a dragon? The very idea made Rowan feel faint, but there Mal stood, having done it. Rowan marveled her for it, wondering how any person could have such strength. Though, if he considered what all the VKs had been through, he wondered if they all had that kind of strength.

The afterparty was in full swing at Auradon. People danced around him as he stood to the side, watching with controlled amusement as Ben and Mal danced together. His heart was beating in time with the music and he swayed where he stood, but he did not make a move to dance.

His eyes cut to Carlos, who was dancing with Jane. And suddenly he had a reason to escape the party.

But would that seem pathetic, to slip away just because Carlos was dancing with someone else? It wasn't like he and Jane were together - they were probably just two friends having a nice time. There was no reason for Rowan to frett over it. And yet he was, wondering if it would be better for his heart if he just left.

Before he could, someone approched him. And the most surprising thing of all happened - Jay handed him a cup of water and stood beside him, his eyes trailing over to Carlos and Jane. "He doesn't like her," Jay muttered, sipping from his own cup. "You should hear the way he talks about you when he thinks no one will notice. He likes you. He's just an idiot and can't admit it." He shrugged, not meeting Rowan's eyes.

"I guess we're both idiots, then," Rowan said, shrugging. He swallowed the water in three gulps, not having realized how dry his mouth was.

"Yeah. You really are," Jay commented. "If I was so in love with someone that I dropped everything to make sure they were okay, I wouldn't let them go." He gave Rowan a knowing look. Rowan flushed, lowering his eyes as Jay walked away, his words echoing in Rowan's ears.

Rowan glanced at his watch and noted that it was eleven thirty. He recalled a letter he'd recived from his father yesterday - because he and Rapunzel couldn't make it to Rowan's birthday, they'd promised to do a floating lantern show for him. Auradon Prep was close to a clff near the ocean that would give him the perfect view of Corona - and the lanerns would easily reach the cliff, too. He could slip away and watch the lanterns without much noise.

He would prefer company, though.

But when he looked for Carlos and saw him still dancing with Jane, Rowan made his descion.

No one would notice if he was gone, anyway.