Rayna POV- Rayna ran down the path following Uma and Harry's were getting stronger. Soon she saw them and ran faster.
"Uma! Harry! Wait!" Rayna caught up to them and stood in front of them not even out of breath.
"Please wait. I need your help. Audrey just turned the others to stone" Rayna explained.
"Mal?" Uma asked stopping.
"All but her and myself."
"I can't help you"
"Uma wait. Forget Mal I'm the one asking now. Please help me" Rayna begged.
"Uma?" Harry asked softly looking from Rayna to Uma. Uma seemed torn, struggling to make a choice.
"I…can't help you. I know you're the one asking and I want to help YOU but Mal is the one who lied and I just can't help you cause it would be helping her. I'm sorry" Uma said.
Uma stepped around Rayna and started walking away.
"Harry… please" Rayna said softly.
"I'm sorry Jewel. I'm so sorry" Harry said looking at her sadly as he too walked away.
Rayna fought back her tears and walked away into the woods to think up a way to beat Audrey.
"Help me Mal!" Rayna heard Celia cry out a little while later followed by a dragon roar.
Rayna turned back towards the school only to realize she was far away now. Once again Rayna took off running. The closer she got the more she heard Mal roar. The school loomed up ahead. Rayna saw Audrey hit Mal's wing with a bolt of pink magic. Slowly Mal circled downwards to the ground.
Magic staff, fire breathing dragon…and I'm a wolf…sure I can handle this Rayna thought to herself.
"We're stronger together! We're stronger together. I'm right here Mal! Regain your might and ignite. I'm right here girl! I'm right here. Regain your might and ignite!" Uma appeared yelling breathlessly to Mal.
Rayna saw Mal open her claws and watched the Ember reignite.
"Mal heads up!" Rayna called out as she burst through the trees at full speed. Mal gave her a dragon grin and braced herself ready to fly.
Rayna ran past Uma and Harry, who were both trying to catch their breath as they too had run back to the school, and grinned before she pushed off the ground and launched herself a good 15 feet to land on Mal's back. Rayna stood hunched over with one hand holding onto one of Mal's spikes as Mal took to the air.
"I'll get Celia outta there, you focus on Audrey" Rayna said loud enough so Mal could hear.
Mal nodded her head and slowly flew up to the tower. When Audrey turned away from Celia to look at them, Rayna sprung up and ran up Mal's neck and dove off towards the tower. Mid leap Rayna let her shift come. She felt Audrey try to stop her with magic but it slid off her. Rayna landed between Celia and Audrey as a wolf.
Choosing Mal as her biggest worry Audrey stayed facing Mal and attacked her with magic. Mal countered the attack with Hades' Ember and the two magics met head on but slowly Mal's was getting stronger. Rayna looked at Celia and lowered herself down and nodded towards her back. Celia slowly, nervously got on her back.
Mal's magic had almost reached back to Audrey and Rayna didn't want to be there when it hit her. Once she felt Celia grip her fur tightly Rayna stood up and took a running jump off the tower. Just in time too as the sound behind her indicated the magics had made a small explosion.
Rayna landed and trotted over to Uma and Harry. Celia slid off her back and while Uma looked stunned, Harry looked in pure awe.
"Dang girl, that's kind of cool" Uma said looking at her.
Still Harry stared his mouth open and his eyes huge.
"I… I… always knew you were something special but this…you…you are so beautiful" Harry finally spoke.
He reached out tentatively to touch her fur and a smile spread across his face.
"Wow."
"Rayna!" a voice called out to her.
Rayna turned her head and saw Ben, Jay, Evie and finally Carlos walking out of the woods. Unable to contain her joy Rayna ran over to them and straight to Carlos. She nuzzled against him her body shaking she was so happy. He stroked her fur holding onto her.
"I know me too" he said when Rayna whined.
They finally all followed Ben inside where they ran into Mal who was carrying Audrey's body. Rayna had Carlos open the door to her old room so she could go inside.
"Is she…" Ben asked.
"She's still alive I can hear her heartbeat though it's faint" Rayna said coming out of her room now dressed in her red and black leather.
Mal took Audrey to her room and laid her on the bed. Her and Evie sat next to her while the rest of them stood and waited.
"She's slipping away" Evie said softly not wanting to voice what was happening.
"There's only one person in the world who might be able to do something about this and that's Hades" Mal said.
"Hades? He wouldn't do it. I wouldn't risk it" Ben said.
"Actually he might do it for me. He's my father."
Ben had a brief moment of stunned panic before he covered it up.
"Okay… well I'll have to send guards to get him" Ben said and turned to Rayna who nodded.
"Maybe I can hitch a ride. The Isle is my home. Someone needs to be there to protect it" Uma said.
"Well then you will need your first mate" Harry said placing his hands on Uma's shoulders.
"The Isle will be in very good hands" Mal told them.
"Can I go too? I wish I could be in both places" Celia said.
"I really think that Evie was right. And… I do think that we could've been friends. And I'm really sorry that I lied to all of you guys. You deserve so much better than that" Mal said.
"You were just trying to do the right thing" Jay said.
"Yeah" Uma agreed.
"I get it" Evie said standing up offering Mal a small smile.
Ben looked at Rayna once more and she nodded. She called a handful of her best guards to accompany her to get Hades. Carlos stayed behind with the rest of the V.K.'s. He said he needed to talk to Ben.
Rayna was the one to talk Hades into coming back with them. All she had to do was say Mal needed him. Rayna also apologized for the chains he had to wear but he didn't seem to care.
"Good bye Harry" Rayna said turning to see him behind her before she could get into the SUV.
"Good bye Jewel you… I'll never forget you" Harry replied sadly.
Rayna smiled softly and took out one of her favorite jewel covered daggers and handed it to him.
"For a friend I didn't know I needed" Rayna said before getting in the SUV and driving away.
The sun was up by the time they got back to Auradon Prep. The guards followed her with Hades between them up to Audrey's room.
"Thank you for coming" Mal said.
"Didn't have much choice" Hades said showing his chains.
Rayna held Carlo's hand and rolled her eyes at Hades comment. He acted like he was forced there but all he wanted was to help his daughter.
"Can you wake her?" Ben asked.
"Since when do heroes care about villains?" Hades asked.
"She's…"
"One of your own? Right. When you guys try to destroy the world it's… an error in judgment. But when it's one of us… lock them up and throw away the key. Right Beast?" Hades held his hands up causing everyone to tense up waiting for an attack.
"Yeah. I'm gonna need to use my hands" Hades said.
Looking back at Ben who nodded Mal had the guards unchain him. Hades held out his hand and wiggled his fingers for the Ember. Once Mal put it in his hand he took a deep breath closed his eyes and let out a sigh as his hair lite up with blue fire.
"Haven't lost my touch" he grinned.
He turned to face Beast and started growling at him and Beast growled back. Rayna let out a growl louder than both of them just as Mal also tried to break the tension.
"Dad!"
Hades just grinned and shrugged. Carlos slid his arm around Rayna's waist grinning at her he had refused to leave when Beast ordered the rest of the V.K's out of the room and with a look at Rayna who had just raised her eye brow Beast allowed Carlos to stay.
Hades stood at the foot of Audrey's bed and blue lights appeared in the room as he moved the Ember in slow circles over Audrey. She sat up in bed and took a breath as she opened her eyes. Hades tossed the Ember in the air and caught it as his hair returned to normal.
"Tell me it was all a bad dream" Audrey said.
"I wish I could. But it's over now" Ben said.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to hurt you both. I wanted to hurt all of you" Audrey said.
"I have owed you an apology for…a very long time now" Mal told her.
"And so have I" Ben added.
"And perhaps I have owed you one too" Audrey's grandmother told Mal.
The guards took Hades away and Mal chased after him. Rayna leaned her head against Carlos and smiled at him.
"Rayna for the party...I just want my best friend there okay?" Ben said smiling and nodding to Carlos. .
Rayna smiled understanding what he was saying, that she was no longer needed as his personal guard.
"I'm tired and starving and Mal's engagement party is in 6 hours. I have to prepare" Rayna said to Carlos.
"No you don't. Maximus already did your check list. I asked him. I knew you'd need to rest" Carlos said tugging her gently out of the room.
"Fine but I have to…" Rayna said as Carlos pulled her into her old room.
"You…have to eat the steak I made while you were gone. And you need to sleep. That's all you have to do."
Rayna smelled the steak and was eating it before she knew she even sat down. She fell asleep in his arms. Out like a light. He woke her in time to get ready and leave.
For the first time her outfit didn't have knives in it and she was surprisingly okay with that. Everyone cheered when Mal and Ben showed up at the party.
"Lady Mal and I wanna thank you for celebrating our engagement with us today. I couldn't be prouder or happier to call you my Queen. So… raise your glasses to our future Queen of Auradon!" Ben said loudly.
"To our Queen of Auradon" the crowd said.
"Speech your specialness" Carlos called out.
"Speech your fancy one" Jay added.
"I can't. I can't be Queen of Auradon" Mal said.
She turned to Ben and spoke softly to him.
"We made a decision… to close the barrier forever. And it was my idea but it's wrong. I've learned that you can't live in fear because it doesn't actually protect you from anything. You never know where the bad is gonna come from. And you never know where the heroes are gonna come from either. Without Uma and her pirates Auradon would be gone. And without Hades…my father…Audrey would be gone. We are all capable of good and bad no matter which side of the barrier we come from. And that's why I can't be Queen of just Auradon" Mal said.
She again turned to Ben speaking softly.
"What's she saying?" Carlos asked.
"She wants to bring the barrier down" Rayna answered.
"I choose to be a King who moves forward. It's time for forgiveness. It's time for new beginnings. The barrier will come down" Ben declared.
"Yes!" Carlos yelled cheering too.
Everyone else followed and soon they were all clapping. Mal beckoned the V.K's and Rayna up the stairs to join her.
"To make the world a better place…" Mal started the spell holding Fairy Godmother's wand.
"We have to do it face to face" all the V.K's finished together.
The bridge appeared to link Auradon to the Isle.
It's time to bring together
Time for a brand new start
We gonna put it in motion
Break down what keeps us apart
No more, no division we down
New team, got the vision, unite
So we stand, now we living marching
In the light, one two, one two like
I see you (you see me)
Imperfect (perfectly)
Face to face
We can see clearly our similarities like
Day and night, wrong or right
We come together for a good time
Ben, Rayna and the V.K's joined Mal singing.
We're gonna break this down
We're gonna rock the town
Everyone all around
Let's be whoever like this
Stronger together like this
Believing in second chances
And we're all starting today
Marching on in a new land
Our world's a better, a better place
Welcome, the addition new love
Evie sang.
Unity, new beginning for us
Carlos took his turn to sing.
Harmony that's the mission marching
Jay finished with his line.
In the light, one two, one two like
I see you (you see me)
Imperfect (perfectly)
Face to face
We can see clearly our similarities like
Day and night, wrong or right
We come together for a good time
We're gonna break this down
We're gonna rock the town
Everyone all around
Just be whoever like this
Stronger together like this
We reunited like this
Rayna and Ben stayed behind while the V.K's went to greet those from the Isle.
Bringing it, bringing it, b-b-b-bringing it down
Bringing it, bringing it, b-b-b-bringing it down
Bringing it, bringing it, b-b-b-bringing it down
Bringing it, bringing it, b-b-b-bringing it down (down!)
Ben bowed to those from the Isle in greeting and lowered himself down to his knee. Rayna bowed and followed Ben to her knee everyone else soon followed suit.
We're gonna break this down (break this down)
We're gonna rock the town (oh, we're gonna rock this town)
Everyone all around (oh, around)
Just be whoever like this (come on!)
Stronger together like this (uh)
We be united like this
We're gonna break this down (come on! We're gonna break this down)
We're gonna rock the town (come on, everybody on the isle gonna like this)
Carlos danced with Rayna laughing and enjoying themselves.
Everyone all around (oh, around)
Just be whoever like this
Stronger together like this (stronger together like this)
We reunited like this (hey!)
Bringing it, bringing it, b-b-bringing it down
"Carlos I…I'm a bit…terrified to meet your mother. I mean a wolf is just like a dog" Rayna explained pulling Carlos a little bit away from the partiers.
"Wait till she hears I want to be a vet" Carlos grinned.
"Rayna there's something really important I've been trying to give you. I couldn't think of a good time but… I'm gonna make my own time. I've already talked to Ben about this" Carlos said pulling her farther away from the others.
Then Carlos smiled as he got down on one knee and pulled out a box.
"Rayna, gorgeous she wolf, will you marry me?" Carlos asked opening the box.
The ring itself was amazing it was a white gold band and the diamond was black with two small red rubies on each side of it.
"Carlos…I…yes I'll marry you" Rayna smiled nearly in tears.
Carlos slid the ring on her finger and stood up.
"I love you Carlos" Rayna said.
"And I love you Rayna."
With the crowd cheering to their own party behind them Rayna pulled Carlos close and kissed him deeply. Carlos cupped her jaw kissing her back lovingly. Neither one could have been any happier than they were in that one perfect moment and it would last for their entire lives together.
The End