SO! As I was typing this, I realized I SHOULD have had Lady Tremaine at the Family Day event to add more plot detail for the big reveal in this chapter. I fixed it with this chapter, so be prepared!
There is only one chapter left, so be sure to vote on my poll on my profile. The winning story will be revealed in the next chapter.
Enjoy!
Just as it took place before, Ben's coronation was a grand event like no other.
The cloudless blue sky smiled down upon limos trailing their way to the entrance of the cathedral. Lined with royal-blue carpet, the church steps brimmed with honored guests who would witness such a magnificent event.
Inside the cathedral, massive stained-glass depictions covered most of the walls, intricately placed between the countless pillars in the building. Guests mingled by the stage, where a bell jar covered by a sheet was set on display.
Close to the front row, the Isle children mingled with one another as they waited for the special ceremony to begin. The youngest four dressed in outfits similar to ones they would wear to the royal engagement party in just a few short years.
In fact, Audrey—who did indeed come to the coronation with Gil—wore her same engagement party dress as well. Unlike last time, she didn't want to wear matching dresses with her family after what happened the day before. After her . . . fun with Gil, Audrey met with the three female Isle children to reveal that she now knew her dreams weren't just dreams. Immediately shooting down the sympathetic words given to her—so she wouldn't feel any worse for what she would do—Audrey kindly wondered if any of the trio could transform her coronation dress within the short time frame.
The princess was more than relieved when the purple-haired fairy managed to recreate the dress she would adore in the future with just a simple flick of magic. Wearing it to the prince's coronation now with her magically dyed hair, Audrey felt more like a mature woman than the sixteen-year-old girl she unknowingly been forced to play again.
Anyways, a plush carriage drawn by two white horses caught the attention of those at the front of the cathedral. Mal looked just as radiant as before in her layered lilac dress with her hair done up in a fancy bun. Ben couldn't have looked any more like royalty in his deep blue suit with gold accents here and there.
Inside the carriage, Mal clutched her hands in nervousness.
Noticing his beloved repeating the same action as before, Ben took one of her hands in his. "Don't be nervous," he instructed with a love-sick smile. "All you have to do is sit here and look beautiful. No problem there."
Despite her inner tenseness, Mal raised an amused eyebrow at her future-fiancé. "Are you really trying to recreate how this happened last time?"
"I thought a little bit of familiarity would help you," Ben admitted, smiling reassuringly. "There really is nothing to worry about. Just like before, all the children from the Isle will choose good again, and we will be on our way back to our original time."
"We still don't know who caused this though," Mal argued, her voice just barely above a whisper so the none of the news cameras could hear her. "My mother swore she had no part of it, and while my father has his suspicions because of Lady Tremaine's input—"
"You don't think it is that far-fetched," Ben reasoned knowingly. "Again, I don't think so either. That's why we have a plan to stop anything bad from happening this time. We really do have Audrey to thank for this plan."
Mal scoffed at the idea. "So when we return to our time, we are going to thank her that her second-almost-death gave us this idea to expose the real culprit? She would be even more traumatized than she already is, even if she's pretending she's not."
"Gil will be there to comfort her, if we decide to," Ben reassured softly. "If we do tell her, it won't be for a few months, maybe a couple weeks after our official wedding."
"So after we tell everyone that we may or may not be expecting?" Mal teased with a sugar-sweet smile.
"You're the one that told our friends we decided to try already," Ben reminded, matching his beloved's smile for one of his own. "After we return to our time, everything will go the way they are supposed to be. You'll see."
Resting her head on her beloved's shoulder to help calm her still tenseness about the situation, Mal mumbled under her breath. "I love you, my king."
Placing the lightest of adoring and comforting kisses on her forehead, Ben softly replied, "And I love you, my queen."
After much suspenseful anticipation, the carriage finally rolled to a stop at the front steps of the cathedral. Trumpets blared as footmen opened the carriage door to help Mal down. Hand in hand, Ben and Mal walked up the cathedral stairs; the crowd roaring around them as they approached the soon-to-be retired royals.
"Thank you," Mal began after she straightened from her curtsy, "for agreeing to let our fathers come to Family Day yesterday. Everyone had a nice time with them. I know Harry was glad to see his uncle again."
"Ben is the one you should thank," Queen Belle insisted kindly. "He convinced us to allow it."
"Once again, son, you'll be an excellent king," King Beast praised, though he winked teasingly at Mal. "And you will be amazing at his side. I really do hope you become his queen soon. As much as I would love for you to become my daughter, I would love even more to have grandchildren."
Ben raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his mischievously grinning wife. "Did you mention that idea to everyone?"
"Blame Dad," Mal claimed with a careless shrug. "He made a comment about it yesterday that started all of this. They both want a grand-daughter to spoil and are hoping she will have purple hair like me."
"You can discuss your plans to have her later," King Beast teased before he offered his free arm to the Isle princess. "I'll escort you to your place while Ben prepares himself for his moment."
Smile changing from mischief to happiness, Mal gave her prince a simple kiss on the cheek before she allowed her in-law to lead her away.
Time to begin the coronation.
With attendants opening the main doors to the cathedral, Ben slowly walked down the long aisle; the audience bowing as he passed by. With every stride he took, a confidence built inside the 'prince', as though he was trying to prepare himself for the unexpected. Hand clenched at his side, Ben could only hope that what he held would work for him.
As Ben knelt once he arrived at the stage, where his parents and Fairy Godmother awaited him, Mal's stomach lurched at the thought of what was about to take place. An unwanted fear grew inside the fairy was she watched Fairy Godmother ceremoniously lift the crown from King Beast's head and placed it on Ben's.
This time, Queen Belle was the one to lift the bell jar away from the wand. With a reluctance in his movements, King Beast handed the wand to Fairy Godmother, allowing his hand to linger a moment or so as it was taken away from him. Once again, Ben impatiently awaited the blessing with the wand.
As though she were to knight him, Fairy Godmother held the wand out to him. "Do you swear to lead the people of Auradon," Fairy Godmother began for all to hear, "with justice and fairness as long as you shall reign? To place their concerns above anyone else? Even those from the Isle of the Lost?"
Ben hesitated at the peculiar question as the audience began whispering amongst themselves. Why would she ask such a thing?
Raising his head, Ben glared determinedly at the powerful fairy. "No," he denied forcefully, powerfully. "The people of the Isle of the Lost are also the people of Auradon. I do swear on the River Styx, one day, the barrier will be removed around the island, so they can all have a chance to have a better life; so they can all be given a second chance."
With an unidentifiable gleam in her eyes, Fairy Godmother lifted the wand with a danger in her movements. "Then, I'm afraid, I can't bless you as our new king . . ."
Trailing off with her announcement, Fairy Godmother abruptly thrusted her wand toward the prince; wild sparks shooting toward him as the audience gasped and screamed in horror.
Luckily, he had been prepared for that moment.
Just a split second before the magic would have hit him, Ben quickly raised his hand to the chest, effectively blocking the sparks. The powerful enchantment dwindled into nothingness as the force became absorbed into the mysterious object in the king's hand. When the sorcery fully disappeared, the crowd could now see the blue gem in Ben's hand.
More infamously known as Hades's ember.
Allowing himself a moment to take a deep breath to calm his erratically beating heart, Ben somewhat arrogantly tossed the ember in the air before catching it grandly. "Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared this time?" Ben interrogated as he showed off the ember.
Fairy Godmother paled as everyone stared at her in surprise and mortification. "How did you know—"
"A few things, really," Mal interrupted as she and her friends made their way to stand with the king. "We knew something was off when you were reluctant to let the boys go to their Tourney tryouts, something you had suggested last time. Then you claimed nothing was wrong with Audrey when there clearly was, punished Carlos when he ran to you for help, and was reluctant to let Gil clean up her room while she stayed in the nurse's office. The biggest indicator was when you ended the video call with our parents after my mother swore on the River that she was not responsible for the twist in time."
"We thought the scepter was used for the reversal because of Audrey's condition," Uma continued knowingly. "But when Uncle Hades returned to the Isle after the Family Day fiasco, someone went to him about what happened and insisted the wand had been used. They knew it was the wand because they had used it to reverse time over twenty years ago."
"Who?"
" 'I call upon all the powers of the universe'," recited a woman's voice. " 'Reverse the moon and the sun. Turn back tide and time. Unravel their happily ever after, to the moment my trouble began!'"
All eyes moved to the front of the cathedral, where stood a fancily dressed Lady Tremaine, who began her trek to the royal family. "I spoke that enchantment after Anastasia found the magic wand," Lady Tremaine revealed with a saddened frown on her lips at the memory. "We went back in time right before the Grand Duke arrived with the glass slipper. With that time, I used the wand to make it so the glass slipper fit Anastasia, changing the events that would have proceeded. Of course, my plan was foiled, and Fairy Godmother used the wand to return us back to our time. When we did return, I was the only one that remembered what had happened."
Stopping when she stood at the front of the VK group, Lady Tremaine boasted, "It appears that you are losing your touch, or the wand is no longer sees you as its master. When I used it, my two daughters and myself were the only ones that remembered what would happen in the future when we were taken to the past. When you used it, more than fourteen people remembered or never forgot because they either had ties with the magic wand, Hades's ember, or Maleficent's scepter. In other words, you really should have thought your plan out a little more carefully."
"Fairy Godmother," Ben acknowledged with a strong tone in his voice. "You are under arrest for the unlawful use of the magic wand, for the suffering you caused Princess Audrey, and attempting to hurt a member of the Royal Family."
"Guards!" King Beast roared angrily. "Seize her!"
Before anyone could take a single step toward her, Fairy Godmother swished the wand toward herself, disappearing in a puff of sparkles.
However, the wand didn't disappear with her. Instead, it clattered onto the stage like a forgotten toy.
Cautiously, Mal approached the stage and carefully took the wand, as though it was a dangerous weapon. "Lady Tremaine," she greeted, holding the wand out to the older woman. "Would you like to do the honors?"
Bravely taking the wand, Lady Tremaine took a deep breath as she closed her eyes in concentration. "Take us back to before the dreaded spell was casted," she instructed determinedly. "Let those who witnessed these events remember all that has happened. Bibbidi! Bobbidi! Boo!"