Crown Prince Benjamin clipped his gold cuffs into place along his sleeves and took a few deep breaths. He was alone in his bedroom at the moment, which was a rarity these days as his father was preparing to confer the throne on him. There were five more months to go until his coronation, and he was feeling the weight of the world. He couldn't describe it quite yet, but there seemed to be this odd… pull in his chest.

Ben pulled at the lapels on his coat and studied the way the suit lined up with his frame. He glanced at the clock. His royal crown tests were due to begin in an hour. The bright Auradonian sun was shining through the four tall, slim windows that panned the far right side of his room, leading up to a small balcony with beautiful glass french doors. He was standing in front of a large mirror that rested on wheels so he could move it back into a closet when he was done. The room wasn't particularly large in area, but it was tall.

As Ben smoothed his hair down with a wet comb and many careful, even strokes, a gentle knock sounded and echoed inside the hollow door. "Ben?" His mother called from outside.

"You may enter," Ben called back as he examined his reflection and tried to slick his hair down more. A stream of water ran down his hairline past his ear and made him shiver.

Queen Belle opened the door and slipped inside. Ben caught a glimpse of her favorite yellow sundress as she closed the door behind her. The skirts were swishing around her calves as she twisted a handkerchief in her hands. Her hair was much shorter than it had been in her youth. She'd colored her hair a lighter shade back when he was still at Auradon Prep, but now it was fading back to its original brown shade, with soft streaks of grey here and there, making her look like a sophisticated businesswoman. She had soft laugh lines around her eyes and mouth and a small scar tucked away on her hairline from the war twenty-four years ago.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?" She asked, coming to stand beside him. She put her hands on his shoulders and smiled at their reflection in the mirror.

"Just about." Ben smiled. Belle smiled back at him, leaned up to kiss his cheek and walked over to sit on his bed. She ran a hand over the multi-colored threads of the bedspread and then turned to watch her son pull on his shiny black shoes and roll the collar of his white shirt down.

When he finished adding and fixing everything, he turned around to his mom for approval. Belle smiled at her son, dressed up in royal blues, and patted the bedside for him to sit down. He did so, and the weight of the mattress shifted suddenly in his direction.

"Nervous?" She whispered.

"A little," Ben admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He thought of Auradon and everyone who lived there and almost buckled under the weight of his thoughts. Would he be a good ruler? Would he even be able to do anything? Sure, Auradon wasn't perfect, but his parents had already done so much... Ben swallowed. "It's a big responsibility." He hesitated as Belle's eyes flickered down to the ground and back up at him. "You okay?" Ben asked her. Belle sniffled a little.

"Yes." She wiped her eyes. Ben bit his cheek and waited for her to compose herself. After a few minutes, she did.

"I'm so, so proud of you. It's been almost twenty-one years but it feels like I've blinked and you've sprouted. You used to be able to fit in my arms, and now you're bigger and taller than I'll ever be." Belle's body was wracked with sobs as she tearfully examined her only son and favorite twenty-one-year-old. He truly was the pride and joy of her life. She reached forward and took his hands as she spoke.

"I want you to know that I'll always love you and be here for you. You can talk to me about anything and I'll listen and give you the best advice I can. You'll always be my little Benny-bop." The two chuckled together, and then Ben gathered his mom up into a big hug. Belle rested her chin on his shoulder as she tried to dry her tears and prevent them from getting onto his jacket. Her makeup was running down her cheeks.

"I love you, Mom," Ben whispered into her ear.

Belle hiccupped. "And I love you." She responded. Forty-four years ago, she'd been a tiny eighteen-year-old being held a prisoner in this palace. Now she was a queen who'd managed to stitch an entire country together after it had been torn apart by war for almost twenty years.

Ben and Belle broke away after several more minutes. Belle's face was blotchy and she was still hiccupping. Ben offered her his arm nonetheless and escorted her outside. Lumiere, the former candelabra, was waiting for them outside Ben's room. Lumiere had grey hair and walked with an odd gait from his knee surgery a few years ago. His skin was leathered over from years of sun and smiles, but he had retained his kind face and bright smile. Lumiere was almost seventy years old, but he served the royal family with all the energy and joy he had back when Belle and her father had first arrived. Maurice, of course, had hence been laid to rest in his hometown of Paris.

"Ah, mademoiselle!" Lumiere exclaimed. Ben waved him off with a fond look directed towards his mom. Lumiere came forward and took Belle's hand to pat it. "It seems like only yesterday he was just a tot, no?"

Belle nodded and sniffled as more pearlescent tears began to roll down her cheeks. Lumiere smiled and pulled his former charge into a hug. Belle obliged and wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest as the tears came and burned her face. Lumiere put an arm tightly around Belle's shoulders and leaned his head onto her hair. Ben had already let go of his mother and now stepped back to watch his mom's old friend console her. After several long minutes, Lumiere readjusted the now lightly-sobbing Bell under his arm and began to lead her down the hall as she scrubbed at her face and tried to compose herself. They ended up dropping her off at her and the Beast's door at her request so she could go fix her makeup.

Lumiere brushed his suit off lightly. His left side was covered in watermarks and mascara stains.

"I hope that comes off," Ben commented with a sympathetic frown.

"It was for a good cause." Lumiere waved him off. They continued to walk outside, as Ben had final checks to go through and a short press conference before he had to travel to the Fairy Godmother's office at Auradon Prep.

The trip down the bright tiled floors of Beasts' Castle was silent and did nothing to console Ben's mounting nerves. At the end of the trip, Lumiere stopped him outside the large wooden doors to talk with him for a few seconds.

"Are you ready?" He asked. The twenty-year-old shifted in his shoes and swallowed.

"I think so, I'm just nervous." He admitted. Ben wasn't as close to Lumiere as Belle was. Sure, he enjoyed his raucous energy and bright spirits, but he had much preferred talking to Chip before Chip had left to race horses in Cinderellasburg. Cogsworth had retired the moment he learned Adam was going to be king. Mrs. Potts had tragically passed away when Ben was about eleven, and it was not long after that Chip had severed his ties with the castle that had kept him ageless and trapped during his childhood. Nobody said much about it, especially King Adam, but Ben thinks they all knew on some semblance of a level that Chip had severe PTSD from all those years wondering if he'd have the chance to grow up. The man couldn't even touch a teacup while Ben knew him.

Lumiere smiled at the young man. "It has been an honor to watch you grow up." He said honestly. "I know you will do many amazing things for this kingdom." He patted Ben's shoulder and then stepped back and opened up the door. Ben let his eyes rest on the tan floor tiles before he took a deep breath and wandered out into the bright sunlight outside.

King Adam was waiting on the porch steps. Adam's hairline was receding and he stood with a hunch, just like he had when he was the beast. But as his son strode through the doors, he looked up, straightened his spine, and smiled.

"Suit good?" King Adam asked as Ben approached.

"Yeah, dad," Ben responded with a shrug. His dad clapped him on the shoulder. Ben smiled.

"We've decided to do Final Checks in Fairy Godmother's office at Auradon Prep. For now, let's meet the press." Adam told him. Ben let out a breath and nodded. Adam chuckled and put his arm around his son. "Don't be nervous. It'll all be okay."

They exchanged a small smile and then Ben took a final deep breath before he put on a soft smile and walked down towards the circular road in front of the castle. The carriage and the press were waiting for him. As he rounded a particularly high bush that guarded Belle's Rose Garden from sight, the press began to chatter loudly and some began to call out his name. By law, they were allowed no further than the road, which was considered public property.

"Ben!" One yelled. He had long, tan hair in a ponytail and wore a red lace choker. "What are some of your thoughts on receiving your coronation blessings?"

Ben paused at the edge of the group. They spread out. Photographers were trying to get better angles and reporters were trying to ask questions. One very large camera that was broadcasting live was being held steady above the heads of everyone else. He tried to not look directly into it.

"It's overwhelming." He told the reporter with the choker. "I'm blessed, you know, to have the kingdom trust me this much. I'm humbled by all your support."

"Do you have any plans should you not qualify to be the next king?" One very tall and curvy dark-skinned reporter asked. A pit of dread formed in Ben's chest. He swallowed.

"No." He said honestly. He didn't know what he would do. Politics and 'be the king the kingdom needs' were what he'd been raised on. If he couldn't be what he'd literally been born and raised to be, he didn't know how he'd recover from that failure. Still, he flashed a winning smile to the crowd and said: "Maybe I'll play tourney. You never know."

A couple people laughed. Ben dipped his head in modest embarrassment. "Um, guys, I have a few more minutes before my mom is ready and we have to leave…" He glanced cautiously over his shoulder. "What do you want to know?"

A million microphones suddenly filled his vision and a million voices resounded in his ears. Ben blinked. Dozens of lips were moving and all the words seemed incoherent and meaningless to him. As he tried desperately to pick out at least one of the many questions being thrown his way, he felt that pit of dread grow deeper and wider. He swallowed so hard that he almost choked and then felt his lips begin to form words.

Mal, to be fair, had never been quite sure of what her mother was cooking up. As she'd gotten older she'd learned two rules. 1.) Her mother was always scheming. 2.) Asking would grant her nothing. She was better off waiting for Maleficent to grow excited enough to tell her.

Her mother was unhinged, but then again, they all were a little. Maleficent was the sort of crazy that elicited breaking things, random laughter attacks, and days where she locked herself in her room to emerge hours later with fully drawn, nonsensical blueprints of a plan to escape the Isle that revolved around a silver bullet engraved with the name John Sterlock. But Maleficent was no closer to escape than she had been twenty-four years ago when they'd first been locked up. Everyone knew this.

The other thing about Maleficent's craziness was that it made her extremely dangerous. Even without her magic, no one dared cross her. While many of the larger villains did nothing but poke fun at the small-time murderers and terrorists that were sent to the Isle, Maleficent had once strangled one with her bare hands after he'd tried to jump her in an alleyway. Everyone knew she'd be more than willing to do it again.

Mal's plans that day had involved graffiti on the south side bridge towards the forest, stealing a few swords from Uma and her gang, and having a friendly sword fight with Jay. He'd kick her butt, but she'd be learning more of his moves anyways. He couldn't stay ahead forever, could he? However, before she, Evie, Jay, and Carlos could high-tail it out of their home, Maleficent had entered the room singing praises to the day and demanding everyone sit down in front of the broken little TV screen. The parents took their seats, grumbling all the way, on the moth-eaten couch, and the children had sat far enough away that they couldn't be touched. Each had a decent view of the fuzzy picture being streamed from Auradon. Mal had grabbed a chair after a few minutes and sat chewing on her tangled hair with her legs splayed out and tracing the foreboding cracks in the ceiling with her eyes as a gleeful Maleficent thumbed through the channels.

So much for her plans.

Maleficent shouted in joy again. Mal looked lazily over and saw the young crown prince on the screen. His head was ducked down a little and he was smiling shyly. People were interviewing him, but the sound was fading in and out.

"What's this?" Cruella De Vil asked with narrowed eyes. "You hauled us over here to watch the royals?"

"Hush," Maleficent commanded. "This is a very important day. This is the day when all our dreams will begin to come true. We are going to get off this island!" She raised her fist high in triumph, and Mal immediately knew there was no way to stop this. She put her head in her hands and rolled her eyes as she watched the screen, completely bored.

"I see," Cruella said, fluffing her cowl around her neck. "And how is this-" she waved her hand at the screen "-going to get us off the Isle?"

Maleficent curled her clawed hands over the seat as she grinned wickedly at the screen. "Today is a special day. The new king is going to undergo his crown tests today." She snickered lightly, which turned into a laugh. Everyone looked away as she began to fall apart, sinking to the floor as she was caught in another unpreventable laughing storm. Mal tried to block out the sounds of her half-laughing, half-choking mother as she watched the rich little prince climb in his carriage and leave onscreen.

Again, so much for her plans.

"So, Ben," Fairy Godmother began as she shuffled papers around on her desk. "Let's see if you did your homework. What is this meeting for?"

Ben straightened up a little at being addressed. He was sitting in a blue-furnished chair in Fairy Godmother's headmistress office at Auradon Prep. It was strange for him to be on campus again after all these years. "Preliminary checks leading up to me receiving the throne. You'll check my health on multiple fronts, erase or subdue all magic spells and enchantments, ensure my alignment to good and also make sure you have the measurements of my head for crown resizing." Ben recited. He began to drum his hand nervously on his knees before both Belle and Adam reached over at the exact same time to stop the annoying sound.

"Correct." Fairy Godmother nodded as she pulled a lightly blue-tinted paper out of her stack. "What happens if you fail any of the tests?"

Ben gulped. "Well, I probably won't be king." He bit his lip and looked on, wracked with nerves.

Fairy Godmother nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"Umm." Ben trailed off. "If I fail the health tests, the kingdom will have to vote on whether or not they want me to rule. If I fail the spells and enchantments portion, which is hard to do, we'll examine the contents of the pertinent spell and move from there. If the spell will hinder or prevent me from becoming king, then I won't be able to ascend the throne. If I fail the goodness test, depending on where I lay on the scale, I could be denied the throne or in worst-case scenarios be sent to the Isle of the Lost for active conspiration." Ben took a deep breath to calm his nerves and found his throat was very dry. He rubbed his sweaty palms against a handkerchief. "The stakes have never been higher." He murmured sarcastically to the room. Everyone laughed.

"Good. Now, we do health checks first, then goodness checks, and finally, curse checks. Can you tell me why that is?" Fairy Godmother asked as she picked up a swath of pens and put them in a mug from the pottery class on her desk.

"It's a level system. First, you need to know if I'm able to rule the kingdom, then you need to know if I'll do it right, and finally, will I be in control of myself as I do so?" Ben explained. Fairy Godmother gave a small, quiet clap. Ben let out a sigh of relief. The schoolmistress sat behind her desk and slid her mug of pens and pencils towards Ben.

"Let's begin." She said and placed the blue paper in front of him. There were five lines upon it. She withdrew her wand, which had been taken from the museum of culture for the occasion, from an otherwise empty slot in her desk and placed it on the desk within sight of the others. She then laid a finger on the handle part. Ben leaned forward and placed a finger on the tip. The wand was only a decorative prelude to the actual tests that would ensure his honesty.

"Benjamin Florian Benson. We meet here today to discuss the future of the country of Auradon, which is your right by birth to rule. Do you agree to take the proceedings of this meeting seriously?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"I do," Ben whispered.

"And do you," Fairy Godmother continued, looking very serious "-understand the risks involved with taking these tests today?"

"I do," Ben repeated. Fairy Godmother removed her finger and Ben pulled his back as if he'd been shocked. Fairy Godmother put the wand back into the desk, as its purpose had been fulfilled.

"You may sign on the first line." The Fairy Godmother told him. "Please include the date at the end of the line."

Ben numbly reached for a pen and used his best cursive to elegantly sign the first line. As requested, he listed the date. Once he finished, he looked up at the Fairy Godmother for additional instructions. She smiled. "Please sign the second line in black ink." She told him. Ben checked the color of the ink he'd just written in, and then signed the second line. As an afterthought, he included the date. The ink on the second line sank back into the paper, then reappeared a deep blue color. Ben heard Belle exhale behind him.

"Congratulations." Fairy Godmother told Ben. "You have passed the health test."

Ben sighed in relief. Fairy Godmother laughed at him. She gestured back to the paper. "Please sign the exact same way on the third line."

Ben began to bite his cheek as he carefully wrote his name down. Once again, the ink sank back into the page and then reappeared a brazened blue. Belle chuckled. "What a surprise." She said. The lighthearted comment helped Ben to relax. Of course, he'd known he wasn't evil, but these tests were nerve-wracking, making him doubt everything about himself.

Fairy Godmother stood up with a smile. "Before the final test, I have to perform a quick spell that will disable any jinxes, spells, or enchantments that may be on him. That's why the last test is so hard to fail. Everything is already removed. After this, it will be your responsibility to recognize when you are being spelled or enchanted." Ben nodded.

Belle and Adam rearranged their chairs as Fairy Godmother came to stand behind Ben. She put her hands on his shoulders and everyone bowed their heads and closed their eyes as if in prayer. Fairy Godmother spoke aloud.

"By the power invested in me by the Kingdom of Auradon and as a member of the fae, I hereby remove all traces of magic, sans your familial blessings, for the purpose of preparing you for the crown." Fairy Godmother rehearsed.

Short and simple. Ben hadn't even had time to fidget once. He looked up as Fairy Godmother moved back to her chair. "You may sign." She told him as she sat down. Ben picked up the pen and wrote his name down on the fourth line. It sank back into the page and reemerged. This time though, it was red.

A terrible ice-cold froze him. He heard his parents making noises but couldn't decipher them. Fairy Godmother reached for the paper with a deep frown and then turned to Ben with an analytical eye.

"There must be a spell on you." She said blatantly.

Ben tried to swallow. "What kind?" He rasped.

Fairy Godmother opened another compartment in her desk and pulled out a jewel. "Hold this in your palm." She instructed him. He took it and held it so she could read the surface of the jewel. She retrieved a pen and paper and then prodded the jewel with her finger. It began immediately to change colors. Fairy Godmother wrote down each one like a secret code and then left Ben to hold the stone after it had stopped changing colors as she deciphered the string of intensely specific colors.

Finally, she looked up with a sorrowful eye.

"A blood anchor." She responded. "Someone has turned Ben into a blood anchor. It's an extremely complex and powerful curse. I wouldn't be able to erase it without a team of people to help me, lots of time, the source, and the other half."

"The other half?" Belle asked. Ben was glad she was asking because he couldn't think anymore. He began to bite his cheek to try and bring feeling back into it.

"This curse isn't the full curse. There's one other half with a very specific signature. We could find it easily. In fact, I suspect that was their goal. There's also a very long list of what-ifs. A few of them include safe blocks to prevent the magic of the crown from sticking and a severe pain wave that will start in a few years. You're lucky you weren't born three years later than you were, otherwise you'd be in the hospital now from the severe shocks this creator has spelled onto you."

Ben felt King Adam put a hand on his shoulder. "Son? Have you been to any place where you can remember holes in your memory, or-"

"That wouldn't be it, Adam." Fairy Godmother interrupted. "It's an inherited curse. There's a very clear line of passing. The curse was placed on the queen's crown, probably after we blessed it. Maybe after you two were elected king and queen. It must have sunken into Belle and then passed onto Ben."

The room felt very stifling. Ben tried to speak. "Will it- can I still be-"

"I don't know." The Fairy Godmother said quietly. "Unfortunately, I will need to find the other half before anything else, and then we will have to speak again." She picked up the piece of paper and turned it face down. Ben felt like crying.

"The tests have been temporarily adjourned until further notice. Go home, Ben. I'll be in contact shortly." She said, and then stood to open the doors of her office. The royal family walked out. No one said anything and the three made sure they weren't so much as even touching. When they walked off the school premises of Auradon Prep, where Fairy Godmother worked, they were immediately bombarded by the press. King Adam gave a short statement as he and Belle tried to guide their downtrodden son into a nearby waiting carriage. Once inside, Ben took off his cuffs, unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt, and messed up his hair. Everything was ruined. He felt like his entire life was in shambles as they began to roll away, back to Beast's Castle.

Almost two hours had gone by since Maleficent had sat everyone down in front of the TV. No one was allowed to leave, but Maleficent was the only one who remained fixated on the screen. Everyone else had drifted away. Jay, Jafar, and Carlos were playing a card game that Jay was winning, Cruella was talking to her stuffed dog, and EQ and Evie were criticizing girls in magazines from Auradon. While Evie was looking at several different girls, Mal noticed most of EQ's were actually of Snow White. Typical. She herself had picked up a dog-eared book and begun to skim the pages as her mother took in even the commercial breaks with anticipation.

The news station's jingle was heard for the millionth time and Maleficent shouted for quiet even though that was all that existed in the room. Mal glanced up to see the prince of Auradon being led through a crowd with his parents. She rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand her mother's obsession with the prince today. Surely he couldn't be their ticket out of here?

An irritating female voice began to announce the screen. "Prince Ben has just emerged from his meeting with Fairy Godmother, and goodness! He doesn't look like it went too well! Here's a statement made by his father, current King Adam, as they left the scene:"

The screen cut and revealed the slim, middle-aged King. Mal slid her book down a little to stare animatedly at the screen. "Everything is in order," Adam said. "Ben is in perfect health and Fairy Godmother clearly approves of him. We ran into some unexpected, unfortunate bumps in the road, but they are expected to be resolved by this time tomorrow."

The News station picked back up with: "With the head families' assurance that everything can be resolved, we can only assume that something went wrong with the spells and enchantments portion of Ben's check. This could be anything from-"

"Yes!" Maleficent howled. The sound was so loud it jostled Mal right out of her stupor. "We've done it, we've done it, we've done it!" Maleficent screamed. Everyone stared.

"Done what, exactly?" The Evil Queen asked as she held up a picture of Snow White to glare at.

"My plan is coming together!" Maleficent triumphed.

"What plan?" Cruella asked with a roll of her eyes. Maleficent ignored her and instead turned to her daughter. Mal shifted her weight uncomfortably as her mother's gaze fell upon her.

"Oh, Mal!" Maleficent trilled. "The first part of the plan is a success! Now we can begin plotting stage two! The first half of the curse has almost certainly been found in poor prince Ben." Her Mom's lips formed a crooked pout as she approached the sixteen-year-old. "Now's your time to shine!" She said with a flourish of her hand.

"What curse?" Mal couldn't help blurting out. She almost winced, but then Maleficent opened her mouth to laugh. For a second, Mal thought Maleficent was about to dissolve into another coughing fit, but then her mom continued talking.

"Before I came to the Isle I cursed myself, and the crown! A rather fancy curse, one of my best if I do say so myself. Of course, enchantments don't stick the best to objects, so they bleed, and then the queen got the curse and passed it onto her little rat. They're two halves of an anchor. You have the other half!" Mal's mouth dropped open.

"What? Mom!" She gasped.

"I know!" Maleficent cheered, clearly unaware of how shocked Mal was. "Now all you have to do is go to Auradon, marry the prince, and-"

"Marry the prince?" Mal protested. "What on earth? Auradon?"

"Why, yes, dear," Maleficent said, blinking several times. The rest of the room was staring. Evie, Jay, and Carlos's eyes were growing wider and wider. "Part of the curse prevents Ben from becoming King unless you get power over the Isle. He'd have to make you a ruler of Auradon in order to sever any of his own control over the Isle. The only way to do that without abdicating the entire throne is a marriage. That will make you Queen. Once you have say over the barrier around the Isle, you can command the Fairy Godmother to bring it down, and together, we will pillage Auradon together." Maleficent drew a clawed hand down Mal's cheek and then danced around in the space in front of Mal.

"And you're just telling me this now?" Mal shrieked, hyperaware that her voice was beginning to crack. "What if I don't want to marry a king?"

Maleficent shrugged. "It never came up before." She turned back to the TV, which had gone onto a commercial break, with a satisfied smile.

"You sold me!" Mal said accusingly. She balled up her fists and prepared to shout some more, but Maleficent had shut off. She was humming a song as she brushed the dust off her beloved TV set. Mal bit a small hole in her cheek and then stormed out towards the door. She grabbed her jacket and slammed the door behind her before she raced down the steps. As she left the building, she heard Maleficent call from three stories up: "Be back before dark! You need to be ready to leave!"

It was all Mal could do to keep from turning and glaring a hole through her mother. She raced away as fast as her legs would carry her and disappeared onto the Isle.

Someone knocked on Ben's door late that night.

"Come in," Ben said wearily. The room's lights were set to low and he was lying on his bed with the covers and pillows on the floor around him. He was twisting paper into shreds in his hands as he stared out the windows and into the night.

The knob clicked and the door opened. Lumiere poked his head in. "Your presence is required in the library." He told the prince.

Ben sighed and stood up. "Thank you, Lumiere." He told the man holding the door for him. The two immediately split up after that, Ben going one way and Lumiere going the other. The only sound Ben had to keep him company as he walked was the scuff of his shoes. He made it to the library after about five minutes and found his parents and the Fairy Godmother sitting around a table, waiting for him.

"Fairy Godmother." Ben blurted out. He suddenly became very self-conscious of his appearance and flushed as he twisted his hands.

Fairy Godmother smiled and said: "It's been a rough day, hasn't it?" Ben nodded. "Let's get this over with then." She smiled and gestured for him to sit down. He did so, and she took a deep breath. "I can't remove the curse, but I did manage to map out most of it. It's one of Maleficent's, and it's tied to her only daughter."

"Maleficent?" Belle asked quietly. Adam reached over to take her hand. Ben put his head in his hands. Maleficent, the evilest fae in the world. That was it. He was done. He was never going to be able to become king.

"The spell appears to be setting the young girl up to be the queen. Many different parts of the spell are dictating She has to have absolute power over the Isle of the Lost or the magic of the crown will cease to stick after one hour. Of course, if she becomes queen, she'll free the villains on the Isle." Fairy Godmother explained.

"We can't just make her a queen," Adam growled. "There are laws. We'd have to abdicate the entire throne or-" He spread his arms wide and balled his fists up.

"Or Ben would have to wed her so she'd have partial power." Fairy Godmother nodded. "There's more. Once the spell is thirty years' old, both participants will be in excruciating pain. At thirty-five, they'll die. That starts in six years."

Ben pushed his hands through his hair several times. Somewhere on the Isle of the Lost, he was sure, someone was laughing. "What are the options?" He asked.

"You could technically reapply the coronation spells every hour, but that would be tedious and after so many tries they wouldn't be applicable anymore." Fairy Godmother sighed. "You can't rule without the spells because they give you mental connections to the state of the borders and give you the power to create magically-applicable laws. Very important. The second option is you could not be king, but you'll still die at thirty-five if we do either of those."

Ben sighed.

"Or-" The Fairy Godmother continued. "You could bring her over here and marry her, then become king as normal. We'd just have to figure out a safety plan to ensure she doesn't tear Auradon apart."

Ben lifted his head out of his hands. "I'm- I'm still eligible?" He asked.

The Fairy Godmother nodded. "Technically, a queen or king's power can be limited due to circumstance. And a wife wouldn't prevent you from ruling."

A great relief washed over Ben. He considered what he had just been told and came to a conclusion. Really, it was the only conclusion.

"I guess… we'll have to bring her over and see if we can make this mess work." He said slowly.

The Fairy Godmother nodded solemnly and smoothed her blue dress out a bit. "I agree." She whispered.

I do not own Descendants, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, The Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, Disney, or any of the characters mentioned therein.