Descendants: Dyad Reborn
Hello again! I wanted to thank Aaron Leach for following this story. It means a lot. Enjoy!
Chapter 5: Ben's Own Terms and Return of an Old Friend, Sort Of
Ben walked down to his father's study the next morning, betrothal contract in hand, wearing another nice set of clothes that Padme picked out for him. He came to the door and knocked on it. "Come in," his father shouted and Ben opened the door and walked in to take a seat across from his parents. He put the contract on the table and slid it across saying, "Here is the contract back. As you can see I have not damaged it in any way and I did not attempt to change anything about it." His parents nodded as Ben continued, "I officially accept this betrothal." His parents smiled but then Ben said, "With two conditions."
"What conditions?" Belle asked before Adam could answer, as Belle could see the anger start to build up in his eyes. "First," Been said. "I want to start sitting in on council meetings. If I am going to become king one day, then I need to start taking on some royal responsibilities." That seemed to calm Adam down a bit as Ben continued, "And second, I don't want to have a public announcement about the betrothal." "What?" Adam shouted, and Belle tried to calm him down as Ben continued, "Let me finish, Dad. I am not saying that we shouldn't at all. I only want to announce it to the council. And I feel we should wait to announce it to the public until we are engaged. I feel a public announcement this early isn't in thee best interest of Audrey or myself since we haven't developed our image yet. Right now, Auradon just thinks we're spoiled royals who can't do anything yet. Dad, don't start arguing back, I know there are those who don't think that, but I know there are those that do. I want to prove to those who don't believe in me that I can be a suitable prince, by proving to them that I am better than what they think of me, and I want to give the same opportunity to Audrey. And I think by the time Audrey and I are engaged, there will be more rejoicing than skepticism. Plus we need to show that we are adapting to modern times about our traditions as I know some are very against arranged marriages. So, do the both of you agree with this logic?"
Adam and Belle stared at their son in amazement. Here was their 7 year old son talking like someone 4 to 5 times his age. They thought about what Ben said and realized that he had a point about announcing the betrothal this early. They were trying to become more modern with the traditions that royal families of the past were too strict on and Ben did need to shape his public image. Adam looked at Ben and said, "We agree, Ben. Waiting until your engagement at 18 after you prove your worth is the right call. We'll just announce this to the council. And I agree that soon you should start sitting in on meetings. I don't know how Audrey's family will react to this, but this is your future so you should have some say in it." Belle smiled and said, "Oh, Ben. You're growing up so fast." Ben smiled and said, "This situation just opened my eyes about my destiny of the throne of Auradon. I need to start taking this seriously. Now, is there anything else you two wanted to discuss with me?" Adam shook his head and said, "Your mother and I will get the council together and have a private meeting with the royal family of Auroria beforehand. You can do whatever you want for the rest of the day." Ben smiled ands stood up, bowing to his parents. He turned to walk away but Adam said, "Son. I am very proud of you for thinking this through and showing that you want to be ready for the throne. Shows you for the prince you are." Ben looked back and smiled saying, "Thanks, Dad." "Now go ahead and have some fun today," Belle said. "You deserve a break." Ben nodded and walked out of his father's study.
Ben got to his room and locked the door. He focused his Force powers onto the necklace he wore and the door to his secret room appeared. Grinning, he entered it and Agathe was waiting and all the Force spirits appeared around Ben and Agathe. "So," Agathe said. "How did it go?" "Pretty well, actually," Ben said. "He's not giving himself enough credit," Leia said. "He acted professional and didn't show any signs of anger at all. Very well done." "Hey," Padme added. "He does have people in his family who know how to do political talk. I knew he could do it." "Man," Han said. "I was sure King Adam was going to blow a gasket at one point with all that anger he was struggling to hold on to." Chewie roared in agreement as Luke said, "I guess that's why Queen Belle is his true love. She keeps him calm and reigns him in before he makes a fool of himself." "Convince your parents well, you did," Yoda said. "We didn't have to use any persuasion tricks on them," Obi-Wan said. "All of your suggestions worked, Agathe," Anakin said.
Agathe smirked and said, "I thought they would. With you sitting in on more council meetings, you can have better access to knowing what's going on in Auradon and figure out how to help the Isle and magical folk without anyone realizing it." "I do want to try to get better rations to the Isle," Ben agreed. "And figure out who exactly is against the no magic policy and try to win them to my side after I become king. Along with locating those who might have gone into hiding about it." Agathe nodded and said, "Also pushing back the announcement of the betrothal will give you time to bring Mal over here and work on your relationship with her before the deadline ends." "But people will still know about it," Ben argued. "I know some members of the council will tell others outside of it." "True," Agathe countered. "But this way it will appear less set in stone. And I did tell you that there are those fin Auradon who are against arranged marriages which will make the faith in your future people have not good. Plus like I had you say, you need to build up your image as the next king to show that you are going to be the savior this world needs and bring balance back. You and Mal." "But at least I was nice enough to give Audrey the same chance," Ben said. "Even though I don't like her, I want her to become better than what her family is trying to make her." "You seem to have a very caring heart," Agathe said. "Maybe," Ben said. "But there are still some things I would like to do to Audrey that she deserves. I do have several torture techniques that I used when I was Kylo Ren." "Ben!" Leia scolded. "Kidding," Ben said. "But just because I turned away from the dark side doesn't mean I got rid of all of it. I have a balance of both light and dark in me. A grey area as one would call it."
Agathe nodded in agreement and said, "Well, I must be off. There are things I need to do, along with you. But I do need to take something with me for the next phase of this destiny plan." "Which is?" Ben said. Agathe walked over to Chewbacca and said, "I need this one to come with me." Chewie roared in confusion as Agathe said, "Don't worry. You will return here later. Just not in the same way you are leaving. Trust me, this is for Ben's sake. Think of that." Chewie nodded and roared his goodbye to Ben and the other Force spirits. Then he and Agathe disappeared. "Should I be worried about what that witch is going to do to him?" Han asked. "Just have faith," Luke said. "Now, grandson," Anakin said. "Time for some training. Are you ready?" Ben nodded and said, "Boy am I ever!"
The next day, Ben was in his father's study along with his mother. Sitting across from them was Audrey, King Phillip, Queen Aurora, and Queen Leah. Adam had just told the royal family of Auroria the new conditions of the betrothal contract and they weren't entirely happy about it to say the least. "Just the council is to know?" Phillip said. "You were perfectly fine with announcing it to everyone present a few days ago." "This is preposterous!" Queen Leah argued. "My late husband and I announced Phillip and Aurora's betrothal to the public and everyone rejoiced. Why can't we do the same here?" "The public announcement is just being delayed until they are engaged at the age of 18," Belle retorted. "Times have changed, Queen Leah. Not everyone agrees with arranged marriages. Plus it will give Ben and Audrey time to develop their image to the public." "Which I agree with," Aurora said. "My little princess needs to show everyone that she is the perfect choice to be the next Queen of Auradon." Ben internally rolled his eyes at this statement.
Phillip then asked, "Did you come up with this, Adam?" The king of Auradon smirked and said, "Actually, these conditions were Ben's idea. And myself and my wife agree with him." Audrey stared at Ben, who realized that she was holding back from trying to glare at him, along with her grandmother. Ben then said, "I was told about the betrothal two days after my birthday. I felt it was not fair for just myself to not know about it. This is my future we are talking about. I looked over the contract myself and didn't change anything, so you can relax about that. All I am saying is that we need to show Auradon that we are adapting to the modern times. And to give Audrey and I a chance to show that we are worthy of being the next rulers of Auradon. By the time we are 18 and become officially engaged, Auradon will have more faith in us. Right now, they just see us as kids, not the next rulers of Auradon. Plus sitting in on more council meetings will help us learn." That seemed to calm Audrey and her grandmother a bit with Aurora nodding in agreement and Phillip saying, "I understand, Prince Ben. We apologize for not letting you know about this sooner. We were just excited about the joining of our two families. And giving Audrey a chance to prove herself to the kingdom is a great idea. Right, sweetheart?" Audrey put on a fake smile and nodded, which Ben saw right through as her thoughts about not getting the spotlight from everyone were loud and clear thanks to his Force powers.
Adam stood up and said, "Come. The council is waiting for us." Everyone stood up and the adults walked out first with Ben and Audrey waiting behind them. Ben looked and Audrey and whispered, "What's wrong? You don't agree with this?" Audrey glared at him for a minute, then smiled and whispered, "Of course not, Your Highness. I am just glad you are giving me a chance at proving myself. And I am looking forward to spending time with you so we can get to know each other more. Aren't you?" Ben contained a groan and whispered, "Of course, Audrey." "It's Princess Audrey, or Your Highness," Audrey retorted. "We're of the same rank," Ben whispered. "Whatever," Audrey said as she walked ahead to be with her family. Ben groaned as he could hear some of the Force spirits in his head snickering at the conversation he just had. He walked ahead to catch up with his parents.
The council meeting went rather well in Ben's opinion, even though this was the first meeting he ever sat in. When his father announced the betrothal, Ben could immediately tell who was for it, mainly those who were of royal blood, and who was skeptical about it, mainly those who were not of royal blood. There were some who were skeptical about him and Audrey starting to sit in the meetings but Adam made his arguments and that shut everyone up. Ben looked over at Audrey sitting with her family and she was wearing her fake smile as always. "I can't believe I have to put up with her until I get Mal over here," Ben thought. "But it will be worth the wait."
Over the next few months, Ben's life started to get more busy for a 7 year old. Between bi-monthly visits with Audrey, starting to sit in on council meetings (although his father only has him sit in them once a month), and Force training, Ben had a lot on his plate. He was getting better at meditating and finding things through the Force, his telekinesis has gotten better to where her can stop things midair again like he used to do, and his saber fighting is slowly getting back to where he was in his first life. The Force spirits felt that soon he should be able to make a new lightsaber for himself. Ben was beginning to wonder about Chewbacca since it's been months since Agathe took Chewie's spirit with her and had received no word from the Enchantress. The other Force spirits told him not to worry as Agathe has a plan.
One day in late February, a little more than six months after Ben's birthday, Ben was outside in the rose garden with Audrey. She was there for one of their scheduled meetings to get to know each other more. Ben could tell that Audrey did not like being outside in the cold and that she didn't like to talk about personal stuff. She just kept up the princess act while Ben was more down to earth, which at times Audrey didn't appreciate. Ben stood at the edge of the garden looking out at the forest, wishing that Agathe would magically appear and take him away from this meeting with Audrey.
Speaking of which, Audrey walked up to him and asked, "What are you looking at?" Ben turned to her and said, "Just looking out at the forest. It holds a lot of memories." "The same one you got lost in during your birthday party?" Audrey asked. "Well, you should be more careful next time. Maybe when the weather gets nicer, on Fairy Godmother Day, we can go to the Fairy Cottage in the forest near my kingdom. Just the two of us."
Before Ben could reply, the two royals heard a noise come from the forest. They looked over and saw a dark figure standing at its edge. In a deep voice it said, "What have we here? Two royals out here all alone. You two would be great to hold for ransom." Audrey screamed while Ben got in front of her to protect her. Sure he didn't like her, but he still wanted to protect her from this dark figure, who started to walk towards them when all of a sudden, they all heard something growl loudly. They turned to the source of the growl and saw a big dog, a leonberger to be precise, standing there growling at the dark figure. The dark figure started to run towards the royals, which made Audrey scream again, but then the dog charged in and put itself between the royals and thee dark figure, who growled and tried to reach the prince and princess, but the dog bit the figure on the arm, causing the figure to scream in pain. The figure backed up trying to get the dog off of him and shook it until the figure swung the dog off, with the dog landing on the ground hard.
Suddenly palace guards charged in, causing the dark figure to retreat to the forest. The guards escorted Audrey back to the castle and tried to do the same to Ben, but Ben broke free saying, "That dog! He protected us! He's hurt!" Ben ran and knelt to the ground next to the dog, who was whimpering in pain. Ben started to cry and said, "Thank you. You saved us." He put his head on the dog's head, and Ben felt a familiar presence through the Force and whispered, "Chewbacca?" The dog nodded its head as Ben hugged the dog as Adam and Belle ran up to him and Adam said, "Ben! Get away from that dog." "No!" Ben shouted. "He protected us from that scary man! He's a hero. But he's hurt. We need to help him. Please!" Adam looked unsure, but Belle said, "Alright, Ben. Let's get him and you back to the castle." Ben nodded as a guard came up and picked the dog up and everyone walked back to the castle.
Later that night, after Audrey left, Ben was sitting on his bed with the dog lying at the foot of the bed. Adam and Belle came into the room as Adam commented, "I was wondering where that dog went. He must have escaped from the room the vet had him in." "I guess he wanted to be near you," Belle said. "Wanted to make sure you were OK. He's smart." "Yes, he is," Ben said. "And I've named him Chewbacca." "Chewbacca?" Adam asked. Ben nodded and said, "Yep. Or Chewie for short. Because he chewed that bad man's arm and has a loud bark. So Chewbacca. Can I keep him? Please?" Adam and Belle looked at each other, then Adam said, "Alright. He did save your and Audrey's life today. And he seems to like you a lot. Maybe he can be your personal protector." Ben smiled and got out of bed and ran over and hugged his parents. "Thank you!" Belle chuckled and said, "You're welcome. Now it's time for bed. I would try to have Chewbacca move but I think he wants to be here with you. Now good night." "Good night!" Ben shouted as he climbed back into bed and his parents left the room.
Ben slipped out from the covers and crawled to Chewie and gave him a big hug. "I can't believe it's you, Chewie," Ben said. "This was Agathe's plan?" "Indeed, young prince," Agathe suddenly appeared in Ben's room. "I had a feeling that Chewbacca wanted to help you but he's more of a physical being so I took his spirit and did a spell that gave him new life. Sort of. His new form is a dog." "Are you sure he likes that?" Ben asked looking at Chewie, who barked once meaning "Yes," then whimpered meaning, "Kind of." Ben giggled as Agathe continued, "I did add something to the spell that Chewie will appreciate. Chewbacca, come here for a minute." Chewie jumped off the bed and walked up to Agathe, who said, "Dog to Wookie." Suddenly Chewie's form shifted from a dog to the Wookie he was always known as. Ben smiled and jumped off the bed and hugged Chewbacca who returned it. The Wookie growled softly as Agathe said, "You can shift him between the two forms, but only in emergencies. He is your protector in more of a physical sense."
"Wait," Ben realized. "That dark figure from earlier. That was you?" Agathe nodded as she shifted her form to the dark figure, then back and said, "Of course. I had to think of someway to get Chewie into your family's good graces. But he did bite my arm a little hard." Chewie moaned a apology as Agathe giggled and said, "It's alright. I heal quickly. Now, I must go. I will see you soon, young Skywalker." She disappeared as Ben tested, "Wookie to dog." Chewie turned back into a dog and the two jumped back into bed. "It's good to have you back, Chewie," Ben said. "It's going to be a long road ahead of me. Hopefully the time will pass quickly and soon I can have Rey….Mal with me again. Anyway, good night Chewie." Ben fell asleep soon after, dreaming about Mal over on the Isle of the Lost, wishing that he would see her soon.
