The next few months were busy to say the least. Because the barrier came down, Ben had to deal with every citizen of the Isle of the Lost and figure out how to smoothly transition them into Auradon. Mal and the rest of the VKs were a big help with that. Mal, with a little help from her magic, created homes for the VKs in Auradon if they didn't want to stay on the Isle or be with their parents. Auradon Prep and the other schools in Auradon had to accommodate for the large number of VK kids coming in for the new school year so additional dorms and classrooms were built. Other kingdoms outside the capital city offered to house VKs so that Auradon Prep wasn't too filled up. So the Core 4 along with Uma got together and broke down who was going where.
As for the villains originally banished to the Isle, Ben and the council had to interview every villain to determine if they should still be imprisoned or they should be free. Some villains, like Lady Tremaine, Smee, Dr. Facillier, and even Hades were freed but had to stay under supervision for a year to see if they truly changed. But others, like Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil, Jafar, Captain Hook, Ursula, and Gaston, still had some evil in them and were sent back to the Isle under a magical "house arrest" where there was a barrier around their homes and they were closely monitored. All the kids had to be interviewed as well, which Mal, Evie, Carlos, Jay, and Uma helped with. Most kids were free to live in Auradon, but some had evil intentions and had to go back to the Isle, of which they were actually fine with.
All the new VKs had to take Remedial Goodness from Fairy Godmother, which some of them were not happy about. Even Uma had to take it despite her helping Mal defeat Audrey. At least Uma got to stay in one of the dorms with a fancy bed like Audrey's, which Uma loved.
Jay became captain of the tourney team that fall as like with Swords and Shields, Ben had no time to do sports anymore. Jay easily got Gil to try out for the team, but it was harder to convince Harry to join. But after some pushing, Harry tried out and actually really liked the sport, especially since he could tackle the players a lot. Jay did do some traveling with Gil during the rest of summer break and fall break where they saw jungles, icebergs, and so much more.
Jay also liked the fact that Lonnie moved back after summer break and had to fill her in on what she missed over the summer. She wasn't surprised that Audrey did what she did as she always thought Audrey was a spoiled princess that had a devious side to her. Jay obviously didn't tell her Ben's secret as Ben actually didn't tell Doug or Jane either as Ben only told them because they were more observant.
Carlos was working hard at his schoolwork senior year as he wanted to get into vet school. His relationship with Jane was developing nicely as the two always went on dates and their love grew and grew. Jane was debating whether or not she should go to fairy school after she graduated or go to university with Carlos. Carlos never pressured her, and Jane was thankful for that.
Evie's business really took off and she was glad that Doug was there every step of the way. She was happy that they finally both told each other that they loved each other. Doug's family was becoming more accepting of her which Evie appreciated. Doug handled all of Evie's finances and if Evie continued to be successful throughout senior year with her business, that castle she always wanted was hers.
As for Mal, she was getting busy along with Ben about the transition of the VKs to Auradon and the handling of the villains. She did go back to her old hideout and found her lizard mom in the box she put her in a few days after Cotillion and put her back into the cage in her dorm room. Her mother was still the same little lizard so that meant her love was not growing at all. Mal understood that not all the villains would reform after their time on the Isle even though it hurt to think about. Hades helped her through that pain, even though he found it amusing that his ex-wife was a lizard.
Speaking of Hades, a few days after the breaking of the barrier, he came to see Ben and Mal at Ben's castle to visit, but Ben knew that Hades wanted to talk about Ben's secret. And Hades wanted to talk with Ben alone. Hades met Ben in a private meeting room and Mal sat outside the door, putting her silence spell on it. Hades turned to Ben once that was done and said, "So, future son in law. Let's have a man to man talk." Ben nodded and said, "Ok. What…." "Hold on," Hades stopped him. "I don't want to talk to you through your vessel. I want to talk to the real you. The actual soul that I know doesn't look like your vessel." Ben sighed and sat down in a chair and meditated. Soon enough, his spirit rose out of his body and Solo stood right in front of Hades, dark gray robes and all.
"Here I am," Solo said in his deep voice. "Ah," Hades said. "There you are. The reborn soul I felt all those years ago on the day my daughter was born. Now, who do I have the pleasure of talking to? Who were you before you were reborn as Prince Ben of Auradon?" "Benjamin Organa Skywalker Solo," Solo answered. "Also known as Kylo Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order." "Hmm," Hades said. "The name Skywalker does sound familiar. Oh yes, stories of the Skywalker family has reached the ears of the gods. I heard it ended millennia ago." "It did," Solo said. "I was not a good man. In a way, I was a villain. I have blood on my hands that will never go away. I have done things that will haunt me forever. But I was reborn here to help correct the mistakes previous generations have made. That includes what my father did to you, Hades." Hades tilted his head and said, "You're serious? You're against what your father did to me? To all those villains?" Solo nodded and said, "What my father did was wrong. The ban on magic and the creation of the Isle messed with the order of this world. I was brought here to help bring balance to it again."
"Agathe's been helping you, hasn't she?" Hades asked. Solo nodded and Hades chuckled, "I figured she had something to do with this. Her magical aura is around you as I sense she was the one to help you be reborn in the first place. She was the biggest rival against what your father did. I knew that she would never be caught. She's too sneaky. How is she, by the way?" "Good," Solo said. "As far as I know. She only shows up when she wants to." Hades laughed and said, "That sounds like her."
Hades got a serious look and asked, "What about my daughter? How does she fit into all of this? Who was she in her original life? I know she was a reborn soul. I sensed it when I held her in my arms for the first time. Please. Tell me." Solo sighed and said, "Her name was Rey, like you always call her. She was a scavenger who came into my world through chance. She grew up on the planet of Jakku after being abandoned there by her parents to protect her from her evil grandfather, Emperor Palpatine, and grew up all alone. Then through certain events, she joined a rebel group called the Resistance and was my equal in the Force, where I get my power from. We are a dyad in the Force, two that are one. I died sacrificing my life in exchange for hers. But she died 10 years later as her body was getting weaker as her soul wanted to reunite with mine. Right before she died, she made a wish where she wanted a second chance at life with me. So both of our souls were brought here. She was reborn as Mal."
Hades thought for a moment then asked, "Does she know any of this?" Solo nodded and said, "Yes, but she hasn't gotten her memories or her Force connection back yet. She has to make that choice. I made it over 10 years ago, hence why I can do what I can do. I am not forcing her in any direction, I am allowing her to make the choice on her own. But she has to make it soon, as the Force deems it time." Hades nodded and said, "I love my daughter more than you can understand. I left her after an accident when she was a baby. She got a hold of my ember and it almost sucked her soul out as she didn't know how to use it and she was only half me. I hated the fact that I left her, but I thought it was for her own good. And so she didn't grow up soft as she needed to be tough in order to survive on the Isle. Thank you for helping her with everything and being there when I couldn't. I will help the both of you in any way that I can. But that doesn't mean I'll go soft on you." Solo nodded and said, "I understand."
Solo merged back with his body and Ben opened his eyes and stood up. Hades turned to walk out of the room, then stopped and said, "You know, since you are a reborn soul, there is a technique you can do so you don't have to do…whatever you just did." "Astral projection," Ben said. "That," Hades replied. "You can bring your soul out but have it as your vessel instead of your new one. The magic of this world can help you do that. And it doesn't use up energy like your astral projection does." "Really?" Ben asked. Hades nodded and said, "Indeed. Just closed your eyes, put your hand over your heart, and think about what you want to do. And it will happen." Ben closed his eyes and put his hand over his heart. Suddenly a gold mist surrounded Ben. When it disappeared, it was Ben Solo standing in front of Hades. Ben opened his eyes and looked down saying in his old deep voice, "It worked." Hades smirked and said, "Told ya. Now since we are about to leave, you might want to change back." Ben nodded and did actually that, King Ben now back after a few moments.
Ben did show Mal the technique Hades taught him and Mal was impressed that Ben could do some actual magic. She asked if she could do the same, but Ben suspected that she could only do it after she recovered her old memories and Force connection.
Speaking of which, Mal was still trying to decide what choice she wanted to make regarding that. Yes her dreams weren't as frequent anymore since she found out Ben's secret. But every so often, she would have Agathe appear in her dreams and tell her that the time was coming for her to make a choice. Even though Ben told her that she would still be the same person after the process, Mal was still scared that she would be giving up a part of herself. She was grateful that Ben was not pressuring her and only talked about it when Mal wanted to. And luckily court life kept her busy. As well as wedding planning.
Talking about weddings, Evie and Belle were really involved in helping Mal plan her wedding with Ben. A little too involved if Mal had anything to say about it. Some days Mal had to excuse herself because it was all getting a little too much for her. Luckily Ben sensed those moments and found ways to sneak out of his meetings to come talk with her and help calm her down, which Mal appreciated.
On New Year's Eve, Ben and Mal hosted a ball for the entire kingdom of Auradon. Normally this ball would be on Christmas Eve, but Ben and Mal wanted to have a quiet Christmas so they pushed the ball back a week. Evie had many dress orders which helped her business plenty, and she had her true love, Doug, by her side. Carlos of course invited Jane to the ball and Jay invited Lonnie.
Audrey secretly invited Harry as the two were seeing each other off and on as they felt their connection but Harry was scared about dating and Audrey knew that her parents weren't going to be fans of Harry. So they decided to come alone and met up at the ball. Chad had tried to ask Audrey to be his date, but Audrey declined without giving a reason why.
Audrey stood in a corner of the ballroom as trumpets blared and Ben and Mal came in down the main staircase. She smiled at the royal couple and thought, "They truly deserve each other. I've never seen Ben this happy. He was right. Him and Mal were always meant to be together."
She felt someone grab her arm and she turned to find Chad standing there. "Hello, Audrey," Chad said. "Why are you standing here all by your lonesome?" Audrey pulled her arm away and said, "Just because. Now if you please excuse me." She tried to walk away, but Chad pulled her back and said, "Come on, Audrey. Spend some time with me. Like we used to. It's almost midnight. New Year's kiss." "No thank you, Chad," Audrey said, getting irritated. "But we like each other," Chad argued. Audrey shook her head and said, "No, Chad. You are just a friend. A rebound for when Ben broke up with me. After everything that happened, I realized that I need to move on and find my own true love. And you are not it. Please realize that." "But," Chad whined. "We're meant to be together. I love you." "No," Audrey said. "You don't. Because I don't love you. Now, please, let me go." Chad grabbed her arm roughly and whispered, "Never!" Audrey tried to pull her arm away, but Chad was surprisingly strong.
Suddenly a hook landed on Chad's shoulder and that caused Chad to let go of Audrey. Chad turned around and saw Harry standing there, looking nice for once. Harry glared at Chad and said, "I think the lady asked you to let go." Chad backed away a little in fear as Harry turned and asked, "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Audrey shook her head no as Harry examined her arm and caressed it lovingly. Chad noticed this and said, "Him? You chose him?" Harry looked back at Chad with anger, but Audrey surprised both boys and said, "Yes. I chose him. We have a connection that you will never understand. Now, please leave us be or he'll hook you." Harry was surprised by Audrey's words, but raised his hook up to Chad for good measure and Chad quickly walked away.
Harry looked back at Audrey and asked, "Do you really mean that?" Audrey nodded and gave him a quick peck on the lips and said, "I do." Harry smiled and gave Audrey a peck back. He then bowed and said, "Can I have this dance?" Audrey chuckled and said, "Of course." Harry smirked and said, "Now hopefully those lessons I took with Gil will help me be good at this."
Ben got everyone's attention from the center of the ballroom and he shouted, "I wanted to thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate the start of a new year. And I know this next year will be brighter than ever. As this year I will be married to the love of my life and Auradon will have a new Queen!" Everyone cheered as Ben continued, "Now midnight is only 30 seconds away, so everyone count with me." Everyone counted down to zero and shouts of "Happy New Year!" rang out all around the ballroom. Ben pulled Mal in for a passionate kiss and he wasn't the only one to do so. Doug kissed Evie, Carlos kissed Jane, Jay kissed Lonnie, and Harry kissed Audrey.
Chad stood near the entrance feeling depressed. He saw all the love in the room but the one that hurts him is seeing Audrey kiss that villain. Not wanting to see it anymore, he turned around and ran into the cold night. Snow was starting to fall but Chad didn't care. He ran into the forest, not caring which direction he was going in. He ran until his feet hurt and he fell to the ground, sobbing. He felt like he lost everything. He thought about Ben and how he seemed to have everything he wanted. He wished that he was Ben, being the King, marrying the girl of his dreams, getting everything he wanted. He thought about Audrey kissing Harry and that made his heart break and he started to sing a short ballad,
Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
There's a boy I know
She loves him so
I'm not that boy
Chad sobbed to himself when suddenly he heard a voice chuckling behind him. He turned around and saw a dark figure in a cloak, Palpatine, standing there. Chad got up in a hurry as the dark figure said, "Don't be afraid, my boy. I am not here to harm you. I have come to help you. I can see your heart. You want what the king has. And I can give it to you." Chad started to back away as some thoughts of clarity filled his mind, realizing that yes he's hurt but knows that even though he was jealous of Ben that Ben deserves to be king and that Audrey is right no matter how much the truth hurt. Chad glared at Palpatine and said, "I do want what the king has. But I also know that I shouldn't trust dark people like you." Palpatine sighed and said, "You know, for a dimwit like yourself, you can be annoyingly clever."
He raised his hand and Chad flew into a nearby tree and was frozen there. Chad couldn't move as Palpatine chuckled evilly. Chad realized he heard this voice before when he was around Audrey when she was talking to herself during her revenge scheme and shouted, "You! You were the one who helped Audrey with her revenge plan months ago! You made her lock me in that closet!" Palpatine laughed and said, "Very good. You do have some brains in there after all. It seems your sorrows haven't clouded your mind like I thought they would. No matter. You refuse to to this the easy way, so we'll do this the hard way." Palpatine's form flickered a bit, which Chad noticed and asked, "What are you? Are you a ghost?" "A spirit," Palpatine answered. "I cannot stay in this form. I need my body back. But for now, I need a vessel so I can gain strength. And you will do just fine."
Palpatine then flew right into Chad's body as the prince screamed, "No!" but Chad couldn't stop the dark spirit from possessing him. Chad struggled as Palpatine's face superimposed over Chad's for a second and Chad slumped down to the ground.
A few seconds later, Chad stood up chuckling in Palpatine's voice. "It worked," Chad-Palpatine said, examining his new vessel. "I have complete control over this vessel. And the boy's spirit is locked away in his own mind. I can feel my power starting to grow. Now it is time to start my plan," He knelt to the ground and sent dark power through it, where it could slowly grow. "Good," Chad-Palpatine said. "My armada will grow in time. But first, I must get rid of the last Skywalker. I will spread my darkness throughout this world and its people. Everything will turn against the king and I will be crowned Emperor again. He will watch as everything that he worked hard for will be destroyed in front of him. And I will find out where my granddaughter's spirit is hiding and destroy it before the dyad can be reformed. The Sith will rise again and I will reclaim the galaxy and beyond!" He laughed evilly as he walked away, darkness spreading in his wake.
