In the Royal Council Chamber
Barely a half hour after waking from his stupor, Wes was summoned to a council. Prominent figures from all over Auradon had come to the capital city to discuss the events of the previous night.
Royals like Belle, Beast, Ariel, Elsa, Flynn Rider, Cinderella, Phillip, Leah, Anna, Tiana, Arthur, Aladdin, and Merida sat at a round table. Others like the Genie, Yen Sid, Doc, Glinda, Cogsworth, Merlin, Pheobus, Fairy Godmother, Fauna, Sisu, and Peter Pan were sitting amongst them. In between Belle and Beast, Wes sat with his hands lightly grasping the armrests of his chair. It wasn't exactly easy being in the middle of all these heroes. Especially knowing one wrong move could get him sent to the Isle. It was made worse by Ben's incessant chattering in his head.
Everyone in this room will burn and I'll find the cauldron myself...eventually. Wes thought. I guess I'd be in possession of your body for longer. That was the trick to quieting Ben down. Now, he just had to quiet the room.
Clearing his throat, Wes announced, "My fellow rulers of Auradon." The room quieted when he spoke, authority dripping from his voice. He cleared his throat, instilling a bit more of Ben's gentleness in his words in place of the demanding tone of his spell chants. "We're all here today," he continued, "to discuss the catastrophic events of last night. The danger to our citizens, the damage to our property...we must find out whether we're at risk of it happening again. And, if so, how we'll prevent it. Any thoughts or ideas?"
"Your majesty," Fauna said, "me and Fairy Godmother discussed this matter prior to the meeting and found it to be quite difficult to find what might've caused an event with such a sudden beginning and ending.
"And that's if it's a what and not a who," Genie mumbled.
Ariel leaned forward. "What do you mean who? Who would do something like this?"
"It might just be paranoia," the Genie defended, gesturing animatedly in soothing motions.
"Are you sure?" Tiana asked. "Isn't Dr. Facilier's daughter at Auradon Prep now? Ghosts rampaging through town. That's exactly what her father wanted."
"I think it's that Mal girl," Phillip said. "She's been on a rampage for over a week. Who knows if she's created whatever fire or lightning creatures attacked my daughter? Audrey told us how hostile Mal has been towards her for months."
"I can assure you," Fairy Godmother interceded in a sing-song tone, "Freddie has been a model student at Auradon Prep. She couldn't be setting a better example for our incoming VKs. And Mal is..." She glanced nervously at "Ben" before adding, "somewhere she can't cause harm to anyone."
Leah, Audrey's grandmother, noted, "weren't Maleficent and Jafar's children model students until...how many days ago was it?"
"Please don't remind me about that," Aladdin said, his arms crossed. "It's horrible how law enforcement in Agrabah is treating him, he's just a kid."
"I don't think we should start pointing blame at the villain kids without evidence that they did anything wrong," Sisu said-in human form, of course.
"But we can't rule them out," Captain Pheobus said. "It could be an object or person. So, it's only natural that we search for any objects or people capable of creating a threat and narrow it down from there."
"An excellent idea," Wes said, becoming a bit impatient. "I have my own theories, but I'd like to hear from all of you first. Does anyone have any idea what could've caused those weird...phantoms that attacked the city last night."
"The Facilier Girl," Leah said immediately.
"Her name is Freddie," Fairy Godmother said, not unkindly.
"We're only theorizing at the moment," Wes said. "So, Freddie. Anyone or anything else?"
"It wasn't too long ago that I remember elemental...things running amok in Arendelle." Queen Leah turned to Elsa.
"The spirits of Northuldra are calm at the moment," Elsa said cooly. "And they couldn't travel as far as Auradon."
"What about Maleficent's scepter?" Aladdin asked.
"It would be possible," Yen Sid said. "But Maleficent's scepter was locked away in the museum not long ago. Fairy Godmother and I have surrounded it with enchantments to keep its magic from causing harm to anyone."
"What about the Black Cauldron then?" Wes finally asked. "I've been up all night researching potential causes of the...disaster we faced last night. It's supposed to summon an army of spirits."
A hush settled over the room.
"That's a strong possibility," The Genie said.
"It was one of the few relics of evil that were never recovered before the Isle was created," Fauna said. "No one knows where it is...or what it might do."
"How wicked," Wes fought a smirk with all his might as he said it. His aunt Glinda flinched at the use of that word and it became hard to fight the urge to cackle.
"Anyone wanna explain the Black Cauldron?" Flynn Rider asked. "Little lost here."
"An ancient relic used, once, by the Horned King," Merlin said. "It summons undead spirits to attack at the wielder's behest. It's supposed to be fueled by hatred and anger...though, I suppose, most evil magic is."
True, Wes thought.
"After so many years spent abandoned and unused, it's most certainly capable of causing the destruction we witnessed." Glinda shivered.
"How certain can we be?" Ariel asked.
"Quite," Yen Sid said.
"Do you think now that it's let out its power, it will become dormant again?" Belle asked. "That it will be safe again?"
"Unlikely," Elsa said, a faraway look in her eyes. When she saw mist coming from the other royals' breath, she realized how low the temperature had become. "Sorry," she said, setting it right. "It just happens. You can't leave magic unused for too long. It finds a way out. If the cauldron caused the destruction last night, I doubt this will be the last time its power shows itself to the world."
"Then I think something must be done," Wes announced. "We must find the Black Cauldron before it can cause harm to anyone again. By any means necessary..." He paused, enjoying the suspense. "Magical or normal."
"What-" Beast started before Belle laid a hand on his arm.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Belle asked Wes, her eyes pleading for him to say otherwise.
"Auradon, especially Auradon City, is supposed to be the safest place in the world," Wes said, putting emotion into his voice for effect. "Everyone here has family at the school. Some of my oldest friends, Audrey and Chad, were nearly harmed. Businesses are burned and flooded and power is still out across most of the city. I'm lifting the magic ban, on the condition that magic is used for the sake of the search. When the Black Cauldron is found, please let me be the first to know. I won't have the people of Auradon in danger for a second longer than absolutely necessary."
And no one could argue with that. After all, Wes had made sure of it.
Wes's Perspective
Life as Ben was extremely boring. Classes that weren't a challenge for Wes's mind. Political obligations that annoyed Wes to no end. If he had to put on a concerned, sympathetic smile again, he was sure his cheeks would fall off. Speaking of, he had just finished listening to a group of mermaids in his office complaining about the pH balance of the water in Neverland feeling off. Spoken like a group of people who'd never survived off of water from rusty spouts sprinkled throughout the Isle.
His anger and frustration fueled his magic like a furnace. It had been days since his last big spell and he was itching to start casting again. When the mermaids, in a portable tub of "acceptable pH" water, left his office he heard a knock at his window. "Motus," Wes said. The door shut itself. "Censan proxma," his ears popped as the room became impossible to eavesdrop into. "Motus." The window unlocked and opened soundlessly, letting the black cat into the room.
Vivianne glowed red as she shifted into human form, a knowing expression on her face.
Wes smiled. "You have news. Any updates on our little bet?"
"I was right," Vivianne said. "FG found it first."
"It?" Wes asked, his heart skipping a beat.
"The Black Cauldron. Near Snow White's kingdom, in a set of abandoned catacombs in the Tormented Tangle-super scary forest." Vivianne opened the window wider as she said this, surveying the very long and very straight drop from the high tower that Ben's office occupied. She turned back to Wes saying, "she's on the way there now. She doesn't wanna use magic to get there, so the drive should take half the day."
Wes caught where she was going with this. Both with the window of time and the window of the tower. "Enough time to get there and either move it or use it."
"And she hasn't told anyone yet," Vivianne smiled. She sat on the window ledge, enjoying the breeze and the view. "If she hears about the king's unfortunate accident, she might turn back around. We could have even more time."
Wes nodded, approaching the window. Vivianne stood and took his hand to help him climb onto the ledge. "You're sure she's found it?"
"Am I ever not sure about anything?" Vivianne asked.
"Good. Then we get rid of the king and get our hands on that cauldron."
Vivianne put her hands on Wes's back. Ben was screaming in Wes's mind, but it only hastened his desire to be rid of this body. "See you at the bottom," the familiar said. "Or at least the ring."
The door opened and Wes and Vivianne turned to see Carlos entering the room, his mouth agape. "Get away from him!"
"I don't want to," Vivianne drawled.
"Ben, get down from there," Carlos said.
Wes couldn't stand the annoyance. Carlos complicating his plans. Ben yelling in his head. His magic roaring to burn anything it could. He felt a splitting headache and that was the moment Ben struck.
"IT'S A BOY NAMED WES, HE'S IN MY BODY. DON'T LET-" Ben yelled.
"Shut up!" Wes screamed.
"Your mom tried to turn me into a purse back on the Isle," Vivianne said, her claws coming from her hands as she approached Carlos. "Maybe that's what I'll do to you."
Carlos backed away and Wes prepared himself to create a wall of fire to block his path. He imagined the fire forming, willing gases in the air to combust. But Ben complicated things. Water, rainbows, light, flowers, butterflies, pillows. Wes couldn't focus on the spell enough to create the fire. He couldn't even focus on pronouncing the word ignacia correctly because Ben was screaming in his mind. Igloos, Ignore, Ignorant, Ignominious. Wes clutched his head.
"Run, Carlos," Ben yelled. "Get in the sight of the guards."
Carlos ran into the hall and down the stairs of the tower. Vivianne made to run after him, but stopped when she heard Ben's voice.
"Don't, Viv."
"Like I'd fall for that," Vivianne said, preparing to sprint.
"No, the windows," Wes said. "I might still need my cover. Track his breath and heartbeat and catch him when he's alone."
Vivianne looked, for a moment, as if she thought that was a trick from Ben. But she knew that was how Wes's mind worked and no one else's. He thought like a cat. So, she ran to the window, hopping over the ledge like a hurdle and shifting into cat form to follow Carlos.
"Ben," Wes said to himself, pulling himself together. "I just want you to know...I wasn't even gonna hurt Carlos. I would've tied him up and locked him in a chest at the very worst. But now, because of your actions, Vivianne will probably be sinking her claws into his skin in a matter of moments. So congrats, your majesty."
That made Ben's voice grow even louder. Wes felt a little bubbly feeling in his heart that was almost foreign to him. Love, camaraderie, and all of those emotions that have never helped him-magically or otherwise. The bubbly feeling spread to his head and Wes felt a strange sensation. Like, for a brief instant, he had zoomed out and become a spectator in Ben's body. A hand rose to his face. He heard the word "incapacito," said with surprisingly impeccable pronunciation. When he saw Ben's hand snap, his vision faded and the world went black.