As the group walked along, Sandra tried to look around for her family. She suddenly saw Robert out of the corner of her eye, and before anyone could stop her, she ran over to him. "Dad!" she called. "Dad?" she asked again when Robert didn't reply. She suddenly gasped when she saw what he was doing, and wearing.
Robert was dressed in servants' garb, and he was walking toward the stables. Sandra caught his arm to stop him, then waved a hand in front of his blank face, but he didn't even blink. He just shrugged her hand off and continued on his way. She looked around, and saw that Patricia and Zoe were also wearing servants' clothes and cleaning the cave, as well as waiting on Ezekiel and his forces.
"Like my new servants?" Ezekiel asked, seeing his sister's stunned expression.
Once again, Sandra tried to hide her nervousness behind witty sarcasm. "Let me guess; you gave Dad a taste of his own medicine?"
"That's right," Ezekiel frowned, knowing that his nosy little sister had probably heard his sentence in the first place, but he gave her a companionable smile. "Now it's your turn, sister dear." He motioned Rose forward. "I think you know Rose. She helped me take them prisoner, and she cast the spell on them."
"So how's that school project of yours coming along?" Rose asked, producing the stone she'd used on Sandra's family again. "But we'll discuss your academics later. For now, any last words?"
"How about this?" Sandra asked, "I wish to be invisible…and small!" When she was out of sight, she sprinted away.
"Find her!" Ezekiel bellowed, "The person who brings my sister to me, alive, will be rewarded!"
Rose turned to the hooded figure at her side. "Faron, we'd better find her. Let's go."
The person next to her took their hood off, revealing a girl with tanned skin, white hair, and lilac colored eyes. "We never had trouble keeping people to practice spells on before now." Faron was one of Rose's friends, and she was always helping her learn spells.
"And are you all right? If you're not up to finding Princess Sandra, you can go back to guarding her family," Rose asked, seeing Faron clutch her chest and wincing in pain.
"I'll be fine," Faron assured her. "It will take more than the Cruciatus curse to put me down…But I might have to write down that joke Princess Sandra used so I can use it if I'm ever in a tight spot. She's very clever and has a way with words."
"Oh yes, I'm familiar with Princess Sandra's talent for writing," Rose smiled. When the royal family had been in Lewiston once before, Rose had asked Sandra to help her with a poem for a present for her mother.
As Rose and Faron searched for Sandra, they shared a few memories of learning magic from Ivy, and Faron's mother Cia. Faron's family was from the neighboring witch and warlock village of Ravenna, and this was one of Rose's favorite places to come and learn magic.
From where she was hiding in a nearby bush, Sandra watched as they neared her hiding place. She heard their conversation and saw Rose take the stone out and wave it toward her family again. Suddenly, the stone fell out of her hand and rolled away.
"No!" Rose gasped. She frowned, then shook her head. "Well, no matter. The spell's powerful enough to keep them under it without the stone. After all, my mother said the stone was just for show."
Seeing the stone out of the corner of her eye, Sandra had an idea. Her voice was no more than a whisper as she made herself big again. She lay flat on the ground so nobody would see her or the sparkly aura. She sighed in relief that she was still invisible, but gasped when they turned. She threw another rock far away from her hiding place, and when they turned away, Sandra picked up the stone Rose had dropped and sprinted over to her friends.
"Did you find them? What happened? Are you okay?" James started pelting her with questions when they saw Sandra's footprints appear in front of them.
"Give the lady some room, Prince James," Sir Maxwell advised as Sandra made herself visible again. "She's had quite a fright just now."
"I learned that Mom, Dad, and Zoe are under a spell. They're working as Zeke's servants. I also saw Rose waving this stone around, and they started doing what she said," Sandra said as she produced the stone.
"I remember seeing something like this," Candice spoke up. "When I was with Maleficent, she said stones like these would put people under a variety of spells."
"Did she tell you how to lift the spell?" Sandra asked.
"Yes she did. But I'm going to need you, Lucinda, and Dorrie to help me with it, since we all have wands," Candice replied. She then whispered to Sandra, Lucinda, and Dorrie, and they each gave an approving nod.
The girls slipped over to where the Orillian Royal family were still working around the tent. Rose and Faron saw them, and started to run over, but Candice stepped forward.
"Sandra, I don't think you or Lucinda ever saw this," she smiled. She concentrated, and was surrounded by a powerful white light. When she emerged from it, Lucinda and Sandra saw that she looked like a good version of Maleficent, complete with the horns, staff, and outfit, but all in white. She aimed her staff at Robert, Patricia, and Zoe.
"Since Maleficent created Candice, one of her abilities is turning into a good version of her," Dorrie explained. "And I can turn into a werewolf. This comes around in my family every ten or so generations."
"Just when I didn't think you could get any cooler, you go and prove me wrong!" Sandra grinned.
Candice smiled. "Thank you, Sandra, now…shall we, ladies?"
Lucinda whipped her wand out. "Yes we shall!"
Dorrie, Lucinda, Candice, and Sandra aimed their wands at the Orillian royal family, and chanted together, "The strength of evil is good as none, which stands before four hearts as one!"
Robert, Patricia, and Zoe fell to the ground as the girls kept chanting. They watched as a black and white mist left their bodies.
Candice quickly changed back to normal. "We'd best keep this between us, Sandy," she added.
"What happens here stays here. I won't tell anyone about this, so don't worry about it," Sandra said the phrase she often used when people wanted to confide in her.
Robert, Patricia, and Zoe started stirring. The girls helped them up, then led them over to the knights.
"Sandra…" Robert started.
"Save your strength, your Majesty," Lucinda said soothingly.
"What's going on?" Zoe asked.
"It's okay, Zoe. Just get some rest and we'll take care of everything," Sandra nodded toward her friends.
Suddenly, as they were exiting the cave, they heard a yell of, "NO! You lost me my servants!" Ezekiel raised his hands, shooting a powerful blast of magic at them.
"Protego!" Lucinda cast a Shield charm between the royal family and Ezekiel.
"Dorrie! Candice! Look out!" Sandra shouted. She managed to block the curse her friends were about to be hit with, but they heard a small explosion as a strong burst of magic hit her wand. "No!" she cried out as it was damaged beyond repair. She bit her lip as she stared at the pieces. "Well, I've still got a sword…wait…Candice, can I borrow your wand for a second?"
"What do you plan to do?" Candice asked.
"I saw you use this spell once, so I thought I'd try it," Sandra said as she took Candice's wand and aimed it at the broken pieces. "Beware, foreswear, return my wand back to normal."
"Nice try, Sandra, but if your wand sustained that much damage, I don't think a spell like that will help," Candice said when nothing happened and she took her wand back.
"Are you all right, my lady?" Sir Maxwell asked.
"Couldn't be better," Sandra sighed, feeling guilty about the wand that Dorrie and Candice giving her being broken.
"It wasn't your fault," Dorrie consoled her.
"And you did have a good idea," Sofia added.
"It's just that evil can sometimes be very quick," Candice pointed out. "Best not to blame yourself."
"Sandra, look out!" Amber suddenly shouted, pulling her away from an attack. "I know I'm scared of needles and sharp objects, but I'll help you!"
When Amber said that, her amulet glowed. A princess appeared next to her. "I'll help you too, hon," she smiled.
"Tiana!" the girls gasped.
"That's right. And since Amber here put someone else first, she's got herself a gift too," Tiana nodded toward Amber's amulet, which was glowing again. "Rapunzel will be mighty proud of you."
"You mean…and did I just-?" Amber asked. She clutched her amulet and murmured, "I wish to be invisible!" She vanished from sight, then made herself visible again.
Sandra smiled. "Welcome to the club, Amber! Now, what do you say we get invisible and take on Zeke?"
"We'll help you too!" a voice came from beneath them. Sandra and Amber looked around, and they saw Beth, Zoeanna, and Ambre.
"Ambre, it's good to see you, bud," Sandra said as she stroked him. "But you and your friends need to stay safe. I don't want you getting hurt."
"My friends and I have got a plan on how to distract Ezekiel," Ambre started, and he introduced Sandra and Amber to Beth and Zoeanna.
"Wow! Your name's almost like my sister's name!" Sandra said as she collected her mother's knife and let Zoeanna shake her fingers.
"Zoe said something like that to me too!" Zoeanna smiled.
"That's nice, but what's your idea?" Amber asked.
"Beth and I, being cats, can distract Ezekiel, since he claims to be allergic," Ambre started.
"Claims to be?" Beth repeated.
Ambre explained that Sandra loved cats and always wanted one, but Ezekiel was allergic to cats. Sandra had always said that he just wanted attention and the allergies were all in his head.
Beth smiled. "Okay, Ambre, but be careful."
"Of course. I may be a few years younger than you but I've had my share of scrapes and run-ins with scary animals," Ambre agreed.
"And besides, he was fixed when he was six months old, so don't get any ideas," Sandra whispered. She and Amber clutched their amulets and whispered, "I wish to be invisible!"
As soon as they were out of sight, Sandra and Amber went off in search of Ezekiel.
As he watched their footprints walk away, Ambre turned to Beth and Zoeanna. "I have an idea too. But we're going to have to go after Spike."
"Spike?" Beth asked.
"Zeke's dachshund," Ambre explained.
"But dogs are evil!" Zoeanna protested.
"Sandra would agree with you about that," Ambre purred, "but don't worry, Zoeanna; Beth and I will protect you."
Zoeanna smiled in relief, and she, Beth, and Ambre went off in search of Spike.
Author's Notes
Thanks to Niagara14301 for helping with some of the details in this chapter.
Thanks to TheDisneyFan365 for helping with some of the details in this chapter, and letting me borrow their original character Faron.
Faron's mother Cia belongs to Nintendo.
Thanks also to theblindwriter95 for helping with some details for this chapter.
Candice's ability to turn into a good version of Maleficent was first mentioned in chapter 43 of Niagara14301's story Dorrie, as was Dorrie's ability to turn into a werewolf.
"You lost me my servants!" is similar to what Lucius Malfoy said in Chamber of Secrets when he unintentionally freed Dobby.
Beware, foreswear is a spell used in Descendants.
Amber's fear of needles and sharp objects was first mentioned in chapter 2 of my story Royal Blood.
Protego is from Harry Potter.
And how will Tiana help our friends? Find out in the next chapter!