Auradon was planned with eternal happiness in mind for the Fairy Tales, but nowadays, it's hard to see such happiness reigning.

Ben is the second monarch since the unification of the kingdoms, so the only comparison he has is his father and Adam had been a good king, at least he didn't have a group of people against his rule.

"Lumiere, tell them that no, I haven't read all the points in the draft law yet."

The king asked impatiently. Without Mal to help him with his duties, he is accumulating more work than he imagined. A few men from the court helped him with one thing or another, but there's nothing like having the help of your Queen. Besides, now that he knows his daughter has magic, it's very difficult to pass a law banning it.

"Yes Ben."

The old friend said, ready to leave and answer the group.

"Lumiere, if you could bring me news of Mal, please?"

The assistant and friend agreed, leaving the king alone with a million thoughts.

(…)

The Queen of Auradon didn't know what it was like to be sick, she rarely got sick and more rarely went to a doctor, which is why feeling so badly was bothering her so much.

At her request, the family could do nothing but let things take their "normal" course. However, letting the days go by was causing her to lose more and more strength and health. She's getting weaker, her magic is running out faster and faster and her body is feeling it.

"Say I'm all right, Lumiere."

She says to the man who has come to obey Benjamin's orders.

"Are you serious?"

Jay laughs at her statement, since she's had an oxygen mask on his face ever since he arrived in Mal's room.

"Shut up."

She replied, quickly removing the object from her face.

"If that's you, well, I don't even want to see you in a bad way." He jokes with her, who with the little strength she has makes a small spark of fire come out of her finger to hit him. "Oh, that hurt!" For a minute, Mal laughed at the look on his face when he felt the slight burn on his arm. But she soon regretted doing so, as the shortness of breath she felt as a result showed that it wasn't worth it. "Hey, easy, easy." They both fell silent, and she took his hand, seeking support from the boy who was like her older brother. "I'll always be here." He kissed her hand.

"We love you, Uncle Jay."

Mal said, smiling.

(…)

Dream

Rashid rarely dreamed, which is probably one of the side effects of the amount of spells. He would never know the difference between dreams and reality, so seeing himself in front of a big field and glasses thrown on the ground didn't scare him, he would say he was near the Mad Hatter's house, but what was he doing there?

"Rashy!"

He heard someone call him by his name, or at least part of it. As he searched for the owner of the voice. He felt something grab his legs and when he looked down to see who was hugging his colorful plaid pants, he saw a little girl looking up at him with an intense smile.

"Hi?" He asked doubtfully about the child. "Do we know each other?"

"Hey little dragon, what did we say about running away from mom?"

A woman came running up, taking the child on her lap. All Rashid could do was gawk at the scene. Was that Mal? That Mal? The same one lying sick in bed? And if she's Mal, then that little girl was …

"Is it okay, Rashid? You're looking at me in a scary way."

The woman asked, and he didn't know who to look at, her or the girl lying on her mother's chest.

"Rashy!"

The child shouted excitedly.

"What?"

He said, but this time not in a dream. Damn it, it was a dream! He sat down on the tree trunk and began to think. Rashid isn't someone who dreams a lot, but sleeping is something he loves, partly because there's still a cat in him. Sleep is fine, but dreams are not. He needed to see Nanny. He teleported easily to the woman's house.

(…)

Enchanted Forest

"Rashid!"

The woman was startled by the man standing in her kitchen and spilled her tea.

"Hi Nanny."

"My tea!"

She looked sadly at the drink spilled on the floor.

"Sorry, I need you."

He said, helping her clean up the floor.

"Really? That doesn't sound like anything I've heard in the last few months."

She left him to clean the dirty floor and went to fetch water to make another cup of tea.

"It's serious."

"Start with the dream."

She said, indicating that she knew he was coming. The two of them went to the dining table, which now seemed to be the place where serious conversations took place.

"Okay." He preferred not to discuss why she already knew about the dream. "I think I dreamt about the future, but it's impossible, right? Having premonitions without a specific power isn't possible."

"Well, it depends on what you dreamed."

The fairy is so quiet, and that was scary.

"I dreamt about Mal's daughter, but Mal was there too." He began to remember the scene. "She was, you know? The two of them were in the Hatter's house and the girl appeared and then her."

"She's beautiful, right?"

She asked him about the little girl.

"Yes, she is." A smile appeared on his face as he remembered the child. "Nanny is serious."

"Okay, that's good, but seriously you need to control your anxiety, it's terrible for you. Look, it's not that you dreamt of the future, you dreamt of a possibility."

"Possibility? A possibility that Mal could come out of all this alive?" She nodded. He paused for a moment to wonder if what she was saying was real. "Is there a chance?"

"I don't know, it's your dream."

He hated her being so cryptic.

"There's a chance."

He cracked a smile bigger than his uncle's and skipped off to the good fairy's house.

(…)

Auradon

When it was past midnight, Ben decided to go to bed in his office. In front of his desk, there was a photo of him with Mal, and he picked it up and looked at it for a while. That was his girl, his wife, the woman of his whole life and his true love.

Flashback

"One kiss can't define a person's whole life."

Mal tried to argue.

The two of them were in his room at Auradon Prep. It had been a few days since the ball that had given Mal the title of Lady of the Court.

"Yes, it can, if it's the kiss of true love."

Ben said, as he hugged her.

"It's just a kiss."

"All the couples who have kissed like that are still together today."

"So, it's a guarantee of a future together?"

"Basically, but does that scare you?"

"Honestly, not anymore."

"So, you're not going to get away from me anymore?"

"That's what true love kisses do, isn't it? It makes you hold on to the one you love forever."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"You know it's after midnight, right?"

The purple-haired woman came to tell him, snapping him out of his memories.

"What? What are you doing here? Lumiere told me you'd been feeling sick all day."

He got up and ran to the door to help her sit down. She had a huge belly and walking was becoming more difficult.

"When did that candelabra get so gossipy?"

She let him guide her to the armchair as if he didn't know the office.

"Mal is serious, you shouldn't be driving around alone."

He sat down next to her in the other armchair.

"Drive? You're more tired than I thought, your office is five minutes from the room, you know, right?"

"Gosh, I'm exhausted."

He remembered that he had gone to the castle office three hours ago.

"So, what were you thinking before I came in?"

She asked him.

"I didn't know I was in the castle, I don't think I even know what I'm thinking."

It's best not to speak so that his thoughts don't leave him.

"Hey, how about a rest today, and then we can discuss what's on your mind?"

"Did I mention that there's not a day goes by that I don't love being your husband?"

He asked, so happy and grateful to have her in his life.