After enjoying their . . . moment, to be the least descriptive, Mal and Ben rejoined their allies on the main lawn of the castle. The split among the group was a bit . . . odd.

On one side of the patio, Carlos, Jane, Chad, Aziz, Uma, Gil, and Dizzy sat together as the first four listed recounted stories from their experiences in Auradon. Gil and Dizzy listened with wild amazement about things they never heard of while living on the Isle. Uma's reactions were more tamed, considering she lived with her grandfather for a few months and knew more than the other two.

Meanwhile, Jay sat at the same location the engaged couple last seen him standing before they had their fun. All alone on the tree line, Jay kept a close eye on the last remaining group. His gaze never drifted from them, ready to strike the moment he sensed a threat. That opportunity might occur soon, since his eyes narrowed at a suspicious movement.

The last group was a pairing the engaged couple didn't expect. Evie and Harry Hook were huddled together in a storm of their own whispers. Harry appeared to lead the conversation while Evie interrupted occasionally, maybe for clarification?

Whatever the situation may be, Mal feared what repercussions would arise from it.

After reaffirming the details of their mission, the group of nine made the trek to Fairy Cottage with Ben taking the lead, while the trio of Jane, Chad, and Gil stayed behind as originally planned.

Once dusk began to settle over the deep harrowing woods, the ragtag team infiltrated the flower-covered gate protecting the cottage. Not waiting for a moment to breathe, the King of Auradon busted the front door open, his beastly rage getting the best of him.

And yet, Audrey was nowhere for him to unleash his anger on.

There weren't many places the enchantress could hide in the tiny home. With a main floor the size of a studio and an upstairs room only big enough for a bed, it was obvious the place was empty. However, the thrown furniture and half-eaten food on the kitchen table showed signs of recent activity. Uma volunteered herself and Harry to scope the place for clues while the rest discussed their next plan of action.

As soon as they stepped outside, Celia groaned tiredly. "How much longer are we gonna run around chasin' this chick?" she wined in annoyance. "It's taking forever!"

"This will be over with soon," Mal promised, sounding unsure. "Audrey ran because she knew we were on to her. We can probably catch up to her quick."

"We could've stopped her already," Evie grumbled bitterly, "if you weren't so busy acting like a whore."

An uneasy tension formed in the atmosphere due to those awful words. Everyone was taken aback by her harsh words, considering she was sickeningly sweet to their future queen just an hour ago. A couple stared at Evie with wide, horrified eyes, wondering what had gotten into her. The others kept their gazes locked on Mal, gauging her reaction to determine if they needed to intervene.

Tensing from the insult, Mal maintained a calm composure when she interrogated, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, please." Evie rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You told us hours ago you were raped, but then let Ben fuck you like you were a bitch in heat. If you really were raped, you'd act more traumatized instead of like such a slut."

"HEY!" Jay shouted while the fairy flinched at the hateful, unexpected words. "Just because you're even more pissed at me doesn't mean you can take it out on Mal! She has nothing to do with this!"

"She has everything to do with it!" Evie insisted stubbornly. "Our fight started because Mal kept whatever happened a secret and refused to tell me anything! I was practically the last to know, yet you seem to know every little fucking detail. Mal, why did you tell Jay instead of me?"

"Because I didn't know you!" Mal reminded defensively. "I didn't meet you until nearly two years after the incident. Meanwhile, I've known Jay since we were toddlers. He found me at our hideout the next morning while I was trying to process the trauma. He comforted me and helped me get through it. After everything he did to help me, I trust him completely, especially when it came to keeping it secret since I didn't want anyone to know."

"You still could've told me!" Evie persisted, refusing to back down from the issue. "Haven't I earned your trust? I thought I was your best friend!"

"Best friend?" Mal scoffed at the ridiculous notion. "You literally just called me a bitch, slut, and whore, and practically accused me of lying about my trauma. Is it so hard to believe I've moved past it and am ready to forget it ever happened? Ben has already helped me get through so much."

"Wait . . . Harry said—"

"You believed that bastard over me?" Mal shook her in disgust and disappointed. "If one conversation with that devil is all it took for you to turn against me, then you are not my friend, and you sure as hell don't deserve to be called my best friend. That 'title' will always belong to Jay."

"But—"

SWOOSH!

With no warning, a bright, flashing light blinded Mal, forcing her to shield her eyes. Waiting a few moments for it to fade, the fairy slowly blinked until her vision came back to her. The sight before her was quite unpleasant.

Standing before Mal was no longer her friends, allies, or even enemy—as he had stepped out of the cottage a moment before the light appeared. In their place were stone statues, posed in the exact positions they were in a moment prior. All had worried expressions on their faces, most likely from seeing the mysterious light. However . . . someone appeared to be missing.

"Help!" cried a voice in the distance. "Somebody help me!"

"Celia!"

Running the entire trek to Auradon Prep, a lightning bolt rippled through the sky, signaling the location of the perpetrator. Raising her gaze, Audrey's silhouette stood atop the school's parapet with Celia pulled tightly to her chest, as though using the young Voodoo girl as a human shield.

"What's the matter, Mal!" Audrey sneered smugly. "Aren't you going to save her? Maybe I should have kidnapped your daughter instead! Would you be more motivated to save her?"

Oh, hell no! That bitch did not . . .!

Seething once more, Mal gripped her father's ember, wishing she could get up there to teach the princess a lesson. In the next moment, the fairy disappeared in a blinding blue light.

From the top of the parapet, Audrey peered over the side with a snarl, searching for the fairy's location. Using that distraction as an opportunity, Celia broke free from her captivity and cowered in the corner, having nowhere else to go. As Audrey began to stalk menacingly toward the fortune teller, someone behind her cleared their throat.

"What did you say about my daughter?"

A sinister snicker escaped her lips as Audrey twirled around to face Mal, who stood just a few feet away with her arms crossed in a pissed-off manner. The ember glowed vibrantly in the fairy's hand, but the evil enchantress paid no attention to it.

"I said I was going to kidnap her," Audrey taunted, her insane smile growing more as she spoke. "Once I do, I'm going to lock her away in the deepest, darkest dungeon where you can never find her. When I get tired of her screaming for her 'mommy', I'll kill her!"

Mal's glare deepened as her eyes flashed vibrant green. "There's one problem with your plan," she warned.

BA-BOOM!

"AH!" Audrey screamed as she instinctively dropped the scepter, which was on fire from being struck by a bolt of lightning. But . . . that was impossible! The fairy didn't move!

"I am the daughter of Hades," Mal reminded while the villain clutched her burned hand. "I am the niece of Zeus and Poseidon, the other two eldest gods ever to exist. They would never allow you to do anything to their brother's granddaughter. That is why your plan was doomed from the start."

Before the enchantress could make her next move, Mal thrust her arm forward, allowing the blue light of the ember to drain Audrey's sorceress power. Weakening under the ember's glow, Audrey crumpled to the ground, forcing the queen's crown to tumble from her head.

"Mal!" Celia shouted as she hugged the fairy tightly. "You did it!"

After wrapping her arms around Celia, Mal noticed the princess remaining lifeless. Holding the ember out, allowing its magic to rush out again, Mal called, "Audrey? Au~drey?"

No matter how many times her name was called, the princess never aroused from her slumber. At that moment, Mal remembered her father's warning. She was only half Hades. The ember couldn't do everything wanted.

And after everything the princess had done . . . Mal wasn't sure if she should save her.

With the Dragon's Scepter drained of its power, every spell or curse created by the scepter was broken. All the students woke from their slumbers, and those made into stone statues returned as living people. Most importantly, Ben returned to his king self with no fang or claw in sight.

Despite everything and everyone returning to normal, Audrey still didn't wake from her coma.

After reverting from enchantress to princess, Mal updated her comrades on the situation. While Jane and Chad searched for Fairy Godmother, Gil met up with the others in the comatose princess's room. Despair lingered in the atmosphere as everyone hovered around the room. Mal and Evie sat on opposite sides of the bed, sparing a glance at each other every so often. Things were still tense between them after their yelling argument earlier.

Breaking the silence, Evie slouched in the chair with a depressing sigh. "She's slipping away," she noted softly. "We need to do something before she's gone for good and we get blamed for her death."

With an exasperated breath, Mal suggested reluctantly, "She's asleep because of the ember, so the only person who may be able to save her would be the one who can use the ember to its full potential, which would be my father."

"Hades?" Ben clarified, scoffing as he crossed his arms stubbornly. "Why would he after she threatened Lory?"

Silence . . .

The despair in the atmosphere changed into something much more dangerous. Not a single sound or word was uttered, for they feared the repercussions. Amongst the group, only two seemed completely clueless about the name. As for everyone else, mixtures of shock, confusion, and tension circled that one word, wondering if it would cause the room to explode.

Shakily standing from her seat, Mal crept forward until there was no space between her and her fiancé. Wide eyes mixed with astonishment and fear, Mal's lip quivered as she whispered, "What did you just say . . . ?"

Noticing the situation's delicacy, Ben calmly spoke, "Why would Hades help Audrey when she threatened Lory?"

"How do you . . ." Shaking her head stubbornly, Mal twirled on her heels to face her beloved's best friend, as she thought only Aziz would let the secret out. "Did you tell him?"

"No," Jay intervened softly, wincing when Mal's teary-eyed gaze shifted to him. "They both knew before we ever came to Auradon. Ben dreamed about what happened and eased-dropped on some of our conversations to confirm his suspicions. He told Aziz any time something happened. They know everything."

"When did you find out that they knew?"

"Mal—"

"When!"

"The summer before our senior year," Jay admitted reluctantly, "when Aziz and I first moved in together. I wanted to test out your Secret Senior gift and introduce him to her when Ben stepped in for something. He tried to leave, but Lory lit up and called him over. That's when they told me that they knew about everything."

"You knew for that long?!" Mal's voice cracked while fighting back a sob. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you warn me!"

"Hold up!" Uma shouted, speaking louder than the disputing friends to get some answers. "You two are going on and on, but some of us have no idea who you're talking about. Who is this Lory chick you're getting so worked up about?"

"Lory . . ." Mal trailed off with a sigh, knowing she had to admit defeat, "is my daughter."

Despite such a shocking revelation, only two showed any signs of being surprised. The fairy expected one other to be stunned by the news, but she remained silent in her seat. Why—?

"Well," Gil began uncertainly, interrupting the thoughts, "since she's not here with you . . . where is she? With your father?"

"Yes," Mal agreed glumly. "I thought Lory would be safe with my father, and so she couldn't be used as a punishment." Cautiously averting her attention to her fiancé, the fairy sighed once more. "Do you truly know everything?"

Smiling softly, Ben rattled off, "August 25th, 2014."

Everyone perked up at the date, most finding it odd while a certain two knew the significance of it. Being the bravest of them all, Celia wondered, "And that's proof because it's . . . what?"

Blinking her trance away, Mal revealed, "It's Lory's birthday—"

"Which she shares with you," Ben reminded knowingly. "When you guys visited Aziz in Agrabah, I snuck over to the Isle to meet Lory, and asked for her blessing to marry you. After that, I continued making secret trips to visit her and gave her special gifts, like her locket and Cerbie. I don't care if she doesn't share my blood. I love Lory with all my heart and call her my daughter all the time. I want her to be my daughter."

"You . . ." Mal trailed off as she swallowed the lump in her throat. "You want to be her stepfather?"

"Not stepfather." Standing taller to appear more serious, Ben announced, "I will be the father that steps up."

Like water breaking down a damn, all the emotions Mal kept inside about her unfortunate circumstances broke through the surface. Sniffling uncontrollably, the fairy stepped forward to embrace the king, burying her face in his shoulder to hide her unstableness from her friends. "Thank you," she whispered between her blubbering. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear that."

"You don't have to thank me for anything," Ben reassured, lovingly kissing his beloved's forehead. "Now, go bring our little girl home."