⋆✧—— ✧ *⋆* ✧ * ⋆* ✧ * ⋆* ✧——⋆✧
"She's slipping away." Evie said as Mal sighed "There's only one person in the world who might be able to do something about this, and that's Hades." Mal stated, receiving looks from her family.
"Hades? He wouldn't do it." Ben told her. "And I wouldn't risk it." Tala added from beside him.
"Actually, he might do it for me. He's my father." Mal advised. Tala and Ben blinked at each other before nodding.
"Okay. Well, I'll have to send guards to get him." Ben said.
"Maybe I can hitch a ride?" Uma said
"The Isle is my home. Someone needs to be there to protect it." Mal smiled softly at her.
"Well, then, you will need your first mate." Harry said, walking up behind her with a smile.
"The Isle will be in very good hands." Mal smiled at them.
"Can I go, too?" Celia asks "I wish I could be in both places." She frowns, taking a step closer to Uma who pulled her in an embrace.
Mal nodded sadly before looking at Uma, "I really think that Evie was right and... I do think that we could've been friends." She smiles.
"And I'm really sorry that I lied to all of you guys. You deserved so much better than that." She added, glancing around the room to her friends.
"You were just trying to do the right thing" Jay told her with a smile as Carlos nodded.
"Yeah." Uma agreed
"I get it." Evie sighs. She smiled at Mal with pride and understanding.
——
The morning arrives in a the speed of time. Tala stood out the castle as the black limousine pulled up. The royal guards came out and opened the back door. Two guards came out along with Hades himself, chained on his ankles to prevent him from running.
The guards led Hades up the little stairs where Tala was standing in her uniform and her trusty sword.
"Glad to finally meet you in person."Hades eyed her sword. Nodding his head with sarcastic sigh.
"Quite a show you put on back there."
Tala smirked at his remark. "Welcome to Auradon Prep."
Tala led the way inside the castle before knocking on Audrey's door. The door opened revealing Adam. Tala nods and stepped inside to stand next to the King.
"Thank you for coming." Mal greeted Hades who gave her a bored look.
"Didn't have much choice"
"Can you wake her?" Asks Ben in distress. The god scoffs at the King, "Since when do heroes care about villains?"
"She's-"
"One of your own." Hades said cutting
Ben off, "Right." he chuckles.
"When you guys try to destroy the world... it's an error in judgment" he started "But when it's one of of us...
Lock them up and throw away the key."
"Right, Beast?"
Hades held his hands up unexpectedly, scaring Mal as Tala placed her hand on her sword in alert. "Yeah. I'm gonna need to use my hands." he stated. Mal looks at Ben if it's okay as he nods slowly at her telling it is.
Tala took off the handcuffs. "Thanks sweet cheeks."
He smoothes his hands then reach out in front of Mal for her to give him the ember back. She gave him the ember, the power immediately flows through his veins as he close his eyes. His hair started to light up as he sighs happily, "Haven't lost my touch." he chuckles then he went to face Adam. He starts to growl at him as Beast did the same back.
"Dad." Mal called out he looks back at her and shrugged his shoulders and went to Audrey's end of the bed.
He adjusted the ember before closing his eyes, circling his arms around as the room's light turned blue.
About a second, Audrey magically rose up and gasped. Mal held a hand over her chest and sighs in relief.
"Audrey." Her grandma gasps "You're okay."
"Tell me it was all a bad dream." Audrey whispered in a shallow voice.
"I wish I could," Ben sighs, his eyes held guilt and sadness. "But, it's over now."
"I'm sorry" Audrey said crawling to the end of her bed to look Ben and Tala. "I wanted to hurt you both. I wanted to hurt all of you." She said as she looks at everyone.
Mal went towards her with gentle smile, slowly grabbing her hands.
"I have owed you an apology for... a very long time now."
"And so have I." Ben added.
"And perhaps, I have owed you one, too." Queen Leah cuts in. She curtsied at Mal as Mal returned it.
Adam told the Tala to take Hades which she obliged, "Oh, yeah" Hades said, he held his up to Tala as she puts the handcuffs back on. She gestured the guards to take him outside in the hallway and Mal went after them.
Tala stood beside Ben as they watch Mal walk out the door, "I'm going to need to escort you and Mal tomorrow. So, be ready at 8."
Ben nodded at her, Tala pats him on the shoulders before walking out the room to escort Hades to the limo.
On her way out, she saw Mal hugging Hades. Walking up to the duo, Tala smiled at Mal before she bowed and walked away with Hades and the guards.
"Are you by any chance single?" Hades asked as they walked down the halls.
Tala rolled her eyes at the man. "I'm sorry, sir. But people with their hair on fire aren't exactly my type." She pointed at his hair with a grin.
"What's wrong with my hair?" Hades pouted.
Walking down to the limo, the guards opened the door for Hades and the other two guards. Tala folded her arms and sighs.
"You should put some water on that hair sometimes, you know helps to cool off the fire."
Hades rolls his eyes with a chuckle. "Take care of my baby girl for me, kid."
Tala raised a brow as she smirks.
"Roger roger." She winked at him. The guards took him inside the limo before driving off.
