Back in Auradon, there was nobody more stressed in the entire kingdom than Ben. Audrey was spotted earlier at Jane's birthday with the stolen crown and scepter from the museum. There, she cursed the partygoers and sent them into a deep sleep. Ben then received a phone call from Jane, informing him about what happened and that she and Hector were able to make it out safely. The king originally attempted to keep the story in-house, and only inform those about the situation that needed to know. However, Audrey began making appearances all over the kingdom and a pink mist soon began to spread over Auradon, sending people off to sleep. Since then, the phone was going off the hook with royals and dignitaries from all over Auradon.
"No, I want the Auradon Guard handing out gas masks. Well, not everyone's asleep!" Ben shouts irritated before hanging up the phone. The king then turns to the servant standing in the doorway, "Find out if anyone's seen Audrey and find out if she has a list of demands."
With a nod, the servant exits the room, leaving Ben to dwell on his thoughts. The king unzipped his jacket and sat down in a chair, hoping to somewhat rid himself of at least some of his pent-up anxiety. Just when he thought he was going to get some sort of break, this just had to happen.
Auradon was an absolute mess right now. The spreading sleeping curse as well as the fact that it was all Audrey's doing only sent the people into a panic. Despite what was happening, the Aurorian princess was still immensely popular throughout Auradon. Most believed that this was all the work of some villain disguising themselves as Audrey that was wreaking havoc on the kingdom (or at least that was the story being told by the media).
But Ben also knew better, it was one of the benefits that came with being king. He knew that since the barrier surrounding the island was closely monitored, no one had escaped since that whole fiasco with the Cotillion. But as king, it also fell to him to make sure that the people were safe. But Ben had no idea what was happening right now. This wasn't like Audrey at all. Something was wrong, there was something pushing her to such extremes.
And on a more personal level, he had no idea what was going on with his friends and his fiancée were in the midst of all of this. He hadn't seen or heard from Mal, Helena, Carlos, Jay or Evie since earlier this morning when Mal texted him to remind him about Jane's birthday party. He knew that Jane and Hector were okay, but the others' whereabouts were a mystery to him.
The more Ben thought about the current situation in Auradon, the more stressed and worried he was becoming. The king sank further into his chair, now rubbing his temples until a voice from behind him made him jump up from his seat.
"Just one. I demand my life back. I have a proposition. I'll wake everybody up right now " said Audrey, Ben letting out a startled noise. The princess then trailed her hand up the king's arm until reaching his shoulder before brushing his bangs from his eyes, "... under one itty-bitty condition, Benny-boo. Make me your Queen and we'll rule side by side."
Ben places his hand over hers, slowly removing them from his face. "Audrey, this is serious."
"I am being serious! I want my life back, Ben!"
"You still have a life, Audrey! What are you talking about?"
The princess rolls her eyes, "Of course you wouldn't understand."
"Then just talk to me, Audrey. Tell me what's going on." Ben then gripped Audrey's hand tighter, "Did someone put a spell on you? Just tell me who, a-and ..."
"You'll what? Marry them?" Audrey laughed, taking her hand out of the king's grasp. The Aurorian heir then walked towards the window before turning back to face Ben. "Most people get dumped because they aren't good enough. I wasn't bad enough. How do you like me now, Benny-boo?"
As Audrey twirled, Ben frowned. "I like the old Audrey better. I liked the girl that wanted to help Auradon, not destroy it."
"Well, considering how you tossed her aside, I'd say that you clearly didn't like her that much."
"Look, Audrey, I know that we haven't been as close as we were before, but I know that this isn't you. And you know that if you're ever in some sort of trouble, you can come to me and I'll help you. Please, Audrey, just let me help you."
Ben watched the princess carefully, and it seemed as if his words did reach something inside of her. He was quick to notice the change in her demeanor, the way her expression softened and her grip on the scepter loosened. The more she looked like the real Audrey.
"Help me, Ben," she pleaded softly, desperation evident in her voice. "Please help me before she-"
Suddenly, Audrey's eyes flashed green, a sharp gasp escaping her lips as her body jolted upward before settling. Her entire demeanor had changed. Gone was that scared princess asking one of her oldest friends for help. And in her place was a malevolent being that wasn't afraid to wreak havoc and cause chaos.
Audrey shook her head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I wouldn't have done that if I were you."
"What's going on? Audrey?" questioned Ben, searching the princess' eyes for any signs of the girl he saw before. "Audrey, what happened?"
"You're a slow one, aren't you? I don't know what Mal sees in you." said Audrey with a roll of her eyes. "I'll give you a hint, Beasty. I'm not really the pretty pink princess."
Ben's eyes widened, causing Audrey to laugh at the shock and confusion evident on the young man's face. "What have you done with Audrey? Where is she?"
"Funny how now you care about the girl that you insulted and humiliated."
"If it's me you want, then you can have me. Just let Audrey go."
This only caused her to laugh, "You'll get yours soon but right now, I'm having too much fun." Audrey then looked down, staring at the clothes that didn't fit her true self. "But don't worry, I'll let the wretched girl go eventually. Seeing Auradon in such chaos is making me miss my old self."
"Let her go and stop all of this now!" Ben demanded once again but the Aurorian heir only grew more annoyed.
"You really think you're in any position to be giving me orders right now? You really are your father's son," Audrey said with a scoff before her eyes lit up, an idea forming in her mind. "Yes, you are Adam's son, aren't you? The blood of the Beast?"
Ben's eyes glanced from the princess to the scepter, which began to glow brighter. "W-What are you doing?"
"Consider this your comeuppance, Little Beast." Thrusting the scepter forward, Ben fell to the ground with a deep growl. Audrey smiles in triumph before twirling, disappearing from the room in a cloud of pink smoke.
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"W-What is this?" questioned Celia, truly wondering what in the world she was looking at. She, Evie and Mal were in the old, abandoned lair on the Isle, staring at the shocking discovery that the young witch doctor just made. And to say that they were all shocked would be an understatement right now.
"It's a tapestry," Mal said, having recognized the many of them littered around the royal palaces in Auradon.
"But the words are literally glowing. That's not normal," commented Evie.
And the princess was right, nothing about this tapestry was normal. The long fabric was hung up on the wall vertically, taking up nearly the entire length of the wall. Black threads the words were weaved in were outlined by a golden glow. This was clearly something strange going on with this tapestry, and for some reason, this had belonged to Mal's father.
Mal's mind was awhirl as she read the words woven into the fabric. "... I think this is our clue. This is what my dad wanted us to see."
"But how-" Celia began, only for the dark fairy to cut her off.
"Not now. We figure it out later after we talk with the others and go back to Auradon."
"But I have so many questions," grumbled Celia while Evie took as many photos as she could.
"Well, you can answer them later. Right now, we have to go," replied the blue haired princess, stuffing her phone back in her back. "We still have to stop Audrey and find a way to get that scepter out of her hands."
"So we're just going to ignore the obvious?" asked Celia, gesturing to the large tapestry which was still a mystery to them. No matter how much they tried to find out more about Mal's father, it only seemed to lead them towards more questions and more confusion.
"We're not ignoring it, we're just coming back to it later. Now, come on," answered Evie, grabbing Celia's hand and pulling her away.
Mal followed after the two silently, the trio heading towards the direction in which they came. Noticing her best friend lagging behind, Evie stopped walking and waited until the purple haired girl joined at her side.
"E, what kind of person was my dad?" whispered the daughter of Maleficent lowly. "Why did he have all of this? What was he really doing down here?"
"I can't answer that, but what I can tell you is that we won't stop until we get to the bottom of this. We are going to be with you every step of the way, figuring this out together."
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Helena showed up to the front gate, where Jay and Carlos were waiting for the girls to arrive. The two boys were in a conversation and looked up when they heard footsteps, seeing a dispirited Underworld princess coming their way.
"Did you find anything at Ursula's house?" asked Jay.
"I'd rather not talk about it right now," mumbled the daughter of Hades, knowing that the only clue she had was in the hands of the son of Captain Hook. The two boys shared a look with each other, silently deciding that they would have to come to this another time.
Helena turned over her shoulder to see Mal, Evie and Celia coming their way. "Ah, we can go now," she said, ready to return to Auradon before they were too late to save the kingdom.
"So did you find anything at your dad's place?" asked Jay and Celia let out a slight laugh at the question.
"Long story, we'll talk about it later," answered Evie.
"Sounds like we have a lot to talk about," mumbled the de Vil boy, slightly worried at the girls found on the Isle.
Mal glanced at the son of Jafar, "Jay, you good?"
"Yeah." He quickly glanced around them to see if anyone was nearby, but the Isle residents were too preoccupied with their own affairs to pay attention to them. Besides, the Isle people also knew that they would be punished for sneaking into Auradon.
Jay pulled the golden remote out of his pocket and pressed the button, the barrier opening and revealing the bridge. As the six make their way out of the Isle of the Lost, they were all unaware of two sneaky pirates coming out of the shadows and staying low as the pair made their way towards the barrier. Consequences be damned.
Mal and Evie gasp as a wave of power flows through their bodies, their magic returning to them. Helena let out a small sigh of relief, happy to no longer be within the confines of the barrier. But the daughter of Maleficent felt different as if she unlocked something within her without realizing.
"Well, that's new," commented Evie, gesturing to Mal's hair that now had blue highlights.
"This isn't the first time we've gone to the Isle," replied Mal.
"But it is the first time you've been to your dad's place," responded Helena. When the dark fairy turned to her, the Underworld princess shrugged, "It could be a sign."
"Well, this just keeps stranger and stranger," muttered Carlos and Mal nodded in agreement.
Just as the barrier was about to close, two figures jumped through the small opening. The sound of their bodies hitting the bridge alerted the villain kids, who turned around and were shocked to see Harry and Gil out of the Isle. The sons of Captain Hook and Gaston laughed and beamed in excitement, they were finally free. No longer were they stuck in that prison, freedom and independence were finally theirs after so long.
"We made it," Gil exclaimed, excitedly pulling Harry into a hug. "We made it!"
"Well, this day just keeps getting better and better," remarked Helena as she stared at two of her friends. The other VKs stayed glanced at each other, wondering if this was truly happening or not.
"Hey guys," said Harry, Jay and Carlos instinctively taking a defensive stance. Evie moved to stand in front of Celia protectively. "We're just coming for a wee visit."
"Oh no, we definitely believe that," replied a sarcastic Helena.
"Ah, Spitfire, still upset about earlier?" asked Harry teasingly, even pouting just to annoy the Underworld princess more. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do better next time."
Carlos narrowed his eyes at the gemstone in the pirate's free hand. "What is that?" he asked.
"Oh, this?" Harry held up the gem, inspecting it carefully under the light. "I found this today. Do you like it?"
"Let me guess... at Ursula's place?"
"How smart you are, Pup. Now, if you'd just move out of our way..."
But as Harry and Gil step forward, Carlos and Jay shove the two back. Already irritated and wanting to hold onto his newfound freedom, Harry shoved the de Vil boy back. But Carlos wasn't the same boy that Harry once knew and instantly retaliated, this time aiming for the gem in the Hook boy's hands. Harry noticed and tried to keep him at bay, but Carlos was most resilient. The tussle resulted in the gem falling from Harry's hands.
"I got it!" said Mal, catching the gem before it nearly fell off the bridge. But Harry's hook had gotten caught on Mal's sleeve when trying to catch the gem himself. He then tried to free himself, forcing her hand upwards and causing the fairy to lose her grip. Mal gasps as the gem tumbles toward the ocean, "No!"
Harry laughs while everyone else rushes forward toward the bridge's edge, a large tentacle shooting out of the water and grabbing the gem just before it could hit the water. To the shock of everyone, it was Uma that caught the gemstone. She emerged from the waters with a grin, one of her tentacles opening to show the now glowing gemstone in her grasp.
"Drop something?" The cecaelia asks teasingly.
"This is the best day ever," mumbled Helena. It wasn't as if the daughter of Hades wasn't happy to see Uma, but now wasn't the time for the banter between her and Mal. They had a kingdom to go save.
"Give it back, Uma!" demanded Mal. As far as the dark fairy knew, the gemstone was something that Harry swiped from Helena. And from the way it was glowing, it was clearly magical. So, it was something that could be of use to them, so that they could stop Audrey from terrorizing Auradon any further.
Uma chuckled at Mal's ridiculous demand and instead looked at the two pirates, who were shocked to see their old captain alive and well. "Uma?" The pair exclaim.
"That's my name," the sea witch smiles, fluttering her fingers.
Suddenly, Uma sinks under the water and Mal screams defeatedly. The water began to twist upward into a dome that grew larger and larger until it finally exploded. Helena flinches back as Carlos' arm instinctively comes to warp around her, pulling her away. Helena looks up at Carlos before looking past him at Harry, quickly looking away upon noticing the expression on the Hook boy's face. As the water settled, the seven VKs looked over the bridge but there was no Uma.
"Hi boys," the daughter of Ursula greets. They all turn to see her standing behind him, the gem now glowing in her hands. The sea witch's eyes then landed on the daughter of Hades, who was quite possibly the only member of her family that she could tolerate. "Helena."
Harry pointed his hook over at her before he and GIl walked over to the girl. "Welcome back."
But Helena didn't miss the way Harry's eyes glanced over Uma's entire figure. He seemed to be looking for injuries, any signs of her being hurt currently or previously. It was a second nature to him, one of the habits he picked up after years of being on the Isle.
"Uma, you swam off and forgot all about us," said Gil, who actually sounded hurt at the thought of being forgotten by one of his closest friends.
"Yeah," retorts Mal, speaking up before the turquoise haired girl had a chance to respond. "Planning her revenge, no doubt."
"It's not all about you, Mal," Uma informed the future queen. "I was looking for a hole in the barrier to let everybody out. I was trying to give people their freedom instead of making them apply for it." Mal glared at Uma for the blow as the sea witch turned to her friends, "And you know what I found, boys? It's way better out there than we thought. There's this thing that looks like a fury rock called a coconut. And fish so big you could dance on their backs. And they've been keeping it all for themselves."
"Whatever, Uma. Give me the gem. We need that to break a spell," Mal ordered, outstretching her hand and thinking it would actually make the sea witch hand it over.
"Cast by Audrey, Sleeping Beauty's daughter," adds Carlos.
"So, the good guy's actually the bad guy." Uma laughs at the irony, "Well, I might not give it to you. Let's see what happens."
"It's not yours anyway, Dragon Breath," interjects Harry. "That pretty little jewel belonged to Uraina, Ursula's mother."
"My grandmother," Uma says softly, looking at the gemstone in her hand. Uma never knew anything about her grandmother thanks to her mother, but now she was holding onto something that belonged to her.
"It was given to her by Poseidon," Harry continued, standing behind her. "Helena thinks that if it can do something, only someone related to Poseidon can use it."
"It's just a theory though, haven't tested it out yet," Helena added quickly, coming to her own defense.
"Well, no time like the present," said Uma before tossing the jewel to her cousin.
The daughter of Hades was caught off guard by this, fumbling a bit before holding it firmly in her hands. Uraina's jewel glowed in the hands of the daughter of Hades, but it was dimmer than when it was being held by Uma.
Harry was quick to notice the glowing jewel, something which it didn't do when in hands of him or Mal. "Well, it looks like you were right, Spitfire. It does seem to work for those related to Poseidon."
"Yeah, but it's not glowing as brightly as when Uma was holding it," said Gil, pointing out the noticeable change in the brightness of the jewel's glow.
"But it can still work for Helena," stated Jay.
"Do any of you guys know what that thing can do?" questioned Uma, Helena tossing her grandmother's jewel back to her.
"No one does. It was just found today."
"It doesn't matter," interrupted Mal. "The point is that we don't need Uma to use it. Helena is Poseidon's niece, it can work for her."
"And Uma's his granddaughter, she has a more direct relation to him," retorted Harry.
"We'll take our chances." Frustrated at Uma's lack of concern and the way they were wasting time, Mal gets more forceful. "Uma, it's not the time for games! People's lives are in danger!"
"The gem could really help us turn the tide in this thing with Audrey," Helena told her calmly.
Uma's eyes glanced at her cousin before looking back at the soon-to-be queen. "Guarantee me that every single villain kid that wants to can get off the Isle."
"I can't do that," Mal denies. "Besides, we have the program in place and-"
"That's not what I said!"
"Well, I can't do what you're saying!"
Uma made a face and nodded before heading over to the edge of the bridge, ready to return to sea. "Fine, then good luck trying to win against her without an added Olympian edge."
"Deal!" Mal agrees quickly, her hand outstretched to shake Uma's. "Deal."
The pirate girl gasps as she pretends to fall, making Helena step forward. Harry's hand instinctively stretched out to grab her arm, even though he had a grin on his face.
"Uma!" Helena calls, the turquoise haired girl turning to her. "Trust me, alright. She's being for real."
Uma watches Helena carefully for a moment before stepping away from the edge. She looks back at her grandmother's jewel, sucking her teeth and tucking the powerful stone into her leather jacket. "Considering that this used to belong to my grandmother, I'm keeping this. But if you think I trust you to save the world on your own, think again." She then turns around to face her boys, "This is a job for pirates."
"I don't know about this," muttered Mal as Uma, Harry and Gil all clapped hands and talked among themselves.
"We could use their help," replied Helena, stepping up from behind Mal and joining the purple haired girl at her side. "Audrey's too unstable right now and is wielding a powerful scepter without any prior experience. We don't know what we're getting into and the more help we have, the better, especially when that help is Olympian."
"They don't want to help us, Hells."
"But they don't want to be cursed, hexed, or be on the other end of whatever evil spell Audrey has up her sleeve." Helena glanced up at the sea-loving trio, "And let's face it, Audrey doesn't like any of us, so we're all on her hit-list. We have a better chance of escaping this together if we work together."
Jay came up on Mal's other side, "We can always go back to hating each other when this is over."
"Fine," grumbled the daughter of Maleficent disapprovingly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Other than Helena, none of the rotten villain kids were particularly keen on letting Uma, Harry and Gil help them. But the daughter of Hades had a point. They had no idea what they were getting into, and the more help they had, the better. And considering the other option was being the victim of whatever evil plan Audrey had brewing, the pirate trio had no other choice but to help.
The son of Jafar then turned his attention to the pirates before them, "Where are our bikes?"
"Oh yeah, uh, we crashed them," Gil informed them nonchalantly. Just for added annoyance, Harry provided the visuals. He used his hand to represent the bike, whistling as he showed that the bikes fell off a cliff and disappeared in the water.
The Hook boy caught sight of Jay's irritated expression and pointed at him, "Look at his face."
"You guys owe me a new bike," stated Helena, upset that she lost one of her favorite items.
"Isn't your dad the God of Wealth?" questioned Uma rhetorically. "So, doesn't that make you the richest person ... like ever?"
"Oh, that's so cool," said an astounded Gil. "Can you buy me a bike? Like a really cool one, not a lame one."
Unable to refuse or ignore Gil, Helena sighed. "Yes, Gil, I'll buy you a bike." She shook her head, trying to bring her attention back to the matter at hand. "And, yes, Dad is the God of Wealth but that's not the point. You break it, you buy it."
"Seriously? That's what you're going with?" Uma scoffed at the childish notion. "What? Daddy didn't cut you off, did he?"
"No, of course not, but-"
"But Helena has her own business, and has worked hard not to be dependent on her parents," Mal stated matter-of-factly.
"Here's a thought," Evie interjects, stepping forward with her hands on her hips. "We could try to be friends. Put our history behind us and celebrate our differences. Yeah?"
Helena had to applaud Evie for trying to be the peacemaker between the two groups, a position that the Underworld princess herself gave up on long ago. Mal, Jay, Carlos, Helena, Uma, Harry and Gil all knew each other for years. Evie, on the other hand, was castle-schooled for ten years. She was isolated from everyone and never had a friend prior to enrolling in Dragon Hall. Her past makes her unbiased, even if Mal, Jay, Carlos and Helena are her family.
And it wasn't such a terrible idea. They were already joining forces to stop Audrey, so becoming friends wasn't so far-fetched. They were all more alike than they cared to admit. Helena was all for them becoming one giant crew. She would enjoy being able to hang out with all of them at once instead of making time to hang out with them separately.
Evie pulled a bag of gum out from her sleeve, waving it around as Celia looked away. "Who wants gum?"
"Let's go," Uma says with a roll of her eyes, walking ahead.
"No?" Evie awkwardly continues, shaking the bag in her hand.
"Ah ..." Mal's exclamation stops the sea witch and her crew. "No, I'm in charge. Let's go."
"And so, it begins," says Helena, looking between Mal and Uma, and taking notice of the power struggle between them.
They all ignored Evie's suggestion and walked past her behind their respective leaders. Only Helena had stopped in front of Evie.
"It was a nice idea though," says Helena, holding out her hand. Evie smiled before giving her a piece. It seemed that it was up to the two of them to make them all work together.