us again. You have my word.”
The council turned to its king.
“I understand, Wizard Merlin.” Ben met Merlin’s glare, and tried not to show how nervous he was. He was the leader here now; his father had left the kingdom’s safekeeping in his hands. “I will consider your request, but will need to discuss it with my team before making a decision. Thank you for informing us about the situation in Camelot,” he said carefully.
The old wizard nodded gruffly. “Come on, Artie, let’s go find ourselves a chocolate chip cookie while we wait.”
When they left the room, Ben turned to his councillors. “Can I do that? Let Merlin use magic in such a manner?”
“You can do anything you want now that you’re king,” Doc said. “You have absolute power.”
And absolute power corrupts absolutely, Ben thought to himself. He needed to be cautious. “When was the last time magic of this level was used in Auradon?” he asked his advisers.
“Let’s see, probably the last time was when Fairy Godmother created the dome that kept magic out of the Isle of the Lost. After that, it’s been your father’s and Fairy Godmother’s policy that we learn to live without magic, even without a dome over our heads,” said Genie. “It was hard to adjust to at first, but we managed.”
“And we are better for it,” said Flora with a sniff. “A little hard work never hurt anybody.”
Ben agreed. Magic wasn’t expressly forbidden in Auradon—but it was discouraged, and the kingdom was more orderly for it. It would be reckless to just disregard the policies King Beast and Fairy Godmother had put into place for the sake of one issue in a faraway kingdom. Even in the hands of careful users, there had been a few incidents when magic had gone awry lately. Genie was known to accidentally grant wishes to the wrong person when he left his lamp lying around. Even the three good fairies slipped every once in a while, often letting their generosity get the best of them. They had created a massive ice castle for Ben’s birthday party one year, which was dazzling until it melted and caused a flood.
Merlin was one of the most powerful magicians in the land, and if he was allowed to use magic on such a large scale, who knew where it would lead?
Ben motioned to Lumiere to send Merlin and Artie back into the room.
“I have considered the urgency of your request,” he told them.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Merlin looked hopeful and eager to get going.
Ben held up his hand. He wasn’t finished. “But for now, I am going to reject your petition to use magic to capture this creature.”
Merlin frowned and his face turned red behind his beard. This was certainly not the news he had been hoping for, and the old wizard was clearly used to getting his way. Artie looked particularly glum. The idea of defeating a horrible creature with ancient magic had obviously been an exciting one for the young squire.
Before Merlin could object, Ben continued. “I will travel to Camelot myself to assess the situation. I will leave with you first thing tomorrow morning.” He would have to miss a day of classes, probably two, but hopefully he would be back in Auradon by the weekend. Besides, it sounded like an adventure, and before Mal and her friends had arrived, even Ben had very few of those in Auradon.
“Very good, Sire,” said Merlin, elbowing Artie to bow like he did. “Let’s just hope Camelot is still standing when we get there.”
As one who aspired to be the fairest of them all, Evie didn’t need to advertise the fact by wearing the word fairest emblazoned all over her T-shirts, but it didn’t hurt. She was seated at her desk in her and Mal’s bedroom that afternoon, in front of their matching poster beds and frilly pink curtains that Mal so despised. The wood-paneled walls were decorated with the smiling portraits of Auradon’s past princesses, as if to remind Evie of her goals. She brushed her long dark tresses until her blue highlights shone and pursed her lips, checking her reflection with her phone’s camera. She tried out a few poses for InstaRoyal, the latest lifestyle envy-inducer that was a big hit with the Auradon set. It was all about showing off the newest and hippest fashions in glass slippers (glass mules with puffy bows were all the rage) and the plush interiors of private carriages (plump satin cushions sewn by