It was impossible to stop thinking about it.
He flinched.
“Ouch,” Ben said, as a needle poked him again in the armpit.
“Sorry, sire; forgive me sire.” Lumiere, who was measuring him for his coronation suit, quailed.
“Quite all right,” said Ben, who looked kingly, at least according to Lumiere, in the royal blue velvet suit with yellow piping. It had belonged to King Beast, who had worn it at his own coronation. “It was my fault—I moved.”
“Your mind is elsewhere, sire,” said Lumiere sagely. “As befitting a future king of Auradon.”
“Perhaps,” said Ben.
For a future king, he was surprised by how little he knew about the Isle of the Lost. How did the villains fare, beneath the dome? How did they live, eat, take care of themselves? How were their families? What were their hopes and dreams? What did they see when they stared out the windows of their own castle or cottage or cave?
Ben remembered he had heard that a few of them had children. Some would have to be his own age by now, wouldn’t they? He wondered how they dealt with living in the shadow of their infamous parents.
I imagine that for them, it’s a lot like this, he thought, staring down at his royal beast-head ring, the one just like his father’s. Wearing his father’s suit, fitted by his father’s tailor. Standing at the window of his father’s castle.
We’re all trapped. I’m as trapped as they are.
The more Ben thought about it, the more he knew it was true. He hadn’t chosen to be born a prince and become a king, just as they hadn’t chosen who their parents were. They were prisoners for a crime they themselves had not committed.
That was the greater crime, wasn’t it?
It’s not fair. It’s not our fault. We have no say in our own lives. We’re living in a fairy tale someone else wrote.
In that moment, Ben suddenly understood why it was that the sidekicks wanted more for their lives: because he found he wanted even more than that.
He wanted things to change, throughout Auradon.
Everything, he thought. For everyone.
Was that even possible? On the other hand, how could it not be? How could he possibly keep going with the way things were now?
Ben thought about it.
If he was going to be king, he would have to be himself, his mother had said. And he was different from his father. That was clear to everyone, even Lumiere. Ben would rule, but he would rule differently.
He would make different rules and proclamations.
His mind wandered again to the image of the purple-haired girl with the bright green eyes. The girl from his dream.
Who was she?
Would he ever meet her?
Was she one of them? One of the lost souls on that cursed island? He had a feeling that she was.
And just then, he had a flash of inspiration.
One that would change the fates of both Auradon and the Isle of the Lost forever.
Why not?
It’s about time.
His mind was made up.
“Sire! Where are you going?” cried Lumiere as Ben suddenly leapt away from the needle and thread, a flurry of straight pins and bespoke chalk and measuring tape flying into the air around him.
“To find my parents! I have something to tell them, and it can’t wait!” said Ben. “I’ve got the most brilliant idea!”
When I was a little girl growing up in the Philippines, the first movie I ever saw was Cinderella, which had been my mother’s favorite movie as a child. It was the first movie I ever watched with my daughter, and it also became her favorite movie. (My favorite is Sleeping Beauty.) Disney magic was a huge part of my childhood, and now it is a huge part of my daughter’s. It was wonderful to watch the old movies again with her while I was writing this book, as well as share the new Disney Channel movie that inspired it. I still can’t believe that I got to play in this universe and with these characters who defined my childhood. It’s been a magical journey, and I owe my thanks to the people who helped me on my way. My publishing family—my editor, Emily Meehan, my publisher, Suzanne Murphy, and everyone at Disney Hyperion, especially Seale Ballenger, Mary Ann Zissimos, Simon Tasker, Elena Blanco, Kim Knueppel, Sarah Sullivan, Jackie DeLeo, Frank Bumbalo, Jessica Harriton, Dina Sherman, Elke Villa, Andrew Sansone, and Holly Nagel, who have seen me through countless books and launches, thanks for keeping the faith! Marci Senders, who put together a wickedly awesome design, and Monica Mayper, who made sure every villainous dangling participle fell into place. Disney Consumer Products grand poobahs Andrew Sugerman and Raj Murari throw the best parties. Jeanne Mosure is my hero. Big thanks to Rebecca Frazer and Jennifer Magee-Cook from Team Descendants, and all the lovely folks at the Disney Channel, especially Jennifer Rogers Doyle, Leigh Tran, Naketha Mattocks, and Gary Marsh. It was a thrill to meet director Kenny Ortega, production designer Mark Hofeling and the stars of the movie, Dove Cameron, Booboo Stewart, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson, and the inimitable Kristin Chenoweth. Screenwriters Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon’s script was hilarious and inspiring. My agent, Richard Abate, is the man. Melissa Kahn is awesome. Thanks and love to the DLC and Johnston families, especially my nephews Nicholas and Joseph Green and Sebastian de la Cruz. I get by with a little help from my friends, especially dear Margie Stohl. My husband, Mike Johnston, is a creative genius, and he and our daughter, Mattie Johnston, make everything worthwhile.
I hope you enjoyed the book and that it created a whole new set of Disney memories. You won’t want to miss the movie. Thank you for reading!
xoxo
Mel
MELISSA DE LA CRUZ (www.melissa-delacruz.com) is the author of many novels, including The Ring and the Crown, The Witches of East End series, and all of the best-selling books in the Blue Bloods series: Blue Bloods, Masquerade, Revelations, The Van Alen Legacy, Keys to the Repository, Misguided Angel, Bloody Valentine, Lost in Time, and Gates of Paradise. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.
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