HOOKED ↝ DESCENDANTS

[16]

Rosalie followed Harry back into Audrey's bedroom to see their friends now gathered in a circle, all except for Mal and Evie, who sat in a chair on either side of the bed, where the Princess of Ulstead still lay in her comatose state. They all sat in silence, Mal staring down at her feet before looking back up with a frustrated sigh.

"There's only one person in the world who might be able to do something about this, and that's Hades." Mal said grimly.

"Hades?" Ben asked in disbelief. "He wouldn't do it. I wouldn't risk it."

"Actually he might do it for me." Mal replied, causing Rosalie's eyebrows to furrow in confusion as she watched the purple haired girl. "He's my father."

Rosalie's blood turned to ice in her veins as she looked around at the others, everyone but Evie and Celia sharing the same shock that she did. Everything Hades had done in his attempt to escape from the Isle when the VKs brought the newcomers over, the terror he'd inflicted on the people of Auradon that day, and he'd been stopped in his tracks by his own daughter.

"Oh," Ben said, his voice barely more than a squeak. "Well, I'll have to send guards to get him." he said uneasily.

"Maybe I can hitch a ride." Uma spoke up, causing the others to turn towards where she stood in the middle of the room. "The Isle is my home. Someone needs to be there to protect it."

"Well then," Harry added from his spot next to Rosalie, taking a step forward towards Uma. "You'll need your first mate. It's a shame, since we were just starting to become friends, but I've got some people back there to look after." he added, and Rosalie nodded softly in understanding. 

"The Isle will be in very good hands." Mal assured them, and Harry and Uma both smiled proudly in response, though Rosalie could see a hint of sadness lingering in their eyes.

"Can I go, too?" Celia asked, rising from her spot on the windowsill. "I wish I could be in both places." she said sadly.

Mal rose from her seat, watching the three of them. "I really think that Evie was right." she said. "And, I do think that we could have been friends. And I'm really sorry that I lied to all of you guys." she apologized. "You deserved so much better than that."

"You were just trying to do the right thing." Jay assured her.

"Yeah," Uma added.

Evie rose from her seat then. "I get it," she said, Mal smiling softly in relief.

"I should go get a hold of the guards." Ben announced, turning back to Harry, Uma, and Celia, shaking hands with the three of them. "But thank you so much for everything. Auradon will not forget the way you helped us tonight."

Ben left the room without another word, the others beginning to exchange hugs of goodbye as soon as he was gone, knowing that, once the barriers were closed for good, that was it. They'd never be allowed in or out to visit each other.

"Hey," Harry said, stepping closer to Rosalie and jerking his head back in the direction of the door. "We've still got a bit before the guards get here. Fancy taking a walk with me outside?"

"I'd like that," she said, following him back out into the corridor in the direction of the front door.

The two emerged into the sunlight as dawn finally broke over the kingdom of Auradon, the light beginning to wash away the horrors brought on by the night before and the city slowly returning to life. Everywhere they looked, citizens were beginning to leave their houses, now woken up from the spell being broken, or no longer turned to stone. Even Fairy Godmother herself was bustling from one end of campus to the other, bidding hello and good tidings to those she passed on her way.

"So this is what the famous Auradon is supposed to look like." Harry mused as they walked, the civilians too caught up in their celebrations to notice the Villain Kid next to Rosalie. "It's actually kind of nice."

"Oh, this is nothing." she assured him. "On a normal day, when everyone's out and about on their daily routines, it's so much busier. Most of our students are already back home for the summer, this is just all who's left."

The two of them reached the courtyard, where Mal's battle with Audrey was already beginning to seem as though it had been weeks ago, the silence falling between them after their long night nearly deafening. It was hard for Rosalie to believe that, after everything, she and Harry had finally managed to put their differences aside, only for them to be separated once again once the barrier closed.

All they'd worked towards just to never be allowed to see each other again.

"It really is a shame," he said, turning to face her. As his eyes studied hers, he reached up with the hook, brushing away a stray lock of hair from her face. "You were just starting to grow on me, Fitzherbert."

Harry leaned in closer, his eyes flickering down towards her lips. She took a step closer, attempting to close the gap between them when a yell rang from across the courtyard.

"There you two are!" Carlos exclaimed, Rosalie and Harry jumping apart as they both turned to look over to where the boy stood, along with Jay, Evie, Uma, Gil, and Celia. "We were just coming to find you, the guards are here."

"We're coming!" Rosalie called, rushing ahead to join the rest of the group so as not to let Harry see the blush that had begun spreading across her cheeks, the boy reluctantly following behind her.

When the group returned to the front door of the castle, a black SUV stalled in the driveway, no doubt waiting for the four VKs that would be returning to the Isle of the Lost before they went to retrieve Hades. Evie quickly exchanged another goodbye hug with each of them, before Harry turned back to Rosalie.

"I guess this is it," he said as she reached forward, hugging him goodbye.

"I guess it is." she said.

"Goodbye, Rosalie." he said, and she smiled sadly as the others piled into the vehicle, waiting for him to join them.

"Goodbye, Harry."