[4] Phoenix | Descendants 3

THIRTY: Actions and Consequences

Two days have passed since the heroes defeated Maleficent and woke Auradon from the sleeping curse. The group had since split up, some going to Evie's house to be reunited with the younger VKs and the others staying in Beast Castle to help the king with the kingdom's recovery.

But now, Ben, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Uma, Gil, Celia and Harry had gathered once more in Audrey's room at Beast Castle. The large group sat around the room, which was more than large enough for all them to fit comfortably. The Princess of Auroria laid beautifully on her bed, her eyes closed as she remained in a deep slumber. And like her mother before her, she too was cursed by Maleficent to stay this way, effectively making her the new Sleeping Beauty.

Uma stands at the edge of the bed while Ben paces the room. Celia sat on the pillow-covered windowsill and Carlos in one of the solo chairs. Gil chose to sit on the pink couch in front of the fireplace with Harry on the chair across from him and Jay resting against the wall near the fireplace.

Lastly, Evie and Mal were sitting on either side of Audrey, examining the princess and keeping tabs on her condition. Aurora and Phillip were both informed of their daughter's condition and wanted to be with her, but could not abandon their kingdom in this time of need. So, Queen Leah was going to come in their stead, Adam and Belle going to Auroria to speak to the family personally and travel back to Auradon with the former queen.

Evie places her hand over Audrey, feeling something that could possibly provide some good news. "Her condition is still stable," She informs them, her eyes still on Audrey's sleeping form.

Ben exhales, "Are we sure that there's nothing anyone can do?"

"I think we've exhausted all of our options," replied Jay.

Despite everything that happened, Audrey was still a friend. She was someone that he grew up and knew for most of his life. But he, the most powerful man in Auradon, was entirely powerless against this curse.

The king turned to the white haired boy sitting back in the chair. "Can you try calling Jane again? Maybe there's something in those books at the Academy that can help us out."

"She said yesterday that she'll keep looking, but so far nothing," answered Carlos.

"Well, maybe Fairy Godmother could use her wand and -"

"She tried, Ben, multiple times" interrupted Jay. "But Maleficent's curse is pretty strong and something she's always been clear on. Whoever touches the Dragon's Eye will be cursed to sleep for a thousand years. The only exceptions to this rule are Mal and Maleficent herself as they're the blood of the dragon."

Mal remains silent, pulling up her sleeve to reveal the double dragon mark on her forearm. There was a time when Mal would've let Evie or Helena touch the scepter and fall prey to the dragon's curse. But looking back on it, the curse probably wouldn't have affected Helena since she's -

"There has to be someone out there that can break this curse," states an exasperated Ben.

"Not a person," muttered Mal as she slowly came to a conclusion. How stupid was she not to realize the simple answer to this current situation?

Evie turned towards her friend. "What's that supposed to mean, M?"

"We've been looking at this all wrong. Another person, another magic user, can't break my mother's curse ... But a god can."

"A-A god?" repeats Ben.

"They're the most powerful beings in the universe, they can break a fairy's curse like that." Mal snaps her fingers to emphasize, assuring her fiancé of this idea.