𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄'𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 ☼ 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 ²

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟒

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒' 𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊

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𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑

It had taken some time for the princesses but things were slowly getting back to how they used to be before their adventure on the Isle. The only thing that was different was Rylee and Morgan's friendship with Ben. They had been avoiding the King of Auradon as much as they could while still helping him rule his kingdom. It was hard, considering how close they were before, but Rylee and Morgan felt that was the best thing to do. The two princesses had mainly been spending their time helping Gabby, Skyler, and Holly adjust to their new lives in Auradon. The three of them had been doing very well with their new lives and started taking a few classes at Auradon Prep, but Skyler and Holly only had a few months before they graduated.

At the moment, Rylee found herself alone in her dorm talking with her family over video chat. While she did that, Morgan was out with Robbie Hood practicing their archery skills for their upcoming competition. The two of them had been doing that a lot more since they arrived back in Auradon, but the Fitzherbert girl wasn't complaining. She was just happy seeing Morgan's genuine smile again.

"You'll see me on Family Day," the Fitzherbert girl laughed after hearing her parents go on about how much they missed seeing her.

"We just want to make sure that you're okay," Eugene hesitantly said while trying his best not to be too specific, only for Elliot to add in the details he missed.

"Yeah, you were on the Isle with a group of pirates for a month," the brunette boy said, causing his father to lightly nudge him in response.

"Alright, you two, that's enough," Rapunzel told them before turning her attention back to the computer, "I'm sure if there was something truly wrong she would tell us. Right, Rylee?"

"Of course, Mom. It was so much fun and I got to help a lot of kids," the blonde girl responded while her eyes glanced at the time in the corner of her screen, "I'm really sorry guys, but I have to go. I wish I could talk to you longer but I need to draw up some new plays for Tourney this season."

"Oh! I almost forgot! How could I forget?! It's one of the main reasons why I wanted to talk to you!" Ruby explained before pushing Elliot out of the way so she could be in the center of the screen, "congrats on being made team captain!"

"We're very proud of you," her parents said in unison as the smiles on their faces grew.

"You definitely deserve it," Elliot added while he stood behind his youngest sister, who was still sitting in his former spot.

"Thanks, guys," Rylee responded with a smile as she watched her brother gently hit the youngest Fitzherbert in the back of her head, "but it's just until Ben comes back...if he comes back."

"Good luck! We'll see you in a few weeks!"

"Bye. Love you."

"We love you, too."

As soon as they finished their goodbyes, Rylee ended their chat. She instantly reached for the playbook sitting on her desk before opening it to the next blank page. The Fitzherbert girl just stared at it for a long moment while trying to think of anything to impress the team.

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Two hours of practicing and working on the new plays Rylee same up with passed before Coach Jenkins ended their practice. Before dismissing the team, the man congratulated the Fitzherbert girl on the well-written plays. The team made their way back to the locker rooms to finish packing up their equipment before heading back to the dorms.

"Any plans for tonight?" Jay asked as they climbed the stairs that led to their rooms.

"I'm taking Jane out to dinner," Carlos answered while doing his best to hide all the nerves he was feeling.

"I'm going on a date with Holly!" Skyler announced, causing everyone to stop in their tracks before looking over at her with confused looks on their faces, "I asked her out the other day and she said yes!"

"Good luck with that," Jay laughed as Rylee turned her attention towards him.

"How about you, Jay?"

"Lonnie and I are gonna make some cookies," the son of Jafar told her before an unreadable emotion flashed across his features, "what do you got planned, Goldilocks?"

Rylee hesitated for a moment before she looked over at Morgan, who sent her a simple shrug. When she looked back up at the long-haired boy, the Fitzherbert girl sent him a small smile. "We're not sure yet."

After saying their goodbyes, all of them went their separate ways. Rylee and Morgan's laughter filled the halls as they walked toward their room. When they finally reached their destination, the two of them quickly changed out of their practice clothes. Once they were in more comfortable clothing, Rylee plopped down on her bed while Morgan went to lie down on hers. The Macintosh girl instantly began talking to Gabby, who moved in with them shortly after they arrived. The two of them discussed everything that was going to happen at Auradon from that moment on.

The Fitzherbert girl listened to their conversation for a moment before putting her earbuds in to listen to music. As soon as she found a song she liked, she grabbed her sketchbook from the top drawer and began drawing. Her eyes stayed glued to the page as her pencil flew across it to draw a face that had been on her mind. Once she finished drawing his baseball cap, Rylee held her sketchbook back and looked at her drawing of Pete Pan. A small smile made its way onto her face before she felt herself starting to doze off. After letting out a long yawn, Rylee closed her sketchbook, placed it on her nightstand, and fell asleep.

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A few hours passed before Rylee woke up from one of the best naps she'd had in a very long time. To her surprise, Morgan and Gabby were gone, leaving the Fitzherbert girl alone in her room. Her attention instantly went to the pulled-back curtains, giving her a clear view of the Isle in the center of the window. As soon as her mind was cleared of the grogginess from her nap, Rylee walked across her room and sat down on the couch under the window without taking her eyes off the dark island.

The Fitzherbert girl knew she should just forget him. She knew she needed to move on and enjoy her life. But despite all that, the princess was still haunted by a thought that she'd never be able to get out of her head no matter how hard she tried. Rylee needed to know if anything Harry said was true...or if it was all just a lie.

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