Random thought I had a while back that I never finished. I'm not sure many will read this, but I hope you enjoy it. Some chapters I have finished early on so updates will be consistent each week as long as I get a review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants.


Ben had no clue what happened to make him go back to the past. He remembered from the 'night' before he had went on a date with the love of his life; Mal, the beautiful daughter of Maleficent. He walked her back to her dorm room, gave her a good night kiss, and then ventured to his own room for some sleep.

He didn't imagine once he fell asleep, he'd wake up over six months in the past.

Unlucky for him, Ben had been taken back to when he tried finding comfort in his 'girlfriend' Audrey about the disastrous meeting with the King's Council, more specifically the sidekicks from legendary fairy tales.

"I don't even know what those sidekicks are so upset about," Audrey said, which momentarily snapped Ben out of his thoughts. "They're so adorable, and everyone loves them. Why would they bother with things like wages and hours and"-she paused to shudder-"credit?" She stroked the dove that had landed on her moments before. "Those aren't lovely things at all."

Ben tried not to roll his eyes at the statement and said the same thing he did before, "I don't know, exactly. I'd never thought about it before, but I can't stop thinking about it now. I'd never imagined that anyone in Auradon didn't live exactly like we do, in our castles, with our servants. And our silk sheets and breakfast trays and rose gardens."

"I love rose gardens," Audrey said with a smile gracing her lips. "And I love the ones with topiaries shaped like adorable creatures." She giggled in delight and the dove on her shoulder chirped back in agreement.

Changing the subject once again. "They said I was rude," he lamented. "And I was."

"The elephants are my favorite. With those cute little trunks."

"But I didn't have a choice-they weren't listening to me. They said I lost my temper." He hung his head, but this time because he did the very same thing with Mal, who had fled to the Isle because she didn't feel as though she belonged in Auradon.

"But also the hippos. Such lovely teeth. It's such a talent really, to prune a bush into the shape of a hippo. Don't you think?"

"Yes, but about the meeting . . ."

Audrey laughed again like the sound of a tinkle of fairy bells chiming in the wind. It made Ben wish he heard Mal's instead because it didn't sound dreadfully perfect or princessy.

Mal would have thought of a solution to help me the moment I mentioned trouble. But now I have to deal with a princess that doesn't listen to half the things I say.

Audrey must have seen the frown on his face, because she paused to take Ben's hand in her tiny, perfectly manicured fingers. Mal's would have been uneven with chipped nail polish. "Don't worry about it, Ben-everything will work out. It always does. You're a prince, and I'm a princess. This is the land of Happy Endings, remember? You deserve nothing less than everything your heart desires. You were born to it, Ben. We all were."

Ben stopped in his tracks to think over the princess's response.

Doesn't that mean the people on the Isle were born to it too? This 'land of Happy Endings' is Auradon and the Isle. They should deserve everything their heart desires too if that's the case. I want-no, I need to get the four back to Auradon as soon as possible, but how can I prevent the fiasco at Cotillion from happening again?

She laughed. "Don't stop now, silly. I have something to show you. Something perfectly perfect, just like today." He allowed himself to be pulled-like any good 'prince'-for he was technically a king-in the hands of a maiden princess-but his mind was still far away.

How can I stop that?

How?

They had circled the garden, and now Audrey led him into a secluded patch of wildflowers. A beautiful picnic was laid out on the grass amid the blossoms, in a woodland vale filled with all manner of happy forest animals nuzzling, chirping, and hopping all about. "Isn't it amazing? I had half the groundsmen and three cooks working on it all morning." She leaned in to nuzzle Ben's cheek. "Just for us."

Ben had to fight the urge to vomit when she attempted to display affection. He felt absolutely terrible. It made him think he was cheating on Mal, even though they technically weren't together yet.

Audrey pulled him down to the embroidered silken blanket. Her initials, intertwined with those of her royal parents, were stitched into the fabric beneath them. The gold silken thread sparkled like sunshine in the grass.

Ben sighed, remembering that last time he had smoothed a loose curl away from the blush of her rosy cheek. He refused to do so this time. "It's lovely. And I thank you for it. But-"

"I know," she sighed as well. "I didn't bring any cream cakes. It was all I could think about when you mentioned them. I do apologize. But we can sample good seventeen sorts of other pastries." She held up one shaped like a swan, with chocolate wings. "This one is sweet, don't you think?"

She all but cooed at the pastry. Ben pulled away as he tried to hide his disgust.

He shook his head. "But don't you ever wonder if there's more to life than this?"

"What could be more than this?" Audrey asked with an uncharacteristic frown. She put down the swan. "What else is there?"

"I don't know," yes, I do, "but wouldn't you like to find out? Explore a little. Get out on our own and see the world? At least, see our own kingdom?"

She sucked chocolate off her finger, but Ben couldn't help, but to think about Mal. She did the very same thing on their date at the Enchanted Lake. She had done it a little more cutely because of it being the first time she ate a jelly doughnut.

Audrey sighed, which knocked Ben out of his thoughts. "You're not talking about that awful island, are you?"

It's not awful! He shrugged. "Maybe. Don't you ever think about it? How weird it would be to live trapped in one place? Under a dome?"

It was a sight to see the princess's princessy feathers ruffled once again. She wasn't even pouting now. She was practically almost nearly slightly irritated.

"Perhaps, darling, they should have considered that before undertaking a life of evil and villainy-which could only lead to an eternity of punishment."

Now Ben was intrigued. He realized that he did prefer this side of her than the clueless one. At the very least, they were finally having a real conversation.

"You have to admit, an eternity is a rather long time." He shook his head. "They're captives, Audrey. At least here in Auradon, we can travel anywhere and everywhere we please. They can't."

Audrey smiled brightly. "Yes, which reminds me. I told Aziz and Lonnie we would be visiting them today. Carriage picks us up in an hour." She leaned forward, touching his chin with her fingertips. "Time for a new topic. Almost a whole new world, you could say."

But Ben had a stubborn streak in him which grew more since being with Mal that wouldn't give it up. "Don't try to change the subject, Audrey. Come on. Don't you ever wonder about them at all?"

"The villains?"

"Yes."

Audrey sat back, shaking her head. "No. Good riddance. Mother says one of them tried to put her to sleep for a hundred years! After she'd already spent her entire childhood in foster care and protective custody! My own mother! And then that same horrible woman turned into a dragon who tried to kill Papa." She shivered. Ben knew Audrey had heard the story more times than she would like to mention, but he couldn't help but to sympathize with the 'VKs' more.

"Her name is Maleficent," Ben said, for how could he forget the name of his beloved's mother? "She was the Mistress of Darkness, the most evil fairy who has ever lived."

Audrey's frown deepened. "Don't say her name here," she whispered. It was practically a hiss, she was so upset. "She might hear you-and curse you! She takes away everyone and everything my family loves."

Ben remembers this part of the conversation all to well. He had smiled and managed to cheer her up by reminding that her parents loved her.

He wouldn't be doing that this time.

"Don't you ever wonder about their children?" Ben questioned. "Have you ever thought about giving them a chance to choose good?"

Audrey gasped in horror. "Never! The moment we try to help is the moment they try to use us!"

I got my answer. Ben stood from the picnic with Audrey giving him a strange and confused look. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to work on my first decree before I become 'king'." He answered with complete confidence in his voice. "Don't expect me to visit Aziz and Lonnie with you. In fact, don't expect me to do anything with you again."

"Excuse me?" Audrey questioned in the same tone Ben remembers her using in the future. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Breaking up with you." Ben stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Turns out I rather be in love with a villain than with a princess that won't give them a chance."

The spoiled princess didn't seem to believe the words coming out of his mouth until he started walking away from her. She tried calling out to him, but he refused to turn around. He had one goal in mind-

And that was to get his true love back home.


Ben met with Grumpy, who had been elected to represent the dwarfs and sidekicks in their petitions, the next day to come up with a compromise. The kin-I mean, the prince gave Grumpy the same spill he did the first word for word. Once again, Grumpy agreed with the terms.

"You're going to make a good king," the dwarf said with a smile. "Give your father my best, and send your mother my love."

"I will," said Ben, pleased by how well the meeting went.

"Although, I do have a question," Grumpy continued with a slight tone of confusion. "What happened to your ring?"

Ben appeared confused by the question. "My ring? What do you. . ." He trailed off as he finally looked down at his finger. He smiled with the dwarf only being more confused. "I must have lost it on the boat that was headed to the Isle. Somebody must have found it and that somebody will be important."

"Now I have a question for you." The future king tilted his head in curiosity at the old dwarf. "What would you do if one of your nephews, or nieces, became friends with the Evil Queen's dau-child? Would you be mad or would you come to terms with it?"

"That's a strange question, young man," the council member commented. "Especially since you stumbled more than once when asking."

"It's only a question," insisted Ben with a certain, knowing gleam in his eye. "A question that can determine whether or not some lives will change."

With a sigh and some thought, Grumpy answered, "Honestly, I would be fine as long as the daughter was not like her mother. However, if one of my nephews could be friends with her I see no problems. Any more questions, young man?"

"Just one." Ben leaned forward on his arms, his eyes having a determined look now. "What would you say about seven Isle children coming to Auradon?"


Cliffhanger! Please review for a new chapter. I will only update weekly.