Once Upon a Dream

Our Last Dream

A Few Months Later

11:15 PM

United States of Auradon

The days that passed were moving Ben toward his coronation and to the brink of madness. Normal young people waited for their eighteenth birthday; future kings had panic attacks as the date approached. He was literally sleeping on his feet holding a briefcase and slogging through papers.

Given the situation when the day will be late Adam allowed for rest, so Benjamin wasted no time in running to his room, brushing his teeth, putting on his pajamas and throwing himself on the bed. Obviously, sleep came within minutes. The boy was so sleepy, he didn't even bother to take what he called "sleep tea.". From the moment he closed his eyes to the moment he found himself awake again, but in the dream world it was very fast.

(...)

Ben was walking through that strange place again. He couldn't believe he was there again. The place looked darker than ever, the little light only made it worse, though this time at least it had people in it.

"Oh boy get out of the way!"

A boy yelled at him, who only had one thought at first, "were those manners?" At least he knew he wasn't in Auradon, Auradonian children didn't act like that...or talk...or dress...no one in any province in Auradon was like that. Where was he?

Unlike when he first set foot there, this time it seemed like a normal weekday, since there were now people and commerce going on. Out of nowhere the prince saw two people fighting, usually he would intervene, but this time he didn't, because from one hour to another what was a small exchange of punches, became a generalized violence. Ben began to be afraid of that environment. As soon as he saw a marquee he ran and hid under it.

"Hey! Look out!" He heard someone shout. He knew that voice. When he looked back, he saw what he would surely never forget. A pair of green eyes were staring at him in a frightening way. They looked like two greenish flames, one big green light, but it didn't intimidate him, on the contrary, it attracted him. He wanted to get closer to her so he could see more than his eyes, since the dim light prevented him from perceiving more "You need to get out of here!"

"Hey, wait."

"See you out there prince."

She ran off, letting him see that purple strand of hair again.

"It's you."

The alarm clock beside his bed roused him from his perfect sleep. He grunted in anger, he was going to run after her, but that ridiculous alarm clock wouldn't let him.

(...)

Isle of the Lost

Aside from Ben's tiredness, there was one person who didn't know what it was to be tired. Since seven in the morning on her feet messing up the island and creating chaos, she was only going home because it was Wednesday, which means that all the old people on the island, i.e. her parents, were getting out of the house and meeting to talk, to curse and to act like forty year olds. Mal didn't feel like doing what Maleficent did all day, but she didn't want to sleep either, because she knew what would happen if she closed her eyes. And she tried, the girl tried to stay awake, but there was a moment when she couldn't stay awake anymore.

Mal arrived in an environment she was not used to. It was too clean, too bright, and too quiet, but the last part she wasn't going to complain about.

(...)

"Good morning."

Someone said to her. The person had a huge smile that she had never seen before in her life. She had known for a few minutes that she was not on the Isle, but it was only now that she realized that a place as sunny as this could only be Auradon.