Roses and Hooks /// Harry Hook

Chapter 9: Beast Curse

At Castle Beast

"Hey, Jane. I'm on my way to the party now. I'm sorry that my meeting ran longer than I thought it would." Ben tells the fairy daughter cheerfully but slows down when he hears the fear and panic in her voice.

"No! Ben, you need to stay where you are. Audrey stole the Queen's Crown and Maleficent's Scepter, and now her and Rose are out for revenge against everyone. I'm going to find my mother and tell her to grab her wand." Jane tells him before hanging up, grabbing her water gun full of lake water, and taking off to do just that.

"Wait, is Mal there with you?" Ben asks, but he gets no response. "Jane? Jane??" He looks at his phone to see that she's hung up, and sighs in disbelief and frustration. He knew that Audrey had been angry with him and Mal, but he didn't think it had been this bad. He knew how his sister felt and knew that the only reason she'd be doing this is to take Mal down and get Harry back.

Ben takes off through his castle to try to find Mal in hopes of convincing her to go get Harry, praying that that would be enough to stop Rose before she does something she can't take back.

~~

Ben had searched all over the castle, but he couldn't find Mal. So, he had went straight to his office, calling everyone he could think of. He'd already called the royal guard, telling them to hand out gas masks to anyone that hasn't been cursed, but they're refusing to even go near the school where most of the mist is still attacking people. They won't even tell Ben what is going on with Rose because they're afraid of what the young King will do.

"Find out if anyone can find Audrey!" Ben says to his right-hand man after hanging up the phone for the hundredth time. "Find out if she has a list of demands and will someone, please find my sister before she does something she can't take back!!"

Ben sighs and unzips his royal blue and yellow leather jacket. He sits down in his chair and puts his head in his hands. He knew that his sister would do anything to get back to the Isle, but he didn't think she'd destroy herself by turning into a villain to do it. The fact that Audrey and Rose are destroying the kingdom at such a fast rate has Ben worried about how to stop them.

"Just two." Audrey says, appearing behind Ben with Rose standing guard behind her. Ben yelps and jumps out of his chair, nearly falling over as he takes in their new looks. Ben holds onto his desk tightly as he watches Rose walk casually around the room, giggling as she disorganizes things around his office. "I demand to have my life back."

"And I demand to go home to Harry! I want to be on the Isle!" Rose snaps at Ben, and he flinches at how cold her tone is. He's seen Rose enraged at people, but this is different. This is something far beyond that, and Ben starts to worry. What if Rose is so far gone that even Harry can't get through to her?

"We have a proposition." Audrey tells Ben sweetly as Rose skips over and hops up on her brother's desk, swinging her legs as he grins maddeningly at him. "I'll wake everyone up under two itty bitty conditions, Benny-Boo."

"Make Audrey your Queen and rule side by side." Rose says, and Audrey smiles lovingly at Ben. "And send me back to the Isle, never to return to Auradon." Audrey raises a hand, and places it on the side of Ben's face in a loving gesture. Audrey is angry with him, but deep down she's still in love with him.

Rose nor Audrey really wants to hurt Ben, so that is why they're giving him this chance. They're after Mal and everyone else who hurt them. Ben could save everyone if he gives them what they want, but of course, he doesn't.

"Did someone put you guys under a spell?" Ben asks both girl, and Rose's anger rises even higher if possible. Audrey's face falls as she looks at Ben while Rose jumps off the desk, anger practically rolling off her in waves. "Just tell me who and I'll-"

"You'll what? Marry them?" Audrey asks him tauntingly, her own anger starting to rise. Audrey laughs as she turns around and walks over to Rose, who has punched the wall in hopes of calming her anger. She's been angry before, but with the way her anger keeps rising, she's worried. She's never been this angry before, and it terrifies her.

"You know, Ben, most people get dumped because they're not good enough." Rose says to her brother while Audrey stares into the scepter, swallowing back her tears. Rose shakes her head in disbelief as Audrey whips around, glaring at Ben.

"I wasn't bad enough for you, it seems." Audrey says before spinning around the room slowly. "How do you like me now, Benny-Boo?"

"I like the old Audrey better." Ben says, and Audrey stops spinning as her face falls. "She wouldn't want to hurt Auradon." Audrey won't admit it, but Ben's words do comfort her. She's glad to know that he still cared and thought about her. Rose looks at Audrey, feeling for the girl who had lost everything just like she did. "Just give me the scepter, and I'll forgive you both."

"You'll forgive her??" Rose says, stepping between Audrey and Ben when he'd tried to get closer to Audrey. He'd been reaching for the scepter, but Rose wasn't willing to lose her chance at getting back to Harry so easily this time. "You're the one who left her, Ben! Mal is the one who stole you from her, Ben! You both are the reason she doesn't get to be Queen like she had so desired to be, Ben! You'll forgive her?!"

Ben stumbles back as he looks into his sister's eyes. Her eyes aren't their usual pretty green color, but instead they're a bright pink. His eyes glance back at Audrey in realization. This isn't his sister Rose. At least, not fully. Audrey had spelled his sister into working with her, and the only way to break a curse is true love's kiss.

"Rose-"

"And don't you DARE get me started on myself!" Rose snaps at her brother, taking a step forward. "YOU are the one who ignored me for weeks. MAL is the one who left me behind to join you. THE GANG forgot all about little old me when they got caught up in their happiness. So, I decided to find my own." Rose snaps, her eyes welling up in tears, but she doesn't feel sad. Nothing but anger.

"And then YOU ALL took her happiness AWAY!!" Audrey screams at Ben, who stares at the two girls in utter fear. "YOU let Mal DESTROY your own sister, Benny-Boo!! YOU let them rip her away from HER TRUE LOVE!!!"

Rose cries tears of anger as everything slams into her all at once. Her anger is blinding as she remembers the day she had last been in Harry's arms. The day that Mal tried to screw her and Uma's crew over. The day that Harry and she had made plans to sail the seven seas forever.

Letting out a battle cry, Rose rips her sword out and raises it high, ready to strike her brother down. However, Audrey throws her hand out, stopping the angry girl.

"NO!" Audrey screams as she glares at Ben. "No, sleep and petals are too good for him, Rose!" Rose lowers her sword as Audrey lifts the scepter, and hits Ben with its magic. "He deserves the same curse as your father once had. To make the outside match the inside."

"Good. Maybe then he'll realize just how much he fucked up." Audrey and Rose storm over to the window, their anger higher than ever. "In fact, I believe petals and sleeping is too good for all of Auradon! Let's do even worse."

Smiling at each other, Rose grabs the scepter with one hand. Both girls raise the scepter high in the air, letting out maddening laughs as they do. A beam of red, pink, and green mist strikes the sky and anyone who isn't asleep is turned to stone.

Laughing, Audrey sends Rose back to the kingdom to do whatever she pleases, even if that means Rose ends up causing real destruction. Audrey herself teleports back to their hideout, ready to plan their next attack on the kingdom.