Timeless Decisions

early bird

After Morgian threw Red and Chloe out of the treehouse, he made his way back to his dorm, his mind a chaotic swirl of emotions. As soon as he got inside, he grabbed his phone and immediately called Elina. The phone rang twice before she picked up.

"Elli?" Morgian's voice was strained, almost desperate.

"Hey, Ian. What's up?" Elina's voice was casual, still carrying a sense of normalcy that felt like a lifeline to him.

Morgian exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I think Mom has gone mad," he said, getting straight to the point.

Elina's tone shifted instantly, confusion creeping in. "What do you mean?" she asked, concern now evident in her voice.

"Well..." Morgian hesitated, his heart heavy with the weight of what he had to say. "After she saw the original Red and Chloe from their timeline, it's like something snapped in her. Elli, I think she's cursed the entire kingdom."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Elina spoke again, her voice carefully measured. "Are you sure?"

Morgian nodded out of habit, then quickly realized she couldn't see him. "Yeah," he muttered, then continued, "Red and Chloe came to me and told me that she visited them and... she told them she cursed everyone but them. She wants them to go mad. And Elli, it's the Curse of a Frozen Heart."

Elina sighed heavily, the seriousness of the situation sinking in. "Okay, I'm coming back right now. I'll find a way. Please, hold on and don't risk anything, okay?"

Morgian felt a small, fleeting smile tug at his lips at his sister's worried tone. "Sure," he replied softly.

But Elina wasn't ready to let it go just yet. "Ian, is everything okay? I mean... it must be hard for you to have another Red here, but not your best friend, right?"

Morgian hesitated, the truth of her words stinging. "That's not important right now. First, we have to save Auradon," he said, forcing his voice to remain steady.

Elina sighed again, her tone gentle. "Ian, it is important, but if you don't want to talk about it, okay. Did you talk to Harry?"

"No, I'll look for him tomorrow," Morgian answered, trying to push away the emotional turmoil Elina's questions were stirring up.

"Good. Listen, I should be there in two days. Hold on, yes?" she said, her voice filled with a mix of determination and concern.

Morgian smiled again, this time more genuinely. "Sure, I'll do that."

"Love you, little bro," she said softly.

"Love you too, sissy," he replied, his voice warm despite the chaos surrounding him.

As soon as he ended the call, Morgian lay down on his bed, the exhaustion from the day finally catching up with him. But as he closed his eyes, the weight of what was happening pressed down on him, and the thought of his mother's actions gnawed at his mind. He had to save Auradon, but more than that, he had to save her—from herself.

The next morning, Morgian marched over to the girls' dorm, knocking loudly on the door. After a few moments, the door creaked open, revealing a very sleepy Red, her eyes half-closed and her hair in disarray as if she had just rolled out of bed.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice tinged with irritation.

Morgian, ignoring her tone, strode into the room, his eyes immediately landing on Chloe, who was sprawled out on her bed, drooling on her pillow. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Well, the early bird catches the worm," he declared, clapping his hands sharply. "Let's go find Harry, and then we'll track down Zevon. Hop hop, we have a lot to do today."