Hellfire | Isle of the Lost

TWENTY-FOUR: All Time Low

It was done. The High Council had made their decision, one that would change a young boy's life forever. Only a teenager, Prince Ben was to be the next king of the largest kingdom in the land. But before preparations could officially begin, the people had to be informed first. A press conference was held a day after the High Council meeting to announce that the throne of the United States of Auradon was going to pass from Adam to Ben.

All eyes of the entire kingdom seemed to be on Ben, wanting to hear something, anything, from their future king. But the young boy had cooped himself up in his room, refusing to leave or do much of anything. Adam and Belle were worried about their son, but were limited in what they could as their duties ramped up with the announcement. They gave the servants strict orders to not disturb him, they were only to go in his room to bring food and collect the laundry. Belle would come into her son's room after she was done with her engagements to check up on him, but it mostly consisted of him crying on her shoulder.

The young boy was crumbling right before his mother's eyes. And it only got worse that following day with one news story in the early hours of the morning. With this particular story, the royals were warned by their PR team to brace for impact that would come with the public's reaction. Yet, nothing could've prepared them for what happened next. 

"And now back to the story that shook all of Auradon," a female news anchor said, directing Ben's attention to the TV screen in front of him. The prince was sitting up on his bed, wrapped up in a blanket and still wearing his pajamas. He knew what the news anchor was going to talk about, it had been all that people were talking about today. 

"A whistleblower has come forward earlier this morning with information, which was sent to all major news stations in Auradon, including ours, regarding King Adam and the Isle of the Lost. According to this anonymous source, King Adam sanctioned a secret mission to the island, a mission that had something to do with the villain children present on the Isle. Now, the source didn't reveal the details of the mission but the little bit that they did make known has all of Auradon in a buzz."

"Has anyone responded to these allegations as of yet, Lisa?" asked the male co-anchor, who Ben knew whose name was Frank. 

"The only response we have seen is from the Bureau of Isle Affairs, who have confirmed that there are villain kids on the island. Beast Castle has yet to respond to these allegations. But the whistleblower's allegations does seem to align with the reports from the kingdoms of Atlantica, Corona, and Charmington spotting a shipment to the island was far off-schedule." 

Frank nodded, "And this whistleblower's startling allegations comes after the press conference yesterday in which King Adam announced that he will be stepping down from the throne and his son, Prince Benjamin, will become the next king of the United States of Auradon. We go now to Daniel Thomas, who is reporting live from Auradon City. Daniel, what is it like out there?"

The screen then switched to a younger reporter, standing in the middle of a crowded square. "Hello, Frank and Lisa. Now, I took the streets to ask the people how they felt about Prince Ben becoming king and all the news surrounding the royal family as of late."

"Poor boy. It seems like he's only becoming king because his father made such a mess of everything," said an elderly lady. "And I must say that I'm very disappointed with the Queen. I don't know why she would allow the King to do something like this."

"Truthfully, I didn't understand it at first," said another citizen, a little younger than the last. "I didn't want Prince Ben to be king now and I still don't. I mean, he seems to be a nice boy and all, but he's just a kid. Their Majesties are both perfectly healthy and there is no reason for a young boy to be handed such a huge responsibility when there was no need for it. But now we know that there is a reason for it all along."