Her Royal Highness

Chapter 48

Ericka and Jack were partnering with Hiccup and Astrid to lead a battle against Grimmel and Alvin. Meanwhile, North, Toothiana, and Sandy would head to find Hernan Cortes. Bunny was hanging with the Auradonian soldiers, checking for wounded, and acting as backup if needed. And while this was all going on, Mal and Ben were getting prepped for battle up in the room they'd slept in, which was beneath the attic but still high off the ground so that they could come and go as needed.

Mal groaned softly as she pulled the straps on her body armor tight. The black material felt restrictive and tight against her sore lower back. Ben helped her up, looking worried. "You okay?" He whispered.

"Yeah." She smiled. "You?"

Ben shrugged. "We're getting there." He muttered. He helped her up and cradled her hand in his. Mal watched, expressionless, as he threaded his fingers through hers. "You know what?" he whispered softly.

"Hmm?" Mal sighed.

"I'm excited." He told her. "I know you're not, and you're still angry, but I really think that this is a great thing. And I know it'll work out in the end. As soon as we're done, we'll have seven months to focus on you and on us, and by the time you have the baby, everything will be okay. We'll make it all okay."

Mal's gut twisted and she carefully took her hand back and sat back down. The more she thought about this, the more it twisted at her mind. She didn't know what to do anymore. Ben knelt down in front of her and put a hand on the side of her face. They stared into each other's eyes for several minutes, and Ben started to lean in to her.

A knock came from the door. Ben went to open it. Behind the threshold stood a grisly man dressed in red. Ben smiled when he saw him. "Sinbad?" He asked.

Sinbad stepped into the room and gave Mal a sarcastic salute, which she returned. He was clearly going on in years, with grey in his beard and hair and wrinkles covering his sun-tanned face. His skin looked like leather, and he was one of the most imposing men Mal had seen off of the Isle.

"I'm here to tell you about Tartarus, right?" Sinbad asked, folding his arms.

"If you could?" Ben asked, folding his hands behind his back. Mal took up a classic Isle stance, leaning back slightly with her hands on her hips.

"There's a star at the 76th longitude, heading east." Sinbad pointed. "When we went, we used a star. The journey took about a week by ship."

"No." Mal rolled her eyes. "If it'll take a week, I'm going to fly as a dragon."

"Probably best." Ben nodded. "But you'll have to turn back into yourself to get into Tartarus."

"You're going to go into Tartarus?" Sinbad asked.

"And seal it from the inside," Mal confirmed.

"Woah, Woah." Sinbad held up his hands, looking alarmed. "Several problems with that plan. "One, Tartarus has literally pulled the sea into a chasm that we sailors refer to as 'the edge of the world'. There's nothing around or behind it."

"The world is round." Ben frowned.

"I promise you, dear king, that the world has a gigantic hole in the center of the ocean that surrounds Tartarus." Sinbad rolled his eyes. "If you want in, you'll have to fly over the edge, endure the intense pressure, and jump into Tartarus. If the rumors are true," He elbowed Ben. "And you have her sand powers, you'll be able to get in whether she seals it up or not. Just dissolve into sand and fly in. But little miss here?" He examined Mal from head to toe. "Might not be able to get in."

"Couldn't I dissolve her with me?" Ben asked with a frown.

"Sure." Sinbad nodded. "But lose your kid in the process. That happened to Marina last time Eris captured her. Not fun."