Chapter 8

Finally.

After years and years of trying, his dream has finally come true. The people of the Isle of the Lost have finally been welcomed to his kingdom, Auradon. Most argued that it was impossible, but his closest Auradon friend encouraged him the entire way.

Yet, there it was.

A pearly white bridge connected the mainland to an island filled with prisoners who never experienced all that was available on the mainland.

It took some time before all that wanted to join the Auradians for the celebration. The bridge was empty of travelers, but he still felt as though someone was missing. He wasn't sure, but his heart ached with anticipation of that person's arrival.

Suddenly, he felt a somewhat forceful pressure. Adverting his gaze to hand, he noticed someone was holding it. He lost his breath when he finally noticed the 'someone' standing next to him.

She had to be the most beautiful woman—though something told him she was a fairy or demigod?—he has ever seen. She put his current girlfriend's look to shame as she let her natural beauty show instead of covering it the globs of goop called makeup. Her bright green eyes—the brightest shade he has ever seen—showed her concern while gazing out at the Isle in desperation. Her vibrant natural purple hair flowed just slightly below her shoulders, showing of its uniqueness.

He couldn't believe that he was falling deeper in lo—

"She'll be here soon," he suddenly promised as he lightly squeezed her hand in reassurance, though he had no idea what he was talking about. "You'll see."

The woman adverted her attention to him with a small smile, forcing his heart to skip a beat. "I hope you're right," she commented in an angelic tone that made him swoon. "I just miss her so much." Then, her smile turned into a smirk. "Though she probably misses you more."

"Maybe," he agreed, the very thought making him giddy for some odd reason. "But—"

"Mommy!"

He and the woman turned their heads to the new bridge to a little girl running toward them with a man following behind her, possibly the girl's grand-father. For some reason, he couldn't focus on the man no matter how hard tried, though there appeared to be a blue light to him, kind of like a fire.

He couldn't look at the man much longer since his attention was forcefully adverted to the little girl jumping into the woman's arms. Once the girl was securely in her arms, the woman kissed the top of the girl's head, their matching purple hair melding together.

Then the girl turned toward him. Her bright yet incredibly light blue eyes shined with a certain kind of glee as she outstretched her arms to him. "Daddy!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ben?"

Prince Ben, the future king, jerked awake while abruptly sitting up from his comfy bed, accidentally tossing his blanket off the bed like he was on fire. Yes, he may have been overreacting, but his dream was so vivid that he was just so surprised that it wasn't real.

Standing next to his bed was his best friend and roommate Aziz, the son of Aladdin and Jasmine. Aziz had semi-short raven hair and dark colored eyes, and a habit of stealing things for the fun of it—though he made sure to return the items within a day or so.

Aziz raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the prince's reaction and sudden erratic breathing. "You slept through your alarm," he advised slowly. "Class starts in thirty. Bad dream?"

"More like realistic," Ben corrected as he reluctantly swung his legs over the side of the bed while Aziz walked off to collect his supplies for school, doing the same for his friend so he wouldn't be late. "Ever since Halloween night last year—"

"Oh, so it's about the same girl," Aziz assumed knowingly. "The teenage girl with purple hair that you believe is on the Isle?"

"Her," Ben agreed while walking over to his closet to find something suitable to wear. "Usually the dreams are only her. This time, she had a child. The girl looked nearly identical to the mystery teenager, except her eyes."

"They weren't green?" Aziz questioned, rearranging the objects in his bag out of habit. "What were they?"

"Faint blue, nearly translucent," Ben informed while searching for his favorite button-up shirt to make him feel slightly more comfortable about starting the new school year as a freshman. "Strangest thing is before the child showed up, the teenager told me that the little girl probably missed me more. Then when she finally appeared, she called me 'daddy'."

The Sultan's son perked up at the information. "Does that give you enough evidence to break up with Audrey?" Aziz wondered hopefully.

"I wish," Ben denied as he now searched for a matching pair of dress pants. "My parents won't like me breaking up with her just because of a few dreams. I need to make sure that the mystery teen actually exists first, and probably bring her to Auradon. I want to have everything ready for her and her friends by next year, preferably a month before my coronation. It will give them time to adjust to Auradon life and show the people that they have nothing to fear."

Aziz nodded slowly, admittedly being distracted as he watched his friend remove his night shirt, revealing his bare muscular back to him. "Have I told you how grateful I am that you let me room with you to get away from Chad Fucking Charming?"

Ben chuckled as he nonchalantly continued to dress. "About every morning since you moved in last year," he answered as he was used to the routine. "Particularly every time I get dressed or undress. I will kindly remind you yet again that I am straight, not gay."

"I know that!" Aziz insisted defensively, though he kept his gaze on the expose skin that was quickly being covered by clothing. "I respect your choice very much, but am I at least allowed to enjoy the morning view?"

"We need to get you a boyfriend," Ben decided seriously. "Maybe a thief from the Isle? Someone who can match your skills in thievery and steal your personal belongings just to flirt with you."

"As I told you before, no one can match my skills," Aziz boasted confidently. "If I do end up with a guy from the Isle, I hope he has long, long hair."

"Why?"

"So I have a better grip when he goes down on me, when he's making love to me, when I'm making love to him . . ." Aziz listed off as a teasing yet dopey smirk graced his lips. "The possibilities are endless."

"Again, we need to get you a boyfriend, fast," Ben remarked as he grabbed his backpack from the other prince. "When we do, please refrain from doing anything sexual on my bed with him."

Aziz chuckled at the request. "I'll even warn you ahead of time, so you don't barge in," he joked before patting his friend on the back. "It's going be a very long year. I hope you can keep your beastly temper in check while you're around Audrey, at least until you get your mystery girl off the island."

Ben let out the faintest sigh as he followed his roommate out of their dorm room—

Not realizing then how important that date would one day be to him.