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“…would you quit pacing? You’re actually making me seasick.”
Audrey dug her heels into the plush carpet of Mal’s royal study, nearly falling over in the process. It was late; the windows were dark and starless with a rainy night. A low fire was crackling in the fireplace, casting a warm red glow across the velvet furniture. Mal sat cross-legged on a backless ottoman, filling out various pieces paperwork that rested in her lap. Audrey’s nerves had obviously been enough of a distraction for her to mention it.
“Sorry.”
“I’m not faulting you,” the Queen of Auradon said, flicking a pen between her purple claws. “I’m just asking you to stop making tracks in the carpet. I’m pretty sure it’s a family heirloom or something.”
“I have little doubt,” Audrey sighed, rubbing her hands together as she stood before the fire. “What’s taking so long?”
“You can’t rush art, Princess,” Mal mumbled, chewing the end of her pen as she finished her latest stack with a flourish. “Jay will get the job done. He’s the best.”
“Even after so long away from the Isle?”
“Dude’s a klepto, he steals crap all the time. You just wouldn’t know it.” Mal chuckled, though it was dry as she set her papers onto the floor beside her. “So, Red and Chloe really don’t have any of their old memories left?”
“I can’t say for sure, but…yes, I think most of it’s just a haze by now.”
“And you?”
“Getting worse.” Audrey let her shoulders slump, running a finger down the bridge of her nose. “I can barely recall the conversation I had with Red. I have to keep looking at my notes.”
“Why do you care so much? No one in the Kingdom even remembers this supposed ‘coup’. It never happened.”
“Time made sure of that,” Audrey agreed blandly. “But you know as well as me that magic can be…tricky.”
“Yes. But Chloe and Red seem happy enough together, lack of memories be damned. Queen Ella and Queen Bridget are close, and things are fine. Perfect, even. The only one worrying about it now is you.”
“That’s just it. No one worrying about it is how we got into this mess in the first place. Or rather, how Red and Chloe got into this mess.” Audrey huffed, turning to the nearby desk where a teacup sat. Waving her hand, the cup vanished from existence in a dazzle of sparks, reappearing in her hand.
“You’re getting pretty good with your magic,” Mal noted, though she scrunched up her nose. “But you’re not supposed to be using it.”
“Says you, lizard-breath,” Audrey snipped, taking a small drink and running her nails across the porcelain. “I don’t worry about Chloe; she’s got a good head on her shoulders. But if Red was impulsive enough to manipulate time once, who’s to say she won’t try again?”
“She doesn’t remember manipulating time in the first place,” Mal offered, snapping a finger to appear her own coffee mug. “Therefore, to reduce the risk, we take away the danger. Easy-peasy.”
“The past repeats itself, Mal. We’ve learned that the hard way, especially when it comes to magical artifacts. And, if Red and Chloe have been writing down their memories like I told them too? A trace of the past will always exist. They may think it’s just some wild story, a dream or something, but it’s enough.” Audrey pursed her lips again, moving to the desk and leaning against the wooden edge. “The pocket watch fell into Red’s hands for a reason. And call it instinct, but I have a sneaking suspicion we may need it again.”
“Hey?” It was Mal’s turn to frown, her face scrunching. “What do you mean? You’ve had a premonition or something.”
“Or something,” Audrey mumbled, running a tired hand under her eyes. “I’ve had a handful of dreams since this whole issue started. All around that silly watch. This magic is a blessing and a curse, Mal. It’s telling me something worse is coming, I just don’t know how or when.”
“That’s not concerning or anything,” Mal drawled sarcastically. “Dragon Eye left its mark, but also left a boon. Consider yourself lucky.”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ve only had that conversation at least a million times.”
Mal raised her hands in surrender, though both she and Audrey turned as there was a rapping at the window.
“That would be Jay,” the Queen announced, flicking a hand to open the lock so Jay could clamber inside. “You could’ve just come in through the front. It’s not locked.”
“And ruin the fun? Please.” Jay popped up, shaking himself of rain as he lowered his hood. “Evening, your highness. Foxy.”
“Don’t call me that,” Audrey grumbled, rolling her eyes. “Did you get it?”
“Of course. You doubted me?”
“Don’t rile her, Jay. She’s already wound up like a spring,” Mal complained, rising to her feet as the three stood at the desk. “Let’s see what we’re working with.”
“It had to be the easiest swipe of my life,” Jay said, reaching into his coat and removing a comically large golden pocket watch from inside. “It was just laying on the ground in a pile of laundry. For something that’s supposedly so important, it’s kinda weird it just got left out. And on summer break no less? Anyone could’ve grabbed this.”
“All the more reason for us to handle it,” Mal said, placing both hands on her hips. “So what do we do? Destroy it?”
“Not if we may need it again,” Audrey sighed, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. “But we also can’t hide it too well.”
“What does it matter how well we hide it?” Jay wondered. “If it’s that dangerous, wouldn’t it be better to just chuck it?”
“Because, seeing how things have gone so far, we’re going to forget about this watch eventually. And if the future calls for it, it has to be in an accessible place, but not one that’s easy to find. Right now, only the three of us know what this watch can do. But with an artifact this powerful? There could be someone—maybe more than one—out there who wants to take it.”
Mal shot Audrey a knowing side-eye. “Your self-awareness scares me sometimes. You know that, right?”
“I speak from personal experience,” Audrey sniffed, grabbing her bluebird pendant only to pause. A lightbulb flicked on in her mind. “I have an idea.”
“Seems like you’re the only one,” Mal said, waving a hand. “What’s the game plan, Princess?”
“We split the watch; make it impossible for one person to grab and use like Jay just did.”
“Ok. And we hide the pieces?”
“Yes. But we hide them in plain sight.” Audrey rubbed her palms together, feeling the familiar rush of magic as it warmed her skin. A glow enveloped the watch, becoming brighter and brighter until there was a crack and a flash. Where there was previously a bulky object, a single flat disk pressed with a watch face was left behind. Snapping her fingers, the pendant split in half, leaving a jagged seam right down the middle.
“That’s it?” Jay asked. “That’s your plan?”
“Hard to find a pocket watch when that’s no longer what you’re looking for,” Mal pointed out, nodding in acceptance. “Great idea, Audrey.”
“Thank you. Now, all we need is to find two keepers.”
“Why not you and Mal?” Jay offered. Audrey shook her head.
“No. I haven’t had good luck with magical artifacts. And if someone is looking for something like that, the Queen of Auradon is the first person they’d go to. No offense, Mal.”
“None taken. But who else can we trust that much?”
“The same two who used the pocket watch once before.” Audrey swiped the two golden pieces into her palm, turning her hand to see the metal shine. “I can think of no one better.”
“Didn’t you just say you didn’t trust Red with the watch?” Mal asked. “Why are you giving it back to her?”
“Because, Red and Chloe are the only two who know how to use this. Even if they don’t think their adventure ever happened, the instructions on how are in the journals, just in case. But, until it’s needed, this is just a simple pendant, nothing more and nothing less. From what I know, Red didn’t actually use the watch to commit an act of evil. She did it to prevent one. Her intentions were good, even if they were stupid.”
“So you’re putting the protection of a possibly dangerous magical artifact in the hands of two teenage girls?”
Audrey glanced between Jay and Mal before nodding. “Yes I am.”
“I guess it would be the last place someone would look,” Mal sighed. “You really think this is a good idea?”
“I trust my instincts, Mal. More than I maybe should,” Audrey admitted, closing her fist around the pendants. “You of all people should understand what that feels like.”
“I trust you to do what’s needed to keep Chloe and Red safe, Audrey. And, by extension, to keep Auradon safe. You care for them both; I can see that clear enough.”
“I do. I know what it’s like to feel alone after making such a cataclysmic mistake. I’m not letting that happen again.”
“I remember when you two didn’t like each other,” Jay spoke up from across the desk, causing Mal and Audrey to grimace at once another.
“We still don’t,” Mal said as Audrey nodded her agreement.
“Seconded.”
Jay just rolled his eyes. “Right.”
“It’s getting late, we should all be turning in for tonight,” Mal said, waving off the awkwardness and shooting Audrey another side-eye. “And aren’t you supposed to be getting married tomorrow?”
“Like I could forget,” Audrey sighed, running a hand across her hair as she deposited the pocket watch pendants into her pocket. “We’ll probably forget tonight in the near future,” she said, glancing at the fireplace once more as it burned. “I can only hope my intuition is wrong.”