***Flawless by Beyoncé
(feat. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
The group now walked through the silent halls of Ben's castle, Mal shouting out for her boyfriend while Dude ran ahead.
"Ben could be asleep anywhere," Mal muttered, glancing around.
Celia shrugged. "Or turned to stone..."
Dude suddenly spoke up. "I smell something... very pungent."
Estella felt a small, amused smile tug at her lips. Ben always drowned himself in cologne, desperate to impress Mal. She remembered it all too well. The scent was so strong that even now, after all this time, it brought a flood of memories backâlate-night talks, stolen moments in the gardens, the way he used to come to her for advice about Mal..
Before she could fall too deep into her thoughts, a warm hand settled on the lowest part of her back, just above her ass.
Harry.
The familiar touch sent a spark up her spine, grounding her in the present. She turned to him, grinning as she hit him with a flirty smile. His lips curled into a knowing smirk, his fingers pressing against her waist.
Uma suddenly stopped in her tracks, pointing at the large scratch along the wall and the torn map of Auradon hanging beside it.
"Any chance this was already there?" Carlos asked, hesitant.
Estella scoffed, crossing her arms. "Oh, totally. Just your average interior design choice."
Carlos shot her an unimpressed look, and she met it with a glare of her own.
Meanwhile, Harry's attention had drifted to the metal guards lining the room, their swords gleaming under the dim lights. He let out a low wolf whistle, dragging his fingers along the cool steel of one of the blades.
Jay's hard glare burned into his back.
Harry grinned, barely looking over his shoulder. "I can feel you looking."
"Good," Jay grunted, his voice low and irritated.
Estella clenched her jaw, rolling her eyes before casually sticking her foot out just as Jay turned.
Uma and Mal were already at each other's throats again, voices rising as they bickered up front.
Evie, ever the peacekeeper, had climbed onto a raised circular platform in the middle of the room. She let out a sigh before hopping off, stepping between them. "Guys, enough! We don't have time for thisâ"
Harry rolled his eyes, dragging Estella away as Evie tried to calm them down. "Here we go again," he muttered under his breath.
Estella smirked, nudging him with her shoulder. "You're not a fan of Evie's motivational speeches?"
"Oh aye, I love a good heartfelt speech. Just not when we've got more pressin' issues," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
They wandered further from the group, moving toward a quiet corner of the room. The tension in the air lifted as they focused on each other, the rest of the world fading into the background.
Harry leaned against the wall, his head tilting slightly as he smirked down at her. "Y'know, I quite like ye in Auradon. All this fancy decor suits ye."
Estella rolled her eyes but grinned anyway. "You trying to say I look like I belong here?"
"Nah," Harry murmured, reaching up to twirl a lock of her hair between his fingers. "I'm sayin' the place looks better with ye in it."
She felt her cheeks warm at his words, but before she could respond, a loud clang echoed through the room.
A suit of metal armor near them suddenly released a thick cloud of pink smoke, making Estella cough as she waved a hand in front of her face. The knight creaked as it turned to face the group, metal joints groaning as it raised its weapon.
Harry's eyes widened before a manic grin spread across his face. "I believe we're bein' challenged."
No one paid him any mind. Mal and Uma were still too busy arguing, their voices overlapping.
"Maybe we should split up and search for Audrey," Uma suggested, her arms crossed.
"That makes no sense," Mal snapped back. "Unless you give me the ember, Audrey's going to put you under a spell, tooâ"
The suit of armor suddenly shifted into a fighting stance, the clinking of metal finally catching Harry's attention again. He huffed, exasperated, and threw a hand up.
"Girls! We hav' a situation 'ere!"
This time, everyone turned, their arguments forgotten as the enchanted knight took a slow, menacing step forward.
The suit of armor released another puff of pink smoke from its front, the eerie glow of magic flickering inside the empty shell. Then, Audrey's voice echoed through the chamber.
"Do you like a prince, Mal?"
The knight waved its metal hands dramatically, stepping forward. The group instinctively took a step back.
"How about a knight in shining armor? Or... knights?"
A wicked cackle followed, sharp and theatrical, bouncing off the stone walls.
Estella, caught off guard, let out a wheeze of laughter, burying her face into Harry's shoulder to muffle it. Harry, just as entertained, snorted before following suit, shoulders shaking as he wrapped an arm around Estella to steady himself.
"Oh, that'sâ" Estella gasped between giggles, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "That's actually funnyâwhat was that laugh? Someone's been practicing in the mirror."
The VKs all turned toward her, unimpressed. Mal's glare could've cut through steel.
Harry, still recovering, smirked as he looked down at Estella. "Can ye blame 'er? That was pure comedy."
Before anyone could respond, a deep clanking filled the air as every single suit of armor in the room suddenly shifted. The knights raised their weapons in perfect sync, their movements jerky but precise.
Mal's breath caught in her throat. "Oh no."
The metal figures took a step forward in unison, pink smoke curling from their helmets as if they were alive.
Estella stopped laughing immediately.
Harry reached for his sword, smirk never fading. "Well, looks like the real fun's just startin'."
The heavy bass of an eerie, magical beat echoes through the castle as the enchanted knights begin stepping out of their posts, glowing pink eyes locked on the group.
Audrey (through the knights): "Oh, you think you're strong enough? Let's see if you can keep up."
Mal steps forward, her expression determined. "We don't have time for this."
Uma crosses her arms, glancing at the knights. "Then we better finish it quick."
One of the knights suddenly lunges, sword swinging. Mal dodges, rolling across the floor as Evie leaps over her, landing gracefully and kicking a knight square in the chest. It stumbles back but doesn't fall.
Estella stands slightly apart from the others, arms crossed, brow raised. "Are we seriously about to dance?"
Harry, ever amused, grins at her while flipping his sword in his hand. "What's wrong, lass? Afraid to get a little rhythm in ya step?"
Before she can reply, the fight begins, andâunfortunatelyâthe music does too.
As the knights surround them, Mal takes charge, stepping into the lead as the others instinctively fall into formation. The fight begins to merge with an almost choreographed battle, each move sharp, precise, and perfectly in sync.
Estella side-eyes the synchronized movements, unimpressed. "We're actually doing this? Like a musical number?"
Harry winks at her. "Aye, just go with it, darling."
Evie, twirling out of the way of a sword, joins in the vocals as she blocks another attack, moving as if it's second nature. "This is not the time or the place to test us!"
Harry and Gil fight side by side, Harry swiping a knight's legs out from under it before smoothly spinning around to clash swords with another. Estella, refusing to be outdone, jumps onto a wooden bench, running along its length before flipping off the end to land a powerful kick to a knight's head.
Despite herself, she falls into the rhythm, ducking, dodging, and striking in time with the beat. She catches Mal's knowing smirk from across the fight and rolls her eyes. "Don't read into it."
Mal grins before dropping low, spinning into a perfect leg sweep to knock down another knight.
Harry, full of theatrical flair, climbs onto a platform, leaping off and landing perfectly in time with the music as he swings his sword in a wide arc, taking down two knights at once. He turns to Estella, offering her a hand in mock invitation. "Care to dance, love?"
Estella shoves him playfully, grabbing his sword mid-spin and using it to block an attack aimed at his back. "Save the dramatics, Hook."
Gil, caught up in the moment, dramatically throws a knight across the room. "This is kinda fun!"
As the music swells, the group works together effortlessly. Uma and Mal, despite their constant tension, fight back-to-back, Mal using her dagger while Uma swings her cutlass with force.
Harry and Estella move in sync, covering each other's blind spots, their fighting styles blending in a way that is almost instinctive. At one point, Estella flips over his back, landing behind him to block a knight's sword just before it can reach him.
Harry looks over his shoulder, grinning. "Told ya you'd enjoy the dance, lass."
She rolls her eyes but smirks, shoving him forward.
The final knight charges at them. Mal, Uma, and Estella exchange glances before, in perfect coordination, Mal slashes at its chest, Uma knocks its sword aside, and Estella delivers a final punch to its helmet, sending it crashing to the floor.
As the last note of the song fades, they all stand in the middle of the wreckage, breathing heavily.
Harry wipes a bit of dust off his coat, tilting his head at Estella. "So? How'd ya like your first musical number?"
Estella scoffs. "Never doing that again."
Uma laughs, clapping her on the back. "Yeah, you will."
Mal, still catching her breath, shakes her head. "Let's move before Audrey sends more of those things after us."
Estella sighs, linking her arm with Harry's as they walk away. "Next time, I vote we fight without a full-on Broadway routine."
Harry chuckles, pressing a kiss to her temple. "But where's the fun in that?"
With that, the group presses forward, leaving behind the shattered remains of enchanted armor and the fading echo of battle music.