Ben does love me! his gift proves it.

And crazy as it sounds, I love him, too.

The stained glass panel depicted a sunrise with Ben and Mal.

On the right, Ben wore his royal-blue suit with gold epaulets and crown. He reached for Mal’s hand. On the left, Mal, with long purple hair and a gold crown, wore a purple dress and cape that swept around her. It wasn’t the perfect Lady of the Court Mal. Not at all. It depicted the real Mal, in all her purple-haired, green-eyed glory. The party guests applauded. Mal couldn’t take her eyes off it. She knew Ben must have been planning and designing the stained glass panel for months. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

Mal spoke to Evie. “Ben did that?”

“Yeah, he did,” said Evie.

“Evie.” Mal took her hand. “Ben has known who I was all along.”

“And he loves the real you, M.” Evie looked at her.

“A true love,” said Mal, gazing at the portrait in awe.

“Yeah.” Evie smiled.

“Told you,” said Carlos.

Mal laughed.

Ben stared up at the stained glass, his vacant expression changing to one of contemplation.

Uma marched to the stairs. “Cover that thing back up!” she snarled.

“I will not!” proclaimed Lumiere.

Uma smiled and turned to face Ben. “Why don’t you tell everyone the present you have for me, Ben?”

Ben approached the stairs. “I have an announcement!” he declared.

Beast removed his glasses and started to walk down the steps toward him.

“Uma will be joining the court tonight as my lady.” He took Uma’s hand.

Mal stared, speechless. After all that?

Uma beamed and chuckled.

Beast stepped onto the deck. “Son!” he boomed.

“Not now, Dad!” roared Ben in his most beast-like voice.

The crowd froze, scared.

Ben addressed his subjects. “So as my gift to her, I am bringing down the barrier once and for all!” He looked into Uma’s eyes, and she beamed at him.

Mal and Evie gasped and looked at each other.

On the Isle of the Lost, Uma’s pirate posse had the live feed of the Cotillion on the old television in the fish and chips shop. They watched as Lumiere announced Uma.

“Mateys,” said Harry, standing at the counter. “We ride with the tide!”

The pirates cheered and whooped. They drummed on the table and kicked their legs up in the air and clapped their gloved hands and high-fived. Harry locked lips with Gil. The pirates danced, twirling triumphantly as if they were on the yacht.

Their time had come.

“Fairy Godmother, bring down the barrier!” Ben bellowed.

Fairy Godmother’s mouth was a perfect circle. “I most certainly will not!” She gripped her wand tighter.

“I am your king,” said Ben.

“Obey him,” demanded Uma.

“Bring down the barrier!” Ben boomed.

Mal’s eyes lit up. “You guys!” she whispered to her friends on the steps as they huddled up. “You guys! He’s been spelled!”

“Uma found your spell book!” whispered Evie.

They turned and watched Ben take Uma’s hand and gaze into her eyes.

Mal looked around. Her eye caught the image on the stained glass. Suddenly, she knew what to do. She stepped forward.

Mal faced Ben.

“Ben!” Mal smiled and stepped in front of him.

Everyone waited to see what would happen next.

“Ben! Look at me,” Mal pleaded.

Ben turned toward her.

“No! Eyes over here!” Uma said, standing beside Mal. “You love me, remember?”

“No, you don’t,” Mal told him.

“Yes, you do!” Uma shouted.

“Ben, look at me,” said Mal.

Uma turned toward Fairy Godmother. “Bring down the barrier!”

“I do not take orders from you,” said Fairy Godmother.

“Ben!” Uma commanded.

Ben continued looking at Mal, transfixed now.

Mal took step after step, closing the space between them. “Ben, I never told you I loved you because I didn’t believe that I was good enough, and I thought that it was only a matter of time before you saw that yourself—”

“Oh, please.” Uma rolled her eyes.

Mal pointed at the stained glass. “But, Ben, that’s me! I’m part Isle and I’m part Auradon—”

“Ben, eyes over here.” Uma smiled.

Mal’s eyes filled with tears. “And you saw us for who we were and who we can be—”

“You love me,” Uma interjected.

“And, Ben…I know what love feels like now,” said Mal.

“Don’t listen to her, Ben. Don’t listen to her,” said Uma.

“But, Ben, of course I love you. Of course I love you. I’ve always loved you.” Mal kissed him.

Uma stepped back and looked on.

Then Mal pulled away and gazed up into Ben’s eyes, which suddenly seemed clear.

Ben smiled at Mal. “My Mal.”

“True Love’s Kiss,” said Evie to herself, grinning. “Works every time.”

The crowd cheered.

Uma lunged at Fairy Godmother. “Give me that wand!”

Fairy Godmother yanked it out of reach. “Ah-ah-ah.” She called out for the guards. “Seize her!”

The crowd swarmed Uma, but she quickly ran to the railing.

Mal held up her arms to block the guards. “No! No! No! Stop!” As much as she wasn’t fond of Uma, Mal felt in her heart that jailing her was not the answer.

Uma backed against the rail and faced Mal and the rest of her onlookers.

“Uma, I know you. You are so much more than just a villain,” said Mal. “And you have to believe me, because I have been there. Do not let your pride get in the way of something that you really want.” Mal took a step toward Uma, then another. “Yeah?”

Uma looked at Mal and touched her shell necklace, which had started to glow. Then she turned, put her hand on the rail, and stepped up onto the banister.

Mal ran forward to stop her.

Everyone behind her screamed and rushed forward as well.

But it was too late.

Uma leaped off the yacht.

Everyone raced to the railing, including Mal, whose mouth was agape. Ben’s eyes bugged. Carlos, Jay, Lonnie, Jane, the guards, and the rest of the party guests looked at each other, murmuring. All of a sudden, they saw a slight bubbling in the sea below that turned into a roiling boil, and then…and then…

Out of the waves, Uma rose as an enormous tentacled sea witch.