Once Upon a Second Chance

(5) - Into the Belly of the Beast

Belle lead the group of AKs to her husband's pawn shop.

Though the kids had an unexplainable feeling that they could trust Belle, they didn't know why upon approaching the building with the sign 'Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer', they felt a sense of uneasiness, especially Ben. There was just something about this whole situation that felt weird to him.

When they entered, they found an older man with short hair and a cane who was polishing a a strange-looking white globe, standing behind a counter over one of the several glass cases in the room displaying merchandise.

When the group entered, the man looked up and smiled at the sight of his wife and son. He went over and kissed Belle and Gideon.

Ben nervously cleared his throat. "Uh, you're Mr. Gold, I presume?" he said politely.

That is when the man turned his attention to the group. "That is what most people here refer to me as. And who might you be?"

"I am Ki-... Ben," he said, not wanting to overwhelm the two strangers with his royal title.

The rest of the kids introduced themselves before Belle explained to her husband the reason they came to him.

"Well, that is a strange predicament, indeed," he said after hearing the tale. "But one my wife was right to bring you to me with. Traveling between realms, it is a dangerous craft—but luckily one I have spent centuries studying."

"'Centuries'?" Jane asked, surprised. Given, the age difference between the Mr. Gold and his wife, Belle did appear large, but the man hardly looked that old. "You don't look hundreds of years old."

Mr. Gold chuckled. "That tends to be the case when you're immortal."

Mr. Gold didn't give anyone the opportunity to ask him to explain the bombshell he just dropped on them as he gestures to the globe he was just polishing. "Will one of you step up, please?"

"To the blank globe?" Doug asked questioningly.

"Im afraid this is no ordinary globe, m'boy. This object contains magic. To find the specific land you are from, all one of you must do is prick your finger on this needle, drop a dash of your blood on the globe, and should you have any blood relatives in your land, this globe will locate them, thus revealing the precise realm you are from. Simple enough?"

The group of kids nodded. Mr. Gold gestures to the globe. "Any volunteers?"

The group looked at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation discussing whether or not they could trust this man. But right now, they were their best shot at getting home. So, Jane hesitantly stepped up. "...I guess I'll do it," she shrugged.

"Wonderful," Mr. Gold smiled, stepping aside for the daughter of Fairy Godmother to prick her finger on the globe. She winced in pain as she held her finger over the white ball, and a drop of blood fell on it.

The group looked in amazement as the small red drop formed into the shape of continents on the white ball.

Mr. Gold examined the globe as the children were still looking at it in awe. "I don't believe I've ever seen this realm before. What did you say was the name of the land you were from?"

"Auradon," Ben answered.

"And you arrived by a flash of blue light, is that correct?"

"Yup," Lonnie said.

"I think I may what—or rather who, brought you here."

"Who?" the six asked eagerly but the pawnbroker was interrupted by the sound of the bell to his shop ringing, signaling someone had entered. And indeed in the doorway, were a dog and and eleven people, six of which the Auradon kids were both familiar with and relieved to see.

Mal, Evie, and Carlos went to hug their significant others and Jay didn't know what overtook him as he rushed to hug Lonnie. Lonnie, who was taken aback by this sudden gesture said, "Wow, if I had any idea you guys were going to miss me this much, I would've come sooner," she smiled.

Jay, waking up from his trance and noticing the knowing looks his best friends were currently giving him, quickly recollected himself and awkwardly patted Lonnie on the shoulder before she went to greet Evie, Mal, and Carlos.

"Well, it's nice to see you guys found your friends," Emma smiled at the sight of the teenagers embracing each other.

"What brought you here?" Killian asked.

"Belle found us," Ben smiled at said woman as he was side-hugging his fiancée.

"'Belle'?" Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Harry, and Gil asked, now knowing what the others didn't—this was Ben's mother!

"Yeah..." Ben said, not knowing why his friends were looking at him like that.

"Guys," Evie started, "there's something we need to tell you."

———————————————

All the hero children were stunned in shock at the information that they had just processed, that they were in a whole new world, one where magic doesn't exist and everyone in it thought that their history were merely fictional stories found in a book. And they were currently in a town which resides alternate versions of their parents which is also the only place in this world where magic does exist?

"Wait, so that mean," Doug started, "the men we saw in the mines earlier..."

"Were your uncles," Evie said, resting her head on Doug's shoulder. "—and father."

"And you, Belle..." Ben said shakily, pointing at the kind woman he'd met not long ago who he wondered why seemed so familiar to him, "is my mother... beauty."

Belle was shocked, not expecting that this boy from another land would turn out to be hers. "Which makes you..." Ben pointed a shaky finger at the Dark One.

"The equivalent of the beast," Henry said. "...Your dad."

Everyone gave Ben a sympathetic look due to the shock and confusion he must have been feeling at this moment, as Harry stifled a laugh at the look of bewilderment on the king's face.

Mr. Gold gave Ben a crooked smile, seemingly able to get over the shock faster, right before Ben passed out.

"BEN!" Mal yelled as her fiancé collapsed to the ground.