“Yes, Sire,” said Doc. “The Dalmatians are out touring one hundred and one colleges. Mary, Gus, and Jaq are busy since Cinderella is preparing for her annual ball, and so it’s just me, Genie, and the three good fairies today.” Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, a trio of stout, middle-aged women in colorful pointed hats and matching dresses and capes, beamed and waved from the end of the table.

“Perfect,” Ben said.

“Shall we run through the issues and updates?” asked Doc, who peered up from his scroll, and blinked behind his spectacles.

“If you please.”

Ben leaned back in his chair, listening to the regular report on every aspect of his kingdom. After the horror of The Incident with Maleficent, it appeared life had returned to its regular serene rhythm. Although the kingdom’s scientists had noted a few unusual weather patterns of late—not just the rash of Auradon City earthquakes, but unexpected frost in the Summerlands and unusual lightning storms in East Riding, among other unseasonal phenomena. Ben noted their concern, but as he pointed out to the council, it wasn’t as if anything could be done about the weather. He yawned, and as Doc droned on, he tried to keep his eyes open, and failed. He got a few winks when Doc loudly cleared his throat.

“Ahem,” said Doc. “Excuse me, Sire.” Having been trained by a life with Sleepy, he was well versed in all manner of waking up the suddenly asleep.

Ben sat up in his chair and blinked awake, embarrassed. “Sorry, what did I miss?”

“I was saying, that’s all we have of the regular business. But now, if you please, we have ambassadors from Camelot here to see you. They said it was an emergency, so I slotted them in. I hope that’s all right,” said Doc. “They’ve come a long way.”

Ben nodded. “Of course, of course. By all means, send them in.”

Lumiere opened the door again and announced with great zeal, “The wizard Merlin, and Artie, son of Arthur.”

Merlin, an old and wizened wizard in blue robes, and Artie, a young boy of about twelve, wearing a plain tunic that marked him as a squire, walked into the conference room.

Artie looked around, seemingly amazed by the sight of Genie floating next to the fairies. Camelot had its own extraordinary inhabitants, of course, but Artie probably hadn’t seen someone quite like him before. Genie noticed the boy staring in awe, and pulled one of his many ridiculous faces, sending Artie into a fit of giggles.

“Arthur sends his regards,” said Merlin, bowing to the king and shooting Artie a quick glare. The boy bowed as well, but couldn’t hide his smile. “He’s busy dealing with the problem right now, so he was unable to join us.”

“What seems to be the matter?” asked Ben.

“There’s a monster in Camelot!” Artie interrupted.

Genie startled. “A monster?”

“Well, I think it’s a monster,” said Artie, abashed and defensive at the same time.

“What Artie is trying to say is that something is causing a lot of mayhem in town, scaring the villagers and setting fires,” Merlin said. “It’s become quite a disturbance.”

“Is that so?” asked Ben.

“Yes. It’s been a few weeks now, and we’ve tried to catch the creature, but it keeps evading our traps, as if it has disappeared into thin air. Days will pass, then out of nowhere, it attacks again. Villagers have lost sheep and chickens. Gardens have been trampled. Whole rows of cabbages at a time.” Merlin took off his pointy hat and wiped his brow. “It’s been a real headache. Arthur decided to stay in Camelot in case it returned while we came to seek assistance.”

“How can we be of help?” Ben leaned forward, eager to provide aid. This was so much more interesting than the news that villagers in the province his mother was from were complaining about the price of eggs once again. Singing about it too.

Merlin shuffled his feet. “That’s why we’re here, Your Highness. We’ve come to ask for permission to use magic to track down this creature.”

“Ah, I see,” said Ben. “Magic.” He sat back in his throne.

“He means the real stuff too,” Doc whispered in his ear. “Not just turning dresses a different color or giving someone a new haircut like my nephew Doug tells me is happening at school these days.”

“Is there no other way to catch this monster?” Ben asked, frowning and tapping his pen on the table.

“We’ve tried everything and unfortunately, so far we haven’t been successful,” said Merlin. “We wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“And you believe that with the use of magic you will be able to catch it?” asked Flora with a stern face.

“What if it doesn’t work? What then? Magic can go very wrong, you know,” added Fauna, adjusting her red hat as it slipped to the side on her curly gray hair. “As my sisters and I have seen firsthand.”

“The consequences of using magic recklessly can certainly be very dangerous,” agreed Merryweather, her face screwing up with concern.

The rest of the table murmured its agreement.

Merlin drew himself up to his full height. He wasn’t much taller than a dwarf, but he was intimidating nonetheless. He shot the king’s council a frosty glare. “Need I remind you I am the wizard Merlin? I am well aware of the dangers of magic, and it is my belief that I will be able to use it prudently to capture this infernal creature and send it away so it cannot bother us again. You have my word.”

The council turned to its king.

“I understand, Wizard Merlin.” Ben met Merlin’s glare, and tried not to show how nervous he was. He was the leader here now; his father had left the kingdom’s safekeeping in his hands. “I will consider your request, but will need to discuss it with my team before making a decision. Thank you for informing us about the situation in Camelot,” he said carefully.

The old wizard nodded gruffly. “Come on, Artie, let’s go find ourselves a chocolate chip cookie while we wait.”

When they left the room, Ben turned to his councillors. “Can I do that? Let Merlin use magic in such a manner?”

“You can do anything you want now that you’re king,” Doc said. “You have absolute power.”

And absolute power corrupts absolutely, Ben thought to himself. He needed to be cautious. “When was the last time magic of this level was used in Auradon?” he asked his advisers.