𝑨 𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴 𝑰𝑺 𝑨 𝑾𝑰𝑺𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑴𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑺

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝟏𝟐

Delphina gaped at the setting in front of her, struggling to take in everything at once. The mirage she had stepped through acted as a sort of curtain, hiding the astonishing sight in front of her. The dense forest she had seen before her was no more. In its place was a grand clearing with vibrant, beautiful flowers covering the ground. The stream Delphina had crossed was still flowing, seemingly through the mirage and into a miniature tunnel, flowing out into the rest of the forest.

On the other end of the stream was a wide pool of water with a waterfall rushing into it from a small cliff. If Delphina didn't know any better, she would assume it was made of crystals by the way the sun was hitting it.

She finally tore her eyes from the mesmerizing waterfall to look around the rest of the clearing. There was an array of instruments all over the clearing, all in perfect condition. Polished marble benches were placed all over the clearing with music stands in front of all of them.

There was a small garden bridge that stretched over the stream and led to a large, wooden stage decorated with various wreaths and floral arrangements. The only thing that seemed out of place was the CD player in the middle of the stage, between the music and microphone stands and wooden stools. Delphina realized that was where the fake bird sound was coming from.

Just as she reached toward the player to turn it off, a loud voice disturbed the tranquility of the grove harshly.

"Delphina?" Ben shouted from across the clearing, by the entrance. Delphina shrieked in surprise, whirling around and hurling her rock across the clearing on instinct. Ben leapt out of the way just as the rock sailed through the air and through the entrance of the clearing, back into the forest. Ben stared at where the rock had been in the air, awed. "Nice arm." He mused as Delphina made her way over to him.

"Can you please stop doing that?" Delphina huffed when she and Ben were at a closer distance.

Ben chuckled softly, holding up his hands. "My bad. I figured the big, bad pirate would have her guard up at all times." He teased, nudging her with his shoulder as he moved past her. Delphina rolled her eyes, falling into step beside him

"In a place like this?" She asked, scoffing in quiet amusement before turning to Ben curiously. "What...is this place, exactly?" She asked, turning as she walked to take in the clearing once more.

Ben looked around as well, grinning. "The Enchanted Music Garden. It was built 300 years ago, around the same time as Auradon Prep." He explained. Delphina raised a sarcastic eyebrow at his words.

"They built a whole secret garden of music for a bunch of teenagers?" She asked dubiously. Ben laughed, giving Delphina a teasingly pointed look.

"Didn't you listen to my tour yesterday? Auradon Prep only became a school 20 years ago, after my father became king. Before that, it was just another estate for a noble family." He shrugged, seating himself on one of the benches.

Delphina sat down next to him, her curiosity growing by the second. "If it was just an estate for a noble family, why the secret garden?"

Ben smiled fondly, as if this were a bedtime story he'd read over and over again as a child and never stopped loving. "Well, that's easy," He shrugged, leaning back on the bench. "Love."

Delphina followed suit in leaning back, giving Ben a puzzled look. "Love?" She parroted. Ben nodded, humming in confirmation.

"The duke that owned the estate had a daughter who fell in love with a stablehand. They both knew that if they were discovered, it would send their world into chaos. So, they went to a family friend, a sorceress. She built this place with the intent of giving them some place to escape for however long they needed to before they could leave the estate and start their own life together."