Pongo sat up. “And not to sound weary, but Perdy and I are a bit fatigued after caring for one hundred and one Dalmatians,” said Pongo in that rich, elegant voice of his.
“If only there were one hundred and one hours in the day.” Perdy yawned. “I could at least sleep for five of them. Imagine that.”
Mary the mouse nodded sympathetically, patting Perdy’s paw with her own.
A blur of blue appeared in Ben’s face. “To put it bluntly, Prince Ben, this blows,” said Genie, who blew him a mocking kiss.
The dwarfs applauded wildly.
Ariel’s sisters tittered, and now the water in the tub was roiling like a small tsunami. Cogsworth left the chamber in a huff, and even Lumiere motioned for Prince Ben to cut the meeting short.
If only Ben knew how.
The room began to dissolve into absolute chaos, as the sidekicks and dwarfs began to shout at one another, while the good fairies kept on complaining about the back-breaking work even ordinary chores now entailed, and all the rest of the company advocated for relief from their own grievances.
It was hard to pick out one from the next, Ben thought, as he slunk down in his chair, trying not to panic.
Breathe, he told himself. Breathe, and think.
But it was impossible to think amid the ruckus in the room. The mermaids complained that the tourists left their trash everywhere; the dwarfs whined that no one liked to whistle while they worked anymore; Pongo and Perdita barked about the stress of having to pay for one hundred and one college educations; and even Genie looked bluer than usual.
Ben covered his ears. This wasn’t a meeting anymore. It was an all-out brawl. He had to shut it down, before people started throwing things—or mice.
What would my father do? What does he expect me to do? How could he put me in this situation and expect me to know what to do?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Finally, Ben stood up. No one cared.
He climbed on top of his chair—and still nobody noticed him.
That’s it!
His father told him to be kingly, and kings were heard!
“ENOUGH!” he yelled from the top of the table. “THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED!”
A shocked silence filled the room.
Ben just stood there.
“Why! I never…” growled Perdy. “How rude! To speak to us in such a way!”
“Impertinent and ungrateful, that’s for certain,” sniffed Flora.
“Why, that does it!” said Grumpy. “Where’s King Beast? We’re not deaf! Don’t you know your manners, son?”
“My word, we’ve never been treated so poorly!” Merryweather fluttered.
The dwarfs and sidekicks left the room, shooting Ben wary glances as they filed out. The mermaids huffed and made a point of sloshing water on the floor, as Lumiere was left to drag them away, shaking his head. The mice turned their noses up as they walked past without so much as a squeak; the Dalmatians held their tails high; and even Dopey gave the prince a silent, hurt look.
&nb
sp; Ben hung his head, embarrassed by his actions. He had tried to lead like his father, and he had failed. He hadn’t been able to table the petition, and he hadn’t been able to inspire confidence in the King’s Council. If anything, he had made the situation worse.
Which is why I would make a terrible king, Ben thought, as he climbed down from his father’s council room table.
He hadn’t proven himself.
He’d only proven one thing—