#(he helps evie out with hand-sewing things sometimes)

[itsalwaysforyou]

i like to think that in auradon jay gets into arts and crafts/baking bc he’s still able to give his gang little tokens of his affection without having to steal :)

[thebluestbluewords]

New Fic!! Get it while it’s hot!

Core four, complicated polyamory. Warnings for underage drinking, referenced child abuse, general sad backstory. This chapter is mostly fun things though, I swear!

*

“You know how, like, you had those dumb games you played as kids?” Ben asks, letting his head fall on Evie’s shoulder. It’s dark out, and there’s not many people sitting in this particular corner, so they’re fine to be sitting together like this. Couple-like, even though they aren’t, not really. Couple-adjacent. Dating once removed, maybe. Evie doesn’t really like boys, even though she cares about some of them a whole lot. Spiderweb-dating is what Mal has been calling it, where they’re all in the same web but not necessarily  sharing the same strands.

It’s a pretty weird looking web when you plot it out, but it’s the best they’ve got so far. Evie and Ben might not be a couple in the strictest sense, but they’re close, and they’re definitely something that feels more intense than just ordinary friendship, so.

Evie reaches around Ben’s shoulder to pet a hand through his hair. It’s a little sticky. Gross.  “Yeah.” she says. “What about them?”

Ben leans into the touch. “What if we just all started playing games again.” he says, dreamily. “Like. We could do that!”

Evie gives him a pat, and reaches over to pry the bottle out of his hand. “I think you’ve had enough of this.” she says, unwrapping his fingers from around the neck. “Come on--”

Ben clings, but he’s laughing, and it’s not bad. He’s pink-cheeked and cute, flushed with it.

“Come on, give it up!” Evie says, shaking the bottle a bit as she slides it away and captures her prize. It wasn’t a very strong drink to begin with, because most of the current junior class are only casual drinkers and won’t bring anything really good to campus, but it’s a bit emptier than it probably should be for this point in the night.

Ben is sliding down Evie’s shoulder. “I like feeling fuzzy.” he tells Evie’s collarbone, where his face has ended up. “It’s nice.”

Oh, this sweet boy. “I know, babe,” Evie says, letting her sweet drunk boyfriend-adjacent-person flop over completely into her lap. “But you’re not going to like it if you keep going.”

Ben sighs when Evie’s hand finds its way into his hair again. “You don’t have to babysit me, you know,” he tells the leaves of the trees they’re hiding under, in their little dark corner away from the fire. “I’m not that drunk.”

Evie scratches gently at his scalp with her nails, and Ben practically melts. “You’re a little bit drunk.” she says, amused.

Ben shivers. “A little.” he admits. “Feels nice to not have everything be-- so much. It’s always just a lot, and now it’s not so much anymore. And I’m like, kinda spinny?”

Evie laughs, but doesn’t stop scratching. “Yeah?” she asks, going along with it.

Ben sighs, and tips his head so that he can rest his cheek on Evie’s leg. “It’s just nice. Different. I like it. Like being dizzy, only it’s fun.”

“I can see that.” Evie says, swirling the rest of the bottle around and around until the deep gold liquid makes a little whirlpool at the bottom. “You like this stuff, huh?”

“Doesn’t taste bad, yeah. Wine tastes so bad, Eves.”

Evie takes a swig from the bottle. “I know. You have a little baby taste in drinks, and that’s okay.”

It’s only another swallow or two before the bottle is empty, and can sit safely on the ground without risk of spilling all over. Evie likes these shoes. They’re red suede booties, and she’s spent the past few days sewing a black and red silk into the lining so that it shows when she turns the tops down. She has put too much effort into these shoes for them to be ruined by spilling a drink on them during their debut party, so it only makes sense for her to finish it off before anything untoward can happen.

Ben pouts. “I’ll leave if you’re mean to me.” he says, without moving. “I’ll find someone else to sit with who won’t be mean.”

“Who are you gonna find, babe?” Evie asks sweetly, ruffling his bangs back into place and giving one cute little flushed cheeks a pat. If she liked boys she would be eating this one right up, that’s for sure.

Ben presses his face into the touch. “Uh. Someone who isn’t mean to me?”

Evie has to laugh. “And who do you think that’s gonna be?” she asks “Mal?”

“Uh, no. You could just be nice instead?” Ben offers, like it’s a great idea for everything in the world to be nice to him just because he asks..

Well. It’s been working out pretty well so far.

“You’re too sweet.” Evie tells him. He is, and it’s almost a problem except for how it keeps working out for him. It breaks Evie’s heart sometimes to think about what could have been, if here were there or there were here and their lives had gone just a little bit differently up to this point. They might never have met, sure. That would be a fuckin’ tragedy, but her crew could also have had the chance to grow up as sweet as the boy in her lap right now, and wouldn’t that be something. “Were you telling me something about games?”she asks instead.

Ben perks up. “Oh, right!” he says, with a little excited gesture. A spread of his hands, for proper royal emphasis. He’s so physical, this sweet boy. “Yeah. Like. Remember when we could just hang out and play like, spoons all the time? And like, tag and stuff?”

Evie can’t imagine that the games of her childhood, the ones she can remember hearing about and seeing in the schoolyard from before and after her banishment, are going to be the same ones that Ben is remembering.

“We had tag, yeah.” she says gently. “I don’t know spoons.”

Ben sits up at that, like it’s so critically important that Evie understands the amazingness of this childhood game that he can’t even explain it sprawled out over her lap.

“It’s a card game,” he says seriously. “S’fun. You take sets-- like, the leader takes a card and it goes around until you get a set and then you grab a spoon and everyone grabs a spoon and there’s one man out--”

Oh. Actually.

“You mean daggers?” Evie says. “That sounds like daggers.”

“Do I?” Ben asks, alarmed. “I don’t think that would be safe.”

Evie has to laugh. “Oh, it wasn’t. We used to play this game, it sounds like the same thing, where you would pass cards around until you got a set of four, and then when you got a set you took one of the knives in the center, and the last person who didn’t get one was out.”

“Sounds the same, yeah.”

“We used to play it for keeps, too.” Evie tells him, remembering. “The first person to grab a knife for the round would get to keep it, and we would keep going down that way until we were out of players or fingers or both.”

“Fingers?”

“Oh, no, I’m teasing!” Evie says, reassuring. She’s pretty sure that Jay and Mal both still have scars from the game, but they never lost any fingers, strictly speaking. It was usually the losers they had to watch out for anyway, rather than the game itself. Not that she’s going to tell Ben that. “Nobody really lost any fingers. We had some near-misses, that’s all. Everyone has all of their fingers, look,” She wiggles them in front of his face. “All here, see?”

Ben blows a warm breath over Evie’s hand.  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think--”

He stops.

“What?” Evie asks. “You can ask, it’s okay.”

Ben shakes his head, then stops rather abruptly. “It’s not about that. I just-- didn’t think I was this buzzy.”

Ah. That makes sense, then. Their boy isn’t usually a fan of giving up control, even if it’s just over his own tongue. “You’re feeling it now, huh,” Evie says sympathetically. It’s always odd, the moment when you realize that you’re actually drunk now, and not just a bit warm in the face. “Do you want to come find Mal with me?”

Ben perks up almost immediately. “Is she still here?” he asks, excitement just bleeding off of him.

Evie laughs. “Oh, you are too cute. Yes, she’s around here somewhere. I made her promise to tell me when she’s leaving, so she’d better not have snuck out on us.”

Ben is already halfway up, kneeling with his feet half-under him as he scans the crowd of students milling around between the bonfire and the beach. “Is she by the fire, there?” he says, pointing.

Evie squints. Mal hates people, usually, but she does like fire, so-- yep, that’s a definite splash of purple, on the very edge of the fire crowd. “Yep. Good catch, babe. Come on, up you get.”

It takes a good tug to get Ben upright, but he moves easily enough, just a little stagger-step as Evie gets him steady. It could be nothing more than his leg going numb from sitting on the hard ground, except for how it’s not.

Ben laughs at himself as he catches his balance on Evie’s shoulder. “Ooh, that’s--” he puts his face in her hair for a second, resting there. “That sure is something.”

Evie can’t help but laugh. Of course she would find this boy, who even when he’s loose and stupid and drunk just wants to play games and be a child again, and have his hair petted, and oh-so-gently cuddle his partners in return.  “I know. You should see Mal when she drinks sometime, it’s funny as hell.”

Ben seems steadier now, but he’s still looking at Evie like she hung the moon in the sky. “Does she get really dizzy like this?”

Evie guides him through the crowd, ever so gently. “She gets impulsive, if you can imagine that.” she says drily. “One time when she was really in it she decided that she wanted to drop paint bombs on people in the market, and we ended up with purple paint all over the roof of the fish shop. It took a long time for that to wear off.”

“Wow. Is she--” Ben starts, and then loses the train of thought entirely when he catches sight of Mal again.

[caelesjjk]

endure | c.h.

This is a fic that has been a very long time in the making, It will be in two parts, and part number 2 is almost finished already, so there wont be a long wait! I really proud of this, and I hope you guys enjoy it!

Warnings: some mentions of injuries and blood and a bit of smutty smut.

“I want your body pressed up against my heart.

I want your hands spreading my thoughts, lingering over the curves of my passions, gripping my hopes, stroking my opinions, and cupping my desires.

I want your soul breathing heavily against my collarbones.

I want your thoughts nibbling on my ears, your passions pressed against my lips, your hopes naked on my skin, your opinions hard under my hands and your desires…

I want your desires letting out soft little moans against my soul.

I want you.” 

                                                                                                                                 Fire.  It was everywhere, as far as the eye could see.

The smoke burned the lungs and the eyes of those fighting on the beaches of Theoria, but it did not stop them. The Rolonians just kept coming until the white sandy beaches that sat below the cliff side of Elverston Castle were soaked with the blood and filled with thebodies of soldiers from both kingdoms.

Evita was only a child, maybe 5 years old during the Battle of Burning Shores. She watched helplessly as both of her parents were killed in front of her. She sat on the beach with their lifeless bodies and began to think that no one would ever hear her cries.

Her mother, Annaliese, was a lady in waiting for the Queen of Theoria, and also her very best friend. When Queen Morgana learned of the death of Annaliese, she did not hesitate to bring Evita into the castle and take care of her as if she were her own daughter. The King may not have always liked the idea, but even he would grow to love Evita as his own.

The King and Queen had a daughter named Princess Claudette. She was a few years younger than Evita but they still grew up extremely close despite the difference in age. Evita was Princess Claudette’s lady in waiting, just as her mother had been for the Queen. She helped her get ready each and every day. Washing and styling her hair with diamond pins and pearl clips. Evita helped her into her dresses and shoes and never complained. But beyond that, she also helped Claudette with schooling. They were both taught by the same tutor, the Queen insisting that Evita receive an education though most lady’s in waiting may not receive the same treatment.

Being a healer was something that Evita decided to do all on her own. Her mother had also been one, and to honor her memory Evita began the training a few years ago. Queen Morgana took it upon herself to teach Evita everything that she knew and had learned from Annaliese over the many years they had spent being close friends. Over time, Evita had easily made her healing skills useful throughout the castle.

It had been 15 years since the bloody Battle of Burning Shores, but the pain of losing her parents that day still remained. Evita did not think there could possibly be anyone more despicable than a Rolonian, and she hoped that battle would be the last. She wanted to forget the past, without forgetting her parents, but move forward and find happiness.

When Evita turned 20 years old and had not yet married however, it had caused quite a disruption amongst the castles residence. Even though it did not bother her in the slightest, it was uncommon for such things to happen. There was speculation amongst everyone as to why she had not married, and it was entertaining to hear the rumors, if nothing else.

The warm autumn sun had been shining in through Evita’s window for some time now. She knew the longer she waited to get up, the quicker she would need to scramble about to get to Claudette’s chambers in time to help her with her morning routine. But she couldn’t help it. It felt lovely as the rays warmed her skin, a bit of pink blooming against her cheeks. She sighed contently when the birds outside of her barely open window started singing their praises, as she stretched out across her soft bed to awaken her sleepy muscles.

The silky white night gown she was wearing stuck to her skin slightly as she rolled over and threw the thick comforters off her body. Evita made her way from the comfort of her bed and over to the wash tub that sat in the corner of her room. She quickly washed her face and applied a bit of balm that she had made from some crushed pink rose petals she had gathered the week before to her lips. It brightened them just slightly, but wasn’t overly noticeable.

Combing through her dark locks always proved to take the most time each morning. Evita had just recently taken a pair of sewing sheers and cut off almost half of her waist length hair. Queen Morgana had gasped so loudly when she saw it that Evita just knew she was going to be punished. But instead, the kind Queen merely sighed and shook her head with a small smile. She told Evita that it suited her and that maybe one day she would muster up the courage to do the same thing. The Queen truly did care for Evita in the most loving of ways. It was like having a small part of her best friend with her even after she was gone.

Evita dressed in a hurry, lacing up her favorite pair of knee high boots with a smile on her face when she heard the trumpets begin playing outside. It was always an indication that the day had begun. She practically skipped to her door, flinging it open and finding her and Princess Claudette’s bodyguard standing on the other side of it. His dark blue shirt with the Royal Guards crest on the chest was slightly undone and revealing just a bit of chest hair. Evita may have even found him to be beautiful if they had not grown up together in the castle.

“Good morning, my lady.” Ashton bowed, turning and offering her his arm.

“Morning, Sir Ashton.” Evita smiled, stooping down to give him a small curtsy before taking his arm.

“Did you sleep well?” He asked.

“I did. And you, sir?” Evita returned the question.

“I do recall telling you that it was not necessary for you to call me sir.” Ashton looked down at her as they walked with an eyebrow raised.

“You did. However, what good is that fancy new title of yours if I do not use it every chance I get?” Evita sent a wink his way and Ashton laughed. “Why are you not with the princess this morning?” She added.

“I’m your bodyguard as well.” Ashton replied, clearing his throat at the end.

“True. But Princess Claudette is arguably of a bit more importance than I.” Evita took her arm out of Ashton’s as they reached the princess’s bed chambers.

“Not to me.” Ashton bows again, taking her hand and kissing the top of it. “Enjoy your day, my lady.” Evita curtsies again, knowing that her feelings are not the same as Ashton’s are for her. She turns away quickly, opening the door to the princess’ room and closing the door just as quickly.

Once inside the lush bed chambers of the princess, Evita looks around the room for her best friend, who should most certainly be awake by now. Evita makes her way to the oversized bed, the blankets and sheets still completely tucked in perfectly as if no one had even slept in it. Unfortunately, Evita knew just where the Princess of Theoria was, and it was not at all where she should be. But just as Evita is about to go looking for her, Claudette comes climbing up the balcony on the far side of the room, making far too much noise for someone who was sneaking around.

“Some help here, Evie?” Claudette said sounding out of breath as she struggled to get her skirts over the railing in one piece.

“Not again, Claudette. You’re going to get yourself caught.” Evita grabbed her hand and helped hoist her the rest of the way over the railing.

“And then what will they do? My parents could not possibly make my life anymore miserable.” Claudette grabbed her skirts up in her arms and stomped over towards her bed.

“Look at your hair!” Evita rushed over and started pulling knots out of the pins in Claudette’s hair. Claudette swatted her hands away, turning to look at her. Evita could now also see that her lipstick was smudged all across her face and the bust of her dress of slightly ripped.

“Please, do not pass your judgment at me. You have no idea what it’s like being cooped up with constant watch. I hate this place, Evie.” Claudette pouted, falling back onto her bed. Evita decided that Claudette was upset enough, and she wasn’t going to make matters worse by harping at her about the night befores escapades.

“How was Luke?” Evita asked, biting into her bottom lip, trying not to smile.

“Oh Evie, he’s absolutely perfect.” Claudette swooned at the thought of her secret lover.

“Do you love him?” Evita asked, her heart yearning to know that swelling of love.

“Without an ounce of doubt.” Claudette sighed. “But they will never approve of him. He’s a blacksmith, not a drop of royal blood.”

“I’m sure your mother would sympathize, Claudette. She wasn’t of royal blood either.” Evita reminded her.

“Ah yes, my parents were allowed to marry for love. I however, am just a pawn in their game of earning more land for the kingdom. My father is obsessed, Evita.” Claudette dramatically dropped back onto the bed with a frustrated groan.

“That’s not true, Claudette.” Evita gently touched her best friends arm, trying to comfort her.

“Oh it absolutely is, and you know it just as well.” Claudette scowled and folded her arms. Sometimes Evita forgot that she was only but a fresh 18 years old.

“Come. Let us get you washed up before tutoring begins.” Evita stood up from the bed and put her hand out for Claudette to take.

“Fine.” Claudette takes her hand. “But could we not just skip tutoring today, I’m so tired.”

“Perhaps you should not be out romping with the local blacksmith until all hours of the night.” Evita teased, ticking Claudette’s sides quickly.

“Evita! You should not speak of your princess in such a way!” Claudette laughed as she pinched at Evita’s elbow.

“Yes, but I was speaking to my best friend just now. Not the princess.” Evita hugged her arm around Claudette and pressed a kiss to the top of her blonde head.

“You are the only one who can get away with such things.” Claudette laid her head against Evita’s shoulder as they continued walking over to the wash tub in the corner of the room.

Claudette was quite small in stature. She was petite with almost white blonde hair that could reach the backs of her thighs if she wore it down. Her eyes were bluer than a beautiful spring sky. She was everything that came to mind when Evita thought of a princess. Queen Morgana always said that Claudette was the most beautiful baby she had ever laid eyes on, though she had given them all a scare when she was born and had momentarily stopped breathing. The castle nurses and Evita’s mother, as a healer, were able to bring Claudette back and the Queen knew she had been kissed by angels that day.

The Queen just simply did not know her daughter anymore, and Evita did not have the heart to tell her of the things Claudette was doing. It would break her heart. She could only hope that the Queen never found out or the both of them would be in more trouble than they could ever imagine. Women were fully expected to be virgins when they married, especially a princess. But Evita knew that Claudette had forgone her virginity months ago with Luke the blacksmith. She did not understand the consequences those actions might have with her future husband.

Stripping quickly from yesterdays dress, Claudette stepped into the wash tub that had been filled warm water by the maids a bit earlier. Evita finished the task of pulling all the pins from her hair and gently brushing out the knots while Claudette soaked in the water.

“Why do you always push away Ashton?” Claudette asked.

“That’s none of your business, Princess Inquisitive.” Evita told her, running the brush through her hair once more. Claudette’s shoulders slumped with sadness and Evita gave in, as usual. “But if I was going to tell you anything, I would tell you that Ashton is a friend that I do not feel that sort of love for.”

“He worships the very ground you walk on.” Claudette reminds her, making the guilt wash over Evita.

“I do not relish in the fact that feelings are not mutual between us. I do not wish to hurt him.” Evita sighed, reaching into a basket on the ground for some soap and handing it to Claudette. “Use this.”

“He would be good to you. Take care of you.” Claudette held the soap to her nose and deeply breathed in the scent.

“Says the princess in love with a blacksmith.” Evita finished with the knots in Claudette’s hair.

“Could you learn to love him?” Claudette made a soapy lather in her hands, her curiosity genuine. Evita sighed again.

“It would not be love if I had to force the way I felt.” Evita explained. “Now, enough of your questions. Dunk your head so we can wash your hair, it smells of the fire at the blacksmith’s shop.” She helped Claudette immerse her hair into the water without any more questions, for now.

That evening after dinner had been served and the sun was just barely hanging in the sky, one of the King’s soldiers came into the library where Evita was searching for some books on different herbs for healing. Ashton was lingering near the entrance, keeping watch as usual when the soldier approached him.

“We were able to fight them off, the rest of the boats turned back to the main ship.” The solider told Ashton.

“Rolonians trying to make their way onto our beaches again, after all these years?” Ashton tried to keep his voice down so that Evita did not hear him, but her entire body tensed at the mention of Rolonians. She continued to pretend she was reading the book so she could hear more.

“We were able to take out two of their boats before they turned back, sir.” The soldier watched Evita from the corner of his eye, making sure she wasn’t listening.

“We should most certainly celebrate any victory over the Rolonians. Just let me finish up here.” Ashton patted the soldier once on the back before he started moving towards Evita.

“My lady, have you found what you were looking for?” Ashton asked, hands clasped behind his back.

“Yes, just what I needed.” She shows him the book in her hands before slipping it under her arm to carry. “I’m sure you were aware of me listening just now, Ashton.” Evita searches his eyes for a moment before Ashton sighs, a small smile at the corner of his lips.

“Of course you were, my lady. And I’m quite certain you have questions.” Ashton said, a waiting look on his face.

“Are they planning more attacks?” Evita asked, her brow scrunching with worry.

“We cannot be certain. But they are up to something, that I am certain of.” Ashton said, his jaw set tightly. Evita sighed and nodded her head in understanding.

“I’m going to go down to the beach and gather some seaweed. I’ll see you in the morning.” Evita said, hoping that by some miracle Ashton would just let her go without a fuss.

“Down to the beach? Just after an attack?” Ashton wrapped his hand around her wrist to keep her from walking away.

“I’ll be fine. I only need a few baskets full to make more medicine. And it seems that more attacks may be inevitable, and I’ll need as much as I can get.” Evita gave him a gentle smile and he released his hold.

“You will come directly back, yes? No dawdling?” Ashton asked, concern in his voice still.

“Of course I will.” Evita smiles again, moving towards the door.

“I’ll check on you back at your room a bit later!” Ashton shouted as Evita began jogging down the hallway towards the back entrance of the castle.

There was a staircase that took her down a few levels before Evita was able to reach the door that lead outside. The stairway was a bit dark, but the stone walls were lit up by the orange fire of the torches. Once she was outside, a misty rain beginning to fall as the sunset, she could finally breathe once more. She took a moment to breathe in deeply, the mist tickling her face and sticking to the loose tendrils of hair sticking up on different places on her head. Evita grabbed her baskets from just outside the door and walked down towards the beach.

The sky was a bit gray, with purple and orange mixed in as the sun slowly became the moon. Evita grabbed her skirts up into her arms as she stepped into the shallow part of the water where she could see mounds of seaweed bunching up against the rocks on the shore. It was not pleasant to the touch necessarily, but its healing properties were well worth the slimy texture the seaweed had for the few moments it was between her fingers on its way into the basket.

The waves sounded extra peaceful tonight, lapping at shore in a gentle motion. The beach was always a place that held awful memories for Evita. Her parents were killed not far from here, and it constantly reminded her of that. But as time had passed, the pain had become something she was used to feeling, and now she was able to come here and see it as more of a place to feel connected to them. Because sometimes it felt as if part of them was still here.

Just as the moon found its place in the sky, Evita decided that she had gathered enough seaweed for the time being, and began gathering up her things to make her way back to the castle. Looking out at the ocean, saying good night to her parents, something caught her eye floating in the water not far from the beach. Evita narrowed her eyes to try and see a bit better, finally focusing on the fact that it was a man floating on a piece of wood in the waves. She gasped, eyes widening before taking off in a dead sprint towards the ocean.

The ocean sprayed water in her face as Evita hopped the waves until the water got too deep for her touch the bottom. She swam out further and further until she reached him. The water was freezing, but Evita’s heart was pumping too quickly for her to really feel its effects at this moment in time.

“Sir? You must wake up!” She shouted, trying to wake him. His skin was freezing to the touch and the plump lips on his face were turning blue. Evita grabbed onto the piece of wood he was draped over and started pulling it towards the beach as quickly as she could.

Once her feet were able to touch the bottom again, she grabbed the stranger beneath his arms and started pulling him up onto the sand. He was much taller than she was and a very solid weight as Evita struggled at carrying him. But she did not give up, dragging him the best she could until his body was out of the water. She felt out of breath as she dropped to her knees next to his unmoving body. She knew that in the castle infirmary some other healers and nurses had been practicing what they called “the kiss of life”, where they blew air into the unconscious person to try and help them breathe again. Evita just knew she needed to try.

Propping his head back slightly, she leaned down and closed her eyes before enclosing his lips with her own. She breathed out deeply, filling his lungs and then pulling her mouth off of his. Nothing happened. She tried it once, twice, three more times. Evita pressed her ear against his chest to listen for a heartbeat but she could hear nothing. She gave him another few breaths, then looked around at his body. It was battered and bruised, the material of the shirt at his shoulder was completely soaking in blood from a deep cut. In a slight panic, Evita pressed her hands down on his chest and added pressure. She watched as water began dropping out of his slightly parted mouth when she did. Her eyes widened at the sight, attaching her mouth to his again and giving him more of her breath. She pressed her hands down again just after and watched more water make its way out until he suddenly began coughing.

Evita quickly moved towards his head, lifting it gently and placing it in her lap so that he was slightly sitting up. The stranger continued coughing and spitting up water for a few moments, his breaths slowly coming back to him. Evita placed her hands on his cheeks to help him steady himself before he rolled off of her lap. His eyes slowly began to flutter, long eyelashes still wet from the ocean water. When he opened them fully and was finally able to focus on the girl above him, he smiled gently.

“Have you come to take me to heaven then, angel?” His groggy voice finally spoke. Evita bit her bottom lip between her teeth, pushing some of the wet curls away from his forehead.

“No, good sir. I am no angel, and you are very much alive.” She smiled when he closed his eyes again, head lulling to the side as he let exhaustion consume him.

With much struggling and a few choice words, Evita was able to drag the stranger from the beach and into one of the hidden beach caves that sat a short way down the shore. She made sure he was propped up and would not choke if anymore water decided to come up, and then made her way back outside to gather some wood for a fire. She had no idea why she was doing these things, but something told her that her mother would have done the same thing in this situation, and that was most comforting.

Dry wood was hard to come by at the beach this time of year, but Evita found as much as she could carry in her arms and made her way back into the cave. Her skirts were caked with wet sand and her hair had all fallen from his neatly placed bun on her head and began curling from the salty ocean water. Her toes were freezing inside her boots even though her blood was pumping so quickly from all the adrenaline.

After the wood had been piled up, Evita found two stones, ripping off a piece from the sleeve of her dress to use as a flint. It took multiple tries and many frustrations, but the cave was soon filled with light and warmth from the fire.

Evita had no idea as to what time of the night it was, but if she continued to stay here, she knew someone would come looking for her. She moved back towards the stranger who lied peacefully on the ground. His skin was a beautiful brown glowing in the light from the fire and now that he was breathing again, his lips had gone from a frightening blue to a glorious shade of pink that had only slightly chapped from the weather outside. He was beautiful. The most beautiful man Evita had ever seen. But he was certainly not from Theoria.

The strangers shoulder was still bleeding, as well as a gash across his chest that she had not noticed before. It looked like someone had tried to cut out his heart, but failed. Evita grabbed her shawl from the ground, and though it was damp, it would at least keep him slightly warmer. She draped it over him as she watched his chest rise and fall with shallow breaths. She knew that she needed to get to her medical supplies and back down here without anyone knowing of her intentions as soon as she could if she was going to save this mans life.

She bent down next to him, touching his cheek and feeling his fever beginning to set in. She mentally promised him that she would return, and quickly gathered her things and slipped out of the cave, making her way towards the door that lead back inside the stairway. One last look over her shoulder and a silent prayer that he survived before she closed the door behind her.

Back inside the castle, the halls were dimly lit with candles. This told Evita that it was very late and someone would certainly be looking for her at this point. She tried to quietly make her way towards her chambers, her skirts dragging across the stone floor and bots squishing with water were not helping her cause. Evita rounded a corner, thinking she had made it home free when she noticed a figure standing in front of her bedroom door at the end of the hall.

“Damn it all.” She whispered under her breath as she saw it was Ashton. When his eyes landed on her, he rushed away from the door and over towards her.

“My lady, what’s happened to you? I thought the worst.” Ashton puts a hand on each of her shoulders, stopping her in place.

“I am fine, Ashton. I merely lost track of time.” Evita tried to shake away hands, but he kept them in place.

“There were just Rolonians trying to infiltrate our walls, and you expect me not to worry?” Ashton scoffs. “You were merely going to gather seaweed, and come right back. It has been hours!” His voice carries more than he wanted it to.

“And now you see that I am unharmed and exhausted, do you not? I apologize for my misjudgment on the time, Sir Ashton, but I’d like to go to bed now.” Evita met his eyes, trying to assert herself. Ashton blinked a few times, then released his grip on her shoulders.

“Yes, my lady. Sleep well.” Ashton said, no more questions. Not now, at least.

“Goodnight.” Evita gathered her baskets and quickly slipped into her bedroom, locking the door behind her. She took a moment to breathe before frantically changing into dry clothes and boots.

The supplies she needed were all gathered into a pack that Evita could carry down to the shore. She would not be able to take the leisurely way down the stairs this time and would instead need to take the more treacherous path through the woods and down a small cliff side. Grabbing her long wool cloak from the hook by her door, Evita made her way over to the open window at the far side of the room. Much like the princess had done many times before, she would descend the lattice work and vines beneath her window to get to the ground below.

It took some time, but Evita had managed to make it to the ground without drawing attention to herself. She lifted the hood of her cloak over her head and began the short journey through the woods that surrounded the west side of the castle. The waves were crashing against the rocky beaches as the she descended the path down the cliff side. Her feet slipped slightly on the mossy rocks, but it did not stop her from making it to the beach.

As quick as her feet would carry her, Evita ran towards the cave that held her beautiful stranger. She could see as she approached, that the fire must have gone out in her absence. There was no glow from its flames at the entrance as there should have been. Evita hurried her pace, hoping that she was not too late.

Smoke from the dying fire wafted into Evita’s nose as she entered the cave, slightly out of breath from her fast pace. She moved her hood off of her head and sat down her supplies, squinting into the darkness to try and see if the beautiful stranger was still where she had left him. But before she could make another movement, she was being pulled backwards and the cold metal of a blade was being placed at her throat. Evita stood frozen, heart hammering in her chest.

“Do not move.” A deep voice said next to her ear. “Where am I? What is this place?” He spoke again, tightening his grip on the blade he had pulled from his boot when he heard the footsteps approaching.

“I…I pulled you from the ocean. We stand in a cave on the shores of Theoria.” Evita explained, swallowing thickly.

“Theoria? I should not be here…” The stranger let his guard down momentarily, and Evita took advantage, remembering the cut on his shoulder, she quickly moved a hand up and reached behind her to dig her fingers into his shoulder. The stranger shouted out in pain before falling to his knees, his blade toppling to the ground.

“Who are you?” Evita asked, grabbing the blade from the ground and pointing it towards him. He shook his head, pain still on his features.

“I am nothing but a musician, one not meant to be here.” He sighed, painfully moving to rest his back against the wall of the cave.

“A musician? How does a musician find himself floating alone in the ocean?” Evita asked, hands shaking slightly as she stood her ground with the blade.

“I was to be on the ship that was merely passing by when it was attacked. Just…entertaining the crew.” He stumbled a bit over his explanations.

“Wait…” Evita began to put the pieces together. “You are…Rolonian?” She felt her stomach drop.

“I am, my lady.” He smiled weakly. “Will you kill me now, angel from my dreams?”

“I should…I should most certainly kill you.” But Evita knew she would never be able to do carry out such a task.

“Go on then, my lady. You’ve got me just where you need me to be.” He rested his head back against the cold wall of the cave and closed his eyes. Evita stared at him a moment, and she knew that she should kill him. His people were dangerous. But something told her that her parents would not want her to kill him, for he was innocent in all of this. She sighed loudly, dropping her hands and throwing the blade to the other side of the cave.

“I will not kill you today, Rolonian. I have spent far too much time saving your life to take it away now.” Evita began to untie the clasp of her cloak so she could begin her work. The stranger opened his eyes and watched her.

“I suppose I’ll owe you a great debt then.” He said, a fit of coughs following his words.

“You need to let me tend to your wounds, before you go into shock.” She tossed the cape over a boulder and bent down to gather her supplies.

“Why would you do this for me?” He choked out.

“I do not know. But if you would prefer the ocean, by all means do not let me stop you.” Evita placed a hand on her hip and gave him a look of impatience. The stranger laughed lightly, grabbing at his chest in pain.

He began using his stronger arm to untie the piece of leather that was braided through the front of his cream colored shirt. The bare skin of his chest became exposed as he pulled apart the material, Evita was entranced by the sight, fingers aching to touch him. When those thoughts crossed her mind, she immediately pushed them away. He was from Rolon, and she could not have such thoughts of someone like that. She watched him from the corner of her eye as she quickly rebuilt the fire so that she would have light when stitching up the stranger.

Evita moved closer to him cautiously, moving down to her knees at his side. His face turned towards her, watching her carefully through hooded eyes as she began mixing things from glass vials that were stored in her healers pack. She tore clean pieces of fabric into strips and laid them out so they could be easily accessed. Next, she pulled her needle and thread from a pouch inside the pack, she quickly threaded the needle and sat it to the side.

“It seems you’ve done this before, my lady.” His voice was not much more than a whisper. Evita smiled, pulling out the bottle of vodka she had grabbed from the kitchens many weeks ago, now thankful that she had.

“This is going to cause you much discomfort, so bite down on this.” She handed him a piece of leather to place between his teeth. He looked at her warily, but slowly put the piece of leather between his teeth and relaxed his head back against the wall.

A popping noise sounded through the cave as Evita uncorked the bottle of alcohol. She moved the bottle over towards his shoulder first, wincing slightly when the alcohol spread throughout the wound, causing the Rolonian man to groan out in pain, the sound muffled by the piece of leather in his mouth. Tears were threatening to spill at the corners of his eyes, and Evita looked to him with sympathy before pouring more alcohol into the wound on his chest. His chest heaved with pain as he slumped back in defeat.

“Discomfort you say?” He snapped, the leather dropping from his mouth as he breathes rapidly with wide eyes.

“Did you want me to tell you that it would be excruciating?” Evita snapped back, reaching for the pieces of fabric and spreading a mixture onto it. “This will draw out the impurities.” She explained before placing the fabric over his wounds. This time he did not wince.

“What is your name?” He asked, his breathing beginning to slow again.

“Is it of importance?” Evita looked away from him, afraid of him knowing who she was.

“I would enjoy knowing the name of my savior.” He sat up slightly, watching her again as she prepared more medicines.

“Evita.” She told him.

“Do you live in Elverston Castle, lady Evita?” He coughed again, holding his ribs when the pain returned.

“As merely a maid.” She lied, reaching over and removing the fabric away from the wounds. Evita inspected them as best she could, concerned of the color of the skin that surrounded them. She may have been too late to avoid infection.

“A maid? Do all maids know this much of healing in Theoria?” He asked, biting into his bottom lip when Evita spread another layer of medicine onto his wounds. This medicine would help to numb the wound and surrounding skin while she stitched them up.

“My mother was a healer. I just picked up on a few things.” Evita picked up the gold thread and needle, pouring alcohol over the needle in hopes to keep it sanitary.

“Then I shall thank your mother as well. Her skills being passed to you have saved my life.” He says, eyes following Evita’s nimble fingers as they prepare for the stitches.

“She…she is not with me any longer.” Evita steadied her hand and began stitching up the deep wound on his shoulder, when he did not wince she knew the numbing medication was working.

“I am so sorry, Evita.” He searched for her eyes and finally got her to look at him for a moment. “Truly.”

“Yes, well, your King is responsible for her death.” Her jaw tightens as she continues her careful movements.

“Is that why you hate me so, my lady?” He asked.

“I do not hate you.” She finished the stitches in his shoulder, tying the end of the thread and biting the knot to free the needle. “You have not told me your name, ocean stranger.”

“Ah, yes. Suppose I have not.” He smiled, appearing to think for a moment. “Calum, my lady.” He finally said. Though the name sounded somewhat familiar, Evita merely nodded in response and Calum released a long breath.

Moving over to the other side of his body with her needle and thread so that she could have better access to the wound over his heart. She used the alcohol once more on the needle, and then gently pressed one hand to his bare chest to steady the other as she began working. Calum’s eyes had fallen closed again, but one of his hands made its way up to rest on Evita’s. She froze momentarily, but did not say anything.

When she was finished with the stitches, Evita took a moment to admire her work. She had never been happier that she had learned to sew. Claudette had never wanted to learn, but Evita took it as one more thing she did not need any one else to do for her. She was able to fix Claudette’s dresses and coats quickly without calling for a seamstress. And now, looking at the golden stitches against the warm skin of Calum, she knew it was her best work.

“Finished.” She said, wetting her dry lips with her tongue, attempting to move her hand away from Calum’s chest where he still had his hand placed over it. “May I have my hand back?” She asked quietly.

“Your touch is comforting.” He hummed, eyes still closed.

“I am sure that wins the hearts of many girls back in Rolon.” Evita moved to pull away again, but his grip tightened and his eyes opened to find hers.

“Thank you, for saving my life, my lady. I am forever in your debt.” He pulls her hand up to his mouth, thick lips pressing to the back of it in a searing kiss. Evita’s chest tightens as she watches the gesture unfold. She looked at his eyes a moment longer and then cleared her dry throat before standing up. Calum finally releasing her hand as she did so.

“You will need to stay out of sight while you heal. If the guards catch wind of you here, you will be executed in front of the entire kingdom.” Evita began gathering up her supplies and placing them back into the pack as she spoke.

“What will become of me once I’ve healed then?” Calum asks, painfully getting to his feet.

“I do not know.” Evita said, avoiding his stare. Calum limps towards her, placing a gentle hand on her back.

“Are you going to leave me alone down here, lady Evita?” Calum kept his hand on her back as she turned to face him. Why did his touch make her feel so out of control?

“I will come to check on you in the morning. Bring you some food.” She moved away, grabbing her cloak from the boulder and tying it back into place.

“Will you stay with me then?” He hobbles around, following her as she continues gathering things.

“I…I do not think so. But you really must rest, Calum. Lie down, please.” Evita looks at him, her eyes telling him that he needed to listen.Calum sighs, moving back to his previous spot and sliding down until he’s seated again.

Evita watches as his eyes flutter shut once more, all the pain and exhaustion finally taking its toll on his battered body. She wishes that he was not so beautiful. That somehow she could make her way back into the castle and never think of him again. But that would not be the case. She would lie awake all night, thinking of Calum’s face and the color of his eyes and the shape of his nose. She hated it, and it made her feel guilty for feeling anything at all. But she would not leave him to die without food or proper medicine. She just hoped he survived the night.

The next morning, the sun was just coming up and Evita had not slept for even a moment. She rushed through her morning routine, but still making sure that her hair looked presentable and her dress without wrinkles. She stood at the window and felt the cold breeze prickle her skin, hoping it would clear her mind before she left her room. Thoughts of Calum lying sick or worse, all alone on the cold floor of the cave brought another rush of panic, and she rushed towards her door, throwing it open and almost running directly into Ashton.

“My lady, what is the hurry this morning?” He asks, steadying her on her feet.

“I just need to speak with the princess as soon as possible.” Evita started stepping around him so she could pass by but he stopped her by stepping in her path.

“Have breakfast with me this morning Evita. We have not talked in ages.” Ashton smiled kindly, the dimples near his mouth deepening.

“We speak every day, Ashton.” Evita bounces nervously on the balls of her feet.

“Yes, but not really talking. Talking with meaning.” Ashton reaches out and carefully brushes a piece of hair back into place behind Evita’s ear. She licks her lips, trying not to shy away from his touch.

“Another time, Ashton.” She says kindly, stepping around him and jogging towards Claudette’s bedroom. She looked over her shoulder once to see him nod in agreement and then take a few steps to talk with some other guards.

Grabbing the key for Claudette’s room from the pocket on her dress, Evita slowly unlocked the door and pushed it open, knowing it was much earlier than Claudette preferred to be woken up. Evita could see that the princess was in fact asleep in her own bed. Her blonde hair splayed out across her white sheets as she snored quietly. Evita smiled, climbing up onto her bed and gently shaking her shoulder.

“Ettie, wake up.” Evita whispered, using the nickname she had given to her best friend many years ago.

“What do you want?” Claudette groaned, grabbing her blankets and throwing them over her face.

“I have some things to do today…outside of the castle. Will you need me?” Evita asked, moving the blanket and making Claudette groan again.

“Do as you please, Evita. Just get the hell out of here.” Claudette grumbled.

“Princesses do not swear.” Evita teased, patting Claudette’s leg as she climbed off the bed.

“Piss off.” Claudette grumbled again, throwing a pillow as Evita laughed and made her way back out of the princess’ room.

Evita moved throughout the castle with a smile on her face. She stopped by the infirmary and discreetly grabbed some different medicines. One that she was wary of taking because of its rarity and the flower it came from, but she had a feeling that she should bring it. Something just told her to bring it with her, and so she slipped the vial into her pack before she grabbed some more clean scraps of fabric. Her next stop was the kitchen, where the workers were already busy making the castles breakfast. Loaves of bread were baking in the stone fire and the smell was nothing short of heavenly. Evita made sure to grab a loaf, along with some cheese and some meat that she hoped to cook on the fire for Calum. She also made sure to fill a canteen with clean drinking water before she snuck out of the kitchen and down the stairway that lead down to the beach. She nodded to a few guards who greeted her on her way, but it did not appear that anyone suspected anything was going on.

The beach was empty, as usual this time of year. The cool spray of the ocean greeted Evita’s face as she closed the door to the castle and dashed towards the cave. She could smell the smoke from the fire as she got closer, hoping that she had left enough wood for Calum to use throughout the night. Once she was inside the entrance, she saw him sitting near the fire using a stick to poke at the embers beneath the branches.

“Calum?” She said, her voice sounding as sweet as cherry wine to Calum. His smile reached his eyes, the small crinkles next to them forming in the most beautiful way. He stands up, his arm still wrapped around his torso and a limp in his step as he approaches her.

“Good morning, my lady.” He said, voice sounding deep and scratchy. Evita tried not to smile back, but it was nearly impossible.

“You should not be up and about just yet.” She told him. “I’ve brought you food, come sit back down.”

“My hunger kept me awake most of the night, if I might be honest.” Calum said, eagerly taking the basket of food from her hands.

“There’s enough to get you through a few days.” Evita helped him take out some of the bread and watched as he tore into it teeth first without cutting it into slices. She laughed quietly at the sight, causing Calum to look up from his food with an apologetic look on his face.

“I apologize, my lady. I am far too famished to be eating in front of a lady with any sort of manners.” Calum swallowed his bite, wiping at his mouth with the back of his forearm.

“I am not here to judge your manners, Calum.” She pushed more food towards him, encouraging him to continue eating. “Drink this. It’s clean water.” She handed him the canteen and he began drinking it almost ferociously.

“Thank you, Evita. I truly cannot thank you enough for risking so much for me.” Calum sat down the canteen, sounding almost out of breath. His brows began scrunching together as he clutched at his chest.

“Calum? Is something wrong?” Evita moved closer, reaching out for him.

“My…my chest…” Calum’s eyes rolled to the back of his head just then, and Evita screeched in surprise, jumping forward quickly to grab his head before it hit the ground when he became unconscious.

“Calum? Calum, answer me!” Evita shouted as she shook him gently. He did not respond. She placed her hand beneath his nose and felt no breath coming from it. “No. No, no you will not die.” Evita grabbed the opening of his shirt and ripped it open, the flimsy material tore down the middle.

The wound over his chest must have become infected during the night. The stitches felt hot to the touch, and there were darkened veins traveling on his skin that lead to his heart. He was going into shock, just as Evita had feared he might.

Sitting his head down gently, Evita ran to her pack and grabbed out the medication she had hoped not to have to use. She moved back over to Calum and lifted his head into her lap so he was sitting up enough to swallow the medicine. The vial was small as it shook in Evita’s hand and she began to carefully pour it into his mouth, making sure it went down his throat. And now she needed him to breathe again so it could be swallowed.

Bending down with his head in her lap, she closed her mouth over his and blew in a few breaths. Calum continued to lie there unmoving. She had barely gotten the chance to know her beautiful stranger and already he was being taken away.

“Please wake up, Calum of Rolon. Wake up. Come back.” Evita bent again, breathing into his lungs once more. This time, Calum began coughing. “You must swallow the medicine.” She said in a panic. Calum swallowed thickly, his eyes opening slowly as he looked up to find Evita looking down at him.

“This is the second time your kiss has saved my life, angel.” Calum croaked out, his shaky hand reaching up and cupping Evita’s cheek. His touch seared her to the bone.

“You scared me.” Evita sobbed. She had known this man less than a day, and already whether he lived or died meant so much to her.

“Something told me I was not quite done here on this earth.” His thumb brushed her cheek as he spoke softly.

“I believe that to be true.” Evita whispered, sniffling her nose and then breaking the eye contact with Calum. “Now you need to lie here and let me take care of you so this does not happen again.” She rolled up her cape and placed it on the ground beneath his head while she moved away.

“What medicine have you given me?” Calum asked, his body relaxing slightly.

“It’s from a flower, found only here in Theoria.” Evita bites into her bottom lip nervously before she continues. “It’s said to have…magical properties.”

“Magic?” Calum’s eyebrows rose in curiosity.

“It’s something healers here are still determining. But it…it has done unimaginable things. Things that I cannot explain.” Evita poured some powder into a cup and mixed it with some water. It was a mix of things that would hopefully keep the infection away this time.

“I am a believer in magic, my lady. No need convincing me.” Calum smiled as he watched her, his eyes tired.

“Drink this. Then I’ll need to clean your wounds.” Evita kneeled beside him and helped him drink the mixture from the cup.

“Out of my shirt again, my lady?” Calum teased as he took the last sip of the drink.

“Just take it off and stop acting as if you are a child, Calum.” Evita tried not to smile, but rolled her eyes playfully instead.

Calum sat up slowly, groaning a bit when his muscles and bones ached from the movement. His face contorted painfully as he began pulling the filthy shirt off of his torso. Evita watched him toss the material off to the side and carefully lie back down. The cold cave floor shot chills all over his body but he didn’t have the energy to object.

Evita took out a small bowl that she poured clean water and her ground up herbal mixture that she had prepared previously. When she turned back to see Calum without his shirt to cover him, she was a bit in awe. He was smooth and more breathtaking than she could have imagined him to be. There were some scars littered around his torso that had healed from previous wounds, but none as serious as the ones he would have after his current wounds had closed up. She watched his chest rise and fall slowly with his deep breathing.

“What will you be doing now that you have my shirt off, my lady?” Calum said, a wide smile on his face as Evita’s cheeks heated from embarrassment. She cleared her throat and sat down at his side.

“I’m going to wash your wounds with this new mixture. I have a good feeling about this one, it will help with the side effects from the infection.” She dips a clean piece of cloth into the water mixture and then looks over to find Calum watching her.

“You are fascinating.” Calum said quietly.

“You know nothing of me, Calum.” Evita replied, gently dabbing the cloth to the stitches on his shoulder. He hissed through his teeth at the sensation.

“Please…do not pretend you do not feel what I feel.” Calum tried to sit up but Evita gently pushed him back down, her eyes warning him not to move again.

“I do not know what you are talking about.” Evita looked away, pretending she could not feel his eyes still on her.

“Connection.” He simply says, but does not say anymore. Calum closes his eyes and tries to relax while Evita finishes washing his stitches.

She knew what he meant. That strange pull she felt towards someone she knew nothing about. Her desperate need to make sure he lived. It all made her stomach twist to know that Calum felt something similar at all.

Evita spent the rest of the day making sure that Calum was able to eat and keep down his food and then made a quick trek back to the castle to retrieve clean clothes for him to wear. They were able to talk throughout that time, but also found themselves in comfortable silences. Calum was in awe of the way Evita put her heart into everything that she did. The great lengths she went to for him, as a complete stranger were nothing short of admirable, considering where he had come from. But there were so many things that she just did not know, and could not know for her own safety.

“I should get back to the castle.” She finally said, her cheeks sore from smiling.

“Will you come back tomorrow?” Calum asked, his voice hopeful.

“I will.” Evita gathered her things and began to walk towards the entrance of the cave. “I will bring you some things to keep your mind busy tomorrow. I know that you must be going crazy in this dingy cave.”

“You are more thoughtful than I deserve, my lady.” Calum rested his weight on his elbow as he sat up slightly. The fresh shirt he was wearing practically glowing against his skin.

“Good night, Calum.” Evita felt her heart quicken its pace.

“Sweetest of dreams.” He said with a soft smile. Evita returned the smile, making her way outside. She took the wooded path back around the castle to so she could climb back into her room unnoticed.

Evita was not sure what time of day that it might have been, the past two days were practically blurred into one long dream if she was being honest. She turned her head to take one last look at the beach and it’s crashing waves, and just as she did she ran into another body, causing screams to leave both of them.

“Claudette?!” Evita screeched.

“Evie what are you doing out here?!” Claudette whisper yelled, pulling her cloak back over her head while quickly leading her friend into the wooded area where they could not be seen.

“I’ve been gathering all day. I wanted to make new medications. Are you leaving?” Evita asked, her heart trying to calm itself.

“I am going to see Luke.” Claudette smiled, her cheeks heating slightly.

“If the King and Queen find out about all of this, they’ll have both of us thrown in the dungeon.” Evita teased.

“Would that really be any different than the way they treat me now?” Claudette asked, her face becoming serious.

“Ettie…being a princess comes with responsibilities. I know it can be-“ Evita began to say before Claudette cut her off.

“Do not patronize me, Evita. The same rules do not apply to you and you will never understand.” The anger and hurt evident in Claudette’s voice.

“I did not mean any disrespect, princess.” Evita’s jaw tightened. She had always been there for Claudette, and she always would be. But she hated when Claudette made her feel this way.

“I will return in the morning as I always do.” Claudette lifted her chin, brushing past Evita and continuing her journey to the blacksmiths store in the village. Evita sighed in defeat and continued walking towards the window she needed to climb through to get back into her room.

She climbed the lattice work below the window as quick as she could, and as soon as she had settled her things into the corner of her room, there was a quiet knock on her door. Evita jumped at the sound, making her way to the door and smoothing out her dress. She opened it slowly, seeing the Queen on the other side. Evita knew her eyes were practically popping out of her skull, but she cleared her throat and gathered her thoughts.

“My Queen, I did not know I should be expecting you so late.” Evita bowed slightly, opening the door the rest of the way so the Queen could enter her bed chambers.

“Accept my apologies for the late visit, my darling. But sleep has been low on my list of things to catch up on in recent days.” Queen Morgana gently touched Evita’s shoulder as she walked through the door.

“I could say the same.” Evita smiled, motioning for the Queen to sit on her bed so they could talk.

“Is something troubling you?” The queen asked, settling onto the soft bed.

“It is nothing to be concerned about. I promise.” Evita’s heart sank at the lie. But she needed to protect Calum.

“Very well, my dear.” Queen Morgana folded her hands into her lap. Always looking like the most elegant Queen that had ever sat on the throne of Theoria. “I wanted to ask you for your opinion on a matter.”

“Of course.” Evita replied, turning her body more towards the Queen.

“I know that Claudette is not happy. Her constant need to sneak away from the castle in the middle of the night has only confirmed that fear.” The Queen does not look angry as she speaks, but Evita still cannot help the choking sound that leaves her mouth.

“Sneaking away from the castle?” Evita said, her voice shaking slightly.

“Come now, Evita. I have known from the moment she began this.” The Queen placed her hand on top of Evita’s, letting her know that she was not interrogating her for answers. Evita nodded. “My only wish is that she is safe and that she returns.”

“I wish for those things as well.” Evita squeezed her hand gently.

“I know Claudette does not think the King and I have her best interests at heart, but we only want better for her. And I know that she will hate us for arranging a marriage, but she will understand when she has her own daughter one day.” The Queen explained, sadness evident in her voice.

“Claudette only wishes to marry for love, your highness. Just as you did.” Evita says, hoping not to overstep.

“The Kingdom depends on Claudette marrying the winner of the Grand Tournament this coming summer. Sometimes…sometimes we must do things out of duty and not love. Do you understand this, my darling?” The Queen pushed some loose hairs away from Evita’s face and tucked them behind her ear.

“Yes, your highness.” Evita replied. But she truly, did not understand. Love conquered all, did it not? What could it be that made this so different?

“I knew you would. Always wise beyond your years.” Queen Morgana pulled Evita into a quick hug, kissing the top of her head, before standing up from the bed. “I know Claudette will not stop her escapades to the blacksmith shop. She’s far too stubborn. Just be sure she is safe, for me?”

“Always.” Evita opened the door for the Queen, knowing she would lay down her own life for Claudette at any moment and without question.

“Come see me more, my dear. We can talk about your progress with your healing arts.” Queen Morgana smiles, her bodyguards coming to stand close behind her.

“Of course, my Queen.” Evita returns the smile, seeing Ashton waiting off to the side.

“Sleep well.” The Queen says as she leaves. Evita begins to close her door, but Ashton stops it with his hand.

“A moment of your time, my lady?” Ashton asks, his eyes tired and a bit sad.

“Of course.” Evita stood in the door way, watching Ashton rub at that back of his neck.

“I wanted to apologize to you if I was out of line the last time we saw each other.” He finally said with a sigh.

“All is forgiven, Ashton.” Evita said, keeping her hand on the door, in hopes Ashton would assume she was tired.

“Something seems different of you these past few days.” Ashton says, concern on his features.

“I am merely not getting enough sleep. Nothing more.” Evita explained, her teeth pulling her bottom lip between them.

“Of course, my lady. Sleep well.” Ashton bowed and Evita did the same, closing the door quickly so she could release the longest breath she had ever held in. She made her way to change into her bed clothes and slipped into bed. She was exhausted, but still knew her thoughts of the handsome musician would keep her restless during the night.

The next morning, Evita dressed in a blur. Her stomach turned and her mind raced as she tried to think of yet another reason that she would not be by Claudette’s side for another day. She had been neglecting her duties so carelessly that she was not even sure what the princess’ schedule looked like for today. But all she could think about was getting to Calum as quickly as she could.

On her way past the library, Evita stopped and grabbed some novels that she thought Calum may possibly enjoy. Something to keep his mind busy while he was waiting for his body to heal. She knew that it could not be easy for him to be stranded in a land that was not his own, with nothing but an empty cave and Evita’s company. Still, she hoped that her company was somewhat comforting to him.

Evita nodded towards the guards who stood outside of Claudette’s room before pushing open the door and closing it behind her. Claudette was not in her bed, and she supposed that was not unusual. Evita made sure to straighten her bed sheets and add some relaxing oils to the bathtub the maids had just filled with hot water. She hoped that if Claudette was in a good enough mood that she would be able to sneak off without her noticing that she was once again absent for the day. Just as Evita was about to leave the room, Claudette came blubbering loudly over the stone railing on the balcony.

“Claudette? What’s the matter?” Evita rushed over and helped her climb the rest of the way over the rail. Claudette did not say anything, she threw her arms around Evita’s neck and continued crying. Evita could feel her tears gathering against the exposed skin of her shoulder. “You must tell me what’s happened Ettie. Just breathe.” Evita cooed sweetly, running her hands over Claudette’s blonde hair soothingly.

“He…Luke…he said we cannot see each other anymore.” Claudette cried louder, wrapping her arms even tighter around Evita’s frame.

“Oh no, Ettie. I’m so sorry, darling. What happened?” Evita asked, gently pulling Claudette back so she could see her face as she spoke.

“I awoke this morning and he was not in bed. I found him in the kitchen and he just looked so…defeated. He told me he should not have let things go so far. That a blacksmith shop is no place for a princess. And a blacksmith is no good for a princess.” Claudette wiped her nose and blubbered again.

“Did he say what brought on these feelings?” Evita sat Claudette down on her bed and smoothed her hair away from her face.

“He heard about the Tournament. And that I would be married to the winner. He does not want to drag things out any longer.” Claudette released a shaky breath.

“Perhaps he was right to end it now. I know that is not what you want to hear.” Evita said, knowing Claudette would get upset and send her away.

“I love him, Evita. You could not possibly understand what that means. I will be miserable the rest of my life.” Claudette pushed Evita’s hands away and climbed up the bed to hide beneath her covers.

“I’ll come to check on you later, Ettie.” Evita patted her leg gently, and got up from the bed to leave.

“Do not bother.” Claudette’s muffled voice said from beneath the covers. Evita sighed, leaving the room and her best friend behind her.

She made her way through the castle swiftly. Gathering up some food from the kitchens and more clean water forCalum to drink. She placed everything into a bag with the books and quickly made her way down the passageway that led to the beach. The day outside was surprisingly sunny. It warmed Evita’s skin slightly as she completed the walk to the cave. What she did not expect to find, was Calum standing outside at the waters edge, his bare feet brushing through the wet sand. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach as she dropped all of her things and took off sprinting towards him.

“What are you doing?!” She shouted as she got closer to him.

“Good morning to you as well, my lady.” Calum smiled as she approached him.

“Have you lost your mind? Do you not remember where you are, Calum? They will kill you if they find you here.” Evita grabbed his wrist and began pulling him back towards the cave, but Calum stopped her and pulled away.

“I have not seen the light of day in almost three days, Evita. I only needed a few moments to breathe it in.” Calum scowled at her, acting as though she was worried for nothing.

“You are Rolonian, Calum. Our kingdoms quite literally hate each other, and you are willing to risk your life for a bit of sunlight?” Evita was almost in tears she was so angry with him.

“And what does that say for us?” Calum asked.

“What?” Evita’s voice was thick with confusion.

“Do you hate me because I am from Rolon?” He asked, the wind blowing around the dark curls on his head in a hypnotizing way.

“I do not hate you, Calum. Would I be keeping you here, safe, if I hated you?” Evita squinted through the suns rays to look up at his face.

“Then please stop letting our Kingdoms dictate how you feel.” Calum looked at her a moment longer, then began walking back towards the cave.

“This was about you and how you have no care for your own life!” Evita said as she followed after him, his long strides almost leaving her behind.

“Do you expect me to hide in this cave for the rest of my days, Evita? There is no way for me to even get back to Rolon. Do you not see this?” Calum turned around quickly to face her, stopping Evita in her tracks.

“I…I just thought we could get you home somehow. Many boats leave this port every day. One of them would surely get you closer to Rolon.” Evita touched his arm gently, he did not pull away this time.

“Do I not get a choice in the matter?” Calum says lowly, his tall frame coming closer to hers and engulfing her in the salty smell of his skin.

“What else would you want?” Evita asked, her head lifting slightly so her eyes could meet his. The gaze between was intense and thick.

“Perhaps I’ll stay with you.” He whispered, fingers ghosting up the seam at the front of her dress and stopping when they reached the part of the dress covering her breasts. Evita could barely swallow she was so nervous.

“You do not want to live in this cave forever.” Evita’s voice barely came out as she watched his fingers continue their path over her exposed chest and neck.

“That will depend.” Calum stepped up again, pressing the front of his body against Evita’s until she was backed against the wall. She was warm and soft, more so than Calum imagined she could be.

“On what?” Evita swallowed thickly, voice shaking. She knew this was wrong, that she should push him away. But there was not one inch of her body that truly wanted that.

“Do you want me to stay?” His forehead pressed against hers gently.

“We know nothing of each other, Calum. How could I ask you to stay here?” Evita sighed, her hands coming up and pushing softly against his chest until he moved to the side for her to step away. She needed to breathe in air that was not filled with his scent.

“All right then, my lady. Tell me everything I need to know.” Calum sat down on the ground next to Evita’s bag of things.

“It is not that simple.” Evita laughed.

“It can be, if you are not afraid to let me in.” Calum raised a thick brow, testing to see how she would react. Evita sighed again.

“Where do I begin?” She said, sitting down next to him and passing him some food from the bag she carried with her.

“Tell me how you became a maid in Elverston castle.” Calum took a bite from an apple, a playful smile on his face as he tilted his head and listened to each word she had to say. Evita hated that she was still lying to him about who she really was.

Evita told him everything. Everything that did not have to do with her being a lady to the princess. She told him about her parents and how they had so tragically been taken from her during the bloody battle. She told him about her love of reading and art, though she did have to explain that she had taught herself to read because maids were surely not allowed to learn to read in the castle.

Evita spent many weeks telling Calum about her life. And he doing the same for her. His parents had also been taken during the battle, and he had become a musician for the King of Rolon only recently. It was his first trip on a ship, entertaining the sailors and those of higher authority on their long journey across the ocean. He told her how Rolon was much warmer than Theoria. The sun was always shining there and the sands were whiter than snow most days. Evita could tell he missed those things when he spoke of them so fondly. The two of them were beginning to realize that they were not so different.

They would lie together, reading books back and forth, sharing their favorite passages and quotes. Calum was always sure to make Evita laugh with his stories and swoon with his flawless singing voice. Bathing in the ocean in the middle of the night with only a lantern to see was not ideal, but it was the only choice Calum had, and he wanted nothing more than to drag Evita into the water with him instead of having her keep watch on the beach. He was completely enamored by her and the way she stayed so strong throughout her struggles. She also had something that he considered a ferocious sweetness, and he wanted to spend his life finding out exactly who she was going to be.

Evita had grown to enjoy the sound of Calum’s laugh and the quiet snores that escaped his lips when he napped with his head in her lap on particularly dreary days inside the cave. His wounds were healing perfectly now, the stitches had formed scars beneath them, but she had to admit that they were well done. She allowed herself that small sense of pride.

Touches between the two of them became much more frequent. Brushing of fingers, lingering hands, and eye contact that never stopped. It was overwhelming to Evita at times, the way he effected her so deeply. It was frightening to a certain degree because the more she got to know him the more difficult it would be to let him go when he inevitably had to leave Theoria for his own safety.

After spending yet another entire day at the cave with Calum, Evita dressed for bed and climbed into bed with more worries than she had ever hoped to carry with her. She untangled her hair and kicked the covers around until she was able to get comfortable. Her stained glass window was cracked open just slightly, letting in some cool air.

“Evita!” She heard someone say, but it was barely audible. Evita thought maybe the exhaustion was starting to get to her, so she closed her eyes and turned her body away from the window.

“Evita!” Her name was quietly shouted again, and this time she was sure that she had heard it. She quickly scrambled off the bed and opened her window a bit further to look outside. Before she could take a step out onto her balcony, small pebbles began popping up over the railing and dinging against the glass.

“Stop that!” Evita said, attempting to keep her voice down as she carefully made her way to stone railing and peaked over the edge. “Calum?!” She said too loudly, he hushed her from below.

“Could I come up?” He said innocently.

“You have no care in the world for your own life, do you?” Evita could feel that her eyes were bulging wide and her skin was flushing hot from the sudden fear washing over her.

“I only wish to be with you.” Calum said, pushing his salty curls away with his fingers.

“How did you even know this was my rooms? You could have woken up the king and queen for gods sake!” Evita paced the balcony, her hand pressed against her forehead.

“I was merely lucky I suppose.” Calum teased, knowing she was feeling the stress of him being so out in the open. “Will you let me come up or shall we continue talking out here?”

“Hurry then.” Evita finally said after a moment of thought. What else would she do? She watched as Calum scaled the lattice work with expert ease, throwing his legs over the railing until he was standing right in front of her.

“Are you angry with me?” Calum asked, standing in the doorway of the balcony.

“Angry? Calum I am not angry, I’m terrified that someone will find you here and take you away from me. Why would you do something so risky?” Evita continued to pace the room.

“I do not wish to cause you any worry, my lady. But the closer you and I become, the harder it becomes to be away from you.” Calum moves to where Evita is pacing and gently grips her wrist to stop her in her steps.

“It is a feeling I know all too well.” Evita’s voice shakes as her eyes rake over his fingers wrapped around her wrist.

“Then let me stay. Just for the night. I’ll return to cave on the beach before anyone else in the kingdom is awake. Just…please let me stay with you.” His dark eyes that seemed to hold a whole other universe inside them pleaded with her to give in.

“Calum…I just don’t think that…” Evita’s words were cut off with lips. Calum had closed the gap between them so quickly she barely had a second to process what was happening. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Evita said a little too loudly, pushing against Calum’s chest.

“Kissing you. Or so I thought.” Calum steps away, giving her space.

“You cannot just kiss me out of nowhere! No warning. And who was to say I even…” She’s cut off once more by Calum’s lips covering hers and swallowing her words. This time, Evita let herself feel him.

Calum was gentle as he parted her lips with his own, his hands sliding from her soft neck and over her jaw in the lightest of touches. His nose brushed back and forth over hers as their lips slotted together with the sweetest of sounds escaping Evita’s mouth. The gentleness of this kiss rattled her to the core. She had never kissed anyone else, and now she knew that she would never want to kiss anyone but Calum. She could feel an indescribable sensation burrowing its way through her veins and burning in the pit of her stomach as he pulled her closer and let his tongue swipe into her mouth. Evita’s knees went weak when she used her own tongue to smooth over the seam of Calum’s lips to move with his. He groaned deeply when Evita finally let herself touch his chest and slide up into the curls at the nape of his neck. His lips felt as if they were scorching Evita’s lips and skin. They heated her blood and set all of her senses on fire. Calum’s breath shuddered against her parted mouth, sending little shivers of pleasure darting through her in a rapid motion.

“I have never felt such a heavenly kiss.” Calum pecked her lips a few more times, making Evita smile at the action. As he continued to lean in for more.

“How many kisses have you had?” Evita pulled at his neck until Calum pressed his forehead against hers.

“Not many.” Calum said quietly. “And absolutely none that meant as much as that one did.”

“That was my first one…the only one.” Evita bit her lip, her cheeks turning pink.

“Your kisses have saved my life. I am only here because of you, angel.” Calum kisses her again, Evita’s breath getting lost on his lips as her eyes fell shut.

“Calum…I…I have not done any of this. But I want to…with you.” Evita said when their kiss chapped lips finally parted.

“I will not pressure you. Most wait for marriage…” Calum brushed his knuckles over the supple skin of her chest and exposed skin of her breasts that spilled from the top of her sleeping dress. Chills spread over Evita’s body like the hottest wildfire.

“That may not be an option for us, Calum.” She played with the leather string that held the front of his cream colored shirt closed. His face went through a few different emotions as he processed what she had said, then sighed when he came to the same conclusion.

“Is this what you want? You want me?” Calum asked, his eyes searching hers.

“It did not take long for me to know this was what I wanted. I may have tried to push it away but I have never been more sure of anything.” Evita’s fingers tangled into the leather string of his shirt again, pulling them downwards until his lips were on hers again. The kiss only lasted a moment, but it was full of reassurance.

“Come sit with me.” Calum said when the kiss had ended, taking her hand and leading her towards the bed. Evita did not hesitate to move with him. “Do all of the maids get their own rooms in Theoria?” He asked as they sat down on the soft blankets. Evita froze for a moment.

“This is…this is just temporary. I’ll be back in the maids quarters soon.” She kept it vague and hoped that Calum did not press for more information.

“I see.” Calum could tell she was hiding something but did not feel that now was the time to dig into it any deeper.

“Will you touch me?” Evita asked, her heart beginning to pound as she scooted closer to him on the bed.

“There will not be an inch of you that I do not touch. But I thought perhaps you would want to touch me first.” Calum untied his shirt as he spoke, removing the material over his head when Evita nodded for him to continue.

“You are…so beautiful.” Evita laughed lightly, embarrassment flooding her cheeks when Calum smiled at her compliment.

“No one has ever called me beautiful.” Calum told her, tossing the shirt to the floor and turning his body more towards her.

“Then the right people have not seen your bare skin.” The words were a whisper as Evita reached out to place her palms on his shoulders and move into his lap with her knees on either side of his hips. This was not a position a lady should find herself in, but she just needed to be closer to him. Calum smiled again, hands moving to her hips to steady her as she settled. The silky material of her sleeping dress bunched between his fingers.

“Tell me, my lady, would you marry me if our kingdoms were not sworn enemies?” Calum asked, watching Evita’s face as she thought about her answer.

“Marriage is merely a ceremony, is it not? Just an excuse for a party that neither of our families could afford. But if you are asking me if I love you enough to do such a sacrament, then the answer is yes.” The words came pouring out and Evita knew that she had possibly said too much.

“You love me, angel?” Calum sat up straight, pressing his chest flush against Evita’s, his grip tightening at the middle of her back as he held her close.

“I do, Calum of Rolon. Of course I do.” Her hands hold each side of his face as they swallow each others labored breaths.

“My love for you is the only thing that has made sense since the moment I arrived in Theoria. I woke up in that cave every day for months knowing that I would see your face…and it was so easy. Living was so easy when it meant I was going to see you again.” Calum began to explain. Evita knew that Calum was not a man of many words, but when he was willing to open up and share these parts of himself, Evita always made sure to listen intently.

“It should not feel as right as it does. But I do not wish to fight it any longer.” Evita wrapped her arms around Calum’s neck and his rough hands slid up her thighs until they were able to slip beneath the material of her sleeping clothes. She was not afraid for him to touch her this way, she welcomed it completely.

“I will always take care of you.” Calum pushed the thin material of her dress up until Evita lifted her arms and let him pull it off of her completely. She was bare beneath it, and he could not stop himself from soaking in every inch of her. Perfect breasts that fit perfectly in the palms for his hands. Soft skin on her stomach and hips that reminded Calum that he was luckiest man in all the lands.

Their lips found their way back to each other in a series of more heated kisses. Evita began to think that she had no idea what breathing even was anymore, and that she surely did not want to remember if it meant she had to stop kissing Calum. He held her close, moving them up on the bed and moving her body beneath his own. He sat up on his knees between her legs and removed his trousers in a quick motion. To say that he was well endowed would have been an absolute understatement, and Evita knew that things were going to have to go much slower than she wanted them to.

Her small hand wrapped around his ridiculously hard cock out of curiosity. Calum’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he buried his face into Evita’s neck. His reaction urged her to continue the action more, letting her fingers ghost up and down the shaft until his hips were searching for more friction.

“Will this hurt me?” Evita asked, her voice soft but unafraid.

“I think that it will be uncomfortable. That is why you must tell me to stop if it is too much. I love you far too much to cause you pain.” Calum kissed her heated cheeks and lowered his body down so they were pressed together.

“I trust you. I want this to happen.” Evita wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled Calum closer. The wetness that had been gathering between her legs becoming evident and making him bite into his bottom lip. His fingers moved between her legs, pushing in just slightly.

“You are soaking here, all for me.” Calum whispered the words against the shell of her ear, his teeth nipping at the lobe.

“How do you know just where I need you?” Evita moaned as his touch continued.

“Your body knows me…and mine knows you. I would know exactly how you needed me without ever being told.” Calum’s fingers slipped deeper and Evita’s back arched from the bed.

“I am not sure I can wait much longer to have you.” Evita’s desperate words were as sweet as honey, and Claum knew he could never deny her a single thing.

“Relax yourself. Try not to tense up. I’ll go slowly so you can adjust to me.” Calum moved down her body slightly, pressing kisses to her breasts. Evita’s chest heaved with her quick breathing.

“I love you.” She told him, eyes falling closed when she felt him begin to enter her. Calum made sure he went as slow as he could, the tightness of her making his body feel as if it was in a complete frenzy.

“Are you alright, my love?” He asked, his arms shaking slightly as he held himself up and looked down at the beautiful woman beneath him.

“Yes.” She breathed. Evita felt the ache, the dull sensation between her legs. When Calum slowly began to move, it hurt even more. She wrapped herself around him tightly, burying her face into his neck and biting down lightly. Calum groaned loudly at the sensation, his hips sputtering for a moment.

“You feel like heaven.” He said against the shell of her ear. Evita let a few small moans fall from her lips while tears threatened to spill out the corner of her eyes. She chose not to speak, in fear that her voice might shake and she did not want him stop what he was doing. “Look at me, angel.” He said sweetly.

“I’m always looking at you.” Evita finally said, her head leaving the crook of his neck to meet his eyes. Calum’s lips were slightly parted and his brow was furrowed in concentration. Evita knew he was holding back for her.

“How will I ever leave you when I’ve had you this way?” Calum said, his breathing picking up. Evita laced her fingers into his hair and pulled him down into a kiss. It was a kiss that was meant to soothe his thoughts. To confirm that somehow they would always have each other.

Evita knew that Calum was coming to his end. He adjusted himself on the bed so that he was as deep inside of her as he could possibly be. She praised him with quiet words encouragement in his ear and crescent shaped fingernail markings on the middle of his strong back. His release came quickly and almost unexpectedly but that feeling in itself was perfection. The warmth of him ran down her thighs while his tongue lapped at her neck and jaw as they both came down together.

“Calum?” Evita said, hands exploring his sweaty skin.

“Hmm?” His head laid against her chest where he presses lazy kisses.

“Are you afraid?” Evita asked.

“Yes.” He did not need her to be more specific. He knew exactly what she was referring to. But part of him hoped that leaving her would just never become an option. Somehow he could stay with her forever.

Right now, there was no time for fear. There was only this moment and the two of them. So they did not move, just stayed where they were on the bed and fell asleep together without any more words shared between them.

The loud and heart stopping noise that came ringing in through the windows the next morning were enough to jolt Evita and Calum both straight up in bed. It sounded like cannon shots off in the distance, and the yelling of soldiers nearby outside. Evita wrapped a sheet around her body as she scrambled out of bed and rushed over to her window.

She could see ships off in the distance. Ships with red flags flying high on their masts. Red flags meant that Rolon had returned to Theoria. Evita’s heart began to race as she realized this would be Calum’s chance to return to his kingdom. Maybe his only chance. She stood frozen as Calum came up behind her and looked outside to see the ships.

“They came back.” He said, swallowing thickly. “I was not sure that they would.”

“You must go. You…you should go home.” Evita tightened the sheet around her body and moved past Calum to begin getting dressed. Before she could drop the sheet, Calum was back at her side grabbing onto her elbow and pulling her back to face him.

“Do not do that. Please. Do not close yourself off.” Calum cupped her face with his other hand.

“I did not think they would come to take you from me so quickly.” Evita sighed, tears threatening to spill over.

“This is coincidence. They have not come back for me alone, I am just a musician, remember?” Calum’s eyes were wide as he watched her face.

“When will I see you again?” Evita asked, her heart pounding.

“I would never be able to stay away for long. I’ll return for you. And I will bring you back to my kingdom with me.” He was so sure of himself. That somehow that could be different for them.

Calum kissed her hard on the lips, Evita’s head lulling back slightly from the impact of their mouths. Calum pulled away just as quickly, rushing around the room and gathering up his clothes. He tripped over his feet as he quickly put his feet through the legs of his pants.

“You’ll be safe?” Evita followed him as he walked towards the balcony window, worry aching in every muscle of her body.

“To get back to you, I will be the safest.” He smiled as he slipped into his shirt, opening the window all the way and walking out onto the balcony. His eyes went back and forth between Evita and the ships on the horizon.

“I’ll wait for your return.” Evita leaned against the railing as Calum began hoisting himself over the side. Their eyes meeting with realization that this was possibly the last time they would see each other.

“It will be with as much haste as possible, my love.” Calum reached out and cupped her cheek that was wet with tears. Each time he called her ��my love’ made her heart grow ten sizes.

“I love you, Calum of Rolon.” Evita stepped up closely, foreheads pressing together.

“And I you.” They kissed once more, sweet and sealing with promises to see each other again. And then he was shimmying down the lattice work to the ground, looking back up at Evita one more time before Calum was running towards the beach and out of Evita’s sight. It was a sight full of heartbreak and utter uncertainty

taglist:  @bbycal @kinglyhood @sugarcoated-pain @shower-me-with-roses @c-dizzle-swizzlex @calumculture @sugarcoatedcalum @calthesensation @cheyenne-in-wonderland @softboycal @moonlightcalum @unconditionalcalum @irwinkitten @singt0mecalum @angelbabylu @5sosnsfw @aspiringwildfire @myloverboyash @cal-puddies @lashtoncurls @kchillout @pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles @callllumhood @sick-orca @lfwallscouldtalk @aliencal @fluffsshawn

[losfacedevil]

Boy Bye - Jaylos // Fluff

a/n~ For lack of a better title (it didn’t exactly go as planned and is quite a bit shorter than intended) Boy Bye works lol. @telli1206​ & @happilycameron​ need this cute little bit of fluff as much as the rest of us do today! 

Happy Birthday, sweet boy, I know you’re dancing and partying up there somewhere!

Carlos stood against the field fence clad in an oversized blue and yellow Auradon Prep Jersey. He gripped the chain link fence until his knuckles turned white as his eyes followed Jay intently watching as the older boy scored another point for his team. “That’s my boy!” Carlos called, pumping his fist in the air as the older boys team mates clapped him on the back. Jay ran over to the side lines, quickly pulling his helmet up just enough to sneak a quick peck from Carlos before the next play started.

The younger boy sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he retreated back to the first row of the bleachers. He loved that his boyfriend was so passionate about the sport he loved, but sometimes it took over their lives. Another goal was scored for Auradon, eliciting yet another whoop from Carlos as Jay danced across the field. Doug slid into the seat next to Carlos, shooting the boy a knowing smile as he placed his hand comfortingly on the younger boys shoulder. Carlos couldn’t help the soft smile that curved his lips, reaching up to pull a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “What do you think? Another lonely night for us?” The younger boy joked, nodding slightly in the direction of the field. Doug returned the young boys nod, quickly waving at Evie as she blew a kiss in his direction. “With the way they’re scoring there’s no doubt they’ll have a victory party at the castle.” Carlos modded solemnly, sliding back and resting his elbows on the bench behind him. “Don’t get me wrong I love that he loves this but, sometimes I wish I could have him for one night where tourney wasn’t a thing. Tourney this, tourney that.” Doug chuckled, nodding along with Carlos’ rant. “Evies all about cheer, but we knew this. I swear if she’s not working on routines she’s sewing up the next best uniform for the team to use.” Carlos chuckled, shaking his head as he repositioned how he was sitting. “We sound like sad sports parents, and by the victory dance my boys doing there’s no way they didn’t just win this game.” Carlos sighed, scrubbing his hands across his face.

Carlos stood, walking the few steps to the chain link fence separating him from his boy. He waited patiently as Jay high fived the guys yelling words of praise all around as he slowly made his way to Carlos. Jays helmet was long forgotten somewhere on the field as he jogged the last couple of feet to Carlos; grabbing the younger boy’s face in his hands as he pressed his lips to Carlos’. The younger boy melted into Jays touch, hands coming up to rest on the older boy’s as their lips gently grazed each other. “Another game in the bag, babe.” Jay mumbled, resting his forehead against Carlos’. The younger boy nodded, pulling back from Jay. “You’re sweaty.” Carlos mumbled, reaching up to swipe his shirt sleeve across his forehead. Jay chuckled, pulling his hands back through his hair as it fell out of the tight bun it was held in. “We win the game and all I get is ‘you’re sweaty’? What’s wrong?” Carlos shook his head, glancing over to Doug who stood staring lovingly at his girl. “You’re gonna want to go to the party now.” Carlos’ voice was barely above a whisper, unsure of if Jay actually heard him. Jay chuckled, nodding. “Of course I want to go to the party, I’m team captain I have to. Don’t you wanna be my plus one?” Jay cooed, reaching out to run his finger down Carlos’ jawline. The younger boy furrowed his brows as he shook his head. “I don’t want to go to a stupid party, I want to go back to the room with you and sleep. I just want you, all of you for once, is that so much to ask for?” Carlos’ bottom lip jutted out in a pout, something he knew Jay couldn’t resist. The older boy couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips as he ran his hand back through Carlos’ hair. “Now, now. Put that lip away before I’m forced to bite it, de Vil. Let me get my helmet and I’m all yours, okay?” Jay cooed, pressing a quick peck to Carlos’ nose before he ran off back onto the field. _______________

Jay waved to his teammates over his shoulder - the boys rolling their eyes and making kissy faces- as he made his way over to Carlos, earning themselves an annoyed chuckle from Carlos. Jay slipped his hand easily into the younger boys, his fingers moulding perfectly around Carlos’ as he led the way back to the dorms. Carlos’ grip tightened on Jays hand as one last “Fine, be that way!” rang out from across the field, causing Jays suspicion to rise. “What gives, babe?” Jay mumbled, shoulder grazing Carlos’ as the tourney field grew smaller behind them. The younger boy shrugged, resting his head on Jays shoulder; the smell of sweat mixed with the older boys cologne mingling in Carlos’ nose. “I don’t know, maybe I’m just jealous of your love of tourney? Maybe I’m just needy.” Carlos pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, directing his attention anywhere that wasn’t on Jay. The older boy chuckled, coming to a halt as he pulled Carlos into his chest. “Needy? Never. I know tourney takes up a lot of my spare time. But, I always make time for you.” Jay mumbled, resting his chin on the crown of Carlos’ head. The younger boy shook his head, nuzzling his face into the crook of Jays neck. “I mean sure, but all I hear about is Tourney. Our conversations always revolve around your tourney stuff.” Jay sighed, he knew his passion for Tourney was always in the forefront of his mind but he never realized how Carlos felt about it. The younger boy melted into the embrace, his arms coming to rest loosely around Jays waist. His hand came to rest on the back of Carlos’ neck, the need to have both hands on him strong. A deep breath slipped past Jays lips as he gently pulled Carlos back, just enough for their eyes to meet. “What if I step down for a little bit? Let Ben go back to being team captain?” Carlos chuckled, shaking his head at Jays proposition. “There’s as much chance of me going back to being Cruellas pet as there is of you giving up the Captain spot.” Carlos slowly slipped his hand back into Jays, nodding in the direction of their dorms.  The older boy chuckled, following Carlos’ lead. “I’m serious! Ben can handle that team he doesn’t need my help right now. I’d do it for you.” Jay shrugged his shoulder, noting the soft smile that tugged at Carlos’ lips as a genuine laugh erupted from him. “Alright bet! Nah, boy bye, you won’t do that.” Carlos challenged, driving his elbow into Jays rib cage. The older boy shook his head, his hand coming up to rest on the spot he’d knew would become a bruise. “Nah, boy bye, you. You’re my whole goddamn world, silly boy, why in the hell wouldn’t I do that for you?” The younger boy shrugged once more, eyes finding Jays as he wracked his brain for an answer. “I mean you claim that but, tourney has always been a little bit more important. Remember you missed the science fair because you were practicing? And when I tried out for cheerleading you couldn’t have cared less because you were working out plays with Ben?” Jay shook his head, knew that the decision he has just spoken into the wind would have to become a reality for at least a little while. It wasn’t long before they reached the dorms, Carlos pushing the door open and gesturing for Jay to go first. In true Jay fashion he pretended to curtsy before stepping through into their room. Carlos sighed as he kicked the door shut behind him, quickly falling across Jays bed and nuzzling his face into a pillow that smelled unapologetically like Jay. The older boy chuckled, bringing his hand down in a hard smack against Carlos’ rear end earning himself a yelp and a glare from the younger boy. “Why? Just why?” Carlos chuckled, sitting up so he could see Jay better. “I thought you wanted to shower with me, but you’re gonna just nap instead?” Carlos nodded, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth as he watched the older boy pull his tourney jersey up over his head. “I said I wanted to sleep with you, now go shower so you can come cuddle and tell me all about how you’re going to make more time for me. I like the sound of that.” Carlos chuckled, tilting his head so Jay could kiss him softly.

[erismerald]

𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 (jacob frye x reader)

heyooo guys, here I come to bring another little story. to change the fandom a little this time I bring on this trip into the past Jacob Frye. this story is dedicated to @noromeojulliet  , I hope you like it, my love!!!

However I have to warn you again that English is not my first language and the text may contain errors, if you see any error I would be grateful if you told me!!!

GOOD READING!!!!

________________________________________________________________

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: semi mature, romance, semi explicit content

It was about 10 o'clock at night, I had already finished my tasks on the train and was already going to my carriage.

I was already living with the frye brothers and their partners for 6 months, they welcomed me when no one else did.

mr.frye always made me very nervous, he was very affectionate with me at first, but when i began to live with them i realized that he was like that with all of them.

From the moment I started living with them, Jacob moved away from me and without saying anything he started being cold to me. But still…i continue to be in love with him. I loved talking to him and listening to his crazy ideas, and always worried when he got hurt. he was 3 years older than me and I felt...I don't know, maybe nervous and anxious every time I thought about being closer to him.

 he was very attractive and loved to flirt with any woman that passed by him, and I noticed sometimes how he looked at me.but never said anything about it.

 on the way to my carriage evie passed me and greeted me.

 "Good evening Y/n, is everything all right?" she said with a nice look.

 "Good evening, miss evie, yes it's all right, just tired and you?" I said with a fond smile

 "also my dear... ah if you see, jacob please tell him I'm looking for him" she said a little upset

 "Have he gotten into trouble again?" I said laughing

 "Yes, in big trouble…”she sighed “ sometimes  he doesn't even look he had 23… but that's it, dear, good night," she said affectionately.

 I wished her good night and walked to my carriage when it started raining a lot.

I went in and started to put on my pajamas, I was singing a little, after doing everything I sat down in front of the mirror and dyed my hair, until I dared a huge thunderstorm outside.

The light of the lightning invaded the sky, I liked thunder a lot, it left me quite calm and even helped me sleep better.

 I had a little candle near me, and used it to read some letters that my sister had sent me, until I heard a huge noise at the door.

 I got up quickly and ran to see what was going on, and when I opened the door I saw jacob all soaked, and with some scratches.

 "Mr. Frye? What happened?" I said worried, not that it wasn't norrmal he shows up like that, but at my door...

 "May I come in?" he asked with a bit of a sarcastic look.

 "Sure, come in," I walked away from the door a bit to give him space to pass, and after closing the door I put myself in front of him.

"What happened?" I asked him again, helping him remove his coat.

 "I was fighting with some ignorant guys near the train line and I ended up falling to the thames...and to get better it started raining" he took a short break "I lost the key to my carrige and at this moment, I don't want to hear evie complaining about my inresponsibility... what I want to say is..."

I noticed in his gaze that he was quite uncomfortable, and could feel a cold nearby, so I interrupted his thought.

 "Yes, you can stay here, mrs. frye, I'll help you in any way I can" I spoke in a loving voice, in order to show him sympathy.

 I know...he could be a huge idiot with me and everyone else, but he was a good person, just a little irresponsible and childish at times, but at that moment he needed help, and I wouldn't refuse to help him, since he was the one who gave me shelter, and since he is my boss.

 "Thank you my love" he answered with joy.

"The first thing to do is to get out of these wet clothes, I must still have some of your clothes here that Miss Frye told me to sew" I said as I headed to the small compartment where the bathtub was, filling it with hot water.

 When Jacob came out he's already removed his shirt, leaving his chest showing... he was very attractive and muscular, no wonder almost all the women in London had already gone to bed with him...but I still couldn't get it on...I felt my face burn, but luckily he didn't notice that part.

 "It's all ready mr.frye... if you need anything you can call me" I said and he nodded to the bathroom.

 While I was waiting for him to leave I started to prepare my bed so he could sleep, I didn't mind sleeping on the little sofa. I was distracted by my own thoughts when Jacob called me.

 "Y/n love, can you come over here and help me?" I put down my bedding and headed to the bathroom.

 When I walked in he was still in the bathtub, and I turned on my back, my heart was beating very fast and ruthlessly.

 "y-yes? what can I do for you?" I asked a little nervous

 “im a little tired and sore from the fall you'll help wash my back?" I could feel the malicious smile on his face even with my back turned.

 "s-sure mr.frye" I turned slowly and took a deep breath... I couldn't panic or be ashamed, it's my job.

I approached him and knelt down slowly, still shaking hands of course, it's not that I've never been near a naked man before, but he made me super nervous.

He was already with his back to me that made me a little calmer.

 I took the little sponge and plunged into the water, and started rubbing his back, and shoulders... he was very muscular and had a lot of scars, and that made me remember the adventures he told me.

 It was a very uncomfortable silence, I felt my hands shaking immensely, and when I finished my work I was going to get up when Jacob held me by the hand.

"thank you my dear... but I still have one more favor to ask you." he paused and climbed his hand up my cheek "as you can see I'm having some injuries, if you could help me with this"

 "of course, it's just better to get out of the water first" I laughed a little nervously and prayed to god to get out of there fast

"Of course I'll be out of here in minutes," he replied as I left the bathroom.

 I ran out of the bathroom and started looking for something to help heal the minor injuries.

 When I found a small first-aid kit, I grabbed it and put it on the bed, even though Jacob came out of the bathroom with only his pants on.

 "Could you please sit down here" I asked quietly, again trying to ignore the fact that he was shirtless.

"okay doctor" was serious? he was flirting with me? I laughed a little and looked in the mirror, I was flushed and could see my breathing speeding up.

 when he sat on the bed i sat down next to him and grabbed his arm

"ouch" he moaned in pain "that's really sore hum" he said laughing a little but I still noticed the expression of pain on his face.

 "I'm sorry mr.frye, but to tell you the truth it's pretty bad," I tried to make a confident voice.

 "Please stop calling me mr.frye, make me look like an old man and I'm only three years older than you, you can call me jacob," he said staring at me... for a few seconds our eyes crossed and I quickly turned my head.

 "s-sure... sorry ahm you know…you are my boss and its an habit. I thought calling you "mr.frye" was more respectful"

 "So you just see me as your boss?" he asked sarcastically.

 "No... I mean yes... sometimes ? I don't know very well excuse me" I started to laugh to calm down

 "It's okay, but I've never seen you as a maid, I've always seen you as a friend... sometimes even more than that," he said, grabbing my hand and holding his arm.

 "What do you mean?" I looked into his eyes with a little shame.

 "You know... you're the only woman I haven't been able to hold in my arms yet, you're harder than the others," he said by putting his hand on my face again.

 I couldn't deny that I wanted him... I couldn't deny that I was attracted to him but there was nothing I could do.

As much as I wanted to have him, I wouldn't last another night.

And I don't want that for myself, I don't want to get hurt like that.

 "Can you say something?" His voice brought me back to reality and looking into his eyes again...and then I could see deep in his eyes that he was being sincere...he was nervous because he could also see that his breathing was speeding up.

 "Sorry Jacob... I don't want to be just another one on your list, I'm sorry..." I said honestly but deep down I didn't want to hurt him and even less maim my feelings

 "I don't want you to be another one on my list” he stopped and quickly laid me on the bed underneath him.

have the view of jacob frye on top of me, it was exciting, but I didn't know if that was right, I didn't want to end up getting hurt " I want you to be with me all the time Y/N... Since we met I've always tried to impress you, but you never surrendered to anything. Then I started using other women to forget about you and that wasn't right in my mind, and for a while here I feel like I was cheating, I really love you Y/N! "He was telling the truth, his eyes weren't lying to me, at that moment I was happy and nervous at the same time.

 "I love you too, to be honest, but I was never able to talk to you because I thought I had no status" and without warning a silence remained in the air, and the only noise was the sound of rain falling, the only light was the little candle, and yet I could see love on Jacob's face.

 Without saying a word Jacob lowered himself and kissed me, a slow kiss but full of feeling, we both yearned for this and that kiss was just the beginning.

His kisses went down to my neck, and when we noticed already our moans and clothes were scattered all over the room. with time the candle went out and the dark involved the two bodies, which unified.

 The sensation of his skin on mine, the sensation of his lips going through every piece of my being was exciting, the erotic sounds coming out of his mouth, and the force he exerted on me, were driving me crazy.

 A few hours later I woke up with the sun caressing my face, and next to me was Jacob, smiling

 "thank you for helping me... thank you for being by my side... and thank you for being mine, my love."

 "You're welcome love" from that day my heart had won an owner and I had become the owner of the heart of jacob frye

[luciferpens]

( EMMA WASTSON, FEMALE, SHE/HER ) ⌇ have you seen EVELEEN MCCARTHY around icaria? they are the 28-year-old child of DIYONISUS. they remind me of OVERFLOWING BOOKCASES, SEX IN PUBLIC PLACES, LAVISH PARTIES THAT GO UNTIL THE SUN RISES, AND INK STAINS ON STACKS OF MANUSCRIPTS. 

BASICS

FULL NAME: Eveleen Alexandria McCarthy

NICKNAMES: Eve, Evie, Eevee 

FACE CLAIM: Emma Watson

AGE: Twenty-eight

SEXUALITY: pansexual & panromantic 

DATE OF BIRTH: April 25, 1992

GENDER/PRONOUNS: cis female she/her

EDUCATION: MBA

OCCUPATION: Fashion designer and author

GODLY PARENT: Diyonisus 

GODLY POWERS: Teleportation (limited) & Chlorokinesis. Passively has 'immunity' over wine. If someone so much as thinks the word 'party' she has the ability to teleport to that place. Chlorokinesis but only over vines (specifically grape and strawberry)

BIO + BULLET POINTS

Born to a fashion mogul who started her own magazine 

Has a little sister named Hilary who is 4 years younger than her.

Her mother is very harsh and has very high expectations of both children. Forcing them to do more than most would by their ages and being horribly disappointed in them if they fail. 

Eve starts writing stories and modeling at a young age.

At 15 Eve starts sewing her own clothes and at 17 she has her own clothing line for teens and young adults.

At 18 she had published her first YA book.

Her mother threw her a party to celebrate which is where she meets her father Diyonisus. 

By 19 she had three books under her belt in a variety of genres;  YA, fantasy/sci-fi and romance. 

She moved to LA and got a roommate, Harley, and then a boyfriend Chester.

TW : Rape and Abuse

Chester blackmailed Eve with explicit photos that he took while raping her in her sleep.

This continued on for months before he broke things off with her

The two “remained friends” as Eve desperately tried to regain control over the photos. 

Harley moved, she started to travel the world while writing and working on her designs.

She met Ivy and the two became the best of friends/FWB

TW: Murder / Death / Blood

One day Eve was at a part where she ran into Chester. He acted as if nothing happened

He tried to blackmail her back into a relationship when she snapped and used her vine to pull him off the side of a small cliff and into a bunch of thorny vines 30 feet below. The fall killed him.

She teleports herself to Nightshade, gets Ivy and the two cover up the murder and her involvement best they can. 

Eve moves back to London, resumes her life of fashion and novels. She gets a roommate named Vera, the two become thick as thieves and when both of their fathers tell them to move to Icaria. They do.

Eve now lives on Icaria with Vera.

Bonnie McCarthy never wanted anything more than to be her own boss. She spent the first 20 years of her life working one weird job after another until she landed a small-time position at Vogue. Over the next six years, Bonnie worked her way up until she was the assistant to the editor-in-chief. Then -- then she got stuck. A year later she married her boyfriend, and two years after that … two more years of not getting promoted, of not getting moved to a better position, Bonnie took all her knowledge, all her contacts and all of her skill, and left Vogue to open up her own magazine. 

She was 30, but she had more drive and willpower than most, and within a year she had a magazine up and running. It was on the anniversary party of the magazine launch that Bonnie’s world got flipped on its head. She had just been enjoying her party, enjoying the drinks, the praise, the attention and celebration of the magazine growing so big in only one year. When she walked in on her husband having an affair; Instead of flipping on him, she quietly closed the door, returned to her party, and promptly found someone to sleep with. What she hadn’t been expecting was for that man to be Dionysus; what she hadn’t been expecting was three months later realizing she was pregnant and having no idea if it was her husband or the man from that lone night. 

The answer wasn’t made any clearer six months later when little Eveleen McCarthy came screaming into the world. She looked most like Bonnie, no clear sign if it was the random man or her husband’s, or soon to be Ex-husbands. She had worked herself hard, accomplished so much that her husband asked for a divorce; he tried to claim half of her stocks, her money, her things, but when she brought up that she had caught him cheating and pointed to the clause in their prenup… well, he was left getting nothing. Bonnie brought little Eve to work and hired a nanny to keep them both close.

Raised mainly by a nanny Eve learned to read, write, and draw and once she turned 4? Well, then schooling started. Her baby sister, Hilary, was born, and attention was slowly beginning to shift. Her nanny read to them every morning, their mother every evening before bed. Eve started to devour books; she loved them and wanted nothing more than to read everything she could get her hands on. Her room, over the years, was filled with sketches of clothes and novels… hundreds of them lined her walls. Eve was addicted. She adored all books and could never get enough. By 6, Eve had been pulled into her mother’s world of fashion and modeling. She was used as the child model for almost every product that required a child Eve was used to flashing lights, to cameras, to people fawning over her. And while most children would fall into a self-righteous, big-headed, mentality, Eve stayed relatively calm and sweet. Maybe it was because, at the age of 10, Eve realized she wanted to write stories, and every time she showed her mother she was patted on the head and told: “That’s nice dear, but let's find you something that can actually earn you some money.” The idea was dismissed, ignored… and promptly forgotten about. Every time Eve tried to show her mom a story she wrote for class, the same thing was said, the idea dismissed.

Still, Eve kept a smile on her face and became known as the butterfly of Spellbound Magazine. She would move from one area of the magazine to another, fluttering in and out and bringing smiles and excitement wherever she went. As the magazine grew into an international seller and started to rival other magazines like Vogue and Elle, her family’s wealth and influence grew just as much. The attention that was brought on them wasn’t… new, but it was more intense and extreme. She was harassed and ripped apart even as a 15-year-old in the gossip magazines and online, she has ridiculed if even one hair was out of place or she wore not quite the right shoes to an event. This scrutiny caused Eve to do more research, to learn more from her mother, to study the magazine so carefully she could talk fashion with her mother and hold her own. 

This fueled a passion and a will deep in her bones to tell off any magazine or journalist who had picked on on her to second guess what they said. So, she picked up her sewing machine and got to work. She started to make her own clothing. It took years of practice, a lot of failed attempts and cold words from her mother. She knew she wasn’t living up to her mother’s expectations… so she tried harder, stayed up until the sun rose, sewed until she felt like her fingers were going to bleed… and the first time she had gotten a small smile from her mother and a nod of her head Eve almost wept. Overjoyed Eve knew she was doing a good job, and every time someone asked who the designer was, she said herself or Spellbound. Slowly her work started to gain attention and her mother; ever the businesswoman capitalized on it. Eve started creating her own fashion line for teens and young adults. Her interest and talent in fashion and modeling lead Bonnie to start teaching Eve the ins and outs of running the company at just 16. 

She started attending all the parties, dressed to the nines a smile on her face. This… was when she started noticing something a little different. Whenever her mother started planning a party, without her even being told, Eve knew. She’d appear at her mother’s door and ask if she could help with the planning. Sometimes she’d even be a bit unsure of how she knew or got to her mother’s room to ask the question. But once the party rolled around? Being there felt like being a kid finally let loose in a candy store. She felt energized and elated, as she wondered the parties she noticed those around her got more excited and happy as well. For years Eve chalked it up to her mother’s abilities to plan a good party. But she’d come to learn the real reason just after her 18th birthday.

How she learned of her godly parent started with her younger sister Hilary. She was 17 and showed Hilary the novel she had written. The novels she had tried to show her mother a week before and was brushed off about. Her sister, only 13, read it, burst into her room the moment she finished and told her to do something about it. To “ignore mom” and do what she wanted. That little push from an angry preteen was exactly what she needed. So Eve did just that. She looked into getting it published, she shopped it around to different agencies, talked to agents, got readers to go over it, and by the time she turned 18… she published her first YA novel under a pseudonym. She didn’t want her name and fame to affect how people viewed her book so she used a fake name, Jean Fink. 

Her mother, surprisingly proud of Eve for successfully publishing a book, but probably more so for her latest line of clothes, threw her a party. It was here with all her friends invited, with everyone drinking and enjoying themselves that Eve noticed something. Having been gifted a bottle of wine, she popped it open, and upon the first sniff, she felt a new sensation. One she still can’t quite explain. But she and her friend started to drink, and she realized rather quickly -- that her friends were feeling the effects of the wine but she? She was fine. Handed a glass of whiskey a couple of hours later… she felt that. But the wine? It was like drinking grape juice. Yummy grape juice, but it had no side effects like the whiskey.

The party raged on, and as Eve got looser, her just being around the partygoers influenced them, it released more ecstasy and need to party the need to make it more chaotic. By 3 am the party was still raging, people were getting drunk; they were enjoying themselves it was wild and crazy, Eve stumbled outside of her house that night and sat in the garden. But when she touched the ground, a plant sprung up below it. Before her eyes, the plant grew into a small grape tree. She freaked out. Was she hallucinating? Was she drunk? Eve had a minor panic attack causing her to throw up -- not something wholly uncommon for her; she had been diagnosed with anxiety and bulimia at the age of 12, but this was major. She was unsure of what was happening. And to make matters worse -- a man appeared with a grin on his face and a wine glass in hand. 

He explained himself to be Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, parties, homosexuals, plays and well, he was her father. Eve had never known or questioned her mother on her biological dad was. It had never been important… until now. He explained that this made her a demi-god; it allowed her to have powers and dominion over certain things. She asked so many questions and wasn’t satisfied until Diyonsus had explained it all and taught her a couple of tricks. Finally, calm and satisfied with what she learned, Eve started to approach life in a new way. 

She started practicing, started testing her limits. She would teleport herself to parties around London, then around the UK and after some time? The world. Appearing all over the place, showing up in magazines and slowly earning the name of a party girl. She started growing vines wherever she could, and having Bonnie for a mother? She began to invest; she found some winery’s she enjoyed and invested money into them and every time she came she sent out a tendril of her powers and made the grapes grow big and flavorful. She partied hard, influencing those around her to enjoy themselves more, she slept around, she drank or smoke barely feeling the effects that others did. She was learning to master her powers.

But it was learning that her father was the god of plays, of drama and writing, that had the most profound impact on the woman. While her first YA book didn’t sell great, she started to dip her toes into other genres; Sci-fi and fantasy was written under the name Eden Allesan. But the one that picked up the most traction? Romance novels. This time under another pseudonym Lucy Ariadne. Lucy -- well Lucy became a well-known romance author in the span of three books published in under a year and a half. These were stories that Eve had written as a teen, fanfictions reworked into stories so separate it’d be hard to tell where the inspiration came from.

With her name and designs growing ever more popular, Eveleen figured it best to move to the one city where her red-carpet looks would do best. L.A. A city she knew she could do both of her passions; fashion and writing. She found an ad online for a roommate and -- before she knew it she met the girl, Harley, and the two were hitting it off. They became the best of friends spending all their free time together. When she wasn’t working or out partying she was hanging out with Harley. There were almost no secrets between the two women…. That was until she met Harley’s male best friend Chester; the two fell for one another and for the first time Eve actually settled down. She was 19, dumb, and in love and the three of them were thick as thieves...

TW: Rape and abuse

Until one day when she was awoken with her boyfriend overtop her, camera taking photos...and both of them were naked. She was in shock, unsure of what to do, what to say, and just clenched her eyes and hoped for it to be over soon. She tried to ignore it, tried to forget it, but it happened, again and again, and again. He started to try to control her, trying to control what she wore, where she went, and how she acted. He demanded to go with her everywhere she went, especially if it was where they would be seen in the public. He started using her for fame and notoriety. He told her that if she left him that he would release the photographs and video he had taken of them over the past seven months. Terrified of what would happen Eve did her best to just be the happy bubbly girlfriend she had been but slowly she worked on breaking the relationship apart, making him think it was his idea to end the whole thing. 

And after four months -- it finally worked.  He ended the relationship, they said it was mutual and “stayed friends.” She never let anyone know what happened, never spoke or even really thought much on it after it happened -- terrified of confronting what had happened to her over the past year. Terrified of those photos one day making it onto the internet. If you were to have met her or talked to her during this time, you never would have guessed he had spent the past year in such a state.  

End TW

The next couple of years were a bit chaotic for Eve, she worked until her fingers bled, published three more novels, and completed two collections. She was back to being an overly motivated party girl. Sleeping around whenever it suited her and refusing to bend to anyone else’s whims, she was terrified of relationships and outright refused to be solely dedicated or to ever sleepover in anyone’s bed. She enjoyed her free time with Harley and her friends and looked forward to the next big thing. 

Sadly the next big thing was her best friend moving across the country for a job. Heartbroken but excited for Harley’s big step up in the world, they promised to keep in touch. For the first couple of years they did, they texted throughout the day every day, things were great. Eve was working, she traveled more and wrote more and more novels. She designed clothing lines and got to debut them all over the world. She helped start up the American side of Spellbound magazine. Eve made friends across the globe, and for the first time in three and a half years she let herself actually feel something for someone. Ivy. Ivy had been a friend she met traveling abroad and the two quickly became travel buddies, jumping from country to country. They fell into friends with benefits sort of relationship with…. Slight feelings cropping up here and there. But what was most important to Eve? That Ivy was there for her through the good times and the bad.

TW: Murder/Death & Blood

One evening just before her 28th birthday Eveleen felt the call of a party on the coast of Maine. It was just starting at 5 pm, but it was already loud and chaotic and just the type of energy she needed. Halfway through the night was when the atmosphere, at least for her, changed. Chester. He had shown up at the party. He smiled at her waved her down and tried to act as if he hadn’t blackmailed and raped her for years. She kept it polite and sweet before moving on. 

Three hours later she was standing over his body, he was strangled and tangled up in the vines she had conjured on the outskirts of the property just off the side of a small cliff. Facedown, a drink inches from his hand, blood oozing from multiple pricks along his skin as the vine dug deeper and deeper. He had threatened  to release the photos of her if they didn’t resume their relationship... and Eve snapped. She felt nothing as she watched his last breath leave him, she felt nothing as she turned her back and teleported away to a party where Ivy was at.  She felt nothing until she collapsed into Ivy’s arms and told her what she had done in a back room of a club that the woman had owned in Icaria. After pouring her story out to the once assassin she teleported them back to the party where the two women cooked up a plan to cover Eve’s tracks. They made their way into the main part of the party, they talked to anyone and everyone they could, took photos and made their alibi as being in the party and inside as strong as possible. They knew Eve had already been seen arriving so there was no hiding that she had been there. But a couple of minutes she was gone? They wrote that off as a trip to the bathroom, a trip to touch up makeup and gossip. They convinced everyone that they had never left to go outside. 

They made it seem as if she had only said hello to her ex in a very public setting and turned her back to continue enjoying her time. He wasn’t found until the next morning when the staff was cleaning up the grounds after the party. But by then? It didn’t matter, Eve was long gone, having returned to London, to work with her mother. The corner ruled it an accident, a drunk man stumbled off the side of the cliff, they ruled the fall as the cause of death and the vines as insuring a fatal blow practically impaling himself on thousands of little needles. 

End TW

For the next six months, Eve stayed in London, working with her mother on running Spellbound and when her father appeared to her one day and asked her to move to Icaria for her own safety. She decided the change of scenery would be nice…. Besides her roommate and best friend, Vera’s father had appeared and told her the same. So the two packed up their lives and moved to the isle so many others had already made a home on.  

[ikenbar]

Mr. Love: Ike’s Choice Pt 6

Warnings: Ike being an angsty angst, Adorable fluff, cheesy lines, foreshadowing, aaaaaaaaaaaand cliffhangers :D

(Chapter One parts one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven here :))

((Please read the author’s note on part one if you’re new here :D)) 

A HEADS UP!! The first character introduced is not mine... the second one is though...

Chapter One:

Part Six:

The dining room was the loudest room in the house, but it wasn’t because of the noise inside of it. The walls were a nice pearly white, but you could barely see them from the amount of plant life Maria had sprouting all over the room. A large oak table sat in the middle of the room. The table was decorated with a gold table runner, various scented candles, and a centerpiece made of dried flowers. Seven matching dark oak chairs and one highchair surrounded it and, accompanying two of the chairs were Maria and the mystery guest. Maria was dressed nicely in a casual summer dress and high heels. She had her brunette hair tied up in a bun with a Hawaiian hibiscus planted in the middle of it, honoring her Hawaiian heritage. This look was a nice change from her usual rolled up jeans and white button-up tied to her waist.

The man sitting across from her was extremely handsome. From the way his legs were crossed to how he folded his hands together, he held himself in a manner that showed elegance and poise. He wore a black button-up shirt and dress pants that matched the hue. A pick tie was pulled lazily from his neck and the first button of his shirt was undone. His black hair was short with his bangs barely teasing his eyes. His skin was pale, showing that he spent most of his time indoors and his rectangular glasses told me most of that time was spent in front of a computer. His eyes were a beautiful violet and they were gentle as he listened to Maria talk about nothing in particular. From the way he held himself, to the smile he had resting on his face, I knew one thing was certain. 

He was hiding something.

The mystery guest looked up at me. His soft smile grew wider as he straightened his posture slightly and removed his glasses. “You must be Ike.” His voice matched the monotone one I had heard earlier. I gave him a slight nod as I walked further into the room. Maria looked back at me and beamed.

“Yes, she is!” She got out of her chair and forced me closer to the man as he stood from his chair politely, “Lucien, this is Ikamara but we call her Ike. Ike, this is Lucien.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand, which I took with a nod.

“Likewise.” I said, firmly shaking his hand. Maria smiled widely and bounced in place.

“I’ll let you two get acquainted while I help Bart in the kitchen.” her voice sounded like it had something blocking it. Likely a vat of giggles. I sighed, finally catching on to the reason why Lucien was here. Even though no one stayed long enough to ask for my number, Maria still tried really hard to set me up with a boyfriend. Whether it was some client she met at the pharmacy she worked at or the ticket booth salesman at the theater, it didn’t matter to her. As long as they were cute and wouldn’t mind a tough-skinned partner. They were always way in over their head though. She is sweet to see past my tough exterior, but men don’t have the time for that. Nor do I have the time to let them in. I’m fine with being single. I didn’t need some man coming in and throwing off my life completely. I had things under control and I wished my family would just let it be. They never did though.

As Maria left the room, Lucien smiled at me and offered Maria’s seat. I took it, suppressing an eye roll, and Lucien returned to his chair across from mine, the old chairs slightly squeaking under our weight.

“I’ve heard so much about you in the little time I’ve been here.” Lucien politely started some small talk.

"Oh? Like what?" I asked as I folded my arms across my chest.

"Well, Sam tells me you two play soccer together after school sometimes.” He paused as if he wanted me to touch on the topic. I didn’t. So he continued, “...and Maria says you’re a great cook, Ashton says you can play the piano very well, Bartholomew bragged nonstop about your work ethic, and Lola would giggle every time we mentioned your name so I could only assume she likes you as well.” Lucien chuckled slightly at his own joke, “Your family must really care about you having so many nice things to tell me about you.”

“Right, and I know exactly one thing about you.”

“And what’s that?” He chuckled, neglecting my rude response.

“Ashton tells me that you are a friend of Bart’s?”

“That’s right.”

“How is it that I have known them for so long and haven’t heard of you.”

“Because Bartholomew and I are only really connected through my father.”

“...and?” I pried.

“My father died when I was a child.” Lucien’s eyes drifted slightly and his once soft smile was now gone, “I didn’t have much reason to keep in contact with him after that.”

I gulped. “... I’m sorry for your loss.” I meekly said,  looking away from Lucien and regretting my rude responses. Way to go, Ike. I lectured to myself inside my head, Why are you so insensitive? 

Lucien caught onto the awkward silence in the room and spoke sweetly, “Thank you but it is in the past now. There is no need to be sorry.” Lucien brushed a stray hair away from my face as he lifted my chin to face him. He smiled at me reassuringly. I nodded slightly and quickly pulled his hand from my face. Lucien took no offense to this as he leaned back in his chair and continued, “After my father’s death, I didn’t have a way to keep in contact with Bartholomew. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago when I was watching the news and a story about a certain up and coming production company and their new hit show caught my attention. I noticed that the man I grew up with was the same man that owned the company. So, I moved to get in contact with him again. I was able to find his information on their website and got to catch up with him after all these years. I couldn’t visit right away because I was away from Loveland for my studies, but Bartholomew let me know I was welcome to dinner when I came back.” Lucien tilted his head slightly as his gentle smile grew, “Does that clear things up? Are you able to trust me now?”

“Who said I didn’t trust you?”

Lucien gestured to me, “From your slouched back and folded arms, you’re practically screaming it.” I looked down. My arms were folded tightly to my chest and I was sliding down my chair. My feet were slightly pointed to the door as if I were ready to run to it at any minute. Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and straightened myself in the chair as I unfolded my arms. Lucien chuckled as I did so, reveling in the fact that he caught me red-handed. I felt my face burn slightly.

“It’s not that I’m untrusting.” I lied, “I’m just overprotective.”

“I can understand why.” Lucien’s soft smile returned, “With a family like yours, I would be too.”

“And it is your family too!” A cheery voice came walking out of the kitchen. Bart carried a large pot out with him. The pot seemed a lot smaller than it really was as he held it in his large hands and against his even larger body. He wore a red lacy apron that was covered in sauce stains. But even the stains looked delicious. Bart was a phenomenal cook. It was a skill he wouldn’t admit he had but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t let us stop praising him for it. He didn’t cook often but, when he did, you could tell it was for a special occasion. I hoped that occasion was because Lucien was visiting and not because I had sealed a deal with Victor. Just the thought of disappointing Bart ruined my appetite.

 Bart had a large smile planted across his face as he looked at the two of us, “The food is nearly done! Evie, be a dear and set the table.” I nodded and stood up.

“Evie?” Lucien asked standing as well.

“Yes! Evie!” Bart chimed as he placed the pot on the table, “We wanted Ike to know that this house would be a different experience from her other foster homes and start a new life with us! Evelyn is her middle name, so we started calling her Evie! It’s like another way of calling her ‘dear’ or ‘sweetheart.’” 

“I see…” Lucien seemed to be lost in thought.

“Only they can call me Evie.” I caught on to his train of thought before it spiraled out of control. I turned and looked Lucien dead in the eye, “You try calling me that and I will sew your lips shut.” Lucien tried smiling at me but, after seeing how serious I was, he frowned and nodded.

“Ike it is.” He said just as seriously.

“Isn’t she a hoot!” Bart laughed joyfully, “I’m glad to see you two hitting it off!” I rolled my eyes and disappeared into the kitchen to avoid any more contact with Lucien.

 I walked to the cupboard where the plates were stored but stopped when I saw Maria was already holding them, smiling widely at me.

“So?!” She badgered, “What do you think??”

“I think you aren’t getting my hints.” I took the plates from her, but she held her grip. I looked at her with an annoyance dripping from my every pore.

“Come on!” Maria begged, “Give him a chance! Lucien is different! You guys had a conversation and he is still willing to stay for dinner!”

“The night is still young!” I said hopefully as I gave the plates a good tug, taking the plates from her and turned back to the door. Maria took my shoulder.

“Ike.” She spoke softly, “You can’t stay closed off forever.” I loosened my expression for a moment. ...Was I being too hard? Even though I was rude, he was still nice to me and still wanted to stay. Maybe…

 I quickly shook my head and moved my shoulder from Maria’s hand. It didn’t matter if he had stayed. He would see how bad I am as a partner and leave me behind just like everyone else did. And I’d be ok with it. We’d do this whole shindig over again with a whole new person and he would leave as well. It always happens.

The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” Maria’s voice was cheery again as she jogged out of the kitchen. I sighed as I watched her leave. Maybe I should have canceled and stayed home or gone to St. Richards for a drink. I started making plans to sneak out but they were interrupted when I heard someone say my name in the dining room.

“Ike mentioned that you wanted her to have a different experience here then her other foster homes,” Lucien’s voice resembled one of a therapist’s, “If you don’t mind me asking, why is that?” There was a slight pause in the room as Bart thought of what to say. I used this pause to quickly start to move back to the dining room and stop the conversation from continuing.

“Ike had been through plenty of foster homes before ours.” My feet stuck to the ground when I heard Bart’s voice. It was a tone he rarely used. Very serious but with a soft undertone. It was the tone used when he talked to me about how his company was going under. And the tone he used when he first called me Evie. 

I stayed by the kitchen door, unable to move, as Bart continued, “Some of which left her with scars, mental and physical, to remind her of them. I mean, when she first came to us, she wouldn’t even speak. We wanted her to know we would give her nothing but love. The kind of love every fifteen-year-old deserved.”

“She was only fifteen…” Lucien’s voice was soft, “What... did they do to her?” I regained feeling in my feet and briskly walked out of the kitchen. 

“What kind of silverware do you want, Bart?” I asked uselessly, making the two men jump at my sudden appearance in the dining room. Their conversation ceased at once. I couldn’t have Bart answer him. It wasn’t because I didn’t want him to but because I knew he couldn’t. Bart and Maria were extremely empathetic people. When I explained to them what happened in those homes, they wept like children. They apologized over and over for something they had no control over. They were even afraid to touch me for days after I told them because they were afraid they would hurt me in some way. Whenever the conversation was brought up about my scars after that, they would start getting overly emotional and shut down. I hated seeing them like that. I hated the look they always had on their face. The look of unjustified sympathy.

“Uh, forks!” Bart said, trying and failing to bring back his normal joyful tone, “Can’t have spaghetti without forks!” I nodded and started placing down the plates. A slender hand appeared on top of mine, stopping my actions. I looked up and saw Lucien smiling at me.

“Allow me.” He said moving the stack closer to him, “You can get the utensils.” I tensed. That was an obvious attempt to get rid of me so they would continue their conversation. I wouldn’t let that happen. Before I could decline his offer, a loud laugh came from the dining room doorway.

“Wow, did mom bring home yet another guy for Ikie?”

I looked over and saw my elder foster brother, Christopher, smirking at Lucien and I from the dining room. Chris had been assigned to this foster home the same time as I did. The foster care center thought it would be a better idea to have someone there that was my age to help me out of my shell. He had only stayed a couple of months until his mother got back home from her business trip, and he had to leave. He had created such a strong bond with Maria, Bart, and the kids while he was there so he came to visit almost daily. Despite being assigned to be his foster sister, our relationship wasn’t nearly as strong as his relationships with the others. That was my fault though. I should have worked harder to better the bond between us. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. His love was way better spent on the little kids then on me.

“Chris!!” Sam raced in from the family room and right into Chris’ arms. Chris gladly accepted him and raised him up and into the air.

“Hey buddy!” He laughed, giving him a nudge, “How’s my favorite brother?”

“I heard that!” Ashton called from the living room. Almost everyone in the dining room burst into laughter. I took that moment to slide the plates away from Lucien and finish setting the table. Ashton popped his head in and glared at Sam, “You still have to watch Lola.”

“Danggit.” Sam cursed and jumped from Chris’ arms and ran back into the family room.

“Swear jar, mister!” Maria returned to the dining room and besides Chris.

“Wonder where he learned that one.” Chris playfully glared at me.

“Hey now,” I threw my finger at him, “My mouth is way dirtier than that and you know it.” The room laughed again as Chris approached me. I held out my hand for a handshake but he pulled me into a hug. I sighed and gave him a few awkward pats on the back.

“How was work?” Chris asked cheerfully as he pulled away from me.

“Long.” I sighed as flashbacks of that day’s events came to mind, “How was yours?”

Chris worked at a kid's TV show company with his best friend from college. They were both history majors who wanted to do more to interest people in the history of Loveland. So they started working on their own TV show shortly after Bart and I started making ours. His show was dedicated to the history of Loveland and the events that led to the happenings of today. The show was animated to lure the attention of kids but still had an alluring story to capture the interest of adults as well. Their show was slow to take off but I really saw some potential with it. I thought it was a really good way to get people to teach people the events of the past as to not recreate them, and I wanted Chris to know that I supported him. In fact, I was one of the first to invest in their company. Though I had to pay him anonymously. He would have never accepted my money if I had offered it outright to him. He was too modest for that. Or too prideful. Either way, he wasn’t going to take my money so I made it an offer he couldn’t refuse. 

“Same.” Chris sighed, “It’s hard to find someone who would be willing to fund such a small and underappreciated show. And before you offer,” Chris held a hand up to my mouth, which I had opened in protest, “I don’t need your money. I want to work for it.” I sighed and nodded, suppressing a smile.

“What, Sam and Ike get a hug and I don’t?!” Bart pulled Chris into a big hug, one Chris was happy to return. “Welcome home son!”

“Thanks, Pops!” Chris grunted from inside Bart’s tight grip. Bart dropped him and pushed him over to Lucien. “I would like to introduce one of my good friends, Lucien!” Chris put out his hand and Lucien accepted it.

“Hi! I’m Chris.” He said enthusiastically, shaking his hand.

“Lucien.” Lucien was a very patient man. Or very good at hiding his emotions. Either way it was commendable, “I’ve heard a lot about you. Your father is very proud of what you have accomplished in your show.” Chris looked taken aback. He chuckled nervously as his ears reddened. I arched my eyebrow. Lucien seemed to know how to make anyone flustered. I looked up at him and saw he was already looking at me. I tensed and quickly avoided his eyes. He wasn’t going to get me blushing next! I wouldn’t let him!… danggit.

“Your face is red, Ike.” Lucien asked, pulling my attention back to him, “Are you feeling well?” He raised a hand and held the back of it to my face. His hand cooled my burning cheeks. I quickly stepped away from him. 

“I’m fine.” I quickly said, straightening my flannel, “It’s just hot in here.” Lucien was quick to respond.

“I believe the fault of that falls entirely on you.”

Everyone’s mouths dropped as they turned to look at me. The flames on my cheeks intensified. Lucien’s stare was calm as he relished in the moment. This man…

I quickly regained my composure as I cleared my throat. “Well then I’ll leave to make things a little more comfortable for you guys.” I pushed past the crowd of testosterone to get to the kitchen, despite their playful pleads for me to stay. I walked into the kitchen and leaned on the counter. If Lucien thinks he can just get away with something like that-

“I’m sorry Lulu.” Chris’s voice carried from the dining room, “Ikie has been that way for years. I’m afraid nothing has changed.” My hands tightened on the counter. There they go again. Apologizing for something I did. For something I wasn’t sorry about. Like what I felt was useless as long as their image came first. I was twenty-three years old. I wasn’t some child they could cover for. They had done this for years. I knew there was no chance they would stop.

“Don’t worry.” Lucien laughed, “It’ll take a lot more than that to scare me away. Trust me.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. If that’s what Lucien thinks then that night was going to be a long night.

(Next)

[possiblypeachy]

tea & schemes. (5)

―; summary: Gods are not often found in the library but it seems as though Florence has a talent for finding things that she shouldn’t.

―; pairing: jacob frye x ofc

―; word count: 4.7k (another biggun)

―; warnings: light swearing.

―; A/N: i love a good catalyst (a.k.a. from this point on is when it gets juicy, y’know)!! 

this chapter also features jacob being too kind to flor and, each time i write them together, i get closer and closer to making them just like kiss or smth BUT i have to stick to my outline so :(( no smooches yet :((

―; part: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

― ❊ ―

The headache from her and Evie’s last conversation had not yet left her. It had certainly done a number on her; even Freddy shot the occasional concerned glance toward Lissie over dinner when Florence displayed too much politeness. It was not her— this well-mannered, tame woman— but it is what everyone had wanted of her, so who was she not to give it to them? It was a shame, whatever spirits that watched over her thought, that such a sharp woman had been dulled— like a blade without its care.

She had taken to reading more often, finding that the public library was a quaint enough place for a woman of her status. Now that she had put a barrier between herself and adventure, sitting down with a good book was about as far into her wildest dreams that Florence could delve. While at home, Duncan brought her comfort— even if he seemed to always have that scowl on his face. When the weather would be too terrible to think of going for a walk, he and Florence would sit together near the windowsill, looking for any birds that had the misfortune of flying that day.

Duncan was doing just that, a breeze from the opened window ruffling his whiskers, while his owner read quietly at her desk. She had been mulling over Pride and Prejudice (a terrible book to read when one wants to remove themselves entirely from romance, but it had always been one of Florence’s favourites so she had allowed it) when the tabby began to yowl behind her. She ignored him for a time, now using a finger to trace underneath the lines of writing to keep her focus on the book. The sound of him leaping from the windowsill to the bed was the next thing that broke her concentration. That, and the fact that he continued to meow.

With a sigh, Florence’s shoulders slumped and she paused in her reading. “Duncan, lovely, be quiet; mama’s trying to read.”

“Oh, we’ll try to be quieter. Sorry.”

When it felt like her soul rose from its very body, she lost the page of her book and slammed her hand down onto the desk. A harsh, through-the-teeth “shit!” slipped from her lips and her head hung closer to her body, eyes closed. It was quiet for a few moments, save for a gentle chuckling. Then, Duncan meowed again and Florence finally turned her head, eyes being greeted by her cat leaning into Jacob’s hand, chirruping quite happily with the scratching his head was getting. “You didn’t think to even say ‘hello’ as you came in? Give the window frame a knock?” She rubbed a hand across her brow, huffing out a breath. “You could’ve killed me.”

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” Jacob observed. She heard him take a seat on the bed behind her. Duncan’s purring didn’t cease. In fact, it sounded almost like he had begun to knead the man’s thighs, preparing to, presumably, fall asleep upon them.

Now, one mustn’t discount Duncan the cat as an unimportant element of this story. He had always been a good judge of character, like his human ‘mother’, but had the luck of being born into a feline’s body, meaning no one really expected much from him. On one occasion, one of Freddy’s colleagues had appeared at the door, smelling of liquor, near to the witching hour. Both siblings were still awake; Frederick was preoccupied with some manner of paperwork and Florence had been with Lissie, giggling next to the fireplace over a bottle of wine. Freddy, too polite and concerned for the man’s safety, let him stay in the spare bedroom in the basement until morning, much to Lissie’s (who now had to sleep in a room adjacent to the bloke) displeasure. Duncan, not liking the way he carried himself-- or stood dangerously close to his paws, took it upon himself to make that night a living hell. The man got all of about two hours sleep, constantly interrupted by a hissing tomcat and a fair few bites to the ankles. Lissie was disappointed to see that Duncan had also taken it upon himself to mark his territory in the corners of the room.

‘How does this relate to the tale at hand?’ you ask. Well, Duncan will have you know that that ankle-bitten man ended up breaking a family heirloom out of pure carelessness the next morning and was later discharged from the police force for ‘abuse of power’. Then, he would like to remind you that he is a good judge of character.

Florence knew this, having cared for the dastardly cat for long enough now, which made it so much worse when Duncan had decided that Jacob wasn’t just a good person to have around-- in fact, he was splendid. He’d never had a head scratch like that before!

Her own cat was betraying her to hasten her realisation of the goodness before her.

Terrible.

“I woke up on a perfectly fine side of--” Florence bit on her own words, pulling the stress in her voice back by a leash. Her jaw clenched. “Why are you here, Mister Frye? I don’t have any leads on work and--”

“Ouch.”

She steeled her expression before turning to look at him, hands clamped onto the back of her chair. “What?”

Jacob frowned slightly. Something seemed to be settling in. “Why are you angry with me?”

Upon seeing his genuine worry, Florence’s gaze softened for a moment but, when a flood of reminders to become a better woman flushed her mind, her attention flickered away from him. It returned once more and the honey of her eyes was now hard like bronze. “I’m not angry with you. I’m just preoccupied--”

“With what? Reading--” He moved to peer over her shoulder and, before she could shuffle the book away from his prying sight, he finished with a “-- Pride and Prejudice?” Jacob shot her an incredulous look, brows knitted together, and she looked away. “The Florence I know wouldn’t be… like this.”

Florence swallowed, refusing to look back at him. “Well, perhaps the Florence you know is not who I truly am. Sorry to disappoint, Mister Frye.”

Silence.

Jacob studied her. There was a hint of… something in her eyes: doubt? Insecurity? She wrung her hands together as she went to turn away from him again and it clicked: “Someone has said something to you.”

She felt her stomach flip. Duncan had stopped purring. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“They have, haven’t they? That’s why you’ve started to do all these… ladylike things. Reading, sewing--” He gestured to the broken shirt hung over a nearby chair, “-- and I can tell that you haven’t been out yet today; the bottom of your dress isn’t dusty.”

If one listened closely enough, they could almost hear Florence huff out a laugh. “I do ‘ladylike things’ most of the time; it’s what people want of me.”

He groaned. “But it’s not what you want, is it?”

She went quiet. In an attempt to comfort, Duncan leapt from the bed to the chair, balancing awkwardly before wobbling down onto her lap.

“What did they say?”

Florence felt her resolve weakening. He was too nice to her. “You should probably be elsewhere. You have important things to do for the better of London and I’m not well-enough equipped to help with that.”

All the pieces fell into place and he rolled his head to one side, gaze following his movement. “They’ve put it into your head that you’re not… assassin-y enough to spend time with me?” She gave him one look that said all he needed to know. “Bullshit.” The way in which he contorted his face forced Florence to hide a smile. Damn him. “I have had drinks with Charles Dickens and he is far less capable than you are.”

Hazel eyes bore into her like a fishing hook with her growing grin being the catch. The sight that met his again was warmer-- more like her. “You have not gone to the pub with Charles Dickens.”

Jacob finally gave a smile-- one that they often shared together. “Of course I have! He’s--”

“Oh, fuck off. Don’t you dare lie to me, Jacob Frye.”

He leant his head back to chuckle, a weight lifting off of his chest. “He’s part of a Ghost Club; Evie and I joined it.”

Florence giggled, moving her head to the side as if to keep it from his view. “You’re just digging yourself further into a grave with the stone above it engraved as ‘liar’. I mean, a Ghost Club?” She nodded mockingly at him, eyes narrowed and mouth drawn into a tight smile. “Of course.”

“I’ll take you one day, if only to prove my innocence. I reckon you’d like a good ghost hunt.”

The little rev of Duncan’s chest had returned upon feeling his owner’s body and soul relax beneath him. One of Florence’s hands moved to stroke him gently, content. She felt better-- like she had control again. Perhaps acting differently to how you are is a terrible decision after all.

It was quiet for a small while, during which Jacob simply watched Florence and Duncan, feeling much better about his visit today. Then, she opened her mouth like she was going to say something but stopped herself with a smile. He cocked his head and she sighed, sounding almost relieved. “Thank you, Jacob. Really. I have felt--”

“It’s no problem.” There was a pause. “It’s nice to get away from all the assassin business sometimes. One might call you ‘an escape’.”

“Refreshing like a holiday to the seaside, am I?” Florence raised a brow. Jacob was glad to see the dimple in her cheek again.

He smiled that devious little smile of his. “I wouldn’t know. We’ll have to go together someday, dear Flor.”

She swallowed that rising feeling in her chest and gave a small nod, an impish light flickering wickedly in her eyes. “Certainly-- if my brother allows it.”

“Well,” Jacob clicked his tongue, his lips straightening into a line, “we can kiss goodbye to that idea then.”

Florence hummed, agreeing. It would be terribly scandalous for a young, unmarried woman such as herself to be seen on holiday with a man-- a man below her station, at that. What was she? Some kind of lady of the night? Those were words she could hear her eldest sister, Harriet, say; she had liked Florence and her ‘feminism’ about as much as one likes vomit on their doorstep.

“Everything from before aside,” She began, veering the conversation elsewhere. She sounded kinder now, “what brings you to my humble abode, Jacob?”

He paused for a moment, thinking. Then gave a positively confused look. “I’m not sure actually. I was just passing by and thought that I’d pop in, I suppose.” His mouth formed a lopsided grin when he glanced down to Duncan. “I just couldn’t stay away from little Dee and his charms.”

“Is it impossible for you not to give something a nickname?” Florence asked, exasperated. Duncan seemed fairly happy with the new name, however, made clear in a tired, little ‘mrreow!’ from her lap.

“It makes life more interesting. Plus,” Jacob had that look again-- like he lived to annoy, “the best part of my day is hunting down your brother and calling him anything but ‘sergeant’.”

Florence gave a laugh at this; what kind of sibling would she be if she didn’t find joy in her brother’s misfortune? It wasn’t her problem that he had decided to ally with the Fryes.

With a little sigh, she patted Duncan off of her lap and stood, trying her best to brush the cat fur from her skirt. Although the furrow of her brows was disgruntled, when she glanced at Jacob, her eyes spoke of contentment. “Right then, Jacob. Time spent here is time wasted. Why don’t we go for a walk?”

“Only if you hold my arm like a damsel pining for me.” Jacob raised a brow, eyes wide and an arm held out like the offer he made was meant to be tantalizing.

Florence huffed a laugh out through her nose, shaking her head. “You really do push your luck, Jacob Frye.”

“Oh, but it’s a tempting offer, isn’t it? I have been told that I have a strong arm.”

“By who? The many other women you have doting on you?”

Jacob grinned. “So you count yourself among them? How lovely.”

Florence raised a hand as if to slap his arm and he flinched away, laughing. She gave him a chiding look, though the effect was negated with how her eyes squinted when she smiled, and left the room, leaving him to follow her down the stairs.

--

Florence had indeed succumbed to the offer of holding his arm as they walked. She insisted that it was to prevent her from becoming a victim of her own clumsiness but Jacob had dismissed that with an unconvinced “of course” and a shit-eating grin.

Walking this closely to him had brought her to the realisation that he was quite a bit taller than her. When he spoke, she noticed that she had to crane her head up a bit to look at his face and, upon coming about this discovery, she soon decided to simply look ahead when replying, as to keep him from realising this debilitating advantage over her. It also birthed the thought of: Good Lord, Evie Frye is a tall woman. Florence classed herself as ‘an average build and height’ for a woman living about London but Evie seemed to just take the cake. Perhaps the air in Crawley encouraged growth?

Their conversation had been idle and quaint for a while, consisting of curious questions about one another. He had learnt that her favourite colour was blue, though she had barely enough dresses in the shade. Florence spoke of her siblings-- all four of them, to which Jacob mentioned he could hardly imagine having one other Evie, let alone three. While speaking of her childhood, there was a brief, melancholic mention of a man called ‘Thomas’ but she breezed over it so quickly that he barely had time to ask about.

She had learnt that the shilling he kept around his neck was a memento of his youth and some kind of good luck charm. When she had asked about his scars, Jacob gave a rather nondescript account of the death of a target ending in a terrible barfight. Florence had worried at him about it, despite it having been an incident years past, but it brought a fond little smile to his face, that feeling squeezing in his chest.

All had been well until they had arrived at a dock in Lambeth. There was a small commotion near some salesman and, as soon as they both heard “Starrick”, Jacob began to tug them closer to the source of the fuss. In an effort to help him better move, Florence pulled her arm away from his and hurried along behind him, muttering apologies to anyone who had the misfortune of being in their way.

Starrick’s Soothing Syrup? What a ridiculous product to sell. She supposed he did have a hand in every industry in London but, goodness, that just didn’t seem safe.

A woman had started a row with the man, pointing angrily to a rather… unhealthy looking man behind her. He seemed to be on the verge of violence-- so did the lady, if one speaks honestly-- so Jacob, giving a brief gesture for Florence to stay there, moved towards them. Immediately, upon Jacob uttering a few words, the bloke pulled a knife on him, to which he swatted hit away. Despite the danger, Florence gave a little laugh; it was clear that a little shiv would be the least of Jacob’s concern. It was then that the salesman was off, running down the dock.

Jacob sighed, then turned to look between Florence and the woman, saying a simple: “If you’ll excuse me, ladies” before sprinting off himself.

The pair of women stood in silence for a few moments, simply staring after him.

“Your fella is quite the athlete.” The woman broke the silence, sight flickering toward Florence.

Florence gave a small smile, bemused by the whole ordeal. “I… suppose he is.” Her brows were furrowed, unconvinced of her own stance, and the woman gave her a strange look before moving away to the sick man a few metres back.

Well.

She stood on the Lambeth docks for a while longer, unsure of what to do with herself.

Perhaps a visit to the library would be fine.

Florence had come to enjoy the library, regardless of whether or not she was there to appear more womanly or not. It was quiet and smelt of old books-- a scent that she thinks not enough people give credit to. Only rarely was she disturbed and most often it was by the librarian’s assistant; she was the librarian’s wife and looked so much like a sweet, little mouse that Florence could whole-heartedly say that she would trust the woman with her life, despite only having spoken to her a handful of times.

Having ran her fingers along the spines of books for long enough, Florence finally pulled from the shelf ‘The Woman in White’ and took a seat at a nearby table, nestled into the corner of the building beside a window. There were only a few other people around: a pair of ladies a few tables across, the librarian organising the shelves; if all went as she wanted, she would go undisturbed for the couple of hours she would stay here.

However, a few chapters into her book, her plans seemed to have been sabotaged.

“She was a Fairy, a Sylph, I don’t know what she was - anything that no one ever saw, and everything that everybody ever wanted.”

Florence placed a thumb on the page she was at and looked up. She met a pair of brilliantly green eyes-- like a meadow begging to be explored. The owner of the eyes gave her a small, gentlemanly smile and nodded to the seat across from her, silently asking to sit.

She gestured to it as acceptance then glanced at the book he held in his hands. “David Copperfield.”

The man nodded. “Indeed. One might think that Dickens looked to you for inspiration for those words.”

Now, Florence was never one to turn down compliments directed at her. In fact, some might say that the young woman had somewhat of an ego heaving along with her. Though, it was rare to be so openly and publicly worshipped by a man so… beautiful. If his eyes had not already been enough to intrigue her, the gentle curl of his blonde locks made a part of her being swoon. He had a strange kindness to his features, what with the permanent upward curl of his lips and the graceful glint he held in his gaze.

Well, if she was to marry someone, he may as well look like that.

“Might I ask your name, sir?” Florence’s head tilted somewhat, the smile that her mother had taught all of her daughters carefully drawn upon her lips.

Now sat across from her, he closed the book and interlocked his fingers in front of him, gaze never leaving hers. It was almost overwhelming how dutifully he kept eye contact. “Willard Molyneux-Herbert, madam-- third son to the Earl of Carnarvon.” He held a hand out and Florence placed her own within his grip. Willard, that quirk to his lips still there, drew her hand upwards and placed a gentle kiss to the back of it. “A pleasure.”

Florence had to look away for a moment to quell the rising heat in her cheeks but Willard appeared to have already noticed this and had a rather pleased, feline grin painted across his features. She silently chided herself; she would not be the blushing maiden. She would not.

“I’m afraid I don’t have as much grandeur to my name, Mister Molyneux-Herbert.” Willard quirked a brow upwards, asking her to continue regardless. “I’m Florence Abberline. It’s lovely to make your acquaintance.”

Upon hearing her name, something in his eyes changed but the softness to his expression never left. She stopped herself from narrowing her eyes at this difference in demeanour. “Florence is a beautiful name, Miss Abberline. It’s root, I believe, is Latin: floreo-- meaning ‘to flourish or blossom’. It is suiting for a woman so much like a flower herself.”

“Well,” Florence began, her mind slowly beginning to unpick his mood and mannerisms piece by piece, “I’m sure Willard has just as lovely of a meaning--”

“‘Strong desire’. Willard means ‘strong desire’.” His eyes were boring into hers and something began to unsettle Florence. He was very… full-on; even the women from the table nearby had gone into frenzied whispering about their interactions. What would Freddy say?

Silence fell over them for a few moments and now his eyes, rather than meadows, felt more like pits to fall in. That smile hadn’t yet left either; he looked like a wolf-- a predator. Why was he speaking with her? A library was not the place to try to court a woman. Florence couldn’t help but feel as if something darker was afoot.

If Duncan was here, she was sure that he’d agree.

One of her hands moved down to rub her clammy palm against her dress, though her expression showed no sign of discomfort. If anything, she made herself look more like a flustered young lady, eyes rather daringly studying each aspect of his face. Willard seemed to revel in this. “What brings you to my corner of the library, Mister Molyneux-Herbert?”

For a moment, the man appeared to be taken aback by the query. She could see him rack his mind for an answer before smoothly replying with: “When one is perusing the library’s stock and sees such a beauty between the shelves, they shouldn’t dismiss the opportunity to introduce themselves.”

Florence’s mind drifted to Jacob; he was forward but… not like this. His way exuded charm and the kind of playfulness that was born from a want for friendship-- companionship. Willard, despite his physical perfection, had something dangerous lurking beneath the surface, she was sure of it.

Or was she?

Perhaps she was just being paranoid. He had been nothing but kind since first speaking to her. Maybe this was just how men acted while courting someone properly? Florence, herself, had never experienced a formal process of ‘courting’, though she could barely see how love could come from such hungry stares. She felt small near him-- like she was a woman beneath him-- but she couldn’t deny the draw of Willard’s beauteous aura.

“You are very forward, sir.” She observed. Florence’s eyes now fought against his for dominance; she had finally found her feet once again. Half of her hoped that her straightening posture would weaken his resolve but if anything it seemed to egg him on-- the acceptance of a challenge gleaming in his eyes.

“One must be if they are to have any chance with a lady such as yourself, Miss Abberline. I imagine you have all manner of suitors knocking at your door.” The way in which he said that felt almost insincere-- mocking.

Florence smiled sadly, though she felt none of the true emotion. “You think too highly of me, Mister Molyneux-Herbert.”

“I do not think highly enough of you, madam. Say,” a brow quirked upwards and he unclasped his hands, showing both of his palms to her as if to ask if she would take them in her grasp, “would it be too brash of me to ask for you to meet me here once again tomorrow? There is not enough time left for me today to truly convince you of your own splendour.”

Florence had not yet taken his hands and, with the way his fingers twitched, he seemed to be getting increasingly agitated by the prospect of being turned down. However, when a courteous smile graced her features, he relaxed somewhat. “Certainly. I’ll be here again at midday, if that suits your needs.”

“Anything you do shall suit my needs, my lady.” He grinned in that wolfish way again and Florence bit back a grimace, rather replacing it with a blush to the cheeks and a shy look away. Willard was pleased with that. “It pains me to say it but I must be off. I have parliamentary business to attend to--” he glanced to her as he stood, hoping that his flash of power would weaken her knees, “-- and a dinner party to host tonight. I shall see you again tomorrow.” He gave a small nod of his head and, with that, was away-- a pride to his stride that made Florence frown behind him.

Rather appropriately, a bout of goosebumps arose on Florence’s arms upon being left in the wake of his being. Something wasn’t right but she just couldn’t put her finger on it. He was undoubtedly a charming man and took the hearts of many women (the ladies to her left seemed quite taken with him, whenever jealousy wasn’t dampening their expression) but there was something ungodly about him-- about the way he ate her with his eyes. She would have to tell Freddy about this when she got back home, though she doubted he would--

“Excuse me, miss?” The librarian’s assistant coaxed her from her daze by waving a small slip of paper before her. Florence blinked herself away from her thoughts and gave the sweet young woman a smile, asking her to continue. “Have you dropped this? I found it on the floor near the table as I was tidying.”

“No, that isn’t mine” is what she should’ve said, had she not been a woman who enjoyed noseying through other people’s possessions. Instead, she gave a laugh, as if to say ‘oh, silly me!’ before taking the paper from her. Honey eyes flickered down to it briefly but she simply mentioned: “Thank you, Miss. I couldn’t have left without this” before standing from her seat and hurrying out of the library.

Now out on the street-- Willard not in sight-- Florence began to unfold the paper, walking rather determinedly toward the bridge to cross the Thames. Despite Willard having been the son of an Earl, his handwriting was terrible, though she suspects it was all written in haste.

Oh, Florence had a beautiful degree of luck.

It was a slip of paper with answers to enquiries about Frederick Abberline written upon it: his schedule, where he lived, who he lived with. Florence’s own name and the word ‘sister’ had been circled a great number of times, alongside a small scribbling that she frequented the library as of late. A shiver shot up her back; someone had been watching her? How… concerning.

At this point, she decided that it was likely in her best interest to get into a carriage the rest of the way home, lest she get kidnapped off of the street. Upon paying for a driver, Florence settled into her temporary safety and continued to examine the slip. Near the end, his writing was illegible but, with much difficulty, she was able to make out the words ‘revenge’ and something about Willard’s brother. She gave a thoughtful hum, flicking the corner of the sheet with her index finger until all the dots connected-- well, connected as well as they could.

If she could recall correctly, Freddy, about a month ago, had mentioned about the arrest of quite an upper-class man-- a doctor. He had been doing decidedly inhumane things and was detained in his own home, much to the chagrin of his family. One of his brothers-- maybe Willard?-- had been aggressively vocal throughout the whole ordeal, though Freddy never gave any names during his brief account of the scene. She would have to discuss this with her brother when she finally got home.

Perhaps herself and Jacob would be working together again soon.

[writings-of-dumpy]

The Princess and the Pirate - Chapter 4

A/N: What’s a Descendants fic without a bit of kidnapping after a day of pining?

“Bye, mum! Bye, dad!” I said goodbye to my parents as they headed out for spring break to Arendelle.

“Bye, darling! Have fun on your trip, too!” my mother said to me as she left with my father.

I smiled and headed back to my dorm where Evie was frantically packing. It had been a full three months since the engagement ball and Evie had become increasingly stressed by the day. She and Ben were to get married once school was over, and with only two more months until her wedding date, everything was chaos for the Queen-to-be.

“Evie. This trip is supposed to be a distraction, not an even bigger stressor,” I told her as I watched her pack her suitcase for the twelfth time.

“Well.. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the Isle and I’m not sure if everyone there will like me and Ben’s last trip to the isle didn’t go well at all…” Evie said frantically.

“Evie… It’s going to be alright. Just relax and enjoy the beach like you’re supposed to,” I calmed. Evie took a deep breath with me and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right… The second I see Ben, everything is going to be totally fine.”

“Exactly. This trip is for you and Ben… and apparently the rest of the school,” I mused.

Evie giggled and hugged me. The entire student body met by the bridge to Isla New Auradon, and once everyone was accounted for, we all began to walk across the bridge.

“So, who did you end up rooming with since Evie and Ben are bunking together?” Carlos asked me on the way.

I shrugged. “Whoever is left, I suppose.”

“Hey, that’s what Harry said, too! You guys should room together,” Jay said and smiled.

“I guess so,” I said and smiled at Harry, who I found was walking next to me. He smiled at me and we all kept walking.

“Didn’t think I’d be back here so soon... But it feels like a lifetime,” Harry commented once we reached the cabins by the beach on the Isle.

“Ray, you’re in the cabin next to mine and Ben’s!” Evie shouted from a few meters away at the doorstep of her cabin. I could tell that she was much calmer now.

I smiled and walked with Harry to the cabin adjacent to Evie and Ben’s.

“I swear t’God if I hear even one peep out’a ye, I’m comin’ over with the hose, got it?” Harry jokingly threatened Evie and Ben, who then laughed and went into their cabin.

I playfully shoved Harry and rolled my eyes. “Don’t be crass.”

Harry laughed and opened the door, then allowed me to enter first. The room looked nothing like a cabin on the inside. There was a huge king-sized bed off to one side of the room and on the other side there was a closet, bathroom and small kitchen space. The cabin’s interior was more like a hotel suite than a cabin on the beach.

“Well, that complicates things a bit,” I said, gesturing to the one bed in the room.

“Wha, ye don’t want te cuddle me?” Harry joked and feigned a pout.

I blushed and rolled my eyes. Of course I wanted to, but I couldn’t let him know that. Ever since the night of the engagement ball, Harry and I have been closer than ever, which made the feelings I harbor for him even more of a burden and pain in my chest.

“Come on, we’re adults,” I said, completely giving up and setting my stuff on one side of the bed. Harry set his belongings on the other side and then changed into his swimsuit to meet the guys on the beach. Being as vampirically pale as I am, half of my suitcase was sunscreen products. I changed into my swimsuit and loaded up my bag and met Evie outside her cabin.

“That’s so cute, is it new?” she asked me and gestured to my black one-piece with an open back.

“Nope, had it for years, but I’ve never used it! Yours looks totally new!” I commented on her blue and white two-piece.

“Thank you! It’s what I’ve been sewing!” she said.

We smiled and linked our arms together and walked to the beach, following behind the boys.

“Uma, you don’t have a swimsuit?” Lannie asked her girlfriend.

“I do, but it’s under my clothes,” Uma responded. “Also, if I’m not careful, my tentacles will take over the beach, so I might stay out of the water today.”

“Oh, come on, give yourself some credit! You’ve got full control over those, my sea queen,” Lannie encouraged her with a peck on the cheek and an endearing embrace.

We claimed a spot on the beach and laid our towels down. I looked over and saw that the boys were already about six meters out beyond the shoreline. I saw Harry and Carlos begin a splash war and Ben and Jay join in quickly.

“Sometimes I think they just wander off into their own world…” Lannie noted with her eyes on the group of men. We all giggled at that. Suddenly, we could no longer see Ben or Harry, but then they both emerged from the water and were walking towards the dry sand where Evie and I sat. I looked Harry over and I felt a blush come across my face. He had told me about how he, Jay, and Ben had started going to the gym on campus more and it showed. His muscles were toned and defined, but not overly bulky. His eyeliner stayed on perfectly thanks to a trick Evie taught him and his hair looked like a disheveled wet mess, but on him it was god-like. Over all, I hadn’t ever seen Harry look so... downright hot. I felt guilty for objectifying him in this way to myself, but I couldn’t help but stare at how incredible he looked with seawater running down him and his shorts hanging dangerously low on his hips, weighed down by the water the fabric had absorbed.

“Hey, wait—AH! Ben!!” Evie screamed as Ben scooped her up and carried her into the water.

I laughed and then felt wet and strong arms lift me bridal style and I saw Harry’s cheeky grin close to my face. His breath was surprisingly sweet smelling and his cocky smile made my heart melt. He was so close to me that if I had moved towards him, his lips would be on my cheek.

“Care for a swim?” he asked in a sing-song tone and started to walk towards the water. I barely had time to catch my breath before Harry sunk down into the water and pulled me with him.

When we surfaced, there was laughter all around and Uma yelled, “Every time a man flirtatiously throws a woman into a body of water, the Devil himself cries a single joyous tear of axe body spray, okay?!”

“You stole that from the internet!” Jay accused.

Uma raised her arms as if to challenge the larger man and laughed. I giggled and realized that despite being in water, Harry’s hand was still placed on the small of my back, which sent a shiver down my spine.

“Cold?” Harry asked me when I turned to him.

I shook my head. “No, it’s like 100 degrees on this island.. The water is nice. I wonder what kind of aquatic life are in here…”

Harry laughed and shook his head. “Always thinking.”

After a pleasant afternoon spent on the beach and in the ocean, our group decided to host a campfire with s’mores on the beach. Evie and I dragged logs to sit on while Jay and Carlos started the fire. The rest went to grab supplies for s’mores and extra blankets. As night settled in, the air got colder and colder and I was soon shivering in just my swimsuit and coverup.

Once the fire was lit and rolling, Harry sat next to me on a log and wrapped a blanket around me.

“Thanks, I actually was cold this time,” I mused, which earned me a smile from Harry as he rubbed my back and pulled me against his side. I felt safe there in Harry’s arms. The way the fire lit his face made butterflies in my stomach form, so I forced myself to look away in fear of revealing my feelings for him to anyone who happened to glace over at me.

The group talked and made s’mores and we all stayed on the beach well past when we were probably supposed to, but we were all having such a great time just being together. It felt natural to me to be in Harry’s embrace and despite various teasing looks from Uma, Lannie, and Evie, Harry’s arm remained around my waist. Before long, I fell into a blissful slumber with my head on his shoulder.

~Harry~

“Oh I know for a fact that did not happen,” Uma corrected Jay’s story of valor that he had concocted to impress Celia.

“How do you know? You weren’t there!” Jay challenged.

Uma laughed. “You know, Tourney matches usually have audiences…”

Jay blushed in embarrassment and Harry laughed and looked to the woman in his arms to see if she also found Jay’s storytelling amusing. He noticed her head had fallen onto his shoulder and her body had completely relaxed against his, and he soon found out why—she had fallen asleep. Harry couldn’t blame her, though, it was quite late.

“Dude, just marry her already,” Carlos joked in Harry’s direction.

Harry sent him a dirty look and threw a marshmallow at him. “We’re jus friends, ye know that.”

Uma groaned. “Yeah, okay, lover boy… But Ray’s got a point—I’m hitting the hay.”

“Yeah, we should all turn in before it gets too late. Good night, see you guys tomorrow!” Evie said and waved to them all.

Instead of waking her, Harry gently placed his arms under Rayla’s sleeping form and carried her to the cabin they shared. Harry’s heart was beating loudly as he held her so close to him. He could feel the breaths she took and smelled her coconut lotion that she had applied to her porcelain skin hours before. Harry smiled and set her on the bed they were to share for the next week. For a moment, he was lost in her beauty and cleared a strand of auburn hair from her face as she slept peacefully. He couldn’t help but leave his fingers on the side of her cheek for just a moment longer and wondered if he’d ever get a chance like this again. He knew she only saw him as a friend, and probably a dumb student given that he didn’t even know how to read or write before she generously offered to teach him. He sighed and decided that this incredible moment had to end before he hurt worse—he knew he couldn’t have her because she didn’t want him.

“You’ll be the death of me, I swear, siren,” he muttered to himself before stepping into the bathroom to shower the salt and sand away. He heard movement outside of the bathroom and surmised that Rayla had awoken and decided to change. He got out of the shower and dried himself, then threw on a pair of boxer briefs and headed into the main room.

“Hey, sleeping beauty, did.. Ray?” Harry spoke and then noticed that the door was open and Rayla was nowhere to be seen. He walked out the door and looked up and down the beach.

“Rayla?” he called. He noticed large footprints in the sand and what appeared to be blood next to them.

Harry’s pulse quickened and he ran towards the beach only to be met by Ben, who was already there.

“Ben! Have you seen Rayla? She’s not in the cabin, I think she’s hurt, there was—”

“Evie’s gone too. They left a note…” Ben said through tears and handed Harry a handwritten note.

The note read: Bring the spellbook and dust to Skull Rock if you ever want to see your precious Queen of Auradon and princess of Arendelle again. We have a score to settle.

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

       Never needing to really work, the Frye family often have hobbies to pass the time to keep out of the hands of boredom that both wealth and immortality brings. They have everything they could possibly want, so there isn't too much of a drive to buy more material things.

       Evie runs the town's museum, it helps her obscure the truth and control it. The Frye family invest their own money in it and don't require donations to keep it running (but do accept them). Underneath the museum building is the printing press and office space for the town's newspaper. The Frye family don't run the newspaper and try to keep as much of a hand out of it to avoid any suspicion. If anything comes down to it to where their secret comes out or an article is posted that goes against their pristine reputation, then they will get involved.

       Besides the museum, Evie is part of a sewing/seamstress club and likes to train the horses at home to do tricks (like those competitions for horses besides racing).

       Jacob is the most bored member of the family. He doesn't like to stick to one thing, he likes change and loathes repetition. In his freetime he will help out with odd jobs around the town and often fixes stagecoaches and wagons. He does some slight wood working at home but never stuck to the craft for long to really hone it out. Besides those two, Jacob gambles a lot and travels (sometimes for gambling). The Frye family have more than enough wealth than what they know what to do with, so why not dabble in some gambling? It's exciting to beat the odds and it’s enough excitement for Jacob who likes challenges. Ethan hates that Jacob does this because he really dislikes risky and reckless behavior. It causes a bit of a rift in their relationship.

       The only thing the Frye family doesn't have is close and valuable (human) connections. They have themselves out of fear of people getting to close and finding what lies in their closets. (The whole vampire thing).

[quecksilvereyes]

What is lost

Uma is dry. (Godess, how she hates it, the wind blowing through her hair, the stench of something dead and something that has yet to die in her nose.)

Her legs itch and she pulls her knees to her chest, to the stuttering of her heart, her magic resting under her clavicle, her rage locked behind her teeth.

“This isn’t me”, she says when Gil sits down next to her and put his head on her shoulder. “These legs aren’t mine.” Her throat feels empty, and bared, and she grits her teeth.

“They took it from you”, her mother says, fingers curled around Flotsam, who is sneering at Gil, her skin tinted purple. “They took your magic from you before you were even born.” She curls a tentacle around Uma’s waist. Gil’s hand hovers over his sword. “You must live with that, my little fish.”

Uma thinks about her mother’s tentacles (six, she counted them, six, like the cousins she didn’t want dead) and about the smell of rotten shrimp in her nose. She looks at her legs, then she pulls Gil away.

Her magic roars against her bones, in her ears and Harry pulls her close to his chest. “Captain”, he says.

[Later, when she jumps into the sea and swims through the barrier, heart beating high in her throat, the hollowness in her chest is suddenly filled and her magic wraps itself around her, wild and untrained and furious.

She is home.]

 *

Spell the king. Taunt the fairy. Smile until your teeth hurt. Do not let your magic do what it wants (smash and burn and drown and curse).

Make him drop the barrier.

Do not lose control.

Do not lose.

Do not-

Watch her kiss the king, lilac hair between his fingers, adoration in his eyes, listen to her plead, say she understands, she knows, she only wishes to help. Your dress and your legs itch.

Jump into the water, feel it welcome you with caressing touches and loving songs.

Drown them.

Drown them all and their entitlement, drown them in their lies. Drown the traitors, drown the man who was once a Beast, who is now scared of the curse in his blood, drown the fairy who binds her wings to her back and hides magic behind walls of glass and smiles.

(She looks so human like this, clutching her wand as if it was just a stick, pastel blue dress clinging to her legs, screaming.)

 *

Mal turns into a dragon in a cloud of green smoke and Uma feels her heart drop. Harry, she thinks. Gil.

She doesn’t kill them. Instead, she ties her magic to her ribs and returns the ring. Oh Godess, she thinks as she watches Mal roar and snarl. Let me weep.

She doesn’t go home. (She tries, oh, how she tries, but not even with eight tentacles and raging, burning magic can she break the barrier.) “You can’t break spells cast by fae”, her mother said, when Uma was still small enough to fit all of herself and worry within her mother’s tentacles, felt safe in them, and secure. “Incompatible magic can do no such thing.”

Stupid fucking fairies, she thinks and watches Harry bark orders, watches Gil smile and laugh despite it all.

Jay’s hands have always felt like a forest fire sizzling under his nails. The bands around his wrists are cool and secure, keep him grounded and shackled to this isle. (“They are a trap”, his father says and spits tobacco into the corner. They are my safety, Jay thinks.)

“Do not butcher your name, Jadid”, his father says, his fingers curled tightly around Jay’s throat. “Don’t you dare cut off parts of it.” Don’t be soft, his eyes say and Jay kicks his father in the groin.

“Let go of me”, he says. “Don’t you dare touch me.” His father straightens his collar and sneers.

“Stock up the shelves, son”, he says and pats Jay’s cheek.

*

(I wish for a child with fingers as fast as the winds.)

Stealing is as easy as breathing. A smile here, a slip of the finger here, run fast, run far, do not get caught.

(I wish for a child as beautiful as the Princess Jasmine.)

The girls giggle behind scarred hands, Uma scowls and scowls, snaps her teeth at him. Carlos trips over a trashcan. Jay laughs.

(I wish for a powerful child.)

There is a pulsating heat in his fingertips, itching, urging him higher and higher. So he climbs walls, prances across roofs and does backflips.

“You stay in the air a little too long sometimes”, Carlos says and Jay ruffles his hair and laughs. His wrist cuffs are cool and soothing. Mal rolls her eyes and pulls an oil lamp out of the trash can.

“Huh”, she says. “Who would throw that away?”

Shit, Jay thinks.

 *

Mal doesn’t realise what it is, thank fucking God. The lamp doesn’t much care. So when she wishes for his loyalty, Jay obliges, with a smile and a flip of his hair. Mal’s hair seems a shade darker, suddenly.

Evie joins them, later, quivering lips and royal blue hair. She smiles and flutters her eyelashes. “I’m Princess Genevieve”, she says and Carlos stumbles over her name three times. Jay’s wrist cuffs grow colder in her presence, the sizzling heat in his fingers curls into itself.

“You’re the Evil Queen’s daughter.”

She hums. “Call me Evie.”

(Mal’s second wish is succeeding in getting the wand, when they stand before the waiting limousine.)

When they drive through the barrier, Jay’s arms around the three of them, his heartbeat loud in his ears, he wants to rip the lamp from Mal’s jacket, wants to hold it tightly to his chest. He feels like floating, like there is a weight on his feet pulling him down.

His magic is useless without anyone wishing, and it roars in his blood, bangs against his wrist cuffs, it wants out, out out of this body, this is not the right body, will never be the right body, why do you insist on legs.

So he plays tourney, pushes weights and carries Carlos, who runs from dogs and people and a fairy who blunted her teeth until he doesn’t anymore. Until he turns around, clutches the dog to his chest and faces his mother, with her clawed hands and her bone shattering laughter.

[They choose good, shoulders bumped up against one another, Evie’s bony hand on his back, his magic crawling in his skin, reaching for Mal, whose eyes are on Ben and the wand.]

Jane’s wings are 3, no, 4 years old and she hasn’t used them once. The icy cold behind her teeth is snarling and hissing and trying to break free, but she files her teeth until they are blunt and human and harmless, ties her screaming wings to her back and drapes herself in pastel blue dresses.

“Magic is not the way to gain anything, darling”, her mother says, lips twitching. “True knowledge lies in books.”

Human books, Jane thinks and ties her belt a little too tight. As if we’re human. She drapes her hair over her ears and holds her head low. Chad bumps into her, grins at her and she wants to snap at him, oh, how she wants to dress him in the rags his mother wore until they fell off of her, how she wants to let go of the ropes around her heart, chaining the cold to her hipbones.

She can hear Audrey’s heart shattering on the lawn, like a bell singing and falling and clashing. (How must it feel, to lose the person you care about most to someone who worships the fairy who almost killed both your parents, how must it feel to look at eyes flashing green, at violet hair growing darker and darker, at horns, curling around a fairy’s head.) Jane’s teeth ache.

*

Carlos is sweet, holding Dude as if he would shatter if he pressed too hard and Jane has to think about her wings pressed to her skin. She’s sweating. Carlos smiles at her. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other and he pats the floor next to him.

“So”, he says and hands her his bottle. She takes a gulp and coughs. “Is that alcohol?” He shrugs.

“You can keep the bottle.” He grins. “Jay’s already asleep and Evie is declaring her undying love to the mirror.”

Jane sighs. Her teeth still ache, even after they declared themselves good, after Carlos took her to the Cotillion to get her away from her mother, even after Mal has proven that she really does love Ben, after Uma grew and grew and grew to a size that rivalled her mother’s.

She wishes she could just grow, could just fly, could just take off the dress and cut her hair, show the world her ears and her magic and her teeth.

“I can cut hair, you know.” Carlos takes the bottle and drinks from it. “Could give you a pixie cut.” Jane shoves him and laughs.

Then she says yes.

Evie’s magic sits in her hip bones, sizzling and eating away at her. “Our magic isn’t natural”, her mother says and corrects her posture. “We are human, we are not made for magic.” She starts brushing Evie’s hair. “But remember, Genevieve, to be proud of it.” Evie nods and starts applying her make up. Her mother slaps her hand. “That’s the wrong colour, Genevieve”, she says sharply, her eyes hard and cold.

“Forgive me, mother.”

*

Mal is prettyprettypretty, God, so pretty and Evie thinks she might drop her own heart in front of her heels. Her magic pulls at her, curls away from Jay, who rubs his wrists. (djinn, the mirror’s voice whispers, somewhere deep inside of her. djinn wearing human skin, kill it, kill it, kill it.) She smiles at him instead, walks into this friendship deliberately with heels clicking on cracking concrete and her hands running through his hair, braiding it.

They practise flirting with one another, Evie’s fluttering eyelashes and Jay’s smouldering looks, Evie’s walk and Jay’s smile. Evie teaches him how to kiss, he teaches her how to make her fingers faster, faster, teaches her his way with words.

Carlos flops on his lap and sleeps for six hours straight. Jay plays with his hair absentmindedly and Mal laughs. Evie bandages his legs and her magic curls around her fingers, itching. Go away, she wants to say. You can’t help me here. Get back into the mirror.

 *

“It won’t work for you, silly”, she smiles and snatches the mirror from Chad. Her magic roars in her ears. Stupid prince, thinks he can use me. She slips the mirror into her purse and leans in for a kiss.

Her sewing is perfect. Not a thread hanging, not a wrong seam, colours matching perfectly, her magic humming in every stitch. “It brings out your eyes”, Mal says and Evie smiles, smiles, smiles, her red lips curling and Lonnie turns around again.

Chemistry is easy, easier than applying make up or eating or picking out the right clothes. It’s as if her fingers know what to do, know the ingredients and all the elements. (She cheats, of course she cheats, she can’t seem smarter than Chad, he wouldn’t want her anymore, so she pretends it isn’t easy, isn’t like breathing.

Instead, she thinks of Dizzy and how much she looks like Anastasia, who pulled her aside a week into the school year, a worried look on her face. “Is my sister alright?”, she asked. “Is she away from mother?” Evie didn’t answer.)

She can feel her magic living in her bones, sizzling in her flesh, and when she uses her mirror again, when Chad calls her a gold digger and Jay a sadist, she snarls and lets go of it. Die, her magic screams, flies around her and into Chad’s chest. Die die die die.

Mal’s hair grows back green, the exact shade her eyes flash in and she cuts all the violet off with a pair of rusty scissors until her mother doesn’t look back at her from the mirror. Fuck you, mother.

“Evie?” She pulls aside the curtain to Evie’s bed. “Can I talk to you?” Evie puts her book (A Short History of Nearly Everything) aside and nods.

“What’s up, Mal?” She sits up and straightens her collar.

“About me running off to the Isle without telling anyone -” She takes a deep breath. “I wanted to apologize. To you, to Carlos, to Jay, to Ben. I didn’t think and I made you all come back to get me. I’m sorry.”

Evie sighs. “Thank you for your apology”, she says and kisses Mal’s nose. “But don’t you think you owe one to Ben, Audrey and Uma, before me?”

Mal’s magic gathers in her mouth like acidic bile. “Why the fuck would I apologize to Uma and Audrey?”

“You spelled Audrey’s boyfriend.” Evie furrows her brows.

“We were evil.”

“You bullied Uma for years and then you left her and all the others on the Isle.”

“You’re making a list.”

Evie sighs. “You can’t pick and choose who to apologize to, M.” She kisses Mal’s cheek and leaves the room. Mal’s magic reaches out for her, wants to curl around Evie’s waist and never let her go.

Instead, she stands in front of the mirror, looks at her hair and the way she stands and, for the first time in her life, stands up straight. Fairies are small, are tiny, your human half is mudding you, her mother is saying, sneering, spitting and Mal spits back. Fuck you, mother.

She asks Chad for Audrey’s phone number the next morning and he furrows his brows, scowls. He gives her the number anyway.

Mal spends three hours calling and hanging up when she hears Audrey’s voice. Fuck fuck fuck.

“If this is another prank call, I swear to fucking God, I will -”

“Hi.” Mal’s voice sounds weak in her ears and small.

“What do you want?” Mal bites her lower lip and takes a deep breath.

*

(She apologizes to Ben, too, brings him chocolate and makes him pudding en flambé, which is the hardest thing she ever did in her life, not even staring down her mother comes close. He smiles and forgives her in a heartbeat and she takes a leap of faith and tells him why she spelled him in the first place. His smile falls.)

*

When she apologizes to Jay, in a hushed voice, her hair growing darker and darker, he just smiles and says it’s fine. She looks at the oil lamp on her jacket and thinks about his father and his fists. She rips the lamp off and hands it to him. “I don’t need it anymore“, she says, and looks at him. “I wish for you to be free.“ He smiles and bows. “Thank you, Maleficent“, he says and her hair grows another shade darker.

*

They find Uma hunting just offshore. She has discarded her gown, has opened the braids in her hair and is diving after a tuna. Jay’s hand is secure on Mal’s shoulder and she shivers. Carlos smiles at her.

“Uma!”, she calls and a tentacle wraps around her waist, drags her into the shallow water. Uma’s teeth are bared, a sharp stone in her hand and her chest is rising and falling rapidly. “What”, she snarls, “do you want?”

“I want to apologize”, Mal says and the tentacle around her waist loosens a bit.

“We’re bringing everyone off the isle”, says Evie and takes a step back. “Ben is signing the list.”

____________________

If you enjoy my writing, consider buying me a coffee <3

[famousavenuefest]

Twisted pain

Twisted Pain

It was something around six o'clock in the afternoon when a knock at the door caused Mal to raise her eyes from the book she was trying to read. She shrugged; it was about time she stopped actually studying for her exam if she praised her reputation in something anyways. The daughter of Maleficent brought herself to her feet and stretched herself, but before she could reach the door, Evie had jumped from her sewing machine and was already opening it. Even as her friend attended, Mal still walked to the white door, staying behind Evie.  It was an unnecessary measure, really, but small actions like that had been adopted by the four of them after some weeks of living in Auradon. For example if one of them said that he was staying after class with a teacher, then the other three just so happened to wait at the door; if one of them had problems with a subject, then the others happened to be studying their notes beside him. And if it was late in the afternoon and Evie went to open the door, then Mal stayed behind her just in case that the one at the other side of the door was not someone that they'd like to welcome in their room.

Big was her surprise, however, when she reached the corridor and what she saw was no other than me, who merely waited for the door to be opened and then entered the room, not directing a word or even a glance to Evie, let alone Mal as I stepped in, not seeming to notice either of the girls.

Now, me going to their dorm wasn't something strange —ever since they had arrived to Auradon Prep the four of them had acquired that type of relationship, and often let themselves drop by where they knew that the others would be, or even went straight to either of the rooms— however, it was strange that Jay didn't show up with me, and it was even weirder was the attitude with which the son of Cruella had appeared.

Furrowing her brow, Mal met gazes with Evie, as she mouthed a «What's wrong?» in the exact moment that I walked past her, ignoring her presence, but the blue-haired girl could only signal she didn't know either.

Sensing the unsaid trouble in the air —and especially aware that I still felt wary around her— she started to find herself uneasy in her very own room. Shrugging, Mal locked gazes with her friend once more and nodded, knowing the other girl had perfectly understood what she wanted to say.

"I… am… study… exam" she said, confused, first by her own stuttering and then by the fact that neither me nor Evie tried to correct her poor grammar. "Library" she finally murmured, already reaching for the doorknob Evie had just left alone. Only the daughter of the Evil Queen seemed to hear her, and even she only showed her recognition by slightly nodding, her eyes focused on me.

Before the door was even completely closed, Evie had already turned on her heels, hoping to face me, but she found that by the time she did that I had already crossed the room, my eyes fixed upon the ground and was now laying face-first on Evie's bed, not having uttered a word.

Slightly grimacing with worry, the girl walked up to her bed too and sat in the right corner of the mattress, absentmindedly letting her right hand fall over my hair.

"Are you planning to tell me what happened?" she inquired after a few silent second.

"Nothing happened" I mumbled back, his voice almost lost because of the pillow I was laying against.

"Let me recall, you stumble into my dorm without saying a word and want me to believe that nothing happened?" she pressured; in response, I tried to groan, but the sound he managed seemed more like a whimper to Evie.

The young girl caught her lower lip between her teeth in worry; she couldn't say that she was sure of what to do, but she felt that she shouldn't bring the matter up again. If I wanted to let her know what had left me in such a state or if I thought that she could help me in some way, anything —and I must do it, because I had been the one to knock at her door after all— then I would eventually tell her. At least that was what she was trying to make herself believe.

Following her first instinct she decided to stay in silence, an expectant one, but not a pressuring one as she played with my hair patiently.

Only ten minutes later, the son of Cruella spoke again.

"Don't you… don't you… miss it?" he asked, his voice muffled by the covers.

"Miss it?" Evie replied, more confused than before. "Carlos, what are you talking about?"

"The pain? The blood? Evie, I-I'm sorry, but I—"

"Carlos, look at me" the girl cut me off, taking me by the chin and forcing me to raise my eyes. "What happened?"

The boy held her gaze for a second and bit his lip as if straining to not say anything; when I couldn't stand the eye-contact anymore, I turned my eyes to the mattress and inhaled deeply, struggling to find the words.

"I… remember when Mal and Jay were talking about signing together for Art class? And then you said that we should do the same for Cut and Confection?" I muttered, almost tripping over my own words. "Well, I tried to do it today, but Mrs. La Bouff refused to let me in saying that I would never be anything but my mother, that she wouldn't allow such an opportunity for the story to repeat itself and I—"

"Did she say that?" Evie interrupted me rather violently as she gestured to get up. "I can't believe it".

"Evie, sometimes I too think that" I admit, my words sending a chill down the girl's spine and freezing her movements in its tracks.

"What do you mean, Carlos?" Evie breath out, trying very hardly to keep her voice void of emotion, as all she could feel at the moment I was horrified.

"I… she…" I let out raggedly, his hands turning into fists around the covers of the bed. "Sometimes she would… she would hit me—my mother, I mean and…"

Evie was aware of that. Well, of course she was, and pretty much all the Isle, it was easy to see through the cracks and recognize the scars in my arms and sometimes even face, but in a place where nobody cared about others' business and where such a thing wasn't something out of the ordinary, nothing could be done. In Auradon, though…

"Carlos… I-I know" she let out. "But why would you…?"

"Let me finish, Evie, please" I said, almost pleading, which was already enough to make her bite the inside of her cheek and swallow every other thing that she would have said. "When she… when she did it" I continued. "She'd always say that she was doing it for my own good, that it would make me better because I was totally useless and when—when she did I would think that maybe… that maybe she really cared about me. Not as much as she did her car or her furs, but… I… it was more than I could hope for from her and…"

"Carlos…" Evie started to say, but the boy didn't seem to notice her words.

"Ever since we arrived to Auradon, it hasn't happened, and I'm glad, but… I… the pain would let me know that I was important for her, that I meant something and now I… I'm afraid that I miss it. I miss the pain and the blood and the bleeding wounds and doesn't… doesn't that make me as bad as she? How twisted do you… How twisted do you have to be to miss something that hurts you?" I questioned, with tears I forced myself not to let go of burning in the back of my eyes, same that I slowly —and fearfully— raised to meet Evie's, a pleading expression set upon my features.

Evie grimaced slightly, and that simple gesture, that might have gone unnoticed by anyone else made me start trembling. Of course she would be disgusted by me, I mentally scolded myself, breaking the eye-contact again. If only I had been a little more careful then maybe…

"It's not twisted" Evie murmured softly, her movements almost robotic, not because she didn't believe what I was saying, but because it hurt too much to even think of it. "It can't be twisted when pain is the only thing you've ever known".

Slowly, Iraised his eyes once more, afraid that Evie would be looking down at me with repulsion, but when I finally dared look at her, I found her smiling almost with sadness, her arms open for me. Without having to second-think my decision, I found myself jumping into her lap and hiding my face in the crook between her neck and left shoulder. Evie simply let me do it, running her long fingers through my hair fondly after she realized she couldn't find words to express the knot that had appeared in her chest.

"It's okay, Carlos. It's okay" she assured, almost mechanically, the words unknown in her tongue. "I promise you we'll find a way to fix it…" she cut herself up when she noticed the cold tears that had begun to wet her shoulder; her movements froze.

Something in that whole picture was wrong. They… they weren't supposed to cry or to love. She wasn't supposed to be so worried about someone else's well-being; she wasn't supposed to feel her throat tighten in concern or to find herself unable to properly speak because she was scared of not saying the right words. But then again, she wasn't supposed to find the 'right things to say' important in the least.

But… why was it that she did? Why was it that she cared, that she had felt her chest burn with rage when I had mentioned the teacher's rude words and at Cruella's acting? And why, oh why was she struggling so much to let me know that she cared in the first place?

Slowly, she renewed her caresses, letting her hand run through my hair and down to my back, in hopes to at least let me know that she was there, to not let me forget that I wasn't alone.

"It's over, Carlos" she finally said. "She won't do it ever again. I… I promise".

However, her words didn't seem to be the correct ones, as shortly after I not only continued crying, but did it more strongly, violent shudders running down my spine with every intake of breath. Evie herself shivered in concern and caught her lower lip between her teeth.

Deciding that words only seemed to make the things much worse, she limited herself to continue holding her friend, rocking me gently.

It took a while longer than she would have liked until mybreathing became less laboured and more rhythmic. It wasn't that she was particularly concerned about the time or about the wet sleeves of the dress she was wearing, but worry seemed to be eating her alive each time I trembled in her arms.

"You're gonna be fine" she finally dared to say, once she was sure that I could hear her over his own sobs. "We're gonna be fine".

"I-Evie, Mal will be mad at me because I forced her to leave her room" I sobbed, once again surprising Evie with the sudden change of topic. "And Jay… I-I didn't clean the room this morning, he'll—"

"Carlos, what are you saying?" Evie cut him off.

It took the girl a second to realize what her friend was talking about. If I was afraid of bothering Mal, that had really little to do with the girl herself, but more with the constant feeling of being a burden. If I was scared of maddening my roommate with something as dumb as a couple of items scattered around the floor, that again didn't mean that the former thief had given me any reasons to fear that reaction from him, but not so long ago Cruella had, and the shadows of their parents was something that they ended up finding in their way quite often.

"Jay doesn't care about the room, I promise" she murmured, for once sure of what she was meant to say. "And Mal is not mad either, I swear. And if she were, she'd have to deal with me" she challenged, smiling. That simple gesture, however innocent, sent a chill running down my back as I remembered the first time those two girls had encountered each other, the time they had started off as enemies instead of friends. "On the other side, it's not necessary to turn violent. Right, Mal, Jay? If you lean anymore on that door you'll make me believe that you're trying to break the poor thing!" she questioned, almost yelling. She felt me stiffen in her arms and instantly regretted having raised her voice. Even when I knew that she wasn't yelling at me, even when he knew that she wasn't mad, I couldn't help the unconscious actions in my body, and it was the very same pain of knowing that what made Evie tighten her hold around me protectively.

What stopped them from saying anything else was that the door in fact opened to let in the two former villains that had been missing in the room, Jay easily holding Dude in his left arm while Mal seemed to find the tips of her hair immensely interesting.

"It was Jay's idea" the daughter of Maleficent declared, taking a sit in the floor next to Evie's side of the bed.

"Liar!" Jay tried to defend himself as he sat on the bed on my right side. As he did so, he let Dude on the mattress and the dog immediately jumped to my lap; I sighed in contentment, feeling the well-known, almost comfortable warmth of the animal's tiny body. Absently, I scratched Dude's ears and raised my eyes just in time to see Mal sending a glare to Jay. "Okay, it was my idea" the former thief surrendered. "But I promise we weren't spying. It's just that Mal appeared in my dorm, threatened to break down the door—"

"And you decided to return the favour?" Evie mocked, but Jay continued, as if I hadn't noticed the interruption.

"So she appeared there and yelled at me that either I told her what had I done to Carlos or she'd tear me to pieces" Jay continued. "Then again, I had been looking for Carlos since lunch and knew nothing about him, so I just figured we deserved to know what was going on, right? Like, we didn't intend to eavesdrop".

"How much did you listen?" the princess questioned; Mal and Jay shared an awkward glare before the girl finally answered. When she did, though, her eyes were focused on mine and not on Evie's.

"From Mrs. La Bouff's part" she replied. "We really hope you're not bothered by it".

"You had us all worried" Jay seconded her.

That was the moment I broke the eye-contact, shrugging slightly in Evie's arms, my hands frozen on Dude's fur.

"I… Thank you" I whispered, almost too low for the others to listen, the words too unknown for me to allow myself to let them out easily. "Thank you… for worrying".

My words set an expectant, almost uncomfortable silence among them, making both Mal and Jay turn to look at their hands self-consciously, although even Mal's green eyes had softened at the boy's words.

Curiously enough, it was Mal herself who broke the silence.

"Carlos" she called, not continuing until the boy's scared eyes were focused on hers. "I'm not mad at you, I wouldn't be just because you came here when you needed help. I too thought that Evie would be more useful than me when I saw the state you were in, and that's why I left. But I'm not mad" she repeated. "I was —we all were— worried about you, and that's it ."  It was now Mal's turn to bite her inner cheek and hold her breath. Part of her still expected the Mistress of Evil to break through the window in her dragon form and roar at her for being so immensely touchy-feely and weak, even when she knew that such a thing wouldn't happen. More importantly, she knew that what she was saying was nothing but the truth. The words might have felt strange on her lips, unknown on her tongue, but even so, she knew they were sincere, and she also knew that from the three of them, she was the one that I trusted the least —not that she could really blame him for it after all she'd done in the Isle—, and if only she could assure me that not even she was at ease while they knew that I was in pain, then that would make up for the unknown feeling that burned in her chest.

I nodded slowly, my eyes puffy and swollen, but Ismiled.

"Thank you" I repeated, to what Mal could only smile herself. They were still learning she thought. Three months ago none of them had known the slightest thing about being concerned for someone that was not themselves or about affection, and it would be a matter of try and see what worked, what functioned. Until then, they'd have to manage with ragged words and often stutters.

"It'll be alright" Mal promised, already making plans to bang another door the next morning and fix that unfair mess.

"Don't you ever think that some from the Auradon people deserve the Isle more than the ones that are actually there?" Jay suddenly asked, his voice weirdly enough tainted with mockery.

"Jay, what are you saying?" Evie piped in. "Haven't you learned anything from here? You're not supposed to wish on others what you wouldn't wish upon yourself" she recited.

"Hey, I'm not saying that they should live with our parents, I'm just wondering how they'd manage a week in the Isle" the former thief protested. "Chad, for example".

"They wouldn't survive a week there, they'd be eaten alive" Mal affirmed, rolling her eyes. "And Chad would be the first one to die".

"Fair point" Jay nodded, smiling.

Finally surrendering to her friend's dirty game, Evie smiled as well.

"Bet those make fun of princesses can't live there without ruining their nail polish" she said.

"Of course, you mastered that art, didn't you?" Jay mocked.

"For you information, Jay, I did" Evie stated, showing of her long fingers and carefully painted blue nails just before the four of them burst in laughter.

When silence came back, it didn't seem forced or unnatural, but comfortable. They trusted each other, and that, among other things, meant that they didn't need to explain their words to the others, or even the lack of them.

After a while, it was the daughter of Maleficent who took the word again.

"Well" she said. "If that's all the emotional issues we signed-in for the day, I really have an exam tomorrow, so, if you'd excuse me…"

"An exam?" Jay exclaimed surprisedly. "Damn it! What class are you talking about?"

Jay!" Mal reproved. "You don't even take Styling!"

"That's as far as his interest in school goes" I pointed out, purposely ignoring the pained expression Jay sent him.

"Betrayed! By my very own best friend! Backstabbed by my best friend, what good have I infuriated to deserve this?" he cried melodramatically, placing his left hand on top of his forehead.

"He'd succeed in Theatre, though" Evie offered.

"Anyways" the daughter of Maleficent said by the time their laughter had died off, leaning to her right side into Evie's mattress without standing up, instead of directing herself to her own bed. No one seemed to find her actions out of the ordinary. "Sweet nightmares".

The other three kept talking in a low voice for a little longer, until Jay was brought on the fact that Mal was shuddering slightly in her sleep. Without thinking, he took off his leather jacket and threw it over Mal, who wrapped herself with it. Again, no one cared to pinpoint the fact that they were in a bedroom after all, and that they only needed to walk to the other bed and get an extra blanket. It was not the action in itself what mattered, but the intention, and they knew that all too well.

"Well, even if I don't have a test tomorrow, I'm off too" Jay informed sometime after, deciding to take my right leg as a pillow because, well, I was the closest one to him. Ten minutes later, he was already snoring softly.

Still supporting his head on her left shoulder, My breathing made Evie realize that her friend had already fallen asleep. Only then did she dare to speak again, after an easy sigh.

"See?" she whispered drowsily. "It's alright. We'll fix it. We'll find a way to pull through it. That's what we always do" she assured before she, too, leaned her head on the headboard of the bed and tried to sleep.

Only when the rise and fall of Evie's chest slowed down did I straighten back up and allow myself to look at his friends once more

"That's what we do, isn't it?" I said into the darkness, though maybe Dude was still listening, if he wasn't sleeping as well. "We pull things together after they fall down".

And, slowly, Ismiled, staring fondly at his friends, taking his time to notice how Evie's dark-blue curls gave the impression of having been carefully placed in the perfect spot to highlight her long neck and high cheekbones, although she literally had just laid down on them; on how Mal even seemed kind in her sleep; on how inexistent was Jay's inhibition when it came to physical touch.

And I smiled, because, no matter how twisted or utterly senseless it sounded, that was my family, those were the people I cared the most about, and weirdly enough, who cared the most about me. And, for the first time, this reassurance came in a smile and a warm feeling instead of a scream and the explosion of blood and pain.

It was then that I let go a sigh that I hadn't noticed I was holding. Slowly, as if not to bother his companions although they were all asleep, I leaned over to turn off the lamp that stood on Evie's bureau just before I reassumed my spot on the girl's shoulder. Finally, I allowed myself to drift off, a soft smile placed upon my lips.

—*—*—

Needless to say, of course, the first time Jay, Evie and Mal did the next morning was to bang at the Fairy Godmother's office and demand an explanation for Mrs. La Bouff's actions. And, needless to say too, the good woman had no idea of what the former villains were talking about.

When said teacher was called to declare what she'd done and said that yes, those had been her exact words, it was the Fairy Godmother herself who politely but only when she managed to pull herself out of her own indignation asked her to please take back her words and leave her obsolete ideas behind if she liked her job and wanted to continue accomplishing it.

Only when they realized that their own reaction towards the offence their friend had been a victim of had been very similar to that of the Fairy Godmother herself did they dwell on how far they'd gone from the children who had first arrived to Auradon, from the ones who wouldn't have stopped to think a second of someone else's suffering or even worse, from the ones who wouldn't have cared of being the cause of that suffering.

And maybe it was just a cliché, but when the only thing everything in the Isle had ever caused then had been pain, it was easy to know which version of themselves did they like better.

People in Auradon said that those who had encountered real pain were the strongest of people and maybe, just maybe, they were right when they affirmed that. At least the strongest of friendships were in fact established during hard times, and that they knew all too well

[bunny-lou]

Imagine the Rotten Four being like mini-parents/older siblings to all of the younger kids on the Isle

- Like, yeah, Mal was originally bent on domination and ruling Auradon, but she was never heartless. Part of being a good leader (besides being feared) is protecting your people, she couldn’t just let the young kids wander around parts of the marketplace where known perverts and pedophiles hung out. But some of the kids were little shits and didn’t want to listen to her, Mal would get real low, let her eyes flash green, and hiss ‘listen, brat. If I see you in this area again, it’s not gonna be pretty. The number one thing you have to fear on this Island is me, got it?’ And kids would obediently nod, running away as fast as they could with tears and jeez, kids are so ungrateful when you keep them from getting molested

 - She took on a few kids as students, teaching them how to be nasty and wicked and cruel. Mal would feel just a little pull at her heartstrings whenever they did something particularly evil. She could never give them a hug (because ew), but she would high five them and ruffle their hair

- Evie had an excellent sewing kit and kids would come to her with torn up legs and shredded skin. She would sit them all down, use her calmest and sweetest voice as she told them stories of princes and princesses falling in love and warm castles with enough food for everyone as she threaded her needle and stitched them back together. Evie brushed away their tears and kissed their wounds, promising that she had just a teeny bit of magic that would help them heal faster

 - Some little girls would cry about never having a proper birthday, so Evie would plan a surprise make up party, inviting all of their friends and bringing her kits, letting the girls play around with eyeliner and lipstick and giggle happily.

- Jay knew hunger pretty well and he hated to see anyone go without food, but he can’t just give it away. He can’t be soft and weak. So he would stuff his pockets and backpack with stale bread and old fruit, wander down to the school yard and run down playgrounds, pretending to be distracted as little hands reached in to ‘steal’ from him. He’d critique the kids on their thieving skills, show them how to be faster and lighter with their hands and watch them proudly as they stole their next meal from an actual victim

 - he knew the kids who got hit pretty hard at home and gift them with a hat like his own. Any kid wearing a beanie on their head was under his protection, so back the fuck away from them

 - Carlos, always an advocate of learning, stayed behind to help younger kids with homework. Cruella loved to tell him he was an idiot and useless, it turns out that’s what a lot of villains told their kids and none of them gave a damn about education. He’d patiently explain math and work on reading and tutor with science, steadily raising the esteem of any kids that came to him because your mom is wrong, Dizzy, you’re not stupid, look at how well you spell. You’re so smart, please stop crying

 - if kids lost their winter coats or needed new gloves, they just had to go to Carlos and he’d give away one of his own or sneak into Cruella’s closet and steal something she wouldn’t miss (and sometimes she would realize something was missing and smack him around, but if it’s between taking a beating and letting a kid freeze, it’s not a question which one he would do)

 - All four of them had a secret knock they would teach to kids to use at night if they were in trouble or needed someplace to stay. Mal would meet kids on the roof, Evie would shimmy down her castle wall, Jay would creak open the door to his father’s shop and Carlos would lift his window, all with an extra place on their bed and an old shirt to wrap shivering shoulders up in

[karenhikari]

The Ones Who Wander-2. Dragon of the Kingdom

Okay, here we go! This chapter took longer than I thought it would because it just kept getting longer and longer, but I didn't want to cut it. But anyways, the good thing is that it is finally here!

Huge thank you to geminalupus who not only did a lot of reading and editing for this chapter but also reminded me that I'm not used to writing anything higher than K+. So, I intended to rate this as M from the beginning, but then my train of thought was something like "Nah, T is just fine" followed by a panicked "Abort, abort, this is an M". So yes, I'm changing the rating to M just to be safe.

Also, if you're reading this on AO3 you'll probably have a good idea of what the warnings for this story will be, but if you're not, here it goes: as I said, this will be a very long work, so I'm not very sure about when things will start to heat over, maybe around chapter 6 or 7, once we get to know the children and their stories better, but for now I want you to be aware that, of course, there will be a lot of abuse going on, both past and present. There will probably be nightmares and flashbacks.

Three of the children's stories revolve around rape. Two are girls, one is a boy, the three of them are underage. One of them is only harassed, but the other two are not lucky enough to get away. On the bright side... none of this will be very graphic, there will only be mentions of the past sexual abuse.

There will be an underage pregnancy, there will be scars, especially cigarette-burn marks and of course, the emotional ones. We'll probably also have self-harm and suicidal thoughts. There will be domestic violence and a lot of emotional manipulation.

Again, this is just a long story about child abuse and overcoming said abuse.

I really cannot think of any other trigger warnings right now, but if I do I'll tell you. Please, if you think I should include anything else or if you want me to put a specific mark when these things happen, I can do that, just let me know.

For now there's just a bit of drama and fighting with Maleficent, so I think you'll be safe

Okay, this will be all for now. Please enjoy!

There were a lot of things that had changed since they'd been in Auradon, and while that went without saying, there were times in which Evie couldn't help but be surprised at how different their lives were now.

It was curious, when she'd started hanging with Jay, Carlos and Mal, she'd thought her life couldn't have been any better. Yes, she still had to go home to her mother and food was scarce, but now she had someone to talk to, someone she could rely on, someone she trusted, and while that was a word rarely heard in the Isle, Evie didn't mind going against the rules if it meant she could keep those people close to her.

Now, Evie was actually convinced that things couldn't get better―she had her friends by her side, a boyfriend who loved her and thought she was beautiful regardless of the color of her lipstick, a dry and cozy place to call home, and food ―that wasn't rotten― on her plate.

Some things they were still getting used to. Jay, for example, had made a habit of holding the hand of the one who was walking next to him ―usually Carlos― whenever his fingers twitched with greed.

It wasn't perfect, not yet, and more than once Jay had asked her to distract a princess while he retrieved her bracelet. It wasn't perfect, but it was something.

Carlos, too, had made it a goal to overcome the fear of not being "good" enough ―fear that, of course, had been engrained in his system by none other than Cruella de Vil― and had started attending the group study sessions of their class.

Carlos clearly didn't need to study, but that wasn't why he was there―he went to help others, to explain the things that came naturally to him to the ones who didn't find Math or Chemistry to be that simple or as exciting.

Carlos was constantly saying that he was clumsy and didn't know how to express himself, but Evie had heard a handful of their classmates say that they understood better when he explained than when the teachers did. Evie agreed with them.

And she... she was learning, that was all Evie could say for herself. She was learning to be passionate about science and fashion at the same time, with no fear of what others would think about it. She was learning to be daring when it came to her clothes, to her make-up, to what she said. And yes, sometimes she needed to be reassured that Mal was right beside her when she tried a new outfit, sometimes Doug had to prompt her to answer the teacher's questions, but that was fine; she was getting better and she fiercely wanted to believe that, one day, she wouldn't need all of that. One day the memory of her mother would only be a ghost pushed to the back of her mind.

Nevertheless, while she waited for that to happen, she was glad to call Mal and the boys her friends.

She was also deeply proud of Mal, and not only because she had single-handedly taken down the Mistress of All Evil in a fight but, rather, because her friend had finally listened to what Ben and she had been saying for months and had attended one of the Council's meetings.

Truth be told, this wasn't the first meeting she'd attended, as Ben had been taking her with him for some weeks now, but this was the first one Mal would be sitting there as part of the Council, instead of simply sketching in her notebook or mentally making fun of Auradon's ways.

That day they would be discussing Ben's first decree as king: taking all of the villains' children out of the Isle. Some of the heroes argued that four was more than enough of their enemies' spawn to have in Auradon, while some considered it was unfair to only take out a handful of the children.

Ben, specially, was convinced that four was nowhere near enough when there was an estimated number of twenty more children still living on the Isle, which was currently facing an embargo after Maleficent's escape.

Ben had been offering Mal a chair on the Council for months, yet she had declined every single time, saying she wasn't interested in politics and that, if one of them had the right to actually represent anyone anywhere, that was Evie, who actually knew how to behave when it came to royalty.

Evie smiled. Yeah, she knew what dress to wear and what earrings would match her high-heels the best, and she had been trained in the ways of speaking to a sovereign, in the perfect curtsy.

Mal, however, was a natural-born leader. She had a stare that sent chills down anyone's spine and a no-beat-around-the-bush attitude that forced the people around her to listen to her.

Back at the Isle, people had feared Mal, and while some of their fellow islanders were convinced that her powerful aura came from Maleficent, Evie knew better. Yeah, the origin of Mal's magic and bewitching eyes was Maleficent, but Mal had power of her own, a voice that was made to give orders and to be obeyed, magic or not.

Mal would do great things, she just wasn't ready yet, and Evie didn't mind standing next to her while Mal conquered the world, so she had, as well, declined Ben's offer when he had proposed she took the chair in the Council. Mal would do it, when the time came.

And, apparently, this was the day.

True to her personality, Mal had repeated a thousand times that this would be the one and only time she attended one of those boring meetings as a participant rather than a spectator, and she was doing so only to shut their mouths up.

Evie, however, didn't believe her.

Once she started getting involved, truly getting involved, Mal wouldn't be able to stop doing what she knew was right. She was passionate like that. And she had a good heart, regardless of what she said.

"Girl, for the last time, where's Mal?" a squeaky voice interrupted both her train of thought and Evie's hands on the sewing machine.

Oh, right, Mal had also been working on that other project ever since Maleficent's defeat.

"Maleficent, I've told you, she's with Ben. If you're hungry say 'please' and I'll feed you," Evie replied, barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes as she started working again.

"I'm not hungry," the lizard-sized villainess whined.

This time, Evie didn't stop herself from showing her annoyance as she huffed.

Evie had tried to be supportive of her friend when Mal decided to keep Maleficent's shrunken figure in their dorm instead of putting it in a zoo or sending it right back to the Isle, but, for some reason, she just couldn't feel at ease when she was around the lizard.

Conversely, Mal didn't seem to mind Maleficent's constant complaints or sarcastic remarks.

Evie supposed it had something to do with the fact that this was Mal's mother they were talking about and, to Mal, her presence didn't seem so annoying.

It was strange, or at least it appeared to her, that despite everything their parents had done to them, they were still at their... mercy.

True, they weren't in the Isle, and apart from Mal, they didn't have to see their parents, yet... Sometimes, when she couldn't sleep, Evie wondered what would happen if they ever found themselves face-to-face with their parents.

Chances were they wouldn't be as strong as Mal had been.

They weren't like their parents, Evie knew that for sure, they didn't want to be like their parents, but... it could have had something to do with the blood relations they still shared with those people.

No, if Evie's mother gave her an order she wouldn't have complied, but... she was saying this while she was safe in Auradon, her mother imprisoned far away, magic restraining her from ever reaching Evie's residence.

What would she have done if she had Grimhilde in front of her? What would she feel if her mother's raised eyebrows and condemning eyes were trained on her?

Evie wished she could answer that she would have been able to turn a deaf ear to Grimhilde, she wished she could have said that she wouldn't have payed attention to whatever her mother ordered her to do, but she knew better.

Mal had already proven that she was more than capable of facing Maleficent on her own, but Evie had a theory that the fact that Mal was willing to go to great lengths to ensure Maleficent's safety and comfort meant that, in the end, Mal was just like them, just like her―somewhere, deep down, she still held on to the childish wish that, someday, somehow, her mother would turn to look at her with something other than despise.

"Girl, don't make me repeat myself, where's my daughter?" Maleficent asked again.

"Or what, you'll hiss at me? I've told you already," Evie answered, standing up from her sewing machine so she could reach the counter in which Mal kept Maleficent's lizard-food. "She's out with Ben, she'll be back shortly, if you're hungry I'll feed you."

"I'm not hungry," Maleficent complained. "But Mal should already be here."

Evie rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"She doesn't have to be here, you know," Evie muttered. "She can come and go as she pleases."

"Idiot girl," the lizard replied instead, turning away.

No, Evie didn't want to say Mal was foolish. But what her friend was doing proved otherwise.

Mal, just after the coronation was over, had walked over to Ben, her head held high and shoulders thrown to the back. She wanted to keep the lizard, that's what she had told her boyfriend.

People had argued, of course, but Mal had put her foot down and Ben had supported her. It was her mother, after all, and if there was one thing Auradon valued, that surely was family.

Besides, Mal had made it pretty obvious that she wasn't about to betray Auradon for her mother, as stated by the fact that she was the one who had defeated Maleficent when she had broken free of their impenetrable barrier.

So Mal had kept the lizard, carefully placing her in a glass terrarium, a magic shield around it that only allowed a force from outside the terrarium to go inside the barrier.

Parallel to that, Mal had tried to... "train" Maleficent, for lack of a better word to define it. For example, instead of simply feeding the lizard as if it were a pet, Mal had made it a point to wait until Maleficent reluctantly said "please" before placing dead crickets and a few slices of apples or tangerines in her plate.

Mal also refused to refill Maleficent's water bowl unless she asked "nicely", and that, for Mal, mostly meant that Maleficent didn't try to give orders to her or scream at her.

The longest Maleficent had gone without eating was two weeks and another one without water. After that incident, she had yielded, for the most part, at least, and uttered a disdainful "please" once every two or three days.

It wasn't much, but Mal thought she was making a progress, and while Evie could clearly see that Maleficent would never change, she wasn't about to take that twinkling hope from her friend.

The Fairy Godmother had said that, if Maleficent learned to love, her size would grow, expanding to the size of the love that resided in her heart, so Mal had made it her duty to care for Maleficent until that happened. Therefore, Mal measured Maleficent once a week and wrote down notes on her evolution.

Mal thought she could teach Maleficent how to love in the same gentle and patient way that Ben had taught her to, or at least that's what Evie guessed her friend's train of thought was.

She didn't want to be negative, but they all came from a world where imagining the "best" scenarios didn't take them too far. To survive in the Isle one had to be cunning, yes, but also realistic, and Evie sincerely thought that Mal was losing the cold-headed approach that had characterized her until then, at least when it came to Maleficent. And Evie was torn between being honest or simply letting Mal discover things for herself. Who knew, perhaps it would work, though it was unlikely.

Evie was about to return to her half-made dress for the summer dance of Auradon Prep when the door of her room was violently opened.

And there was only one person who would dare enter the ex-villainess' dorm without knocking first.

"Mal, what-?" Evie started to say as she turned over her shoulder, her eyebrows raised in confusion.

"There you are!" Maleficent cut her off. "Where the hell were you, girl, do you think this is-?"

"Cut it," Mal replied shortly, not even turning to look at her mother. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you."

"You're not in the mood? Girl, did I ask you what you felt like?"

"So... I take the meeting didn't go very well?" the daughter of the Evil Queen guessed.

"It didn't go well?" Mal repeated sarcastically. "That's saying little! They're idiots, Evie, idiots! Picture this: I'm sitting next to Ben, hearing Snow White and a couple of her friends arguing that it's not a good idea to bring all of the children to Auradon and that the four of us is more than enough. To my left, Ben is the epitome of patience and he's trying to tell them that his decree very clearly stated that all children should be given a chance to live here, he says that to bring or to not bring the children is not in discussion, alright?"

"I follow," Evie leaned back against her sewing table, settling in for the conversation. "What then?"

Mal sighed loudly, running her hands through her hair nonchalantly. "Then Ben says that he's had an idea: he wants to send an ambassador of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost, so this person can coordinate the children's arrival and get informed about how the Isle works."

"Well, it's not a bad idea..." Evie let out, fidgeting with her hair.

"No, it's not," Mal replied in exasperation. "The problem is that he then went on to nominate me as ambassador! Me, of all people!"

Evie leaned forward, eyes sparkling and a gentle smile in her lips. "That's a great idea! Then you can-"

"No, Evie, that's a terrible idea," Mal differed. "I'm not the one Ben's looking for, not when it comes to this, but that's not even the point!" she huffed.

Evie chewed on the inside of her lip, fidgeting with the navy blue ribbon she had been sewing on to her new dress. "Then what happened?"

"King Edward from Andalasia, that's what happened!" the daughter of Maleficent roared. "Apparently, he doesn't believe I'll be able to stay loyal to Auradon! He's unsure that bringing the other children is a good idea, but he knows there's not much he can do on that department, so he's settled for being a jerk towards me because it's not a wise thing to do to give a title to someone fathered by a villain, even after I saved their sorry asses from my mother!" Mal flung her notebook across the room, shooting daggers at her mother's lizard form. On her side, Maleficent simply hissed, showing off her forked tongue.

The ribbon slipped Evie's grip, her lower lip trembling in disbelief. "What?"

"As you hear it, Evie!" the girl huffed. "A huge debate started, and Snow White made sure to go two steps back and ask if it was really necessary to take the children out when we had already got passed that!"

"Umm... was it that bad?" Evie inquired after her friend had taken a couple of deep breaths, gesturing to take Mal's hand in hers, which went by unnoticed by the daughter of Maleficent as she made a fuss with them. "I mean, someone must have spoken in your favor, right?"

"Yeah, Ben, Adam, Belle, the Fairy Godmother, Mulan," Mal listed, rolling her eyes. "Esmeralda and Phoebus, but that's about it."

"They're scared, Mal, don't make it personal," Evie tried to reassure her, managing to take Mal's right hand in hers.

"Me? They're the ones who make it personal! We haven't hurt any of them, yet they feel it's their right to treat us like shit just because our parentage!" Mal screamed, slamming her fist on the mahogany desk she had placed Maleficent's cage on. The lizard remained unamused.

The hurt and confusion on Mal's voice echoed the one in Evie's heart. It wasn't fair. It simply wasn't fair. Why should they face again and again the judgement of strangers for what their parents had done? Brushing the loose bangs of her braid away from her eyes, Evie tried to push her own feelings aside in order to help Mal deal with hers.

"Mal, listen, they shouldn't do this, but, I mean… that's what fear is all about, they're not thinking about what they do."

"No, Evie, you know I'm right! They know nothing. They saw what the villains were twenty years ago, and that's the last they bothered to find out. They remember Gaston with his shotgun hunting down huge beasts and I'm not talking about Adam. They remember Ursula as a giant monster who would sink ships with a twist of her hand, they only remember what Jafar looked like when he was a powerful sorcerer, but they haven't seen Gaston drunker than humanly possible about to beat to death anyone who crosses paths with him. They have yet to go to the Isle and see what Frollo looks like when he's following the step-granddaughters until they start walking faster. Evie, they only know Cruella from when she was famous and powerful, but they haven't seen her when she's about to beat Carlos up."

"Mal, please―"

"No, Evie, that's my point!" Mal cried out, her breathing becoming harder. "They can only picture the villains in their peak, but they wouldn't know what they're capable of now, when they're at their worst. They fear the faded memories they have, but they have no idea that right now, on the Isle, is when the villains are the scariest that they've ever been."

The room got too quiet, as there was nothing Evie could say to argue with her friend. Mal was right, that was all there was to say. Yeah, she could understand what was behind the heroes' actions, their train of thought made sense―yet, that didn't make it right.

The four of them were constantly questioned about their motives and they were more often than not forced to prove their loyalty to Auradon. If something went wrong, they were immediately suspects and it probably didn't help that they all stood out at their respective areas, as that made some of their not-so-kind classmates think they were cheating or taking advantage of magic to reach their goals.

So... Mal was right, none of the heroes had sat in front of her mother, unmoving, for more than an hour while she inspected every aspect of her make-up and outfit, only to be deemed ugly, unfit, clumsy.

The heroes were a lot of things, but they were surely wrong when it came to this, and despite the fact that Mal's unorthodox ways probably weren't the wisest of ideas, perhaps quietly sitting at a meeting, hand raised as you waited for your turn to speak wasn't going to be very productive either.

Before Evie could come up with something to say that both calmed Mal and reassured her that she'd have her back, a crackling noise broke the silence.

"I cannot believe it!" the lizard said. "This is what had you so worked up?"

"Maleficent, this is really not the time―" Mal snapped, her eyes shooting fire as she turned at her mother. Without noticing it, Evie tightened her grip around Mal's hand.

"Oh, foolish child, you thought they would react any differently? Ha! You're my daughter, you're all as bad as we are! And them? They're not any better. What did you expect? That they'd welcome you with open arms and a huge smile? Think again," Maleficent sneered, her forked tongue coming out of her reptilian snout.

"Shut the hell up, Maleficent, I can't deal with you right now," Mal replied after a few silent seconds as she raised her right hand to massage her temples.

"Ha! What a way to speak to me, huh? Do you think I'll allow you to talk to me like that, young lady?"

"I do not want to speak to you, Maleficent, what part of that have I not made clear enough for you? Or is your small brain making it hard for you to understand?" Mal questioned, taking a step forward towards the terrarium, her eyes gleaming emeralds.

"Watch your tone with me, or else―"

"Or else what?" Mal cut her off. "You can't even feed yourself, shut up! You cannot even get out of that lizard-bowl or whatever it is called and if I were you I'd stop being a giant asshole to the one person that cares for you, because listen up, Maleficent, I'm the only one in this whole kingdom that gives a single fuck about you."

"Mal Bertha, watch your tone, I will not repeat myself."

"Fine by me! Stay in your cage and do so in silence because I don't have the time to deal with you right now!"

Feeling the atmosphere growing more and more conflictive around her, Evie let her breathing slow down. There was a knot in her stomach that seemed to become tighter whenever Mal talked back to Maleficent.

Again, it wasn't that Mal was saying lies, but rather, that all she said was too... real and too relatable. Too raw, too honest.

Evie felt like an intruder eavesdropping a conversation that wasn't meant for her ears. Mal was under too much pressure at the time, and perhaps it would be good that she let it all out with someone that was already looking for a fight on a regular basis rather than on someone innocent.

Silently, Evie tried to step back and leave the room to give Mal the privacy she deserved for this intimate moment.

And then... something happened.

"Stay, please," Mal whispered, her voice nothing like it had been mere seconds in past as she argued with Maleficent. Evie nodded, gently squeezing the hand that Mal had gripped around her wrist in reassurance.

With that established, Mal turned back to her mother, a glimmer almost sinister in her eyes.

"You know what? Don't stop talking to me, I have a better idea," she said, a snicker firm in her lips. "It's my turn now. For the last sixteen years I've been forced to listen as you listed everything that you didn't like about me, so now it's my turn, Maleficent."

"You? You will never be half of what I am, you should be ashamed!"

"And I am," Mal replied. "I'm ashamed I ever wanted to be like you, so pitiful and insignificant. I will not be half of what you are not because I can't, but because that's not what I am aiming for."

"Foolish child!" Maleficent crackled a laugh, the squamous beard under her reptilian chin puffing out.

"No, it's my turn to speak. You know what, Maleficent, what do you think would happen if I decided that I care for you just as much as you did for me my whole life, huh? What if I get tired of you and just send you back to the Isle? How do you think the other villains will react? Do you think they'll give you a warm welcome after all you did to them? They'll hunt you down! You're nothing now, nothing! Get that into your system and get used to it! You're nothing!"

"So this is all you have to tell me after you learned Auradon's ways? That's a shame! I thought you valued family a lot more!"

"Family? You want to talk about family? I cannot believe it, Maleficent, you have to be stupid if you think I consider you my family! All you ever did was lay a freaking egg! I'm not even sure it was you who incubated it and not your goblins!"

"Ha! Of course I did it, Mal, those idiots cannot be trusted with anything!"

"Oh, good, am I supposed to feel grateful for it?"

"You tell me, after all you've learned in Auradon!"

"What I learned is that I despise you! All of this is your fault! If you weren't my mother I wouldn't be seen as a certain backstabber by everyone I meet! All of this is your fault!" Mal rebuked, her chest coming up and down too fast for Evie's liking. "Tell me, Maleficent, how does it feel that the one thing that you thought made you weak— how does it feel that love and friendship, those condemning emotions, those things you never allowed yourself to feel for fear that it'd make you less powerful was the one thing that defeated you once and for all? No sword, no magic, no spear―just genuine love. When you speak to me again, you'd better have an answer for that."

And with that, Mal was gone, the slamming of the door not as violent as her entrance to the room had been. It had sounded more tired than enraged, more defeated that fuming.

"I'm glad that's why you were waiting for her!" Evie accused Maleficent in the expectant silence of the room, before she, too, exited the place.

—*—*—

When a couple of hours later Belle finally found Mal, she was sitting in the empty stands of the tourney field.

"Hey," she said softly. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

As an answer, Mal simply shrugged, her legs pulled to her chest as she chewed on her right thumb.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to all of that. Both at the council and... and with Maleficent."

"How do you know?" Mal whispered, her eyes stubbornly placed on the empty space in front of her rather than on her interlocutor.

"Evie told us," Belle answered. "She also mentioned she's worried about you."

"I'm fine, you can tell her that," Mal let out tiredly, though she pursed her lips at the mention of her concerned friend.

"Mal, I'm worried too," Belle continued, deciding to go one step further and take Mal's left hand in hers. "And, again, I apologize for how they treated you."

"It was to be expected," the girl muttered, and though she still hadn't established eye-contact with her, Belle counted the fact that she didn't reject her touch as a win.

"They will have to get used to it, you guys are part of Auradon now."

"Yeah, tell that to King Edward and Snow White," Mal said in an undertone, and there was so much resignation in her voice that, not for the first time that day, Belle was grateful that her son had a deeper insight than all of his kingdom put together and had decided to spare the innocent a punishment that was only meant for a few.

"Mal, I have a surprise for you, do you think you can... come with me?"

"Another surprise?" Mal inquired, finally turning to look back at Belle.

"It's not a bad one, I hope," the former queen tried to explain, a kind smile finding its way to her lips.

"Yeah, don't you have a saying that goes 'Hope is the last thing to die'?" Mal joked, although she rose to her feet when Belle did and she followed the former queen down the stands either way.

"We do, but that's only because we believe hope is the strongest of all human feelings."

"I thought it was love?"

"Well, yeah, we do think that too," Belle laughed. "But then again, isn't hope born from love? The love for oneself, for a friend, for family, for life?"

"I don't know, is this a trick question?" Mal replied, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. "We didn't really have an Auradonian philosophy class back at the Isle."

"I would imagine," the former queen nodded gently. "But then again neither do we here, so... let's make this about opinions and not dogmas, okay? What do you think?"

"I... I can barely say I understand love, I don't think I do," the daughter of Maleficent confessed.

"No one does for real, sweetie, that's alright."

"I don't think I know what love really is or how it feels, but I... I've seen it making someone impulsive, protective, fierce. It gives you a strength you didn't know you possessed until then, when you have no weapons and nothing to cling on to. It's stronger than magic and it's more... volatile than it too."

"That's a good answer," Belle smiled.

They walked over in silence for a few minutes, walking into the woods that surrounded the tourney training fields until they finally reached their destination: in the middle of a clearing, two horses were tied to the trunk of a willow.

"This is Phillippe the Second," Belle said, immediately walking over to let the biggest horse's snout smell her hand. "He's a Belgian draft horse, and he's mine," she explained. "And this girl right here," she continued, giving a gentle nudge to the smaller, yellow horse next to her. "Is Ambara, she's a strawberry roan and she's Ben's, though I'm sure he wouldn't mind it if you rode her for a bit."

"Umm... I don't think so," Mal said, a nervousness that was much more teenager-ly in her voice. "I don't think I'm a horse kind of person."

"If it's because you've never rode one, I can teach you, that's alright," the former queen offered.

"Well, it's true that I have never ridden one, but it's not only that... I just don't think riding horses into the sunset is my thing."

As if he'd understood her, Phillipe the Second stomped his foot in the ground. Unable to stop herself, Mal let out a tiny scream.

"I'm so sorry!" Belle laughed. "They won't hurt you, I promise. Phillipe, behave yourself, don't you see we have guests?" she scolded, turning to the horse, despite the fact that her chuckling made it hard to take her seriously.

She had an interesting laugh, Mal noted. It was nothing like her mother's. Instead, when Belle laughed, she didn't feel like the brunt of the joke, but rather, Mal was tempted to follow Belle's example and giggle herself.

"Come closer, let them see you better," Belle instructed next, taking Mal's right arm so she could draw it nearer to Phillipe's big nose.

This time, as the horse licked her empty fingers in search of a treat, Mal actually let out a small chuckle.

"So, if you're not into horses, I have to assume that you prefer cars, right? Like most of the new generation?"

"Well, if you want to hear about it, I don't think cars are for me either," the daughter of Maleficent explained. "I've only been in them once, in the limo that brought us here, but, other than that? I guess I didn't like the feeling of being caged. Cruella had one, though, and I think Carlos knows how to drive, but that's about it."

"If that's the case, then he should get a license. Actually, I think all of you should take driving lessons..." Belle suggested as a second thought, laughing again when she heard Mal groan softly in annoyance. "Okay, okay, you wouldn't like that. Moving on, so... if you don't like horses but you don't really like cars either... what would you actually like to get around with? By ship?"

Mal shrugged as she clumsily ran her hand along Phillipe's strong neck muscles. Horses weren't that bad, she thought, though perhaps their size was a little intimidating for someone as short as her. It was when she raised her right arm to scratch Phillipe's ears that the sleeve of her jacket slipped until her dragon tattoo was revealed. She smirked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"I think I have an idea of what I like," she said, fully turning to Belle, allowing only a fast glimmer of emerald to run through her eyes for the sake of drama. "And no, I've actually never traveled by ship."

"Okay, so what is it?" Belle inquired. "What do you like?"

"It's a surprise," Mal decided. "Mostly, because I have yet to see if I can make it work."

"Well, now I'm certainly curious to find out!"

"Trust me, if I make it work, there won't be a way of missing it," Mal laughed, closing her eyes for a couple of seconds as the wind blew around her, if only to imagine how that simple breeze would feel like had she been able to fly.

"Alright, I'll wait for it then!" Belle promised before her countenance turned darker "Actually, that reminds me of why I brought you here."

"Oh, right," the daughter of Maleficent nodded, feeling her dreamy-estate fade away.

"Ben chose you as the Ambassador of Auradon in the Isle of the Lost," the former queen explained, all business now, no trace of the playful woman she had been mere seconds in the past.

"What?" Mal uttered, turning to her, everything about flying reptiles and horses forgotten. "That's impossible! Everyone was against it!"

"Not everyone, sweetie. Ben wasn't," Belle explained. "You see, the High King of Auradon is forced to listen to everyone's opinion, but in the end his opinion is the one that matters the most, and he wants you to have that title."

"I-I can't take it, Belle, I'm very sorry," Mal clumsily informed her.

"Why would you say that?"

"I'm not the one you're looking for, I'm truly sorry," Mal tried to explain. "Belle, I'm honored, but... that would never work out."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know a thing about politics, I don't understand how this works for you and I'm not sure I want to," she began, fidgeting with her fingers, if only to steady the shaking in her hands. "To understand, I mean. You saw how I handled things back there―I completely exploded. I was fuming and I acted on it instead of being patient and civil. Your ambassador is not me, I'm very sorry, but the one you're looking for is Evie, not me."

Instead of becoming mad, instead of scolding her for being such an ungrateful person, all Belle did was gift her with a gentle smile.

"Evie rejected the title too," Belle explained. "You're our only option."

"What?"

"You see, you were Ben's first option from the beginning, but he thought it'd look too biased for others, so he asked her first instead" Belle explained, deciding to let Mal have her space instead of reaching out for her again. "And she refused for the exact same reason you're declining now: she said you were our best candidate, not her."

"Yeah, the only difference is I am right and she's not," Mal decided, swallowing hard as she tried to understand the new information. "She knows all there is to know about etiquette and politics, I don't know a thing, I don't even know how to behave, did you notice I was the only one there not wearing a dress? Belle, I'm flattered, I am, but you saw how I reacted... I will never be your Auradonian prototype of modesty and charisma."

"And we're not asking that from you," Belle promised, her perfect smile still in place. "We want you to accept this title because we want you to be you. You're strong-willed, passionate and stubborn. You were the one who stood firm in front of Maleficent to defend us, and while some seem to have forgotten about it, Ben hasn't," Belle said, caressing Ambara's ears. "You know the Isle, you know its inhabitants and you are not afraid to voice your opinion. All of this put together means that, while I adore Evie, I think you are more prepared for this than she is."

"That can't be," Mal repeated.

"I have direct orders from the High King," Belle shrugged, as she gently slipped a small badge into Mal's hand.

"What is this?"

"Read it," Belle instructed.

The pin couldn't have been bigger than the key to her locker, Mal noted. Shaped like a shield, the golden item had Auradon's emblem engraved into it, with the sole exception that, behind Adam's head as a beast there was a pair of wings. Dragon wings—long, round at the top but becoming closer together towards their tips, until they looked like a slightly crooked Auradonian heart. Blinking, she noticed she'd been wrong—it wasn't just one dragon, but two of them staring face-to-face at each other. The vivid image of the tattoo carved into her own skin. Under the crown that topped it all, instead of the inscription saying "Auradon", the script she read stated "Dragon of the Kingdom".

"What is this?" Mal uttered in desbelief, slowly turning back to Belle, if only to try to find the answers to her questions written in the former queen's face.

"Your new title. That is, if you accept, of course, we don't want you to feel pressured into it," Belle let out nervously.

"Really?" Mal tried to mutter sarcastically, but her voice trembled as she grasped the badge more tightly. Ben must have had been planning this for so long, she dwelled numbly. Ever since… ever since the first meeting he'd invited her to attend, probably. How long had Evie and Belle known what he was planning and… and no one had told her anything.

"Mal, a dragon is majestic creature, a protector," Belle began after a few silent minutes.

"Allow me to differ," the daughter of Maleficent complained.

"Ben chose it himself, and I have to admit I wasn't convinced about it at first, but then it made sense," Belle continued, not minding the interruption. "A dragon is the biggest of all magical creatures, it's unpredictable, strong, cunning, yet, what it holds dearly is something you wouldn't try to take away from it unless you don't mind losing your life while at it. A dragon is territorial, a fierce protector of what it owns. What is it that it protects with so much zest? That varies. Gold, jewels, animals, princesses. A dragon protects its most precious possession," Belle continued, taking the girl's shaky hands between hers. "You have the heart of a hero, Mal, Ben knows that, yet, he saw even deeper than that and once again proved that I might need glasses. Mal, you also have the fierceness of a dragon and we believe ―I mean, Evie, the boys, Ben, Adam, the Fairy Godmother and I― that once you realize that you will do great things."

"I... I don't know," Mal let out, her voice short from a whisper, as she squeezed the golden pin until the edges were carved into the palm of her hand.

«A dragon protects,» Belle's voice repeated itself in her head. «A dragon protectsit's most precious possession.»

Wasn't that what she had done, standing in between the mother she'd feared for her whole life and the friends she had slowly learned to love? Wasn't that what she'd done, as she made it a point that she'd beat anyone who dared touch Carlos or Evie back when they were at the Isle? Wasn't that why she felt her blood start boiling whenever someone made a malicious remark about Jay or even Doug, now that she knew how important he was to Evie?

Sure, she had defeated the Mistress of All Evil, what a great display of courage, but still, a small voice in her head repeated over and over that her mother wasn't that bad.

Yes, Mal's features paled with a single one of her stares ―well, at least it had while Maleficent was still in her human form―, but Maleficent hadn't beaten her to the point Mal was laying in puddle of her own blood.

Yes, Maleficent had tried to manipulate her into endangering people who were important to her on a handful of occasions, but Mal didn't feel her blood becoming cold whenever she heard her mother's voice. She could still have the luxury of despising her mother passionately, while she knew for a fact that Carlos was too scared, even now, after more than four months of having lived in Auradon, to even curse his mother's name.

And while both Cruella and Grimhilde were pretty bad themselves, Mal wondered, wondered with the morbid curiosity of the ones who don't know better if they were in fact the worst that the Isle of the Lost had to offer.

That island housed the most vicious criminals of all times, the most feared, the most dangerous, and it only made sense that, if you put a rotten apple in a basket filled with good ones and the bad one managed to send all of the other ones to waste, then, if you put all your rotten apples in the same basket, what you got in return would certainly be something nasty, foul-smelling and horrifying.

Her friends ―her family― were safe, that was all Mal knew for sure. Yet... some hadn't been as lucky, and while she was still convinced that Evie was the one they should have chosen, the pin was getting heavier in her hand and she felt the answer burning in her throat.

"I'll do it," she answered hoarsely. "With a few conditions," she added, before Belle had time to rejoice. "Evie stays by my side whenever I need her and I get to do things my way, no beat around the bush, no etiquette nonsense."

"We wouldn't have expected any less from you," Belle smiled, as she threw caution to the wind and circled Mal's shoulders.

"You'll do great, we're certain," she whispered into her ear, hugging her a little more tightly.

«We'll see», a condemning voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother's echoed in her head instead of Belle's kind reassurances. «We'll see how 'great' you do before things turn south and you fuck up.»

«That won't happen», her own voice replied. And it was true, she wouldn't allow it to happen.

Belle was right about one thing, if nothing else―she was stubborn. And that day, as the Dragon of the Kingdom insignia weighed down her left hand and cut into her skin she promised to herself and to Ben and to Evie that she wouldn't let them down.

She was strong-willed, that she knew for sure. It was time she proved just how much to Auradon.

Okay, this will be all for today! I really hope you've enjoyed it so far! If you are getting as excited about this as my lovely beta and I are please comment below and let us know!

Also, fun fact of the day: after doing some research we came to the conclusion that Maleficent was transformed into a bearded dragon, which is the specie we will use to speak about her and which I also find marvellously ironic. Please know that I have no previous experience with horses or reptiles as I'm only a dog person (though I've always wanted to learn how to ride a horse), so I'm trying to work this out with research and a positive attitude. If something seems inaccurate, please let me know!

Thanks for reading and... read you soon!

[evcrafter]

Maleficent “Mal” Bertha

Face-claim: Dove Cameron

Status: semi-active

Biography:

Lady Maleficent "Mal" Bertha is half-fairy, and the main protagonist from the Disney Channel films Descendants and Descendants 2 She is the daughter of Maleficent.

As a natural born leader, Mal takes charge of carrying out her mother's evil plan to steal the Fairy Godmother's magic wand and enjoys drawing and casting spells, as she feels they’re needed.

As the movies progress, Mal lets go of much of her fears and goals, becoming in tune with her true self; thus she abandons the hollow life of evil, for a life of being good. With friendship and love, Mal ended filling the hole in her heart that couldn't be satisfied through what her mother had taught her.

Mal is a sneaky, smart, and ruthless girl who is a natural born leader and skilled at artistic things involving spray paint. Though she is compassionate to a degree she is also vengeful and doesn't forgive others easily. She is artistic and has a knack for casting spells, but only if needed. As the daughter of Maleficent, she wants to be like her mother: pure evil. Yet whenever she tries to prove herself to her mother, she often disappoints her instead.

But she does enjoy coming up with evil plans and is the most feared at her previous school because of her reputation. She isn't fond of beautiful surroundings or anything pink and finds them to be horrid, but she does sometimes wonder about how life would be off the island. Despite this, she is not necessarily immoral; she is just misguided. Her "mean girl" facade is an act because she does not want to be seen as weak in her mother's eyes; being one is the only way she is respected by Maleficent, who never cared about Mal. Ben is the only person who saw through Mal's act (including herself), and saw her for who she was, a good person and he is the only one who knows Mal's middle name. She also tends to be overly-sarcastic.

In the prelude novel, Mal is introduced as the daughter of Maleficent, the worst of the villains. Mal was born and raised in the Isle of the Lost, along with her mother, best friends and their parents. One evening, Mal dreams of being in Auradon on the edge of a beautiful lake with the soon-to-be-king Ben (to whom she did not know).

She doesn't always do so well in school, except for Advance Evil Schemes and Nasty Tricks taught by Lady Tremaine. For her Ultimate Project she chose to humiliate Evie in which she fails to do. However, when Diablo was reanimated and informs Maleficent of the return of magic to the fairy's staff, Maleficent instructs Mal to retrieve it to prove herself evil. Mal convinces Jay, Evie and Carlos to get the staff back from the Forbidden Fortress in the Isle of the Doomed, an area near the Isle. She saves Evie from getting cursed by the staff at the cost of the the staff losing its magic once returned to Maleficent. Afterwards, the four teens become friends.

In Descendants, Mal is first seen spray painting a brick city wall. Then, she and her friends wreak havoc across an area of the Isle of the Lost. ("Rotten to the Core") After taking a lollipop from a toddler, her mother Maleficent comes. She gives the news that the four have been chosen to attend Auradon Prep. She gives the four a task to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand, and hands over her spellbook to Mal. When they arrive at Auradon Prep, they are welcomed by the Fairy Godmother and Prince Ben, who made the decree that they be given a chance to live among them. Audrey, Ben's girlfriend and the daughter of Aurora, is unwelcoming and rude. Mal and Audrey exchange awkward looks, before Audrey takes Ben away.

Mal and Evie become roommates to a room Mal finds "gross," but what Evie actually really loves. At night, the two girls enter Jay and Carlos' dorm room while Jay and Carlos were enjoying they almost forgot what they are here for then Mal tells that it is their one chance to prove their parents that they are evil.

Then they went to the museum after knowing where the wand is being held. Mal successfully puts the guard into a deep sleep, and they go look for the wand. They enter a room, which contains statues of their parents; Mal stays behind, having a vision of her mother encouraging her to go through with the plan to steal the wand. ("Evil Like Me") They find the wand, but Jay accidentally sets off the alarm when trying to take the wand. They narrowly escape, thanks to Carlos reporting the alarm as a malfunction.

The next day, they have school; Mal aces Remedial Goodness as it's a no-brainer what answer good guys would choose. Jay and Carlos are in the Tourney team, and Evie is asked out by Chad Charming. Mal befriends Jane, Fairy Godmother's daughter, to get the wand; she plays on Jane's insecurities about being pretty by making her hair more beautiful. Lonnie, Mulan's daughter, asks Mal to change her hair to a cool style likes her; Mal reluctantly agrees, since Lonnie will pay $50 and Evie needs more material for sewing her outfits.

Finding out the wand will be used in the coronation, Mal hatches a plan to become Ben's girlfriend to get close to the wand, since only his folks and girlfriend get to stand up front. She begins baking a love spell into a batch of cookies; however, she finds that a tear of true sadness is the only ingredient missing. Lonnie bothers her (other girls want Mal to change their hair as well), and Mal reveals that the parents on the Isle of the Lost never showed them anything like love before when Lonnie remembers when her mother made her cookies whenever she was sad. Lonnie cries for them; Mal pretends to kindly wipe it away, flicking the tear into the cookie batter.

The next day, Mal uses psychology to trick Ben into eating the cookie, by making him think he doesn't trust a treat offered by the child of a villain. To Mal's surprise, the love potion works a little too well, as Ben breaks out into a song about his love for her after winning the Tourney game with Jay and Carlos' help. She readily accepts his request to attend the coronation with him, but feels a bit sorry for Audrey, who is shallow compared to her and choose Chad Charming (a manipulative jerk) as a rebound boyfriend.

Mal goes on a date with Ben to the Enchanted Lake. While on the date, they find they have some things in common, such as embarrassing middle names, and the status of their parents; Ben explains that while he has the "poster parents of goodness" and her mother is Mistress of Evil, they're not automatically like them as they get to choose who they get to be.

She is then taken aback when Ben tells her that he can see goodness when he looks into her eyes, not evil. While Ben takes a swim, Mal begins feeling conflicted since she's falling in love. ("If Only") When Ben doesn't surface, Mal attempts to save him despite not being able to swim; Ben saves her, albeit a bit confused. Mal points out that there's a barrier around the Isle of the Lost, preventing swimming. When asked if she loves him, Mal says that she doesn't know what it feels like to love; Ben says he might be able to teach her.

Prior to Family Day, Mal and her friends can video chat with their parents. Hearing her mother's subtle message, Mal decides that they're all goners if they don't succeed. Come Family Day, Mal attends with her friends and is introduced to King Beast and Queen Belle by Ben as his new girlfriend; the experience is mutually uncomfortable for three of them.

Playing a game of croquet prior to lunch, Mal meets Audrey's grandmother, Queen Leah, who initially mistakes her for her mother in shock. Ben explains the situation, but Queen Leah is furious at the very memory of her daughter needing to be raised by fairies due to Maleficent's curse. Feeling sorry for the misery her mother caused, Mal attempts to apologize, but is stopped by Chad Charming, who has never trusted Mal or her friends. After Evie knocks out Chad with a sleeping potion, Mal is left feeling hurt and confused more than ever; Ben attempts comforting her prior to leaving to prep for the coronation the next day. Jane and Audrey make fun of Mal, who snaps back at them by undoing the makeover she gave Jane's hair; she threatens to do worse, telling her friends she's looking forward to the coronation.

The following day, she rides with Ben in a carriage to the coronation. He eats a cupcake with the antidote to the love potion in it too early; however, she learns Ben has been free of the spell since their first date, thanks to the Enchanted Lake washing away the spell. Wondering if Ben had been had been faking his affection for her, Mal is left happily surprised he entrusts his signet ring to her. This however, causes her to begin questioning if she should give up this happiness love has brought her, in order to fulfill her mothers' evil desires.

During the coronation, Jane snatches the wand to give herself a makeover; however, the magic backfires and makes a hole in the barrier surrounding the Isle of the Lost. Mal takes the wand, and after encouragement from Ben, decides to choose good as it's brought her more happiness than evil ever did and states the fact that she wants to live here in Auradon because it brings her happiness. Her friends agree, just as Maleficent arrives to take the wand. With everyone but herself and her friends frozen in time by her mother, Mal finally stands up to Maleficent, saying she's never considered what her Mal wanted. Having a stare-off and using a spell, Mal shrinks her mother down to a small lizard, which is equal to the love in her heart.

Fairy Godmother unfreezes time, freeing everyone. Mal shares a moment with Ben, while telling Fairy Godmother not to be too hard on Jane since it was her fault for putting the ideas in her head. With her mother locked up, Mal decides to enjoy the after party with her friends. Mal dances with Ben to Set it Off. She then narrates "You didn't think that was end of the story, did you?" while giving a smirk to the audience as her eyes glowed green.

In the sequel, Return to the Isle of the Lost, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos find themselves right where we left them in the movie. Enjoying everything that Auradon has to offer. In the Library, she then tells Ben about putting a fake nose on Pin. Meanwhile, she now has great friends, interesting classes, a world filled with hope instead of dreary villains and no future. They originally expected to hate it, but as we all know, they not only decided to stay, but to find their inner goodness. (And when there’s handsome princes, Tourney matches, puppies, and spontaneous musical numbers galore, who can really blame them?)

But when they receive a mysterious invitation to return to the Isle of the Lost, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay find themselves falling into their old habits. Evil spells, stealing, and breaking the rules comes naturally to them, it’s not really their fault, it’s how they were raised! In addition to becoming Rotten to the Core once again, they discover a dark mystery at the Isle’s core, and must combine all their talents, both good and bad, to save the Kingdom.

Mal first has a daydream of her, Jay, Carlos, and Evie, huddled around a bubbling cauldron. She casts a spell on some apples to make the taster wicked. The four are then shown passing out apples and watching chaos break loose. ("Ways to be Wicked") She then is being crowded by several reporters in the front of the school asking her questions about the Cotillion and her life in Auradon. Ben and the Fairy Godmother intervene to veer the reporters away from a very relieved Mal. Ben talks to Mal about spending time together, before remembering that he is late for a council meeting and leaves abruptly after apologizing to Mal. Evie and Mal then walk away to get fitting for Mal's dress for the Cotillion.

Mal is then shown in her Cotillion dress getting fitted by Evie in their room. She complains her discomfort to Evie about the dress, along with the stress of all the events she has to attend to even after the Cotillion. She then asks Evie about what they would be doing if they were still in the Isle, which Evie laughs off. The TV then shows Mal and Ben on their tour of Auradon dining with Aladdin and Jasmine, which they stop to watch. The TV goes on to talk about the days until the Cotillion when Mal would officially be a Lady of the Court.

Mal gives a surprised gasp, at this, as she counts the days on her fingers. She walks over and picks up her spell book. She then chants a spell to remember everything she reads at lightning speed and starts to go over a book for "Lady Manners." Evie notices and scolds Mal about how dishonest she was being which Mal shrugs off saying that she was a mess before she started using her spell book. Evie takes the spell book away and when Mal begins to protest, she tells her that her spell book should be put in the museum along with Evie's Magic Mirror. After reluctantly giving up, she asks Evie if she ever missed running wild and breaking all the rules. Evie gives a shocked "no" asking why would they. She takes Mal and leads her back to the TV saying that they were in Auradon and that they were Auradon girls now. They watch the TV talk about Mal's love of strawberries, showing Mal and Ben on a romantic date eating strawberries. As Mal looks sad, Evie tells her that Auradon is the land of opportunity and that they could be whatever they wanted to be. Evie asks Mal to leave the past in the past, and when Mal still looks sad, she cheers her up by showing Mal her Cotillion shoes.

Mal then is shown walking through school with Evie, Jay, and Carlos. Jay flirts with some girls and Carlos asks why he hasn't picked anyone to bring to the Cotillion already, which he responds that he's going solo so that he can dance with all of them. After Carlos calls him the expert, he asks him on advice on asking a girl to the Cotillion, and Jay jokingly responds that he has to look like him. They run into Jane, who addresses Mal, but Carlos cuts in. He nervously asks her if she liked the carrot cake the night before, and Jane says that she had the pumpkin pie. After Jay drags him off, Evie addresses Lonnie and Jane if they wanted a spot for Cotillion fitting at three, and Lonnie hurriedly says "yes". She apologizing to Jane, saying that she will take Jane later. Jane starts asking Mal about decorating at the Cotillion. Mal says she has to get to class, but Jane says that she can nod if she likes it. Jane hurriedly starts listing decorative items. Mal starts to protest after Jane asks her about party favors, but she interrupts and starts listing more items. Jane stops to ask about pen toppers, and Mal eyes glow green. She closes them for a moment, and then smiles at Jane, agreeing with her. Lonnie comes around and tells Mal that she is excited to see what Mal's wedding will look like, and Mal, dazed, agrees before looking surprised. Jane tells Mal that the Cotillion is like getting "engaged to be engaged to be engaged." Mal started stuttering about not knowing about it and that her entire life is just laid right in front of her as Ben walks up behind her. Ben addresses Mal and tries to talk to her but is drawn aside by Jane as Mal waits for him. Jane then talks about Ben's present to Mal at the Cotillion, which turns out to be a stained-glass window depicting Mal with Ben kneeling before her. After Ben reminds Jane to make Mal's eyes green, he says goodbye to Mal, who walks away. Jane then asks about the different shades of green to use, and he chooses one.

While Mal is at her locker, Ben walks up to her. He tells her that he has surprise for her, and she laughs about how many presents Ben gets her. When Ben looks into her locker, he sees her spell book, and asks her if she is going to donate it to the museum. She closes the locker door to block his view and muses about how she had forgotten about it. She says that she has to get to class, but Ben stops her and walks her over to a purple scooter with a bronze bow on the handle. Mal gasps in surprise and tells Ben how she loves it. She then says that she didn't get Ben anything. He reminds her that she told him that she would take him on a picnic with all his favorite foods. Mal says that the picnic is going to be on Thursday. They start arguing about it being Thursday until Ben takes his phone out and shows her. Mal covers up her surprise and says that she was just joking. She says she needs to bake only one more thing, and when Ben reminds her about class, Mal says that she will multitask and walks away laughing.

Mal runs into Carlos's room as reporters follow her and she slams the door, panting. She locks the door, then walks over to the TV, which was talking about her, and turns it off hurriedly with the remote as Carlos watches her. When Mal's eyes glow green, Carlos tries to calm her down. Mal starts to rant about how reporters are always running after her and taking pictures of her. She asks him if he ever missed screaming at people and making them run away from him. He tells her that she was thinking of Carlos's mother, Cruella, which he was usually being the one running away, and tells her no. Carlos then asks Mal if she brought "it" (a truth gummy) and she starts to open a small container. Chad suddenly opens the room silently and stealthily, unaware that Carlos and Mal were in the room, and closes it. When he turns around, he looks surprised to see Carlos and Mal there. He awkwardly says hi, and then tells Carlos that he just wanted to use his 3D printer. Carlos asks Chad about how he got the key to his room, and Chad says that he printed it off last time he was there, when they were sleeping. He tries to defend himself by saying how good Carlos's 3D printer is, but Carlos tell him to get out and leave the key. He angrily walks out and slams the door. Carlos then reminds Mal about the "potion," which turns out to be a truth gummy that will allow Carlos to say what he wants to say to Jane. Mal cautions him about if he really wants to take it because it will make him say the truth all the time and remarks that if she took it, she would get sent back to the Isle. Carlos tells Mal that he will take his chances, but before Carlos takes it, Dude jumps off the bed and eats it from Mal's hand. Dude then starts to talk, much to Carlos's and Mal's surprise and disbelief, remarking that the gummy was "nasty." He continues, chiding Carlos about "man up," and to scratch his butt. Mal, shocked, told Carlos to scratch his butt, then awkwardly turns and leaves. Carlos protests about Mal just leaving him there with Dude.

Later, Mal and Ben are sitting together on the picnic date near a lake. She feeds him a hors d'oeuvre which Ben remarks is the best thing in the world. Ben said that she had made every single dish Mrs. Potts made for his parents. He asked Mal if it really took her three days to make it all, which she jokingly asks him not to even ask her. Ben told her that it meant a lot that she stopped and did all of that for him, and that they didn't have a lot of time being just "them." Ben then asked if there were any napkins. He reaches into the picnic basket, and Mal tries to stop him saying that she can get them herself. However, Ben takes Mal's spell book out, to Mal's shock. She quickly makes up an excuse saying that she threw the book in the basket at the last minute in case it rained during the date. However, Ben started to read the list of spells that Mal had tabbed showing him that she had used the spell book to read quickly, turn her hair blonde, and cook all the food that she had "made." Ben starts to get angry, telling her that he had been falsely complimenting her for fitting in well. Mal, desperate, tries to spell him into forgetting the moment, but she messes up. Ben jumps up from the table, figuring out she was trying to spell him. They start yelling at each other, Mal saying that transitioning into Auradon was hard, while Ben retorts that becoming king has been hard as well. Ben says that Mal has been lying and keeping secrets from him and reminds her that Auradon isn't the Isle of the Lost. Mal retorts that she knows it isn’t and explains that she isn't a pretty pink princess or a Lady of the Court. She then grabs her spell book and casts a spell over the feast which turns it back to "what is real," which turns out to be a peanut butter jelly sandwich and a glass of milk. She then walks away, despite Ben trying to call her back.

Mal returns to hers and Evie's room dressed in her VK outfit. She grabs a pencil and pierces air holes into a blue and black pencil box. She drops it, then starts to cry saying that she doesn't belong in Auradon. She picks up the box again and walks over to the glass cage where her mother, Maleficent the lizard, is kept. She opens the cage, takes out Maleficent and places her in the box. She then smiles weakly and says that they're "blowing this popsicle stand," then places the lid on the pencil box.

Afterwards, Mal drives her purple scooter wearing a purple helmet to a cliff at the edge of Auradon overlooking the sea and the Isle of the Lost. She stops, breathing heavily, and takes off her goggles. She quickly takes her spellbook out and casts a spell on her scooter that will take the driver anywhere. She then drives across the water trailing green magic, slightly hovering over the water and bouncing into it occasionally. Mal rams into the barrier, but passes through it with a gasp of surprise. She then is shown driving through the "market" causing many people to shout in surprise and move out of her way quickly. She stops at a corner and takes off her goggles to see a poster on the wall advertising the Royal Cotillion showing Ben and Mal together. An eye patch is drawn over Ben's right eye , and Mal's face has and "x" over it with "GOOD GIRL" written on her. Mal peels the poster off the wall, crumples it, and throws it over her shoulder. She puts her goggles back on and drives off, many people staring at her as she leaves. She drives on until she reaches a building, turns right, and parks her scooter in an opening. She takes off her helmet, grabs a rock off a nearby table, and throws it at a sign reading: "Danger: Flying Rocks" hanging to the side of the building. It folds to the wall, then a door slides upwards revealing a flight of stairs leading up the building. Mal then starts walking up the stairs to the room above.

Mal later is walking down to Lady Tremaine's Curl Up & Dye. She gets to the doors, but notices that there is hanging sign that says the shop doesn't open until midnight. She pushes the doors open and walks inside to reveal a hair shop with walls and furniture splattered with paint and bubbling bottles. She spots Dizzy Tremaine sweeping the hair-covered floors while listening to "Rather Be With You" on her headphones. Dizzy notices Mal and exclaims with surprise, asking if Evie was with her as well. Mal chuckles and tells her "no", and Dizzy looks disappointed. Mal tells her that she forgot that the place doesn't open until midnight and compliments it saying that it looks good. Dizzy chuckles, and Mal asks her if her grandmother has given her any customers yet. Dizzy responds that she only gets a witch here and there. She goes on saying that she usually does a lot of cleaning. Mal asks her if she did Evie's hair, and Dizzy tells her yes, and that she thought of the little braids that Evie wore. Mal asks Dizzy if she had any ideas for her, and Dizzy examines her. She begins criticizing Mal's hair and nails. Dizzy asks Mal how far she can go with her hairstyle, and Mal tells her to make it so that Mal feels like herself, but way worse. Dizzy squeals happily, then grabs a large pair of scissors. She dyes Mal's hair magenta, then cuts some hair off. Dizzy straightens Mal's hair and paints Mal's nails black. After it is done, Dizzy spins her chair around and Mal gets up to look herself in a paint-splattered cracked mirror. She then pulls out money from her pocket and gives it to Dizzy, who asks her if the money is for her. When Mal says yes, Dizzy exclaims in happiness and runs over to the cashier laughing.

Dizzy stops when she sees Harry Hook walking into the entrance. He tells her to give him the money, and calls her a runt. She reluctantly gives him the money in his outstretched hand. Harry then tells her to give him the rest of the money as well, gesturing to the cashier by hitting the desk with his hook. Dizzy walks slowly to the cashier while Harry puts the money in his mouth. Dizzy pulls out the money from the cashier and gives it to Harry. He says thank you and starts to walk out, unaware of Mal's presence, while Mal watches while chewing some gum. Mal speaks up, asking if Harry still runs errands for Uma or if he gets to keep what he steals. He turns around, shocked, and calls Mal's presence a "nice surprise." Mal says hi to him, and Harry starts walking towards her, telling her that Uma will never give back Mal's old territory. Mal says that it is okay, because she is going to take it back. He chuckles lightly, using his hook to brush through Mal's hair saying that he could hurt Mal. She suddenly grabs his wrist, and takes the chewed gum out of her mouth and places it on the tip of Harry's hook. She looks at him telling him that she bets that he couldn't hurt her without her permission. Harry lifts the hook and eats the gum off of it. He then walks towards the entrance, sweeping the counter with his arm, sending multiple objects flying to the ground. He turns back to Mal, makes a mock bow, and walks out of the shop. Dizzy, who was still behind the cashier, sarcastically remarks about how much more sweeping she has to do now.

Ben, Evie, Jay, and Carlos arrive at the VK's old hideout, and Jay opens the entrance with a rock. The three VK's wait outside while Ben walks up the stairs. He finds Mal in a room with walls full of graffiti. She is unaware that he is there, since her back is turned because she was using spray paint to draw herself, Jay, Carlos, and Evie with black spray paint with the words "Rotten to the Core" while standing on some boxes. Ben comments that at least she didn't draw him with horns and a pitchfork jokingly. Mal lets out a gasp of surprise and whirls around. Ben apologizes to her about their fight, saying it was all his fault and begs Mal to come home while lifting up her ring to her. Mal walks down the crates and tells him that she is home while walking towards him. Ben pushes on, telling her that he brought the limo. Mal says that she doesn't fit in in Auradon even though she gave it her best shot. Ben then says that he can change, that he will skip school, have more fun, and blow off some of his responsibilities. Mal cuts in, saying no and that she is a terrible influence on him. She tells him that one day she might do something so messed up that the kingdom will turn on both of them. Ben shakes his head, pleading her not to quit "them," and that he and the people of Auradon love her. He asks Mal if she loves Ben. He takes the ring and places it in Mal's right palm. Mal looks down at it, and takes it in her other hand, smiling slightly. She then places it in Ben's hand and closed it into a fist. She sadly tells Ben that she needs to take herself out of the picture because it was best for Ben and Auradon. Ben starts to protest, walking towards her, but Mal backs up, clearly uncomfortable with Ben being to close. She tells him that she can't do this, and that Ben should leave. She walks over to the boxes, grabs the spray paint can, and steps up. When Ben keeps standing there, she asks him again to leave. Ben walks slowly away, and Mal looks miserable.

When Ben walks out of the building, he tells Evie, Jay, and Carlos that Mal refused to go back to Auradon. Evie insists that she will talk to her and walks over to an object that resembles an ear trumpet stuck to the wall while Ben walks away. She asks Mal to let her talk to her for a second. On the other line, Mal walks over to another ear trumpet in the room and pulls a heavy lever next to it, then tells Evie to "go away" then Carlos asks Evie and Jay where Ben is. They stop and look nervous, while Evie calls Ben's name. They see a shadow walking over to them through a dark aisle, and Evie angrily tells Ben to not scare them like that. The shadow turns out not to be Ben, but Harry Hook. He says that scaring is his specialty. Jay angrily demands what Harry did with Ben, and Harry said that they captured him. He says that if Evie, Jay, and Carlos want to see Ben again, to have Mal come to Ursula's Fish and Chips alone that night. He goes on saying that Uma wants to have a little visit with Mal. Harry turns to Jay, and makes a mocking sad face saying that Jay has lost his touch. Jay lunges for Harry, but Evie holds him back while Harry laughs and mockingly barks at Carlos. He turns around and walks casually back into the aisle, whistling. Jay turns and starts climbing up a ladder leading up to the top of the building, while the others follow.

After Jay, Carlos, and Evie explained what happened, Mal starts scolding them saying if they hadn't brought him along, he would have never been captured. The other three explained that Ben would've come anyway, and asked Mal what they were going have to do now. Mal says that "they" are not doing anything and that the matter is between Uma and herself, and she would get Ben alone. Carlos tries to slow Mal down, saying that she will still have to go through Harry Hook and his wharf rats to get Ben, and Jay agrees saying that she will need them to help. Mal reminds them that she has to go alone and Jay responds saying that they would wait for her until she gets back. She comes to Ursula's Fish and Chips and talk to Uma, who challenges Mal to an arm wrestling match when Mal was winning and her eyes glowing green then Uma says to Mal for her to bring the Fairy Godmother's wand to distract her and wins also tells her to bring it to her ship at noon.

Carlos, Jay, Evie tells Mal there's no way they're going to bring the wand and Evie commented about Mal's new hairstyle and told her that Dizzy had done it and they were talking, then Carlos interrupted them and Mal resumes to go over the plan to fool Uma and Mal remembered Carlos's 3-D printer he can use it to make a replica wand and also use smoke bombs. While Carlos and Jay returned to Auradon to replicated the wand, Mal and Evie went to Lady Tremaine's Cut Up and Dye and Evie saw Dizzy and she showed Evie a scrapbook and then they made colorful smoke bombs, when they returned to their old hideout, Mal told Evie that she was not returning to Auradon then Evie said I'm staying with you and Mal told her you're an Auradon girl and I'm just a girl from the Isle. Then Mal tossed a rock at the sign and they climbed the stairs to a landing and discuss what they’ve been feeling towards their situations.

After they return with the replica wand Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos and Lonnie face Uma and her pirates. But Uma wanted to see if it's real, Mal made up a fake spell to make Dude talk to fool Uma. Mal gave Uma the replica wand and Uma gave Ben back to Mal. Once Uma had the wand, she tried to cast a spell with the wand to lower the barrier and nothing happened. Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Lonnie, Ben got into a sword fight with Uma, Harry, Gil and the pirates. After using colorful smoke bombs to distract the pirates Mal and the VKs with Ben and Lonnie escaped the from the Island and return to Auradon. Once they got back, Lonnie returned to swords and Jane approached Ben about Cotillion and he asked Mal did she want to cancel it, but she didn't say anything. Evie came to Mal telling her we need to talk but Carlos stopped them saying he was tired of them running off to have a girl talk so told that they are her family and told them to sit and talk. After the talk Evie told her that her dress will be there if she wants it and Jay asked Mal that if she can't stand one more day there he would drive her back himself.

At Cotillion Mal was introduced as future Lady Mal, she appeared in her Cotillion dress came down the stairs talked to the former King Beast and Queen Belle then Evie taken her hand to ask if she's alright they turned to look at the stairs when King Ben showed and told Mal he wished he had time to explain when Uma appeared. Uma talked to Mal and started to dance with Ben, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos and Lonnie started to leave when Jane told Lumiere to show everyone Ben's gift to his lady and unveiled the stained glass of Mal and Ben. Uma got upset and wanted it covered up and it was refused, she wanted Ben to order the Fairy Godmother to lower the barrier and she refused. Mal told Evie that Ben had been spelled and Evie said the Uma found Mal's spell book, Mal kissed Ben to release him from the spell.

Uma upset then tried to take the wand from Fairy Godmother and Evie was between Fairy Godmother and Uma to keep Uma from getting the wand. Uma then reached the railing of ship, Mal tried to stop her from going over but Uma's necklace glowed, and she went over, after she went into the water she changed to have tentacles like her mother. After seeing that, Mal moved to an area on deck and changed into a dragon in front of everyone and went after Uma they were going to fight but Ben jumped into the water between them to stop it, Uma was rejected and defeated, she gave Ben back the ring and she then left. After Ben climbed back on board the ship along with everyone seeing Mal as a dragon return to the ship and in purple smoke changed back to herself with a different dress, approached by Evie telling her "I did not know I can do that" and Evie saying "Tell me about it" who then blown a puff of a smoke off Mal's dress. Then returned to Ben and kissed him again, afterwards everyone started dancing and Ben placed the ring on Mal's finger and watched everyone bow to the couple.

Verses:

Self-proclaimed Queen of Everything: Mal on the Isle

Possibly a Princess: Mal in Auradon

In the Dragon’s Sights: Once Upon A Time verse

Road Less Traveled: all AU threads