'I cannot believe I am doing this…' Isabella thought as she walked down the hallway toward the school courtyard, where Briar Beauty was throwing (yet another) party and had practically invited the whole school to attend. However, even with an invitation, Isabella didn't quite feel comfortable at parties. She didn't know exactly why she felt uncomfortable in such settings, but she mostly figured it was because she felt like she would ruin everyone else's time by being a stick in the mud who preferred a lonely corner as opposed to being out on the dance floor amidst a bunch of fairy tales she didn't know.
So why in the land of Ever After was she even walking toward the place where Briar was throwing her party? That answer was simple: she was just going to hang out with her knew friends as well as her best friend slash boyfriend after not being able to hang outside of doing their homework together.
Cerise had already left for the party upon Isabella telling her to go on since she had wanted to finish the book she'd borrowed from the library before she went. Even Peter Junior had offered to wait on her, but she could tell he was just being considerate of her despite his excitement of attending something other than a ball, so she told him the same thing she had told her hood-wearing roommate.
Isabella had just turned off the hallway when she saw a guy with light brown hair wondering around, looking as though he were lost. He was dressed in a plain bronze colored t-shirt and copper colored shorts that came to rest at his knees. A gold belt was around his waist while brown sneakers paced the floor.
The boy's hazel eyes fell upon Isabella, seeming to have heard the sound of her own black colored sneakers coming down the hall. He walked up to her almost as soon as he saw her, causing Isabella to stop in her tracks.
"Hey, are you on your way to the party?" He asked in a voice that sounded more masculine than his scrawny form.
"Yes," Isabella answered in a soft voice.
"Would you mind if I came with you? I just got here yesterday and I don't know my way around that well."
"Not at all. And welcome to Ever After High, though it's probably a little late to say that."
The boy chuckled a bit, walking beside Isabella when she got to moving again.
"Thanks. I'm Hector, by the way. Hector Nutmeg, son of Hercules and Megara," He said.
Isabella nearly stopped again out of shock. Instead, her chocolate brown orbs looked up at Hector when her mind forced her to continue putting one foot in front of the other.
"You're a myth? But what are you doing here? I-I mean, you seem more suited for Monster High."
Hector's blood red lips curved upward into a smile.
"Well, if you think about it, myths are stories in their own right. I was originally scheduled to attend a school in the village where my dad grew up, but since I now have the godlike strength he does, he figured I'd have a much greater chance of making friends here at Ever After High. You know, 'cause inhuman strength and normal people don't really mix without someone's feelings getting hurt." He explained.
"Makes sense." Isabella smiled a bit. "You know, my boyfriend would love to meet you. He loves the story of Hercules."
"Who's your boyfriend?" Hector asked, curiousness in his voice.
"Peter Pan Junior."
Hector's eyes brightened.
"No way! The son of Peter Pan? That's so cool!"
"I take it you're a fan of his?"
"Yeah. I grew up with stories of heroes and Peter Pan is one of my personal favorites."
Isabella giggled a bit.
"Mine too. Then again, I have a whole bunch of favorites, including my own … though I don't wish to follow the destiny my mother laid out before me." She sighed.
"What is your story?"
"Beauty and the Beast."
Hector raised an eyebrow. Isabella saw it and blushed slightly. What was with that look?
"Then that would make you Isabella Rosalina, if I'm not mistaken." Hector stated simply, to which Isabella just nodded. "I've heard of you. You're the one who kicked that Sparrow Hood guy around, aren't you?"
The blush on Isabella's cheeks darkened slightly. She looked away, a bit embarrassed. That event had been like several weeks ago and people were still talking about it? That must have been the fight of the century or something, especially since Isabella had won without breaking a sweat.
"Y-Yeah. I am. He deserved it, in my defense. A-After all, he did say something I do not wish to repeat that triggered my dark side…" She said, trying to keep from stuttering every other word. She looked back at Hector when he gave her a gentle punch on her arm.
"Don't be ashamed. I think that's awesome. My mom would have cheered you on had she been there. She's all for girl power after all."
Another small laugh came from Isabella. She messed with the dagger shaped ring on her right ring finger as she and Hector walked toward the courtyard.
As expected, Peter's eyes sparkled when Isabella introduced him to the son of Hercules and Megara. While the two boys were talking, Isabella just stood silently, looking among the immense crowd of students for her new friends. She first spotted Finn, but he was too busy talking to a fellow villain to notice her.
The next fairy tale – er, fairy tales – her gaze fell upon were Paige Phoebus, daughter of Esmeralda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and her boyfriend, Leonardo de Vil, son Cruella from 101 Dalmations. The two were making their way through the crowd, toward where Isabella, Peter, and Hector were. Politely, Isabella gave them both a kind smile and waved at them.
"Hey, Bell," Paige greeted once she and Leonardo were close enough. "Who's Peter talking to?"
"The son of Hercules. I wouldn't dare interrupt their conversation, though. They're pretty much fans of each other's stories," Isabella replied with a slight laugh.
Both Leonardo and Paige smiled.
"So Peter's ignoring you again?" Leonardo asked.
"I am not, cow hair," Peter chimed in, playfulness in his voice.
"What'd you call me?"
"Cow hair. You know, since your hair's black and white."
"Haha. Very funny, stone bread." Leonardo fake laughed though a genuine smile spread upon his pale face.
Isabella snorted a laugh at Leonardo's comment, knowing the clever usage of Peter's first and last name meanings. Her laughter earned her a golden ticket to tickle town by Peter. She moved away in an effort to escape Peter's sudden onslaught, accidentally tripping over something in the process.
"Oh! Sorry! 'Scuse me!"
Lifting her head after falling on her backside, Isabella's sights fell upon a pig.
"Are you okay?" It asked, inching closer to her.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Isabella replied, stroking the pig's head. "But what're you doing here? Did one of the Three Pigs let you out of the school pig pen again?"
The pig was about to answer when Madeline Hatter came up behind it and scooped it up.
"Oooohhhh! You found Snoof Piddle-dee-do! Thank you, Izzy!" She exclaimed.
"What kind of a name is that?" Paige asked though she laughed at it. She presented a lightly tan skinned hand to Isabella, to which she took gratefully.
"What kind of a name is it not?" Maddie countered with a smile that could rival Kitty Cheshire's.
"I don't like it," Snoof Piddle-dee-do said.
"Can't say I blame you," Isabella agreed.
"What'd he say, Izzy?" Maddie asked.
"He doesn't like his name."
Maddie looked down at Snoof Piddle-dee-do. She petted him on his head while giggling.
"Oh, you silly piggy you!"
Maddie skipped off, Snoof Piddle-dee-do squealing in protest, begging Isabella to save him from the "mad" girl.
"Who was that?" Hector asked with a chuckle once Maddie disappeared into the crowd.
"Madeline Hatter, daughter of the Mad Hatter. And mad she is," Peter replied. "She's cool though. She's able to make anyone laugh."
"Was she wearing her dress upside down?"
"Think she wa-"
Peter was cut off when the doors leading out to the courtyard burst open, slamming against the concrete walls as a chilly wind blew past, causing all the lanterns and candles all around to go out. A blanket of silence hushed the crowd as Melody Piper stopped the music with a scratch. Even the birds who'd been chirping along with the bass line stopped their musical tweets.
"Whoops, sorry," Raven Queen said, manually closing the large double doors. "That's new."
Everyone remained silent. Some students either rubbed their arms from a chill that was not present or flinched back when Raven took a step closer. Isabella rolled her eyes and went up to Raven. Apple White emerged from the crowd as well along with Briar.
"Oh, calm down," Apple said to the crowd. "It's just Raven."
"Yeah, come on! Party time!" Briar exclaimed, and Melody started up the music again. However, the birds refused to join in the tune.
Isabella shook her head. Even animals were afraid of kind and not evil Raven? They needed a reality check. When she looked back at Raven, she found the next Evil Queen about to leave the party so soon.
"Hold up there, Raven," She said, grabbing hold of her friend's wrist and gently pulling her away from the doors.
"But Izzy, you saw how everyone reacted…" Raven protested.
"Pixie dust! I'll bet Peter, Maddie, and anyone else who knows how awesome you are didn't react that way. Now come on and hang!" Isabella assured her. Raven smiled a bit and followed her back over to the small group Isabella had been with, the two finding that Cerise and Nighting had joined them.
Nighting came up and hugged Isabella, exclaiming "sissy" since she was a freshman and saw Isabella as an older sister figure. Isabella giggled and hugged Nighting back.
The group stood off to the side for a while, chatting amongst themselves. Crimson came around a few times, taking a break from being out on the dance floor, but would return after a few minutes or so. At one point, Cerise convinced everyone to come watch him dance, saying that he knew every dance move there was – even the really embarrassing ones that not many people did.
Sure enough, Crimson was doing exactly as Cerise mentioned. Isabella put her hands on her knees due to laughing so hard. In fact, she earned the attention of the whole group when she started gasping in air.
"I'm okay. I'm okay, really." She assured them while trying to stop laughing.
When she finally stopped, she saw Apple coming toward them with a girl hooked in arm.
"Duchess, say hello to Raven," Apple said, gesturing to the fairy tale standing beside Isabella.
"Hello," The girl said in a flat tone, almost in a why-am-I-having-to-talk-to-you way.
"And Isabella, too. Isabella, this is Duchess Swan, daughter of Odette."
Isabella waved at Duchess. The fairy tale eyed her up and down before turning away.
"Why do I have to mingle with a commoner and a princess who doesn't act like a lady?" She asked Apple.
"Least I can defend myself," Isabella sneered. "What can you do, Mrs. Swan? Transform into a bird and honk for a prince to come and save you like a helpless damsel?"
Duchess looked at Isabella, mouth agape. She clearly wanted to say something back, but couldn't make words come out. Isabella smirked and crossed her arms.
"And you do know Raven is the daughter of a king and queen-"
"An Evil Queen." Duchess cut Isabella off, looking at Raven. "Looking forward to that, are you, Raven? Pretending to be nice all the time must be exhausting. I'll bet you can't wait to sign that book and embrace your future already."
"Not really," Raven said in a surprisingly calm voice though Isabella saw out of the corner of her eye that her fisted hand was glowing with a magical aura.
Lizzie Hearts passed by, shouting "Off with her head!" to a girl when she accidentally ran into her. A smirk came to Duchess' face as she pointed at the daughter of Wonderland's Red Queen.
"Now there's a future villain who doesn't pretend," She said. "She's destined to be an Evil Queen, and she owns it. Why are you so afraid to own it, Raven?"
Raven was about to say something when Isabella stepped closer to Duchess, growling dangerously.
"Back down now while you still have two unbroken legs you can run on," She threatened darkly, popping her knuckles as if preparing to do some dirty work.
Apple noticeably shuttered. She seized hold of Duchess' shoulders, trying to get her to walk away with her. At the same moment, Isabella felt hands on hers as well.
"Izzy, calm down. This girl isn't worth it," Peter's voice whispered in her ear, his grip tight, seeming to prepare to hold her down. "And you, I suggest you shut your big mouth or I just might turn Isabella loose on you for insulting Raven."
Duchess gave a small laugh.
"Wow, Raven. You actually have two suckers who believe you are nice." She taunted. "You poor, sweet child. Did your daddy lie to you when you were just a wee little hatchling? Did he promise you that you had a 'good heart' and that if you wanted, you could grow up to be just as nice and stupid and boring as he is?"
A beastly snarl followed Duchess' comment. Apple looked as though she instantly held her breath. Raven's gaze turned to Isabella. As expected, her eyes were as black as charcoal, though as opposed to the time she fought Sparrow Hood, her teeth seemed to be sharper to where they looked like fangs.
"Let. Me. At. Her." Isabella demanded voice thick with an animalistic growl.
Duchess' eyes widened when Peter willingly let Isabella go. The look on her face said that she knew she had taken things way too far. She shrank back when Isabella took a step forward. She began to visibly shake.
"I warned you to back down when you still had two unbroken legs…" Isabella told Duchess sternly.
She slowly stalked toward the one who insulted her friend and her father. She was about to lunge when a familiar voice emitted from the crowd.
"Duchess!"
Sparrow Hood himself came pushing past several fairy tales and quickly got between Isabella and Duchess. Isabella growled again at the sight of him. He shook in fright, yet stood in front of Duchess.
"I-Isabella, please. Don't hurt her." He begged.
"I'll hurt both of you if you don't get out of my sight, stupid womanizer."
Sparrow gulped, his face that of complete horror. He looked back at Duchess.
"What d-id you do, Du-chess?" He asked, his voice quaking in fear.
Duchess was obviously scared speechless. Isabella continued to walk toward the two as though she were her own unstoppable force of nature.
That is, until she heard something she wanted to hear.
"ImsorryImsorryImsorry!" Duchess apologized as she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please don't hurt me! I'll never say anything mean about Raven or her father ever after again! I promise!"
Isabella stared at her, pausing in her tracks. She stared at the two cowering before her, Sparrow even saying that he would make sure to hold Duchess to her word.
"You're lucky I'm merciful," She finally said while turning her back on them.
When she looked at her friends, she saw the same looks of horror turn into shocked expressions. All except for Peter, who was used to seeing her like this from time to time in the past. No one dared say a word to her … except for one villain who made his way over.
"I say you should have broken one the swan's legs for good measure," Finn said, a rare amused smirk on his face even when he saw Isabella's slight change in appearance. "But I applaud the 'evil' threat. Even I had shivers."
Finn's words seemed to snap Isabella out of her dark state. Her eye color changed back to brown while her teeth became human-like again. She looked back at Duchess, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Remorse knocked at the door to her heart, but unlike last time, she did not answer it. Duchess had it coming, and she would not show anything other than the mercy she graciously gave.
"Sorry, Finn, but I'm not as evil as you are," She said. "Though if she hadn't of wised up and started saying she was sorry, I would have."
"Whatever. Least I got to see the dark half Peter warned me about…" Finn glanced at Peter, his smirk disappearing as he regained his normal expressionless look. "A shame it only lasted five minutes. I would have so enjoyed seeing you beat up a princess who actually can't defend herself. That would have been absolutely evil of you."
Finn walked off then. Isabella shook her head.
"And he's the number two villain at this school?" She wondered aloud.
"Who has a crush on you, if I might add," Peter added matter-of-factively.
"For The End, Peter, he does not like me in that way."
"Uh-huh. Suuurrreee he doesn't."
Isabella playfully punched Peter's arm as her response. Peter smiled at her, yet his gaze strayed from her when she went over to where Cerise stood. As he suspected, Finn was standing just close enough to where he could stare at Isabella from afar. Even from the distance, Peter made out the certain look in his roommate's murky green eyes.
His possessive instincts kicked in. He fought tooth and nail with himself, trying keep from storming over to Finn and informing him that he was not going to get Isabella that easily. That neither he, nor any other male besides him was going to have her for'never after. Not even a beast – he'd make sure of that. Isabella was his best friend forever after and his girlfriend and Peter was not giving her up for the whole land of Ever After.
"Hey, Peter, you okay, man?" Hector asked suddenly, snapping Peter out of his possessive trance.
"Yeah. I'm fine," Peter replied.
He went over to Isabella, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He looked back at Finn. As expected, the sea witch wasn't staring at Isabella anymore. Despite Peter was aware that there were going to be more instances where he wouldn't be around to divert Finn's attention, he would try to prevent it as much as possible to try to steer his attention to some other girl. Maybe perhaps another antagonist of another story.
But for now, Peter let it drop and enjoyed the rest of the night hanging with Isabella and their new friends.
Hector Nutmeg belongs to Zak Saturday and Paige Phoebus/Leonardo de Vil both belong to Designer101.
Wondering how Isabella knows about Monster High? Read chapter 8 of Royal by Birth, Rebel by Choice.
Some content/credit in chapter based off/goes to Chapter 6 of Shannon Hale's Ever After High book, The Storybook of Legends.