A young girl followed her father down the dirty, crowded streets of the Isle of the Lost. She kept her head down, her black hair swinging with her steps and covering her face, her hands clasped in front of her.
"Hurry up, Gab." a rough hand shoved at her shoulder, making her stumble a couple steps before picking up her pace until she fell into step under her father's shadow. She had three forms, at least a couple inches taller than her, walking in a half-circle behind her. Her older brothers.
They passed through the crowded marketplace, where dozens of people turned to watch them. The girl felt the burn of many eyes on her as she hurried after her father. Probably because that, while most of the Isle's residents knew of her existence, very few had actually seen her, especially the past couple years.
Finally, her father seemed to reach a spot that satisfied him. Grabbing a nearby crate, he tossed it bottom-side-up on the dirt ground and stepped up onto it, adding a good foot to his already-intimidating height.
A rough hand grabbed the girl's shoulders and turned her around, turning and pushing her so that she stood in front of her father, but just to the side so as not to block anyone's view of him. She looked anxiously up at her brother-the one that was positioning her-but she saw nothing in his eyes as he looked back at her. His black hair was smoothed back out of his empty brown eyes.
She looked around anxiously at her other two brothers, who stood a step behind their eldest. Her youngest older brother wouldn't meet her eyes, his dirty blonde hair, which differed from all of them, fell in his eyes as he moved to stand behind her and their father.
"May I have your attention!" her father called in a commanding voice. She instantly looked down at her feet-feet that were covered in black boots that were slightly too small for her.
"Find a mirror!" someone sneered at him as people moved around the marketplace. "Then you can give yourself attention."
Several people cackled and snickered at the jab.
"Well, I certainly won't be selling to you, then." her father shot back, his voice tight with anger.
"What're you selling, Gaston?" another voice called. "I don't see your usual big game anywhere."
That's right. Her father was Gaston. The Gaston, the one who was imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost for trying to kidnap the current Queen, Belle, and trying to murder the current King, Adam, formerly known as the Beast.
"Nope. No big game today." Gaston called back. "I've got something even better. My daughter: Gabrielle."
Gabrielle, or Gabby, glanced up slightly from between strands of ink-black hair. She saw a small crowd had formed around them, and people were talking among themselves, glancing curiously at her.
"And why would someone want to buy your unwanted brat?" someone called cynically. Gabby winced, tucking her head even more into her chest to hide her face.
"Why wouldn't you?" Gaston called back charismatically. "If you bought her, she'd be your property. Nothing more than a possession. You could make her do whatever you wanted, and she couldn't argue or fight back. Isn't that right?" he asked pointedly, and Gabby felt his boot roughly jab her back. She shook her head quickly. "She's the perfect housewife, or maid, if you'd prefer. She knows how to cook, clean; she can take care of everything in the house while you do more important things."
Gabby heard a couple voices change to interest, some people actually considering the idea.
"How much do you want for her?" a man in the crowd called.
"How much are you offering?" Gaston countered.
A quieter voice spoke nearby, clearly not offering any bids yet. "She'd be perfect for cleaning the ship and cookin' for the crew, Captain."
"Right you are, Mr. Smee." another voice agreed. Gabby glanced to her left and saw a man in a red pirate coat with a hook for a hand-clearly the infamous Captain Hook-and a small, short man standing next to him with spectacles. There were a few children just behind Hook, one boy and two girls. The boy, who looked maybe a year or two older than her with brown hair and an outfit like his father, looked her over with a creepy smirk. When she met his eyes with her own light blue ones, he winked at her.
Gabby yanked her head back down while Captain Hook called out a bid.
"How about one of my best swords?"
"I have plenty of weapons, Hook, ones that are much more useful than a big knife." Gaston countered disdainfully. "Sweeten the deal a bit next time."
"What about one of my father's shotguns?" a boy called, maybe a couple years older than Gabby. She glanced at him and saw that he had dark hair and wore a yellow jacket. He was smirking suggestively at her, his eyes trailing down her legs. Gabby clenched her jaw as her pale cheeks flushed red. She really hated the tattered red dress she was wearing at the moment, which was at least a couple years old and too small on her developing, 12 year-old body. "And I think I'll throw in a couple bear furs my father's collected-for those legs alone." he added, causing a couple guys behind him to hoot and laugh.
Gabby's eyes burned with shame, but she couldn't cry. She wouldn't show that much weakness. Plus, her father would beat her if people retracted their bids because she got snotty-nosed.
"I've got plenty of shotguns, and I can collect my own skins. Nice try, Clay." Gaston countered. "Anyone else? Come on, people! Your own personal slave! Surely you can all think of something you could do with a young, beautiful girl who knows how to take care of a house!"
Gabby squeezed her eyes shut, bile building in her throat. She could hear a few voices nearby-girls, from the sound of it.
"Is she seriously just going to stand there and take this? That's so pathetic!"
"I know! I mean, just run away or something. If my father tried this, I'd run him through with my sword!"
A few more people threw out bids. Cruella De Vil, with her young son at her side, offered some hair dye. Gaston said unless she was willing to part with one of her precious fur coats, she could forget it. She stormed off in a huff, saying she could never part with her "only true love". Some Edgar Balthazar offered a couple scuffed gems. Ursula's offer seemed to be the sweetest, however. She offered him a couple potions she had as well as three free meals from her Fish and Chips shop. Gabby was fairly certain she was going to win. Gaston would love free food to feed his three "strapping young sons". Getting rid of his daughter would just be icing on the cake.
Then, a new voice called from the crowd.
"I've got a bid!"
Gabby tilted her head up slightly to peak through her black hair. The crowd parted slightly to let a young teenage boy through, carrying a brown cloth sack in one hand. He was wearing a tattered burgundy and yellow vest with blue pants, his long, gangly arms on display. A black beanie covered his shoulder-length brown hair. He looked about her age, maybe a year or so older. Gabby watched him, both curious and wary, as he stepped closer. He glanced at her, his dark brown eyes briefly meeting her light blue before she ducked her head again.
"And what do you have that I want, Jay?" Gaston asked carefully.
Jay lifted the bag he was holding and opened it to look inside. "I've got…a gold pocket watch, a pearl bracelet, five gold coins, a black leather belt, and a dagger with a ruby encrusted handle." Finally, he looked up and stared expectantly up at Gaston.
Gabby also glanced cautiously up at her father. He appeared to be thinking hard about it-Gabby joked to herself that it must be painful.
"Where'd you get all that, boy?" Gaston asked carefully.
"My dad's shop." Jay answered promptly. "He probably won't be pleased that I'm giving it to you. So, do you want it or not?" He lifted the bag and shook it slightly, causing the contents to clink and jingle-a sound that was probably very tempting to her father.
Gaston was silent for only a few more seconds. "Very well. Sold!" Gaston held his hand out expectantly. Jay only passed the bag into his hand after Gaston roughly kicked Gabby's back so that she stumbled forward. Jay grabbed her arm; to keep her from running or falling, she wasn't sure. "Pleasure doing business with you." Gaston mocked, stepping down from the crate.
Gabby turned and watched her family move away. Her father lead her brothers down the marketplace, maybe to buy dinner? The oldest two, the twins; Gaston Jr. and Gaston the Third, didn't hardly spare her a glance. Gil, a year younger than the twins and a year older than Gabby, glanced at her once before hurrying after his father. While the twins got their father's fair skin and black hair, they both had brown eyes from their mother. Gil almost completely took after their mother apart from the infamous cleft chin he got from Gaston. He had tan skin, blonde hair, and brown eyes.
Gabby alone took after her father the most, at least in looks. She guessed that was one of the reasons Gaston hated her so much; that and the fact that she was a girl. Gabby got his fair skin, black hair, and blue eyes. If she'd been born a boy, she probably would've been Gaston's favorite son. As it was, she was merely a stain on his name.
A tug on her arm pulled her back from her thoughts. She glanced at Jay before following him in the opposite direction from her family. She crossed her arms over her stomach as they walked down the street. Jay's hand didn't leave her upper arm. His grip wasn't painful, it was just there.
They walked through the market, turned into a couple alleys, and finally came to a building. It was an old, worn brick building. There were grimy windows on either side of the front door, one window showing an OPEN sign. A sign above the door read "Jafar's Junk Shop". A glance through the grimy windows showed shelves upon shelves of old, broken items: appliances like radios, clocks, lamps, and TVs; furniture like chairs, couches, and tables; trinkets like silverware and jewelry.
Jay lead the way to the door, which had at least twenty unlocked locks, and opened the door. He nudged Gabby in ahead of him and followed her in, closing the door behind him.
Gabby looked around, trying to stifle her curiosity. Curiosity had always gotten her in trouble as a child. Whether it was sticking her nose in a room where her dad was talking to her brothers, or asking too many questions, or the one time she picked up her dad's gun. It never ended well. But there were so many things in this shop that it was hard not to at least look around.
Her eyes went straight ahead once again. There was an older man with tan skin and a black mustache wearing a black turban with a red feather, and black and red robes. He was leaning against the counter with a register, counting some gold coins. He had a red parrot on his shoulder. The bird narrowed it's eyes at Gabby and Jay before putting his beak near the man's ear. This caused the man's eyes to lift and fix on the two young teens.
His dark eyes glanced over Gabby, making her shift awkwardly, before they fixed on Jay just behind her shoulder.
"Jay? Who's this?" he asked carefully.
Jay's hand pushed at Gabby's back, not nearly as roughly as her brothers or father, until they both stood in front of the counter.
"Pop. This is…" Jay trailed off and suddenly Gabby felt his warm breath on her cheek. "What's your name?" he whispered.
Gabby cleared her throat. "Gabrielle." she said just loud enough for both to hear her.
Jay nodded. "Gabrielle. Gaston's daughter."
The man-Jafar, Gabby figured-smirked slightly as he looked at her again. "Well, I haven't seen Gaston's girl since she was a tyke. Used to tag along with your mother at the marketplace, right?" he asked. Gabby nodded stiffly. "What's she doin' here?" he asked his son.
Jay was silent for a few moments. "She's ours." he said slowly. Probably because that sentence sounded strange.
Jafar frowned, his thick brows furrowing in confusion. "What was that?"
Jay sighed, removing his hand from her back to cross his arms. "Gaston was at the marketplace. He was offering her up to the highest bidder. I bought her."
"You what?" Jafar hissed venomously. The parrot on his shoulder ruffled it's feathers. "And where, exactly, did you get the gold to buy this little damsel, Jay?"
"I bought her with things I stole from people in the crowd." Jay assured his father. "I didn't pay a dime of your money."
"No, just with things I could have sold for money." Jafar snapped angrily. "What were you think-?"
"I was thinking she could be useful, Dad." Jay cut him off. "Gaston was going off on how she can do all this stuff; cook, clean… What all can you do?" he asked Gabby. He clearly hadn't been paying that much attention when Gaston was giving his speech.
Swallowing, Gabby stuttered, "Um, I can cook, clean, sew,…any kind of housework, really. I could do other things, too. Whatever you need me to do."
"Could you clean the shop? Help out around here?" Jay asked.
Gabby nodded, glancing toward him. "If you just show me how or what to do, I can do it."
Jay turned back to his father. "See? She could be useful. She could make us food, help with the shop. Maybe I can even show her how to steal so she could help stock the shelves." Jafar still looked dubious, glancing between his son and the girl. "Dad, come on. All the stuff I bought her with, I can steal twice that before the day's done. And she can earn her worth working for us."
Jafar stood there in silence for a few moments, stroking his beard with one hand.
"Very well. If she doesn't earn her worth by the end of the week, you can sell her to someone else." Jafar decided.
"Sure thing, Pop." Jay agreed quietly.
Jafar nodded to the side. "She can sleep with you."
Gabby tensed, but Jay just grabbed her upper arm again and tugged her to the side. She followed him silently as they moved to the far back corner of the shop. In said corner was a large shelf stacked with old, broken TVs. Gabby glanced curiously at Jay when they stopped in front of it.
Jay waved his hand toward the floor under the bottom shelf. "It's not much, but I sleep here. My dad's got a mattress in the back, but…this is it for us. It's probably not what you're used to…"
"I'm used to worse." Gabby told him quietly, clasping her hands in front of her. "We live in a small hunting cabin near the woods. My father gets a bed, my brothers fight over a moldy mattress, or sleeping on a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. I slept on the wood floor up in the loft."
Jay watched her silently for a moment. "Well, here you get an old rug." he said, waving his hand toward the bottom shelf. "We sleep under there."
Gabby hesitated for a moment before kneeling down and slowly crawling under the bottom shelf. Seeing how small the space was, she eventually decided to just lie down and roll under until her shoulder bumped the wall. Jay sat on the floor next to the shelf, but made no move to join her. He folded one long leg while the other bent up so he could rest an arm on his knee.
"So, why exactly did Gaston sell you?" Jay finally asked curiously.
Gabby rolled onto her side and looked out at him. "My dad's a bit…old fashioned? He doesn't think very highly of girls. He thinks they should just take care of the house and have babies. He was never very happy to have a daughter, so the first chance he got, he got rid of me. Sold me to the highest bidder." she added, gesturing toward him with her hand.
"That explains how I've never seen you around." Jay noted. "Did you go to Serpent Prep or something? I know your brothers go to Dragon Hall, I've seen them in classes, but I've never seen you."
Gabby shook her head. "I've never gone to school. My dad doesn't think girls should learn. My mother used to home school me a bit when he wasn't home, but…" she trailed off with a shrug.
Jay nodded and dropped the subject. This conversation was getting too close to personal. Villains didn't do personal.
"Did you really steal all the things you bought me with?" Gabby asked, cautiously curious. After she asked the question, she flinched and pressed her back into the wall, half-expecting him to lash out at her for her curiosity.
Jay's chest puffed out arrogantly. "Yep. Why-you gunna tell your Daddy to see if he'll want you back?" he asked mockingly.
Gabby shook her head and answered as if he'd been serious. "I don't want to go back there."
The blunt, honest answer threw Jay for a loop and he scrambled to think of a subject change.
"Well, it's getting late. I'll go grab something for us to eat, and then tomorrow I can show you the ropes around here."
Gabby watched silently as he stood up and walked away.
When her dad told her that morning after breakfast that he would be selling her off, she'd been filled with a cold dread. Sure, her life with her family had been awful the past four years, but she couldn't imagine how horrible her life could be as someone else's slave. Especially considering what some teenage boys were like.
But she hesitantly was starting to think this was possibly the best scenario she could've got.
Author's Note: Well, here's the first chapter of my new Descendants fanfic Unwanted. I know Gaston having a daughter, especially one named Gabby, isn't exactly original, but this idea popped into my head, and I haven't found any exactly like it. I know the whole Gabby being Jay's property thing might make people uncomfortable, but everyone knows Jay's a good guy, right? He wouldn't make her do anything awful, like some of the other villain kids.
The story starts a few years before the first Descendants, so year 2012,and ends sometime after Descendants 2. The first few chapters are going to be by year, which I'll label at the top of each chapter. I'll have stuff from the books, movies, and the cartoon in it. I'll try to update a chapter a week or so, but I make no promises since I'm starting a new job.
Please review and let me know what you think so far! But please no flames!