So when I was a kid, one of my favorite shows was Ducktales (woo-hoo!). I loved the character of Scrooge McDuck, and I loved the crazy adventures the family went on. And like many people, I can safely say that the reboot upholds the tradition of excellent characters, stories, and animation that the original had.
And one of the stories that caught my attention was the ongoing arc of Lena and Magica De Spell. As the season went on and we saw more of the situation, I (like many) wanted to see Lena finally break the chains that her evil aunt had put on her and gain her place in the loving family she deserved.
I was inspired to finally put my thoughts down by the last few episodes of the season. The ending of 'The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!' had me horrified, and the events of the season finale left me exhilarated from the awesome episode, glad that Magica got what was coming to her, and conflicted concerning the revelations and fate of Lena. I do hope that they resolve some lingering threads in the second season. They're already angling to do something with Della given that last-second teaser, but considering everything, Lena needs some love too.
But by the time of the finale, I had already written nearly twenty pages of notes for this story (which I will be upfront and say that Lena's backstory here is NOT the same as canon), and still with a creative spark, I began to write.
Because no matter what you thought of the episodes in question, I think we can all agree on something: hashtag-Lena-Deserves-Better
(did I do that right, I'm not sure I did that right)
Also, that IS hair ducks have on their heads in addition to feathers because shut up.
Oh, one more thing. Flames will also be fed to Tempest the Gyarados. Let's exercise some civility. Constructive criticism is okay, insults are not.
And of course, I don't own Ducktales. It is owned by the all-powerful Walt Disney Corporation. Also, I must give respect where it is due to Carl Barks (without whom we wouldn't have these characters), and Matt Youngberg and Francisco Angones (without whom we wouldn't have this awesome show).
Freedom from Fear
Chapter 1
Break
Lena remembered once reading a story of a man possessed by a demon. How he felt his body moving beyond his control, how he struggled and strained against what was going on. A metaphor that kept coming up was being trapped in a crystal prison, banging on the walls and watching helplessly as the demon made a mockery of his life.
She wanted to laugh. The truth was far worse than fiction.
Ever since Magica De Spell had gained enough power to fully take over Lena's body, the witch had not given her even a second of freedom, dominating their now-shared body. She knew what it was. After several times defying Magica (not Aunt Magica, never again, not after this), the Sorceress of the Shadows had decided that her dear niece's loyalties were in question.
And what's that old adage? If you want something done right, do it yourself.
Surprisingly, Magica had decided not to act immediately. The reasoning she had given had been that Scrooge would be holding the Number One Dime more tightly after briefly relinquishing it, and getting it from him would be difficult.
"McDuck is old, but far from weak. And this body is not strong enough to go toe-to-toe with a seasoned fighter," she had said.
So Magica had given it a few days, making preparations for her plan. And all the while, she remained in control of Lena's body.
It was a nightmare. Magica had been without a proper body for so long that she barely did basic maintenance now. Not much food was consumed, only enough to keep going. Proper grooming was ignored in favor of the simplest of washes. And sleep? Even when she'd had a body, Magica barely slept. But while Magica might not need it, Lena felt the strain.
That was the worst part. Magica either didn't feel it or didn't care, but Lena did. Her body was screaming at her by this point, starved and exhausted, but she could do nothing. Her essence was overwhelmed, crushed beneath Magica's.
And Magica was in no hurry to yield control. Lena was stuck like this, and there was no end in sight.
All she could do was silently scream in the prison of her own body.
oOo
Webby bounced down the stairs, a smile on her face and a hum on her beak, eager to start the day.
Life was good. She had good friends, practically family, the house she lived in was more alive than it had been in years, and there was an amazing duck in her life that felt like the big sister she always wanted.
It was jarring, sometimes, how much her life had changed in such a short time. But she wouldn't trade it for the world. Scrooge was insisting she call him Uncle. Her granny seemed a bit brighter with all the excitement in the house. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were amazing to hang out with. And Lena…she was just the most awesome friend.
After a quick breakfast, she saw her grandmother motion her over.
"What's up, Granny?"
"Nothing dear, I was just wondering something. You've invited your friend Lena over quite a bit recently."
"Yeah," Webby replied, growing a little nervous, "It's just that she never talks about her family and when she does she never says much. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think she likes her house very much. So if I've been inviting her over a lot-"
"Ah, you've got a good heart, lass," came Scrooge's voice.
Webby turned to see the elderly duck walking toward them.
"If you think it's better for her to spend time here, we'll respect your decision."
"All the same," said Mrs. Beakley, "I've had similar suspicions, and I'd like to talk with Lena about it sometime in the near future. Keep that fact between us if you can, dear, I don't want to spook her if it turns out to be something bad."
"And if it is?" Webby asked, worry creeping into her voice.
"We'll be crossing that bridge if we come to it," Scrooge said, "Why don't you bring her over for dinner tonight. She can sleep over and we can talk in the morning. If we're off base, we're off base, no harm done."
"Okay," Webby replied, and she raced off.
She didn't see the looks the adults exchanged.
"I hope we're ready," Mrs. Beakley whispered.
"We will be, Bentina," Scrooge whispered back, "We will be…"
oOo
Webby arrived at the old amphitheater where Lena often hung out. As she looked around for her friend, she shook off the suspicions of exactly why she was often here.
"You're being paranoid, Webby," she muttered to herself, "Get it together."
As she called for Lena, the girl in question snuck out of the shadows behind her. A vile grin was on her face, but she wiped it away and took a deep breath.
Webby whirled around, shouting "Boo!"
Lena stumbled back, the deep breath leaving in a gasp.
"Got to get up earlier than that, Lena!"
"Shows what I know, trying to sneak up on you," Lena laughed.
Webby took Lena in and frowned.
"Hey, you okay? You don't look so good."
Lena's feathers seemed frazzled. There were bags under her eyes, and pieces of her hair stuck out at odd angles.
Lena waved the question off, simply stating "I haven't been sleeping well is all. Still wigging a little over the nightmare dreamcatcher thing."
"What was it, anyway? You never said."
"Better you don't know."
Webby gave her a look, but shrugged it off.
"So, you up for another sleepover tonight?"
"With you? Always."
If Webby had been paying attention, she might have noticed that Lena had not addressed her by name, or by the common nickname of 'Pink'. But excitement had taken hold of the young duck.
"Great! I had this idea I wanted to run by you, and Uncle Scrooge is talking about an Incan expedition that sounds really exciting! Maybe we can convince everyone to let you come along, wouldn't that be fun?"
As Webby continued to babble, Lena smiled. Or rather, Magica smiled. She chuckled and mused internally.
'She's a spirited little thing…too bad she'll likely end up dead when this is over.'
Ignoring the screams of horror and the cries of "Not her!" from her niece, Magica checked her pocket. The vial was still there. It had taken time, and she would rather have had access to a proper magical laboratory, but Magica had whipped up a potion that vaporized easily into a paralytic gas. She'd wait until everyone was together, and then unleash it. With Scrooge helpless, she'd take the dime and use it, finally recovering the magic that had been stolen from her all those years ago.
Slitting his throat would be an excellent way to celebrate her big comeback.
She had thought about waiting until the coming lunar eclipse was near its zenith to do this, but had decided not to blow her chance if something went wrong.
Magica followed Webby, nodding at the appropriate moments. The poor thing had no idea what she was inviting into her home.
oOo
Magica suppressed her glee. This was it. She could see Scrooge beyond the threshold. Another few steps, and she'd be able to unleash the gas and achieve her victory.
As she stepped into the manor, she idly wondered why Beakley was there, when suddenly she felt a great pain.
Lena doubled over, groaning in pain.
"What the-"
"Confused?" Scrooge spoke up, his voice as hard as a diamond, "I have special detectors in the Other Bin that sense when someone magical accesses it. With all the power in that place, I'd be a fool not to have them. Granted, I didn't check it until after I'd gotten my dime back. That's on me. But you two were the only ones down there, and I already know Webby's clean. So…who are you really, and what do you want?"
"How," came the reply from a gritted beak.
"I don't like magic, but I don't mind a few defensive tricks."
Lena grunted and clutched herself.
"Uncle Scrooge, you're hurting her!" Webby cried.
"Hardly," Beakley replied, "The field we set up around this part of the house is a powerful magic dampener. Unless you're made of such energies, like Duckworth for instance, there's no way it would be pain-"
Lena's scream cut her off. The teenage duck collapsed to the ground, trashing wildly.
"What the blazes?" Scrooge gasped, "It's never done that before!"
Lena's screams were loud enough to wake the dead. They echoed through the mansion, attracting the attention of the triplets and Donald, who came running.
"What's going on?" Donald demanded.
"Oh God, it's Lena!" Louie shouted.
"It's like she's having a seizure!" Huey cried.
Donald thrust his arms out, keeping his nephews back and away from the writhing limbs. Webby just screamed for her friend, fighting against her grandmother's hold.
Lena turned her gaze to Scrooge, who gasped a bit at the pure black eyes she now possessed.
"Damn you, McDuck! Damn you!"
A shadowy mass ripped itself from Lena's body, a sound like a banshee's cry echoing from it. It whipped about, breaking open a window before darting off into the forest around the mansion.
Lena lay there, gasping for breath. It would only be later that she remembered the yelling going on around her. Scrooge's demands for an explanation, Donald's unintelligible yells, the triplets talking over each other, and Webby's tearful cries, the younger girl having finally broken free of her grandmother's grip and rushed to Lena's side.
At the moment though, as adrenaline and pain faded and exhaustion from her near-week-long ordeal set in, Lena realized two things.
One, she could move her limbs again under her own volition.
Two, the ever-present chill in the back of her mind, the connection she had to Magica, the source of constant fear and pain for as long as she could remember…it was gone.
"Could a ghost get past the field?"
Lena had only a vague feeling of her own speech, but it was her voice being forced past her dry beak.
"What?" Webby asked.
"Could a ghost, a living shadow, or a demon get past the field? Could it get in here?"
"What are you blathering abou-"
"Could it come back?" Lena suddenly shouted, forcing her upper body to rise and staring at Scrooge with wild eyes, cutting the old duck off mid-sentence, "That thing that left, could it come back? Could it get in here?"
Scrooge almost took a step back. He'd seen eyes like that before. They always belonged to those who had seen too much, who had walked through Hell. Those eyes were not to be taken lightly.
"Not immediately, no," Scrooge slowly said, "Being in the field did a royal number on it, as far as I could tell. I'd have to increase the power to keep it out, but that's a simple matter."
Lena fell back to the floor, her flash of energy spent. And then she began to laugh.
It was long and loud and maddening. It bubbled up from her throat like water and steam from a geyser. She laughed and laughed and laughed.
Until she started crying. Fat tears poured down her face, her laugher transitioning into heart-wrenching sobs.
The laughter and the crying mixed together, Lena swinging between the two moods like a metronome. And interspersed in it all were exclamations that gripped the adults' hearts with icy fingers.
"She can't get me…she can't get to me…I'm free of her, free! No one has to get hurt, no one has to die! No more plots, no more curses, no more control! I can't feel her anymore, she's gone! I'm free! Magica De Spell is gone!"
Scrooge dropped his cane, a look on his face like he'd been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer.
"What was that name?" he all but whispered.
But Lena would only keep laughing and crying and screaming of her freedom before eventually tapering off and falling into an exhausted slumber.
oOo
Lena felt like she was on a cloud. There was a softness surrounding her, like nothing she'd ever felt.
Bit by bit, she slowly woke up. She still felt so tired. In the back of her mind, a voice told her that was what happened when one went without sleep for a week.
She forced open her eyes and took in her surroundings.
The room was elegantly appointed. The bed was a large, four-poster affair with fine sheets and a far better mattress than the old one she owned.
Twisting a bit in the bed, she realized that she was in a nightgown. Her whole body felt fresh, like she'd been cleaned while she was out.
She turned her head, and came the rest of the way awake in an instant. Webby was sitting in a chair next to the bed, watching over her.
Lena opened her mouth to speak, but started coughing.
"No, Lena, it's okay. Here, drink this."
A glass was pressed to her beak. Lena raised her hand and helped. She drank down half the glass before coming up for air, handing it back to Webby, who put it on the bedside table.
"You're okay, Lena. You're safe."
"What happened?"
"You got exorcised the hard way."
It all came back to her then. Lena curled in on herself, shame etched on her face. Webby continued to speak.
"Uncle Scrooge…he told us about Magica, his history with her…Lena, I have to know. Was it all a lie? Were you just using us to get at the dime? Was our friendship real?"
Lena's heart broke.
"Don't think like that!" she shouted, "Don't ever think that! Of course you matter! You're the only bright point that I've had in my life in a long time. You're my friend, Webby. Whatever else, you can believe that."
Lena took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her heart felt like it might explode out of her chest. Her hands shook slightly, and she held them tightly together in her lap.
"Magica…she bound us together a long time ago, using the connection of shared blood. She's my aunt. Technically."
The bitterness in Lena's tone caught Webby's attention, but she decided not to press.
"She lived in my shadow. From there, she taught me magic and used me as her agent in the world. But whatever she wanted, she got. I couldn't get away from her, we were bound together in a way I couldn't break myself. And the link gave her limited control over me. If I pushed too far, she'd retaliate. I try to walk away, she'd forcibly turn be back around. It was like there were chains holding me down until I agreed to do what she wanted. My reward for helping her achieve her goal was my freedom. I help her, I get my life without her shadow over me. I disobey…"
Lena trailed off. Webby cursed her vivid imagination.
"So she's…done that before? Using you like a meat puppet?"
"No, that's new, at least to that extent. There's going to be a lunar eclipse soon. The closer it gets, the stronger her magic becomes. She's still a ghostly figure, a living shadow, but it was only the new strength that let her take full control. Usually it was…different things…"
"Things like…"
Lena hunched down, her shoulders touching her ears. Realizing the older girl was shutting down, Webby went into damage control.
"Never mind, forget I asked!"
Lena relaxed a little, but maintained a certain stiffness. Recognizing that she wouldn't be getting much more out of her, Webby got up.
"I'm going to go fetch you some soup. You're probably starving."
"Magica didn't exactly stop for lunch breaks while plotting in my body," Lena groused.
"I'll make it a large bowl, then."
As Webby reached the door, she heard Lena speak up again.
"Webby…I'm sorry…"
Webby gripped the doorknob tightly.
"Yeah…I know…"
She left without another word. She didn't look back.
If she had, she would have seen the tears running down Lena's face.
"I'm so sorry…"
oOo
As Webby helped her grandmother prepare a dinner tray and relate the learned information to her and Scrooge, her mind spun. Like it or not, Lena's motivation for befriending her had been as part of a long con to get at Scrooge and his Number One Dime.
But Webby had also seen sides of Lena that were so genuine. The way she talked about her favorite art and music, the laughs they shared, the little adventures they had. They were British together, they found Terra-Firmians together, they'd fought a sword horse and a money shark and she had such a warm smile and it had to have been real, it had to have been real.
Webby tried to calm herself. Lena was her friend, she knew it, deep down she did. So she'd play her part. She'd be Lena's friend. Because all the suspicions she and Granny had were true, but so much worse, and Lena needed a friend more than anything.
"This is all just such a mess," Webby said as she finished her explanations.
"Aye, that it is," Scrooge said, leaning heavily on his cane and looking every year his age, "I'll be double-checking with a few experts, but I believe the protections on the mansion will hold for now. Once this eclipse passes, Magica's power should wane, and we won't have to be on as strong a guard. Until then, no one leaves the mansion without an escort, and Lena remains confined to the grounds."
"Wait, what? That's not fair!" Webby shouted, "She's not some criminal, we can't treat her like a prisoner! She's the victim here!"
"She's a target, Webby! It's for her own protection. A buddy system will help the rest of us should Magica manage a possession, but I doubt she'll be able to. Lena, however, carries the same blood. It would be far easier for that witch to snatch her up again. When the eclipse passes, we'll renegotiate."
Webby calmed a bit, but still looked resentful. Scrooge put a hand on her shoulder.
"Webby, I swear to you, we're not leaving her in the lurch. We'll be doing whatever we can to help her. That's a promise."
oOo
Mrs. Beakley ended up taking the tray up to Lena, citing that she wanted to speak with her anyway.
After giving Lena the soup and waiting a bit, Bentina told her about Scrooge's decisions.
Lena seemed to slump at the news of her confinement, but she covered it up quickly.
"Well, I waiting this long for freedom, what's a little longer in the grand scheme, right?"
Mrs. Beakley met her gaze with a piercing look.
"I can tell you're not overly happy about this. There is no need to cover your feelings."
Lena sighed but said no more. She perked a bit when Bentina put her hand on her shoulder.
"Lena, what happened wasn't your fault. None of it was. It's all on Magica. She's a monster for treating you the way she did. If you ever want to talk, or you just need a shoulder to cry on, we'll be here for you."
Lena looked up at her a spark of hope in her eyes.
"Now I want you to clean your plate, young lady. I picked you up far too easily in my opinion. We need to put some meat on those bones."
Lena nodded and turned back to her soup, eating it slowly. Mrs. Beakley turned to go when Lena spoke up again.
"I had an amulet on me. Amethyst with a shiny, kind-of-gold-but-not-quite casing?"
"Oh yes, it fell out while I was undressing you for a quick bath. I set it aside while I got your clothes washed."
"Do us all a favor, smash it to pieces and melt it down. It's a mystical focus. Magica gave it to me, so I don't really trust it anymore."
Beakley took in the angry look on Lena's face before giving her a small grin.
"Tell you what: when you're feeling up to it, you can borrow a sledgehammer and help."
"Sounds like a fun time. And be careful with that vial, it makes a paralytic gas."
"I thought as much. I'm familiar with similar concoctions. I'll dispose of it safely. Eat and rest. You've been through quite an ordeal."
"Wait, how is a housekeeper familiar with paralytic gasses?"
"Oh simple, I'm a retired spy."
Mrs. Beakley ducked out the door, chuckling to herself. Lena just stared at the door with her jaw dropped.
"That explains so much about Webby," she finally said.
oOo
Lena napped lightly for most of the day, still very weak from the strain Magica put on her body.
At one point, the boys showed up, delivering Lena's freshly-laundered clothes and a few books to pass the time.
"We did our best to not let Huey run wild and bring you a bunch of nerd books," Dewey said.
"Oh? And what was that romance novel I saw you trying to sneak into the stack?" Huey shot back.
"Girls like that stuff right?"
"I don't really think someone who effects a punk-goth look would particularly like a piece of cowboy romance trash," Louie said with a smirk, giving Lena a playful elbow.
"Sounds ghastly," Lena deadpanned.
"It's okay, bro. Not everyone can be a ladies duck."
"What date have you ever been on?" Dewey asked, eyebrow raised.
"None that I'd tell you!"
"Is this really the time for this conversation?" Huey asked.
As the triplets descended into an argument, Lena saw it for what it really was. They were trying to get a laugh out of her, cheer her up a little.
She gave off a soft giggle as she got their attention back.
"You guys are a riot, but I'm afraid I'm not up for visitors right now."
The boys dropped the pretense of fighting and nodded.
"It's okay, you rest," Huey said, "See you at breakfast tomorrow?"
"Probably."
As the triplets filed out, Lena slumped a little. They had done their best, but her dour mood still hung over her.
'Still,' she thought as she chose a collection of sci-fi stories from the stack, 'I should probably thank them later. I was getting bored.'
She ended up reading for the rest of the day. At one point, Webby slipped in, grabbed her own book, and sat down beside her to read. Lena had looked over at her, but Webby just gave her a small smile. They lapsed into a companionable silence.
Then, Lena noticed that the sun was setting. The shadows in the room were lengthening. For a brief moment, she thought she saw a pair of hellish red eyes in the deepest shadow.
With a cry of fear, Lena whipped her hand to the lamp and turned it on, banishing the darker shadows from the room.
"Lena?" Webby asked, tossing her book to the side, "Hey, what's wrong?"
But Lena would only stare at the place the shadow was, breathing heavily and shuddering.
Webby slowly wrapped her arms around Lena, who just as slowly began to relax into her younger friend's embrace.
"She's in my head. I saw her eyes. I know she wasn't here, but she was…"
"You're seeing things," Webby said softly, "She's not here, she can't get you. I won't let her get you. Do you want me to stay?"
Lena nodded, not trusting her voice.
They ended up leaving the light on, snuggling together beneath the covers. Webby's presence helped, but Lena still didn't get much sleep that night.