Descendants
The Heart of Auradon: A Pirate's Tale
Prologue
The Isle of the Lost was dying. Something was killing it. It was slow and silent, but very real. The main island and the Isle of the Doomed were gloomy and dire and even scary, but they were still full of life. Though maybe not the kind of life the people of Auradon appreciated, it was still there. Ben understood that. And he appreciated it. He admired the Isle for what it was; a silent and fearsome beauty blooming in a seemingly god-forsaken land. He had seen it firsthand and hadn't truly realized the gravity of what had taken hold of the Isle until the first villain child fell deathly ill. Someone he knew.
How it had all been discovered by the young king was a miracle in itself. There was a strange feeling within him that had awoken him early one morning eight months ago. At that time, it had been almost a year since he had graduated from Auradon Prep, along with Mal, Evie, and Jay. Carlos was on the cusp of his graduation. Both Mal and Evie had gone off to college (Evie making as many trips back to the Isle as she could, sometimes with Mal) and Jay had turned pro in tourney while also taking college courses online. They all had come a long way. Even him. Everything had been going wonderfully, but on that particular morning something didn't feel right. It wasn't anything in Auradon. He had done a thorough check with all the states in the kingdom. All was well. A serious problem evolving on the Isle of the Lost was not the first thing that entered his mind. It was the home of villains. Problems were always running rampant, but the people there took care of it in their own way. It was for this reason the thought of anything so serious beginning to plague the Isle of the Lost didn't enter his mind; not right away.
The strange feeling wouldn't go away, no matter how many times he checked with every state, from his own home to Agrabah to Neverland. It had to be related the Isle of the Lost. He had felt an odd connection to the Isle since he had first stepped foot on it to go after Mal. Initially, he had brushed it aside; but before they had left the Isle, he noticed – though only for a second – a look in Harry Hook's eyes that matched the odd feeling he had. The moment passed quickly and all went their separate ways.
Shortly before their high school graduation, on yet another excursion to the Isle of the Lost and a little sea-faring adventure, he – and eventually Mal, Jay and Carlos – discovered something about Evie that completely blew their minds. It made Mal and Jay a little more than annoyed and sent Jay into "big brother mode." The revelation kicked up quite a storm between the two warring Isle factions, but when the proverbial dust finally settled all involved resigned themselves to the fact that there was nothing on the Isle or in Auradon that would come between the two star-crossed lovers; Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen Grimhilde and Harry Hook, son of the notorious Capt. James "Jas." Hook.
Theirs was a fairytale that he and Mal had to admit surpassed their own. Both of their stories came with many trials and tribulations and eventually they rose above all, but Evie and Harry would receive the short end of the stick. While his and Mal's story would continue to be told for years to come, what would befall Evie and Harry would live within the pages of a tragic love story.
Not all fairytales have a happy ending.
Word quickly came to him from the merfolk of a brutal storm descending upon the Isle of the Lost. It was very unusual, and in some respects a bit frightening, for a storm of that caliber to hit the Isle, or Auradon, for that matter. This clearly wasn't the work of magic as all magical objects were accounted for. He had to catch a glimpse of the storm himself. And when he did, part of him wished he hadn't.
The storm had come out of nowhere. And while the storm itself hadn't done as much physical damage to the Isle as it probably should have, what it left in its wake would haunt Ben for the rest of his life.
At Auradon's most extreme western point where, if squinting, one could see the sunlight shimmering on the magical barrier that engulfed the Isle of the Lost – and its more frightening sister island, aptly named the Isle of the Doomed – a beautiful, young princess sat atop a hill overlooking the sea. In her sight lay the home of the boy she loved more than anyone.
Though he was no true royal heir, he was her Prince Charming, the man who had stolen her heart when they were only children. He was the boy who disobeyed orders; who wasn't afraid of anyone, or anything; never followed the rules, yet always followed his heart. The boy who gave her, her first thimble. A young man, confident, fearless, and wildly unpredictable.
Her pirate. Her prince.
The love of her life.
Across the Sea of Serenity, on a lowly island contained by a magical, domed barrier, sitting upon a crag, a mere arms-length from the shimmering dome, a lonely, young pirate awaited the arrival of the girl that had stolen his heart over ten years ago.
Many would say she wasn't a real princess, but their opinions meant nothing to him. To him, she was a true princess, his princess. She was unlike any girl he had ever seen or ever known. And he would do anything for her, anything to protect her. Her kindness and generosity was often hidden. Such things were unheard of on the Isle, at least, openly. She brought out his softer side, a side only his sisters and his cat had ever seen before.
There was no one he loved more.
His bonnie lass. His princess.
The love of his life.
A/N: Hey-O,my lovely readers, I hope your day/evening is going well. Just a few notes for , this story was going to be a oneshot about the demise of the Isle of the Lost (such a happy story). However, since I've been reading Hooks and Poison Apples by ForeverDelighted, I've been sucked into the Harry/Evie shipping world. This is all her fault. The basic idea of the story remains, but much of the content has shifted to focus on the relationship between Harry and Evie. I am not a writer of romance/love stories by any stretch of the imagination. I am much more a writer of friendship/family/adventure type stories, although I do tragedy/angst rather well, despite me being a rather happy person (go figure). I'm giving the romance/love story thing a shot, anyway. This story falls under tragedy as well. Yeah... so much for happily ever after.
This story follows an alternate timeline (or an alternate universe, whichever term you prefer), though much of the events of the three main books and the two movies stand, along with a few elements from Wicked World.
The "sea-faring adventure" I mention here in the prologue is a reference to a future story that will follow this particular timeline. And... that's pretty much it for now. I hope you enjoyed the prologue.
Be lovely to each other.