A/N: This was originally posted to ao3 but I am posting it here as well for those who would rather read it on ff .net
Just to give a tiny bit of information, Evie was adopted by Aurora so that's why it starts out with her in the scene.
And since this is such a drastic change from canon, there's gonna need to be a lot of background to make this all cohesive and sensible without being rushed. The first two chapters will be build-up and then malvie will make an appearance in chapter 3.
But until then, enjoy!
"Tell the story about me!" Evie exclaimed as she sat up in bed, her eyes lighting up as Aurora moved to turn off the lamp on her nightstand.
"You always tell that story, mommy." Audrey immediately protested, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting out her bottom lip. "Why can't we hear the one about me?"
"Because yours is boring and mine is better," Evie shot back, sticking her tongue out at Audrey for an added sting.
The older girl's face twisted in anger before she stuck out her own back at Evie, only for Aurora to send pointed looks at both the bickering girls.
"I told yours last night, honey," Aurora explained to Audrey, taking a seat on her daughter's bed. "It's Evie's turn."
Audrey pouted louder at the reasoning, while Evie squealed and clapped her hands, pulling the blanket over her shoulders and snuggling against her pillow in preparation for the story.
"Once upon a time," Aurora's voice was smooth and always melodic; it made her the best storyteller— far better than Phillip. "On an island far, far away, a little girl was born. The island she was born on was a terrible island— full of villains and mean kids and everything awful in the world. And one day, the little girl lost her mother, and that made the island even more terrible for her."
Evie couldn't hold back the giggle that bubbled up in her throat. She already knew where the story was going, considering she had been hearing the tale since she could first understand it, but every time felt just like the first, filling her with amazement and wonder that left her hanging onto each word.
"But there was a princess on a good island, and she heard about the little girl. She didn't want the little girl to live on the bad island anymore. So, she went to the king and asked him if she could help her."
Evie squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to envision the scene. She could never remember being on a bad island, and Aurora said it was because she was too young to remember, but sometimes if she focused hard enough, she found it easy to pretend that she did remember.
"At first, King Beast said that she wasn't allowed to because she already had a baby and it was too dangerous to bring a little girl off of an island full of bad people. But the princess didn't believe that, and she kept trying— kept asking for King Beast to give the little girl a chance.
"Finally, one day he listened and sent a big car over the magic bridge to the island. They found the little girl and brought her back to the princess so that she could raise the little girl as her new daughter." Aurora stood from Audrey's bed and made her way over to Evie's, placing a hand on top of the girl's blue hair and running her fingers through the curls.
"The little girl loved her new home and her new family, and the princess loved having two daughters that became part of her happily ever after."
Evie sighed contently, her eyes falling shut momentarily as Aurora leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight, Evie."
"Goodnight, Aurora."
She stood once again— this time clicking off the bedside lamp before she returned to Audrey's bed, leaning down to place an identical kiss on the older girl's head.
"Goodnight, mommy."
"Goodnight, baby."
The memory lingered at the front of Evie's mind as she stared out past the ocean at a tiny speck of an island— the bad island, the Isle of the Lost. Her head fell against the tree she was leaned against as she watched, following a flock of vultures that seemed permanently occupied in flying circles around the bit of land.
It was an activity she found herself commonly involved in, and the edge of Auradon that faced out towards the ocean became a favorite among her choices of areas to complete homework. She told herself it was because the peaceful nature that stemmed from the sound of rolling waves and rustling leaves offered a suitable environment for studying, but she knew that the only reason she ever came to the cliff was to stare out at the place that could have— and possibly should have— been her home.
She came to the cliff often— when she needed a distraction or when she felt especially like the outcast that Auradon sometimes made her out to be— and she would allow herself to grow lost in her imagination, where an alternate version of her life played inside her mind like a film of made up memories.
She never understood why her connection to the Isle was still there, and why the thought of living there still intrigued her, but she kept the desires to herself, afraid that speaking on it would only confuse the people that probably thought of living on the Isle as a situation that only existed in nightmares.
The distant sound of shifting sand told Evie she was no longer alone. She didn't need to turn around to know who was standing behind her.
"I thought you'd be here." Doug spoke, making his presence known as he walked to stand beside her. "What are you doing?" Evie could see him attempting to follow her gaze to where it remained glued to the island, so she tore her eyes away, looking up towards the boy and offering a small smile.
"Just studying." The answer seemed reasonable enough, but when Doug's eyebrows fell low on his forehead, she wondered if she had said something wrong.
"You don't have any books out, Evie." He pointed out, his words slow and disbelieving. She immediately looked towards her empty lap, mentally cursing herself for being too consumed in her thoughts to make her usual 'studying' excuse seem believable.
"I haven't started yet?" She attempted, but Doug wasn't buying it and only shook his head, taking a seat beside her.
"What are you thinking about?"
Evie pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, the decision of answering honestly or constructing a cover story locking her in an internal debate. Finally, she sighed, ignoring the warnings that formed butterflies in her stomach as she chose the former.
"You know how I was born on the Isle?" The words spilled out of her in a stream of rushed sounds, as if her body had been waiting forever to ask that exact question. Her mind flashed briefly back to the bedtime story Aurora would always recite, and how, as a kid, it filled her with happiness that never seemed to run out. Now, it only seemed to provide her with a sense of alienation and a reminder of what could have been.
Doug nodded in response, his face still twisted in confusion as he tried to find meaning in the question.
Evie's heart was pounding in her ears, the idea of exposing an emotion she had kept to herself for years making her feel sick to her stomach. Again, she let out a shaky breath, turning her gaze to her lap as she wracked her brain for an adequate way to form her confession. The confusion on Doug's face quickly changed to concern, and Evie forced herself to continue before he started to vocalize his worry.
"Sometimes I feel like I still belong there." The explanation was a stark contrast to her previous statement, coming out quiet and meek, as if just saying it would be enough to scare Doug away.
"Why would you think that?" The confusion was back on his face, but the concern remained, too, mixing together to create the exact image that Evie always imagined to see if she ever told anyone.
"I just— never mind, forget I said anything." Evie retracted, reaching to unzip her backpack and begin working on the assignments she had originally intended to complete.
"No, Evie, I'm not judging you. I'm just trying to understand. Why would you belong on an island full of villains?" Doug rephrased, his head tilting to one side.
Something about the way he referred to the island sent a wave of anger over Evie, as if his spitting tone had offended her personally.
She only shrugged, pausing her attempt to begin doing homework. Doug waited for her to continue, and Evie cursed him for being so, damn patient. The silence between them only set her more on edge, so she forced herself to break it.
"I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I wish I could go back. I mean, I was born there after all, and I would've lived there for my entire life if my mother had never died, so technically, I should still be there with all the other kids that were born on the island, and I can't help but wonder what that would be like." She rambled, the words flowing endlessly like a dam finally giving out under the pressure of what it was holding back. Finally pulling her gaze from her lap, she re-established eye contact with the boy beside her. "And you're looking at me like I'm crazy." She huffed, this time returning her hands to her backpack and actually pulling out the textbooks she had brought along.
"Evie, you don't belong on the Isle." Doug finally said; Evie could tell he was digging to find a reply suitable for the bombshell she had just dropped on him.
"Do I really belong here either?" She countered, obviously stumping Doug. And even as she asked it, she found herself pondering the answer.
Her whole life she had been the outcast of Auradon— from the moment she was able to find the striking differences between her adoptive family and herself (dark blue hair and pale skin was easy enough to distinguish from dark brown curls and tanned skin), to the constant stares she earned at school as the only kid born on the Isle.
And sure, they all knew Evie was in the running for one of the sweetest girls to attend Auradon Prep, but they still treaded lightly around her, as if one wrong move would be enough to send her spiraling back to her evil heritage.
She noticed the way Aurora treated Audrey, and how the love she showed her biological daughter was night and day compared to the affection she seldom gave Evie.
She definitely noticed the way Audrey avoided her at all costs in public, as if her reputation couldn't stand to be tarnished by the title of 'sister-of-the-villain-kid'.
"You're not a villain." Doug broke her from her contemplation, not exactly answering the question she had asked.
"But I could've been! What makes me so different from all those other kids?" She froze as she finished the rant, the meaning of what she had said sinking in.
"They were raised by villains! If they would have been brought here as babies, they would probably be good, too. But they didn't have that chance like you did." Doug explained, piquing Evie's attention in a way that she was sure was unintentional.
The answer had already sent an idea spinning in her head before she could stop it, painting the smallest of smiles over her lips. Doug detected the change in mood immediately, easily deciphering what was on Evie's mind.
"No, Evie," he said sternly, as if his tone would be enough to intimidate her. The smile only grew wider on her face as the details playing through her mind became clearer and more cohesive.
"Where's Ben right now?" She asked, coating her words in every bit of sweetness that she could conjure from inside her. Doug squinted his eyes to slits, closing his mouth as a silent indication that he wasn't going to tell. "Doug," she pried, this time losing the kindness in her tone and staring at the boy with all the intimidation she could muster.
It didn't take long for him to crack, and he quickly let out a sigh of indignation, rolling his eyes and averting his gaze to the ocean in front of them.
"He's holding a council meeting at the castle," Doug mumbled, probably cursing himself for never being able to say no to the blue-haired girl.
Evie had expected the answer, having heard about the meeting a few days prior, but the confirmation widened her eyes in excitement, her hands already moving to shove her unused books back inside their bag.
"I'll see you later, Doug." She stood from the dirt, brushing off the back of her dress.
"Evie, what are you doing?" Doug called after her as she rushed down the beaten path she had come from, ignoring his question and sending her hand waving over her shoulder before she disappeared from his line of sight.
She hurried towards the campus of Auradon Prep, stopping short when she came to the stone walkway that led to the entrance of King Ben's castle. Her heartbeat grew in intensity as she started up the path, not bothering to knock as she tugged open the heavy wooden doors.
Inside, the grand table at the center of the front room seated guests from all over Auradon, all of them seemingly talking at once as Ben tried to listen to each of their concerns and complaints.
The room fell deafeningly silent, however, as Evie stepped inside. She cleared her throat and smoothed the ripples in her dress, turning towards Ben with an innocent smile on her face.
"Evie? I'm in the middle of a council meeting, I—" Ben started, motioning towards the people of Auradon who now wore looks of annoyance on their faces. She held up her hand to stop him.
"I've come here with a proposition to improve Auradon," She projected her voice loud enough for the entire room to hear, but still felt small as she stood in front of the leaders that held a much higher status than herself. The citizens broke out in hushed chuckles and confused whispers that Evie told herself not to pay attention to, afraid they might strip her of the sudden confidence she had found.
Ben said something to a group of fairies, too quiet for Evie to hear, before he returned his attention to her, laying his hand out towards her to signal that he was ready to listen.
Evie sucked in a breath as she collected her thoughts, reciting the words inside her head with the hopes that it would stop her from stumbling over them when she spoke. And as she let the breath out, she squared her shoulders, placing her hands on her hips, and used every bit of courage left inside her to give her statement.
"I want to go back to the Isle of the Lost."
A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated!