"Papa" The black and gold doors of the large meeting rooms were opened by two armour clad soldiers and Evie walked into the full meeting room -back in her long black dress, beautiful, natural hair and golden heels- with her head held high and an award-winning smile coated onto her lips. The spacious meeting room was a little smaller than the throne room in the castle and the black walls with white swirls of detailing were lined with gold, much like the doors that had elegant swirls of gold on it. Evie's golden heels clicked against the dark wooden floor as she walked into the room, her long dress trailing behind her as she walked through the centre of the room, surrounded by large pillars that reached the high ceilings. Grand chandeliers hung from the ceilings that had light candles to light up the room as well as the candle holders that stood near the large, marble pillars in the centre of the room. At the back of the room, stood a large wooden table surrounded by wooden chairs and old men and women all dressed in black suits who all turned around once they heard the doors and dropped into a low curtsy or bow at the sight of the princess.
A muscular man lifted his head from the back of the room as everyone bowed and curtsied at Evie's arrival and a large smile appeared on his lips at the sight of the blue-haired teenager. The man at the back of the room had a slender jaw that was covered in stubble from the beginnings of a modest beard and had deep blue eyes that matched Evie's dark brown ones in there shading. His dark blue hair was like fire on top of his head as it swooshed to the side while he ran his fingers through his fire-like hair. The large black suit he was wearing had a dark blue shirt underneath it with a white pocket kerchief was tucked perfectly into his pocket with the initials 'H.H.E.H' of his children -Harris, Hayden, Evie and Harley. The man -who was around 40 years old- moved to move around the table while Evie slowly lowed into a curtsy, her dress surrounding her in a large circle as she lowed her head in respect. "Princess Evelyn Queen, what a pleasure to see you again" The man spoke in a deep voice as Evie smiled up at him.
"Hello, your majesty" Evie greeted with a large smile as she giggles at the king's expression. She knew that he hated being called his royal status by the people in his family and Evie was no exception to his rule. Evie knew her father did want her to remember him as a king but as a man who read to her at night and taught her to dance, his smile never faltering as she repeatably stepped on his toes. Evie knew that her father always called her a princess because he wanted her to know that she was a real princess and therefore worthy of being treated and respected like one but he didn't want Evie to feel like he was better or higher in status to her. In her father's eyes, Evie was just as equal as Hayden, Harris and Harley and to him than anyone else in the world. "I'm sorry, old habits die hard I guess" Evie apologised as her father extended his hand for her to take, allowing her to stand fully and get out of her low curtsy. "I missed you, papa" Evie corrected with a large smile, showing off her pearly white teeth and faint freckles on her cheeks as her eyes flashed with happiness and love. She knew her mother's opinions about her father but Evie was trying hard to hard to ignore her mother's words and make her own judgement on the man she hadn't seen in almost ten years.
"I have missed you, my darling daughter" Hades replied as he turned to the rest of the council, one of which was Hayden who was smiling at his sister -nodding his head at the princess once they locked eyes- quickly ordering everyone out of the room in favour of spending time with two out of his three children. Everyone bowed and curtsied before leaving the room except for Hayden who moved closer to his father and sister and gently pulled her into a hug, smiling softly when Evie wrapped her arms around his torso and placed her head on his chest while Hayden kissed the top of her head. "You look amazing Evie, in your dress and heels. You look truly grown up" Evie smiled proudly at her father's words, her mind thinking back to all the struggles she encountered to show people that she wasn't the young and innocent girl they knew and that she had in fact grown up -a fact not many people in her fathers side of the family wanted to admit out loud. "So, what brings you here? I asked Persephone to come and get you so we could have dinner later on?" Hades added with a large smile as Hayden and Evie separated from their hug.
"Well, I wanted to get to know everyone so I thought that dinner could be moved up" Evie suggested with a large smile as she looked at her unsure brother and father. She knew that they had work to do but she just wanted to spend some time with her family before she left to go to the Isle Of The Lost to eventually see her friends again. She, of course, was yet to tell her father and brother about that detail but she was sure that it would come up at dinner, something which made her quite apprehensive. "You know, so we could reconnect after not seeing each other for ten years. I have missed our family dinners and Persephone is cooking which means that I get to have her homemade Devils Pudding again. And I haven't had that in so long. It also means that I get to meet Harley and I can't wait to meet my step-sister" Evie happily added with a large smile.
"Okay, well I will get changed and get Harley and then will meet you two in the dining room in an hour" Hades decided with a large smile as Evie laughed softly before rushing to give her father a large hug, wrapping her arms around his torso as Hades placed a gentle kiss on top of Evie's head. Evie looked back at her older brother and held out her hand for him to take, lacing her fingers with his as she pulled him closer and into the hug as she wrapped an arm around his torso as she concealed her face into his chest as Hades wrapped an arm around both of his children. "Now, both of you continue on and I will meet you with Harley in the dining room" Hades announced kindly as Evie and Hayden released themselves from the hug. Evie smiled before nodding her head at her father before grasping Hayden's hand and quickly rushing out of the meeting room -being followed by Hayden who quickly waved his father goodbye before running to catch up with Evie-and leaving a smiling Hades stood in the centre of the empty meeting room.
Evie smiled politely at the royal members of the court and servants that she passed in the long halls of the castle on her way to the large kitchen that her step-mother was currently in as she prepared the finishing touches to the diner. Persephone was never one to allow the chiefs to cook her family secret recipes when she was perfectly capable to cook her own food without the help of others apart from her family -which in Evie's opinion made the food better, knowing that somebody in her family put their love into making the food without anyone else's help. Evie quickly let go of Hayden's hand as she opened the kitchens wooden doors and quickly looked around to spot her step-mother who was -as always- at the back of the kitchen in her own section of the large room as she continued to silently cook the last parts of dinner. Evie smiled as she moved through the kitchen -holding her dress tightly so she didn't get in peoples way- and towards her step-mother at the back of the room that was covered in a black marble. Evie reached her step-mother and gently tapped her on the shoulder as Evie rested her arm on the black and white marble counter while Persephone turned to face the blue-haired teen with a large smile on her lips.
"Hey, where's Hayden?" Persephone asked as the kitchen doors opened once more and in walked the king which caused every chief stop and bow or curtsy to Hayden as he nodded at the kitchen staff before he walked towards his mother and step-sister, his eyes full of happiness and humour when he noticed Evie had placed the back of her hand over her mouth to stop the small giggles of laughter escape her lips. Hayden smiled at his mother as he kissed her cheek lovingly before turning to Evie and crossing his arms over his chest with a small smile on his lips. The rest of the kitchen continued with their work as Evie smiled and twisted side to side nervously, her lips creating a large grin that almost split her whole face in half while her eyes shined with happiness. "What did you two do? Evie looks like a kid caught stealing the chocolate chip cookies" Persephone laughed which made Evie think back to when Lonnie had walked in on the Rotten Four trying to make a love cookie for Ben.
Evie missed her friends dearly and she found that almost everything was remembering her of them -even the marble counters in the kitchen reminded Evie of the kitchen in Castle Beast that she spend lots of sleepless night in with Lumiere as he taught her how to dance and how to cook his favourite recipes- but she loved the ideas that related themselves to her friends whenever she thought about them. Surprisingly, Evie didn't focus on the fact that she died but was now focusing on the amazing memories she did manage to make with her friends and the ones should be able to make in the future when she -hopefully- returns to the land of the living. She missed her friends of course but having so many reminders made it easier to cope with the fact that she would have to wait a little longer in order to be able to hug them again and would have to go through the Isle Of The Lost. Evie didn't mind that through as she knew that the possibility that she would land anywhere but Oceana's castle was very slim and that would mean that it would be a matter of days until she was able to move back to Auradon and be with her friends again.
"I didn't do anything" Evie denied quickly as her eyes turned into ones full of innocence which made Persephone smile as she leaned forward and placed her hand on Evie's check, rubbing thumb on her soft skin as Evie leaned into her touch. Hayden smiled as he shook his head, unable to believe that Evie had used the 'chocolate-eyes-of-cuteness-and-death' as Mal once called them on Persephone and that it had actually worked. "I told papa that dinner was moved up just like you asked. He said he and Harley would be in the dining room in one hour" Evie added with an innocent smile which made Persephone smile as she shook her head at her step-daughters actions. Persephone was the one to teach Evie now to play innocent and it seemed like the girl had listened intently to her lessons because she was a master of it, and almost had Persephone fooled into believing that she was innocent.
"Okay then, thank you, Evie. Why don't you and Hayden start pealing the vegetables while I check on the meat? We are having your favourite, a Roast Dinner" Persephone reveals with a large smile as Evie nods enthusiastically at her step-mother before quickly walking over to the corner of the back kitchen where the vegetables were kept as Hayden followed and Persephone continued to check on the meat in the large ovens. Hayden smiled as he and Evie worked in comfortable silence to dice and place the vegetables in pots ready to be cooked. Hayden noticed that Evie was cutting the food up far more quickly than she did when she was five and questioned her about it, wondering who taught her to cut as quickly at Queen Tiana does which made Evie smile fondly at the memories of Lumiere teaching her to cook professionally while Mrs Pott's taught her how to make her food look as marvellous as it tasted -a trick Evie was glad she learned from the former tea-pot.
"When I was in Auradon and at Queen Belle's and King Adam's castle to help the new king with work regarding the Isle Of The Lost and its children, Lumiere and Mrs Pott's taught me how to cook when it was late at night and I couldn't sleep. They said that it was safer than me walking the Rose gardens for hours on end and not be found for hours because I would fall asleep" Evie joked as she continued to mince the vegetables on the chopping board, her eyes never leaving the board as the sharp knife continued to quickly cut up the white cabbage and quarter the sprouts. "They taught me everything I know and I had a lesson every week -at least- for around six months until..." Evie's smile dropped as she remembered that usually, she would be working with Ben to finish her work so she could go down and start her cooking lesson with Lumiere and Mrs Pott's in the castle's expensive kitchen.
"I'm sorry" Hayden apologised as he reached over and placed a hand on Evie's, as she stopped cutting and placed the knife on the chopping board, a dazzled off look in her chocolate eyes as she spaced out. Hayden placing his hand on hers, broke Evie out of her train of thought as she looked at her brother and smiled at him reassuringly. "They sound amazing and so do you. I mean, helping the King of Auradon with his work with The Isle Of The Lost and practically changing peoples lives for the better. You accomplished everything you said you wanted to as a child" Hayden praised, his voice full of pride as he spoke to his younger sister about all the changes she was able to make in such a short time.
Evie shook her head to get rid of the memories with her family as she smiled kindly at her step-brother's words as her pearly white teeth shone in the light of the kitchen. "Thanks, Hayden. You know, I couldn't ask for a better brother even if I tried. You are the best thing in this Underworld" Evie praised as she gently nudged his arm with her shoulder, her smile widening intensely when Hayden jokingly rolled his shoulder back while softly rubbing it, unable to stop the wide smile on his lips as he heard his sister's beautiful laughter filling the room. It made Hayden happy to hear his sister's laugh and know that she was happy and not sad about losing her friends and as he looked at Evie's eyes that shone with happiness, he knew that she was truly having a good time. However, he just couldn't ignore the small sliver of sadness in her eyes that bordered the happiness, reducing its size and containing it -like something was preventing Evie's happiness from growing.
Evie went back to cook once her laughter died down into small chuckles as Hayden placed down the cutlery and watched his sister intently, examining the girl's soft features and parted lips as she signed loudly like she was reliving an old memory again. It bothered Hayden that his sister kept dozing off into some form dreamland land -like she missed somebody so much but they refused to leave her mind- and that Hayden had no clue how to help his younger sister with everything that had happened with the past couple of days. Before he knew it, Evie had begun to chop up the vegetables on his chopping board, expertly moving them to her chopping board made of wood as she cut and minced the remaining vegetables quickly while quietly whistling. It still amazed Hayden that even though she was the daughter of the Evil Queen, Evie looked to whistle while she worked but he suspected it had something to do with the son of Dopey -who he still had yet to get more information on other than that Doug helps Evie with the numbers of the business.
"Mum" Hayden called out once he had broken out of his trance, turning around after one last glance towards Evie -who hadn't indicated to Hayden that she even noticed his voice after he spoke- and looking at his mother who was at the other side of the kitchen, slowly stirring the gravy and setting up the plates for dinner while Evie continued to cook and prepare the vegetables. Hayden walked towards his mother and rested his arm on the counter next to her, a loud sigh escaping his lips as Persephone nodded at Hayden for him to continue. "Does Evie seem to be acting... not herself to you? I mean she seems happy to be home and I'm glad but she doesn't seem all that happy in general" Hayden quietly asked his mother, being careful to make sure that Evie couldn't hear him.
"Well she lost her friends, the love of her life and her family all in one day" Persephone answered back with a sad smile. Hayden was about to respond and argue that Persephone that Evie was with her family but he was quickly cut off as his mother raised her eyebrow. "Now come on Hayden, you can't tell me that some of your friends aren't treated like family" Persephone added with a slight smile as she watched Hayden huff in annoyance that his mother was correct. Again. "I know you care about Evie and that is very sweet of you but the girl lost everyone who has ever helped her through whatever hell she went through when she was alone on the Isle Of The Lost without us. Those people are her family regardless of blood or anything else so we just have to accept that the innocent and carefree Evie doesn't visit often and this Evie that you see here -the one who doesn't smile as brightly as before or doesn't see the world in shades of pink and blues and gold- is the Evie that survived with her friends. We just have to help her" Persephone continued with a small smile as she started to dish up the food -with Hayden's help- as she placed large piles of mash potatoes and freshly cooked roast potatoes onto the plate as Hayden placed the meat on the plate, being careful with how much certain people in the family get.
"Here are the vegetables. Freshly cooked and piping hot" Evie smirked as she placed a couple of bowls full of different vegetables in front of Persephone, a small smile on her ruby red lips as Persephone looked at Evie with a raised eyebrow and a hand resting on her hip. Evie signed as she wriggled her fingers at Persephone, soft blue sparks flying off of the tips of Evie's manicured nails as she sheepishly smiled at her step-mother. "Okay, I may have used a little magic to cook the food. But can you blame me? It's a roast dinner!" Evie practically squealed as Persephone shook her head and started to dish out the vegetables onto the different sized plates for all the members of the royal family. Evie smiled as she helped dish out the dinner with her family, her smile showing off her pearly white teeth as Hayden glanced repeatedly at his younger sister and wondered how somebody with such a large smile, could hide so much pain and heartache and look so elegant while doing so?
Evie smiled kindly as she sat down at the large, dark oak table in the centre of the large dining room. The room was shaped in a rectangle with high ceilings and white chandeliers hanging elegantly from the ceiling with candles that had strong flames flickering on top of them. The wall opposite the dining table was covered in large windows that reached the top of the room and allowed plenty of light to shine through the window and into the large rectangular room. The other walls of the room were wallpapered a beautiful pattern of elegant swirls of black on a plain white background and small details of gold that was reflected against a large amount of sunlight shining through the clear windows. The floor was covered in light oak wood and the remaining three walls that weren't covered in windows had large paintings depicting some of the smartest and brightest minds of Hades' family -including an artists depiction of what Evie would have looked like at sixteen after news circulated that she had left the Isle Of The Lost with her friends and went to Auradon at special request of the young -soon-to-be-king Ben- hanging on the walls, bordered by gold and had small planks under them informing everyone of who the painting was by and who is represented.
Evie looked around the table at all her family who had started to eat their dinner and noticed all the smiles on their faces, especially the person opposite her. Harley was sat opposite Evie, a large smile on her lips as she moved her dinner around on the plate, her long blue hair casting a curtain around her face so her father and brother -who she was sat in between- couldn't see her almost glowing dark brown eyes. Harley looked like she was a dream world, unable to break away into the real world as her eyes shined with mischief and love for somebody, Evie couldn't pinpoint exactly why though as she had never seen that type of love shine so brightly in somebodies eyes who was Harley's age. The girl was dressed casually, with a long-sleeved grey turtleneck which was tucked into a dark red skirt that ended at her covered legs. Her grey tights covered her olive coloured skin and matched her grey top as her slip-on red shoes had small bows at the tips of them. Even though the girl's dark blue hair was supposed to be pulled back with a dark red hairband with small flowers lining it, her hair still managed to frame her chubby-cheeked face that held dark freckles covering under her dark brown eyes.
Persephone turned to look at Evie after she noticed that the princess hadn't started to eat her dinner and signed in happiness as she saw that Evie was looking directly at Harley. "Evie, why don't you eat some of your food?" Persephone suggested as the two males at the table lifted their head to see that Evie hadn't eaten a single part of her food. Evie shook her head and continued to look at Harley, wondering what was going through Harley's head to make her smile so widely. "Harley" Persephone turned her attention to her daughter who raised her head and smiled widely at her mother, her eyes slowly moving to Evie's dark eyes. If Harley noticed that see and Evie were almost exactly the same -with the same shade of blue hair, chubby cheeks covered in large freckles and warm brown eyes- then she didn't show it as Harley continued to smile largely at her step-sister. "What's wrong, princess? You haven't eaten any of your food"
Evie's smile widened when she heard Harley's nickname from Persephone, recalling the times when Persephone would call her 'princess' to boost her confidence and enforce the idea that Evie truly was a princess. Persephone always called Evie 'princess' so it made the blue-haired teenager smile as she realised that Harley got to have the same nickname as she did all those years ago. "I'm not that hungry, mama" Harley replied, breaking Evie out of her thoughts as she looked back at her step-sister.
Persephone raised an eyebrow at her daughter's words. "Or you just don't want to eat because you want to ask Evie something but are too afraid to ask her" Persephone finished for her daughter, making Harley blush out of embarrassment and nod her head. Evie giggled at her step-sister's actions as she started to eat her dinner so it wouldn't get cold. Evie nodded for Harley to ask away as she cut up her food and started to eat, her smile never faltering as she looked upon the excited face of her step-sister that seemed to glow like a thousand fireflies.
"Well, it is true that you are counseller to King Ben" Harley started of happily as she too started to cut up her food while her father and brother smiled at one another before they to continued to eat their food. "Is it true that you designed all the dresses and suits at Cotillion and your friends at King Ben's coronation? Mama said you did but that would mean that you made all those dresses in less than three months without any help so unless you have magic I don't think that's possible but I believe mama. And what about your friends? Is it true that Mal defended Maleficent at Coronation because Mal was good and Maleficent wasn't?" Harley excitably asked which caused Evie to giggle at the girl's enthusiasm to learn all the details of Evie's life in Auradon.
"Well, I was King Ben's councillor. We worked together to improve the lives of the people on the Isle Of The Lost" Evie started to explain. "And yes, I did design all those dresses and suits. I did use some of my magic but not a lot" Evie answered back with a cheeky smile as Harley's eyes widened. Evie knew that Harley didn't know about her magic and if questions were to arise about Evie and the possibility of her having magic, then they would have been denied by the royal family so Harley would have never known about Evie's magical abilities. Of course, Harley had magic too, not as strong as Evie's or Mal's but it was still running through the little girl's veins and because she had to have magical lessons, Harley wondered how much knowledge Evie obtained about her magic that could help Harley understand hers better. "And for your last question, yes. Mal was able to defeat Maleficent because Mal had more love and goodness in her heart and love and kindness defeats all evil in the world when its put to the test." Evie finished.
"Do you miss them?" Harley asked with a small smile making Evie stop her movements and look up at her step-sister, a saddened look in her dark brown eyes. Evie nodded and lowed her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek as she remembered what she had to tell her father and brother about while also telling Harley that she would have to leave before the too got the chance to properly bond. "Well, what about the portal? You could go through there and see your friends. And you can always return here so you and I could bond. Mama says that you are an amazing dancer and I love dancing so maybe you can teach me more than the waltz that the teachers are teaching me about" Harley offered with a small giggle as Evie raised her gaze to met the little girls gaze, her eyes now full of happiness and joy at the idea of seeing her friends but also relief that it wasn't her who had to bring it up in conversation.
"Don't be silly, Harley" Hayden chuckled as he looked down at his younger sister, a smile on his lips as he thought about Harley's words. "Evie wouldn't leave this place and she's the princess of the Underworld so she can't leave, Harley. Of course, she misses her friends but we're her family. She can't leave us. Right?" Hayden added as he looked at Evie's sad features and watched while she breathed in deeply as she shook her head, yes, indicating that she was -and could- leave the Underworld. Evie didn't know how her family were going to react with the news but she knew that her father was going to be harder to influence into letting her leave than Hayden was going to be. Hayden understood Evie more than anyone else ever has but she also knew that he loved her and cared about her and still was going to be difficult to tell, even if he would understand.
"I'm sorry guys but Harley's right" Evie signed as she looked at her father and brother, both of which had shocked faces. Evie glanced into her brother's eyes and saw a sliver of understanding hidden under the layers of hurt and shock and she knew that Hayden knew why Evie wanted to see her best friends again and why it was so soon. "I want to use the Portal Of The Living to go back to my friends and continue with my life" Evie decided. "You know what happened to me. You know that I risked my life to save the kingdom and I guess that a little part of me was glad that it ended the way it did so I could meet Harley and see all of you again but an even bigger part of me wished -and still wishes- that I could go back home and see my friends grow up, get married and have kids just like I planned to do before Cotillion. I miss them and I miss Auradon. I called that place home for seven months now" Evie signed as she looked at her family, wishing that one of them would speak as the room transitioned into silence.
"I know what you are going to say; that it's too dangerous and that it is no use as I would go to the Isle Of The Lost instead of Auradon but I don't care" Evie added as her father ran his fingers through his hair while Hayden looked deep in thought, something that worried Evie to no end. Her brother was never one to think things over when it came to his little sister because he trusted her judgment and opinions but when he did, it was always serious. Evie knew that when her brother thought about her decisions, it meant that her decisions weren't usually the best or had large consequences. Evie also understood why Hayden was contemplating his words carefully because, as a sister herself, she knew that family is one of the most important things and knowing that somebody in that family is in trouble because of an idea you encouraged is a terrible feeling. The blue-haired princess grasped that her brother was protective and she loved and valued that part of him but she didn't know how that side of him was going to affect his decision, something that was putting her at the edge of her seat. Evie's father, however, seemed to make his thoughts about her plan very clear.
"Why is your first thought when you come back here that you must leave again? I have only just got you back and I refuse you lose you to a place as horrid and hideous as the Isle Of The Lost" Hades responded, his voice low and cold as he spoke and ran his fingers through his hair in impediment. "If you knew the answer to your question them why ask it? Like I said before, I refuse to let you go because you want to see your friends again. I had to allow you to leave last time because of your mother but now, I don't have to listen to anything she or anyone else says so you are staying in the Underworld. End of conversation. You are too young to make these type of decisions" Hades quickly added which made Evie shake her head in denial.
"Harley, go upstairs into your room. I will be there in a moment" Persephone ordered as Harley obeyed and quickly got up and left the room. Harley stopped in the corridor of the castle as she heard her family continue to talk loudly, so being the inquisitive little girl that she was, Harley quickly dismissed the guards in the corridor and pressed her ear to the door of the dining room. She didn't want to spy on her own family but she knew that her mother would never tell her the truth because she was 'too young to know the truth' but Harley understood that she was fed up with being in the dark about her own family.
Back in the room, Evie shook her head at her father's words as she glared at the man at the head of the table, her eyes full of anger but also held a sliver of sadness as she knew that her father would never agree to her plan. She hoped that he would understand the pain of losing a friend -not just a friend but a family- and be more accepting to her plan of living in Auradon but visiting her biological family every weekend or so. Evie felt her anger build up as she watched her father continue to eat his dinner like he didn't just forbid her from seeing her friends again. Evie had her father's temper, something that she spent years trying to control but whenever somebody tried to control the blue-haired princess, her anger seemed to explode. Her father, of course, knew this as he suffered from the same problems of controlling his emotions but he didn't expect Evie to respond.
The teenager was so good at managing her emotions -especially her anger- so Hades almost forgot about his daughter's temper. Evie had a strong mind and she hated being told what she could or could not do and to hear it from her father -the man who said that she had to listen to no one's orders- hurt and angered the teen even more. She was hurt because she thought that he would understand the value of family considering he was the one to instal it in her at such a young age but as she locked eyes with his blue ones that seemed to have darkened with some emotion Evie could not name, she no longer cared about the reasons her father had to use the word 'refuse' and only cared about making sure that he knew that she not some child anymore but a teenager who deserved to be heard loud and proud.
"No" Evie replied as her father stopped what he was doing and looked at her with shock. Not once in Evie's life did she ever say no to her father about something as big as a life-changing decision -even when he was telling her to follow her mother's wishes, she still agreed because she believed that was what her father wanted- but now that she had started, Evie couldn't seem to stop. "It's my life and if I want to leave this place and go back to my friends then I will. Nothing's stopping me, as Hayden said, I'm the princess so why can't you just trust me when I say that I have everything figured out. I am not some little girl who steps on your toes when we dance anymore. I am a teenager who has fought her own battles and slain her own demons and I refuse -as you so put it- to let you talk to me like I haven't done anything in my life bar take dancing lessons and dream about happily ever after. I have so much and yet you still treat me like I'm five again, a little girl looking up to her father for approval. You are my father, not my king" Evie added as she looked at her father with a heated glare of a pleading nature.
She didn't want to argue with her father but she wanted him to know that she wasn't the little girl he remembered and she wasn't going to back down. She also wanted him to know that she was not his subject, that she was his daughter above any royal status and should be treated with respect and kindness and allowed to make her own mistakes and fight her own battles, no matter the consequences of her actions. Evie wanted her father to know that she had grown up since he had last seen her and was more then capable then weighing up the pros and cons for her actions then she was as a six-year-old. Like Evie said she had grown up and for better or for worse, she no longer had an innocent view of life and knew what waited for her up in Earth if she was to go back to the land of the living. Evie knew her father had to stop seeing her as a little girl and instead as the young lady she currently is. She knew it was difficult to understand that your child is all grown up -especially because Evie found that she often treated Dizzy as a child when she was actually in the last years of being a pre-teen and the blue-haired teen knew that she had to stop herself from doing so- but she also knew that it wasn't impossible if her father just opened his eyes more and saw everything that Evie was doing with her life with the help of her friends and family.
"Evie" Persephone warned from beside her, her voice even and calm as she reached out and placed his hand on Evie's hand. Evie looked back at her step-mother and slowly took linked her fingers with Persephone's as the older women looked back at her husband who raised an eyebrow at his wife's actions. "I can see where you are coming from, Hades, but don't you think that you need to see that Evie is a grown up now and worthy of making her own decisions, no matter how much we may disagree with them" Persephone hinted as she gently squeezed Evie's hand for reassurance.
"Papa" Evie called out, more gently than before, with love lacing her voice as she looked at her brother and father. "I know that you two want to protect me and that you think that by banishing me from doing something you think is dangerous then you are somehow protecting me from the world above" Evie continued as she looked at her father. "I know to see me all grown-up is difficult. I had such a hard time seeing Dizzy as the pre-teen she is instead of the little five-year-old girl obsessed with candy that I remember so fondly. I know the feeling of watching someone you count as your child grow up before your very eyes and suddenly find yourself having to change for that person but I did it, so why can't you? Why can't you see that I am no longer the little girl chancing after her father's affections and praise because my own mother, told me that he didn't love me? I have tried so hard to not be that girl and with my friends, I am finally able to ignore every pressure I put on myself and instead laugh and cry with them without the fear of looking weak. And yet, after all my work, you still look at me with broken eyes and a small smile, like you're frustrated with me and my decisions, which makes me want to become that small girl again -a girl who is long gone and won't come back" Evie signed as she continued to talk, looking pointedly at her father and ignoring the large pieces of concern fitting together in Persephone's eyes.
"We are your family and we want what's best for you-" Hayden started as Evie glanced at her brother, raising her eyebrow at his words as Hayden stopped talking.
"And yet you fail to see me" Evie argued with a raised eyebrow as she slowly removed her hand from Persephone's and instead, rested it on her lap with her other hand. "You see a small girl with pigtails and chubby checks covered in freckles who can't reach the handles of the doors, let alone open them. You fail to see the real me, the one you are currently stopping from seeing her family. I have grown up so much since you last saw or heard from me and you have no one to blame for that but... me" Evie revealed while her father and brother share a confused look. "I let my mothers words get to me, I was the one who believed I was a nobody and I was the one to follow her words even when my friends told me not too. But the people you should be thanking, thanking them for saving me more times then I like to admit, are the people you are currently stopping me from seeing. They are the people who I choose to include in my family because they helped me through everything and it is so... scary to have to go through all this -here with you, Papa, and Hayden, Persephone and Harley- and not have them near to be able to calm me down. I just want to see them one more time. So their memory of me isn't me dying on the deck of a boat, covered in my own blood" Evie added quietly.
"You should have seen Dizzy's face when she saw me, Mal's face when she noticed the blood and Uma's eyes when my eyes started to flutter close" Evie continued, her voice just above a whisper as Hayden lowed his head as he listened to his sisters broken voice crack with fresh tears that she refused to let fall. "That is their last memory of me. Dizzy saw somebody she considered a mother die when that same person told her for years that every good-guy gets their happily ever after. At that moment, Dizzy was focused to grow up and handle so many emotions at the same time that myself or anybody else didn't help her and teach her about. Because of me, Dizzy has to grow up so much faster then what I ever wanted her too so please, let me go back and spent time with Dizzy. I love that little girl so much to the point where I would be willing to spend a hundred years on the Isle Of The Lost if it meant that I got to spend the remainder of my life with my family"
Hayden raised his head once his sister stopped talking, looking Evie up and down as the blue-haired teen lowed her head, her dark brown eyes welling with tears as her lip quivered with sadness. Hayden looked at his father, nodding his head towards his sister as Hades placed his elbow on the arm of his chair and carefully rested his chin in his palm while the God Of The Underworld looked concerningly at his daughter and wife, who shrugged her shoulders and looked pleadingly at her husband for him to speak to her. Evie slowly lifted her head as she looked at her brother and father, noticing the concerned and unknowing looks in their eyes before she slowly stood up from her chair and wiped her eyes away from the tears. Hayden and Hades' attention quickly switched to Evie as she stood up, looking apologetically at Persephone who tried to gently grab Evie's hand while the princess moved her hand away from the women's, not ignoring the flash of hurt that shimmered in her step-mothers eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I should just... just go" Evie signed as she quickly moved around the table and towards the large doors, quickly opening them to be able to rush down the empty hallways of the castle and towards her room. Harley looked at her step-sisters retreating form and immediately started to follow her, making sure Evie didn't see her as they both made their way to Evie's room.
Persephone signed as she shook her head, leaning back in her chair and ran her fingers through her long hair in frustration. Hades copied his wife's actions as Hayden quickly stood up -his chair scraping on the wooden flooring- as he started to pace the length of the dining room while Persephone and Hades watched their son with worry. They knew Hayden loved his step-sister very much and would do anything to make sure that Evie was happy -whether that was in the Underworld or up above was irrelevant to Hayden so long as his sister had a smile on her face- but they were worried that Hayden was going to do something rash and irresponsible. They knew that even if Evie had meant to, she had still revealed details about her mother and life on the Isle of The Lost which were going to get to Hayden, especially considering that Hayden wanted to protect Evie with his life -he had wanted to do so before he was even ten years old.
"I feel like I'm going to be sick" Hayden grumbled as he continued to pace the length of the room. "How can you two sit there and have calm looks on your faces when Evie -our little blueberry- has just told us that her own mother, the women who gave birth to that amazingly confident young lady, emotionally manipulated her into believing the opposite of what we have tried so hard to tell her for all these years? My little sister has spent the last ten or so years with that monster, believing that she is just... I can't even say it" Hayden continued as he turned towards his mother and father, leaning his arms of the back of the chair as he lowed his head. "What are we going do? Because I have half a mind of going up there myself and having a very long conversation with everyone and anyone on that horrible island and even in Auradon whoever made my little sister feel less then what she is" Hayden growled out protectively as Persephone quickly up from her seat and walked over to Hayden, pulling the boy into a loving hug. Hayden wrapped his arms around his mother's torso and buried his head into her shoulder, his anger retreating from his tense body as Persephone gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"Give Evie a little time to cool down" Persephone instructed her husband and son, who both raised their head to look at the women like she was crazy. "Evie is going through a lot right now, and having a protective father and brother who want the name of every person who has ever made her feel bad will only make her relive painful memories I'm not sure she's ready to see again. Give her a couple of hours and then, when you and Hades have cooled down, go and see her. I'm sure she just wants to be alone right now" Persephone explained with a small smile as Hayden nodded and slowly let go of his mother.
"Okay, well I think that I'm going to finish my meeting in the meantime" Hayden signed, not sounding very happy that he was forced to leave Evie to deal with things on her own. "If anything happens, call or text me and I will be right there. I don't care if I'm in a meeting or not, just call me" Hayden added before he gently kissed his mother on the cheek goodbye and nodded to his father before he too left the room, leaving Persephone and Hades in silence as the two thought about their next course of action.
"So what's your decision?" Persephone asked softly as Hades raised his head to look at his wife concerningly. "I mean, Evie is going to go through a lot regardless of whether she goes to the Isle of The Lost or stays here so it's just a matter of what are we going to do to make sure that Evie has a smile on her face. Let her go and possibly risk her seeing her mother but in the end, living with her friends or forcing her to stay here with nobody but us to talk to and a thousand new responsibilities as the princess that she doesn't even know about yet" Persephone signed. "I'm not related to her, I'm only the step-mother but you are her father. Your blood is running through her veins and she is more like you than anyone I have ever seen, so you need to ask yourself what would you di in her situation" Persephone concluded as Hades extended his arms out to his wife. Persephone smiled before she walked closer to her husband and slowly sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around Hades' neck as he wrapped his own arms around his wife's waist.
"Whatever I decide to do, relates to how you view my proposition. I know that Evie adored you and I have no doubt that she still looks up at you, even though she may not share blood with you. Evie loves you and you know that, so come on. I need you to help me make a decision on what I'm going to do" Hades explained with a large smile as he placed a gentle kiss on Persephone's cheek. "So, what if Evie went up but we made sure that she is more protected then last time and goes nowhere near her mother's house?" Hades asked quietly as Persephone smiled kindly at her husband's thoughts.
"I would say that that is the best thing, I think, we could possibly do to make sure that Evie has a smile on her face as quickly as possible"
Mal smiled as she gently rocked side to side in the quiet living room of the castle, with Dizzy's legs wrapped around her torso as the little girls head rested comfortably on Mal's shoulder, quiet snores escaping the girls lips while Dizzy's arms were wrapped loosely around Mal's neck. The purple-haired teenager smiled as she looked around the room, noticing that the only remaining people in the room were Ben, Uma, Harry, Audrey -along with her family- and the former king and queen of Auradon. Everyone else had decided to go to sleep only moments ago and now, the room was descended into a thick layer of comfortable silence as Audrey held her sleepy brother in her arms on one of the sofas while Uma and Harry sat cuddled up to one another on the opposite sofa, with Uma's feet tucked into themselves so she could lean against Harry's side while Harry played with the long braids of Uma's hair. Ben was sat on the middle sofa, with his mother sat beside him and his father beside her as Queen Belle read a book quietly -Aladdin had always been her favourite- and King Adam checked his phone for any new emails, of course, there were many. King Stephan and Queen Leah had decided to go home a short while back, once it had become midday, but left Aurora and Prince Philip with their children at the castle after they had proclaimed that -with Queen Belle's and King Adam's permission- they would like to stay.
Even though it was only around six O'Clock and the sun still shone brightly in the clear blue, Mal herself could feel the blanket of tiredness wrap itself around her shoulders as she stood in the middle of two of the sofa -between Ben and Uma- and rocked Dizzy side to side to get the little girl to sleep peacefully. The princess appreciated that it had been a long day and after seeing the tired eyes of Jay and Carlos, Jane and Lonnie, she had all but ordered them to go to bed and rest. Mal knew that her friends would need the extra sleep for the up in coming days that would be filled with interviews and looks of pity from almost everyone once the news of Evie's death reached the kingdoms ears. She didn't want to worry about that now though as she looked down to see Dizzy's half-open eyes looking up at her with so much love it made Mal's cold thoughts melt away. Mal gently placed her lips to the top of Dizzy's head as the little girl's eyes fluttered closed again and she drifted off to sleep while Mal silently prayed to anyone that was listening that Dizzy wouldn't have another terrible nightmare.
The soft ping from King Adam's phone broke the room out of its silence as Mal turned to see the former king of Auradon angrily tapping at his phone, but his features were morphed into one of concern and worry for somebody that Mal couldn't pinpoint. "Adam, is everything alright?" Mal asked quietly as she continued to slowly rock side to side to allow Dizzy to sleep easily. Ben looked at his girlfriend concerningly, silently offering to take Dizzy to her room but Mal shook her head, gently moving Dizzy closer to her so she didn't fall while Mal smiled reassuringly at her boyfriend. Adam raised his eyes towards the teenager and signed, slowly standing and walking towards Mal with his hand extended to allow Mal to read his phone screen.
"Your Royal Highness, King Adam,
I am sorry to interrupt you, sir, but the Royal Castle has just received numerous messages and emails regarding Cotillion and its events. I am sorry to say, but the Royal Castle is expected to make a statement about the recent events to the public before we lose the ability to control the press's response to the Cotillion. I know that this is supposed to be your time and the children's time to heal from your great loss but the people are expecting that somebody from the royal family or member of the court make a statement about the events. I know this may be unexpected but with your order, we can get the press into the meeting room within the next hour. Again, I am sorry, sir.
From, Lumiere"
Mal signed as she finished reading the message, her eyes moving towards Uma who gently took the phone out of King Adam's hand once he offered it to her and quickly read the message from Lumiere, her eyes full of concern once she turned to look at Mal again. "Uma, can you take Dizzy to her room and get her ready for bed? I will be up there in a moment to tuck her in" Mal asked quietly as Uma nodded and slowly climbed off of the sofa -quickly giving Harry a small kiss on the kiss- before extending her arms out to Dizzy. Mal delicately turned Dizzy in her arms and allowed Uma to wrap her own arms around the little girl who quickly snuggled closer to Uma as soon as Uma had wrapped her arms around the girl. Uma smiled at the group before carefully moving to go out of the room and towards her own room in the castle to take Uma to bed, being careful to not wake the girl in her arms.
Back in the room, Mal felt a gentle tug on her wrist as she moved towards Ben and sat in his lap, his arms wrapped securely around her waist while Mal snuggled closer to her boyfriend. Mal signed as she played with the diamond purple and blue necklace around her neck, moving it in between her fingers as she appeared to be in deep thought. She knew that the press would have to know at some point but she didn't expect it to be that quickly -but then again, Mal knew that the public loved Evie and grew to accept the fashionista far quicker then what they did with the other VK's. To the public, Evie was a true princess. Sure, Evie may not have had the castle she always wanted or the Prince Charming she had pictured for so long but she had something better, she had love. Love for her version of Prince Charming, love for her friends and love for the people who supported her no matter what. Evie didn't a title or endearing subjects at her balcony each morning because she had her kindness and faith that no matter what road her life took, it would always lead her to her own version of 'happily ever after' and that was all Evie ever wanted.
Evie was the people's princess and to them, she was a princess in every sense of the word. Mal saw the way the young children would run to greet Evie as she stepped out of the castle, each one of them holding a design for a new dress that made Evie's eyes sparkle as she looked through each one of them, praising each and every child as she did so. Mal knew that Evie read and looked at every letter and drawing she received from young children and teenagers alike who inspired to be her and the purple-haired teenager knew that Evie spent her time replying to every letter, praising the person for their design or letter and giving them all her hope and love. The public truly did love Evie so Mal knew that it would only be a matter of time before questions were being raised about Evie's whereabouts and therefore, health.
"What do you guys want to do?" Queen Belle asked nicely after everyone -including Aurora and Prince Philip- had seen the phone screen. King Adam returned to his seat with the phone and signed at his wife's question, as he looked at the VK's in the room along with Audrey and Ben, who looked concerningly at one another before looking at Mal who had yet to speak.
"Well, there's no way we can get around this" Audrey started quietly, being careful not to wake Alex as he snuggled closer to his sister's side. Audrey moved her arm to wrapped around the little prince's shoulders as she played with the boy's hair, slowly lulling him back to sleep. "The press know something is wrong and I think that to take a hold of this, we need to tell the truth before this gets out of hand" Audrey added as she looked towards Mal, noticing the concerned look in Mal's eyes as she heard Audrey's words. "It doesn't have to be in person, we could get somebody else to do it or we could just release a statement to the Royal News. That way the press find out and you guys don't get hurt" Auaddressedessed Harry and Mal at the same time as she spoke, her smile growing into one made of concern when she watched Mal shake her head.
"No, I want to do it. Evie was a princess and the people deserve to know from a human about... everything that's happened and not just a statement from somebody unknown" Mal argued back with a small smile as she turned towards Harry, who was looking questioningly at the purple-haired teen, wondering why Mal would want his help in this when she knew that Harry wouldn't be able to say much about the death of the blue-haired princess. "Harry, can you wake up the rest of the VK's if they're asleep? I doubt they are and Lonnie and Jane are probably with Carlos and Jay because Dizzy is in her room. Can you bring them in here so maybe Queen Belle, King Adam, Audrey and Ben can fill them in on everything that's happened?" Mal asked and Harry nodded in agreement, quickly getting off the sofa, stopping at the side of the sofa to look down at Mal quickly.
Mal nodded reassuringly at the pirate before she gently took his hand in hers, a small smile on her lips as she noticed the sliver of worry in Harry's ocean blue eyes. "I'll be fine, I promise" Mal whispered as she moved off of Ben's lap and stood in front of Harry, his hand still clasped in hers as she looked up at him pleadingly. "I want to do this and if anything happens, you will be the first one I go to" Mal muttered as she gently pulled Harry into a hug while standing on her tip toes as Harry wrapped his arms protectively around her torso. Mal gently squeezed the pirate before moving back, placing her hand on Harry's cheek as he leaned into her touch, his eyes fluttering closed as he breathed in a sign of relief. "Now, go find Uma and look after her, I can take care of myself" Mal continued with a small smile, one that Harry could very clearly see was fake from the girl he considered his sister.
"You know, after everything we have been through, I would think that you would remember that I can read you like an open book" Harry whispered into her ear as they both pulled away, the pirate's eyes instantly seeing the saddened look in Mal's eyes as she looked towards the ground. Harry placed his fingers under the purple-haired teen's chin and slowly lifted her head up to see her emerald green eyes. "I'll come to find ya after all this is over. No one else and you can tell me everything that's happened and can rant if you want" Harry chuckled as Mal smiled thankfully at him before she pulled away from Harry fully. Harry's hand slowly slipped out of Mal's while the pirate moved towards the living room doors, a small smile on her lips as she watched Harry leave the living room. Mal moved her hair behind her ear as she signed, wondering what Harry had seen in her appearance or emotions to make him so protective of her.
The only person who could ever read Mal as easily as Uma and Evie could be Harry, who could focus solely on Mal and her actions and easily tell when something was wrong about the purple-haired teen -even if they were in a room full of people and Mal was faking everything so well that anyone else, including Jay and Carlos, thought that she was fine. Of course, Jay and Carlos knew their sister very well but they were also easily distracted -due to the fact that they were trained to steal and focus on everything at the same time and only remember the important things in the situation which meant that the fault of Mal's smile could often go unnoticed by the two boys. But Harry knew when something was wrong with the purple-haired dragon and when she was faking her emotions, something that became increasingly frustrating when Mal was trying to work and push her feelings down. Mal believed that she had a pretty good system for when it came to ignoring her emotions -to create small boxes in her kind and practically stuff her emotions into the box and bury it so deep in her mind that she forgot she even had the emotion to start with- but it seemed that only a select few, like Evie, Uma and specifically Harry, were about to still see the small boxes hidden in Mal's mind. It made Mal wonder if her system was actually a good system or if everyone else had gotten so used to Mal shutting everyone out that they forgot what she was like before she created her system.
She knew Jay still saw the real her, the one who would laugh, smile and cry in front of her family without the fear of somebody stabbing her in the back -although Mal was sure that, with the number of times she had been stabbed in the back, she wouldn't have even felt it- but she also knew that Jay had no clue how to help her, a fact that she presumed made the ex-thief very angry with himself. Mal knew she wasn't the easiest person to deal with and she appreciated that -although it must have been hard for him- Jay had stepped back and allowed Uma, Evie or Harry to help Mal while he watched on the sidelines, close enough to protect Mal and the others but also far enough to not be in the way. Mal loved that about the ex-thief and she hoped that he would be able to wait a little longer before she felt comfortable talking to anyone, let alone her brother, about the pain in her chest that was trying -and failing- very had to ignore.
Audrey watched with slight wonder as she watched Mal's shoulders fall in comfort while Harry had been hugging her but rose instantly once he had left. It made the princess wonder how strong of a relationship the two VK's shared to be able to soothe each other down so quickly. Even if Mal didn't know it, Aurora knew that the teenager's shoulders were tense and her head was held high by nature, never once dropping to let her neck have a rest or even when she was holding Dizzy. A part of Aurora wondered if it was Maleficent's doing -that Maleficent had taught Mal the same lessons Aurora had received from her 'Fairy Godmother' to rule a kingdom- but another part of the princess knew that Mal had inherited it from her own mistakes and years of life. Aurora instantly knew that she wanted to know more about Mal -about Maleficent too- and understand just how much Maleficent had changed since her years on the Isle of The Lost.
"King Adam, Queen Belle," Mal called out as she quickly wiped her eyes -she didn't know that she had been crying until she felt the small tears fall down her pale cheeks- and turned around to see the whole room looking at the purple-haired teen expectingly, wondering what she was about to ask the former king and queen who were looking at the child who small smiles like they knew exactly what she was about to inquire from them. "Audrey's right. Something needs to happen and fast, so the press doesn't get the wrong ideas. Do you think you would be able to get the press her within the next half an hour or so?" Mal inquired with a nervous smile, one that quickly turned into relief upon seeing King Adam and Queen Belle nod at the teenager. "Thank you" Mal thanked before turning to Audrey, who was smiling kindly at the teenager -her smile trying to hide the nervousness she was feeling at the prospect of the press knowing about what had happened to Evie.
"Can you... Well, you know the press the best and-" Mal started before breathing in deeply, locking eyes with Audrey's and glancing pleadingly at her. "I was wondering that -with Uma and maybe Jane and Lonnie too- that you would be able to stand there too? You could help me as I haven't exactly done this before?" Mal asked. Audrey smiled and nodded before slowly standing up from the sofa. Aurora moved to pick up Alex but Audrey held out her hand gently, before lopping her arms around Alex and gently picking the little prince, who immediately wrapped his arms loosely around Audrey's neck, up from the sofa.
"It's okay, Mama" Audrey whispered as she moved Alex so his legs were wrapped around her waist and his arms around her neck. Aurora smiled appreciatingly at her daughter before stepping back, allowing Audrey to walk carefully towards Mal who smiled gratefully at the daughter of Sleep Beauty. "I'm going to take Alex to bed and then I will meet you later before the meeting. I'll also talk to Lonnie and Jane so you stay with Dizzy, I'm sure she will need you. Just call me if you need me, I'll be in the other room" Audry smiled before carefully curtsying to the Royals in the room and leaving, walking slowly down the corridors while whispering stories into Alex's ear so he didn't wake up like she did when he was little.
"I'm going to go find Dizzy, I'm sure she is waiting for me" Mal signed as she curtsied to the room, smiling lovingly at Ben as she leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss onto his cheek. "I love you" Mal waited for Ben to reply before pulling away, smiling at the room one last time before saying and final goodbye and leaving the room to go to her, Uma and Dizzy's new room in the Castle, her thoughts running away from her but all having one thing in common;
How was she going to tell Dizzy?
